System and method for monitoring vacuum valve closing condition in vacuum processing system
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorPei Cheng Chiu
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Abstract
A system and method for cleaning and inspecting ring frames is disclosed here. In one embodiment, a vacuum valve comprising at least one sealing O-ring; and a pressure monitoring tape on a mating surface on a vacuum processing chamber, wherein the pressure monitoring tape is configured to perform a pressure profile mapping between the mating surface on the vacuum processing chamber and a surface of the at least one sealing O-ring on the vacuum valve to determine a closing condition of the vacuum valve.
Claims20
A vacuum valve monitoring system, comprising:
- a vacuum valve comprising at least one sealing O-ring;
- and
- a pressure monitoring tape attached to a surface of a vacuum processing chamber,
- wherein the pressure monitoring tape is disposed between the at least one sealing O-ring and the surface of the vacuum processing chamber and is configured to perform a pressure profile mapping between the surface of the vacuum processing chamber and a surface of the at least one sealing O-ring to determine a condition of the vacuum valve,
- wherein at least a portion of the surface of the at least one sealing O-ring is coated with a film of low vapor pressure grease.
A vacuum valve monitoring method, comprising:
- closing a vacuum valve on a vacuum processing chamber,
- wherein the vacuum valve comprises at least one sealing O-ring;
- determining a closing condition of the vacuum valve using a pressure monitoring tape,
- wherein the pressure monitoring tape is configured on a surface that is disposed on a wall of the vacuum processing chamber to perform a pressure profile mapping between the surface that is disposed on the wall of the vacuum processing chamber and a surface of the at least one sealing O-ring,
- wherein the pressure monitoring tape is disposed between the at least one sealing O-ring and the surface that is disposed on the wall of the vacuum processing chamber, and
- wherein at least a portion of the surface of the at least one sealing O-ring is coated with a film of low vapor pressure grease;
- determining, based on the pressure profile mapping, at least one pressure value for the at least one sealing O-ring;
- and
- determining whether the at least one pressure value is within a predefined threshold value.
A vacuum valve monitoring system, comprising:
- a vacuum valve comprising at least one sealing O-ring;
- a pressure monitoring tape disposed between a surface of a vacuum processing chamber and a surface of the at least one sealing O-ring,
- wherein at least a portion of the surface of the at least one sealing O-ring is coated with a film of low vapor pressure grease;
- a data acquisition unit configured to collect a signal from a pressure sensing element on the pressure monitoring tape;
- a data processing unit configured to process the signal;
- and
- a local computer configured to:
- determine a condition of the vacuum valve based on a pressure value obtained from the signal, and
- determine whether the pressure value is within a predefined threshold value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.