Cleaning method for a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus

• US 6,989,281 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Issued: 01/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Akihito, Tsunashima, Yoshitaka, Mikata, Yuuichi, Nakao, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thao P.
• Application Number:
  US10/957,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20050059203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 438/22
• US Class Current: 438/9
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring

Abstract

A cleaning method for a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus includes a process of forming a film on a subject piece in a processing chamber, applying light having a predetermined wavelength to a monitoring section to indirectly monitor a thickness of a film formed on the subject piece, introducing cleaning gas capable of removing a substance deposited on the monitoring section into the processing chamber, measuring a reflection light which is the application light reflected near the monitoring section, measuring an amount of a substance corresponding to a thickness of a film deposited on the monitoring section based on a measurement result of the reflection light; and introducing, into the processing chamber, a cleaning gas which can remove the substance on the monitoring section until a measurement value of the amount of the substance on the monitoring section becomes zero.

Claims

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

taking out a subject piece and a film thereon from a processing chamber, after film formation is performed on said subject piece in said processing chamber, the processing chamber including at least one of said subject piece;

applying said light having a predetermined wavelength to a monitoring section which is provided at a tip of at least one monitoring device to indirectly monitor a thickness of a film formed on said subject piece, while said light is isolated from an atmosphere in said processing chamber and a substance in said processing chamber, and introducing cleaning gas capable of removing a substance deposited on said monitoring section into said processing chamber;

measuring a reflection light which is said application light reflected near said monitoring section, while said reflection light is isolated from said atmosphere in said processing chamber and said substance introduced into said processing chamber;

measuring an amount of a substance corresponding to a thickness of a film deposited on said monitoring section based on a measurement result of said reflection light; and

introducing, into said processing chamber, a cleaning gas which can remove the substance on said monitoring section until a measurement value of the amount of said substance on said monitoring section becomes 0.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said light has a single wavelength.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said light has a plurality of different wavelengths.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined wavelength is variable.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein when measuring said reflecting light, a reflectivity of said reflected light with respect to said application light is measured.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein when measuring said reflected light, a polarization coefficient of said reflected light with respect to said application light is measured.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein when measuring said reflected light, said monitoring section is adjusted to have a predetermined temperature.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein when measuring said reflected light, said monitoring section is adjusted to be positioned at a predetermined position.