IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,389,242
Granted Patent B2
US 9,389,242 · App. 13/923,501 · Granted Jul 12, 2016

Method for obtaining data of substrate processing apparatus and sensor substrate

Inventor: Hikaru Akada (Koshi, JP)
Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
G01P13/0006G01P5/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,389,242
App. No.
13/923,501
Granted
Jul 12, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a data obtainment method for obtaining data on gas flow directions in a plurality of measurement regions in a surface of a substrate loaded onto a loading unit of a substrate processing apparatus is provided. The method includes loading a sensor substrate onto the loading unit in a first direction, and changing the first direction into a second direction. Further, it is obtained a vector data of a gas flow in a first straight direction and a vector data of a gas flow in a second straight direction from each first sensor of the sensor substrate loaded in the first and second directions. Also, the method includes calculating a gas flow direction at each starting point in the first and second measurement regions by combining the vector data.

Claims (33)

1. A method for obtaining data on gas flow directions in a plurality of measurement regions in a surface of a substrate loaded onto a loading unit of a substrate processing apparatus, the method comprising:

loading a sensor substrate onto the loading unit in a first direction for obtaining data of gas flow directions in a first measurement region of a surface of the substrate, wherein the sensor substrate includes plural pairs of sensors provided at different distances from each other as viewed from a center of the surface, and wherein each pair of the sensors includes first and second sensors for obtaining vector data of a gas flow;

changing the direction of the sensor substrate on the loading unit into a second direction to obtain data of gas flow directions in a second measurement region, wherein the second measurement region is separate from the first measurement region around the center of the substrate;

obtaining vector data of a gas flow in a first straight direction from each first sensor of the sensor substrate loaded in the first and second directions, wherein the first straight direction is set along the surface of the sensor substrate for the first sensor;

obtaining vector data of a gas flow in a second straight direction from each second sensor of the sensor substrate loaded in the first and second directions, wherein the second straight direction is set along the surface of the sensor substrate for the second sensor, and wherein the second straight direction makes an angle with the first straight direction set for the first sensor which makes a pair with the second sensor; and

calculating a gas flow direction at each starting point in the first and second measurement regions by combining the vector data of the gas flow vector obtained from the first and second sensors which makes a pair with each other based on a predetermined starting point for the pair of the sensors.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a sensor-pair disposing region having the pairs of sensors provided therein and a component disposing region provided in a position dislocated in a circumferential direction of the sensor substrate are formed in the surface of the sensor substrate, and

wherein the component disposing region comprises at least one of a transmission unit configured to wirelessly transmit the vector data of gas flow vectors obtained from the first and second sensors to the outside of the sensor substrate and a memory configured to store the vector data.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the sensor-pair disposing region and the component disposing region are formed in left and right sides of the sensor substrate, respectively.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the substrate processing apparatus is provided with a supply hole of gas and an exhaust hole of gas between which the loading unit is interposed, and

wherein loading the sensor substrate in the first and second directions comprises loading the sensor substrate so that the sensor-pair disposing region and the component disposing region are respectively disposed in left and right sides as viewed from the supply hole toward the exhaust hole.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the vector data corresponds to gas flow speeds, and

wherein the method further comprises calculating a gas flow speed at the starting point by combining the vector data based on a predetermined starting point for each pair of the sensors.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the angle between the first straight direction and the second straight direction is 90 degrees.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the angle between the first straight direction and the second straight direction is 90 degrees.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the vector data corresponds to gas flow speeds, and

wherein the method comprises calculating a gas flow speed at the starting point by combining the vector data based on a predetermined starting point for each pair of the sensors.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the angle between the first straight direction and the second straight direction is 90 degrees.

10. The method of claim 3 , wherein the angle between the first straight direction and the second straight direction is 90 degrees.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein the vector data corresponds to gas flow speeds, and

wherein the method comprises calculating a gas flow speed at the starting point by combining the vector data based on a predetermined starting point for each pair of the sensors.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the angle between the first straight direction and the second straight direction is 90 degrees.

13. The method of claim 2 , wherein the angle between the first straight direction and the second straight direction is 90 degrees.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vector data corresponds to gas flow speeds, and

wherein the method comprises calculating a gas flow speed at the starting point by combining the vector data based on a predetermined starting point for each pair of the sensors.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the angle between the first straight direction and the second straight direction is 90 degrees.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the angle between the first straight direction and the second straight direction is 90 degrees.

17. A sensor substrate configured to obtain data on gas flow directions in a plurality of measurement regions in a surface of a substrate loaded onto a loading unit of a substrate processing apparatus, the sensor substrate comprising:

a plurality of first sensors configured to obtain vector data of gas flow in a first straight direction set along a surface of the sensor substrate;

a plurality of second sensors configured to obtain vector data of gas flow in a second straight direction set to make an angle with the first straight direction along the surface of the sensor substrate, wherein each of the second sensors makes a pair with each of the first sensors, and wherein the pairs of sensors are respectively provided at different distances as viewed from the center of the surface; and

at least one of a transmission unit configured to wirelessly transmit the vector data obtained from the first and second sensors to the outside of the sensor substrate and a memory configured to store the data to calculate a gas flow direction at each starting point by combining the vector data of the gas flow vector obtained from the first and second sensors which makes a pair with each other based on a predetermined starting point for the pair of the sensors.

18. The sensor substrate of claim 17 , wherein a sensor-pair disposing region having the pairs of sensors provided therein and a component disposing region having the transmission unit or the memory provided therein are provided in positions dislocated from each other in a circumferential direction in the surface of the sensor substrate.

19. The sensor substrate of claim 18 , wherein the sensor-pair disposing region and the component disposing region are formed in left and right sides of the sensor substrate, respectively.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 24, 2013
From: AKADA, HIKARU
To: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Reel/Frame 030673/0384 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2012-141247 · Jun 22, 2012 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20130346018A1 · Dec 26, 2013