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US 2001/0012971 A1Published application
Method and apparatus for automatically performing cleaning processes in a semiconductor wafer processing system
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorThu Van Nguyen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A semiconductor wafer processing system with a multi-tasking sequencer control that performs an automatic cleaning process for the process chamber or chambers of the system.
Claims30
A method for cleaning a substrate processing system having at least one chamber, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) determining a cleaning interval for the chamber based on a chamber operating parameter;
- and
- (b) using a sequencer task module to automatically execute a cleaning process for the chamber in accordance with said cleaning interval when the chamber is not busy.
A substrate processing system for processing workpieces, such as semiconductor wafers, said system comprising:
- at least one processing chamber for performing at least one cleaning process;
- and
- a controller, coupled to processing chamber, having a sequencer task module for determining a cleaning interval for said processing chamber based on a chamber operating parameter and for executing said at least one cleaning process for said at least one processing chamber in accordance with said cleaning interval when said at least one processing chamber is not busy.
A data structure stored on a computer readable medium, wherein said data structure comprises:
- a first data field for storing a type of cleaning process;
- a second data field for storing a current step in said cleaning sequence;
- a third data field for storing a total number of steps in said cleaning process;
- a fourth data field for storing a status flag to indicate that the data structure is currently being executed;
- and
- at least one fifth field for storing a chamber operating parameter.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.