US 12,435,422 B2
Method for recording a state of a CVD reactor under production conditions
Pascal Tillmanns, Monschau (DE); Oliver Schön, Herzogenrath (DE); Thomas Schmitt, Mönchengladbach (DE); and Peter Sebald Lauffer, Aachen (DE)
Assigned to AIXTRON SE, Herzogenrath (DE)
Appl. No. 17/593,423
Filed by AIXTRON SE, Herzogenrath (DE)
PCT Filed Mar. 20, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/057797
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 17, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/188087, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 24, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2019 107 295.6 (DE), filed on Mar. 21, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0186375 A1, Jun. 16, 2022
Int. Cl. C23C 16/52 (2006.01); C23C 16/02 (2006.01); C23C 16/458 (2006.01); C23C 16/46 (2006.01); C23C 16/54 (2006.01)
CPC C23C 16/52 (2013.01) [C23C 16/0236 (2013.01); C23C 16/4586 (2013.01); C23C 16/466 (2013.01); C23C 16/54 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for operating a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor (1) having a process chamber (3) and a cooling device (22), the process chamber (3) including a process chamber ceiling (18) that is separated from the cooling device (22) by a gap (20), the method comprising:
during each of one or more process steps (R1, R2, R3) of a process phase (PR), in which a substrate (2) is located in the process chamber (3), and in accordance with first control data that is varied by a user and stored in a controller (10), setting by the controller (10) at least one process temperature (T) and one process pressure (P), and feeding a process gas flow (Q) into the process chamber (3);
before or after the process phase (PR), and during at least one of one or more conditioning steps (C1.1, C1.2, C1.3) of a conditioning phase (PC, PC′), setting by the controller (10) at least one conditioning temperature (T) and one conditioning pressure (P), and controlling by the controller (10) a flow of conditioning gas flow (Q) into the process chamber (3) in accordance with second control data that is stored in an invariable manner in the controller (10), the second control data specifying, for the at least one conditioning step (C1.1, C1.2, C1.3), a percent of hydrogen in a hydrogen/nitrogen mixture of purge gas fed into the gap (20) between the cooling device (22) and the process chamber ceiling (18), wherein no substrates (2) are located in the process chamber (3) during the conditioning phase (PC, PC′);
determining a current fingerprint only from data measured by a plurality of sensors during the at least one conditioning step (C1.1, C1.2, C1.3);
comparing the current fingerprint with a historical fingerprint derived only from data measured from a previous conditioning step, the previous conditioning step carried out at the at least one conditioning temperature (T), one conditioning pressure (P) and in accordance with the second control data that is stored in the invariable manner in the controller (10); and
based on results of the comparison of the current fingerprint with the historical fingerprint, determining deviations of a current state of the CVD reactor from a setpoint state, and providing information to the user for the user to plan maintenance and servicing measures for the CVD reactor.