SEMICONDUCTOR CLEANING APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20200135435A1
• Filed: 04/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Hsieh, Ian, Chen, Che-fu, Liu, Yan-Hong
• Granted Patent: US 11,211,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 5/00 Containers for whetstones for use during harvesting
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32862 In situ cleaning of vessels and/or internal parts
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67028 for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67046 using mainly scrubbing means, e.g. brushes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67057 with the semiconductor substrates being dipped in baths or vessels
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67098 Apparatus for thermal treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67109 mainly by convection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6831 using electrostatic chucks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6833 Details of electrostatic chucks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68742 characterised by a lifting arrangement, e.g. lift pins
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68764 characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating caroussel

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a chuck-based device and a method for cleaning a semiconductor manufacturing system. The semiconductor manufacturing system can include a chamber with the chuck-based device configured to clean the chamber, a loading port coupled to the chamber and configured to hold one or more wafer storage devices, and a control device configured to control a translational displacement and a rotation of the chuck-based device. The chuck-based device can include a based stage, one or more supporting rods disposed at the base stage and configured to be vertically extendable or retractable, and a padding film disposed on the one or more supporting rods.

Claims

1. A semiconductor manufacturing system, comprising:

a chamber comprising a chuck-based device configured to clean the chamber, wherein the chuck-based device comprises;

a base stage;

one or more supporting rods disposed at the base stage and configured to be vertically extendable or retractable; and

a padding film disposed on the one or more supporting rods;

a loading port coupled to the chamber and configured to hold one or more wafer storage devices; and

a control device configured to control a translational displacement and a rotation of the chuck-based device.

2. The semiconductor manufacturing system of claim 1, further comprising a cell configured to provide a plasma or a gas.

3. The semiconductor manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the chuck-based device further comprises a padding stage configured to hold the padding film.

4. The semiconductor manufacturing system of claim 3, wherein the padding stage is supported by the one or more supporting rods.

5. The semiconductor manufacturing system of claim 3, wherein the padding stage comprises a semiconductor wafer, a glass plate, a metallic plate, a plastic platform, or an insulator plate.

6. The semiconductor manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the chuck-based device further comprises a heating component configured to heat the base stage.

7. The semiconductor manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the padding film comprises a wipe, a wiper, a textile, a cloth, or a towel.

8. A method for cleaning a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising:

determining a contamination level in a chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, wherein the chamber comprises a chuck-based device;

loading a padding film on a stage of the chuck-based device; and

moving the padding film in contact with a component in the chamber.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the contamination level in the chamber comprises:

placing a substrate in the chamber;

conducting a semiconductor manufacturing process on the substrate; and

determining a particle count on a surface of the substrate.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein loading the padding film on the stage comprises:

attaching the padding film on a substrate; and

placing the substrate with the padding film on the stage.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein loading the padding film on the stage comprises dipping the padding film in an isopropanol, an alcohol, an organic solvent, or a de-ionized water.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein moving the padding film in contact with the component comprises shifting the padding film towards inner surfaces of the chamber, a plasma cell housed in the chamber, or a gas cell housed in the chamber.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein moving the padding film in contact with the component comprises wiping or rubbing the component using the padding film.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein moving the padding film in contact with the component comprises rotating or displacing the stage of the chuck-based device.

15. A method for operating a electrostatic chuck (ESC) to clean a chamber, comprising:

placing a padding film on a carrier substrate;

placing the substrate on a stage of the ESC; and

shifting and rotating the padding film to conduct a wiping activity on a target inside the chamber.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising purging the ESC with an inert gas or air.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising spraying the padding film with an isopropanol, an alcohol, an organic solvent, or a de-ionized water.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein placing the padding film on the carrier substrate comprises attaching the padding film to the carrier substrate via an adhesive, a tape, a mechanical component, or a Van der Waals force provided by a liquid.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein placing the substrate on the stage comprises securing the carrier substrate on the stage via an electrostatic force.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the ESC is housed in the chamber, and wherein shifting and rotating the padding film to conduct the wiping activity comprises contacting the padding film with one or more inner surfaces of the chamber, a gas cell in the chamber, or a plasma cell in the chamber.