US 12,431,374 B2
Information acquisition system and information acquisition method
Junnosuke Maki, Koshi (JP); Koudai Higashi, Koshi (JP); and Ryo Konishi, Koshi (JP)
Assigned to TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Mar. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/657,178.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-061608 (JP), filed on Mar. 31, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0319886 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. H01L 21/67 (2006.01); H01L 21/687 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/67259 (2013.01) [H01L 21/68742 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An information acquisition system configured to acquire information upon a substrate processing apparatus configured to process a substrate held by a substrate holder, the information acquisition system comprising: a base body, instead of the substrate, held by the substrate holder; and multiple position sensors provided at the base body such that detection directions thereof are different from each other, and each configured to detect a position of a common detection target object located outside the base body;
wherein a support configured to support the base body is raised or lowered by the lifting device under the base body held by the substrate holder, and in order to detect the position of the detection target object, the base body is provided with a contact sensor configured to detect a contact between the base body and the support to detect a contact height where the support and the base body held by the substrate holder are in contact with each other;
wherein when the contact by the contact sensor is detected while the support is being raised in one height region of a first size, the contact height is acquired by repeating lowering the support by a second size and subsequently raising the support by the first size, the second size being larger than the first size, until detection of the contact is not performed during the raising or until a height of the support when the support is raised by the first size next time becomes a height on a level with or below the one height region.