System and method for vacuum chamber leak detection

US7590498B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• PIVOTAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION · US

Inventors

• Sherk Chung · San Bruno, US
• Mukund Chakravarthy Venkatesh · San Francisco, US
• Paxton Ming Kai Chow · Walnut Creek, US
• Jiuyi Cheng · Milpitas, US
• Paul Tran · Milpitas, US
• Joseph R. Monkowski · Danville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 30, 2007
• Grant date: Sep 15, 2009
• Expiry date: Nov 30, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01M3/38
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Leaks in a processing chamber, including “virtual leaks” resulting from outgassing of material present within the chamber, may be detected utilizing an optical emission spectroscopy (OES) sensor configured to monitor light emitted from plasma of a sample from the chamber. According to certain embodiments, gas introduced into the chamber by the leak may be detected directly on the basis of its optical spectrum. Alternatively, gas introduced by the leak may be detected indirectly, based upon an optical spectrum of a material resulting from reaction of the gas attributable to the leak. According to one embodiment, data from the OES sensor is received by a processor that is configured to compute a leak detection index. The value of the leak detection index is compared against a threshold to determine if a leak is detected. If the value of the index crosses the threshold, a notification of the existence of a leak is sent.