Patent · US Expired

Process detection system for plasma process

US5971591A · kind A · utility

126Cited by
3References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 20, 1997
Grant dateOct 26, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 20, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J37/3299
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Plasma process control arrangement controls a plasma generator that provides electrical power to a plasma chamber for an RF or DC plasma process. A sensor system detects operating parameters of the electrical power, including voltage and current levels. A process detection system (pds) controller has inputs coupled to the sensor system to receive the operating parameters, a programmable memory unit for storing a control program to compute an output control signal based on the operating parameters, and a control output coupled to a control input of the plasma generator. An external computer device, includes a monitor, an icon copying device for example, a mouse suitable for drag-and-drop operation, and a memory storing a suitable code-building program for generating a user-selected control program according to user-determined process requirements. Respective graphical icons are presented on the monitor and are selected and connected by use of the icon copying device to represent logic processing of the operational parameters, and the external computer device creates the corresponding user-selected control program. The user-selected control program is downloaded from the external com…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.