# US 9,747,092 B2 · Substrate processing system and method of installing PLC software > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,747,092 B2 - Document ID: US9747092B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/711,641 - Filed: 2015-05-13 - Published: 2016-11-17 - Granted: 2017-08-29 - Earliest claimed: 2015-05-13 - Assignees: ASM IP Holding B.V. - Applicants: ASM IP Holding B.V. - Inventors: Taku Omori - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9747092B2 ## CPC - G06F 8/61: Installation - G05B 15/02: electric - G05B 19/0426: {Programming the control sequence} - H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) - G05B 2219/13164: Remote and local programming unit, control panel - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - 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) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A substrate processing system includes a main controller, a module controller connected to the main controller, the module controller controlling a device on the basis of a command from the main controller, and a programmable logic controller connected to the module controller, wherein the module controller automatically downloads, from the main controller, module controller software to be used for control of the module controller, PLC software to be used for control of the programmable logic controller, and an automatic transfer software for automatically transferring the PLC software to the programmable logic controller. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A substrate processing system comprising: a main controller; a module controller connected to the main controller, the module controller controlling a device on the basis of a command from the main controller; and a programmable logic controller connected to the module controller, wherein the module controller automatically downloads, from the main controller, module controller software to be used for control of the module controller, PLC software to be used for control of the programmable logic controller, and an automatic transfer software for automatically transferring the PLC software to the programmable logic controller. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein the programmable logic controller has a memory and a program area, and wherein the automatic transfer software transfers the PLC software to the memory and writes to the program area the PLC software transferred to the memory. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein the module controller has a wake-up module which executes the module controller software and the automatic transfer software after the module controller downloads the module controller software, the PLC software, and the automatic transfer software. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein if transfer of the PLC software to the programmable logic controller ends in failure while the automatic transfer software is executed, the automatic transfer software transfers a transfer failure log to the module controller. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein the device is an RF generator for a plasma processing apparatus, and wherein the programmable logic controller monitors whether or not the plasma emission intensity of the RF generator is within a predetermined range, and issues an alarm to the module controller when the plasma emission intensity of the RF generator exceeds the predetermined range. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein the device has an RF generator for a plasma processing apparatus and a temperature adjusting unit for adjusting the temperature of a susceptor heater for the plasma processing apparatus, and wherein the module controller automatically downloads, from the main controller, the module controller software, the PLC software, the automatic transfer software, temperature adjusting configuration software to be used for control of the temperature adjusting unit, and a temperature adjustment automatic transfer software which automatically transfers the temperature adjusting configuration software to the temperature adjusting unit. ### Claim 7 A method of installing PLC software, comprising: a downloading step in which a module controller automatically downloads, from a main controller, module controller software to be used for control of the module controller, PLC software to be used for control of a programmable logic controller, and an automatic transfer software for automatically transferring the PLC software to the programmable logic controller; and a transfer step in which when the automatic transfer software downloaded to the module controller is executed, the automatic transfer software transfers the PLC software to the programmable logic controller. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein, in the transfer step, the automatic transfer software transfers the PLC software to a memory in the programmable logic controller, and writes to a program area in the programmable logic controller the PLC software transferred to the memory. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the downloading step is automatically performed at the time of startup of the module controller, and wherein the transfer step is automatically performed after the completion of the downloading step.