Sputtering Data Management System for Film Quality Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional magnetic disk manufacturing systems face challenges in detecting abnormalities and efficiently storing large amounts of raw data, making it difficult to analyze film forming quality and leading to potential defective products due to the enormous volume of raw data collected during high-density recording processes.
Innovation Solution
A processing data managing system that processes raw data into summary data, representing characteristic points for each cycle, and stores and displays this summary data, reducing data size and enabling easier analysis and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If raw data on processing conditions are collected and stored as they are, then complete process histories are preserved for analysis, but the data volume becomes enormous making storage and analysis difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential characteristic values from the raw processing data. Instead of storing all raw data points, the system identifies and stores only the key characteristics that define the processing state, thereby reducing data volume while preserving the necessary information for quality judgment and abnormality detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by not storing raw data and then analyzing it, but rather by directly calculating characteristic values from raw data and storing only those characteristics. This inversion transforms the data management strategy from storage-heavy to processing-efficient, solving the contradiction between information preservation and data volume reduction.
2Measurement precision
If detailed raw data are displayed in graphs for analysis, then comprehensive process information is available, but it becomes difficult to detect abnormalities and make acceptance/rejection judgments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the most significant characteristic values from the complex raw data and displays them. This extraction process filters out unnecessary details and highlights only the critical parameters that indicate processing quality and potential abnormalities, making it easier to detect issues and make judgments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by focusing on specific critical characteristics rather than displaying all raw data uniformly. Different characteristic values are selected and displayed based on their importance for detecting specific types of abnormalities, allowing operators to focus on the most relevant information for quality control.
3Measurement precision
If sampling interval is shortened or number of sampling items is increased to improve film forming quality control, then measurement precision is improved, but the amount of raw data becomes even larger
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential characteristic values from the increased volume of raw data generated by frequent sampling. By calculating and storing only these key characteristics rather than all raw data points, the system maintains high measurement precision for quality control while preventing the raw data amount from becoming unmanageably large.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the raw data parameters by converting multiple raw data points into a smaller set of characteristic values through calculation. This parameter transformation reduces the data volume while preserving the essential quality information, allowing frequent sampling to be performed without creating excessive data storage requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for easier detection of processing state changes, improved acceptance/rejection judgments, and reduced data storage needs, effectively addressing the challenges of high-density magnetic disk manufacturing by simplifying data analysis and storage.
Implementation Method 1
The sputtering apparatus generates glow discharge by introducing a discharge gas into a vacuum and applying the power to electrodes
Implementation Method 2
The sputtering apparatus generates glow discharge by introducing a discharge gas into a vacuum and applying the power to electrodes so as to form a thin film of a target metal on the surface of a disk by collision of ions in a plasma generated by the glow discharge
Data Source
AI summary
A processing data managing system includes: a processing device 11 (such as a sputtering device for manufacturing a magnetic disc) for repeating the same process for each cycle; a sampling unit 30 for collecting raw data on a processing condition in the processing device (such as a discharge condition); a calculation unit 100 for receiving the raw data, calculating the raw data according to a predetermined rule, and processing it as summary data expressing a characteristic point for each cycle (characteristic value: for example, average value, maximum value, minimum value, standard deviation, discharge time, and the like); a data storage unit 40 for storing the processed summary data in storage means; and a display/output unit 50 for chart-displaying the summary data stored in the storage means.