Method of operating semiconductor apparatus and semiconductor apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11243479-B2
Application number	US-201916683432-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2019
Priority date	Nov 14, 2019
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

A method of controlling a temperature of the semiconductor device includes operating an semiconductor apparatus; maintaining a temperature of a vessel of the semiconductor apparatus with a first cooling output by a cooling controller; heating the vessel for removing a material on the vessel; transferring a first signal, by a converter, to the cooling controller when heating the vessel; and reducing the first cooling output to a second cooling output by the cooling controller base on the first signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
operating a semiconductor apparatus;
maintaining a temperature of a vessel of the semiconductor apparatus with a first cooling output by a cooling controller, wherein the vessel has a vane having a triangular cross section;
heating, by a heater in the vane of the vessel, the vessel for removing a material on the vessel, wherein a cross section of the heater is located in the triangular cross section of the vane;
transferring a first signal, by a converter, to the cooling controller when heating the vessel; and
reducing the first cooling output to a second cooling output by the cooling controller based on the first signal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein maintaining the temperature of the vessel is such that the temperature of the vessel is below a melting point of the material on the vessel.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein heating the vessel for removing the material on the vessel is such that the temperature of the vessel is increased over a melting point of the material on the vessel.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
decreasing the temperature of the vessel after removing the material on the vessel.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein decreasing the temperature of the vessel comprises:
transferring a second signal, by the converter, to the cooling controller after removing the material on the vessel; and
increasing the second cooling output to a third cooling output by the cooling controller based on the second signal.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein decreasing the temperature of the vessel further comprises:
measuring the temperature of the vessel by a temperature sensor; and
transferring a temperature data from the temperature sensor to the converter to form a third signal.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
transferring the third signal, by the converter, to the cooling controller; and
reducing the third cooling output by the cooling controller based on the third signal.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein reducing the first cooling output to the second cooling output comprises:
decreasing a flow rate of a fluid channel on the vessel.

9. A method, comprising:
performing a lithography process by using a semiconductor apparatus;
maintaining a first temperature of a vessel of the semiconductor apparatus with a first cooling output, wherein the vessel has a vane;
heating the vessel from the first temperature to a second temperature to remove a target material on the vessel, wherein the target material is melted to flow downwards along a surface of the vane to a bottom of the vane, wherein maintaining the first temperature of the vessel and heating the vessel from the first temperature to the second temperature are performed while the lithography process is performed;
during heating the vessel, reducing the first cooling output to a second cooling output; and
maintaining the second cooling output until the target material is removed.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein maintaining the first temperature of the vessel is performed such that the first temperature of the vessel is lower than a melting point of the target material.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second temperature higher than a melting point of the target material.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
after heating the vessel to remove the target material, reducing the second temperature of the vessel to a third temperature lower than the melting point of the target material.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
during reducing the second temperature of the vessel to the third temperature, increasing the second cooling output to a third cooling output higher than the first cooling output.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
after reducing the second temperature of the vessel to the third temperature, reducing the third cooling output to a fourth cooling output substantially equal to the first cooling output.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein reducing the second temperature of the vessel to the third temperature is performed such that the third temperature is substantially equal to the first temperature of the vessel.

16. A method, comprising:
performing a lithography process using a semiconductor apparatus;
causing a cooling fluid to flow in a fluid channel that is in thermal contact with a vessel of the semiconductor apparatus;
increasing a temperature of the vessel to remove a target material on the vessel;
while increasing the temperature of the vessel, reducing a flow rate of the cooling fluid from a first flow rate value to a second flow rate value;
during the lithography process, increasing the flow rate of the cooling fluid from the second flow rate value to a third flow rate value to reduce the temperature of the vessel to a temperature lower than a melting point of the target material, wherein the third flow rate value is higher than the first flow rate value; and
reducing the flow rate of the cooling fluid from the third flow rate value to a fourth flow rate value.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein reducing the flow rate of the cooling fluid from the first flow rate value to the second flow rate value is performed such that the temperature of the vessel is higher than a melting point of the target material.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
after reducing the flow rate of the cooling fluid from the third flow rate value to the fourth flow rate value, maintaining the fourth flow rate value substantially equal to the first flow rate value.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
after reducing the flow rate of the cooling fluid from the third flow rate value to the fourth flow rate value, maintaining the temperature of the vessel below the melting point of the target material.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein increasing the temperature of the vessel is performed during the lithography process.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Hsiang
• Yu Sheng-Kang
• Chien Shang-Chieh
• Chen Li-Jui

Classifications

• H05G2/0092

  Housing of the apparatus for producing X-rays; Environment inside the housing · CPC title

• G03F7/70975

  Assembly, maintenance, transport or storage of apparatus · CPC title

• G03F7/70491

  Information management, e.g. software; Active and passive control, e.g. details of controlling exposure processes or exposure tool monitoring processes · CPC title

• G03F7/70916

  Pollution mitigation, i.e. mitigating effect of contamination or debris, e.g. foil traps · CPC title

• G03F9/7096

  Arrangement, mounting, housing, environment, cleaning or maintenance of apparatus · CPC title