Abstract:
A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a coolant circulating method are provided. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes: at least two chamber bodies; a chamber lid constituting common tops of at least the two chamber bodies; first and second manifolds supplying a process gas to at least the two chamber bodies, respectively; a third manifold supplying a cleaning gas to at least the two chamber bodies; and first and second coolant lines supplying and retrieving a coolant to the third manifold.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 2005-63866, filed on Jul. 14, 2005, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a coolant circulating method using the same, and more particularly, to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus with an improved coolant line of a chamber lid in a semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and a coolant circulating method using the same.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Generally, various kinds of semiconductor equipments have been used to manufacture a semiconductor device. One of them is a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment. An example of the CVD equipment, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , is a model called “PRODUCER SACVD” of an AMAT company. This semiconductor equipment  10  includes a chamber in which actual process is performed and a top of the chamber includes a chamber lid  11 . A coolant is supplied and circulated in the chamber lid to maintain a predetermined temperature. The coolant is circulated between the chamber lid  11  and a heat exchanger (not shown). The coolant is supplied and circulated inside the chamber lid  11  through coolant lines  13   a,    13   b  and  13   c  connected to manifolds  12   a  and  12   b  on the chamber lid  11 . The manifolds  12   a  and  12   b  are connected to gas boxes  14   a  and  14   b.  Moreover, since a remote plasma source (RPS) manifold  15  is installed on the chamber lid  11 , a cleaning gas for cleaning the inside of the chamber is supplied into the chamber.  
         [0006]     A specific coolant circulation is as follows. First, a coolant is flowed into the manifold  12   a  from the heat exchanger through the coolant line  13   a  ({circle around (1)}), and the flowed coolant is supplied into the chamber lid  11  ({circle around (2)})). The coolant supplied and circulated in the chamber lid  11  comes out to the manifold  12   a  ({circle around (3)}), and enters the manifold  12   b  through the coolant line  13   b  ({circle around (4)}). The coolant flowed into the manifold  12   b  is supplied to the inside of the chamber lid  11  ({circle around (5)}), and also the coolant supplied to the inside of the chamber lid  11  is circulated and comes out again to the manifold  12   b  from the chamber lid  11  ({circle around (6)}). The coolant coming out to the manifold  12   b  is discharged to the outside of the chamber lid  11  through the coolant line  13   c  ({circle around (7)}) and then enters the heat exchanger.  
         [0007]     However, the coolant lines  13   a  to  13   c  are repeatedly disconnected and connected in a conventional way, which are connected to inner manifolds  12   a  and  12   b  in a supply part of a process gas during a preventative maintenance (PM) or a breakdown maintenance (BM) for the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus  10 . A connection part is worn out according to repeated disconnection and connection of the coolant lines  13   a  to  13   c,  and furthermore coolant leakage occurs. Therefore, a stable operation becomes problematic in the chamber, and consequently a yield decreases.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0008]     The present invention provides a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus with an improved coolant line structure to reduce a stop loss of equipments and a coolant circulating method using the same.  
         [0009]     To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus with an improved coolant line structure and also designing a connection part to be semi-permanent and a coolant circulating method using the same.  
         [0010]     Embodiments of the present invention provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including: at least two chamber bodies; a chamber lid constituting common tops of at least the two chamber bodies; first and second manifolds supplying a process gas to at least the two chamber bodies, respectively; a third manifold supplying a cleaning gas to at least the two chamber bodies; and first and second coolant lines supplying and retrieving a coolant to the third manifold.  
         [0011]     In some embodiments, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus further includes a fourth manifold providing a flow path of the coolant by connecting the third manifold to the first manifold; and a fifth manifold providing a flow path of the coolant by connecting the third manifold to the second manifold.  
         [0012]     In further embodiments, at least one of the first and second coolant lines is semi-permanently connected to the third manifold.  
         [0013]     In other embodiments, the coolant is supplied to the third manifold through the first coolant line and retrieved from the third manifold through the second coolant line.  
         [0014]     In other embodiments, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus further includes a coolant supplier supplying the coolant to the first coolant line by connecting to an end of the first coolant line. The first coolant line is semi-permanently connected to the coolant supplier.  
         [0015]     In other embodiments, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus further includes a coolant retriever retrieving the coolant from the second coolant line by connecting to an end of the second coolant line.  
         [0016]     In other embodiments, the first manifold supplies the coolant supplied from the third manifold to one among at least the two chamber bodies.  
         [0017]     In other embodiments, the second manifold supplies the coolant drained from the one among at least the two chamber bodies to the third manifold.  
         [0018]     In other embodiments, the first coolant line is installed to circumvent a top of the first manifold. The second coolant line is installed to circumvent a top of the second manifold.  
         [0019]     In further embodiments of the present invention, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes: a plurality of chamber bodies; a chamber lid constituting common tops of the plurality of chamber bodies; a plurality of inner manifolds supplying a process gas to the plurality of chamber bodies; an RPS (remote plasma source) manifold supplying a plasma source gas to the plurality of chamber bodies; a coolant supplying line supplying a coolant to the RPS manifold and a coolant retrieving line retrieving the coolant from the RPS manifold; a plurality of Teflon manifolds delivering the coolant, which are between the RPS manifold and the plurality of manifolds; and a coolant retriever retrieving the coolant from a coolant supplier supplying the coolant to the coolant supplying line and the coolant retrieving line.  
         [0020]     In some embodiments, the coolant supplying line is semi-permanently connected to the RPS manifold. The coolant supplying line is semi-permanently connected to the coolant supplier.  
         [0021]     In further embodiments, the coolant retrieving line is semi-permanently connected to the RPS manifold. The coolant retrieving line is semi-permanently connected to the coolant retriever.  
         [0022]     In other embodiments, the coolant supplying line and the coolant retrieving line are installed to circumvent tops of the plurality of inner manifolds.  
         [0023]     In other embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a coolant circulating method using a semiconductor apparatus including at least two chamber bodies, a chamber lid constituting common tops of at least the two chamber bodies, first and second manifolds supplying a process gas to at least the two chamber bodies, respectively, a third manifold supplying a cleaning gas to at least the two chamber bodies, and first and second coolant lines supplying and retrieving a coolant to the third manifold. The coolant circulating method includes: supplying the coolant to the third manifold through the first coolant line; flowing the coolant to the first manifold from the third manifold; flowing the coolant to one among at least the two chamber bodies from the first manifold; draining the coolant to the third manifold from the one among at least the two chamber bodies; flowing the coolant to the second manifold from the third manifold; flowing the coolant to another one among at least the two chamber bodies from the second manifold; draining the coolant to the third manifold from another one among at least the two chamber bodies; and retrieving the coolant from the third manifold through the second coolant line. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]     The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:  
         [0025]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus;  
         [0026]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0027]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a coolant line in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0028]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus with a modified coolant line structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0029]     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated herein after, and the embodiments herein are rather introduced to provide easy and complete understanding of the scope and spirit of the present invention. In any possible case, like reference numerals refer to like or similar elements throughout the drawings.  
         [0030]     Hereinafter, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a coolant circulating method will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.  2  to  4 .  
         [0031]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus  100  includes a chamber lid  110  constituting a top of the chamber. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus  100 , for example, is a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus supplying a predetermined gas to a chamber and depositing a predetermined thin layer on a wafer using a chemical reaction.  
         [0032]     Manifolds  120   a  and  120   b,  i.e. inner manifolds are installed on a top of the chamber lid  110  to supply gas used in a CVD process to the inside of the chamber. Each of the inner manifolds  120   a  and  120   b  has an appropriate structure for a coolant flow as will be described below.  
         [0033]     Each of the inner manifolds  120   a  and  120   b  is connected to gas boxes  140   a  and  140   b,  respectively. The process gas moves through the inner manifolds  120   a  and  120   b  and the inside of the gas boxes  140   a  and  140   b.  A bottom of the chamber lid  110  includes bodies  170   a  and  170   b  constituting a part of the chamber. The bodies  170   a  and  170   b  forms, for example, a chamber wall and may include a heater to supply a necessary heat for the CVD process.  
         [0034]     In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus  100 , when the CVD process is in progress, a thin layer may be deposited on a diffuser supplying the process gas and a chamber inner wall as well as wafers. The thin layer deposited on an unwanted area becomes particles because a part of the thin layer is separated due to a thermal stress, etc. during the process. Accordingly, a cleaning gas, e.g. NF3 and Ar, is supplied to the chamber and a plasma etching is performed in order to remove the thin layer, which is served as particles deposited on the chamber inner wall and the diffuser, etc. For this, a manifold  150  is installed on the chamber lid  110  to supply the cleaning gas. Additionally, an RPS box (not shown in detail) is installed on a top of the manifold  150 . The manifold  150 , i.e. the RPS manifold, also serves to support the RPS box.  
         [0035]     The RPS manifold  150  and each of the inner manifolds  120   a  and  120   b  are connected to each other through the manifolds  160   a  and  160   b,  i.e. Teflon manifolds. The Teflon manifolds  160   a  and  160   b  have an appropriate structure for a coolant flow as will be described below.  
         [0036]     Coolant lines  130   a  and  130   b  supplying coolant (for example, cooling water) are installed on the top of the chamber lid  110  to lower a temperature of the chamber or maintain a predetermined temperature. The coolant lines  130   a  and  130   b  are divided into the coolant line  130   a  supplying a coolant to the chamber and the coolant line  130   b  retrieving the coolant from the chamber. The coolant line  130   a  supplying the coolant is installed between a coolant supplier  180   a  and the RPS manifold  150 , and the coolant line  130   b  retrieving the coolant is installed between a coolant retriever  180   b  and the RPS manifold  150 .  
         [0037]     Both ends of the coolant line  130   a  connect the coolant supplier  180   a  and the RPS manifold  150  semi-permanently, respectively. A connection structure, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , is semi-permanent and/or separable. The coolant line  130   b  is like the preceding.  
         [0038]     The coolant lines  130   a  and  130   b  are installed to cross over the top of the inner manifolds  120   a  and  120   b,  but are not thus limited. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , each of the coolant lines  130   a  and  130   b  may be installed to circumvent (not to cross over) the top of the inner manifolds  120   a  and  120   b.  When each of the coolant lines  130   a  and  130   b  is installed to circumvent the inner manifolds  120   a  and  120   b,  maintenance and repair can be less cumbersome (especially, during disconnection and connection of the inner manifolds  120   a  and  120   b ). The coolant lines  130   a  and  130   b  can have an arbitrary shape such as a curve shape, a line shape, and a combination of the curve shape and the line shape.  
         [0039]     The coolant may be circulated in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus  1   00  through supplying and retrieving as follows.  
         [0040]     A coolant is supplied from the coolant supplier  180   a  connected to a heat exchanger (not illustrated) and then flowed into the RPS manifold  150  through the coolant line  130   a  ({circle around (1)})). The coolant flowed into the RPS manifold  150  moves into the inner manifold  120   a  through the Teflon manifold  160   a  and then is supplied into the inside of the chamber lid  110  through the gas box  140   a  by the inner manifold  120   a  ({circle around (2)}). The coolant supplied to the inside of the chamber lid  110  and circulated in the body  170   a  comes out to the inner manifold  120   a  and then comes back to the RPS manifold  150  through the Teflon manifold  160   a  ({circle around (3)}).  
         [0041]     The coolant coming back to the RPS manifold  150  moves along the Teflon manifold  160   b  and then is supplied to the inside of the chamber lid  110  through the gas box  140   b  ({circle around (4)}). The coolant supplied to the inside of the chamber lid  110  and circulated in the body  170   b  comes out to the inner manifold  120   b,  and then comes back to the RPS manifold  150  through the Teflon manifold  160   b  ({circle around (5)}). The coolant coming back to the RPS manifold  150  is drained into the coolant retriever  180   b  through the coolant line  130   b,  and then retrieved into the heat exchanger ({circle around (6)}). Accordingly, the coolant is supplied to the two chamber bodies, through their associated manifolds, sequentially. For example, the coolant flows through a first chamber and then through a second chamber in sequence. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus  100  is cooled down or maintained in a predetermined temperature through the coolant circulation.  
         [0042]     According to some embodiments, although not illustrated, the coolant is supplied to the chamber bodies, through their associated manifolds, simultaneously. For example, coolant flows through a first chamber and a second chamber at the same time.  
         [0043]     As described above, the number of coolant lines is reduced, and also connected to the manifold semi-permanently. Accordingly, when the coolant line is semi-permanently connected to the manifold, abrasion of a connection part can be prevented according to a repeated disconnection and connection of the coolant line, which can occur during maintenance and repair of equipment.  
         [0044]     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.