TW202228225A - Vacuum pumping system and risk management device thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A vacuum pumping system and a risk management device thereof are provided. The risk management device is applied to a vacuum pumping system, which controls a process chamber, an isolation valve, and a vacuum pump connecting to the process chamber through the isolation valve. The risk management device includes an anomaly detection module and an emergency response module. The anomaly detection module is used to detect at least one operating state signal of the vacuum pump, and the emergency response module is electrically connected to the abnormal detection module, the isolation valve, and a main controller of the vacuum pumping system, and is used to determine whether the at least one operating state signal exceeds a preset value. When it is determined that the at least one operating state signal exceeds the preset value, the emergency response module closes the isolation valve and sends an alarm message to the main controller. The vacuum pumping system includes the risk management device.

Description

Vacuum system and its risk management device

The invention relates to a vacuum pumping system, in particular to a vacuum pumping system and a risk management device thereof.

The semiconductor manufacturing process (eg, exposure machine, dry etching, chemical vapor deposition CVD, physical vapor deposition PVD, etc.) needs to be performed in a process chamber in a high vacuum state. Therefore, turbomolecular vacuum systems are usually equipped in semiconductor processes to create a vacuum environment.

In the overall equipment and system of the semiconductor process, each sub-equipment (such as turbomolecular pump, vacuum isolation valve, primary vacuum pump, etc.) will be equipped with a dedicated sub-equipment controller, and these sub-equipment controllers will report the sub-equipment. The operating status is given to a main controller, and then the operator sends instructions to the sub-equipment controller through the main controller to control the sub-equipment. Among these sub-devices, because the turbomolecular pump needs to operate at a high speed, it is of high risk. Once the rotor of the turbomolecular pump is worn out and the fins are broken and broken, it is likely to be ejected into the expensive process cavity, resulting in serious cost losses. However, when an abnormality occurs in the turbomolecular pump, it is notified to the main controller through the sub-equipment controller, and then the operator shuts down the system operation through the command of the main controller, the delay of the information transmission is often too late to protect the process chamber.

Therefore, how to detect the running state of the turbomolecular pump in real time through design improvement, and take immediate contingency measures to reduce the risk of serious loss of process costs, has become one of the important issues to be solved by this business.

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vacuum pumping system and a risk management device thereof in view of the deficiencies of the prior art, which can directly detect the operating state of the vacuum pump, and when the vacuum pump is determined to be abnormal, the process chamber and the vacuum pump are urgently closed. isolation valve between, thereby reducing the risk of equipment damage.

In order to solve the above technical problems, one of the technical solutions adopted by the present invention is to provide a vacuum system. The vacuuming system controls an isolation valve, a process chamber, and a vacuum pump communicated with the process chamber through the isolation valve, so as to evacuate the process chamber to a target vacuum degree. The vacuuming system includes a main controller and a risk management device. The main controller is used to control the process chamber, and the main control includes an isolation valve controller and a vacuum pump controller; the isolation valve controller is used to control the isolation valve and the vacuum pump The controller detects an internal operating state of the vacuum pump to generate a corresponding control signal, and controls the vacuum pump. The risk management device detects and closes the isolation valve immediately according to an operating state of the vacuum pump, thereby protecting the process chamber.

In order to solve the above technical problem, another technical solution adopted by the present invention is to provide a risk management device, which is used in a vacuum system. The vacuum pumping system controls an isolation valve, a process chamber, and a vacuum pump that communicates with the process chamber through the isolation valve. The risk management device includes an abnormality detection module and an emergency response module. The abnormality detection module is used to detect at least one operating state signal of the vacuum pump, and the emergency response module is electrically connected to the abnormality detection module, the isolation valve and the vacuum pumping system. a main controller for judging whether the at least one running state signal exceeds a preset value. When it is determined that the at least one operating state signal exceeds the preset value, the emergency response module closes the isolation valve and sends an alarm message to the main controller.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the at least one operating state signal is a temperature signal, a vibration signal or a rotational speed signal.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the abnormality detection module includes a detection unit disposed on the vacuum pump for detecting the operation state of the vacuum pump to obtain the at least one operation state signal.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the abnormality detection module is electrically connected to the vacuum pump controller of the vacuum pumping system, so as to receive the control signal from the vacuum pump controller, and transmit the control signal to the vacuum pump controller. is converted into one of the operating state signals; and the abnormality detection module further includes a detection unit disposed on the vacuum pump to detect the operating state of the vacuum pump to obtain the other operating state status signal.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the abnormality detection module obtains one of the operating status signals obtained by converting the control signal of the vacuum pump controller and the other one obtained by the detection unit When each of the operating state signals exceeds the preset value, the emergency response module closes the isolation valve and sends the alarm message to the main controller.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the abnormality detection module obtains one of the operating status signals obtained by converting the control signal of the vacuum pump controller and the other one obtained by the detection unit When each of the operating state signals exceeds the preset value, the emergency response module closes the isolation valve and sends the alarm message to the main controller.

One of the beneficial effects of the present invention is that, in the vacuum pumping system and the risk management device thereof provided by the present invention, the risk management device can detect and immediately shut down the vacuum pump according to the operating state of the vacuum pump. isolation valve to protect the process chamber" and "when the emergency response module determines that the operating status signal exceeds the preset value, the emergency response module closes the isolation valve and sends the alarm message to the main controller" technology solutions to effectively reduce the risk of equipment damage.

For a further understanding of the features and technical content of the present invention, please refer to the following detailed descriptions and drawings of the present invention. However, the drawings provided are only for reference and description, and are not intended to limit the present invention.

In the semiconductor process, the semiconductor process machine (process chamber) is usually communicated with a vacuum pump, and a low-pressure vacuum working environment is generated by the vacuum pump. In practical applications, the vacuum pump will run at a high speed. Once the fins of the rotor of the vacuum pump are broken and broken, causing high-speed debris to be ejected into the semiconductor processing machine, the process will be affected and expensive equipment will be seriously damaged. damage, resulting in cost losses. Therefore, the present invention provides a vacuum pumping system and a risk management device thereof. The risk management device can assist the vacuum pumping system, actively detect and determine whether the vacuum pump is abnormal, and when the vacuum pump is abnormal, skip the step of notifying the main system and directly Close isolation valves to protect expensive process equipment and products and reduce losses.

The following are specific specific examples to illustrate the embodiments of the "vacuum pumping system and its risk management device" disclosed in the present invention, and those skilled in the art can understand the advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified and changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the concept of the present invention. In addition, the drawings of the present invention are merely schematic illustrations, and are not drawn according to the actual size, and are stated in advance. The following embodiments will further describe the related technical contents of the present invention in detail, but the disclosed contents are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. In addition, the term "or", as used herein, should include any one or a combination of more of the associated listed items, as the case may be.

[First Embodiment]

Referring to FIG. 1 , a first embodiment of the present invention provides a risk management device 10 for a vacuum system S. The vacuum pumping system S controls an isolation valve V, a process chamber M, and a vacuum pump P that communicates with the process chamber M through the isolation valve V. The risk management device 10 mainly includes an abnormality detection module 11 and an emergency response module 12 . The abnormality detection module 11 is used for detecting at least one running state signal of the vacuum pump P. The emergency response module 12 is electrically connected to the abnormality detection module 11 , the isolation valve V and a main controller 100 of the vacuum pumping system S, for determining whether at least one operating state signal exceeds a predetermined value. In use, when the emergency response module 12 determines that the at least one operating state signal exceeds the preset value, the emergency response module 12 closes the isolation valve V and sends an alarm message to the main controller 100 .

For example, the at least one operating state signal of the vacuum pump P may be a temperature signal, a vibration signal or a rotational speed signal of the vacuum pump P. However, the present creation is not limited to the above-mentioned examples.

Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 , the abnormality detection module 11 of the risk management device 10 of the present invention can have the following three forms. First, as shown in FIG. 2 , the first aspect of the abnormality detection module 11 may further include a detection unit 111 disposed on the vacuum pump P for detecting the operation state of the vacuum pump P and obtaining the operation state signal. In detail, the detection unit 111 may be a temperature sensor, a vibration sensor, an accelerometer, or the like. The operating state signal detected by the detection unit 111 can be transmitted to the emergency response module 12 through a wireless or wired communication connection. Next, the emergency response module 12 determines whether the received operating state signal is greater than a predetermined value, and the predetermined value may be a basic value plus a margin value. It is worth noting that each operating state signal has a corresponding preset value. For example, when the operating state signal is to detect the temperature of the vacuum pump P, it will have a corresponding preset value of the temperature of the vacuum pump P. If the operating status signal (eg, temperature signal) is greater than the preset value by more than 30%, it means that the vacuum pump P may be overheated, and it is determined that the vacuum pump P is abnormal. Therefore, the emergency response module 12 will urgently close the isolation valve V to separate the vacuum pump P and the process chamber M from each other, so as to prevent the process chamber M from being damaged. In addition, the emergency response module 12 sends an alarm message to the main controller 100 of the vacuum pumping system S. As shown in FIG. Finally, the vacuum pumping system S can further control the vacuum pump P and the process chamber M to close. The advantage of this aspect is that the vacuum pump P can be detected by means of direct additional installation without requiring a complicated installation of a software system, so as to obtain the operating state of the vacuum pump P. FIG. However, the above-mentioned example is only one possible embodiment and is not intended to limit the present invention.

3, the second aspect of the abnormality detection module 11 is electrically connected to a vacuum pump controller 102 of the vacuum pumping system S, receives a control signal from the vacuum pump controller 102, and converts the control signal into the vacuum pump P operating status signal. For example, the vacuum pump controller 102 is a current sensor that can detect the current signal (analog signal or digital signal) of the vacuum pump P, and the abnormality detection module 11 receives the vacuum pump controller 102 through a wireless or wired communication connection After the current signal is generated, it is converted into a running state signal (analog signal or digital signal), and sent to the emergency response module 12 for analysis and judgment. In this aspect, the judgment method of the emergency response module 12 is the same as that described above, and will not be repeated here. The advantage of this aspect is that it can be connected to the signal of the existing vacuum pump controller 102 , and there is no need to install an additional detection unit to detect the vacuum pump P, so as to obtain the operating status of the vacuum pump P. However, the above-mentioned example is only one possible embodiment and is not intended to limit the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the third aspect of the abnormality detection module 11 is electrically connected to a vacuum pump controller 102 of the vacuum pumping system S, receives a control signal from the vacuum pump controller 102 , and converts the control signal into the vacuum pump P One of the operating status signals (hereinafter referred to as "internal signals"), and further includes a detection unit 111 disposed on the vacuum pump P to detect the operating status of the vacuum pump P to obtain another The above operating status signal (hereinafter referred to as "external signal").

In this aspect, the emergency response module 12 can be further set to a strict mode or a non-rigorous mode. In the strict mode, the emergency response module 12 receives the internal signal and the external signal through the wireless or wired communication connection, and determines whether both are greater than a preset value. When both the internal signal and the external signal are greater than the preset value, The emergency response module 12 urgently closes the isolation valve V to separate the vacuum pump P and the process chamber M from each other, so as to prevent the process chamber M from being damaged. In addition, the emergency response module 12 sends an alarm message to the main controller 100 of the vacuum pumping system S. As shown in FIG. Finally, the vacuum pumping system S can further control the vacuum pumping pump P and the process chamber M to close. In addition, in the strict mode, when only one of the internal signal and the external signal is greater than the preset value, the emergency response module 12 can further send a notification message to the main controller 100 of the vacuum pumping system S, so that the operator can further eliminate the Detect whether the unit 111 or the vacuum pump controller 102 is faulty. The advantage of the strict mode is that it can double determine that the operating state of the vacuum pump P is abnormal and then close the isolation valve V to avoid delaying the process. However, the above-mentioned example is only one possible embodiment and is not intended to limit the present invention.

In the non-rigorous mode, the emergency response module 12 will receive and determine the internal signal and the external signal through the wireless or wired communication connection. When one or both of the internal signal and the external signal are greater than the preset value, the emergency response module 12 12 is to close the isolation valve V in an emergency, so as to separate the vacuum pump P and the process chamber M from each other, so as to prevent the process chamber M from being damaged. In addition, the emergency response module 12 sends an alarm message to the main controller 100 of the vacuum pumping system S. As shown in FIG. Finally, the vacuum pumping system S can further control the vacuum pump P and the process chamber M to close. The advantage of non-rigorous mode is that it can ensure the safety of the process equipment. However, the above-mentioned example is only one possible embodiment and is not intended to limit the present invention.

[Second Embodiment]

Referring to FIG. 5 , the second embodiment of the present invention provides a vacuum pumping system S, which controls an isolation valve V, a process chamber M, and a vacuum pump P communicated with the process chamber M through the isolation valve V, so as to The process chamber M is evacuated to a target vacuum degree.

The vacuuming system S mainly includes a main controller 100 and a risk management device 10 . The main controller 100 is used to control the process chamber M. The main controller 100 includes an isolation valve controller 101 for controlling the isolation valve V, and a vacuum pump controller 102, which detects an internal operating state of the vacuum pump P and generates A corresponding control signal, and control the vacuum pump P. The risk management device 10 can detect and immediately close the isolation valve V according to an operating state of the vacuum pump P, so as to protect the process chamber M.

In this embodiment, the vacuum pumping system S is a turbo molecular pump vacuum system, which can be applied to a semiconductor manufacturing process. For example, the process chamber M is a process machine in the semiconductor industry (such as thin film sputtering equipment or etching equipment), the isolation valve V is a pendulum valve, and the vacuum pump P is a turbo molecular pump, used to provide the process machine a vacuum environment. The process chamber M, the isolation valve V and the vacuum pump P are all equipped with a dedicated controller. However, the present creation is not limited to the above-mentioned examples. In other embodiments, the main controller of the vacuum pumping system may further include a primary vacuum pump controller for controlling a primary vacuum pump in communication with the vacuum pump. The primary vacuum pump is used to assist the vacuum pump in venting.

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 4 , in this embodiment, the risk management device 10 of the vacuum pumping system S is the risk management device 10 of the first embodiment, and the risk management device 10 has the abnormality detection mode of the third aspect Group 11. It is worth noting that the emergency response module 12 directly controls the isolation valve controller 101 to close the isolation valve V. Thereby, when the risk management apparatus 10 becomes abnormal in the vacuum pump P, it is possible to take countermeasures in the shortest time. However, the above-mentioned example is only one possible embodiment and is not intended to limit the present invention.

[Advantageous effects of the embodiment]

One of the beneficial effects of the present invention is that, in the vacuum pumping system and the risk management device thereof provided by the present invention, the risk management device can detect and immediately shut down the vacuum pump according to the operating state of the vacuum pump. isolation valve to protect the process chamber" and "when the emergency response module determines that the operating status signal exceeds the preset value, the emergency response module closes the isolation valve and sends the alarm message to the main controller" technology The solution is to take immediate contingency measures when the vacuum pump is abnormal, so as to effectively reduce the risk of equipment damage.

The contents disclosed above are only preferred feasible embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, any equivalent technical changes made by using the contents of the description and drawings of the present invention are included in the application of the present invention. within the scope of the patent.

V: Isolation valve M: Process cavity P: vacuum pump S: Vacuum system 10: Risk Management Devices 11: Anomaly detection module 111: Detection unit 12: Emergency Response Module 100: main controller 101: Isolation valve controller 102: Vacuum pump controller

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a risk management apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the risk management device having the abnormality detection module of the first aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a risk management device having an abnormality detection module in a second aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a risk management device having an abnormality detection module in a third aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of a vacuum pumping system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

V: Isolation valve

M: Process cavity

P: vacuum pump

S: Vacuum system

10: Risk Management Devices

11: Anomaly detection module

12: Emergency Response Module

100: main controller

Claims (15)

A risk management device, used in a vacuum system, controls an isolation valve, a process chamber and a vacuum pump communicated with the process chamber through the isolation valve, the risk management device includes: an abnormality detection module for detecting at least one running state signal of the vacuum pump; an emergency response module, which is electrically connected to the abnormality detection module, the isolation valve and a main controller of the vacuum pumping system, and is used for judging whether the at least one operating state signal exceeds a preset value ; Wherein, when the emergency response module determines that the at least one operating state signal exceeds the preset value, the emergency response module closes the isolation valve and sends an alarm message to the main controller. The risk management device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one operating state signal is a temperature signal, a vibration signal or a rotational speed signal. The risk management device according to claim 2, wherein the abnormality detection module includes a detection unit, which is arranged on the vacuum pump to detect the operation state of the vacuum pump, and obtains the at least one Running status signal. The risk management device according to claim 2, wherein the abnormality detection module is electrically connected to a vacuum pump controller of the vacuum pumping system, so as to receive a control signal from the vacuum pump controller, and send the The control signal is converted into the at least one operating state signal. The risk management device according to claim 2, wherein the abnormality detection module is electrically connected to a vacuum pump controller of the vacuum pumping system, so as to receive a control signal from the vacuum pump controller, and send the The control signal is converted into one of the operating state signals; and the abnormality detection module further includes a detection unit disposed on the vacuum pump to detect the operating state of the vacuum pump to obtain another the running status signal. The risk management device according to claim 5, wherein when the abnormality detection module is obtained by converting the control signal of the vacuum pump controller to one of the operating status signals and the detection unit When each of the other obtained operating state signals exceeds the preset value, the emergency response module closes the isolation valve and sends the alarm message to the main controller. The risk management device according to claim 5, wherein when the abnormality detection module converts the control signal of the vacuum pump controller to obtain one of the operating status signals or the detection unit When any one of the obtained other operating state signals exceeds the preset value, the emergency response module closes the isolation valve and sends the alarm message to the main controller. A vacuum pumping system controls an isolation valve, a process chamber and a vacuum pump communicated with the process chamber through the isolation valve, so as to evacuate the process chamber to a target vacuum degree, the The vacuum system includes: a main controller for controlling the process chamber, the main controller includes: an isolation valve controller for controlling the isolation valve; and a vacuum pump controller, which detects an internal operating state of the vacuum pump to generate a corresponding control signal, and controls the vacuum pump; and A risk management device detects and closes the isolation valve immediately according to an operating state of the vacuum pump, thereby protecting the process chamber. The vacuuming system of claim 8, wherein the risk management device further comprises: an abnormality detection module for detecting the at least one running state signal of the vacuum pump; an emergency response module, electrically connected to the abnormality detection module, the isolation valve and the main controller, for judging whether the at least one operating state signal exceeds a preset value; Wherein, when the emergency response module determines that the at least one operating state signal exceeds the preset value, the emergency response module closes the isolation valve and sends an alarm message to the main controller. The vacuuming system according to claim 9, wherein the at least one operating state signal is a temperature signal, a vibration signal or a rotational speed signal. The vacuum pumping system according to claim 10, wherein the abnormality detection module includes a detection unit, which is arranged on the vacuum pump and is used to detect the operation state of the vacuum pump, and obtain the at least one Running status signal. The vacuum pumping system according to claim 10, wherein the abnormality detection module is electrically connected to the vacuum pump controller of the vacuum pumping system, so as to receive the control signal from the vacuum pump controller and send the control signal to the vacuum pump controller. The control signal is converted into the at least one operating state signal. The vacuum pumping system according to claim 10, wherein the abnormality detection module is electrically connected to the vacuum pump controller of the vacuum pumping system, so as to receive the control signal from the vacuum pump controller and send the control signal to the vacuum pump controller. The control signal is converted into one of the operating state signals; and the abnormality detection module further includes a detection unit disposed on the vacuum pump to detect the operating state of the vacuum pump to obtain another a said running status signal. The vacuum pumping system according to claim 13, wherein when the abnormality detection module is obtained by converting the control signal of the vacuum pump controller to one of the operating status signals and the detection unit When each of the other obtained operating state signals exceeds the preset value, the emergency response module closes the isolation valve and sends the alarm message to the main controller. The vacuum pumping system according to claim 13, wherein when the abnormality detection module is obtained by converting the control signal of the vacuum pump controller to one of the operating status signals and the detection unit When each of the other obtained operating state signals exceeds the preset value, the emergency response module closes the isolation valve and sends the alarm message to the main controller.

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