Chamber moisture control using narrow optical filters measuring emission lines
Inventors
Schramm, Sven • Hilkene, Martin • Martinez, Elias • Bayati, Amir
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-12422357-B2
Publication Date
2025-09-23
Expiration Date
Abstract
Embodiments disclosed herein include a moisture detection module. In an embodiment, the moisture detection module comprises an optical bandpass filter configured to be optically coupled to a light source, where a passband is centered at 309 nm. In an embodiment, the moisture detection module further comprises a detector optically coupled to the optical bandpass filter.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to semiconductor processing tool moisture detection using optical filtering of chamber emission. A detection module is optically coupled to a viewport through a wall of the chamber, and an optical bandpass filter with a passband up to 10 nm filters light before a first detector.
Moisture detection is performed by initiating a plasma in the chamber and passing electromagnetic radiation through a port in the chamber. The electromagnetic radiation is filtered using a bandpass filter having a passband that is 10 nm wide or smaller and then detected with a first detector, while electromagnetic radiation is also detected with a second detector without an intervening optical bandpass filter.
In embodiments, the passband is centered at 309 nm with a full width at half maximum between 1 nm and 20 nm, the first detector is a photodiode, and the optical interface can include a lens along an optical path between the viewport and the optical bandpass filter. The viewport can be formed of fused silica, supporting optical coupling of the detection module to chamber light.
Claims Coverage
The document provides two independent claims covering a semiconductor processing tool for moisture detection and a corresponding moisture-detection method. The independent claim set emphasizes two inventive features: narrow optical bandpass filtering up to 10 nm wide and dual-detector detection with one filtered and one unfiltered detection path.
Viewport-coupled narrow optical bandpass filtering with dual detectors
A semiconductor processing tool comprising a chamber and a viewport through a wall of the chamber, and a detection module optically coupled to the viewport, wherein the detection module comprises an optical bandpass filter with a passband that is up to 10 nm and a first detector optically coupled to the optical bandpass filter, and a second detector optically coupled to the light source without an intervening optical bandpass filter.
Plasma-driven moisture detection using a passband-10 nm-or-less filter and dual detectors
A method for detecting moisture in a chamber, comprising initiating a plasma in the chamber; passing electromagnetic radiation through a port in the chamber; filtering the electromagnetic radiation with a bandpass filter with a passband that is 10 nm wide or smaller; detecting the filtered electromagnetic radiation with a first detector; and detecting the electromagnetic radiation with a second detector without an intervening optical bandpass filter.
Across both independent claims, the coverage centers on detecting moisture by passing chamber electromagnetic radiation through a port or viewport and applying a bandpass filter with a passband width up to 10 nm for a first detector, while a second detector receives light from the source without an intervening optical bandpass filter.
Stated Advantages
Documented Applications
Moisture detection in a chamber of a semiconductor processing tool, including moisture detection for certifying a chamber after maintenance.
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