Patent ID: 11972971
Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A method, comprising:
providing, by a pressure sensor included in a wafer lift pin system, pressure sensor data to a controller included in the wafer lift pin system;
determining, by the controller and based on the pressure sensor data, that a gas is being supplied to the wafer lift pin system;
transmitting, by the controller and based on determining that the gas is being supplied to the wafer lift pin system, an indication of a pressure setting to a proportional valve included in the wafer lift pin system; and
providing, by the proportional valve, a supply of the gas to one or more lift pins to cause the one or more lift pins to raise a semiconductor wafer that is supported on the one or more lift pins,
wherein the proportional valve determines a pressure of the supply of the gas to the one or more lift pins and modulates the supply of the gas to the one or more lift pins such that the pressure of the gas is within a threshold of the pressure setting.