US-12622198-B2 - Exhausting device and exhausting method in substrate processing equipment

US12622198B2US 12622198 B2US12622198 B2US 12622198B2US-12622198-B2

Abstract

The present invention discloses an exhausting device and an exhausting method in substrate processing equipment, and more particularly, a technique for controlling a processing process environment by providing a buffer space for storing chemical fumes outside a ventilation unit of the substrate processing equipment, and discharging the chemical fumes into the buffer space in accordance with a processing process in a chamber interior space.

Inventors

Jin Se PARK
Ki Bong Kim
MYUNG SEOK CHA
Do Hyeon YOON

Assignees

SEMES CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20220406
Priority Date: 20210526

Claims (13)

1 . An exhausting device in substrate processing equipment, the device comprising: a ventilation unit that discharges chemical fumes in a chamber interior space; a buffer member that forms a sealed buffer space on an outer surface of the ventilation unit and stores the chemical fumes discharged from the ventilation unit to control a processing process environment in the chamber interior space, wherein the processing process environment corresponds to an internal condition of the chamber interior space represented by a pressure of the chamber interior space or a temperature thereof, and wherein the buffer member includes: a bulkhead frame defining the buffer space and having a first side connected to the outer surface of the ventilation unit and a second side opposite to the first side, and a cover rotatably coupled to the second side of the bulkhead frame to seal the buffer space or open the buffer space; and an exhaust unit connected to the buffer member and discharging the chemical fumes stored in the buffer space, a control circuit that controls the ventilation unit and the exhaust unit to regulate an inflow amount and a discharge amount of the chemical fumes with respect to the buffer space, so as to control the processing process environment in the chamber interior space.
2 . The exhausting device in substrate processing equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit controls a discharge of the chemical fumes by selectively controlling the ventilation unit and the exhaust unit according to: at least one of factors among an internal temperature, a pressure, and an expected generation amount of chemical fumes, which are substrate processing conditions to be satisfied in a chamber, and at least one of factors among a current internal temperatures, a pressure, and a chemical fume concentration in each of the chamber interior space and the buffer space.
3 . The exhausting device in substrate processing equipment according to claim 2 , wherein the control circuit controls the ventilation unit and the exhaust unit to form an exhaust air flow in the buffer space.
4 . The exhausting device in substrate processing equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the ventilation unit includes: a ventilation fan for discharging the chemical fumes in the chamber interior space to the sealed buffer space, and a ventilation regulator mounted on the ventilation fan to regulate a discharge amount of the ventilation fan.
5 . The exhausting device in substrate processing equipment according to claim 4 , wherein the ventilation regulator includes: a shutter frame that is mounted on an outer surface of the ventilation fan and has a plurality of through holes formed in the shutter frame, and a plurality of shutters that is provided with the plurality of through holes, respectively, and each shutter of the plurality of shutters selectively opens or closes a corresponding through hole of the plurality of through holes in accordance with rotation by a predetermined angle.
6 . The exhausting device in substrate processing equipment according to claim 5 , wherein the ventilation unit further includes a flow meter that measures the discharge amount from the ventilation fan, and wherein the control circuit controls the ventilation fan and the ventilation regulator based on a measured amount of the flow meter, to regulate a discharge amount of the chemical fumes from the chamber interior space into the buffer space.
7 . The exhausting device according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust unit includes: an exhaust tube connected to the buffer space, and an exhaust pressure generator that is mounted in the exhaust tube and regulates a discharge amount from the exhaust tube.
8 . The exhausting device in substrate processing equipment according to claim 7 , wherein the exhaust unit further includes an exhaust pressure regulator mounted in the exhaust tube in front of the exhaust pressure generator to regulate exhaust pressure of the exhaust pressure generator.
9 . The exhausting device in substrate processing equipment according to claim 8 , wherein the exhaust pressure regulator includes: a support installed at the middle of the exhaust tube in a radial direction of the exhaust tube, and a damper that is supported by the support and selectively opens or closes the exhaust tube in accordance with rotation of the support.
10 . The exhausting device in substrate processing equipment according to claim 8 , wherein the exhaust unit further includes: a concentration meter that is mounted at an inlet of the exhaust tube and measures chemical fume concentration in the buffer space, and a flow meter that measures the discharge amount from the exhaust tube, and wherein the control circuit controls the exhaust pressure generator and the exhaust pressure regulator based on measured amounts of the flow meter and the concentration meter, to regulate a discharge amount of the chemical fumes stored in the buffer space.
11 . The exhausting device in substrate processing equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the ventilation unit is provided in two or more ventilation units, wherein the buffer member further includes one or more partition frames that are connected to the bulkhead frame, and wherein the one or more partition frames partition the buffer space to two or more buffer spaces, in each buffer space of the two more buffer spaces, a corresponding ventilation unit of the two or more ventilation units being installed.
12 . The exhausting device in substrate processing equipment according to claim 11 , wherein the exhaust unit includes: a branch exhaust tube for discharging chemical fumes into each of a plurality of partitioned buffer spaces, an exhaust tube for discharging the chemical fumes in the branch exhaust tube, an exhaust pressure generator that is mounted in the branch exhaust tube corresponding to each of the plurality of partitioned buffer spaces and regulates a discharge amount from the branch exhaust tube, and an exhaust pressure regulator mounted in the branch exhaust tube in front of the exhaust pressure generator to regulate exhaust pressure of the exhaust pressure generator.
13 . The exhausting device in substrate processing equipment according to claim 11 , wherein the buffer member has a plurality of buffer spaces partitioned in a multi-level structure to correspond to a plurality of chambers installed in a multi-level structure.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0067380, filed May 26, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an exhausting device and an exhausting method in substrate processing equipment, and more particularly, to a technique for controlling a processing process environment by providing a buffer space for storing chemical fumes outside a ventilation unit of the substrate processing equipment, and discharging the chemical fumes into the buffer space in accordance with a processing process in a chamber interior space. 2. Description of the Related Art In the case of processes (for example, cleaning process and etching process) using various chemical solutions among semiconductor manufacturing processes, during such processes, chemical fumes are generated in substrate processing equipment by the chemical solutions. The chemical fumes and impurities contained in the fumes contaminate a semiconductor substrate and cause process accidents. Thus, the substrate processing equipment includes an exhausting device for removing the chemical fumes generated during the process or impurities contained in the chemical fumes. The exhausting device is connected to an exhaust duct through the bottom surface of a place where the substrate processing equipment is installed, to remove chemical fumes and impurities contained in the chemical fumes to the outside. A ventilation unit is provided at the end of the exhaust duct to discharge the chemical fumes flowing in the exhaust duct by operating a ventilation fan. At this time, the amount of chemical fumes is generated differently depending on the type of chemical solution used in a substrate processing process or the type of process. Thus, it is necessary to appropriately regulate the discharge amount of chemical fumes. For example, when a sulfuric acid solution is used in a cleaning process or an etching process, a relatively large amount of chemical fumes is generated, so the exhaust amount is required to be increased accordingly. Meanwhile, when the chemical fumes generated from the substrate processing equipment are directly discharged to the outside, the internal pressure and the temperature of a chamber in the substrate processing equipment change by the discharge of the chemical fumes. Thus, there is a problem that it is not possible to maintain the temperature and the pressure required for the substrate processing process. In particular, when it is difficult to set the temperature and pressure in the chamber to predetermined levels required in the substrate processing process, this causes a problem of decreasing process yield. Examples of the related art include Korean Patent No. 10-1035983 and Korean Patent No. 10-0918382. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problems in the related art as described above, and an object of the present invention is to solve the problem that it is not possible to maintain an environment required in the substrate processing process due to the discharge of chemical fumes generated in the substrate processing equipment. In particular, another object of the present invention is to solve the problem that the pressure, the temperature, and the like in a chamber interior space in the substrate processing equipment are rapidly changed due to a difference in pressure, temperature, and the like between the inside and the outside of the substrate processing equipment, when chemical fumes are discharged through an exhaust duct in the substrate processing equipment. Furthermore, still another object of the present invention is to solve the problem that, when processes are performed by simultaneously operating a plurality of chambers in the substrate processing equipment including a plurality of chambers, it is not possible to obtain the yield of the uniform quality level due to a difference in environmental conditions such as the pressure and the temperature between the chambers. The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above description, and other objects and advantages of the invention which are not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art as described below. According to an embodiment of the present invention, an exhausting device in substrate processing equipment include a ventilation unit that discharges chemical fumes in the chamber interior space, a buffer member that forms a sealed buffer space on an outer surface of the ventilation unit and stores the chemical fumes discharged from the ventilation unit to control a processing process environment in the chamber interior space, an exhaust unit that discharges the chemical fumes stored in the buffer space, and a control unit that controls the ventilation unit and the exhaust unit to regulate an inflow amount a