Inspection fixtures, inspection systems, inspection methods, and computer program products for inspecting workpieces using inspection fixtures and inspection systems

Abstract

To provide improved inspection fixtures, inspection systems, inspection methods, and related computer program products for inspecting workpieces.SOLUTION: An inspection fixture includes a seat to support a workpiece, a backpressure sensor, and a focal plane array. The backpressure sensor is coupled to the seat to acquire backpressure of a fluid traversing one of a first flow aperture and a second flow aperture defined in the workpiece supported on the seat of the inspection fixture. The optical focal plane array is also coupled to the seat to acquire optical image data of a portion of the workpiece including one or more of the first flow aperture and the second flow aperture defined in the workpiece supported on the seat of the inspection fixture. Inspection systems, inspection methods, and computer program products for inspecting workpieces are also described.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 650,738, filed May 22, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates generally to fluid systems, and more particularly to inspection of workpieces used to control fluid flow in fluid systems. [Background technology]

[0003] Fluid systems commonly use flow control devices to control the flow of fluids within the fluid system. Flow control devices generally have flow channels sized and dimensioned to control the flow of fluids across the fluid system. The fabrication of such flow control devices is typically controlled to ensure that the size and dimensions of the flow channels correspond to desired sizing and dimensioning. In some fluid systems, the flow control devices may be periodically removed and cleaned to ensure that the flow channels within the flow control device maintain the desired sizing and dimensioning imparted during the manufacture of the flow control device.

[0004] In some fabrication and / or cleaning processes, the sizing and dimensioning of the flow channels may be inspected, for example, to ensure that chips and debris formed during the fabrication process are not left behind in the flow channels within the flow control device and / or to verify the effectiveness of the cleaning process used to clean the workpiece. Inspection generally adds cost to the fabrication or cleaning process and is typically commensurate with the time required for inspection.

[0005] While such systems and methods have generally been satisfactory for their intended purposes, there remains a need, however, for improved inspection fixtures, systems, and methods, and related computer program products for inspecting workpieces. The present disclosure provides a solution to this need. Summary of the Invention

[0006] An inspection fixture is provided. The inspection fixture includes a seat for supporting a workpiece, a backpressure sensor, and a focal plane array. The backpressure sensor is coupled to the seat to acquire a backpressure of a fluid across one of a first flow opening and a second flow opening defined in the workpiece supported on the seat of the inspection fixture. An optical focal plane array is also coupled to the seat to acquire optical image data of a portion of the workpiece including one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening defined in the workpiece supported on the seat of the inspection fixture.

[0007] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above-mentioned features, a further example of a test fixture may include a fluid conduit having an outlet supported for movement relative to a seat. A backpressure sensor may be disposed along the fluid conduit.

[0008] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above-mentioned features, further examples of the test fixture may include a fluid source connected to a fluid conduit and therethrough connected to the backpressure sensor, The fluid source may be configured to communicate fluid to one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the fluid conduit, through the backpressure sensor.

[0009] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, further examples of the test fixture may include a light source and a calibration block. The light source may be fixed relative to the seat. The calibration block may be fixed relative to the seat and offset from the light source. The calibration block may define one or more calibration flow openings therethrough.

[0010] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, further examples of the inspection fixture may include one or more optical elements supported for movement relative to the seat. The one or more optical elements may be optically coupled to the optical focal plane array along an optical axis.

[0011] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, further examples of inspection fixtures may include one or more optical elements comprising one or more of lenses, mirrors, and gratings.

[0012] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, a further example of a test fixture may include a fluid conduit having an outlet supported for movement relative to a seat. The outlet of the fluid conduit may be fixed relative to one or more optical elements.

[0013] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above-described features, a further example of an inspection fixture may include a workpiece supported on a seat of the inspection fixture. The workpiece may have a first surface separated from a second surface by a thickness. The first surface of the workpiece may be coupled to the second surface by a first flow opening. The first surface of the workpiece may be further coupled to the second surface by a second flow opening.

[0014] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above-mentioned features, further examples of the inspection fixture may include the first flow opening being one of a plurality of first flow openings having a first width, the second flow opening being one of a plurality of second flow openings having a second width, and the second width of the plurality of second flow openings being greater than the first width of the plurality of first flow openings.

[0015] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above-mentioned features, further examples of the inspection fixture may include one or more of chips, debris, or deposits from the process fluid transmitted by the workpiece through the first flow opening and / or the second flow opening blocking one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening defined in the workpiece.

[0016] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above-mentioned features, further examples of the inspection fixture may include comprising a showerhead configured to distribute process fluids into a process volume in which the workpiece is defined within a semiconductor processing system.

[0017] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above-mentioned features, further examples of the test fixture may include a cross beam, a probe member, and one or more optical elements. The cross beam may be supported for movement relative to a seat of the test fixture. The probe member may be carried by the cross beam and supported for movement relative to the cross beam of the test fixture. The fluid conduit may have an outlet fixed relative to the probe member of the test fixture, and the one or more optical elements may be fixed relative to the probe member of the test fixture.

[0018] An inspection system is provided. The inspection system includes an inspection fixture as described above, a processor, and a memory. The processor is arranged to communicate with a backpressure sensor and an optical focal plane array. The memory includes a non-transitory machine-readable medium having recorded thereon a plurality of program modules having instructions that, when read by the processor, cause the processor to: receive, from the backpressure sensor, a backpressure of a fluid across one of a first flow opening and a second flow opening defined in a workpiece supported on a seat; determine a fluid conductance of one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the backpressure received from the backpressure sensor; receive, from the optical focal plane array, optical image data of a portion of the workpiece, including one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening defined in the workpiece supported on the seat; and determine a flow area of ​​one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the optical image data received from the optical focal plane array.

[0019] An inspection method is provided that includes aligning an outlet of a fluid conduit in fluid communication with a backpressure sensor with one of a first flow opening and a second flow opening defined in a workpiece placed on a seat of an inspection fixture, sealably abutting the outlet of the fluid conduit around one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening, flowing fluid from a fluid source through the backpressure sensor and the fluid conduit and into one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening, acquiring a backpressure of the fluid from the backpressure sensor as the fluid traverses the workpiece through one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening, comparing the backpressure acquired by the backpressure sensor to a predetermined backpressure value, and inspecting a flow area of ​​one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening when the acquired backpressure differs from the predetermined backpressure value by more than a predetermined backpressure difference.

[0020] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above-mentioned features, a further example of an inspection method may include aligning an outlet of a fluid conduit in fluid communication with the backpressure sensor with one of a first flow opening and a second flow opening defined in a workpiece placed on a seat of the inspection fixture; sealably abutting the outlet of the fluid conduit around one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening; flowing fluid from a fluid source through the backpressure sensor and the fluid conduit into one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening; acquiring a backpressure of the fluid from the backpressure sensor as the fluid traverses the workpiece through one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening; comparing the backpressure acquired by the backpressure sensor with a predetermined backpressure value; and inspecting the flow area of ​​one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening when the acquired backpressure differs from the predetermined backpressure value by more than a predetermined backpressure difference.

[0021] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above-mentioned features, a further example of an inspection method may include aligning an optical element disposed along an optical axis with one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening mounted on a seat of the inspection fixture; translating the optical element along the optical axis relative to one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening to optically couple the optical focal plane array; acquiring optical image data of a workpiece including one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the optical focal plane array; determining a flow area of ​​the one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the acquired optical image data; comparing the determined flow area of ​​the one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening with a predetermined flow area value; and removing the workpiece from the seat for rework when the determined flow area of ​​the one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening differs from the predetermined flow area value by more than a predetermined flow area difference.

[0022] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above-mentioned features, further examples of the inspection method may include acquiring the backpressure of only a first flow opening defined in the workpiece. Backpressure may not be acquired from a second flow opening defined in the workpiece.

[0023] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above-mentioned features, further examples of the inspection method may include that acquiring optical image data includes acquiring optical image data of both the first flow opening and the second flow opening.

[0024] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above-mentioned features, a further example of the inspection method may include acquiring X-ray image data of the workpiece, wherein the back pressure and optical image data are acquired using the X-ray image data of the workpiece.

[0025] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above-mentioned features, further examples of inspection methods may include calibrating the backpressure sensor before inspecting the backpressure and after inspecting the backpressure of the workpiece.

[0026] A computer program product is provided that includes a non-transitory machine-readable medium having recorded thereon instructions that, when read by a processor, cause the following processes to occur: receive, using a backpressure sensor coupled to a seat of the inspection fixture, a fluid backpressure across one of first and second flow openings defined in a workpiece supported by the seat of the inspection fixture, determining a fluid conductance of one or more of the first and second flow openings using the backpressure received from the backpressure sensor, receiving, from an optical focal plane array coupled to the seat of the inspection fixture, optical image data of a portion of the workpiece including one or more of the first and second flow openings defined in the workpiece, and determining a flow area of ​​one or more of the first and second flow openings using the optical image data received from the optical focal plane array.

[0027] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are described in more detail below in the Detailed Description of Examples of the Disclosure. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0028] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the inventions disclosed herein are described below with reference to drawings of certain specific embodiments, which are intended to illustrate, but not to limit, the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fluid system including a workpiece inspected using an inspection fixture according to the present disclosure, showing the workpiece installed in the fluid system after being inspected using the inspection fixture. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a top view of the workpiece of FIG. 1 showing a plurality of first and second flow openings having first and second widths defined in the showerhead workpiece according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the workpiece of FIG. 1 according to an example of the present disclosure, showing a plurality of first and second flow openings having first and second widths defined in the showerhead workpiece. [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic diagram of a test system including the test fixture of FIG. 1 according to an example of the present disclosure, showing a back pressure sensor and an optical focal plane array coupled to a seat of the test fixture. [Figure 5] 2 is a schematic diagram of the testing fixture of FIG. 1 showing the fluid conductance and flow area of ​​flow openings defined in a workpiece being tested for fluid conductance and flow area according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 2 is a schematic diagram of the testing fixture of FIG. 1 according to an example of the present disclosure showing the fluid conductance and flow area of ​​flow openings defined in a workpiece tested for fluid conductance and flow area, respectively. [Figure 7] 1 is a block diagram of an inspection method according to the present disclosure illustrating the operation of the method according to an illustrative and non-limiting example of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 is a block diagram of an inspection method according to the present disclosure illustrating the operation of the method according to an illustrative and non-limiting example of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 is a block diagram of an inspection method according to the present disclosure illustrating the operation of the method according to an illustrative and non-limiting example of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 1 is a block diagram of an inspection method according to the present disclosure illustrating the operation of the method according to an illustrative and non-limiting example of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] It will be appreciated that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the relative size of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated compared to other elements to help to improve understanding of the illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] Referring now to the drawings, like reference numerals identify like structural features and aspects of the present disclosure. For purposes of explanation and illustration, and not limitation, a partial view of one example of an inspection fixture according to the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1 and generally designated by the reference numeral 100. Other examples of inspection fixtures, inspection systems including the inspection fixtures, and inspection methods for inspecting workpieces, as well as related computer program products, or aspects thereof, according to the present disclosure, are provided in FIGS. 2-10, as illustrated. The systems and methods of the present disclosure may be used to inspect workpieces having flow openings defined therein for controlling the flow of fluid within a fluid system, such as a showerhead used in a semiconductor processing system to deposit a layer of material on and / or remove material from a substrate, although the present disclosure is not limited to semiconductor processing systems or any particular type of fluid system in general.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 1 , a fluid system 10 according to one example of the present disclosure is shown. In the illustrated example, the fluid system 10 includes a semiconductor processing system configured to deposit a material layer 4 on a substrate 2 and / or remove material from the substrate 2, and in this regard includes a process fluid source 12, a chamber arrangement 14, and an exhaust source 16. The process fluid source 12 is configured to provide a process fluid 18 to the chamber arrangement 14 and is connected to the chamber arrangement 14 by a process fluid supply line 20. The chamber arrangement 14 includes a chamber body 22, a substrate support 24 disposed within an interior 26 of the chamber body 22, and a workpiece 28 (e.g., a showerhead) mounted within the interior 26 of the chamber body 22 and dividing the interior 26 of the chamber body 22 into a distribution plenum 30 and a process volume 32. The substrate support 24 is positioned within the process volume 32 and is configured to mount the substrate 2 thereon during deposition of a material layer 4 on the substrate 2 and / or removal of material from the substrate 2. It is also contemplated that the chamber body 22 defines an inlet port 34 and an exhaust port 36, the workpiece 28 is fluidly coupled from the inlet port 34 to the exhaust port 36 via the distribution plenum 30 and the process volume 32 through one or more first flow openings 38 (shown in FIG. 2 ) and one or more second flow openings 40 (shown in FIG. 2 ), and the exhaust source 16 is connected to the exhaust port 36 by an exhaust pipe 42 to convey residual process fluids and / or reaction products 44 to an external environment 46 outside the fluid system 10. In certain examples, the fluid system 10 may be configured as a material layer deposition apparatus for depositing a material layer 4 on the substrate 2 using atomic layer deposition (ALD) or plasma-enhanced ALD techniques. According to certain examples, the fluid system 10 may be configured to deposit a material layer 4 on the substrate 2 using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or plasma-enhanced CVD techniques. It is also contemplated that the fluid system 10 may be configured as an etching apparatus for removing material from the substrate 2 using, for example, dry etching techniques, and remain within the scope of the present disclosure.Although shown and described herein as a semiconductor processing system, it should be understood and appreciated that other types of fluid systems may also benefit from the present disclosure.

[0033] The term "substrate" as used herein may refer to any underlying material(s), including any underlying material(s) that can be modified or upon which a device, circuit, or film can be formed. The substrate may be continuous or discontinuous, rigid or flexible, solid or porous, or a combination thereof. The substrate may be in any form, such as (but not limited to), a powder, a plate, or a workpiece. Substrates in plate form may include wafers of various shapes and sizes, including, for example, 300 millimeter wafers. Substrates may be formed from semiconductor materials, including, for example, silicon (Si), silicon germanium (SiGe), silicon oxide (SiO), gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN), and silicon carbide (SiC). The substrate may contain a pattern or may be a patternless substrate, such as a so-called blanket type. As an example, a substrate in powder form may have applications for pharmaceutical manufacturing. A porous substrate may include one or more polymers. Examples of workpieces may include medical devices (e.g., stents and syringes), jewelry, tooling devices, components for battery manufacturing (e.g., anodes, cathodes, or separators), or components of photovoltaic cells. The continuous substrate may extend beyond the boundaries of the process chamber in which the deposition process occurs. In some processes, the continuous substrate may be moved through the process chamber, with the process continuing until the end of the substrate is reached. The continuous substrate may be fed from a continuous substrate feeding system to enable the manufacture and production of the continuous substrate in any suitable form. Non-limiting examples of continuous substrates may include a seat, a nonwoven film, a roll, a foil, a web, a flexible material, a bundle of continuous filaments, or a fiber (e.g., ceramic or polymer fiber). The continuous substrate may also include a carrier or seat carrying one or more discontinuous substrates.

[0034] As will be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure, the workpiece may be fabricated with flow openings sized and dimensioned to control the flow of fluid within the fluid system according to the requirements of the fluid system. For example, one or more first flow openings 38 (shown in FIG. 3 ) and one or more second flow openings 40 (shown in FIG. 3 ) may be sized and dimensioned to distribute process fluid 18 within the process volume 34 to impart desired properties, such as thickness uniformity and / or composition uniformity of the material layer, to material layer 4 and / or substrate 2. As will be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure, blockage (partial or complete) of a flow opening defined in the workpiece may, in some fluid systems, alter the flow through the workpiece, potentially changing the flow of fluid within the fluid system. For example, chips or swarf 6 (shown in FIG. 3 ) formed during fabrication of the workpiece 28 that block one or more first flow openings 38 and / or one or more second flow openings 40 can affect the properties of the material layer 4 and / or substrate 2 if the workpiece 28 is placed in the chamber body 22 without reworking the workpiece 28 to remove the chips or swarf 6. Process fluid deposits 8 (shown in FIG. 3 ) that block one or more first flow openings 38 and one or more second flow openings 40, such as due to incomplete cleaning of the workpiece 28, can also affect the properties of the material layer 4 and / or substrate 2 if the workpiece 28 is placed in the chamber body 22 without reworking (e.g., re-cleaning) the workpiece 28. To identify such blocked conditions in one or more of the first flow openings 38 and one or more of the second flow openings 40, the inspection fixture 100 is provided for inspecting the workpiece 28 after one or more of fabrication (or fabrication rework) 48 of the workpiece 28, X-ray inspection 50 of the workpiece 28, and / or cleaning (or re-cleaning) 52 of the workpiece 28.

[0035] 2 and 3, a workpiece 28 according to one example of the present disclosure is shown. As shown in FIG. 2, in the illustrated example, the workpiece 28 includes a workpiece body 54 formed from a metallic material 56 (shown in FIG. 3). The workpiece body 54 is contemplated to have a first surface 58 and an opposing second surface 60 separated from one another by a thickness 62 of the workpiece body 54. It is also contemplated that one or more first flow openings 38 couple (e.g., fluidly) the first surface 58 to the second surface 60 of the workpiece body 54, and that one or more second flow openings 40 also couple (e.g., fluidly) the first surface 58 to the second surface 60 of the workpiece body 54, and that the workpiece body 54 may be generally circular in shape.

[0036] In certain examples of the present disclosure, the one or more first flow openings 38 may be one of a plurality of first flow openings 64 defined in the workpiece body 54. In such examples, each of the plurality of first flow openings 64 may have a first width 66, which may be a first diameter, and the plurality of first flow openings 64 define a generally circular flow area within the workpiece 28. According to certain examples, the one or more second flow openings 40 may be one of a plurality of second flow openings 68 defined in the workpiece body 54. Each of the plurality of second flow openings 68 may have a second width 70, which may be larger than the first width 66 defined by the plurality of first flow openings 64 and may also be generally circular in shape. It is contemplated that the workpiece body 54 may be configured and adapted to be secured within a semiconductor processing system. In this regard, the workpiece body 54 may define a chamber securement feature 72, for example, on or within the second surface 60 of the workpiece body 54. The chamber fixation features 72 may be configured to cooperate with mating chamber body fixation features defined within the interior 26 (shown in FIG. 1) of the chamber body 22 (shown in FIG. 1) to constrain the position of the workpiece 28, for example, to require a unidirectional orientation of the workpiece 28 when placed in the chamber body 22 to prevent misplacement of the workpiece 28 within the fluid system 10 (shown in FIG. 1).

[0037] The metallic material 56 forming the workpiece body 54 may include (or consist of, or consist essentially of) an aluminum-containing material, a stainless steel material, or a nickel-containing material. Examples of suitable aluminum-containing materials include aluminum alloys such as 6061 aluminum alloy, examples of suitable stainless steel materials include 316 stainless steel, and examples of suitable nickel-containing materials include Hastelloy and bulk nickel. As will be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure, forming the workpiece body 54 from an aluminum-containing material may reduce the time required to form the workpiece body 54 and, for example, enable a relatively high material removal rate during fabrication 48 (shown in FIG. 1 ) of the workpiece 28. Also, as will be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure, forming the workpiece body 54 from a stainless steel material and / or a nickel-containing material may simplify the reprocessing of the workpiece 28 after use, for example, by increasing the number of alternative chemicals that can be used during cleaning 52 (shown in FIG. 1 ) of the workpiece 28.

[0038] 4 , a test fixture 100 according to one example of the present disclosure is shown. In the example shown, test fixture 100 includes a seat 102, a cross beam 104, a probe member 106, an alignment drive 108, and an abutment / focus drive 110. As shown and described herein, test fixture 100 also includes a fluid conduit 112, a fluid source 114, a backpressure sensor 116, a calibration block 118, a light source 120, optical elements 122, an optical focal plane array 124, and an optical waveguide 126. While shown and described herein as having certain elements and a particular arrangement, it should be understood and appreciated that test fixture 100 may include other elements and / or omit elements shown and described herein, and may have different arrangements in other examples and remain within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0039] The seat 102 is secured to the base 128 and is configured and adapted to support the workpiece 28. In this regard, the seat 102 may correspond geometrically and dimensionally to a showerhead seat defined within the chamber body 22 (shown in FIG. 1 ). Additionally, the seat 102 may additionally define a showerhead securement feature 130 that corresponds to a showerhead securement feature defined within the chamber body 22, e.g., a fastener pattern and key defined on the showerhead seat within the chamber body 22. In such an example, the showerhead securement feature 130 may correspond to and / or be bonded to the chamber securement feature 72 (shown in FIG. 2 ). As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure, this can simplify use of the inspection fixture 100, for example, by preventing errors in the orientation and positioning of the workpiece 28 on the seat 102. In certain examples of the present disclosure, the seat 102 may further be disposed within a housing 132. The housing 132 may then isolate the moving elements of the test fixture 100 from the environment external to the test fixture 100, limiting (or eliminating) the risk that such elements may potentially pose to a user near the test fixture 100.

[0040] The cross beam 104 is supported for movement relative to the seat 102 and carries the probe member 106. In this regard, it is contemplated that the cross beam 104 may straddle the seat 102 and the workpiece 28 when placed thereon. In a further regard, the cross beam 104 may be supported for movement in an x-y plane substantially parallel to the seat 102 and the first surface 58 of the workpiece 28 when supported thereon. Movement of the cross beam 104 may be via a registration drive 108 (e.g., a stepper motor, linear motor, or lead screw arrangement) which may be operably connected to the cross beam 104 to drive the cross beam 104 relative to the seat 102 in the x-y plane, and the controller 134 may in turn be operably coupled to the cross beam 104 configured to drive the cross beam 104 via the registration drive 108. An example of a suitable cross beam and alignment drive is the MXYx gantry and drive available from YRG Inc. of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

[0041] The probe member 106 carries a portion of the fluid conduit 112 and one or more optical elements 122 and travels with the cross beam 104, and may be supported by the cross beam 104 above the seat 102. In certain examples of the present disclosure, the probe member 106 may be supported for movement relative to the cross beam 104. In this regard, the probe member 106 may be supported for movement along an axis orthogonal to the x-y plane in which the cross beam 104 moves, for example, along the z-axis. Movement of the probe member 106 may be via an abutment / focus drive 110 (e.g., a stepper motor, linear motor, or lead screw arrangement), which may be operably connected to the probe member 106 to drive the probe member 106 relative to the seat 102 along the z-axis, and which itself operably couples a controller 134 to the probe member 106. According to one particular example, the probe member 106 may be fixed relative to the cross beam 104, and the probe member 106 and / or a portion of the fluid conduit 112 carried by the one or more optical elements 122 may be movable relative to the probe member 106. As will be understood by those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure, supporting the probe member 106 for movement relative to the cross beam 104 may simplify positioning of the test fixture 100, for example, by limiting the number of taught positions, and maintenance of the taught positions once established.

[0042] The fluid conduit 112 has an inlet end 136 having an inlet 138 and a fluidly opposed outlet end 140 having an outlet 142. It is contemplated that the outlet end 140 and the outlet 142 of the fluid conduit 112 are supported for movement relative to the seat 102 and may be retained in this regard by the probe member 106 and the cross beam 104. It is also contemplated that the inlet end 136 and the inlet 138 are fixed relative to the seat 102 and fluidly couple a fluid source 114 to the outlet 142 of the fluid conduit 112. The fluid source 114 is configured to communicate fluid 144 through the fluid conduit 112 to the outlet 142, and in this regard it is further contemplated that a backpressure sensor 116 may be disposed along the fluid conduit 112 and fluidly couple the fluid source 112 to the outlet 142 of the fluid conduit 112. In one particular example, the outlet end 140 of the fluid conduit 112 may be supported such that both the seat 102 and the calibration block 118 are within the range of motion of the outlet end 140 and the outlet 142 of the fluid conduit 112. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure, this allows for in situ and in-situ calibration of the backpressure sensor 116 and cross beam 110, simplifies maintenance of the test fixture 100, and improves the reliability of flow conductance measurements obtained using the test fixture 100.

[0043] In certain examples of the present disclosure, the fluid 144 may include (or consist of, or consist essentially of) air. According to certain examples of the present disclosure, the fluid 144 may include (or consist of, or consist essentially of) an inert gas. Examples of suitable inert gases include nitrogen (N) gas and noble gases such as argon (Ar) gas, helium (He) gas, and krypton (Kr) gas, as well as inert gas mixtures containing one or more of the foregoing gases. As will be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure, the use of an inert gas may reduce (or eliminate) the risk of the fluid 144 contaminating the workpiece 28 during fluid conductance testing. Additionally, as will be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure, the use of air for fluid conductance testing may simplify placement of the test fixture 100, for example, by reducing (or eliminating) the need to employ countermeasures against suffocation hazards that may arise from using an inert gas for fluid conductance testing.

[0044] The backpressure sensor 116 is coupled to the seat 102 of the inspection fixture 100 and is configured to acquire the backpressure of the fluid 144 from within the fluid conduit 112 as the fluid 144 traverses the one or more first flow openings 38 and the one or more second flow openings 40 defined in the workpiece 28. In this regard, the backpressure sensor 116 may be disposed along the fluid conduit 112 and fixed relative to the seat 102. In a further regard, the backpressure sensor 116 may be disposed in communication with the controller 134, for example, by a wired or wireless link 146, and configured to provide the controller 134 with a backpressure signal 148 indicative of the backpressure of the fluid 144 within the fluid conduit 112. While shown and described as being fixed relative to the seat 102 while the outlet end 140 of the fluid conduit 112 is held by the probe member 106, it should be understood and appreciated that the backpressure sensor 116 may in other examples be held by the probe member 106 and remain within the scope of the present disclosure. Examples of suitable back pressure sensors include the Millimar® series of back pressure measurement sensors available from Mahr GmbH of Göttingen, Germany.

[0045] Calibration block 118 is fixed relative to seat 102 and defines one or more calibration flow openings 119 therethrough. It is contemplated that calibration block 118 may be supported on inspection fixture 100 at a location proximate seat 102, e.g., at a location outside the perimeter of 28 when a workpiece is supported on seat 102. It is further contemplated that one or more calibration flow openings 119 extend through calibration block 118 and are sized and dimensioned such that when outlet 142 of fluid conduit 112 abuts an upper surface of calibration block 118, calibration fluid 144 traverses one or more calibration flow openings 119 and is emitted from a lower surface of calibration block 118, such that backpressure measurements obtained from backpressure sensor 116 may be used to assess the accuracy and / or health of backpressure sensor 116. In certain examples of the present disclosure, the one or more calibration flow openings 119 may have an effective flow area substantially equal to the desired flow area of ​​one of the first flow opening 38 and the second flow opening 40. According to certain examples, the one or more calibration flow openings 119 may be one of a plurality of differently sized calibration flow openings that bracket the effective flow area of ​​one of the first flow opening 38 and the second flow opening 40. As will be understood by those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure, securing the calibration block 118 against a seat on the test fixture 100 allows for in situ and / or in-situ calibration of the backpressure flow sensor 116.

[0046] The light source 120 is configured to illuminate the underside of the workpiece 28 when the workpiece 28 is supported on the seat 102. In this regard, it is contemplated that the light source 120 is fixed relative to the seat 102. In a further regard, the light source 120 may be positioned within the footprint of the seat 102 such that the workpiece 28 is between the light source 120 and the probe member 106 when fluid conductance testing and / or optical inspection of the workpiece 28 is performed. It is also contemplated that the light source 120 is offset from the calibration block 118 relative to the seat 102, which in turn is offset from the light source 120 relative to the seat 102, and that the light source 120 is configured to generate illumination in the visible wavelength range. Advantageously, illuminating the underside of the workpiece 28 may improve the accuracy of optical flow area measurements obtained using one or more optical elements 122, for example, by increasing the resolution and / or contrast between the bulk material forming one of the first flow opening 38 and the second flow opening 40 of the workpiece obtained using the inspection fixture 100.

[0047] The one or more optical elements 122 are supported for movement relative to the seat 102 of the test fixture 100. The one or more optical elements 122 may further be optically coupled to an optical focal plane array 124 along an optical axis 152. It is contemplated that the one or more optical elements 122 may be fixed relative to the outlet 142 of the fluid conduit 112. It is also contemplated that the one or more optical elements 122 are optically coupled to the optical focal plane array 124 by an optical waveguide 126, in which regard the optical waveguide 126 may have an input end 154 and an output end 156. The input end 154 of the optical waveguide 126 may be supported by (e.g., held by) the probe member 106 and be proximate to the one or more optical elements 122. The output end 156 of the optical waveguide 126 may also be fixed relative to the seat 102 and in proximity to the optical focal plane array 124, with the optical axis 152 extending through the optical waveguide 126 so that light collected by one or more optical elements 122 is transmitted to the optical focal plane array 124.

[0048] The optical focal plane array 124 is configured to generate optical image data 158 using light incident on the optical focal plane array 124 through the optical waveguide 126 and may be fixed relative to the seat 102 of the inspection fixture 100. The optical focal plane array 124 may be further configured to provide the optical image data 158, e.g., optical image data including a portion of the workpiece 28 including any of the one or more first flow openings 38 and one or more second flow openings 40, to the controller 134, which may be connected to the optical focal plane array 124 by a wired or wireless link 146. In certain examples, the one or more optical elements 122 may include lenses, mirrors, and / or gratings. According to certain examples, the optical waveguide 126 may include an optical fiber. Although shown and described herein as being remote from the one or more optical elements 122, it is understood and appreciated that the optical focal plane array 124 may be co-located with one or more optical elements 122, for example, as a single imaging sensor, also carried by the probe member 106, and remain within the scope of this disclosure. Examples of suitable optical focal plane arrays include those included in the In-Sight vision system available from Cognex Corporation of Natick, Massachusetts.

[0049] The controller 134 includes a device interface 160, a processor 162, a user interface 164, and a memory 166. The device interface 160 connects the processor 162 to the inspection fixture 100 through a wired or wireless link 146. In this regard, the device interface 160 may communicatively couple the processor 162 to one or more of the alignment drive 108, the abutment / focus drive 110, the backpressure sensor 116, the light source 120, and / or the optical focal plane array 124. The processor 162 is further operably connected to the user interface 164, e.g., to receive user input therefrom and / or provide user output thereto, and is disposed in communication with the memory 166. The memory 166 includes a non-transitory machine-readable medium having a plurality of program modules 168 that, when read by the processor 162, cause the processor to perform certain operations. Among the operations are those of the inspection method 200, as described. For example, the plurality of program modules 168 may include instructions that cause the processor 162 to (a) receive, using a backpressure sensor coupled to the seat of the inspection fixture, a fluid backpressure across one of the first and second flow openings defined in a workpiece supported by the seat of the inspection fixture; (b) determine a fluid conductance of one or more of the first and second flow openings using the backpressure received from the backpressure sensor; (c) receive, from an optical focal plane array coupled to the seat of the inspection fixture, optical image data of a portion of the workpiece including one or more of the first and second flow openings defined in the workpiece; and (d) determine a flow area of ​​one or more of the first and second flow openings using the optical image data received from the optical focal plane array; and the memory 166 in this regard is a computer program product 170 of the inspection system 172.

[0050] 5 and 6, a workpiece 28 is shown supported on a seat 102 (shown in FIG. 4) of a testing fixture 100 according to an example of the present disclosure while undergoing a fluid conductance test and a flow area test. As shown in FIG. 5A, a fluid conductance test of the workpiece 28 may be performed by aligning an outlet 142 of a fluid conduit 112 with one of a plurality of first flow openings 64 defined in the workpiece 28, as indicated by arrow 174. Aligning the outlet 142 with one of the plurality of first flow openings 64 may be achieved, for example, by driving a cross beam 104 (shown in FIG. 4) using an alignment drive 108 (shown in FIG. 4) according to coordinates of a location of interest determined by a controller 134 (shown in FIG. 4). 5B, the outlet 142 of the fluid conduit 112 may then be driven into sealing contact with the first surface 58 of the workpiece 28 around one of the plurality of first flow openings 64, as indicated by arrow 176. The contact may be achieved by driving the probe member 106 (shown in FIG. 4) using the contact / focusing drive 110 (shown in FIG. 4), for example, and also using the controller 134, such that the resilient member extending around the outlet 142 is compressed between the fluid conduit 112 and the first surface 58 of the workpiece. The fluid 144 is then communicated from the fluid source 114 (shown in FIG. 4) through the fluid conduit 112 to the first flow opening 38, and a backpressure is obtained from the fluid 144 flowing through the fluid conduit 112 using the backpressure sensor 116 (shown in FIG. 4) as the fluid 144 is released from the one or more first flow openings 64 defined in the workpiece 28 at the second surface 60 of the workpiece 28.

[0051] Once the backpressure is acquired, for example, based on the stability of the backpressure signal 148 (shown in FIG. 4), the fluid conduit 112 may be withdrawn from the first surface 58 of the workpiece 28, again using the alignment drive 108 (shown in FIG. 4), as shown by arrow 178 in FIG. 5C. The fluid conduit 112 may then be aligned with another of the plurality of first flow openings 64 using the alignment drive 108, as shown by arrow 180 in FIG. 5C, and the fluid conduit 112 is driven into abutment with the first surface 58 of the workpiece 28 once again, sealably around the other of the plurality of first flow openings 64, as shown by arrow 182 in FIG. 5D, using the abutment / focusing drive 110. Thereafter, fluid 144 may be conveyed to another of the plurality of first flow openings 64 using the fluid source 114, and the backpressure of the other of the plurality of first flow openings 64 is acquired using the backpressure sensor 116, as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D. In certain examples of the present disclosure, a backpressure for each of the plurality of first flow openings 64 defined in the workpiece 28 may be obtained by sequentially conveying fluid 144 to each of the plurality of first flow openings 64. According to certain examples of the present disclosure, only a subset of the plurality of first flow openings 64 may undergo fluid conductance testing, the subset of the plurality of first flow openings 64 undergoing fluid conductance testing using X-ray image data 184 acquired from the workpiece 28 (shown in FIG. 1 ). Advantageously, by using X-ray image data to select a subset of the plurality of first flow openings 64 for fluid conductance testing, the time required to inspect the workpiece 28 may be reduced.

[0052] In one particular example, the backpressure sensor 116 may be calibrated prior to testing the flow area of ​​one of the first flow opening 38 and the second flow opening 40. In this regard, it is contemplated that the outlet 142 of the fluid conduit 112 may be aligned with one or more calibration flow openings 119 of the calibration block 118, which is driven into abutment with the calibration block 118, and the calibration fluid 144 may flow through the one or more calibration flow openings 119 so that the backpressure acquired by the backpressure sensor 116 can be compared to a predetermined backpressure sensor calibration value to assess the health of the test fixture 100. Calibration of the backpressure sensor may be performed prior to placing the workpiece 28 on the seat 102. Calibration of the backpressure sensor may be performed while the workpiece 28 is placed on the seat 102 and prior to testing the fluid conductance through one of the first flow opening 38 and the second flow opening 40. Calibration of the backpressure sensor may be performed while testing the fluid conductance of individual ones of the plurality of first flow openings 64 defined in the workpiece 28, for example, in response to obtaining an anomalous backpressure measurement from one of the plurality of first flow openings 64. Calibration of the backpressure sensor may also be performed after testing the fluid conductance of the workpiece 28, for example, to evaluate the test fixture 100 for drift during testing of the workpiece 28.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 6E, flow area inspection of the workpiece 28 may be performed by aligning one or more optical elements 122 with one of the plurality of first flow openings 64 defined in the workpiece 28, as indicated by arrow 186. Alignment may also be achieved, for example, by driving the cross beam 104 (shown in FIG. 4) using the alignment drive 108 (shown in FIG. 4) according to coordinates of a location of interest determined by the controller 134 (shown in FIG. 4) based on a flow conductance inspection of one of the plurality of first flow openings 64. As shown in FIG. 6F, the one or more optical elements 122 may be driven along an optical axis 188 that optically couples the one or more optical elements 122 to the workpiece 28, such that the flow area 188 of one or more of the first flow openings 64 is focused to a specific location in the thickness 62 of the workpiece 28, as indicated by arrow 190. In this regard, it is contemplated that the one or more optical elements 122 may be driven by the abutment / focusing drive 110, such that the flow area 188 presented to the optical focal plane array 124 represents the flow area of ​​one of the plurality of first flow openings 64 at a location within the first surface 58, the second surface 60, or a thickness intermediate the first surface 58 and the second surface 60. As noted above, focusing of the one or more optical elements 122 may be achieved by driving the probe member 106 (shown in FIG. 4) using the abutment / focusing drive 110 (shown in FIG. 4), such as through the controller 134, and in some examples, focusing may be enabled (at least in part) by an axial offset between the one or more optical elements 122 and the outlet 142 of the fluid conduit 112. Optical image data 158 (shown in FIG. 4) may then be acquired using light collected by the one or more optical elements 122 and transmitted by the optical waveguide 126 to the optical focal plane array 124 (shown in FIG. 4).

[0054] Once optical image data 158 of one of the plurality of first flow openings 64 has been acquired, further optical image data of another of the plurality of first flow openings 64 and the plurality of second flow openings 68 defined in the workpiece 28 may be acquired. In this regard, it is contemplated that one or more optical elements 122 may be aligned with another of the plurality of first flow openings 64 based, for example, on a backpressure obtained from another of the plurality of first flow openings 64 during fluid conductance testing of the workpiece 28. In a further regard, it is also contemplated that the flow area of ​​one or more of the plurality of second flow openings 68 may be tested. In this regard, as indicated by arrow 192 at FIG. 6G, one or more optical elements 122 may be aligned with one of the plurality of second flow openings 68, for example, again using the alignment drive 108 (shown in FIG. 4 ). 6G by arrow 194, the one or more optical elements 122 may then be driven again along the optical axis 152, and the optical focal plane array 124 (shown in FIG. 4) is used to acquire additional optical image data 158 (shown in FIG. 4) of the workpiece 28 including one of the plurality of second flow openings 68. As will be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure, optical inspection of flow area is typically relatively slow compared to fluid conductance inspection, but is generally more accurate than fluid conductance inspection for determining whether re-machining (e.g., by re-drilling or re-cleaning) of a flow opening exhibiting a backpressure anomaly is warranted.

[0055] In one particular example, multiple optical image data sets may be acquired from a single flow opening of the plurality of second flow openings 68. In this regard, the one or more optical elements 122 may be driven along the optical axis 152 to a first offset distance from the workpiece 28, and optical image data set I of one of the plurality of second flow openings 68 may be acquired to, for example, acquire a flow area of ​​one of the plurality of second flow openings 68 at a location proximate the first surface 58 of the workpiece 28. The one or more optical elements 122 may then be driven along the optical axis 152 to a second offset distance from the workpiece 28, and optical image data set II of one of the plurality of second flow openings 68 may be acquired to, for example, acquire a flow area of ​​one of the plurality of second flow openings 68 at a location intermediate the first surface 58 and the second surface 60 of the workpiece 28. The one or more optical elements 122 may then be driven along the optical axis 152 to a third offset distance from the workpiece 28, and an optical image dataset III of one of the plurality of second flow openings 68 may be acquired, for example, to obtain a flow area of ​​one of the plurality of second flow openings 68 at a location proximate the second surface 60 of the workpiece 28. Advantageously, acquiring multiple optical image datasets may identify the depth of blockages in the flow openings defined in the workpiece 28, such as deposits 196 formed during conveyance of the process fluid 18 (shown in FIG. 1 ) in the fluid system 10 and that are resistant to techniques used to clean the workpiece 28, thereby reducing (or eliminating) the risk of such deposits remaining in the workpiece 28 when cleaned after installation in a fluid system, such as the fluid system 10.

[0056] In certain examples of the present disclosure, the flow area of ​​each of the plurality of second flow openings 68 may be inspected individually by acquiring optical image data for each of the plurality of second flow openings 68. In accordance with certain examples of the present disclosure, the flow area of ​​only a subset of the plurality of second flow openings 68 may be inspected individually by acquiring optical image data for each of the subset of the plurality of second flow openings 68, for example, using X-ray image data 184 (shown in FIG. 1 ) of the workpiece 28 to identify the subset of the plurality of second flow openings 68 that require flow area inspection. It is further contemplated that the flow area may be inspected by illuminating the underside of the workpiece 28 with visible light emitted by the light source 120. Advantageously, in instances where, for example, the size and pitch of relatively small flow openings necessitates the use of fluid conduits 112 that are too small to effectively test the fluid conductance of relatively large flow openings in a single flow opening fluid conductance testing regime, fluid conductance testing and flow area testing of multiple first flow openings 64, in conjunction with flow area testing of multiple second flow openings 68 (either in total or in subsets), may reduce the time required to test a workpiece having flow openings of different sizes.

[0057] 7-10, an inspection method 200 according to an illustrative and non-limiting example of the present disclosure is shown. As shown in FIG. 7, inspection method 200 generally includes supporting a workpiece on an inspection fixture, e.g., supporting workpiece 28 (shown in FIG. 1) in inspection fixture 100 (shown in FIG. 1), as shown in box 202; inspecting the fluid conductance of one or more of the first and second flow openings defined in the workpiece using a fluid backpressure across one or more of the first and second flow openings, e.g., the backpressure of fluid 144 (shown in FIG. 4) while traversing first flow opening 38 (shown in FIG. 2) and second flow opening 40 (shown in FIG. 2), as shown in box 204; and acquiring a flow area of ​​one or more of the first and second flow openings using optical image data of a portion of the workpiece including one or more of the first and second flow openings, e.g., optical image data 158 (shown in FIG. 4) acquired using optical focal plane array 124 (shown in FIG. 4), as shown in box 206. It is contemplated that inspecting 204 the fluid conductance of the workpiece and inspecting 206 the flow area of ​​the workpiece may be performed after the workpiece is placed on a testing fixture, as indicated by arrow 208. It is also contemplated that inspecting 206 the flow area of ​​at least one of the first and second flow openings may be performed after inspecting 204 the fluid conductance of one or more of the first and second flow openings, as indicated by arrow 210. It is further contemplated that the workpiece may be placed in a fluid system, such as fluid system 10 (shown in FIG. 1 ), after inspecting 204 the fluid conductance of one or more of the first and second flow openings and / or inspecting 206 the flow area of ​​one or more of the first and second flow openings, as indicated by box 212.

[0058] In certain examples of the present disclosure, inspecting 204 the fluid conductance may occur after forming the workpiece, for example, by defining one or more of the first and second flow openings in the workpiece using subtractive or additive manufacturing techniques, as indicated by box 214. In such examples, as indicated by bracket 216 and box 218, the workpiece may be x-ray inspected after forming 212 the workpiece, such as by supporting the workpiece between an x-ray source and an x-ray detector and acquiring x-ray image data of the workpiece, the image data including at least a portion of the workpiece including the first and second flow openings. In accordance with certain examples of the present disclosure, the workpiece may be cleaned before inspecting 204 the fluid conductance of one or more of the first and second flow openings and / or inspecting 206 the flow area of ​​one or more of the first and second flow openings, as indicated by box 220 and arrow 222. In such an example, the workpiece may be x-rayed after cleaning, as also indicated by bracket 218. It is contemplated that x-ray inspection may not be performed before inspecting 204 the fluid conductance of one or more of the first and second flow openings and / or inspecting 206 the flow area of ​​one or more of the first and second flow openings, such as when the workpiece is removed from the fluid system for cleaning, as indicated by box 224 and arrow 226, and remain within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 8 , supporting 202 the workpiece on the inspection fixture may include supporting a showerhead for a semiconductor processing system on a seat of the inspection fixture, such as seat 102 (shown in FIG. 4 ) of inspection fixture 100 (shown in FIG. 1 ), as indicated by box 228. Supporting the workpiece on the inspection fixture may include supporting a workpiece formed from a metallic material on the inspection fixture, as indicated by box 230. Supporting 202 the workpiece on the inspection fixture may include placing the workpiece on a seat where the first flow opening and the second flow opening have a common width, as indicated by box 232. Supporting 202 the workpiece on the inspection fixture may include supporting the workpiece where the first flow opening is one of a plurality of first flow openings having a first width and the second flow opening is one of a plurality of second flow openings having a second width, the second width being greater than the first width, as indicated by box 234. In certain examples, the second width may be greater than the width of the outlet of the flow tube used for flow conductance testing, as indicated by box 236. According to certain examples, the workpiece may have a large number of flow openings defined therein, for example, between 50 and 2000 flow openings, or between 500 and 2000 flow openings, or even between 1000 and 2000 flow openings. As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate in view of this disclosure, selective optical inspection of the flow area may reduce the time required to inspect the workpiece, for example, in the case of only detecting anomalies via flow conductance testing by x-ray inspection and / or backpressure measurement, since flow conductance testing may require less time than optical inspection of the flow area.

[0060] Inspecting 218 the workpiece with x-rays may include supporting the workpiece between x-ray sources, as shown in box 238. Inspecting 218 the workpiece with x-rays may further include acquiring x-ray image data of a portion of the workpiece including one or more of the first flow openings and the second flow openings, as shown in box 240. Inspecting 218 the workpiece with x-rays may include selecting one or more of the plurality of first flow openings and the plurality of second flow openings for inspection, e.g., fluid conductance inspection and / or flow area inspection, as shown in box 242. As will be appreciated, inspecting the flow openings using fluid conductance and / or flow area techniques based on a previous x-ray inspection may reduce the number of flow openings requiring fluid conductance inspection and / or flow area inspection and may reduce the time otherwise required to inspect the workpiece using the inspection fixture.

[0061] 9, inspecting 204 the fluid conductance of one or more of the first and second flow openings may include aligning an outlet of a fluid conduit, e.g., outlet 142 (shown in FIG. 4) of fluid conduit 112 (shown in FIG. 4), with one of the first and second fluid conduits, as shown in box 242. Inspecting 204 the fluid conductance of one or more of the first and second flow openings may include, for example, aligning and then abutting the outlet relative to the workpiece such that the outlet sealably extends around one of the first and second flow openings, as shown in box 244. Inspecting 204 the fluid conductance of one or more of the first and second flow openings may include flowing fluid from a fluid source, for example, fluid 144 (shown in FIG. 4) from fluid source 114 (shown in FIG. 4), through a fluid conduit and into one of the first and second flow openings, so that fluid entering the first surface of the workpiece exits the second surface of the workpiece through one of the first and second flow openings, as shown in box 246. A backpressure of the fluid may be obtained as the fluid flows through one of the first and second flow openings, for example, using a backpressure signal 148 (shown in FIG. 4) provided by a backpressure sensor 116 (shown in FIG. 4) of the inspection fixture, as shown in box 248.

[0062] It is contemplated that the backpressure may be compared to a predetermined backpressure value, as indicated by boxes 250 and 252. Additional flow openings of the first plurality of flow openings may undergo fluid conductance testing, flow openings of the second plurality of flow openings may undergo optical testing, or the workpiece may be installed in a fluid system when the backpressure is below a predetermined backpressure difference and differs from the predetermined backpressure value, as indicated by box 252 and arrow 254. The flow area of ​​one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening may be tested by acquiring optical image data of a portion of the workpiece and one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening when the backpressure is above a predetermined backpressure difference and differs from the predetermined backpressure value, as indicated by arrow 256 and box 258. Comparing the acquired backpressure to the predetermined backpressure value may be accomplished by communicating the backpressure value to a processor, such as processor 162 (shown in FIG. 4), as also indicated by box 244. As further indicated by box 244, a determination as to whether the backpressure is different from the predetermined backpressure difference may also be accomplished using a processor. As also indicated in box 206, it is contemplated that fluid conductance testing and flow area testing may be accomplished in a single fixture.

[0063] In certain examples, only a subset of the flow openings defined in the workpiece may undergo fluid conductance testing. For example, the fluid conductance of one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening may be inspected based on X-ray image data acquired from the workpiece. The fluid conductance of the first flow opening and one of the second flow openings may be inspected based on the size of the first flow opening and one of the second flow openings, for example, when the first flow opening is one of a plurality of first flow openings having a first width smaller than the width of the outlet of the conduit and the second flow opening is one of a plurality of second flow openings having a second width larger than the width of the outlet. It is also contemplated that all of the plurality of first flow openings and / or all of the plurality of second flow openings may undergo fluid conductance testing and remain within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0064] In certain examples of the present disclosure, testing 204 the flow conductance of one or more of the first and second flow openings may include calibrating a backpressure sensor, as indicated by reference arrow 204. In this regard, the outlet of the fluid conduit may be aligned with a calibration flow opening defined in a calibration block, e.g., one or more calibration flow openings 119 (shown in FIG. 4 ) defined in calibration block 118 (shown in FIG. 4 ), as also indicated by reference arrow 204. The outlet of the fluid conduit may be actuated into sealing contact with a first surface of the calibration block and around one or more flow openings, e.g., a single one of the one or more calibration flow openings, and the calibration fluid may be conducted through the calibration block such that the calibration fluid is expelled from a second surface of the calibration block opposite the first surface, as further indicated by reference arrow 204. The backpressure measurement may be acquired as the fluid is released from the calibration block and compared to a predetermined calibrated backpressure value stored in one of a plurality of program modules stored in memory, and a user output indicating that the test fixture is functioning reliably is provided to the user interface when the acquired backpressure differs from the predetermined calibrated backpressure value by less than a predetermined backpressure calibration difference, as further indicated by reference arrow 204, and a user output indicating that the test fixture is not functioning reliably is provided to the user interface when the acquired backpressure differs from the predetermined backpressure calibration value by more than a predetermined backpressure difference value. It is contemplated that calibration may be performed before testing the backpressure of the workpiece and / or after testing the backpressure of the workpiece. It is also contemplated that calibration may be achieved in response to the backpressure of one or more flow openings defined in the workpiece differing from the predetermined backpressure value by more than the backpressure difference, as also indicated by box 252. As will be understood by those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure, field calibration of the test fixture may improve the reliability of the test fixture.

[0065] 10 , inspecting 206 the flow area of ​​one or more of the first and second flow openings may include aligning an optical element disposed along the optical axis, for example, optical element 122 (shown in FIG. 4 ) disposed along optical axis 152 (shown in FIG. 4 ), with one of the first and second flow openings, as shown in box 260. As shown in box 262, inspecting 206 the flow area of ​​one of the first and second flow openings may include translating the optical element along the optical axis, for example, to a predetermined focal distance from the workpiece. As shown in box 264, inspecting 206 the flow area of ​​one of the first and second flow openings may include acquiring optical image data of the workpiece including one of the first and second flow openings. As shown in box 266, it is contemplated that the flow area of ​​one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening is determined using optical image data, and that the determined flow area of ​​one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening is compared to a predetermined flow area as shown in boxes 268 and 270.

[0066] When the determined flow area differs from the predetermined flow area by more than a predetermined flow area difference, one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening may be reworked, as indicated by arrow 272 and box 274. In this regard, the workpiece may be reworked, for example, using a material removal operation similar to that used to form one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening, as also indicated by arrow 276 and box 278. In a further regard, the workpiece (or one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening) may be re-cleaned, for example, using a cleaning process similar to that used to initially clean the workpiece and / or one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening, as further indicated by arrow 272 and box 274. It is contemplated that the workpiece may be installed in a fluid system when the determined flow area differs from the predetermined flow area by less than a predetermined flow area difference, as indicated by arrow 276 and box 278. In certain examples of the present disclosure, a flow opening may undergo optical inspection only when a flow conductance test indicates that the backpressure of the flow through the flow opening is abnormal, e.g., only when said backpressure differs from a predetermined backpressure value by more than a predetermined backpressure difference. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure, this can reduce the time required to inspect a workpiece, for example, in a workpiece having a large number of flow openings where testing each flow opening would reduce the throughput of the inspection fixture. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure, flow openings that are not subject to flow conductance testing (e.g., due to size) may undergo flow area inspection using the optical inspection operations described above.

[0067] In certain examples of the present disclosure, the flow area at one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening may be determined at two or more locations between the first surface and the second surface of the workpiece, as also indicated at box 262. In this regard, as indicated at boxes 280 and 282, a first optical image data set may be acquired with the optical element at a first focal distance from the workpiece, and one or more second optical image data sets may be acquired with the optical element at one or more second focal distances from the workpiece. As also shown in boxes 260-282, it is contemplated that a first flow area of ​​one of the first and second flow openings may be determined at a first focus offset using first image data, one or more second flow areas of the first and one of the second flow openings may be determined using one or more second image data sets, and the first flow area and the one or more second flow areas may be compared to a predetermined flow area to determine whether either (or both) of the determined flow areas of the first or one of the second flow openings differ from the predetermined flow area by more than a predetermined flow area difference. As will be understood by those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure, inspecting the flow area along the length using optical techniques allows for the determination of an effective flow area of ​​one or more of the first and second flow openings, reducing (or eliminating) the possibility that chips or swarf (as in the case of a newly constructed workpiece) or residual process fluid deposits (as when the workpiece is cleaned) will go undetected during inspection of the workpiece.

[0068] While the present disclosure has been provided in the context of certain embodiments and examples, those skilled in the art will understand that the present disclosure extends beyond the specifically described embodiments to other alternative embodiments and / or uses of the embodiments, and to obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while several variations of the embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described in detail, other modifications that are within the scope of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art based on the present disclosure. It is also contemplated that various combinations or subcombinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the present disclosure. It will be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another to form various modes of embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the present disclosure should be limited by the specific embodiments described above.

[0069] Any headings provided herein, if any, are for convenience only and do not necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the devices and methods disclosed herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 2 Base material 4 material layers 6 Chips or swarf 8 Process fluid deposits 10 Fluid Systems 12 Process fluid source 14 Chamber configuration 16 Exhaust Sources 18 Process Fluid 20 Process fluid supply pipe 22 Chamber body 24 Substrate support 26 Internal 28 Workpiece 30 Distribution Plenum 32 process capacity 34 Inlet Port 36 Exhaust port 38 Opening 40 Opening 42 Exhaust pipe 44 Reaction Products 46 External environment 50 X-ray examination 54 Workpiece body 56 Metal materials 58 First Surface 60 Second Surface 64 Opening 66 First Width 68 Opening 70 Second width 72 Chamber Fixing Features 100 Inspection Jig 102 Seat area 104 Cross Beam 106 Probe component 108 Alignment drive unit drive unit 110 Contact / focusing drive unit 112 Fluid tube 114 Fluid Source 116 Back pressure flow sensor 118 Calibration Block 119 Opening 120 light source 122 Optical Elements 124 Optical Focal Plane Array 126 Optical waveguide 128 Base 130 shower head fixing feature 132 Case 134 Controller 136 Inlet end 138 Entrance 140 Outlet end 142 Exit 144 Calibration Fluid 146 Wireless Link 148 Back pressure signal 152 Optical axis 154 input terminal 156 Output terminal 158 Optical Image Data 160 Device Interface 162 processors 164 User Interface 166 memory 168 Program Modules 170 Computer Program Products 172 Inspection Systems

Claims

1. An inspection jig, a seat configured to support a workpiece; a backpressure sensor coupled to the seat and configured to acquire a backpressure of a fluid across one of a first flow opening and a second flow opening defined in the workpiece supported on the seat of the inspection fixture; an optical focal plane array coupled to the seat and configured to acquire optical image data of a portion of the workpiece, including one or more of the first flow openings and the second flow openings defined in the workpiece supported on the seat of the inspection fixture; An inspection jig comprising:

2. The test fixture of claim 1 further comprising a fluid conduit having an outlet supported for movement relative to the seat, the back pressure sensor being positioned along the fluid conduit.

3. 3. The test fixture of claim 2, further comprising a fluid source connected to the fluid conduit and therethrough connected to the backpressure sensor, the fluid source configured to communicate the fluid through the backpressure sensor to one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the fluid conduit.

4. a light source fixed relative to the seat; a calibration block fixed relative to the seat and offset from the light source, the calibration block having one or more calibration flow openings extending therethrough; The inspection tool of claim 1 further comprising:

5. The inspection fixture of claim 1 , further comprising an optical element supported for movement relative to the seat, the optical element optically coupled to the optical focal plane array along an optical axis.

6. The fixture of claim 5 , wherein the optical element comprises one or more of a lens, a mirror, and a grating.

7. The inspection fixture of claim 5 further comprising a fluid conduit having an outlet supported for movement relative to the seat, the outlet being fixed relative to the optical element.

8. 10. The inspection fixture of claim 1, further comprising a workpiece supported on the seat and having a first surface separated from a second surface by a thickness, the first surface coupled to the second surface by the first flow opening, and the first surface further coupled to the second surface by the second flow opening.

9. 9. The inspection fixture of claim 8, wherein the first flow opening is one of a plurality of first flow openings having a first width and the second flow opening is one of a plurality of second flow openings having a second width, the second width being greater than the first width.

10. 9. The inspection fixture of claim 8, wherein chips, debris, or deposits from process fluid transmitted by the workpiece through the first flow opening and / or the second flow opening block one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening defined in the workpiece.

11. 10. The test fixture of claim 8, wherein the workpiece comprises a showerhead configured to distribute process fluids into a process volume defined within a semiconductor processing system.

12. a cross beam supported for movement relative to the seat; a probe member carried by and supported for movement relative to said cross beam; a fluid conduit having an outlet fixed relative to the probe member; an optical element fixed relative to the probe member; The inspection tool of claim 1 further comprising:

13. 1. An inspection system comprising: The inspection jig according to claim 1; a processor disposed in communication with the backpressure sensor and the optical focal plane array, the processor responsive to instructions recorded in a memory to: receiving from the backpressure sensor a fluid backpressure across one of a first flow opening and a second flow opening defined in the workpiece supported on the seat; determining a fluid conductance of one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the backpressure received from the backpressure sensor; receiving optical image data of a portion of the workpiece, including one or more of the first flow openings and the second flow openings defined in the workpiece supported on the seat, from the optical focal plane array; determining a flow area of ​​one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the optical image data received from the optical focal plane array; a processor that performs An inspection system comprising:

14. 1. A testing method comprising: Supporting the workpiece on a seat of the inspection jig; obtaining a fluid backpressure across one of a first flow opening and a second flow opening defined in the workpiece using a backpressure sensor coupled to the seat of the test fixture; determining a fluid conductance of one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the backpressure received from the backpressure sensor; acquiring optical image data of a portion of the workpiece, including one or more of the first flow openings and the second flow openings defined in the workpiece, from an optical focal plane array coupled to the seat of the inspection fixture; determining a flow area of ​​one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the optical image data received from the optical focal plane array; 12. A testing method comprising:

15. Determining fluid conductance aligning an outlet of a fluid conduit in fluid communication with the backpressure sensor with one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening defined in the workpiece resting on the seat of the test fixture; sealably abutting the outlet of the fluid conduit around the one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening; flowing fluid from a fluid source through the backpressure sensor and the fluid conduit to the one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening; obtaining a back pressure of the fluid from the back pressure sensor as the fluid traverses the workpiece through the one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening; comparing the back pressure acquired by the back pressure sensor with a predetermined back pressure value; inspecting a flow area of ​​one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening when the acquired backpressure differs from the predetermined backpressure value by more than a predetermined backpressure difference; The inspection method according to claim 14, comprising:

16. Determining the flow path area aligning an optical element disposed along an optical axis with one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening mounted on the seat of the inspection fixture; translating the optical element along the optical axis relative to the one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening to optically couple the optical focal plane array; acquiring optical image data of the workpiece including the one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the optical focal plane array; determining a flow area of ​​the one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the acquired optical image data; comparing the determined flow area of ​​the one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening to a predetermined flow area value; removing the workpiece from the seat for rework when the determined flow area of ​​the one of the first flow opening and the second flow opening differs from a predetermined flow area value by more than a predetermined flow area difference; The inspection method according to claim 15, comprising:

17. The inspection method of claim 15 , wherein acquiring a back pressure comprises acquiring a back pressure at only the first flow opening defined in the workpiece.

18. The inspection method of claim 17 , wherein acquiring optical image data includes acquiring optical image data of both the first flow opening and the second flow opening.

19. 16. The inspection method of claim 15, further comprising acquiring X-ray image data of the workpiece, wherein the back pressure and the optical image data are acquired using the X-ray image data of the workpiece.

20. 15. The inspection method of claim 14, further comprising calibrating the backpressure sensor before testing backpressure and after testing backpressure of the workpiece.

21. 1. A computer program product comprising: A non-transitory machine-readable medium, the medium comprising: receiving, using a backpressure sensor coupled to a seat of the inspection fixture, a backpressure of a fluid across one of a first flow opening and a second flow opening defined in a workpiece supported by the seat of the inspection fixture; determining a fluid conductance of one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the backpressure received from the backpressure sensor; receiving optical image data of a portion of the workpiece including one or more of the first flow openings and the second flow openings defined in the workpiece from an optical focal plane array coupled to the seat of the inspection fixture; determining a flow area of ​​one or more of the first flow opening and the second flow opening using the optical image data received from the optical focal plane array; a processor that performs A computer program product comprising:

Images