Leak detector and process gas monitor

• US 20060075968A1
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Bonne, Ulrich A., Leung, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US11/087,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20060075968A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/723.R
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4401 Means for minimising impurities, e.g. dust, moisture or residual gas, in the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3299 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system for processing one or more flat panel display substrates comprising a vacuum deposition process chamber configured to contain gas, a residual gas analyzer configured to analyze the gas within the process chamber and to provide feedback, and a controller to monitor feedback from the gas analyzer. Also, a method for identifying a process upset within a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system configured to process flat panel display substrates comprising determining a historical slope of a line for partial pressure as a function of time, calculating a new slope of a line based on partial pressure measurements by a residual gas analyzer, comparing the historical and new slopes, and sending a signal to an operator.

Claims

1. A plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system for processing one or more flat panel display substrates, comprising:

a vacuum deposition process chamber configured to contain gas;

a residual gas analyzer configured to analyze the gas within the process chamber and to provide feedback; and

a controller to monitor feedback from the gas analyzer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the flow of gases into the chamber.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the exhaust of gases out of the chamber.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the gas analyzer is a mass spectrometer.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the mass spectrometer is a quadrupole mass spectrometer.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller records process data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the residual gas monitor analyzes at least two gases.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least two gases are nitrogen and oxygen.

9. A method for identifying a process upset within a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system configured to process flat panel display substrates, comprising:

determining a historical slope of a line for partial pressure as a function of time;

calculating a new slope of a line based on partial pressure measurements by a residual gas analyzer;

comparing the historical and new slopes; and

sending a signal to an operator.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the signal to an operator is selected to notify the operator there is a process upset or there is not a process upset.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the historical slope is determined by:

monitoring a plurality of partial pressure measurements; and

performing traditional statistical analysis to determine a mean and a deviation.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein at least two gases are monitored and analyzed.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the historical and new slopes of the partial pressure measurements as a function of time of the at least two gases are recorded.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein changes in the slopes of at least two gases are compared to each other.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the operator is notified when the at least two gases have similar changes in the new slopes compared to the historical slopes.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least two gases are oxygen and nitrogen.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least two gases further comprises argon.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the gas analyzer is a mass spectrometer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the mass spectrometer is a quadrupole mass spectrometer.

20. The method of claim 9, further comprising sending a signal to a controller.