Patent ID: 8026113

Claim:
A method of monitoring a semiconductor processing system that comprises a processing chamber, an automatic pressure controller, a flow rate adjuster, a vacuum pump, a gas supply system, an exhaust system, and a plurality of gas lines, wherein the plurality of gas lines includes at least one gas feed line coupling the gas supply system to the processing chamber and at least one gas exhaust line coupling the processing chamber to the exhaust system, the method comprising: positioning a plurality of non-invasive sensors on respective outer surfaces of at least one of the plurality of gas lines in the semiconductor processing system and on the respective outer surface of at least one of the automatic pressure controller, the flow rate adjuster, and the vacuum pump, wherein the plurality of non-invasive sensors form a wireless sensor network; acquiring a sensor signal from the plurality of sensors in the wireless sensor network, wherein the sensor signal tracks a gradual or abrupt change in a processing state of at least one of the plurality of gas lines during a semiconductor manufacturing process comprising flow of a process gas in the processing system; and extracting the sensor signal from the wireless sensor network to store and process the sensor signal.