Substrate Chamber Imaging Synchronization for Event Timing Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing substrate processing devices face challenges in accurately measuring the output time of control signals and event changes due to a time lag between the camera's clock and the controller's clock, which can lead to inappropriate monitoring of processing targets.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing method and device that include a synchronizing step to reduce the difference between the controller's and camera's measured times, allowing for accurate detection of event changes and calculation of the time difference between control signal output and event occurrence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the controller and camera operate with independent clocks, then each device can function autonomously, but time measurement accuracy deteriorates due to clock synchronization lag
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the time difference between controller and camera clocks, and dynamically adjusts the camera's timing operations based on this feedback. The controller calculates the time lag by comparing its own time measurements with the camera's timestamp on captured images, then uses this information to synchronize future operations, ensuring accurate temporal correlation without requiring permanent clock unification.
Solution Approach 2:
A time synchronization mechanism acts as an intermediary between the controller and camera. This intermediary component receives timing information from both devices, calculates the offset, and provides corrected timing data to coordinate their operations. This allows both devices to maintain their independent clock systems while achieving synchronized time measurement through the mediating synchronization layer.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the camera continuously monitors the chamber, then event detection capability is improved, but time correlation with control signals deteriorates due to lack of synchronization
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary time synchronization by having the controller send a synchronization command to the camera before actual monitoring begins. This preliminary action establishes a known reference point in time for both devices, allowing subsequent event detections to be accurately correlated with control signals by measuring time differences from this synchronized reference point.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the time difference between controller and camera timestamps on captured images, and uses this feedback to adjust timing operations. By comparing the controller's time measurements with the camera's recorded timestamps, the system calculates the time lag and compensates for it in subsequent correlations, maintaining accurate time alignment throughout continuous monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing method includes a processing process, an imaging process, a synchronizing process, and a calculation process. In the processing process, a controller outputs a control signal to at least one driver of a processing unit while measuring a time and makes the processing unit perform processing on a substrate. In the imaging process, a camera takes an image in the chamber to generate image data. In the synchronizing process, the controller performs synchronizing processing of reducing a difference between a current time measured by the controller and a current time measured by the camera. In the calculation process, an occurrence time of an event change in the chamber is calculated based on an imaging time of the image data, and a time difference between an output time of the control signal and the occurrence time is obtained based on a synchronized time.