Vacuum apparatus including a particle monitoring unit, particle monitoring method and program, and window member for use in the particle monitoring

• US 20050268694A1
• Filed: 03/29/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Moriya, Tsuyoshi, Nakayama, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,464,581 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/28.10
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/08 Cleaning containers, e.g. tanks
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/0272 with screening; with classification by filtering B01D takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/06 Investigating concentration of particle suspensions by weighing G01N5/00; investigating sedimentation of particle suspensions G01N15/04; investigating individual particles G01N15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/075 by optical means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/30 Self-sustaining carbon mass or layer with impregnant or other layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/315 Surface modified glass [e.g., tempered, strengthened, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/8305 Miscellaneous [e.g., treated surfaces, etc.]

Abstract

[Object]It is an object to provide a vacuum apparatus capable of evaluating its cleanness precisely by surely monitoring particles including deposits readily detached from the apparatus, and a particle monitoring method and program employed therein, and a window member for particle monitoring. [Constitution of the Invention]

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1000 includes a processing chamber 100 for performing a manufacturing processing on a wafer. A gas supply line for introducing a purge gas is connected to an upper portion of the processing chamber 100, a valve 120 being installed on the gas supply line. A rough pumping line 200 with a valve a is connected to a lower portion of the processing chamber 100. Installed on the rough pumping line 200 are a dry pump 220 for exhausting a gas in the processing chamber 100 and a particle monitoring unit 210 for monitoring particles between the valve a and the dry pump 220. In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1000, after the valve 120 is opened, the purge gas is supplied to apply physical vibration due to shock wave in the processing chamber 100 so that deposits are detached therefrom to be monitored as particles.

Claims

1. A vacuum apparatus comprising:

a vessel for defining a predetermined space;

a gas exhaust unit for exhausting a gas from the vessel via a gas exhaust line;

at least one gas exhaust control unit installed on the gas exhaust line, for controlling a flow rate of the gas exhausted from the vessel;

a particle monitoring unit installed on the gas exhaust line between said at least one gas exhaust control unit and the gas exhaust unit, for monitoring particles within the gas exhaust line;

a purge unit for supplying a purge gas into the vessel via a gas supply line; and

a gas supply control unit installed on the gas supply line between the purge unit and the vessel, for controlling a flow rate of the purge gas supplied into the vessel,

wherein the gas supply control unit starts a supply of the purge gas when said at least one gas exhaust control unit permits an exhaust of the gas, and the particles monitored by the particle monitoring unit include the particles detached from the vessel due to the supply of the purge gas.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a processing gas supply unit for supplying a corrosive processing gas into the vessel; and

another gas exhaust unit for exhausting the processing gas from the vessel,

wherein said at least one gas exhaust control unit prohibits the exhaust of the gas when the processing gas is exhausted by said another gas exhaust unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gas supply control unit controls the flow rate of the purge gas such that the pressure value of the purge gas becomes at least twice the internal pressure of the vessel.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a power supply unit for generating an electric discharge within the vessel, wherein the power supply unit starts the electric discharge when said at least one gas exhaust control unit permits the exhaust of the gas, and the particles monitored by the particle monitoring unit include the particles detached from the vessel due to the electric discharge.

5. A vacuum apparatus comprising:

a vessel for defining a predetermined space;

a gas exhaust unit for exhausting a gas from the vessel via a gas exhaust line;

at least one gas exhaust control unit installed on the gas exhaust line, for controlling a flow rate of the gas exhausted from the vessel;

a particle monitoring unit installed on the gas exhaust line between said at least one gas exhaust control unit and the gas exhaust unit, for monitoring particles within the gas exhaust line; and

a power supply unit for generating an electric discharge within the vessel,

wherein the power supply unit starts the electric discharge when said at least one gas exhaust control unit permits the exhaust of the gas, and the particles monitored by the particle monitoring unit include the particles detached from the vessel due to the electric discharge.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the power supply unit generates an electromagnetic stress in the vessel due to the electric discharge.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a purge unit for supplying a purge gas into the vessel via a gas supply line; and

a gas supply control unit installed on the gas supply line between the purge unit and the vessel, for controlling a flow rate of the purge gas supplied into the vessel,

wherein the gas supply control unit starts a supply of the purge gas when said at least one gas exhaust control unit permits an exhaust of the gas, and the particles monitored by the particle monitoring unit include the particles detached from the vessel due to the supply of the purge gas.

8. A particle monitoring method of a vacuum apparatus having a vessel for defining a predetermined space, comprising the steps of:

(a) exhausting a gas from the vessel via a gas exhaust line;

(b) monitoring particles within the gas exhaust line;

(c) controlling a flow rate of the gas exhausted from the vessel;

(d) supplying a purge gas into the vessel via a gas supply line; and

(e) controlling a flow rate of the purge gas supplied into the vessel,

wherein, in the step (e), a supply of the purge gas is started when an exhaust of the gas is permitted in the step (c), and the monitored particles include the particles detached from the vessel due to the supply of the purge gas.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

(f) supplying a corrosive processing gas into the vessel; and

(g) exhausting the processing gas from the vessel,

wherein, in the step (c), the exhaust of the gas is prohibited when the processing gas is exhausted in the step (g).

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the flow rate of the purge gas is controlled in the step (e) such that the pressure value of the purge gas becomes at least twice the internal pressure of the vessel.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

(h) generating an electric discharge within the vessel,

wherein the electric discharge is started when the exhaust of the gas is permitted in the step (c), and the monitored particles include the particles detached from the vessel due to the electric discharge.

12. A particle monitoring method of a vacuum apparatus having a vessel for defining a predetermined space, comprising the steps of:

(a) exhausting a gas from the vessel via a gas exhaust line;

(b) controlling a flow rate of the gas exhausted from the vessel;

(c) monitoring particles within the gas exhaust line; and

(d) generating an electric discharge within the vessel,

wherein the electric discharge is started when the exhaust of the gas is permitted in the step (b), and the monitored particles include the particles detached from the vessel due to the electric discharge.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein an electromagnetic stress is generated due to the electric discharge in the step (d).

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

(e) supplying a purge gas into the vessel via a gas supply line; and

(f) controlling a flow rate of the purge gas supplied into the vessel,

wherein, in the step (f), a supply of the purge gas is started when an exhaust of the gas is permitted in the step (b), and the monitored particles include the particles detached from the vessel due to the supply of the purge gas.

15. A program for executing in a computer a particle monitoring method of a vacuum apparatus having a vessel for defining a predetermined space, comprising:

a gas exhaust module for exhausting a gas from the vessel via a gas exhaust line;

a particle monitoring module for monitoring particles within the gas exhaust line;

a gas exhaust control unit for controlling a flow rate of the gas exhausted from the vessel;

a purge module for supplying a purge gas into the vessel via a gas supply line; and

a gas supply control unit for controlling a flow rate of the purge gas supplied into the vessel,

wherein the gas supply control module starts a supply of the purge gas when the gas exhaust control module permits an exhaust of the gas, and the particles monitored by the particle monitoring module include the particles detached from the vessel due to the supply of the purge gas.

16. A program for executing in a computer a particle monitoring method of a vacuum apparatus having a vessel for defining a predetermined space, comprising:

a gas exhaust module for exhausting a gas from the vessel via a gas exhaust line;

a gas exhaust control module for controlling a flow rate of the gas exhausted from the vessel;

a particle monitoring module for monitoring particles within the gas exhaust line; and

an electric discharge module for generating an electric discharge within the vessel,

wherein the electric discharge module starts the electric discharge when the gas exhaust control module permits the exhaust of the gas, and the particles monitored by the particle monitoring module include the particles detached from the vessel due to the electric discharge.

17. A window member for particle monitoring formed of a transparent member and installed between a housing for defining a predetermined space and a particle monitoring unit for monitoring particles within the housing, wherein the transparent member comprising:

a transparent base; and

a surface treatment layer formed by performing a processing on a surface of the base which faces a gas within the housing.

18. The window member of claim 17, wherein the surface treatment layer contains one material selected from a group consisting of carbon, yttrium, yttria and calcium fluoride.

19. The window member of claim 18, wherein the carbon is crystalline diamond or diamond-like carbon.

20. The window member of claim 18, wherein the content of the selected material ranges from 10 to 100 mass % of the total mass of the surface treatment layer.

21. The window member of claim 17, wherein the surface treatment layer contains aluminum or alumina.

22. The window member of claim 21, wherein the content of the aluminum or the alumina ranges from 10 to 100 mass % of the total mass of the surface treatment layer.

23. The window member of claim 17, wherein the processing is a coating processing.

24. The window member of claim 17, wherein the processing is a doping processing.

25. The window member of claim 17, wherein the thickness of the surface treatment layer ranges from 100 nm to 10 μ

m.

26. The window member of claim 17, wherein the base is formed of glass containing silicon as a primary component, and the surface treatment layer is exposed to active molecules included in a gas within the housing.

28. The window member of claim 17, wherein the housing is formed of a vessel or a tube.

27. A window member for particle monitoring formed of a transparent member and installed between a housing for defining a predetermined space and a particle monitoring unit for monitoring particles within the housing, wherein the transparent member is formed of calcium fluoride.