CN114763878B - Leak detection member, gas line, manufacturing apparatus, and pipe leak detection method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application belongs to the field of semiconductor technology, and specifically relates to a leakage detection component, a gas pipeline, a manufacturing equipment, and a pipeline leakage detection method. The leakage detection component is used to detect pipelines, and includes a fixing part and a detection part. The fixing part is used to connect to the pipeline in a detachable manner. Gas is passed into the pipeline, and the detection part is arranged on the fixing part. The pipeline leakage is determined by the chemical reaction between the detection part and the gas. According to the leakage detection component of the embodiment of the invention, when the detection part contacts the gas, a chemical reaction occurs to determine the pipeline leakage, and the small changes are converted into changes that can be observed by the naked eye, which makes up for the shortcomings of the limited detection range through the pressure detection method, and has a short response time, high sensitivity, and low detection cost. After determining that the pipeline is leaking, the pipeline is repaired in a timely manner so that the gas can be completely introduced into the reaction chamber and react on the surface of the workpiece, thereby ensuring the production process and quality of the integrated circuit products.

Description

Leak detection component, gas pipeline, manufacturing equipment and pipeline leakage detection method

Technical Field

The present application belongs to the field of semiconductor technology, and specifically relates to a leakage detection component, a gas pipeline, a manufacturing device, and a pipeline leakage detection method.

Background technique

This section merely provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.

Wafer refers to the silicon chip used in the manufacture of silicon semiconductor integrated circuits. Because of its round shape, it is called a wafer. Various circuit element structures can be processed and manufactured on the silicon wafer to become integrated circuit products with specific electrical functions. In the manufacturing process of integrated circuit products, special reaction gases are required in many processes, and the workpiece is sent to the reaction chamber evacuated by a vacuum pump. The process gas is introduced into the reaction chamber and reacts on the surface of the workpiece. The volatile by-products of the reaction are pumped away by the vacuum pump. The air pressure and process gas concentration in the reaction chamber directly affect the production effect, so the gas pipeline needs to have good airtightness. Vacuum reaction chambers are widely used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The manufacturing equipment can be thin film deposition equipment, etching equipment, ion implantation equipment, lithography equipment, and semiconductor surface analyzers including scanning electron microscopes and secondary ion mass spectrometers.

The reaction chamber of the manufacturing equipment is provided with a gas injection port, and the process gas is transported from the gas injection port to the reaction chamber through a gas pipeline. When the equipment is reassembled after regular maintenance, assembly errors are prone to occur, resulting in leakage of process gas. It is difficult for operators to observe leakage with the naked eye, which in turn affects the production process of integrated circuit products and causes losses.

Summary of the invention

The first aspect of the present application provides a leakage detection member for detecting a pipeline, comprising:

A fixing part, the fixing part is used to be connected to the pipeline in a detachable manner, and gas is passed through the pipeline;

A detection part is arranged on the fixing part, and a leakage of the pipeline is determined through a chemical reaction between the detection part and the gas.

According to the leakage detection part of the embodiment of the present application, when a pipeline leaks, the leakage is so small that it is not enough for the operator to observe it with the naked eye. When the detection part comes into contact with the gas, the chemical reaction of the detection part can determine that the pipeline is leaking. Converting tiny changes into changes that can be observed by the naked eye makes up for the shortcomings of the limited detection range through pressure detection, with short response time, high sensitivity and low detection cost. The gas leak is detected by the leakage detection part. After determining that the pipeline is leaking, the pipeline is repaired in time so that the gas can be completely introduced into the reaction chamber and react on the surface of the workpiece to ensure the gas pressure and gas concentration in the reaction chamber, avoid gas leakage, and thus ensure the production process and quality of integrated circuit products.

The second aspect of the present application provides a gas pipeline for connecting a reaction chamber and a gas supply device, comprising:

include:

pipeline;

A first connecting piece, the first connecting piece is connected to one end of the pipeline, and the first connecting piece is used to connect with the reaction chamber;

a second connecting piece, the second connecting piece being connected to the other end of the pipeline, and the second connecting piece being used to be connected to the gas providing device;

a first leakage detection member, the first leakage detection member is sleeved on the pipeline and located at the first connecting member, the first leakage detection member is the leakage detection member described in the present invention;

A second leakage detection component is sleeved on the pipeline and located at the second connecting component. The second leakage detection component is the leakage detection component described in the present invention.

According to the gas pipeline of this embodiment, the gas pipeline has the same advantages as the leakage detection part, which will not be repeated here. In addition, when using the leakage detection part in any of the above embodiments to detect the gas, it is necessary to detect the connection points at both ends of the gas pipeline. Specifically, the gas pipeline includes a pipeline, a first connector and a second connector. The first connector is used to connect to the reaction chamber. The first leakage detection part is used to detect whether there is a gas leakage between the first connector and the reaction chamber. The second connector is used to connect to the gas supply device. The second leakage detection part is used to detect whether there is a gas leakage between the second connector and the gas supply device. Through detection at both ends, it is ensured that the gas can be completely introduced into the reaction chamber and react on the surface of the workpiece to ensure the gas pressure and gas concentration in the reaction chamber, avoid gas leakage, and thus ensure the production process and quality of integrated circuit products.

The third aspect of the present application provides a manufacturing device, comprising:

Reaction chamber;

Gas supply device;

A gas pipeline, the gas supply device and the reaction chamber are connected through the gas pipeline, the gas supply device is configured to provide gas to the reaction chamber, and the gas pipeline is the gas pipeline described in the present invention.

According to the manufacturing equipment of this embodiment, the manufacturing equipment and the gas pipeline have the same advantages, which will not be described in detail here.

The fourth aspect of the present application provides a pipeline leakage detection method, which detects the pipeline by using the leakage detection element of the present invention, comprising:

installing a leak detection member on the pipeline;

detecting whether the color of the detection portion of the leakage detection member changes;

According to the change in the color of the detection part, it is determined that the pipeline is leaking, and the pipeline is repaired.

According to the pipeline leakage detection method of this embodiment, the pipeline is detected by the leakage detection member in the above embodiment. When a leakage point is detected, the operator can perform repairs in time to ensure smooth production.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments below. The accompanying drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be considered as limiting the present application. Also, the same reference symbols are used throughout the accompanying drawings to represent the same components. In the accompanying drawings:

FIG1 is a front view of a leakage detection member according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the A-A position shown in Fig. 1;

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a gas pipeline according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a pipeline leakage detection method according to an embodiment of the present application.

Reference numerals:

100, leakage detection part; 101, fixing part; 102, detection part;

200, gas pipeline; 201, pipeline; 202, first connecting piece; 203, second connecting piece; 204, first leakage detection piece; 205, second leakage detection piece; 206, O-ring; 207, metal ring.

Detailed ways

The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

It should be understood that the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific example embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", and "said" as used herein may also be meant to include plural forms. The terms "comprise", "include", "contain", and "have" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, parts, and/or combinations thereof.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used in the text to describe multiple elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms can only be used to distinguish an element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Unless the context clearly indicates, terms such as "first", "second" and other numerical terms do not imply order or sequence when used in the text. Therefore, the first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below can be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teaching of the example embodiments.

For ease of description, spatial relative terms may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to another element or feature as shown in the figure, such as "inside", "outside", "inner side", "outer side", "below", "below", "above", "above", etc. Such spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figure. For example, if the device in the figure is turned over, then the elements described as "below other elements or features" or "below other elements or features" will subsequently be oriented as "above other elements or features" or "above other elements or features". Therefore, the example term "below..." can include both upper and lower orientations. The device can be oriented otherwise (rotated 90 degrees or in other directions) and the spatial relative descriptors used in the text are interpreted accordingly.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 , an embodiment of the present application provides a leakage detection member 100 for detecting a pipeline 201, comprising:

The fixing part 101 is used to be connected to the pipeline 201 in a detachable manner, and the gas is passed into the pipeline 201;

The detection part 102 is disposed on the fixing part 101 and determines whether the pipeline 201 leaks through a chemical reaction between the detection part 102 and the gas.

According to the leakage detection part 100 of the embodiment of the present application, when the pipeline 201 leaks, the leakage is so small that it is not enough for the operator to observe it with the naked eye. When the detection part 102 comes into contact with the gas, the chemical reaction of the detection part 102 can determine that the pipeline 201 is leaking. Converting tiny changes into changes that can be observed by the naked eye makes up for the shortcomings of the limited detection range through pressure detection, with short response time, high sensitivity and low detection cost. After detecting gas leakage through the leakage detection part 100 and determining that the pipeline 201 is leaking, the pipeline 201 is repaired in time so that the gas can be completely introduced into the reaction chamber and react on the surface of the workpiece to ensure the gas pressure and gas concentration in the reaction chamber, avoid gas leakage, and thus ensure the production process and quality of integrated circuit products.

In some embodiments of the present application, the chemical reaction of the detection unit 102 in contact with the gas may be a change in volume, a change in state, or a change in color of the detection unit 102. When the chemical reaction is a change in volume, the volume of the detection unit 102 may be increased, or the volume of the detection unit 102 may be decreased. When the chemical reaction is a change in state, the detection unit 102 may be changed from a solid state to a liquid state, or the detection unit 102 may be changed from a solid state to a gaseous state. When the chemical reaction is a change in color, the color of the detection unit 102 may be changed from dark to light, or the color of the detection unit 102 may be changed from light to dark.

In one embodiment, the chemical reaction is a color change, which is convenient for operators to observe and will not cause problems such as pollution to the working environment due to morphological changes. Furthermore, the color change of the detection part 102 can be an irreversible color change, that is, when the detection part 102 contacts the gas, the color of the detection part 102 changes, and the color remains unchanged, and it can also be maintained when the operator fails to find it in time, thereby extending the inspection cycle. The color change of the detection part 102 can also be a reversible color change. When the detection part 102 contacts the gas, the color of the detection part 102 changes, and after a period of time, it gradually returns to the original color, which can realize the reuse of the leakage detection part 100, which is more economical and environmentally friendly. The time interval between the color change and the return to the original color varies according to the material used in the detection part 102, ranging from a few minutes to a few weeks, which can provide operators with a longer inspection cycle.

In some embodiments of the present application, the leakage detection element 100 can be connected to the pipe 201 by means of adhesive tape bonding, clamp fixing or hanging. The outer contour of the general pipe 201 is circular. When the pipe 201 leaks, it is impossible to determine where the leak occurs in the pipe 201. Therefore, in order to increase the comprehensiveness of the leakage detection element 100 on the pipe 201, the leakage detection element 100 is an annular structure with a receiving cavity formed inside. The pipe 201 passes through the receiving cavity, and the pipe 201 can be fully detected in the circumferential direction.

The leakage detection member 100 is an annular structure with an accommodating cavity formed inside. When the leakage detection member 100 is installed on the pipe 201, the end of the pipe 201 can be passed through the accommodating cavity and fixed at a position where the pipe 201 is prone to leakage. The leakage detection member 100 can also be set as an openable structure, that is, the leakage detection member 100 is an annular structure with an opening, and the pipe 201 enters the accommodating cavity from the opening and is fixed at a position where the pipe 201 is prone to leakage.

In some embodiments of the present application, as described above, the leakage detection component 100 is connected to the pipeline 201 in a detachable manner and can be connected to the pipeline 201 by means of tape bonding, clamp fixing or hanging. When performing gas leakage detection, the impact of the gas will cause the leakage detection component 100 to move on the pipeline 201. Therefore, in order to avoid the movement of the leakage detection component 100 on the pipeline 201 and reduce the detection cost, the leakage detection component 100 and the pipeline 201 are bonded. The tape can be first glued to the pipeline 201, and then the leakage detection component 100 can be glued to the tape; the tape can also be directly set on the side of the fixed part 101 facing the pipeline 201 to achieve bonding between the leakage detection component 100 and the pipeline 201. In one embodiment, the fixed part 101 is provided with tape on the side facing the pipeline 201.

In other embodiments, the fixing portion 101 may be directly bonded to the pipe 201 using adhesive tape.

In some embodiments of the present application, when bonding with tape, in order to avoid the problem of decreased viscosity caused by bonding of the leakage detection member 100 to a non-fixed position during the installation of the leakage detection member 100 and the pipeline 201, an opening is provided on the leakage detection member 100, and the opening is connected to the accommodating cavity. When the leakage detection member 100 is installed on the pipeline 201, the operator applies force to the leakage detection member 100 to open the opening, and the pipeline 201 enters the accommodating cavity from the opening and adheres to the pipeline 201. By bonding, the detection member 100 can fit the contour of the pipeline 201, reduce the gap between the fixed part 101 and the pipeline 201, and when gas leakage occurs, the leaked gas will not pass between the fixed part 101 and the pipeline 201, so that the gas is in direct contact with the detection part 102, thereby improving the sensitivity of detection.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a gas pipeline 200 for connecting the reaction chamber and the gas providing device, including:

Pipeline 201;

A first connecting member 202, the first connecting member 202 is connected to one end of the pipeline 201, and the first connecting member 202 is used to connect to the reaction chamber;

A second connecting member 203, the second connecting member 203 is connected to the other end of the pipeline 201, and the second connecting member 203 is used to connect to a gas providing device;

A first leakage detection member 204, which is sleeved on the pipe 201 and located at the first connecting member 202, and the first leakage detection member 204 is the leakage detection member 100 of the above embodiment;

The second leakage detection component 205 is sleeved on the pipeline 201 and located at the second connecting component 203. The second leakage detection component 205 is the leakage detection component 100 of the above embodiment.

According to the gas pipeline 200 of this embodiment, the gas pipeline 200 has the same advantages as the leakage detection part 100, which will not be repeated here. In addition, when the leakage detection part 100 in any of the above embodiments is used to detect the gas, it is necessary to detect the connection points at both ends of the gas pipeline 200. Specifically, the gas pipeline 200 includes a pipeline 201, a first connector 202 and a second connector 203. The first connector 202 is used to connect to the reaction chamber, and the first leakage detection part 204 is used to detect whether there is a gas leakage between the first connector 202 and the reaction chamber. The second connector 203 is used to connect to the gas supply device, and the second leakage detection part 205 is used to detect whether there is a gas leakage between the second connector 203 and the gas supply device. Through detection at both ends, it is ensured that the gas can be completely introduced into the reaction chamber and react on the surface of the workpiece to ensure the gas pressure and gas concentration in the reaction chamber, avoid gas leakage, and thus ensure the production process and quality of integrated circuit products.

In some embodiments of the present application, the first connector 202 is a vacuum sealing joint, and the second connector 203 is a connecting nut. The gas pipeline 200 also includes components such as an O-ring 206, a metal ring 207, and a gasket to increase the airtightness of the connection between the pipeline 201, the reaction chamber, and the gas providing device.

In some embodiments of the present application, the pipeline 201 is a metal hose. In one embodiment, the pipeline 201 is made of stainless steel, which can be bent according to production requirements to improve the production applicability of the pipeline 201.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a manufacturing device, including:

Reaction chamber;

Gas supply device;

The gas pipeline, the gas supply device and the reaction chamber are connected through the gas pipeline, the gas supply device is configured to provide gas to the reaction chamber, and the gas pipeline is the gas pipeline of the above embodiment.

According to the manufacturing equipment of this embodiment, the manufacturing equipment has the same advantages as the gas pipeline 200, which will not be described in detail here. The gas that can be provided by the gas providing device can be a process gas, such as oxygen, nitrogen or hydrogen. The following description takes the process gas as hydrogen as an example. The detection unit 102 can be a mixture of color-changing silica gel of palladium metal and cobalt oxide material. When hydrogen leaks in the pipeline 201, the palladium metal is a catalyst to promote hydrogen to become hydrogen atoms, and hydrogen reacts with oxygen to generate water. The water causes the color-changing silica gel to change color, thereby determining that hydrogen has leaked.

The detection part 102 can also be palladium metal and tungsten oxide. When tungsten oxide encounters hydrogen atoms, it will be reduced to metal tungsten, and the color will change from light yellow to silvery white. In general, the detection part 102 is a chemical color-changing metal oxide, such as a metal oxide with a molecular formula of MxOy, a hydrated metal oxide of MxOy·nH20, a metal oxygen-containing acid of HzMxOy, and a metal hydroxide oxide of MxOy(OH)z. The chemical color-changing metal oxide reacts with hydrogen and is reduced by hydrogen to a metal element and/or a low-valent metal oxide whose color is different from that of the original metal oxide, such as dark green oxidized but reduced by hydrogen to black tungsten element, yellow tungstic acid reduced by hydrogen to blue low-valent tungstic acid, and off-white oxidized molybdenum acid reduced by hydrogen to a blue low-valent indium molybdenum-based compound. The detection part 102 can also be a test gas, such as an acidic gas or an alkaline gas, etc. The detection part is a pH test paper, purple litmus solution or colorless phenolphthalein, etc. to detect the test gas. The gas providing device introduces the test gas into the pipeline 201. When it is determined that there is no leakage point in the gas pipeline 200, the process gas is introduced for processing.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a pipeline leakage detection method, which detects the pipeline 201 through the leakage detection element 100, including:

Install the leakage detection member 100 on the pipeline 201;

Detect whether the color of the detection portion 102 of the leakage detection member 100 changes;

According to the change in color of the detection portion 102 , it is determined that the pipeline 201 is leaking, and the pipeline 201 is repaired.

According to the pipeline leakage detection method of this embodiment, the pipeline 201 is detected by the leakage detection member 100 in the above embodiment. When a leakage point is detected, the operator can perform repairs in time to ensure smooth production.

In some embodiments of the present application, as described above, the two ends of the gas pipeline 200 are respectively connected to the reaction chamber and the gas providing device. Therefore, installing the leakage detection component 100 on the pipeline 201 includes installing the first leakage detection component 204 on the second connecting component 203 of the pipeline 201, and installing the second leakage detection component 205 on the first connecting component 202 of the pipeline 201.

In some embodiments of the present application, after the leak detection member 100 is installed on the pipeline 201, a process gas is introduced. After the process gas is introduced, it is observed whether the color of the detection portion 102 changes to determine whether the pipeline 201 leaks. The process gas is oxygen, nitrogen or hydrogen.

In some embodiments of the present application, in other embodiments, after the leakage detection member 100 is installed on the pipeline 201, a test gas is introduced. After the test gas is introduced, it is observed whether the color of the detection portion 102 changes to determine whether the pipeline 201 leaks. The test gas is an acidic gas or an alkaline gas.

In some embodiments of the present application, in detecting whether the color of the detection portion 102 of the leakage detection member 100 has changed, manual observation can be performed, or electronic observation can be performed through a camera. In one embodiment, after detecting whether the color of the detection portion 102 of the leakage detection member 100 has changed, the method further includes: photographing the detection portion 102 through a camera to obtain a first image, determining that the color of the detection portion 102 has changed based on the first image not being consistent with a preset image, and then determining that the pipeline 201 has leaked.

The above is only a preferred specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (4)

1. A manufacturing device, comprising: Reaction chamber; Gas supply device; a gas pipeline, the gas supply device and the reaction chamber are connected through the gas pipeline, and the gas supply device is configured to provide gas to the reaction chamber; The gas pipeline comprises: pipeline; A leakage detection member, the leakage detection member is sleeved on the pipeline, the leakage detection member is an annular structure, and a receiving cavity is formed inside the leakage detection member, the receiving cavity is configured to cooperate with the pipeline, the leakage detection member is provided with an opening, the opening is communicated with the receiving cavity, and the pipeline enters the receiving cavity through the opening; The leakage detection element comprises: A fixing part, the fixing part is used to be connected to the pipeline in a detachable manner, and gas is passed through the pipeline; A detection unit, the detection unit is disposed on the fixing unit, and determines leakage of the pipeline through a chemical reaction between the detection unit and the gas; The chemical reaction of the detection part in contact with the gas is a change in volume, state or color of the detection part; An adhesive tape is provided on one side of the fixing portion facing the pipe, and the fixing portion is bonded to the pipe; The gas pipeline also includes: A first connecting piece, the first connecting piece is connected to one end of the pipeline, and the first connecting piece is used to connect with the reaction chamber; a second connecting piece, the second connecting piece being connected to the other end of the pipeline, and the second connecting piece being used to be connected to the gas providing device; A first leakage detection member, the first leakage detection member is sleeved on the pipeline and located at the first connecting member, the first leakage detection member is the leakage detection member; A second leakage detection member, the second leakage detection member is sleeved on the pipeline and located at the second connecting member, the second leakage detection member is the leakage detection member; The pipeline is a metal hose, the first connecting piece is a vacuum sealing joint, and the second connecting piece is a connecting nut; The manufacturing equipment also includes: A camera is used to photograph the detection unit to obtain a first image, and determine that the color of the detection unit changes according to the first image not being consistent with a preset image. 2. The manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the detection part is a sensing agent, and leakage of the pipeline is determined by a color change of the detection part when the detection part comes into contact with the gas. 3. A pipeline leakage detection method, the method being applied to the manufacturing equipment according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises: installing a leak detection member on the pipeline; detecting whether the color of the detection portion of the leakage detection member changes; According to the change in the color of the detection part, it is determined that the pipeline is leaking, and the pipeline is repaired. 4. The pipeline leakage detection method according to claim 3, characterized in that the step of installing the leakage detection element on the pipeline comprises: Installing a first leakage detection member to a first connection member of the pipeline; A second leakage detection component is installed on the second connecting component of the pipeline.