Chemical dispensing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11817329-B2
Application number	US-202016887647-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2020
Priority date	May 29, 2020
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

A chemical dispensing system is capable of simultaneously supplying a semiconductor processing chemical for production and testing through the use of independent chemical supply lines, which reduces production downtime of an associated semiconductor process, increases throughput and capability of the semiconductor process, and/or the like. Moreover, the capability to simultaneously supply the semiconductor processing chemical for production and testing allows for an increased quantity of semiconductor processing chemical batches to be tested with minimal impact to production, which increases quality control over the semiconductor processing chemical. In addition, the independent chemical supply lines may be used to supply the semiconductor processing chemical to production while independently filtering semiconductor processing chemical directly from a storage drum through a filtration loop.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A chemical dispensing system, comprising:
a controller configured to:
determine, based on determining that a new batch of a semiconductor processing chemical was added to a storage drum of the chemical dispensing system, that a test is to be performed for the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum; and
cause, based on determining that the test is to be performed, the chemical dispensing system to be transitioned from a production supply configuration to an independent production and test configuration;

a first chemical supply line, in the independent production and test configuration, configured to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in a day tank to a production point of use (POU) or a chemical test POU; and
a second chemical supply line, in the independent production and test configuration, configured to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the chemical test POU or the production POU based on whether the first chemical supply line is configured to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the production POU or the chemical test POU.

2. The chemical dispensing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more first pumps configured to pump the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the POU through the first chemical supply line; and
one or more second pumps configured to pump the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the chemical test POU through the second chemical supply line.

3. The chemical dispensing system of claim 1 ,
wherein the chemical dispensing system further comprises:
one or more first pumps configured to pump the semiconductor processing chemical from the day tank to the chemical test POU through the first chemical supply line; and
one or more second pumps configured to pump the semiconductor processing chemical from the storage drum to the production POU through the second chemical supply line.

4. The chemical dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine to filter the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum;
identify a configured quantity of filtration cycles for filtering the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum; and
cause a pump to circulate the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum through a filter included in the chemical dispensing system for a quantity of filtration cycles equal to the configured quantity of filtration cycles.

5. The chemical dispensing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a test POU manifold,
wherein the test POU manifold comprises:
a plurality of POU valves configured to provide at least one of the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank or the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to a plurality of testing POUs.

6. The chemical dispensing system of claim 5 , wherein the test POU manifold further comprises:
a flush drain line configured to drain the semiconductor processing chemical from the test POU manifold; and
a sampling line configured to provide a portion of the semiconductor processing chemical, drained from the test POU manifold, for quality assurance sampling.

7. The chemical dispensing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more first valves to switch the first chemical supply line between the production POU and the chemical test POU; and
one or more second valves to switch the second chemical supply line between the production POU and the chemical test POU.

8. A method, comprising:
determining, by one or more processors and based on determining that a new batch of a semiconductor processing chemical was added to a storage drum of a chemical dispensing system, that a test is to be performed for the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum; and
causing, by the one or more processors and based on determining that the test is to be performed, the chemical dispensing system to be transitioned from a production supply configuration to an independent production and test configuration,
wherein, in the independent production and test configuration, a first chemical supply line of the chemical dispensing system is configured to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in a day tank to a production point of use (POU) or a chemical test POU, and
wherein, in the independent production and test configuration, a second chemical supply line of the chemical dispensing system is configured to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the chemical test POU or the production POU based on whether the first chemical supply line is configured to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the production POU or the chemical test POU.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein, in the independent production and test configuration:
the first chemical supply line is configured to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the production POU, and
the second chemical supply line is configured to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the chemical test POU; and
wherein the method further comprises:
causing a first pump to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the production POU through the first chemical supply line; and
causing a second pump to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the chemical test POU through the second chemical supply line.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining that the test is to be performed comprises:
determining that the test is to be performed based on receiving an instruction to perform the test.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein, in the independent production and test configuration:
the first chemical supply line is configured to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the chemical test POU, and
the second chemical supply line is configured to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the production POU; and
wherein the method further comprises:
causing a first pump to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the chemical test POU through the first chemical supply line; and
causing a second pump to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the production POU through the second chemical supply line.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining to filter the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum;
identifying a configured quantity of filtration cycles for filtering the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum; and
causing a pump to circulate the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum through a filter included in the chemical dispensing system for a quantity of filtration cycles equal to the configured quantity of filtration cycles.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining, based on the test, one or more parameters for the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum;
determining that the one or more parameters satisfy one or more test thresholds; and
causing, based on determining that the one or more parameters satisfies the one or more test thresholds, the chemical dispensing system to be transitioned from the independent production and test configuration to the production supply configuration,
wherein, in the production supply configuration, the first chemical supply line is connected to the day tank, the production POU, and the chemical test POU.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hsu Ming-Chieh
• Chen Yung-Long
• Chiang Fang-Pin
• Yang Feng-An
• Hsu Ching-Jung
• Lai Chi-Tung

Classifications

• H10P50/00

  Etching of wafers, substrates or parts of devices · CPC title

• H10P72/0402 Primary

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title

• H10P72/0612

  Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput · CPC title

• H10P72/04 Primary

  Apparatus for manufacture or treatment · CPC title

• H01L21/67017 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic