Patent ID: 6123983
Filing Date: 2000-09-26
Classification: G01J

Abstract:
A system for running a plasma process, said system comprising:a processing chamber;a plasma generator in said plasma chamber, wherein a plasma process may be run on product in said processing chamber when said plasma generator is activated;a plasma monitoring assembly operatively interfaced with said processing chamber and comprising a computer-readable storage medium, said computer-readable storage medium comprising a first data structure comprising a plurality of data entries, wherein each said data entry corresponds with a plasma process previously run in said processing chamber, wherein each said data entry is associated with one of first, second, and third categories, wherein each said data entry which has been associated with said first category means that its corresponding said plasma process which was previously run in said processing chamber was at least assumed to have proceeded without substantially any error, wherein each said data entry which has been associated with said first category comprises optical emissions data of at least a portion of a plasma used in its corresponding said plasma process at least every second during at least a first time period of its corresponding said plasma process, said first time period being after said plasma has stabilized and until at least substantially an end of its corresponding said plasma process wherein each said data entry which has been associated with said second category means that its corresponding said plasma process which was previously run in said processing chamber encountered at least one error and further that said at least one error has since been identified in said first data structure of said computer-readable storage medium, wherein each said data entry which has been associated with said second category comprises optical emissions data of at least a portion of a plasma used in its corresponding said plasma process at least at a time of the occurrence of said at least one error and which is indicative of said at least one error, and wherein each said data entry which has been associated with said third category means that its corresponding said plasma process which was previously run in said processing chamber encountered an unknown condition to said plasma monitoring assembly, wherein being a said unknown condition to said plasma monitoring assembly means that at least a portion of said data entry which has been associated with said third category failed to correspond with any said data entry which has been previously associated with either of said first category or said second category, and wherein each said data entry which has been associated with said third category comprises optical emissions data of a plasma used in the corresponding said plasma process at least from a time in the corresponding said plasma process after which the corresponding said plasma process encountered a said unknown condition to said plasma monitoring assembly.