Chamber effluent monitoring system and semiconductor processing system comprising absorption spectroscopy measurement system, and methods of use

A chamber effluent monitoring system comprising:

• a chamber having an exhaust line connected thereto, the exhaust line including a sample region, wherein substantially all of a chamber effluent passes through the sample region;
• an absorption spectroscopy measurement system adapted to measure a concentration of a gas phase molecular species, comprising a light source and a main detector in optical communication with the sample region through one or more light transmissive window, the light source directing a light beam into the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window, wherein the light beam passes through the sample region and exits the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window, and the main detector responding to the light beam exiting the sample region, wherein the absorption spectroscopy system is a harmonic detection absorption spectroscopy system.

A chamber effuent monitoring system comprising:

• a chamber having an exhaust line connected thereto, the exhaust line including a sample region, wherein substantially all of a chamber effuent passes through the sample region;
• an absorption spectroscopy measurement system adapted to measure a concentration of a gas phase molecular species, comprising a light source and a main detector in optical communication with the sample region through one or more light transmissive window, the light source directing a light beam into the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window, wherein the light beam passes through the sample region and exits the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window, and the main detector responding to the light beam exiting the sample region,
• wherein the chamber is a gas cylinder cabinet.

A semiconductor processing system, comprising:

• a processing chamber for processing a semiconductor substrate, the chamber having an exhaust line connected thereto, the exhaust line including a sample region, wherein substantially all of a chamber effuent passes through the sample region;
• an absorption spectroscopy measurement system adapted to measure a concentration of a gas phase molecular species, comprising a light source and a main detector in optical communication with the sample region through one or more light transmissive window, the light source directing a light beam into the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window, wherein the light beam passes through the sample region and exit is the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window, and the main detector responding to the light beam exiting the sample region, wherein the light beam is reflected within the sample region by one or more light reflective surfaces.

A semiconductor processing system comprising:

• a processing chamber for processing a semiconductor substrate, the chamber having an exhaust line connected thereto, the exhaust line including a sample region, wherein substantially all of a chamber effluent passes through the sample region;
• an absorption spectroscopy measurment system adapted to measure a concentration of a gas phase molecular species comprising a light source and a main detector in optical communication with the sample region through one or more light transmissive window, the light source directing a light beam into the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window, wherein the light beam passes through the sample region and exits the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window, and the main detector responding to the light beam exiting the sample region wherein the absorption spectroscopy system is a harmonic detection absorption spectroscopy system.

A method of detecting a gas phase molecular species in a chamber effluent, comprising the steps of:

• providing a chamber having an exhaust line connected thereto, the exhaust line including a sample region;
• removing substantially all of a chamber effluent from the chamber through the exhaust line thereby passing the removed effluent through the sample region;
• detecting a gas phase molecular species with a main detector by an absorption spectroscopy method by directing a light beam from a light source into the sample region through one or more light transmissive window, wherein the light beam passes through the sample region and exits the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window, and detecting the light beam exiting the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window, wherein the light beam is reflected within the sample region by one or more light reflective surfaces.

A method of detecting a gas phase molecular species in a chamber effluent, comprising the steps of:

• providing a chamber having an exhaust line connected thereto, the exhaust line including a sample region;
• removing substantially all of a chamber effluent from the chamber through the exhaust line thereby passing the removed effluent through the sample region,
• detecting a gas phase molecular species with a main detector by an absorption spectroscopy method by directing a light beam from a light source into the sample region through one or more light transmissive window, wherein the light beam passes through the sample region and exits the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window, and detecting the light beam exiting the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window, wherein the absorption spectroscopy method is a harmonic detection absorption spectroscopy method.

A method of detecting a gas phase molecular species in a chamber effluent, comprising the steps of:

• providing a load-lock or wafer transfer chamber in a semiconductor processing tool, the chamber having an exhaust line connected thereto, the exhaust line including a sample region;
• removing substantially all of a chamber effluent from the chamber through the exhaust line thereby passing the removed effluent through the sample region;
• detecting a gas phase molecular species by an absorption spectroscopy method by directing a light beam from a light source into the sample region through one or more light transmissive window, wherein the light beam passes through the sample region and exits the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window, and detecting the light beam exiting the sample region through one of the one or more light transmissive window.