MULTI-PORT PUMPING SYSTEM FOR SUBSTRATE PROCESSING CHAMBERS

• US 20090120464A1
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Lubomirsky, Dmitry, Rasheed, Muhammad M., Santosa, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,964,040 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/21
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32834 Exhausting
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32862 In situ cleaning of vessels and/or internal parts
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 134/902 Semiconductor wafer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/85978 With pump
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87571 Multiple inlet with single outlet

Abstract

An exhaust foreline for purging fluids from a semiconductor fabrication chamber is described. The foreline may include a first, second and third ports independently coupled to the chamber. A semiconductor fabrication system is also described that includes a substrate chamber that has a first, second and third interface port. The system may also include a multi-port foreline that has a first, second and third port, where the first foreline port is coupled to the first interface port, the second foreline port is coupled to the second interface port, and the third foreline port is coupled to the third interface port. The system may further include an exhaust vacuum coupled to the multi-port foreline.

Claims

1. A substrate processing system comprising:

a substrate processing chamber having a substrate processing region within the chamber;

a substrate support having a substrate receiving surface positioned within the substrate processing chamber for securing a substrate during substrate processing in the substrate processing region of the chamber; and

a gas exhaust system comprising a turbo molecular pump, a gate valve that can be closed to fluidly isolate the turbo molecular pump from the chamber and first and second gas exhaust pathways that are fluidly coupled to an exhaust foreline;

wherein the first gas exhaust pathway includes a first conduit coupled to a port positioned on the substrate processing system to exhaust gases pumped through the turbo molecular pump from the substrate processing chamber into the exhaust foreline; and

wherein the second exhaust pathway includes at least second and third conduits coupled to second and third interface ports positioned on the substrate processing system to, when the gate valve is closed fluidly isolating the turbo molecular pump from the chamber, exhaust gases from the substrate processing chamber into the exhaust foreline.

2. The substrate processing system of claim 1 wherein the second gas exhaust pathway includes a fourth conduit coupled to a fourth interface port positioned on the substrate processing system to, when the gate valve is closed fluidly isolating the turbo molecular pump from the chamber, exhaust gases from the substrate processing chamber into the exhaust foreline.

3. The substrate processing system of claim 2 wherein the second, third and fourth interface ports are positioned in substantially the same plane and spaced approximately 90 degrees from each other.

4. The substrate processing system of claim 3 wherein the second, third and fourth conduits are fluidly coupled together at a single cross fitting.

5. The substrate processing system of claim 3 wherein the gas exhaust system further comprises a roughing pump operatively coupled to the exhaust foreline downstream from the first, second, third and fourth conduits.

6. The substrate processing system of claim 5 further comprising a second throttle valve operatively coupled in the second gas passageway between the second, third and fourth conduits and the roughing pump.

7. The substrate processing system of claim 3 wherein the first, second, third and fourth interface ports are positioned below the substrate support.

8. A method of cleaning a substrate processing chamber comprising:

introducing an activated cleaning gas mixture into the chamber, wherein the cleaning gas mixture comprises a fluorine-containing compound exposed to a plasma outside the chamber;

reacting at least a portion of the cleaning mixture with residue materials in the chamber;

removing the cleaning mixture from the reaction chamber through multiple exhaust ports fluidly coupled together and operatively coupled to a vacuum pump.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the activated fluorine is activated by exposure to a remote plasma in a remote plasma system.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the cleaning gas mixture comprises NF3 and the activated cleaning gas comprises fluorine ions and fluorine radicals.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the activated cleaning gas mixture is introduced into the chamber at a flow rate between 10-15 SLM and chamber pressure is maintained below 9 Torr.

12. A method of operating a substrate processing system having a substrate processing chamber and a gas exhaust system comprising a turbo molecular pump, a gate valve that can be closed to fluidly isolate the turbo molecular pump from the substrate processing chamber and first and second gas exhaust pathways that are fluidly coupled to an exhaust foreline, the method comprising:

transferring a substrate into the chamber and performing a substrate processing operation on the substrate by introducing one or more process gases into the chamber while the substrate is positioned within the chamber and exhausting the one or more process gases from the chamber into the exhaust foreline with the turbo molecular pump through a first exhaust pathway fluidly coupled to the chamber at a first port downstream from the turbo molecular pump, wherein unwanted residue material builds-up on interior surfaces of the substrate processing chamber during the substrate processing operation; and

transferring the substrate out of the chamber, closing the gate valve to isolate the turbo molecular pump from the chamber and performing a chamber clean operation by introducing an activated cleaning gas mixture into the chamber, reacting at least a portion of the cleaning mixture with the residue material, and removing the cleaning gas mixture from the chamber through a second exhaust passageway having at least second and third ports fluidly coupled to the chamber upstream from the turbo molecular pump.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the second exhaust pathway includes a fourth port fluidly coupled to the chamber upstream from the turbo molecular pump.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of removing the cleaning activated cleaning gas mixture comprises fluorine ions and fluorine radicals generated in a remote plasma system operatively coupled to the chamber.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the fluorine ions and fluorine radicals are generated from NF₃.

16. An exhaust foreline for purging fluids from a substrate processing chamber, wherein the foreline comprises first, second and third ports independently coupled to the chamber.

17. The exhaust foreline of claim 16 wherein the first, second and third ports merge into a single port that is coupled to an exit vacuum.

18. The exhaust foreline of claim 16 wherein the first, second and third ports intersect at a cross fitting, wherein the cross fitting has a fourth port that is coupled to an exit vacuum.

19. The exhaust foreline of claim 16 wherein the chamber comprises at least three independent interface ports for coupling to the foreline.

20. The exhaust foreline of claim 19 wherein each interface port is oriented at a 90 degree angle to the other interface ports on the chamber.