JP4874540B2 - Method and apparatus for controlling a sensor device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides an improved method, apparatus, and computer program used to measure a processing status when processing a product being processed, particularly when processing a product being processed during manufacture of an electronic device. Related to the product.

The usual way of using or using a sensor device such as an automated sensor wafer as described in US Pat. No. 6,691,068 uses the human hand. That is, one or more things that are performed by human hands are included in the operation procedure. The sensor device is monitored by a human for the condition of the battery, and the battery is charged by an appropriate method. When new information is input to the sensor device, a command to start the sensor device must be given manually, and the data must be read manually. When the sensor device is mounted on or removed from the processing tool, it is necessary to manually remove the sensor device from the container. In some types of automated wafer sensors used in semiconductor processing, the container for storing the sensor device is a wafer cassette or a front-opening unified pod. The work of removing the sensor device from the storage container and placing it on the charging facility is performed by a human using a vacuum wand or lifting the sensor device with a hand wearing a glove. These human tasks prevent the sensor device from being easily used in a substantially automated manufacturing process, such as a semiconductor manufacturing process.
U.S. Pat.No. 6,427,850 U.S. Patent No. 6,398,032 U.S. Patent No. 6,186,331 U.S. Pat.No. 4,471,716 U.S. Patent No. 479,399

  There are many fields that require sensor devices that are substantially automated. To this end, when using a sensor device in a manufacturing environment, overcome one or more problems in the prior art of automating the operation and maintenance of the sensor device and maximizing the entire manufacturing process. There is a need to. An important field that requires a substantially automated sensor device is the processing of products being manufactured such as semiconductor wafers, flat panel displays, exposure masks, or other electronic equipment. To make the sensor device more useful in a manufacturing environment, one or more procedures that are performed manually should be automated.

The invention of claim 1 is a maintenance unit for maintaining and storing a sensor device, the sensor device having a substantially flat secondary coil wound with a power source and at least one winding, The secondary coil is connected to the power source to charge the power source, and the maintenance unit can be a standard mechanical interface box or a front-opening unified pod for housing the sensor device. And a power charger attached to the housing, and a power charger electrically connected to the power supply of the maintenance unit for charging the power supply of the sensor device, wherein the power charger is at least 2 The primary coil has a substantially flat shape that is wound, and at least one turn of the primary coil is wound clockwise. , At least one turn is wound counterclockwise, is substantially parallel to the primary coil, and places the secondary coil in close proximity to the primary coil in a different plane to power the primary coil When a current is supplied, a maintenance unit is produced in which power is generated in the secondary coil .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the maintenance unit according to the first aspect, comprising a communication device that performs information communication with the sensor device.

The invention according to claim 3 is the maintenance unit according to claim 1, wherein the power source of the maintenance unit comprises a rechargeable battery.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the maintenance unit according to the first aspect, wherein the power source of the maintenance unit comprises at least one of connections for using a rechargeable battery, a capacitor, a photovoltaic cell, and a power device.

The invention according to claim 5 is the maintenance unit according to claim 1, further comprising a status indicator for the power supply of the maintenance unit.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the maintenance unit according to the first aspect, further comprising a status indicator for power supply of the sensor device.

The invention according to claim 7 is the maintenance unit according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device has a support for a semiconductor wafer.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, a housing is provided for holding a substrate selected from the group consisting of a semiconductor wafer substrate, a flat panel display substrate, an exposure mask substrate, and a printed wiring circuit substrate. The maintenance unit according to claim 1 is provided.

The invention according to claim 9 is such that the axis of the secondary coil is spaced apart from the axis of the primary coil so that it is equal to about half of the sum of the radius inside the primary coil and the radius outside the primary coil. The maintenance unit according to claim 1 .

The invention according to claim 10 is the maintenance unit according to claim 1 , wherein the outer radius of the primary coil is about 1 cm to about 9 cm, and the number of turns of the primary coil is about 3 to 30 times.

The invention of claim 11 is arranged such that the power charger provides the primary coil with a primary voltage of about 3 volts to about 18 volts in a primary frequency band of about 0.1 MHz to about 4 MHz. The maintenance unit according to claim 1 is provided.

The invention of claim 12, the power charger is arranged to provide a resonant frequency or control frequency is a sub-harmonic frequency of the primary coil, the primary coil to the primary coil, according to claim 1 A maintenance unit was used.

The invention according to claim 13 is the maintenance unit according to claim 2, wherein the maintenance unit further includes an information processor having executable code for operating and maintaining the sensor device .

The invention according to claim 14 is the maintenance unit according to claim 13 , further comprising a power source for supplying power to the information processor.

The invention of claim 15 is arranged such that the axis of the secondary coil is spaced from the axis of the primary coil so that it is equal to about half of the sum of the inner radius of the primary coil and the outer radius of the primary coil. The maintenance unit according to claim 13 is provided.

The invention of claim 16 is arranged such that the power charger provides the primary coil with a primary voltage of about 3 volts to about 18 volts in a primary frequency band of about 0.1 MHz to about 4 MHz. The maintenance unit according to claim 13 .

The invention of claim 17, communications equipment, consisting of supplying power charger power to charge the sensor device, and a maintenance unit according to claim 13.

According to the invention of claim 18, the communication device enables the primary coil, an oscillation electronic circuit that allows an alternating current to be generated in the primary coil, an electronic circuit that can adjust the characteristics of the primary coil, and 1 The maintenance unit according to claim 17 , wherein the maintenance unit includes an electronic circuit capable of detecting a change in characteristics of the secondary coil.

The invention according to claim 19 is the maintenance unit according to claim 17 in which the communication device is arranged to supply power to the primary coil at a control frequency of 400 kHz to 4 MHz.

The invention according to claim 20 is the maintenance unit according to claim 18 , wherein the primary coil resonates in series at a frequency of 400 kHz to 4 MHz.

In the invention of claim 21, the communication device is set so that the control frequency can be changed between 9.6 kHz and 57.6 kHz, and the maximum signal level of the power provided to the primary coil is 20 for modulation. The maintenance unit according to claim 19 , wherein the maintenance unit includes an amplitude in a range of less than 80% to 80%.

The invention of claim 22 is the maintenance of claim 19 , wherein the communication device is arranged to change the control frequency and the modulation includes rapidly changing the control frequency between about 400 kHz and about 4 MHz. A unit.

The invention according to claim 23 is the maintenance unit according to claim 18 in which the detected change in the characteristics of the primary coil includes a change in the apparent impedance of the primary coil.

Invention of Claim 24 is arrange | positioned so that a communication apparatus can measure the change of the apparent impedance of a primary coil by measuring the change of the amplitude of the control voltage applied to a primary coil. The maintenance unit according to claim 23 .

The invention according to claim 25 is the maintenance unit according to claim 24 , wherein the change in apparent impedance is a frequency of 9.6 kHz to 56.7 kHz.

The invention of claim 26 is arranged such that the communication device can change the control frequency, and the modulation includes changing the amplitude of the electric signal applied to the primary coil. There were 19 maintenance units.

The invention according to claim 27 is the maintenance unit according to claim 19 , wherein the communication device is arranged so as to change a frequency of an electric signal applied to the primary coil.

According to a twenty-eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the maintenance unit according to the thirteenth aspect , further comprising a sensor device detector that notifies that a sensor device exists in the housing.

The invention according to claim 29 is the maintenance unit according to claim 13 , further comprising an information storage device for storing at least one of data, calibration coefficients, and commands.

The invention of claim 30 is the maintenance unit of claim 13 having a connector for receiving power from an external power source.

The invention of claim 31 is the maintenance unit of claim 13 having a communication device for communicating with an external information source.

The invention of claim 32 includes a sensor device, a housing for housing at least a part of the sensor device, an information processor having an executable code for operating and maintaining the sensor device, and a communication device for performing information communication with the sensor device. Storing at least one of: a power supply that provides power to the information processor; a power charger that provides power to charge the sensor device; a sensor device detector; a sensor device directional detector; data; a calibration factor; Composed of a combination of an information storage device, a connector for receiving power from an external power source, and a second communication device for communicating with an external information source, wherein the sensor device has a substantially flat shape wound at least once with the power source Secondary coil, the secondary coil is connected to the power source to charge the power source, The power charger has a substantially flat primary coil that is wound at least two times, wherein at least one turn of the primary coil is wound clockwise and at least one turn is counterclockwise When the primary coil is energized by placing the secondary coil in close proximity to the primary coil on a different plane, it is substantially parallel to the primary coil. The device was such that power was generated in the next coil .

The invention of claim 33 is an apparatus comprising the combination of claim 32 , wherein the housing is constituted by any one of a standard mechanical interface box, a front opening type unified pod, and a wafer cassette.

The invention of claim 34 is an apparatus comprising the combination of claim 32 , wherein the housing comprises a semiconductor wafer cassette.

The invention of claim 35 is an apparatus comprising the combination of claim 33 , wherein the housing is configured to hold one of a semiconductor wafer, a flat panel display substrate, and an exposure mask substrate.

According to a thirty-sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing tool having a processing chamber for processing a substrate and a sensor device maintenance chamber for containing at least one sensor device, a power source, an internal communicator, and a secondary coil. The sensor device maintenance chamber is configured to be electrically connected to the sensor device to charge the power source and to be able to communicate with the sensor device through an internal communicator. The secondary coil has a substantially flat shape wound at least once, and the secondary coil is connected to the power source to charge the power source, and the sensor device The maintenance chamber is a substantially flat primary coil that has at least two turns. And at least one turn of the primary coil is wound clockwise, at least one turn is wound counterclockwise and is substantially parallel to the primary coil and primary in a different plane. By arranging the secondary coil in the vicinity of the coil, the power is generated in the secondary coil when the primary coil is energized .

The invention of claim 37 is the apparatus of claim 36 , wherein the processing chamber is configured for processing of semiconductor wafers.

The invention of claim 38, the processing chamber is configured for the production process of the manufacturing process, or the exposure mask of the flat panel display, and the apparatus of claim 36.

The invention of claim 39 is the apparatus of claim 36 , wherein the processing chamber is configured for a manufacturing process of electronic equipment.

In the invention of claim 40, the processing chamber is formed by etching, plasma etching, post-exposure baking, chemical mechanical planarization, chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, dry method, ion implantation, plasma chemical vapor deposition. 40. The apparatus of claim 36 , wherein the apparatus is configured for processing selected from the group consisting of photoresist removal.

The invention of claim 41 includes a sensor device having an information processor, a power source and a secondary coil , a housing for connecting a tool for processing a product being manufactured through an interface, and a charger for wirelessly charging the power source. The sensor device is a combination of maintenance units, and is arranged so that it can detect when the sensor device is not receiving power from the maintenance unit. The secondary coil has at least one turn , and has an executable command to operate a predetermined data collection program in response to determining that it has not received power for charging the battery . Substantially flat shape and connected to the power source to charge the battery The sensor device maintenance unit has a primary coil for generating a current in the secondary coil, and the primary coil has a substantially flat shape wound at least twice. , At least one turn is wound clockwise, at least one turn is wound counterclockwise, substantially parallel to the primary coil and in close proximity to the primary coil in a different plane. By arranging the secondary coil, the power is generated in the secondary coil when the primary coil is energized .

The invention of claim 42 is the combined apparatus of claim 41 , wherein the housing comprises a front-opening unified pod for a semiconductor wafer processing tool.

The invention of claim 43 is the combined apparatus of claim 41 , wherein the housing comprises a standard mechanical interface box for semiconductor wafer processing tools.

  A maintenance unit for maintaining and storing the sensor device, the sensor device having a power source, the maintenance unit being a standard mechanical interface box or front opening type for housing the sensor device. A maintenance unit consisting of a unified pod housing, a power supply attached to the housing, and a power charger electrically connected to the maintenance unit power supply to charge the sensor device power supply .

  A substantially automated sensor as described in US Pat. No. 6,691,068, an application related to measuring one or more processing conditions when processing electronic equipment such as semiconductor wafers. In the situation where there is a maintenance and processing unit for the device, the operating procedure of an embodiment of the invention is first discussed below.

However, it is understood that embodiments in accordance with the present invention are not limited to maintenance and processing units used to process semiconductor wafers. Another embodiment of the present invention is a maintenance and processing unit arranged in a sensor device for measuring the processing status of a flat panel display or exposure mask. Furthermore, most of the parts discussed with respect to embodiments of the present invention are directed directly to sensor devices for semiconductor wafers. The sensor device is arranged roughly to resemble the base of the semiconductor wafer. Embodiments of the present invention include processes typically performed in the manufacture of electronic equipment from semiconductor wafers, or processes typically performed in the manufacture of flat panel displays from the base of flat panel displays, and even exposure masks. Can be arranged for processing across a variety of fields, such as those typically performed in the manufacture of Specific examples of individual processes include plasma etching, plasma deposition, plasma chemical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, post exposure baking, chemical mechanical planarization, sputtering and the like. Of the descriptions relating to the drawings referred to below, the same reference numerals and the like as those used in the drawings are used for designating elements and procedures common to the drawings.

  Refer to FIG. There is shown a box-shaped diagram in which the components of the embodiment of the present invention are described. In FIG. 1, a sensor device 3000 and a maintenance unit 3005 are shown. The sensor device 3000 is similar to that described in US Pat. No. 6,691,068, filed Aug. 22, 2000. The entire contents of the sensor device described in US Pat. No. 6,691,068 filed on Aug. 22, 2000 are incorporated in this specification.

FIG. 1 shows the physical arrangement of the components in a preferred embodiment of the maintenance unit 3005. The maintenance unit 3005 includes a housing 3010, an information processor 3020, a power supply 3030, an information transmission transmitter 3040, a power charger 3050 that supplies power from the power supply 3030 to charge the power supply of the sensor device, a sensor device detector 3060, and a sensor. A device directivity detector 3070 is included. The arrangement of the maintenance unit 3005 shown in FIG. 1 includes an information processor 3020, a power supply 3030, an information transmission transmitter 3040, a power charger 3050, a sensor device detector 3060, a sensor device directional detector 3070, a housing 3010. It is connected to. In a more preferred embodiment, the housing 3010 substantially contains an information processor 3020, a power supply 3030, an information transmitter 3040, a power charger 3050, a sensor device detector 3060, and a sensor device directional detector 3070.

  Information processor 3020 is a conventional information processor, such as a microprocessor, computer, limited purpose integrated circuit, or other type of electronic device that processes information and executes instructions. The power source 3030 is a normal power source such as a rechargeable battery, a replaceable battery, a capacitor, a photovoltaic cell, or a connection for connecting a device to power. It is desirable that the power source be commercially available from many vendors. In a preferred embodiment of the maintenance unit 3005, the transmitter / receiver 3040 is arranged for wireless communication using infrared or radio.

  The sensor device detector 3060 is installed to detect whether the sensor device exists in the maintenance unit 3005. Optionally, sensor device detector 3060 can be arranged to search for the presence of multiple sensor devices. Alternatively, the sensor device detector 3060 can be disposed in each of the sensor devices that the maintenance unit 3005 can have. From this viewpoint, a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field can come up with many variations on the arrangement of the sensor device detector 3060. Examples of possible arrangements of the sensor device detector 3060 include a single contact switch that detects the presence of the sensor device, a switch using a light beam that moves the switch by changing the trajectory of the light beam, and the like. One of the functions enabled by the operation of the sensor device detector 3060 is that information indicating that maintenance of the sensor device mounted on the maintenance unit 3005 should be started can be transmitted to the maintenance unit. In other words, the sensor device detector 3060 can cause the maintenance unit 3005 to start the maintenance process of the sensor device automatically, that is, without the operator starting the maintenance process.

  The sensor device directivity detector 3070 is arranged to determine the direction of the sensor device 3000 mounted on the maintenance unit 3005. The information for determining the direction of the sensor device 3000 may also include data acquired from the sensor device and data made available for data analysis. As an additional utility, the information for determining the direction can be used to verify whether the sensor device 3000 is properly mounted on the maintenance unit 3005, and whether to place a subsequent sensor device 3000, It can be used as an index for determining whether or not to do.

  When the sensor device 3000 is mounted on the maintenance unit 3005, various techniques can be used to determine the direction of the sensor device 3000. In one embodiment of the invention, it is the transducer and sensor device 3000 located in the maintenance unit 3005 that determines the direction of the sensor device 3000. The method for determining the direction includes a combination of digitally converted patterns at the end of the sensor device 3000. The transducer also includes an optical scanner such as one or more simple optical scanners available on the market. The pattern is read by the optical scanner, and the read data can be provided to the information processor 3020 for conversion to data for determining directionality. By using this method, it is possible to easily achieve an accuracy of 1 to the power of zero or more.

  Alternatively, the orientation of the sensor device 3000 can be determined by acquiring and analyzing an image of the sensor device 3000 disposed in the maintenance unit 3005. In this embodiment, the sensor device direction detector 3070 includes a camera such as a digital camera. In one embodiment, the camera is exposed to see the center of the sensor device 3000 located in the maintenance unit 3005. The image collected by the camera is compared in the information processor 3020 with the image stored in the information processor 3020. Their relative information can then be extracted with an accuracy of 1 to the power of zero or more. One advantage of using this method is that it is a relatively simple method and does not require modification of the sensor device. Also, in light of the disclosure herein, it is evident that many other techniques can be used instead and are one of the ordinary techniques in the art.

  Preferably, the information processor 3020, the power supply 3030, the information transmission receiver 3040, the power charger 3050, and the sensor device detector 3060 are substantially contained in the housing 3010. In a more preferred embodiment, an electrical module comprising a second housing including an information processor 3020 or a portion of the information processor 3020, a power source 3030, an information transmitter / receiver 3040, a power charger 3050, and a sensor device detector 3060. (The electrical module is not shown in FIG. 1). Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the housing 3010 has a compartment that substantially includes an information processor 3020, a power source 3030, an information transceiver 3040, a power charger 3050, and a sensor device detector 3060. Yes.

  As optionally added in some embodiments of the present invention, the housing 3010 provides visual status information for the maintenance unit 3005 and / or information regarding the sensor device 3000 being maintained by the maintenance unit 3005. It has an information display for display (the information display is not shown in FIG. 1). The information display may be one using a light emitting diode or one using liquid crystal. These displays are arranged in the maintenance unit 3005 so that they can be seen from the outside of the maintenance unit 3005.

  In the preferred embodiment, the maintenance unit power supply 3030 comprises a rechargeable battery. Optionally, the maintenance unit has a power status indicator for the maintenance unit for visually displaying, storing and / or transmitting information about the power status. Similarly, the maintenance unit optionally has a power status indicator for the sensor device.

  In a preferred embodiment, the housing 3010 is arranged to hold a substrate selected from the group consisting of a semiconductor wafer substrate, a flat panel display substrate, an exposure mask substrate, and a printed wiring substrate. ing. For example, the housing 3010 is arranged in the form of a standard mechanical interface box, a front-opening unified pod, and a semiconductor wafer cassette.

  In the preferred embodiment, the information processor 3020 has executable code for operating and maintaining the sensor device 3000. Executable code allows the maintenance unit to function more independently when performing tasks. In a further embodiment, the maintenance unit includes an information storage device coupled to the information processor 3020 for storing at least one of data, calibration factors, and commands.

  The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a preferred embodiment. Other embodiments of the present invention may have fewer components than those shown in FIG. Another embodiment is shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. FIG.

  Please refer to FIG. There is shown a box-shaped diagram in which the components of another embodiment of the invention are described. The box-shaped diagram described in FIG. 2 shows a substantially automated sensor device 3000 and maintenance unit 3005A. The sensor device 3000 shown in FIG. 2 is similar to the sensor device described in US Pat. No. 6,691,068. The contents of the sensor device described in US Pat. No. 6,691,068 are fully incorporated herein.

  FIG. 2 shows the physical arrangement of the components of an embodiment of a maintenance unit 3005A that includes a housing 3010, a power supply 3030, and a power charger 3050. In the maintenance unit 3005A shown in FIG. 2, a power supply 3030 and an electric charger 3050 are connected to the housing 3010. Preferably, power supply 3030 and power charger 3050 are substantially contained in housing 3010. A more preferred embodiment is an electrical module consisting of a second housing having a power source 3030 and a power charger 3050 (the electrical module is not shown in FIG. 2). Alternatively, a housing 3010 according to another embodiment of the present invention has a compartment that substantially includes a power supply 3030 and a power charger 3050.

  FIG. 3 illustrates an information processor 3020, power supply 3030, such as a housing 3010, a microprocessor, a computer, an integrated circuit specialized for a particular purpose, or other type of electronic equipment for processing information and executing instructions. The physical arrangement of the components of another embodiment of the maintenance unit 3005B having the information transmission receiver 3040 and the power charger 3050 is shown. In the maintenance unit 3005B shown in FIG. 3, the information processor 3020, the power source 3030, the information transceiver 3040, and the power charger 3050 are connected to the housing 3010. Preferably, the information processor 3020, the power supply 3030, the information transceiver 3040, and the power charger 3050 are substantially built in the housing 3010. A more preferred embodiment is an electrical module (electrical module not shown in FIG. 3) comprising a second housing having an information processor 3020, a power supply 3030, an information transceiver 3040, and a power charger 3050. Alternatively, the housing 3010 in some embodiments of the present invention has a compartment that substantially contains an information processor 3020, a power supply 3030, an information transceiver 3040, and a power charger 3050.

  FIG. 4 illustrates an information processor 3020, power supply 3030, such as a housing 3010, a microprocessor, a computer, an integrated circuit specialized for a particular purpose, or other type of electronic equipment for processing information and executing instructions. The physical arrangement | positioning of the component in the other Example of the maintenance unit 3005C containing the information transmission receiving / power charger 3045 is shown. A maintenance unit 3005C shown in FIG. 4 includes an information processor 3020, a power source 3030, and an information transmission / reception / power charger 3045. Preferably, the information processor 3020, the power source 3030, and the information transmission / reception / power charger 3045 are substantially built in the housing 3010. A more preferred embodiment is an electric module (electric module not shown in FIG. 4) comprising a second housing having an information processor 3020, a power source 3030, and an information transmission / reception / power charger 3045. Alternatively, the housing 3010 according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a compartment that substantially includes an information processor 3020, a power source 3030, and an information transmission / reception / power charger 3045.

  Please refer to FIG. There is shown a box diagram describing the electrical arrangement of the components of one embodiment of the present invention. The components shown in FIG. 5 are substantially the same as those shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows that the housing 3010 incorporates the sensor device 3000. FIG. 5 also shows that the housing 3010 contains an information processor 3020, a power supply 3030, an information transceiver 3040, a power charger 3050, a sensor device detector 3060, and a sensor device directivity detector 3070. Information processor 3020 is coupled to power supply 3030 to obtain power for operation. The information processor 3020 is connected to the information transceiver 3040 for transmitting information to the sensor device 3000. The information processor 3020 is connected to the power charger 3050 to control the charging of the power source of the sensor device 3000. Information processor 3020 is coupled to sensor device detector 3060 to receive information on whether a sensor device is present or not. This allows the information processor 3020 to determine when to start and stop the maintenance process. Information processor 3020 is coupled to sensor device directional detector 3070 to receive information that can be used to determine the orientation of sensor device 3000. Information on the directionality of the sensor device can also be used for other purposes as described above.

  Please refer to FIG. There, there is shown a perspective view of the maintenance unit 3100 for maintaining and processing one or more sensor devices 3101 held in the maintenance unit 3100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The sensor device 3101 shown in FIG. 6 is arranged to monitor the process of manufacturing equipment from a semiconductor wafer. This means that the sensor device 3101 is configured in a substantially flat shape so as to be similar to the shape of the semiconductor wafer. The sensor device 3101 is configured to resemble the characteristics of a semiconductor wafer so that the sensor device 3101 can be used to measure the processing status for processing a semiconductor wafer. In other words, the sensor device 3101 includes a sensor device for measuring one or more parameters generated in association with processing on a semiconductor wafer. The sensor device 3101 shown in FIG. 6 is substantially the same as that of some embodiments relating to sensor wafers described in US Pat. No. 6,691,068. The sensor device 3101 is configured to have a size similar to the size of the semiconductor wafer. The maintenance unit 3100 includes a housing 3110 and an electric module 3115.

  In the preferred embodiment, the housings 3110 have doorways so that each of the sensor devices 3101 can be mounted and removed from the housing 3110. Preferably, the housing 3110 also has a door corresponding to the doorway so that the housing 3110 can be substantially isolated from the surrounding environment (the door is not shown in FIG. 6). In a more preferred embodiment, the housing 3110 is substantially a commonly used standard mechanical interface box or front-opening unified pod, or a semiconductor wafer carry box such as a conventional wafer cassette. It corresponds to. In other words, the housing 3110 has substantially the same dimensions as the dimensions of the mechanical interface box, or the dimensions of the front-opening unified pod, the normal wafer cassette. Dimensions are being manufactured industrially compatible so that the sensor device 3101 can be transported out of the housing 3110 in the same way that a manufactured product, such as a semiconductor wafer, is transported from the storage box to the processing tool. Same as the carrying box size for the product. With the same dimensions, the housing can be used in substantially the same manner as is commonly done in industry when loading and unloading manufacturing products such as semiconductor wafers into processing tools. Allows 3110 to be interfaced with processing tools. In other words, in some embodiments of the present invention, the housing 3110 serves as a housing such as a front-opening unified pod, a standard mechanical interface box, and a wafer cassette. Therefore, the sensor device 3101 can be automatically mounted directly from the housing 3110. This eliminates the manual work of loading and unloading.

  Wafer carrying boxes such as standard mechanical interface boxes, front-opening unified pods, and regular wafer cassettes are well known to those skilled in the art. Details of some typical wafer carrying box arrangements are readily available from the technical and patent literature. Examples of wafer carriers can be found in US Pat. No. 6,427,850, US Pat. No. 6,398,032, US Pat. No. 6,186,331, US Pat. No. 4,471,716, US Pat. No. 479,399. All of these embodiments are included in the embodiments of the present invention in their entirety by this reference.

  Unlike the standard technology wafer carrier, the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 6 includes an electrical module 3115 for monitoring and operating the sensor device 3101. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electrical module 3115 includes one or more components of a power supply, a charging system, a sensor that senses the presence of a wafer, a storage device, a composite communication device, or the like. It is configured. It is understood that embodiments of the present invention are not required to have all of these components. It is understood that embodiments of the invention are not limited to only these components.

More clearly, various combinations of components may be included in embodiments of the present invention to provide a variety of predetermined functions for maintaining and operating the sensor device 3101. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electrical module 3115 includes any one of the following components.
Information processor with executable code to operate and maintain the sensor device Communication equipment to communicate information to the sensor device Power supply to power the information processor Power to charge the sensor device power Charger to supply Sensor device detector Sensor device directional detector Information storage device for storing at least one of measured data, calibration coefficient, and command Connector for receiving power from an external power source such as a power supply facility External Second communication device for communicating with an information source An interface that combines information with an information display such as a light emitting diode display and a liquid crystal display. In a more preferred embodiment, the electrical module 3115 comprises the components described above. Contains one or more of them.

  The components included in the electrical module 3115 are determined by whether they provide a preferred function for some embodiments of the maintenance unit 3100. In one embodiment, the components that make up electrical module 3100 are such that electrical module 3115 can automatically detect one or more sensor devices 3101 when sensor device 3101 is present in housing 3110. Has been placed. When the electrical module 3115 detects the presence of the sensor device 3101, the electrical module 3115 then performs wireless communication with the sensor device 3101 in order to transmit information to the sensor device 3101 through a communication device. Once communication is performed, the sensor device 3101 determines an appropriate amount of battery charging current that provides power to the sensor device 3101. Those currents should be supplied to each of the one or more sensor devices 3101, thereby activating the power charging device. The electrical module 3115 monitors whether new detection data exists in the storage device of the sensor device 3101 and, if present, starts downloading these data to the information storage device of the electrical module 3115. Preferably, all of these procedures are performed automatically so that no operator is required to intervene. These procedures may be performed in response to instructions from the information processor of electrical module 3115.

  In a further procedure, a separate “base station” or “data server” computer (not shown in FIG. 6) is placed inside the maintenance unit 3100 through a second communication device for transmission of external information sources. It may be provided and arranged to communicate externally with electrical module 3115 to query the status of an electrical module 3115 and / or the status of one or more sensor devices 3101. Information collected in the information storage device of the maintenance unit 3100 can be retrieved, and data collected from one or more sensor devices can be collected for analysis or external storage.

The commands, commands, and / or parameters used in the sensor device 3101 can be sent to the electrical module 3115 so that the processing equipment can start operation immediately or with a delay. In addition, these commands, commands, and / or parameters will now automatically start when the electrical module 3115 detects that the robot is about to remove the sensor device 3101 from the housing 3110. Can be set.

  In addition to these basic operations, some embodiments of the present invention have more feasible capabilities. For example, the electrical module 3115 can automatically test the battery capacity of one or more sensor devices 3101 by running a test sequence. For a battery that provides power to the sensor device, the battery capacity can vary depending on how much is used. Battery life is extended, especially at higher temperatures. In the preferred embodiment, the electronic module 3115 is configured to have a database of information regarding the sensor device 3101 maintained by the maintenance unit 3100.

By performing continuous wireless communication with the data server computer, the maintenance unit 3100 can communicate continuously with product processing equipment, known as “fab”, such as electronic product manufacturing equipment. Become. When new measurement data from the sensor device 3101 becomes available, the data is downloaded to the electrical module 3115 of the maintenance unit 3100. The data is then transmitted wirelessly to the data server computer for analysis. The maintenance unit 3100 can also be connected to a “fab central factory automation (FA) sever” that allows automatic control of measurement data performed using the sensor device 3101.

  In some embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to build a fully automated metrology system for the processing of products in production. More clearly, the processing tool can communicate the need for a metrology system to a central factory automation server. And the central factory automation server may be a front-opening unified pod, depending on the embodiment of the invention in which the maintenance unit is arranged in substantially the same way as the front-opening unified pod. A maintenance unit is sent to hold a 300 mm semiconductor wafer from the storage facility to the processing tool using a robot that grabs the object. The factory automation server then issues a command to prepare the maintenance unit to collect data specific to the processing tool through the factory automation network and initiates the command. The tool then mounts the sensor device on the tool itself, processes the sensor device using important methods, and then returns the sensor device to the maintenance unit. At this point, the maintenance unit not only downloads newly collected data, but also begins to charge the power supply of the sensor device. Once this data is in place, the maintenance unit can connect to the data server and send the data to the data server for analysis, for example, extraction of a new calibration factor. If these new coefficients become available, these new coefficients are returned to the factory automation system so that they can be sent back to the tool. The tool can then run new coefficients to provide optimal performance. On the other hand, the factory automation system returns the maintenance unit to the storage facility in preparation for the next case.

  In a preferred embodiment of the maintenance unit, the charging system and the communication system are arranged so as to be independent of the arrangement of the sensor device. In addition, the maintenance unit can be transported with conventional tools so that the maintenance unit can be transported by common transport equipment such as a standard wafer cassette, standard mechanical interface box, standard front-opening unified pod. It is configured to match the front end interface.

  Typical sensor device charging systems include the use of contact points that apply voltage / current directly to the sensor device to align the wireless charging system, such as an induction coil, with limited sensor devices. You may use contact points that apply voltage / current directly to the area that you have. Both of these systems, due to the nature of these systems, require a specific alignment on the sensor wafer, depending on which charging system is selected. By limiting the positioning, which is preferred for the maintenance unit embodiment shown here, these limitations are removed.

  One way to overcome these limitations is to place either a contact or induction coil charging system in the center of the wafer. In this case, the center of the wafer is always a predictable location, and that location does not move even when the wafer rotates. However, the central part of the sensor device is an important part for sensor placement. While this arrangement is possible in some embodiments of the present invention, a more preferred embodiment includes the charging system being located away from the center of the sensor device.

  In a contact charging system, a more preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an annular connection system. In one arrangement, each of the concentric sensor devices is associated with a set of electrical connections exposed in the housing of the maintenance unit so that one of the wheels will contact each other. An annular connection system having a set of annular electrical connections is also included. Also, in some arrangements, the connection wheel can be connected to the maintenance unit so that when the sensor device is fully inserted into the maintenance unit, the contact range can be moved to match the contact portion for charging the sensor device. It is arranged so as to surround it. In this way, contact is always made regardless of the position of the sensor device.

  In some sensor device embodiments, such as electronic device manufacturing processes, it is preferable to use a wireless charging mechanism because physical contact with the sensor device can potentially generate particles. . In such cases, the preferred embodiment of the present invention also includes a novel system that inductively carries power from the maintenance unit to the sensor device.

  A charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The charging system is arranged so that the power sources built in the sensor device 3000 and the sensor device 3101 can be charged or recharged. In a preferred embodiment, the built-in power source of the sensor device is a battery. However, other types of power supplies can be used. The basic principle of inductively coupling a power source and a medium receiving power with power is well known to those skilled in the art.

The power charging system according to one embodiment of the present invention is concentrically wound like a sensor device induction coil 3210 shown in FIG. 7, and is conductive like an induction coil that is flat and has a large number of turns . Inductive coils made of these materials are included. Induction coils are well known in the art. Virtually any induction coil can be used as the induction coil 3210. The sensor device induction coil 3210 is connected to the sensor device 3101. Additionally, the sensor device induction coil 3210 is exposed on the surface of the sensor device 3101 or is inside the sensor device 3101. More clearly, the sensor device induction coil 3210 has other electrical configurations of the sensor device 3101 so that the power connected to the sensor device induction coil 3210 can be provided to the built-in power supply of the sensor device 3101. It is to be handled as a pickup coil connected to the element. The other electrical components of the sensor device 3101 connected to the sensor device induction coil 3210 include a commutation configuration that allows the production of a direct current from the alternating current generated in the sensor device induction coil 3210. Includes elements and electrical circuits. The direct current is used to charge a battery or other power source, and the other function is to provide power to an electrically active component incorporated within the sensor device 3101. In a preferred embodiment, the sensor device induction coil 3210 and the electrically active components connected to the sensor device induction coil 3210 are chemically and electrically inert materials and / or a protective function. It is completely surrounded by elements.

  The charging system includes a maintenance unit induction coil, such as the maintenance unit induction coil 3220 shown in FIG. The maintenance unit induction coil 3220 has one or more rings of conductive material and serves as a transmission coil for the sensor device induction coil. As is typical for chargers, the charging system is connected to components and electrical circuits that allow an alternating current to be produced within the maintenance unit induction coil 3220. The components and electrical circuits that enable the production of alternating current within the maintenance unit induction coil 3220 are preferably included as part of the electrical module 3115 in the embodiment shown in FIG. Maintenance unit induction coil 3220 is preferably exposed within housing 3010 so that an alternating current can be generated within sensor device induction coil 3210 without physical contact with the sensor device. Further, the maintenance unit induction coil 3220 is preferably exposed in the housing 3010 to match the automated transport of the sensor device.

The operation of the charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention can be understood by comparison with a standard electrical transformer. In an ordinary electric transformer, there are two coils, a primary coil for conducting an alternating current and a secondary coil for generating an alternating current. These two coils are connected through magnetic induction formed around an axis (coaxial configuration) or formed around a magnetic core. The ratio of the number of turns between the two coils is determined by the relationship between the voltage and current in each coil. Conductor properties (diameter, material, insulator, etc.) and core material (eg, air, iron, etc.) determine the range of usable power and frequency. With regard to the theory, design and application examples of transformers, the technology is very developed and widely used.

  The use of open-type transformers (i.e., transformers where the primary and secondary coils are arranged with a significant spacing), a very established technique of connecting power without conducting materials It is. The use of mechanically independent primary and secondary coils is a well-known technique for powering movable objects. Systems that use the open transformer method to connect power require the primary and secondary coils to be carefully placed. The magnetic field generated by abruptly moving the primary coil away is generated relatively around the axis of the coil or on the side surface, but this magnetic field has a very small connection with the secondary coil. To do is very well known.

    In many semiconductor processing systems that use automated wafer handling machinery, the rotational alignment of sensor devices such as wafers or wafers is preserved when they are transported and processed. Do not mean. Therefore, the alignment of the sensor devices during rotation cannot be made clear when it enters the maintenance unit. The uncertainty of rotation alignment is an obstacle to use in sensor device technology, as described in US Pat. No. 6,691,068. The ability to effectively connect power to a sensor device such as a wafer without specifying a specific direction of rotation allows the use of sensor device technology in a highly automated processing facility. It is an inherent feature of some embodiments of the present invention that the rotational alignment between the induction coil of the sensor device and the induction coil of the maintenance unit is not a problem when connecting power between them. is there.

  In some embodiments of the present invention, connecting power from a stationary charging device, such as power charger 3050, to a sensor device, such as automatic sensor device 3000, as described by reference in FIG. Is also possible. This power connection is independent of the direction of rotation of the wafer in the charging device. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the independence of direction from the power connection is achieved as a result of the design of the sensor device induction coil and the design of the maintenance unit induction coil.

  In particular, in some embodiments, the sensor device induction coil 3210 is disposed on the sensor device 3101. If an induction coil is applied to semiconductor wafer processing, the sensor device can include a semiconductor wafer having a diameter of 200 mm or 300 mm. The sensor device induction coil 3210 is a typical relatively small flat coil, for example 25.4 mm in diameter, and is placed on the surface of the wafer. The dimensions, i.e., diameter and thickness, of the sensor device induction coil 3210 are minimized in order to reduce the influence of measurement and the influence of the presence of the sensor device induction coil 3210 on the processing status. The radius of the sensor device induction coil 3210 is specified as Rs. The center of the sensor device induction coil 3210 is arranged at a radius R1 with respect to the center of the wafer.

Maintenance unit induction coil 3220 is arranged in maintenance unit 3005 in FIG. 1 or maintenance unit 3100 in FIG. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the maintenance unit coil 3220 can be located outside the housing of the maintenance unit. For example, it can be attached to the outside of the surface of the housing. As shown in FIG. 8, the maintenance unit induction coil 3220 is configured by coupling two coaxial coils 3220A and 3220B. These coils have a common center point. When the sensor device 3101 exists in the maintenance unit 3100, the coil is arranged inside the maintenance unit 3100 so that the center point comes to a position corresponding to the center of the sensor device 3101. As shown in FIG. 9, the innermost diameter of this set of coils is R1-Rs, and the outermost diameter of this set of coils is R1 + Rs.
As shown in FIG. 8, the two coils are connected at 3220C so that current flows in the opposite direction in the two coils. That is, if the outer coil is wound clockwise, the inner coil is wound counterclockwise. The reverse is also possible.

During operation, the sensor device induction coil 3210 is arranged so that the center of the sensor device induction coil 3210 is located in the middle of the radius of the winding of the maintenance unit induction coil 3220, as shown in FIG. Yes. In other words, the center of the sensor device induction coil 3220 is arranged such that during the coiling of the inner coiled portion and 3220B of the outer coil 3220A. This means that the sensor device induction coil 3210 contacts the maintenance unit induction coil 3220 at two points. The current that circulates back through the maintenance unit induction coil 3220 will generate an additional unidirectional current in the sensor device induction coil 3210.

Whereas the center of the sensor device 3101 must be arranged to coincide with the center of the maintenance unit induction coil 3220 for a good connection, the direction of rotation of the sensor device 3101 is not very important. Even if the sensor device 3101 rotates in any direction, the power connection between the sensor device induction coil 3210 and the maintenance unit induction coil 3220 will be maintained in the desired state.
In certain embodiments of the charging system according to the present invention, significant design variables need to be identified. Some of these design variables are
a. Winding ratio-between the maintenance unit induction coil and the sensor device induction coil
Refers to the winding ratio
b. Initial voltage-refers to the voltage applied to the maintenance unit induction coil
c. Transmission frequency-Refers to the frequency of the alternating current of the primary voltage.
d. Spacing between coils-Transformers and power supplies to make the best use of these variables as the basis for powering a specific application that refers to the coaxial distance between coil planes. Clearly, you need to be familiar with the field of machine design. The embodiment of the present invention is related to the specific arrangement of the primary coil and the secondary coil that make the electrical connection of the open-type transformer in that the electrical connection is not affected by the arrangement during rotation.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the coil of the maintenance unit is referred to as the primary coil, but the outer radius is about 1 centimeter to about 9 centimeters, including all as long as it is within the range, the number of turns of the primary coil, may have a number of turns from 3 to about 30 times, including all cases as long as it is within the range of this number.
In addition, the power charger is arranged in the primary coil so that the primary voltage can be provided between 3 and 18 volts with the primary frequency between about 0.1 MHz and 4 MHz. . The power charger is arranged to provide the primary coil with a control frequency that is the resonant frequency of the primary coil or a subharmonic frequency. It is also possible to arrange the power charger so that the sensor device coil, referred to as the secondary coil, can be operated at a resonant frequency or a subharmonic frequency.

  Please refer to FIG. FIG. 10 shows a side view of a portion 3252 of a maintenance unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, a portion 3252 of the maintenance unit is shown including two sensor devices 3101. The maintenance unit partially shown in FIG. 10 has the characteristic that it is substantially the same as the corresponding part of the maintenance unit 3100 shown in FIG. FIG. 10 shows in more detail how the sensor device 3101 is held in the housing. The sensor device is held in a groove 3254 formed in the wall of the housing. FIG. 10 shows a relative arrangement example of the sensor device 3101 in relation to the maintenance unit induction coil. The maintenance unit induction coil 3220 shown in the cross section of FIG. 10 can also be embedded in the wall of the maintenance unit. Alternatively, the maintenance unit induction coil 3220 can be arranged on one surface of the wall of the maintenance unit as shown in FIG.

In view of what has been disclosed so far, a wide variety of embodiments of the charging system shown here can be produced by using one of the prior art. By way of example, additional embodiments of the present invention are shown as follows.
1. The method for connecting electricity between separable objects does not affect the way the objects are arranged when rotating.
2. In the method of the first embodiment, one of the separable objects is a relatively stationary charging device, and the second object is a sensor device.
3. In the method of the second embodiment, the sensor device has one or more induction pickup (secondary) coils, and the secondary coil is arranged with a certain radius in relation to the central portion of the sensor device. The charging device has two or more inductive charging (primary) coils, each of which is arranged on the same axis, the approximate radius of the primary coil and the secondary coil There are differences in the estimation of the radius. The primary coils are electrically connected to each other so that current flows in the opposite direction among the adjacent coils. The secondary coil is arranged to take a distance from the center of the sensor device corresponding to the center point of the radius of the primary coil.
4). An apparatus utilizing the method of Example 3, the secondary coil has a radius of 15 cm from 1 cm, the secondary coil has a winding number of 30 times from 3 times the radius 0 To 8cm secondary coil is placed in the center of a 200mm diameter silicon wafer.
5. In the apparatus using the method of Example 3, the secondary coil supplies power to the rectifying electronic circuit.
6). In the apparatus of the fifth embodiment, the rectifying electronic circuit is a voltage doubling electronic circuit.
7). In the apparatus of Example 5, the secondary coil is operated at the resonance frequency or the subharmonic frequency.
8). An apparatus utilizing the method of Example 3, the primary coil radius is 9 cm from 1 cm, has a number of turns of 30 times from 3 times.
9. In the apparatus using the method of Example 3, the primary voltage is 3 to 18 volts, and the primary frequency is 0.1 to 4 MHz.
10. In the apparatus of the ninth embodiment, the primary operation frequency is the resonance frequency or the subharmonic frequency of the primary coil.

    The contact and transmission method uses a physical electrical connection with the sensor device to send data. Therefore, the preferred embodiment of the present invention will share the same problem. And a solution such as a wireless recharging system has been described above.

  However, for the same reason as in the recharging system, wireless communication is incorporated into the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Some types of these wireless communication systems, such as infrared communication systems, only transmit and receive radio waves in a specific direction. For example, in an embodiment of the present invention having an infrared communication system, an external transceiver needs to be arranged close to the transmitter and receiver of the sensor device in order to ensure a good communication state. In these cases, embodiments of the present invention include a composite infrared transceiver that is exposed in the housing of the maintenance unit and arranged in an annular shape. Thus, no matter what the orientation of the sensor device arranged in the housing of the maintenance unit, one of the transceivers is directed to the transceiver of the sensor device. Alternatively, in another embodiment of the present invention, the maintenance unit may be provided with a maintenance unit for redirecting infrared rays toward the central transceiver of the maintenance unit, regardless of the rotational arrangement of the sensor device. It has a set of prisms exposed in the housing. The embodiment of the present invention includes a component for omnidirectional wireless communication as another method for avoiding the above-described problem of transmitting and receiving only a radio wave in a specific direction.

However, in typical sensor devices, power conservation is a primary concern, and typical wireless communication systems draw excessive power in some applications. In such a case, a more preferred embodiment of the present invention includes components for the novel “through the coil” communication device.

  A communication device through a coil according to an embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment of the invention, FIG. 11 shows a component 3300 for receiving power used for communication and charging a power source. FIG. 12 shows a component 3400 for communicating with the components shown in FIG. 11 and for sending the power received by the components of FIG. 11 to charge the power source. In other words, the component 3300 shown in FIG. 11 communicates with the component 3400 shown in FIG. The component 3400 shown in FIG. 12 inductively connects power to the component shown in FIG. 11 so that the power source of the component shown in FIG. 11 is charged. In the embodiment of charging a sensor device using a sensor device maintenance unit, the component 3300 shown in FIG. 11 is included in the sensor device to charge the power supply of the sensor device. The component 3400 shown in FIG. 12 is included in the power charger of the sensor device maintenance unit.

  The component 3300 includes a sensor device induction coil 3310 connected to the AC-DC converter 3320 so that the AC current generated in the coil 3310 can be provided to the converter 3320 in order to output a DC current. Is included. Component 3300 also includes a power source 3322. The power source 3322 is connected to the converter 3320 to receive a direct current output from the converter 3320 so that the power source 3322 can be charged or recharged. Additionally, the direct current output from converter 3320 can be split such that a portion of the current goes to power source 3322. The remaining current can then be converted to provide operating power 3324 for the sensor device. In other words, the converter 3320 can be connected to the power bus of the sensor device in order to operate the electrically influencing components of the sensor device.

  Component 3300 also includes an information processor 3325. Information processor 3325 may be a microprocessor, a computer, an application specific integrated circuit, a different type of electronic device that processes information and executes instructions. The power supply 3322 and the information processor 3325 are connected so that one or more indicators for indicating the status of the power supply can be provided to the information processor 3325. Indicators for indicating the state of the power source include things such as the discharge rate of the power source, the voltage and current to be used to charge the power source.

  The component 3300 further includes a variable impedance, such as an electronic circuit, that can rapidly change the impedance of the sensor device induction coil 3310. The variable impedance 3330 is arranged so that the impedance can be changed in response to a command from the information processor 3325. The variable impedance 3330 is connected to the information processor 3325 so that instructions can be received from the information processor 3325. The variable impedance 3330 is connected to the sensor device induction coil 3310 so that the impedance of the sensor device induction coil 3310 changes by changing the impedance of the variable impedance 3330.

  In order to detect whether a current flow is present in the sensor device induction coil 3310, the component 3300 includes a current detector 3340 connected to the sensor device induction coil 3310. The current detector 3340 can also be configured with an electronic circuit that detects a current as used in a current pickup. The current detector 3340 is connected to the information processor 3325 so as to be able to provide the information processor 3325 with information about whether current is present in the sensor device induction coil 3310. It is well known that the method of detecting current is only one of the methods used to monitor the state of the coil. Of course, other indicators of coils that inductively connect power can be used and are obvious to those skilled in the art in view of the disclosure herein.

  Component 3400 is connected to allow maintenance unit coil 3410 to use an alternating current to inductively connect power to maintenance unit coil 3410 and sensor device induction coil 3310. A DC-AC converter 3420. In other words, the converter 3420 has a function as a driving electronic circuit so that an alternating current can be produced in the coil 3410 of the maintenance unit. FIG. 12 shows a power source 3430 connected to provide power to the converter 3420. This arrangement represents a preferred embodiment in which the maintenance unit has an independent DC power source such as a battery. However, it is understood that other arrangements are possible, such as a maintenance unit connected to an external power supply that is not a DC power supply. In some embodiments, the maintenance unit can be arranged to receive power as an external power source.

  Component 3400 also includes an information processor 3440, a switch 3450, and an impedance meter 3450, such as a microprocessor, computer, application specific integrated circuit, different types of electronic equipment that processes information and executes instructions. Have. The impedance meter 3460 is connected to the maintenance unit coil 3410 and the information processor 3440 to provide an impedance measurement result of the maintenance unit coil 3410 so that information is input to the information processor 3440. The information processor 3440 is connected to the switch 3450 in order to control opening and closing of the switch 3450. This arrangement allows the electronic circuit to quickly or not cause the power output of the maintenance unit induction coil 3410 to occur. Of course, the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 for controlling the current flowing in the maintenance unit induction coil 3410 is provided only in the case as shown. There are a wide variety of examples of hardware arrangements for obtaining fundamentally the same results. For example, the information processor 3440 can be connected to the converter 3420 to control the current output by the converter 3420. In a desirable arrangement example, the information processor 3440 can control the power output of the maintenance unit induction coil 3410 according to the measurement result of the impedance from the impedance meter 3460. In other words, this preferred embodiment allows the electronic circuit to measure a time that is determined by the impedance of the maintenance unit induction coil 3410.

  For an example of a method that allows both component 3300 and component 3400 to communicate while charging a power source 3322 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the following operational procedure with reference to FIGS. It can be explained by using. In the example shown below, the component 3300 shown in FIG. 11 is incorporated in the sensor device as described above, and the component 3400 shown in FIG. 12 is installed in the maintenance unit as described above. It has been incorporated.

  Maintenance unit coil 3410 is operated with a predetermined “wake-up pattern” in an on state (application of alternating current). In this case, current is flowing. In the off state, no current flows. In this embodiment, the “wake-up pattern” includes a state in which an on-off pulse is rapidly generated many times due to a long on state. Optionally, a “wake-up pattern” is initiated at intermittent time intervals or in response to an external signal that a sensor device is present in the maintenance unit. The “wake-up form” will cause a pulse of alternating current to be generated inside a suitably arranged sensor device induction coil 3310.

  Actuating the converter 3320 will produce a direct current from the alternating current generated by the coil 3310 and the coil 3410. In the preferred case, the magnitude of the direct current is such that it can charge the power supply 3322 as well as directly provide the operating power 3324 to provide power to the sensor device.

  The current detector 3340 detects the current in the sensor device induction coil 3310 and generates a digital pulse corresponding to the “wake-up pattern”. The digital pulse is provided for input to an information processor 3325 inside the sensor device. If the digital pulse pattern is recognized by the information processor 3325 as a legitimate “wake-up pattern”, the information processor 3325 will continue until the current in the sensor device induction coil 3310 remains on for a period of time. Will wait. If the information processor is determined to be on for a period of time, the information processor activates the variable impedance 3330 to change the impedance of the sensor device induction coil. Changes in impedance include high and low impedance in response to pre-programmed “wake-up patterns” or other predetermined recognizable patterns.

  The impedance meter 3460 detects a change in mounting the maintenance unit induction coil 3410 caused by a change in the impedance of the sensor device induction coil 3310 when it is turned on for a certain period. Information about the change in impedance is provided to the information processor 3440 as a digital input signal. If the digital input signal is recognized as a valid “wake-up pattern” by the information processor 3440, the component 3400 is in communication mode, eg, turned on so that the component 3300 can respond. By using an on-off pulse of the current of the maintenance unit induction coil, such as a pre-programmed pulse pattern generated by maintaining, a “pattern of communication completion” is output.

  Upon recognizing the “completion pattern”, the component 3300 uses the stored data regarding the state and the impedance change used for the sensor device induction coil 3310, that is, the signal converted from the impedance change pattern. But download them. After the sensor device has downloaded any stored data, the component 3300 continues to send power supply 3322 status information. Maintenance unit induction coil 3410 remains energized as long as component 3300 issues a command that power source 3322 needs to be charged.

A more detailed description of embodiments of the invention follows. Submitted on-wafer Technologies on August 22, 2000, in the sensor device which is automated similar to U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,068 of Incorporated Ray tee de, at about 3 cm in diameter, induction connection having the number of turns of roughly 10 times A coil is used. In the arrangement of electrically affected sensor device components, referred to as “sensor system”, the induction coil is manufactured as an integrated part of the printed wiring board.

The induction coil is connected to a rectifying electronic circuit composed of two diodes and a capacitor which is generally arranged for use as a voltage doubling device. One feature of this rectifying electronic circuit is that the series capacitor plays a role in blocking the reverse current of the direct current. The output of the rectifying electronics is connected to the sensor battery directly or through a voltage regulator. Capacitors and diodes are best used at frequencies between 400kHz and 4MHz, voltages from maximum to maximum (in the case of open electronic circuits) of 2 to 10 volts, and current of 0.5 to 5mA. (In case of short circuit electronic circuit). In this preferred embodiment, the inductive connection coil is designed to resonate in series over a specific frequency range.

The induction coil is connected to a voltage rectifying electronic circuit including a commonly used low-pass RC filter. The low-pass filter is connected directly to the induction coil through a diode or is connected at a diode node in the rectifying electronic circuit. Resistors and capacitors are selected based on the desired communication ratio and charging current frequency. The criterion is to block the high frequency, which is the charging frequency, while allowing the low frequency to pass. The output of the low-pass rectifying electronic circuit is input as a digital signal to an information processor such as a sensor device microprocessor. If current is generated in the induction coil, it will be detected by the microprocessor and turned on. If no current is generated, it is turned off. In the preferred embodiment, the voltage rectification electronics are designed to be sensitive to signals between 9.6 kHz and 57.6 kHz.

  The switch member is connected to the induction coil. The switch member is connected in contact with the two ends of the induction coil so that when activated, the coil has a low impedance. The switch member is connected to and controlled by the sensor device microprocessor. In the embodiment of the present invention, the switch member is an NMOS transistor. Actuating the switch member causes a significant change in the impedance of the induction coil. The switch member that changes the impedance operates with very little electric power. Therefore, little battery power is consumed for communication with the external system. The NMOS transistor is selected because the voltage ratio is 20 volts or more and the voltage when energized is 3 volts or less.

  The combination of the rectifying electronic circuit, the voltage rectifying electronic circuit, and the electronic circuit capable of changing the impedance enables a battery charging function and bidirectional communication.

In one embodiment, the external charging coil is about 3 cm in diameter, and a five turns. The coil is configured as an integrated part of the power charging printed wiring board. In one embodiment, the external charging coil and the connecting coil inside the sensor device are arranged coaxially at an interval of 1 mm to 10 mm. The components associated with the charging coil are designed to resonate in series between 400 kHz and 4 megahertz.

  In one embodiment, the external charging coil is operated by a standard oscillator through a current buffer. The current buffer can be activated or deactivated by a digital signal provided by an external control system. In the preferred embodiment, a digitally controlled oscillator that can easily maximize the vibration frequency is utilized. In the preferred embodiment, the frequency of the oscillator can be between 400 kHz and 4 megahertz. The current buffering interval is determined by whether the switch can be turned on or off at the desired communication frequency (9.6 kHz to 57.6 kHz). Communication with the automated sensor device is performed by turning charging current on and off according to a predetermined pattern.

  In addition to the oscillator and current buffer, the external charging electronics are connected to impedance monitoring electronics such as an impedance meter. In one embodiment, the electronic circuit includes an amplifier set to capacitive coupling that provides an input signal to the comparator through a low pass filter electronic circuit. The amplifier is set to select and amplify a signal at a desired communication frequency (9.6 kHz to 57.6 kHz) or a frequency band close thereto. By operating the low-pass filter and the comparator electronic circuit, a digital output signal is transmitted according to the apparent impedance or charging coil loading. The loading of the external charging coil is changed by operating an electronic circuit that changes the impedance in the automated sensor device. This change is determined by the impedance monitoring electronics.

  The combination of oscillator / buffer electronics and impedance monitoring electronics that select portions of the radio signal that fall within a specific amplitude range or specific time interval not only enables bidirectional communication, but is also automated. It is also possible to provide power to the sensor device.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the power of the sensor device and the maintenance unit can be connected to the automated sensor device wirelessly, can communicate simultaneously, and the power is connected using the same coil. It has one or more features such as being able to communicate and having a simple circuit design with few components.

Those skilled in the art of electronic design recognize that many of the disclosed embodiments may be modified and that the embodiments may be implemented with each other. Considering currently known matters, the scope of expansion and correction of these embodiments is as follows.
Coil design - in the preferred embodiment, uses two diameter 3 cm coil having a winding number of 10 times each and 5 times. The size, number of turns , method of assembly, and relative orientation of the coils are easily modified for maximum utilization in a particular embodiment.

Charging coil control-In a preferred embodiment, a digital signal controlled oscillator and a current buffer that selects a portion of the radio signal within a specific amplitude region or time interval to obtain the desired function. We are using. Many different types of oscillators, frequency bands, and tuning methods can be utilized to achieve similar results.

Current Rectification-The preferred embodiment utilizes voltage doubling rectification electronics. Although this electronic circuit has advantages in certain embodiments, the electronic circuit can be easily replaced with other commonly known rectifying electronic circuits.

Charge detection electronics-The preferred embodiment utilizes low pass filtered voltage detection electronics to determine the state of the charge current. This simple electronic circuit consists of minimal passive components. However, this electronic circuit can be applied in various ways.

Adjusting the impedance-In the preferred embodiment, the impedance of the inductive connection coil in the sensor device is adjusted to communicate with the maintenance unit. Although this method has certain benefits in certain embodiments of the invention, it is not a fundamental component. Communication with an external device can be performed in many ways, for example, by sending an activity signal to an inductive connection coil.

Impetance detection-In a preferred embodiment, communication is made from an automated sensor device to an external device by detecting changes in charging coil loading. This method has the advantage that charging can be performed at the same time and communication can be performed with minimal power consumption inside the automated sensor device. Many different electronic circuit arrangements can be used to detect loading effects or regulated signals input to other charging coils.

In other embodiments, the communication device includes a power charger that provides power to charge the sensor device. The communication device includes a primary coil, an oscillating electronic circuit that generates an alternating current in the primary coil, an electronic circuit that changes the characteristics of the primary coil, and an electronic circuit that detects changes in the characteristics of the primary coil. The communication device is arranged to supply power to the primary coil when the control frequency is 400 kHz to 4 MHz. The primary coil resonates in series at 400 kHz to 4 MHz. The communication device is arranged to vary the control frequency with a frequency of 9.6kHz to 57.6kHz, and for modulation, from 20% to 80% or more of the maximum signal level of power provided to the primary coil Amplitude changes are included. The communication device can be arranged such that the control frequency can be changed, and the modulation includes a case where the control frequency is suddenly changed in a range of about 400 kHz to about 4 MHz. Detected changes in the primary coil characteristics can also include changes in the apparent impedance of the primary coil. The communication device can also be arranged to measure the change in the apparent impedance of the primary coil by measuring the change in the amplitude of the control voltage applied to the primary coil. Furthermore, the apparent impedance change occurs when the frequency is between 9.6 kHz and 56.7 kHz. The communication device can be arranged to modulate the control frequency. Modulation includes changing the amplitude of the electrical signal applied to the primary coil. Further, the communication device is arranged to change the frequency of the electrical signal applied to the primary coil. In other embodiments, the detected change in the state of the secondary coil is determined by whether an electrical signal is present in a predetermined frequency band.

Please refer to FIG. There, there is shown a perspective view of a maintenance unit 3500 that holds a single sensor device 3510 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A maintenance unit 3500 shown in FIG. 13 includes a lid 3530 with a hinge and a housing 3520. The lid can be closed so that the interior of the housing is substantially isolated from the surrounding environment. In FIG. 13, the maintenance unit 3500 is open, and the sensor device 3510 is present in the housing 3520. The maintenance unit 3500 shown in FIG. 13 includes substantially the same electrical components as described in the embodiment shown in FIGS. The electrical components of the maintenance unit 3500 are incorporated into the housing 3520 as is not visible in FIG.

The maintenance unit 3500 also has an optical display installed on the outer wall of the maintenance unit. Display 3540 is a display such as a light emitting diode display, liquid crystal display, or other type of optical display connected to the housing of the maintenance unit. Display 3540 is connected to an electrical module to receive information and power to operate the display. Preferably, the display 3540 is visible even when the housing 3520 is closed. The display 3540 can be used to visually convey status information about the maintenance unit and / or the status of the sensor device included in the maintenance unit.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the maintenance unit is arranged to automatically test the sensor device to obtain information such as battery status, battery exhaustion, battery needs to be renewed, etc. It is also possible. The maintenance unit can be arranged to communicate with the factory automation system to download instructions to collect data and inform the device which wafers to take out of the maintenance unit. In other words, the maintenance unit has a communication device to communicate with an external information source.

Selective embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of what is disclosed in this specification. For example, according to the concept of a maintenance unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, virtually any standard such as a front-opening unified pod (FOUP), a standard mechanical interface box, a wafer cassette, a single wafer FOUP, etc. A typical wafer box can be used. A 300 mm front-opening unified pod is shown in FIG.

In addition, a single wafer maintenance unit can be manufactured not to resemble a standard mechanical interface. Even in such a maintenance unit, it is possible to provide a maintenance function that automatically recharges power and downloads data, even if the full cassette version is not large. Such a maintenance unit is shown in FIG. Such a maintenance unit requires an investigator, a person to repair the device, an educational user, and a combined sensor device, in addition to providing an easy-to-use aspect with the ability to automatically recharge and download data. It will be useful for those who do not.

In other embodiments, the maintenance unit is arranged to be insertable into the processing tool. In other words, the processing apparatus is designed to have a chamber that can contain a maintenance unit. In some embodiments, for example, the composite sensor device is useful for housing within an exposure track system. In this way, the truck can automatically pull the sensor device from the internal storage location and activate the sensor device through the track without having to connect the factory automation system to return the maintenance unit from the storage location. It is. Such a scenario has many functions of automatically recharging the maintenance unit and downloading data even when the sensor device is incorporated in the device. In this type of embodiment, the maintenance unit is mechanically positioned to fit within the chamber of the processing tool.

Reference is made to FIG. FIG. 14 shows another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a conceptual top view of a processing tool 3600 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The processing tool 3600 is arranged for the processing of products being manufactured such as semiconductor wafers, flat panel display substrates, and light exposure masks. The processing tool 3600 has a workpiece handler 3610 having a handler chamber 3615 that contains a robot 3620 that handles the product under manufacture. For illustration purposes, FIG. 14 shows that the robot 3620 is holding a workpiece 3625, such as a semiconductor wafer. Workpiece handlers are commonly used to process workpieces such as semiconductor wafers. Workpiece handlers used for processing semiconductor wafers typically have multiple faces, sometimes referred to as “facets”. These surfaces are typically provided with doorways to allow workpieces to be routed therethrough. An additional chamber is attached to the surface of the workpiece handler so that the robot can move the workpiece between the chambers. In the embodiment of FIG. 14, workpiece handler 3610 has eight sides. The processing chamber 3630 is connected to one of the surfaces, and the other processing chamber 3630 is connected to the second surface. A load lock 3640 is connected to one of the eight surfaces, and a second load lock 3640 is connected to the other one of the eight surfaces. Furthermore, the processing chamber 3630 can be used for etching, plasma etching, post-exposure baking, chemical mechanical planarization, chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, dry method, ion implantation, plasma chemical vapor deposition, photoresist removal. It is possible to arrange for such processing. The embodiment shown in FIG. 14 has a sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 connected to one of the eight sides of the workpiece handler.

The sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 is provided for storing and maintaining the sensor device as described above. The sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 is arranged to hold a sensor device with dimensions similar to the dimensions of the product being manufactured that the processing tool will process. Of course, the sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 can be modified to bridge the differences between the product being manufactured and the sensor device. In one embodiment, the sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 is arranged to hold one sensor device. In an alternative embodiment, sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 is arranged to hold one or more sensor devices.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 includes a housing, an information processor, a power source, an information transceiver, a power charger that connects power from the power source to charge the power source of the sensor device, a sensor device detector, It has a sensor device directivity detector. Preferably, the sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 is arranged so as to be able to have the function of the maintenance unit shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

In other embodiments of the sensor device maintenance chamber 3650, an arrangement different from that shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is possible. This is because the sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 is part of the processing tool 3600 and can share other components of the processing tool 3600 rather than having exactly the same components. In an embodiment, the sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 does not have a dedicated information processor and can share an information processor that is part of the processing tool 3600. In other embodiments of the invention, the sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 does not have a sensor device detector. This is because the processing tool 3600 is arranged so as to follow the arrangement of the sensor device. Similarly, the processing tool 3600 is arranged to control the orientation of the sensor device such that the sensor device is provided to the sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 in a predetermined direction. In the preferred embodiment, the sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 does not have a dedicated power source and is connected to a power source that is used to power the processing tool 3600. A typical power source for processing tools is a power supply facility referred to as “the house electrical power”.

In view of the content disclosed herein, one of ordinary skill in the art will be able to conceive other embodiments of the present invention. In other embodiments of the present invention, the sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 functions like a load lock for carrying products under manufacture. In other words, the sensor device maintenance chamber 3650 has a load lock function. Such an arrangement reduces the footprint of the processing tool and allows other surfaces of the workpiece handler 3610 to be opened for other uses.

Refer to FIG. FIG. 15 shows a maintenance unit 3700 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The maintenance unit 3700 is essentially the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 10 except for the embodiment of FIG. 15 which details the more preferred arrangement. The maintenance unit 3700 has the same housing 3110 and electrical module 3115 as shown in FIGS. The maintenance unit 3700 has a coil 3222 fitted in the surface of the housing 3110 that forms the hole 3222A. For illustration purposes, the sensor device 3101 (drawn in dotted lines) is fitted in each of two grooves provided in the maintenance unit to hold the sensor device. The maintenance unit has a camera for each sensor device 3101. The camera 3710 is exposed to each sensor device 3101 so that the upper surface of the sensor device 3101 can be seen. The camera 3710 is arranged so that it can be used to take a picture of the surface of the sensor device 3101 and determine the orientation of the sensor device as described above. In a preferred embodiment, the camera 3710 is suspended above the center of the sensor device 3101 using a camera support 3720.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the maintenance unit as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. It has a combination of sensor devices that is essentially the same as shown. More specifically, the sensor device has an information processor and a power source. The maintenance unit is arranged so that a power source incorporated in the sensor device can be charged wirelessly. The information processor is connected to the power source so that the charging of the power source can be monitored. In a more specific case, the information processor is arranged to detect when the maintenance unit is out of power. The information processor is programmed with executable instructions including operational instructions for controlling data collection. In other words, the information processor is set to operate a predetermined data collection program in response to the sensor device not receiving power to charge the power supply. In this embodiment, the power charger is set so that the wireless power connection efficiency decreases as the distance between the maintenance unit and the sensor device increases. Preferably, the power connection efficiency is substantially zero when the sensor device is removed from the maintenance unit or when separated from the maintenance unit. The advantage of this setting is that the sensor device automatically starts a data collection sequence when the sensor device is removed from the maintenance unit or shortly thereafter. No commands or human intervention is required to start the data collection process. Further, the sensor device is set to stop the data collection process when the charging of the power source is started. In other words, the sensor device is set to stop data collection when the sensor device is returned to the maintenance unit.

Other embodiments of the present invention have a sensor device maintenance chamber as shown in FIG. 14 and a combination of sensor devices that are essentially the same as described above. More specifically, the sensor device has an information processor and a power source. The maintenance chamber is arranged so that a power source incorporated in the sensor device can be charged wirelessly. The information processor is connected to the power source so that the charging of the power source can be monitored. In a more specific case, the information processor is arranged to detect when the maintenance chamber is de-energized. The information processor is programmed with executable instructions including operational instructions for controlling data collection. In other words, the information processor is set to operate a predetermined data collection program in response to the sensor device not receiving power to charge the power supply.

Of course, the embodiments of the present invention can be applied to wireless sensor devices used for purposes other than processing of semiconductor wafers, flat panel display substrates, and light exposure masks. However, automatic charging, automatic data download, and automatic data processing will be useful in a wide variety of devices that require communication and power transport other than sensor devices. In other words, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to being applied to the arrangement of sensor devices.

In the foregoing description, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the detailed description and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. All these modifications are expected to fall within the scope of the present invention.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems are described above for specific embodiments. However, the benefits, benefits, solutions to the problem and the benefits, benefits, and components that make it more obvious or become the basis for the essential, essential, and essential elements of all or any claim It is not interpreted as a feature or component.

As used in this specification, the words “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes”, “including”, “has”, “having”, “at least one of”, or any other of these Word variants indicate non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or device consisting of a series of components is not necessarily limited to these components, but includes other components such as processes, methods, articles, and devices not explicitly shown. Including. Conversely, unless explicitly stated, “or” indicates that it is not inclusive or exclusive. For example, the condition A “or” B is applicable in any of the following cases. A is true (or exists) and B is wrong (or does not exist), A is wrong (or does not exist), and B is correct (or exists), both A and B are correct (Existing).

It is a box-shaped figure by the Example of this invention. It is a box-shaped figure by the Example of this invention. It is a box-shaped figure by the Example of this invention. It is a box-shaped figure by the Example of this invention. It is a box-shaped figure by the Example of this invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram of a coil according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram of a coil according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a layout diagram of coils during operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

3000 sensor device 3005 maintenance unit 3005A maintenance unit 3005B maintenance unit 3005C maintenance unit 3010 housing 3020 information processor 3030 power supply 3040 information transmission receiver 3045 information transmission reception / power charger 3050 power charger 3060 sensor device detector 3070 sensor device directivity detection Machine

Claims (43)

A maintenance unit for maintaining and storing the sensor device,
The sensor device includes a power source and a substantially flat secondary coil wound at least once,
The secondary coil is connected to the power source to charge the power source,
The maintenance unit comprises a housing comprising a standard mechanical interface box or a front-opening unified pod for housing the sensor device;
A power supply attached to the housing;
It consists of a power charger that is electrically connected to the power supply of the maintenance unit to charge the power supply of the sensor device,
The power charger has a substantially flat primary coil that is wound at least two times, at least one turn of the primary coil is wound clockwise, and at least one turn is counterclockwise Wrapped around
By placing the secondary coil substantially parallel to the primary coil and in close proximity to the primary coil on a different plane, power is generated in the secondary coil when power is applied to the primary coil. , the maintenance unit. The maintenance unit according to claim 1, further comprising a communication device that performs information communication with the sensor device. The maintenance unit according to claim 1, wherein the power source of the maintenance unit comprises a rechargeable battery. The maintenance unit according to claim 1, wherein the power source of the maintenance unit includes at least one of a connection for using a rechargeable battery, a capacitor, a photovoltaic cell, and a power device. The maintenance unit according to claim 1, further comprising a status indicator for a power supply of the maintenance unit. The maintenance unit according to claim 1, further comprising a status indicator for a power source of the sensor device. The maintenance unit according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device has a support for a semiconductor wafer. 2. The maintenance unit of claim 1, wherein the housing is provided to hold a substrate selected from the group consisting of a semiconductor wafer substrate, a flat panel display substrate, an exposure mask substrate, and a printed wiring circuit substrate. . To be equal to the inner radius and the radius total of about half of the outside of the primary coil of the primary coil, the axis of the secondary coil are arranged at a shaft and spacing of the primary coil, according to claim 1 Maintenance unit. The maintenance unit of claim 1 , wherein the outer radius of the primary coil is about 1 cm to about 9 cm, and the number of turns of the primary coil is about 3 to 30 times. The maintenance unit of claim 1 , wherein the power charger is arranged to provide the primary coil with a primary voltage of about 3 volts to about 18 volts in a primary frequency band of about 0.1 MHz to about 4 MHz. . The maintenance unit of claim 1 , wherein the power charger is arranged to provide the primary coil with a control frequency that is a resonant frequency of the primary coil or a subharmonic frequency of the primary coil. The maintenance unit of claim 2, wherein the maintenance unit further comprises an information processor having executable code for operating and maintaining the sensor device . The maintenance unit according to claim 13 , further comprising a power source for supplying power to the information processor. The axis of the secondary coil is spaced apart from the axis of the primary coil so that it is equal to about half of the sum of the inner radius of the primary coil and the outer radius of the primary coil. 13 maintenance units. The maintenance unit of claim 13 , wherein the power charger is arranged to provide the primary coil with a primary voltage of about 3 volts to about 18 volts in a primary frequency band of about 0.1 MHz to about 4 MHz. . Communication equipment consists of supplying power charger power to charge the sensor device, the maintenance unit of claim 13. The communication device can change the primary coil, the oscillation electronic circuit that can generate an alternating current in the primary coil, the electronic circuit that can adjust the characteristics of the primary coil, and the changes in the characteristics of the primary coil. The maintenance unit according to claim 17 , comprising a detectable electronic circuit. 18. The maintenance unit according to claim 17 , wherein the communication device is arranged to supply power to the primary coil at a control frequency of 400 kHz to 4 MHz. The maintenance unit of claim 18 , wherein the primary coil resonates in series at a frequency of 400 kHz to 4 MHz. The communication device is set so that the control frequency can be changed between 9.6kHz and 57.6kHz, and the modulation is less than 20% to more than 80% of the maximum signal level of power provided to the primary coil 20. The maintenance unit of claim 19 , wherein the amplitude between is included. 20. The maintenance unit of claim 19 , wherein the communication device is arranged to change the control frequency and the modulation includes rapidly changing the control frequency between about 400 kHz and about 4 MHz. 19. The maintenance unit of claim 18 , wherein the detected changes in the primary coil characteristics include changes in the apparent impedance of the primary coil. 24. The maintenance unit according to claim 23 , wherein the communication device is arranged to measure a change in apparent impedance of the primary coil by measuring a change in amplitude of a control voltage applied to the primary coil. The maintenance unit according to claim 24 , wherein the change in apparent impedance is a frequency of 9.6 kHz to 56.7 kHz. 20. A maintenance unit according to claim 19 , wherein the communication device is arranged to be able to change the control frequency, and the modulation also includes changing the amplitude of the electrical signal applied to the primary coil. 20. The maintenance unit according to claim 19 , wherein the communication device is arranged so that the frequency of the electrical signal applied to the primary coil can be changed. The maintenance unit according to claim 13 , further comprising a sensor device detector for notifying that a sensor device is present in the housing. 14. The maintenance unit according to claim 13 , comprising an information storage device for storing at least one of data, calibration factors, and commands. The maintenance unit of claim 13 , comprising a connector for receiving power from an external power source. The maintenance unit according to claim 13 , further comprising a communication device that communicates with an external information source. Providing a sensor device, a housing for accommodating at least a part of the sensor device, by operating the sensor device, the information processor having an executable code for maintaining a communication device performing sensor device and information communication, power to the information processor Power supply, power charger that provides power to charge the sensor device, sensor device detector, sensor device directional detector, information storage device that stores at least one of data, calibration factor, command, from external power supply Consists of a combination of a connector that receives power and a second communication device to communicate with an external information source,
The sensor device includes a power source and a substantially flat secondary coil wound at least once,
The secondary coil is connected to the power source to charge the power source,
The power charger has a substantially flat primary coil that is wound at least two times, at least one turn of the primary coil is wound clockwise, and at least one turn is counterclockwise Wrapped around
By placing the secondary coil substantially parallel to the primary coil and in close proximity to the primary coil on a different plane, power is generated in the secondary coil when power is applied to the primary coil. ,apparatus 33. The apparatus of claim 32 , wherein the housing comprises a standard mechanical interface box, a front-opening unified pod, or a wafer cassette. 33. The apparatus of claim 32 , wherein the housing comprises a semiconductor wafer cassette. 34. The apparatus of claim 33 , wherein the housing is configured to hold one of a semiconductor wafer, a flat panel display substrate, and an exposure mask substrate. A combination of a substrate processing tool having a processing chamber for processing a substrate and a sensor device maintenance chamber for accommodating at least one sensor device, a sensor device having a power source, an internal communicator and a secondary coil. A device,
The sensor device maintenance chamber can be electrically connected to the sensor device to charge the power source,
In addition, it is arranged so that it can communicate with the sensor device through the internal communicator,
The secondary coil has a substantially flat shape with at least one turn,
The secondary coil is connected to the power source to charge the power source,
The sensor device maintenance chamber has a substantially flat primary coil wound at least twice, wherein at least one turn of the primary coil is wound clockwise, and at least one turn is counterclockwise Wound in the direction,
By placing the secondary coil substantially parallel to the primary coil and in close proximity to the primary coil on a different plane, power is generated in the secondary coil when power is applied to the primary coil. ,
apparatus. 38. The apparatus of claim 36 , wherein the processing chamber is configured for processing semiconductor wafers. 37. The apparatus of claim 36 , wherein the processing chamber is configured for a flat panel display manufacturing process or an exposure mask manufacturing process. 38. The apparatus of claim 36 , wherein the processing chamber is configured for electronic device manufacturing processes. Process chamber consists of etching, plasma etching, post-exposure baking, chemical mechanical planarization, chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, dry method, ion implantation, plasma chemical vapor deposition, photoresist removal 40. The apparatus of claim 36 , configured for processing selected from a group. A sensor device having an information processor, a power source and a secondary coil ;
A device that is a combination of a housing that interfaces with tools for processing products under manufacture and a sensor device maintenance unit that has a charger for wirelessly charging a power source,
The sensor device is positioned so that it can detect when it is not receiving power from the maintenance unit, and the information processor has determined that the sensor device has not received power to charge the power supply. Depending on the, it has an executable instruction to operate a predetermined data collection program,
The secondary coil has a substantially flat shape with at least one turn, and is connected to the power source to charge the battery;
The sensor device maintenance unit has a primary coil for generating a current in the secondary coil,
The primary coil has a substantially flat shape with at least two turns, at least one turn is wound clockwise, and at least one turn is wound counterclockwise,
By placing the secondary coil substantially parallel to the primary coil and in close proximity to the primary coil on a different plane, power is generated in the secondary coil when power is applied to the primary coil. , Equipment. 42. The combined apparatus of claim 41 , wherein the housing comprises a front-opening unified pod for a semiconductor wafer processing tool. 42. The combined apparatus of claim 41 , wherein the housing comprises a standard mechanical interface box for semiconductor wafer processing tools.

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