KR-20260064589-A - COOLING PLATES, SYSTEM INCLUDING COOLING PLATES AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MOISTURE IN THE SYSTEM

KR20260064589AKR 20260064589 AKR20260064589 AKR 20260064589AKR-20260064589-A

Abstract

A substrate processing system for effectively controlling moisture during manufacturing operations is provided. The system includes a buffer chamber equipped with a cooling plate, said cooling plate is coupled to a cryogenic pump to circulate a cryogenic fluid, such as liquid nitrogen. Residual moisture and water vapor released during substrate transfer are captured and condensed on the cooling plate. A regeneration system monitors moisture accumulation using a sensor and initiates regeneration when a set threshold is reached.

Inventors

하브 살람

Assignees

에이에스엠 아이피 홀딩 비.브이.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251028
Priority Date: 20241031

Claims (20)

As a substrate processing system, Wafer processing chamber (WHC); WHC robot placed within the above WHC; A buffer chamber coupled to the above WHC, wherein the buffer chamber is Cooling plate; and A buffer chamber having a substrate support coupled to the cooling plate, wherein the cooling plate is configured to collect residual moisture from a substrate placed on the substrate support; A cryogenic pump configured to circulate a cryogenic fluid through the above cooling plate; At least one process module coupled to the above WHC, wherein the WHC robot is configured to transport a substrate between the buffer chamber and the at least one process module; and A substrate processing system comprising a regeneration system configured to remove moisture accumulated on the cooling plate.
In claim 1, the substrate processing system, wherein the buffer chamber is a load lock module.
In paragraph 2, the buffer chamber is a first buffer chamber, and the WHC is a first wafer processing chamber, and The above substrate processing system is, A second buffer chamber coupled to the first wafer processing chamber; and A substrate processing system further comprising a second WHC coupled to the second buffer chamber.
In paragraph 1, the regeneration system A regeneration sensor coupled to the above cooling plate and configured to monitor regeneration parameters; A heating mechanism coupled to the buffer chamber, wherein when the regeneration parameter reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the heating mechanism is configured to increase the temperature of the cooling plate to dehumidify the moisture accumulated on the cooling plate; and A substrate processing system comprising a pump configured to discharge the above-mentioned dehumidified moisture out of the buffer chamber.
In paragraph 4, the above heating mechanism is an infrared lamp, in a substrate processing system.
In paragraph 4, the heating mechanism is an internal heater built into the cooling plate, in a substrate processing system.
A substrate processing system according to claim 4, wherein the heating mechanism comprises a purge gas introduced into the buffer chamber to increase the temperature within the buffer chamber.
A substrate processing system according to claim 7, wherein the purge gas is at least one of nitrogen, argon, or helium.
In paragraph 4, the regeneration sensor comprises a residual gas analyzer (RGA) operably coupled to the cooling plate, and The above regeneration parameter includes the amount of moisture accumulated on the cooling plate, and A substrate processing system in which, when the RGA detects that the amount of moisture accumulated on the cooling plate reaches or exceeds a predetermined moisture threshold, the heating mechanism operates to increase the temperature of the cooling plate.
A substrate processing system according to claim 4, wherein the regeneration sensor is configured to monitor the amount of time elapsed since the completion of the previous regeneration cycle, the regeneration parameter includes the amount of elapsed time, and when the amount of elapsed time reaches or exceeds a predetermined time threshold, the heating mechanism is operated to increase the temperature of the cooling plate.
A substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the cryogenic fluid is less than 130 Kelvin.
As a method for controlling moisture within a substrate processing system, A step of providing the substrate processing system having a buffer chamber including a cooling plate coupled to a cryogenic pump; A step of collecting residual moisture from a substrate contained in a buffer chamber by circulating a cryogenic fluid through the cooling plate using the above cryogenic pump; A step of determining whether one or more playback parameters reach or exceed a predetermined threshold; and A method comprising the step of operating a regeneration process when one or more of the above regeneration parameters reach or exceed a predetermined threshold value.
In paragraph 12, the method wherein the cryogenic fluid comprises liquid nitrogen.
In Clause 12, the step of operating the above-mentioned regeneration process is, A step of isolating the buffer chamber from another chamber of the substrate processing system; A step of temporarily stopping the circulation of the cryogenic fluid through the cooling plate; A step of increasing the temperature within the buffer chamber to a predetermined regeneration temperature to dehumidify the residual moisture accumulated on the cooling plate; and A method comprising the step of discharging the above-mentioned dehumidified residual moisture out of the buffer chamber.
In claim 14, the step of increasing the temperature within the buffer chamber to the predetermined regeneration temperature is An external heater operating outside the buffer chamber; and A method using at least one of the internal heaters built into the above cooling plate.
In claim 14, the step of increasing the temperature in the buffer chamber to the predetermined regeneration temperature comprises the step of introducing a purge gas into the buffer chamber.
In paragraph 12, the step of determining whether the one or more playback parameters reach or exceed the predetermined threshold value is: A step of monitoring the amount of moisture accumulated on the cooling plate; and A method comprising the step of operating the regeneration process when the amount of accumulated moisture exceeds a predetermined amount of moisture.
In claim 17, the step of monitoring the amount of moisture accumulated on the cooling plate comprises the step of using a residual gas analyzer.
As a playback system, A cooling plate configured to accumulate residual moisture from a substrate; A regeneration pump coupled to the above cooling plate; A heating mechanism coupled to the cooling plate and configured to increase the temperature of the cooling plate; and It includes a residual gas analyzer (RGA) operably coupled to the cooling plate and configured to monitor residual moisture accumulated on the cooling plate, A regeneration system in which, when the above RGA detects that the monitored residual moisture exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the heating mechanism operates to increase the temperature of the cooling plate.
In paragraph 19, the regenerative system, wherein the regenerative pump is a turbo molecular pump (TMP).

Description

Cooling plates, system including cooling plates, and method for controlling moisture in the system The present disclosure generally relates to the manufacture of integrated circuit (IC) devices. Specifically, the present invention relates to the use of a cooling plate as a getter mechanism for residual moisture and water vapor. Conventional substrate processing systems may present problems due to residual moisture and water vapor during substrate transfer operations. When a substrate is moved from the Equipment Front End Module (EFEM) into a buffer chamber, such as a Load Lock Module (LLM) and a Pass Chamber (PTC), moisture and water vapor generated from the substrate can leak into the buffer chamber. This leaked moisture and vapor often become trapped within the chamber. The presence of residual moisture and water vapor within the buffer chamber causes various problems. For example, because these molecules tend to adhere to the chamber surface and substrate supports, they are difficult to remove using conventional vacuum evacuation techniques. Existing moisture removal methods are often complex or inefficient and are insufficient to solve these problems. Therefore, an improved, simplified, and effective mechanism is required to capture and remove residual moisture and water vapor from the buffer chamber during substrate transfer operations. Any discussion, including any discussion of the problems and solutions described in this section, is included in this disclosure merely for the purpose of providing context for the present disclosure, and should not be construed as an acknowledgment that any part or all of such discussion was known at the time the present invention was made or otherwise constitutes prior art. According to some embodiments, a substrate handling system may include a wafer handling chamber (WHC), a WHC robot disposed within the WHC, and a buffer chamber connected to the WHC. The buffer chamber may include a cooling plate and a substrate support coupled to the cooling plate. The cooling plate may be configured to capture residual moisture from a substrate placed on the substrate support. The substrate handling system may also include a cryogenic pump configured to circulate a cryogenic fluid through the cooling plate, at least one process module coupled to the WHC, and a regeneration system. The WHC robot may be configured to transport a substrate between the buffer chamber and at least one process module. The regeneration system may be configured to remove moisture accumulated on the cooling plate. In some embodiments, the buffer chamber may be a load lock module. In some embodiments, the buffer chamber may be a first buffer chamber, and the WHC may be a first wafer processing chamber. The substrate processing system may further include a second buffer chamber coupled to the first wafer processing chamber and a second WHC coupled to the second buffer chamber. In some embodiments, the regeneration system may include a regeneration sensor coupled to a cooling plate. The regeneration sensor may be configured to monitor regeneration parameters. The regeneration system may also include a heating mechanism coupled to a buffer chamber. When the regeneration parameter reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold, the heating mechanism may be configured to increase the temperature of the cooling plate to dehumidify the moisture accumulated on the cooling plate. Additionally, the regeneration system may include a pump configured to discharge the dehumidified moisture out of the buffer chamber. In some embodiments, the heating device may be an infrared lamp. In some embodiments, the heating mechanism may be an internal heater built into the cooling plate. In some embodiments, the heating mechanism may include a purge gas introduced into the buffer chamber to increase the temperature within the buffer chamber. In some embodiments, the purge gas may be at least one of nitrogen, argon, or helium. In some embodiments, the regeneration sensor may include a residual gas analyzer (RGA) operably coupled to the cooling plate, and the regeneration parameter may include the amount of moisture accumulated on the cooling plate, and when the RGA detects that the amount of moisture accumulated on the cooling plate reaches or exceeds a predetermined moisture threshold, the heating mechanism may be operated to increase the temperature of the cooling plate. In some embodiments, the regeneration sensor may be configured to monitor the amount of time elapsed since the completion of the previous regeneration cycle, and the regeneration parameter may include the amount of elapsed time, and when the amount of elapsed time reaches or exceeds a predetermined time threshold, the heating mechanism may be operated to increase the temperature of the cooling plate. In some embodiments, the temperature of the cryogenic fluid may be less than 130 Kelvin. According to some embodiments, a method for controlling moisture within a subs