Monitoring device and monitoring method for vacuum device

• US 7,117,127 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2005
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Arima, Juntaro, Sonobe, Kenichiro, Fukube, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): WACHSMAN, HAL D
• Application Number:
  US11/165,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 702 33- 36, 702/40, 702/74, 702113-115, 702/125, 702/127, 702/180, 702176-178, 702/188, 702182-187, 715965-970, 715/771, 715/961, 700/95, 700/96, 700/83, 700/108, 700119-121, 700/110, 700/207, 250309-311, 250/307, 250/492.21, 250/492.2, 250/492.1, 250/423.R, 250/427, 250/493.1
• US Class Current: 702/187
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/024 Quantitative history assessment, e.g. mathematical relationships between available data; Functions therefor; Principal component analysis [PCA]; Partial least square [PLS]; Statistical classifiers, e.g. Bayesian networks, linear regression or correlation analysis; Neural networks

Abstract

A monitoring device and method, of a vacuum-system device having a vacuum portion, which can collectively perform the maintenance control of the device or counter measures to overcome drawbacks by providing a monitoring method equivalent to monitoring in real time and simultaneously based on data from respective types of sensors of the vacuum system. By visualizing the state of a driving system in a vacuum, a vacuum valve, a vacuum state and a state of an electro-optic system on a screen, the device state in a vacuum may be grasped. Further, it is possible to perform the time measuring and the comparison of data with the reference data by setting up timing charts with respect to the ON/OFF timing of various sensors, Open/Close timing and vacuum state.

Claims

1. A method of supporting, monitoring and diagnosing maintenance and troubles related to a measuring device, said method comprising the steps of:

recording and preserving data from operation monitoring sensors during a starting step and a measuring step of the measuring device in real time and synchronously;

comparing current data received from the monitoring sensors during the measuring step with recorded data received from the monitoring sensors and being associated with initial operation or normal operation of the measuring device by overlapping the current data with the recorded data;

selecting probable trouble cause items from pre-stored selection items on troubles and countermeasures against the troubles when there is a difference between the current data and the recorded data that indicates that maintenance is necessary or that an error has been detected;

executing predetermined measures based on results of the selecting step to further diagnose the trouble causes so as to further specify the causes; and

continuing the monitoring, maintenance and diagnosis of the device after the executing step.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the measuring device is a critical dimension type scanning electron microscopy (CD-SEM), and said method comprises the act of providing position sensors and vacuum sensors to electron lens/wafer driving parts and supply/exhaust parts of the CD-SEM.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

comparing the current data from the operation monitoring sensors with the recorded data at the time of initial or normal operation; and

preserving the difference between the current data and the recorded data when the difference indicates that maintenance is necessary or that an error has been detected.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring the measuring device using a remote device; and

alarming the difference between the current data and the recorded data using the remote device.

5. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the measuring device is one of a Critical Dimension type Scanning Electron Microscope, a Transmission Electron Microscope, and a Mass Spectrometer.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring device uses accelerated electron beams in a vacuum.

7. A system for supporting, monitoring and diagnosing maintenance and troubles related to a measuring device, comprising:

a recording unit for recording and preserving data from operation monitoring sensors during a starting step and a measuring step of the measuring device in real time and synchronously; and

a processor for comparing current data received from the monitoring sensors during the measuring step with recorded data received from the monitoring sensors and being associated with initial operation or normal operation of the measuring device by overlapping the current data with the recorded data, selecting probable trouble cause items from pre-stored selection items on troubles and countermeasures against the troubles when there is a difference between the current data and the recorded data that indicates that maintenance is necessary or that an error has been, executing predetermined measures based on results of the selecting step to further diagnose the trouble causes so as to further specify the causes, and continuing the monitoring, maintenance and diagnosis of the device.

8. The system according to claim 7,

wherein the measuring device is a critical dimension type scanning electron microscopy (CD-SEM), and said system further comprises position sensors and vacuum sensors provided to electron lens/wafer driving parts and supply/exhaust parts of the CD-SEM.

9. The system according to claim 7,

wherein the processor compares the current data from the operation monitoring sensors with the recorded data at the time of initial or normal operation;

and preserves the difference between the current data and the recorded data when the difference indicates that maintenance is necessary or that an error has been detected.

10. The system according to claim 7,

wherein the measuring device is monitored by a remote device and the difference between the current data and the recorded data is alarmed using the remote device.

11. The system according to claim 7,

wherein the measuring device is one of a Critical Dimension type Scanning Electron Microscope, a Transmission Electron Microscope, and a Mass Spectrometer.

12. The system according to claim 7,

wherein the measuring device uses accelerated electron beams in a vacuum.