Chemical dispensing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12341026-B2
Application number	US-202318447353-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2023
Priority date	May 29, 2020
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

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 first chemical supply line configured to:
provide a semiconductor processing chemical in a day tank to a production point of use (POU) manifold when the chemical dispensing system is in a first independent production and test configuration, and
provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to a chemical test POU manifold when the chemical dispensing system is in a second independent production and test configuration; and

a second chemical supply line configured to:
provide the semiconductor processing chemical in a storage drum to the chemical test POU manifold when the chemical dispensing system is in the first independent production and test configuration,
wherein the first chemical supply line is different from the second chemical supply line when the chemical dispensing system is in the first independent production and test configuration, and
wherein the first chemical supply line is configured to simultaneously provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the production POU manifold while the second chemical supply line provides the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the chemical test POU manifold when the chemical dispensing system is in the first independent production and test configuration, and

provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the production POU manifold when the chemical dispensing system is in the second independent production and test configuration.

2. The chemical dispensing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller configured to cause the chemical dispensing system to be transitioned from a production supply configuration to the first independent production and test configuration.

3. The chemical dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the first chemical supply line is further configured to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to at least the production POU manifold when the chemical dispensing system is in a production supply configuration.

4. The chemical dispensing system of claim 3 , wherein the first chemical supply line is further configured to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the chemical test POU manifold when the chemical dispensing system is in the production supply configuration.

5. The chemical dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the first chemical supply line is configured to simultaneously provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the chemical test POU manifold while the second chemical supply line provides the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the production POU manifold when the chemical dispensing system is in the second independent production and test configuration.

6. The chemical dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the first chemical supply line is configured to use one or more of a different valve, a different pump, a different filter, or a different pipe from the second chemical supply line when the chemical dispensing system is in the first independent production and test configuration.

7. The chemical dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the first chemical supply line is configured to use one or more of a different valve, a different pump, a different filter, or a different pipe from the second chemical supply line when the chemical dispensing system is in the second independent production and test configuration.

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

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
causing, based on the chemical dispensing system being configured in the independent production and test configuration, the first chemical supply line to simultaneously provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the production POU manifold while the second chemical supply line provides the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the chemical test POU manifold.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
causing, based on the chemical dispensing system being configured in the independent production and test configuration, the first chemical supply line to simultaneously provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the chemical test POU manifold while the second chemical supply line provides the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the production POU manifold.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
causing, based on the chemical dispensing system being configured in the production supply configuration, the first chemical supply line to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to at least the production POU manifold.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
causing, based on the chemical dispensing system being configured in the production supply configuration, the first chemical supply line to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the chemical test POU manifold.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
causing, based on the chemical dispensing system being configured in the independent production and test configuration, a first pump to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the production POU manifold through the first chemical supply line; and
causing, based on the chemical dispensing system being configured in the independent production and test configuration, a second pump to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the chemical test POU manifold through the second chemical supply line.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
causing, based on the chemical dispensing system being configured in the independent production and test configuration, a first pump to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the day tank to the chemical test POU manifold through the first chemical supply line; and
causing, based on the chemical dispensing system being configured in the independent production and test configuration, a second pump to provide the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum to the production POU manifold through the second chemical supply line.

15. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining, based on determining that the new batch was added to the storage drum, to filter the semiconductor processing chemical in the storage drum;
identifying a configured quantity of filtration cycles for filtering the semiconductor processing chemical; and
causing a pump to circulate the semiconductor processing chemical through a filter included in the chemical dispensing system

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

• H01L21/306

  Electricity · mapped topic