Concentration sensor for precursor delivery system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11808746-B2
Application number	US-202117365906-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2021
Priority date	Jul 1, 2021
Publication date	Nov 7, 2023
Grant date	Nov 7, 2023

Abstract

A concentration sensor assembly can include a vaporization chamber having a compound. The concentration sensor assembly may include a first flow path coupled to the vaporization chamber. The first flow path may direct a first gas to the vaporization chamber. A second flow path can direct a second gas out of the vaporization chamber. The second gas can include the compound and the first gas. A first sensor is disposed along the first flow path. The first sensor measures first data indicative of a first mass flow rate of the first gas. A second sensor is disposed along the second flow path. The second sensor measure second data indicative of a second mass flow rate of the second gas. A computing device may determine a concentration of the vaporizable substance within the second gas based on the first data and the second data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A concentration sensor assembly, comprising:
a vaporization chamber comprising a compound, the vaporization chamber to transition the compound into a gaseous state;
a first flow path coupled to the vaporization chamber, the first flow path to direct a first gas to the vaporization chamber;
a second flow path coupled to the vaporization chamber, the second flow path to direct a second gas out of the vaporization chamber, wherein the second gas comprises the compound and the first gas;
a first sensor disposed along the first flow path, the first sensor to measure first flow data indicative of a first mass flow rate of the first gas within the first flow path;
a second sensor disposed along the second flow path, the second sensor to measure second flow data indicative of a second mass flow rate of the second gas within the second flow path;
a third sensor to measure third flow data indicative of a third mass flow rate of the compound into the vaporization chamber; and
a controller coupled to the first sensor and the second sensor, the controller to determine a concentration of the compound within the second gas based on the first flow data, the second flow data, and the third flow data.

2. The concentration sensor assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first sensor or the second sensor comprises a mass flow rate controller.

3. The concentration sensor assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first valve disposed along the first flow path; and
a second valve disposed along the second flow path,
wherein the first valve is to selectively open and close to alter a first flow rate of the first gas and the second valve is to selectively open and close to alter a second flow rate of the second gas.

4. The concentration sensor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the compound comprises a precursor for processing a substrate.

5. The concentration sensor assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a third flow path coupled to the vaporization chamber, the third flow path to direct the compound into the vaporization chamber.

6. The concentration sensor assembly of claim 5 , wherein the third sensor is disposed along the third flow path, and wherein the third flow data is indicative of the third mass flow rate of the compound within the third flow path.

7. The concentration sensor assembly of claim 6 , wherein the controller is further to determine a depletion rate of the compound within the vaporization chamber based on the concentration.

8. The concentration sensor assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a fourth sensor to measure fourth data indicative of a temperature of the vaporization chamber, wherein the controller is to calculate the concentration of the compound further based on the fourth data.

9. A precursor delivery system, comprising:
a vaporization vessel, the vaporization vessel comprising a precursor;
a first flow path coupled to the vaporization vessel, the first flow path to direct a carrier gas into the vaporization vessel;
a second flow path coupled to the vaporization vessel, the second flow path to direct a process gas out of the vaporization vessel, wherein the process gas comprises the carrier gas and the precursor;
a process chamber coupled to the second flow path, wherein the second flow path is to direct the process gas to the process chamber;
a first flow meter disposed along the first flow path, the first flow meter to measure first flow data indicative of a first flow rate of the carrier gas within the first flow path;
a second flow meter disposed along the second flow path, the second flow meter to measure second flow data indicative of a second flow rate of the process gas within the second flow path;
a third flow meter to measure third flow data indicative of a third flow rate of the precursor into the vaporization vessel; and
a controller coupled to the first flow meter and the second flow meter, the controller to determine a concentration of the precursor within the process gas based on the first flow data, the second flow data, and the third flow data.

10. The precursor delivery system of claim 9 , wherein the precursor comprises a precursor for substrate processing within the processing chamber.

11. The precursor delivery system of claim 9 , further comprising a first valve disposed along the first flow path and a second valve disposed along the second flow path, wherein the first valve to selectively open and close to alter the first flow rate of the carrier gas and the second valve to selectively open and close to alter the second flow rate of the process gas.

12. The precursor delivery system of claim 9 , wherein the third flow meter is disposed along a third flow path, the third flow path to direct the precursor into the vaporization vessel, and wherein the flow data is indicative of the third flow rate of the precursor within the third flow path.

13. The precursor delivery system of claim 9 , further comprising a fourth flow meter disposed along a third flow path, the third flow path to direct a second carrier gas into the vaporization vessel, wherein the fourth flow meter is to measure fourth data indicative of a fourth flow rate of the second carrier gas within the third flow path, wherein the controller is to calculate the concentration of the precursor further using the fourth data.

14. The precursor delivery system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further to determine a depletion rate of the precursor within the vaporization vessel based on the concentration.

15. The precursor delivery system of claim 9 , further comprising a temperature sensor to measure third data indicative of a temperature of the vaporization vessel, wherein the controller is to calculate the concentration of the precursor further using the third data.

16. A method comprising:
receiving, by a processing device from a first sensor, first flow data indicative of a first mass flow rate of a carrier gas;
receiving, by the processing device from a second sensor, second flow data indicative of a second mass flow rate of a compound gas comprising the carrier gas and a vaporized substance,
receiving, by the processing device from a third sensor, third data indicative of a temperature of a vaporization vessel associated with vaporizing the vaporized substance;
receiving, by the processing device from a fourth sensor, fourth data indicative of a third mass flow rate of a second carrier gas;
determining, by the processing device, a concentration of the vaporized substance within the compound gas based on the first flow data, the second flow data, the third data, and the fourth data; and
performing at least one of a) modifying a flow rate of the carrier gas or b) providing the concentration for display by a graphical user interface (GUI).

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the vaporized substance comprises a precursor for processing a substrate.

18. The method of claim 16 ,
wherein the compound gas further comprises the second carrier gas.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
using at least the first flow data, the second flow data, and the third data as input to a machine learning model; and
obtaining one or more outputs of the machine learning model, the one or more outputs indicating the concentration of the vaporized substance within the compound gas.

20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
determining a quantity of the vaporized substance disposed within the vaporization vessel based on the concentration; and
providing the quantity

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Shah Vivek B
• Chakarian Varoujan
• Ummethala Upendra

Classifications

• C23C16/4482

  by bubbling of carrier gas through liquid source material · CPC title

• C23C16/4481

  by evaporation using carrier gas in contact with the source material (C23C16/4486 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C16/45561

  Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber · CPC title

• G01N33/0016 Primary

  by regulating a physical variable, e.g. pressure or temperature · CPC title

• C23C16/52

  Controlling or regulating the coating process {(C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence)} · CPC title