Control of dual zone ceramic base using voltage and current measurement

Abstract

A controller for a substrate processing system includes a resistance calculation module configured to: receive a first current and a second current corresponding to a first heater element and a second heater element of a substrate support, respectively; receive a first voltage and a second voltage corresponding to the first heater element and the second heater element, respectively; calculate a first resistance of the first heater element based on the first voltage and the first current; and calculate a second resistance of the second heater element based on the second voltage and the second current. A temperature control module is configured to separately control the power provided to the first heater element and the second heater element based on the first resistance and the second resistance, respectively, and the corresponding relationship between the first resistance and the second resistance and the first temperature and the second temperature of the substrate support.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 972,850, filed on May 7, 2018. The entire disclosure of the above-referenced application is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a temperature tunable pedestal for an ALD substrate processing chamber. Background Art

[0004] The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present disclosure. The work of the presently designated inventors is neither explicitly nor implicitly admitted to be prior art against the present disclosure to the extent that it is described in this background section and in aspects of the description that could not be determined as prior art at the time the application was filed.

[0005] Substrate processing systems can be used to process substrates, such as semiconductor wafers. Examples of substrate processing include etching, deposition, photoresist removal, etc. During processing, a substrate is placed on a substrate support, such as an electrostatic chuck, and one or more process gases can be introduced into a processing chamber.

[0006] One or more process gases may be delivered to the process chamber by a gas delivery system. In some systems, the gas delivery system includes a manifold that is connected to a showerhead located in the process chamber by one or more conduits. In some examples, the process uses atomic layer deposition (ALD) to deposit a thin film on a substrate. Summary of the invention

[0007] A controller for a substrate processing system includes a resistance calculation module configured to: receive a first current and a second current corresponding to a first heater element and a second heater element of a substrate support, respectively; receive a first voltage and a second voltage corresponding to the first heater element and the second heater element, respectively; calculate a first resistance of the first heater element based on the first voltage and the first current; and calculate a second resistance of the second heater element based on the second voltage and the second current. A temperature control module is configured to separately control the power provided to the first heater element and the second heater element based on the first resistance and the second resistance and the corresponding relationship between the first resistance and a first temperature of a first region of the substrate support and the relationship between the second resistance and a second temperature of a second region of the substrate support, respectively.

[0008] In other features, the resistance calculation module is further configured to calculate a first power associated with the first heater element based on the first voltage and the first current, and to calculate a second power associated with the second heater element based on the second voltage and the second current. The temperature calculation module is configured to calculate a first temperature of a first region of the substrate support based on the first resistance, and to calculate a second temperature of a second region of the substrate support based on the second resistance. To control the power based on the first resistance and the second resistance, the temperature control module is configured to control the power provided to the first heater element and the second heater element based on the first temperature and the second temperature, respectively.

[0009] In other features, the temperature calculation module is further configured to calculate the first temperature and the second temperature based on a thermal resistivity of a material of the first heater element and the second heater element. The material has a thermal resistivity of at least 1.0%. The temperature calculation module stores data correlating the electrical resistance of the material to the corresponding temperature of the material, and wherein the temperature calculation module is configured to calculate the first temperature and the second temperature further based on the stored data. The stored data includes a conversion table. The temperature calculation module is configured to calculate a correction factor based on a difference between a plurality of measured temperatures of at least one of the first region and the second region and a plurality of calculated temperatures of the first region and the second region, and to modify an output of the conversion table based on the correction factor.

[0010] In other features, the temperature calculation module is configured to calculate the first temperature and the second temperature during an atomic layer deposition process. The temperature control module is also configured to adjust the power provided to the first heater element in response to a change in the heat load in the first region that causes a change in the first resistance. The temperature control module is also configured to adjust the power provided to the first heater element and the second heater element so that the first temperature and the second temperature are different. A substrate processing system includes: the controller; and the substrate support, and the controller is further configured to control an atomic layer deposition process performed on a substrate disposed on the substrate support.

[0011] A method for controlling the temperature of a substrate support in a substrate processing system includes: receiving a first current and a second current corresponding to a first heater element and a second heater element of the substrate support, respectively; receiving a first voltage and a second voltage corresponding to the first heater element and the second heater element, respectively; calculating a first resistance of the first heater element based on the first voltage and the first current; calculating a second resistance of the second heater element based on the second voltage and the second current; and separately controlling the power supplied to the first heater element and the second heater element based on the first resistance and the second resistance and the corresponding relationship between the first resistance and a first temperature of a first region of the substrate support and the relationship between the second resistance and a second temperature of a second region of the substrate support, respectively.

[0012] In other features, the method includes calculating a first power associated with the first heater element based on the first voltage and the first current, and calculating a second power associated with the second heater element based on the second voltage and the second current. The method includes calculating the first temperature of a first region of the substrate support based on the first resistance, and calculating the second temperature of a second region of the substrate support based on the second resistance. Controlling the power based on the first resistance and the second resistance includes controlling the power provided to the first heater element and the second heater element based on the first temperature and the second temperature, respectively.

[0013] In other features, the method includes calculating the first temperature and the second temperature based on a thermal resistivity of a material of the first heater element and the second heater element. The material has a thermal resistivity of at least 1.0%. The method includes storing data correlating the electrical resistance of the material to the corresponding temperature of the material, and further calculating the first temperature and the second temperature based on the stored data. The method includes calculating a correction factor based on a difference between a plurality of measured temperatures of at least one of the first region and the second region and a plurality of calculated temperatures of the first region and the second region, and modifying an output of a conversion table based on the correction factor.

[0014] Further scope of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, claims and drawings.The detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The present disclosure will be more fully understood from the detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of an example of a substrate processing chamber according to the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 2A is an exemplary substrate support according to the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 2B is a plan view of an exemplary heater layer of a substrate support according to the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary controller according to the present disclosure; and

[0020] Figure 4 An exemplary method for calculating and controlling temperature in different regions of a substrate support according to the present disclosure is shown.

[0021] Among the drawings, reference numerals may be repeated to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In film deposition processes such as atomic layer deposition (ALD), various properties of the deposited film vary in spatial (i.e., xy coordinates in a horizontal plane) distribution. For example, a substrate processing tool may have a corresponding specification for film thickness non-uniformity (NU), which may be measured as a full range, half range, and / or standard deviation of a set of measurements taken at predetermined locations on the surface of a semiconductor substrate. In some examples, NU may be reduced by, for example, addressing the direct cause of NU and / or introducing offset NU to compensate for and eliminate existing NU. In other examples, material may be intentionally deposited and / or removed non-uniformly to compensate for known non-uniformities at other (e.g., previous or subsequent) steps in the process. In these examples, a predetermined non-uniform deposition / removal profile may be calculated and used.

[0023] Various properties of the deposited ALD film may be affected by the temperature of the substrate during the deposition process. Therefore, a substrate support (e.g., a pedestal such as an ALD pedestal) can implement a temperature control system. For example, during an ALD process (e.g., deposition of an oxide film), the substrate is arranged on the pedestal. Typically, the ALD pedestal includes a single temperature controlled zone. In some examples, the ALD pedestal may include multiple temperature controlled regions (e.g., a center, an inner region, and an outer region). A heater layer may be embedded in the upper layer of the ALD pedestal. The heater layer may be configured to receive a voltage / current and act as a resistive heater (heather) to heat the pedestal and a substrate arranged thereon. The heater layer may be configured to heat a single region or to heat multiple regions of the pedestal separately, such as an inner region and an outer region.

[0024] Typically, due to manufacturing and architectural limitations, a susceptor including a single region or multiple regions may include only a single temperature sensor arranged in a central region of the susceptor. Therefore, the precise control of the susceptor temperature is limited. In other words, even in a susceptor that implements separate temperature control for the inner region and the outer region, the precise control of the outer region is limited due to the uncertainty of the actual temperature of the outer region. For example, due to variations in components and processes, the temperature of the susceptor (and therefore the substrate) in the outer region is not equal to the temperature of the susceptor in the inner region as indicated by the sensor arranged in the central region. The variation between the temperature in the inner region and the outer region (i.e., temperature non-uniformity) may result in uneven substrate processing and, in extreme cases, damage to components of the substrate and / or the susceptor.

[0025] Systems and methods according to the principles of the present disclosure are configured to determine and control the temperature of an outer region of a susceptor independently of an inner region without requiring a separate temperature sensor. For example, a susceptor according to the present disclosure may include a heater layer including a heater element having a high thermal resistivity (e.g., greater than or equal to 1.0%). For example, the heater element may include, but is not limited to, molybdenum and nickel heater elements. The material used for the heater element has an associated temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), which corresponds to an increase in resistance (for positive TCR materials) or a decrease in resistance (for negative TCR materials) when the temperature increases. Therefore, the total resistance of the heater layer represents the temperature of the heater layer. The current supplied to the heater layer and the voltage across the heater layer can be measured to calculate the resistance of the heater layer. The corresponding temperatures of the outer region and the inner region can be calculated based on the change in the resistance of the heater layer. The temperatures of different regions of the substrate support (and therefore the intervals of the substrate in different regions) can be controlled independently of each other and independently of the heat load and other system transients, as described in more detail below.

[0026] Reference now Figure 1 , shows an example of a substrate processing system 100 including a substrate support (eg, an ALD pedestal) 104 according to the present disclosure. The substrate support 104 is disposed within a processing chamber 108. During processing, a substrate 112 is disposed on the substrate support 104.

[0027] The gas delivery system 120 includes gas sources 122-1, 122-2, ..., and 122-N (collectively, gas sources 122) connected to valves 124-1, 124-2, ..., and 124-N (collectively, valves 124) and mass flow controllers 126-1, 126-2, ..., and 126-N (collectively, MFCs 126). MFCs 126 control the flow of gas from gas sources 122 to manifold 128, where the gas mixes. The output of manifold 128 is supplied to manifold 136 via optional pressure regulator 132. The output of manifold 136 is input to multi-injector nozzle 140. Although manifolds 128 and 136 are shown, a single manifold may be used.

[0028] The substrate support 104 includes multiple regions. As shown, the substrate support 104 includes an inner (central) region and an outer region. The temperature of the substrate support 104 can be controlled by using one or more resistive heaters 160 disposed in the substrate support 104, as described in more detail below.

[0029] In some examples, the substrate support 104 can include a coolant channel 164. A cooling fluid is supplied to the coolant channel 164 from a fluid reservoir 168 and a pump 170. Pressure sensors 172, 174 can be disposed in the manifold 128 or in the manifold 136, respectively, to measure the pressure. A valve 178 and a pump 180 can be used to exhaust reactants from the process chamber 108 and / or control the pressure within the process chamber 108.

[0030] The controller 182 includes a dosage controller 184 that controls dosing by the multi-injector nozzle 140. The controller 182 also controls gas delivery from the gas delivery system 120. The controller 182 controls the pressure in the process chamber and / or the exhaust of reactants using the valve 178 and the pump 180. The controller 182 controls the temperature of the substrate support 104 and the substrate 112 based on temperature feedback (e.g., from a sensor of the substrate support (not shown) and / or a sensor measuring the temperature of the coolant (not shown)).

[0031] Reference now Figure 2A and Figure 2B , schematically and in plan view, respectively, illustrate a simplified substrate support 200 according to the present disclosure. The substrate support 200 includes a conductive substrate 204 and a heater layer 208. For example, the heater layer 208 can be formed on an upper surface 212 of the substrate 204. The substrate 204 is disposed within an upper plate (e.g., an aluminum diffuser plate) 216. Thus, the heater layer 208 is embedded within the substrate support 200. A substrate 220 can be disposed on the substrate support 200 for processing (e.g., for ALD processing).

[0032] As shown, the substrate support 200 (and accordingly, the heater layer 208) includes two regions: an inner central region 224-1 and an outer region 224-2, collectively referred to as region 224. The inner region 224-1 and the outer region 224-2 include respective resistive heater elements 228-1 and 228-2, collectively referred to as heater elements 228. By way of example only, the heater elements 228 include a material having a positive or negative TCR greater than 1.0%, such as molybdenum, nickel, tungsten, etc. The heater elements 228-1 and 228-2 may be individually controllable. For example, the heater elements 228 may receive power (e.g., current) in response to a command from a controller 232, which may correspond to Figure 1 Controller 182. In other examples, substrate support 200 may correspond to only a single controllable region and heater element. Substrate support 200 may include a temperature sensor 236 located centrally (i.e., in interior region 224-1). Controller 232 is configured to calculate the resistance of heater elements 228-1 and 228-2 based on the measured current and voltage associated with heater elements 228-1 and 228-2, and to calculate and control the respective temperatures in regions 224-1 and 224-2 based on the calculated resistance, as described in more detail below.

[0033] Reference now Figure 3 , an exemplary controller 300 configured to calculate and control the temperature in zones 224-1 and 224-2 is shown. The controller 300 receives signals including, but not limited to, a voltage signal 304-1 and a current signal 304-2 (collectively, signals 304). The voltage signal 304-1 may include a signal representing a corresponding voltage of the heater element 228 of the zone 224. The current signal 304-2 may include a signal representing a corresponding current through the heater element 228. For example, the voltage signal 304-1 and the current signal 304-2 may correspond to analog measurement signals provided from the corresponding sensors 308.

[0034] The analog-to-digital (A / D) converter 312 converts the voltage signal 304-1 and the current signal 304-2 into a digital signal 316. Although shown as a single A / D converter 312, the controller 300 may implement a different A / D converter for each signal 304. The resistance calculation module 320 is configured to calculate the resistance of each heater element 228 based on the digital signal 316. For example, the resistance calculation module 320 may calculate the resistance based on the indicated voltage and current according to Ohm's law and output a signal 324 indicating the calculated resistance. In some examples, the resistance calculation module 320 may correct the gain and / or apply an offset to the digital signal 316 before calculating the resistance. In some examples, the resistance calculation module 320 may calculate the power output of each heater element 228 based on the indicated voltage and current (e.g., by multiplying the voltage and current of each heater element 228) and output a signal 328 indicating the calculated power value.

[0035] The temperature calculation module 332 according to the present disclosure receives the calculated resistance of each heater element 228 and calculates the temperature in each region 224-1 and 224-2 based on the calculated resistance. For example, as described above, the material of the heater element 228 has a known TCR, which indicates the change in resistance in response to a change in temperature. Therefore, for a given heater element 228 and material, the temperature calculation module 332 is configured to calculate the change in temperature of the corresponding region 224 based on the change in resistance.

[0036] For example, the temperature of region 224 may be determined according to T=TCR*RT C 1) is related to the resistance of the heater element 228 by the curve / slope defined by (Equation 1), where T is the temperature of the region 224, R is the calculated resistance of the heater element 228, TCR is the TCR modifier (e.g., °C / ohm), and T C is a temperature constant offset (e.g., 230°C). For example, for molybdenum, the temperature of the heater element can be calculated according to T=(46°C / ohm)*R-230°C. The temperature calculation module 332 stores data indicating the correlation between the temperature of the region 224 and the resistance of the heater element 228. In one example, the temperature calculation module 332 stores a temperature-resistance (R / T) conversion table according to the curve defined by Equation 1, which indexes the range of possible measured resistances of the heater element 228 for the corresponding temperature of the region 224 (e.g., at intervals of 1°C). In other examples, the temperature calculation module 332 can store and execute a model, formula, etc. to calculate the temperature of the region 224 based on the calculated resistance. The temperature calculation module 332 outputs the corresponding temperatures of the regions 224-1 and 224-2 based on the calculated resistance and the R / T conversion table.

[0037] The temperature calculation module 332 may generate the R / T conversion table during an initial calibration (e.g., during manufacture, assembly, maintenance, etc. of the process chamber 108, during installation and / or maintenance of the substrate support 200, etc.) For example, during calibration, the resistance of the heater element 228 may be calculated while measuring the temperature in the region 224 with one or more temporary temperature sensors (e.g., sensors disposed on the substrate support 200 that temperature sense a test substrate).

[0038] The temperature calculation module 332 can be further configured to apply a variable correction factor to the R / T conversion table. For example, the correction factor can move the curve of the R / T conversion up or down. In other words, the correction factor can add an offset to the calculated temperature or subtract an offset from the calculated temperature. In other examples, the correction factor can correspond to a multiplier that modifies the calculated temperature. For example, the correction factor can correspond to a gain adjustment or other parameter to compensate for structural or system changes. In other words, although the R / T conversion table or other data stored by the temperature calculation module 332 can represent a consistent relationship between the resistance and temperature of the heater element 228, the relationship between the resistance and temperature of each region 224 may be slightly different due to system changes (e.g., wiring modifications, wear and / or corrosion of components, etc.). The R / T conversion table corresponds to T=TCR*RT as defined in Equation 1 above. C In the example of FIG. 1 , the temperature calculation module 332 can calculate the temperature of the COR =T+CF or T COR =CF*T Output correction temperature T COR , where CF is the correction factor.

[0039] The correction factor may be determined during a startup mode, which may be implemented each time power is initially supplied to the substrate support (e.g., before substrate processing, when the substrate support 200 is at room temperature or other baseline temperature without heating, etc.). In one example, during the startup mode, the temperature calculation module 332 may calculate the temperature based on the signal 304 and the signal 324 as described above, and compare the calculated temperature to the sensed temperature signal 336 received from the temperature sensor 340 (e.g., Figure 2A and 2B In other words, the temperature calculation module 332 can be configured to determine the difference between the actual sensed temperature and the calculated temperature to determine the correction factor.

[0040] The temperature calculation module 332 can be configured to compare the calculated and sensed temperatures a single time (e.g., at an initial baseline temperature) when power is provided to the heater element 228 at periodic intervals for a predetermined time period and the temperature of the zone 224 increases, when power is provided to the heater element 228 discontinuously (e.g., when the power is alternately turned on and off), when power is provided to heat only one of the heater elements 228, when the zone 224 is allowed to cool (i.e., cool after the power is turned off), etc., and / or a combination thereof. In this way, a correction factor can be calculated to accurately reflect the difference between the calculated temperature of the heater element 228 and the actual temperature of the zone 224, and the R / T conversion table can be updated accordingly.

[0041] The temperature control module 344 receives the signal 344 indicating the calculated temperature and controls the heater element 228 accordingly. For example, the temperature control module 344 is configured to output a power control signal 348 to adjust the power (e.g., current) provided to the heater element 228 based on the calculated temperature. In this manner, the controller 300 is configured to implement closed-loop control of the temperature of the zone 224. The temperature control module 344 can be further configured to receive the output signal 328 representing the calculated power value and compare the calculated power value with the command power represented by the power control signal 348. In some examples, the difference between the command power and the calculated power can indicate one or more faults, including but not limited to wiring faults (e.g., disconnected or reversed wiring, wiring shorts, etc.). The controller 300 can be configured to indicate the fault to the user (e.g., via a user interface / display 352 of the controller 300).

[0042] Similarly, the temperature calculation module 332 may be configured to determine and / or indicate faults associated with differences between a calculated temperature and a sensed temperature (e.g., from the temperature sensor 340), differences between respective calculated temperatures of the regions 224 (e.g., differences greater than a predetermined threshold), differences between a calculated temperature and an expected temperature (e.g., as controlled by the signal 348), etc. For example, these differences may further indicate wiring or other faults, such as damaged components of the substrate support 200.

[0043] Now refer to Figure 4, an exemplary method 400 for calculating and controlling temperatures in different regions of a substrate support according to the present disclosure begins at 404. As described below, the method 400 can be implemented to control the temperature of the regions so that the temperatures in the different regions are uniform (i.e., the various regions are maintained at the same temperature) and / or non-uniform (i.e., the various regions are intentionally maintained at different temperatures), regardless of thermal loads and / or other transients within the substrate processing system. For example, other transients that may affect the temperature of the substrate and substrate support include, but are not limited to, movement of the substrate support (e.g., movement of an edge ring), activation, deactivation and / or adjustment of gas flow, RF power, etc. The temperature control implemented by the method 400 compensates for changes in thermal loads and / or other transients to achieve respective desired temperatures in the different regions, as described in more detail below.

[0044] For example, method 400 can control the respective temperatures of the zones based on the same or different temperature set points. When the temperature set points are different, the temperatures of the zones can be controlled to maintain a predetermined desired relationship (e.g., a predetermined difference) between the temperatures of the zones. During processing of a given substrate, the set points may vary.

[0045] At 408, the method 400 generates data (eg, an R / T conversion table) indicating a correlation between the temperature of the region 224 and the resistance of the heater element 228. For example, the R / T conversion table is based on the temperature of the region 224 as described above. Figure 3 The TCR of the material including the heater element 228 is generated during the calibration process described in . At 412, the method 400 determines the correction factor to be applied to the R / T conversion table. For example, the correction factor can be applied to the R / T conversion table as described above. Figure 3 During the startup mode described in , the sensed temperature is compared to the calculated temperature to determine the correction factor. In some examples, the correction factor may be different for each region 224. For example, during the calibration process, a different correction factor may be calculated for each of the various regions 224.

[0046] At 416, the method 400 (e.g., the temperature control module 344) provides power to the heater element 228 to independently control the respective temperatures of the regions 224 according to the respective set points. For example, during a process such as an ALD process performed on the substrate, the temperature of the regions 224 is controlled according to a desired temperature. At 420, the method 400 (e.g., the A / D converter 312) receives an analog signal corresponding to the measured voltage and current of the heater element 228 and outputs a digital signal indicative of the measured voltage and current. At 424, the method 400 (e.g., the resistance calculation module 320) calculates the resistance of the heater element 228 based on the measured voltage and current. In some examples, the resistance calculation module 320 may optionally calculate the power based on the measured voltage and current.

[0047] The desired temperatures of the zones 224 may be the same or different than described above. Thus, the temperature control module 344 provides power to the heater elements 228 according to the corresponding set points to selectively maintain the zones 224 at the same temperature and / or at different temperatures. Thus, as the heat load varies during substrate processing, the desired relationship between the temperatures of the zones 224 (i.e., the same or different temperatures according to the set points) is maintained regardless of the changes in the heat load.

[0048] At 428, the method 400 (e.g., the temperature calculation module 332) calculates the corresponding temperature in the region 224 based on the calculated resistance. For example, the temperature calculation module 332 uses the calculated resistance, an R / T conversion table that relates various resistances of the heater element 228 to corresponding temperatures, and the temperature calculation module 332 as described above. Figure 3 The temperature is calculated using the correction factors applied to the R / T conversion table as described in .

[0049] At 432, the method 400 (e.g., the temperature control module 344) determines whether to adjust the temperature of the zone 224 based on the calculated temperature. For example, the temperature control module 344 may determine whether to adjust the power provided to the heater element 228 based on a comparison (e.g., difference) between the calculated temperature of the zone 224 and the desired temperature, the respective temperature set points of the zones 224, and / or the desired relationship between the zones 224 (i.e., whether to maintain the temperatures of the zones 224 at the same temperature, at different temperatures, etc. according to a predetermined temperature deviation between the zones 224). If true, the method 400 continues to 436. If false, the method 400 continues to 416. At 436, the method 400 (e.g., the temperature control module 344) selectively adjusts the power provided to the heater element 228. For example, the method 400 may adjust the power provided to the heater element 228 of only one of the zones 224 or two or more of the zones 224. In other words, the power provided to the heater element 228 may be adjusted independently in each zone 224.

[0050] In general, the rate at which the power supplied to the heater element 228 to regulate the temperature can be limited. For example, because the exact temperature of the region 224 is unknown and can only be estimated based on sensors in only one of the regions 224, the regulation rate can be limited to prevent damage to the substrate support. In contrast, because the temperature of each region 224 is calculated by the method 400 according to the principles of the present disclosure as described above, the regulation rate can be significantly increased. For example, the regulation rate of the power supplied to the heater element can correspond to at least 10°C per minute. In some examples, the regulation rate is between 15 and 20°C per minute.

[0051] The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is by no means intended to limit the present disclosure, its application or use. The broad teachings of the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms. Therefore, although the present disclosure includes specific examples, the true scope of the present disclosure should not be so limited, because when studying the drawings, the specification and the appended claims, other modifications will become apparent. It should be understood that one or more steps in the method can be performed in different orders (or simultaneously) without changing the principles of the present disclosure. In addition, although each embodiment is described above as having certain features, any one or more of those features described relative to any embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented in the features of any other embodiment and / or combined with the features of any other embodiment, even if the combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and the replacement of one or more embodiments with each other remains within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0052] Various terms are used to describe the spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, between circuit elements, between semiconductor layers, etc.), including "connected," "engaged," "coupled," "adjacent," "next to," "on top of," "above," "below," and "disposed." Unless the relationship between a first and a second element is explicitly described as "direct," when such a relationship is described in the above disclosure, the relationship can be a direct relationship, in which there are no other intervening elements between the first and second elements, but can also be an indirect relationship, in which there are one or more intervening elements (spatially or functionally) between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" should be interpreted to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be interpreted to mean "at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C."

[0053] In some implementations, the controller is part of a system, which can be part of the above examples. Such a system can include a semiconductor processing device, which includes one or more processing tools, one or more chambers, one or more platforms for processing, and / or specific processing components (wafer pedestals, gas flow systems, etc.). These systems can be integrated with electronic devices for controlling their operations before, during, and after the processing of semiconductor wafers or substrates. The electronic device can be referred to as a "controller", which can control various components or subcomponents of one or more systems. Depending on the processing requirements and / or the type of system, the controller can be programmed to control any process disclosed herein, including the delivery of process gases, temperature settings (e.g., heating and / or cooling), pressure settings, vacuum settings, power settings, radio frequency (RF) generator settings, RF matching circuit settings, frequency settings, flow rate settings, fluid delivery settings, position and operation settings, wafer transfer in and out of tools and other transfer tools and / or load locks connected to or connected to a specific system through an interface.

[0054] In general, a controller can be defined as an electronic device having various integrated circuits, logic, memory, and / or software that receive instructions, issue instructions, control operations, enable cleaning operations, enable endpoint measurements, etc. The integrated circuit can include a chip in the form of firmware that stores program instructions, a digital signal processor (DSP), a chip defined as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and / or one or more microprocessors, or a microcontroller that executes program instructions (e.g., software). The program instructions can be instructions sent to the controller in the form of various individual settings (or program files) that define operating parameters for performing a specific process on or for a semiconductor wafer or system. In some embodiments, the operating parameters can be part of a recipe defined by a process engineer to complete one or more processing steps during the manufacture of one or more (kinds of) layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon, silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and / or dies of a wafer.

[0055] In some implementations, the controller may be part of or coupled to a computer that is integrated with the system, coupled to the system, otherwise networked to the system, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller may be in the "cloud" or all or part of a wafer fab host system that may allow remote access to wafer processing. The computer may enable remote access to the system to monitor the current progress of a manufacturing operation, check the history of past manufacturing operations, check trends or performance criteria for multiple manufacturing operations, change parameters of a current process, set processing steps to follow the current process, or start a new process. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g., a server) may provide a process recipe to the system via a network (which may include a local network or the Internet). The remote computer may include a user interface that enables input or programming of parameters and / or settings, which are then sent from the remote computer to the system. In some examples, the controller receives instructions in the form of data that specify parameters for each processing step to be performed during one or more operations. It should be understood that the parameters may be specific to the type of process to be performed and the type of tool that the controller is configured to interface with or control. Thus, as described above, the controller may be distributed, for example, by including one or more discrete controllers networked together and working toward a common purpose (e.g., the process and control described herein). An example of a distributed controller for such a purpose is one or more integrated circuits on a chamber communicating with one or more integrated circuits remotely (e.g., at a platform level or as part of a remote computer), which combine to control the process on the chamber.

[0056] Example systems may include, but are not limited to, plasma etch chambers or modules, deposition chambers or modules, spin rinse chambers or modules, metal plating chambers or modules, cleaning chambers or modules, chamfer edge etch chambers or modules, physical vapor deposition (PVD) chambers or modules, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chambers or modules, atomic layer deposition (ALD) chambers or modules, atomic layer etch (ALE) chambers or modules, ion implantation chambers or modules, track chambers or modules, and any other semiconductor processing system that may be associated with or used in the manufacture and / or preparation of semiconductor wafers.

[0057] As described above, depending on one or more processing steps to be performed by the tool, the controller can communicate with one or more other tool circuits or modules, other tool components, cluster tools, other tool interfaces, adjacent tools, neighboring tools, tools located throughout the factory, a host computer, another controller, or tools used in material transport to transport wafer containers to and from tool locations and / or load ports in a semiconductor manufacturing facility.

[0058] The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is by no means intended to limit the present disclosure, its application or use. The broad teachings of the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms. Therefore, although the present disclosure includes specific examples, the true scope of the present disclosure should not be so limited, because when studying the drawings, the specification and the appended claims, other modifications will become apparent. It should be understood that one or more steps in the method can be performed in different orders (or simultaneously) without changing the principles of the present disclosure. In addition, although each embodiment is described above as having certain features, any one or more of those features described relative to any embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented in the features of any other embodiment and / or combined with the features of any other embodiment, even if the combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and the replacement of one or more embodiments with each other remains within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0059] Various terms are used to describe the spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, between circuit elements, between semiconductor layers, etc.), including "connected," "engaged," "coupled," "adjacent," "next to," "on top of," "above," "below," and "disposed." Unless the relationship between a first and a second element is explicitly described as "direct," when such a relationship is described in the above disclosure, the relationship can be a direct relationship, in which there are no other intervening elements between the first and second elements, but can also be an indirect relationship, in which there are one or more intervening elements (spatially or functionally) between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" should be interpreted to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be interpreted to mean "at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C."

[0060] In some implementations, the controller is part of a system, which can be part of the above examples. Such a system can include a semiconductor processing device, which includes one or more processing tools, one or more chambers, one or more platforms for processing, and / or specific processing components (wafer pedestals, gas flow systems, etc.). These systems can be integrated with electronic devices for controlling their operations before, during, and after the processing of semiconductor wafers or substrates. The electronic device can be referred to as a "controller", which can control various components or subcomponents of one or more systems. Depending on the processing requirements and / or the type of system, the controller can be programmed to control any process disclosed herein, including the delivery of process gases, temperature settings (e.g., heating and / or cooling), pressure settings, vacuum settings, power settings, radio frequency (RF) generator settings, RF matching circuit settings, frequency settings, flow rate settings, fluid delivery settings, position and operation settings, wafer transfer in and out of tools and other transfer tools and / or load locks connected to or connected to a specific system through an interface.

[0061] In general, a controller can be defined as an electronic device having various integrated circuits, logic, memory, and / or software that receive instructions, issue instructions, control operations, enable cleaning operations, enable endpoint measurements, etc. The integrated circuit can include a chip in the form of firmware that stores program instructions, a digital signal processor (DSP), a chip defined as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and / or one or more microprocessors, or a microcontroller that executes program instructions (e.g., software). The program instructions can be instructions sent to the controller in the form of various individual settings (or program files) that define operating parameters for performing a specific process on or for a semiconductor wafer or system. In some embodiments, the operating parameters can be part of a recipe defined by a process engineer to complete one or more processing steps during the manufacture of one or more (kinds of) layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon, silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and / or dies of a wafer.

[0062] In some implementations, the controller may be part of or coupled to a computer that is integrated with the system, coupled to the system, otherwise networked to the system, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller may be in the "cloud" or all or part of a wafer fab host system that may allow remote access to wafer processing. The computer may enable remote access to the system to monitor the current progress of a manufacturing operation, check the history of past manufacturing operations, check trends or performance criteria for multiple manufacturing operations, change parameters of a current process, set processing steps to follow the current process, or start a new process. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g., a server) may provide a process recipe to the system via a network (which may include a local network or the Internet). The remote computer may include a user interface that enables input or programming of parameters and / or settings, which are then sent from the remote computer to the system. In some examples, the controller receives instructions in the form of data that specify parameters for each processing step to be performed during one or more operations. It should be understood that the parameters may be specific to the type of process to be performed and the type of tool that the controller is configured to interface with or control. Thus, as described above, the controller may be distributed, for example, by including one or more discrete controllers networked together and working toward a common purpose (e.g., the process and control described herein). An example of a distributed controller for such a purpose is one or more integrated circuits on a chamber communicating with one or more integrated circuits remotely (e.g., at a platform level or as part of a remote computer), which combine to control the process on the chamber.

[0063] Example systems may include, but are not limited to, plasma etch chambers or modules, deposition chambers or modules, spin rinse chambers or modules, metal plating chambers or modules, cleaning chambers or modules, chamfer edge etch chambers or modules, physical vapor deposition (PVD) chambers or modules, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chambers or modules, atomic layer deposition (ALD) chambers or modules, atomic layer etch (ALE) chambers or modules, ion implantation chambers or modules, track chambers or modules, and any other semiconductor processing system that may be associated with or used in the manufacture and / or preparation of semiconductor wafers.

[0064] As described above, depending on one or more processing steps to be performed by the tool, the controller can communicate with one or more other tool circuits or modules, other tool components, cluster tools, other tool interfaces, adjacent tools, neighboring tools, tools located throughout the factory, a host computer, another controller, or tools used in material transport to transport wafer containers to and from tool locations and / or load ports in a semiconductor manufacturing facility.

Claims

1. A controller for a substrate processing system, the controller comprising: a resistance calculation module configured to: (i) receive a first current and a second current corresponding to a first heater element and a second heater element of a substrate support, respectively, (ii) receive a first voltage and a second voltage corresponding to the first heater element and the second heater element, respectively, (iii) calculate a first resistance of the first heater element based on the first voltage and the first current, and (iv) calculate a second resistance of the second heater element based on the second voltage and the second current; a temperature calculation module configured to (i) calculate a first temperature of a first region of the substrate support based on the first resistance and stored data correlating resistance to temperature, (ii) calculate a second temperature of a second region of the substrate support based on the second resistance and the stored data, and (iii) selectively adjust the stored data based on a comparison of the sensed temperature with at least one of the calculated first temperature and the second temperature; and a temperature control module configured to separately control power supplied to the first heater element and the second heater element based on the first resistance and the second resistance and the corresponding relationship between (i) the first resistance and the first temperature and between (ii) the second resistance and the second temperature, respectively.

2. The controller according to claim 1, wherein: The resistance calculation module is further configured to: (i) calculate a first power associated with the first heater element based on the first voltage and the first current; and (ii) calculating a second power associated with the second heater element based on the second voltage and the second current.

3. The controller according to claim 1, wherein: To control the power based on the first resistance and the second resistance, the temperature control module is configured to control the power provided to the first heater element and the second heater element based on the first temperature and the second temperature, respectively.

4. The controller according to claim 3, wherein: The temperature calculation module is further configured to calculate the first temperature and the second temperature based on thermal resistivity of materials of the first heater element and the second heater element.

5. The controller according to claim 4, wherein: The material has a thermal resistivity of at least 1.0%.

6. The controller according to claim 4, wherein: The stored data includes data correlating the electrical resistance of the material to a corresponding temperature of the material.

7. The controller according to claim 6, wherein: The stored data includes a conversion table.

8. The controller according to claim 7, wherein: The temperature calculation module is configured to: (i) calculate a correction factor based on a difference between a plurality of measured temperatures of at least one of the first region and the second region and a plurality of calculated temperatures of the first region and the second region, and (ii) modify an output of the conversion table based on the correction factor.

9. The controller according to claim 3, wherein: The temperature calculation module is configured to calculate the first temperature and the second temperature during an atomic layer deposition process.

10. The controller according to claim 3, wherein: The temperature control module is further configured to adjust the power provided to the first heater element in response to a change in heat load in the first zone that results in a change in the first resistance.

11. The controller according to claim 3, wherein: The temperature control module is further configured to adjust the power provided to the first heater element and the second heater element such that the first temperature and the second temperature are different.

12. A substrate processing system comprising: The controller according to claim 1; and the substrate support, Wherein, the controller is further configured to control an atomic layer deposition process performed on a substrate arranged on the substrate support.

13. A method for controlling the temperature of a substrate support in a substrate processing system, the method comprising: receiving first and second currents corresponding to first and second heater elements of a substrate support, respectively; receiving a first voltage and a second voltage corresponding to the first heater element and the second heater element, respectively; calculating a first resistance of the first heater element based on the first voltage and the first current; calculating a second resistance of the second heater element based on the second voltage and the second current; calculating a first temperature of a first region of the substrate support based on the first resistance and stored data correlating resistance to temperature; calculating a second temperature of a second region of the substrate support based on the second resistance and the stored data; selectively adjusting the stored data based on a comparison between the sensed temperature and at least one of the calculated first temperature and the second temperature; as well as The power supplied to the first and second heater elements is separately controlled based on the first and second resistances and the corresponding relationship between (i) the first resistance and the first temperature and between (ii) the second resistance and the second temperature, respectively.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: (i) calculating a first power associated with the first heater element based on the first voltage and the first current; and (ii) calculating a second power associated with the second heater element based on the second voltage and the second current.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein: Controlling the power based on the first resistance and the second resistance includes controlling the power provided to the first heater element and the second heater element based on the first temperature and the second temperature, respectively.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: The first temperature and the second temperature are calculated based on thermal resistivity of materials of the first heater element and the second heater element.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The material has a thermal resistivity of at least 1.0%.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the stored data comprises: Data is stored that correlates the electrical resistance of the material to the corresponding temperature of the material.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: (i) calculating a correction factor based on a difference between a plurality of measured temperatures of at least one of the first region and the second region and a plurality of calculated temperatures of the first region and the second region, and (ii) modifying an output of a conversion table based on the correction factor.

20. A controller for a substrate processing system, the controller comprising: a resistance calculation module configured to: (i) receive a first current and a second current corresponding to a first heater element and a second heater element of a substrate support, respectively, (ii) receive a first voltage and a second voltage corresponding to the first heater element and the second heater element, respectively, (iii) calculate a first resistance of the first heater element based on the first voltage and the first current, and (iv) calculate a second resistance of the second heater element based on the second voltage and the second current; as well as A temperature calculation module is configured to (i) calculate a first temperature of a first area of ​​the substrate support based on the first resistance and stored data correlating resistance to temperature, (ii) calculate a second temperature of a second area of ​​the substrate support based on the second resistance and the stored data, and (iii) selectively adjust the stored data based on a comparison between the sensed temperature and at least one of the calculated first temperature and the second temperature.

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