Volumetric control of the flow of a filtering pump

• US 6,158,966 A
• Filed: 04/30/1998
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Guespin, Stephane, Boyer, Frederic
• Primary Examiner(s): FREAY, CHARLES GRANT
• Application Number:
  US09/070,717
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 417/46, 417/53, 417/63, 417/386, 417/395
• US Class Current: 417/46
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/03 with auxiliary non-electric power G05D7/005 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pump of resin deposition on a semiconductive wafer including a pump body divided by a membrane of definition of a resin dispensation chamber and of a control chamber and an element of filtration of the resin before its dispensation to an outlet access of the pump body. The pump includes a control system for injecting the resin under constant pressure into the control chamber and aspiring the resin from the control chamber, and a capacitive presence sensor for detecting a first position of the membrane.

Claims

1. A device of control of a volume issued by a pump for providing a liquid product, the pump being provided with a membrane for separation between a dispensation chamber and a control chamber, the membrane being deformable by a pressurized fluid, the device comprising:

a capacitive presence sensor for detecting a first predetermined position of the membrane with respect to a bottom of the control chamber; and

a control system for measuring, for each cycle of dispensation of the liquid product, a first duration taken by the membrane to reach the first predetermined position, and determining from this first duration an additional duration for the membrane to reach a second predetermined position corresponding to a supply of a desired volume of the liquid product.

2. The control device of claim 1 wherein the additional duration is calculated by applying, to the first duration, a multiplying coefficient, determined during a calibration phase.

3. The control device of claim 1 wherein the distance between the first predetermined position and the bottom is less than a displacement range of the membrane.

4. A pump for resin deposition on a semiconductive wafer comprising:

a pump body having a membrane dividing a resin dispensation chamber and a control chamber, the control chamber being in fluid communication with a source of pressurized fluid;

an element for filtration of the resin;

a control system for, alternately, injecting the pressurized fluid under constant pressure into the control chamber and aspiring the pressurized fluid from the control chamber; and

a capacitive presence sensor for detecting a first position of the membrane corresponding to a first distance from a bottom of the control chamber.

5. The pump of claim 4 wherein the control system includes a circuit for measuring, at each dispensation cycle, a time taken by the membrane to cover the first distance, and for calculating a fluid injection time required for the membrane to cover a second predetermined distance, the sum of the two distances corresponding to a desired volume of resin dispensation.

6. The pump of claim 5 wherein the control system includes circuitry for indicating a malfunction of the pump.

7. The pump of claim 6 wherein the control system includes circuitry for comparing at least one of the time measured and the fluid injection time calculated with a predetermined threshold value indicative of a need for replacement of the filter.

8. The pump of claim 7 wherein the control system further includes circuitry for memorizing at least one of the times measured and the time calculate d, and for comparing the evolution of these times with respect to a calculated curve.

9. A pump for dispensing a fluid product in discrete amounts comprising:

a body having a wall and a bottom defining an interior chamber of the body;

a flexible membrane inside the interior chamber of the body having edges fixed to the body, the membrane dividing the interior chamber of the body into a pump chamber and a control chamber, the control chamber being defined between the bottom and the membrane;

an inlet formed in the wall in fluid communication with the pump chamber for providing the fluid product to the pump chamber;

an outlet formed in the wall in fluid communication with the pump chamber for dispensing the fluid product from the pump chamber;

a duct formed in the bottom in fluid communication between the control chamber and a first valve, the first valve being structured to provide a control fluid to the control chamber through the duct;

a sensor fixed to the body, the sensor being structured to determine a position of the membrane; and

a control circuit having an input coupled to the sensor to receive data from the sensor and an output coupled to the first valve, the control circuit being structured to control the first valve to provide the control fluid to the control chamber in response to the data from the sensor to control a position of the membrane.

10. The pump of claim 9 wherein the sensor comprises a capacitive sensor fixed to the bottom.

11. The pump of claim 10 wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a capacitive presence detection sensor fixed to the bottom proximate to the duct, the capacitive presence, detection sensor being structured to sense a distance between the membrane and the bottom when the membrane is separated from the bottom by more than a first predetermined distance.

12. The pump of claim 9, further comprising:

a second valve in the inlet structured to permit a flow of the fluid product into the pump chamber through the inlet;

a filter in the pump chamber proximate to the outlet, the filter being structured to filter the fluid product passing to the outlet; and

a third valve in the outlet structured to permit a flow of the fluid product from the pump chamber through the outlet.

13. The pump of claim 9 wherein the control circuit includes a microprocessor circuit and a memory circuit and is structured to control the first valve to alternately provide a pressurized control fluid to the control chamber and to vent the pressurized control fluid from the control chamber to move the membrane to alternately force the fluid product from the pump chamber through the outlet and draw the fluid product into the pump chamber.

14. The pump of claim 13 wherein the first valve comprises an input valve coupled between a source of the pressurized control fluid and the duct and an output valve coupled between a source of low pressure control fluid and the duct, the input valve and the output valve being controlled by the control circuit.

15. The pump of claim 9 wherein the flexible membrane is at least partially reflective and the sensor comprises an optical sensor.

16. The pump of claim 9 wherein the flexible membrane is at least partially conductive and the sensor comprises an inductive sensor.

17. The pump of claim 9 wherein the sensor comprises a linear mechanical sensor.

18. The pump of claim 9 wherein the edges of the membrane are sealed to the wall of the body, the membrane being impervious to fluid flow so that the control fluid does not pass to the pump chamber and the fluid product does not pass to the control chamber.

19. A method for controlling a pump to discharge a liquid in discrete amounts, the pump having a first chamber and a second chamber divided by a deformable membrane inside a pump shell, the first chamber having an inlet in the pump shell for receiving the liquid and an outlet in the pump shell for discharging the liquid, the second chamber being coupled to a valve through a bottom of the pump shell for receiving a control fluid through the valve, the method comprising:

coupling the second chamber to a source of reduced pressure control fluid to draw the membrane into contact with the bottom of the pump shell and draw the liquid through the inlet into the first chamber;

coupling the second chamber to a source of pressurized control fluid to move the membrane to a first predetermined distance from the bottom of the pump shell to discharge the liquid from the first chamber through the outlet;

detecting a first time period during which the membrane is moved from the bottom of the pump shell to the first predetermined distance;

calculating a second time period required to move the membrane to a second predetermined distance from the first predetermined distance based on the first time period;

terminating the coupling between the second chamber and the pressured control fluid at an end of the second time period to stop the movement of the membrane and the discharge of the liquid; and

coupling the second chamber to the source of reduced pressure control fluid to draw the membrane into contact with the bottom of the pump shell.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of detecting a first time period comprises:

detecting an initial time when the second chamber is coupled to the source of pressurized control fluid;

sensing a position of the membrane when the membrane has moved to the first predetermined distance; and

calculating a first time period between the initial time and a time when the membrane has moved to the first predetermined distance.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the step of calculating a second time period comprises:

determining an amount of liquid to be discharged;

calculating a second predetermined distance to move the membrane to from the first predetermined distance to discharge the determined amount of liquid; and

calculating a second time period in which to couple the source of pressurized control fluid to the second chamber to move the membrane to the second predetermined distance by multiplying the first time period by a coefficient.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

locating a new filter proximate to the outlet in the pump shell;

coupling the second chamber to a source of reduced pressure control fluid to draw the membrane into contact with the bottom of the pump shell;

coupling the second chamber to the source of pressurized control fluid to move the membrane to the first predetermined distance;

sensing a position of the membrane with a capacitive sensor;

detecting a first calibration time period during which the membrane moves from the bottom of the pump shell to the first predetermined distance based on the position of the membrane sensed by the capacitive sensor;

detecting a second calibration time period during which the membrane moves from the first predetermined distance to the second predetermined distance based on the position of the membrane sensed by the capacitive sensor;

calculating the coefficient as a ratio of the second calibration time period and the first calibration time period.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of detecting a first time period comprises sensing a position of the membrane with a capacitive presence detection sensor when the membrane is at least the first predetermined distance from the bottom of the pump shell.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

storing the first time period and the second time period in a memory for each discharge of liquid from the first chamber; and

detecting a malfunction in the pump when a change in the first and second time periods over a series of discharges deviates from a preselected pattern.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising detecting an excessively clogged filter proximate to the outlet in the pump shell when the first time period, or the second time period, or both exceeds a threshold value.