Patent Publication Number: US-11664251-B2

Title: Systems and methods for a spray measurement apparatus

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a divisional application that claims benefit from non-provisional application Ser. No. 16/505,450 filed on Jul. 8, 2019 which claims benefit to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/694,661 filed on Jul. 6, 2018, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure generally relates to a spray measurement apparatus, and in particular to systems and methods for a spray measurement apparatus capable of detecting liquid capture levels of one or more spray nozzles within a batch chemical process chamber for understanding spray distribution patterns. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Batch chemical process chambers for semiconductor wet chemical processing require a plurality of spray nozzles to spray a chemical onto a number of wafers stacked in an array inside the process chamber in a uniform manner. The malfunctioning of one or more spray nozzles or a misadjusted spray nozzle(s) can lead to non-uniformity in spray distribution, thereby preventing consistent or in-specification batch process completion. In addition, once an issue in the spray nozzle assembly is identified, it can be difficult and time-consuming to disassemble the batch process chamber to identify which nozzle(s) are malfunctioning and to take corrective action. As such, there lacks a system for easily and accurately monitoring and measuring spray distribution within a batch chemical process chamber. 
     It is with these observations in mind, among others, that various aspects of the present disclosure were conceived and developed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a spray measurement apparatus disposed within a rotor and batch process chamber and aligned to an array or spray nozzles; 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of the spray measurement apparatus with the casing in phantom showing a jig device for use in measuring spray distribution; 
         FIG.  3    is an end view of the spray measurement apparatus with the proximal end plate removed to illustrate the interior components; 
         FIG.  4    is a top view of the spray measurement apparatus showing the blocker plates of the jig device; 
         FIG.  5    is a bottom view of the spray measurement apparatus showing the casing in phantom to illustrate the interior components; 
         FIG.  6    is a side view of the spray measurement apparatus showing the casing in phantom to illustrate the interior components; 
         FIG.  7    is an exploded view of the spray measurement apparatus; 
         FIG.  8    is an enlarged exploded view of the spray measurement apparatus showing the jig device; 
         FIG.  9    is an enlarged exploded view of the spray measurement apparatus showing the array of pressure transducers; 
         FIG.  10    is an enlarged exploded view of the spray measurement apparatus showing the controller, pressure transducer, and battery; 
         FIG.  11    is an enlarged perspective view of underside of the casing for the spray measurement apparatus; 
         FIG.  12    is a top view of the casing for the spray measurement apparatus showing the tank of the casing; and 
         FIG.  13    is an illustration showing one arrangement of a plurality of spray nozzles measured by the spray measurement system. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding elements among the view of the drawings. The headings used in the figures do not limit the scope of the claims. The drawings are an example of one embodiment of this invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In one aspect, a spray measurement apparatus having a jig device capable of measuring spray output and determining spray distribution of a plurality of individual spray nozzles is disclosed. In another aspect, the spray measurement apparatus is operable to measure liquid levels of multiple liquid capture channels associated with respective spray nozzles to understand spray distribution patterns. In yet another aspect, the spray measurement apparatus includes a controller in communication with a batch system, wherein the controller enables the spray measurement apparatus to rotate about a horizontal axis to a specific orientation within the batch chemical process chamber for inspection and utilization of other analytical models. In a further aspect, the spray measurement system allows for verification of the uniformity of spray across an entire semiconductor wafer load to ensure consistent process completion on all semiconductor wafers. In some embodiments, the spray measurement apparatus includes a jig device having a plurality of blocker plates disposed within a respective slot corresponding to a particular wafer location that allows for identification of one or more malfunctioning spray nozzles during operation of the spray management apparatus. Referring to the drawings, embodiments of spray measurement system are illustrated and generally indicated as  100  in  FIGS.  1 - 13   . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1 - 2   , in some embodiments the spray measurement system  100  comprises a rotor  10 , a spray measurement apparatus  101  disposed within the rotor  10 , and a controller  131  which is operable to control and monitor operation of the spray measurement system  100 . In addition, the controller  131  includes a data connection interface (not shown) that provides a means for collecting data or allowing the user to interact with the controller  131  to operate the spray measurement system  100 . For example, the data connection interface may be operable to record the respective pressure related to the amount of liquid collected in the two end channels  123 A and  123 B as well as inner channels  122 A- 122 G. In some embodiments, the spray measurement apparatus  101  includes a casing  103  configured to receive a jig device  102  that is operable for measuring spray output and determining spray distribution of multiple spray nozzles  12  in the batch chemical process chamber (not shown) as shall be discussed in greater detail below. In addition, the casing  103  is configured to allow the spray measurement apparatus  100  to be disposed within a rotor  10 , wherein the rotor  10  is disposed within a batch chemical process chamber during operation when measuring the spray output. The spray measurement apparatus  100  is operable to be rotated by the rotor  10  along a horizontal axis Z to a specific rotation angle in order to collect spray output from the spray nozzle array  12  at the specific rotation angle to determine spray distribution. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1 - 5   , in some embodiments the casing  103  forms an external surface  105  and an interior surface  106  that collectively define a top portion  107 , first side portion  108 , second side portion  109  and bottom portion  110  of casing  103 . As shown specifically in  FIGS.  1 - 3   , the top portion  107  of casing  103  defines a top opening  127  in communication with an upper chamber  128  ( FIGS.  6  and  11   ) in which the jig device  102  is partially disposed within and accessed through the top opening  127 . As shown specifically in  FIG.  4   , the casing  103  defines a first side bar portion  143  and an opposing second side bar portion  144  on opposite sides of the casing  103  that provide a structural surface which allows the spray measurement apparatus  100  to be engaged and secured within the rotor  10  within the batch chemical process chamber along the first and second side bar portions  143  and  144 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  7   , the casing  103  further defines a proximal opening  111  and a distal opening  112  that communicate with opposite ends of a lower chamber  129  formed within the casing  103 . As shown, a proximal end plate  114  is configured to engage and seal off the proximal opening  111 , while a distal end plate  115  is configured to engage and seal off the distal opening  112 . In some embodiments, securing members  142 , such as screws, are used to engage the proximal end plate  114  and distal end plate  115  to the casing  103 . In some embodiments, a handle  141  is secured to the proximal end plate  114  for handling of the spray measurement apparatus  101 . 
     As further shown in  FIGS.  7  and  12   , the upper chamber  128  of casing  103  communicates with a tank  121  disposed within the casing  103  and may be integral with the structure of the casing  103  or a separate component. The tank  121  defines a plurality of inner channels  122  and a pair of end channels  123  formed in an array that extend along the longitudinal axis of the casing  103 . The inner channels  122  and end channels  123  of the tank  121  each provide a respective liquid capture site corresponding to one or more spray nozzles  12  such that the liquid spray from particular spray nozzles  12  may be captured within a respective inner channel  122  or end channel  123  for measurement as shall be discussed in greater detail below. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  4 - 8   , the jig device  102  provides a means for isolating particular wafer locations such that activation of particular spray nozzles  12  allows for the measurement of liquid collected from these spray nozzles  12  to determine spray distribution patterns including whether any spray nozzles  12  have malfunctioned or require adjustment. In some embodiments, the jig device  102  includes a plurality of blocker plates  116  aligned in an array in which each blocker plate  116  corresponds to a section of the spray nozzle array  12  among a plurality of possible sections of the spray nozzle array  12  within a batch chemical process chamber. 
     In some embodiments, the jig device  102  further includes a slot assembly  104  that defines a plurality of slots  113  in which an individual blocker plate  116  is positioned within a respective slot  113 . As shown in  FIGS.  6  and  7   , the slot assembly  104  includes a plurality of slot plates  117  interposed between respective slot blocks  119  arranged on both ends of the slot plates  117  that collectively define each of the plurality of slots  113  formed in an array between a proximal plate  124  and a distal plate  125  when the slot assembly  104  is assembled during manufacturing. As shown, each of the slot plates  117  defines an aligned plate opening  155  configured to receive a rod  126  during assembly, while each set of the slot blocks  118  defines an aligned block opening  156  configured to also receive a rod  126  during assembly. When the slot assembly  104  is assembled, a respective rod  126  is inserted through each of the aligned set of block openings  156  and each of the aligned plate openings  155  to assemble each respective slot  113  of the slot assembly  104 . In addition, the underside of the jig assembly  104  is engaged to a first support member  119  and a second support member  120  to secure the jig device  102  within the upper chamber  128  of the casing  103 . 
     When the jig device  102  is assembled, a respective blocker plate  116  is disposed within a respective slot  113  along the slot assembly  104  and may be withdrawn or inserted into the slot  113  as desired. As further shown, each of the blocker plates  116  defines a respective protrusion  148  along the edge of the blocker plate  116  and is configured to allow a user to grasp the protrusion  148  to either withdraw or insert an individual blocker plate  116  relative to a respective slot  113 . As such, any number of blocker plates  116  may be withdrawn from the slot assembly  104  of the jig device  102  when measuring spray nozzle output and determining spray distribution for an individual spray nozzle  12  or a group of spray nozzles  12  as shall be described in greater detail below. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  2 ,  12  and  13   , the jig device  102  is in fluid flow communication with the plurality of inner channels  122  and end channels  123  defined by tank  121  for capturing liquid that is sprayed by one or more of the spray nozzles  12  onto specific locations in which one or more blocker plates  116  have been removed from the jig device  102 . In this manner, the spray measurement output and spray distribution pattern for a single spray nozzle  12  or a batch of spray nozzles  12  grouped together may be determined by measuring the amount of liquid collected in a respective channel  122 . In some embodiments, the end channels  123  may be used to measure the spray measurement output and spray distribution pattern of the all the spray nozzles  12  collectively, while the inner channels  122  formed between end channels  123  may be used to measure the spray measurement output and spray distribution pattern of individual or select group of spray nozzles  12  when particular blocker plates  116  corresponding to those spray nozzles  12  are removed from the jig device  102  during testing of the spray nozzles  12 . As shown in  FIG.  12   , the upper chamber  128  forms a shoulder  154  configured to abut the jig device  102  when inserted in the casing  103 . 
     In some embodiments, the spray measurement apparatus  101  further includes a plurality of pressure transducers  130  in fluid flow communication with one or more channels  122  and  123  for measuring the amount of liquid deposited within particular a channel  122  and  123  after the spray nozzles  12  have been activated. In some embodiments, each pressure transducer  130  includes a first port  157  in communication with atmosphere and a second port  158  in communication with a respective channel  122  or  123  through a respective hose  145  in fluid flow communication with one of the channels  122  or  123 . In some embodiments, each hose  145  is connected to a hose connector  146  for establishing fluid flow communication with a respective channel  122  and  123  through an opening  153  formed at the bottom of each channel  122  and  123  as illustrated in  FIG.  12   . In operation, each pressure transducer  130  collects pressure data indicative of the amount of liquid collected from a particular channel  122  and  123 . 
     In one embodiment shown in  FIG.  12   , the tank  121  may define two end channels  123 A and  123 B as well as inner channels  122 A- 122 G, although the number of channels  122  and  123  may be any of a plurality of channels  122  and  123  that may correspond to one or more spray nozzles  12  for purposes of measuring liquid collection. In one embodiment, the jig device  102  may include blocker plates  116 A- 116 X in which each block plate  116 A- 116 X corresponds to a particular wafer location during processing; however, any number of blocker plates  116  may be used to accommodate the number of wafer locations to be covered. 
     In one method of measuring spray output and determining spray distribution patterns using the spray measurement system  100 , the spray measurement apparatus  101  is rotated about a horizontal axis Z to a specific testing angle away from the vertical. The spray nozzles  12 , which remain stationary, spray a liquid and the liquid is collected into any of a plurality of channels  122  and  123 . The spray measurement system  100  is subsequently rotated about a horizontal axis Z back to 0 degrees from vertical, wherein the pressure transducers  130  measure an amount of pressure in each of the channels  122  and  123 , wherein the amount of pressure in each of the channels  122  and  123  corresponds to a volume of liquid collected in each of the channels  122  and  123 . As the testing process continues, another testing angle is subsequently chosen and the process is repeated. 
     In another method of measuring spray output and determining spray distribution patterns using the spray measurement system  100 , a user may remove one or more blocker plates  116 , for example blocker plates  116 J- 116 M, from the jig device  102  to determine if particular spray nozzles  12  associated with the location(s) of blocker plates  116 J- 116 M are functioning properly and applying a uniform spray distribution pattern. Once liquid collection data has been collected from channel  122 D, a verification that all of the spray nozzles  12  associated with location of blocker plates  116 J- 116 M are functioning properly or that one or more spray nozzles  12  require replacement or adjustment. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  5 - 7 ,  9 , and  10   , the spray measurement system  100  also includes a controller  131  in operative communication with each of the pressure transducers  130 . In addition, the controller  131  includes a data connection interface (not shown) that provides a means for collecting data or allowing the user to interact with the controller  131  to operate the spray measurement system  100 . For example, the data connection interface may be operable to record the respective pressure related to the amount of liquid collected in the two end channels  123 A and  123 B as well as inner channels  122 A- 122 G. In some embodiments, the controller  131  collects and stores data regarding the amount of liquid collected from particular channels  122  and  123  as well as data collected on different spray measurements at different testing angles within the batch chemical process chamber. In some embodiments, the controller  131  may be in wireless or wired communication with external devices (not shown) for controlling the operation of the spray measurement system  100 . In some embodiments, the controller  131  may be incorporated with the entire batch chemical process chamber and would thereby control the rotation of the spray measurement apparatus  100  by the rotor  10 . 
     In some embodiments, a battery  147  may provide power to all of the components of the spray measurement system  100 , such as the controller  131  and pressure transducers  130 . In some embodiments, the battery  147  may be rechargeable. In other embodiments, power may be provided through a power cable (not shown). 
     In some embodiments, a first array of pressure transducers  130 A- 130 D may be secured to a second side plate  136  and a second array of pressure transducers  103 E- 130 H may be secured to a first side plate  135  as shown in  FIG.  9   . In addition, a pressure transducer  1301  may also be used to accommodate nine total end channels  122  and inner channels  123  for the embodiment or casing  103  illustrated in  FIG.  12   . As further shown, the first side plate  135  includes a first bracket  139  that is engaged to a first rail member  133  mounted to the interior surface  106  of casing  103 , while the second side plate  136  includes a second bracket  140  that is engaged to a second rail member  134  also mounted on the interior surface  106  of casing  103 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  11   , the bottom portion  110  of casing  103  defines a plurality of openings  153  each configured to receive a respective plug  151 . In some embodiments, bottom portion  110  of casing  103  further defines an indentation  152  configured to act as a mount when securing the casing  103  within the rotor  10  of the batch chemical process chamber. 
     It should be understood from the foregoing that, while particular embodiments have been illustrated and described, various modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teachings of this invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.