# US 11,443,959 B2 · Semiconductor manufacturing system and control method

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- Number: US 11,443,959 B2
- Document ID: US11443959B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/027,494
- Filed: 2020-09-21
- Published: 2021-01-07
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2017-08-30
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Su-Horng Lin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11443959B2

## CPC

- H10P 72/04: {Apparatus for manufacture or treatment}
- H05B 1/0233: {for semiconductors manufacturing}
- H10P 72/0432: {mainly by conduction}
- H10P 72/0441: {Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like}
- H10P 72/0462: {characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers}
- H10P 72/0602: {Temperature monitoring}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

A system includes a chamber, an inlet valve, a control device, and a recycle pipe. The chamber is configured to perform a semiconductor process and including an output port. The inlet valve is coupled to the chamber and a supply pipe. The controller is coupled to the inlet valve and the chamber. The recycle pipe arranged outside the chamber and coupled to the chamber. The recycle pipe is independent from the supply pipe. The controller is configured to determine whether the chamber is idle, and is configured to control the inlet valve based on the determination of whether the chamber is idle. When the controller closes the output port of the chamber and opens the inlet valve, water from the supply pipe flows into a wall of the chamber through the inlet valve first and then flows into the recycle pipe.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system, comprising:
a chamber configured to perform a semiconductor process and comprising an output port;
an inlet valve coupled to the chamber and a supply pipe;
a controller coupled to the inlet valve and the chamber; and
a recycle pipe arranged outside the chamber and coupled to the chamber, wherein the recycle pipe is independent from the supply pipe,
wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the chamber is idle, and is configured to control the inlet valve based on the determination of whether the chamber is idle,
wherein when the controller closes the output port of the chamber and opens the inlet valve, water from the supply pipe flows into a wall of the chamber through the inlet valve first and then flows into the recycle pipe.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the recycle pipe is coupled between a recycle inlet of the chamber and an outlet of the chamber.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the recycle inlet and the outlet are formed on the wall of the chamber.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising:
a heater arranged at the wall of the chamber, wherein the controller is coupled to the heater and configured to output a driving signal with a duty cycle to control the heater when the inlet valve is at least partially closed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to output the driving signal with the duty cycle having a correlation to a degree of the inlet valve being closed.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, wherein a decrease of output power of the driving signal has a positive correlation to a degree of the inlet valve being closed.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to at least partially close the inlet value to a predetermined percentage, and the predetermined percentage has a correlation to at least one of an openness of the inlet valve, a second volume flow rate of water flowing into the wall of the chamber, or a duty cycle of a driving signal outputted by the controller for controlling a heater.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the chamber comprises an input port and the inlet valve is coupled to the input port.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the inlet valve to be fully open when the chamber is not idle.

### Claim 10

A system, comprising:
a chamber configured to perform a semiconductor process;
a controller configured to control an inlet valve coupled to an input port of the chamber to reduce a first volume flow rate of water flowing into the chamber from a supply pipe when the chamber is idle, wherein the water flows along a side wall of the chamber; and
a recycle pipe separate from the supply pipe, wherein the recycle pipe, a recycle inlet of the chamber, the side wall of the chamber, and an outlet of the chamber are coupled together as a recycle path of water.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the recycle pipe and the supply pipe are connected to different input ports of the chamber respectively.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, further comprising:
a heater arranged at the side wall of the chamber, wherein the controller is configured to output a driving signal with a duty cycle to control the heater when the first volume flow rate is reduced.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the duty cycle has a correlation to the first volume flow rate.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to decrease output power of the driving signal when the first volume flow rate is reduced.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the side wall of the chamber includes an inner space including separate regions,
wherein the heater is arranged at a first region of the separate regions, and the input port of the chamber, which is coupled to the inlet valve, is arranged at a second region of the separate regions.

### Claim 16

A method, comprising:
detecting whether a chamber is idle or not; and
controlling an inlet valve, which is coupled to the chamber and configured to allow water to flow in-between chamber walls, based on whether the chamber is idle, wherein controlling the inlet valve comprises:
partially closing the inlet valve to a predetermined percentage when the chamber is idle; and
closing an output port of the chamber and opening the inlet valve, such that water from a supply pipe flows into one of the chamber walls of the chamber through the inlet valve first and then flows into a recycle pipe.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, further comprising:
adjusting a duty cycle of a driving signal for a heater when the inlet valve is closed to the predetermined percentage.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein a decrease of the duty cycle has a positive correlation to the predetermined percentage.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, further comprising:
decreasing output power of a driving signal for a heater when the inlet valve is closed to the predetermined percentage.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein a decrease of the output power has a positive correlation to the predetermined percentage.