JP4794031B2 - Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, display method of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and manufacturing method of semiconductor device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having a function of displaying a gas state in a gas pipe.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus has an airtight process chamber, and various gases are supplied to the process chamber to generate a thin film on the wafer, or an etching gas is supplied to etch the thin film to generate a pattern. Thus, a semiconductor device is manufactured.
[0003]
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of gas supply lines 2... 2n and an exhaust system 3 are connected to the process chamber 1 in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and each gas supply line 2 has a gas supply pipe 10. The gas supply pipe 10 is provided with a pressure gauge 4, a gas supply electromagnetic valve 5, a flow rate controller 6, and an interlock electromagnetic valve 7 from the upstream side, and the exhaust system 3 is provided with a vacuum pump 8. It has been.
[0004]
The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus also includes a control device 11 that controls the gas supply / discharge operation of the gas supply line 2 and the exhaust system 3, the wafer processing state in the process chamber 1, or the gas supply line 2 and the exhaust system 3. A display device 12 indicating the gas supply / discharge state is provided.
[0005]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control system. In the control device 11, digital devices such as the gas supply electromagnetic valve 5, the interlock electromagnetic valve 7, the vacuum pump 8, and the pressure switch 9 are connected to the digital input / output port 13. Analog devices such as the pressure gauge 4 and the flow rate controller 6 are connected via an analog input / output port 14. Further, the control device 11 controls the gas supply electromagnetic valve 5, the interlock electromagnetic valve 7, the vacuum pump 8, and the pressure switch 9 based on signals from the pressure gauge 4 and the flow rate controller 6. A program 16 and a CPU 15 are provided.
[0006]
Further, the control device 11 gives the display device 12 a wafer processing state, a detection state of the pressure gauge 4 and a flow rate controller 6, the gas supply electromagnetic valve 5, an interlock electromagnetic valve 7, and a vacuum pump. 8. Information on the operating state of the pressure switch 9 is sent out.
[0007]
The display device 12 includes a data transmission / reception program 17, a display program 18, and a CPU 19. The CPU 19 controls transmission / reception of signals between the display device 12 and the control device 11 in accordance with the data transmission / reception program 17, and from the control device 11. The sent information is displayed on the display 20 via the display program 18.
[0008]
When processing a wafer, the process chamber 1 is evacuated by the exhaust system 3 and a reaction gas suitable for wafer processing is supplied by one of the gas supply lines 2. Exhaust is performed by the exhaust system 3 so that 1 is maintained at a predetermined pressure.
[0009]
When the wafer is dispensed after the processing of the wafer is completed, the process chamber 1 is evacuated by the exhaust system 3 and a purge gas is supplied by one of the gas supply lines 2. To do.
[0010]
A plurality of gas supply lines 2... 2n are connected to the process chamber 1, and the opening / closing of the gas supply electromagnetic valve 5 and the interlock electromagnetic valve 7 is controlled by the control device 11 in accordance with the contents of processing. Supply and discharge are performed.
[0011]
Further, the display device 12 has a gas monitor display section for indicating the gas supply / discharge state, which indicates the open / closed state of the valves of the gas supply lines 2... 2n, and from which gas pipe the gas is supplied. It has come to understand.
[0012]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the open / close state of the electromagnetic valve of each gas supply line 2... 2n is displayed on the gas monitor display unit, and the gas supply of each gas supply line 2. It comes to know the state.
[0013]
However, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an open / close valve, for example, electromagnetic valves 24, 25, 26, and 27 are sequentially provided in the gas pipe 23 from the upstream side, and gas is supplied as shown in FIG. When the upstream electromagnetic valve 24 is closed and then the downstream electromagnetic valve 26 is closed, no gas accumulation occurs in the gas pipe 23. However, as shown in FIG. When the valve 26 is closed and then the upstream electromagnetic valve 24 is closed, a gas accumulation occurs between the electromagnetic valve 24 and the electromagnetic valve 26.
[0014]
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, gas accumulation may or may not occur depending on the opening / closing sequence of the electromagnetic valves. Therefore, it is impossible to know the gas supply state of the gas supply pipe 10 of the gas supply line 2 in the non-supply state only by displaying the open / close state of the electromagnetic valve shown in FIG.
[0015]
Gases used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices are often toxic gases or flammable gases, and the gas piping must be maintained regularly or at specified operating times. It is dangerous to remove the piping, and it is necessary for the operator to know whether or not the gas piping is full during maintenance.
[0016]
In view of such circumstances, the present invention is capable of displaying the state of gas in the pipe such as the gas filling state and the gas reservoir state in the gas pipe, and improving the safety of work in maintenance work and the like. .
[0017]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention has a gas state detecting means for detecting the gas state of the pipe based on the open / closed state of the open / close valve provided in the gas pipe and the gas state in the gas pipe detected last time, and a display means. In addition, the present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in which the gas state in the gas pipe detected by the gas state detection unit is displayed on the display unit.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0019]
The present invention detects a state in which a gas pipe is filled with gas and displays the detection result on a display device. The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
[0020]
FIG. 1 is a control block diagram showing the main part of the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the same components as those shown in FIG.
[0021]
The control program 16 includes a determination program 30, and the CPU 15 is provided with a storage unit 31.
[0022]
The determination program 30 checks the open / close state of the electromagnetic valve provided in each gas supply line 2 from the gas supply source, checks from the process chamber 1 side, and stores the result in the storage unit 31. The check procedure of the previous electromagnetic valve opening / closing state stored in the storage unit 31 and the check procedure is programmed, and the piping gas full state, gas reservoir state, etc. determined based on the check result A determination program for comparing the current gas state and the current check result to determine the current gas state in the pipe is provided. Further, the storage unit 31 stores the judgment result of the state of gas in the piping and the opening / closing data of the electromagnetic valve for gas supply 5 and the electromagnetic valve for interlock 7 inputted from the digital input / output port 13 for each line. And memorize in time series.
[0023]
Thus, the determination program 30, the storage unit 31, and the CPU 15 constitute gas state detection means.
[0024]
The operation will be described with reference to FIG.
[0025]
When the wafer processing process is completed, or when the electromagnetic valve of any line is opened and closed and the state of the electromagnetic valve changes, the judgment program 30 is activated, and the gas monitor display unit displays the electromagnetic valve. The gas monitor display unit display process for displaying the open / close state and the full state of the gas in the gas pipe is started.
[0026]
STEP 1: Based on the opening / closing data of all the electromagnetic valves stored in the storage unit 31, the opening / closing state of each electromagnetic valve is checked in order from the gas supply source for each gas pipe.
[0027]
STEP 2: Similarly, from the opening / closing data of all the electromagnetic valves stored in the storage unit 31, the opening / closing state of all the electromagnetic valves is checked in order from the process chamber 1 side for each gas pipe.
[0028]
STEP 3: Based on the check results in STEP 1 and STEP 2 above, the communication status between the gas supply source and the process chamber 1 is checked for each gas pipe and for all the sections partitioned by the electromagnetic valve of the gas pipe.
[0029]
First, it is determined whether or not each section communicates with the gas supply source in order from the upstream section by checking the electromagnetic valve in STEP 1. That is, it is determined whether or not gas is supplied for the classification target. Various determination methods can be considered. For example, the determination is performed as follows.
[0030]
The communication state of the determination target section is determined based on two pieces of information, that is, the open / close state of the upstream solenoid valve belonging to the determination target section and the communication state of the upstream section adjacent to the determination target section.
[0031]
Referring to FIG. 3, the determination about the division b is made based on the state of the division a and the open / close state of the electromagnetic valve 24. Since the section a is always in communication with the gas supply source, the communication state of the section b is determined by opening and closing the electromagnetic valve 24. After the determination of the communication state of the section b is confirmed, the determination of the section c is performed.
[0032]
The section c is determined by the communication state of the section b and the open / close state of the electromagnetic valve 25. That is, if it is determined that the communication state of the section b is in communication with the gas supply source, the electromagnetic valve 25 is in the open state, the section c is in communication with the gas supply source, and the electromagnetic valve 25 is in the closed state. If segment c is determined to be non-communication and the determination of communication status of segment b is determined to be non-communication with the gas supply source, segment c is in either the open state or the closed state of electromagnetic valve 25. Is determined to be out of communication.
[0033]
Thus, by sequentially determining from the upstream side to the downstream side, all the communication states up to the section e are determined.
[0034]
As described above, if the communication state is determined by the method, only two pieces of information need be determined, and it is not necessary to check the open / closed state of the separated valve. Also, the arrangement of the upstream and downstream valves is not affected by the judgment, and it corresponds to the case where there is a change in configuration such as addition or deletion of valves or change in gas line layout. Becomes easy.
[0035]
Next, it is determined whether or not each section communicates with the process chamber 1 in order from the downstream section by checking the electromagnetic valve in STEP 2.
[0036]
The determination as to whether or not the determination target section communicates with the process chamber 1 is performed in the same manner as the determination as to whether or not the determination target section communicates with the supply source described above in STEP1. That is, the determination is made based on two pieces of information: the open / close state of the downstream solenoid valve belonging to the determination target section and the communication state with respect to the process chamber 1 of the downstream section adjacent to the determination target section.
[0037]
For example, if the electromagnetic valve 27 is open and the determination of the communication state of the section d is confirmed to be in communication with the process chamber 1, the determination of the section c is performed by the electromagnetic valve 26 being open and communicating with the section d. c is determined to be in communication with the process chamber 1, and it is determined that the electromagnetic valve 26 is closed and not in communication. Thus, the upstream section is also determined based on the determined determination of the downstream section, and it is determined whether or not the process chamber 1 is sequentially communicated from the section d to the section a.
[0038]
STEP 4: Next, the determination of the gas full state is performed for all sections.
[0039]
Based on the gas supply source of the determination target classification by the check of the electromagnetic valve in STEP1, STEP2, and STEP3, the communication state to the process chamber 1, and the state before the change in the open / close state of the electromagnetic valve stored in the storage unit 31 The gas filling and gas accumulation state of the judgment target category is judged.
[0040]
That is, based on the communication determination with respect to the gas supply source for the determination target category, it is determined whether or not gas is supplied to the determination target category. If it is, the charge is judged.
[0041]
When no gas is supplied to the determination target category, that is, when it is determined that the determination target category is not in communication with the gas supply source, it is compared with the previous state stored in the storage unit 31, and the previous determination target category If the state is empty, the determination target category is determined to be empty.
[0042]
If no gas is supplied to the determination target category and it is determined that the previous status check is full, whether or not the determination target category is connected to the process chamber 1 is further determined based on the determination of the communication state in STEP 3. When the judgment target section does not communicate with the process chamber 1, the judgment target section is in a closed state with the gas filled, and is determined to be a gas reservoir.
[0043]
If no gas is supplied to the gas pipe, it is determined that the gas pipe is full in the previous state check, and further, if the determination target section is communicated with the process chamber 1 in the communication determination, the determination target section is determined to be empty.
[0044]
For all piping, the state of gas for all categories is determined.
[0045]
STEP 5: The result of the gas filling judgment for each judgment target section of each line is sent to the display device 12 via the control program 16 and displayed on the display 20 according to the data transmission / reception program 17 and the display program 18. .
[0046]
In the above embodiment, the opening / closing data of the electromagnetic valves, including the current data, are all stored in the storage unit 31. However, the current data is collected directly from each electromagnetic valve via the digital input / output port 13. You may do it.
[0047]
Regarding the presence / absence of gas in each judgment target category, it is full when there is an empty gas supply (when communicating with a gas supply source), and when there is no gas supply, it is filled with gas 3 Displayed through
[0048]
A display example of the display 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 (A), 3 (B), and 3 (C).
[0049]
FIG. 3 shows a state in which electromagnetic valves 24, 25, 26, and 27 are provided in the gas pipe 23, and the gas pipe 23 is divided into sections a, b, c, d, and e by these electromagnetic valves. The electromagnetic valves 24, 25, 26, and 27 are displayed in different colors such as green when they are open, white when they are closed, and the empty state is white for each of the sections a, b, c, d, and e. The state of fullness is displayed in orange, the state of gas accumulation is displayed in red, etc.
[0050]
FIG. 3A shows a state in which the electromagnetic valve 26 is closed and the remaining electromagnetic valves 24, 25, and 27 are open. In this state, sections a, b, and c are in a gas-filled state, and sections d and e are in an empty state. FIG. 3B shows a case where the electromagnetic valve 24 is closed and the state is changed from the state shown in FIG. 3A, and gas is sealed in the sections b and c between the electromagnetic valve 24 and the electromagnetic valve 26. The In this state, the sections b and c are displayed as gas reservoirs. FIG. 3C shows a case where the electromagnetic valve 25 is closed and the electromagnetic valve 26 is opened from the state shown in FIG. 3B, and the state is changed. The division between the electromagnetic valve 24 and the electromagnetic valve 25 is shown in FIG. While b is a gas reservoir, section c is changed to an empty state.
[0051]
Note that the determination of the state of communication with the gas supply source and the process chamber is an example for the above-described classification target, and various determination methods are conceivable. Other methods include, for example, the following: .
[0052]
To determine the communication status with the gas supply source of the judgment target category, check the open / close state of the solenoid valve in order from the upstream side, and when it detects a closed solenoid valve, it determines that it is not in communication and is all open Judgment is made at the time of communication. Also, regarding the determination of the communication state with the process chamber, the open / close state of the electromagnetic valves is checked in order from the downstream side, and when a closed electromagnetic valve is detected, it is determined that the electromagnetic valve is not in communication, and all the electromagnetic valves are If it is in the open state, it is determined that communication is established.
[0053]
As yet another example, the open / closed states of all the electromagnetic valves are stored in the storage unit 31. Therefore, the communication state with the gas supply source and the process chamber of the predetermined judgment target section is determined from the stored data. It is also possible to judge immediately. That is, all the solenoid valves located upstream of the judgment target section are opened, and the state of communication with the gas supply source is judged by judging whether it is not, and all the solenoid valves located downstream of the judgment target section are It is opened, and the communication state with the process chamber is determined by determining whether it is not. In this case, the order of the electromagnetic valves to be checked and the order of the judgment target sections do not matter, and it is possible to immediately determine whether the sections at arbitrary positions are in communication or not.
[0054]
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the current judgment target classification is determined based on three judgment factors, that is, the communication status of the judgment target classification to the gas supply source, the communication status to the process chamber, and the gas status of the previous judgment target classification. Although the gas state is determined, it is of course possible to determine the gas state of the determination target category based on the change with time of opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve.
[0055]
There is also a method for judging the state of the gas in the judgment target category based on the change over time of opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve. The cause of the gas accumulation is in the order of opening and closing the electromagnetic valves. Therefore, the data for generating the gas accumulation to determine the gas accumulation when the solenoid valve is opened and closed in advance is created as the judgment material, and the data for the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve is recorded over time. The current gas state of the piping can also be determined by comparing the valve opening / closing data over time.
FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the valve open / close state is monitored, and the gas open / close state of the valve and the gas full state of each section of the gas pipe are detected from the data of the previous state accompanying the open / close. In the embodiment, gas sensors 33, 34, and 35 that directly detect the presence or absence of gas are provided for each section.
[0057]
Based on the signals from the gas sensors 33, 34 and 35, the gas full state shown in FIG. 3 is displayed.
[0058]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, since the current gas filling state of the gas pipe is displayed, when the gas pipe is in maintenance or when a gas causing a dangerous chemical reaction by mixing is flowed, the information of It can be provided and safety is improved. In addition, since the empty gas piping and the gas piping with the gas reservoir can be clearly determined, it is not necessary to exhaust the gas reservoir to all the gas piping, and the work is minimized and the workability is improved. improves. Furthermore, if the gas state detection means of the gas pipe monitors the open / close state of the open / close valve provided in the gas pipe and detects the gas accumulation based on the open / close state, the gas sensor is not required for detection, and the production cost is reduced. Demonstrate excellent effects such as
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a control block diagram showing a main part of a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment.
FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are explanatory diagrams illustrating display examples of the first embodiment; FIGS.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of a conventional example.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram in the case where no gas accumulation occurs in the conventional example.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram when gas accumulation occurs in the conventional example.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Process chamber 2 Gas supply line 3 Exhaust system 4 Pressure gauge 5 Gas supply electromagnetic valve 6 Flow controller 7 Interlock electromagnetic valve 11 Control device 12 Display device 15 CPU
16 Control Program 17 Data Transmission / Reception Program 20 Display 30 Judgment Program 31 Storage Unit

Claims (3)

The open / close state of the open / close valve provided in each gas supply line is checked in order from the gas supply source, and in turn from the process chamber side, and for each gas supply line based on the check result, the gas supply line A storage unit that checks the communication state between the partition and the gas supply source, the process chamber, and stores the check result of the communication state for all the partitions partitioned by the open / close valve;
A gas state detection means for detecting the state of the gas in the gas supply line, and a display means;
Said gas state detection means, and the check result of the previous communication state stored in the storage unit, and the status of all segments of the gas partitioned by the on-off valve which is determined on the basis of the check result, the current check result with comparing the door, it determines the state of the gas in the current of the segment and displays the status of the determined said section of the gas to said display means,
When there is a change in the gas state of the section in the gas supply line due to completion of a wafer processing process, the gas state detection unit is activated, and the open / close valve determined by the gas state detection unit is activated. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus characterized in that an open / close state and a gas full state of the section in the gas supply line are displayed on the display means . The open / close state of the open / close valve provided in each gas supply line is checked in order from the gas supply source, and in turn from the process chamber side, and for each gas supply line based on the check result, the gas supply line A storage unit that checks the communication state between the partition and the gas supply source, the process chamber, and stores the check result of the communication state for all the partitions partitioned by the open / close valve;
The check result of the previous communication state stored in the storage unit is compared with the gas state of all the sections partitioned by the opening / closing valve determined based on the check result , and the current check result is compared. have a gas state detection means for determining the state of the gas in the said section,
A display method of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for displaying the status of the gas has been said section determination by the gas condition detection means,
When there is a change in the gas state of the section in the gas supply line due to completion of a wafer processing process, the gas state detection unit is activated, and the open / close valve determined by the gas state detection unit is activated. A display method for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, which displays an open / closed state and a gas full state of the section in the gas supply line . While supplying a reaction gas to be applied to the wafers processed by one of the gas supply line, the process chamber was evacuated as to be maintained at a predetermined pressure, and generating a thin film on the wafer, the gas supply line A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a maintenance step,
In the step of maintaining the gas supply lines, the opening and closing state of the opening and closing valve provided in the gas supply line to check in the order from the gas supply source, also checked sequentially from the process chamber side, each gas based on the check result For each supply line and for all sections partitioned by the opening / closing valve of the gas supply line, check the communication state between the section, the gas supply source, and the process chamber, and store the check result of the communication state in the storage unit. ,
The check result of the previous communication state stored in the storage unit is compared with the gas state of all the sections partitioned by the opening / closing valve determined based on the check result , and the current check result is compared. the state of division of the gas is determined, along with the status of the determined said section of the gas that is displayed, if there is a change in state of the sections of the gas in the gas supply line, opening and closing of the opening and closing valve A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein a state and a gas full state of the section in the gas supply line are determined and displayed .

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