Device and method for processing at least one semiconductor substrate

A method for processing at least one semiconductor substrate using a device including:

• a hydrofluoric acid source that has hydrofluoric acid;
• a carrier gas source that has a carrier gas;
• an oxygen source that has oxygen;
• a valve system to which the hydrofluoric acid source, the carrier gas source, and the oxygen source are coupled;
• a reactor including a wall which encloses a reaction chamber in which the at least one semiconductor substrate is oxidizable and etchable using the hydrofluoric acid, which is provided from the hydrofluoric acid source (I) using a carrier gas from the carrier gas source and (II) via the valve system;
• a closing structure:
• (I) which is transitionable between open and closed states of the closing structure;
• (II) which is arranged at a first side of the reactor;
• (III) via which the at least one semiconductor substrate is loadable into the reaction chamber and unloadable from the reaction chamber while the closing structure is in the open state;
• and
• (IV)(i) into which the at least one semiconductor substrate is not loadable and (ii) from which the at least one semiconductor substrate is not unloadable while the closing structure is in the closed state;
• a heating device configured to establish at least one specified temperature in at least one temperature range in the reaction chamber;
• a gas inlet to which the valve system is coupled and that is configured to supply the hydrofluoric acid, provided to the gas inlet at the specified temperature via the valve system, in vapor form to the reaction chamber;
• a computer system including a programmed processor;
• a gas outlet:
• (I) which is at a second side of the reactor, such that the at least one semiconductor substrate, when in the reactor, is situated between the closing structure and the gas outlet, and (II) via which the hydrofluoric acid is removable in vapor form from the reaction chamber;
• and
• a hydrofluoric acid detector;
• wherein;
• the hydrofluoric acid detector is arranged relative to the reactor such that hydrofluoric acid present at the gas outlet is detectable by the hydrofluoric acid detector;
• the method comprises a cycle including thermally oxidating the at least one semiconductor substrate in the reaction chamber and subsequently removing of part of the oxidized semiconductor material of the at least one semiconductor substrate using hydrofluoric acid supplied through the gas inlet;
• the cycle is run through at least twice and the thermal oxidation is performed by the processor controlling the valve system to introduce the oxygen from the oxygen source that is provided via the valve system prior to the removal;
• the removal is performed by etching using the hydrofluoric acid;
• the closing structure remains closed from a start of a first run through the cycle to the end of a last run through the cycle;
• and
• the method further comprises releasing, by the processor, the closing structure to be openable from the closed state into the open state in response to the hydrofluoric acid detector detecting that hydrofluoric acid at the gas outlet is absent or present only below a threshold.