Measuring in-situ UV intensity in UV cure tool
AssigneeNovellus Systems, Inc.
InventorsEugene Smargiassi, Boaz Kenane, James Lee, Xiaolan Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided are improved apparatus and methods for radiative treatment. In some embodiments, a semiconductor processing apparatus for radiative cure includes a process chamber and a radiation assembly external to the process chamber. The radiation assembly transmits radiation into the chamber on a substrate holder through a chamber window. A radiation detector measures radiation intensity from time to time. The assembly includes a gas inlet and exhaust operable to flow a radiation-activatable cooling gas through the radiation assembly.
Claims18
An ultraviolet (UV) apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
- a process chamber comprising a substrate holder and a window;
- a UV radiation assembly external to the process chamber, the UV radiation assembly operable to direct UV radiation through the window towards the substrate holder;
- a detector assembly comprising a UV radiation detector, one or more gas inlets and a gas outlet arranged so that a gas flow from the one or more gas inlets to the gas outlet flows over one or more optical surfaces of the UV radiation detector;
- and
- a controller comprising instructions for:
- flowing a gas mixture comprising an inert gas and molecular oxygen into the one or more gas inlets during operation of the UV detector.
An ultraviolet (UV) apparatus comprising:
- (a) a process chamber comprising a substrate holder and a window;
- and,
- (b) a UV radiation assembly external to the process chamber, the assembly comprising one or more UV lamps, one or more reflectors operable to direct a portion of the UV radiation from the at one or more UV lamps through the window towards the substrate holder, a UV intensity detector positioned to receive UV radiation from the one or more UV lamps reflected through the window, a gas inlet, and a gas outlet, wherein the gas inlet and gas outlet are positioned such that a gas flow path from the gas inlet to the gas outlet includes an optical surface of the UV intensity detector.
A method comprising:
- directing UV radiation from a UV radiation source external to a process chamber through a process chamber window;
- measuring UV radiation reflected from a substrate within the process chamber with a UV radiation detector located in a detector assembly external to the process chamber;
- flowing a coolant gas through detector assembly while measuring UV radiation such that the coolant gas contacts optical surfaces of the UV radiation detector, wherein the coolant gas comprises molecular oxygen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.