A Study on the Development of Real-Time Chamber Contamination Diagnosis Sensors

Plasma processes are critical for achieving precise device fabrication in semiconductor manufacturing. However, polymer accumulation during processes like plasma etching can cause chamber contamination, adversely affecting plasma characteristics and process stability. This study focused on developin...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Junyeob Lee, Kyongnam Kim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/1/20
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841548987904032768
author Junyeob Lee
Kyongnam Kim
author_facet Junyeob Lee
Kyongnam Kim
author_sort Junyeob Lee
collection DOAJ
description Plasma processes are critical for achieving precise device fabrication in semiconductor manufacturing. However, polymer accumulation during processes like plasma etching can cause chamber contamination, adversely affecting plasma characteristics and process stability. This study focused on developing a real-time sensor system for diagnosing chamber contamination by quantitatively monitoring polymer accumulation. A quartz crystal sensor integrated with flexible printed circuit boards was designed to measure the frequency shifts corresponding to polymer thickness changes. An impedance probe was also employed to monitor variations in the plasma discharge characteristics. The sensor demonstrated high reliability with a measurement scatter of 2.5% despite repeated plasma exposure. The experimental results revealed that polymer accumulation significantly influenced the plasma impedance, and this correlation was validated through real-time monitoring and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The study further showed that the sensor could detect the transition point of the plasma state changes under varying process gas conditions, enabling the early detection of potential process anomalies. These findings suggest that the developed sensor system can be crucial for diagnosing plasma and chamber conditions, providing valuable data for optimizing preventive maintenance schedules. This advancement offers a pathway for improving process reliability and extending the operational lifetime of semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
format Article
id doaj-art-54ad05ecd28b4242afcdbc3995ae1534
institution Kabale University
issn 1424-8220
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Sensors
spelling doaj-art-54ad05ecd28b4242afcdbc3995ae15342025-01-10T13:20:34ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202024-12-012512010.3390/s25010020A Study on the Development of Real-Time Chamber Contamination Diagnosis SensorsJunyeob Lee0Kyongnam Kim1Department of Energy & Advanced Materials Engineering, Daejeon University, Daejeon 34520, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Energy & Advanced Materials Engineering, Daejeon University, Daejeon 34520, Republic of KoreaPlasma processes are critical for achieving precise device fabrication in semiconductor manufacturing. However, polymer accumulation during processes like plasma etching can cause chamber contamination, adversely affecting plasma characteristics and process stability. This study focused on developing a real-time sensor system for diagnosing chamber contamination by quantitatively monitoring polymer accumulation. A quartz crystal sensor integrated with flexible printed circuit boards was designed to measure the frequency shifts corresponding to polymer thickness changes. An impedance probe was also employed to monitor variations in the plasma discharge characteristics. The sensor demonstrated high reliability with a measurement scatter of 2.5% despite repeated plasma exposure. The experimental results revealed that polymer accumulation significantly influenced the plasma impedance, and this correlation was validated through real-time monitoring and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The study further showed that the sensor could detect the transition point of the plasma state changes under varying process gas conditions, enabling the early detection of potential process anomalies. These findings suggest that the developed sensor system can be crucial for diagnosing plasma and chamber conditions, providing valuable data for optimizing preventive maintenance schedules. This advancement offers a pathway for improving process reliability and extending the operational lifetime of semiconductor manufacturing equipment.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/1/20contaminationmonitoringplasma
spellingShingle Junyeob Lee
Kyongnam Kim
A Study on the Development of Real-Time Chamber Contamination Diagnosis Sensors
Sensors
contamination
monitoring
plasma
title A Study on the Development of Real-Time Chamber Contamination Diagnosis Sensors
title_full A Study on the Development of Real-Time Chamber Contamination Diagnosis Sensors
title_fullStr A Study on the Development of Real-Time Chamber Contamination Diagnosis Sensors
title_full_unstemmed A Study on the Development of Real-Time Chamber Contamination Diagnosis Sensors
title_short A Study on the Development of Real-Time Chamber Contamination Diagnosis Sensors
title_sort study on the development of real time chamber contamination diagnosis sensors
topic contamination
monitoring
plasma
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/1/20
work_keys_str_mv AT junyeoblee astudyonthedevelopmentofrealtimechambercontaminationdiagnosissensors
AT kyongnamkim astudyonthedevelopmentofrealtimechambercontaminationdiagnosissensors
AT junyeoblee studyonthedevelopmentofrealtimechambercontaminationdiagnosissensors
AT kyongnamkim studyonthedevelopmentofrealtimechambercontaminationdiagnosissensors