Method and system for monitoring faults of vacuum equipment of photoetching machine

By obtaining the status information of vacuum pumps, solenoid valves and vacuum sensors, we can judge the vacuum equipment failure of the lithography machine in advance, and solve the problem of insufficient monitoring of vacuum equipment failure in the existing technology, realize early alarm and fault positioning, and reduce waste sheet rate and economy loss.

CN119247700APending Publication Date: 2025-01-03ZHEJIANG XINSHENG SEMICON TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202411143780.5
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-08-20
Publication Date
2025-01-03

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The fault monitoring of vacuum equipment of existing lithography machines relies on the reading of vacuum sensors, making it difficult to detect potential faults in advance, resulting in a decrease in the suction force of the vacuum suction cup, increasing the waste sheet rate and stagnation of production.

Method used

By obtaining the status information of the vacuum pump, solenoid valve and vacuum sensor, we can determine whether there is any abnormality in the equipment, alarm in advance and stop the lithography machine urgently to reduce the waste sheet rate and detect potential faults in a timely manner.

Benefits of technology

It realizes early positioning and early warning of vacuum equipment failures, reduces waste sheet rate, avoids production stagnation, timely maintenance, and reduces economic losses.

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Abstract

The invention discloses a method for monitoring faults of vacuum equipment of a photoetching machine. The method solves the problem that in the prior art, the vacuum equipment is judged only by means of vacuum readings of a vacuum sensor. The invention provides a method for monitoring faults of vacuum equipment of a photoetching machine. The method comprises the following steps: S100, acquiring start-stop state information of start or stop of a vacuum pump; s200, start-stop state information of start or stop of the electromagnetic valve is obtained; s300, acquiring state information of the vacuum sensor; and S400, judging whether the vacuum equipment is abnormal or not according to the state information of at least two of the vacuum pump, the electromagnetic valve and the vacuum sensor. According to the fault monitoring method for the vacuum equipment of the photoetching machine, potential faults existing in the vacuum equipment can be quickly and accurately positioned in advance based on the mutual relevance of the state information among the vacuum pump, the electromagnetic valve and the vacuum sensor. The invention further provides a photoetching machine vacuum equipment fault monitoring system, and the photoetching machine vacuum equipment fault monitoring method adopting the technical scheme is adopted.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of vacuum equipment for photolithography machines, and in particular to a method and system for monitoring vacuum equipment failure for photolithography machines. Background Art

[0002] Existing photolithography machines usually use vacuum chucks to suck wafers for photolithography of wafers, and vacuum equipment is used to provide the vacuum suction force required by the vacuum chucks. Once a problem occurs in the vacuum equipment, the suction force of the vacuum chucks will decrease, resulting in an increase in the scrap rate of the wafers during the photolithography process.

[0003] In existing vacuum equipment, vacuum readings of vacuum sensors are generally monitored, and an alarm is triggered when the vacuum reading is lower than a threshold. However, it is difficult to detect problems in vacuum equipment based on vacuum readings alone, and it is not possible to provide early warning for potential failures in vacuum equipment. Summary of the invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and propose a method and system for monitoring vacuum equipment failure in a lithography machine, so as to solve the drawback of the prior art of relying on the vacuum reading of a vacuum sensor to judge whether the vacuum equipment is normal.

[0005] In order to achieve the above technical objectives, the present invention proposes a method for monitoring vacuum equipment failure of a lithography machine, comprising the following steps: S100, obtaining start or stop status information of a vacuum pump; S200, obtaining start / stop status information of the solenoid valve; S300, obtaining status information of the vacuum sensor; S400, judging whether there is an abnormality in the vacuum equipment according to status information of at least two of the vacuum pump, the solenoid valve and the vacuum sensor.

[0006] Preferably, in S400, the consistency of the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve is determined. When the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are consistent, the process returns to S100 after waiting for Z1 time. When the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are inconsistent, it is determined that one of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve is abnormal, an alarm is issued, and the abnormal state of one of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve that is in the stopped state is displayed, and the lithography machine is stopped urgently.

[0007] Preferably, in S100, when the vacuum pump is started, the current start time information T1 of the vacuum pump is recorded; In the S200, when the solenoid valve is started, the current solenoid valve start time information T2 is recorded; The S200 includes S210; In S210, obtain the starting time difference T3 between the solenoid valve and the vacuum pump, where T3 = T2 - T1, and enter S400; in S400, also compare the value of T3 with a preset time difference threshold T0. When T3 ≤ T0, wait for Z2 time and then return to S100. S400 also includes S470. When T3 > T0, enter S470; In S470, give an alarm and display the abnormal state of the solenoid valve, wait for Z3 time and then return to S100.

[0008] Preferably, in S400, also record the maximum value Tmax and the average value Tavg in the starting time information of the solenoid valve for the previous M times, and generate T0 according to Tmax or Tavg.

[0009] Preferably, in S400, also compare the value of T3 with a preset emergency stop time TX, where TX > T0. When T3 ≤ TX, wait for Z4 time and then return to S100. S400 also includes S480. When T3 > TX, enter S480; In S480, give an alarm and display the abnormal state of the solenoid valve, and at the same time, emergency stop the lithography machine.

[0010] Preferably, in S400, judge the consistency of the start-stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve. When the start-stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are consistent, wait for Z5 time and then return to S100, When the vacuum pump is in the stop state and the solenoid valve is in the start state, increment the value of the fault information ER by 1, and at the same time, give an alarm and display the abnormal state of the vacuum pump. When ER < C, wait for Z6 time and then return to S100. When ER ≥ C, give an alarm and display the abnormal state of the vacuum pump, and at the same time, emergency stop the lithography machine and clear the ER value.

[0011] Preferably, in S300, obtain the vacuum reading information P1 of the vacuum sensor; In S400, judge whether both the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are in the open state. S400 also includes S410, S450, and S470. When both the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are in the open state, enter S410. When both the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are in the stop state, enter S450; S410, increment the sequence numbers of the vacuum reading information and time information obtained from the vacuum sensor within the TH time by 1 in sequence. Record the currently obtained vacuum reading information P as P1 and record the time information Ta of the currently obtained vacuum reading of the vacuum sensor as Ta1. Based on the multiple vacuum reading information Ps and multiple time information Tas recorded within the TH time, determine whether the vacuum device is normal. If it is normal, wait for the Z7 time and then return to S100. If it is not normal, enter S470; S450, clear the recorded vacuum reading information P and time information Ta, wait for the Z8 time and then return to S100; S470, give an alarm and display the fault information, wait for the Z9 time and then return to S100.

[0012] Preferably, S400 further includes S480; In S410, when the sequence number of the time information Ta reaches B, compare the magnitudes of the values of P1 and the preset vacuum reading threshold P0. When P1 > P0, enter S480. When P1 < P0, wait for the Z10 time and then return to S100; S480, give an alarm and display the abnormal state, and at the same time, urgently stop the lithography machine.

[0013] Preferably, in S300, obtain the resistance information R of the vacuum sensor; In S400, determine whether both the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are in the open state. When both the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are in the open state, determine whether the vacuum sensor is normal according to the resistance information R. If it is normal, enter S410. If it is not normal, enter S470.

[0014] The present invention also proposes a fault monitoring system for a lithography machine vacuum device, which adopts the fault monitoring method for a lithography machine vacuum device described in any of the above technical solutions. The fault monitoring system includes a first monitoring module, a second monitoring module, a third monitoring module, and a judgment and processing module. The first monitoring module is used to obtain the state information of the vacuum pump, the second monitoring module is used to obtain the state information of the solenoid valve, the third monitoring module is used to obtain the state information of the vacuum sensor, and the judgment and processing module determines whether there is an abnormality in the vacuum device according to the state information of at least two of the vacuum pump, the solenoid valve, and the vacuum sensor.

[0015] After adopting the above technical solutions, the present invention has the following beneficial effects.

[0016] 1. A method for monitoring faults in vacuum equipment of a lithography machine proposed in the present invention can quickly and accurately locate potential faults in vacuum equipment in advance by acquiring the start-stop status information of the vacuum pump, the start-stop status information of the solenoid valve, and the status information of the vacuum sensor, and based on the correlation between the status information of the vacuum pump, the solenoid valve, and the vacuum sensor, so as to facilitate maintenance personnel to promptly discover potential hidden faults and take corresponding measures, thereby avoiding production stagnation caused by sudden faults.

[0017] 2. The inconsistency between the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve means that one of the vacuum pump or the solenoid valve has a fault or aging problem. At this time, the vacuum state in the vacuum pipeline will gradually decrease, but before it drops to the alarm threshold of the vacuum sensor, the vacuum equipment will not stop the lithography machine urgently. However, at this time, the suction force of the vacuum chuck has decreased. When a wafer is being exposed, the vacuum chuck needs to drive the wafer to move. At this time, the wafer may be slightly displaced from the vacuum chuck during the movement, resulting in an increase in the waste rate of the wafer. According to the consistency of the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve, it is judged whether one of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve is abnormal. The alarm can be issued in advance before the vacuum sensor alarms, which speeds up the alarm speed and reduces or avoids the generation of waste wafers. When one of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve is abnormal and cannot work, the alarm is issued and the lithography machine is stopped urgently, thereby reducing or avoiding the waste of wafers. At the same time, the abnormal state of one of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve in the stopped state is displayed, which is convenient for maintenance personnel to quickly locate the fault problem, thereby helping maintenance personnel to quickly restore the production line.

[0018] 3. Failure or aging of the solenoid valve may cause the solenoid valve to take longer to close, or the solenoid valve to have poor closing ability. This kind of failure or aging problem of the solenoid valve can also be well warned. The aging of the solenoid valve will cause the solenoid valve to close more slowly, but the solenoid valve can still work at this time. At this time, emergency stop of the lithography machine will delay production and cause unnecessary economic losses. Therefore, the start-up time difference between the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve is used to determine whether the solenoid valve is abnormal. When it is abnormal, only the fault problem is displayed without emergency stop of the lithography machine. This is convenient for maintenance personnel to understand the current potential problems of the vacuum equipment, and also convenient for maintenance personnel to formulate maintenance plans according to production arrangements to ensure production progress.

[0019] 4. Based on the previous M startup information of the solenoid valve, a preset time difference threshold is generated, so that the startup time of the solenoid valve can be calibrated when the vacuum equipment is just put into use or the solenoid valve in the vacuum equipment is replaced, so that when a potential fault occurs in the solenoid valve, the problem can be discovered in time and accurately to avoid misjudgment of the fault problem.

[0020] 5. By setting a longer preset emergency stop time, it is ensured that when the solenoid valve fails, the lithography machine can be discovered and stopped in time, thereby reducing or avoiding economic losses.

[0021] 6. Since the failure or aging of the vacuum pump may cause the vacuum pump to work intermittently, by monitoring the vacuum pump fault information, when the vacuum pump works intermittently, it can be well warned and remind the maintenance personnel that the vacuum pump has a failure, which is convenient for the maintenance personnel to locate the fault problem; at the same time, when the vacuum pump frequently works intermittently, the lithography machine is stopped urgently, thereby reducing or avoiding economic losses.

[0022] 7. By obtaining the vacuum reading information of the vacuum sensor at multiple times, the expected vacuum value that the vacuum equipment can reach after a certain period of time can be expected. According to whether the expected vacuum value reaches the preset vacuum threshold, it is judged whether the vacuum equipment is normal. In this way, the vacuum equipment can be judged in a relatively short time, and the hidden faults in the vacuum equipment (such as vacuum pipe leakage) can be judged, which is conducive to the maintenance personnel to carry out targeted inspections on the vacuum equipment.

[0023] 8. When the vacuum sensor does not reach the vacuum reading threshold within a certain period of time after the vacuum equipment has been working, an alarm will be sounded and the lithography machine will be stopped urgently, reducing or avoiding economic losses caused by insufficient suction of the vacuum chuck. At the same time, the vacuum reading information and time information within a cycle will be retained, and maintenance personnel can read the corresponding data to make judgments on the fault problem.

[0024] 9. Due to the range limitation of the vacuum sensor, the vacuum sensor cannot read when its measurement range is not reached. Therefore, the vacuum sensor may not be able to read the corresponding value for a period of time when the vacuum equipment is just started. The vacuum sensor has no reading and cannot be used as a basis for judging whether it is normal. However, the vacuum sensor has a certain resistance when working. When the vacuum sensor is damaged, it is usually due to an internal short circuit or open circuit. Therefore, when the measured resistance of the vacuum sensor is 0 or ∞, it can be judged that the vacuum sensor is damaged, thereby greatly improving the detection time of vacuum sensor damage failure, which is conducive to maintenance personnel to quickly locate the fault problem and quickly solve the fault.

[0025] The present invention also proposes a lithography machine vacuum equipment fault monitoring system, which adopts a lithography machine vacuum equipment fault monitoring method as described in any one of the above technical solutions, so the lithography machine vacuum equipment fault monitoring system has all the technical effects of the above technical solutions.

[0026] These features and advantages of the present invention will be disclosed in detail in the following specific embodiments and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1Schematic diagram of a vacuum equipment fault monitoring system for a lithography machine in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Reference numerals: 100. Vacuum pump; 200, solenoid valve; 300, vacuum sensor; 400, fault monitoring system, 410, first monitoring module, 420, second monitoring module, 430, third monitoring module, 440, judgment processing module, 450, emergency stop switch, 460, display module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention are explained and described below in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention, but the following embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, not all. Based on the embodiments in the implementation mode, other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0031] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" and "several" mean two or more, unless otherwise clearly specified.

[0032] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0033] Embodiment 1: A method for monitoring vacuum equipment failure of a lithography machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention is used for monitoring vacuum equipment failure of a lithography machine, and comprises the following steps: S100, obtaining start or stop status information of a vacuum pump; S200, obtaining start / stop status information of the solenoid valve; S300, obtaining status information of the vacuum sensor; S400, judging whether there is an abnormality in the vacuum equipment according to status information of at least two of the vacuum pump, the solenoid valve and the vacuum sensor.

[0034] Among them, the vacuum equipment includes a vacuum pipeline, a vacuum pump that provides a vacuum environment to the vacuum pipeline, a solenoid valve that controls the opening or closing of the vacuum pipeline, and a vacuum sensor that monitors the vacuum state of the vacuum pipeline.

[0035] The method for monitoring the fault of vacuum equipment of a lithography machine proposed in an embodiment of the present invention, through the above steps, based on the correlation of the status information between the vacuum pump, the solenoid valve and the vacuum sensor, can quickly and accurately locate the potential faults in the vacuum equipment in advance, so that maintenance personnel can promptly discover potential fault hazards and take corresponding measures, thereby avoiding production stagnation caused by sudden faults.

[0036] Embodiment 2: Based on the first embodiment, in this embodiment, the following steps are included: In S400, the consistency of the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve is determined. When the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are consistent, return to S100 after waiting for Z1 time. When the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are inconsistent, it is determined that one of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve is abnormal, an alarm is issued, and the abnormal state of one of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve that is in the stopped state is displayed, and the lithography machine is stopped at the same time.

[0037] The inconsistency between the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve means that one of the vacuum pump or the solenoid valve has a fault or aging problem. At this time, the vacuum state in the vacuum pipe will gradually decrease, but before it drops to the alarm threshold of the vacuum sensor, the vacuum equipment will not stop the lithography machine urgently. However, at this time, the suction force of the vacuum chuck has decreased. When a wafer is being exposed, the vacuum chuck needs to drive the wafer to move. During the movement, the wafer may be slightly displaced from the vacuum chuck, resulting in an increase in the scrap rate of the wafer. Based on the consistency of the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve, it can be judged whether one of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve is abnormal. The alarm can be given in advance before the vacuum sensor alarms, which speeds up the alarm and reduces or avoids the generation of scrap wafers.

[0038] When one of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve malfunctions and fails to work, an alarm is sounded and the lithography machine is urgently stopped, thereby reducing or avoiding waste of wafers. At the same time, the abnormal state of one of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve is displayed, which is convenient for maintenance personnel to quickly locate the fault problem, thereby helping maintenance personnel to quickly restore the production line.

[0039] Embodiment three: In this embodiment, S100 and S200 are the same as those in Embodiments 1 and 2, but different from Embodiments 1 and 2 in that they include the following steps: S200 includes S210; S210, obtaining the start time difference T3 between the solenoid valve and the vacuum pump, T3 = T2 - T1, and entering S400; S400, compare T3 and the value of the preset start time difference T0, when T3≤T0, wait for Z2 time and then return to S100, S400 also includes S470, when T3>T0, enter S470; S470, an alarm is issued and the abnormal state of the solenoid valve is displayed, and then the process returns to S100 after waiting for Z3 time.

[0040] Among them, the failure or aging of the solenoid valve may cause the solenoid valve to take longer to close, or the solenoid valve to have poor closing ability. Such failure or aging problems of the solenoid valve can also be well warned. The aging of the solenoid valve will cause the solenoid valve to close more slowly, but the solenoid valve can still work at this time. At this time, emergency stopping of the lithography machine will delay production and cause unnecessary economic losses. Therefore, only the failure problem is displayed at this time without emergency stopping of the lithography machine, which is convenient for maintenance personnel to understand the current potential problems of the vacuum equipment, and also convenient for maintenance personnel to formulate maintenance plans according to production arrangements to ensure production progress.

[0041] Embodiment 4: In this embodiment, different from the above-mentioned embodiment, the following steps are included: In S400 , the maximum value Tmax and the average value Tavg of the previous M start-up time information of the solenoid valve are also recorded, and T0 is generated according to Tmax or Tavg.

[0042] When the vacuum equipment has just been put into use or the solenoid valve in the vacuum equipment has been replaced, the solenoid valve start-up time needs to be calibrated so that the problem can be discovered in a timely and accurate manner when a potential fault occurs in the solenoid valve, thus avoiding misjudgment of the fault problem.

[0043] Among them, the redundant parameter P1 or P2 can be generated according to expert experience, T0 = Tmax*P1, or T0 = Tavg*P2.

[0044] The initialization program is also included, and the initialization program is used to trigger S400 to record the previous M startup information of the solenoid valve.

[0045] Example 5: In this embodiment, S100, S200, and S210 are the same as those in the previous embodiments. Different from the previous embodiments, the following steps are further included: In S400, the values of T3 and a preset emergency stop time TX are also compared. TX > T0. When T3 ≤ TX, after waiting for a Z4 time, return to the said S100. S400 further includes S480. When T3 > TX, enter S480; S480, perform an alarm and display the abnormal state, and at the same time, emergently stop the lithography machine.

[0046] By setting a relatively long preset emergency stop time TX, it is ensured that when the solenoid valve fails, the lithography machine can be detected and emergently stopped in time, thereby reducing or avoiding economic losses.

[0047] Example 6: Based on the previous embodiments, different from the previous embodiments, the following steps are included: In S400, the consistency of the start-stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve is judged. When the start-stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are consistent, after waiting for a Z5 time, return to the said S100, When the vacuum pump is in the stop state and the solenoid valve is in the start state, the value of the fault information ER is incremented by 1, an alarm is performed and the abnormal state of the vacuum pump is displayed. When ER < C, after waiting for a Z6 time, return to S100. When ER ≥ C, an alarm is performed and the abnormal state of the vacuum pump is displayed, and at the same time, the lithography machine is emergently stopped and the ER value is cleared.

[0048] Due to the failure or aging of the vacuum pump, the vacuum pump may work intermittently. When the vacuum pump works intermittently, it can be well warned, and the maintenance personnel are reminded that the vacuum pump has a fault, which is convenient for the maintenance personnel to locate the fault problem; at the same time, when the vacuum pump frequently works intermittently, the lithography machine is emergently stopped, thereby reducing or avoiding economic losses.

[0049] Among them, the value of C can be 3 or 4, or other values.

[0050] Example 7 Based on the previous embodiments, different from the previous embodiments, the following steps are included In S300, obtain the vacuum reading information P1 of the vacuum sensor; In S400, judge whether both the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are in the open state. After S400, S410 and S450 are further included. When both the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are in the open state, enter S410. When both the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are in the stop state, enter S450; S410: Increment the sequence numbers of the vacuum reading information and time information obtained from the vacuum sensor within the TH time by 1 in sequence. Record the currently obtained vacuum reading information P and denote it as P1, and record the time information Ta of the currently obtained vacuum reading of the vacuum sensor and denote it as Ta1. Based on the multiple vacuum reading information P and multiple time information Ta recorded within the TH time, determine whether the vacuum equipment is normal. If it is normal, wait for the Z7 time and then return to S100; if it is not normal, proceed to S470; S450: Clear the recorded vacuum reading information P and time information Ta, wait for the Z8 time, and then return to S100; S470: Give an alarm and display the fault information, wait for the Z9 time, and then return to S100.

[0051] Specifically, based on the multiple vacuum reading information P1 - Pn and multiple time information Ta1 - Tan, through regression analysis, obtain the second regression equation corresponding to the vacuum reading information and time information. Substitute the preset time information Tt into the second regression equation to obtain the expected vacuum reading Pt, and compare the magnitudes of the values of Pt and the preset vacuum threshold P0. When Pt < P0, wait for the Z11 time and then return to S100; when Pt > P0, proceed to S470.

[0052] By obtaining the vacuum reading information of the vacuum sensor at multiple times, the expected vacuum value that the vacuum equipment can reach after a certain time can be predicted. Based on whether the expected vacuum value reaches the preset vacuum threshold, it can be determined whether the vacuum equipment is normal, so that the vacuum equipment can be judged in a relatively short time, and judgments can be made on potential faults (such as air leakage in the vacuum pipeline) in the vacuum equipment, which is beneficial for maintenance personnel to detect the vacuum equipment targeted.

[0053] Embodiment Eight: Based on Embodiment Seven, the difference from Embodiment Seven is that it includes the following steps: S400 further includes S480; In S410, when the sequence number of the time information Ta reaches B, compare the magnitudes of the values of P1 and the preset vacuum reading threshold P0. When P1 > P0, proceed to S480; when P1 < P0, wait for the Z10 time and then return to S100; S480: Give an alarm and display the abnormal state, and at the same time, immediately stop the lithography machine.

[0054] When the vacuum sensor does not reach the vacuum reading threshold within a certain working time of the vacuum equipment, give an alarm and immediately stop the lithography machine to reduce or avoid economic losses caused by insufficient suction of the vacuum chuck. At the same time, the vacuum reading information and time information within one cycle are retained, which is convenient for maintenance personnel to make judgments on fault problems after reading the corresponding data.

[0055] The value of B can be 4 or 5, or other values.

[0056] Embodiment nine: Based on the seventh embodiment, different from the seventh embodiment, the following steps are further included: In the S300, the resistance information R of the vacuum sensor is obtained; In S400, it is determined whether the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are both in the open state. When the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are both in the open state, it is determined whether the vacuum sensor is normal based on the resistance information R. If it is normal, the process proceeds to S410, otherwise, the process proceeds to S470.

[0057] Due to the range limitation of the vacuum sensor, the vacuum sensor cannot read when its measuring range is not reached. Therefore, the vacuum sensor may not be able to read the corresponding value for a period of time when the vacuum equipment is just started. The vacuum sensor has no reading and cannot be used as a basis for judging whether it is normal. However, the vacuum sensor has a certain resistance when working. When the vacuum sensor is damaged, it is usually due to an internal short circuit or open circuit. Therefore, when the measured resistance of the vacuum sensor is 0 or ∞, it can be judged that the vacuum sensor is damaged, thereby greatly improving the detection time of vacuum sensor damage failure, which is conducive to maintenance personnel to quickly locate the fault problem and quickly solve the fault.

[0058] Embodiment ten: like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention also proposes a lithography machine vacuum equipment fault monitoring system, which adopts the lithography machine vacuum equipment fault monitoring method as described in any one of the technical solutions in Examples 1 to 9. The fault monitoring system includes a first monitoring module, a second monitoring module, a third monitoring module and a judgment processing module. The first monitoring module is used to obtain the status information of the vacuum pump, the second monitoring module is used to obtain the status information of the solenoid valve, and the third monitoring module is used to obtain the status information of the vacuum sensor. The judgment processing module judges whether there is an abnormality in the vacuum equipment based on the status information of at least two of the vacuum pump, the solenoid valve and the vacuum sensor.

[0059] Preferably, in this embodiment, the fault monitoring system also includes an emergency stop switch, and the judgment processing module is connected to the emergency stop switch, and the emergency stop switch is used to emergency stop the lithography machine.

[0060] Preferably, in this embodiment, the fault monitoring system further includes a display unit, and the display unit is used to display fault information.

[0061] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention includes but is not limited to the contents described in the drawings and the above specific embodiments. Any modification that does not deviate from the functional and structural principles of the present invention will be included in the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring faults of vacuum equipment of a lithography machine, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S100, obtaining start or stop status information of a vacuum pump; S200, obtaining start / stop status information of the solenoid valve; S300, obtaining status information of the vacuum sensor; S400, judging whether there is an abnormality in the vacuum equipment according to status information of at least two of the vacuum pump, the solenoid valve and the vacuum sensor.

2. A method for monitoring vacuum equipment failure of a lithography machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the S400, the consistency of the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve is determined. When the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are consistent, the process returns to the S100 after waiting for Z1 time. When the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are inconsistent, it is determined that one of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve is abnormal, an alarm is issued, and the abnormal state of one of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve that is in the stopped state is displayed, and the lithography machine is stopped urgently.

3. A method for monitoring vacuum equipment failure of a lithography machine as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: In S100, when the vacuum pump is started, the current vacuum pump start time information T1 is recorded; In the S200, when the solenoid valve is started, the current solenoid valve start time information T2 is recorded; The S200 includes S210; In the S210, the start time difference T3 between the solenoid valve and the vacuum pump is obtained, T3=T2-T1, and the process proceeds to the S400; in the S400, the value of T3 is also compared with the value of the preset time difference threshold T0, and when T3≤T0, the process returns to the S100 after waiting for Z2 time, and the S400 further includes S470, and when T3>T0, the process proceeds to the S470; S470, alarm and display the abnormal state of the solenoid valve, wait for Z3 time and then return to S100.

4. A method for monitoring vacuum equipment failure of a lithography machine as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: In the S400, the maximum value Tmax and the average value Tavg of the previous M start-up time information of the solenoid valve are also recorded, and the T0 is generated according to Tmax or Tavg.

5. A method for monitoring vacuum equipment failure of a lithography machine as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: In the S400, the value of T3 is also compared with the value of the preset emergency stop time TX, TX>T0, when T3≤TX, wait for Z4 time and return to the S100, the S400 also includes S480, when T3>TX, enter the S480; S480, alarm and display of abnormal state of solenoid valve, and emergency stop of photolithography machine.

6. A method for monitoring vacuum equipment failure of a lithography machine as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: In the S400, the consistency of the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve is determined. When the start and stop states of the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are consistent, the process returns to the S100 after waiting for Z5 time. When the vacuum pump is in the stopped state and the solenoid valve is in the started state, increment the fault information ER value by 1, simultaneously give an alarm and display the abnormal state of the vacuum pump. When ER < C, wait for Z6 time and then return to S100. When ER ≥ C, give an alarm and display the abnormal state of the vacuum pump, simultaneously emergency stop the lithography machine and clear the ER value.

7. The method for monitoring faults of a vacuum device of a lithography machine according to claim 1, characterized in that In S300, obtain the vacuum reading information P1 of the vacuum sensor; In S400, determine whether both the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are in the open state. S400 further includes S410, S450, and S470. When both the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are in the open state, enter S410. When both the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are in the stopped state, enter S450; S410, increment the serial numbers of the vacuum reading information and the time information obtained from the vacuum sensor within TH time by 1 in sequence, record the currently obtained vacuum reading information P and denote it as P1, record the time information Ta of the currently obtained vacuum reading of the vacuum sensor and denote it as Ta1. According to the multiple vacuum reading information Ps and multiple time information Tas recorded within TH time, determine whether the vacuum device is normal. If normal, wait for Z7 time and then return to S100. If not normal, enter S470; S450, clear the recorded vacuum reading information P and time information Ta, wait for Z8 time and then return to S100; S470, give an alarm and display the fault information, wait for Z9 time and then return to S100.

8. The method for monitoring faults of a vacuum device of a lithography machine according to claim 7, characterized in that S400 further includes S480; In S410, when the serial number of the time information Ta reaches B, compare the magnitudes of the values of P1 and the preset vacuum reading threshold P0. When P1 > P0, enter S480. When P1 < P0, wait for Z10 time and then return to S100; S480, give an alarm and display the abnormal state, and simultaneously emergency stop the lithography machine.

9. The method for monitoring faults of a vacuum device of a lithography machine according to claim 7, characterized in that In S300, obtain the resistance information R of the vacuum sensor; In S400, determine whether both the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are in the open state. When both the vacuum pump and the solenoid valve are in the open state, determine whether the vacuum sensor is normal according to the resistance information R. If normal, enter S410. If not normal, enter S470.

10. A lithography machine vacuum equipment fault monitoring system, using the lithography machine vacuum equipment fault monitoring method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The fault monitoring system includes a first monitoring module, a second monitoring module, a third monitoring module, and a judgment and processing module. The first monitoring module is used to obtain the state information of the vacuum pump, the second monitoring module is used to obtain the state information of the solenoid valve, the third monitoring module is used to obtain the state information of the vacuum sensor, and the judgment and processing module determines whether there is an abnormality in the vacuum device according to the state information of at least two of the vacuum pump, the solenoid valve, and the vacuum sensor.