# US 12,002,665 B2 · Real-time detection of particulate matter during deposition chamber manufacturing

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- Number: US 12,002,665 B2
- Document ID: US12002665B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/946,348
- Filed: 2020-06-17
- Published: 2021-01-07
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-07-01
- Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Inventors: Mehdi Vaez-Iravani; Todd J. Egan; Kyle Ross Tantiwong
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12002665B2

## CPC

- H01J 37/32972: {Spectral analysis}
- C23C 14/34: Sputtering
- C23C 14/52: Means for observation of the coating process
- C23C 14/54: Controlling or regulating the coating process
- C23C 16/4401: {Means for minimising impurities, e.g. dust, moisture or residual gas, in the reaction chamber}
- C23C 16/52: Controlling or regulating the coating process {(C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence)}
- G01N 21/01: Arrangements or apparatus for facilitating the optical investigation
- H01J 37/32477: {characterised by the means for protecting vessels or internal parts, e.g. coatings}
- H01J 37/3476: {Testing and control}
- H01J 2237/3321: CVD [Chemical Vapor Deposition]
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)

## Abstract

Implementations disclosed describe a system that includes a deposition chamber, a light source to produce an incident beam of light, wherein the incident beam of light is to illuminate a region of the deposition chamber, and a camera to collect a scattered light originating from the illuminated region of the deposition chamber, wherein the scattered light is to be produced upon interaction of the first incident beam of light with particles inside the illuminated region of the deposition chamber. The described system may optionally have a processing device, coupled to the camera, to generate scattering data for a plurality of locations of the illuminated region, wherein the scattering data for each location comprises intensity of the scattered light originating from this location.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
illuminating a region of a deposition chamber with an incident beam of light;
using a light detector to collect light scattering data by detecting an intensity of a scattered light originating from the illuminated region of the deposition chamber, wherein the scattered light is produced upon interaction of the incident beam of light with particles inside the illuminated region of the deposition chamber, wherein the detected intensity comprises an intensity of the scattered light that is angled from a direction of the incident beam of light, and wherein collecting the light scattering data comprises:
changing a focus of the light detector to each depth of a plurality of depths within the illuminated region of the deposition chamber, wherein changing the focus of the light detector comprises changing at least one of:
a focal distance of the light detector, or
a distance from a lens of the light detector to the illuminated region of the deposition chamber; and
collecting a plurality of subsets of the light scattering data, wherein each of the plurality of subsets of the light scattering data is associated with a respective depth of the plurality of depths within the illuminated region of the deposition chamber; and
determining, based on the light scattering data, a distribution of the particles inside the illuminated region of the deposition chamber.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the distribution of the particles inside the illuminated region of the deposition chamber is represented by locations of one or more of the particles.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the distribution of the particles inside the illuminated region of the deposition chamber is represented by a density of the particles at one or more locations inside the illuminated region of the deposition chamber.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the incident beam of light is produced by a laser source.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the incident beam of light is reflected off a rotating mirror.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the incident beam of light illuminating the region of the deposition chamber is passed through a cylindrical lens.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the intensity of the scattered light comprises collecting at least a portion of the scattered light with a camera.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the incident beam of light is passed through a first window of the deposition chamber, and wherein detecting the intensity of the scattered light comprises collecting at least a portion of the scattered light exiting the deposition chamber through a second window of the deposition chamber.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein illuminating the region of the deposition chamber comprises:
illuminating a first sub-region of the region of the deposition chamber with the incident beam of light;
repositioning the incident beam of light to a second sub-region of the region of the deposition chamber; and
illuminating the second sub-region of the region of the deposition chamber with the incident beam of light.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a process is performed within the deposition chamber to grow material on a wafer, the method further comprising:
estimating, based on the distribution of the particles inside the illuminated region of the deposition chamber, a quality of the material grown on the wafer in the deposition chamber.

### Claim 11

A method comprising:
illuminating a region of a deposition chamber with a first incident beam of light;
illuminating the region of the deposition chamber with a second incident beam of light, wherein positioning of the second incident beam of light improves uniformity of illumination of at least a part of the region compared with uniformity of illumination of the part of the region by the first incident beam of light;
collecting light scattering data by detecting an intensity of a scattered light produced by one or more particles inside the illuminated region of the deposition chamber, wherein at least a portion of the scattered light is produced by a subset of the one or more particles each illuminated concurrently by both the first incident beam of light and the second incident beam of light, and wherein the detected intensity comprises an intensity of the scattered light that is angled from a direction of the first incident beam of light and a direction of the second incident beam of light; and
determining, based on the light scattering data, a distribution of the particles inside the illuminated region of the deposition chamber.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the first incident beam of light is produced by a first laser source and the second incident beam of light is produced by a second laser source.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the first incident beam of light is expanded by a first cylindrical lens and the second incident beam of light is expanded by a second cylindrical lens.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising estimating, based on the distribution of the particles inside the illuminated region of the deposition chamber, a quality of a material grown in the deposition chamber.