US 12,169,163 B2
Detection of surface particles on chamber components with carbon dioxide
Changgong Wang, San Jose, CA (US); Zhili Zuo, Santa Clara, CA (US); Chang Ke, Sunnyvale, CA (US); and Song-Moon Suh, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by APPLIED MATERIALS, INC., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 24, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/493,742.
Application 18/493,742 is a continuation of application No. 17/819,255, filed on Aug. 11, 2022, granted, now 11,815,436.
Application 17/819,255 is a continuation of application No. 16/529,630, filed on Aug. 1, 2019, granted, now 11,441,974, issued on Sep. 13, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0060860 A1, Feb. 22, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01N 1/02 (2006.01); G01N 15/00 (2024.01); G01N 15/02 (2024.01); G01N 15/06 (2024.01); G01N 15/14 (2024.01)
CPC G01N 1/02 (2013.01) [G01N 15/02 (2013.01); G01N 15/065 (2013.01); G01N 15/14 (2013.01); G01N 2001/028 (2013.01); G01N 2015/0019 (2013.01); G01N 2015/0294 (2013.01); G01N 2015/1493 (2013.01); G01N 2015/1497 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
causing, by a processing device associated with a particle detection system:
a distribution unit of the particle detection system to initiate a particle collection process to dislodge one or more surface particles from a surface of an article based on a stream comprising at least one of solid carbon dioxide (CO2) particles or CO2 droplets directed toward the article, and
the one or more dislodged surface particles to be collected on a surface of a substrate, wherein the substrate has a pre-determined initial state comprising initial surface particles on the surface of the substrate;
obtaining, by the processing device, a measurement indicating a particle number concentration of one or more detectable surface particles on the substrate after the particle collection process is completed;
identifying, by the processing device, an initial particle number concentration of the initial surface particles of the pre-determined initial state; and
determining, by the processing device, a number of particles transported away from the surface of the article based on the obtained measurement and the identified initial particle concentration.