KR20230082275A - Apparatus for real-time measurement of three-dimensional distribution of particles, and Apparatus for real-time analysis using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring a three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time, and includes a chamber having an internal space and a plurality of particle measurement modules. The particle measuring module includes a light emitting unit for irradiating light for measurement and a light receiving unit for receiving light for measurement, and a plurality of particle measurement modules are arranged side by side in one direction. In addition, the particle measurement module array may be arranged side by side with respect to each of the x, y, and z-axis directions orthogonal to each other. Since the array of particle measurement modules is disposed parallel to at least one direction in the chamber in which the particles to be measured are present, the region in which particles can be measured is greatly expanded. Since the direction in which each particle measurement module array is disposed may be configured in various ways such as two axes or three axes orthogonal to each other, the distribution of particles may be grasped three-dimensionally. In addition, since the light receiving unit appropriately restricts and receives measurement light through the slit, saturation of the high-sensitivity photodetector is prevented, thereby improving particle measurement accuracy.

Description

Apparatus for real-time measurement of three-dimensional distribution of particles, and Apparatus for real-time analysis using the same }

The present invention relates to a device for measuring and analyzing a three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time, and more particularly, by arranging a plurality of particle measuring modules capable of transmitting and receiving light in a chamber or space where particles to be measured are present, It enables real-time measurement of various particle existence states such as and 3D distribution.

There are various fields in which the measurement of fine particles is required. For example, a nano-level high-precision process for manufacturing semiconductors or LCDs is performed in a process chamber, and fine contaminant particles not only reduce the cleanliness of the chamber where the process is performed, but also form patterns with similar line widths. may stick to it and damage the pattern.

Since deterioration in cleanliness and pattern damage in the chamber can seriously reduce the yield of the process, the process is performed under strictly limited conditions, and it is essential to monitor particles generated by by-products of the process or mechanical wear of equipment. am.

A technique for measuring contaminant particles generated during a process in a chamber using an optical device has been disclosed, and the distribution of the number of particles in a specific chamber in a facility can be measured in real time.

In this regard, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1857950 discloses a device for irradiating light onto particles introduced into a flow channel and measuring the size of the particles using the intensities of scattered light and evanescent light generated at this time.

This device uses a flat-top module to make incident light uniform in the r-axis direction, enabling accurate particle size measurement.

However, since most of the conventional particle measuring devices such as those in Patent Registration No. 10-1857950 focus laser light on one point, particles can be measured only at that point, and thus a wide range of particles can be measured in the space where the particles to be measured exist. There is a problem with measuring the distribution. In particular, it is difficult to apply the conventional particle measuring device to 3-dimensional particle distribution measurement.

In addition, in order to measure fine particles using an optical method, a high-sensitivity photodetector must be used. However, the high-sensitivity photodetector has a low saturation level and is easily saturated. However, conventional particle measuring devices do not adequately solve these problems.

(1) Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1857950 (published date: 2018. 01. 02)

Accordingly, the present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and expands the area in which particles can be measured in the space where the particles to be measured exist, as well as providing more diverse states of particle existence, such as three-dimensional particle distribution in the space. An object of the present invention is to provide a device for measuring a three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time, and a device for analyzing a three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time.

In order to achieve the above object, an apparatus for measuring a three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time according to the present invention includes a chamber having an inner space; and a plurality of particle measuring modules for radiating light for measurement into the inner space of the chamber and receiving the light for measurement. At this time, the plurality of particle measurement modules are arranged side by side in one direction.

Another embodiment of the real-time measuring device for the three-dimensional distribution of particles according to the present invention is configured to include a plurality of particle measurement modules arranged side by side in n (n is an integer of 2 or more) different directions, respectively, in the respective directions. It can be.

Here, the n different directions may all be orthogonal to each other.

The particle measurement module may include a light emitting unit for irradiating the measurement light; and a light receiving unit receiving the light for measurement.

The light emitting unit may be configured to emit light into an inner space of the chamber through a transparent window formed on an outer wall of the chamber.

The light emitting unit may include a light source; and a collimation lens that converts light generated from the light source into parallel light.

The light receiving unit may include a slit unit reducing power of the measurement light; And it may include a detector for detecting the light passing through the slit.

In this case, the slit unit may reduce the power of the light for measurement to an extent capable of preventing saturation of the detection unit.

The slit part may be configured to pass only a part of light for measurement emitted from the light emitting part through the slit.

At this time, the slit may have a straight shape and be formed in a direction perpendicular to the main flow of particles.

The apparatus for measuring the three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time according to the present invention may further include an installation state confirmation unit that allows the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit to be arranged in parallel.

An embodiment of the installation state confirmation unit may include a light distribution unit that reflects a part of the light for measurement; and a positioning unit detecting the light reflected by the light distribution unit.

Another embodiment of the installation state confirmation unit includes a fastening unit for fastening the light emitting unit or the light receiving unit to the chamber; and a mounting state detecting unit for detecting a state in which the light emitting unit or the light receiving unit is mounted in the fastening unit.

The device for real-time analysis of the 3-dimensional distribution of particles according to the present invention includes: a device for measuring the 3-dimensional distribution of the particles in real time; and a particle distribution analysis unit analyzing the light received from the light receiving unit of each of the particle measurement modules to determine at least one of the number and 3D distribution of particles present in the inner space of the chamber.

Since the apparatus for measuring the 3D distribution of particles in real time according to the present invention arranges a plurality of particle measurement modules parallel to each other in at least one direction in a chamber in which the particles to be measured exist, the region in which particles can be measured is greatly expanded.

In particular, since the direction in which several particle measuring modules are arranged side by side can be configured in various ways such as two or three axes orthogonal to each other as needed, the distribution of particles can be grasped three-dimensionally.

In addition, when the light receiving unit constituting each particle measurement module properly restricts and receives the measurement light emitted from the light emitting unit through the slit, the intensity of the measurement light is increased to enable measurement of fine particles while preventing saturation of the highly sensitive light receiving unit. Since the photo-sensing performance can be maintained, the accuracy of particle measurement can be improved.

1 is an embodiment of an apparatus for measuring a three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time according to the present invention;
2 is an embodiment in which the particle measurement module array is arranged in one direction (z direction);
Figure 3 is an example showing the embodiment shown in Figure 2 in cross section;
4 is an embodiment in which the particle measurement module array is arranged in two directions (z direction and x direction);
5 is a specific embodiment of a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit;
6 is an embodiment related to an installation state confirmation unit;
7 is another embodiment related to the installation state confirmation unit,
8 is another embodiment related to the installation state confirmation unit,
9 is an embodiment of an apparatus for real-time analysis of a three-dimensional distribution of particles according to the present invention.

Since the present invention can apply various transformations and have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and detailed descriptions will be given in the detailed description. However, it should be understood that this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and includes all transformations, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

Terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In this application, the terms "include" or "have" are intended to designate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded.

Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an apparatus 100 for measuring a 3D distribution of particles in real time according to the present invention includes a chamber 110 having an internal space and a plurality of particle measurement modules 120 .

The chamber 110 may be of various types regardless of size, material, shape, function, etc., and particles to be measured exist in the internal space 111 of the chamber 110 .

The inner space of the chamber 110 in which the particles to be measured may be maintained in a vacuum, but is not limited thereto. Any form of space in which particles to be measured may serve as the chamber 110 .

In particular, a plurality of particle measurement modules 120 are arranged side by side in one direction, and each particle measurement module 120 irradiates light for measurement into the inner space 111 of the chamber 110, and the chamber 110 It is configured to receive light for measurement that has passed through the inner space 111 of the.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, a plurality of particle measurement modules 120 arranged side by side in one direction will be referred to as a particle measurement module array.

Directions in which the respective particle measuring modules 120 are arranged side by side may be variously determined as needed.

FIG. 2 is an example in which the particle measurement module array is arranged in one direction, and FIG. 3 is an example showing the inner space 111 of the chamber 110 in this embodiment.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the direction in which the particle measurement modules 120 are arranged side by side is referred to as the z-axis direction, the two-dimensional distribution in the z-axis direction can be measured in the place where the particle measurement module array is arranged. be able to

However, the direction in which the respective particle measurement modules 120 are arranged side by side does not necessarily have to be in one direction.

That is, with respect to each of two or more different directions, it may be configured to include a plurality of particle measurement modules 120 arranged side by side in that direction.

4 shows an embodiment in which a plurality of particle measurement modules 120 are arranged side by side in the x-axis direction as well as in the z-axis direction. Of course, a plurality of particle measuring modules 120 may be arranged side by side in the y-axis direction as well.

As the particle measurement module arrays are arranged in various directions in this way, the 3D distribution of particles in the internal space 111 of the chamber 110 can be measured.

The apparatus for measuring the three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time according to the present invention is configured to include a plurality of particle measurement modules 120 arranged side by side in n (n is an integer of 2 or more) different directions, respectively. can

Here, n different directions may be configured in various ways. As an example, n different directions may all be configured to be orthogonal to each other.

2 to 4 show an embodiment in which one particle measurement module array is included in each of the z-axis direction and the x-axis direction, but a plurality of particle measurement module arrays may be disposed in each direction.

For example, if necessary, two or more particle measurement modules may be provided in the z-axis direction. At this time, the number of particle measurement module arrays corresponding to each direction does not all have to be the same.

5 shows an embodiment of the particle measuring module 120, which irradiates light for measurement into the inner space 111 of the chamber 110 in which the particle 30 to be measured exists. It may be configured to include a light emitting unit 120, and a light receiving unit 122 for receiving light for measurement.

At this time, the light emitting unit 121 may be configured to emit light to the inner space 111 of the chamber 110 through the transparent window 113 formed on the outer wall of the chamber 110 .

The light emitting part 121 and the light receiving part 122 should be placed in parallel on a straight line, and the positions of the light emitting part 121 and the light receiving part 122 may be interchanged.

The transparent window 113 may be configured using an optical window capable of securing a required light transmittance.

The light emitting unit 121 and the light receiving unit 122 may be configured in various ways.

As a specific example, the light emitting unit 121 will include a light source 121-1 that generates light, and a collimation lens 121-2 that converts the light generated from the light source 121-1 into parallel light. can

In this embodiment, the measurement light 191 irradiated into the inner space 111 of the chamber 110 in which the measurement target particle 30 exists has a form of parallel light.

Although described as an example of collimation beam, the light emitting unit 121 may be configured to emit various types of light for measurement, such as focusing light and surface light.

The light receiving unit 122 includes a slit unit 122-1 that reduces power of the light 191 for measurement, and a detection unit 122-2 that detects light passing through the slit unit 122-1. can be done by

The main reason why the slit unit 122-1 reduces the power of light for measurement is to prevent the detection unit 122-2 that detects light from being saturated, and the slit unit 122-1 reduces the power of the detection unit 122-2. 2) may be configured to reduce the power of light for measurement to an extent capable of preventing saturation.

The slit part 122-1 may be configured to pass only a part of light for measurement emitted from the light emitting part 121 through the slit 122-11. That is, the slits 122-11 accept only light corresponding to a specific ratio of incident light for measurement.

The thickness, length, direction, and shape of the slit 122-11 may be configured in various ways.

As an example, the slits 122 - 11 may have a straight shape and may be formed in a direction perpendicular to the main flow of particles. In addition, the thickness of the slit 122-11 may be configured to have a diameter similar to the size of the light source 121-1.

The main reason for accepting only light corresponding to a specific ratio of light for measurement through the slit 122-11 is to enable the use of a highly sensitive Photo Multiplier Tube (PMT).

The size of the slit 122-11 may be determined by a limiting power value at which the PMT becomes saturated and the power of light (incident light) for measurement, as shown in Equation 1 below.

This relationship can be modified according to the shape of the incident light and the light area at the slit position.

In order for the light receiving unit 122 to accurately detect the light 191 for measurement emitted from the light emitting unit 121 , the light emitting unit 121 and the light receiving unit 122 should be disposed in parallel.

The apparatus 100 for measuring the three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time according to the present invention further includes an installation state confirmation unit that allows the light emitting unit 121 and the light receiving unit 122 of each particle measurement module 120 to be arranged in parallel, It can be done.

6 shows an embodiment of the installation state confirmation unit 130, the light distribution unit 131 reflecting a part of the light 191 for measurement, and detecting the light reflected by the light distribution unit 131. It may be configured to include a positioning unit 132 to.

The light distribution unit 131 transmits a predetermined ratio of the received light 191 for measurement to the positioning unit 132, and for this purpose, may be disposed in front of the detection unit 122-2 of the light receiving unit 122.

If the light emitting unit 121 and the light receiving unit 122 are not disposed in parallel, the degree to which the measurement light 191 emitted from the light emitting unit 121 is received by the light receiving unit 122 will be reduced, so that the positioning unit 132 ), it is possible to determine whether the light emitting unit 121 and the light receiving unit 122 are disposed in parallel by analyzing the light detected through.

At this time, if the position of at least one of the light emitting unit 121 and the light receiving unit 122 is configured to be adjustable, the parallelism of the light emitting unit 121 and the light receiving unit 122 is automatically determined according to the detection result of the positioning unit 132. It may also be configured to be adjusted to .

7 shows another embodiment of the installation state confirmation unit 140, a fastening unit 141 for fastening the light emitting unit 121 or the light receiving unit 122 to the chamber 110, and the fastening unit 141 ) may include a mounting state detection unit 142 for detecting a state in which the light emitting unit 121 or the light receiving unit 122 is mounted.

The fastening part 141 may be configured in various structures such as a screw type, a magnet type, a fitting type, etc. in order to fasten and mount the light emitting part 121 or the light receiving part 122 at a specific position of the chamber 110. .

The mounting state detection unit 142 is configured using various sensing methods such as magnetic field detection, light detection, pressure detection, etc. It can be.

8 shows another embodiment of the installation state confirmation unit 150, when the light emitting unit 121 and the light receiving unit 122 are mounted in corresponding positions, so that parallelism can be maintained without fail, the light emitting unit 121 and the light receiving unit 122 A fastening part 151 for fastening and mounting the light receiving part 122 may be formed at a corresponding position of the chamber 110 .

At this time, a fastening space 152 is formed in each fastening part 151 so that the light emitting part 121 and the light receiving part 122 can be fastened and mounted.

That is, by forming a fastening space 152 in the fastening part 151 in which the light emitting part 121 and the light receiving part 122 can be fastened according to the size, the positions of the light emitting part 121 and the light receiving part 122 can be structurally adjusted. A binding method can be used.

Referring to FIG. 9, the apparatus 200 for real-time analysis of the 3-dimensional distribution of particles according to the present invention includes each embodiment of the apparatus 100 for measuring the 3-dimensional distribution of particles in real time described above, and each particle measurement module 120 By analyzing the light received from the light receiving unit 122 of the chamber 110, the particle distribution analysis unit 170 for determining at least one of the number and 3-dimensional distribution of the particles present in the internal space 111 of the chamber 110 will be included. can

The light for measurement emitted from the light emitting unit 121 of the particle measuring module 120 is absorbed and scattered by the particles 30 on the path, and is extinguished by a specific ratio of the particle size.

At this time, the energy (E _removed ) dissipated by one particle can be expressed as in Equation 2 below according to Mie theory.

Here, I ₀ is the intensity of the incident light, and σ _ext is the 'extinction cross section'.

In addition, since σ _ext is the sum of absorption and scattering, it can be expressed by Equation 3 below.

Here, σ _abs is 'absorption cross section' and σ _scat is 'total scattering cross section'.

In this way, the light for measurement generated by the light emitting unit 121 collides with the particles, and after the light affected by the collision is received by the light receiving unit 122, the particle distribution analyzer 170 uses the theory of particle size to determine the particle size. size can be calculated. The magnitude of the intensity of the extinguished light can be converted into the particle size, and the number of particles can be determined by the frequency of the signal.

That is, by arranging one or more particle measurement module arrays at appropriate positions, not only the presence of particles at each position but also the spatial distribution of the particles can be grasped.

If a plurality of particle measurement module arrays are disposed in two or more different directions, signals simultaneously measured in each particle measurement module array may be collected to obtain accurate positional information of particles.

In the above, the present invention has been shown and described in relation to specific preferred embodiments, but the present invention can be variously modified and changed without departing from the technical features or fields of the present invention provided by the claims below. It is clear to those skilled in the art that it can be.

30: particle
100: Real-time measuring device for 3-dimensional distribution of particles
110: chamber
111: inner space
113: transparent window
120: particle measurement module
121: light emitting part
121-1: light source
121-2: collimation lens
122: light receiving unit
122-1: slit portion
122-11: slit
122-2: detection unit
130, 140, 150: installation status confirmation unit
131: optical distribution unit
132: positioning unit
141, 151: fastening part
142: mounting state detection unit
152: fastening space
170: particle distribution analysis unit
191: light for measurement
200: 3D distribution real-time analysis device of particles

Claims (12)

a chamber having an inner space; and
A plurality of particle measuring modules for radiating light for measurement into the inner space of the chamber and receiving the light for measurement;
The plurality of particle measuring modules are arranged side by side in one direction. a chamber having an inner space; and
A plurality of particle measuring modules for radiating light for measurement into the inner space of the chamber and receiving the light for measurement;
The plurality of particle measurement modules,
An apparatus for measuring a three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time, configured to include a plurality of particle measurement modules arranged side by side in n (n is an integer of 2 or more) different directions, respectively. According to claim 2,
The n different directions are all directions orthogonal to each other, a device for measuring a three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time. According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The particle measurement module,
a light emitting unit for irradiating the measurement light; and
A device for measuring a three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time, comprising a light receiving unit for receiving the light for measurement. According to claim 4,
The light emitting unit is configured to irradiate light into the inner space of the chamber through a transparent window formed on an outer wall of the chamber, a device for measuring a three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time According to claim 4,
The light emitting unit may include a light source; and
A three-dimensional distribution real-time measuring device comprising a collimation lens that makes the light generated from the light source in the form of parallel light. According to claim 4,
The light receiving unit,
a slit unit reducing power of the light for measurement; and
A detection unit for detecting light passing through the slit unit;
The slit unit reduces the power of the measurement light to an extent capable of preventing saturation of the detection unit, a three-dimensional distribution real-time measuring device of particles. According to claim 7,
The slit part is configured to pass only a part of light for measurement irradiated from the light emitting part through the slit,
The slit has a straight line shape and is formed in a direction perpendicular to the main flow of particles, a real-time measurement device for a three-dimensional distribution of particles. According to claim 4,
The apparatus for measuring the three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time, further comprising an installation state confirmation unit allowing the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit to be disposed in parallel. According to claim 9,
The installation state confirmation unit,
a light distribution unit that reflects some of the light for measurement; and
A device for measuring a three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time, including a positioning unit for detecting the light reflected by the light distribution unit. According to claim 9,
The installation state confirmation unit,
a fastening unit for fastening the light emitting unit or the light receiving unit to the chamber; and
An apparatus for measuring a three-dimensional distribution of particles in real time, including a mounting state detection unit for detecting a state in which the light emitting unit or the light receiving unit is mounted on the fastening unit. The apparatus for measuring the three-dimensional distribution of particles according to claim 4 in real time; and
Real-time analysis of 3D distribution of particles, including a particle distribution analysis unit for analyzing the light received from the light receiving unit of each particle measurement module to determine at least one of the number and 3D distribution of particles present in the inner space of the chamber Device.

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