Protecting Chemical Vapor Deposition Processes From Dry Pump Failure

Vacuum pumps are usually reliable, but when pumping in harsh semiconductor manufacturing processes, they can fail unexpectedly – resulting in costly downtime, and damage to wafers.

To predict these failures we need reliable access to real-time data. The in-situ measurement and control necessary to prevent this wafer loss are very challenging. Effective process control requires real-time measurement with high sensitivity and repeatability, yet many process and chamber cleaning gases are corrosive, and CVD deposition blankets everything in condensate particles. Legacy metrology solutions such as residual gas analysis are notoriously susceptible to corrosive gases and easily corroded after mere hours of operation.

Which is where Atonarp’s Aston metrology platform steps in, providing real-time, actionable information. Aston supports data-driven pump failure predictive modeling, powering measurement of the gases entering and leaving the dry pump to enable predictive modeling of destructive corrosion or deposit build-up. Aston is also resistant to corrosive gases and robust enough to serve as a true in-situ metrology solution.

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Learn more by downloading our Application Brief detailing how Aston enables preventative pump maintenance in semiconductor manufacturing.