# US 8,543,355 B2 · Substrate processing apparatus checking method and storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,543,355 B2 - Document ID: US8543355B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/241,291 - Filed: 2008-09-30 - Published: 2009-05-14 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2007-10-04 - Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited - Applicants: Tomoya Koizumi - Inventors: Tomoya Koizumi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8543355B2 ## CPC - G05B 23/0221: {Preprocessing measurements, e.g. data collection rate adjustment; Standardization of measurements; Time series or signal analysis, e.g. frequency analysis or wavelets; Trustworthiness of measurements; Indexes therefor; Measurements using easily measured parameters to estimate parameters difficult to measure; Virtual sensor creation; De-noising; Sensor fusion; Unconventional preprocessing inherently present in specific fault detection methods like PCA-based methods} - H10P 72/0612: {Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput} - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A substrate processing apparatus checking method that can simply and reliably check the transient response characteristics of a substrate processing apparatus. An analyzing apparatus reads and analyzes process data comprised of time-series data on a plurality of parameters relating to a process comprised of a plurality of steps carried out on a substrate by the substrate processing apparatus. The analyzing apparatus extracts data that satisfies predetermined extracting conditions from the process data, and analyzes the extracted data based on predetermined analyzing conditions. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of checking a substrate processing apparatus in a system comprising at least one substrate processing apparatus and an analyzing apparatus that reads and analyzes process data comprising time-series data on a plurality of parameters relating to a process comprising a plurality of steps carried out on substrates by the substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a process data dividing step in which the analyzing apparatus divides the process data for each substrate of the substrates into a plurality of step data corresponding to respective steps of the plurality of steps carried out on a respective substrate by the substrate processing apparatus based on event data indicative of starting points and ending points of the plurality of steps carried out in the process for the respective substrate; a first data extracting step in which the analyzing apparatus specifies and extracts, for one substrate of the substrates, step data to be analyzed from the plurality of step data divided in said process data dividing step; a second data extracting step in which the analyzing apparatus further specifies and extracts, from the specified and extracted step data for the one substrate, analysis range data, which is time-series data of a part of the specified and extracted step data specified and extracted in said first data extracting step and which satisfies predetermined extracting conditions; and a data analyzing step in which the analyzing apparatus analyzes the analysis range data specified and extracted in said second extracting step for the one substrate based on predetermined analyzing conditions. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method of checking a substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a data storage apparatus, and the data storage apparatus stores the process data and the event data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A method of checking a substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analyzing apparatus carries out, in series, said data dividing step, said data extracting step, and said data analyzing step in reading the process data from a data storage apparatus. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A method of checking a substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the predetermined extracting conditions and the predetermined analyzing conditions are set before the process data is read by the analyzing apparatus. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A method of checking a substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analyzing apparatus comprises a display section displaying a GUI (Graphic User Interface), and the predetermined extracting conditions and the predetermined analyzing conditions are set via the GUI. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A method of checking a substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the GUI provides at least a difference calculation formula, an absolute value calculation formula, and a moving average calculation formula as calculation formulas that can be used in setting the predetermined extracting conditions. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) A method of checking a substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the GUI provides at least an average calculation formula, a maximum value calculation formula, a minimum value calculation formula, a standard deviation calculation formula, a first value calculation formula, a last value calculation formula, an analysis range period calculation formula, an approximate linear slope calculation formula, a linear regression intercept calculation formula, and a correlation coefficient calculation formula as calculation formulas that can be used in setting the predetermined analyzing conditions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A method of checking a substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analyzing apparatus stores a plurality of extracting conditions and a plurality of analyzing conditions. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A method of checking a substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, which is executed when a client accepts the substrate processing apparatus. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A method of checking a substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, which is executed after the substrate processing apparatus is operated for a predetermined time period. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A method of checking a substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a time lag from a time point at which analysis of the extracted data is started is set. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A method of checking a substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a number of times that should be satisfied by a starting point of the extracted data in said data analyzing step is set. ### Claim 13 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer to execute a method of checking a substrate processing apparatus in a system comprising at least one substrate processing apparatus and an analyzing apparatus that reads and analyzes process data comprising time-series data on a plurality of parameters relating to a process comprising a plurality of steps carried out on substrates by the substrate processing apparatus, the method comprising: a process data dividing step in which the analyzing apparatus divides the process data for each substrate of the substrates into a plurality of step data corresponding to respective steps of the plurality of steps carried out on a respective substrate by the substrate processing apparatus based on event data indicative of starting points and ending points of the plurality of steps carried out in the process for the respective substrate; a first data extracting step in which the analyzing apparatus specifies and extracts, for one substrate of the substrates, step data to be analyzed from the plurality of step data divided in said process data dividing step; a second data extracting step in which the analyzing apparatus further specifies and extracts, from the specified and extracted step data for the one substrate, analysis range data, which is time-series data of a part of the specified and extracted step data specified and extracted in said first data extracting step and which satisfies predetermined extracting conditions; and a data analyzing step in which the analyzing apparatus analyzes the analysis range data specified and extracted in said second extracting step for the one substrate based on predetermined analyzing conditions.