WikiPatents - Community Patent Review
Create Free Account  |  License or Sell Your Patent  |  WikiPatents Marketplace  |  WikiPatents Blog
Username:  Password:  
    
Advanced Search
Process gas distribution system and method with supervisory control    
United States Patent5220517   
Link to this pagehttp://www.wikipatents.com/5220517.html
Inventor(s)Sierk; Dennis A. (Huntsville, AL); DuRoss; Ronald R. (Huntsville, AL); Geist; Stephen G. (Union Grove, AL); Hayes; Gregory L. (Fayetteville, TN)
AbstractA plurality of gas flow control units in cabinets are connected to distribute process gas, on demand, to a plurality of utilization locations known as "tool" locations in a semi-conductor manufacturing plant. Each gas flow control unit is connected to a single tool interface controller over a single communications cable. The status and operational characteristics of the individual units are communicated through the tool interface controller to a supervisory control computer by means of polling. Each flow control cabinet has its own data processor, and can be operated alone. Also, the supervisory computer can be used to operate each cabinet, as well as to monitor operations of the system. Gas demand and other signals are communicated from each tool location to the control units through a single cable connected to the interface controller, thus reducing the original wiring cost. Changing the communications path to accompany a change of the tool to which a given conduit in one of the cabinets delivers its gas can be done quickly, in software, with a few keystrokes. Mechanical re-wiring is not needed.
   














 Title Information Submit all comments and votes
 
Patent Text Patent PDF Print Page Summary File History
Plain text PDF images Print Summary File History
Drawing from US Patent 5220517
Process gas distribution system and method with supervisory control - US Patent 5220517 Drawing
Process gas distribution system and method with supervisory control
Inventor     Sierk; Dennis A. (Huntsville, AL); DuRoss; Ronald R. (Huntsville, AL); Geist; Stephen G. (Union Grove, AL); Hayes; Gregory L. (Fayetteville, TN)
Owner/Assignee     SCI Systems, Inc. (Huntsville, AL)
Patent assignment
All assignments
Publication Date     June 15, 1993
Application Number     07/576,067
PAIR File History     Application Data   Transaction History
Image File Wrapper   Patent Term   Fees
Litigation
Filing Date     August 31, 1990
US Classification     700/282 340/3.1 340/3.71
Int'l Classification     G05B 023/00 G05B 009/03
Examiner     Lall; Parshotam S.
Assistant Examiner     Pipala; E.
Attorney/Law Firm     Neff; Gregor N.
Address
Parent Case    
Priority Data    
USPTO Field of Search     364/550 364/510 364/500 364/138 364/571.04 364/479 364/492 340/825 340/825.06 340/825.08 340/825.15 340/825.22 340/825.23 251/129.04 251/289
Patent Tags     gas distribution supervisory control
   
Enter a comma (,) or semicolon (;) between multiple tag words/phrases.
Describe this patent:
 Amusing   
 Clever   
 Complex   
 Efficient   
 Historic   
 Important   
 Innovative   
 Interesting   
 Practical   
 Simple   
[no votes]
Patent WIKI

Share information and news about this patent, including information and news about the technology, inventors, company, ligation and licensing.

 References Submit all comments and votes
 
*references marked with an asterisk below are user-added references
 U.S. References
 
Add a new US reference:  
ReferenceRelevancyCommentsReferenceRelevancyComments
5014211
Turner
700/239
May,1991

[0 after 0 votes]
4989160
Garrett
700/282
Jan,1991

[0 after 0 votes]
4866594
David
700/9
Sep,1989

[0 after 0 votes]
4818993
Stockel
340/825.57
Apr,1989

[0 after 0 votes]
4736304
Doehler
700/123
Apr,1988

[0 after 0 votes]
4628437
Poschmann
700/2
Dec,1986

[0 after 0 votes]
4573114
Ferguson
700/9
Feb,1986

[0 after 0 votes]
4430959
Ebata
118/697
Feb,1984

[0 after 0 votes]
 Foreign References
 Other References
 Market Review Submit all comments and votes
   
Market Size
Estimate the gross annual revenues of the relevant market sector:
> $10B
$5B - $10B
$2B - $5B
$500M - $2B
$100M - $500M
$10M - $100M
$1M - $10M
$500K - $1M
$100K - $500K
< $100K
[No votes]
$0
 
$0   $2.5B   $5B   $7.5B   $10B
Market Share
Estimate the percentage of the relevant market sector this invention will capture:
75% - 100%
50% - 74.99%
25% - 49.99%
10 - 24.99%
5 - 9.99%
2 - 4.99%
1 - 1.99%
< 1%
[No votes]
0.0%
 
0%   25%   50%   75%   100%
Reasonable Royalty
What percentage of gross sales should the inventor or assignee be paid?
75% - 100%
50% - 74.99%
25% - 49.99%
10 - 24.99%
5 - 9.99%
2 - 4.99%
1 - 1.99%
< 1%
[No votes]
0.0%
 
0%   25%   50%   75%   100%
Public's "Guesstimation" of Royalty Value
Market SizeN/A[No votes]
xMarket ShareN/A[No votes]
xReasonable RoyaltyN/A[No votes]

N/A

License Availablity
If you are NOT the owner or assignee, answer here:
Yes, license is available for purchase

No, license is not currently available



[No votes]
License Availablity
If you ARE the owner or assignee, answer here:
Yes, license is available for purchase

No, license is not currently available



[No votes]
Competitive Advantage
Does this invention have a significant competitive advantage over similar technologies?
Yes

No



[No votes]
Most helpful competitive advantage comment
[No comments]

Commercial Alternatives
Are there viable commercial alternatives for this invention?
Yes

No



[No votes]
Most helpful commercial alternative comment
[No comments]

 Technical Review Submit all comments and votes
 Claims Submit all comments and votes
 


We claim:

1. In or for a process gas distribution system, said system comprising, in combination, a plurality of gas distribution control units, each containing electrically-operated flow control means for controlling the flow of process gas to at least one utilization location, interface control means located remotely from said control units, communications means for communicating signals between said interface control means and said flow control means, and between said utiization locations and said interface control means, means for identifying each of said flow control means and each of said utilization locations, adn means for communicating signals to selected flow control means in response to signals from a specific one of said utilization locations.

2. A system as in claim 1 including supervisory control computer means connected to said terminal interface control means for communicating status information and control signals between said supervisory contro lcomputer means and each of said flow control means.

3. A system as in claim 2 in which said supervisory computer means includes means for monitoring and controlling the operation of each of said flow contro lmeans, and including means in each of said flwo control means enabling said flow control means to operate independently of said supervisory computer means.

4. A system as in claim 1 in which said interface control means includes means for broadcasting to said flow control means signals responsive to signals from one of said utilization locations, and selective response means for causing said flow control means to respond to the broadcasting signals selectively in accordance with stored data.

5. A system as in claim 1 in which said communications means includes cable means for connecting said interface control means to said flow control means sequentially, and in which said interface control means includes means for sequentially polling each of said flow control means to interrogate and receive signals from each of said flow control means.

6. A system as in claim 1 including process gas flow switching means at each utilization location for use in starting and stopping the flow of process gas to that location from one of said flow control means, said communications means including means connected between said interface control means and each of said switching means for communicating signals therebetween.

7. A system as in claim 6 including data processing terminal means at each of said utilization locations for gathering data at said location and transmitting it to said interface control means in response to polling.

8. A system as in claim 3 including means for causing the direct operation of each of said flow control means to override operational commands from said supervisory computer means.

9. A method for supervisory control at a single station of the operation of a plurality of gas flow control units, said control units being located apart from one another, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a supervisory computer at said station;

(b) providing an interface unit at said station;

(c) communicating signals from a plurality of utilization stations through said interface unit to said flow control units to cause selective operation thereof;

(d) sequentially polling said gas flow control units to transmit to said computer data concerning the operation of said control units;

(e) sending control signals to said control units from said supervisory computer to control operation thereof; and

(f) displaying on display means at said station information regarding the operation of said control units.

10. A method as in claim 9 including controlling the operation of each of said control units either at said supervisory computer, or at the control unit itself, while giving priority to control commands generated at the control unit itself.

11. In or for a process gas distribution system for distributing process gas to spaced-apart gas utilization stations under the control of spaced-apart gas flow control units, said system including communications means for electrically communicating signals between each of said stations and said gas flow control units for controlling the delivery of process gas to each of said stations, there being at least one gas delivery conduit controlled by each of said control units, the improvement of interface means for associating station signals from each gas utilization station with at least one of said gas flow control units to cause process gas to be delivered over a selected gas delivery conduit to that station, and storing means responsive to operator control for storing in memory and changing the association between said station signals and said gas delivery conduits.

12. Apparatus as in claim 11 including means for identifying the station from which said station signals come, memory means for storing a correlation between the station identification and at least one selected gas delivery conduit, and means for causing gas to be delivered from a source through said conduit to the identified station, said storing means comprising means for changing said correlation stored in said memory means.

13. Apparatus as in claim 11 in which said interface means includes means for broadcasting said station signals to a plurality of said gas flow control units, and each of said gas flow control units includes means for reading station-identifying signals transmitted to it, identifying the corresponding gas flow conduit, and causing gas to flow through that conduit.

14. Apparatus as in claim 12 in which said interface means includes a unit having first input/output means for communicating with a plurality of said stations, second input/output means for communicating with a plurality of said gas flow control units, and data processing means for broadcasting the identification of each station requesting initiation or termination of gas flow to said gas flow control units.

15. A method of changing the association of each a plurality of gas delivery conduits with each of a plurality of gas utilization stations to enable the change of electrical control to correspond to gas flow re-routing, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) connecting each of said stations for electrical communication with a terminal unit,

(b) identifying the signals received from said stations on the basis of which station the signals came from,

(c) storing in computer memory data associating specified ones of said gas delivery conduits with specified ones of said stations,

(d) providing electrical communications through said terminal unit between each of said stations and a selected one or more of a plurality of control units remote from said terminal unit, the selection being made on the basis of the stored association data,

(e) changing the connections of said gas delivery conduits to said stations, and

(f) erasing said data from memory and storing new data to provide new associations of stations and conduits corresponding to the gas conduit connection changes.

16. A method as in claim 15 in which said erasing and storing step is performed at each of the remote control units, and said data is periodically transmitted to memory in said terminal unit by polling.

17. A method as in claim 16 in which said data is stored in electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory in said remote control units, and the memory in said terminal unit is volatile random access memory.
 Description Submit all comments and votes
 


FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to process gas distribution systems and methods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Systems and methods presently are used for the automatic or semi-automatic control of process gas distribution in semi-conductor manufacturing. One such system and method which is highly advantageous is shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 194,828, filed May 17, 1988, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,160, which is assigned to the assignee of this patent application. Despite its excellence, further improvements are needed to solve several remaining problems.

Some prior systems provide for remote control at a single computer console of a large number of remote gas flow control units or "cabinets". Each control unit controls the delivery of process gas to one or more locations where the gas is used to make semiconductor devices. These locations are called "tool" locations. Most control units are located relatively far from the tool locations. It is desired to provide communication links between the tool locations and the flow control cabinets and to provide means for monitoring and controlling the units at a central location. The problem is how to do this without excessive cost.

Another problem with prior systems and methods has been caused by the need to re-calibrate transducers in the gas flow control cabinets at periodic intervals. For example, it has been customary to zero-calibrate pressure transducers once every three to six months or so. The process used in the past often has required up to a full day of labor by one worker for each cabinet. This creates relatively high labor costs and shuts the control unit down for a substantial time during which it cannot be used for production.

A further problem has been created by the expansion of the capabilities of each of the gas flow control cabinets so that it can deliver gas to any one or more of several different tool locations upon demand. This has created problems in purging the gas lines of toxic gas for worker safety during local maintenance of the flow control units. If the "flow-through" process is used, where a purge gas such as nitrogen simply is pumped in one direction through the delivery conduit, it must flow through the long conduit from the cabinet to the tool. This is wasteful of expensive gas, and wastes time. Furthermore, sometimes it is not possible to use the flow-through process, in which case maintenance work on the long delivery conduit can be hazardous. The problems, then, are how to achieve safe local purging without incurring excessive costs, and how to purge the long delivery conduit when flow-through purging is not available.

A similar problem in purging the conduits has been created by the addition of means for delivering gas selectively from two different supply tanks and switching back and forth between the two tanks.

Each of the gas flow control cabinets has an exhaust outlet which is connected to an exhaust duct and from which air and gas from the inside of the cabinet is exhausted at a relatively high flow rate in order to avoid the accumulation of toxic gas in the cabinet due to leaks, etc. Flow measurement means are provided to measure the flow rate of the exhaust gas. If the flow rate falls below a pre-determined safe level, an alarm is activated so that the low flow condition can be remedied. Usually, each duct and fan is in place in the plant before the cabinet is installed. If the diameter of the duct is not the same as that of the exhaust outlet, the flow rate measurement will be erroneous. A tedious and expensive firmware program adjustment then is required in order to avoid this source of error. The labor cost and time to do this constitute another problem to be solved.

A further problem in prior gas distribution systems is that sometimes it is necessary to change the association between a tool location and the gas distribution conduits. For example, it may become necessary to supply a given tool with a different gas or mix of gases, and it may be necessary or expedient to change the connection of different gas distribution conduits to the tool. In the past, this has required re-wiring of the electrical connections so that the tool is correctly connected to the proper control unit or units corresponding to the new gas conduit connections. The inventors have recognized that the re-wiring requirement is costly and time-consuming; it increases equipment down-time and reduces productivity.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process gas distribution system and method which overcome or greatly alleviate the foregoing problems.

In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide such a system and method with simple centralized monitoring and control of a number of widely-spaced gas flow control cabinets and connection of the cabinets to the tools, but without excessive installation, modification and equipment costs. It is an object to provide such a system and method in which each cabinet also is "smart" and can be used for automatic control of gas delivery and other functions independently of one another and independently of the central control computer.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a system and method in which various transducers which convert process gas distribution parameters into electrical signals can be re-calibrated very quickly and at a relatively low cost.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automatically purging gas flow lines in a multiple-distribution-leg gas distribution control cabinet quickly and easily, without the cost of other purging means.

It is a further object to provide for purging of the gas delivery conduits from the cabinets to the tools when flow-through purging is not available.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a system and method in which multiple gas sources are used alternatingly to provide a continuous source of gas to the tool locations, and to provide rapid, efficient and flexible purging of the gas flow lines used for that purpose.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a system and method in which the error in the exhaust flow measurement caused by the use of an exhaust duct of a different diameter from that of the cabinet exhaust outlet can be corrected quickly and easily.

Still further, it is an object to provide such a system and method in which the electrical communications between the tools and the flow control cabinets can be changed to correspond to gas flow re-routing changes, without the time and cost of re-wiring the communications connections.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objects are met by the provision of a process gas distribution system and method in which the remote gas control units are connected sequentially to one another and by a single communication cable to a tool interface controller, which also receives signals from various tool locations and communicates them to the respective cabinets.

A supervisory control computer, preferably a simple and relatively inexpensive personal computer, communicates with the tool interface controller to provide monitoring of the operations of the various cabinets and to control the flow of gases to the tools. A separate data processor is provided in each of the cabinets to control its functions independently from the supervisory control computer. Preferably, direct control by use of the data processor in the cabinet will override control from the central supervisory control computer.

The cost of this system is further minimized by the use of the interface unit to enable communications between the tools and the cabinets, instead of separate cables connected from each tool to each of several cabinets, as in some prior systems. The cable and installation costs thus are reduced significantly.

Zero calibration is provided, advantageously, by automatically subjecting each transducer to a reference standard having a known parameter value. A computer routine is used to compute the difference between the ideal output of the transducer and its actual output. That difference, called an "offset", is stored in computer memory. Later, the offset is used to correct each reading of the transducer. Advantageously, components of the system which are used for other purposes also are used to provide a zero reference for each of the transducers. By this means, re-calibration is performed simply and quickly, at a relatively low labor cost and with relatively little downtime.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the multiple distribution legs of each gas flow control unit, and the delivery conduits to the tools, are purged by the alternating connection of an evacuation source and a source of purge gas to the distribution legs, with a number of such cycles being selectable, and the duration of each of such cycles being selectable. This provides variable and adjustable cost-saving local purging for the multiple distribution legs, and also provides purging of the delivery conduits to the tools when flow-through purging is not possible, thus providing improved safety.

Purging of toxic gas from conduits from plural selectable gas sources also is provided by purge control means similar to that described above for the distribution legs.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the exhaust duct diameter can be compensated for, if it is different from that of the exhaust outlet from the cabinet, by storing different constants for different outlet duct sizes, and utilizing a computer routine and the stored constants to compute the flow rate. Thus, the measurement corrections are made by means of a few simple keystrokes of the gas cabinet controls.

Another advantageous feature of the invention is the provision of programmable interface means for enabling the control of gas delivery through selected gas distribution conduits. Preferably, communications lines from the tool locations are terminated in a centrally located interface unit. Each tool is identified by a number. The responsiveness of each gas delivery leg to gas demand signals from a given tool is stored in programmable memory, and the association between tool signals and gas delivery legs is stored in computer memory means. A change of the associations can be made by relatively simple software procedures for changing the data stored in memory, thus avoiding expensive re-wiring.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in or apparent from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a process gas distribution system constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic circuit diagram of a connection between the tool interface controller and one of the tool locations shown in FIG. i;

FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram of an alternative embodiment of the system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic circuit diagram of a portion of the system shown in FIG. 1, showing in some detail the electrical components of the tool interface controller and one of the gas flow control cabinets of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side-elevation view partially broken away of one of the gas cabinets shown in FIG. 1, with the side panel removed to show the internal components;

FIG. 6 is a front-elevation view of the cabinets shown in FIG. 5, with the front doors open and part of the components broken away for the sake of clarity. FIG. 6 is also partially schematic in showing the exhaust system in the upper portion of the figure;

FIG. 7 is a front-elevation view of the control and display portion of the gas cabinet shown in FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic gas flow control diagram showing the distribution of gas by means of the gas cabinet of FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are generalized flow diagrams for the computer programs used for automatic zero calibration of transducers used in the gas flow control units;

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram for a computer program used for zero calibration of a weighing scale used to measure the contents of one of the gas bottles in the cabinet of FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of a computer program used to zero-calibrate the gas pressure transducers in the distribution gas flow legs of the cabinet shown in FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a computer program used for zero calibration of the transducers in the gas flow lines leading from the gas bottles in the gas cabinet of FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a data packet used in communications between the cabinets and the tool interface controller of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of the control panel and display shown in FIG. 7, and

FIGS. 16-25 are displays which appear on the display screen of the supervisory control computer of the system shown in FIG. 1.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a process gas distribution system 20 as it is used in a semi-conductor manufacturing plant. The semiconductors are manufactured using equipment such as diffusion ovens, etc. at various different locations in the plant, each of which is referred to as a "tool" location.

Located in one or more locations remote from the tool locations are a plurality of gas flow control units 22, 24, 26, 28, etc. which are used to store process gases, which often are highly toxic, and to control the distribution of those gases to the various tool locations. Each of the cabinets is "smart"; that is, it contains its own CPU, memory, and other digital and analog interface circuitry, together with its own control panel, to enable it to operate alone, without a remote computer. Each cabinet can be operated separately and independently of every other cabinet, and independently of other equipment in the system. The circuitry of each cabinet is described in some detail below, and in the aforementioned pending U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,160. The disclosure of that patent application hereby is incorporated herein so as to avoid unnecessary duplication of the detailed description given therein.

The control circuitry of each cabinet 22, 24, etc. is connected to the next cabinet by means of a plug-connectable shielded communications cable 30. Each cable 30 is connected to its neighbor and to the circuitry of one cabinets through a plug receptacle 31, 33, 35, 37, etc. All of the cabinets are connected in the same manner so that the cabinets are connected together sequentially in "daisy-chain" fashion. They are connected through a plug receptacle and a communications cable link 40 to a tool interface controller 42.

Tool interface controller 42 is connected by a communications cable 53 to a supervisory control computer 44 which includes a keyboard 46, a disk drive 48, and a video display screen 50, and has a printer 51 connected to it. Advantageously, the supervisory control computer is a relatively inexpensive personal computer such as the IBM PS/2, model 80.

Advantageously, the tool interface controller is connected by the shielded cable 40 to the first cabinet 22 ("cabinet 1"), which is then connected in sequence to cabinets 2, 3 and 4 and as many other cabinets as there are in the system, up to 120 units, as the system presently is configured. Of course, larger or smaller numbers of cabinets can be incorporated in the system. For this reason, the number of the last cabinet in the sequence is cabinet "n".

Additional cabinets can be added into the system simply by plugging in a new cabinet to its nearest neighbor, and re-configuring the system in software. Re-wiring is not needed.

The tool interface controller is adapted to sequentially poll each of the cabinets to send and receive messages to and from each of the cabinets so as to enable monitoring of the cabinet operation at the supervisory control computer 44 and control of the functions of the cabinets from that computer. By the use of this polling technique, the necessity of using separate cables from each of the cabinets to the interface controller 42 is avoided, and a significant cost saving is achieved. Furthermore, since only a relatively low baud rate is used in the communications signal transmissions, the cable can be relatively inexpensive shielded cable rather than the more expensive cable which otherwise might be required.

In accordance with one of the advantageous features of the invention, signals are conducted between the controller 42 and the tools on lines 52, 54, 56, 58 etc. The number of tools which can be connected is relatively large--e.g., up to 120 tools in a system which has been built and successfully tested. Larger numbers are possible.

Turning now to FIG. 2, one of the lines 52 actually is shown to have six separate conductors connected at the controller end to a terminal block 55, and at the tool end to a terminal block 57.

When an operator at a tool location desires to start the flow of process gas to the tool, the operator closes a switch 60 and momentarily closes a gas reset switch 68 to initiate the flow of gas from an appropriate one of the gas cabinets. 24 volts DC is sent from terminal 61 at the tool location to terminal 59 at the controller location over line 76 to enable switches 77 and 78 to operate. Switch 77 closes and lights an indicator lamp 72 at the tool when gas is flowing.

Switch 78 closes to energize an indicator lamp 74 at the tool location to indicate when a purge is in process.

The "ready for gas" and "gas reset" signals sent over terminals 62, 63, 64, 65, and 70 and 71, are delivered by the tool interface controller 42 to the appropriate gas cabinet to cause the opening of various valves to start the gas flow. When the gas flow is to be shut off, the switch 60 is opened, and the controller 42 sends a signal to the gas cabinet and causes it to shut off the gas flow.

ALTERNATIVE TOOL COMMUNICATION

FIG. 3 shows an alternative arrangement for communication with each of the tool locations. Instead of a separate six-conductor cable connected from each of the tool locations to the controller 42, a single communications cable 80, like the cable 40, is connected to the controller, and a separate tool termination unit 92, 94, 96, 98, etc. is located at each of the tool locations. Each unit 92, 94, etc. contains its own memory and CPU, such as that provided by a microprocessor, together with programming sufficient to enable it to communicate with the controller 42 in response to polling.

Each of the tool termination units is connected to its neighbor by means of a plug-in connector 39, 41, 43 and 45, etc., through cables 84, 86, 88, 90, etc. and cable section 82 in "daisy-chain" fashion, in the same way that the cabinets 22, 24 etc. are connected together, and all are connected to the interface controller. By this means, a great deal of wiring, labor and materials cost is saved.

Each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-3 gives considerable savings of installation and wiring costs, as well as further savings of re-wiring costs when the tools are later connected to receive gas from different cabinets. For example, in one typical prior system, if four different gases are delivered to a single tool, each from a separate cabinet, four different cables are used to connect the tool electrically directly to the four cabinets. With the embodiment of FIGS. 1-2, only one cable from each tool to the TIC is used, and in the FIG. 3 embodiment, only one cable is used for all tools.

Further saving are gained by both embodiments in avoiding the cost of re-wiring the tools to the cabinets when the association of a tool with the cabinets is changed.

CABINET CIRCUITRY AND CONTROLLER DETAILS

FIG. 4 is a schematic circuit diagram of the control circuit 300 for a single gas flow control unit or cabinet, and shows some of the details of the controller 42. The controller 42 communicates with the gas cabinets and the supervisory computer 44 through a standard communications board 320.

The controller 42 is the sole connection between the tool locations and the gas flow control cabinets. Therefore, it is important that it be as fail-safe as possible. To this end, a certain amount of redundancy is provided. Instead of one, there are two CPUs; a first CPU 322 and a second CPU 324, each of which has a random-access memory ("RAM") 323 or 325.

An arbitrator circuit 326 is provided to determine when one of the CPUs is not operating and automatically switch in the other CPU. Alarms 328 are provided to indicate if either or both of the CPUs is inoperative; to indicate if the arbitrator circuit 326 is inoperative; to indicate whether power is not being supplied to the controller; to determine whether the communication link 40 is not operating, etc., all in order to maximize chances that the terminal controller is operating at substantially all times, or that an alarm will call attention to any problems so they can be corrected quickly. The construction and operation of the arbitrator circuit and its control of the CPUs is conventional and will not be described further herein.

The controller 42 also has several interface terminal units ("ITU") 327, 329, 331, etc, to which the tool cables 52, 54, 56, 58, etc. are connected. The number of ITU's used depends on the number of tools in the system. Each tool and its cable is identified by the simple expedient of connecting it to a single terminal in one of the ITUs, and giving each terminal (and thus, each tool) an identifying number. Each ITU comprises a circuit board with six connection terminals, each terminal connected to a specific tool.

The ITU arrangement is modular. The number of ITU units can be changed easily to accommodate a greater or lesser number of tools in a system.

As it will be described below in greater detail, when the start or stop of gas flow is requested by signals from the tool location, the interface controller broadcasts the signals to the gas flow control cabinets, and each cabinet which controls gas conduits connected to the tool recognizes the tool number and starts or stops the flow of gas to the tool.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3, each tool is identified by a uniquely coded signal which is transmitted to the tool interface controller 42 periodically, by polling, along with gas flow start and stop signals, and is broadcast to the cabinets.

The cabinet control circuit 300 shown in the upper left-hand portion of FIG. 4 includes an analog input circuit 302, which receives analog inputs on lines 304 from various transducers and other sources and amplifies those signals and converts them from analog to digital signals. It delivers the digital signals over a bus 318 to a CPU 306 which has a memory 308. The memory 308 contains both volatile RAM storage chips, as well as electrically erasable programmable read-only memory ("EEPROM").

The identity of the signal supplied on each analog input line 304 is marked to the left of the line. Those markings are shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 to indicate their source.

Also provided in the circuit 300 is a digital input/output unit 314 which receives digital signals and transmits them over a bus 316 to the CPU 306. The operator panel 138 which is shown in FIGS. 7 and 15, and the display panels 310 also receive signals over the bus 316 to display the various warning lights and indicators to be described below.

A set of DIP switches 307 is provided to set a code number to uniquely identify the cabinet to the rest of the system.

Further description of this circuitry and its operation will be given below.

CABINET CONSTRUCTION

FIGS. 5 and 6, show the construction of one of the cabinets 22. The cabinet 22 includes a rear wall 106, a bottom wall 112, and front doors 108 and 110. FIG. 5 is a left-side elevation view, with the front doors 108 and 110 open and the side-panel of the cabinet removed to show the inside components, with some of the components broken away.

The cabinet 22 includes a control housing 92 with a display panel 94 having a handle 96 for opening it. As it is shown in FIG. 5, the panel 94 is angled downwardly so as to be readily viewable by an operator standing in front of the unit.

The cabinet 22 has an upwardly-sloping upper wall 98 (FIG. 6) which ends in a centrally-located exhaust outlet conduit 100. Connected to the exhaust outlet is an exhaust duct 102 whose diameter "d" is less than the diameter of the exhaust conduit 100.

An exhaust fan 104, shown in FIG. 6 normally is located on the roof of the building in which the gas distribution system is located. It connects with the conduit 102, as indicated at 136, to exhaust air and other gases from the interior of the cabinet 122 to the atmosphere, where they can do no harm. Thus, the exhaust fan minimizes danger to operating personnel by removing process gases which might accumulate in the cabinet.

The cabinet 22 also includes a shelf 120 (FIG. 6) supporting a scale 118 and a cylinder 116 of process gas. A second cylinder 114 of process gas rests on a second scale 107 resting on the floor 112 of the cabinet. The scales 107 and 118 contain transducers which convert the weight of the gas bottles into analog signals which are among the analog inputs to the control cabinet circuitry shown in FIG. 4, labeled "SCALE A" and "SCALE B". The weight of the gas cylinders indicates the amount of gas left in them.

Gas is distributed from either bottle 114 or 116, as needed, so as to ensure an uninterrupted supply of process gas.

Various gas flow lines in the cabinet 22 include sections 126 and 128 which form a "cylinder manifold" 136 (FIG. 8) which conducts gas from the bottle 114 or 116 to a "cross-over" manifold 124 (FIGS. 6 and 8) which changes the bottle from which gas is supplied.

A gas distribution conduit system, called a "distribution manifold" is shown at 134 (also see FIG. 8). It includes four vertically aligned distribution "legs", which will be described in greater detail below, to distribute gas to 1, 2, 3 or 4 different tool locations simultaneously.

Also shown in FIG. 6 is an inlet 130 through Which nitrogen from a "house" supply of nitrogen is supplied to the cabinet. An inlet 132 is provided for bottled nitrogen from a local supply.

At the top of FIG. 6, inside the duct 102, a pitot tube transducer 105 is mounted. The transducer 105 is used to measure the velocity of exhaust gas flow through the conduit for purposes of determining whether the exhaust flow is above predetermined safe level. The output of transducer 105 is labeled "EXHAUST" in FIGS. 4 and 6, and is one of the analog inputs to the data processing system of the cabinet.

GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM IN CABINETS

FIG. 7 is an enlarged View of the front panel 94 of the cabinet 22. Displayed on the panel is an operator panel 138, and schematic diagrams of the distribution manifold 134 and the cylinder manifold 136.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the piping and other flow control elements in a single one of the gas flow control cabinets. FIG. 8 is an enlarged reproduction of the two diagrams 134 and 136 which appear on the panel 94 of FIG. 7, except that the two diagrams have been joined together and modified, for the sake of clarity.

The distribution system shown in FIG. 8 consists of the three sections shown in FIGS. 5 and 6; the distribution manifold 134, the cylinder manifold 136 and the cross-over manifold 124.

In the diagram heavy lines indicate process gas distribution lines, whereas lighter lines indicate purge gas lines which are used only during purge and maintenance operations.

The cylinder manifold 136 consists of two halves, an "A" section 126 and a "B" section 128. The "A" section on the left side includes equipment for delivering process gas from a first source or cylinder A (cylinder 114 in FIGS. 5 and 6), and a right half, which is a mirror image of the left half, for delivering process gas from a second source "B" (cylinder 116 in FIG. 6).

The distribution manifold 134 includes four distribution "legs" 158 and 160, 162 and 164 ("A", "B", "C" and "D") each of which delivers process gas to a remote tool location 140, 142, 144 or 146, respectively.

The cross-over manifold 124 consists of a pair of valves "XA" and "XB", which are connected to a common conduit 55 which distributes gas from either source A or source B to any one or any combination of the four distribution legs.

In general, all of the valves shown in FIG. 8 are pneumatically operated with the exception of hand-operated valves 157, 159, 161 and 163 shown at the top of FIG. 8. Circles made with heavy lines are located in FIG. 8 next to various valves and are designated by the letter "G". Green LED's are located behind the transparent or translucent panel material in the circles. When the valve is open, the LED is on. Thus, each of these circles glows green to indicate when the valve next to it is open.

Other heavy circles marked with the letter "Y" glow yellow when a predetermined condition exists. Those in the distribution manifold marked "RFG A", "RFG B" etc. indicate when either leg A, B, C or D (158, 160, 162 or 164) is Ready For Gas; that is, ready for the delivery of process gas.

In the cylinder manifold 136, yellow indicator circles labeled "Change A" and "Change B" indicate when either gas cylinder A or gas cylinder B is empty and should be changed.

The smaller circles formed with lighter lines in FIG. 8 are gas pressure transducers.

The delivery of gas from source A to Tool 1, for example, is accomplished by the opening of valves A1, A2 and A7 in the cylinder manifold 136, valve XA in the cross-over manifold 124; and the opening of valves Al, A7 and 157 in the distribution leg 158 in the distribution manifold 134. It should be understood of course, that the delivery line between the end of a distribution leg and the tool to which it is connected can be relatively long; that is, the cabinet 22 often is up to several hundred feet from the tool location.

If process gas is to be delivered to Tool 2, the foregoing procedure is altered by opening valves B1, B7 and 159 in the distribution manifold. Similarly, process gas will be delivered to Tool 3 by opening valves C1, C7 and 161, and to Tool 4 by opening valves D1, D7 and 163 are opened.

If it is desired to