FLOW RATE CONTROLLER AND PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20130092264A1
• Filed: 10/12/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: OKABE, Tsuneyuki, MORIYA, Shuji, MATSUNO, Kazushige
• Granted Patent: US 8,893,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/551
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/68 by using thermal effects
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 5/00 Measuring a proportion of the volume flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0635 by action on throttling means G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7759 Responsive to change in rate of fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7761 Electrically actuated valve
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8158 With indicator, register, recorder, alarm or inspection means

Abstract

The flow rate controller controlling a flow rate of gas supplied through a gas passage includes: a main gas pipe; a flow rate detecting unit detecting the flow rate of gas supplied through the main gas pipe and outputting a flow rate signal; a flow rate control valve mechanism controlling a flow rate; a conversion data storage unit storing a plurality of pieces of conversion data corresponding to a plurality of gaseous species, to indicate a relationship between a flow rate instruction signal input from outside and a target flow rate; and a flow rate control main body which selects the corresponding conversion data from the conversion data based on a gaseous species selection signal input from outside, calculates the target flow rate based on the flow rate instruction signal, and controls the flow rate control valve mechanism based on the target flow rate and the flow rate signal.

Claims

1. A flow rate controller which controls a flow rate of gas supplied through a gas passage, the flow rate controller comprising:

a main gas pipe which is connected to the gas passage;

a flow rate detecting unit which detects a flow rate of gas supplied through the main gas pipe and outputs a flow rate signal;

a flow rate control valve mechanism which is provided on the main gas pipe and controls a flow rate by changing an opening degree of a valve;

a conversion data storage unit which stores a plurality of pieces of conversion data corresponding to a plurality of gaseous species, the plurality of pieces of conversion data indicating a relationship between a flow rate instruction signal input from outside and a target flow rate; and

a flow rate control main body which selects the corresponding conversion data from the plurality of pieces of conversion data based on a gaseous species selection signal input from outside, calculates the target flow rate based on the flow rate instruction signal, and controls the flow rate control valve mechanism based on the target flow rate and the flow rate signal.

2. The flow rate controller of claim 1, further comprising a communication unit which performs communication with the outside with respect to the flow rate instruction signal and the gaseous species selection signal.

3. A processing apparatus which performs processing on a processing target, the processing apparatus comprising:

a processing apparatus main body which comprises a processing container accommodating the processing target and performs processing on the processing target;

an exhaust system which exhausts the inside of the processing container;

a gas supply system which comprises a gas passage in which the flow rate controller of claim 1 is provided, wherein a plurality of branched gas passages in which an opening/closing valve is respectively provided are formed at an upstream side of the flow rate controller in the gas passage to supply different gaseous species and wherein the gas passage at a downstream side of the flow rate controller is connected to the processing container; and

an apparatus controller which comprises an input/output unit for inputting/outputting processing information comprising at least information regarding the gaseous species and a set flow rate, and controls the whole processing apparatus.

4. The processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the apparatus controller generates a gaseous species selection signal based on the information regarding the gaseous species.

5. The processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus controller is configured to specify gaseous species by previously associating the gaseous species with the opening/closing valve and specifying the opening/closing valve as the information regarding the gaseous species.

6. The processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the apparatus controller comprises a display unit to display a full scale of the gaseous species at which the gaseous species is supplied at a maximum flow rate.

7. The processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the apparatus controller is configured to specify the gaseous species by previously associating processes with the gaseous species to be used in a process recipe in which the order of operating components of the processing apparatus is previously stored, and specifying the processes of the process recipe as the information regarding the gaseous species.