Patent ID: 6833047
Filing Date: 2004-12-21
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
In a wafer etching apparatus having a reaction chamber including a dome cover, a plurality of lamps provided above the dome cover to uniformly and constantly maintain a temperature of the dome cover, and electric wires supplying electrical power to the lamps, an alarm apparatus for indicating a time to exchange at least one of the lamps, comprising:current quantity detecting devices provided for each of the electric wires supplying electric power to each of the lamps for detecting amounts of electric current flowing therethrough; a controller for checking the amounts of electric current through each of the current quantity detecting devices, and comparing the detected amounts of electric current with a predetermined amount of electric current, and an alarm operating in response to a comparison result produced by the controller, for timely indicating a proper exchange time to exchange any of the lamps having an amount of electric current less than the predetermined amount of electric current, wherein the controller stops operation of the wafer etching apparatus if a number of lamps where the amount of electric current flowing therein is less than the predetermined amount of electric current is more than a predetermined number of lamps.