Method and system to reduce/detect a presence of gas in a flow of a cleaning fluid
First Claim
1. A method to reduce a presence of gas in a flow of a cleaning fluid introduced into a semiconductor process chamber, said method comprising:
- creating said flow of said cleaning fluid;
impinging electromagnetic radiation upon a region of said flow, with said electromagnetic radiation being sensitive to phase state changes in said flow;
sensing said electromagnetic radiation and producing a signal in response phase state changes in said flow; and
terminating said flow of said cleaning fluid in response to said signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Provided are a method and an apparatus to reduce/detect a presence of a gas in fluids employed in semiconductor manufacturing processes. One embodiment of the invention includes creating a flow of cleaning fluids and impinging electromagnetic radiation upon a region of the flow. The electromagnetic radiation is sensitive to phase state changes in the flow, i.e., changes between liquid and gas, so that air bubbles in the liquid flow may be detected. The electromagnetic radiation is sensed and a signal is produced in response to phase state changes in the flow. The flow of the cleaning fluid is terminated in response to the signal. In accordance with another embodiment a system is provided that operates in accordance with the method.
16 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method to reduce a presence of gas in a flow of a cleaning fluid introduced into a semiconductor process chamber, said method comprising:
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creating said flow of said cleaning fluid;
impinging electromagnetic radiation upon a region of said flow, with said electromagnetic radiation being sensitive to phase state changes in said flow;
sensing said electromagnetic radiation and producing a signal in response phase state changes in said flow; and
terminating said flow of said cleaning fluid in response to said signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method to detect a presence of gas in a flow of a cleaning fluid introduced into a semiconductor process chamber, said method comprising:
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disposing a substrate within said processing chamber;
creating said flow of said cleaning fluid;
impinging electromagnetic radiation upon a region of said flow, with said electromagnetic radiation being sensitive to phase state changes in said flow;
sensing said electromagnetic radiation and producing a signal in response phase state changes in said flow; and
creating a flow of vaporized fluid into said processing chamber to remove residue from said substrate by vaporizing said cleaning fluid after sensing said electromagnetic radiation; and
terminating said flow of vaporized fluid into said processing chamber in response to said signal. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An etching system including:
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an etch chamber;
a vaporizer in fluid communication with said etch chamber;
a supply of a cleaning liquid;
a conduit placing said supply in fluid communication with said vaporizer, with said supply adapted to direct a flow of said cleaning liquid through said conduit;
a transmitter to direct electromagnetic radiation into a region of said conduit, with said electromagnetic radiation being sensitive to phase state changes in said region; and
a receiver to sense said electromagnetic radiation after impinging upon said region to produce a signal in response to said electromagnetic radiation, with said signal including information concerning said phase state changes. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification