Particle monitor system and method
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsPatrick Kinney, Boris Fishkin, Jun Zhao, Anand Gupta, Robert Bendler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A particle monitor for a processing chamber exhaust line is disclosed which incorporates exhaust line heating, purge gas flow over surfaces such as optical windows in the exhaust gas line, and a thermally and electrically insulating particle monitor mounting arrangement. The features collectively protect the particle monitor from electrical disturbance and from the heated inlet and maintain the optical surfaces clean and free of depositions from the exhaust gas flow for an extended period. The arrangement also suppresses etching of the optical surfaces.
Claims13
A particle monitoring system for monitoring particles in a gas flowing through an exhaust line comprising:
- means for directing a beam of light into a gas-containing region of an exhaust gas line of a workpiece processing reactor, for illuminating particles in gas flowing through the exhaust line;
- optical detector means for monitoring particles in the gas illuminated by the beam of light;
- optically transparent windows in the exhaust line for providing optical access for said light means and said detector means into the gas-containing region;
- and means for heating the gas-containing region proximate the optical windows for suppressing deposition of particulates from the monitored gas on the windows.
A particle monitoring system comprising:
- means for directing a beam of light into an exhaust gas line of a workpiece processing reactor;
- optical detector means for monitoring particles illuminated by the beam of light;
- optically transparent windows in the exhaust gas line for providing optical access for said light means and said detector means into the exhaust line;
- means for heating the exhaust line proximate the optical windows for suppressing particulate deposition on the windows;
- and means mounting the light beam directing means and the detector means to the exhaust line, said mounting means being adapted for thermally and electrically insulating the light beam directing means and the detector means from the exhaust line.
A method for monitoring particles in gas in the exhaust line of a workpiece processing reactor using optical monitoring means mounted in the exhaust line, the optical monitoring means having surfaces exposed to the gas in the gas line, comprising:
- operating the particle monitoring means to detect particles in the exhaust line while heating the exhaust line in the vicinity of the particle monitoring means to suppress particulate deposition from the exhaust gases on the surfaces of the particle monitoring means exposed to the exhaust line gases.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.