Patent ID: 8834631
Filing Date: 2014-09-16
Classification: C23C,F16K,G01M,H03K

Abstract:
1. A processing apparatus, comprising: a processing chamber configured to accommodate a target object to be processed; gas supply paths provided in a corresponding relationship with the kinds of process gases supplied into the processing chamber; valves respectively arranged in the gas supply paths to open and close the gas supply paths; valve drive units configured to independently drive the valves; sensor units configured to independently monitor opening and closing operations of the valves; a control unit configured to determine operation statuses of the valves based on valve opening and closing drive signals transmitted to the valve drive units and/or valve opening and closing detection signals transmitted from the sensor units; a first counter unit configured to acquire one or more valve opening and closing drive signals for each valve and count the number of the valve opening and closing drive signals for each valve; and a second counter unit configured to acquire one or more valve opening and closing detection signals for a sensor unit corresponding to each valve and count the number of the valve opening and closing detection signals for the corresponding sensor unit, wherein the control unit determines an operation status of each valve by referring to the counted numbers of the first and the second counter unit and wherein the control unit determines the operation status of each valve to be normal if the counted numbers of the first and the second counter unit are identical and determines the operation status of each valve to be abnormal if otherwise.