阅读说明：本技术 装备清洁设备和方法 (Equipment cleaning apparatus and method ) 是由 罗曼·M·莫斯托沃伊 苏克图·阿伦·帕里克 托德·伊根 于 2018-11-07 设计创作，主要内容包括：本文描述的实施方式涉及清洁装置和用于清洁物体的方法。在一个实施方式中,通过沿着物体的表面移动清洁头来清洁物体。超临界二氧化碳流体通过超临界二氧化碳流体容器被输送到物体表面。通过真空泵将超临界二氧化碳流体和污染物质从物体去除至检测器。通过检测器确定污染物质的一个或多个测量结果。通过收集器收集污染物质的样本。通过分析器确定物体表面的污染程度。(Embodiments described herein relate to a cleaning device and a method for cleaning an object. In one embodiment, the object is cleaned by moving the cleaning head along the surface of the object. The supercritical carbon dioxide fluid is delivered to the surface of the object through a supercritical carbon dioxide fluid container. The supercritical carbon dioxide fluid and the contaminant are removed from the object to the detector by a vacuum pump. One or more measurements of the contaminant material are determined by a detector. A sample of the contaminating material is collected by the collector. The degree of contamination of the surface of the object is determined by an analyzer.)

1. A method comprising the steps of:

moving the cleaning device along the surface of the object;

delivering a supercritical carbon dioxide fluid to the surface of the object;

removing the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid and contaminant material from the object;

determining one or more measurements of the contaminant material; and

collecting a sample of the contaminating material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid is delivered at a pressure greater than 500 pounds per square inch (psi).

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a degree of contamination on the surface of the object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of delivering a supercritical carbon dioxide fluid removes the contaminating substance from the surface of the object, the contaminating substance comprising a plurality of particles;

removing the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid and the contaminant by a vacuum pump; and is

The step of determining the one or more measurements of the contaminating material includes determining a density of each particle of the contaminating material.

5. A method comprising the steps of:

moving a cleaning device along a surface of a first object;

delivering a supercritical carbon dioxide fluid to the surface of the first object;

removing the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid and contaminant material from the first object;

determining one or more measurements of the contaminant material from the first object;

collecting a sample of the contaminating material from the first object;

moving the cleaning device along a surface of a second object;

delivering the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid to the surface of the second object;

removing the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid and contaminant material from the second object;

determining one or more measurements of the contaminant material from the second object; and

collecting a sample of the contaminating substance from the second object.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining a degree of contamination on the surface of the first object and determining a degree of contamination on the surface of the second object.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of delivering the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid to the surface of the first object removes the contaminating substance from the surface of the first object, wherein the step of delivering the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid to the surface of the second object removes the contaminating substance from the surface of the second object, and wherein the contaminating substance comprises a plurality of particles.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid and the contaminating species are removed from the first object by a vacuum pump, and wherein the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid and the contaminating species are removed from the second object by the vacuum pump.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of determining one or more measurements of the contaminating material from the first object comprises determining a density of each particle of the contaminating material from the first object, and wherein the step of determining one or more measurements of the contaminating material from the second object comprises determining a density of each particle of the contaminating material from the second object.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a cleaning head;

an optical channel coupled to an analyzer, the optical channel coupled to the cleaning head;

a detector coupled to the cleaning head;

a collector coupled to the detector; and

a vacuum pump coupled to the collector.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the detector is configured to determine a density of each particle of contaminant material.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the collector is configured to collect a sample of the contaminating substance.

13. The device of claim 10, further comprising a movement mechanism coupled to the cleaning head.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the analyzer is configured to determine a degree of contamination.

15. The device of claim 10, further comprising a supercritical carbon dioxide fluid container coupled to the cleaning head and configured to deliver supercritical carbon dioxide.

Description of the Related Art

In the cleaning of semiconductors, OLEDs, and flat panel devices, it is often desirable to remove contaminants from the substrate surface, leaving a clean surface. For example, during semiconductor processing, it is also often necessary to clean the chamber in which the processing occurs. Without cleaning, contaminants may be present that may negatively impact the performance of the semiconductor device.

Cleaning the chamber (referred to as process maintenance or PM) can shut down production. During PM, semiconductor devices cannot be processed in the chamber. Therefore, PM greatly affects the yield of semiconductor devices. Therefore, it would be beneficial to reduce PM time. The cleanliness of semiconductor devices, such as substrates, chamber components, chamber tools, chambers, and chamber mainframe (mainframe), affects product yield, chamber uptime, and customer cost of ownership.

Most current wet cleaning techniques utilize a vacuum cleaner to remove contaminants from the surface of the object to be cleaned. However, the use of a vacuum cleaner is not sufficient to remove contaminating substances from the surface of the object and is therefore not time efficient. In addition, subsequent measurements of particle and surface contamination require additional time, which reduces microchip yield, reduces tool uptime, and increases customer cost of ownership.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved cleaning devices and methods for cleaning objects.

Disclosure of Invention

In one embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes moving a cleaning device along a surface of an object. Delivering a supercritical carbon dioxide fluid to a surface of the object. Removing the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid and the contaminant material from the object. One or more measurements of the contaminant material are determined. A sample of the contaminating material is collected.

In one embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes moving a cleaning device along a surface of a first object. The supercritical carbon dioxide fluid is delivered to a surface of the first object. The supercritical carbon dioxide fluid and the contaminant material are removed from the first object. One or more measurements of a contaminating substance from a first object are determined. A sample of contaminating material from the first object is collected. The cleaning device is moved along the surface of the second object. The supercritical carbon dioxide fluid is delivered to the surface of the second object. Removing the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid and the contaminant material from the second object. One or more measurements of contaminant material from the second object are determined. A sample of contaminating material from the second object is collected.

In another embodiment, an apparatus is provided. The device includes a cleaning head. The optical channel is coupled to an analyzer. The optical channel is coupled to the cleaning head. A detector is coupled to the cleaning head and a collector is coupled to the detector. A vacuum pump is coupled to the collector.

Brief description of the drawings

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only exemplary embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope of the disclosure, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

Fig. 1A to 1D are schematic plan views of an object during cleaning according to an embodiment.

Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cleaning device according to one embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating operations of a method for cleaning an object according to an embodiment.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation.

Detailed Description

Embodiments described herein relate to a cleaning device and a method for cleaning an object. In one embodiment, the object is cleaned by moving the cleaning head along the surface of the object. The supercritical carbon dioxide fluid is delivered to the surface of the object through the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid container. The supercritical carbon dioxide fluid and the contaminant species are removed from the object by a vacuum pump to a detector. One or more measurements of the contaminant material are determined by a detector. A sample of the contaminating material is collected by the collector. The degree of contamination of the surface of the object is determined by an analyzer.

Fig. 1A is a schematic plan view of an object 100, the object 100 having a surface 102, the surface 102 having a contaminant 104 formed thereon prior to cleaning. The object 100 may be a substrate, a chamber component, a chamber tool, a chamber, and a chamber mainframe. The object 100 may have a contaminant 104 formed on the surface 102 before or after processing. The contaminant material may include a plurality of particles 106.

Fig. 1B is a schematic plan view of the object 100 having the surface 102 after the cleaning process. As shown in fig. 1B, the surface 102 of the object 100 appears free of contaminating substances 104. However, as shown in fig. 1C (an enlarged scale of the schematic plan view of the object 100 of fig. 1B), the contaminant 104 is still present on the surface 102. The contaminant 104 is still present on the surface 102 due to the inefficiency of removing the contaminant 104 and the inability to determine the degree of contamination of the surface 102 of the object 100 during the cleaning process.

Fig. 1D is a schematic plan view on an enlarged scale of the object 100 after the method 300 for cleaning the object 100. The surface 102 of the object 100 is substantially free of contaminating material 104. In one embodiment, the object 100 is an incoming chamber component and the method 300 cleans the chamber component prior to incorporation into the chamber. In another embodiment, the method 300 is used to clean the chamber and chamber components prior to processing. In yet another embodiment, the method 300 is utilized to clean the chamber and components of the chamber components after processing as a practice of preventive maintenance and/or troubleshooting.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cleaning device 200 according to one embodiment. It should be understood that the cleaning devices described below are exemplary cleaning devices, and that other cleaning devices, including cleaning devices from other manufacturers, may be used with or modified to implement aspects of the present disclosure.

The cleaning device 200 includes a cleaning head 202, the cleaning head 202 having a channel 210 coupled to an analyzer 212. In one embodiment, the cleaning head 202 is also coupled to a movement mechanism 220. The movement mechanism 220 is operable to move the cleaning head along the surface 102 of the object 100. In one embodiment, the movement mechanism 220 is configured to autonomously (autonomously) move the cleaning head along the surface 102 of the object 100. In another embodiment, the movement mechanism 220 is configured to receive a signal from a user to input a command and move the cleaning head along the surface 102 of the object 100. In yet another embodiment, the movement mechanism 220 is a user, and the user physically moves the cleaning head along the surface 102 of the object 100.

The analyzer 212 is configured to determine a degree of contamination of the surface 102 of the object 100. In one embodiment, analyzer 212 is a surface analyzer (surface analyzer). Surface Analyzer (e.g., surface Analyzt available from BTG Labs)^TM) In fluid communication with the channel 210 via an analyzer conduit 214. The channel 210 is equipped with an inspection head. Small droplets of probe fluid are distributed on the surface 102 from a pulsed stream of droplets from a surface analyzer. A contact angle measurement is determined from the droplet, the contact angle measurement corresponding to a measurement of surface cleanliness and energy. The surface analyzer may output the contact angle measurement or pass, warning, or corresponding to whether the contact angle measurement falls within a predetermined rangeA pass, warning, or fail output signal within a failure range.

The analyzer 212 may be an infrared and/or reflected spectrum analyzer. In one embodiment, analyzer 212 is a fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyzer (e.g., 4300 handheldlftir available from Agilent Technologies), and channel 210 includes one or more optical channels. The FTIR analyzer includes a sensor in optical communication with the channel 210 via an analyzer conduit 214 and an infrared light source, such as an infrared Light Emitting Diode (LED), in optical communication with the channel 210 via the analyzer conduit 214. The FTIR analyzer is configured to detect hydrocarbon and silicone oil contaminants, assess moisture content, map thermal damage, identify and verify the composition of the contaminant 104, measure oxidative damage of the surface 102 of the object 100 by measuring the grazing angle produced by the light source that is reflected by the surface 102 and received by the sensor. The FTIR analyzer may output the measurement or a pass, warning or fail output signal corresponding to whether the measurement falls within a predetermined pass, warning or fail range.

In another embodiment, analyzer 212 is a luminescence spectrum analyzer (e.g., SITA cleanup Spectroscoper available from SITA Process solutions), and channel 210 comprises one or more optical channels. The luminescence spectrum analyzer includes a sensor in optical communication with the channel 210 via an analyzer conduit 214 and an LED in optical communication with the channel 210 via the analyzer conduit 214. The sensor detects residual contaminants by measuring the fluorescence of the surface 102 of the object 100, which is excited by the ultraviolet light from the LED. A photodiode in the sensor head measures the fluorescence intensity. The emission spectrometer is also configured to measure the thickness of the residual contaminant species. The luminescence spectrum analyzer may output a pass, warning or fail output signal that is fluorescent (fluorescence) and/or the thickness of residual contaminant material or that corresponds to whether the fluorescence and/or the thickness of residual contaminant is within a predetermined pass, warning or fail range.

The cleaning device 200 is configured to remove particles from the surface 102 of the object 100. The cleaning apparatus 200 includes a vacuum pump 208, the vacuum pump 208 configured to generate suction and to exhaust the contaminating material 104, including the plurality of particles 106, from the surface 102 of the object 100 to the detector 204 through a first vacuum conduit 222. The detector is in fluid communication with the cleaning head 202 via a first vacuum conduit 222. The detector 204 receives the pollutant 104 including the plurality of particles 106 and is configured to determine one or more measurements of the plurality of particles 106.

In one embodiment, the detector 204 is configured to determine a density of each particle of the plurality of particles 106. The detector 204 may be a surface particle detector (e.g., as available from Pentagon Technologies)

) The surface particle detector is configured to determine the density, average particle density and/or particle density distribution of each particle using light scattering particle size analysis. The surface particle detector may include a light source (e.g., a laser beam), a fourier lens, a flow cell, a back detector, a side detector, and a ring detector. A plurality of particles 106 flow through the flow cell. The laser beam propagates through the fourier lens expansion to the flow cell and is scattered by the plurality of particles 106 at various angles based on the density of each particle of the plurality of particles 106. The back detector, side detectors, and ring detector determine the variation of the scattering pattern produced by the various angles to determine the density, average particle density, and/or particle density distribution of each particle.

Collector 206 is in fluid communication with detector 204 via a second vacuum conduit 224. The collector 206 is configured to collect a sample of the contaminating substance 104 that includes the plurality of particles 106. Samples of contaminating substances may be used for further analysis. In one embodiment, the collector 206 comprises a mesh on a particle trap (trap). After cleaning the object 100, the particle traps are removed for particle imaging and for Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and/or energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) to determine elemental composition and/or quantitative composition data of the contaminating substance 104.

The cleaning device 200 may also include supercritical carbon dioxide (CO)₂) Fluid container 216, supercritical twoCarbon Oxide (CO)₂) The fluid container 216 is passed through the secondary CO₂Conduit 230 with CO₂Gas source 218 is in fluid communication. Supercritical CO₂The fluid container 216 is capable of changing CO₂Maintaining a supercritical CO phase in gaseous phase and at supercritical phase temperature and pressure₂A fluid. Supercritical CO₂The fluid container 216 is filled with the first CO₂The conduit 228 is in fluid communication with the cleaning head 202 and is configured to deliver supercritical CO at a certain rate₂A fluid to improve particle stripping from the surface of the object 102 of the object 100. In one embodiment, supercritical CO₂The fluid container 216 is configured to deliver supercritical CO at a pressure greater than 500 pounds per square inch (psi)₂A fluid. Contaminant 104 and supercritical CO including a plurality of particles 106₂Fluid is removed from the object via the first vacuum conduit 222.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a method 300 for cleaning the object 100. In operation 301, the cleaning device 200 is moved along the surface 102 of the object 100. In one embodiment, the cleaning apparatus 200 includes a cleaning head 202 having a movement mechanism 220, the movement mechanism 220 configured to autonomously move the cleaning head along the surface 102 of the object 100. In another embodiment, the cleaning head 202 receives signals from a user inputting commands and moves along the surface 102 of the object 100. In yet another embodiment, the user physically moves the cleaning head 202 along the surface 102 of the object 100.

At operation 302, supercritical carbon dioxide (CO)₂) The fluid is delivered to the surface 102 of the object 100. The step of delivering the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid removes contaminant matter 104 from the surface 102 of the object 100. The contaminant material may include a plurality of particles 106. Delivering supercritical CO at a certain rate₂The step of fluidifying removes the plurality of particles 106 from the surface 102 of the object 100. In one embodiment, the cleaning device 200 includes supercritical CO₂Fluid container 216, supercritical CO₂The fluid container 216 is passed through the secondary CO₂Conduit 230 with CO₂Gas source 218 is in fluid communication. Supercritical carbon dioxide CO₂Fluid reservoir 216 for CO modification₂Maintaining a supercritical CO phase in gaseous phase and at supercritical phase temperature and pressure₂A fluid. Supercritical CO₂The fluid container 216 is filled with the first CO₂The conduit 228 is in fluid communication with the cleaning head 202 and delivers supercritical CO at the rate₂A fluid to improve the release of particles from the surface of 102 of the object 100. Supercritical CO₂The fluid may be delivered at a pressure greater than 500 psi.

In operation 303, the contaminant matter 104 and the supercritical CO are removed from the surface of the object 100₂. In one embodiment, the cleaning device 200 removes the contaminating substance 104 including the plurality of particles 106 and the supercritical CO from the object 100 via the first vacuum conduit 222₂A fluid. The cleaning apparatus 200 includes a vacuum pump 208, the vacuum pump 208 generating suction and evacuating the contaminating material 104, including the plurality of particles 106, from the surface 102 of the object 100 through a first vacuum conduit 222 to a detector 204, the detector 204 being in fluid communication with the cleaning head 202 via the first vacuum conduit 222.

At an operation 304, one or more measurements of the contaminant material 104 are determined. In one embodiment, the detector 204 receives the contaminant material 104 including a plurality of particles 106. The detector 204 determines a density of each particle of the plurality of particles 106. The detector 204 may perform light scattering particle size analysis to determine the density, average particle density, and/or particle density distribution of each particle. The detector 204 may include a light source (e.g., a laser beam), a fourier lens, a flow cell, a back detector, a side detector, and an annular detector. A plurality of particles 106 flow through the flow cell, and the laser beam propagates through the fourier lens expansion to the flow cell and is scattered by the plurality of particles 106 at various angles based on the density of each particle. The back detector, side detectors, and ring detector determine the variation of the scattering pattern produced by the various angles to determine the density, average particle density, and/or particle density distribution of each particle. One or more measurements may be determined during removal of contaminant material 104 to optimize cleaning time.

At operation 305, a sample of the contaminant material 104 is collected. In one embodiment, the collector 206 is in fluid communication with the detector 204 via a second vacuum conduit 224, collecting a sample of the contaminating substance 104 including the plurality of particles 106. Samples of contaminating substances may be used for further analysis. After cleaning the object 100, the particle traps are removed for particle imaging and for Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and/or energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) to determine elemental composition and/or quantitative composition data of the contaminating substance 104.

At operation 306, a contamination level of the surface 102 of the object 100 is determined. The degree of contamination of surface 102 may be determined prior to removing contaminant material 104 and/or during removal of contaminant material 104 to determine whether substantially all of contaminant material 104 has been removed.

In one embodiment, an analyzer 212 coupled to the cleaning head 202 determines a degree of contamination of the surface 102 of the object 100. In one embodiment, analyzer 212 is a surface analyzer that dispenses droplets of probe fluid from surface 102 from a stream of pulsed droplets of the surface analyzer. A contact angle measurement is determined from the droplet, the contact angle measurement corresponding to a measurement of surface cleanliness and energy. The analyzer 212 may output the contact angle measurement or a pass, warning, or fail output signal corresponding to whether the contact angle measurement falls within a predetermined pass, warning, or fail range. The contact angle measurement and/or the output signal of the pass, warning or fail output may correspond to a target output for a chamber component and/or chamber location. The target output may correspond to an endpoint of the method 300.

In another embodiment, the analyzer 212 is an infrared and/or reflected spectrum analyzer. The analyzer 212 may detect hydrocarbon and silicone oil contaminants, evaluate moisture content, map thermal damage, identify and verify the composition of the contaminant matter 104, and measure oxidative damage of the surface 102 of the object 100 by measuring grazing angles generated by the light source, reflected by the surface 102, and received by the sensor. The analyzer 212 may output the measurement or a pass, warning, or fail output signal corresponding to whether the measurement falls within a predetermined pass, warning, or fail range. The measurement and/or the output signal of the pass, warning or fail output may correspond to a target output of the chamber component and/or the chamber position.

In yet another embodiment, the analyzer 212 is a luminescence spectrum analyzer. The analyzer 212 detects residual contaminants by measuring fluorescence of the surface 102 of the object 100, which is excited by the ultraviolet light from the LEDs. The intensity of the fluorescence is further determined by an analyzer 212. The analyzer 212 may also measure the thickness of the contaminant material 104. The analyzer 212 may output a pass, alert, or fail output that corresponds to or is within a predetermined pass, alert, or fail range. The thickness of the fluorescent and/or residual contaminating material and/or the output signal of the pass, warning or fail output may correspond to a target output of the chamber component and/or the chamber location.

The method 300 may be repeated to clean subsequent objects. For example, the chamber may include a plurality of components, each component corresponding to an object 100. The first object is cleaned by the method 300 for cleaning the object 100. The density, average particle density and/or particle density distribution of each particle of the contaminating substance 104 on the surface 102 of the first object is determined together with the contamination level of the first object. The second object is cleaned by the method 300 for cleaning the object 100. The density, average particle density, and/or particle density distribution of each particle of the contaminating substance 104 on the surface 102 of the second object is determined along with the contamination level of the second object. Subsequently, the components of the chamber (each component corresponding to the object 100) are cleaned by the method 300 for cleaning the object 100. The specifications of the density, average particle density, and/or particle density distribution of each particle of the contaminating substance 104 on the surface 102 of each object 100 and the degree of contamination of each object 100 are met. The technical requirements may be used for preventive maintenance and/or troubleshooting practices based on contamination levels within a predetermined pass, warning or fail-over range.

In summary, a cleaning device and a method for cleaning an object are described herein. By conveying supercritical CO at a certain speed₂Fluid to improve particle exfoliation and to take advantage of supercritical CO removal₂The fluid and the contaminant material allow the object to be substantially free of contaminant material on all surfaces. In addition, the determination of the pollutants of one or more measurements, collecting the pollutants of the sample and determining the degree of pollutants brought to microchip yield increasesAdd, increase tool uptime and reduce cost of ownership.

While the foregoing is directed to examples of the present disclosure, other and further examples of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.