Processing apparatus, abnormality detection method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11094568-B2
Application number	US-201815960800-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2018
Priority date	Apr 24, 2017
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

A processing apparatus includes a chamber configured to accommodate a substrate to be processed, a nozzle provided in the chamber and configured to supply a processing solution to the substrate, a flow rate measuring part configured to measure a flow rate of the processing solution supplied to the nozzle, a flow path opening/closing part configured to open and close a supply flow path of the processing solution to the nozzle, and a controller configured to output a close signal causing the flow path opening/closing part to perform a closing operation that closes the supply flow path. The controller is configured to detect an operation abnormality of the flow path opening/closing part based on an accumulated amount of the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring part after outputting the close signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A processing apparatus, comprising:
a chamber configured to accommodate a substrate to be processed;
a nozzle provided in the chamber and configured to supply a processing solution to the substrate;
a flow rate measuring device in a flow path of the processing solution supplied to the nozzle;
a flow path opener configured to open and close a supply flow path of the processing solution to the nozzle; and
a controller configured to output a close signal causing the flow path opener to perform a closing operation that closes the supply flow path,
wherein the flow path opener comprises a first opener, and a second opener provided at a downstream side of the first opener, the second opener configured to be opened after the first opener and to be closed before the first opener, and
wherein the controller is configured to detect an operation abnormality of the second opener based on an accumulated measurement result of the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring device after outputting the close signal to the second opener;
wherein the second opener comprises an air operated valve in which a valve body is opened and closed by an air pressure, and a speed controller configured to adjust a flow rate of air supplied to the air operated valve, and
wherein the controller is configured to detect an operation abnormality of the speed controller when the accumulated measurement result of the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring device after outputting the close signal to the second opener is out of a normal range.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to detect an operation abnormality of the first opener or the second opener based on a value obtained by Fourier-transforming the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring device after outputting the close signal to the second opener.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to detect an operation abnormality of the second opener when the value obtained by Fourier-transforming the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring device exceeds a threshold value before outputting the close signal to the first opener after outputting the close signal to the second opener, and to detect an operation abnormality of the first opener when the value obtained by Fourier-transforming the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring device exceeds the threshold value before outputting an open signal to the first opener after outputting the close signal to the first opener.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to monitor the presence or absence of the operation abnormality of the second opener based on the accumulated measurement result of the flow rate during a first time period from a time when the close signal is output to the second opener, and to monitor the presence or absence of the operation abnormality of the first opener or the second opener based on the value obtained by Fourier-transforming the flow rate in a second time period after the first time period.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the second time period is a time period after the first time period and a predetermined time period lapses.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to detect the operation abnormality of the first opener or the second opener based on both the value after the Fourier transform and a waveform comparison result obtained by comparing a waveform of the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring device before the Fourier transform with a flow rate waveform obtainable when a predetermined operation abnormality occurs.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pressure measuring device installed in an ascending portion in which the processing solution rises up in the supply flow path at the downstream side of the flow path opener and configured to measure a head pressure of the processing solution,
wherein the controller is configured to detect the operation abnormality of the flow path opener based on a change amount of the head pressure measured by the pressure measuring device after outputting the close signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second opener comprises: and
an adjustment device configured to adjust a closing speed of the air operated valve to a predetermined set closing speed, and
wherein the controller is configured to control the adjustment device to change the set closing speed when the accumulated measurement result of the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring device after outputting the close signal to the second opener is out of a normal range.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the adjustment device comprises:
a needle valve configured to adjust a flow rate of air supplied to the air operated valve; and
a driver configured to drive the needle valve,
wherein the apparatus further comprises a storage part configured to store adjustment information in which an amount of deviation from a reference value within the normal range of the accumulated measurement result and a driving amount of the needle valve are associated with each other, and
wherein the controller is configured to control the driver based on the adjustment information to drive the needle valve by a driving amount corresponding to the amount of deviation so as to change the set closing speed.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Nakamizo Kenji
• Morita Satoshi
• Tanaka Akinori
• Komiya Hiroshi
• Nakashima Mikio
• Fukuda Kousuke
• Masaki Youichi
• Ando Ryoji
• Sunaka Ikuo

Classifications

• H10P72/0456

  in-line arrangement · CPC title

• H10P72/0616

  Monitoring of warpages, curvatures, damages, defects or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/0424

  using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles · CPC title

• H10P72/0414

  using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles · CPC title

• H10P72/0604 Primary

  Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring · CPC title