US 12,084,771 B2
Control of liquid delivery in auto-refill systems
Zohreh Razavi Hesabi, Milpitas, CA (US); Cong Trinh, Santa Clara, CA (US); Kevin Griffin, Livermore, CA (US); Alexander V. Garachtchenko, Mountain View, CA (US); Kenric Choi, San Jose, CA (US); Vipin Jose, San Jose, CA (US); Saloni Sawalkar, Milpitas, CA (US); Maribel Maldonado-Garcia, San Jose, CA (US); and Kendrick H. Chaney, Santa Clara, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 2, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/189,963.
Prior Publication US 2022/0282379 A1, Sep. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. G05D 9/12 (2006.01); C23C 16/455 (2006.01); C23C 16/52 (2006.01); G01F 23/00 (2022.01); H01L 21/66 (2006.01); H01L 21/67 (2006.01)
CPC C23C 16/52 (2013.01) [C23C 16/45544 (2013.01); G01F 23/0007 (2013.01); G05D 9/12 (2013.01); H01L 21/67253 (2013.01); H01L 22/10 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of refilling an ampoule, the method comprising:
controlling operation of an auto-refill system having a plurality of liquid level sensors, each of the plurality of liquid level sensors positioned at a known location vertically along a height of an inner surface of the ampoule, each of the plurality of liquid level sensors configured to send a signal to a sensor controller for detecting a liquid level in the ampoule; the auto-refill system comprising the sensor controller and a gas delivery controller;
receiving a signal from a first liquid sensor of the plurality of liquid level sensors to the sensor controller, the first liquid sensor positioned a first distance from a bottom of the ampoule, the first liquid sensor configured to determine a liquid level L of the ampoule;
receiving a signal from a second liquid sensor of the plurality of liquid level sensors to the sensor controller, the second liquid sensor positioned a second distance from the bottom of the ampoule, the second liquid sensor configured to determine a liquid level H of the ampoule;
determining a refill operation of each of the plurality of sensors, the sensor controller sending a signal to the gas delivery controller, the signal of the first liquid sensor configured to prompt the gas delivery controller to activate a bulk valve, the signal of the second liquid sensor configured to prompt the gas delivery controller to deactivate the bulk valve;
prompting the gas delivery controller to active the bulk valve when the liquid level is at the liquid level L; and,
prompting the gas delivery controller to deactivate the bulk valve when the liquid level is at a full liquid level state,
wherein the operation of the auto-refill system is controlled with a state machine having one or more states, the state machine having a Batch Start Fill state, a Batch Stop Fill state and a Batch Mid Fill state, the Batch Start Fill state corresponds to one or more of: a liquid level at vertical height H1 and a processing chamber connected to an outlet of the ampoule is transferring a substrate; or a liquid level at vertical height H2 and a processing chamber connected to an outlet of the ampoule is transferring a substrate and the processing chamber is at least partially complete with a predetermined batch counter.