Alarm apparatus for exchanging lamps of wafer etching equipment and method therefor

Abstract

There is provided an alarm apparatus for checking an amount of electric current supplied to each of the lamps of a wafer etching equipment and timely exchanging defective lamps if the amount of the current is less than a predetermined level, thereby minimizing process failures. The alarm apparatus includes a plurality of lamps provided above a dome cover of a reaction chamber to uniformly maintain a constant temperature of the dome cover, current quantity detecting devices provided on each of electric lines supplying electric power to each of the lamps, a controller for checking the amount of electric current through each of the current quantity detecting devices to compare the detected amount of electric current with a predetermined amount of electric current, and an alarm indicating a proper time to exchange lamps having an amount of electric current less than the predetermined amount of electric current in response to a comparison result from the controller.

1 - 4 . (canceled)  
   
   
       5 . An alarm apparatus for wafer etching equipment including a reaction chamber having a dome cover, a plurality of lamps provided above the dome cover to uniformly and constantly maintain a temperature of the dome cover, and electric wires supplying electrical power to the lamps, the alarm apparatus comprising: 
 coils winding around the electric wires so that electric current induced by each of the electric wires flows within said coils;    electromagnetic resistance devices for converting the induced currents in the coils to resistance values;    a controller for comparing the resistance values of the electromagnetic resistance devices to a predetermined resistance value; and    an alarm indicating a time to exchange at least one of the lamps in response to a comparison signal that is generated by the controller.    
   
   
       6 . The alarm apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the controller stops operation of the wafer etching equipment if a number of lamps where the amount of electric current flowing therein is less than a predetermined amount of electric current is more than a predetermined number of lamps.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the alarm is formed of a same number of light emitting diodes as the plurality of lamps.  
   
   
       8 . (canceled)