Temperature control apparatus and temperature control method for semiconductor device

Abstract

The invention provides a temperature control device and a temperature control method of semiconductor equipment. The temperature control apparatus includes: a heating element group including a plurality of heating elements including at least one upper heating element and at least one lower heating element, the heating element group corresponding to one heating area in the semiconductor device; the temperature sensor is arranged corresponding to the heating area and is used for measuring the actual temperature of the heating area; the control circuit is used for outputting a control signal according to the actual temperature and the target temperature of the heating area; the calculation unit is used for internally setting the individual coefficient of each heating element, the upper coefficients of all the upper heating elements and the lower coefficients of all the lower heating elements, and calculating the output power value of each heating element in the heating element group according to the control signal, the individual coefficient, the upper coefficients and the lower coefficients; and the power controller is used for respectively controlling the output power of each heating element in the heating element group according to the output power value.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular to a temperature control device and a temperature control method of a semiconductor equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a silicon epitaxy (EPI) high temperature process, wafer temperature control is crucial. In a typical EPI machine, the wafer is heated by means of multiple linear halogen lamps. However, in the actual process of temperature rising, deposition and temperature falling, various temperature conditions are constantly changing, and appropriate heating needs to be achieved in each stage. In these processes, when the temperature of a part of the wafer area or the overall temperature is not up to standard or is not uniform, it is difficult to adjust the temperature of the part of the area to the target temperature or the overall temperature to the target uniformity, and the control is not flexible enough. Therefore, how to accurately and flexibly control the temperature in the target area is a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0003] The present application provides a temperature control device and a temperature control method of a semiconductor equipment, which can improve the flexibility of temperature control.

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a temperature control device of a semiconductor equipment, the semiconductor equipment comprising a susceptor for carrying a wafer, comprising: a heating element group, the heating element group comprising a plurality of heating elements, the plurality of heating elements comprising at least one upper heating element and at least one lower heating element, wherein the at least one upper heating element is arranged above the susceptor, the at least one lower heating element is arranged below the susceptor, and the heating element group corresponds to a heating area in the semiconductor equipment; a temperature sensor arranged corresponding to the heating area for measuring an actual temperature of the heating area; a control circuit for outputting a control signal according to the actual temperature and a target temperature of the heating area; a calculation unit for internally storing an individual coefficient of each of the heating elements, an upper coefficient of all the upper heating elements, and a lower coefficient of all the lower heating elements, and calculating an output power value of each of the heating elements in the heating element group according to the control signal, the individual coefficient, the upper coefficient, and the lower coefficient; and a power controller for controlling the output power of each of the heating elements in the heating element group according to the output power value.

[0005] In an embodiment of the present application, the temperature control device comprises a plurality of the heating element groups, and the calculation unit is further configured to internally store a group coefficient corresponding to each of the heating element groups, and calculate the output power value of each of the heating elements in the heating element group according to the control signal, the individual coefficient, the upper coefficient, the lower coefficient, and the group coefficient.

[0006] In an embodiment of the present application, the output power value of the nth heating element is calculated by the following formula: ; ; ; wherein, ARC represents the upper coefficient if the nth heating element is an upper heating element, and ARC represents the lower coefficient if the nth heating element is a lower heating element, PT represents the total power of the heating element group, represents the control signal, represents the output power value of the nth heating element.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, the number of heating regions is M, M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, and each is denoted as the mth region, m = 1 ~ M, wherein when m = 1, the first region corresponds to the middle of the substrate, and when m = 2 ~ M, the mth region is surrounded by the periphery of the (m-1)th region; the number of heating element groups is M, each is denoted as the mth heating element group, m = 1 ~ M, wherein the mth heating element group corresponds to the mth region; and the number of control circuits is M, each is denoted as the mth control circuit, m = 1 ~ M, wherein the mth control circuit is used to output the mth control signal corresponding to the mth heating element group.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present application, the total power of the first heating element group, the second heating element group, …, and the Mth heating element increases in turn.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, the control circuit comprises a PID control circuit.

[0010] The present application further proposes a temperature control method for a semiconductor device to solve the above technical problems, which is applied to the temperature control device as described above and comprises: acquiring the actual temperature and the target temperature of the heating region corresponding to the heating element group; the control circuit outputs the control signal according to the actual temperature and the target temperature of the heating region corresponding to the heating element group; the calculation unit calculates the output power value of each heating element in the corresponding heating element group according to the control signal, the upper coefficient, and the lower coefficient; and the power controller controls the output power of each heating element in the heating element group according to the output power value.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present application, in the temperature rising control process, before outputting the control signal, the method further comprises: operating the heating elements in the heating element group at a preset fixed power; and in response to the actual temperature of the heating area corresponding to the heating element group reaching the preset temperature, taking the value of the preset temperature as the initial value of the actual temperature in the subsequent step.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present application, the control circuit outputs the control signal according to the actual temperature and the target temperature of the heating area corresponding to the heating element group comprises: setting a plurality of sub-target temperatures between the preset temperature and the target temperature; and outputting the control signal according to the actual temperature and different sub-target temperatures respectively as the temperature increases.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present application, the method further comprises: calculating the rate of change of the actual temperature with respect to time for the heating element group; in response to the rate of change being less than a preset slope, generating a first adjustment coefficient, and adjusting the control signal of the heating element group according to the first adjustment coefficient to increase the output power value of the heating elements in the heating element group; and in response to the rate of change being greater than a preset slope, generating a second adjustment coefficient, and adjusting the control signal of the heating element group according to the second adjustment coefficient to decrease the output power value of the heating elements in the heating element group.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present application, the method further comprises: obtaining the actual temperatures of any two adjacent heating areas, wherein the actual temperatures of the any two adjacent heating areas are a first temperature and a second temperature respectively; comparing the first temperature and the second temperature, generating a correction coefficient according to the comparison result; and correcting the control signal of at least one of the two heating element groups corresponding to the two adjacent heating areas according to the correction coefficient, to correct the output power value of the heating elements in the at least one heating element group, so that the first temperature curve and the second temperature curve tend to be consistent, wherein the first temperature curve is a curve of the first temperature changing with respect to time, and the second temperature curve is a curve of the second temperature changing with respect to time.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present application, before comparing the first temperature and the second temperature and generating the correction coefficient according to the comparison result, the method comprises: taking one of the first temperature curve and the second temperature curve as a standard temperature curve; and the correcting the control signal of at least one of the two heating element groups corresponding to the two adjacent heating areas according to the correction coefficient to correct the output power value of the heating elements in the at least one heating element group comprises: correcting the control signal corresponding to the other of the first temperature curve and the second temperature curve according to the correction coefficient to correct the output power value of the heating elements in the heating element group corresponding to the other.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present application, generating the correction coefficient according to the comparison result comprises: in response to the comparison result being that the first temperature is greater than the second temperature, setting the first correction coefficient to be less than 1 and setting the second correction coefficient to be greater than 1; in response to the comparison result being that the first temperature is less than the second temperature, setting the first correction coefficient to be greater than 1 and setting the second correction coefficient to be less than 1; and correcting the control signal of at least one of the two heating element groups corresponding to the two adjacent heating areas according to the correction coefficient to correct the output power value of the heating element in the at least one heating element group comprises: correcting the control signal corresponding to the first temperature curve according to the first correction coefficient and correcting the control signal corresponding to the second temperature curve according to the second correction coefficient.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present application, further comprising: adjusting the heating element included in the heating element group according to the film forming result of the substrate.

[0018] In an embodiment of the present application, further comprising: obtaining actual temperatures of the first heating area and the second heating area, wherein the first heating area and the second heating area are any two adjacent heating areas, the actual temperature of the first heating area is the first temperature, and the actual temperature of the second heating area is the second temperature; calculating a first change rate of the first temperature over time at t~t+Δt and a second change rate of the second temperature over time at t~t+Δt; obtaining a standard temperature change rate in the period of t~t+Δt; comparing the first change rate with the standard temperature change rate to generate a third correction coefficient according to the comparison result, the third correction coefficient being used to correct the control signal of the control circuit corresponding to the first heating area; and comparing the second change rate with the standard temperature change rate to generate a fourth correction coefficient according to the comparison result, the fourth correction coefficient being used to correct the control signal of the control circuit corresponding to the second heating area.

[0019] The temperature control device and the temperature control method of the present application control the heating element group of the semiconductor device, wherein the heating element group simultaneously includes the upper heating element and the lower heating element, which can simultaneously act on the same heating area of the substrate from the upper side and the lower side, so as to heat the heating area. Meanwhile, the individual coefficient of the heating element is set, which can control the contribution of each heating element to the heating process from the perspective of the single heating element. The upper coefficient of all the upper heating elements and the lower coefficient of all the lower heating elements are set, which can control the contribution of the heating element to the heating process from the two different perspectives of the upper side and the lower side. Meanwhile, the control circuit outputs the control signal according to the actual temperature and the target temperature of the heating area, which can adjust each heating element of the heating element group in real time according to the actual temperature. The temperature control device and the temperature control method of the present application realize the multi-level temperature control of the heating area on the substrate from the individual level of the heating element and the upper heating element above the substrate and the lower heating element below the substrate, which greatly improves the flexibility of the temperature control. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present application, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the present application, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the present application. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front view of the semiconductor device including the temperature control device of an embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 is a top view of the heating element group in the temperature control device of an embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 shows a PID control circuit; Figure 4 is an exemplary flow chart of the temperature control method for the semiconductor device of an embodiment of the present application; Figure 5 is a temperature curve diagram of the temperature control method according to an embodiment of the present application; Figure 6 is Figure 5 is an enlarged diagram of the upper rising section in the area A in Figure 7 is a temperature rising curve diagram of two adjacent heating areas in the temperature control method of an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiment description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description only show some examples or embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, the present application can be applied to other similar scenarios without creative labor on the basis of the drawings. Unless it is clear from the language context or otherwise indicated, the same reference numbers in the drawings represent the same structures or operations.

[0022] As shown in the present application, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the words "one", "an", "a", and / or "the" do not mean to specify a single number, but also can include a plurality. Generally, the terms "comprising" and "including" only indicate including the steps and elements clearly identified, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list, and the method or device can also include other steps or elements.

[0023] Unless otherwise specifically indicated, the relative arrangement of the components and steps, numerical expressions, and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application. At the same time, it should be understood that the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn in accordance with the actual proportional relationship. The technology, methods and devices known to those skilled in the relevant art can not be discussed in detail, but in appropriate cases, the technology, methods and devices should be considered as part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be interpreted as merely exemplary, and not as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments can have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numbers and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, so once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0024] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the orientation words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and in the absence of contrary indications, these orientation words do not indicate and imply that the indicated device or element must have a particular orientation or be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the scope of protection of the present application; the orientation words "inner, outer" refer to the inner and outer relative to the contour of each component.

[0025] For purposes of the description hereinafter, spatial relative terms, such as "above", "below", "upper", "lower", and the like, can be used to describe the relative position of one element or feature to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientations depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "above" other elements or features would then be oriented "below" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device can be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatial relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

[0026] In addition, it should be noted that the use of "first", "second", and the like, terminology simply identifies the names of the components, and does not otherwise limit the scope of the application, unless otherwise indicated. Additionally, the terms "exemplary", "for example", and "as an example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and not "preferred" or "advantageous over other examples." The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the

[0027] Flow diagrams herein are used to illustrate the operations performed by systems in accordance with embodiments of the application. It will be understood that the operations are not necessarily performed in the precise order shown. Rather, various steps can be performed in reverse order or simultaneously. Also, other operations can be added to, or removed from, these processes, or one or more steps can be added to, or removed from, these processes.

[0028] The semiconductor equipment to which the present application relates can be any type of semiconductor equipment, including but not limited to epitaxial equipment.

[0029] Figure 1is a front view schematic diagram of a semiconductor device including a temperature control device according to an embodiment of the present application. The structure inside the semiconductor device cavity is shown. Specifically, the semiconductor device includes a susceptor 101 for carrying a substrate. The temperature control device 100 includes a heating element group 110, a temperature sensor 120, a control circuit 130, a calculation unit 140 and a power controller 150. It should be understood that an IO module can also be included in the temperature control device 100. The control circuit 130 (e.g., implemented as a PLC) can interact with other modules, such as the calculation unit 140 or the power controller 150 (e.g., implemented as an SCR), through the IO module. In addition, the heating element group 110 includes a plurality of heating elements, which includes at least one upper heating element 111 and at least one lower heating element 112, wherein the at least one upper heating element 111 is disposed above the susceptor 101 and the at least one lower heating element 112 is disposed below the susceptor 101, and one heating element group 110 corresponds to one heating zone of the substrate in the semiconductor device. The temperature sensor 120 is disposed corresponding to the heating zone for measuring the actual temperature of the heating zone. The control circuit 130 is configured to output a control signal according to the actual temperature and a target temperature of the heating zone. The calculation unit 140 is configured to internally store an individual coefficient of each heating element, an upper coefficient of all upper heating elements and a lower coefficient of all lower heating elements, and to calculate an output power value of each heating element in the heating element group 110 according to the control signal, the individual coefficient, the upper coefficient and the lower coefficient. The power controller 150 is configured to control the output power of each heating element in the heating element group 110 according to the output power value.

[0030] The temperature control device 100 of this application controls the heating element group 110 of a semiconductor device to control the temperature of the substrate located within the semiconductor device. This application does not limit the number of heating element groups 110, and may include at least one heating element group 110. Each heating element group 110 includes an upper heating element 111 and a lower heating element 112, capable of simultaneously acting on the same heating area of ​​the substrate from both above and below, facilitating targeted heating of that area. Furthermore, by setting individual coefficients for the heating elements, the contribution of each heating element to the heating process can be controlled from the perspective of a single heating element. Setting upper coefficients for all upper heating elements and lower coefficients for all lower heating elements allows control of the contribution of the heating elements to the heating process from two different directions, above and below. Simultaneously, the control circuit 130 outputs control signals for the actual temperature and target temperature of the heating area, enabling real-time and overall adjustment of the output power of each heating element in the heating element group 110 based on the actual temperature conditions. The temperature control device 100 of this application enables multi-dimensional temperature control of each heating area in the substrate from multiple angles and levels, which greatly improves the flexibility of temperature control and enhances the uniformity of film formation on the substrate.

[0031] The temperature control device 100 of this application will be described in detail below through specific embodiments.

[0032] refer to Figure 1 As shown, the semiconductor device includes a reaction chamber 102. Figure 1 As shown, the reaction chamber 102 includes an outer wall 1021 and an inner wall 1022. The internal space of the reaction chamber 102 includes internal components, such as a substrate 101 and a support shaft 104. During semiconductor processing, the substrate is placed on the substrate 101, and the support shaft 104 can drive the substrate 101 to rise, fall, and rotate, thereby driving the substrate to rise, fall, and rotate. The enclosed space formed inside the inner wall 1022 is called the chamber 103. Semiconductor equipment may also include various interfaces, such as gas inlets / outlets, vacuum pump interfaces, etc., which are not limited here. In PECVD equipment, electrode interfaces may also be included.

[0033] Figure 1 The upper heating element 111 and lower heating element 112 shown can be specifically implemented as heating lamps, such as infrared lamps, specifically infrared quartz halogen lamps. They can also be other types of devices with heating functions. Multiple upper heating elements 111 are arranged in parallel above the reaction chamber 102, each upper heating element 111 along the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper (i.e., Figure 2 The heating elements 112 extend in the Y direction as shown in the figure. Multiple lower heating elements 112 are arranged in parallel below the reaction chamber 102, each extending in the X direction as shown. The Z direction represents the vertical direction.

[0034] The present application adopts Figure 2 to exemplarily illustrate a positional relationship of a group of heating elements and a grouping manner thereof. Figure 2 is a top view schematic diagram of a group of heating elements in a temperature control device according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 2 , it is shown that 12 upper heating elements U1-U12 extend along the Y direction, and the intervals between adjacent upper heating elements are equal; and 12 lower heating elements L13-L24 extend along the X direction, and the intervals between adjacent lower heating elements are equal. Figure 2 The upper heating elements 111 shown in Figure 1 are labeled as U1-U12. Figure 1 The lower heating elements 112 shown in Figure 2 The total number of heating elements in the embodiment shown is 24. Figure 2 The embodiment shown is only an example, and is not used to limit the positions and number of heating elements. In other embodiments, the intervals between adjacent upper heating elements are not necessarily all equal, and the intervals between adjacent lower heating elements are not necessarily all equal.

[0035] In some embodiments, the number of heating regions is M, M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, and is respectively denoted as the mth region, m=1~M, wherein when m=1, the 1st region corresponds to the middle part of the substrate, and when m=2~M, the mth region is peripherally arranged around the (m-1)th region; the number of groups of heating elements is M, and is respectively denoted as the mth group of heating elements, m=1~M, wherein the mth group of heating elements corresponds to the mth region.

[0036] As shown in Figure 2 , in this embodiment, M=3, i.e. the number of groups of heating elements is 3, which are respectively the 1st group of heating elements G1, the 2nd group of heating elements G2 and the 3rd group of heating elements G3. Correspondingly, the number of heating regions is 3, which are respectively the 1st region Z1, the 2nd region Z2 and the 3rd region Z3. Among them, the 1st group of heating elements G1 includes upper heating elements U5-U8 and lower heating elements L17-L20. The 1st group of heating elements G1 corresponds to the 1st region Z1 in the semiconductor device, which corresponds to the middle part of the substrate, as the inner region of the innermost one of the three dashed circles in Figure 2 . The 2nd group of heating elements G2 includes upper heating elements U3-U4, U9-U10 and lower heating elements L15-L16, L21-L22. The 2nd group of heating elements G2 corresponds to the 2nd region Z2 in the semiconductor device, which is peripherally arranged around the 1st region Z1, as Figure 2 . The 3rd group of heating elements G3 includes upper heating elements U1-U2, U7-U8 and lower heating elements L13-L14, L19-L20. The 3rd group of heating elements G3 corresponds to the 3rd region Z3 in the semiconductor device, which is peripherally arranged around the 2nd region Z2, as the inner region of the outermost one of the three dashed circles in .the annular region between the innermost dotted circle and the middle dotted circle. The 3rd heating element group G3 includes the upper heating elements U1-U2, U11-U12 and the lower heating elements L13-L14, L23-L24. The 3rd heating element group G3 corresponds to the 3rd region Z3 in the semiconductor device, which is surrounded by the 2nd region Z2, as shown in FIG. 1. Figure 2 the annular region between the middle dotted circle and the outermost dotted circle.

[0037] It should be noted that each heating element is long strip-shaped, so the heating range of each heating element is also long strip-shaped. Taking the 1st heating element group G1 as an example, since the upper heating elements U5-U8 and the lower heating elements L17-L20 are arranged in the 1st region Z1 in a cross manner, the heat and temperature of the 1st region Z1 are affected by both the upper heating elements U5-U8 and the lower heating elements L17-L20. At this time, although the upper heating elements U5-U8 and the lower heating elements L17-L20 themselves also have parts extending into the 2nd region Z2 and the 3rd region Z3, the temperature control device of this embodiment mainly controls the temperature of the 1st region Z1 by controlling the output power of each heating element in the 1st heating element group G1. The influence of the 1st heating element group G1 on the temperature of the 2nd region Z2 and the 3rd region Z3 can be comprehensively considered through experiments. Similarly, the 2nd heating element group G2 corresponds to the 2nd region Z2 and the 3rd region Z3 in terms of position, but the 2nd heating element group G2 is mainly used to control the temperature of the 2nd region Z2. The 3rd heating element group G3 corresponds to the 3rd region Z3 in terms of position, and the 3rd heating element group G3 is used to control the temperature of the 3rd region Z3.

[0038] According to the above embodiment including 3 heating element groups 110, the temperature control device of the present application can flexibly control the temperature in the 3 heating regions in the semiconductor device. It should be noted that the number of heating element groups 110 is at least one and is not limited. Figure 2 The drawings also do not serve to limit the number of heating elements in each heating element group 110. In some embodiments, the number of upper heating elements 111 and the number of lower heating elements 112 in one heating element group 110 can be equal or unequal; in terms of the up-down direction, the upper heating elements 111 and the lower heating elements 112 can correspond or be offset to a certain extent.

[0039] Continuing to refer to FIG. 1, Figure 1 Explain the temperature sensor 120 in the temperature control device. First, it should be noted that Figure 1The diagram shows two heating element groups 110a and 110b, i.e., M=2. Assume the substrate surface is divided into two adjacent regions: a central region and an edge region. The central region is circular, and the edge region is an annular ring surrounding the central region. Heating element group 110a corresponds to the central region. Heating element group 110b is located on either side of heating element group 110a. Heating element group 110b corresponds to the edge region. Due to viewing angle... Figure 1 Only the upper heating element 111 of heating element groups 110a and 110b is shown in the diagram, which can be used in... Figure 2 Based on this, imagine the positional relationship of the heating element 112. For example... Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the temperature sensor 120 includes a first temperature sensor 121 and a second temperature sensor 122. The first temperature sensor 121 corresponds to the central region of the substrate and is used to measure the substrate temperature of the heated region. The second temperature sensor 122 corresponds to the edge region of the substrate and is used to measure the substrate temperature of the heated region. Specifically, the first temperature sensor 121 may correspond to the center of the central region, i.e., the center of the substrate; the second temperature sensor 122 may correspond to the middle position of the edge region.

[0040] In some embodiments, both the first temperature sensor 121 and the second temperature sensor 122 are pyrometers, such as PYRO sensors.

[0041] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the temperature sensor 120 further includes a third temperature sensor 123 located near the side of the base 101 for detecting the temperature near the side of the base 101, which reflects the edge temperature of the substrate. In some embodiments, the temperature sensor 120 further includes a fourth temperature sensor 124 disposed below the base 101 for detecting the temperature at the center of the base 101, which reflects the center temperature of the substrate.

[0042] In some embodiments, the third temperature sensor 123 and the fourth temperature sensor 124 are both TC sensors, i.e., thermocouple sensors.

[0043] In some cases, such as when the current temperature measurement mode is Pyro mode, the first temperature sensor 121 and the second temperature sensor 122 are used to measure the temperature of the substrate surface. In some cases, such as when the current temperature measurement mode is TC mode, the third temperature sensor 123 and the fourth temperature sensor 124 are used to measure the temperature of the substrate surface.

[0044] Continue to refer to Figure 1The control circuit 130, the computing unit 140 and the power controller 150 are communicatively connected to each other, i.e. data and commands can be transmitted between them through wired or wireless means.

[0045] In some embodiments, the control circuit 130 comprises a PID control circuit. Figure 3 A PID control circuit is shown. The input end 310 of the PID control circuit receives the target temperature and the actual temperature of a heating area on the substrate surface measured by the temperature sensor. The output end 320 outputs a control signal. After receiving the control signal, the computing unit 140 calculates the output power value of each heating element in the heating element group in cooperation with other coefficients, and then the power controller 150 controls the output power of each heating element according to the output power value. When the output power of the heating element changes, the actual temperature of the heating area on the substrate surface will also change accordingly, and then the output control signal of the PID control circuit will change, thereby forming a closed-loop control.

[0046] Reference Figure 3 As shown, the PID control circuit comprises a proportional module 341, an integral module 342 and a differential module 343, each of which has a corresponding control parameter. The three modules work together to minimize the deviation between the actual temperature and the target temperature.

[0047] In some embodiments, the PID control circuit used in the temperature control device of the present application determines the corresponding control parameters of each module through self-learning, so that the PID control circuit has an optimized working efficiency. After self-learning, the control parameters of each module are fixed.

[0048] In some embodiments, the number of control circuits 130 is the same as the number of heating element groups 110, and they are one-to-one corresponding.

[0049] In some embodiments, the number of control circuits is M, M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, and is denoted as the mth control circuit, m = 1 ~ M. The mth control circuit is used to output the mth control signal corresponding to the mth heating element group.

[0050] Corresponding to Figure 2In the illustrated embodiment, M=3, and the number of control circuits 130 is three, denoted as a first control circuit, a second control circuit, and a third control circuit. The first control circuit is configured to output a first control signal corresponding to the first heating element group G1, the second control circuit is configured to output a second control signal corresponding to the second heating element group G2, and the third control circuit is configured to output a third control signal corresponding to the third heating element group G3. In conjunction with the above Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, for the first heating element group G1, the actual temperature corresponding to the first control circuit can be measured by one of the pyrometers corresponding to the first zone Z1. Similarly, for the second heating element group G2, the actual temperature corresponding to the second control circuit can be measured by one of the pyrometers corresponding to the second zone Z2. For the third heating element group G3, the actual temperature corresponding to the third control circuit can be measured by one of the pyrometers corresponding to the third zone Z3.

[0051] With continued reference to Figure 1 The computing unit 140 can be embodied as a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a DSP, or the like, and a chip or device containing the same, and the present application does not limit the same. The computing unit 140 can include a storage medium to store therein the individual coefficients of each heating element, the upper coefficients of all upper heating elements, and the lower coefficients of all lower heating elements. The output power value of each heating element in a heating element group is calculated according to the control signal, the individual coefficients, the upper coefficients, and the lower coefficients.

[0052] The power controller 150 can obtain the output power value of each heating element from the computing unit 140, and control the output power of each heating element to be equal to the corresponding output power value.

[0053] According to the above embodiment, the temperature control device 100 of the present application can realize flexible control of the temperature in the chamber at three levels. First, at the level of a single heating element, the calculation unit 140 internally stores the individual coefficients of each heating element, and can set the coefficient of each heating element according to its position and the corresponding heating area, so as to control the output power of each heating element at the level of a single heating element. Second, at the level of a heating element group, i.e. corresponding to each heating area of the substrate in the semiconductor device, since one control circuit 130 corresponds to one heating element group 110, the calculation unit 140 can control the output power of each heating element at the level of a heating element group through the control signal. Third, at the level of above and below the substrate. The present application takes into account that there are components such as the support shaft 104 and the base 101 in the heat transfer path of the lower heating element 112 to the substrate, which will absorb part of the heat, so the heating efficiency of the lower heating element 112 is generally lower than that of the upper heating element 111. In order to make the temperature of the substrate uniform, it is necessary to set the heating power of the lower heating element 112 to be higher than that of the upper heating element 111. Therefore, from this perspective, the calculation unit 140 internally stores the upper coefficient corresponding to all the upper heating elements 111 and the lower coefficient corresponding to all the lower heating elements 112, to control the output power of the upper heating elements 111 and the lower heating elements 112 as a whole. That is, no matter which heating element group an upper heating element 111 belongs to, it has the same upper coefficient; similarly, all the lower heating elements 112 have the same lower coefficient. In this way, the output power of each heating element can be controlled from the level of whether the heating element is above or below. According to this embodiment, the output power of each heating element is the result of comprehensive consideration of the three aspects, so as to obtain the optimal output power as a whole, and further obtain the optimal temperature control result, which is conducive to improving the efficiency of the substrate heating process and improving the uniformity of the substrate film formation.

[0054] In some embodiments, the output power value is calculated using the following formula: (1) (2) (3) wherein, ARCn represents the individual coefficient of the nth heating element in the heating element group, if the nth heating element is an upper heating element, ARC represents the upper coefficient, and if the nth heating element is a lower heating element, ARC represents the lower coefficient, Pn represents the rated power of the nth heating element, PT represents the total power of the heating element group, S represents the control signal, Pn represents the output power value of the nth heating element.

[0055] Table 1 is a coefficient table of the temperature control device according to an embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, there are 24 heating elements, wherein U1-U12 are upper heating elements, n=l-12; L13-L24 are lower heating elements, n=13-24. In Table 1, represents the individual coefficient of the nth heating element, ARC represents the upper coefficient or the lower coefficient.

[0056] Table 1: Heating element number Lamp n ]] ARC Heating element group in which it is located U1 70 100 G3 U2 70 100 G3 U3 45 100 G2 U4 45 100 G2 U5 33 100 G1 U6 33 100 G1 U7 33 100 G1 U8 33 100 G1 U9 45 100 G2 U10 45 100 G2 U11 70 100 G3 U12 70 100 G3 L13 75 110 G3 L14 75 110 G3 L15 60 110 G2 L16 60 110 G2 L17 55 110 G1 L18 55 110 G1 L19 55 110 G1 L20 55 110 G1 L21 65 110 G2 L22 70 110 G2 L23 75 110 G3 L24 75 110 G1

[0057] In Table 1, the individual coefficient of each heating element can be determined according to the semiconductor process recipe to be performed. For example, for heating element U1, which is an upper heating element, its individual coefficient Lamp1=70.

[0058] In this embodiment, the upper coefficient ARC=100, and the lower coefficient ARC=110.

[0059] After setting the individual coefficient, the upper coefficient or the lower coefficient of each heating element according to Table 1, the output power value of each heating element can be calculated according to Equations (1)-(3). The rated power of each heating element is known. For example, the rated power of U1-U12, L13-L23 is 9000W, and the rated power of L24 is 4000W. Then according to Equation (2), for the first heating element group G1, . represents the PID output signal of the first control circuit according to the actual temperature feedback of the substrate heating area corresponding to the first heating element group G1. represents the total PID output power corresponding to the first heating element group G1. Correspondingly, for the second heating element group G2, represents the PID output signal of the second control circuit according to the actual temperature feedback of the substrate heating area corresponding to the second heating element group G2. represents the total PID output power corresponding to the second heating element group G2. For the third heating element group G3, represents the PID output signal of the third control circuit according to the actual temperature feedback of the substrate heating area corresponding to the third heating element group G3. represents the total PID output power corresponding to the third heating element group G3.

[0060] For each heating element group, PT is related to the rated power of the heating elements, the individual coefficient of the heating elements, and the upper coefficient or the lower coefficient. The power of each heating element can be calculated using Equation (4) first: (4) A n Summing up, PT can be obtained.

[0061] For example, for heating element L1, A n = 110 * 70 * 9000 = 69300000 W = 69300 kW.

[0062] Therefore, the meaning of formula (1) is that the power of the nth heating element accounts for a percentage of the total power of the heating element group in which it is located.

[0063] According to formula (3), the output power value of the heating element can be obtained by multiplying the percentage calculated by formula (1) by the total power of the PID output corresponding to the heating element group in which the heating element is located.

[0064] In some embodiments, the total power of the first heating element group G1, the second heating element group G2 and the third heating element group G3 increases in turn. That is, the total power of the first heating element group G1 corresponding to the first region Z1 located in the innermost circle is the smallest, and the total power of the third heating element group G3 corresponding to the third region Z3 is the largest. Since the temperature at the center of the substrate is usually higher after heating, and the temperature at the edge of the substrate is usually lower due to gas flow and other reasons. Therefore, by increasing the total power of the heating elements in the edge region and increasing the total power in turn from the inside to the outside, it is beneficial to make the temperature distribution in the cavity more uniform, and improve the uniformity of film formation.

[0065] In some embodiments, the temperature control device 100 includes a plurality of heating element groups, and the calculation unit 140 is further configured to internally set a group coefficient corresponding to each heating element group, and calculate the output power value of each heating element in the heating element group according to the control signal, the individual coefficient, the upper coefficient, the lower coefficient and the group coefficient. The group coefficient is denoted as ratio. After the temperature control device 100 according to the present application performs the film formation process on the substrate, the output power value of each heating element can be adjusted as a whole according to the actual film formation result of the substrate by using the group coefficient. That is, For example, if the film formation result shows that the surface temperature of the substrate is too low, a larger value is given to the ratio, so that the overall adjusted output power value is increased; if the film formation result shows that the surface temperature of the substrate is too high, a smaller value is given to the ratio, so that the overall adjusted output power value is decreased. By setting the group coefficient, the output power of each heating element can be adjusted simply, conveniently and quickly at the level of the region as a whole.

[0066] The present application also proposes a temperature control method for a semiconductor device, which is performed by the temperature control device 100 described above, and therefore the content described above for the temperature control device 100 can be used to illustrate the temperature control method, and the same content will not be expanded.

[0067] Figure 4 is an exemplary flowchart of a temperature control method for semiconductor equipment according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG. 4, the temperature control method 400 includes the following steps: Figure 4 Step S410: obtaining an actual temperature and a target temperature of a heating area corresponding to a heating element group; Step S420: controlling a circuit to output a control signal according to the actual temperature and the target temperature of the heating area corresponding to the heating element group; Step S430: a calculation unit calculating an output power value of each heating element in the corresponding heating element group according to the control signal, an upper coefficient, and a lower coefficient; and Step S440: a power controller controlling the output power of each heating element in the heating element group according to the output power value.

[0068] According to the temperature control method 400, the output power of each heating element can be flexibly controlled from multiple aspects, greatly improving the flexibility of temperature control, which is conducive to improving the efficiency of substrate heating process and the uniformity of substrate film formation.

[0069] It can be understood that, using the temperature control device and method of the present application, not only the output power of the heating element can be controlled to increase the temperature in the chamber 103, but also the output power of the heating element can be controlled to reduce the temperature in the chamber 103. Therefore, temperature control or cooling control can be performed according to actual needs.

[0070] In some embodiments, during the temperature increasing control process, before the control circuit outputs the control signal in step S420, it further includes: Step S411: causing the heating elements in the heating element group to work at a preset fixed power; and Step S412: in response to the actual temperature of the heating area corresponding to the heating element group reaching a preset temperature, taking the value of the preset temperature as the initial value of the actual temperature in the subsequent steps.

[0071] According to step S411, in the initial state, the heating elements of the heating element group have corresponding preset fixed powers. Therefore, during the temperature increasing control process, before the control circuit starts to calculate the control signal, the heating elements are caused to start working at the fixed power. At this time, it is equivalent to that the heating elements are in the ordinary working state, i.e., working at the preset fixed power all the time. For each heating element group, when the temperature of the heating area corresponding to the heating element group reaches the preset temperature, at this time, the control circuit starts to calculate the control signal. More specifically, the control signal is output according to the preset temperature and the target temperature. It should be noted that the preset temperature at this time is equal to the current actual temperature. ​

[0072] It should be noted that under normal operating conditions, the control mode of the heating element is referred to as Power mode. This is an open-loop control mode, meaning that during this process, there is no feedback control based on parameters such as the actual temperature; instead, the heating element continuously operates at a preset fixed power. The advantage of Power mode is stable and rapid heating, but its disadvantage is low temperature control accuracy.

[0073] This application Figure 4 The embodiment shown (which can be referred to as Method Embodiment 1) uses a control circuit in a mode denoted as PID mode. First, it should be noted that although we use PID, the use of a PID control circuit is merely one embodiment of this application and is not a limitation; any circuit capable of implementing the control circuit function of this application is within the scope of protection of this application. Second, PID mode is a closed-loop control mode because it sends the actual temperature as feedback to the input, compares it with the target temperature, and thus adjusts the control signal in real time to achieve precise temperature control. However, compared to Power mode, the heating speed of PID mode is slower.

[0074] Therefore, steps S411, S412, and S410 to S440 provide an embodiment of a temperature control method, which can be temporarily referred to as Method Embodiment 2.

[0075] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a temperature curve according to an embodiment of the temperature control method of this application. The temperature curve can be a temperature change curve in any heating region. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the horizontal axis represents time in seconds (sec), and the vertical axis represents temperature in degrees Celsius (°C). The following will combine... Figure 5 Example 2 is described in detail below: Initially, the temperature of the heating area is low. At this time, the Power mode is first used, causing the heating elements in the heating element group to operate at a preset fixed power, so that the temperature steadily rises to 650°C, i.e., reaching point P1. Then, according to step S412 above, the heating elements are made to operate in PID mode, and the initial value of the actual temperature of the control circuit is equal to 650°C. Assuming the target temperature is 850°C, the temperature control device 100 will heat the temperature from 650°C to 850°C in PID mode.

[0076] According to this way, the heating temperature can be precisely controlled while the heating speed is accelerated. Meanwhile, if only simple mode switching is used, after the Power mode ends, if the control parameters of the PID control circuit are not adjusted according to step S412, a large temperature fluctuation will occur. This is because the control parameters obtained by the PID control module through self-learning are from room temperature to target temperature, and a ramp-shaped temperature curve will be obtained. That is, in the PID mode, the initial heating power output to the heating element is low. If this PID mode is directly used, the heating power will suddenly decrease at the moment of switching from the Power mode to the PID mode, and the temperature will also suddenly decrease, affecting the process flow. Therefore, the temperature control method of the above embodiment uses the final temperature in the Power mode as the initial value (heating starting temperature) of the actual temperature in the PID mode according to steps S411-S412, so that the PID control circuit starts heating from 650°C, thereby eliminating the temperature fluctuation caused by mode switching and achieving smooth switching effect.

[0077] In method embodiment 2, the substrate is first heated using the Power mode, and then heated using the PID mode, and in order to make the switching between the two modes smoother, the final temperature in the Power mode is assigned as the initial value of the actual temperature of the PID control circuit in the PID mode, and the PID control circuit outputs a control signal based on the initial value of the actual temperature and the target temperature and then performs subsequent control. Assigning the final temperature in the Power mode as the initial value of the actual temperature of the PID control circuit in the PID mode to achieve smooth switching between the two modes is the technical improvement point contributed by embodiment 2. It should be understood that in some embodiments, as long as there are Power mode and PID mode, this technical improvement point can be applied. The PID mode in the previous sentence can not be exactly the same as the PID mode disclosed in method embodiment 1 of the present application, and it can only include S410, S420, and the control signal is used to control the output power of the heating elements in the heating element group.

[0078] In some embodiments, the control circuit in step S420 outputs a control signal according to the actual temperature and the target temperature of the heating area corresponding to the heating element group includes: Step S4201: setting a plurality of sub-target temperatures between the preset temperature (which can also be described as the current actual temperature of the substrate) and the target temperature; and Step S4202: according to the actual temperature and different sub-target temperatures (i.e. the current sub-target temperature) respectively, outputting a control signal as the temperature increases.

[0079] According to steps S4201 and S4202, the current target temperature is changed. The above embodiment divides the interval between the preset temperature and the target temperature into multiple small intervals by setting multiple sub-target temperatures. The control circuit outputs the control signal according to the current temperature and the sub-target temperature corresponding to the interval in which the current temperature is located. In this way, the difference between the current target temperature and the actual temperature in the control circuit is reduced, which is beneficial to the control circuit to output a more appropriate control signal, thereby achieving the effect of smooth temperature rise. Figure 6 Figure 5 FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the region A in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the target temperature is 850°C, and multiple sub-target temperatures are set, for example, 700°C, 750°C, and 800°C. Splitting the target temperature into multiple small targets can more accurately achieve temperature control and make the temperature rise more stable.

[0080] The technical solution disclosed by steps S4201 and S4202 can be embedded in the temperature control method shown in method embodiment 1 as described above. However, it should be understood that the technical solution can be applied to occasions other than this. As long as the technical solution includes closed-loop control, the technical solution disclosed by steps S4201 and S4202 can be used to achieve the technical effects of smooth temperature rise and avoid temperature overshoot. The technical solution described in the previous sentence that includes closed-loop control can include S410, and the control signal is used to control the output power of the heating elements in the heating element group; or can include S410, S411, and S412, and the control signal is used to control the output power of the heating elements in the heating element group.

[0081] In some embodiments, the temperature control method 400 further includes the following steps: Step S450: calculating the rate of change of the actual temperature with respect to time for the heating element group; Step S455: in response to the rate of change being less than the preset slope (which can also be described as a preset rate of change or a preset temperature rate of change), generating a first adjustment coefficient, and adjusting the control signal of the heating element group according to the first adjustment coefficient to increase the output power value of the heating elements in the heating element group; and Step S460: in response to the rate of change being greater than the preset slope, generating a second adjustment coefficient, and the control circuit adjusting the control signal of the heating element group according to the second adjustment coefficient to reduce the output power value of the heating elements in the heating element group.

[0082] ​In the semiconductor heating process, the stability of temperature rise is important, and it cannot be too fast or too slow. If the temperature rises too fast, the temperature inside the cavity has not risen, and the temperature difference between inside and outside will be large, which will lead to the rupture of the substrate. If the temperature rises too slowly, the whole process time is lengthened, the efficiency is not high, and the yield is reduced. Therefore, the temperature rising speed needs to be controlled to be within a range that meets the process requirements and does not cause cracking.

[0083] In step S455, the first adjustment coefficient can be generated by the control circuit in the temperature control device described above, or by other additional control modules or calculation modules, which are not limited in the present application. The first adjustment coefficient can be sent to the control circuit, especially the PID control circuit in the control circuit. The size of the output control signal is directly adjusted by the control circuit, and then the adjusted control signal is sent to the calculation unit (it should be understood that the subsequent steps are the same as described in the method embodiment 1 described above, and the calculation unit will calculate the output power value of each heating element according to the adjusted control signal, and the power controller will also control the output power of each heating element in the heating element group according to the output power value). More specifically: the first adjustment coefficient will be multiplied by the original control signal to generate a new control signal. The following is an example of adjusting the control signal by the control circuit according to the first adjustment coefficient. The generation subject and use subject of the second adjustment coefficient in step S460 are similar to the first adjustment coefficient, which will not be expanded.

[0084] Steps S450-S460 are performed for each heating element group, which can be for the heating process or the cooling process. The rate of change of temperature with time is represented by the slope of the heating curve. Assuming that the preset slope of the heating curve = (temperature of the last 100 ms - temperature of the first 100 ms) / 100 ms = 1℃ / s. If the preset slope of the current heating curve is less than 1℃ / s, the control circuit adjusts the control signal of the heating element group according to the first adjustment coefficient to increase the output power value of the heating element in the heating element group. If the preset slope of the current heating curve is greater than 1℃ / s, the control circuit adjusts the control signal of the heating element group according to the second adjustment coefficient to reduce the output power value of the heating element in the heating element group. Reducing the step size of the calculated slope, i.e. 100 ms in the above example, to 50 ms, for example, can further improve the control accuracy.

[0085] For step S450, "calculate the rate of change of actual temperature with time". In more detail, it includes: Calculate the temperature of the substrate corresponding to a certain heating element group at t-Δt and t: T t-Δt and T t ; Calculate the rate of change of the substrate temperature from t-Δt to t: (T t -Tt-Δt ) / At. Wherein At is the step length described in the preceding paragraph. It should be understood that the aforementioned time t-At and time t are two time points in the temperature control process, and the temperature change rate derived from the two time points and the first adjustment coefficient and the second adjustment coefficient derived from the temperature change rate will be used for temperature regulation at a time point or a time period (such as: the next sampling time period: time t to time t+At) after time t in the temperature control process.

[0086] According to the above embodiment, the control circuit adjusts the control signal according to the temperature change rate corresponding to each heating element group according to the heating area corresponding to each heating element group, which can adjust the control signal in real time and timely, thereby further adjusting the output power value of each heating element in the heating element group to control the temperature rising speed within a range that meets the process requirements and does not crack.

[0087] It should be understood that in the technical solution described by steps S450, S455 and S460, the change rate and the preset change rate can be described as the temperature rising speed and the preset temperature rising speed.

[0088] The technical solution disclosed by steps S450, S455 and S460 can be embedded in the temperature control method shown in method embodiment 1 as described above. However, it should be understood that the occasions where this technical solution can be applied should not be limited to this. As long as it is a technical solution including closed-loop control, the aforementioned technical solution disclosed by steps S450, S455 and S460 can be used to achieve the technical effect of real-time adjustable and controllable temperature rising speed (or temperature change rate). The technical solution described in the preceding sentence including closed-loop control can include: S410, S420 (or S4201 and S4202), and the control signal is used to control the output power of the heating elements in the heating element group; or can include S410, S411, S412, S420 (or S4201 and S4202), and the control signal is used to control the output power of the heating elements in the heating element group. As can be seen, the technical solution described in the preceding sentence including closed-loop control does not require the calculation unit to be limited with respect to method embodiment 1.

[0089] In some embodiments, the temperature control method 400 further comprises the following steps: Step S470: obtaining the actual temperatures of any two adjacent heating areas, wherein the actual temperatures of any two adjacent heating areas are the first temperature and the second temperature, respectively; Step S475: comparing the first temperature and the second temperature, and generating a correction coefficient according to the comparison result; and Step S480: correcting the control signal of at least one of the two heating element groups corresponding to the two adjacent heating zones according to the correction coefficient, to correct the output power value of the heating elements in the at least one heating element group, so that the first temperature curve and the second temperature curve tend to be consistent, wherein the first temperature curve is a curve of the first temperature changing with time, and the second temperature curve is a curve of the second temperature changing with time.

[0090] Suppose that the adjacent heating zones are the first zone Z1 and the second zone Z2 respectively. The two zones have corresponding temperature sensors and control circuits respectively, and independent temperature regulation can be achieved. However, in practice, the heating speed of the two adjacent heating zones may not be consistent due to inconsistent heat absorption and heat dissipation conditions of the two zones, etc., thereby causing cracks on the substrate and affecting the use of the substrate. Therefore, according to steps S470-S480, the heating element groups of the two adjacent heating zones can be controlled so that the heating speed of the two heating zones tends to be consistent.

[0091] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the temperature rising curves of two adjacent heating zones in the temperature control method of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 7 , the horizontal axis is time, with the unit of second (sec), and the vertical axis is temperature, with the unit of Celsius (℃). The initial temperatures of the two zones are the same, both being T0. The first temperature curve S1 is the temperature rising curve of the first zone Z1, and the second temperature curve S2 is the temperature rising curve of the second zone Z2. During the temperature rising process, according to step S475, at t1, the current first temperature T1 of the first zone Z1 and the current second temperature T2 of the second zone Z2 are compared, and since T2 is greater than T1, the correction coefficient m is generated. Steps S470-S480 can be implemented in the following three ways: Way one: before step S475, the control signal of the first heating element group G1 is kept unchanged (here, “the control signal of the first heating element group G1 is kept unchanged” means that when the temperature of the two adjacent heating zones is cooperatively regulated (i.e., the technical solution described in steps S470-S480), the control signal of the first heating element group G1 is not changed due to the temperature difference between the two heating zones. However, the following situations are allowed during the operation of the entire temperature control method: for example, due to other reasons, including but not limited to, the temperature rising speed of the heating zone corresponding to the first heating element group G1 needs to be regulated (corresponding to the technical solution described in steps S450-S460), and the control signal needs to be adjusted.), and the first temperature curve S1 is taken as the standard temperature curve. Step S480 includes: correcting the control signal of the second heating element group G2 according to the correction coefficient, and reducing the output power of the heating elements in the second heating element group G2, so that the second temperature curve S2 approaches the first temperature curve S1. It should be understood that the aforementioned “reducing the output power of the heating elements in the second heating element group G2” is based onFigure 7 If T2 is less than T1 in the implementation, the aforementioned "decrease the output power of the heating elements in the second heating element group G2" should be described as "increase the output power of the heating elements in the second heating element group G2".

[0092] Method two: before step S475, keep the control signals of the second heating element group G2 unchanged (the meaning of "keep the control signals of the second heating element group G2 unchanged" here is similar to "keep the control signals of the first heating element group G1 unchanged" in the foregoing, which will not be expanded here), and take the second temperature curve S2 as the standard temperature curve. Step S480 includes: correcting the control signals of the first heating element group G1, increasing the output power of the heating elements in the first heating element group G1, so that the first temperature curve S1 approaches the second temperature curve S2. Similarly, the aforementioned "increase the output power of the heating elements in the first heating element group G1" is based on the comparison result of the first temperature and the second temperature. Figure 7 If T2 is less than T1 in the implementation, the aforementioned "increase the output power of the heating elements in the first heating element group G1" should be described as "decrease the output power of the heating elements in the first heating element group G1".

[0093] Method three: correct the control signals of the first heating element group G1, increase (decrease in the case of "T2 is less than T1") the output power of the heating elements in the first heating element group G1, and correct the control signals of the second heating element group G2, decrease (increase in the case of "T2 is less than T1") the output power of the heating elements in the second heating element group G2, so that the first temperature curve S1 and the second temperature curve S2 change together and tend to a value between them.

[0094] According to any one of the above-mentioned methods one to three, the temperature rising speed of adjacent heating areas can be kept consistent, thereby reducing the risk of substrate cracking.

[0095] Exemplarily, for the above-mentioned method one, in step S475, when it is found through comparison that the second temperature is greater than the first temperature, set the second correction coefficient m2 to be greater than 1. In step S480, the control signals of the second heating element group G2 are corrected by using m2.

[0096] Exemplarily, for the above-mentioned method two, in step S475, when it is found through comparison that the first temperature is less than the second temperature, set the first correction coefficient m1 to be greater than 1. In step S480, the control signals of the first heating element group G1 are corrected by using m1.

[0097] Exemplarily, for the above-mentioned method three, the step of generating the correction coefficient according to the comparison result in step S475 includes: Step S4751: in response to the comparison result being the first temperature being greater than the second temperature, setting the first correction coefficient m1 to be less than 1 and setting the second correction coefficient m2 to be greater than 1; in response to the comparison result being the first temperature being less than the second temperature, setting the first correction coefficient m1 to be greater than 1 and setting the second correction coefficient m2 to be less than 1.

[0098] The step S480 of controlling the control circuit to correct the control signal of at least one of the two heating element groups corresponding to the two adjacent heating areas according to the correction coefficients to correct the output power value of the heating elements in the at least one heating element group comprises: Step S4801: correcting the control signal corresponding to the first temperature curve according to the first correction coefficient m1 and correcting the control signal corresponding to the second temperature curve according to the second correction coefficient m2.

[0099] In an embodiment, the first correction coefficient m1 is set to be less than 1, for example 0.8. The second correction coefficient m2 is set to be greater than 1, for example 1.1. Alternatively, the first correction coefficient m1 is set to be greater than 1, for example 1.1. The second correction coefficient m2 is set to be less than 1, for example 0.8.

[0100] The first correction coefficient m1 and the second correction coefficient m2 can be given according to experience. For example, when the temperature difference is within a first range, m1=0.9 and m2=1.1; when the temperature difference is greater than the first range and less than a second range, m1=0.8 and m2=1.2.

[0101] The technical solutions disclosed by steps S470, S475 and S480 can be embedded in the temperature control method shown in method embodiment 1 as described above. However, it should be understood that the application occasions of the technical solutions should not be limited to this. As long as the technical solutions include closed-loop control, the technical solutions disclosed by the foregoing steps S470, S475 and S480 can be used to achieve the technical effect of cooperative temperature rise in multiple temperature regions. The technical solutions described in the preceding sentence that include closed-loop control can include: S410, S420 (or S4201 and S4202), and the control signal is used to control the output power of the heating elements in the heating element group; or can include S410, S411, S412, S420 (or S4201 and S4202), and the control signal is used to control the output power of the heating elements in the heating element group; or include S410, S411, S412, S420 (or S4201 and S4202), S450-S460, and the control signal is used to control the output power of the heating elements in the heating element group; or S410, S411, S412, S420 (or S4201 and S4202), S450-S460, and the control signal is used to control the output power of the heating elements in the heating element group, etc. technical solutions. It can be seen that the technical solutions described in the preceding sentence that include closed-loop control do not require the calculation unit to be limited with respect to method embodiment 1.

[0102] In the foregoing description of steps S470 to S480 of the technical solution of cooperative temperature adjustment of adjacent heating regions, the correction coefficient is generated by comparing the sizes of the temperatures in the two regions. It should be understood that it can also be generated by comparing the sizes of the slopes (which can also be described as temperature rise speeds) of the temperatures in the two regions.

[0103] Similarly: step S470': obtain the slopes of the temperatures in the t to t+Δt time period of any two adjacent heating regions, wherein the slopes of the temperatures in the t to t+Δt time period of any two adjacent heating regions are a first temperature slope and a second temperature slope, respectively; Step S475': compare the first temperature slope and the second temperature slope, and generate a correction coefficient according to the comparison result; and Step S480': correct the control signal of at least one of the two heating element groups corresponding to the two adjacent heating regions according to the correction coefficient, to correct the output power value of the heating elements in the at least one heating element group, so that the first temperature curve and the second temperature curve tend to be consistent, wherein the first temperature curve is a curve of the first temperature changing with time, and the second temperature curve is a curve of the second temperature changing with time.

[0104] Similar to the description of the previous three paragraphs, the first, second and third manners in the preceding text and steps S4751, S4801, etc. can be replaced by "temperature slope" accordingly, and the details are not repeated here.

[0105] In some embodiments, the temperature control method 400 further comprises the following steps: Step S4100: acquiring the actual temperatures of any two adjacent heating areas, i.e., a first heating area and a second heating area, wherein the actual temperature of the first heating area is a first temperature, and the actual temperature of the second heating area is a second temperature; Step S4200: calculating the rate of change of the first temperature with respect to time at time t~t+Δt, i.e., a first rate of change, and calculating the rate of change of the second temperature with respect to time at time t~t+Δt, i.e., a second rate of change; Step S4300: acquiring a standard temperature change rate within a time period of t~t+Δt; Step S4400: comparing the first rate of change with the standard temperature change rate, generating a third correction coefficient according to the comparison result, and the third correction coefficient is used to correct the control signal of the control circuit corresponding to the first heating area in a time period of t+Δ~t+2Δt; and comparing the second rate of change with the standard temperature change rate, generating a fourth correction coefficient according to the comparison result, and the fourth correction coefficient is used to correct the control signal of the control circuit corresponding to the second heating area in a time period of t+Δ~t+2Δt.

[0106] Similarly, the technical solutions disclosed by steps S4100, S4200, S4300 and S4400 can be embedded in the temperature control method shown in method embodiment 1 as described above. However, it should be understood that the technical solutions can be applied to occasions not limited to this. As long as the technical solutions include closed-loop control, the technical solutions disclosed by steps S4100, S4200, S4300 and S4400 can be used to achieve the technical effect of cooperative temperature rise in multiple temperature regions. The technical solutions described in the previous sentence that include closed-loop control can include: S410, S420 (or S4201 and S4202), and the control signal is used to control the output power of the heating elements in the heating element group; or can include S410, S411, S412, S420 (or S4201 and S4202), and the control signal is used to control the output power of the heating elements in the heating element group; or S410, S411, S412, S420 (or S4201 and S4202), S450-S460, and the control signal is used to control the output power of the heating elements in the heating element group; or S410, S411, S412, S420 (or S4201 and S4202), S450-S460, and the control signal is used to control the output power of the heating elements in the heating element group, etc. It can be seen that the technical solutions described in the previous sentence that include closed-loop control do not require the calculation unit to be limited with respect to method embodiment 1.

[0107] When describing the technical solutions of steps S4100, S4200, S4300 and S4400, the temperature change rates of the two heating regions are calculated and compared with the standard temperature change rate, and then the control signals of the control circuits corresponding to the two heating regions are modified. It should be understood that the actual temperatures of the two heating regions can also be measured, and the actual temperatures of the two regions are compared with the standard temperature at the current time, and then the control signals of the control circuits corresponding to the two heating regions are modified. The specific steps can be referred to S4100, S4200, S4300 and S4400, and the temperature change rate is replaced by the temperature.

[0108] In some embodiments, the temperature control method 400 further comprises: after the film forming process is performed on the substrate, adjusting the output power value of each heating element as a whole by using the group coefficient ratio according to the actual film forming result of the substrate, i.e. In this way, the output power of each heating element can be adjusted simply, conveniently and quickly at the level of the region as a whole. In some embodiments, the temperature control method 400 further comprises: Step S490: adjusting the heating elements in the heating element group according to the film forming result of the substrate.

[0109] Reference is made to Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 4, which heating elements belong to which heating element group is adjustable. The adjustment here includes setting which heating element belongs to which heating element group, and the number of heating elements in each heating element group.

[0110] According to step S490, flexible grouping of the heating elements can be achieved. This enables the temperature control device 100 to adjust the grouping according to the actual film formation result, thereby enabling the temperature control device 100 to be more adaptive to the actual semiconductor process requirements.

[0111] It should be understood that the plurality of embodiments (technical solutions) described in the foregoing can be freely combined without conflict.

[0112] It should be noted that the methods in the various embodiments described above can be combined with each other to jointly control the output power value of each heating element in each heating element group.

[0113] The present application uses certain terms to describe the embodiments of the present application. As used in the description of the application and the appended claims, the terms "one embodiment," "an embodiment,” and / or "some embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one implementation of the application. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment” or "in some embodiments” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments of the application.

[0114] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the expression of the disclosure of the present application and to help the understanding of one or more embodiments of the application, in the foregoing description of the embodiments of the present application, various features are sometimes combined into one embodiment, figure or description thereof. However, this method of disclosure does not mean that the features required by the present application are more than the features mentioned. In fact, the features of the embodiments are less than all the features disclosed in the foregoing single embodiment.

[0115] Some embodiments use numbers to describe components, attributes, and the like. It should be understood that such numbers used in the description of the embodiments are, in some examples, modified by the adjectives "about," "approximately," or "generally.” Unless otherwise stated, "about,” "approximately,” or "generally” indicates that the number can vary by ±20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters in the present application are approximations that can vary depending on the requirements of the individual embodiments. In some embodiments, numerical parameters should be considered in the context of the number of significant digits and errors inherent to measurement. Although the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broadest scope of the embodiments of the application are approximations, in specific embodiments, these numerical values are set to be as precise as possible.

Claims

1. A temperature control apparatus for a semiconductor device including a susceptor for carrying a substrate, characterized by, The temperature control device comprises: a heating element group comprising a plurality of heating elements, the plurality of heating elements comprising at least one upper heating element and at least one lower heating element, wherein the at least one upper heating element is arranged above the base and the at least one lower heating element is arranged below the base, the heating element group corresponding to a heating area in the semiconductor device; a temperature sensor arranged corresponding to the heating area for measuring an actual temperature of the heating area; a control circuit for outputting a control signal according to the actual temperature and a target temperature of the heating area; a calculation unit for calculating an individual coefficient of each of the heating elements, an upper coefficient of all the upper heating elements, and a lower coefficient of all the lower heating elements, and calculating an output power value of each of the heating elements in the heating element group according to the control signal, the individual coefficient, the upper coefficient, and the lower coefficient; and a power controller for controlling the output power of each of the heating elements in the heating element group according to the output power value.

2. The temperature control device of claim 1, wherein, The temperature control device comprises a plurality of the heating element groups, and the calculation unit is further configured to calculate an output power value of each of the heating elements in the heating element group according to the control signal, the individual coefficient, the upper coefficient, the lower coefficient, and a group coefficient corresponding to each of the heating element groups.

3. The temperature control device of claim 1, wherein, The output power value is calculated by the following formula: ； ； ； wherein, denotes the nth heating element in the group of heating elements, ARC denotes the upper coefficient if the nth heating element is an upper heating element, ARC denotes the lower coefficient if the nth heating element is a lower heating element, denotes the rated power of the nth heating element, PT denotes the total power of the group of heating elements, denotes the control signal, denotes the output power value of the nth heating element.

4. The temperature control device of claim 2, wherein, The number of the heating areas is M, M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, and each of the heating areas is denoted as the mth area, m = 1 ~ M, wherein when m = 1, the first area corresponds to the middle part of the substrate, and when m = 2 ~ M, the mth area is arranged at the periphery of the (m-1)th area; The number of the heating element groups is M, and each of the heating element groups is denoted as the mth heating element group, m = 1 ~ M, wherein the mth heating element group corresponds to the mth area; and The number of the control circuits is M, and each of the control circuits is denoted as the mth control circuit, m = 1 ~ M, wherein the mth control circuit is configured to output the mth control signal corresponding to the mth heating element group.

5. The temperature control device of claim 4, wherein, The total power of the first heating element group, the second heating element group, …, and the Mth heating element increases in turn.

6. The temperature control device of claim 1, wherein, The control circuit comprises a PID control circuit.

7. A temperature control method for a semiconductor device, applied to the temperature control device of any one of claims 1-6, comprising: obtaining an actual temperature and a target temperature of a heating area corresponding to the heating element group; the control circuit outputs a control signal according to the actual temperature and the target temperature of the heating area corresponding to the heating element group; the calculation unit calculates an output power value of each of the heating elements in the corresponding heating element group according to the control signal, the individual coefficient, the upper coefficient, and the lower coefficient; and the power controller controls the output power of each of the heating elements in the heating element group according to the output power value. ​ 8. The temperature control method of claim 7, wherein, In the temperature control process, before outputting the control signal, further comprising: causing the heating elements in the heating element group to work at a preset fixed power; and In response to the actual temperature of the heating area corresponding to the heating element group reaching the preset temperature, taking the value of the preset temperature as the initial value of the actual temperature in the subsequent step.

9. The temperature control method of claim 8, wherein, The control circuit outputs the control signal according to the actual temperature and the target temperature of the heating area corresponding to the heating element group, comprising: A plurality of sub-target temperatures are set between the preset temperature and the target temperature; and With the increase of temperature, the control signal is output according to the actual temperature and different sub-target temperatures respectively.

10. The temperature control method of claim 7, wherein, Further comprising: For the heating element group, calculate the rate of change of the actual temperature with time; In response to the rate of change being less than a preset slope, generate a first adjustment coefficient, and adjust the control signal of the heating element group according to the first adjustment coefficient to increase the output power value of the heating element in the heating element group; And In response to the rate of change being greater than a preset slope, generate a second adjustment coefficient, and adjust the control signal of the heating element group according to the second adjustment coefficient to reduce the output power value of the heating element in the heating element group.

11. The temperature control method of claim 7, wherein, Further comprising: Obtain the actual temperatures of any two adjacent heating areas, wherein the actual temperatures of the any two adjacent heating areas are a first temperature and a second temperature respectively; Compare the first temperature and the second temperature, and generate a correction coefficient according to the comparison result; and According to the correction coefficient, correct the control signal of at least one of the two heating element groups corresponding to the two adjacent heating areas to correct the output power value of the heating element in the at least one heating element group, so that the first temperature curve and the second temperature curve tend to be consistent, wherein the first temperature curve is the curve of the first temperature changing with time, and the second temperature curve is the curve of the second temperature changing with time.

12. The temperature control method of claim 11, wherein, Before comparing the first temperature and the second temperature and generating a correction coefficient according to the comparison result, comprising: Take one of the first temperature curve and the second temperature curve as a standard temperature curve; and According to the correction coefficient, correct the control signal of at least one of the two heating element groups corresponding to the two adjacent heating areas to correct the output power value of the heating element in the at least one heating element group, so that the first temperature curve and the second temperature curve tend to be consistent, wherein the first temperature curve is the curve of the first temperature changing with time, and the second temperature curve is the curve of the second temperature changing with time.

13. The temperature control method of claim 11, wherein, According to the comparison result, the correction coefficient is generated, comprising: In response to the comparison result being that the first temperature is greater than the second temperature, set the first correction coefficient to be less than 1 and the second correction coefficient to be greater than 1; in response to the comparison result being that the first temperature is less than the second temperature, set the first correction coefficient to be greater than 1 and the second correction coefficient to be less than 1; According to the correction coefficient, the control signal of at least one of the two heating element groups corresponding to the two adjacent heating areas is corrected to correct the output power value of the heating element in the at least one heating element group, including: According to the first correction coefficient, the control signal corresponding to the first temperature curve is corrected, and according to the second correction coefficient, the control signal corresponding to the second temperature curve is corrected.

14. The temperature control method of claim 7, wherein, Also includes: According to the film forming result of the substrate, the heating element contained in the heating element group is adjusted.

15. The temperature control method of claim 7, wherein, Also includes: Obtaining the actual temperature of the first heating area and the second heating area, wherein the first heating area and the second heating area are any two adjacent heating areas, the actual temperature of the first heating area is the first temperature, and the actual temperature of the second heating area is the second temperature; Calculate the first change rate of the first temperature change with time at t~t+Δt, and calculate the second change rate of the second temperature change with time at t~t+Δt; Obtaining the standard temperature change rate in the period of t~t+Δt; and Comparing the first change rate and the standard temperature change rate, generating a third correction coefficient according to the comparison result, the third correction coefficient is used to correct the control signal of the control circuit corresponding to the first heating area; and comparing the second change rate and the standard temperature change rate, generating a fourth correction coefficient according to the comparison result, the fourth correction coefficient is used to correct the control signal of the control circuit corresponding to the second heating area.

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