Apparatus and method for cleaning a bell jar in a barrel epitaxial reactor

• US 6,738,683 B1
• Filed: 09/05/2000
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CXE Equipment Services LLC
• Original Assignee: CXE Equipment Services LLC
• Inventors: Dunn, Frank J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rapp, Chad
• Application Number:
  US09/655,602
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 700/90, 700/121, 700/299, 700/304, 134/19, 118/666
• US Class Current: 700/121
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4405 Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/10 Heating of the reaction chamber or the substrate

Abstract

An epitaxial cleaning apparatus has a blower controller module and controller module code. The blower controller module is connected between a blower of an epitaxial deposition device having a reaction chamber, a blower and a plurality of plenum chambers for delivering cooling air from the blower to the reaction chamber, and a blower power source for controlling the speed of the blower. The controller module code for controlling the blower controller module is installed within a control module connected to the epitaxial deposition device for controlling the operation of the epitaxial deposition device

Claims

1. An epitaxial cleaning apparatus comprising;

a blower controller module electrically connected between a blower of an epitaxial deposition device having a reaction chamber, a blower and a plurality of plenum chambers for delivering cooling air from said blower to said reaction chamber, and a blower power source for controlling the speed of said blower; and

control module program code for controlling said blower controller module, said control module code adapted to be installed within a control module connected to said epitaxial deposition device for controlling the operation of said epitaxial deposition device and wherein said control module program code includes program code means to effect reading the temperature of a cooling air in an exhaust plenum of said epitaxial deposition device and maintaining the temperature of said cooling air within a predetermined temperature range by adjusting the speed of said blower.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said blower controller module has an analog speed control input, an analog speed control output and a speed control error signal output.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said analog speed control input, said analog speed control output and said speed control error signal output are connected to said control module.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control module code further includes program code means to effect initiating blower speed control to increase the temperature of a surface of a bell jar of said reaction chamber.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control module code further includes program code means to effect introducing a reactant gas into a bell jar of said reaction chamber for reacting with a material deposited on an inside surface of said bell jar, said reaction forming gaseous reactant by-products.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control module code further includes program code means to effect purging a bell jar of said reaction chamber with a purging gas.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control module code further includes program code means to effect monitoring the temperature of a surface of bell jar of said reaction chamber while said epitaxial deposition device is in cleaning mode.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control module code further includes program code means to effect ending blower speed control, resuming blower speed control to a preset speed and decreasing the temperature of a surface of a bell jar of said reaction chamber.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control module code further includes program code means to effect aborting the cleaning of an inside surface of a bell jar of reaction chamber when the temperature of the surface of said bell jar is outside a predetermined temperature range.

10. An epitaxial reactor in-situ cleaning kit comprising:

a blower motor controller having a power input connection adapted to be connected to a power source, a power output connection adapted to be connected to a blower motor of an epitaxial reactor, and an input/output connection adapted to be connected to an epitaxial system control console; and

a program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for controlling said blower motor controller to induce cleaning of an inside surface of a bell jar of an epitaxial reactor, said readable program code means in said program product comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing said system control console to effect initiating blower speed control to increase the temperature of the surface of said bell jar by reducing blower speed;

computer readable program code means for causing said system control console to effect reading the temperature of said surface of said bell jar and an air flow within an exhaust plenum and maintaining the temperature of said surface and said air flow within said exhaust plenum within a predetermined temperature range;

computer readable program code means for causing said system control console to effect introducing a reactant gas into said bell jar for reacting with a material deposited on the inside surface of said bell jar forming gaseous reactant by-products; and

computer readable program code means for causing said system control console to effect purging said bell jar with a purging gas.

11. The kit as claimed in claim 10 wherein said readable program code means in said program product further includes computer readable program code means for causing said system control console to continuously monitor the temperature of said surface of said bell jar and said air flow within said exhaust plenum while said epitaxial reactor is in cleaning mode.

12. The kit as claimed in claim 10 wherein said readable program code means in said program product further includes computer readable program code means to effect ending blower speed control, resuming blower speed control to a preset speed and decreasing the temperature of the surface of said bell jar.

13. The kit as claimed in claim 10 wherein said readable program code means in said program product further includes computer readable program code means to effect aborting said cleaning of said inside surface of said bell jar when the temperature of said surface of said bell jar is outside said predetermined temperature range.