Substrate Chamber State Retention During Controller Restart
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate processing apparatuses face inefficiencies and increased maintenance costs due to sudden restarts or terminations, which require re-establishing vacuum and temperature states, potentially damaging components and prolonging preparation times.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a controller that independently manages operation elements, allowing for the maintenance of operation states during restarts or terminations, using a storage unit to store and load operation data to reset elements without initialization, thereby reducing operational inefficiencies and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the operating system is updated or restarted, then the substrate processing apparatus can be maintained or updated, but the operation states of individual parts are lost and must be re-established, increasing preparation time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent stores the operation states of individual parts (vacuum state, temperature, gas flow rates) in a storage unit before the operating system is restarted or updated. When the system restarts, these pre-stored states are automatically restored, eliminating the need to re-establish them from scratch and thus reducing preparation time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the current operation states of all controlled parts and stores it in a storage unit. This copied state data is then used to restore the system to its previous operational condition after a restart, avoiding the time-consuming process of re-establishing vacuum, temperature, and gas flow conditions
2Reliability
If the operating system is restarted due to bugs or updates, then system functionality can be restored, but sudden changes in vacuum state or gas supply may damage parts requiring replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares compensatory measures in advance by storing the current operation states (vacuum level, temperature, gas flow rates) in a storage unit before system restart. This allows the system to smoothly restore to previous safe operating conditions, preventing sudden harmful changes that could damage parts
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a backup copy of the current operational parameters and stores it safely. Upon restart, this copied state information is used to restore the system to its previous stable condition, avoiding sudden vacuum changes or gas supply interruptions that could cause part damage
3Device complexity
If all operation elements are controlled by a single processing unit, then the control structure is simple, but the apparatus cannot maintain operation states independently during restarts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the control system into multiple independent controllers, each responsible for specific operation elements (vacuum control, temperature control, gas flow control). Each controller independently manages its designated elements and can maintain their states separately, even when the main processing unit restarts
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a storage unit as an intermediary between the controllers and the processing unit. This storage unit holds the operation states of individual parts, allowing controllers to maintain and restore states independently without being directly dependent on the processing unit's continuous operation
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a substrate processing apparatus including one or more operation elements, the substrate processing apparatus includes a processing unit controlling operation of the substrate processing apparatus, and a controller controlling independently the one or more operation elements of the substrate processing apparatus, monitoring operation of the processing unit, and maintaining operation states of the one or more operation elements when the operation of the processing unit is restarted or terminated.