Control of deposition and other processes
US6945306B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 31, 2001 |
| Grant date | Sep 20, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 31, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC23C4/12
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A system for incrementally depositing material includes a delivery system for directing a material toward a deposition zone (5), a monitoring system for monitoring a parameter of the deposited (a) material and a processing system (11) arranged to obtain a monitored value for the parameter, derive a predicted future parameter value for the monitored parameter, compare the predicted value with a reference parameter value for the monitored parameter, and produce a control output based on the comparison of the predicted value with the reference value, the control output being capable of modifying operation of the system. The parameter monitored has the tendency to vary over time (and space), and the processing means ensure that control output is not based upon the difference between an originally monitored parameter value and a reference value but rather between a prediction generated value (accounting for passage of time or spacital difference) and the reference value. This provides for more accurate process control.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.