Vacuum Valve Seal Monitoring with Pressure Tape Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
The semiconductor industry faces challenges with manual inspection of vacuum valves, which has poor resolution and interrupts the automatic production line, increasing the risk of wafer contamination due to misalignment and leakage.
Innovation Solution
An automatic system using a pressure monitoring tape with sensing elements to detect the closing condition of vacuum valves, providing real-time pressure data and alignment insights without significantly disrupting the production line.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual inspection of vacuum valves is performed, then alignment and pressure can be determined, but the production line is interrupted and resolution is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection with an automated optical detection system. A camera captures images of the vacuum valve mating surface, and image processing algorithms automatically analyze alignment and sealing conditions, eliminating the need for manual measurement while maintaining high precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy (image) of the vacuum valve mating surface and analyzes this copy instead of requiring physical manual inspection. This allows continuous monitoring without interrupting the production line, as the image analysis can be performed automatically while the valve remains in place.
2Reliability
If manual inspection of vacuum valves is performed, then closing condition can be determined, but the risk of wafer contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual physical contact inspection with non-contact optical imaging. The camera system captures images without touching the valve or surrounding components, eliminating the contamination risk associated with manual handling while accurately determining valve closing conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary (camera image) between the inspector and the vacuum valve. This intermediary allows detection of valve conditions without direct human contact with potential contamination sources, thereby protecting wafers from contamination while maintaining detection reliability.
3Productivity
If automatic inspection system is implemented, then production line interruption is minimized, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a camera system that can serve multiple functions: capturing valve alignment, sealing condition, and potential contamination. This multi-functional approach reduces overall system complexity compared to having separate specialized sensors for each measurement type, while maintaining continuous production capability.
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
The system effectively monitors the alignment and sealing condition of vacuum valves, reducing the risk of contamination and maintaining production throughput by providing precise data on pressure and alignment, enabling early detection of potential failures.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure monitoring tape on a mating surface on a vacuum processing chamber, wherein the pressure monitoring tape is configured to perform a pressure profile mapping between the mating surface on the vacuum processing chamber and a surface of the at least one sealing O-ring on the vacuum valve
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for cleaning and inspecting ring frames is disclosed here. In one embodiment, a vacuum valve comprising at least one sealing O-ring; and a pressure monitoring tape on a mating surface on a vacuum processing chamber, wherein the pressure monitoring tape is configured to perform a pressure profile mapping between the mating surface on the vacuum processing chamber and a surface of the at least one sealing O-ring on the vacuum valve to determine a closing condition of the vacuum valve.