Patent ID: 7430496

Claim:
A method of determining a status for a plasma processing system comprising: executing a process in said plasma processing system; monitoring a pressure control system, coupled to said plasma processing system, configured to control the pressure of said process in said plasma processing system; and determining at least one of a fault condition, an erroneous fault condition, or a service condition for said plasma processing system from said monitoring, wherein said determining said erroneous fault condition includes monitoring a first parameter associated with said pressure control system, and correlating an insubstantial change in said first parameter with a substantial change in a second parameter associated with a gas injection system coupled to said plasma processing system and configured to introduce a process gas to said plasma processing system, wherein said first parameter includes a position of a valve, a change in said position of said valve, or a rate of change in said position of said valve, or any combination of two or more thereof, wherein said second parameter includes a flow rate of said process gas into said plasma processing system, a change of said flow rate, or a rate of change of said flow rate, or any combination of two or more thereof, wherein said insubstantial change in said first parameter is determined by setting a threshold for an acceptable change to said first parameter and observing a monitored change in said first parameter that is less than said threshold for acceptable change to said first parameter, and wherein said substantial change in said second parameter is determined by setting a threshold for an acceptable change to said second parameter and observing a monitored change in said second parameter that is greater than said threshold for acceptable change to said second parameter.