Apparatus, systems, and methods of using an atmospheric epitaxial deposition transfer chamber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12442073-B2
Application number	US-202218049906-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2022
Priority date	Oct 26, 2022
Publication date	Oct 14, 2025
Grant date	Oct 14, 2025

Abstract

Implementations of the present disclosure relate to apparatus, systems, and methods of using a transfer chamber. In one or more implementations, gaseous impurities are reduced in a transfer chamber. In one implementation, a method includes receiving user input via a user interface indicating for the substrate processing system to conduct, according to a set of parameters, a service recovery operation that includes, for each cycle of a quantity of pump-purge cycles, operating a vacuum pump according to a base pressure to reduce a quantity of gas in the transfer chamber, then directing a purge gas to the transfer chamber according to a backfill pressure. The method also includes, after the cycles are complete, directing the purge gas into the transfer chamber until a threshold pressure is satisfied, and providing an indication via the user interface that the operation is complete.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of using a transfer chamber of a substrate processing system, comprising:
receiving via a user interface, user input indicating for the substrate processing system to conduct a service recovery operation for the transfer chamber according to a set of parameters that includes a base pressure and a backfill pressure;
operating, for each cycle of a quantity of pump-purge cycles, a vacuum pump according to the base pressure for the transfer chamber to reduce a quantity of gas in the transfer chamber;
directing, for each cycle of the quantity of pump-purge cycles and after operating the vacuum pump, a purge gas to the transfer chamber according to the backfill pressure;
directing, after the quantity of cycles is complete, the purge gas into the transfer chamber until a threshold pressure is satisfied; and
displaying, via the user interface, an indication that the service recovery operation for the transfer chamber is complete.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying, via the user interface, a suggested value for one or more parameters of the set of parameters for the service recovery operation; and
receiving, via the user interface, an indication of a user-selected value for the one or more parameters.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user input comprises an indication for the service recovery operation for the transfer chamber to proceed according to the set of parameters that are preconfigured for the service recovery operation.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of parameters further include a switchover point pressure, and the service recovery operation further comprises:
directing a slow rough valve to open; and
directing a fast rough valve to open in response to identifying that the switchover point pressure has been met after operating the vacuum pump to remove gas from the transfer chamber via the slow rough valve.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of parameters further includes a base time duration, and the service recovery operation further comprises:
operating the vacuum pump for at least the base time duration based at least in part on operating the vacuum pump according to the base pressure; and
directing a purge valve to open to direct the purge gas to the transfer chamber after the base time duration.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of parameters further includes a load lock chamber selection, and the service recovery operation further comprises:
selecting, from a first slow rough valve and a second slow rough valve, the first slow rough valve to open in response to the load lock chamber selection, the first slow rough valve fluidly connecting the vacuum pump to a first load lock chamber that is coupled to the transfer chamber, and the second slow rough valve fluidly connecting the vacuum pump to a second load lock chamber that is coupled to the transfer chamber.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from an oxygen sensor, a signal indicating an oxygen level of the transfer chamber, wherein the quantity of pump-purge cycles is based at least in part on the signal indicating the oxygen level for the transfer chamber.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the purge gas comprises at least 99.9999% nitrogen by atomic percentage and the threshold pressure is at least 5 Torr greater than an atmospheric pressure.

9. A substrate processing system, comprising:
a transfer chamber;
one or more load lock chambers;
a vacuum pump fluidly connected to the one or more load lock chambers;
a user interface; and
a controller coupled to the user interface and the vacuum pump, the controller configured to:
receive, via the user interface, user input indicating for the substrate processing system to conduct a service recovery operation for the transfer chamber according to a set of parameters that includes a base pressure and a backfill pressure,
operate, for each cycle of a quantity of pump-purge cycles, the vacuum pump according to the base pressure for the transfer chamber to reduce a quantity of gas in the transfer chamber,
direct, for each cycle of the quantity of pump-purge cycles and after operating the vacuum pump, a purge gas to the transfer chamber according to the backfill pressure,
direct, after the quantity of cycles is complete, the purge gas into the transfer chamber until a threshold pressure is satisfied, and
display, via the user interface, an indication that the service recovery operation for the transfer chamber is complete.

10. The substrate processing system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
display, via the user interface, a suggested value for one or more parameters of the set of parameters for the service recovery operation; and
receive, via the user interface, an indication of a user-selected value for the one or more parameters.

11. The substrate processing system of claim 9 , wherein the user input comprises an indication for the service recovery operation for the transfer chamber to proceed according to the set of parameters that are preconfigured for the service recovery operation.

12. The substrate processing system of claim 9 , wherein:
the set of parameters further include a switchover point pressure;
the substrate processing system further comprises:
a slow rough valve between the vacuum pump and the one or more load lock chambers; and
a fast rough valve between the vacuum pump and the one or more load lock chambers; and

the controller is further configured to:
direct the slow rough valve to open; and
direct the fast rough valve to open in response to identifying that the switchover point pressure has been met after operating the vacuum pump to remove gas from the transfer chamber via the slow rough valve.

13. The substrate processing system of claim 9 , wherein:
the set of parameters further includes a base time duration;
the substrate processing system further comprises a purge valve that fluidly connects the one or more load lock chambers to a source of the purge gas; and
the controller is further configured to:
operate the vacuum pump for at least the base time duration based at least in part on operating the vacuum pump according to the base pressure; and
direct the purge valve to open to direct the purge gas from the source of the purge gas to the transfer chamber through the one or more load lock chambers after the base time duration.

14. The substrate processing system of claim 9 , wherein:
the set of parameters further includes a load lock chamber selection;
the one or more load lock chambers comprise:
a first load lock chamber coupled to the transfer chamber;
a first slow rough valve fluidly connecting the vacuum pump to the first load lock chamber;
a second load lock chamber coupled to the transfer chamber;
a second slow rough valve fluidly connecting the vacuum pump to the first load lock chamber; and

the controller is further configured to select, from the first slow rough valve and the second slow rough valve, the first slow rough valve to open in response to the load lock chamber selection.

15. The substrate processing system of claim 9 , wherein:
the substrate processing system further comprises an oxygen sensor coupled to the transfer chamber; and
the controller is further configured to:
receive, from the oxygen sensor, a signal indicating an oxygen level of the transfer chamber; and
determine the quantity of pump-purge cycles based at least in part on the oxygen level.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium for conducting a service recovery op

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Ackermann Thomas
• Huber Robert

Classifications

• C23C16/52

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

• C30B25/14 Primary

  Feed and outlet means for the gases; Modifying the flow of the reactive gases · CPC title

• C23C16/4408 Primary

  by purging residual gases from the reaction chamber or gas lines · CPC title

• C30B35/005 Primary

  Transport systems · CPC title