Method and system for processing semiconductor wafers
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorSteven K. Mayes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for processing semiconductor wafers includes processing a semiconductor wafer in a processing chamber having upper and lower chambers, decoupling the upper chamber from the lower chamber, cleaning the upper chamber, determining, while decoupled, that a leak rate and a particle count for the upper chamber meets predetermined criteria, and coupling the upper chamber to the lower chamber.
Claims21
A method for processing semiconductor wafers, comprising:
- processing a semiconductor wafer in a processing chamber having upper and lower chambers, wherein the upper chamber houses the semiconductor wafer and the lower chamber comprises processing equipment operable to process the semiconductor wafer;
- decoupling the upper chamber from the lower chamber;
- cleaning the upper chamber;
- determining, while decoupled, that a leak rate and a particle count for the upper chamber meets predetermined criteria;
- and
- coupling the upper chamber to the lower chamber.
A method for preconditioning a semiconductor processing chamber, comprising:
- decoupling an upper chamber from a lower chamber, the upper chamber and lower chamber forming the semiconductor processing chamber when coupled together;
- placing the upper chamber under a vacuum;
- cycle purging hot nitrogen gas through the upper chamber with a hot gas recirculating system;
- determining that a leak rate and a particle count for the upper chamber meet predetermined criteria;
- and
- coupling the upper chamber to the lower chamber.
A mobile system for preconditioning a semiconductor processing chamber having an upper chamber and a lower chamber, comprising:
- a mobile cart;
- a hot gas recirculating system coupled to the mobile cart and adapted to couple to the upper chamber;
- a vacuum source coupled to the cart and adapted to couple to the upper chamber;
- a leak rate testing source coupled to the cart and adapted to couple to the upper chamber;
- and
- a particle count testing source coupled to the cart and adapted to couple to the upper chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.