KR20060081988A - Malfunction detector gas valve in semiconductor/lcd manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a gas valve malfunction detector of a semiconductor / display manufacturing equipment.

The present invention for achieving the above object is the final valve interlocked according to whether the gas supplied into the chamber and the detection unit consisting of a gas sensor for sensing the flow of the gas; And a controller configured to process an open / close signal and a gas flow signal input from the detector to determine a gas leak and to transmit an interrupt processing signal to the main device.

Description

      Malfunction Detector Gas Valve in Semiconductor / LCD Manufacturing Equipment             

1 is a flow chart showing the configuration of an actual gas pipe in a semiconductor / display process

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention

3 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a control unit which is the inventor of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a flow chart showing the operating state of the present invention in order

<Description of Signs of Major Parts of Drawings>

100: detection unit 110: final valve

120: gas sensor 200: control unit

210: input circuit 211: open / close signal input terminal

212: gas flow signal input terminal 220A, 220B: voltage comparison path 1,2

230: inversion circuit 240: latch circuit

250: AND gate circuit 260: solenoid switch

270: interlock output stage 280: reset switch

The present invention relates to a gas valve malfunction detector of a semiconductor / display manufacturing equipment.

In general, the gas used in the semiconductor / display manufacturing process is a process element directly related to the production of the product, and stabilization of the gas supply is essential for maximum efficiency.

Gases used in semiconductor / display manufacturing processes are divided into combustible, pyrophoric, corrosive, toxic and inert gases.

These gases can cause damage and loss to humans, equipment, and systems due to careless handling or lack of safety devices.For this reason, safety devices that control gas for semiconductor processes require rapid response speed and precise control of failures. Was.

Conventional gas control device for the gas supply is composed of a solenoid that directly controls the pneumatic valve of the gas pipe, a pressure sensor for detecting the flow of gas by measuring the pressure in the cylinder and manifold (leakage), a leak alarm for detecting leakage It is.

A regulator is used as a device for regulating the gas supplied from the gas cylinder to a predetermined pressure among the gas control devices as described above, and the gas is supplied to the processing chamber after passing through the MFC through the regulator.

The equipment user controls the type and flow rate of the gas used in the process in the main equipment according to the process conditions, and controls the supply and flow rate of the gas in the MFC attached to each gas line according to these setting conditions. .

The process of processing a semiconductor / display is performed in a high vacuum state, and the flow rate state of the gas in the manifold in this high vacuum state is detected by the MFC described above.

There is a pneumatic valve at both ends of the MFC, which closes due to the excitation of the solenoid in the pneumatic valve in case of replacement due to a malfunction or failure of the MFC or an interruption due to a process failure.

However, moisture and solid plastics are generated due to the reaction between the gases generated in the process of using the process gas, there is a problem that causes the MFC malfunction due to this secondary product.

The malfunction of the MFC was a problem that causes a failure of the equipment by transmitting a wrong signal to the main equipment of the gas flow in the pipe, resulting in a decrease in the yield of the manufacturing process.

Such process safety devices require secondary and tertiary devices, and these devices require fast and precise gas control devices.

      The present invention created in consideration of the above problems and requirements is to attach a pressure sensor to the gas pipe between the final valve and the chamber next to the mass flow controller (MFC), digital signal of the pressure sensor and the final valve operation signal By real-time control using circuits, LEDs can be used to check the system failures related to gas flow control due to secondary plastics that may occur during the semiconductor / display manufacturing process in real time. It is a technical challenge to provide a gas flow sensing and control device used in semiconductor manufacturing processes that can interrupt the manufacturing process to prevent equipment damage and safety accidents.

The present invention for achieving the above object is a final valve that interlocks depending on whether or not the gas valve is introduced into the chamber and the detection unit consisting of a gas sensor for sensing the flow of the gas; And a controller configured to process an open / close signal and a gas flow signal input from the detector to determine a gas leak and to transmit an interrupt processing signal to a main device.

1 is a flowchart showing the configuration of an actual gas pipe in a semiconductor / display process, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a main part of the present invention. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the control unit, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation state of the present invention in order.

1 and 2, the process of flowing into the chamber 40 through the gas valve 30 to control the mixture of the gas supplied from the gas supply unit 10 through the MFC 20 as shown in the accompanying drawings In the control device for controlling the control, the final provided between the MFC 20 and the gas valve 30 so as to interlock depending on whether the gas valve 30 for conducting / blocking the supply of the gas flowing into the chamber 40 A sensing unit (100) consisting of a valve (110) and a gas sensor (120) provided between the final valve (110) and the gas valve (30) to detect the flow of the incoming gas; And

The controller 20 is configured to process the opening and closing signal and the gas flow signal input from the sensing unit 100 to determine the gas leakage, and to transmit the interrupt processing signal to the main equipment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 200 is connected to the open / close signal input terminal 211 and the gas sensor 120 that are connected to the final valve 110 of the sensing unit 110 to receive a signal. Compared to the input circuit 210 consisting of a gas flow signal input terminal 212 receiving the input, and the signal input and connected to each of the open and close signal input terminal 211 and the gas flow signal input terminal 212 and outputs a predetermined level An inverting circuit 230 for inverting the signal applied from the voltage comparator 1 and 2 (220A) 220B, and the voltage comparator 1 and 2 (220A) 220B and the AND gate circuit 250 described later. ), And temporarily stores the preceding signal among the signals inputted through the voltage comparison circuits 1 and 2 (220A) and 220B and the inverting circuit 230, and outputs the preceding signal using the next input signal as a clock signal. The latch circuit 240 and the reverse circuit is applied from the sensing unit 100 An AND gate circuit 250 for processing AND outputting an open / close signal and a gas flow signal input through the 230 and the latch circuit 240, respectively, and a signal passing through the AND gate circuit 250 are inverted circuits 230. ), The inverted value is excited and the switching operation delivers an interrupt signal to the interlock output terminal 270 to stop the gas supply process, and when an interrupt occurs, a reset switch for returning to the control board after troubleshooting And (280).

The operating state of the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 as follows.

In the process of supplying the gas from the gas supply unit 10 to the chamber, the input circuit 210 of the controller 200 receives the opening / closing signal of the final valve 110 and the gas flow signal of the gas sensor 120.

In the present invention, the photocoupler, which is an optical coupling device that transmits a signal with light by electrically insulating the input and output by coupling the light emitting device and the light receiving device to one package by the input circuit 210, according to an embodiment. Was applied.

That is, when the final valve 110 or the gas sensor 120 is opened or sensed, a voltage of 24V is applied to the photocoupler, at which time the photocoupler is excited to apply a 5V signal to the CU1 or CU2 so that the CU1 or CU2 When the conduction state, the LED is blinking to operate the LED is to indicate the operating state of the final valve (110).

As described above, when the 5 [V] signal, which is the high signal, is input from the final valve 110 and the gas sensor 120 to the photocoupler, which is the input circuit 210, the photocoupler is excited to provide a voltage comparator 1, 2 ( The signal is transmitted to 220A (220B), and the voltage comparators 1, 2 (220A, 220B) compare the reference voltage with the input signal and output the input signal to the inverting circuit 230 if the input signal is above a predetermined level. .

The voltage comparators 1, 2 (220A) and 220B are LM339 / SO_13 (OP-AMP) having four comparators in one package, and the inversion circuit 230 is four in one package. 74LS14 of 74 series with NOT gate.

The signal applied to the inversion circuit 230 is inverted, respectively, the signal input from the double final valve 110 side is directly input to the AND gate circuit 250, the signal input from the gas sensor 120 side is a latch circuit When the signal is temporarily stored in the 240 and is input from the final valve 110, the signal is input through the inversion circuit 230 once more, that is, the clock signal is input to the AND gate circuit 250 to be the final valve. Logically processed with the signal input from the (110) side is output.

That is, the latch circuit 240 compares the signals according to the signals input from the final valve 110 side and the signals input from the gas sensor 120 side and transfers them to the AND gate circuit 250. 250 determines the process state as shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1

division Final Valve Gas sensor condition Explanation One 0 0 Process preparation Final V / V not open and no gas pressure 2 0 One Process waiting The valve was closed in preparation for the next process but existing gas was present in the pipe. 3 One 0 Failure Even though the gas valve is open, no pressure is applied in the gas line, indicating a valve failure. 4 One One Process progress Gas valve is open and gas is flowing in the pipe

As described above, the output value processed through the AND gate circuit 250 is inverted through the inversion circuit 230, and when the state of "0" is output, it is a normal state, and when the state of "1" is output, it is an abnormal state. In this state, the solenoid switch 260 is excited to transmit an interrupt signal to the main equipment through the interlock output terminal 270 to stop the entire process.

Subsequently, the operator checks the cause and checks the failure state to handle the abnormal state (fault), and then, when the reset switch 280 is pressed, the operator is switched to the initial state to perform the control operation again.

In addition, the present invention is a variable resistor (VR1) for receiving an input signal in the state that the final valve 110 is opened and closed to adjust the increase rate of the gain value, that is, the amplitude of the signal generated by the voltage comparison circuit 220A It is connected to 220A of voltage comparison bridges.

In addition, when an interrupt occurs, a signal of 5 [V] is generated and the red LED blinks to indicate an abnormal operation state.

As such, the present invention can confirm the state of the gas valve with a relatively simple digital logic circuit, and can be applied to various gas lines used in semiconductor / display manufacturing processes.

According to the present invention, the pressure sensor is attached to the gas pipe between the pneumatic valve and the chamber next to the mass flow controller (MFC), thereby controlling the signal of the pressure sensor and the operation signal of the pneumatic valve in real time using a digital circuit, System failure related to the control of gas flow due to secondary plastics that can occur during semiconductor manufacturing process can be checked in real time through LED, and in case of failure, the process of semiconductor manufacturing process is interrupted to damage the equipment and It prevents safety accidents, ie interrupts the problem that causes arc damage due to lack of gas supply for plasma discharge and damages ESC (Electro Static Chuck). Get the effect of improving

Claims (2)

In the control device for controlling the gas flowing into the chamber 40 by controlling the mixing of the gas supplied from the gas supply unit 10, A final valve 110 provided between the MFC 20 and the gas valve 30 so as to interlock depending on whether the gas valve 30 for conducting / blocking the supply of gas flowing into the chamber 40 is opened or closed; A detection unit 100 including a gas sensor 120 provided between the final valve 110 and the gas valve 30 to detect the flow of the gas; And Gas of the semiconductor / display manufacturing equipment comprising a control unit 20 for processing the open and close signal and the gas flow signal input from the detection unit 100 to determine the gas leakage, and delivers the interrupt processing signal to the main equipment Valve malfunction detector. The gas flow controller of claim 1, wherein the controller 200 is connected to the final valve 110 of the detector 110 and connected to the open / close signal input terminal 211 and the gas sensor 120 to receive a signal. The voltage comparison is performed to compare the level of the input signal connected to each of the input circuit 210 including the signal input terminal 212 and the open / close signal input terminal 211 and the gas flow signal input terminal 212 to be input at a predetermined level. The inversion circuit 230 for inverting the signal applied from the circuits 1 and 2 (220A) and 220B, the voltage comparison circuits 1 and 2 (220A and 220B) and the AND gate circuit 250 described later, and the voltage A latch circuit 240 for temporarily storing a preceding signal among signals inputted through the comparison circuits 1 and 2 (220A) and 220B and an inverting circuit 230, and outputting the preceding signal using the next input signal as a clock signal. And the inversion circuit 230 and the latch circuit 240 are applied from the sensing unit 100. The AND gate circuit 250 and the AND gate circuit 250, which process the AND signals and the gas flow signals respectively inputted and output, are excited by the inverted circuit 230 and are switched. And a solenoid switch 260 for stopping the gas supply process by transmitting an interrupt signal to the interlock output terminal 270 and a reset switch 280 for returning to the control board after the problem is solved when an interrupt occurs. Gas valve malfunction detector for semiconductor / display manufacturing equipment.

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