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US 12,689,011 B2Granted
Apparatus with heated filter and operation method of the same
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsChih-Lun Lu, Chen-Wei Pan, Chih-Teng Liao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus includes a process chamber, a vacuum pump disposed downstream of the process chamber for discharging a fluid flow from the process chamber, a filter mounted between the process chamber and the vacuum pump for filtering the fluid flow, and a heating device disposed to heat the filter.
Claims20
An apparatus, comprising:
- a housing including a process chamber for etching a substrate using a plasma;
- a substrate retainer disposed in the housing and configured to retain the substrate in the process chamber, so as to permit the substrate to be etched by the plasma;
- a vacuum pump disposed downstream of the housing for discharging a fluid flow which results from etching the substrate using the plasma;
- an engagement wall defining a passageway downstream of the housing and upstream of the vacuum pump;
- a mesh filter which is configured to filter fluid flow, and which is connected to an inner surface of the engagement wall;
- and
- a heating device disposed to heat the mesh filter, the heating device including
- a heat generator for generating a heat energy, the heat generator being located outside of the engagement wall, and
- a conduction unit which extends from the heat generator through the engagement wall into the passageway and which is connected to the mesh filter so as to bring the mesh filter into thermal contact with the heat generator.
6 more elements
A method, comprising:
- etching a substrate using a plasma generated in a plasma chamber at a plasma treating temperature so that a fluid flow which results from etching the substrate is obtained, the fluid flow including byproducts which are in a gaseous form in the plasma chamber at the plasma treating temperature;
- directing the fluid flow to sequentially pass through a communication chamber and a mesh filter, the fluid flow in the communication chamber having a cooled down temperature lower than the plasma treating temperature, the byproducts being transformed into a solid form when passing through the communication chamber;
- and
- when the byproducts in the fluid flow pass through the mesh filter, transforming a phase of the byproducts from the solid form back to the gaseous form, so as to prevent the byproducts in the fluid flow from being collected by the mesh filter.
1 more element
A method, comprising:
- preparing a precursor gas including an etching gas and a carbon-containing gas;
- ionizing the precursor gas to generate a plasma in a plasma chamber at a plasma treating temperature and to etch a substrate in the plasma chamber using the plasma, a fluid flow, resulting from etching the substrate, including byproducts which are formed from the precursor gas and which are in a gaseous form in the plasma chamber at the plasma treating temperature;
- directing the fluid flow to sequentially pass through a communication chamber and a mesh filter, the fluid flow in the communication chamber having a cooled down temperature lower than the plasma treating temperature, the byproducts being transformed into a solid form when passing through the communication chamber;
- and
- when the byproducts in the fluid flow pass through the mesh filter, heating the byproducts in the fluid flow to transform a phase of the byproducts from the solid form back to the gaseous form, so as to prevent the byproducts in the fluid flow from being collected by the mesh filter.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.