Semiconductor device and portable disk for measuring chemical gas contaminants in a clean room

Abstract

To provide a detector disc and the like for detecting levels of chemical gas contaminants within semiconductor processing equipment, manufacturing, and clean room environments.SOLUTION: A detector disc includes a disc body having a bottom disc and a top cover, the top cover including a first aperture. A sensor is disposed inside the disc body and positioned to be exposed to an external environment via the first aperture in the top cover. The solid state sensor is adapted to detect levels of chemical gas contaminants and output a detection signal based on detected levels of the chemical gas contaminants. A microcontroller is disposed on a PCB and adapted to generate measurement data from the detected levels of the chemical gas contaminants embodied within the detection signal. A wireless communication circuit is disposed on the PCB, the wireless communication circuit adapted to transmit the measurement data wirelessly to a wireless access point device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2B

Description

Technical Field

[0001]

[0001] Some embodiments of the present invention relate broadly to a portable disk for measuring chemical gas contaminants in semiconductor devices and / or clean rooms.

Background Art

[0002]

[0002] For many years, the main focus of semiconductor devices, clean rooms, and other such clean manufacturing (“fab”) environments has been to remove mechanical particles from the air that are known to cause defects in thin films laid down for processing, and thus reduce the number of defects or errors in semiconductor manufacturing devices. More recently, this focus has expanded to reducing chemical gas contaminants commonly referred to as atmospheric molecular contaminants (AMC) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). For example, fabs are beginning to use chemical pre-filters to further filter air that has already been filtered at the fab level at the process tool level. Process manufacturers are beginning to modify the manufacturing process to clean vacuum components to ensure that trace amounts of chemical gas contaminants are not introduced into the manufacturing environment. These are not inexpensive means, and despite these efforts, the complexity of semiconductor processing system tools makes it difficult to identify locations where multi-step multi-tool process substrates can be exposed to unacceptably high concentrations of any number of chemical gas contaminants.

Summary of the Invention

[0003]

[0003] Some of the embodiments described herein are directed to a detector disk that includes a disk body having a lower disk and an upper cover. The upper cover includes a first aperture. The detector disk may further include a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed inside the disk body formed by the disk body. The detector disk may further include a sensor disposed on the PCB and arranged to be exposed to the external environment through the first aperture in the upper cover. The sensor may be adapted to detect the level of chemical gas contaminants and output a detection signal based on the detected level of the chemical gas contaminants. The detector disk may further include a microcontroller disposed on the PCB and coupled to the sensor. The microcontroller is adapted to generate measurement data from the detected level of the chemical gas contaminants embodied in the detection signal. The detector disk may further include a wireless communication circuit disposed on the PCB. The wireless communication circuit is adapted to wirelessly transmit the measurement data to a wireless access point device.

[0004]

[0004] In other embodiments, the detector disk instead includes a substrate disk and a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed in the central portion of the substrate disk. The detector disk may further include a suction tube attached to the substrate disk. The suction tube includes a first opening at a capped first end and a second opening at a second end. The detector disk may further include a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) pump disposed on one of the substrate disk or the PCB and including an air tube attached to the second opening of the suction tube for pushing ambient air into the suction tube. The MEMS pump is adapted to automatically shut off after a calibrated time after startup. The detector disk may further include a microcontroller disposed on the PCB and coupled to the MEMS pump. The microcontroller activates the pump.

[0005]

[0005] In exemplary embodiments, a method for using a detector disk to detect levels of chemical gas contaminants in air is disclosed. The method may begin with a first robot moving the detector disk from a storage location through a factory interface into a load lock of a processing system. The detector disk may include a sensor adapted to detect levels of chemical gas contaminants in air and a wireless communication circuit coupled to the sensor. The method may continue with a second robot moving the detector disk from the load lock through a transfer chamber into a processing chamber of the processing system. The method may continue by using the sensor of the detector disk to detect levels of chemical gas contaminants in at least one of the storage location, the factory interface, the load lock, the transfer chamber, or the processing chamber. The method may continue by wirelessly transmitting measurement data to a wireless access point (WAP) device using the wireless communication circuit of the detector disk. In that case, the measurement data includes information indicative of the detected levels of chemical gas contaminants in at least one of the storage location, the factory interface, the load lock, the transfer chamber, or the processing chamber.

[0006]

[0006] The present disclosure is shown by way of example and not limitation, and like reference numerals indicate like elements in the accompanying drawings. Note that different references to "an" or "one" embodiment in the present disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

[0007] FIG. 1 is a simplified top view of an exemplary processing system according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 2A

[0008] FIGS. 2A-2B are top perspective views of a detector disk according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 2B

Figure 2C

[0009] Figures 2C-2D are cross-sectional views along the center of a detector disk according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 2D

Figure 2E

[0010] An exploded perspective view of a detector disk according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 3A

[0011] A top plan view of a detector disk employing an adsorption tube for collecting chemical gas contaminants according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 3B

[0012] An adsorption tube according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

Figure 4

[0013] A block schematic diagram of a host printed circuit board (PCB) for a detector disk according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 5

[0014] A block schematic diagram of a serial communication interface between a host PCB and a transmitter board including a sensor according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 6

[0015] A schematic block diagram illustrating a method for converting a detection signal into measurement data about the detected level of a chemical gas contaminant and securely transmitting the measurement data according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 7

[0016] A flowchart of a method for using a detector disk including a sensor for detecting the level of a chemical gas contaminant according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 8

[0017] A flowchart of a method for using a detector disk including an adsorption tube for detecting the level of a chemical gas contaminant according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008]

[0018] Multiple embodiments of the present disclosure provide a detector disk and related methods for detecting levels of chemical gas contaminants in semiconductor processing equipment, manufacturing, and cleanroom environments. The chemical gas contaminants may include levels of different types of airborne molecular contaminants (AMCs) and / or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The disclosed embodiments provide methods for detecting these chemical gas contaminants within a known portion of a process chamber system, whether within a storage location for substrates, a load lock or other intermediate station, a transfer chamber, or a processing chamber.

[0009]

[0019] Various embodiments may or may employ a detector disk having a thickness and diameter such that the detector disk can be transferred as any other substrate through the processing system. In one embodiment, the detector disk includes a solid-state sensor adapted to detect levels of various chemical gas contaminants (e.g., down to less than 2 parts per million) while being transferred within the processing system and output a detection signal based on the detected levels. A microcontroller coupled to the solid-state sensor generates measurement data from the detected levels of chemical gas contaminants embodied within the detection signal. A wireless communication circuit wirelessly transfers the detected levels to a wireless access point (WAP) device for capture. In related embodiments, the measurement data is stored in the memory of the detector disk for later extraction and thus may not have a wireless function in some environments. The measurement data correlates with the location of the detector disk within the processing system and thus provides information regarding the detected levels of chemical gas contaminants separately, for example, within a storage location, a factory interface, a load lock, a transfer chamber, or a processing chamber.

[0010]

[0020] In an alternative embodiment, the detector disk instead employs one or more suction tubes attached to a substrate disk, and a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) pump is adapted to push ambient air into the suction tubes. A microcontroller activates the MEMS pump upon movement (or some other trigger) and shuts off the MEMS pump automatically or in response to a shutoff signal after a calibrated time has elapsed since activation. Shutting off the MEMS pump confines ambient air within the suction tubes. Thereby, after the detector disk has been transported out and back from the processing system, the suction tubes can be capped and transported to an analysis lab. The suction tubes are processed using gas chromatography to identify the level of chemical gas contaminants within the suction tubes. This embodiment may take more time, but the use of the suction tubes and gas chromatography can yield more accurate results.

[0011]

[0021] These and similar embodiments provide several advantages and improvements in the field of semiconductor processing of substrates such as wafers. These advantages include improvements in substrate performance (e.g., yield) and improvements in the cost of ownership due to increased yield. Substrate manufacturing performance can be improved, for example, by knowing where the ambient air has high levels of different types of chemical gas contaminants and targeting further chemical gas filtration in these areas or tools. Further, the monitoring of the levels of chemical gas contaminants can be continuous, and substrate processing does not need to be stopped to detect and address specific high-level concentrations in a particular semiconductor processing tool or fab area.

[0012]

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a simplified top view of an exemplary processing system 100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. The processing system 100 may include a factory interface 91 to which a plurality of substrate cassettes 102 (e.g., front-opening unified pods (FOUPs) and side storage pods (SSPs)) may be coupled to transfer substrates (e.g., wafers such as silicon wafers) into the processing system 100. The FOUPs, SSPs, and other substrate cassettes may be collectively referred to herein as storage locations. In a plurality of embodiments, one or more of the substrate cassettes 102 may include a detector disk 110 in addition to or instead of the wafers to be processed. The detector disk 110 may be used to detect the levels of chemical gas contaminants in one or more processing chambers 107 and other compartments and chambers, as described below. The factory interface 91 may also transfer the detector disk 110 in and out of the processing system 100 using the same functionality for transferring wafers, as described below.

[0013]

[0023] The processing system 100 may also include first vacuum ports 103a, 103b that may couple the factory interface 91 to respective stations 104a, 104b, which may be, for example, degassing chambers and / or load locks. Second vacuum ports 105a, 105b may be coupled to respective stations 104a, 104b and may be disposed between stations 104a, 104b and transfer chamber 106 to facilitate transfer of substrates into the transfer chamber 106. The transfer chamber 106 includes a plurality of processing chambers 107 (also referred to as process chambers) disposed around and coupled to the transfer chamber 106. The processing chambers 107 are coupled to the transfer chamber 106 via respective ports 108 such as slit valves.

[0014]

[0024] The processing chamber 107 may include one or more of an etching chamber, a deposition chamber (including atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, or plasma enhanced versions thereof), an annealing chamber, etc. In various embodiments, the factory interface 91 includes a factory interface robot 111. The factory interface robot 111 may include a robotic arm and may be a selective compliance assembly robotic arm (SCARA) robot such as a 2-link SCARA robot, a 3-link SCARA robot, a 4-link SCARA robot, or may include them. The factory interface robot 111 may include an end effector on the end of the robotic arm. The end effector may be configured to pick up and handle a specific object such as a wafer. Alternatively, the end effector may be configured to handle an object such as the detector disk 110. The factory interface robot 111 may be configured to transfer objects between the substrate cassette 102 (e.g., FOUP and / or SSP) and the stations 104a, 104b.

[0015]

[0025] The transfer chamber 106 includes a transfer chamber robot 112. The transfer chamber robot 112 may include a robotic arm having an end effector at the end of the robotic arm. The end effector may be configured to handle specific objects such as wafers, edge rings, ring kits, and detector disks. The transfer chamber robot 112 may be a SCARA robot, but in some embodiments may have fewer links and / or fewer degrees of freedom than the factory interface robot 111.

[0016]

[0026] Controller 109 may control various aspects of the processing system 100, may include, or may be coupled to, a wireless access point (WAP) device 129. The WAP device 129 may include wireless technology and one or more antennas for communicating with the detector disk 110. The controller 109 may be, and / or may include, a computing device such as a personal computer, a server computer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), a microcontroller, etc. The controller 109 may include one or more processing devices such as a microprocessor or a central processing unit. More specifically, the processing device may be a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, or a processor that implements another instruction set or a combination of instruction sets. The processing device may also be one or more dedicated processing devices such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), a network processor, etc.

[0017]

[0027] Although not shown, the controller 109 may include a data storage device (e.g., one or more disk drives and / or solid state drives), main memory, static memory, a network interface, and / or other components. The controller 109 may execute instructions for performing any one or more of the methods and / or embodiments described herein. The instructions may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium that may include main memory, static memory, secondary storage devices, and / or the processing device. For example, the controller 109 may execute instructions to activate one or more chemical gas filters located within any one of these processing tool units or chambers in response to the detection of a high level of chemical gas contaminants within any one of various storage locations, the factory interface 91, the load lock or station, the transfer chamber 106, or the processing chamber 107.

[0018]

[0028] FIGS. 2A-2B are top perspective views of detector disk 110 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. FIGS. 2C-2D are cross-sectional views along the center of detector disk 110 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 2E is an exploded perspective view of detector disk 110 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, referring to these various figures, detector disk 110 includes a disk body that includes a substrate 201 and an upper cover 203 having sidewalls 204 attached to substrate 201. Alternatively, substrate 201 may have sidewalls and the upper cover may be a lid disposed on the sidewalls of substrate 201. In one embodiment, substrate 201 includes a recess formed within substrate 201. The upper cover may be disposed over the recess. In one embodiment, the disk body has a thickness between 6 millimeters (mm) and 9 mm, and the diameter of the disk body (e.g., substrate 201) is from about 190 mm to 320 mm and / or is sized to pass through the slits and apertures of processing system 100 otherwise.

[0019]

[0029] In various embodiments, the detector disk includes a printed circuit board 220 disposed inside the disk body, e.g., between upper cover 203 and substrate 201. Sidewalls 204 may enclose PCB 220 within the disk body. Some electrical components, including a toggle on / off switch 213, a universal serial bus (USB) interface connector 215, a memory card 217, a battery 225, one or more sensors 226, one or more axial fans 228, and a microcontroller 230, may be disposed inside the disk body (e.g., on PCB 220 or on a combination electronics board). One or more axial fans 228 may be disposed on PCB 220 via a seal or bond. One or more axial fans 228 promote an air flow orthogonal to the one or more axial fans 228 without side leakage of air. Battery 225 may power electrical components that use power with the assistance of a power manager described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0020]

[0030] In a plurality of disclosed embodiments, the microcontroller 230 is a controller adapted to interact with electrical components including a connector, a memory card 217, and one or more sensors 226. The microcontroller 230 may be a programmed processor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other dedicated processing device. The microcontroller 230 may be adapted to receive a detection signal from the sensor 226 when the sensor 226 detects a particular level of the concentration of a chemical gas contaminant. The microcontroller 230 may also be configured or programmed to generate measurement data from the detected level of the chemical gas contaminant embodied in the detection signal. The functions and capabilities of the microcontroller 230 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6. In a plurality of embodiments, the sensor 226 is a solid state sensor, an optical device, an electrochemical device, an electrical device, a mass sensitive device, a magnetic device, a temperature measuring device, or a combination thereof. The sensor 226 may be calibrated in air located outside of the factory interface 91, including the storage location. Calibrating may include establishing a baseline of the level of the chemical gas contaminant detected by one or more sensors 226.

[0021]

[0031] In some embodiments, the side wall 204 of the upper cover 203 includes at least one opening, for example, a first opening 204A through which the toggle on / off switch 213 is exposed, and a second opening 204B through which the USB interface connector 215 and the memory card 217 are exposed. Additional or fewer openings may be employed depending on the design. The memory card 217 may be removable and may be adapted to store measurement data including levels of concentrations of various chemical gas contaminants detectable by the sensor 226. A wireless charger 235 may be provided, which is adapted to wirelessly charge the detector disk 110.

[0022]

[0032] In one embodiment, sensor 226 is a micro-solid sensor adapted to detect the level of chemical gas contaminants, for example, at parts per million (ppm) of at least one of molecular contaminants or volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere, with a lower limit of less than 2 ppm and an upper limit of up to 2000 ppm. In one embodiment, the micro-solid sensor can detect at least 23 such chemical gases (AMC and / or VOC), such as ammonia (NH3), carbon dioxide (CO2), chlorine (Cl2), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and many others. The micro-solid sensor may use amperometric 3-electrode advanced solid technology in some embodiments.

[0023]

[0033] In various embodiments, sensor 226 is adapted to measure 50 percent of the concentration of the level of chemical gas contaminants within 10 seconds and 90 percent of the concentration of the level of chemical gas contaminants within 30 seconds. Sensor 226 may be approximately 12.5 mm × 11.5 mm × 9.5 mm in size, or various dimensions may be within 5 to 20% of this size, thus enabling multiple sensors to fit on PCB 220 (for example, as an example, four sensors are illustrated). Sensor 226 may also operate within a temperature range between -20°C and +50°C, and thus may be adaptable to the environment of the processing chamber.

[0024]

[0034] In various embodiments, the top cover 203 includes one or more first apertures 206 through which the detector surfaces of one or more sensors 226 may be exposed to the external environment. The top cover 203 may also include one or more second apertures 208 proximate to the first apertures 206 through which one or more axial fans 228 may draw air from the external environment. The axial fans 228 may be disposed on the PCB 220 below the second apertures 208. Thereby, the axial fans 228 move air across the sensors 226 disposed adjacent to the axial fans 228. In one embodiment, the PCB 220 includes one or more third apertures 222 for disposing one or more axial fans 228 thereon. In other words, the axial fans 228 are disposed on the PCB 220 between the second and third apertures and move air across the sensors 226 that enters through the second apertures 208 and exits through the third apertures 222 of the PCB 220.

[0025]

[0035] In the disclosed embodiments, the axial fans 228 move air in this manner to increase the sensitivity to chemical gas contaminants detection by one or more sensors 226 as indicated by the direction of the air flow (shown by the arrows) in FIG. 2D. The microcontroller 230 may control the speed of the axial fans 228, for example, via the use of pulse width modulation (PWM), to vary the force of the air flow and thus the sensitivity of the sensors 226.

[0026]

[0036] In various embodiments, the top cover 203 includes a set of first apertures 206 (e.g., four first apertures), and the detector disk 110 includes a set of sensors 226 (e.g., four sensors) disposed on the PCB 220. Each sensor of the set of sensors may be disposed in the vicinity of one of the set of first apertures 206. In a related embodiment, the top cover 203 includes a set of second apertures 208 (e.g., four second apertures) proximate to the set of first apertures 206. The PCB 220 may further include a set of third apertures 222 (e.g., four third apertures) disposed below the set of second apertures 208. The detector disk 110 may include a set of axial fans 228 disposed on the PCB 220 between the set of second apertures 208 and the set of third apertures 222. The set of axial fans 228 may move air across the set of sensors 226.

[0027]

[0037] FIG. 3A is a top plan view of a detector disk 310 employing an adsorption tube 326 for collecting chemical gas contaminants, according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 3B is an adsorption tube 326 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. The adsorption tube 326 includes a glass tube 371 having a sealing cap 375 at either end. The glass tube 371 is drawn with a very tight tolerance for reproducible results. The glass tube 371 includes a precisely sealed tip 373 that can be easily scored to a specified aperture size, and a sealing cap 375 that prevents contamination and seals the glass tube 371. Inside the glass tube 371, an adsorption layer 377 having an accurately controlled surface area, pore size, absorption characteristics, and mesh size is disposed. Also disposed within the glass tube 371 is a backup adsorption layer 379 for detecting sample breakthrough. The adsorption layers 377 and 379 include a foam separator 381 to provide a uniform pressure drop within the glass tube 371. Also disposed inside the glass tube 371 is an accurate amount of high-purity glass wool 383 to also provide a uniform pressure drop.

[0028]

[0038] Continuing to refer to FIG. 3A, in various embodiments, the detector disk 310 includes a substrate disk 301 and an optional printed circuit board (PCB) 320. In some embodiments, the detector disk 310 includes one or more suction tubes 326 attached to the substrate disk 301 using, for example, a clamp 327 or other connector (e.g., adhesive, binder, clip, magnet, etc.). The detector disk 310 may also include a battery 325 attached to the substrate disk 301 to power the PCB 320 and the electronics disposed thereon. The electronics may include, for example, a toggle on / off switch 313, a USB interface connector 315, and a memory card 317 disposed on the PCB 320. A microcontroller 330 may be disposed on one of the substrate disk 301 or the PCB 320. These components are similar to those introduced and described with reference to the detector disk 110 of FIGS. 2A-2E.

[0029]

[0039] In various embodiments, the electronics include one or more microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) pumps 329 disposed on the PCB 320. In an alternative embodiment, not shown, the MEMS pump 329 is disposed on the substrate disk 301. Each MEMS pump 329 includes an air tube 331 attached to the opening of the suction tube 326. The MEMS pump 329 may be adapted to push ambient air into the suction tube 326, for example, via the air tube 331, and may be programmed or configured to automatically shut off after a calibrated time after activation. Alternatively, the MEMS pump 329 may be shut off in response to a shut-off signal (e.g., wirelessly received from a controller) or in response to a sensor reading. For example, the sensor may detect the volume of gas pumped into the suction tube 326, and the MEMS pump 329 may be shut off in response to a gas volume that meets a threshold. In various embodiments, the ambient air is at least one of the ambient airs of one of a storage location, a factory interface 91, a load lock 104a or 104b, a transfer chamber 106, or a processing chamber 107 of the substrate processing system 100.

[0030]

[0040] The microcontroller 330 may be a programmed processor, FPGA, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other controller. The microcontroller 330 may be configured to activate the MEM pump 329, for example, after detecting the movement of the detector disk 301 or after some other trigger, and / or, for example, in response to the timing out of a timer, in response to an external signal, in response to a measurement from a sensor (e.g., indicating the amount of gas pumped into the receiving tube), or in response to some other condition, the MEMS pump 329 may be configured to shut off.

[0031]

[0041] In a further embodiment, the detector disk 310 includes at least a second suction tube attached to the substrate disk 301, the second suction tube including an opening at a capped first end and a second opening at an uncapped second end. A second MEMS pump is disposed on the PCB 320 and includes a second air tube attached to the second opening of the second suction tube and pushes ambient air into the second suction tube. The second MEMS pump may be adapted to automatically shut off after a calibrated time after activation, and the microcontroller 330 is further coupled to the second MEMS pump to activate the second MEMS pump.

[0032]

[0042] FIG. 4 is a block schematic diagram of a host printed circuit board (PCB) 420 for the detector disk 110 or 310 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Thus, the host PCB 420 may be the PCB 220 or PCB 320, a combination of printed circuit boards, or have several similar electrical components arranged thereon in various embodiments. For example, the host PCB 420 may include a memory card 417 for storing data, a sensor 426 (e.g., a solid-state sensor) disposed on the transmitter board 426A, one or more axial fans 428, a MEMS pump 429 disposed on the transmitter board 429A, a microcontroller 430, a wireless communication circuit 440, and a power manager 450. Similar to the detector disks 110 and 310, the PCB 420 may include a plurality of MEMS pumps 429 each on its own transmitter board 429A, and a plurality of sensors 426 each on its own transmitter board 426A. Each of the one or more axial fans 428 may be disposed proximate to or adjacent to one of the sensors 426.

[0033]

[0043] In various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit 440 is adapted to wirelessly transmit one or both of measurement data including a detection signal (received from one or more sensors 426) or a detection signal after adjustment and processing, e.g., to the WAP 129, as will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 6. The wireless communication circuit 440 and the WAP 129, as well as other wireless-enabled devices, may communicate using one or more of various communication standards or protocols such as WiFi (trademark) of the WiFi (trademark) Alliance, Wireless USB (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Zigbee (registered trademark), Secure Shell (SSH), Internet of Things (IoT) gateway, etc.

[0034]

[0044] In various embodiments, the transmitter board 429A on which the MEMS pump 429 is disposed transmits signals between the MEMS pump 429 and the microcontroller 430. The transmitter board 426A on which the sensor 426 is disposed may transmit signals between the sensor 426 and the microcontroller 430.

[0035]

[0045] In one embodiment, the measurement data is stored in the memory card 417. The memory card 417 may be removable so as to be inserted into, for example, a memory card reader of a computing device to extract the measurement data.

[0036]

[0046] In various embodiments, the power manager 450 is adapted to convert the power from the battery 225 or 325 to appropriate power and current levels for the electrical components disposed on the host PCB 420. For example, the power manager 450 receives a 5-volt power supply in the charging controller 452 for charging the 3.7-volt battery 455. The first light-emitting diode (LED) 453 may indicate whether the 3.7-volt battery 455 is being charged, and the second LED 454 may indicate when it is fully charged. 3.7 volts may be sufficient for some of the components disposed on the host PCB 420, such as the PCB 420, the transmitter boards 426A and 429A, and the axial fan 428.

[0037]

[0047] In these embodiments, the power manager 450 may also include a boost converter 456 coupled to the charging controller 452 and adapted to boost the battery voltage source to a level (e.g., 5 volts) sufficient to power at least the microcontroller 430, the sensor 426, and the memory card 417. The third LED 457 may indicate a low power level of the battery 225 or 325, and the fourth LED 459 may indicate that the detector disk 110 or 310 is on. The power manager 450 may also include an on / off button 458 to cycle the power to the host PCB 420 on or off.

[0038]

[0048] FIG. 5 is a block schematic diagram of a serial communication interface 500 between a host PCB 420 and a transmitter board 426A including a sensor 426 according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, the serial communication interface 500 is an interface between integrated circuits (e.g., I2C or I 2 C), a serial peripheral interface (SPI), or an asynchronous serial interface, etc. The interface between integrated circuits (I 2 C) protocol is a protocol intended to enable multiple "slave" digital integrated circuits ("chips") to communicate with one or more "master" chips. In the present disclosure, the microcontrollers 230, 330, 430 may be such masters, and each of the sensors 226, 426 may be such slaves. In alternative embodiments, a parallel connection is used.

[0039]

[0049] The serial communication interface 500 may include a first resistor (R1) between the Vcc / Vin power line and the serial clock line (SCL), and a second resistor (R2) between the Vcc / Vin power line and the serial data line (SDA). The serial clock line may be the clock (C) input to the sensor 426, and the serial data line may be the data line (S) input to the sensor 426. The general-purpose input / output (GPIOx) line may be the receiver mode (R) input from the host PCB 420 to the sensor 426. Another GPIOx input is connected to a reset switch (RES). In this way, the host PCB 420 can carry a clock signal, a data signal, a mode signal, and a reset signal from on-board components including the microcontroller 430. In multiple embodiments, a detection signal of the level of a chemical gas contaminant may be transmitted via the host PCB 420, via the serial data line (SDA), to further signal processing components for conversion to measurement data.

[0040]

[0050] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a method 600 for converting a detection signal into measurement data about a detected level of a chemical gas contaminant and securely transmitting the measurement data, according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, a microcontroller 430 of the detector disk 110 can read instructions from a memory 602 and execute instructions for performing signal conversion, as described below. The microcontroller 430 may perform control over the detection signal generated by the sensor 426, for example, via a connection to the host PCB 420. In that case, the detection signal reflects the detected level of the chemical gas contaminant, as described above. The detection signal may be considered raw detection data.

[0041]

[0051] The detector disk 110 may further include a signal conditioner 607 mounted on the microcontroller 430 or as a separate processing component of the host PCB 420. The signal conditioner 607 may generate an adjusted analog signal that power-adjusts the detection signal and can be transferred via a longer flex cable.

[0042]

[0052] In various embodiments, the microcontroller 430 executes software 603 (e.g., software code or instructions read from the memory 602) to process the adjusted analog signal into measurement data that may be transmitted and processed for user consumption. In one embodiment, the memory 602 is a memory card 217 or 417. In another embodiment, the adjusted analog signal is transmitted to another device, such as a controller 109 (or other network device) that can execute software processing. In one embodiment, the microcontroller 430 includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to convert the adjusted detection signal into digital detection data that can then be measured. For example, the microcontroller 430 may further execute an application algorithm 611 to convert the digital detection data into measurement data associated with discrete values (e.g., in ppm units) of the detected level of the chemical gas contaminant.

[0043]

[0053] After the microcontroller 430 executes the software 603, the wireless communication circuit 440 may transmit the measurement data to the Internet of Things (IoT) device 660, which may act as an IoT gateway for storing the measurement data in the cloud data server 662A and / or the web server 662B. When the controller 109 (or other network-enabled computing device) executes the software 603, the controller 109 (or other network-enabled computing device) may send the measurement data to the IoT device 660. The IoT device 660 may provide a secure gateway or router for transmitting the measurement data stored in the cloud data server 662A and / or the web server 662B. The measurement data may be securely stored in one or both of the cloud data server 662A and / or the web server 662B and may be accessed by the processing device 609. In an alternative embodiment (shown in dashed lines), the wireless communication circuit 440 directly transmits the measurement data to the cloud data server 662A or the web server 662B.

[0044]

[0054] In various embodiments, the IoT device 660 may include a communication unit 664. The communication unit 664 includes, for example, a transceiver. The transceiver is for storing the measurement data in the cloud data server 662A and / or the web server 662B and reading the measurement data from the cloud data server 662A and / or the web server 662B. The IoT device 660 may further include a graphical user interface (GUI) 666. Using the GUI, the processing device 609 can interact to receive and review the measurement data in a human-accessible form. The processing device 609 may be a client device, a computing device, a mobile device, etc. In some embodiments, the processing device 609 can directly access the measurement data from the cloud data server 662A and / or the web server 662B.

[0045]

[0055] In various embodiments, network communication between the detector disk 110, the controller 109, the cloud data server 662A and / or the web server 662B, and the processing device 609 may be protected via a security protocol to include verification, authentication, and encryption, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, all of these devices coexist on a single local area network (LAN) without an external connection to the Internet (or other wide area network) and are protected by being physically separated from other computer networks.

[0046]

[0056] FIG. 7 is a flowchart 700 of a method for using a detector disk that includes a sensor for detecting levels of chemical gas contaminants, according to various aspects of the present disclosure. For example, method 700 may be implemented using detector disk 110 in conjunction with factory interface robot 111 (first robot) and transfer chamber robot 112 (second robot).

[0047]

[0057] Referring to FIG. 7, in operation 710, the first robot moves the detector disk 110 from the storage location of the processing system 100 into the load lock via the factory interface. In that case, the detector disk includes a sensor adapted to detect levels of chemical gas contaminants in the air and a wireless communication circuit coupled to the sensor. The sensor may be a solid sensor or a micro-solid sensor.

[0048]

[0058] In operation 720, the second robot moves the detector disk 110 from the load lock of the processing system into the processing chamber via the transfer chamber. In operation 730, the sensor detects the level of chemical gas contaminants in at least one of the storage location, the factory interface, the load lock, the transfer chamber, or the processing chamber.

[0049]

[0059] Continuing to refer to FIG. 7, the detector disk 110 wirelessly transmits measurement data to a wireless access point (WAP) device using the wireless communication circuit of the detector disk. The measurement data may include information indicating the detected level of chemical gas contaminants within at least one of a storage location, a factory interface, a load lock, a transfer chamber, or a processing chamber.

[0050]

[0060] Similar or corresponding operations may be performed during the return movement to the storage location. For example, the second robot may move the detector disk from the processing chamber through the transfer chamber and back into the load lock of the processing system. The first robot may move the detector disk from the load lock through the factory interface and back into the storage location of the processing system. The sensor of the detector disk may detect the level of chemical gas contaminants within at least one of the processing chamber, the transfer chamber, the load lock, the factory interface, or the storage location during the return movement of the detector disk to the storage location. The wireless communication circuit of the detector disk may further wirelessly transmit second measurement data to the WAP device. The second measurement data may include information indicating the level of chemical gas contaminants within at least one of the processing chamber, the transfer chamber, the load lock, the factory interface, or the storage location during the return movement.

[0051]

[0061] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method 800 for using a detector disk including an adsorption tube to detect the level of chemical gas contaminants, according to various aspects of the present disclosure. For example, method 800 may be implemented using detector disk 310 in conjunction with a factory interface robot 111 (first robot) and a transfer chamber robot 112 (second robot).

[0052]

[0062] Referring to FIG. 8, in operation 810, a first robot moves the detector disk 310 from the storage location of the processing system into the load lock via the factory interface. In that case, the detector disk includes a sorption tube adapted to confine chemical gas contaminants in the ambient air and a MEMS pump adapted to push the ambient air into the sorption tube.

[0053]

[0063] In operation 820, a controller such as the microcontroller 330 activates the MEMS pump of the detector disk 310 when, for example, it detects movement through the processing system 100 or in response to another trigger such as a command signal. In operation 830, a second robot moves the detector disk 310 from the load lock of the processing system 100 into the processing chamber via the transfer chamber.

[0054]

[0064] In operation 840, after a calibrated time for confining the ambient air in at least one of the storage location, load lock, factory interface, transfer chamber, or processing chamber into the adsorption tube, the controller automatically shuts off the MEMS pump. Since the detector disk 310 has a plurality of adsorption tubes, in order to isolate the ambient air in the adsorption tubes respectively for a specific part or region of the processing system 100, individual adsorption tubes may be activated within each of these different tool positions.

[0055]

[0065] The foregoing description has set forth numerous specific details, such as examples of specific systems, components, methods, etc., to provide a good understanding of several embodiments of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that at least some embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known components or methods are not described in detail or are presented in a simple block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. Accordingly, the specific details described are merely illustrative. Certain alternative embodiments may still be considered to be within the scope of the present invention, differing as they do from these illustrative details.

[0056]

[0066] Throughout this specification, references to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Additionally, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". When the terms "about" or "approximately" are used in this specification, it is intended to mean that the recited nominal value is accurate within ±10%.

[0057]

[0067] The operations of the methods of this specification are illustrated and described in a particular order, but the order of operations of each method may be changed so that certain operations are performed in the reverse order and certain operations are performed at least partially concurrently with other operations. In another embodiment, the instructions or sub-operations of separate operations may be intermittent and / or alternating. In one embodiment, multiple metal joining operations are performed as a single step.

[0058]

[0068] It should be understood that the above description is for illustrative purposes only and not for purposes of limitation. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the above description. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims, as well as the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims

1. A detector disk, comprising: a substrate disk, a suction tube attached to the substrate disk, the suction tube having a first opening at a capped first end and a second opening at a second end, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) pump disposed on the substrate disk, the MEMS pump having an air tube attached to the second opening of the suction tube for pushing ambient air into the suction tube, and being configured to automatically shut off after a calibrated time after startup, and a microcontroller disposed on the substrate disk and coupled to the MEMS pump, the microcontroller being configured to activate the MEMS pump.

2. The detector disk according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the detector disk is between 6 millimeters (mm) and 9 mm, and the suction tube is attached to the substrate disk by a clamp.

3. A printed circuit board (PCB) disposed in a central portion of the substrate disk, the PCB on which the MEMS pump and the microcontroller are disposed, a second suction tube attached to the substrate disk, the second suction tube having a third opening at a capped first end and a fourth opening at a second end, and a second MEMS pump disposed on one of the substrate disk or the PCB, the second MEMS pump having a second air tube attached to the fourth opening of the second suction tube for pushing ambient air into the second suction tube, and being configured to automatically shut off after the calibrated time after startup, the detector disk further comprising the second MEMS pump, and the microcontroller is further coupled to the second MEMS pump and is configured to further activate the second MEMS pump, the detector disk according to claim 1.

4. The detector disk according to claim 1, wherein the ambient air is the ambient air of at least one of a storage location of a substrate processing system, a factory interface, a load lock, a transfer chamber, or a processing chamber.

5. Moving the detector disk according to claim 1 from a storage location of a processing system into a load lock via a factory interface by a first robot, wherein the detector disk A sensor adapted to detect the level of chemical gas pollutants in the air, and Moving a detector disk into a load lock, the detector disk comprising a wireless communication circuit coupled to the sensor, Moving the detector disk by a second robot from the load lock of the processing system through a transfer chamber into a processing chamber, Using the sensor of the detector disk to detect the level of the chemical gas pollutants in at least one of the storage location, the factory interface, the load lock, the transfer chamber, or the processing chamber, and Wirelessly transmitting measurement data to a wireless access point (WAP) device using the wireless communication circuit of the detector disk, the measurement data including information indicating the detected level of the chemical gas pollutants in at least one of the storage location, the factory interface, the load lock, the transfer chamber, or the processing chamber, a method.

6. The transmitting comprises Transmitting a first portion of the measurement data to the WAP device while the detector disk is within the storage location, Transmitting a second portion of the measurement data to the WAP device while the detector disk is within the factory interface, Transmitting a third portion of the measurement data to the WAP device while the detector disk is within the load lock, Transmitting a fourth portion of the measurement data to the WAP device while the detector disk is within the transfer chamber, and Transmitting a fifth portion of the measurement data to the WAP device while the detector disk is within the processing chamber, the method according to claim 5 including at least one of.

7. Moving the detector disk by the second robot from the processing chamber of the processing system through the transfer chamber back into the load lock, Moving the detector disk by the first robot from the load lock of the processing system through the factory interface back into the storage location, Using the sensor of the detector disk, during the return movement of the detector disk to the storage location, detecting the level of the chemical gas contaminant in at least one of the processing chamber, the transfer chamber, the load lock, the factory interface, or the storage location, and further comprising wirelessly transmitting second measurement data to the WAP device using the wireless communication circuit, the second measurement data including information indicating the level of the chemical gas contaminant in at least one of the processing chamber, the transfer chamber, the load lock, the factory interface, or the storage location during the return movement, the method of claim 5. **Claim 8** further comprising calibrating the sensor in air located outside the factory interface including the storage location, the calibrating including establishing a baseline of the level of the chemical gas contaminant detected by the sensor, the method of claim 5. **Claim 9** receiving a detection signal from the sensor indicating the detected level of the chemical gas contaminant, using a signal conditioner to condition the detection signal to generate a conditioned analog signal, using an analog-to-digital converter to convert the conditioned analog signal to a digital signal, and further comprising converting the digital signal to generate the measurement data by measuring discrete values of the detected level of the chemical gas contaminant in the digital signal, the method of claim 5.

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