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US 12,673,294 B2Granted
Tool exhaust system and treatment method
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorChih-Ming Tsao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for removing impurities from exhaust gases produced by semiconductor processing tools, e.g., such as a wet bench, utilize cooled scrubbing fluids and non-random structured packing materials to achieve and enhance removal of acid or alkaline components in the exhaust gas along with an enhanced removal of volatile organic components in the exhaust gas. Removal efficiencies of the acid or alkaline components of greater than 90% and removal efficiencies of the volatile organic components of greater than 70% are described.
Claims20
A method of processing a process gas from a semiconductor tool, the method comprising:
- receiving a substrate in the semiconductor processing tool;
- exposing the substrate to a volatile organic component in the semiconductor processing tool;
- carrying out a semiconductor manufacturing process on the substrate using the volatile organic component;
- exhausting from the semiconductor tool to a gas scrubber, an exhaust gas containing an acid component or an alkaline component and the volatile organic component;
- removing thermal energy from a scrubbing liquid by passing the scrubbing liquid through a thermal management device;
- contacting, in the gas scrubber, the exhaust gas with the scrubbing liquid that has passed through the thermal management device in the presence of a structured packing material in the form of corrugated monolithic structured packing with finned inlets;
- removing a portion of the acid or the alkaline component and a portion of the volatile organic component (VOC) from the exhaust gas in the gas scrubber;
- and
- exhausting the scrubbed exhaust gas from the gas scrubber.
6 more elements
A method of processing exhaust gas from a semiconductor wet bench, the method comprising:
- introducing a volatile organic component (VOC) into a semiconductor wet bench;
- carrying out a process in the semiconductor wet bench utilizing the VOC;
- exhausting, from the semiconductor wet bench to a VOC exhaust treatment unit, a VOC-containing exhaust gas that includes a portion of the VOC or a degradation product of the VOC;
- introducing an alkaline component or an acidic component into the semiconductor wet bench;
- carrying out a process in the wet bench utilizing the acidic component or the alkaline component that results in an exhaust gas including the acidic component or the alkaline component;
- exhausting from the semiconductor wet bench to a tool exhaust treatment unit, a combined exhaust gas that includes the exhaust gas and a portion of the VOC-containing exhaust gas remaining in the wet bench after the exhausting the VOC-containing exhaust gas, from the semiconductor wet bench to a VOC exhaust treatment unit;
- receiving in an impurity scrubbing unit of a gas scrubber, the combined exhaust gas, the impurity scrubbing unit including a packing material section and a dispenser section;
- removing thermal energy from a scrubbing liquid;
- dispensing the scrubbing liquid from the dispenser section into the packing material section;
- contacting the combined exhaust gas with the scrubbing liquid in the packing material section and removing from the combined exhaust gas, greater than 90% of the acidic component or the alkaline component contained in the combined exhaust gas and removing, from the combined exhaust gas, greater than 70% of the volatile organic component or degradation product of the volatile organic component in the combined exhaust gas, wherein the packing material section comprises a structured packing material in the form of corrugated monolithic structured packing with finned inlets;
- and
- exhausting, from the gas scrubber, a treated exhaust gas.
9 more elements
A method, comprising:
- delivering an exhaust gas from a semiconductor processing tool into a gas scrubber, wherein the exhaust gas comprises an acid component, an alkaline component, a volatile organic component or combinations thereof;
- flowing the exhaust gas upwards through a first washing segment comprising a first packing material in a first direction;
- contacting a first washing liquid with the exhaust gas in the first washing segment as the first washing liquid flows downwards through the first washing segment in a second direction opposite the first direction;
- flowing the exhaust gas through a second washing segment comprising a second packing material downstream the first washing segment in the first or the second direction;
- and
- contacting a second washing liquid with the exhaust gas in the second washing segment as the second washing liquid flows downwards through the second washing segment in the second direction,
- wherein the first washing liquid and the second washing liquid independently have a temperature ranging from 5 to 10° C., and
- wherein the first washing segment comprises a first structured packing material and the second washing segment comprises a second structured packing material, the first and second structured packing materials in the form of corrugated monolithic structured packing with finned inlets.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.