# US 11,998,945 B2 · Methods and systems to monitor, control, and synchronize dispense systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,998,945 B2 - Document ID: US11998945B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/037,073 - Filed: 2020-09-29 - Published: 2021-05-06 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-11-04 - Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited - Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited - Inventors: Joshua Hooge; Michael Carcasi; Mark Somervell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11998945B2 ## CPC - B05D 1/005: {Spin coating} - B05C 5/0225: {characterised by flow controlling means, e.g. valves, located proximate the outlet (B05C5/0258, B05C5/0275 take precedence; supply valves upstream the coating head B05C11/1036)} - B05C 11/1013: {responsive to flow or pressure of liquid or other fluent material (B05C11/101 takes precedence; control of flow in general G05D7/00; control of fluid pressure in general G05D16/00)} - B05C 11/1023: {responsive to velocity of target, e.g. to web advancement rate} - B05C 13/02: for particular articles - B05D 1/26: performed by applying the liquid or other fluent material from an outlet device in contact with, or almost in contact with, the surface - G05D 7/0635: {by action on throttling means (G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence)} - G05D 7/0641: {using a plurality of throttling means (G05D7/067 takes precedence)} - H10P 72/0402: {Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence)} - H10P 72/0414: {using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles} - H10P 72/0604: {Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring} - H10P 72/0616: {Monitoring of warpages, curvatures, damages, defects or the like} - B05D: PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (conveying articles or workpieces through baths of liquid B65G, e.g. B65G49/02) - B05C: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (spraying apparatus, atomising apparatus, nozzles B05B; plant for applying liquids or other fluent materials to objects by electrostatic spraying B05B5/08) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract Embodiments are described herein to monitor and synchronize dispense systems for processing systems. For one embodiment, pressure and flow rate sensors are used to determine a delay between a flow change event and an increase in flow rate, and this delay is used to detect defects or conditions within the dispense system. For one embodiment, dispense system operation is synchronized using flow rate sensors. For one embodiment, simulation models or complex dispense profiles based upon combined pressure/flow/spin/concentration sensor data are used to enable complex process recipes. For one embodiment, dispense-to-dispense pressure and/or flow rate measurements are used to detect dispense parameters and defects. For one embodiment, cameras and image processing are used to detect flow rates from the dispense nozzle, and dispense-to-dispense measurements are used to detect dispense parameters and defects. One or more of the disclosed embodiments can be used in processing systems for microelectronic workpieces. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method to dispense liquid for a microelectronic workpiece processing system, comprising: receiving a liquid to be dispensed with a dispense system; dispensing the liquid on a microelectronic workpiece; rotating the microelectronic workpiece at a spin rate during the dispensing; sensing a flow rate for the liquid during the dispensing, wherein the sensing the flow rate occurs at a flow rate sample rate of at least one sample every 50 milliseconds or less; and synchronizing the flow rate and the spin rate. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronizing achieves a target uniformity in thickness for the dispensing of the liquid on the microelectronic workpiece. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining spin rate information at a spin rate sample rate of at least one sample every 50 milliseconds or less. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising performing at least one of a feedback adjustment by adjusting a spin rate used to process a subsequent microelectronic workpiece or a feedforward adjustment by adjusting a spin rate used to process a same microelectronic workpiece in a later process step. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising obtaining spin rate information at a spin rate sample rate of at least one sample every 50 milliseconds or less. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising performing at least one of a feedback adjustment by adjusting a spin rate used to process a subsequent microelectronic workpiece or a feedforward adjustment by adjusting a spin rate used to process a same microelectronic workpiece in a later process step. ### Claim 7 A method to dispense liquid for a microelectronic workpiece processing system, comprising: receiving, from a pump, a liquid to be dispensed at a nozzle of a dispense system comprising a filter, the pump, a valve, and the nozzle; dispensing, through the nozzle, the liquid on a microelectronic workpiece; rotating, using a spin motor, the microelectronic workpiece at a spin rate during the dispensing; sensing, at a flow sensor, a flow rate for the liquid during the dispensing, the flow sensor being fluidly coupled between the pump and the nozzle; and synchronizing the flow rate and the spin rate, the synchronizing comprising sampling, at a controller, the flow rate at a sampling rate of at least one sample every 50 ms or less. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the synchronizing comprises: combining, at the controller, the sampled flow rate and the spin rate to determine a shift from a target. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising correcting the shift by performing a feedback adjustment. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the feedback adjustment comprises adjusting a spin rate used to process a subsequent microelectronic workpiece. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the feedback adjustment comprises adjusting a start timing of the spin motor for a subsequent microelectronic workpiece. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the feedback adjustment comprises adjusting an end timing of the spin motor for a subsequent microelectronic workpiece. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising correcting the shift by performing a feedforward adjustment. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the feedforward adjustment comprises adjusting casting speed and/or reflow step for later process steps for the microelectronic workpiece. ### Claim 15 A microelectronic workpiece processing system comprising: a dispense system comprising a filter, a pump, a valve, and a nozzle, the pump configured to deliver a liquid to the nozzle, the nozzle being configured to dispense the liquid on a microelectronic workpiece; a controller configured to provide a spin rate to a spin motor; a flow sensor configure to sense a flow rate for the liquid during the dispensing and provide the sensed flow rate to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to sample the sensed flow rate at a sampling rate of at least one sample every 50 ms or less; and a spin motor configured to spin the microelectronic workpiece at a spin rate during the dispensing, the controller configured to obtain the sensed flow rate and synchronize the flow rate and the spin rate. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to: combine the sampled flow rate and the spin rate to determine a shift from a target; and synchronize the flow rate and the spin rate based on the shift. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to: correct the shift by performing a feedback adjustment. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the feedback adjustment comprises adjusting a spin rate used to process a subsequent microelectronic workpiece. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the feedback adjustment comprises adjusting a timing of the spin motor for a subsequent microelectronic workpiece.