# US 12,224,185 B2 · Method of manufacturing semiconductor device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,224,185 B2 - Document ID: US12224185B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/354,190 - Filed: 2023-07-18 - Published: 2023-11-09 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2021-07-09 - Assignees: Kokusai Electric Corporation - Applicants: Kokusai Electric Corporation - Inventors: Hideharu Itatani; Toshiyuki Kikuchi; Naofumi Ohashi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12224185B2 ## CPC - H10P 72/0402: {Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence)} - C23C 16/4412: {Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps} - C23C 16/45519: {Inert gas curtains} - C23C 16/45544: {characterized by the apparatus} - C23C 16/45557: {Pulsed pressure or control pressure} - C23C 16/45561: {Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber} - H10P 72/0604: {Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring} - H10P 72/7612: {characterised by lifting arrangements, e.g. lift pins} - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - 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) ## Abstract There is provided a technique that includes adjusting a pressure of each of a plurality of process chambers, by adjusting an opening degree of a pressure-adjusting valve included in a common gas exhaust pipe, which is connected to a plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes and is disposed to merge respective process chamber exhaust pipes on a downstream side of the plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes, to a predetermined opening degree and by exhausting an atmosphere of each of the process chambers from the plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes and the common gas exhaust pipe while supplying an inert gas to the plurality of process chambers; processing a substrate in each of the process chambers; and detecting a fluctuation of pressures in the process chamber exhaust pipes by measuring, by one or more pressure detectors, the pressures of the process chamber exhaust pipes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of processing a substrate, comprising: (a) adjusting pressure of each of process chambers, by adjusting a pressure-adjuster provided to a gas exhauster comprising process chamber exhaust pipes individually connected to the process chambers, respectively, and a common gas exhaust pipe disposed to merge respective process chamber exhaust pipes on a downstream side of the process chamber exhaust pipes, and by exhausting an atmosphere of each of the process chambers from the gas exhauster while supplying inert gas to the process chambers; and (b) detecting a fluctuation in pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes by measuring the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes for a predetermined time in parallel with supplying the inert gas to the process chambers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein in (b), detecting the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes is started when the inert gas passes through the process chamber exhaust pipes. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein in (b), the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes is detected for the predetermined time between the time when a substrate is loaded into each of the process chambers and the time when supply of process gas to the process chambers is started. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein in (b), the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes is detected for the predetermined time between the time when supply of process gas to the process chambers is stopped and the time when a substrate is unloaded from each of the process chambers or between the time when supply of process gas into the process chambers is stopped and the time when a substrate moves to a substrate transfer position. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure-adjuster is a pressure-adjusting valve, and wherein in (b), the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes is detected in a state where an opening degree of the pressure-adjusting valve is fixed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure-adjuster is a pressure-adjusting valve, and wherein the pressure-adjusting valve is installed in the common gas exhaust pipe. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein in (b), the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes is detected, respectively, in parallel. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure-adjuster is a pressure-adjusting valve, and wherein in (b), one or more pressure detectors are operated in a state where an opening degree of the pressure-adjusting valve is fixed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein in (b), detecting the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes is stopped before process gas is supplied to the process chambers from a process gas supplier or before a substrate is unloaded from each of the process chambers. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein in (b), detecting the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes is stopped before process gas is supplied to the process chambers from a process gas supplier or before a substrate is unloaded from each of the process chambers. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing, by a memory, comparison data to be compared with a pressure-rising speed value; and comparing, by a controller, a fluctuation value with the comparison data. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the comparison data is data when processing of a substrate is operated normally, or data having highest quality. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure-adjuster is a pressure-adjusting valve, wherein in (b), the fluctuation in the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes is detected in a state where an opening degree of the pressure-adjusting valve is fixed, and wherein the opening degree of the pressure-adjusting valve is adjusted if there is a divergence in difference between pressure-rising speed values respectively detected by one or more pressure detectors and if there is no divergence in difference between the pressure-rising speed values respectively detected by the one or more pressure detectors and comparison data. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure-adjuster is a pressure-adjusting valve, wherein in (b), the fluctuation in the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes is detected in a state where an opening degree of the pressure-adjusting valve is fixed, and wherein maintenance is notified if there is a divergence in difference between pressure-rising speed values respectively detected by one or more pressure detectors or if there is a divergence in difference between any of the pressure-rising speed values and a reference value. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure-adjuster is a pressure-adjusting valve, wherein in (b), the fluctuation in the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes is detected in a state where an opening degree of the pressure-adjusting valve is fixed, and wherein processing of a substrate is stopped if there is a divergence in difference between pressure-rising speed values respectively detected by one or more pressure detectors and if there is a divergence in difference between the pressure-rising speed values respectively detected by the one or more pressure detectors and comparison data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a diameter of each of the process chamber exhaust pipes is 20 to 30 mm. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the fluctuation in the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes is detected by one or more pressure detectors installed in the gas exhauster. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A method of manufacturing semiconductor device, comprising the method of claim 1. ### Claim 19 A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: process chambers configured to process substrates; a process gas supplier configured to supply process gas to the process chambers; an inert gas supplier configured to supply inert gas to the process chambers; a gas exhauster comprising process chamber exhaust pipes individually connected to the process chambers, respectively, and a common gas exhaust pipe disposed to merge respective process chamber exhaust pipes on a downstream side of the process chamber exhaust pipes; a pressure-adjuster provided to the gas exhauster; and a controller configured to be capable of controlling one or more pressure detectors to detect a fluctuation in pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes by measuring the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes for a predetermined time in parallel with supplying the inert gas to the process chambers. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes, by a computer, a substrate processing apparatus to perform a process comprising: (a) adjusting a pressure of each of process chambers, by adjusting a pressure-adjuster provided to a gas exhauster comprising process chamber exhaust pipes individually connected to the process chambers, respectively, and a common gas exhaust pipe disposed to merge respective process chamber exhaust pipes on a downstream side of the process chamber exhaust pipes, and by exhausting an atmosphere of each of the process chambers from the gas exhauster while supplying inert gas to the process chambers; and (b) detecting a fluctuation in pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes by measuring the pressure of the process chamber exhaust pipes for a predetermined time in parallel with supplying the inert gas to the process chambers.