System and method for flow monitoring and control

A flow control device adapted for use in semiconductor manufacturing comprising:

• an inlet to receive a semiconductor manufacturing process fluid:
• an outlet in fluid communication with the inlet;
• a pressure loss element between the inlet and the outlet;
• a first pressure sensor to measure the pressure of the process fluid flowing through the flow control device;
• a controller coupled to the first pressure sensor configured to:
• determine a first pressure of the process fluid at the first pressure sensor;
• determine a second pressure of the process fluid at the first pressure sensor;
• determine a fluctuation between the first and second pressure;
• if the fluctuation is outside of a predefined range, generate an alarm.

A method for controlling flow in a semiconductor manufacturing process, the method comprising

• receiving a semiconductor manufacturing process fluid at an inlet of a flow control device:
• measuring a first pressure of the a semiconductor manufacturing process fluid at a first pressure sensor;
• measuring a second pressure of the semiconductor manufacturing process fluid at the first pressure sensor;
• if a fluctuation between the first and second pressure is outside of a particular range, generating an alarm.

A computer program product comprising a set of computer instructions stored on a computer readable medium, said set of computer instructions comprising instructions executable by a processor to:

• determine a first pressure from a first pressure sensor at a flow control device;
• determine a second pressure for the first pressure sensor;
• determine the fluctuation between the first and second pressure;
• if the fluctuation is outside of a predefined range, generate an alarm.