Non-invasive system and method for diagnosing potential malfunctions of semiconductor equipment components

• US 20050049834A1
• Filed: 10/09/2002
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Roger L. Bottomfield
• Original Assignee: Roger L. Bottomfield
• Inventors: Bottomfield, Roger L.
• Application Number:
  US10/470,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20050049834A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/183
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0229 knowledge based, e.g. expert systems; genetic algorithms

Abstract

A system to diagnose potential malfunctions in semiconductor manufacturing equipment components, this system includes a transducer to monitor component vibration signatures of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment components. This transducer provides an output signal representative of the component vibration signature to an electrical circuit. The electrical circuit contains a transmitter which transmits via a carrier signal, a data signal representative of the output signal of the transducer. A computer system receives and stores the data signal. The computer system contains a software application to analyze the data signal and alert a user to differences between the data signal and a historical signal.

Claims

1. A system to diagnose potential malfunctions in mechanical components, comprising:

a transducer to monitor component vibration of a mechanical component and provide at least one output signal representative of the component vibration;

a computer system configured to compare the at least one output signal to at least one historical vibration signature and to produce a notification to a user when indicating differences between the at least one output signal and the at least one vibration signature.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is configured to store a plurality of historical vibration signatures, and wherein comparing the at least one output signal to at least one historical vibration signature comprises comparing the at least one output signal to a set of vibration limits corresponding to the plurality of historical vibration signatures.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter and

a receiver,

wherein the transmitter is coupled to the transducer and configured to transmit the at least one output signal to the receiver, and

wherein the receiver is configured to receive the at least one output signal from the transmitter and wherein the receiver is coupled to the computer system and configured to transmit the at least one output signal to the computer system.