Pipe connecting member, process apparatus for semiconductor device, and cleaning method for process apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention are a pipe connecting member, a process apparatus for a semiconductor device, and a cleaning method for the process apparatus. The pipe connecting member comprises: a transfer pipe having a gas inlet end connected to a plasma source and a gas outlet end connected to a reaction chamber, to transfer plasma from the plasma source to the reaction chamber; and temperature-regulating water channels arranged on the periphery of the transfer pipe, and configured to cool the pipe connecting member when the plasma is transferred through the transfer pipe and to preheat the pipe connecting member when the reaction chamber is in an idle state. By means of the pipe connecting member, when a large amount of heat is released during plasma transfer, the pipe connecting member can be promptly cooled, thereby preventing harmful particles generated by high-temperature plasma reacting with metal on the surface of the connecting member from entering the reaction chamber and causing defects in deposited films; in addition, the heat-up time of the machine can be shortened, thereby shortening the production cycle and increasing apparatus throughput.

Description

Pipe connection, process equipment of semiconductor device and cleaning method thereof TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor process equipment, and in particular relates to a pipe connection, a process equipment of semiconductor device, a cleaning method of the process equipment of semiconductor device, and a computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] A remote plasma system (RPS) is a device for generating plasma, which is usually used for surface treatment, material modification, thin film deposition and other processes in a vacuum environment. In a thin film deposition device, the remote plasma system can be connected with the reaction chamber of the device to periodically clean the inside of the reaction chamber at the molecular level to avoid the generated pollution affecting the performance of the thin film.

[0003] At present, the remote plasma system can transport plasma into the reaction chamber through the pipe connection to clean the chamber. However, during the chamber cleaning process, the remote plasma system needs to excite the gas by high-power radio frequency to generate plasma, so the transported plasma has the heat provided by the high-power radio frequency, which increases the heat input at the position of the pipe connection. Moreover, not only is the plasma itself a high-temperature ionized gas in a high-temperature state, but the gas also reacts at the position of the pipe connection to release a large amount of heat, which further causes the temperature at this position to sharply increase. After the temperature increases, the activity of the plasma also increases, which causes the metal on the surface of the pipe connection to more easily react with the plasma, so that some harmful particles are easily generated on the surface inside the connection. In the prior art, after completing one process preparation, the components in the machine table need to be heated to the process temperature before the next process preparation, which consumes a certain process time, thereby causing the production cycle to become longer and the equipment yield to decrease.

[0004] In order to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, there is an urgent need in the field for an improved pipe connection, which can timely cool down the pipe connection when a large amount of heat is released during the transmission of the plasma, so as to avoid the harmful particles generated by the reaction of the high-temperature plasma with the metal on the surface of the connection from entering the reaction chamber, causing defects in the deposition of the film, in addition, it can also shorten the heating time of the machine table, thereby shortening the production cycle and improving the equipment yield. SUMMARY

[0005] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0006] To overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present application provides a pipe connector, a process equipment of a semiconductor device, a cleaning method of a process equipment of a semiconductor device, and a computer readable storage medium, which can cool down the pipe connector in time when a large amount of heat is released during the transmission of plasma, so as to avoid harmful particles generated by the reaction of high-temperature plasma and metal on the surface of the connector from entering a reaction chamber, thereby avoiding defects caused by deposition and film formation, and shorten the heating time of the machine, thereby shortening the production cycle and improving the equipment yield.

[0007] Specifically, the pipe connector according to the first aspect of the present application comprises: a transmission pipeline, which is connected to a plasma source at an inlet end and connected to a reaction chamber at an outlet end, so as to transmit plasma in the plasma source to the reaction chamber; and a temperature-adjusting water channel, which is arranged on the outer periphery of the transmission pipeline, and used for cooling the pipe connector when the plasma is transmitted in the transmission pipeline, and preheating the pipe connector when the reaction chamber is in an idle state.

[0008] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the pipe connector further comprises: a heat pipe, which is connected to the transmission pipeline at a first section and connected to the temperature-adjusting water channel at a second section, and used for transferring heat between the transmission pipeline and the temperature-adjusting water channel.

[0009] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, when the plasma is transmitted in the transmission pipeline, cooling liquid is introduced into the temperature-adjusting water channel, the first section of the heat pipe is an evaporation section, and the second section of the heat pipe is a condensation section, so as to transfer heat in the transmission pipeline to the temperature-adjusting water channel.

[0010] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, when the reaction chamber is in an idle state, heat preservation liquid is introduced into the temperature-adjusting water channel, the first section of the heat pipe is a condensation section, and the second section of the heat pipe is an evaporation section, so as to transfer heat in the temperature-adjusting water channel to the transmission pipeline.

[0011] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the first section of the heat pipe is in close contact with the transmission pipeline, and the second section of the heat pipe is immersed in the temperature-adjusting water channel.

[0012] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the temperature-adjusting water channel comprises a plurality of bending portions, and the temperature-adjusting water channel is bent around the delivery pipe.

[0013] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe of the gas outlet end of the delivery pipe comprises a plurality of gas holes for introducing a protective gas to form a gas cushion on the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe to isolate the plasma from the inner wall of the pipe when the plasma is delivered.

[0014] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe further comprises a gas inlet channel, and the gas inlet channel is connected to each of the gas holes, and the protective gas is introduced into each of the gas holes through the gas inlet channel.

[0015] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the plurality of gas holes are uniformly distributed on the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe, and the protective gas is introduced into the plurality of gas holes to form a gas cushion with uniform density on the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe.

[0016] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the gas outlet end comprises a plurality of gas outlet ports, and each of the gas outlet ports is connected to a reaction chamber to deliver the plasma to the corresponding reaction chamber.

[0017] In addition, according to the second aspect of the present application, a process equipment for the above-mentioned semiconductor device is provided, and the process equipment comprises a reaction chamber for performing a thin film deposition process, a plasma source for generating a plasma, and the above-mentioned pipe connector provided by the first aspect of the present application, wherein the gas inlet end of the pipe connector is connected to the plasma source, and the gas outlet end of the pipe connector is connected to the reaction chamber, and the pipe connector is used to deliver the plasma to the reaction chamber to perform chamber cleaning of the reaction chamber after the thin film deposition process in the reaction chamber is completed.

[0018] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the process equipment further comprises a controller configured to: in response to the completion of the thin film deposition process in the reaction chamber, introduce a cooling liquid into the temperature-adjusting water channel in the pipe connector to cool the pipe connector; and in response to the pipe connector being in a cooling state, deliver the plasma in the plasma source to the reaction chamber through the pipe connector to perform chamber cleaning of the reaction chamber.

[0019] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the bottom of the inner wall of the gas outlet end of the pipe connection comprises a plurality of gas holes, and the controller is further configured to: in response to the completion of the thin film deposition process in the reaction chamber, introduce a protective gas into the plurality of gas holes at the bottom of the inner wall of the gas outlet end of the pipe connection, so that the protective gas forms an air cushion at the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe; and transmit the plasma in the plasma source to the reaction chamber through the pipe connection for chamber cleaning, wherein the plasma is isolated from the inner wall of the pipe by the air cushion during transmission.

[0020] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the process equipment further comprises: a switching valve, the water inlet end of which is connected to the cold water source and the hot water source respectively, and the water outlet end of which is connected to the water inlet of the temperature-adjusting water channel, and the controller is further configured to: in response to the completion of the thin film deposition process in the reaction chamber, switch the switching valve to the cold water source to introduce cooling liquid into the temperature-adjusting water channel for cooling the pipe connection; and in response to the process equipment being in an idle state, switch the switching valve to the hot water source to introduce heat preservation liquid into the temperature-adjusting water channel for preheating the pipe connection.

[0021] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the process equipment comprises a plurality of the reaction chambers, and the gas outlet end of the pipe connection comprises a plurality of gas outlets respectively connected to each of the reaction chambers to transmit the plasma to each corresponding reaction chamber.

[0022] In addition, the cleaning method of the process equipment of the semiconductor device provided by the third aspect of the present application comprises the following steps: in response to the completion of the thin film deposition process in the reaction chamber of the process equipment of the semiconductor device provided by the second aspect of the present application, introducing cooling liquid into the temperature-adjusting water channel in the pipe connection to cool the pipe connection; and in response to the pipe connection being in a cooled state, transmitting the plasma in the plasma source to the reaction chamber through the pipe connection to perform chamber cleaning on the reaction chamber.

[0023] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the cleaning method further comprises the following steps: in response to the completion of the thin film deposition process in the reaction chamber, introducing a protective gas into the plurality of gas holes at the bottom of the inner wall of the gas outlet end of the transmission pipeline of the pipe connection to form an air cushion at the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe; and generating plasma by the plasma source, transmitting the plasma to the reaction chamber through the pipe connection to perform chamber cleaning, wherein the plasma is isolated from the inner wall of the pipe by the air cushion during transmission.

[0024] In addition, the fourth aspect of the present application also provides a computer readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon. The computer instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the cleaning method of the process equipment of the semiconductor device as described above according to the third aspect of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] The above features and advantages of the present application will be better understood through reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a structural schematic diagram of a process equipment of a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0027] FIG. 2A shows an external structural schematic diagram of a pipe connector according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0028] FIG. 2B shows a perspective structural schematic diagram of a pipe connector according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0029] FIG. 3 is a front structural schematic diagram of the pipe connector shown in FIG. 2B;

[0030] FIG. 4 shows a side sectional view of the pipe connector according to some embodiments of the present application beside its transmission pipeline;

[0031] FIG. 5 shows a connection schematic diagram of a switching valve according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0032] FIG. 6 shows a side sectional view of a pipe connector according to some other embodiments of the present application at a wire position therein; and

[0033] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of a cleaning method of a process equipment of a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0034] Reference signs: 100 Process equipment of semiconductor device; 110 Plasma source; 120 Reaction cavity; 200 Pipe connection; 210 Inlet end; 220 Outlet end; 230 Transmission pipeline; 240 Temperature-adjusting water channel; 250 Heat pipe; 251 First section of heat pipe; 252 Second section of heat pipe; 300 Switching valve; 310 Cooling liquid; 320 Heat-insulating liquid; 610 Inner wall of pipeline; 620 Air hole; 621 Inlet passage; 630 Transmission path of plasma; 640 Circulation path of protective gas; and S710-S720 Steps. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The present application is described in detail by specific embodiments, and other advantages and effects of the present application can be easily understood by those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the present application. Although the description of the present application will be introduced in combination with the preferred embodiments, it does not mean that the features of the present application are limited to the embodiments. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the present application in combination with the embodiments is to cover other options or modifications that can be extended based on the claims of the present application. In order to provide a deep understanding of the present application, many specific details will be included in the following description. The present application can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or obscure the focus of the present application, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0036] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connecting" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integrally connected; it can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through intermediate medium, or the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0037] In addition, "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "horizontal", "vertical" used in the following description and shown in the related drawings should be understood as the orientation shown in the section and the related drawings. The relative terms are only for the convenience of description, and do not mean that the device described thereby should be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0038] It can be understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third" and the like are used herein to describe various components, regions, layers and / or parts, these components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers and / or parts. Therefore, the first components, regions, layers and / or parts discussed below can be referred to as the second components, regions, layers and / or parts without departing from some embodiments of the present application.

[0039] As described above, in the chamber cleaning process, since the remote plasma system needs to excite the gas by high-power radio frequency to generate plasma, the output plasma has the heat provided by the high-power radio frequency, which increases the heat input at the position of the pipe connector. Moreover, not only is the plasma itself a high-temperature ionized gas in a high-temperature state, but the gas also reacts at the position of the pipe connector to release a large amount of heat, which further causes the temperature at this position to rise sharply. After the temperature rises, the activity of the plasma also increases, which causes the metal on the surface of the pipe connector to be more likely to react with the plasma, thereby causing some harmful particles to be easily generated on the surface inside the connector. In addition, in the prior art, after completing one process preparation, the components in the machine need to be heated to the process temperature before the next process preparation, which consumes a certain process time, thereby causing the production cycle to become longer and the equipment yield to decrease.

[0040] In order to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the present application provides a pipe connector, a semiconductor device process equipment, a cleaning method of a semiconductor device process equipment, and a computer readable storage medium, which can timely cool the pipe connector when a large amount of heat is released during the transmission of the plasma, thereby avoiding the harmful particles generated by the reaction of the high-temperature plasma with the metal on the surface of the connector into the reaction chamber, causing defects in the deposition film, in addition, it can also shorten the heating time of the machine, thereby shortening the production cycle and improving the equipment yield.

[0041] In some non-limiting embodiments, the above-mentioned pipe connector provided by the first aspect of the present application can be configured in the above-mentioned semiconductor device process equipment provided by the second aspect of the present application, and the above-mentioned semiconductor device process equipment can be cleaned by the above-mentioned cleaning method provided by the third aspect of the present application.

[0042] In particular, in some non-limiting embodiments, the fourth aspect of the present application provides the above computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the computer instructions can be used to implement the above method of cleaning the process equipment of the semiconductor device according to the third aspect of the present application.

[0043] The working principle of the above pipe connector will be described below in combination with some embodiments of the process equipment of the semiconductor device and the method of cleaning the same. Those skilled in the art can understand that the embodiments of the process equipment of the semiconductor device and the method of cleaning the same are only some non-limiting embodiments provided by the present application, which are intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present application and provide some specific solutions for facilitating the public to implement, rather than to limit the overall working mode or overall function of the pipe connector. Similarly, the pipe connector is also only a non-limiting embodiment provided by the present application, which does not limit the configuration object in the process equipment of the semiconductor device and the implementation subject of each step in the method of cleaning the same.

[0044] Please refer to FIG. 1, which shows a structural schematic diagram of a process equipment of a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 1, in some embodiments of the present application, the process equipment 100 of the semiconductor device can include a plasma source 110, a reaction chamber 120, and a pipe connector 200. The wafer can be sent into the reaction chamber 120 and the film deposition process can be performed thereon. The plasma source 110 can be used to generate plasma to clean the reaction chamber 120 after the film deposition process. Preferably, in order not to increase the floor space of the process equipment, a remote plasma system (RPS) can be used as the plasma source 110. The gas inlet end 210 of the pipe connector 200 can be connected to the plasma source 110, and the gas outlet end 220 thereof can be connected to the reaction chamber 120, which is used to transmit the plasma to the reaction chamber 120 after the film deposition process is completed in the reaction chamber 120, so as to clean the reaction chamber 120.

[0046] Specifically, the plasma source 110 can dissociate a nitrogen fluoride (NF3) gas to generate a plasma, in which a large amount of fluorine ions can be included. After the wafer is sent out of the reaction chamber 120 after completing the thin film deposition process, a cleaning process can be performed in the reaction chamber 120 to clean the thin film deposited on the inner side of the chamber dome, the surface of the wafer tray, and the inner wall of the chamber. The plasma in the plasma source 110 is transmitted to the reaction chamber 120 through the pipe and the pipe connector 200, and the fluorine ions with high energy in the plasma can react with the residual silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, and other deposits in the reaction chamber 120 to form volatile phase silicon fluoride, thereby removing the silicon dioxide, silicon nitride thin film residual accumulation on the inner surface of the reaction chamber 120 and other parts during the chamber cleaning process, achieving the effect of chamber cleaning.

[0047] In addition, before the plasma enters the pipe connector 200, the activity of the plasma can be ensured by adjusting the inlet pressure, temperature, and flow ratio of the plasma. Optionally, the inlet pressure of the plasma can be adjusted by a precision pressure reducing valve, the flow of the plasma can be adjusted by a mass flow controller (MFC), and the temperature of the plasma can be adjusted by the temperature of the heating band for closed-loop control.

[0048] Continuing as shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor device processing equipment 100 can also include a plurality of reaction chambers 120, for example, two reaction chambers 120. The outlet end of the pipe connector 200 can also include a plurality of outlet ends 220, each connected to a reaction chamber 120 to transmit the plasma to the corresponding reaction chamber 120, thereby increasing the production capacity of the equipment.

[0049] Next, please refer to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, FIG. 2A shows an external structural schematic diagram of a pipe connector according to some embodiments of the present application, and FIG. 2B shows a perspective structural schematic diagram of a pipe connector according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the pipe connector 200 can include a transmission pipe 230 and a temperature control water channel 240. The inlet end 210 of the transmission pipe 230 can be connected to the plasma source 110, and the outlet end 220 can be connected to the reaction chamber 120 to transmit the plasma in the plasma source 110 to the reaction chamber 120. The temperature control water channel 240 can be arranged on the outer periphery of the transmission pipe 230, for cooling the pipe connector 200 when the plasma is transmitted in the transmission pipe 230, and preheating the pipe connector 200 when the reaction chamber 120 is in an idle state.

[0051] In particular, the pipe connecting piece can be understood in combination with FIG. 3, which is a schematic diagram of a front structure of the pipe connecting piece shown in FIG. 2B.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 2B and FIG. 3, the pipe connecting piece 200 can further include a heat pipe 250. A first section 251 of the heat pipe can be connected to the transmission pipeline 230, and a second section 252 of the heat pipe can be connected to the temperature-adjusting water channel 240, for transferring heat between the transmission pipeline 230 and the temperature-adjusting water channel 240. Since the heat pipe 250 is a high-efficiency heat transfer device, it has an ultrafast heat conduction coefficient, and the heat conduction rate is higher than that of ordinary metal. The heat pipe 250 is a closed pipe, and does not need to be heated. Inside the heat pipe, there is a heat conduction agent, which can accelerate the heat conduction rate between the transmission pipeline 230 and the temperature-adjusting water channel 240 by vaporization and liquefaction.

[0053] Further, as shown in FIG. 3, preferably, the first section 251 of the heat pipe can be in close contact with the transmission pipeline 230, and the second section 252 of the heat pipe can be immersed in the temperature-adjusting water channel 240, so as to accelerate the heat transfer between the transmission pipeline 230 and the temperature-adjusting water channel 240.

[0054] Since the plasma is output from the plasma source 110, when passing through the pipe connecting piece 200, not only is the plasma itself a high-temperature ionized gas in a high-temperature state, but the heat released instantaneously by the internal reaction of the gas will also cause the temperature of the pipe connecting piece 200 to rise sharply. In addition, the surface of the pipe connecting piece 200 will produce many harmful particles, such as fluorides, due to the corrosion of the transmitted plasma. These particles will enter the reaction chamber 120 along with the gas flow and cause defects in the deposition film. In order to avoid the generation of harmful particles due to the sharp rise in temperature of the pipe connecting piece 200 during the transmission of the plasma, as shown in FIG. 3, in some embodiments of the present application, when the plasma is transmitted in the transmission pipeline 230, cooling liquid, such as cold water, can be introduced into the temperature-adjusting water channel 240. At this time, the first section 251 of the heat pipe can serve as an evaporation section, and the second section 252 of the heat pipe can serve as a condensation section, so as to quickly transfer the heat of the high-temperature plasma in the transmission pipeline 230 to the temperature-adjusting water channel 240, thereby cooling the pipe connecting piece 200 in time, and reducing the overall heat of the pipe connecting piece 200.

[0055] Preferably, the temperature of the introduced cooling liquid is not simply the lower the better, but needs to reach a process balance point, that is, the temperature of the introduced cooling liquid needs to be able to ensure the activity of the plasma and not produce harmful particles.

[0056] Further, please refer to FIG. 4, which shows a side sectional view of the pipe connector provided by some embodiments of the present application, beside the transmission pipeline. As shown in FIG. 4, the temperature-adjusting water channel 240 can further include multiple bending sections, so as to be at least bendingly distributed around the transmission pipeline 230. By providing multiple bending sections to the temperature-adjusting water channel 240, the contact area inside the pipe connector 200 and the temperature-adjusting water channel 240 can be increased in the limited space, i.e. the heat dissipation efficiency is increased, and the water cooling time of the cooling liquid flow is prolonged, which is beneficial to improve the cooling effect on the pipe connector 200, so as to quickly take away the heat and reduce the temperature fluctuation of the pipe connector 200.

[0057] On this basis, in combination with FIG. 2B and FIG. 3, optionally, multiple rows of heat pipes 250 can be arranged side by side in the pipe connector 200, and the two ends of the heat pipe 250 are used as the second section 252 of the heat pipe, i.e. the condensing section, while the middle part of the heat pipe 250 is used as the first section 251 of the heat pipe, i.e. the evaporating section, so as to further accelerate the heat conduction rate of the transmission pipeline 230 inside the pipe connector 200, so as to quickly cool down the pipe connector 200 and avoid the occurrence of severe temperature fluctuation.

[0058] In some other embodiments of the present application, when the reaction cavity 120 in the semiconductor device processing equipment 100 is idle after the last process preparation, the temperature-adjusting water channel 240 can be filled with a heat preservation liquid, such as hot water. The first section 251 of the heat pipe can be used as the condensing section, and the second section 252 of the heat pipe can be used as the evaporating section, so as to transfer the heat of the heat preservation liquid in the temperature-adjusting water channel 240 to the transmission pipeline 230, thereby preheating the pipe connector 200. In this way, the warming-up time of each component of the machine can be greatly reduced when the next process preparation is performed, so as to shorten the production cycle and improve the equipment yield.

[0059] Specifically, in order to achieve the requirement of switching the cooling liquid and the heat preservation liquid into the pipe connector 200, please refer to FIG. 5, which shows a connection schematic diagram of a switching valve provided by some embodiments of the present application.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 5, in some optional embodiments, the semiconductor device processing equipment 100 can further include a switching valve 300. The water inlet end of the switching valve 300 can be connected to a cold water source and a hot water source respectively, wherein the cooling liquid 310 is stored in the cold water source, and the heat preservation liquid 320 is stored in the hot water source. The cooling liquid 310 and the heat preservation liquid 320 are respectively transmitted to the water inlet end of the switching valve 300 through two independent pipelines. The water outlet end of the switching valve 300 can be connected to the water inlet of the temperature-adjusting water channel 240, for transmitting the cooling liquid or the heat preservation liquid into the pipe connector 200 according to the specific process requirement.

[0061] In some other embodiments, the cold water source and the hot water source can be replaced by circulating water with specific temperature. That is, when cooling liquid is needed, the temperature of the circulating water can be set to a cold water temperature suitable for cooling the equipment, and when heat preservation liquid is needed, the temperature of the circulating water can be set to a hot water temperature suitable for heat preservation of the equipment.

[0062] Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a switching valve 300 can be arranged on each side of the pipe connector 200, so that the cooling liquid and the heat preservation liquid can be distributed on both sides of the pipe connector 200, to achieve uniform cooling or heating on both sides.

[0063] Further, since a large number of high-speed charged particles are gathered in the transmitted plasma, the inner wall of the pipe can be damaged by the direct impact of the charged particles during the transmission of the plasma, which directly affects the service life of the pipe connector. Therefore, referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 shows a side view of the pipe connector at the position of the wire according to some other embodiments of the present application.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 6, in some other embodiments of the present application, the bottom of the inner wall 610 of the outlet end of the transmission pipe 230 of the pipe connector 200 can further include a plurality of air holes 620 for introducing protective gas to form an air cushion at the bottom of the inner wall 610, so as to isolate the plasma from the inner wall 610 during the transmission of the plasma. Further, the bottom of the inner wall 610 can further include an air inlet channel 621. The air inlet channel 621 can be connected to each air hole 620, and the protective gas can be introduced into each air hole 620 through the air inlet channel 621. The transmission path 630 of the plasma in the pipe connector 200 can be shown by the dashed arrows in FIG. 6, and the flow path 640 of the protective gas can be shown by the solid arrows in FIG. 6. Optionally, the protective gas can include, but is not limited to, nitrogen, argon, helium, etc.

[0065] Preferably, in some preferred embodiments, the plurality of air holes 620 can be uniformly distributed on the bottom of the inner wall 610. For example, the bottom of the inner wall 610 can be provided with a plurality of rows of air holes 620 for forming an air cushion with uniform air density at the bottom of the inner wall 610 after the introduction of the protective gas, so as to avoid the direct contact between the inner wall 610 and the plasma at the local area of the air cushion with low air density during the transmission of the plasma, and the impact and corrosion of the plasma.

[0066] Preferably, the amount of the introduced protective gas and the amount of the transmitted plasma can be set according to a certain ratio, and the introduced protective gas can be heated, so as not to significantly reduce the temperature of the plasma during the transmission of the plasma on the air cushion, and to ensure the activity of the plasma gas.

[0067] In addition, in some embodiments, the semiconductor device processing equipment 100 can further comprise a controller (not shown in the drawings), through which the steps in the cleaning method of the semiconductor device processing equipment can be implemented.

[0068] Next, referring to FIG. 7, a flowchart of a cleaning method of a semiconductor device processing equipment according to some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 7, in some embodiments of the present application, the cleaning method of the semiconductor device processing equipment can comprise the following step S710: in response to the completion of the thin film deposition process in the reaction chamber 120 in the semiconductor device processing equipment 100, cooling liquid is introduced into the temperature-adjusting water channel in the pipe connector 200 to cool the pipe connector 200.

[0070] Specifically, as can be understood in combination with FIG. 5, in response to the completion of the thin film deposition process in the reaction chamber 120, the switching valve 300 can be switched to the cold water source to introduce cooling liquid, such as cold water, into the temperature-adjusting water channel. At this time, the first section 251 of the heat pipe can serve as the evaporation section, and the second section 252 of the heat pipe can serve as the condensation section to quickly transfer the heat of the high-temperature plasma in the transmission pipeline 230 to the temperature-adjusting water channel 240, thereby timely cooling the pipe connector 200.

[0071] Subsequently, step S720 can be performed to cause the plasma in the plasma source 110 to be transmitted into the reaction chamber 120 through the pipe connector 200 to perform chamber cleaning on the reaction chamber 120 in response to the pipe connector 200 being in a cooled state.

[0072] Since the cooling liquid is always introduced into the temperature-adjusting water channel 240 in the pipe connector 200, and the condensation section of the heat pipe 250 is immersed in the temperature-adjusting water channel 240, the heat of the high-temperature plasma can be quickly transferred to the temperature-adjusting water channel 240 with cooling liquid during the transmission of the high-temperature plasma into the pipe connector 200, thereby timely cooling the pipe connector 200, flattening the temperature peak during the chamber cleaning process of the reaction chamber 120, and maintaining the temperature of the pipe connector 200 at a value between 70° and 120°, so as to avoid the rapid increase of the temperature of the pipe connector 200 to generate harmful particles on the surface of the pipe connector 200, thereby affecting the quality of subsequent thin film deposition.

[0073] In addition, if the temperature of the pipe connector 200 increases, the transmission speed of the plasma will also increase, which will further cause the plasma to bombard the inner wall of the pipe of the pipe connector 200, thereby increasing the harmful particles.

[0074] In some preferred embodiments, the bottom of the inner wall 610 of the outlet end of the transfer pipe 230 of the pipe connection 200 can further include a plurality of air holes 620, as shown in FIG. 6. The controller can be further configured to, in response to the completion of the thin film deposition process in the reaction chamber 120, introduce a protective gas into the plurality of air holes 620 at the bottom of the inner wall 610 of the outlet end of the transfer pipe of the pipe connection, so as to form an air cushion at the bottom of the inner wall 610. Thus, step S720 can be performed, and the plasma generated by the plasma source 110 can be isolated from the inner wall 610 by the air cushion during the transmission of the plasma to the reaction chamber 120 via the pipe connection 200, thereby avoiding direct impact of the plasma on the inner wall 610 during the transmission process, protecting the inner wall 610 and prolonging the service life of the pipe connection 200.

[0075] Optionally, when the reaction chamber 120 in the semiconductor device processing equipment 100 is idle after completing the previous process preparation, the controller can further switch the switching valve 300 to the hot water source to introduce a heat preservation liquid, such as hot water, into the temperature-adjusting water channel 240. The first section 251 of the heat pipe can act as a condensation section, and the second section 252 of the heat pipe can act as an evaporation section, so as to transfer the heat of the heat preservation liquid in the temperature-adjusting water channel 240 to the transfer pipe 230, thereby preheating the pipe connection 200. In this way, the warming-up time of the components of the machine can be greatly reduced when the next process preparation is performed, thereby shortening the production cycle and improving the equipment yield.

[0076] Although the above-described methods are illustrated and described as a series of acts for the sake of simplicity, it should be understood and appreciated that the methods are not limited by the order of acts, as some acts may, in accordance with one or more embodiments, occur in different orders and / or concurrently with other acts from that shown and described herein. And / or, depending on the embodiment, various elements of the methods could be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0077] In summary, the present application provides a pipe connection, a semiconductor device processing equipment, a cleaning method of a semiconductor device processing equipment, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can cool down the pipe connection in time when a large amount of heat is generated during the transmission of the plasma, thereby avoiding harmful particles generated by the reaction of the high-temperature plasma with the metal surface of the connection into the reaction chamber, causing defects in the deposition of the film, in addition to shortening the warming-up time of the machine, thereby shortening the production cycle and improving the equipment yield.

[0078] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein can be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A pipe coupling, comprising: The pipe connection comprises: a transmission pipe, an inlet end of which is connected to a plasma source and an outlet end of which is connected to a reaction chamber, for transmitting plasma in the plasma source to the reaction chamber; and a temperature-adjusting water channel, which is arranged around the transmission pipe, for cooling the pipe connection when the plasma is transmitted in the transmission pipe and preheating the pipe connection when the reaction chamber is in an idle state.

2. The pipe coupling according to Claim 1, wherein, Further, the pipe connection comprises: a heat pipe, a first end of which is connected to the transmission pipe and a second end of which is connected to the temperature-adjusting water channel, for transferring heat between the transmission pipe and the temperature-adjusting water channel.

3. The pipe coupling according to Claim 2, wherein, When the plasma is transmitted in the transmission pipe, cooling liquid is fed into the temperature-adjusting water channel, the first end of the heat pipe is an evaporation end, and the second end of the heat pipe is a condensation end, so as to transfer heat in the transmission pipe to the temperature-adjusting water channel.

4. The pipe coupling according to Claim 2, wherein, When the reaction chamber is in an idle state, heat-retaining liquid is fed into the temperature-adjusting water channel, the first end of the heat pipe is a condensation end, and the second end of the heat pipe is an evaporation end, so as to transfer heat in the temperature-adjusting water channel to the transmission pipe.

5. The pipe coupling according to Claim 2, wherein, The first end of the heat pipe is in close contact with the transmission pipe, and the second end of the heat pipe is immersed in the temperature-adjusting water channel.

6. The pipe coupling according to Claim 1, wherein, The temperature-adjusting water channel comprises multiple bending portions, and the temperature-adjusting water channel is bent around the transmission pipe.

7. The pipe coupling according to Claim 1, wherein, The bottom of the inner wall of the pipe of the outlet end of the transmission pipe comprises multiple air holes, for feeding protective gas to form an air cushion at the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe, so as to isolate the plasma from the inner wall of the pipe when the plasma is transmitted.

8. The pipe coupling according to Claim 7, wherein, The bottom of the inner wall of the pipe further comprises an air inlet channel, which is connected to the air holes, and the protective gas is fed into the air holes through the air inlet channel.

9. The pipe coupling according to Claim 7, wherein, The multiple air holes are uniformly distributed at the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe, for forming an air cushion with uniform air density at the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe after the protective gas is fed.

10. The pipe coupling according to Claim 7, wherein, The outlet end comprises multiple outlet ports, which are respectively connected to multiple reaction chambers, for transmitting the plasma to the respective reaction chambers.

11. A process apparatus for a semiconductor device, characterized by comprising: The pipe connection comprises: a reaction chamber, for performing a thin film deposition process; a plasma source, for generating plasma; and a pipe connection as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, an inlet end of which is connected to the plasma source and an outlet end of which is connected to the reaction chamber, for transmitting the plasma to the reaction chamber after the thin film deposition process is completed in the reaction chamber, so as to clean the reaction chamber.

12. The process apparatus of claim 11 wherein, Further, the pipe connection comprises: a controller, which is configured to, in response to the thin film deposition process being completed in the reaction chamber, feed cooling liquid into a temperature-adjusting water channel in the pipe connection, so as to cool the pipe connection, and in response to the pipe connection being in a cooled state, transmit the plasma in the plasma source to the reaction chamber through the pipe connection, so as to clean the reaction chamber.

13. The process apparatus of claim 12, wherein, The bottom of the inner wall of the pipe of the outlet end of the pipe connection comprises multiple air holes, and the controller is further configured to: in response to completion of the thin film deposition process in the reaction chamber, introducing a protective gas into a plurality of gas holes at the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe of the gas outlet end of the pipe connection, so as to form a gas cushion at the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe by the protective gas; and transferring the plasma in the plasma source into the reaction chamber via the pipe connection, for chamber cleaning, wherein the plasma is isolated from the inner wall of the pipe via the gas cushion during the transferring process.

14. The process apparatus of claim 12 wherein, a switching valve, whose water inlet end is connected to a cold water source and a hot water source respectively, and whose water outlet end is connected to the water inlet of the temperature-adjusting water channel, the controller is further configured to: in response to completion of the thin film deposition process in the reaction chamber, switch the switching valve to the cold water source, and introduce cooling liquid into the temperature-adjusting water channel, for cooling the pipe connection; and in response to the process equipment being in an idle state, switch the switching valve to the hot water source, and introduce heat preservation liquid into the temperature-adjusting water channel, for preheating the pipe connection.

15. The process apparatus of claim 11 wherein, the gas outlet end of the pipe connection comprises a plurality of gas outlets, each connected to a corresponding reaction chamber, for transferring the plasma to the corresponding reaction chamber.

16. A cleaning method of a process equipment of a semiconductor device, characterized by, comprising the following steps: in response to completion of the thin film deposition process in the reaction chamber of the process equipment of the semiconductor device as claimed in any one of claims 11-15, introducing cooling liquid into the temperature-adjusting water channel in the pipe connection, for cooling the pipe connection; and in response to the pipe connection being in a cooling state, transferring the plasma in the plasma source into the reaction chamber via the pipe connection, for chamber cleaning of the reaction chamber.

17. The cleaning method of claim 16, wherein, further comprising the following steps: in response to completion of the thin film deposition process in the reaction chamber, introducing a protective gas into a plurality of gas holes at the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe of the gas outlet end of the pipe connection, so as to form a gas cushion at the bottom of the inner wall of the pipe by the protective gas; and generating plasma by a plasma source, and transferring the plasma into the reaction chamber via the pipe connection, for chamber cleaning, wherein the plasma is isolated from the inner wall of the pipe via the gas cushion during the transferring process.

18. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer instructions, wherein, the computer instructions, when executed by the processor, implement the cleaning method of the process equipment of the semiconductor device as claimed in claim 16 or 17.

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