Method of calibrating multiple chamber pressure sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11555755-B2
Application number	US-202117196272-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2021
Priority date	Mar 31, 2020
Publication date	Jan 17, 2023
Grant date	Jan 17, 2023

Abstract

There is provided a method of calibrating multiple chamber pressure sensors of a substrate processing system. The substrate processing system includes: multiple chambers; multiple chamber pressure sensors; multiple gas suppliers configured to supply a gas to an internal space of the multiple chambers; multiple exhausters connected to the internal spaces of the multiple chambers via multiple exhaust flow paths; and multiple first gas flow paths. The method includes: acquiring a third volume, which is a sum of a first volume and a second volume; acquiring a first pressure change rate of the internal space of a selected chamber; calculating a second pressure change rate of the internal space of the selected chamber; and calibrating the selected chamber pressure sensor such that a difference between the first pressure change rate and the second pressure change rate is within a preset range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of calibrating multiple chamber pressure sensors of a substrate processing system,
wherein the substrate processing system comprises:
a controller;
multiple chambers;
multiple chamber pressure sensors, each of which is installed so as to measure an internal pressure of a corresponding one of the multiple chambers;
multiple gas suppliers, each of which is configured to supply a gas to an internal space of a corresponding one of the multiple chambers;
multiple exhausters connected to the internal spaces of the multiple chambers via multiple exhaust flow paths, respectively; and
multiple first gas flow paths, each of which connects a corresponding one of the multiple gas suppliers to a corresponding one of the multiple chambers,
the method comprising:
determining, by the controller, a third volume, which is a sum of a first volume of a first gas flow path selected from among the multiple first gas flow paths connected to a gas supplier selected from among the multiple gas suppliers and a second volume of the internal space of a chamber selected from among the multiple chambers and connected to the selected first gas flow path;
acquiring, by the controller, a first pressure change rate of the internal space of the selected chamber, which is caused by allowing the gas having a preset flow rate to flow to the internal space of the selected chamber from the selected gas supplier via the selected first gas flow path, using a chamber pressure sensor for the selected chamber, which is selected from among the multiple chamber pressure sensors;
calculating, by the controller, a second pressure change rate of the internal space of the selected chamber, which is caused by allowing the gas to flow in the acquiring the first pressure change rate, by using the preset flow rate of the gas caused to flow in acquiring the first pressure change rate and the first volume and regarding the gas caused to flow in the acquiring the first pressure change rate as an ideal gas; and
calibrating, by the controller, the selected chamber pressure sensor such that a difference between the first pressure change rate and the second pressure change rate is within a preset range,
wherein a sequence including the determining the third volume, the acquiring the first pressure change rate, the acquiring the second pressure change rate, and the calibrating the chamber pressure sensor is repeated, and
wherein each of the selected chamber pressure sensor is sequentially selected from the multiple chamber pressure sensors and then the sequence which is repeated is performed with respect to the selected chamber pressure sensor.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate processing system further comprises:
a second gas flow path connected to each of the multiple first gas flow paths via each of the multiple gas suppliers;
a measurement device connected to the second gas flow path and including a third gas flow path connected to the second gas flow path and a flow path pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure within the third gas flow path; and
multiple fourth gas flow paths, each of which includes a corresponding one of the multiple first gas flow paths, the second gas flow path, and the third gas flow path,
wherein the determining the third volume further comprises:
determining a fourth volume of the fourth gas flow path which is selected from among the multiple fourth gas flow paths and includes the selected first gas flow path;
determining the second volume using the fourth volume of the selected fourth gas flow path acquired in the acquiring the fourth volume; and
determining the first volume using the fourth volume of the selected fourth gas flow path acquired in the acquiring the fourth volume.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the determining the fourth volume further comprises:
acquiring, in a state in which the gas is diffused into the third gas flow path, a first measured pressure value of the gas diffused into the third gas flow path using the flow path pressure sensor;
evacuating the selected first gas flow path included in the selected fourth gas flow path and the second gas flow path using an exhauster which is selected from among the multiple exhausters and corresponds to the selected fourth gas flow path;
acquiring, in a state in which the gas diffused into the third gas flow path in the acquiring the first measured pressure value is diffused into the selected fourth gas flow path including the third gas flow path, a second measured pressure value of the gas diffused into the selected fourth gas flow path using the flow path pressure sensor; and
calculating the fourth volume by using the first measured pressure value, the second measured pressure value, a predetermined value of a fifth volume of the third gas flow path, and regarding the gas diffused into the third gas flow path in the acquiring the first measured pressure value and the gas diffused into the selected fourth gas flow path in the acquiring the second measured pressure value as ideal gases.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the determining the second volume comprises:
acquiring a leak rate of the selected chamber using the selected chamber pressure sensor;
evacuating the internal space of the selected chamber using a exhauster which is selected from among the multiple exhausters and corresponds to the selected chamber;
acquiring, in a state in which the gas is diffused into the selected fourth gas flow path, a third measured pressure value of the gas diffused into the selected fourth gas flow path using the flow path pressure sensor;
acquiring a fourth measured pressure value of the gas diffused into the selected fourth gas flow path and the internal space of the selected chamber using the flow path pressure sensor after a first length of time elapses until the pressure detected by the flow path pressure sensor stabilizes after the gas diffused into the selected fourth gas flow path in the acquiring the third measured pressure value is diffused into the selected fourth gas flow path and the internal space of the selected chamber; and
calculating the second volume by using the third measured pressure value, the fourth measured pressure value, the fourth volume, the leak rate, and the first length of time, and regarding the gas diffused into the selected fourth gas flow path in the acquiring the third measured pressure value and the gas diffused into the selected fourth gas flow path and the internal space of the selected chamber in the acquiring the fourth measured pressure value as ideal gases.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the determining the first volume comprises:
acquiring, in a state in which the gas is diffused into a fifth gas flow path including the second gas flow path and the third gas flow path, a fifth measured pressure value of the gas diffused into the fifth gas flow path using the flow path pressure sensor;
evacuating the selected first gas flow path using the exhauster which is selected from among the multiple exhausters and corresponds to the selected chamber;
acquiring a sixth measured pressure value of the gas diffused into the selected fourth gas flow path using the flow path pressure sensor after the gas diffused into the fifth gas flow path in the acquiring the fifth measured pressure value is diffused into the selected fourth gas flow path including the fifth gas flow path and then the pressure detected by the flow path pressure sensor is stabilized; and
calculating the first volume by using the fifth measured pressure value, the sixth measured pressure value, and the fourth volume, and regarding the gas diffused into the fifth gas flow path in the acquiring the fifth measured pressure value and the gas diffused into the selected fourth gas flow path in the acquiring the si

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Matsuda risako
• Shouji Keita

Classifications

• H10P74/203

  Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects · CPC title

• H10P72/0604

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

• G01L7/00

  Measuring the steady or quasi-steady pressure of a fluid or a fluent solid material by mechanical or fluid pressure-sensitive elements ({G01L11/004 takes precedence;} transmitting or indicating the displacement of mechanical pressure-sensitive elements by electric {, e.g., photoelectric} or magnetic means G01L9/00; measuring differences of two or more pressure values G01L13/00; measuring two or more pressure values simultaneously G01L15/00) · CPC title

• G01L27/002 Primary

  Calibrating, i.e. establishing true relation between transducer output value and value to be measured, zeroing, linearising or span error determination · CPC title

• G01L21/02

  having a compression chamber in which gas, whose pressure is to be measured, is compressed · CPC title