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AssigneeAdvanced Technology Materials, Inc.
InventorsFrank Dimeo, Jr., Philip S. H. Chen, Jeffrey W. Neuner, James Welch, Michele Stawasz, Thomas H. Baum, Mackenzie E. King, Ing-Shin Chen, Jeffrey F. Roeder
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A gas detector and process for detecting a fluorine-containing species in a gas containing same, e.g., an effluent of a semiconductor processing tool undergoing etch cleaning with HF, NF3, etc. The detector in a preferred structural arrangement employs a microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based device structure and/or a free-standing metal element that functions as a sensing component and optionally as a heat source when elevated temperature sensing is required. The free-standing metal element can be fabricated directly onto a standard chip carrier/device package so that the package becomes a platform of the detector.
A gas sensor assembly for sensing fluoro species, the assembly comprising a gas sensing element coupled to a substrate defining a recess, wherein the gas sensing element is fabricated directly on the substrate, and spans across the recess and bounds a portion of the recess to define an air-gap, thereby forming a free standing gas sensing element in sensory communication with the air-gap;
A solid state sensor coupled in gas sensing relationship to a process chamber and arranged to withstand a corrosive condition within said process chamber, wherein said solid state sensor comprises a non-silicon containing gas sensing element arranged for contacting said corrosive environment and responsive to said contacting by change of at least one monitorable property of the gas sensing element, wherein the gas sensing element is connected to a non-silicon containing substrate and positioned directly over an air gap thereby forming a free standing gas sensing element;
A gas sensor assembly arranged to monitor an effluent from a semiconductor manufacturing plant or a fluid derived from said effluent, wherein said effluent or fluid derived therefrom is susceptible to the presence of a target fluoro species, wherein said gas sensor assembly comprises a gas sensing element coupled on a substrate, wherein the substrate is a chip carrier/device package and the gas sensing element is fabricated directly thereon and positioned over an air-gap thereby forming a free standing gas sensing element, and the substrate is communicatively connected to means for monitoring a change in at least one property of the gas sensing element upon contact thereof with the target fluoro species in said effluent or a fluid derived from said effluent, and responsively generating an output signal, wherein the gas sensing element is formed of a noble metal or transition metal material that exhibits a monitorable change when reacting with the target fluoro species.
A method of monitoring a fluid locus for the presence or change in concentration of a target fluoro species therein, said method comprising:
A gas sensor assembly for sensing fluoro species, the assembly comprising a substrate having deposited thereon a barrier layer for protection of the substrate from attack during gas sensing, and a layer deposited on said barrier layer of a sensing material fabricated from a transition metal or noble metal to act as a sensing layer and a resistive heating device and producing in exposure to a fluoro species containing gas to be sensed a change in at least one property or response characteristic of the sensing material layer, wherein the barrier layer is disposed between the sensing layer and the substrate, and the substrate defines a cavity on a back side thereof, said cavity being bounded in part by and terminating at a back face of the sensing layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.