# US 2013/0239889 A1 · Valve purge assembly for semiconductor manufacturing tools > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0239889 A1 - Document ID: US20130239889A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/419,835 - Filed: 2012-03-14 - Published: 2013-09-19 - Earliest claimed: 2012-03-14 - Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. - Inventors: Ming Huei LIEN; Chia-Ho CHEN; Shu-Fen WU; Chih-Tsung LEE; You-Hua CHOU - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130239889A1 ## CPC - C23C 16/54: Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating - C23C 16/4405: {Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases} - C23C 16/4408: {by purging residual gases from the reaction chamber or gas lines} - H10P 72/0441: {Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like} - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A semiconductor manufacturing tool and method for operating the tool are provided. The semiconductor manufacturing tool includes a process chamber in which plasma operations or ion etching operations are carried out and a valve assembly for opening and closing a valve that provides for loading and unloading substrates into and out of, the semiconductor manufacturing tool. While a processing operation is being carried out in the chamber, a valve assembly purge operation also takes place. The valve assembly purge operation involves inert gases being directed to the valve assembly area to prevent the buildup of particles and contaminating films in the valve assembly. Because the valve assembly is maintained in a clean condition, particle contamination is reduced or eliminated. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A semiconductor manufacturing tool comprising: a process chamber with a wall that includes an aperture therethrough for transferring substrates therethrough; a door that covers said aperture and forms a detachable seal with said wall; a delivery port that delivers an inert gas to said aperture; and an exhaust port through which said inert gas is exhausted from said aperture. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The semiconductor manufacturing tool as in claim 1, wherein said process chamber includes gas lines that deliver process gasses to said process chamber and a plasma generator unit for creating a plasma in said process chamber. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The semiconductor manufacturing tool as in claim 2, wherein said process chamber is adapted for at least one of atomic layer deposition (ALD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and includes a heating element. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The semiconductor manufacturing tool as in claim 2, further comprising a pump coupled to said exhaust port, and a controller that controls delivery of said inert gas to said aperture while a plasma operation is being carried out in said process chamber. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The semiconductor manufacturing tool as in claim 2, wherein said aperture is defined and bounded by a peripheral surface internal to said wall and said exhaust port comprises a conduit within said wall that terminates in said peripheral surface. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The semiconductor manufacturing tool as in claim 1, wherein said process chamber comprises a plasma etching process chamber and includes an electrode arrangement that ionizes gasses and directs said ionized gasses to a substrate in said process chamber. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The semiconductor manufacturing tool as in claim 1, wherein said door includes an O-ring that contacts said wall and creates said detachable seal, and wherein said wall comprises a sidewall. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The semiconductor manufacturing tool as in claim 7, wherein said delivery port is contained within said sidewall. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The semiconductor manufacturing tool as in claim 1, wherein said aperture is defined and bounded by a peripheral surface internal to said wall and said delivery port comprises a gas delivery line within said wall that terminates in said peripheral surface. ### Claim 10 A method for operating a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, said method comprising: providing a process chamber with a sidewall and an aperture therethrough; providing a valve assembly including a door that forms a detachable seal with said sidewall to close said aperture; operating said apparatus by carrying out an operation within said process chamber; delivering an inert purge gas to said valve assembly during said operating; and exhausting said inert purge gas from said valve assembly during said operating. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method as in claim 10, wherein said operating includes delivering at least one process gas to said process chamber and generating at least one of a plasma and an ionized gas species in said process chamber with said door closed and said seal formed. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method as in claim 11, wherein said operating further comprises heating a substrate disposed in said process chamber. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method as in claim 11, wherein said operating comprises one of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD). ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method as in claim 11, wherein said operating comprises plasma etching. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method as in claim 10, wherein said operating comprises cleaning said process chamber by at least delivering a cleaning gas to said process chamber and generating a plasma in said process chamber. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method as in claim 15, wherein said cleaning gas comprises NF3. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The method as in claim 10, wherein said inert purge gas comprises at least one of N2, Ar and He. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The method as in claim 10, wherein said aperture is defined and bounded by a peripheral surface interior to said sidewall, said delivering an inert purge gas comprises delivering said inert purge gas through a conduit having an opening in said peripheral surface and said exhausting said inert purge gas comprises exhausting said inert purge gas through a conduit having an opening in said peripheral surface. ### Claim 19 (depends on 10) The method as in claim 10, wherein said exhausting comprises pumping said inert gas through an exhaust line disposed within said sidewall, and further comprising further pumping processing gases from said process chamber, said pumping and said further pumping performed by a single pump. ### Claim 20 (depends on 10) The method as in claim 10, wherein said door includes an elastomeric sealing member that forms said detachable seal with said sidewall, said elastomeric sealing member comprising one of an O-ring and a gasket, and wherein said operating said apparatus takes place after closing said door.