Data acquisition method of substrate processing apparatus and sensing substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9915677-B2
Application number	US-201213537637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2012
Priority date	Jul 1, 2011
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

A data acquisition method of a substrate processing apparatus for acquiring data on gas current directions in a plurality of measurement regions on a surface of a substrate, includes: loading a sensing substrate having a plurality of pairs of sensors on a loader, wherein each pair of sensors includes a first sensor and a second sensor configured to acquire vector data of the gas current on the surface of the sensing substrate; acquiring vector data of the gas current in a first linear direction by the first sensor; acquiring vector data of the gas current in a second linear direction slanted to the first linear direction by the second sensor; and combining the gas current vectors based on a starting point associated with the respective pair of sensors; and calculating a gas current direction from the starting point associated with the respective pair of sensors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A data acquisition method of a substrate processing apparatus including a loader on which a substrate is loaded, a direction adjustor which adjusts a direction of a sensing substrate having a plurality of sensors including a first sensor and a second sensor for acquiring a vector data of a gas current, the plurality of sensors being placed radially on the sensing substrate, a first transfer arm that transfers the sensing substrate between the direction adjustor and a storage which stores the sensing substrate, a second transfer arm that transfers the sensing substrate in which the direction of the sensing substrate is adjusted by the direction adjustor to the loader, and a controller that acquires data on gas current directions in a plurality of measurement regions on a surface of the substrate loaded on the loader, the method comprising:
loading the sensing substrate into the substrate processing apparatus;
acquiring a first vector data of the gas current in a first linear direction along the surface of the sensing substrate by the first sensor;
acquiring a second vector data of the gas current in a second linear direction slanted relative to the first linear direction along the surface of the sensing substrate by the second sensor;
obtaining, by a current measurer installed on the sensing substrate, a current value data of a current flowing through each of a first circuit including a first sensor and a second circuit including a second sensor;
transmitting wirelessly to the controller, by a transmitter installed on the sensing substrate, the first vector data, the second vector data, and the current value data;
combining the wirelessly transmitted first vector data and second vector data based on a predetermined starting point associated with the first sensor and the second sensor forming a pair of sensors;
calculating a gas current direction and a gas current speed from the starting point associated with the respective pair of sensors;
detecting whether each of the first vector data, the second vector data, and the current value data are within an allowable range;
checking a connection between a first electrode of the pair of sensor and a second electrode of the sensing substrate using a result of the detected first vector data, second vector data, and current value data, the first electrode being exposed to the first sensor and the second sensor and the second electrode being exposed to the sensing substrate; and
adjusting a heater of the substrate processing apparatus using at least one of the gas current direction and the gas current speed calculated from the starting point.

2. The data acquisition method of claim 1 , wherein the first or second vector data of the gas current is a data on the gas current speed, said data acquisition method further comprising combining the wirelessly transmitted first vector data and second vector data of the gas current based on the predetermined starting point associated with the pair of sensors and calculating a gas current speed from the starting point associated with the pair of sensors.

3. The data acquisition method of claim 1 , wherein an angle between the first linear direction and the second linear direction is 90 degrees.

4. The data acquisition method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying on a display at least one of the gas current direction and the gas current speed calculated from the starting point.

5. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a loader on which a substrate is loaded;
a sensing substrate that acquires data on gas current directions in a plurality of measurement regions on a surface of the substrate loaded on the loader;
a direction adjustor that adjusts a direction of the sensing substrate;
a first transfer arm that transfers the sensing substrate between the direction adjustor and a storage which stores the sensing substrate;
a second transfer arm that transfers the sensing substrate in which the direction of the sensing substrate is adjusted by the direction adjustor to the loader; and
a controller,
wherein the sensing substrate includes:
a plurality of first sensors that acquires a first vector data of a gas current in a first linear direction along a surface of the sensing substrate;
a plurality of second sensors, each of which is paired with each of the first sensors, that acquires a second vector data of a gas current in a second linear direction slanted relative to the first linear direction along the surface of the sensing substrate, the plurality of first sensors and the plurality of second sensors being placed radially on the sensing substrate;
a current measurer that obtains a current value data of a current flowing through each of a first circuit including one of the plurality of first sensors and a second circuit including one of the plurality of second sensors; and
a transmitter transmitting wirelessly the first vector data, the second vector data, and the current value data to the controller, and
wherein the controller controls to perform:
detecting whether each of the first vector data, the second vector data, and the current value data are within an allowable range;
checking a connection between a first electrode of the pair of sensor and a second electrode of the sensing substrate using a result of the detected first vector data, second vector data, and current value data, the first electrode being exposed to the first sensor and the second sensor and the second electrode being exposed to the sensing substrate; and
adjusting a heater of the substrate processing apparatus using the gas current directions.

6. The sensing substrate of claim 5 , wherein the first or second vector data of the gas current is data on a gas current speed.

7. The sensing substrate of claim 5 , wherein an angle between the first linear direction and the second linear direction is 90 degrees.

8. The sensing substrate of claim 5 , wherein a wiring pattern constituting a signal path is formed on the surface of the sensing substrate, and a metal film having a mesh pattern is formed around the wiring pattern configured to prevent noise of the signal.

Assignees

• Akada Hikaru
• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Akada Hikaru

Classifications

• G01P13/045

  with speed indication · CPC title

• G01P13/02

  Indicating direction only, e.g. by weather vane · CPC title

• G01P5/12 Primary

  using variation of resistance of a heated conductor · CPC title

• H10P72/7604

  the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support · CPC title