VACUUM APPARATUS INCLUDING A PARTICLE MONITORING UNIT, PARTICLE MONITORING METHOD AND PROGRAM, AND WINDOW MEMBER FOR USE IN THE PARTICLE MONITORING

• US 20070144670A1
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: NAKAYAMA, Hiroyuki, MORIYA, Tsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,458,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/345.290
• 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

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a processing chamber 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, a valve being installed on the gas supply line. A rough pumping line with a valve a is connected to a lower portion of the processing chamber. Installed on the rough pumping line are a dry pump for exhausting a gas in the processing chamber and a particle monitoring unit for monitoring particles between the valve a and the dry pump. In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, after the valve 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; 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.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power supply unit generates an electromagnetic stress in the vessel due to the electric discharge.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, 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.

4. 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.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein an electromagnetic stress is generated due to the electric discharge in the step (d).

6. The method of claim 4, 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.

7. 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.