Patent ID: 11913777
Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  H | IPC G  H

Claim 0:
1. A method comprising:
raising multiple wafer lift pins of a substrate support assembly disposed in a processing chamber, wherein the multiple wafer lift pins are configured to handle wafers;
setting a diagnostic disc on the wafer lift pins, wherein the diagnostic disc includes kinematic couplings designed to precisely receive the wafter lift pins, and wherein the diagnostic disc comprises at least one non-contact sensor positioned over a process kit ring of the substrate support assembly;
acquiring sensor data, using the at least one non-contact sensor, of a top surface of the process kit ring, wherein at least a portion of the process kit ring is within a field of view of the at least one non-contact sensor;
analyzing, by a computing system, the sensor data to determine a degree of erosion of the top surface of the process kit ring; and
in response to determining that the degree of erosion meets an end-of-life threshold, initiating automated replacement of the process kit ring.