Method of inspecting and inspection apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11513541-B2
Application number	US-201916656935-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2019
Priority date	Oct 22, 2018
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

The method for inspecting the flow rate controller for controlling a flow rate of a fluid includes creating and recording a three-dimensional database in which a first pressure, a set flow rate or a second pressure, and a control value of a piezoelectric element are associated with each other, based on reference data, measuring, as target data, control values of the piezoelectric element corresponding to the first pressure detected by a first pressure detector and the set flow rate specified in a recipe of a substrate processing process or the second pressure detected by a second pressure detector, at the time of the execution of the substrate processing process, and determining whether or not there is a problem in a diaphragm valve, by comparing the target data with the reference data included in the three-dimensional database.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of inspecting a flow rate controller for controlling a flow rate of a fluid,
the flow rate controller including
a first pressure detector configured to detect a first pressure that is a pressure of the fluid,
a diaphragm valve provided downstream of the first pressure detector and having a diaphragm and a piezoelectric element for driving the diaphragm,
a second pressure detector provided downstream of the diaphragm valve and configured to detect a second pressure that is a pressure of the fluid, and
an orifice provided downstream of the second pressure detector, and
the flow rate controller being connected to a processing apparatus for executing a substrate processing process, and controlling the diaphragm valve, based on the second pressure such that the flow rate of the fluid which is supplied to the processing apparatus becomes a set flow rate,
the method comprising:
measuring, as reference data, control values of the piezoelectric element corresponding to the first pressure and the set flow rate or the second pressure while changing the first pressure and the set flow rate or the second pressure, before the execution of the substrate processing process;
creating and recording a three-dimensional database in which the first pressure, the set flow rate or the second pressure, and the control value of the piezoelectric element are associated with each other, based on the reference data measured in the measuring the reference data;
measuring, as target data, control values of the piezoelectric element corresponding to the first pressure detected by the first pressure detector and the set flow rate specified in a recipe of the substrate processing process or the second pressure detected by the second pressure detector, at the time of the execution of the substrate processing process; and
determining whether or not there is a problem in the diaphragm valve, by comparing the target data with the reference data included in the three-dimensional database.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the measuring the reference data uses a first fluid as the fluid,
the measuring the target data uses a second fluid as the fluid, and
the determining further includes applying, to the reference data of the first fluid, a flow factor for converting into the reference data of the second fluid, and comparing the reference data of the second fluid with the target data of the second fluid.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the flow rate controller further includes a third pressure detector provided downstream of the orifice and configured to detect a third pressure that is a pressure of the fluid.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the flow rate controller further includes a third pressure detector provided downstream of the orifice and configured to detect a third pressure that is a pressure of the fluid.

5. An inspection apparatus for performing inspection related to control of a flow rate controller for controlling a flow rate of a fluid,
the flow rate controller including
a first pressure detector configured to detect a first pressure that is a pressure of the fluid,
a diaphragm valve provided downstream of the first pressure detector and having a diaphragm and a piezoelectric element for driving the diaphragm,
a second pressure detector provided downstream of the diaphragm valve and configured to detect a second pressure that is a pressure of the fluid, and
an orifice provided downstream of the second pressure detector, and
the flow rate controller being connected to a processing apparatus for executing a substrate processing process, and controlling the diaphragm valve, based on the second pressure such that the flow rate of the fluid which is supplied to the processing apparatus becomes a set flow rate,
the inspection apparatus comprising an inspection part connected to the flow rate controller,
the inspection part being configured to execute:
measuring, as reference data, control values of the piezoelectric element corresponding to the first pressure and the set flow rate or the second pressure while changing the first pressure and the set flow rate or the second pressure, before execution of the substrate processing process;
creating and recording a three-dimensional database in which the first pressure, the set flow rate or the second pressure, and the control value of the piezoelectric element are associated with each other, based on the reference data measured in the measuring the reference data;
measuring, as target data, control values of the piezoelectric element corresponding to the first pressure detected by the first pressure detector and the set flow rate specified in a recipe of the substrate processing process or the second pressure detected by the second pressure detector, at the time of the execution of the substrate processing process; and
determining whether or not there is a problem in the diaphragm valve, by comparing the target data with the reference data included in the three-dimensional database.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Sawachi Atsushi
• Amikura Norihiko

Classifications

• G01F7/005

  by measuring pressure or differential pressure, created by the use of flow constriction · CPC title

• G05B1/11

  fluidic · CPC title

• G05D7/0635 Primary

  by action on throttling means (G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01F15/005 Primary

  Valves (valves in general F16K) · CPC title

• G01F25/15

  specially adapted for gas meters (G01F25/11 - G01F25/14, G01F25/17 take precedence) · CPC title