US 8,991,214 B2Granted

Method of refurbishing a quartz glass component

AssigneesTechno Quartz Inc., Tokyo Electron Limited

InventorsKatsutoshi Hoshino, Masahide Kato, Yasuhiro Umetsu, Kosuke Imafuku

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Abstract

A method is provided of refurbishing a quartz glass component which has been contaminated and eroded due to continuous use in a plasma process apparatus for semiconductor manufacturing. In the method, a surface deposit on the quartz glass component is removed by an appropriate cleaning method which is determined depending on the contamination status, and presence or absence of residual deposit on the cleaned component is carefully inspected through irradiating with light of a predetermined wavelength to cause fluorescence effect. Then the eroded portion of the quartz glass component is restored to the original state by flame treatment and precision machining. As a result, the refurbishment method can increase the mechanical strength of the quartz glass component, enhance the productivity and yield ratio through efficient use of the remaining materials of the quartz glass.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of refurbishing a quartz glass component in an eroded or contaminated and deteriorated state, comprising:

inspecting an eroded or contaminated and deteriorated quartz glass component by irradiating same with ultraviolet light of a wavelength of 200-380 nm to cause a fluorescence effect;
determining an erosion or contamination status through visual inspection of differences in fluorescing colors visible upon irradiation of the eroded or contaminated and deteriorated quartz glass component, the colors being attributable to surface deposit on the eroded or contaminated and deteriorated quartz glass component and to the quartz glass of the eroded or contaminated and deteriorated quartz glass component;
performing a predetermined cleaning method on the eroded or contaminated and deteriorated quartz glass component based on the erosion or contamination status, the predetermined cleaning method being a primary cleaning method that is a dry ice blast cleaning comprising peeling off the surface deposit by spraying dry ice particles onto the eroded or contaminated and deteriorated quartz glass component together with compressed air or compressed nitrogen gas and utilizing thermal contraction to effect removal of the surface deposit;
whereby, after performing the predetermined cleaning method, a cleaned quartz glass component is obtained;
checking the erosion or contamination status of the cleaned quartz glass component by irradiating the cleaned quartz glass component with ultraviolet light and visually inspecting the cleaned quartz glass component;
and
performing a post-cleaning treatment selected from a removal and replacement treatment in which a portion of the cleaned quartz glass component is removed and replaced with a replacement portion of new quartz glass material and a flame treatment without the removal and replacement treatment,
wherein the post-cleaning treatment is a removal and replacement treatment comprising the steps of separating the cleaned quartz glass component into an eroded portion and a non-eroded portion, discarding the eroded portion, substituting the eroded portion with a replacement portion of new quartz glass material, dividing the non-eroded portion separated from the quartz glass component into divided pieces of the non-eroded portion, dividing the new quartz glass material into divided pieces of the new quartz glass material, forming parts by welding the divided pieces of the non-eroded portion and the divided pieces of the new quartz glass material, and welding the parts to form an integral structure.

5 more elements

A method of refurbishing a quartz glass component in an eroded or contaminated and deteriorated state, comprising:

inspecting an eroded or contaminated and deteriorated quartz glass component by irradiating same with ultraviolet light of a wavelength of 200-380 nm to cause a fluorescence effect;
determining an erosion or contamination status through visual inspection of differences in fluorescing colors visible upon irradiation of the eroded or contaminated and deteriorated quartz glass component, the colors being attributable to surface deposit on the eroded or contaminated and deteriorated quartz glass component and to the quartz glass of the eroded or contaminated and deteriorated quartz glass component;
performing a predetermined cleaning method on the eroded or contaminated and deteriorated quartz glass component, the predetermined cleaning method comprising a primary cleaning method followed by a secondary cleaning method, the primary cleaning method being a dry ice blast cleaning comprising peeling off the surface deposit by spraying dry ice particles onto the eroded or contaminated and deteriorated quartz glass component together with compressed air or compressed nitrogen gas and utilizing thermal contraction to effect removal of the surface deposit, the secondary cleaning method being a high temperature heat cleaning comprising sublimating or incinerating the surface deposit by placing the eroded or contaminated and deteriorated quartz glass component in a high-temperature furnace and heating the quartz glass component to a temperature in a range of about 700° C. to a maximum temperature of 1050° C., the range being sufficient to remove the surface deposit and the range being below a strain point of quartz glass;
whereby, after performing the predetermined cleaning method, a cleaned quartz glass component is obtained;
checking the erosion or contamination status of the cleaned quartz glass component by irradiating the cleaned quartz glass component with ultraviolet light and visually inspecting the cleaned quartz glass component;
and
performing a post-cleaning treatment selected from a removal and replacement treatment in which a portion of the cleaned quartz glass component is removed and replaced with a replacement portion of new quartz glass material and a flame treatment without the removal and replacement treatment.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/846,537Filed 29 Jul 2010
Priority: JP 2009-17831830 Jul 2009
Published: US 2011/0023543 A13 Feb 2011
Granted: 31 Mar 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

C03B 23/20
Re-forming shaped glass: uniting glass pieces by fusing without substantial reshaping
C03B 29/02
Reheating glass products for softening or fusing their surfaces; Fire-polishing; Fusing of margins: in a discontinuous way
Y02P 40/57
Glass production, e.g. reusing waste heat during processing or shaping: improving the yield, e-g- reduction of reject rates
C03B
Manufacture, shaping, or supplementary processes