Measuring device and method for obtaining amount of deviation of measuring device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10948317-B2
Application number	US-201916294385-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2019
Priority date	Mar 9, 2018
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

A measuring device includes a disc-shaped base substrate, sensor electrodes arranged circumferentially along a periphery of the base substrate, a high frequency oscillator configured to apply a high frequency signal to the sensor electrodes, C/V conversion circuits, each being configured to convert a voltage amplitude at a corresponding sensor electrode among the sensor electrodes to a voltage signal indicating an electrostatic capacitance, an A/D converter configured to convert the voltage signal outputted from each of the C/V conversion circuits to a digital value, and a switching mechanism configured to switch each sensor electrode of the sensor electrodes between a first state in which the sensor electrodes are electrically connected to the C/V conversion circuits and a second state in which electrode pairs are connected to different C/V conversion circuits among the C/V conversion circuits. Each electrode pair includes circumferentially adjacent two sensor electrodes among the sensor electrodes.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A measuring device comprising:
a disc-shaped base substrate;
a plurality of sensor electrodes arranged in circumferential direction along a periphery of the base substrate;
a high frequency oscillator configured to apply a high frequency signal to the sensor electrodes;
a plurality of C/V conversion circuits, each being configured to convert a voltage amplitude at a corresponding sensor electrode among the plurality of sensor electrodes to a voltage signal indicating an electrostatic capacitance;
an A/D converter configured to convert the voltage signal outputted from each of the C/V conversion circuits to a digital value; and
a switching mechanism configured to switch each sensor electrode of the plurality of sensor electrodes between a first state in which the sensor electrodes are electrically connected to the C/V conversion circuits and a second state in which a plurality of electrode pairs, each pair including two sensor electrodes adjacent in the circumferential direction among the sensor electrodes, are connected to different C/V conversion circuits among the C/V conversion circuits.

2. The measuring device of claim 1 , wherein a combination of the two adjacent sensor electrodes included in each of the electrode pairs is changeable.

3. A method for obtaining the amount of deviation of the measuring device described in claim 1 that is transferred by a transfer unit,
wherein the transfer unit transfers a target object into a region surrounded by a focus ring based on transfer position data, and
the amount of deviation is the amount of deviation of a central position of the measuring device disposed in the region with respect to a central position of the region,
the method comprising:
transferring the measuring device to a position in the region specified by the transfer position data by using the transfer unit;
calculating, as plurality of first measurement values, a plurality of digital values including the digital values obtained from the voltage signals outputted from the C/V conversion circuits in the first state;
adjusting a position of the measuring device by using calibrated transfer position data obtained by calibrating the transfer position data based on the amount of deviation of a central position of the measuring device with respect to a central position of the area that is obtained from the first measurement values; and
deriving the amount of deviation of the central position of the measuring device with respect to the central position of the region from a plurality of second measurement values after the position of the measuring device is adjusted,
wherein the second measurement values are a plurality of digital values including the digital values obtained from the voltage signals outputted from the different conversion circuits in the second state.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising: re-adjusting the position of the measuring device by using the transfer position data calibrated by using the amount of deviation derived from the second measurement values.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising: after said re-adjusting the position of the measuring device, deriving the amount of deviation of the central position of the measuring device with respect to the central position of the region from a plurality of fourth measurement values that is a plurality of digital values including the digital values obtained from the voltage signals outputted from the different C/V conversion circuits in the second state.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein in the measuring device, a combination of the two adjacent sensor electrodes included. is each of the electrode pairs is changeable.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising: re-adjusting the position of the measuring device by using the transfer position data calibrated by using the amount of deviation derived from the second measurement values.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising: after said re-adjusting the position of the measuring device, deriving the amount of deviation of the central position of the measuring device with respect to the central position of the region from a plurality of fourth measurement values that is a plurality of digital values including the digital values obtained from the voltage signals outputted from the different C/V conversion circuits in the second state.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising: between said adjusting the position of the measuring device and said deriving the amount of deviation from the second measurement values,
calculating, as a plurality of third measurement values, a plurality of digital values including the digital values obtained from the voltage signals outputted from the C/V conversion circuits in the first state,
wherein in said deriving the amount of deviation from the second measurement values, any of the plurality of electrode pairs includes two adjacent sensor electrodes with a straight extension line, which connects the central position of the measuring device disposed in the region and the central position of the region, interposed therebetween based on the third measurement values.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: re-adjusting the position of the measuring device by using the transfer position data calibrated by using the amount of deviation derived from the second measurement values.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising: after said re-adjusting the position of the measuring device, deriving the amount of deviation of the central position of the measuring device with respect to the central position of the region from a plurality of fourth measurement values that is a plurality of digital values including the digital values obtained from the voltage signals outputted from the different C/V conversion circuits in the second state.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Sugita Kippei
• Kawano Daisuke

Classifications

• H10P72/0606 Primary

  Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection · CPC title

• H10P72/50

  for positioning, orientation or alignment · CPC title

• H10P72/30 Primary

  for conveying, e.g. between different workstations · CPC title

• G01D5/2405 Primary

  by varying dielectric · CPC title

• H01L21/68

  Electricity · mapped topic