Method and processing system for monitoring status of system components

• US 7,479,454 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Issued: 01/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Wajda, Cory, Burdett, Daniel Craig, Kostenko, John William, Cabral, Stephen H., O'Meara, David L., Leusink, Gert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hendricks; Keith D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GEORGE, PATRICIA ANN
• Application Number:
  US10/674,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20050070104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,939 Days
• Field of Search: 438/689, 438/7, 356 72- 73, 356/300, 356/632, 356/311, 250/458.1, 250/492.2, 216/60, 216/67
• US Class Current: 438/689
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2201/0138 Monitoring physical parameters in the etching chamber, e.g. pressure, temperature or gas composition
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 99/0065 Process control; Yield prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67276 Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput program-control systems per se G05B19/00, e.g. total factory control G05B19/418

Abstract

A method and system for monitoring status of a system component during a process. The method includes exposing a system component to a reactant gas during a process, where the reactant gas is capable of etching the system component material to form an erosion product, and monitoring release of the erosion product during the process to determine status of the system component. Processes that can be monitored include a chamber cleaning process, a chamber conditioning process, a substrate etching process, and a substrate film formation process. The system component can be a consumable system part such as a process tube, a shield, a ring, a baffle, an injector, a substrate holder, a liner, a pedestal, a cap cover, an electrode, and a heater, any of which can further include a protective coating. The processing system includes the system component in a process chamber, a gas injection system for introducing the reactant gas, a chamber protection system for monitoring the status of the system component, and a controller for controlling the processing system in response to the status.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring status of a system component in a processing system for processing semiconductor substrates, the system component being different than the semiconductor substrates processed in the processing system, the method comprising:

exposing the system component to a reactant gas during a process, wherein the system component consists of a material selected from quartz, Al₂O₃, SiN, or SiC, and wherein the reactant gas is capable of etching the system component material to form an erosion product thereof;

monitoring the processing system for release of the erosion product during the process; and

stopping the process when the monitoring indicates release of the erosion product at a threshold value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises the system component having a material deposit thereon, and wherein the process is a cleaning process for removing the material deposit from the system component.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises the system component having a material deposit thereon containing at least one of Si, SiGe, SiN, SiO₂, doped Si, HfO₂, HfSiO_x, ZrO₂, and ZrSiO_x, and wherein the process is a cleaning process for removing the material deposit from the system component.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the process comprises at least one of a chamber cleaning process, a chamber conditioning process, a substrate etching process, and a substrate film formation process.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises the reactant gas containing a halogen-containing gas for cleaning the system component during a chamber cleaning process.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises the reactant gas containing at least one of ClF₃, F₂, NF₃, and HF for cleaning the system component during a chamber cleaning process.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises the reactant gas containing at least one of a silicon-containing gas and a nitrogen-containing gas for conditioning the system component during a chamber conditioning process.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises the reactant gas containing at least one of dichlorosilane and NH₃ for conditioning the system component during a chamber conditioning process.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises the reactant gas containing a halogen-containing gas for etching substrates during a substrate etching process.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises the reactant gas containing HF for etching substrates during a substrate etching process.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises the reactant gas containing at least one of a silicon-containing gas and an nitrogen-containing gas for depositing a film during a substrate film formation process.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises the reactant gas containing at least one of NO and tetraethyl orthosilicate for depositing a film during a substrate film formation process.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising operating the processing system at a temperature between about 100°

C. and about 1000°

C. during the exposing.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising operating the processing system at a chamber pressure between about 10 mTorr and about 760 Torr during the exposing.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the system component includes quartz, and further comprising operating the processing system at a chamber pressure of about 200 mTorr to about 760 Torr and a temperature of about 200°

C. to about 800°

C. during the exposing.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring comprises using an optical monitoring system to detect light absorption of the erosion product.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the monitoring further comprises determining if the intensity level of the light absorption has reached the threshold value.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring comprises using a mass sensor to detect a mass signal from the erosion product.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the monitoring further comprises determining if an intensity level of the mass signal has reached the threshold value.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the system component consists of quartz, SiN or SiC and the reactant gas comprises a halide-containing gas whereby the exposing forms a silicon halide erosion product, and wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring release of the silicon halide erosion product.