KR20200055872A - System and method capable of measuring residual gas of canister - Google Patents

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, disclosed is a method for measuring a remaining amount of a source stored in a canister. The method of the present invention comprises: a gas providing step of providing a gas at a first pressure to a mass flow controller (MFC); a step that a mass flow controller (MFC) injects gas into the canister until the internal air pressure of the canister is stabilized; a stabilization time calculation step of calculating a stabilization time from when the gas is injected into the canister until the internal air pressure of the canister is stabilized; and a source remaining amount estimation step of estimating the remaining amount of the source stored in the canister based on the stabilization time.

Description

System and method to measure the remaining amount of source stored in the canister {SYSTEM AND METHOD CAPABLE OF MEASURING RESIDUAL GAS OF CANISTER}

The present invention relates to a system and method capable of measuring the remaining amount of sauce stored in a canister.

Various raw materials (sources) used in processing facilities, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD), which coat thin films, which are essential in the manufacturing process of electronic materials such as semiconductors, displays, and light emitting diodes, are gases, liquids, or It is supplied in the form of a solid.

In the case of a raw material in the form of gas, it is used as a method that can supply a certain amount by controlling the pressure, but in the case of liquids or solids, its pressure is very low, so most of it is contained in ampoules called canisters, and carrier gas (inert gas) is used A method of supplying the reaction chamber after vaporization through steam generation through bubbling or heating is used.

Various techniques are known for a method of vaporizing and using a certain amount of a liquid raw material in a canister, and various techniques are also known for vaporizing a solid raw material. For example, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0137016 (2010. 12. 29) as one of the prior art for vaporizing a solid raw material ("carburetor, how to use a vaporizer, how to use a vaporizer, container, vaporizer unit and Steam generation method for semiconductor process chamber ") or US Pat. No. 6,296,025 (October 2, 2001) (" Chemical Delivery system having purge system utilizing multiple purge techniques ").

On the other hand, when all of the sources filled in the canister are consumed (that is, the remaining amount of the source becomes zero) or when the remaining amount of the source becomes below a reference value, the canister must be replaced, so it is necessary to accurately measure the remaining amount of the source stored in the canister.

As a technique for measuring the remaining amount of a conventional source, the weight of the source is measured using a balance, and this technique often causes a problem that cannot guarantee the accuracy of the measurement according to working conditions such as temperature change.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a canister system capable of measuring the remaining amount of a sauce is provided.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a canister system capable of accurately measuring the remaining amount of a source regardless of working conditions such as temperature change.

According to an embodiment of the present invention

In the method of measuring the remaining amount of the sauce stored in the canister,

A gas providing step of providing a gas for measuring the first pressure to a mass flow controller (MFC);

Injecting the gas for measurement until the mass flow controller (MFC) stabilizes the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister into a canister (hereinafter, a measurement target canister);

A stabilization time calculation step of calculating a time (hereinafter referred to as 'stabilization time') from when the measurement gas is injected into the measurement target canister until the internal pressure of the measurement target canister stabilizes; And

And a source remaining amount estimation step of estimating the remaining amount of the source stored in the measurement target canister based on the stabilization time.

The mass flow controller is installed in a pipe (hereinafter referred to as 'injection pipe') for injecting gas into the canister to be measured, and controls the amount of gas injected into the canister to be measured through the piping. A method for measuring the remaining amount of a stored source is provided.

According to another embodiment of the present invention

In the canister system that can measure the remaining amount of the source,

A canister capable of storing the source;

A measurement gas injection pipe for injecting a measurement gas into the canister;

A mass flow controller installed in the gas injection pipe for measurement to control the amount of gas for measurement provided to the canister through the gas injection pipe for measurement;

A regulator installed in the gas injection pipe for measurement in order to provide a gas for measuring a constant air pressure to the mass flow controller;

It includes a source residual amount estimator that can calculate a time (hereinafter, referred to as 'stabilization time') from when the measurement gas is injected into the canister until the internal air pressure of the canister stabilizes. A canister system capable of being provided may be provided.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to accurately measure the remaining amount of the solid source stored in the canister.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to accurately measure the remaining amount of the solid source stored in the canister without being affected by the working environment such as temperature change.

1 is a view for explaining a method for measuring the remaining amount of a source stored in a canister according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view for explaining a canister system capable of measuring the remaining amount of sauce according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view for explaining a canister system capable of measuring the remaining amount of a source according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view for explaining a canister system capable of measuring the remaining amount of a source according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram for describing reference data according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view for explaining an example of obtaining the reference data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The above objects, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood through the following preferred embodiments associated with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided to ensure that the disclosed contents are thorough and complete and that the spirit of the present invention is sufficiently conveyed to those skilled in the art.

In the drawings of the present specification, the thickness of the components is exaggerated or reduced for effective description of the technical content.

In various embodiments of the present specification, terms such as first and second are used to describe various components, but these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component. The embodiments described and illustrated herein also include its complementary embodiments.

The terminology used herein is for describing the embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. In the present specification, the singular form also includes the plural form unless otherwise specified in the phrase. As used herein, 'comprises' and / or 'comprising' does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components.

Definition of Terms

In the present specification, 'euro' or 'plumbing' refers to a space in which gas can be moved.

In the present specification, 'regulating the flow' is a concept including blocking the flow, allowing the flow, or controlling the amount of the flow. For example, a component capable of regulating the flow of fluid is a component that prevents the flow of fluid, allows the flow of fluid, or regulates the amount of fluid flowing, and may have a valve or fluid load.

In the present specification, 'valve' refers to a component capable of regulating the flow of fluid, and a component capable of blocking the flow of fluid, allowing the flow of fluid, or regulating the amount of fluid flowing, for example on- Devices such as off-valve and control valve.

In the present specification, the 'on-off valve' means a valve that blocks the flow of fluid or allows the flow of fluid, and the 'control valve' blocks the flow of fluid or allows the flow of fluid or the amount of fluid flowing. It means an adjustable valve.

In the present specification, 'upstream' and 'downstream' are terms for indicating a position in a line ('flow path') through which a fluid flows, and component A is located upstream of component B. It means that at least a part of the fluid that reaches component A and reaches component A reaches component B. In addition, that component A is located downstream of component B means that the fluid first reaches component B and at least some of the fluid that reaches component B reaches component A.

The canister system according to the present invention is a device that vaporizes a source and provides it to a treatment facility. The treatment facility can be, for example, devices such as a process chamber of semiconductor processing equipment, such as a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) device or an ion implanter.

The canister system according to the present invention includes a canister for storing a source, pipes for injecting carrier gas or purge gas into the canister, pipes for discharging a source vaporized by the carrier gas to the outside, and fluid flowing in the aforementioned pipes Various valves for controlling the flow of the flow, the mass flow controller (hereinafter referred to as 'MFC'), a mass flow meter (hereinafter referred to as 'MFM'), and the operation of the valves installed in the aforementioned pipes It may include a control module for controlling the. In the exemplary drawings of the present invention, in order not to obscure the subject matter of the present invention, some components such as heaters, various valves, various pipings, and / or piping for cleaning are omitted, and the technical field to which the present invention pertains is omitted. Those who do this (hereinafter referred to as 'the person') will easily understand.

In the present invention, the source may be a solid source or a liquid source, for example, boron (B: boron), phosphorus (P: phosphorous), copper (Cu: copper), gallium (Ga: gallium), arsenic (As: arsenic), ruthenium (Ru), indium (In: indium), antimony (Sb), lanthanum (La: lanthanum), tantalum (Ta), iridium (Ir), decarboran (B10H14: decaborane), hafnium tetrachloride (HfCl4), zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl4), indium trichloride (InCl3), metal organic β-diketonate complex, cyclopentadiene Neil cycloheptatriethyl titanium (CpTiChT: cyclopentadienyl cycloheptatrienyl titanium), aluminum trichloride (AlCl3), titanium iodide (TixIy: titanium iodide), cyclooctatetraene cyclopentadienyl titanium ((Cot) (Cp) Ti) : cyclooctatetraene cyclopentadienyltitanium), bis (cyclopentadienyl) T Bis (cyclopentadienyl) titanium diazide, tungsten carbonyl (Wx (CO) y: tungsten carbonyl (where x and y are natural numbers), bis (cyclopentadienyl) ruthenium (II) [Ru (Cp ) 2: bis (cyclopentadienyl) ruthenium (II)], ruthenium trichloride (RuCl3), and / or tungsten chloride (WxCly) (where x and y are natural numbers). It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the aforementioned sources are exemplary and the present invention is not limited to such sources.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a view for explaining a method for measuring the remaining amount of a source stored in a canister according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the method for measuring the remaining amount of a source stored in a canister according to an embodiment of the present invention includes providing gas to the MFC (S1), MFC providing gas to the canister (S2), and the inside of the canister It may include the step of calculating the stabilization time of the air pressure (S3), and estimating the remaining amount of the source stored in the canister (S4). In this embodiment, for purposes of explanation, the 'gas' used to measure the remaining amount of the source is referred to as a 'measurement gas', and the 'canister' that is the object of measuring the remaining amount of the source is referred to as a 'measurement target canister' Shall be

According to this embodiment, step S1 is a step in which the gas for measurement is provided to the MFC at a predetermined air pressure (hereinafter, referred to as 'first air pressure') by the regulator. Here, both the regulator and the MFC are installed in a pipe for providing gas to the measurement target canister, and the regulator is located upstream of the MFC.

According to this embodiment, step S2 is a step in which the MFC provides a gas for measurement to the canister. While the step S2 is performed, that is, while the MFC supplies the gas for measurement to the canister, the internal pressure of the canister to be measured increases over time and the amount of change in the internal pressure of the canister to be measured becomes smaller and smaller. As a result, the measurement gas supplied by the MFC to the measurement target canister decreases over time and eventually becomes zero. That is, when the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister stabilizes, the MFC functions to block the gas for measurement that is injected into the measurement target canister. Step S2 is completed when the measurement gas injected into the measurement gas becomes zero.

According to one embodiment, MFC is a device for measuring and controlling the flow of gas. MFCs are designed to fit a range of gas types and flow rates. On the other hand, MFC is required to supply a gas having a specific pressure range. The low pressure gas makes it difficult to achieve the desired flow of fluid due to insufficient gas in the MFC, and the high pressure gas degrades the stability of the flow of the fluid. In this embodiment, the 'first air pressure' adjusted by the regulator is the air pressure belonging to a specific pressure range in which the MFC can operate smoothly.

According to one embodiment, if the internal pressure of the measurement target canister before the measurement gas is injected into the measurement target canister is the second pressure, the first pressure is greater than the second pressure.

According to this embodiment, step S3 is a step (S3) of calculating the stabilization time of the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister. Here, stabilization means when there is no change in the internal air pressure of the canister to be measured or when the mass flow controller (MFC) no longer provides the gas for measurement to the canister to be measured.

According to an embodiment of step S3, step S3 is the time when the measurement gas is injected into the measurement target canister (hereinafter, 'gas injection start time'), and the time when the MFC does not inject measurement gas further into the measurement target canister. It is a step of calculating the difference (hereinafter referred to as 'stabilization time') (hereinafter referred to as 'gas injection end time').

According to another embodiment of step S3, step S3 is the time at which the measurement gas is injected into the measurement target canister ('gas injection start time') and the internal measured by a pressure measurement gauge that measures the internal pressure of the measurement target canister. This step is to calculate the difference from the pressure stability time. Here, the internal pressure stabilization time is a time when there is no change in the internal pressure of the measurement target canister.

According to this embodiment, step S4 is a step S4 of estimating the remaining amount of the source stored in the measurement target canister.

According to an embodiment of step S4, the source remaining amount mapped to the stabilization time calculated in step S3 is determined by referring to the reference data-data in which the source remaining amount and the stabilization time are mapped, and the source remaining amount mapped to the stabilization time is determined. It can be performed by estimating the remaining amount of the source stored in the measurement target canister.

The reference data used in step S4 is data created under the same conditions as when measuring the residual amount of the source. That is, the reference data is the same gas as the gas to be measured (for the purpose of explanation, the 'standard' for the canister configured to be measured or the canister configured to be physically identical to the object to be measured (for reference purposes, referred to as a 'reference canister') This is data obtained by using the same mass flow controller as the MFC used for measuring the residual amount of the source (for reference purposes, 'reference mass flow controller' or 'R-MFC').

5 is a diagram for describing reference data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, a method of obtaining reference data,

Installing a reference mass flow controller (R-MFC) in a pipe that injects a reference gas to a reference canister that knows the residual amount of the stored reference source and the internal pressure;

A gas providing step of providing a reference gas of the first pressure to a reference mass flow controller (R-MFC);

A reference mass flow controller (R-MFC) injecting a reference gas into the reference canister until the internal air pressure of the reference canister is stabilized;

A stabilization time calculation step of calculating a time ('stabilization time') from when the reference gas is injected into the reference canister until the internal pressure of the reference canister stabilizes; And

And mapping the stabilization time and the remaining amount of the reference source stored in the reference canister, and these steps may be performed sequentially.

The above steps can be repeated several times under the same conditions, and more accurate reference data can be obtained by repeating.

The method for measuring the remaining amount of a source stored in a canister according to an embodiment of the present invention is used to measure an internal air pressure (hereinafter referred to as 'initial internal air pressure of a measurement target canister') to a reference canister before injecting a gas for measurement to the measurement target canister. It may further include the same step as the internal air pressure before the gas injection (hereinafter referred to as 'initial internal air pressure of the reference canister'). As described above, after the step of equalizing the initial internal air pressure of the reference canister to the initial internal air pressure of the measurement target canister, S1, S2, S3, and S4 described above may be sequentially performed.

In the above-described embodiments, the gas for measurement may be a carrier gas (for example, argon or helium). In addition, the measurement gas is the same as the reference gas. In addition, the measurement target canister has the same physical configuration as the reference canister.

According to the above-described embodiments, it is possible to measure the remaining amount of the source stored in the canister installed to provide the vaporized source to the treatment facility. Also, the carrier gas provided to the canister installed to provide the vaporized source to the treatment facility It can be used as a gas for measurement. As will be described later, a canister installed to provide a vaporized source to a processing facility can also be used as a reference canister to obtain reference data, and a carrier gas provided to a canister installed to provide a vaporized source to a processing facility is also referenced. It can be used as gas.

2 is a view for explaining a canister system capable of measuring the remaining amount of a source according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a canister system capable of measuring the remaining amount of a source according to another embodiment of the present invention 4 is a view for explaining a canister system capable of measuring the remaining amount of a source according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The method for measuring the remaining amount of the source stored in the canister described with reference to FIG. 1 may be implemented by various embodiments such as FIGS. 2 to 4. Hereinafter, it will be assumed that the method for measuring the remaining amount of the source stored in the canister described with reference to FIG. 1 is implemented in the embodiment of FIG. 2, and the embodiment of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, a canister system 100 capable of measuring a residual amount of a source according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a canister 101 capable of storing a source, a mass flow controller (MFC) 103, and a regulator ( 105), a controller 107, a valve 109, and pipings L101 and L102.

Meanwhile, as mentioned in FIG. 1, the canister 101 is referred to as a measurement target canister 101, and a gas injected into the measurement target canister 101 is referred to as a measurement gas. In addition, in the pipes L101 and L102, the pipe L101 is referred to as an injection pipe L101, and the pipe L102 is referred to as a discharge pipe L102.

The injection pipe L101 is for injecting a gas for measurement into the measurement target canister 101. The regulator 105 is located upstream of the injection pipe L101, and the MFC 103 is located downstream of the injection pipe L101.

The discharge pipe L102 is for discharge of carrier gas or vaporized gas, and the valve 109 is for blocking or discharge of gas flowing in the discharge pipe L102. In this embodiment, while measuring the remaining amount of the source, the valve 109 blocks the gas from flowing into the discharge pipe L102.

The regulator 105 provides the measurement gas flowing in the injection pipe L101 to the MFC 103 at a first pressure.

The MFC 103 receives the gas for measuring the first air pressure, and adjusts the amount of the gas for measurement flowing into the canister 101 to be measured according to the change in the internal pressure of the canister 101 to be measured. As described above, when the internal pressure change of the canister 1 to be measured is stabilized, the MFC 103 operates not to supply gas for measurement any more. That is, when the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister 101 stabilizes, the MFC 103 blocks the measurement gas injected into the measurement target canister 101.

In this embodiment, the operating state of the MFC 103 can be provided to the controller 107 in real time. For example, the amount of gas for measurement provided by the MFC 103 to the measurement target canister 101 may be provided to the controller 107.

The controller 107 calculates a time ('stabilization time') from when the measurement gas is injected into the measurement target canister 101 to when the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister 101 stabilizes, and uses the stabilization time. It includes a source residual quantity estimation (not shown) for estimating the residual quantity of the source, and the source residual quantity estimation can determine the source residual quantity mapped to the stabilization time by referring to the reference data-data in which the source residual quantity and the stabilization time are mapped. The obtained residual amount of the source is estimated as the remaining amount of the source stored in the measurement target canister (1).

For reference, referring to (b) of FIG. 2, it can be seen that the internal pressure of the measurement target canister 101 is stabilized while falling over time.

According to one embodiment, the source residual amount estimation, the time at which the gas for measurement is injected into the measurement target canister 101 ('gas injection start time'), and the mass flow controller (MFC) gas into the measurement target canister 101 The stabilization time can be calculated by calculating the difference from the time at which the injection is not performed ('gas injection end time').

On the other hand, the canister system 100 capable of measuring the remaining amount of the source according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a storage unit (not shown) for storing reference data-source residual amount and stabilization time mapped data- The storage unit may be built in the controller 107 or may be installed outside the controller 107.

According to an embodiment, the canister system 100 capable of measuring the remaining amount of the source according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a timer (not shown), although not shown, and such a timer may start a gas injection time. And the end time of gas injection can be measured. Meanwhile, the timer may be built in the controller 107 or may be provided separately from the controller 107.

Now, the operation of the present canister system 100 described with reference to FIG. 2 will be described.

First, the internal air pressure before injecting the gas for measurement to the reference canister (hereinafter referred to as 'initial of the reference canister') Internal air pressure ').

That is, the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister 101 is maintained to be the same as the initial internal air pressure of the reference canister set when generating (or acquiring) the reference data used in the canister system 100. To this end, devices for setting the internal air pressure of the canister 101 to be measured may be further required for the canister system 100, but in order not to obscure the subject matter of the present invention, illustration or description of such devices will be omitted. do.

As described above, while maintaining the initial internal air pressure of the canister 101 to be measured equal to the initial internal air pressure of the reference canister, the regulator 105 provides the gas for measurement to the MFC 103 at the first air pressure. . MFC 103 may adjust the amount of gas for measurement provided to the target canister 101 according to the difference between the internal pressure of the target canister 101 and the first air pressure. In this embodiment, the MFC 103 transmits the gas for measurement to the measurement target canister 101 until there is no change in the internal pressure of the measurement target canister 101, that is, until the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister 101 stabilizes. From the moment of provision and stabilization, the gas for measurement is no longer provided to the measurement target canister 101.

On the other hand, the controller 107 calculates the time ('stabilization time') from when the gas for measurement is injected into the measurement target canister 101 until the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister 101 stabilizes, and the stabilization time. Estimate the remaining amount of sauce using. For example, the controller 107 can know the source residual amount mapped to the stabilization time with reference to the reference data-the data in which the source residual amount and the stabilization time are mapped-and the target canister 101 to measure the remaining source amount thus determined Estimated by the remaining amount of sauce stored in.

Referring to FIG. 6 (b) in advance, FIG. 6 (b) is an example of reference data, and it can be seen that the average stabilization time and the source filling amount (remaining amount) correspond. If it is assumed that the controller 107 uses the reference data of FIG. 6B, the controller 107 estimates the remaining amount of the source to be 500g when the stabilization time calculated by the user 107 is 3 minutes and 27 seconds. .

3 is a view for explaining a canister system capable of measuring the remaining amount of a source according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, a canister system 200 capable of measuring the remaining amount of a source according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a canister 201 that can store a source, a mass flow controller (MFC) 203, and a regulator ( 205), a controller (Controller) 207, a valve 209, piping (L201, L202), and may include a pressure gauge (211).

The controller 207 of FIG. 3 calculates a time ('stabilization time') from when the measurement gas is injected into the measurement target canister 201 until the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister 201 stabilizes, and stabilizes It includes a source balance estimation (not shown) that estimates the source residual amount using time, and the source residual estimate estimates the source residual amount mapped to the stabilization time by referring to the reference data-the data in which the source residual amount and the stabilization time are mapped. It is possible to estimate the residual amount of the source thus obtained as the residual amount of the source stored in the measurement target canister 201.

The source residual amount estimator of the controller 207 in FIG. 3 is the time at which the gas for measurement is injected into the measurement target canister 201 ('gas injection start time'), and the mass flow controller MFC to the measurement target canister 201. The stabilization time can be calculated by calculating the difference from the time at which the measurement gas is not injected ('gas injection end time').

The canister system 200 may further include a storage unit (not shown) for storing reference data-data having a source remaining amount and a stabilization time mapped therein, and the storage unit is built into the controller 207 or a controller It may be installed outside of (207).

The canister 201 of FIG. 3, the mass flow controller (MFC) 203, the regulator 205, the valve 209, and the pipes L201 and L202 are the canister 101 of FIG. 2, the mass flow controller (MFC) ) 103, the regulator 105, the valve 109, and the operation of the piping (L101, L102).

Meanwhile, the embodiment of FIG. 3 is different from the embodiment of FIG. 2 in that it includes a pressure gauge 211. Hereinafter, the embodiment of FIG. 3 will be mainly described with respect to the difference from the embodiment of FIG. 2.

The embodiment of FIG. 3 uses the measured value of the pressure gauge when calculating the stabilization time.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the MFC 203 provides the controller 207 with a value (“flow rate”) of the gas for measurement provided to the measurement target canister 201, and the pressure gauge 211 measures the measurement target canister. The internal pressure of 201 is measured in real time and provided to the controller 207.

The controller 207 may calculate the stabilization time using the measurement value provided from the pressure gauge 211.

For example, the controller 207 can know the gas injection start time by using the flow rate value (amount of measurement gas provided to the measurement target canister 201) provided from the MFC 203, and the pressure gauge 211 ) Can be used to know the start time of gas termination using the measured value. That is, the controller 207 treats the moment when the MFC 203 starts to provide the measurement gas to the measurement target canister 201 as the gas injection start time, and the measurement target canister measured by the pressure gauge 211 ( The moment when there is no change in the internal pressure of 201) can be treated as the gas end time.

For another example, the controller 207 may use the measurement value provided from the pressure gauge 211 to know the gas injection start time and the gas end start time. That is, the controller 207 treats the moment when the change in the internal air pressure of the canister 201 to be measured measured by the pressure gauge 211 starts as a gas injection start time, and determines the internal pressure of the canister 201 to be measured. The moment of no change can be treated as the gas end time.

Hereinafter, the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 3 will be described in detail.

Referring to FIG. 3, the internal air pressure before the measurement gas is injected into the reference canister (hereinafter referred to as' the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister ') before the measurement gas is injected into the measurement target canister 201 (hereinafter,' Same as the initial internal air pressure of the reference canister ').

In a state where the initial internal air pressure of the measurement target canister 201 is maintained to be the same as the initial internal air pressure of the reference canister, the regulator 205 provides the measurement gas at the first air pressure to the MFC 203. The MFC 203 adjusts the amount of gas for measurement provided to the canister 201 to be measured according to the internal pressure of the canister 201 to be measured. The MFC 203 provides the gas for measurement to the measurement target canister 201 until there is no change in the internal pressure of the measurement target canister 201, that is, until it stabilizes, and from the moment of stabilization, the measurement gas can no longer be measured. It is not provided to (201).

On the other hand, the controller 207 calculates the time ('stabilization time') from when the gas for measurement is injected into the measurement target canister 201 until the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister 201 stabilizes, and the stabilization time. Estimate the remaining amount of sauce using. For example, the controller 207 may know the source residual amount mapped to the stabilization time with reference to the reference data-the data in which the source residual amount and the stabilization time are mapped-and the canister 201 to measure the source residual amount thus found Estimated by the remaining amount of sauce stored in.

For example, the controller 207, the time at which the gas is injected into the measurement target canister 201 ('gas injection start time'), and the mass flow controller (MFC) does not inject gas into the measurement target canister 201 The stabilization time can be calculated by calculating the difference from the non-time ('gas injection end time').

There are two methods for calculating the stabilization time, for example, as follows.

As an example of the first method, the controller 207 can know the gas injection start time by using the flow rate value (amount of measurement gas provided to the measurement target canister 201) provided from the MFC 203, By using the measurement value provided from the pressure gauge 211, it is possible to know the start time of gas termination. That is, the controller 207 treats the moment when the MFC 203 starts to provide the measurement gas to the measurement target canister 201 as the gas injection start time, and the measurement target canister measured by the pressure gauge 211 ( The moment when there is no change in the internal pressure of 201) can be treated as the gas end time.

As an example of the second method, the controller 207 may know the gas injection start time and the gas end start time using the measurement values provided from the pressure gauge 211. That is, the controller 207 treats the moment when the change in the internal air pressure of the canister 201 to be measured measured by the pressure gauge 211 starts as a gas injection start time, and determines the internal pressure of the canister 201 to be measured. The moment of no change can be treated as the gas end time.

For the operation of the components shown in FIG. 3 but not described, refer to the operation of the component having the same reference numeral in the embodiment of FIG. 2.

4 is a view for explaining a canister system capable of measuring the remaining amount of sauce according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, a canister system 300 capable of measuring the remaining amount of a source according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a canister 301 capable of storing a source and a mass flow controller (M-MFC) 303 , Regulators 305 and 315, a controller 307, a valve 309, pipings L301 and L302, and a low flow mass flow controller (L-MFC) 313. In this embodiment, in order to distinguish the mass flow controller (M-MFC) 303 from the low flow mass flow controller (L-MFC) 311, the mass flow controller (M-MFC) 303 is the main mass flow controller. It will be referred to as a controller (M-MFC) 303.

The controller 307 of FIG. 4 is the same as the function of the controller 107 of FIG. 2, and the low flow mass flow controller (L-MFC) 311 is the function of the mass flow air (MFC) 103 of FIG. The same, and the regulator 315 is the same as the function of the regulator 105 of FIG. 2.

The controller 307 calculates a time ('stabilization time') from when the measurement gas is injected into the measurement target canister 301 to when the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister 301 stabilizes, and the calculated stabilization It includes a source balance estimation (not shown) that estimates the source residual amount using time, and the source residual estimate estimates the source residual amount mapped to the stabilization time by referring to the reference data-the data in which the source residual amount and the stabilization time are mapped. It is possible to estimate the residual amount of the source thus obtained as the residual amount of the source stored in the measurement target canister 301.

In addition, the source residual amount estimation of the controller 307 of FIG. 4 is the time at which gas is injected into the measurement target canister 301 ('gas injection start time'), and the low flow mass flow controller (MFC) is the measurement target canister 301 ), The stabilization time can be calculated by calculating the difference from the time at which no gas is injected ('gas injection end time').

Meanwhile, although the canister system 200 is not illustrated, a storage unit for storing reference data-data having a source residual amount and a stabilization time mapped therein-is further included, and the storage unit is embedded in the controller 307 or the controller ( 307).

The canister 301, the valve 309, and the pipe L303 of FIG. 4 are the same as the operation of the canister 101, the valve 109, and the pipe L101 of FIG.

The embodiment of FIG. 4 can perform two operation modes (vaporization mode and measurement mode). The vaporization mode is a mode in which a carrier gas is injected into the canister 301 to vaporize the source and provided to a processing facility, and the measurement mode is a mode in which the residual amount of the source stored in the canister 301 is measured by injecting a measurement gas.

Vaporization mode

The regulator 305 and the M-MFC 303 are used to inject carrier gas into the canister 301 through the pipe L301 and vaporize the source. The vaporized source is provided to the treatment facility through piping L302. At this time, the pipe 303 is in a closed state (fluid does not flow) so that the measurement gas is not injected into the canister 301.

In the vaporization mode, the regulator 305 provides carrier gas to the M-MFC 303 at a pressure sufficient to vaporize the source, and the M-MFC 303 flows so that a constant flow rate is provided to the canister 301. Adjust the. The source vaporized in the canister 301 is provided to the treatment facility through piping L302.

In the vaporization mode, the regulator 315 and the L-MFC 313 are not operated, and the gas for measurement does not flow into the canister 301.

Measurement mode

In the measurement mode, the regulator 305 and the M-MFC 303 are not operated, and the L-MFC 303 and the regulator 315 are operated. In the measurement mode, the pipe L302 is closed, and the pipe L301 is also closed.

Hereinafter, the measurement mode of the embodiment of FIG. 4 will be described in detail, focusing on the difference from the embodiment of FIG. 2.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the L-MFC 303 provides the controller 307 with a value (“flow rate”) of a measurement gas provided to the measurement target canister 301.

The controller 307 can know the gas injection start time and the gas end start time by using the flow rate value (amount of measurement gas provided to the measurement target canister 301) provided from the L-MFC 313. That is, the controller 307 treats the moment when the L-MFC 313 starts to provide the measurement gas to the measurement target canister 301 as a gas injection start time, and sends the measurement gas to the measurement target canister 301. The moment of no injection can be treated as the gas end time.

4, the internal air pressure before injecting the measurement gas into the measurement target canister 301 ('initial internal air pressure of the measurement target canister') before the injection of the measurement gas into the reference canister (hereinafter, 'Initial internal air pressure of the reference canister').

In a state where the initial internal air pressure of the measurement target canister 301 is maintained to be the same as the initial internal air pressure of the reference canister, the regulator 315 provides the gas for measurement to the L-MFC 313 at the first air pressure.

The L-MFC 303 controls the amount of gas for measurement provided to the canister 301 to be measured according to the internal pressure of the canister 301 to be measured. The L-MFC 303 provides the gas for measurement to the measurement target canister 301 until there is no change in the internal pressure of the measurement target canister 301, that is, until it stabilizes, and further measures the measurement gas from the moment of stabilization. It is not provided to the target canister 301.

The controller 307 calculates a time ('stabilization time') from when the measurement gas is injected into the measurement target canister 301 until the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister 301 stabilizes, and uses the stabilization time. Estimate the remaining amount of sauce. For example, the controller 307 may know the source residual amount mapped to the stabilization time with reference to the reference data-the data in which the source residual amount and the stabilization time are mapped-and the target canister 301 measured as such Estimated by the remaining amount of sauce stored in.

For example, the controller 307, the time at which the gas is injected into the measurement target canister 301 ('gas injection start time'), and the L-MFC 303 does not inject gas into the measurement target canister 301. The stabilization time can be calculated by calculating the difference from the non-time ('gas injection end time').

According to the embodiment of FIG. 4, the system 300 may additionally perform a purge mode, but the valves or piping for performing the purge mode and the purge mode may obscure the subject matter of the present invention. I decided not to.

The embodiment of FIG. 4 described above was configured to calculate a gas injection start time and a gas injection end time by measuring the flow rate provided by the L-MFC. On the other hand, in the embodiment of FIG. 4, similar to the embodiment of FIG. 3, the gas injection start time is calculated using the flow rate measured by L-MFC, and the gas injection end time is calculated using the measured value of the pressure gauge. It will also be possible to implement.

6 is a view for explaining an example of obtaining the reference data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a solid source is filled in various amounts in a canister having the same physical configuration ((a), (b), (c), (d)), and a reference is obtained by obtaining a stabilization time for each of these cases. Data can be obtained. On the other hand, the regulator of FIG. 6 and the MFC and the PLC (or timer) are the same as the operation of the regulator and the MFC and the controller in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

Referring first to FIG. 6 (a), in a canister system configured almost the same as the embodiment of FIG. 1, a carrier gas such as N2 (nitrogen) or Ar (argon) is used as a measurement gas, and a solid source is used for the canister. Fill in. Of course, the amount of solid source filled in the canister is known. In the case of Fig. 6 (a), 1100 g of a solid source is filled.

In this configuration, the experiment was repeated twice in which the regulator provided the carrier gas (measurement gas) to the MFC at a first pressure, the MFC provided the carrier gas to the canister, and measured the stabilization time inside the canister.

In the first and second experiments, the stabilization time was 2 minutes and 55 seconds, so the average stabilization time was 2 minutes and 55 seconds (see FIG. 6 (e)).

Referring to FIG. 6 (b), in the same canister system as in FIG. 6 (a), a carrier gas such as N2 (nitrogen) or Ar (argon) is used as a measurement gas, and the canister has a solid source of 1000 g. It is filled. In this state, the experiment of measuring the stabilization time inside the canister in the same manner as in Fig. 6 (a) was repeated three times.

The stabilization times in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd experiments were 3 min 4 sec, 3 min 3 sec, and 3 min 1 sec, respectively, so the average stabilization time was 3 min 2 sec (see Fig. 6 (e)). .

Referring to FIG. 6 (c), in the same canister system as in FIG. 6 (a), a carrier gas such as N2 (nitrogen) or Ar (argon) is used as a measurement gas, and the canister has a solid source of 500 g. It is filled. In this state, the experiment of measuring the stabilization time inside the canister in the same manner as in Fig. 6 (a) was repeated 5 times.

In 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 experiments, the stabilization time was 3 minutes 30 seconds, 3 minutes 27 seconds, 3 minutes 27 seconds, 3 minutes 26 seconds, and 3 minutes 28 seconds, respectively. Is 3 minutes 27 seconds (see Fig. 6 (e)).

Referring to FIG. 6 (d), in the same canister system as in FIG. 6 (a), a carrier gas such as N2 (nitrogen) or Ar (argon) is used as a measurement gas, and the canister has no solid gas. In this state, experiments for measuring the stabilization time inside the canister in the same manner as in Fig. 6 (a) were repeated twice and three times respectively when the flow rate of the carrier gas was 500 sccm and 2000 sccm. .

When the carrier gas was 500 sccm, the first and second experiments yielded 13 minutes 53 seconds and 13 minutes 54 seconds, respectively, so the average stabilization time was 13 minutes 53 seconds.

When the carrier gas was 2000 sccm, 3 minutes, 54 seconds, 3 minutes, 52 seconds, and 3 minutes, 51 seconds were obtained in 1, 2, and 3 experiments, respectively. Therefore, the average stabilization time is 3 minutes 52 seconds.

According to the above experiments, it is possible to obtain reference data as shown in (e) of FIG. 6-data to which the source residual amount and the stabilization time are mapped.

The reference data thus obtained can be used to estimate the residual amount of the source under the same condition as the flow rate at the time of acquiring the reference data, under the same physical conditions as the canister system in FIG. 6.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiments, the embodiment of FIG. 2 and the embodiment of FIG. 3 may additionally perform a vaporization mode, respectively, similar to the embodiment of FIG. 4, and when performing the vaporization mode, source into the canister The carrier gas for vaporization of is injected through the injection pipe, and the vaporized source inside the canister is provided to the treatment facility through the discharge pipe. That is, the embodiment of FIG. 2 and the embodiment of FIG. 3 operate in a vaporization mode, respectively, and if necessary, may operate in a measurement mode for measuring the remaining amount of the source.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, such modifications or variations will have to be belong to the claims of the present invention.

Canister: B100, B200
Valves: V101, V102, V103, V104. V105
Coupler: C101, C102
Line: L11, L12, L13

Claims (18)

In the method of measuring the remaining amount of the sauce stored in the canister,
A gas providing step of providing a gas for measuring the first pressure to a mass flow controller (MFC);
Injecting the gas for measurement until the mass flow controller (MFC) stabilizes the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister into a canister (hereinafter, a measurement target canister);
A stabilization time calculation step of calculating a time (hereinafter, referred to as a 'stabilization time') from when the measurement gas is injected into the measurement target canister until the internal pressure of the measurement target canister stabilizes; And
And a source residual amount estimating step of estimating the residual amount of the source stored in the measurement target canister based on the stabilization time.
The mass flow controller is installed in a pipe (hereinafter referred to as 'injection pipe') for injecting gas into the canister to be measured, and controls the amount of gas injected into the canister to be measured through the piping. How to measure the remaining amount of stored sauce. According to claim 1,
The mass flow controller (MFC) is to measure the remaining amount of the source stored in the canister to block the gas injected into the canister to be measured when the internal air pressure of the canister to be measured is stabilized. According to claim 1,
The gas providing step is a step in which a regulator provides gas for measurement to the mass flow controller at a first pressure, and the method for measuring the remaining amount of the source stored in the canister. According to claim 1,
Stabilization of the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister means when there is no change in the internal air pressure of the measurement target canister or when the mass flow controller (MFC) no longer provides measurement gas to the measurement target canister. How to measure the remaining amount of the sauce stored in the canister. According to claim 1,
The remaining amount estimation step
A method of estimating the residual amount of the source stored in the canister, which is a step of estimating the residual amount of the source mapped to the stabilization time calculated by the stabilization time calculation step, with reference to the reference data-data in which the source residual amount and the stabilization time are mapped. According to claim 1,
A method of measuring the remaining amount of a source stored in a canister, wherein the internal air pressure of the canister to be measured is the second air pressure, and the first air pressure is greater than the second air pressure before the measurement gas is injected into the canister to be measured. According to claim 1,
The reference data,
Installing a reference mass flow controller (R-MFC) in a pipe for injecting a reference gas into a reference canister that knows the residual amount of the stored reference source and the internal air pressure;
A gas providing step of providing a reference gas of a first pressure to the reference mass flow controller (R-MFC);
The reference mass flow controller (R-MFC) injecting a reference gas into the reference canister until the internal air pressure of the reference canister is stabilized;
A stabilization time calculation step of calculating a time ('stabilization time') from when the reference gas is injected into the reference canister until the internal air pressure of the reference canister stabilizes; And
Mapping the stabilization time and the remaining amount of the reference source stored in the reference canister; generated by the reference data generation method comprising a method of measuring the remaining amount of the source stored in the canister. The method of claim 7,
The reference canister and the measurement target canister have the same internal space and internal configuration,
The configuration of the reference mass flow controller (R-MFC) and the mass flow controller (MFC) is the same, the method for measuring the remaining amount of the source stored in the canister. The method of claim 7,
The reference gas and the measurement gas is the same carrier gas, the method for measuring the remaining amount of the source stored in the canister. The method of claim 7,
The internal air pressure before the gas is injected into the measurement target canister (hereinafter referred to as 'initial internal air pressure of the measurement target canister') and the internal air pressure before the gas is injected into the reference canister (hereinafter referred to as 'the initial internal air pressure of the reference canister') and A method of measuring the remaining amount of the sauce stored in the canister, further comprising the same step. According to claim 1,
The stabilization time calculation step,
The time at which the measurement gas is injected into the measurement target canister (hereinafter referred to as the 'gas injection start time')
The method of measuring the remaining amount of the source stored in the canister, wherein the mass flow controller (MFC) is a step of calculating a difference from a time at which the measurement gas is not injected into the measurement target canister (hereinafter, 'gas injection end time'). The method of claim 11,
The stabilization time calculation step,
The time at which the measurement gas is injected into the measurement target canister (hereinafter referred to as the 'gas injection start time'),
Calculating a difference from an internal pressure stabilization time measured by a pressure measuring gauge measuring the internal pressure of the measurement target canister,
The internal pressure stabilization time is a time when there is no change in the internal pressure of the measurement target canister after the measurement gas is injected into the measurement target canister, and the method for measuring the remaining amount of the source stored in the canister. According to claim 1,
The measurement target canister is respectively connected with a carrier gas injection pipe for receiving carrier gas and a measurement gas injection pipe for receiving measurement gas, and the carrier gas injection pipe has a carrier gas injected into the measurement target canister. A main mass flow controller (M-MFC) for adjusting the flow rate is installed, and a low flow mass flow controller (L-) for adjusting the flow rate of the measurement gas injected into the measurement target canister is installed in the measurement gas injection pipe. MFC) is installed,
The mass flow controller (MFC) is a low flow mass flow controller (L-MFC), a method for measuring the remaining amount of a source stored in a canister. In the canister system that can measure the remaining amount of the source,
A canister capable of storing the source;
A measurement gas injection pipe for injecting a measurement gas into the canister;
A mass flow controller installed in the gas injection pipe for measurement to control the amount of gas for measurement provided to the canister through the gas injection pipe for measurement;
A regulator installed in the gas injection pipe for measurement in order to provide a gas for measuring a constant air pressure to the mass flow controller;
It includes a source residual amount estimator that can calculate a time (hereinafter, referred to as 'stabilization time') from when the measurement gas is injected into the canister until the internal air pressure of the canister stabilizes. Canister system. According to claim 1,
Further comprising a storage unit for storing the reference data-the data of which the remaining amount of the source and the stabilization time are mapped,
The source remaining amount estimator also estimates the remaining amount of the source corresponding to the stabilization time by referring to the reference data, the canister system capable of measuring the remaining amount of the source. The method of claim 14,
The remaining amount estimate
The time at which the gas for measurement is injected into the canister (hereinafter referred to as the 'gas injection start time'),
The mass flow controller (MFC) calculates the difference from the time when the measurement gas is not injected into the canister (hereinafter referred to as the 'gas injection end time') to calculate the stabilization time, to measure the remaining amount of the source. Canister system. The method of claim 14,
Further comprising a pressure measuring gauge capable of measuring the internal pressure of the canister,
The remaining amount estimate
The time when the gas for measurement is injected into the canister (hereinafter referred to as the 'gas injection start time'),
The stabilization time is calculated by calculating a difference from the internal pressure stabilization time measured by the pressure measuring gauge measuring the internal pressure of the canister,
The internal pressure stabilization time is a time when there is no change in the internal pressure of the canister after the measurement gas is injected into the canister, the canister system capable of measuring the remaining amount of the source. The method of claim 14,
It further includes a carrier gas injection pipe for receiving the carrier gas,
A main mass flow controller (M-MFC) for adjusting the flow rate of the carrier gas injected into the canister is additionally installed in the carrier gas injection pipe,
The mass flow controller (MFC) is a low flow mass flow controller (L-MFC) for measuring the flow rate of a measurement gas injected into the canister, a canister system capable of measuring the residual amount of a source.

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