Gas distribution system with electrical backplane

Abstract

To provide a gas delivery system comprising an electrical backplane, a system controller operatively coupled to the electrical backplane, and a plurality of mass flow controllers.SOLUTION: In a gas delivery system comprising an electrical backplane, a system controller operatively coupled to the electrical backplane, and a plurality of mass flow controllers, the plurality of mass flow controllers 30 each include a mass flow control circuitry operatively coupled to the electrical backplane. The system controller 12 and each mass flow control circuitry are physically mounted on the electrical backplane 18. The gas delivery system 10 further comprises a pump / purge system to help eliminate pressure build up in the system and provide a quick stop to a flow process in the system. Accordingly, a row associated with a flow process may be evaluated, so that a mass flow controller 30 may be swapped out as needed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 963,880, filed January 21, 2020, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Gas supply systems are used to supply various types of gases in industrial applications such as semiconductor manufacturing. In these systems, multiple gas supply lines each carry a different gas that is mixed and supplied to various manufacturing processes. Typically, a mass flow controller is provided in each gas supply line to regulate the flow rate of the gas.

[0003] In some gas delivery systems, all mass flow controllers may be connected via a network to a central tool that remotely transmits commands to the mass flow controllers and requests process data via the network. Each mass flow controller maintains its own control loop with the central tool in synchronization with the commands transmitted from the central tool via the network. The manufacturing process is realized by transmitting flow commands and settings from the central tool to the mass flow controllers via the network during the gas delivery process. This method has the disadvantage that network delays, bandwidth limitations, and errors often occur in the communication between the central tool and the mass flow controllers. As a result, there are limitations on the speed and amount of data that can be exchanged between the mass flow controllers and the central tool during the execution of the manufacturing process, and these limitations have limited the functionality of conventional gas delivery systems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address these problems, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a gas delivery system is provided that includes an electrical backplane, a system controller operably coupled to the electrical backplane, and a plurality of mass flow controllers, each having a mass flow control circuit operably coupled to the electrical backplane, and the system controller and each mass flow control circuit are physically attached to the electrical backplane.

[0005] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. 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. Moreover, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all of the disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a basic electrical schematic diagram of a gas delivery system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a first memory interface according to the embodiment of FIG. 1; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a second memory interface according to the embodiment of FIG. 1; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the integrated gas supply system according to the embodiment of FIG. 1; [Diagram 5] 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating flow paths and flow control components of an integrated gas supply system according to the embodiment of FIG. 1; [Figure 6] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of data and control signals between the system controller, the mass flow controllers, and the flow ratio controllers via an electrical bus system in the gas delivery system of FIG. 1. [Figure 7]2 is a top perspective view of the electrical backplane of the integrated gas supply system of FIG. 1, with dashed lines showing the printed circuit boards of the mass flow controllers, flow ratio controllers, and input / output modules mounted on the electrical backplane; [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a side view of a typical flow path used in the gas supply system of FIG. 1, with dashed lines showing the flow path through an upstream flow block that includes a pair of upstream shut-off valves, a flow control valve, and a pair of downstream shut-off valves. [Figure 9] 2 is a schematic side view of a printed circuit board of a mass flow controller in the gas distribution system of FIG. 1, passing through the mechanical backplane and extending to electrically and physically connect with the electrical backplane; FIG. [Figure 10A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an upstream passage block in the gas supply system of FIG. 1, and a downstream passage block in the gas supply system also has the same structure. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of the upstream flow path block taken along AA′ in FIG. 10A , showing branch flow paths connected from the inlet to the outlet and purge port of the upstream flow path block, and a pair of upstream shut-off valves for controlling the flow of gas through each branch of the branch flow paths. [Figure 10C] FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of the downstream flow path block taken along AA′ in FIG. 10A , showing branched flow paths connected from the inlet to the outlet and purge port of the downstream flow path block, and a pair of downstream shut-off valves for controlling the flow of gas through each branch of the branched flow paths. [Figure 10D] FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of the upstream flow path block taken along BB′ in FIG. 10A, showing a pair of internal parallel flow paths of the purge branch in the branch flow path and an inverted U-shaped flow path connecting the central hole of the inlet branch in the branch flow path. [Figure 11A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mass flow controller portion of the gas supply system of FIG. 1 with the printed circuit board removed, showing the mass flow controller flow path block, the flow control valve, the pressure sensor system, and the upstream pressure sensor attached thereto. [Figure 11B] FIG. 11B is a perspective view of the mass flow controller channel block in FIG. 11A with various components removed. [Figure 11C] FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of a mass flow controller flow path block taken along CC′ in FIG. 11B with associated components shown diagrammatically, showing a gas flow path from inlet to outlet, a flow control valve, a bypass line with a pressure sensor system coupled thereto, and an upstream pressure sensor according to one example of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 2 is a top view of a mixing manifold in the gas delivery system of FIG. 1 coupled to a chamber as shown in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary computing environment that may be utilized to implement the gas supply system of FIG. 1 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned problems, and referring to Fig. 1, an integrated gas supply system 10 is provided with an integrated high-speed electrical backplane 18 operably coupled to and configured to communicate between a system controller 12, a plurality of mass flow controllers 30, a plurality of flow ratio controllers 26, a plurality of pressure controllers 24, and an input / output module 20 via corresponding memory interfaces 22 and electrical connectors 50. More specifically, the electrical backplane 18 is operably coupled to the system controller 12 via a first memory interface 22A, operably coupled to a plurality of mass flow controllers 30A-30P via a second memory interface 22B, operably coupled to the input / output module 20 via a third memory interface 22C, operably coupled to a plurality of pressure controllers 24A-24D via a fourth memory interface 22D, and operably coupled to a plurality of flow ratio controllers 26A-26D via a fifth memory interface 22E. A client computing device 110 may be operably coupled to the system controller 12 to transmit and receive data communications and / or instructions to and from the system controller 12. For example, these data communications may include flow diagnostic and flow monitoring information for the gas delivery system 10. The gas delivery system 10 may be configured as a gas delivery apparatus enclosed within a housing 11. The system controller 12 may be referred to as a control module, and the mass flow controllers 30, the flow ratio controllers 26, the pressure controllers 24, and the input / output modules 20 may be referred to as controlled modules, since they operate under the control of the system controller 12.

[0008] In Fig. 1, 16 mass flow controllers are illustrated as being connected to the second memory interface 22B, but the number is not particularly limited and may be less than or greater than 16. Furthermore, in Fig. 1, four flow ratio controllers 26A-26D are illustrated as being connected to the fifth memory interface 22E, but the number is not particularly limited and may be less than or greater than four. Furthermore, in Fig. 1, four pressure controllers 24A-24D are illustrated as being connected to the fourth memory interface 22D, but the number is not particularly limited and may be less than or greater than four.

[0009] The system controller 12 comprises a processor 12A and a volatile memory 12B, such as a random access memory (RAM). In some embodiments, the system controller 12 may be configured as a system on module (SOM). The processor 12A may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other type of microprocessor, such as a multi-core processor. The system controller 12 is operatively coupled to a non-volatile memory 14 that stores a central data repository 15, which may store a data log 15A and an artificial intelligence (AI) model 15B. Each mass flow controller 30A-30P has a corresponding mass flow control circuit 30A1-30P1, each flow ratio controller 26A-26D has a corresponding flow ratio control circuit 26A1-26D1, and each pressure controller 24A-24D has a corresponding pressure control circuit 24A1-24D1. Like the circuits of the system controller 12, each of the mass flow control circuits 30A1-30P1, flow ratio control circuits 26A1-26D1, and pressure control circuits 24A1-24D1 may incorporate a processor and associated volatile and non-volatile memory. The processor of each of these circuits 30A1-30P1, 26A1-26D1, and 24A1-24D1 may be in the form of a CPU, ASIC, FPGA, or other type of microprocessor, may be a multi-core processor, and / or may be configured as a SOM.

[0010] As shown in detail in FIG. 7, the system controller 12, mass flow control circuits 30A1-30P1, flow ratio control circuits 26A1-26D1 and pressure control circuits 24A1-24D1 are operably coupled to the electrical backplane 18 by being electrically and physically mounted on the electrical backplane 18 via corresponding electrical connectors 50A-50U, thereby shortening the lengths of the various flow paths and electrical connections within the gas supply system 10.

[0011] Continuing with FIG. 1, the electrical backplane 18 includes an electrical bus system 18A having a communication bus 18B and a power bus 18C. The electrical backplane 18 may be electrically coupled to a power source 16. The power source 16 is configured to provide power via a power bus 18C that is configured to provide power to all of the controlled and control modules physically mounted on the electrical backplane 18, including the valves, the system controller 12, the input / output modules 20, the pressure controllers 24A-24D, the flow ratio controllers 26A-26D, the mass flow control circuits 30A1-30P1, and the mass flow controllers 30A-30P. Thus, the length of power lines required in the gas delivery system 10 is significantly reduced. In one embodiment, the power source 16 may include a common 24 volt DC power source shared between all of the control and controlled modules in the system via the power bus 18C. Additionally or alternatively, different voltages, wattages, or types of power sources may be utilized. For example, a 150 volt DC power supply may additionally be provided to power the valves, while a 24 volt power supply may be used to power the processing circuitry of the control module and the controlled modules.

[0012] The electrical backplane 18 forms the communication and power backbone of the gas delivery system 10. All communication and control signals, as well as the power supply 16, are embedded on the electrical backplane 18, allowing the system controller 12 to access all sensors and actuators in the gas flow path in real time. Additionally, the system controller 12 is operatively coupled to a large, high-speed data storage non-volatile memory 14 that stores a central data repository 15, allowing real-time storage of all sensor and actuator data for post-process analysis and long-term storage. That is, the system controller 12 and the central data repository 15 are integrated so that they are co-located in the same physical location, typically in the same housing 11, as the mass flow controllers 30A-30P, flow ratio controllers 26A-26D, and pressure controllers 24A-24D, facilitating data collection from these components via high-speed data connections on the integrated electrical backplane 18 rather than via long-latency, bandwidth-limited network connections.

[0013] The electrical backplane 18 may include a backplane printed circuit board (PCB) with high speed low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) interface elements for serial communication and control lines, however, the PCB is not specifically limited to LVDS elements and other standards and interface elements may alternatively be implemented within the PCB to achieve a high speed electrical backplane 18.

[0014] The electrical backplane 18 may include two independent serial communication subsystems within the communication bus 18B: a configuration bus 18B1 configured to transfer configuration signals between the system controller 12 and each of the mass flow controllers 30A-30P, and a control bus 18B2 configured to transfer control signals between the system controller 12 and each of the mass flow controllers 30A-30P. These two buses may operate in conjunction, completely independently, or simultaneously. All configuration data, module identification data, calibration data, etc. are transferred to each of the modules 20, 24A-24D, 26A-26D, 30A-30P individually via the configuration bus 18B1 during the system power-up, module configuration, and system configuration phases. During these system power-up, module configuration, and system configuration phases, the control bus 18B2 may be in a standby mode. Once these phases are completed using the configuration bus 18B1, the control bus 18B2 may transition to an operational mode to allow the exchange of control signals between the control module and the controlled modules. In addition to the aforementioned functions of configuration bus 18B1, after start-up and during normal operation of gas delivery system 10, historical data (i.e., log data) is transferred from each controlled module to system controller 12 via configuration bus 18B1 for storage in log 15A, thereby enabling near real-time storage of a process record. Meanwhile, during normal operation, control bus 18B2 transfers control commands from system controller 12 to each controlled module, and transfers sensor data and other feedback from each module back to system controller 12, thereby enabling feedback control operations to be performed.

[0015] As described above, in the gas delivery system 10, the system controller 12 is assigned as a control module, while the mass flow controllers 30A-30P, flow ratio controllers 26A-26D, pressure controllers 24A-24D, and input / output module 20 are assigned as controlled modules. The controlled modules may include other modules, including external bus expansion modules, precursor modules, in-situ metrology systems, thermal mass flow controllers, and restrictorless mass flow controllers, as described in detail below. As a fully asynchronous system, the control module 12, the controlled modules, and the electrical backplane 18 all operate independently and asynchronously on the local processor without wait states or forced interrupts. The electrical backplane 18 handles all communication between the control module (i.e., the system controller 12) and all the controlled modules, and simultaneously functions as a full-duplex serial bus that transfers read and write data on each cycle. Co-processor 13, mounted on electrical backplane 18 and operably coupled to first memory interface 22A, arbitrates or coordinates data exchange between system controller 12 and the controlled modules. In an alternative embodiment, co-processor 13 may be incorporated into first memory interface 22A.

[0016] Referring to FIG. 2, the first memory interface 22A connected to the system controller 12 may be configured as an FPGA, ASIC, complex programmable logic device (CPLD) or other type of memory control processor that receives serial data from the controlled modules via serial read register 22A7 and transmits serial data to the controlled modules via serial write register 22A6. The transmission and reception of serial data is performed by executing serial bus logic bits 22A8. For each controlled module, a module read data register 22A1 and a module write data register 22A2 are provided in the first memory interface 22A to exchange data between the system controller 12 and the electrical bus system 18A. A control register 22A3 may track the reception status of data transmitted by each controlled module, as confirmed by receiving a control signal from the controlled module. A module operation register 22A4 of the first memory interface 22A may inform the control module (i.e., the system controller 12) of the status of the serial bus as well as any failures in transmitting and receiving serial data. A control logic 22A5 is also provided for performing these memory control functions of the first memory interface 22A.

[0017] The coprocessor 13 may be configured to coordinate asynchronous data communication from the control module (i.e., the system controller 12) to the controlled module and from the controlled module to the control module, and also coordinates asynchronous data communication between the system controller 12 and each of the mass flow control circuits 30A1-30P1. The coprocessor 13 may coordinate and transfer serial data to and from various data registers. For example, when the coprocessor 13 receives serial data from a controlled module, it may asynchronously deserialize the serialized data stream to generate a deserialized data stream and write the deserialized data to the module read data register 22A1 assigned to the controlled module. The deserialized data stream in the module read data register 22A1 may then be asynchronously transmitted by the coprocessor 13 to the system controller 12. When the system controller 12 transmits data to a controlled module, the data may be written to the module write data register 22A2 assigned to the controlled module, and the coprocessor 13 may then serialize the data stream in the module write data register 22A2 to generate a serialized data stream, and transmit the serialized data stream to the controlled module including each mass flow control circuit 30A1-30P1 via the serial write register 22A6. Thus, the coprocessor 13 may check the integrity of the received serial data to confirm the reception by the controlled module of the data transmitted via the control signal, may transfer the received data to the correct read register, may compose the transmission data stream from the write register of the appropriate controlled module, and may constantly update the module operation register 22A4 to eliminate any faults and to bring the module communication state to the latest. Thus, the first memory interface 22A and the coprocessor 13 may control the communication between the control module and the controlled module.

[0018] 3, the second memory interface 22B has read registers 22B1-22B3 and write registers 22B4 for exchanging data between the controlled modules 30A-30P and the electrical bus system 18A. The second memory interface 22B connected to the mass flow controllers 30A-30P may be configured as a CPLD state machine or other suitable type of memory control processor, which executes control logic to receive and forward read data of the data stream sent from the mass flow control circuits 30A1-30P1 of the individual mass flow controllers 30A-30P to the control module (i.e., the system controller 12), and to receive and forward write data of the data stream sent by the control module to the individual mass flow controllers 30A-30P. The second memory interface 22B is configured to handle logistics and data transfer between the local processors of the mass flow control circuits 30A1-30P1 and the electrical backplane 18 using the registers 22B1-22B4 under the control of the control logic 22B5. Like the first memory interface 22A connected to the control module, the second memory interface 22B is completely independent of and asynchronous with the processor of each controlled module (e.g., no wait states or interrupts). The third memory interface 22C, the fourth memory interface 22D, and the fifth memory interface 22E are similarly configured as CPLD state machines to arbitrate data communication between the control module and the associated controlled modules in a similar manner. When data is sent from the system controller 12 to the controlled modules over the electrical backplane 18, the controlled modules are individually selected using the address of each controlled module encoded in the data stream. For example, each data stream may include the address of the mass flow control circuit 30A1-30P1 to which the data stream was sent. The second memory interface 22B, which receives the data stream from the system controller 12, then forwards the data stream to the controlled module indicated by the address encoded in the data stream.When sending a data stream to the system controller 12, each controlled module may be configured to encode the address of that controlled module into the data stream, which allows driver outputs and internal registers for data transfer back to the control module. Since each data stream received by the first memory interface 22A has an embedded address, it is possible to identify the individual controlled module from which the data stream was generated. Thus, the system controller 12 gains knowledge of the address of each controlled module to which the data stream is sent. If the address identifies a physical mapping or location associated with the controlled module, the system controller 12 gains knowledge of the physical mapping or location associated with each controlled module to which the data stream is sent.

[0019] 4 and 5, the layout of the gas supply system 10 is shown, showing a number of mass flow controllers 30A-30P, a machine backplane 19, and a number of flow ratio controllers 26A-26D mounted on an electrical backplane 18. The mass flow controllers 30A-30P and the flow ratio controllers 26A-26D are mounted on an upper surface 19A of the machine backplane 19 and extend upward. The electrical backplane 18 is mounted on a lower surface 19B of the machine backplane 19 and is disposed across a gap from the lower surface 19B. The electrical backplane 18 is accessed by openings 19C formed in the machine backplane 19, through which the mass flow controllers 30A-30P and the flow ratio controllers 26A-26D extend to reach electrical connectors 50A-50U (see FIG. 7) of the electrical backplane 18. That is, a portion of each of the mass flow controllers 30A-30P extends through each of the multiple openings 19C to reach the electrical backplane 18. The mass flow controllers 30A-30P and flow ratio controllers 26A-26D are mounted on an electrical backplane 18 and a mechanical backplane 19, in a modular array of mass flow control circuits 30A1-30P1 and a modular array of flow ratio control circuits 26A1-26D1. In each array, each mass flow controller has an upstream flow path block 80 and a downstream flow path block 82 that are mechanically and fluidically connected to a mass flow controller flow path block 81, with each flow path connected to the array extending from a respective inlet to an outlet leading to a mixing manifold 48. The number of arrays in the gas delivery system 10 is configurable.

[0020] The printed circuit boards of the mass flow control circuits 30A1-30P1 and the flow ratio control circuits 26A1-26D1 are mechanically fixed to the mass flow controller flow path block 81 via fasteners 25B such as screws. The mass flow controller flow path block 81 is then attached to the top surface of another flow path block 39, which is then attached to the top surface 19A of the machine backplane 19 via fasteners (not shown) such as screws. The printed circuit boards extend from the top surface 19A through openings 19C in the machine backplane 19 to the electrical connectors 50A-50U of the electrical backplane 18. Typically, the printed circuit boards terminate at the top surface of the electrical backplane 18, and therefore do not extend through the electrical backplane 18. The module row conforms to standardized dimensions so that the flow ratio control circuits 26A1-26D1 and the mass flow control circuits 30A1-30P1 are interchangeable with one another. In the illustrated embodiment, the mass flow controllers 30A-30P are arranged in a substantially parallel row, and the flow ratio controllers 26A-26D are arranged in different substantially parallel rows. Typically, the rows extend from the inlet side to the outlet side of the gas supply system 10. Each mass flow controller 30A-30P may include a flow control valve 36A-36P, an upstream shutoff valve 32A-32P, an upstream purge shutoff valve 34A-34P, a downstream purge shutoff valve 38A-38P, a downstream shutoff valve 40A-40P, and a pressure sensor pair 52A. These components are illustrated in FIG. 8, which shows a side view of the mass flow controller 30A. As illustrated, the mass flow controller 30A includes a mass flow control circuit 30A1, a flow control valve 36A, and a pressure sensor pair 52A. The flow control valve 36A is configured to be mounted in a flow path and to control the flow rate of gas through the flow path. During operation, the mass flow control circuit 30A1 reads the pressure from the pressure sensor pair 52A and controls the opening of the flow control valve 36A to control the flow of gas through the device to a target value. Of course, the mass flow controller 30A is not particularly limited to the pressure sensor pair 52A. For example, in other embodiments, the pressure sensor pair 52A may be replaced by a single pressure sensor.

[0021] Returning to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, each flow ratio control circuit element 26A1-26D1 may include a flow ratio control valve 44A-44D, a flow ratio shutoff valve 42A-42D, and a flow ratio pressure sensor 46A-46D, 47A-47D. A plurality of gas sources 28A-28P may be externally connected to the upstream shutoff valves 32A-32P at the inlet side of the gas supply system 10. During the gas supply process, gas introduced from the first gas source 28A flows through the first upstream shutoff valve 32A, the first flow control valve 36A, and the first downstream shutoff valve 40A that are open, and then enters the mixing manifold 48. The gas may then be mixed with other gases from other gas sources that also pass through their respective flow paths and flow control valves and enter the mixing manifold 48. The mixing manifold 48 is configured to receive and mix gases from each mass flow controller 30A-30P. The mixed gas in the mixing manifold 48 is then guided by the mixing manifold 48 to the inlets of each of the flow ratio controllers 26A-26D, passes through the flow ratio shutoff valves 42A-42D and the flow ratio control valves 44A-44D, and is output as gas outputs A-D on the outlet side of the gas supply system 10.

[0022] Each flow path between the upstream shutoff valves 32A-32P and the flow control valves 36A-36P may include a branching flow path leading to an upstream purge shutoff valve 34A-34P. When open, the upstream purge shutoff valves 34A-34P allow fluid to flow from the upstream shutoff valves 32A-32P to the upstream purge manifold 35 to drain the fluid from the gas supply system 10. When closed, the upstream purge shutoff valves 34A-34P allow fluid to flow without branching from the gas sources 28A-28P to the flow control valves 36A-36P. Thus, by controlling the individual upstream shutoff valves 32A-32P and the upstream purge shutoff valves 34A-34P, the flow paths within the individual module rows may be intended to purge fluid from the gas supply system 10 in a compartmentalized manner. That is, the system controller 12 is configured to control each shutoff valve 34A-34P to control the purging of gas within each module row on the machine backplane 19. Valves 32, 34, 38 and 40 can be used to isolate or isolate particular portions of gas delivery system 10 in the event that mass flow controllers 30A-30P require replacement.

[0023] The upstream shutoff valves 32A-32P and the upstream purge shutoff valves 34A-34P may be controlled by the mass flow controllers 30A-30P to create a vacuum in the flow path between the upstream shutoff valves 32A-32P and the flow control valves 36A-36P. For example, if a vacuum is desired between the first upstream shutoff valve 32A and the first flow control valve 36A, the first upstream shutoff valve 32A and the first flow control valve 36A may be completely closed and the first upstream shutoff valve 34A may be opened to purge gas in the flow path between the first upstream shutoff valve 32A and the first flow control valve 36A to the upstream purge manifold 35 and discharged from the gas supply system 10, effectively creating a vacuum in the flow path between the first upstream shutoff valve 32A and the first flow control valve 36A. Additionally or alternatively, the first upstream shutoff valve 32A and the first upstream purge shutoff valve 36A can be completely closed and the first upstream purge shutoff valve 34A can be opened to purge gas in the flow path between the first upstream shutoff valve 32A and the first flow control valve 36A into the upstream purge manifold 35 and introduce fresh gas into the gas supply system 10, effectively creating pressure in the flow path between the first upstream shutoff valve 32A and the first flow control valve 36A. The purge manifolds 35 and 41 can be connected to either a purge system or a vacuum system, and the downstream shutoff valves 40A-40P can be used to control or stop the purge or vacuum process.

[0024] 1 and 4, as described above, there are two backplanes: an electrical backplane 18 and a mechanical backplane 19 stacked on the electrical backplane 18 with a gap therebetween. When the gas supply system 10 is configured as a gas supply apparatus, the electrical backplane 18 and the mechanical backplane 19 are enclosed within the housing 11 of the gas supply apparatus. On the electrical backplane 18, the system controller 12 and the controlled modules 20, 24A-24D, 26A-26D, 30A-30P are physically attached via electrical connectors 50A-50U having slots configured to receive the printed circuit boards of the controlled modules. On the mechanical backplane 19, the multiple mass flow controllers 30A-30P are physically attached to a mass flow controller flow path block 81. The flow paths pass through the mass flow controller flow path block 81 of the mass flow controllers 30A-30P, through a plurality of valves (upstream shutoff valves 32A-32P, upstream purge shutoff valves 34A-34P, flow control valves 36A-36P, downstream purge shutoff valves 38A-38P, downstream shutoff valves 40A-40P), and are operatively coupled to a plurality of mass flow control circuit elements 30A1-30P1 and disposed within the flow paths. Each flow path fluidly connects a plurality of valves (upstream shutoff valves 32A-32P, upstream purge shutoff valves 34A-34P, flow control valves 36A-36P, downstream purge shutoff valves 38A-38P, downstream shutoff valves 40A-40P) to a plurality of mass flow controllers 30A-30P. Additionally, the plurality of valves (flow ratio shutoff valves 42A-42D and flow ratio control valves 44A-44D) operatively coupled to the flow ratio control circuits 26A1-26D1 are physically mounted on the machine backplane 19, as are the flow paths that fluidly connect the plurality of valves (flow ratio shutoff valves 42A-42D and flow ratio control valves 44A-44D) to the plurality of flow ratio controllers 26A-26D. Thus, the plurality of valves and flow paths are arranged in modular rows on the machine backplane 19.

[0025] Although the input / output module 20 is shown mounted in the lower right corner of the gas delivery system 10 in FIGS. 4 and 7, the rate of change device 21 may additionally or alternatively be mounted in the same location or adjacent downstream of the mass flow controller 30 and the mixing manifold 48. The rate of change device 21 may be configured to perform a rate of rise (ROR) measurement of the mass flow controller 30 to determine the flow rate or flow profile of the mass flow controller 30, or a rate of fall (ROF) measurement of the ratio controller 26 to determine the flow rate or flow profile of the flow controller 26. Additionally, although both are shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 as alternatively being located in the same location, both the input / output module 20 and one or more rate of change devices 21 may be installed as a control module downstream of the mixing manifold 48, for example, in a space provided adjacent the ratio controller. Additionally, other components may be mounted at this location, including external bus extensions, precursor modules, in-situ metrology systems, thermal mass flow controllers, and restrictorless mass flow controllers. The precursor module may be a gas line configured to carry a precursor gas. The thermal mass flow controller may be configured with a temperature sensor instead of a pressure sensor to control the flow of fluid through the mass flow controller. The restrictorless mass flow controller may be configured to model the dynamics of the fluid flowing through the mass flow controller via a regression model or a trained machine learning model to accurately estimate the flow rate. The flow rate may be estimated based on inputs from at least two pressure sensors, a temperature sensor, and a valve position sensor. The restrictorless mass flow controller may be configured to control the position of a control valve based on the estimated flow rate and does not include a restrictor. One example of a restrictorless mass flow controller that may be utilized is described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 62 / 953,803, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.The in-situ metrology system may receive feedback from a downstream process chamber regarding the metrology process occurring in the device under manufacture and may vary the characteristics of the flow of gas through the gas delivery system (e.g., temperature, pressure, flow rate, duration of flow) based on the feedback. For example, the feedback may be a signal indicative of the thickness of material deposited on a wafer in a semiconductor processing chamber as measured within the chamber by an optical emitter and detector.

[0026] 1 and 4, each flow path between a corresponding flow control valve 36A-36P of a downstream shutoff valve 40A-40P may include a branch flow path leading to a downstream purge shutoff valve 38A-38P. When open, the downstream purge shutoff valve 38A-38P allows fluid to flow from the respective flow control valve 36A-36P into the downstream purge manifold 41, thereby allowing fluid to exit the gas supply system 10. When closed, the downstream purge shutoff valve 38A-38P allows fluid to flow without a bypass from the flow control valve 36A-36P to the mixing manifold 48.

[0027] The downstream shutoff valves 40A-40P and the downstream purge shutoff valves 38A-38P may be controlled by the mass flow controllers 30A-30P to create a vacuum in the flow path between the flow control valves 36A-36P and the downstream shutoff valves 40A-40P. For example, if a vacuum is desired between the first flow control valve 36A and the first downstream shutoff valve 40A, the first flow control valve 36A and the downstream shutoff valve 40A may be completely closed and the first downstream purge shutoff valve 38A may be opened to purge gas in the flow path between the first flow control valve 36A and the first downstream shutoff valve 40A into the downstream purge manifold 41 and discharged from the gas supply system 10, effectively creating a vacuum in the flow path between the first flow control valve 36A and the downstream shutoff valve 40A. Additionally or alternatively, the first flow control valve 36A and the downstream shutoff valve 40A can be completely closed, the first downstream purge shutoff valve 38A can be opened, and gas in the flow path between the first flow control valve 36A and the first downstream shutoff valve 40A can be purged into the downstream purge manifold 41, and new gas can be introduced into the gas supply system 10, effectively creating pressure in the flow path between the first flow control valve 36A and the first downstream shutoff valve 40A. The vacuum source can be a vacuum pump coupled to the outlet of the downstream purge manifold 41. Alternatively, as discussed elsewhere in this disclosure, purging can be accomplished by allowing purge gas (under pressure at the gas source, vacuum at the purge manifold, or a combination thereof) to flow into the inlet of the upstream flow path block 80, and then opening the upstream and downstream shutoff valves and the upstream and downstream purge shutoff valves to allow the purge gas to flow through the flow path blocks 80-82 and out of the purge manifolds 35 and 41. Thus, by controlling the individual downstream shut-off valves 40A-40P and downstream purge shut-off valves 38A-38P, the flow paths within the individual module rows may be targeted to purge fluid from the gas supply system 10 in a compartmentalized manner. That is, the system controller 12 is configured to control each shut-off valve 38A-38P to control the purging of gas within each module row on the machine backplane 19.

[0028] 6 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing the flow of data and control signals for the first mass flow control circuit 30A1 and the first flow ratio control circuit 26A1. For simplicity, the flow of data and control signals for other controlled modules is not shown in this schematic diagram.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 6, an example of an asynchronous flow of data signals from the pressure sensor pair 52A is shown. The pressure sensor pair 52A senses the pressure in the flow path corresponding to the first mass flow controller 30A and sends a pressure signal to the first mass flow control circuit 30A1. The first mass flow control circuit 30A1 then embeds an address corresponding to the first mass flow control circuit 30A1 and the pressure sensor pair 52A in the data stream and sends the data stream including the embedded address and pressure signal to the second memory interface 22B. The second memory interface 22B sends the data stream to the electrical backplane 18, which sends the data stream to the first memory interface 22A. The coprocessor 13 deserializes the data stream and stores it in the read data register of the first memory interface 22A corresponding to the first mass flow control circuit 30A1. The sending of this data stream from the first mass flow control circuit 30A1 to the first memory interface 22A may be triggered by a request by the coprocessor 13. The system controller 12 then accesses the read data register of the first memory interface 22A corresponding to the first mass flow control circuit 30A1 and recognizes the pressure signal as originating from the pressure sensor pair 52A corresponding to the first mass flow controller 30A. This data is then stored in a data log 15A in the central data repository 15 in the non-volatile memory 14 so that the data in the data log 15A is available for later analysis, for example, via the AI ​​model 15B. The pressure signals from the pressure sensors 46A and 47A of the first flow ratio controller 26A are similarly processed by the flow ratio control circuit 26A1, the fifth memory interface 22E, the electrical backplane 18, the first memory interface 22A and the system controller 12, causing the pressure signals of the pressure sensors 46A and 47A to be stored in the data log 15A.Thus, during the operating process, the system controller 12 can collect valve position and sensor information from at least a plurality of valves and sensors operatively coupled to the plurality of mass flow controllers 30A-30P and flow ratio controllers 26A-26D, and store the valve position and sensor information in a data log 15A stored in non-volatile memory 14. After the operating process, the valve position and sensor information may be uploaded, for example, in batches, to a remote computer.

[0030] The system controller 12 is not particularly limited to collecting and storing information, and is also configured to perform calculations based on the stored valve position and sensor information. In this example, the system controller 12 is also configured to calculate flow rates and control values ​​based on the valve position and sensor information from the operating mass flow controllers and flow ratio controllers in real time during control operation. For example, when the system controller 12 obtains pressure information, temperature information and valve position information of the first flow control valve 36A from the first mass flow controller 30A, the system controller 12 may calculate the flow rate and determine a new appropriate valve position accordingly, and then store the new valve position in the first memory interface 22A. The coprocessor 13 may send the new valve position back to the first mass flow controller 30A, and then the first mass flow controller 30A adjusts the first flow control valve 36A to the new valve position. That is, the system controller 12 may process data and control calculations of the gas supply system 10 during operation in real time.

[0031] As an example of an implementation of the AI ​​model 15B, the system controller 12 may be further configured to execute the AI ​​model 15B stored in the non-volatile memory 14 during training on a best manufacturing process to train the AI ​​model 15B based on sensor information from the plurality of sensors and valve position information from the plurality of valves. The system controller 12 may then execute an AI model feedback module to monitor the variance of the performance of the run-time manufacturing process relative to the best manufacturing process and / or perform feedback training on the AI ​​model 15B based on the sensor information and the valve position information to determine the variance of the performance of the run-time manufacturing process relative to the best manufacturing process using the trained AI model 15B.

[0032] As depicted in FIG. 6, in this example, the first mass flow control circuit 30A1 is operably coupled to the shutoff valves 32A, 34A, 38A, and 40A, as well as the flow control valve 36A. The first mass flow control circuit 30A1 may send control signals to each of the valves 32A, 34A, 36A, 38A, and 40A to control the opening position of each of the valves 32A, 34A, 36A, 38A, and 40A. In turn, each of the valves 32A, 34A, 36A, 38A, and 40A may send data signals to the first mass flow control circuit 30A1 indicative of the opening position of each of the valves 32A, 34A, 36A, 38A, and 40A. Similarly, the first flow ratio control circuit 26A1 is operably coupled to the flow ratio shutoff valve 42A and the flow ratio control valve 44A. The first flow ratio control circuit 26A1 may send a control signal to each valve 42A, 44A to control the opening position of each valve 42A and 44A. In response, each valve 42A and 44A may send a data signal to the first flow ratio control circuit 26A1 indicating the opening position of each valve 42A and 44A. For the shutoff valves 32A, 34A, 38A, 40A and 42A, the opening position may be either an on or off opening state. For the control valves 36A and 44A, the opening position may be a variable opening position selected from a plurality of possible opening positions, such as a degree or percentage of opening, or may be a linear scale.

[0033] For example, in an asynchronous process, when the system controller 12 closes the first upstream shutoff valve 32A, the system controller 12 sends a data stream in which the addresses of the first upstream shutoff valve 32A and the first mass flow control circuit 30A1 are embedded. This data stream enters a write data register in the first memory interface 22A corresponding to the first mass flow control circuit 30A1. The coprocessor 13 then serializes the data stream and sends it to the electrical backplane 18. In the electrical backplane 18, the data stream is directed to the second memory interface 22B. The second memory interface 22B reads the address embedded in the data stream and forwards the data stream to the first mass flow control circuit 30A1. The first mass flow control circuit 30A1 then sends a control signal to the first upstream shutoff valve 32A to control the opening degree of the first upstream shutoff valve 32A according to the instructions from the system controller 12 in the data stream. The system controller 12 may asynchronously control other valves in the gas supply system 10.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 7, a perspective view of the electrical backplane 18 is shown. The electrical backplane 18 has a printed circuit board with a number of backplane interfaces, each of which has a controlled module 20, 24A-24D, 26A-26D, and 30A-30P mounted thereon. The backplane interfaces take the form of electrical connectors 50A-50U. In one example, they are board-to-board right angle printed circuit board receptacles, such as PCIe slots, with electrical connections configured to receive the controlled module's printed circuit board. In this example, each mass flow control circuit 30A1-30P1 has a respective local printed circuit board that is physically mounted on the electrical backplane 18 via board-to-board electrical connections between the local printed circuit board and the backplane printed circuit board. The system controller 12, coprocessor 13, non-volatile memory 14, and memory interfaces 22A-22E are shown as chipsets mounted directly on the top surface of the electrical backplane 18 and connected by electrical traces for configuration bus 18B1 and control bus 18B2, which are connected to the power bus 16A. However, the system controller 12, coprocessor 13, and non-volatile memory 14 may alternatively be mounted on the bottom surface of the electrical backplane 18, or may be mounted on separate printed circuit boards and connected to the electrical backplane via slot receptacles, such as PCIe slots. Configuring the electrical backplane 18 as a single circuit board achieves centralization of data processing and control of the hardware by the system controller, reducing bandwidth limitations and latency associated with the controller being separated by distance from the hardware it is controlling and communicating with over a computer network. Mounting of elements to the electrical connectors 50A-50U may include inserting the elements into slots in the electrical connectors 50A-50U, such as the PCIe receptacles described above.The power supply bus 16A may be configured to supply power to the multiple mass flow controllers 30A-30P, the flow ratio controllers 26A-26D, the system controller 12, and the multiple valves (upstream shut-off valves 32A-32P, upstream purge shut-off valves 34A-34P, flow control valves 36A-36P, downstream purge shut-off valves 38A-38P, downstream shut-off valves 40A-40P, flow ratio shut-off valves 42A-42D, and flow ratio control valves 44A-44D).

[0035] FIG. 8 shows a side view of the first mass flow controller 30A and its corresponding first upstream shutoff valve 32A, first upstream purge shutoff valve 34A, downstream purge shutoff valve 38A, downstream shutoff valve 40A, and first flow control valve 36A according to the embodiment of FIG. 1. This standardized valve arrangement and configuration of the mass flow control circuit is representative of the hardware arrangement corresponding to the remaining mass flow control circuits 30B-30P according to the embodiment of FIG. 1. The standardized hardware arrangement allows the mass flow control circuits to be easily attached and detached from the electrical backplane according to the user's preference. The valves and controllers are in modular form and arranged in an orderly manner, making the gas delivery system 10 very easy to manage and maintain. In each row, each mass flow controller 30A-30P includes an upstream flow path block 80 and a downstream flow path block 82. The first upstream flow shutoff valve 32A and the first upstream purge shutoff valve 34A are arranged adjacent to the upstream purge manifold 35 in the upstream flow path block 80. Meanwhile, the downstream purge shutoff valve 38A and the downstream shutoff valve 40A are provided adjacent to the downstream purge manifold 41 in the downstream flow path block 82. The mass flow controller 30A is provided in close proximity to the first flow control valve 36A, the pressure sensor pair 52A, and the shutoff valves 32A, 34A, 38A, and 40A. These close and adjacent arrangements achieve a compact arrangement of the flow elements and circuits of the gas supply system 10. Furthermore, the upstream flow path block 80 and the downstream flow path block 82 have standardized shapes, mounts, and connectors in the form of modules that are compatible and interoperable on the machine backplane 19. Thus, the flow path blocks can be freely exchanged and replaced with different valves, flow paths, and sensors housed in different flow path blocks, as long as the flow path blocks comply with standards that can be connected to the machine backplane 19 and interoperate with the remaining components of the gas supply system 10.

[0036] 9 illustrates a mass flow control circuit 30A1 of an exemplary mass flow controller 30A in the gas supply system 10. The mass flow control circuit 30A1 has a printed circuit board with an upper portion extending above the upper surface 19A of the machine backplane 19, a middle portion extending through an opening 19C into the interior of the machine backplane 19, and a lower portion extending below the lower surface 19B of the machine backplane 19 into an electrical connector 50A on the electrical backplane 18. The solenoid driver 58 may be an electric or pneumatic solenoid driver, for example, in a non-volatile memory. A valve control circuit 68 is provided that can read the pressure signal detected by the driver and pressure sensor pair 52A, and can output drive signals to the upstream shutoff valve 32A, the upstream purge shutoff valve 34A, the downstream purge shutoff valve 38A and the downstream shutoff valve 40A, and the flow control valve 36A. A CPLD circuit 62 may be provided and configured as a memory interface to enable the valve control circuit 68 to communicate with the system controller 12 via a local bus or pins on the mass flow controller's PCB, electrical connector 50A, and a communication bus 18B of the electrical backplane 18. The flow ratio controllers 26A-26D and pressure controllers 24A-24D may be configured similarly to the mass flow controller 30A.

[0037] The electrical backplane 18 is not particularly limited to being operably coupled to the particular arrangement of flow path blocks and controlled modules shown in FIG. 4, and may alternatively be operably coupled to other arrangements of flow path blocks and controlled modules to achieve similar potential advantages in centralized data acquisition and control.

[0038] In the figures, the second memory interface 22B is shown as a single interface connected to multiple mass flow controllers 30A-30P, but the second memory interface 22B may alternatively be implemented as multiple interfaces connected to multiple mass flow controllers 30A-30P. In an alternative embodiment, the second memory interface 22B may comprise multiple interfaces, each interface connected to one mass flow controller. In the figures, the fourth memory interface 22D is shown as a single interface connected to multiple pressure controllers, but the fourth memory interface 22D may alternatively be implemented as multiple interfaces connected to multiple pressure controllers. In an alternative embodiment, the fourth memory interface 22D may comprise multiple interfaces, each interface connected to one pressure controller. In the figures, the fifth memory interface 22E is shown as a single interface connected to multiple flow ratio controllers, but the fifth memory interface 22E may alternatively be implemented as multiple interfaces connected to multiple flow ratio controllers. In an alternative embodiment, the fifth memory interface 22E may comprise multiple interfaces, each interface connected to one flow ratio controller.

[0039] FIG. 10A shows a perspective view of the upstream flowpath block 80 of the gas supply system of FIG. 1. The downstream flowpath block 82 of the gas supply system 10 is of similar construction, and therefore FIGS. 10A and 10D are used to describe both flowpath blocks. Where similar, only the upstream flowpath block 80 is described for brevity. One difference in construction between the upstream flowpath block 80 and the downstream flowpath block 82 is that both the inlets and outlets of the downstream flowpath block 82 are formed on the underside of the flowpath block, whereas the inlets of the upstream flowpath block 80 are formed on the side of the flowpath block. As shown in FIG. 10A, the dashed lines in FIG. 10A show the configuration of the downstream flowpath block 82 with the inlets on the underside. The upstream flowpath block 80 and the downstream flowpath block 82 are mounted on dual purpose mounting and flowpath blocks 37 and 39, respectively, which are mounted on the upper surface 19A of the machine backplane 19.

[0040] 10A, a first mount 80A and a second mount 80B are provided on the upstream flow path block 80, the first mount 80A accommodates and fixes the upstream shutoff valve 32A, and the second mount 80B accommodates and fixes the first upstream purge shutoff valve 34A. A first mount 82A and a second mount 82B are provided on the downstream flow path block 82, the first mount 82A accommodates and fixes the downstream shutoff valve 40A, and the second mount 82B accommodates and fixes the downstream purge shutoff valve 38A. The first mount 80A and the second mount 80B are provided with threads 80A2 and 80B2, and the valves 32A and 34A may be screwed to the upstream flow path block 80. Further, within each mount 80A and 80B, there is provided a corresponding valve seat 80A1 and 80B1 having two ports formed therein, a first port 80A3 and 80B3 formed in the center of the valve seat 80A1 and 80B1, and a second port 80A4 and 80B4 formed in a partial radial arc at a position radially outward from the first port 80A3 and 80B3. A bulge 80C at the center of the upper surface of the upstream flow passage block 80 accommodates a flow passage extending laterally within the flow passage block, as described below.

[0041] FIG. 10B shows a cross-sectional view of the upstream flow path block 80 taken along AA′ in FIG. 10A. Each upstream flow path block 80 includes an inlet 72A, an outlet 72B, and a purge port 72C. Each upstream flow path block 80 includes a branch flow path 70 having a flow path from the inlet 72A to the outlet 72B through the flow path 72 and a flow path from the branch point 70B to the purge port 72C through the purge branch 70C. At least some of the branch flow paths 70 may include a heated line configured to vaporize the incoming liquid into a gas that is supplied to the mass flow controller 30. An upstream flow path block 80 with such a heated vaporization line may be referred to as a vaporization module. A subset of the columns of the gas delivery system 10 may include a vaporization module, such as the upstream flow path block, and one or both of the flow path blocks 37 and 39 and / or the mixing manifold 48 may include a flow path to mix the vaporized gas from the vaporization module with the gas that has flowed through the upstream flow path block 37 that does not include a heated line. The branch flow path 70 extends from the inlet 72A along the inlet branch 70A of the flow path to a branch point 70B where the flow path branches into an outlet branch 70D and a purge branch 70C. A flow path flows along the outlet branch 70D from the branch point 70B to the outlet 72B, and a flow path flows along the purge branch 70C from the branch point 70B to the purge port 72C of the flow path 72. The first upstream purge shutoff valve 34A is disposed in the purge branch 70C and configured to control the flow of gas from the inlet 72A to the purge port 72C, and the first upstream shutoff valve 32A is disposed in the inlet branch 70A and configured to control the flow of gas from the inlet 72A to the outlet 72B through the internal outlet flow path 72B1 along the outlet branch 70D. Opening the first upstream shutoff valve 32A allows gas to flow from the inlet 72A to the branch point 70B. Thus, during purge operation, both shutoff valves 32A and 34A are opened, causing purge gas to flow from inlet 72A into purge port 72C and finally out of upstream purge manifold 35. Outlet 72B of upstream flow block 80 is connected to flow block 37, which directs gas to the inlets of each mass flow controller.During non-purge operation, the first upstream purge shutoff valve 34A is closed and the upstream shutoff valve 32A is open, allowing gas to flow from the gas source 28A through the inlet branch 70A and the outlet branch 70D of the flow path 70 to the mass flow controller 30A. A further flow path block 39 is positioned to direct gas from the outlet of the mass flow controller 30A to the inlet of the downstream flow path block 82.

[0042] 10C, a first mount 82A and a second mount 82B are provided on the downstream flow path block 82, the first mount 82A accommodates and secures the downstream shutoff valve 40A, and the second mount 82B accommodates and secures the downstream purge shutoff valve 38A. The first mount 82A and the second mount 82B may be provided with threads so that the valves 38A and 40A may be screwed to the downstream flow path block 82. Furthermore, corresponding valve seats 82A1 and 82B1 are formed in each mount 82A and 82B. A bulge 82C in the center of the upper surface of the downstream flow path block 82 accommodates a flow path extending laterally within the flow path block, similar to the bulge 80C of the upstream flow path block 80.

[0043] 10C, each downstream flowpath block 82 includes an inlet 72A', an outlet 72B', and a purge port 72C. Unlike the upstream flowpath block 80, the inlet 72A' of the downstream flowpath block 82 is located on the underside of the flowpath block, as shown in FIG. 10C. Each downstream flowpath block 82 includes a branch flowpath 70 that flows through a flowpath 72 that extends from the inlet 72A' along an inlet branch 70A of the flowpath 70 to a branch point 70B where the flowpath branches into an outlet branch 70D leading from the branch point 70B to an outlet 72B' and a purge branch 70C leading from the branch point 70B to a purge port 72C. The downstream flow path block 82 further includes a first downstream purge shutoff valve 38A disposed in the purge branch 70C and configured to control the flow of gas from the inlet 72A' to the purge port 72C, and a second downstream shutoff valve 40A disposed in the outlet branch 70D and configured to control the flow of gas from the inlet 72A' to the outlet 72B' along the outlet branch 70D. The outlets 72B' of each downstream flow path block 82 are fluidly connected to respective inlets of the mixing manifold 48. The outlets 72B' of the downstream flow path block 82 are connected to the mixing manifold 48 and direct gas to the inlets of each flow ratio controller. Both the downstream purge shutoff valve 38A and the downstream shutoff valve 40A are opened during the purge operation, so that the purge gas flows from the inlet 72A to the purge port 72C and ultimately out of the downstream purge manifold 41. During flow control to the chamber, the first downstream purge shutoff valve 38A is closed to prevent gas from entering the purge manifold 41, and the second downstream shutoff valve 40A is open.

[0044] 10B and 10C, at least one of the upstream and downstream flowpath blocks 80 and 82 has an internal flowpath 72C1 extending horizontally and longitudinally and disposed between the upper surface 80D, 82D and the lower surface 80E, 82E of the flowpath blocks 80, 82. The internal flowpath 72C1 forms part of the purge branch 70C of the flowpath 70 and is connected to the radially shaped second port 80B4 shown in FIG. 10A and the U-shaped flowpath of FIG. 10C. For the upstream flowpath block 80, the internal flowpath 72C1 is fluidly connected to the first upstream purge shutoff valve 34A via a first vertical flowpath 72C2 extending downward from the second port 80B4. For the downstream flowpath block 82, the internal flowpath 72C1 is fluidly connected to the downstream purge shutoff valve 38A via the first vertical flowpath 72C2. In FIG. 10B, only one such internal flow passage 72C1 and vertical flow passage 72C2 is visible, however, left and right internal flow passages 72C1 and 72C1', and left and right first vertical flow passages 72C2 and 72C2' are provided and fluidly connected to each end of the second port 80B4, as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 10A.

[0045] Continuing with reference to FIG. 10B, the internal flow passage 72C1 is fluidly connected to the purge port 72C via the second vertical flow passage 72C3, and the internal flow passage 72C1′ shown in FIG. 10A is also connected to the purge port 72C via the second vertical flow passage 72C3′ shown in FIGS. 10A and 10D. As described below, the left and right second vertical flow passages 72C3 and 72C3′ are fluidly connected by the laterally extending flow passage 72C3a. Continuing with FIG. 10B and FIG. 10C, it can be seen that the first upstream purge shutoff valve 34A and the second downstream shutoff valve 40A are each located closer to the outlet than the inlet. Because the internal flow passage 72C1 is located inside the flow passage block and cannot be easily formed by conventional manufacturing processes such as milling or drilling, alternative manufacturing processes may be used. For example, the upstream flow passage block 80 including the internal flow passages 72C1 and 72C1′ may be formed by an additive manufacturing process such as three-dimensional printing. Additive manufacturing generally refers to a manufacturing process that bonds materials together and builds up the final shape of a workpiece layer by layer based on a three-dimensional computer-aided design computer-aided manufacturing (CADCAM) model, and can be contrasted with reductive processes such as machining, which remove material. For example, additive manufacturing processes such as three-dimensional printing, powder bed fusion, sheet lamination, directed energy deposition, or direct metal laser sintering may be utilized. By additively manufacturing the flowpath block, flowpaths with complex internal geometries may be formed within a monolithic block of material, thereby reducing the need for joints in sections of the flowpath block that can cause fluid leakage, such as bolting, welding, machining, or other methods. Additionally, additive manufacturing allows for the creation of internal contours and flowpaths that are not possible with traditional machining processes.

[0046] FIG. 10B also illustrates the operation of upstream shutoff valves 32A and 34A. Each of these valves includes an actuator that drives valve surfaces 32A1 and 34A1 up and down to selectively contact or separate from valve seats 80A1 and 80B1. This movement controls the opening and closing of the valve, allowing gas to selectively pass through the valve along inlet branch 70A or purge branch 70C of flow path 70, as shown. FIG. 10C similarly illustrates the operation of downstream purge shutoff valves 38A and 40A. Each of these valves includes an actuator that drives valve surfaces 38A1 and 40A1 up and down to selectively contact or separate from valve seats 82A1 and 82B1. This movement controls the opening and closing of the valve, allowing gas to selectively pass through the valve along inlet branch 70A or purge branch 70C of flow path 70, as shown. Each shutoff valve 32A, 34A, 38A and 40A is typically a pneumatically controlled shutoff valve, although other types of valves may be used.

[0047] FIG. 10D shows a cross-sectional view of the upstream block 80 taken along BB′ in FIG. 10A, and the downstream block 82 is the same in this cross-section. In the upstream block 80, an inverted U-shaped channel is formed by the right second vertical channel 72C3, the left second vertical channel 72C3′, and a channel 72C3a extending laterally and fluidically connecting the pair of left and right second vertical channels 72C3, 72C3′. As shown in FIG. 10A, the U-shaped channel is fluidically connected to a pair of internal horizontal channels 72C1, 72C1′, respectively. The pair of internal horizontal channels 72C1, 72C1′ extend from the first vertical channel 72C2 to the second vertical channel 72C3 and from the first vertical channel 72C2′ to the second vertical channel 72C3′ along the longitudinal direction of the purge branch of the branch channel on the right and left sides of the upstream block 80. Continuing with FIG. 10D, the central hole of the inlet channel 72A1 of the inlet branch 70A of the flow path 70 is formed in the lateral and vertical center of the upstream flow path block 80 and is surrounded on the top and left and right sides by the U-shaped flow path. In this manner, the inlet branch of the flow path is connected to the inlet channel 72A1, which is fluidly isolated from the purge branch 70C that connects to the U-shaped flow path and the internal horizontal flow paths 72C1, 72C1′. In some examples, the purge branch 70C may be configured as a purge / vacuum branch, and the purge manifold 35, 41 connected to the purge / vacuum branch may be connected to a vacuum pump to purge gas from the system, while in other examples, the purge gas may flow through the system and exit the purge manifold 35, 41 to complete the purge operation.

[0048] In operation, the gas source 28A is operational and gas flows from the gas source 28A to the inlet of the upstream flow path block 80. The upstream shutoff valve 32A is opened to allow gas to flow through the upstream flow path block, and the first upstream purge shutoff valve 34A, which controls the branch flow to the purge manifold, is closed. Thus, all gas entering the inlet is allowed to flow through the upstream flow path block 80 to the outlet. The gas then passes through the flow path block 37 to the inlet of the mass flow controller flow path block 81, which will be described in more detail below. The mass flow controller flow path block 81 includes a flow path from the inlet to the outlet of the mass flow controller flow path block 81. The first flow control valve 36A controls the flow rate of the gas flowing through the mass flow controller flow path block 81. The gas exits the mass flow controller flow path block 81, passes through the flow path block 39, and enters the downstream flow path block 82. The downstream shutoff valve 40A of the downstream flow path block 82 is opened to allow gas to flow through the downstream flow path block 82, while the downstream purge shutoff valve 38A is closed to prevent gas from exiting the purge manifold 41. The gas exits the outlet of the downstream flow path block 82 and enters the mixing manifold 48 where it is mixed with gas from other rows of the gas supply system 10 before being directed to one of the plurality of flow ratio controllers 26A-26D. Each flow ratio controller 26A-26D performs flow ratio control on the gas exiting the mixing manifold 48, thereby distributing and supplying a predetermined ratio of the total flow rate exiting its respective outlet.

[0049] 11A, the mass flow controller flow path block 81 of the mass flow controller 30A is shown in a perspective view to include the flow control valve 36A, the restrictor housing 53 that houses the restrictor 53A, a pressure sensor pair 52A including a first pressure sensor 52A1 arranged on the primary side of the restrictor 53A to measure pressure and a second pressure sensor 52A2 arranged on the secondary side of the restrictor 53A, and an upstream pressure sensor 51 arranged upstream of the restrictor 53A and configured to measure the pressure in the flow path near the flow control valve 36A. The first and second pressure sensors 52A1 and 52A2 are respectively arranged on the opposite side of the restrictor 53A with respect to the mass flow controller flow path block 81. The screw hole pair 25A is arranged on the side of the mass flow controller flow path block 81, and a fastener 25B (see FIG. 4) may be inserted therein to fix the printed circuit board of the mass flow control circuit 30A1.

[0050] In Figure 11B, the upstream pressure sensor 51, pressure sensor pair 52A, and flow control valve 36A have been omitted to show valve seat 83A, since the valve seat would not be visible when the flow control valve is closed to seal the valve. Threads 83C are shown for securing flow control valve 36A to the flow block. Mounting surface 83B is shown on mass flow controller flow block 81 and is configured to receive and secure first pressure sensor 52A1 and second pressure sensor 52A2 of pressure sensor pair 52A.

[0051] 11C, a cross-sectional view of the mass flow controller flow path block 81 is shown. In this view, the upstream pressure sensor 51, the restrictor 53A, the first pressure sensor 52A1 and the second pressure sensor 52A2 of the pressure sensor pair 52A, and the flow control valve 36A are depicted generally in their typical mounting locations, as more precisely shown in FIG. 11A. The cross-sectional view shows a flow path 84 through a flow path 86 extending from an inlet 86A to an outlet 86B. An inlet branch 84A of the flow path 84 extends from the inlet 86A, past the upstream pressure sensor 51, and through the flow control valve 36A. The flow control valve 36A is mounted in the inlet branch 84A in the flow path 84 and configured to control the flow rate of gas through the flow path 84. The upstream pressure sensor 51 is mounted upstream of the control valve 36A and configured to sense the pressure of gas flowing along the flow path 84 in the inlet branch 84A upstream of the control valve 36A. The first pressure sensor 52A1 and the second pressure sensor 52A2 of the pressure sensor pair 52A are attached downstream of the flow control valve 36A. When gas flows from the inlet to the outlet of FIG. 11C, the first pressure sensor 52A1 is disposed upstream of the restrictor 53A, while the second pressure sensor 52A2 is disposed downstream of the restrictor 53A. The restrictor 53A is disposed in the internal flow passage 86C and prevents the flow of gas in the internal flow passage 86C. The first pressure sensor 52A1 is disposed at the end of the first branch flow passage 86D that branches off from the internal flow passage 86C upstream of the restrictor 53A, and is configured to detect the pressure of gas flowing along the main internal branch 84C upstream of the restrictor 53A. The main internal branch 84C of the flow path 84 initially flows horizontally in a generally lateral direction, then moves downward toward the restrictor 53A, and then returns upward toward the outlet 86B, passing through the internal flow passage 86C. Such a structure, including an internal flow passage 86C having multiple 90 degree bends, cannot be manufactured in a unitary flow passage block by conventional methods such as drilling or milling. Thus, a mass flow controller flow passage block 81 with such internal horizontal flow passages, like the other flow passage blocks described in this disclosure, may be manufactured by an additive manufacturing process.

[0052] The internal flow passage 86C downstream of the restrictor 53A is provided with a second branch flow path 84D branching off from the outlet branch 84B of the flow path 84. The second pressure sensor 52A2 of the pressure sensor pair 52A is disposed at the end of the second branch flow path 84D and is configured to detect the pressure of the gas flowing along the outlet branch 84B downstream of the restrictor 53A. The pressures upstream and downstream of the restrictor 53A are measured by the first pressure sensor 52A1 and the second pressure sensor 52A2, respectively, and the flow rate of the flowing gas can be calculated from the difference between these detected pressures. This information can be continuously used in a feedback control loop by the mass flow control circuit 30A1 of the mass flow controller 30A to control the flow rate through the flow control valve 36A, for example, to move towards a flow rate target, i.e., a desired flow rate. In this way, gas can be supplied at a steady flow rate from the outlet 86B of the mass flow controller 30A. An upstream pressure sensor 51 detects the pressure upstream of a restrictor 53A located near the flow control valve 36A, and the processing circuitry of the mass flow controller 30A checks the detected pressure to ensure that it is within operating tolerances during operation.

[0053] In other embodiments, the pressure sensor pair 52A may be replaced with a single pressure sensor or a single thermal mass flow sensor 54. For example, as depicted in FIG. 11C, when the mass flow controller 30A is configured as a thermal mass flow controller, the pressure sensor pair 52A may be configured as a single thermal mass flow sensor 54 that measures the temperature change associated with adding a known amount of heat to the flowing fluid or measures the amount of heat required to maintain the thermal mass flow sensor 54 at a constant temperature. Here, instead of two branched flow paths 86D and 84D with two pressure sensors 52A1 and 52A2 at their respective ends, a single bypass line 54a is provided to the thermal mass flow sensor 54. Unlike the pressure-based mass flow controller, the thermal mass flow controller includes a flow path that passes through the bypass line 54a from one side of the restrictor to the other side, fluidly connecting the two branched flow paths 86D and 84D.

[0054] 12, a partial top view of a mixing manifold 48 mounted on a machine backplane 19 is depicted according to one example of the present disclosure. In this view, open downstream shutoff valves 40A-40D allow gas to flow into inlets 41A-41D of the mixing manifold 48. The gases flowing into inlets 41A-41D are mixed in a mixing chamber 48A. The mixing chamber 48A is configured to create turbulent flow within the mixing chamber 48A to promote mixing of the gases flowing into the mixing manifold 48. Structural elements within the mixing chamber 48A that aid in the mixing of the gases may include, for example, spiral grooves and / or serpentine flow paths. The gases mixed within the mixing chamber 48A exit the mixing manifold 48 through outlets 43A-43C and leave the mixing manifold 48 into flow ratio shutoff valves 42A-42D. In the example of FIG. 12, gas flows through flow ratio shutoff valves 42A-42D to reach chambers 90A and 90B.

[0055] According to the present disclosure, tighter gas control and delivery is achieved by reducing redundancy in the gas delivery system. Material costs are reduced by reducing redundant components, which leads to a smaller overall size and weight. Centralized data collection, data communication and control improves long-term repeatability. Local data storage maintains all data from each process run, allowing end users to see gas delivery performance against yield. An integrated real-time central controller can process all sensor data in one place, control the entire gas delivery and log all data in real time to a central data repository. Additionally, with all real-time sensor data stored in one place, advanced performance analysis can be performed using machine learning. Additionally, adjustments to flow parameters can be made in real time during the process, improving performance and repeatability in the gas delivery system. The following paragraphs further support the main claims of the present disclosure. One embodiment provides a gas delivery system comprising an electrical backplane, a system controller operably coupled to the electrical backplane, and a plurality of mass flow controllers, each of which has a mass flow control circuit operably coupled to the electrical backplane, and the system controller and each of the mass flow control circuits are physically attached to the electrical backplane. In this embodiment, additionally or alternatively, each of the mass flow controllers may be physically attached to the electrical backplane via a respective electrical connector. In this embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the electrical backplane may include a backplane printed circuit board. Also, each of the mass flow control circuits may have a local printed circuit board physically attached to the electrical backplane via a board-to-board electrical connection between the backplane printed circuit board and the local printed circuit board. In this embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the gas delivery system may further comprise a machine backplane to which the plurality of mass flow controllers are physically attached. Additionally or alternatively in this aspect, the mechanical backplane may have an upper surface, a lower surface, and a plurality of openings extending from the upper surface to the lower surface, the electrical backplane may be attached to the lower surface of the mechanical backplane or may be spaced from the lower surface by a gap, and each of the mass flow controllers may be attached to the upper surface of the mechanical backplane, with a portion of each of the mass flow controllers extending through each of the plurality of openings to reach the electrical backplane. Additionally or alternatively in this aspect, the mass flow controllers may be mounted in rows, each row having a flow path extending from a respective inlet to a mixing manifold. Additionally or alternatively in this aspect, the mass flow controllers are selected from the group consisting of pressure-based mass flow controllers, thermal mass flow controllers, and restrictorless mass flow controllers.In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, each of the mass flow controllers may include a mass flow controller flow path block having a flow path from an inlet to an outlet, a flow control valve attached to the flow path and configured to control the flow rate of gas flowing through the flow path, a pressure sensor pair including a first pressure sensor and a second pressure sensor, each disposed on either side of a restrictor in the flow path, and an upstream pressure sensor attached upstream of the restrictor and configured to measure the pressure in the flow path near the flow control valve. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, each of the mass flow controllers in each row may include an upstream flow path block, each of the upstream flow path blocks may have an inlet, an outlet, and a purge port, each of the upstream flow path blocks may have a branch flow path including an inlet branch from the inlet to a branch point, an outlet branch from the branch point to an outlet, and a purge branch from the branch point to a purge port, an upstream shutoff valve disposed on the inlet branch and configured to control the flow of gas from the inlet to the outlet along the outlet branch, and an upstream purge shutoff valve disposed on the purge branch and configured to control the flow of gas from the inlet to the purge port. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, in each row, each of the mass flow controllers may include a downstream flow path block, each of the downstream flow path blocks may have an inlet, an outlet, and a purge port, each of the downstream flow path blocks may have a branch flow path including an inlet branch from the inlet to a branch point, an outlet branch from the branch point to the outlet, and a purge branch from the branch point to a purge port, a downstream purge shutoff valve disposed in the purge branch and configured to control the flow of gas from the inlet to the purge port, and a downstream shutoff valve disposed in the inlet branch and configured to control the flow of gas from the inlet to the outlet along the outlet branch. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, at least one of the upstream and downstream flow path blocks may include an internal flow path extending horizontally and disposed between an upper surface and a lower surface of the upstream or downstream flow path block, the internal flow path forming a part of the purge branch in the flow path.In this embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the internal flow passage may be fluidly connected to one of the upstream purge shut-off valve or the downstream purge shut-off valve via a first vertical flow passage, the internal flow passage may be fluidly connected to a purge port via a second vertical flow passage, and one of the upstream purge shut-off valve or the downstream purge shut-off valve may be located closer to the outlet than the inlet. In this embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the internal flow passage may be formed by an additive manufacturing process. In this embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the gas supply system may further include a plurality of flow ratio controllers, each of the flow ratio controllers having a flow ratio control circuit operably coupled to the electrical backplane, the flow ratio control circuit being physically attached to the electrical backplane. In this embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the gas supply system may further include a mixing manifold configured to receive and mix gases from each of the mass flow controllers and direct them to the respective inlets of each of the flow ratio controllers. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the gas supply system may further include a plurality of pressure controllers, each of the pressure controllers including a pressure control circuit operably coupled to an electrical backplane, the pressure control circuit being physically attached to the electrical backplane. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the electrical backplane may include an electrical bus system having a control bus configured to transfer control signals between the system controller and each of the controlled mass flow controllers. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the electrical backplane may further include an electrical bus system having a configuration bus configured to transfer configuration signals between the system controller and each of the mass flow controllers. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the electrical backplane may include a power bus configured to provide power to each of the mass flow control circuits, the system controller, and a plurality of valves. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the gas supply system may further include a non-volatile memory operably coupled to the system controller.The system controller may be further configured to collect valve position information and sensor information from at least a plurality of sensors and valves operably coupled to each of the mass flow control circuits and store the valve position information and the sensor information in a data log stored in the non-volatile memory. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the gas supply system may further include a coprocessor attached to the electrical backplane. The coprocessor may coordinate asynchronous data communication between the system controller and each of the mass flow control circuits. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the coprocessor may deserialize a serialized data stream received from each of the mass flow control circuits to generate a deserialized data stream and send the deserialized data stream to the system controller, and the coprocessor may further serialize a data stream received from the system controller to generate a serialized data stream and send the serialized data stream to each of the mass flow control circuits. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, each of the data streams may include an address of the mass flow control circuit to which the data stream was sent.

[0056] Another aspect provides a gas delivery system comprising an electrical backplane, a system controller operably coupled to and physically attached to the electrical backplane, and a plurality of controlled modules, each of the controlled modules having a printed circuit board operably coupled to the electrical backplane, the printed circuit board of each of the controlled modules being electrically connected to and physically attached to the electrical backplane via a board-to-board electrical connector. The controlled modules are selected from the group consisting of mass flow controllers, flow ratio controllers, pressure controllers, external bus extensions, precursor modules, in-situ metrology systems, thermal mass flow controllers, and restrictorless mass flow controllers. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the gas delivery system may further comprise a non-volatile memory attached to the electrical backplane and operably coupled to the system controller. The system controller may be further configured to collect valve position information and sensor information from at least a plurality of sensors and valves operably coupled to each printed circuit board of each of the controlled modules, and store the valve position information and sensor information in a data log stored in the non-volatile memory. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the gas delivery system may further comprise a mechanical backplane on which the plurality of controlled modules are physically mounted, the mechanical backplane having an upper surface, a lower surface and a plurality of openings extending from the upper surface to the lower surface, the electrical backplane may be mounted to the lower surface of the mechanical backplane or may be spaced a gap from the lower surface, each of the controlled modules may be mounted to the upper surface of the mechanical backplane, and a portion of a printed circuit board of each of the controlled modules may extend through each of the plurality of openings to reach a corresponding one of the board-to-board electrical connectors on the electrical backplane.

[0057] Another aspect provides a gas delivery system comprising an electrical backplane, a system controller operably coupled and physically mounted to the electrical backplane, and a plurality of controlled modules, each of the controlled modules having circuitry operably coupled to the electrical backplane, the system controller and each of the controlled modules being physically mounted to the electrical backplane, the controlled modules being selected from the group consisting of mass flow controllers, flow ratio controllers, and pressure controllers, the electrical backplane having an electrical bus system having a control bus configured to transfer control signals between the system controller and each of the controlled mass flow controllers, a first memory interface with read and write registers for exchanging data between the system controller and the electrical bus system, and a second memory interface with read and write registers for exchanging data between the controlled modules and the electrical bus system. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the system controller may be further configured to collect valve position and sensor information from at least a plurality of sensors and valves operably coupled to each printed circuit board of each controlled module and store the valve position and sensor information in a data log stored in non-volatile memory on the electrical backplane. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the system controller may be further configured to execute an artificial intelligence (AI) model stored in the non-volatile memory to train the AI ​​model based on sensor information from the plurality of sensors and valve position information from the plurality of valves at training time for a best manufacturing process and determine, at run-time, a variance in the performance of the run-time manufacturing process relative to a best manufacturing process. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the electrical bus system may further include a configuration bus configured to transfer configuration signals between the system controller and each of the controlled mass flow controllers.In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the electrical bus system may further include a power bus configured to provide power to each mass flow control circuit, the system controller, and the plurality of valves.

[0058] In some embodiments, the methods and processes described herein may be coupled to a computing system of one or more computing devices, and in particular, such methods and processes may be implemented as computer application programs or services, application programming interfaces (APIs), libraries, and / or other computer program products.

[0059] 13 illustrates generally a non-limiting embodiment of a computing system 300 capable of implementing one or more of the processes described above. The computing system 300 is illustrated in simplified form. The computing system 300 may embody the above-mentioned system controller 12 or controlled modules 20, 24A-24D, 26A-26D, and 30A-30P depicted in FIGS. 1-4.

[0060] Computing system 300 includes a logical processor 302, a volatile memory 304, and a non-volatile storage device 306. Computing system 300 may optionally include a display subsystem 308, an input subsystem 310, a communication subsystem 312, and / or other components not shown in FIG.

[0061] Logical processor 302 comprises one or more physical devices configured to execute instructions. For example, a logical processor may be configured to execute instructions that are part of one or more applications, programs, routines, libraries, objects, components, data structures, or other logical structures. Such instructions may be implemented to perform a task, execute data formats, transform the state of one or more components, achieve a technical effect, or arrive at a desired result.

[0062] A logical processor may have one or more physical processors (hardware) configured to execute software instructions. Additionally or alternatively, a logical processor may have one or more hardware logic circuits or firmware devices configured to execute hardware-implemented logic or firmware instructions. The processors of logical processor 302 may be single-core or multi-core, and the instructions executed therein may be configured for sequential, parallel, and / or distributed processing. Individual components of a logical processor may be distributed among two or more separate devices as appropriate. The devices may be located remotely and / or configured for cooperative processing. Aspects of a logical processor may be virtualized and executed by remotely accessible, networked, computing devices in a cloud computing arrangement. In such cases, it will be understood that these virtualized aspects are executed on different physical logical processors of various different machines.

[0063] Non-volatile storage 306 includes one or more physical devices configured to hold instructions executable by a logical processor to implement the methods and processes described in this disclosure. When such methods and processes are implemented, the state of non-volatile storage 306 may be transformed, for example, to hold different data.

[0064] The non-volatile storage 306 may include removable and / or internal physical devices. The non-volatile storage 306 may include optical memory (e.g., CD, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-ray disc, etc.), semiconductor memory (e.g., ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc.), and / or magnetic memory (e.g., hard disk drive, floppy disk drive, tape drive, MRAM, etc.), or other mass storage technologies. The non-volatile storage 306 may include non-volatile, dynamic, static, read / write, read-only, sequential access, location addressable, file addressable, and / or content addressable devices. The non-volatile storage 306 is configured to retain instructions even when power to the non-volatile storage 306 is cut off.

[0065] Volatile memory 304 may include any physical device that includes random access memory. Volatile memory 304 is typically utilized by logical processor 302 to temporarily store information during the processing of software instructions. Volatile memory 304 typically does not continue to retain instructions when power to volatile memory 304 is cut off.

[0066] Aspects of the logic processor 302, volatile memory 304, and non-volatile storage 306 may be integrated into one or more hardware logic components, which may include, for example, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), program and application specific integrated circuits (PASICs / ASICs), program and application specific standard products (PSSPs / ASSPs), systems on a chip (SOCs), and complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs).

[0067] The terms "module," "program," and "engine" may be used to describe aspects of the computing system 300 that are typically implemented in software by a processor using a portion of volatile memory to perform a particular function, including transforming the processor into a particular configuration to perform the function. Thus, a module, program, or engine may be instantiated via the logical processor 302 using a portion of the volatile memory 304 and executing instructions held by the non-volatile storage 306. Different modules, programs, and / or engines may be instantiated from the same application, service, code block, object, library, routine, API, function, etc. Similarly, the same module, program, and / or engine may be instantiated from different applications, services, code blocks, objects, libraries, routines, APIs, functions, etc. The terms "module," "program," and "engine" may encompass individual or groups of executable files, data files, libraries, drivers, scripts, database records, etc.

[0068] If present, the display subsystem 308 may be used to present a visual representation of the data held by the non-volatile storage 306. The visual representation may take the form of a graphical user interface (GUI). Just as the methods and processes described in this disclosure change the data held by the non-volatile storage, thereby transforming the state of the non-volatile storage, the state of the display subsystem 308 may also be transformed to visually represent the change in the data held. The display subsystem 308 may include one or more display devices utilizing virtually any type of technology. Such display devices may be coupled to the logic processor 302, the volatile memory 304, and / or the non-volatile storage 306 in a shared enclosure. Alternatively, such display devices may be peripheral display devices.

[0069] If present, input subsystem 310 may include or be connected to one or more user input devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, touch screen, etc.

[0070] The communications subsystem 312, if present, may be configured to communicatively couple the various computing devices described herein to one another and to other devices. The communications subsystem 312 may include wired and / or wireless communication devices compatible with one or more different communications protocols. As a non-limiting example, the communications subsystem may be configured to communicate over a wireless telephone network or over a wired or wireless local or wide area network, such as an HDMI over a Wi-Fi connection. In some embodiments, the communications subsystem may enable the computing system 300 to send and receive messages to and from other devices over a network, such as the Internet.

[0071] It will be understood that the configurations and / or approaches described in this disclosure are merely exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments or examples are not to be considered in a limiting sense, as numerous variations are possible. The specific routines or methods described in this disclosure may represent one or more of any processing strategies. Thus, the various acts shown and / or described may be performed in the order shown and / or described, in other orders, in parallel, or omitted. Similarly, the order of the processes described above may be altered.

[0072] The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various processes, systems, and configurations, as well as other features, functions, acts and / or properties disclosed in the present disclosure, and any and all equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. an electrical backplane; a system controller operably coupled to the electrical backplane; A plurality of mass flow controllers; a machine backplane on which the plurality of mass flow controllers are physically mounted; each said mass flow controller having a mass flow control circuit operably coupled to said electrical backplane; The gas delivery system, wherein the system controller and each of the mass flow control circuits are physically attached to the electrical backplane.

2. The gas distribution system of claim 1 , wherein each said mass flow controller is physically mounted on said electrical backplane via a respective electrical connector.

3. the electrical backplane having a backplane printed circuit board; 3. The gas distribution system of claim 2, wherein each said mass flow control circuit has a local printed circuit board physically mounted on said electrical backplane via board-to-board electrical connections between said backplane printed circuit board.

4. the machine backplane having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a plurality of openings extending from the upper surface to the lower surface; the electrical backplane is attached to a lower surface of the mechanical backplane and is positioned across a gap from the lower surface; each said mass flow controller is mounted on a top surface of said machine backplane; The gas distribution system of claim 1 , wherein a portion of each of the mass flow controllers extends through a respective one of the plurality of openings to reach the electrical backplane.

5. The mass flow controllers are mounted in a plurality of rows, The gas delivery system of claim 4 , wherein each of the rows has a flow path extending from a respective inlet to a mixing manifold.

6. 6. The gas delivery system of claim 5, wherein the mass flow controller is selected from the group consisting of a pressure-based mass flow controller, a thermal-based mass flow controller, and a restrictorless mass flow controller.

7. Each of the mass flow controllers is a mass flow controller flow path block having a flow path from an inlet to an outlet; a flow control valve attached to the flow passage and configured to control a flow rate of gas flowing through the flow passage; a pressure sensor pair including a first pressure sensor and a second pressure sensor, each of the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor being disposed on either side of a restrictor in the flow passage; The gas supply system of claim 5 , further comprising an upstream pressure sensor mounted upstream of the restrictor and configured to measure pressure in the flow path adjacent the flow control valve.

8. In each of the rows, each of the mass flow controllers includes an upstream flow path block, Each of the upstream flow passage blocks has an inlet, an outlet, and a purge port; Each of the upstream flow path blocks is a branch flow path having an inlet branch from the inlet to a branch point, an outlet branch from the branch point to the outlet, and a purge branch from the branch point to the purge port; an upstream shutoff valve disposed in the inlet branch and configured to control a flow of gas along the outlet branch from the inlet to the outlet; The gas supply system of claim 7 , comprising an upstream purge shutoff valve disposed in the purge branch and configured to control flow of gas from the inlet to the purge port.

9. In each of the rows, each of the mass flow controllers includes a downstream flow path block, Each of the downstream flow passage blocks has an inlet, an outlet, and a purge port; Each of the downstream flow path blocks is a branch flow path having an inlet branch from the inlet to a branch point, an outlet branch from the branch point to the outlet, and a purge branch from the branch point to the purge port; a downstream purge isolation valve disposed in the purge branch and configured to control the flow of gas from the inlet to the purge port; 9. The gas supply system of claim 8, further comprising a downstream shut-off valve disposed in the inlet branch and configured to control flow of gas along the outlet branch from the inlet to the outlet.

10. at least one of the upstream and downstream flowpath blocks has an internal flowpath extending horizontally and disposed between an upper surface and a lower surface of the upstream or downstream flowpath block; The gas delivery system of claim 9 , wherein the internal flow passage forms a portion of the purge branch in the flow passage.

11. the internal flow passage is fluidly connected to one of the upstream purge shut-off valve or the downstream purge shut-off valve via a first vertical flow passage; the internal passage is fluidly connected to the purge port via a second vertical passage; The gas delivery system of claim 10 , wherein one of the upstream purge shut-off valve or the downstream purge shut-off valve is located closer to the outlet than to the inlet.

12. The gas delivery system of claim 11 , wherein the internal passage is formed by an additive manufacturing process.

13. the gas supply system further comprising a plurality of flow ratio controllers; each said mass flow controller having a mass flow control circuit operably coupled to said electrical backplane; the system controller and each of the mass flow control circuits are physically attached to the electrical backplane; each said flow ratio controller having a flow ratio control circuit operably coupled to said electrical backplane; The gas delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the flow ratio control circuitry is physically attached to the electrical backplane.

14. An electrical backplane; a system controller operably coupled to the electrical backplane; A plurality of mass flow controllers; A plurality of flow ratio controllers are provided; each said mass flow controller having a mass flow control circuit operably coupled to said electrical backplane; the system controller and each of the mass flow control circuits are physically attached to the electrical backplane; each said flow ratio controller having a flow ratio control circuit operably coupled to said electrical backplane; the flow ratio control circuit is physically attached to the electrical backplane; Receive and mix gases from each of the mass flow controllers; The gas delivery system further comprising a mixing manifold configured to lead to a respective inlet of each of the flow ratio controllers.

15. An electrical backplane; a system controller operably coupled to the electrical backplane; A plurality of mass flow controllers; A plurality of pressure controllers are provided, each said mass flow controller having a mass flow control circuit operably coupled to said electrical backplane; the system controller and each of the mass flow control circuits are physically attached to the electrical backplane; each said pressure controller having a pressure control circuit operably coupled to said electrical backplane; The gas delivery system, wherein the pressure control circuitry is physically attached to the electrical backplane.

16. 10. The gas delivery system of claim 1, wherein the electrical backplane further comprises an electrical bus system having a control bus configured to transfer control signals between the system controller and each of the mass flow controllers.

17. 10. The gas delivery system of claim 1, wherein the electrical backplane further comprises an electrical bus system including a configuration bus configured to transfer configuration signals between the system controller and each of the mass flow controllers.

18. 2. The gas delivery system of claim 1, wherein the electrical backplane comprises a power bus configured to provide power to each of the mass flow control circuits, the system controller, and a plurality of valves.

19. An electrical backplane; a system controller operably coupled to the electrical backplane; A plurality of mass flow controllers; a non-volatile memory operably coupled to the system controller; each said mass flow controller having a mass flow control circuit operably coupled to said electrical backplane; the system controller and each of the mass flow control circuits are physically attached to the electrical backplane; the system controller is configured to collect valve position information and sensor information from at least a plurality of sensors and valves operably coupled to each of the mass flow control circuits, and to store the valve position information and the sensor information in a data log stored in the non-volatile memory.

20. An electrical backplane; a system controller operably coupled to the electrical backplane; A plurality of mass flow controllers; a coprocessor mounted on the electrical backplane; each said mass flow controller having a mass flow control circuit operably coupled to said electrical backplane; the system controller and each of the mass flow control circuits are physically attached to the electrical backplane; A gas delivery system, wherein the coprocessor coordinates asynchronous data communication between the system controller and each of the mass flow control circuits.

21. The coprocessor deserializes the serialized data stream received from each of the mass flow control circuits to generate a deserialized data stream, and transmits the deserialized data stream to the system controller; 21. The gas delivery system of claim 20, wherein the coprocessor serializes the data stream received from the system controller to generate a serialized data stream and transmits the serialized data stream to each of the mass flow control circuits.

22. 22. The gas delivery system of claim 21, wherein each data stream includes an address of the mass flow control circuit that sent that data stream.

23. an electrical backplane; a system controller operably coupled to and physically attached to the electrical backplane; A plurality of controlled modules; each of the controlled modules having a printed circuit board operably coupled to the electrical backplane; a printed circuit board of each of the controlled modules is electrically connected to and physically attached to the electrical backplane via board-to-board electrical connectors; 13. A gas delivery system, comprising: a gas supply module configured to supply a gas to a gas supply system, the gas supply module being configured to supply a gas to a gas supply system;

24. a non-volatile memory mounted on the electrical backplane and operably coupled to the system controller; 24. The gas supply system of claim 23, wherein the system controller is configured to collect valve position and sensor information from at least a plurality of sensors and valves operably coupled to a printed circuit board of each controlled module and store the valve position and sensor information in a data log stored in the non-volatile memory.

25. a machine backplane on which the plurality of controlled modules are physically mounted; the machine backplane having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a plurality of openings extending from the upper surface to the lower surface; the electrical backplane is attached to a lower surface of the mechanical backplane and is positioned across a gap from the lower surface; each of the controlled modules is mounted on a top surface of the machine backplane; 24. The gas delivery system of claim 23, wherein a portion of a printed circuit board of each of the controlled modules extends through each of the plurality of openings to reach an inter-board electrical connector on the electrical backplane.

26. an electrical backplane; a system controller operably coupled to and physically attached to the electrical backplane; A plurality of controlled modules; each of the controlled modules having circuitry operably coupled to the electrical backplane; the system controller and each controlled module are physically attached to the electrical backplane; the controlled module is selected from the group consisting of a mass flow controller, a flow ratio controller, and a pressure controller; the electrical backplane comprising: an electrical bus system including a control bus configured to transfer control signals between the system controller and the mass flow controller; a first memory interface having read and write registers for exchanging data between said system controller and said electrical bus system; A gas supply system comprising a second memory interface having read and write registers for exchanging data between the controlled module and the electrical bus system.

27. 27. The gas supply system of claim 26, wherein the system controller is configured to collect valve position and sensor information from at least a plurality of sensors and valves operably coupled to the printed circuit board of each controlled module and store the valve position and sensor information in a data log stored in non-volatile memory on the electrical backplane.

28. 28. The gas supply system of claim 27, wherein the system controller is configured to execute an artificial intelligence (AI) model stored in the non-volatile memory to train an AI model based on sensor information from the plurality of sensors and valve position information from the plurality of valves at a training time on a best manufacturing process, and at run-time to determine a variance in performance of a run-time manufacturing process relative to a best manufacturing process.

29. 27. The gas delivery system of claim 26, wherein the electrical bus system further comprises a configuration bus configured to transfer configuration signals between the system controller and the mass flow controllers.

30. 27. The gas delivery system of claim 26, wherein the electrical bus system further comprises a power bus configured to provide power to each mass flow control circuit, the system controller, and the plurality of valves.

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