Dual push between a host computer system and an RF generator

• US 9,667,303 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Inventors: San, Tony, Valcore, Jr., John C., Fong, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayard, Emmanuel
• Application Number:
  US14/974,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20160218766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 375219-222
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0278 Arrangements for impedance matching

Abstract

A system and a method for increasing a rate of transfer of data between a radio frequency (RF) generator and a host computer system is described. The rate of transfer of data is increased by implementing dedicated physical layers associated with the RF generator and the host computer system and a dedicated physical communication medium between the RF generator and the host computer system. Moreover, a dual push operation is used between the RF generator and the host computer system. There is no request for data sent from the RF generator to the host computer system or from the host computer system to the RF generator.

Claims

1. A system for increasing a rate of communication, comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) generator including a dedicated transceiver;

a host computer system including a dedicated transceiver and a controller connected to the dedicated transceiver of the host computer system;

a shared physical communication medium connecting the RF generator to the host computer system; and

a dedicated physical communication medium connecting the dedicated transceiver of the RF generator to the dedicated transceiver of the host computer system,

the host computer system configured to send a configuration signal to configure the RF generator via the shared physical communication medium,

the dedicated transceiver of the RF generator, upon receiving the configuration signal, configured to initiate sending one or more transfer units including information associated with a parameter via the dedicated physical communication medium to the dedicated transceiver of the host computer system,

the controller of the host computer system configured to process the information associated with the parameter to determine to change a set point of the parameter to further generate a changed set point,

the dedicated transceiver of the host computer system configured to send one or more transfer units including the changed set point via the dedicated physical communication medium to the dedicated transceiver of the RF generator, wherein the host computer system is configured to send the one or more transfer units to the RF generator without acknowledging receipt of the one or more transfer units received from the RF generator.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the dedicated transceiver of the host computer system is configured to receive the one or more transfer units sent by the dedicated transceiver of the RF generator via the dedicated physical communication medium without requesting the information associated with the parameter from the RF generator.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the dedicated transceiver of the RF generator is configured to receive the one or more transfer units sent by the dedicated transceiver of the host computer system via the dedicated physical communication medium without requesting the changed set point from the host computer system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the RF generator is connected to a plasma chamber via an impedance matching circuit.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the host computer system is connected to an additional RF generator via the shared physical communication medium.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the host computer system is configured not to perform a checksum operation on the one or more transfer units sent by the dedicated transceiver of the RF generator via the dedicated physical communication medium.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the RF generator is configured not to perform a checksum operation on the one or more transfer units sent by the dedicated transceiver of the host computer system via the dedicated physical communication medium.

8. A method for increasing a rate of communication between a radio frequency (RF) generator and a host computer system, comprising:

sending by the host computer system a configuration signal via a shared physical communication medium to the RF generator to configure the RF generator,

upon receiving the configuration signal, sending by a dedicated transceiver of the RF generator one or more transfer units via a dedicated physical communication medium to a dedicated transceiver of the host computer system, the one or more transfer units including information associated with a parameter;

processing, by the host computer system, the information associated with the parameter to determine to change a set point of the parameter to further generate a changed set point; and

sending by the dedicated transceiver of the host computer system one or more transfer units including the changed set point via the dedicated physical communication medium to the dedicated transceiver of the RF generator, wherein the sending of the one or more transfer units from the host computer system to the RF generator is performed without acknowledging receipt of the one or more transfer units received by the host computer system from the RF generator.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving by the dedicated transceiver of the host computer system the one or more transfer units sent by the dedicated transceiver of the RF generator, wherein said receiving of the one or more transfer units is performed without requesting the information associated with the parameter from the RF generator.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving by the dedicated transceiver of the RF generator the one or more transfer units sent by the dedicated transceiver of the host computer system, wherein said receiving of the one or more transfer units is performed without requesting the changed set point from the host computer system.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the RF generator is connected to a plasma chamber via an impedance matching circuit.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending by the host computer system a configuration signal to an additional RF generator via the shared physical communication medium to configure the additional RF generator to provide information associated with a parameter.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising skipping performance of a checksum operation on the one or more transfer units sent by the dedicated transceiver of the RF generator via the dedicated physical communication medium.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising skipping performance of a checksum operation on the one or more transfer units sent by the dedicated transceiver of the host computer system via the dedicated physical communication medium.

15. A method for increasing a rate of communication between a host computer system and a radio frequency (RF) generator, comprising:

generating one or more transfer units including one or more set points for one or more parameters, each set point associated with one or more states of an RF signal, the one or more set points to be used by the RF generator for generating the RF signal;

sending the one or more transfer units from a dedicated transmitter of a physical layer of the host computer system via a first dedicated communication link of a physical communication medium to a dedicated receiver of a physical layer of the RF generator;

receiving via a second dedicated communication link of the physical communication medium one or more transfer units from a dedicated transmitter of the physical layer of the RF generator, wherein the one or more transfer units received include information associated with the one or more parameters and with the one or more states, wherein receiving via the second dedicated communication link of the one or more transfer units is performed by a dedicated receiver of the physical layer of the host computer system;

determining from the information associated with the one or more parameters that the one or more set points associated with the one or more states are to be modified to generate one or more modified set points; and

sending one or more modified transfer units including the one or more modified set points via the first dedicated communication link of the physical communication medium to the dedicated receiver of the physical layer of the RF generator, wherein the sending of the one or more modified transfer units from the host computer system to the RF generator is performed without acknowledging receipt of the one or more transfer units received by the host computer system from the RF generator,

wherein the method is performed by the host computer system.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving via the second dedicated communication link of the physical communication medium one or more additional transfer units while determining that the one or more set points associated with the one or more states are to be modified, wherein said sending the one or more modified transfer units including the one or more modified set points is performed after said receiving the one or more additional transfer units.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving via the second dedicated communication link of the physical communication medium one or more additional transfer units after determining that the one or more set points associated with the one or more states are to be modified, wherein said sending the one or more modified transfer units including the one or more modified set points is performed before said receiving the one or more additional transfer units.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the dedicated receiver of the physical layer of the RF generator is not configured to perform a checksum operation on the one or more transfer units and on the one or more modified transfer units sent from the host computer system to the RF generator.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the dedicated receiver of the physical layer of the host computer system is not configured to perform a checksum operation on the one or more transfer units received from the dedicated transmitter of the physical layer of the RF generator.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more transfer units are sent from the host computer system to the RF generator in a burst mode in which a single header is included within a frame for the one or more transfer units, wherein the one or more modified transfer units are sent from the host computer system to the RF generator in the burst mode in which a single header is included within a frame for the one or more modified transfer units.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more transfer units sent from the dedicated transmitter of the physical layer of the host computer system excludes a source port field and a destination port field, wherein the one or more modified transfer units sent from the dedicated transmitter of the physical layer of the host computer system excludes a source port field and a destination port field, wherein the one or more transfer units received from the dedicated receiver of the physical layer of the RF generator excludes a source port field and a destination port field.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

configuring the RF generator to provide the information associated with one or more parameters via a shared physical communication medium and a shared physical layer of the host computer system;

configuring another RF generator to provide information associated with the one or more parameters via the shared physical communication medium and the shared physical layer of the host computer system.

23. A system comprising:

a first radio frequency (RF) generator for generating a first RF signal, wherein the first RF generator includes a dedicated transceiver;

a second RF generator for generating a second RF signal, wherein the second RF generator includes a dedicated transceiver;

an impedance matching circuit coupled to the first and second RF generators;

a plasma chamber coupled to the impedance matching circuit for generating plasma; and

a first controller;

a dedicated transceiver connected to the first controller, wherein the dedicated transceiver connected to the first controller is connected via a first dedicated physical communication medium to the first RF generator, wherein the dedicated transceiver connected to the first controller is configured to;

generate one or more transfer units including one or more set points for one or more parameters, each set point associated with one or more states of the first RF signal, the one or more set points to be used by the first RF generator for generating the first RF signal;

send the one or more transfer units via a first dedicated communication link of the first dedicated physical communication medium to the dedicated transceiver of the first RF generator;

receive via a second dedicated communication link of the first physical communication medium one or more transfer units from the dedicated transceiver of the first RF generator, the one or more transfer units received include information associated with the one or more parameters and with the one or more states,

wherein the first controller is configured to determine from the information associated with the one or more parameters that the one or more set points associated with the one or more states are to be modified to generate one or more modified set points,

wherein the dedicated transceiver connected to the first controller is configured to send one or more modified transfer units including the modified one or more set points via the first dedicated communication link of the first dedicated physical communication medium to the dedicated transceiver of the first RF generator, wherein the first controller is configured to send the one or more modified transfer units to the first RF generator without acknowledging receipt of the one or more transfer units received from the first RF generator.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

a second controller; and

a dedicated transceiver connected to the second controller, wherein the dedicated transceiver connected to the second controller is connected via a second dedicated physical communication medium to the dedicated transceiver of the second RF generator for communicating with the dedicated transceiver of the second RF generator, wherein the dedicated transceiver connected to the second controller is not connected to the dedicated transceiver of the first RF generator, wherein the dedicated transceiver connected to the first controller is connected to the dedicated transceiver of the second RF generator.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the dedicated transceiver of the first RF generator is not configured to perform a checksum operation on the one or more transfer units and on the one or more modified transfer units sent from the dedicated transceiver connected to the first controller to the first RF generator, wherein the dedicated transceiver of the second RF generator is not configured to perform a checksum operation on one or more transfer units received from the dedicated transceiver connected to the second controller, wherein the dedicated transceiver connected to the first controller is not configured to perform a checksum operation on the one or more transfer units received from the dedicated transceiver of the first RF generator, wherein the dedicated transceiver connected to the second controller is not configured to perform a checksum operation on one or more transfer units received from the dedicated transceiver of the second RF generator.