Gas analysis apparatus, fluid control system, program for gas analysis, gas analysis method

Abstract

To provide a gas analysis apparatus enabling improvement of vaporization efficiency and enabling actual concentration of process gas to come close to ideal concentration.SOLUTION: The gas analysis apparatus comprises: a first concentration calculation unit calculating concentration of process gas; a second concentration calculation unit calculating a concentration of a by-product gas generated at least in a side reaction different from a main reaction for generating the process gas; a comparison unit comparing first actual concentration, which is concentration of the process gas calculated by the first concentration calculation unit, with first ideal concentration, which is concentration of the process gas when the main reaction proceeds ideally, and comparing second actual concentration, which is concentration of the by-product gas calculated by the second concentration calculation unit, with second ideal concentration which is concentration of the by-product gas when the main reaction proceeds ideally; and an output unit determining and outputting a change target parameter which is a parameter whose set value should be changed among parameters set in devices constituting a fluid control system on the basis of the comparison result of the comparison unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas analyzer, a fluid control system, a program for gas analysis, and a method for gas analysis. [Background technology]

[0002] In some conventional semiconductor manufacturing systems, a process gas is generated by vaporizing a liquid or solid material, and the process gas is supplied to a chamber.

[0003] In such a system, not only the main reaction of vaporizing a liquid or solid material to produce a process gas occurs, but also side reactions other than the main reaction, such as liquefaction or decomposition of the process gas, occur.

[0004] For this reason, the actual concentration of the process gas (hereinafter referred to as the actual concentration) does not match the ideal concentration (hereinafter referred to as the ideal concentration) that would be obtained if the main reaction proceeded ideally. Conversely, the ratio of the ideal concentration to the actual concentration (hereinafter referred to as the vaporization efficiency) changes depending on what side reactions are occurring.

[0005] However, because it is difficult to identify which side reactions are occurring, conventional wisdom dictates that when trying to achieve a desired concentration of process gas, the amount of liquid or solid material used should be increased rather than trying to improve vaporization efficiency.

[0006] However, if the material is expensive, the cost of the manufacturing process increases, resulting in a problem of high cost of the final product. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-217894 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main object is to improve the vaporization efficiency so as to bring the actual concentration of the process gas closer to the ideal concentration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] That is, the gas analyzer of the present invention is a gas analyzer used in a fluid control system for controlling a process gas obtained by vaporizing a liquid or solid material, and is characterized in that it comprises a first concentration calculation unit that calculates the concentration of the process gas, a second concentration calculation unit that calculates the concentration of at least a by-product gas generated in a side reaction that is a reaction different from the main reaction that generates the process gas, a comparison unit that compares a first actual concentration, which is the concentration of the process gas calculated by the first concentration calculation unit, with a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the process gas when the main reaction proceeds ideally, and compares a second actual concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas calculated by the second concentration calculation unit, with the second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas when the main reaction proceeds ideally, and an output unit that determines and outputs a change target parameter, which is a parameter whose setting value should be changed, among parameters set in devices constituting the fluid control system based on the comparison result of the comparison unit.

[0010] According to the gas analyzer configured in this manner, since there is a correlation between the magnitude relationship between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration and the magnitude relationship between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration, and the occurring side reactions, the parameters to be changed are determined and output based on the comparison results of these concentrations. Therefore, by changing the set values ​​of the parameters to be changed, it is possible to improve the vaporization efficiency and ultimately bring the actual concentration of the process gas closer to the ideal concentration.

[0011] It is preferable that the parameter to be changed is the heating temperature of a pipe through which the process gas flows, the heating temperature of a vaporizer that vaporizes the liquid material or the solid material, the set flow rate of the vaporizer, or the concentration of the liquid material. By changing the set values ​​of these parameters to be changed, when liquefaction or decomposition of the process gas or re-dissolution of materials occurs, the progression of these side reactions can be suppressed, thereby improving the vaporization efficiency.

[0012] When the comparison result of the comparison unit indicates that the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration and the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration is less than or equal to a threshold value, there is a high probability that liquefaction of the process gas is occurring. In this case, therefore, it is preferable that the output unit outputs the heating temperature of the pipe as the parameter to be changed. In this case, liquefaction of the process gas can be suppressed by increasing the heating temperature of the piping.

[0013] When the comparison result of the comparison unit indicates that the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration, the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration exceeds a threshold value, and the second actual concentration is higher than the second ideal concentration, there is a high probability that decomposition of the process gas is occurring. In this case, therefore, it is preferable that the output unit outputs the heating temperature of the vaporizer or the set flow rate of the vaporizer as the parameter to be changed. In this case, decomposition of the process gas can be suppressed by increasing the set flow rate of the carrier gas, lowering the heating temperature of the vaporizer, or reducing the set flow rate of the vaporizer.

[0014] If the comparison result of the comparison unit indicates that the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration, the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration exceeds a threshold value, and the second actual concentration is lower than the second ideal concentration, there is a high probability that a side reaction is occurring, such as liquefaction or decomposition of the process gas, or re-dissolution of a material. In this case, therefore, it is preferable that the output unit outputs, as the parameter to be changed, the heating temperature of the piping, the heating temperature of the vaporizer, the set flow rate of the vaporizer, or the concentration of the liquid material. In this case, by appropriately changing the setting value of the output parameter to be changed, the progression of the side reaction that is occurring can be suppressed.

[0015] It is preferable that the apparatus further comprises an adjustment unit that receives the parameter to be changed output from the output unit and adjusts a setting value of the parameter to be changed. With this configuration, it is possible to automate the adjustment of the setting values ​​of the parameters to be changed.

[0016] It is preferable that the output section outputs the parameter to be changed in a visibly recognizable manner. With this configuration, the user can understand the parameters that need to be changed in order to improve evaporation efficiency, and the user can improve evaporation efficiency by changing the setting values ​​of the parameters that need to be changed based on, for example, experience.

[0017] It is preferable that the first concentration calculation section and the second concentration calculation section calculate the concentration based on an output signal output from a common photodetector. In this case, the concentrations of the process gas and the by-product gas can be calculated using a common photodetector, which makes it possible to make the apparatus more compact and reduce manufacturing costs.

[0018] The present invention also provides a fluid control system including a vaporizer that vaporizes the liquid material or the solid material, and a fluid control device that controls the process gas, the liquid material, or the carrier gas.

[0019] Furthermore, a gas analysis program according to the present invention is used in a fluid control system for controlling a process gas obtained by vaporizing a liquid or solid material, and is characterized in that the program causes a computer to function as a first concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of the process gas, a second concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of at least a by-product gas generated in a side reaction that is a reaction different from the main reaction that generates the process gas, a comparison unit that compares a first actual concentration, which is the concentration of the process gas calculated by the first concentration calculation unit, with a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the process gas when the main reaction proceeds ideally, and compares a second actual concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas calculated by the second concentration calculation unit, with the second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas when the main reaction proceeds ideally, and an output unit that determines and outputs a change target parameter, which is a parameter whose setting value should be changed, among parameters set in devices constituting the fluid control system, based on a comparison result by the comparison unit.

[0020] In addition, the gas analysis method of the present invention is a gas analysis method used in a fluid control system for controlling a process gas obtained by vaporizing a liquid material or a solid material, and is characterized in comprising: a first concentration calculation step of calculating a concentration of the process gas; a second concentration calculation step of calculating a concentration of at least a by-product gas generated in a side reaction that is a reaction different from the main reaction that generates the process gas; a comparison step of comparing a first actual concentration, which is the concentration of the process gas calculated by the first concentration calculation unit, with a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the process gas when the main reaction proceeds ideally, and comparing a second actual concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas calculated by the second concentration calculation unit, with the second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas when the main reaction proceeds ideally; and an output step of determining and outputting a change target parameter, which is a parameter whose setting value should be changed, among parameters set in devices constituting the fluid control system based on the comparison result of the comparison unit.

[0021] According to such a gas analysis program and gas analysis method, it is possible to achieve the same effects as those of the above-mentioned gas analyzer.

[0022] Furthermore, a gas analyzer according to the present invention is a gas analyzer for analyzing a compound gas generated in a main reaction in which a solid material is vaporized and a by-product gas generated in a side reaction different from the main reaction, and is characterized in comprising: a first concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of the compound gas; a second concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of the by-product gas; a comparison unit that compares a first actual concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas calculated by the first concentration calculation unit, with a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas if the main reaction proceeds ideally, and compares a second actual concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas calculated by the second concentration calculation unit, with a second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas if the main reaction proceeds ideally; and an output unit that outputs an analysis result based on the comparison by the comparison unit.

[0023] According to the gas analyzer configured in this manner, since there is a correlation between the magnitude relationship between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration and the magnitude relationship between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration, and the occurring side reactions, these concentrations are compared and the analysis results are output, making it easier to identify the cause of a difference between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration. As a result, it becomes easier to determine the parameters whose setting values ​​should be changed in order to improve vaporization efficiency, thereby improving the vaporization efficiency and ultimately making it possible to bring the actual concentration of the process gas closer to the ideal concentration.

[0024] Furthermore, the gas analysis program according to the present invention is a program used in a gas analyzer for analyzing a compound gas generated in a main reaction in which a solid material is vaporized and a by-product gas generated in a side reaction different from the main reaction, and is characterized in that the program causes a computer to function as a first concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of the compound gas, a second concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of the by-product gas, a comparison unit that compares a first actual concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas calculated by the first concentration calculation unit, with a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas if the main reaction proceeds ideally, and compares a second actual concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas calculated by the second concentration calculation unit, with the second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas if the main reaction proceeds ideally, and an output unit that outputs an analysis result based on the comparison by the comparison unit.

[0025] Furthermore, a gas analysis method according to the present invention is a gas analysis method for analyzing a compound gas generated in a main reaction in which a solid material is vaporized and a by-product gas generated in a side reaction other than the main reaction, and is characterized by comprising an analysis step of comparing a first actual concentration, which is the calculated concentration of the compound gas, with a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas if the main reaction proceeds ideally, and comparing a second actual concentration, which is the calculated concentration of the by-product gas, with the second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas if the main reaction proceeds ideally, and an output step of outputting an analysis result based on the comparison made in the analysis step.

[0026] Furthermore, the gas analyzer of the present invention is a gas analyzer that analyzes a compound gas and a by-product gas generated in a main reaction in which a solid material is vaporized, and is characterized in that it comprises a first concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of the compound gas, a second concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of the by-product gas, and an output unit that outputs a first actual concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas calculated by the first concentration calculation unit, and a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas if the main reaction proceeds ideally, in a manner that allows comparison, and outputs a second actual concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas calculated by the second concentration calculation unit, and a second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas if the main reaction proceeds ideally. Effect of the Invention

[0027] According to the present invention as described above, it is possible to improve the vaporization efficiency and make the actual concentration of the process gas closer to the ideal concentration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a fluid control system incorporating a gas analyzer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing chemical reaction formulas for explaining types of side reactions in the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a concentration monitor according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating functions of an information processing unit according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the first half of the operation of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a second half of the operation of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram illustrating functions of an information processing unit in a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a fluid control system incorporating a gas analyzer according to a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a second half of the operation of the information processing device according to the modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a fluid control system incorporating a gas analyzer according to a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a second half of the operation of the information processing device according to the modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining an aspect in which a solid material is used in a modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing chemical reaction formulas for explaining types of side reactions when the solid material is used. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the information processing unit when the solid material is used. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram illustrating functions of an information processing unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram illustrating functions of an information processing unit in a modified example of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] <<First embodiment>> A gas analyzer according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the gas analyzer 100 of this embodiment constitutes a fluid control system 200 that controls a gas to be supplied to a predetermined gas supply space S, and measures the concentration of that gas.

[0031] First, the fluid control system 200 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the fluid control system 200 supplies a process gas to a process chamber, which is, for example, a gas supply space S of a semiconductor manufacturing device, and specifically includes a vaporizer 10 that vaporizes a liquid material or a solid material, and a gas supply path L1 that supplies the process gas obtained by vaporizing the liquid material or the solid material by the vaporizer 10 to the process chamber S.

[0032] The vaporizer 10 vaporizes a liquid or solid material by heating and / or reducing pressure, and may vaporize a liquid material made by mixing a compound with water, may vaporize a solid material that has been melted into a liquid, or may sublimate a solid material.

[0033] In the following, a case will be described in which an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and water (H2O) adjusted to a desired concentration is used as the liquid material.

[0034] The vaporizer 10 of this embodiment includes a heater (not shown) for heating the liquid material and a nozzle (not shown) for spraying and vaporizing the liquid material. However, the specific configuration of the vaporizer 10 is not limited to this. For example, the vaporizer 10 may be of a bubbling type that vaporizes the liquid material while supplying a carrier gas into a tank containing the liquid material, or may be of a baking type that vaporizes the liquid material or solid material by placing a tank containing the liquid material or solid material in a thermostatic bath.

[0035] The vaporizer 10 here is connected to a material introduction passage L2 through which the liquid material stored in the reservoir 20 is introduced, and a carrier gas introduction passage L3 through which a carrier gas is introduced, and the reservoir 20 is connected to a pressurized gas introduction passage L4 through which a pressurized gas is introduced. The material introduction passage L2 is provided with a first mass flow controller MFC1 as a fluid control device that controls the flow rate of the liquid material, and the carrier gas introduction passage L3 is provided with a second mass flow controller MFC2 as a fluid control device that controls the flow rate of the carrier gas. Note that, although oxygen is used here as the carrier gas and the pressurized gas, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, or the like may be used depending on the type of liquid material.

[0036] 1, the gas supply path L1 connects the vaporizer 10 and the gas supply space S, and carries the process gas and its by-product gas generated by the main reaction in the vaporizer 10. In this embodiment, the process gas is hydrogen peroxide gas, the by-product gas is HO gas, and together with these gases, oxygen, which is the above-mentioned carrier gas and pressure-fed gas, also flows through the gas supply path L1.

[0037] In this embodiment, the by-product gas is generated as a by-product of the main reaction as described above, but may also be generated by a side reaction other than the main reaction. In other words, the concentration of the by-product gas may vary depending on the type of side reaction occurring, and may also vary the concentration of the process gas.

[0038] The present invention thus derives from the discovery of a technical significance in monitoring the concentration of the by-product gas, and will be described in detail below.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, examples of side reactions in this embodiment include liquefaction of the process gas (hydrogen peroxide gas), decomposition of the process gas (hydrogen peroxide gas), and redissolution of the process gas (hydrogen peroxide gas) in water into which the by-product gas (HO gas) has been liquefied.

[0040] Next, a gas analyzer 100 incorporated in the above-mentioned fluid control device will be described.

[0041] 1, the gas analyzer 100 includes a concentration monitor 30 provided in the gas supply line L1, and an information processing unit 40 that acquires an output signal from the concentration monitor 30. Note that the concentration monitor 30 does not necessarily have to be provided in the gas supply line L1, and may be provided, for example, in a branch flow path branched off from the gas supply line L1.

[0042] The concentration monitor 30 analyzes a measurement target component contained in a gas by an infrared absorption method, and specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, includes a light source unit 31 containing a light source that irradiates the gas with infrared light X, and a detection unit 32 containing a photodetector that detects the infrared light X that has transmitted through the gas, and is configured so that a light intensity signal of the infrared light X detected by the photodetector is output as an output signal to an information processing unit 40.

[0043] The information processing unit 40 is a general-purpose or dedicated computer equipped with a CPU, memory, AD converter, DA converter, etc., and may be provided integrally with the concentration monitor 30 or may be separate from the concentration monitor 30.

[0044] The information processing unit 40 performs the functions of a first concentration calculation unit 41, a second concentration calculation unit 42, an ideal concentration storage unit 43, a comparison unit 44, and an output unit 45, as shown in FIG. 4, by the CPU and its peripheral devices working together in accordance with a gas analysis program stored in a specified area of ​​the memory.

[0045] In the following description, the gas concentration may refer to the component concentration of the gas, or may refer to the partial pressure of the gas.

[0046] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the operation of the information processing unit 40 of this embodiment will be described together with a functional description of each unit.

[0047] First concentration calculation unit 41 calculates the concentration of hydrogen peroxide gas, which is the process gas (hereinafter also referred to as the first actual concentration), and specifically, receives a light intensity signal, which is an output signal from the photodetector, and performs arithmetic processing on the value indicated by this light intensity signal to calculate the concentration of hydrogen peroxide gas contained in the gas flowing through gas supply path L1 as the first actual concentration. Note that this arithmetic processing uses first calibration curve data indicating the relationship between the value indicated by the light intensity signal and the first actual concentration, and this first calibration curve data is stored in calibration curve data storage unit 46 set in a predetermined area of ​​the memory (see FIG. 4).

[0048] The second concentration calculation unit 42 calculates the concentration of H2O gas, which is a by-product gas (hereinafter also referred to as the second actual concentration), and specifically, receives a light intensity signal, which is an output signal from the photodetector, and performs arithmetic processing on the value indicated by this light intensity signal to calculate the concentration of H2O gas contained in the gas flowing through the gas supply path L1 as the second actual concentration. Note that, in this arithmetic processing, second calibration curve data indicating the relationship between the value indicated by the light intensity signal and the second actual concentration is used, and this second calibration curve data is stored in a calibration curve data storage unit 46 set in a predetermined area of ​​the memory (see FIG. 4).

[0049] In this embodiment, the first concentration calculation unit 41 and the second concentration calculation unit 42 are configured to calculate the first actual concentration and the second actual concentration, respectively, based on an output signal output from a common photodetector. This makes it possible to make the device more compact and reduce manufacturing costs. However, the first concentration calculation unit 41 and the second concentration calculation unit 42 may also be configured to calculate the first actual concentration and the second actual concentration, respectively, based on output signals output from different photodetectors.

[0050] The ideal concentration storage unit 43 is set in a predetermined area of ​​the memory, and stores a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of hydrogen peroxide gas when the above-mentioned main reaction proceeds ideally, and a second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of HO gas when the above-mentioned main reaction proceeds ideally.

[0051] The first ideal concentration can be calculated in advance, for example, before the start of a control process by fluid control system 200. Specifically, it can be calculated based on a titration concentration obtained by actually measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide contained in the aqueous solution stored in reservoir 20 by titration or the like, and a theoretical concentration of hydrogen peroxide (specifically, the volume fraction of hydrogen peroxide) theoretically obtained using the total flow rate of gas flowing through concentration monitor 30 (the combined flow rate of hydrogen peroxide gas, H2O gas, and oxygen gas).

[0052] An example of a specific method for calculating the first ideal concentration is as follows. First, the molar concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution in the aqueous solution stored in the reservoir 20 is measured by titration using an oxidation-reduction reaction, and the weight of the aqueous solution is measured to determine the weight percentage concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution.

[0053] Next, based on the above-mentioned mass percentage concentration and the set flow rate of the first mass flow controller MFC1, the weight of hydrogen peroxide solution fed to the vaporizer 10 per unit time and the weight of water fed to the vaporizer 10 per unit time are determined.

[0054] Then, by converting these weights into volumes, the volume of hydrogen peroxide gas generated in vaporizer 10 and flowing to concentration monitor 30 per unit time (i.e., volumetric flow rate) and the volume of H2O gas generated in vaporizer 10 and flowing to concentration monitor 30 per unit time (i.e., volumetric flow rate) are determined.

[0055] On the other hand, the volume (ie, volumetric flow rate) of the carrier gas (oxygen) per unit time that is fed into the vaporizer 10 and flows into the concentration monitor 30 is determined from the set flow rate of the second mass flow controller MFC.

[0056] In this manner, the volumetric flow rates of hydrogen peroxide gas, H2O gas, and oxygen gas flowing through concentration monitor 30 are determined, and the flow rate of hydrogen peroxide gas relative to the combined flow rates can be determined as the first ideal concentration. The calculation of the first ideal concentration is not limited to this, and various calculation methods may be adopted based on the technical common sense of those skilled in the art.

[0057] This theoretical concentration is the concentration of hydrogen peroxide gas when 100% of the aqueous solution stored in reservoir 20 is vaporized, in other words, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide gas when only the main reaction described above occurs.

[0058] This theoretical concentration may be the first ideal concentration, but in this embodiment, the first ideal concentration is set in consideration of the fact that the compound gas is somewhat reduced due to, for example, condensation in the process from the reservoir 20 to the concentration monitor 30. That is, since a difference occurs between the theoretical concentration and the concentration measured by the concentration monitor 30 (called the effective concentration), the ratio of the effective concentration to the theoretical concentration is obtained in advance, and the concentration obtained by multiplying this ratio by the theoretical concentration is set as the first ideal concentration. Note that the effective concentration may be set as the first ideal concentration without obtaining this ratio.

[0059] The second ideal concentration can be calculated in advance, for example, before the start of the control process by the fluid control system 200, similarly to the first ideal concentration. Specifically, it can be calculated based on the theoretical concentration of H2O (specifically, the volume fraction of H2O) theoretically calculated using the titration concentration and the total flow rate of the gas flowing through the concentration monitor 30, and here, the concentration obtained by multiplying this theoretical concentration by the ratio described above is taken as the second ideal concentration. Note that the concentration of H2O gas measured in advance by the concentration monitor 30 before the start of the control process by the fluid control system 200 may be taken as the second ideal concentration. In addition, an example of a specific calculation method for the second ideal concentration can be the same as the calculation method for the first ideal concentration described above.

[0060] The first ideal concentration and the second ideal concentration thus calculated are input from the outside via, for example, an input means and stored in the ideal concentration storage unit 43. Note that the information processing unit 40 may be provided with a function as an ideal concentration calculation unit that calculates the first ideal concentration and the second ideal concentration, and the first ideal concentration and the second ideal concentration calculated by this ideal concentration calculation unit may be stored in the ideal concentration storage unit 43.

[0061] The comparison unit 44 compares the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration, and also compares the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration; specifically, it determines the magnitude relationship between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration, and also determines the magnitude relationship between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration.

[0062] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the comparison unit 44 first compares the first actual concentration with the first ideal concentration, and determines whether the difference between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration is equal to or smaller than a threshold value (S1).

[0063] Then, when the difference between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, the comparison unit 44 determines that the above-mentioned main reaction is proceeding ideally (S2).

[0064] On the other hand, if in S1 the difference between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration exceeds a predetermined threshold, the comparison unit 44 determines which of the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration is larger (S3), and determines whether or not a side reaction other than the main reaction is occurring, or whether or not an abnormality has occurred on the gas analysis device 100 side (S4, S5).

[0065] Specifically, if the first actual concentration is higher than the first ideal concentration in S3, the comparison unit 44 determines that an abnormality has occurred on the device side (S4). Note that examples of abnormalities include calibration failure and various setting errors in the above-mentioned first calibration curve data, second calibration curve data, and the like.

[0066] On the other hand, if the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration in S3, the comparison unit 44 determines that a side reaction other than the main reaction is occurring (S5).

[0067] It should be noted that the above-mentioned determinations S2, S4, and S5 do not necessarily have to be made by the comparison unit 44, but may be made by the user, for example, or these determination steps may be omitted.

[0068] Here, if it is determined in S3 described above that the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration, it means that the ratio of the first actual concentration to the first ideal concentration (hereinafter also referred to as vaporization efficiency) is lower than 100%.

[0069] In contrast, the fluid control system 200 of this embodiment is configured to be able to change the parameter setting values ​​set in various devices that make up the fluid control system 200 in order to bring the vaporization efficiency closer to 100%, depending on side reactions that may be occurring.

[0070] More specifically, after determining in S3 described above that the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration, the comparison unit 44 compares the second actual concentration with the second ideal concentration to determine whether the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration is equal to or less than a threshold value (S6).

[0071] Then, based on the comparison result of the comparison unit 44, the output unit 45 determines and outputs change target parameters, which are parameters whose setting values ​​should be changed in order to suppress side reactions, among the parameters set in the devices constituting the fluid control system 200. Note that the output of the change target parameters by the comparison unit 44 is a signal for distinguishing the determined change target parameters from other change target parameters, such as a signal indicating the name of the change target parameter.

[0072] The equipment constituting the fluid control system 200 includes equipment for vaporizing liquid or solid material, and equipment for directing the generated process gas to the process chamber S, such as a reservoir 20 for storing the liquid material, a first mass flow controller MFC1 for controlling the flow rate of the liquid material, a second mass flow controller MFC2 for controlling the flow rate of the carrier gas, a vaporizer 10, piping (not shown) forming the gas supply path L1, or a heater (not shown) for heating this piping.

[0073] In this embodiment, a storage unit such as an internal memory or external memory of the information processing unit 40 stores judgment information such as a table consisting of candidates for the comparison results in S6 and S8 by the comparison unit 44 described above and one or more change target parameters linked to these candidates, and the output unit 45 judges and outputs the change target parameter using this judgment information and the comparison results in each of the above-mentioned steps by the comparison unit 44. Note that the above-mentioned storage unit may be a component of the information processing unit 40, or may be a component of a computer other than the information processing unit 40 provided in the fluid control system 200, or may be provided outside the fluid control system 200, such as a client server.

[0074] Here, if the comparison result of the comparison unit 44 in S6 indicates that the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration is less than or equal to the threshold value, there is a high probability that liquefaction of the process gas flowing through the gas supply path L1 is occurring as a side reaction.

[0075] Therefore, in this case, i.e., when the comparison result of the comparison unit 44 in S3 indicates that the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration, and when the comparison result of the comparison unit 44 in S6 indicates that the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration is equal to or less than the threshold value, the output unit 45 outputs the heating temperature of the piping that forms the gas supply path L1 as a parameter to be changed (S7).

[0076] This allows the heating temperature of this pipe to be increased, thereby suppressing liquefaction which may occur as a side reaction.

[0077] In such a configuration, the information processing unit 40 of this embodiment further has the function of an adjustment unit 47 that receives a parameter to be changed output from the output unit 45 and adjusts the setting value of the parameter to be changed, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0078] That is, when the output unit 45 outputs the heating temperature of the pipe as a parameter to be changed, the adjustment unit 47 adjusts the heating temperature to a target temperature calculated, for example, based on the evaporation efficiency described above, or raises the heating temperature by a predetermined constant temperature.

[0079] Furthermore, when the process returns to S7 after the heating temperature has been adjusted (raised), in other words, when it is determined in S6 that the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration is equal to or less than the threshold value, the output unit 45 may be configured to again output the heating temperature of the piping as a parameter to be changed.

[0080] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, if the comparison result in S6 indicates that the difference between the second concentration and the second ideal concentration exceeds the threshold, the comparator 44 determines which of the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration is larger (S8).

[0081] If the comparison result of the comparator 44 in S8 indicates that the second actual concentration is higher than the second ideal concentration, there is a high probability that decomposition of the process gas flowing through the gas supply path L1 is occurring as a side reaction.

[0082] In this case, that is, when the comparison result of the comparison unit 44 in S3 indicates that the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration, and when the comparison result of the comparison unit 44 in S6 indicates that the difference between the second concentration and the second ideal concentration exceeds the threshold, and when the comparison result of the comparison unit 44 in S8 indicates that the second actual concentration is higher than the second ideal concentration, the output unit 45 outputs at least one of the heating temperature of the vaporizer 10, the set flow rate of the vaporizer 10, or the set flow rate of the second mass flow controller MFC2 as a parameter to be changed (S9). Note that in the configuration of FIG. 1, the set flow rate of the vaporizer 10 is the set flow rate of the first mass flow controller MFC1.

[0083] Thereafter, the above-mentioned adjustment unit 47 is configured to lower the heating temperature of the vaporizer 10, reduce the set flow rate of the first mass flow controller MFC1 as the set flow rate of the vaporizer 10, or increase the set flow rate of the second mass flow controller MFC2, thereby making it possible to suppress decomposition of the process gas that may be occurring as a side reaction.

[0084] In this way, when multiple options are available as parameters to be changed in order to suppress side reactions, the output unit 45 may output these multiple parameters to be changed all at once, or may output them one by one.

[0085] The output unit 45 of this embodiment is configured to, when there are multiple options for the change target parameters to be output, output the change target parameters one by one in order based on a preset priority order.

[0086] To explain more specifically, taking the operation of S9 as an example, the output unit 45 first outputs the set flow rate of the second mass flow controller MFC2 as the parameter to be changed.

[0087] If the set flow rate of the second mass flow controller MFC2 is adjusted (increased) and then the process returns to S9, in other words, if it is determined again in S8 that the second actual concentration is higher than the second ideal concentration, the output unit 45 then outputs the heating temperature of the vaporizer 10 as a parameter to be changed.

[0088] When the heating temperature of the vaporizer 10 is adjusted (lowered) and the process returns to S9 again, in other words, when it is determined again in S8 that the second actual concentration is higher than the second ideal concentration, the output unit 45 finally outputs the set flow rate of the first mass flow controller MFC1, which is the set flow rate of the vaporizer 10, as the parameter to be changed.

[0089] If the set flow rate of the first mass flow controller MFC1 is adjusted (increased) and then the process still returns to S9, in other words, if it is determined in S8 that the second actual concentration is again higher than the second ideal concentration, the output unit 45 may be configured to output, for example, an error signal indicating that.

[0090] Returning now to the comparison of S8 in FIG. 5, if the comparison result of comparison unit 44 in S8 indicates that the second actual concentration is lower than the second ideal concentration, there is a high probability that one or more side reactions, such as liquefaction or decomposition of the process gas, or re-dissolution of the material, are occurring.

[0091] Therefore, in this case, that is, when the comparison result of comparison unit 44 in S3 indicates that the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration, and when the comparison result of comparison unit 44 in S6 indicates that the difference between the second concentration and the second ideal concentration exceeds a threshold value, and when the comparison result of comparison unit 44 in S8 indicates that the second actual concentration is lower than the second ideal concentration, output unit 45 outputs at least one of the heating temperature of the piping forming gas supply path L1, the heating temperature of vaporizer 10, the set flow rate of the first mass flow controller MFC1 which is the set flow rate of vaporizer 10, or the set flow rate of the second mass flow controller MFC2 as a parameter to be changed (S10).

[0092] Here, when one or more side reactions of liquefaction, decomposition, or re-melting are occurring, a measure to lower the temperature of the pipes, etc. is effective for decomposition, whereas a measure to raise the temperature of the pipes, etc. is effective for liquefaction and re-melting, resulting in each measure competing with each other.

[0093] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the adjustment unit 47 is configured to first lower the temperature of the pipes, etc., taking into consideration the use of peroxide as the process gas, and if this does not improve the side reactions, to raise the temperature of the pipes, etc.

[0094] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the adjustment unit 47 first lowers the heating temperature of the pipes that form the gas supply path L1 (S11).

[0095] Then, the adjusting unit 47 judges whether or not the side reaction has been improved (S12), and if it has been improved, ends the adjustment.

[0096] As an example of the determination of whether or not a side reaction has been improved, for example, if it is determined in S8 of FIG. 5 that the second actual concentration is higher than the second ideal concentration after adjustment of the temperature, etc. in adjustment unit 47, adjustment unit 47 determines that the side reaction has been improved, and if it is still determined that the second actual concentration is lower than the second ideal concentration, adjustment unit 47 determines that the side reaction has not been improved.

[0097] As another example, there can be mentioned a method in which, after adjusting the temperature, etc. in the adjustment unit 47, the flow in FIG. 5 is followed and if the process returns to S10 again, the adjustment unit 47 determines that the side reaction has not been improved, and in other cases, the adjustment unit 47 determines that the side reaction has been improved.

[0098] On the other hand, when it is determined in S12 that the side reaction has not been improved, the adjustment unit 47 then lowers the heating temperature of the vaporizer 10 (S13).

[0099] Then, the adjusting unit 47 determines whether or not the side reaction has been improved, similarly to S12 (S14), and if it has been improved, ends the adjustment.

[0100] On the other hand, if it is determined in S14 that the side reaction has not been improved, the adjustment unit 47 then controls, for example, a concentration adjustment device (not shown) to reduce the concentration of the aqueous solution in the storage container 20 (S15).

[0101] Then, the adjusting unit 47 determines whether or not the side reaction has been improved, similarly to S12 (S16), and if improved, ends the adjustment.

[0102] On the other hand, when it is determined in S16 that the side reaction has not been improved, the adjustment unit 47 increases the heating temperature of the pipe that forms the gas supply path L1 (S17).

[0103] In this case, it is preferable to return the adjustment values ​​adjusted in S11, S13, and S15 to the original set values ​​before adjustment, and then increase the heating temperature of the pipe in S17. However, it is also possible to increase the heating temperature of the pipe in S17 without returning some or all of the adjustment values ​​in S11, S13, and S15 to the set values ​​before adjustment.

[0104] Then, the adjusting unit 47 determines whether or not the side reaction has been improved, similarly to S12 (S18), and if it has been improved, ends the adjustment.

[0105] On the other hand, when it is determined in S18 that the side reaction has not been improved, the adjustment unit 47 then increases the heating temperature of the vaporizer 10 (S19).

[0106] Then, the adjusting unit 47 determines whether or not the side reaction has been improved, similarly to S12 (S20), and if it has been improved, ends the adjustment.

[0107] On the other hand, if it is determined in S20 that the side reaction has not been improved, the adjusting unit 47 then increases the concentration of the solution (S15), thereby completing the adjusting process.

[0108] It should be noted that the adjustments in S11, S13, S15, S17, S19, and S21 do not necessarily all need to be performed by the adjustment unit 47, and some or all of these adjustments may be manually performed by the user.

[0109] According to the gas analyzer 100 of this embodiment configured as described above, the first actual concentration is compared with the first ideal concentration, and the second actual concentration is compared with the second ideal concentration, and based on these comparison results, the parameters to be changed are determined and output. Therefore, by adjusting the setting values ​​of the parameters to be changed, the progression of side reactions that may be occurring can be suppressed. As a result, the vaporization efficiency can be improved, and the actual concentration of the process gas can be made closer to the ideal concentration.

[0110] Furthermore, since the information processing section 40 has the function of the adjustment section 47, it is possible to automate the adjustment of the setting values ​​of the parameters to be changed.

[0111] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the first embodiment.

[0112] For example, in the first embodiment, the output unit 45 outputs the parameters to be changed to the adjustment unit 47, but as shown in FIG. 7, the output unit 45 may display the parameters to be changed on a display or the like. With this configuration, the user can understand the parameters that need to be changed in order to improve evaporation efficiency, and the user can improve evaporation efficiency by changing the setting values ​​of the parameters that need to be changed based on, for example, experience.

[0113] In addition, in the first embodiment, the fluid control system 200 sprays and vaporizes a liquid material from a nozzle, but as shown in FIG. 8, the fluid control system may be of a bubbling type in which a liquid material or a molten solid material is heated and bubbled to vaporize it.

[0114] Specifically, this fluid control system 200 includes a vaporization tank 11 that contains a liquid material or a solid material, a carrier gas introduction path L3 that introduces a carrier gas for bubbling and vaporizing the material into the vaporization tank 11, a mass flow controller MFC3 that is a fluid control device provided in the carrier gas introduction path L3, and a gas supply path L1 that supplies the gas vaporized by the vaporization tank 11 to a gas supply space S such as a chamber. That is, in this embodiment, the vaporization tank 11 and the carrier gas introduction path L3 function as a vaporizer 10 that vaporizes the liquid material or the solid material.

[0115] In this configuration, the equipment constituting the fluid control system 200 can include the above-mentioned vaporizer 10, mass flow controller MFC3, piping forming the gas supply path L1, piping forming the carrier gas introduction path L3, and a heater for heating these piping.

[0116] In addition, the parameters to be changed include the solution temperature in vaporization tank 11, the solution concentration in vaporization tank 11, the heating temperature of vaporizer 10, the set flow rate of vaporizer 10, the heating temperature of the pipe forming gas supply path L1, and the heating temperature of the pipe forming carrier gas introduction path L3, etc. In the configuration of Fig. 8, the set flow rate of vaporizer 10 is the set flow rate of mass flow controller MFC3.

[0117] Here, the operations of the information processing device 4 in the configuration of Fig. 8 can be the same as S1 to S9 in Fig. 5 of the embodiment, so an example of the operations after various parameters to be changed are output in S10 will be described with reference to Fig. 9 for a case in which hydrogen peroxide solution is used. Note that a description of operations common to the operations in Fig. 6, such as the step of determining whether or not side reactions have been improved, will be omitted. First, in order to suppress decomposition, the adjustment unit 47 lowers the heating temperature of the piping of the gas supply path L1 (S11). Thereafter, if the adjustment unit 47 determines that the side reaction has not been improved, it then lowers the solution temperature in the vaporization tank 11 (S13), and if it still determines that the side reaction has not been improved, it lowers the solution concentration in the vaporization tank 11 (S15). Furthermore, if the adjustment unit 47 determines that the side reaction has still not been improved, it reduces the set flow rate of the mass flow controller MFC3 (Sa1) to check whether reducing the amount of hydrogen peroxide solution sent to the gas supply path L1 contributes to suppressing the decomposition reaction.

[0118] Thereafter, the adjustment unit 47 determines whether the side reaction has been improved (Sa2), and if the side reaction has not been improved, the adjustment unit 47 increases the heating temperature of the gas supply path L1 to suppress liquefaction and / or re-melting (S17). Thereafter, if the adjustment unit 47 determines that the side reaction has not been improved, it increases the heating temperature of the carrier gas introduction path L3 to prevent the temperature of the hydrogen peroxide gas and H2O gas flowing through the gas supply path L1 from being lost by the oxygen gas (S19), and if it still determines that the side reaction has not been improved, it increases the solution concentration in the vaporization tank 11 (S21).

[0119] 10, the fluid control system 200 may be of a baking type in which a vaporizer 12 containing a liquid or solid material is placed in a thermostatic chamber 13 to vaporize the liquid or solid material. Note that the thermostatic chamber 13 is not necessarily required.

[0120] Specifically, this fluid control system 200 includes the above-mentioned vaporizer 12 and thermostatic chamber 13, a gas supply path L1 that supplies the gas vaporized by the vaporizer 12 to a gas supply space S such as a chamber, and a mass flow controller MFC4, which is a fluid control device, that is provided on the gas supply path L1 and disposed within the thermostatic chamber 13.

[0121] In this configuration, the devices constituting the fluid control system include a vaporizer 12, a thermostatic chamber 13, a mass flow controller MFC4, piping that forms the gas supply path L1, and a heater that heats the piping.

[0122] In addition, the parameters to be changed include the heating temperature of vaporizer 12, the set flow rate of vaporizer 12, the set temperature of thermostatic chamber 13, and the heating temperature of the piping that forms gas supply path L1. In the configuration of Fig. 10, the set flow rate of vaporizer 12 is the set flow rate of mass flow controller MFC4.

[0123] Here, the operation of the information processing device 4 in the configuration of Fig. 10 can be the same as S1 to S9 in Fig. 5 of the embodiment, so an example of the operation after various parameters to be changed are output in S10 will be described with reference to Fig. 11 for a case in which hydrogen peroxide solution is used. Note that a description of operations common to the operation in Fig. 6, such as the step of determining whether or not a side reaction has been improved, will be omitted. First, in order to suppress decomposition, the adjustment unit 47 lowers the heating temperature of the piping of the gas supply path L1 (S11). Thereafter, if the adjustment unit 47 determines that the side reaction has not been improved, it then lowers the solution temperature in the vaporizer 12 (S13), and if it still determines that the side reaction has not been improved, it lowers the set temperature of the thermostatic bath 13 (S15). Furthermore, if the adjustment unit 47 determines that the side reaction has still not been improved, it reduces the set flow rate of the mass flow controller MFC4 or reduces the solution concentration in the vaporizer 12 (Sb1) to check whether reducing the amount of hydrogen peroxide solution sent to the gas supply path L1 contributes to suppressing the decomposition reaction.

[0124] Thereafter, the adjustment unit 47 determines whether the side reaction has been improved (Sa2), and if the side reaction has not been improved, the adjustment unit 47 increases the heating temperature of the gas supply path L1 to suppress liquefaction and / or re-melting (S17). Thereafter, if adjustment unit 47 determines that the side reaction has not been improved, it increases the set temperature of thermostatic chamber 13 (S19), and if it still determines that the side reaction has not been improved, it reduces the set flow rate of mass flow controller MFC4 or reduces the solution concentration in vaporizer 12 (S21), taking into consideration the possibility that hydrogen peroxide gas and / or H2O gas above the saturated vapor pressure is flowing through gas supply path L1.

[0125] In the first embodiment, a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and water (H2O) was used as the liquid material, but a mixture of formaldehyde and water or a mixture of peracetic acid and water may also be used. Furthermore, various liquid materials may be used without being limited to aqueous solutions.

[0126] Moreover, an example of the solid material is W(CO)6 (tungsten hexacarbonyl).

[0127] When using this solid material, the main reaction occurs in the vaporization tank 12 and the gas supply space S, which is the process chamber. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, W(CO)6 gas is generated as the process gas in the vaporization tank 12, and CO gas is generated as a by-product gas in the process chamber.

[0128] On the other hand, possible side reactions that may occur when using this solid material include decomposition of the process gas before it reaches the process chamber, decomposition of the process gas that occurs separately from this decomposition, and liquefaction and / or solidification of the process gas, as shown in FIG. 13.

[0129] Here, if the above-mentioned main reaction proceeds ideally, decomposition of the process gas does not occur before the gas reaches the process chamber, and CO gas as a by-product gas should not flow through the gas supply line L1, in other words, the second ideal concentration is zero. That is, the by-product gas in this embodiment is a gas that is not produced in the main reaction proceeding ideally, but is produced only in the side reaction.

[0130] For this reason, the concentration monitor 30 in this case plays a role of confirming that no CO gas is flowing through the gas supply path L1, as shown in FIG.

[0131] An example of the operation of the information processing device in this embodiment can be the flow shown in Fig. 14. Note that the flow from T1 to T6 is common to S1 to S6 in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0132] If the comparison result of the comparison unit 44 at T6 indicates that the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration is less than or equal to the threshold value, since the second ideal concentration is zero as described above, there is a high probability that liquefaction and / or solidification of the process gas flowing through the gas supply path L1 is occurring as a side reaction.

[0133] Therefore, in this case, i.e., when the comparison result of the comparison unit 44 at T3 indicates that the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration, and when the comparison result of the comparison unit 44 at T6 indicates that the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration is equal to or less than the threshold value, the output unit 45 outputs the heating temperature of the piping forming the gas supply path L1 as a parameter to be changed (T7), and by raising the heating temperature of this piping, liquefaction and / or solidification that may be occurring as a side reaction can be suppressed.

[0134] On the other hand, if the comparison result at T6 indicates that the difference between the second concentration and the second ideal concentration exceeds the threshold value, there is a high probability that decomposition of the process gas is occurring as a side reaction.

[0135] Therefore, in this case, i.e., when the comparison result of the comparison unit 44 at T3 indicates that the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration, and when the comparison result of the comparison unit 44 at T6 indicates that the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration exceeds the threshold value, the output unit 45 outputs the heating temperature of the piping that forms the gas supply path L1 as a parameter to be changed (T8), and by lowering the heating temperature of this piping, decomposition of the process gas that would otherwise be occurring as a side reaction can be suppressed.

[0136] Furthermore, some of the functions of the first embodiment may be executed by a machine learning unit that performs calculation processing using a machine learning algorithm. For example, the functions of one or both of the output unit 45 and the adjustment unit 47 may be executed by the machine learning unit.

[0137] <<Second embodiment>> Next, a second embodiment of the gas analyzer according to the present invention will be described.

[0138] The gas analyzer according to this embodiment is a gas analyzer that analyzes a compound gas generated in a main reaction in which a solid material is vaporized and a by-product gas generated in a side reaction separate from the main reaction. Since the configuration and operation of the information processing device are different from those of the above embodiment, these will be described in detail below.

[0139] 15, the information processing unit 50 of this embodiment functions as a first concentration calculation unit 51, a second concentration calculation unit 52, an ideal concentration storage unit 53, a comparison unit 54, and an output unit 55. Note that the concentration of a gas described below may mean the component concentration of the gas, or may mean the partial pressure of the gas. The operation of the information processing unit 50 of this embodiment will be described below together with the functional description of each unit.

[0140] The first concentration calculation unit 51 calculates the concentration of the compound gas W(CO)6 gas (hereinafter also referred to as the first actual concentration), and specifically, receives a light intensity signal which is an output signal from the photodetector, and calculates the concentration of the W(CO)6 gas contained in the gas flowing through the gas supply line L1 as the first actual concentration by performing arithmetic processing on the value indicated by the light intensity signal. Note that, in this arithmetic processing, first calibration curve data indicating the relationship between the value indicated by the light intensity signal and the first actual concentration is used, and this first calibration curve data is stored in the calibration curve data storage unit 56 set in a predetermined area of ​​the memory (see FIG. 15).

[0141] The second concentration calculation unit 52 calculates the concentration of CO gas, which is a by-product gas (hereinafter also referred to as the second actual concentration), and specifically, receives a light intensity signal, which is an output signal from the photodetector, and calculates the concentration of CO gas contained in the gas flowing through the gas supply path L1 as the second actual concentration by performing an arithmetic process on the value indicated by this light intensity signal. Note that, in this arithmetic process, second calibration curve data indicating the relationship between the value indicated by the light intensity signal and the second actual concentration is used, and this second calibration curve data is stored in a calibration curve data storage unit 56 set in a predetermined area of ​​the memory (see FIG. 15).

[0142] In this embodiment, the first concentration calculation section 51 and the second concentration calculation section 52 are configured to calculate the first actual concentration and the second actual concentration, respectively, based on an output signal output from a common photodetector, which allows the device to be made more compact and the manufacturing costs to be reduced. However, the first concentration calculation section 51 and the second concentration calculation section 52 may also be configured to calculate the first actual concentration and the second actual concentration, respectively, based on output signals output from different photodetectors.

[0143] The ideal concentration storage unit 53 is set in a predetermined area of ​​the memory, and stores a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of W(CO)6 gas when the above-mentioned main reaction ideally proceeds, and a second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of CO gas when the above-mentioned main reaction ideally proceeds.

[0144] The first ideal concentration can be calculated in advance, for example, before the start of the control process by the fluid control system 200. Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 8, in a configuration in which W(CO)6 gas, which is a process gas, is pumped by a carrier gas, the first ideal concentration can be a theoretical concentration theoretically calculated from the volume fraction of the total flow rate of the gas flowing through the concentration monitor 30 and the set flow rate of the carrier gas. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 12, in a configuration in which a carrier gas is not used, the theoretical concentration of W(CO)6 gas is 100%.

[0145] In this way, the theoretical concentration may be the first ideal concentration, but considering that the vaporization in this embodiment is a process of heating a solid material under high vacuum and is a state in which a high load is applied to the substance, decomposition may occur simultaneously with the main reaction described above. In this case, a difference occurs between the theoretical concentration and the concentration (effective concentration) measured by the concentration monitor 30, so the ratio of the effective concentration to the theoretical concentration may be calculated in advance, and the concentration obtained by multiplying this ratio by the theoretical concentration may be calculated as the first ideal concentration. Alternatively, the effective concentration may be calculated as the first ideal concentration without calculating this ratio.

[0146] Like the first ideal concentration, the second ideal concentration can be calculated in advance, for example, before the start of the control process by the fluid control system 200. In this embodiment, when the main reaction proceeds ideally, no CO gas is generated, and the theoretical concentration theoretically obtained is 0%.

[0147] This theoretical concentration may be used as the second ideal concentration, or, taking into consideration the decomposition caused by being in a high vacuum as described above, the second ideal concentration may be set to about several percent in volume fraction.

[0148] The first ideal concentration and the second ideal concentration thus calculated are input from the outside via, for example, an input means and stored in the ideal concentration storage unit 53. However, the information processing unit 50 may be provided with a function as an ideal concentration calculation unit that calculates the first ideal concentration and the second ideal concentration, and the first ideal concentration and the second ideal concentration calculated by this ideal concentration calculation unit may be stored in the ideal concentration storage unit 53.

[0149] The comparison unit 54 compares the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration, and also compares the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration; specifically, it determines the magnitude relationship between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration, and also determines the magnitude relationship between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration.

[0150] The comparison unit 54 of this embodiment is configured to compare the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration to determine whether or not a side reaction other than the main reaction is occurring, and to determine whether or not an abnormality has occurred on the device side.

[0151] 16, the comparison unit 54 first compares the first actual concentration with the first ideal concentration (S'1). If the difference between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold, the comparison unit 54 determines that the main reaction described above is proceeding ideally (S'2).

[0152] On the other hand, if in S'1 the difference between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration exceeds a predetermined threshold, the comparison unit 54 determines whether the first actual concentration is larger than the first ideal concentration (S'3) and determines whether a side reaction other than the main reaction is occurring or whether an abnormality has occurred on the device side (S'4, S'5).

[0153] Specifically, when the first actual concentration is higher than the first ideal concentration, the comparison unit 54 determines that an abnormality has occurred on the device side (S'4). Note that examples of abnormalities include calibration failure and errors in setting various set values ​​such as the above-mentioned first calibration curve data, second calibration curve data, and vaporization efficiency.

[0154] On the other hand, when the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration, the comparison unit 54 determines that a side reaction other than the main reaction is occurring (S'5).

[0155] If it is determined in S'5 that a side reaction is occurring, the comparison unit 54 identifies the type of side reaction based on the comparison result between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration. As described above, the types of side reactions include decomposition of W(CO)6 gas that occurs before reaching the process chamber, decomposition of W(CO)6 gas that occurs separately from this decomposition, and liquefaction and / or solidification of W(CO)6 gas (see FIG. 13), and the type of side reaction identified by the comparison unit 54 may include at least one of these decomposition, liquefaction, and solidification.

[0156] The comparison unit 54 of this embodiment compares the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration (S'6), and if the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, determines that liquefaction and / or solidification of W(CO)6 gas is occurring as a side reaction (S'7).

[0157] On the other hand, if the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration exceeds the predetermined threshold in S'6, the comparison unit 54 determines that decomposition of the W(CO)6 gas is occurring as a side reaction (S'8).

[0158] In this way, the analysis results by the comparison unit 54 include at least the comparison results between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration and the comparison results between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration. Furthermore, the analysis results in this embodiment also include various judgment results judged based on those comparison results, such as whether or not there is an abnormality on the device side, whether or not a side reaction other than the main reaction is occurring, and the type of the occurring side reaction (decomposition, liquefaction, and / or solidification).

[0159] In this embodiment, a storage unit such as an internal memory or external memory of the information processing unit 50 stores judgment information such as a table consisting of candidates for the comparison results of S'1, S'3, and S'6 by the comparison unit 54 and the above-mentioned one or more judgment results linked to these candidates, and the comparison unit 54 derives one or more judgment results using this judgment information and the comparison results in each of the above-mentioned steps. Note that the above-mentioned storage unit may be a component of the information processing unit 50, or may be a component of a computer other than the information processing unit 50 included in the fluid control system 200, or may be provided outside the fluid control system 200, such as a client server.

[0160] The analysis result based on the comparison by the comparison unit 54 is outputted visibly by the output unit 55. Specifically, the output unit 55 outputs some or all of the information contained in the analysis result in a visibly recognizable manner, and is configured to display on a display the fact that there is an abnormality on the device side, that a side reaction has occurred, and the type of the side reaction. The output unit 55 may be a unit that prints out the analysis result on paper or the like.

[0161] According to the gas analyzer 100 of the present embodiment thus configured, the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration, which are the concentrations of W(CO)6 gas, are compared and the analysis result is output, so that it is possible to grasp whether there is a difference between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration, i.e., whether the main reaction is proceeding ideally. In addition, the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration, which are the concentrations of CO gas, are also compared and the analysis results are output. This makes it easier to identify a likely cause of the difference between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration from among various causes that cannot be determined only from the comparison between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration, such as an abnormality in the device or the occurrence of a side reaction such as decomposition, liquefaction, or solidification of W(CO)6 gas, and ultimately makes it easier to take appropriate measures to reduce the difference between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration.

[0162] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0163] For example, in the above embodiment, the output unit 55 outputs information about an abnormality on the device side, the occurrence of a side reaction, and the type of the side reaction, but it may output only some of these. It may also display a comparison result (magnitude relationship) between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration and a comparison result (magnitude relationship) between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration. In this case, the comparison unit 54 does not need to determine information about an abnormality on the device side, the occurrence of a side reaction, and the type of the side reaction.

[0164] Furthermore, the output unit 55 may output the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration in a comparable manner, and may output the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration in a comparable manner, for example, on a display, without outputting the analysis result by the comparison unit 54. In this case, the information processing unit 50 may not have the function of the comparison unit 54.

[0165] Furthermore, as described in the second embodiment, the information processing unit 50 may have a function as an ideal concentration calculation unit 57 that calculates the first ideal concentration and the second ideal concentration, as shown in Fig. 17. Specifically, as described in the description of the first ideal concentration and the second ideal concentration in the embodiment, a difference occurs between the theoretical concentration and the effective concentration due to decomposition caused by heating under high vacuum, so that, for example, if the ratio between the theoretical concentration and the effective concentration is input in advance, the ideal concentration calculation unit 57 can calculate the first ideal concentration and the second ideal concentration using this ratio.

[0166] The information processing unit 50 may further include a function as an alarm unit that notifies the user when the difference between the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration exceeds a predetermined threshold value as a result of the comparison unit comparing the first actual concentration and the first ideal concentration.

[0167] Furthermore, some of the functions of the first concentration calculation unit 51, the second concentration calculation unit 52, the comparison unit 54, and the output unit 55 provided in the information processing unit 50 may be provided in another computer, and the ideal concentration storage unit 53 may be set in a predetermined area of ​​an external memory separate from the memory of the information processing unit 50.

[0168] Furthermore, some of the functions of the second embodiment may be executed by a machine learning unit that performs calculation processing using a machine learning algorithm. For example, the functions of one or both of the comparison unit 54 and the output unit 55 may be executed by the machine learning unit.

[0169] In addition, various modifications and combinations of the embodiments may be made as long as they do not go against the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0170] 100 Gas analyzer 200 Fluid control system S Gas supply space 10. Carburetor L1 Gas supply line 30. Concentration monitor 40, 50 ···Information processing section 41, 51...1st concentration calculation section 42, 52...Second concentration calculation section 43, 53...Ideal concentration storage section 44, 54 Comparison section 45, 55... Output section 46, 56... Calibration curve data storage section 47...Adjustment section

Claims

1. A gas analyzer for use in a fluid control system for controlling a process gas obtained by vaporizing a liquid material or a solid material, a first concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of the process gas; a second concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of at least a by-product gas generated in a side reaction that is a reaction different from a main reaction that generates the process gas; a comparison unit which compares a first actual concentration, which is the concentration of the process gas calculated by the first concentration calculation unit, with a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the process gas when the main reaction ideally proceeds, and which compares a second actual concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas calculated by the second concentration calculation unit, with a second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas when the main reaction ideally proceeds; and an output section that determines and outputs change target parameters, which are parameters whose setting values ​​should be changed, from among the parameters set in the devices that constitute the fluid control system, based on the comparison results of the comparison section.

2. 2. The gas analysis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parameter to be changed is a heating temperature of a pipe through which the process gas flows, a heating temperature of a vaporizer that vaporizes the liquid material or the solid material, a set flow rate of the vaporizer, or a concentration of the liquid material.

3. When the comparison result of the comparison unit indicates that the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration and the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration is equal to or less than a threshold value, The gas analyzer according to claim 2 , wherein the output unit outputs a heating temperature of the pipe as the parameter to be changed.

4. When the comparison result of the comparison unit indicates that the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration, the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration exceeds a threshold value, and the second actual concentration is higher than the second ideal concentration, 4. The gas analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the output unit outputs, as the parameter to be changed, a heating temperature of the vaporizer or a set flow rate of the vaporizer.

5. When the comparison result of the comparison unit indicates that the first actual concentration is lower than the first ideal concentration, the difference between the second actual concentration and the second ideal concentration exceeds a threshold value, and the second actual concentration is lower than the second ideal concentration, 4. The gas analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the output unit outputs, as the parameter to be changed, a heating temperature of the pipe, a heating temperature of the vaporizer, a set flow rate of the vaporizer, or a concentration of the liquid material.

6. The gas analyzer according to claim 1 , further comprising an adjustment unit that receives the parameter to be changed output from the output unit and adjusts a setting value of the parameter to be changed.

7. The gas analyzer according to claim 1 , wherein the output section outputs the parameter to be changed in a visually recognizable manner.

8. 4. The gas analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the first concentration calculation section and the second concentration calculation section calculate the concentration based on an output signal output from a common photodetector.

9. a vaporizer for vaporizing the liquid or solid material; A fluid control device that controls the process gas, the liquid material, or a carrier gas; A fluid control system comprising: a gas analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

10. A gas analysis program used in a fluid control system for controlling a process gas for vaporizing a liquid or solid material, comprising: a first concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of the process gas; a second concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of at least a by-product gas generated in a side reaction that is a reaction different from a main reaction that generates the process gas; a comparison unit which compares a first actual concentration, which is the concentration of the process gas calculated by the first concentration calculation unit, with a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the process gas when the main reaction ideally proceeds, and which compares a second actual concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas calculated by the second concentration calculation unit, with a second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas when the main reaction ideally proceeds; A gas analysis program that causes a computer to function as an output unit that determines and outputs change target parameters, which are parameters whose setting values ​​should be changed, among the parameters set in the devices that constitute the fluid control system, based on the comparison results of the comparison unit.

11. A gas analysis method used in a fluid control system for controlling a process gas for vaporizing a liquid or solid material, comprising: a first concentration calculation step of calculating a concentration of the process gas; a second concentration calculation step of calculating a concentration of at least a by-product gas generated in a side reaction that is a reaction other than the main reaction that generates the process gas; a comparison step of comparing a first actual concentration, which is the concentration of the process gas calculated in the first concentration calculation step, with a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the process gas when the main reaction ideally proceeds, and comparing a second actual concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas calculated in the second concentration calculation step, with a second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas when the main reaction ideally proceeds; and an output step of determining and outputting change target parameters, which are parameters whose setting values ​​should be changed, from among the parameters set in the devices constituting the fluid control system, based on the comparison results of the comparison step.

12. A gas analyzer for analyzing a compound gas generated in a main reaction in which a solid material is vaporized and a by-product gas generated in a side reaction other than the main reaction, comprising: a first concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of the compound gas; a second concentration calculation unit that calculates the concentration of the by-product gas; a comparison unit that compares a first actual concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas calculated by the first concentration calculation unit, with a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas when the main reaction ideally proceeds, and compares a second actual concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas calculated by the second concentration calculation unit, with a second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas when the main reaction ideally proceeds; and an output section that outputs an analysis result based on the comparison by the comparison section.

13. A program used in a gas analyzer for analyzing a compound gas generated in a main reaction in which a solid material is vaporized and a by-product gas generated in a side reaction other than the main reaction, comprising: a first concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of the compound gas; a second concentration calculation unit that calculates the concentration of the by-product gas; a comparison unit that compares a first actual concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas calculated by the first concentration calculation unit, with a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas when the main reaction ideally proceeds, and compares a second actual concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas calculated by the second concentration calculation unit, with a second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas when the main reaction ideally proceeds; A gas analysis program that causes a computer to function as an output unit that outputs an analysis result based on the comparison made by the comparison unit.

14. 1. A gas analysis method for analyzing a compound gas generated in a main reaction in which a solid material is vaporized and a by-product gas generated in a side reaction other than the main reaction, comprising: an analysis step of comparing a first actual concentration, which is the calculated concentration of the compound gas, with a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas when the main reaction ideally proceeds, and comparing a second actual concentration, which is the calculated concentration of the by-product gas, with a second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas when the main reaction ideally proceeds; and outputting an analysis result based on the comparison in the analyzing step.

15. A gas analyzer for analyzing a compound gas and a by-product gas generated in a main reaction in which a solid material is vaporized, comprising: a first concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of the compound gas; a second concentration calculation unit that calculates the concentration of the by-product gas; an output unit that outputs a first actual concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas calculated by the first concentration calculation unit, and a first ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the compound gas if the main reaction proceeds ideally, in a manner that allows them to be compared, and an output unit that outputs a second actual concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas calculated by the second concentration calculation unit, and a second ideal concentration, which is the concentration of the by-product gas if the main reaction proceeds ideally, in a manner that allows them to be compared.

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