INFICON STC-2000A Thin Film Deposition Controller Operating Manual - Manual (Page 46)

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STC-2000A DEPOSITION CONTROLLER
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programs, etc.) that will be included in these configurations. Valuable process programming could be
lost. The BYE key can be pressed to leave the SERVICE menu without changing anything.
If the password is forgotten and programming has not been saved in some other
media, call the factory to eliminate passwords without purging memory.
I/O programming Introduction
The I/O programming is what controls the opto-isolated inputs on the Input card and the isolated relay
contacts on the Output card. Similarly controlled, the front panel has 4 LEDs that are intended as user
controlled outputs, 4 user programmable fixed keys that are intended as user controlled inputs and the
pendent whose alternate function is user I/O programmable inputs. This I/O programming control extends
to input acquisition of front panel key presses, elements of film deposition run cycle states (i.e. rise, soak,
deposit, idle, etc.), various process state conditions, process switching, various crystal states or events,
setpoint conditions, etc. I/O programming also controls by means of general variables, events and states.
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The I/O programming can discern whether an input has changed state and when it has changed state. When
an input has both state information and temporal information, it is known as an edge event condition. When
an input has only the state information, it is known as a steady state condition. Outputs also have analogous
edge event and
/ steady state conditionality. The output result is, correspondingly, either a pulse or a steady
state.
To reiterate, Runtime mode is the general name for the mode used to run the deposition process
whose screen can always be brought forth from any menu screen by pressing the fixed front panel key
labeled STATUS. The Runtime mode of the STC-2000A has 2 basic process control modes: sequencing
mode and non-sequencing mode. While in either one of these modes, manual mode (manual control of
power) may be invoked. The specific functional runtime mode must be chosen by menu selection:
sequencing or non-sequencing.
In addition, a test mode can be employed to simulate a crystal sensor input (w/ simulated rate
information) while in any combination of the modes just described. Simply put, the sequencing / non-
sequencing mode difference is that of having or not having a process. Non-sequencing mode does not have
a process (or at least nothing named as such). Non-sequencing mode uses 1 implicit process which can run
1 film. The non-sequencing mode is easiest to configure (user programs an active film). The sequencing
mode is more complicated only by the additional programming of a process[es] that calls out a film or
films.
Inputs, outputs and all the other states and events have a numeric representation called an ID number. An
ID number is used to numerically represent: inputs, outputs and all the other states and events. They can be
named by their description and classified by state/event condition. A table containing all I/O programming
events and states can be found in this manual. After locating an event or state that the user needs as a
pivotal point in their process, the identifying ID is found. Next, consideration of the needed I/O
programming function type is assessed. The available function types are: Input, Output, Trip, Arm, Drop,
Set and Clear. The combination of function type and ID number produces (in STC-2000A terminology) a
token. For the sake of LCD screen limitation imposed brevity, only the first letter of the function type is
used to describe the function. Token constituent elements can also include other elements such as a single
Boolean operator.
Incorrect function type / ID pairings are identified for the user and not allowed as an
entry.
Although film parameters provide time, power and thickness based control, I/O programming provides not
only these but added dimensions to the kind of control that is achievable. The number of conditional
elements is increased dramatically.
I/O programs are constructed using the LCD/touch panel menus. Programs are written in Reverse Polish
Notation (RPN) by constructing one (or more) line entities that are called rungs. If a single I/O
programming task of the total work to be accomplished takes more than one line, an intermediate variable
called a softnode can be used to carry the partial result of the task from one line into another line that
completes the work.
SECTION 2.XX page 46 of 292