Injector Cleaning via Shared Exhaust in Substrate Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing apparatuses face challenges in effectively cleaning the inside of injectors, which can lead to particle contamination and reduced efficiency in semiconductor manufacturing processes.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus is designed with a configuration that includes a processing chamber, injectors with specific connection ports, a source gas introducing pipe, a cleaning gas introducing pipe, and a vent pipe, allowing for selective cleaning of the injector by introducing cleaning gases and purge gases while evacuating the chamber, thereby preventing particle contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a scavenging line is provided for scavenging the inside of the injector, then particle contamination in the processing chamber is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The exhaust pipe is designed to serve dual purposes: exhausting the processing chamber during substrate processing and scavenging the injector during cleaning operations. By making the exhaust pipe multi-functional, the patent eliminates the need for a separate scavenging line, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining particle contamination prevention
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own exhaust infrastructure to perform the scavenging function. The exhaust pipe, which already exists for chamber evacuation, is utilized to remove by-products from the injector, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring additional dedicated scavenging components
2Device complexity
If the exhaust pipe is used to exhaust both the processing chamber and the injector, then the device complexity is reduced, but the cleaning efficiency of the injector may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning process is divided into distinct phases: chamber evacuation phase and injector scavenging phase. During chamber evacuation, the exhaust pipe removes processing chamber gases. During injector cleaning, the same exhaust pipe is directed to scavange injector by-products. This temporal segmentation allows one exhaust pipe to efficiently handle multiple functions without compromising performance
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary evacuation of the processing chamber before initiating injector scavenging. This ensures that when the exhaust pipe switches to scavenging mode, the chamber is already prepared and won't contaminate the cleaning process, maintaining cleaning efficiency while using shared infrastructure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enables efficient cleaning of the injector, reducing particle contamination and improving the productivity of the substrate processing apparatus by utilizing the wafer cooling time for cleaning processes.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum pump configured to evacuate the inside of the processing chamber and the inside of the injector
Implementation Method 2
introducing a cleaning gas into the injector... effective in removing carbon-containing by-products generated during the film formation
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus includes a processing chamber configured to accommodate a substrate, an injector, including a first connection port and a second connection port, wherein an inside of the injector communicates with an inside of the processing chamber, an exhaust pipe configured to exhaust the inside of the processing chamber, a source gas introducing pipe, connected to the first connection port, and configured to introduce a source gas into the injector, a cleaning gas introducing pipe configured to introduce a cleaning gas into the injector through one of the first connection port and the second connection port, and a vent pipe, connecting the exhaust pipe and the other of the first connection port and the second connection port, and configured to exhaust the inside of the injector.