Substrate processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9329071-B2
Application number	US-201414257484-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2014
Priority date	Apr 21, 2014
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

The amount of processing liquid consumed from the processing liquid in the tank is calculated based on the history of opening and closing events of one or more of the valves, and that the anomaly detection controller of the substrate processing apparatus generates a level sensor failure alarm if the calculated amount of consumed processing liquid has increased beyond a state transition liquid consumption amount and yet the level sensor has not switched from the first state to the second state. The substrate processing apparatus and the level sensor are designed so that the level sensor switches from the first state to the second state when the calculated amount of consumed processing liquid has increased beyond the state transition liquid consumption amount.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a tank storing a processing liquid;
a level sensor which assumes a first state when a level of said processing liquid is higher than a predetermined reference level and which assumes a second state when a level of said processing liquid is lower than said predetermined reference level;
a substrate processing chamber for processing a substrate;
a material gas supply line connected between said tank and said substrate processing chamber and used for introducing a material gas containing components of said processing liquid into said substrate processing chamber;
a valve for opening and closing said material gas supply line;
a processing controller for detecting whether said level sensor is in said first state or said second state and controlling opening and closing of said valve; and
an anomaly detection controller for calculating a amount of processing liquid consumed from said processing liquid in said tank based on a history of opening and closing events of said valve, and for generating a failure alarm if said calculated amount of consumed processing liquid has increased beyond a predetermined state transition liquid consumption amount and yet said level sensor has not switched from said first state to said second state, wherein said substrate processing apparatus and said level sensor are designed so that said level sensor switches from said first state to said second state when said calculated amount of consumed processing liquid has increased beyond said state transition liquid consumption amount.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said anomaly detection controller has a calculation unit for calculating said calculated amount of consumed processing liquid, a memory unit for storing said calculated amount of consumed processing liquid, and an alarm determination unit for generating said failure alarm if said calculated amount of consumed processing liquid stored in said memory unit has increased beyond said state transition liquid consumption amount and yet said level sensor has not switched from said first state to said second state.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said calculation unit detects said history of opening and closing events of said valve through said processing controller, determines an amount of time said valve was open based on said history of opening and closing events of said valve, and multiplies said amount of open time of said valve by a processing liquid consumption rate to calculate said calculated amount of consumed processing liquid, said processing liquid consumption rate being an amount of processing liquid consumed from said processing liquid in said tank per unit time when said valve is open.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
said tank is provided with an inert gas supply line for supplying an inert gas and an inert gas valve for opening and closing said inert gas supply line;
said processing controller opens and closes said inert gas valve and said valve simultaneously; and
said calculation unit detects histories of opening and closing events of said inert gas valve and said valve through said processing controller, determines an amount of time both said inert gas valve and said valve were open based on said histories, and multiplies said amount of open time by a processing liquid consumption rate to calculate said calculated amount of consumed processing liquid, said processing liquid consumption rate being an amount of processing liquid consumed from said processing liquid in said tank per unit time when both said inert gas valve and said valve are open.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein after said substrate has been processed in said substrate processing chamber, said anomaly detection controller checks whether said failure alarm has been issued, and if said failure alarm has been issued, said anomaly detection controller causes said processing controller to assume a maintenance state.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said alarm determination unit generates a low liquid alarm when said calculated amount of consumed processing liquid exceeds a maximum allowable liquid consumption amount which is greater than said state transition liquid consumption amount.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a data storage unit storing data of said state transition liquid consumption amount and said processing liquid consumption rate, wherein said anomaly detection controller reads and uses said data stored in said data storage unit.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a replenishment tank storing a processing liquid, a replenishment line connected between said replenishment tank and said tank, and a replenishment valve for opening and closing said replenishment line, wherein upon detecting that said level sensor has assumed said second state, said processing controller opens said replenishment valve and thereby replenishes said processing liquid in said tank until said level sensor has switched from said second state to said first state.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein:
said anomaly detection controller has a calculation unit for calculating said calculated amount of consumed processing liquid by multiplying an amount of open time of said valve by a processing liquid consumption rate, said processing liquid consumption rate being an amount of processing liquid consumed from said processing liquid in said tank per unit time when said valve is open; and
upon detecting completion of said replenishment of said processing liquid in said tank, said calculation unit clears a memory location storing said amount of open time of said valve.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising a high level sensor which assumes a third state when a level of said processing liquid in said tank is higher than an upper limit level and which assumes a fourth state when a level of said processing liquid in said tank is lower than said upper limit level, said upper limit level being higher than said reference level, wherein said processing controller detects whether said high level sensor is in said third state or said fourth state, and if said high level sensor is in said third state, said processing controller closes said replenishment valve.

Assignees

• Asm Ip Holding Bv

Inventors

• Takamizawa Hisashi

Classifications

• G01F23/0061 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01F25/24

  Testing proper functioning of electronic circuits · CPC title

• G01F23/80 Primary

  Arrangements for signal processing · CPC title