Ceramic Base with Multi-Layer Heater for Enhancing Thermal Uniformity

Abstract

A substrate support for a substrate processing system configured to perform a deposition process on a substrate includes: a susceptor having an upper surface configured to support the substrate; and N heating layers, where the N heating layers are vertically stacked within the susceptor below the upper surface. Each of the N heating layers includes respective resistive heating elements. The watt density of the resistive heating elements in at least one of the N heating layers varies in at least one radial zone of the substrate support relative to other radial zones of the substrate support.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 773,601, filed on November 30, 2018. The entire disclosure of the above - cited application is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to a temperature - adjustable pedestal for an ALD substrate processing chamber. Background Art

[0004] The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the background of the disclosure. The work of the currently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background art section as well as in various aspects of the specification that could not be determined to be prior art at the time of filing the application, is neither expressly nor impliedly admitted to be prior art against the disclosure.

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

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

[0007] A substrate support for a substrate processing system configured to perform a deposition process on a substrate includes: a pedestal having an upper surface configured to support the substrate; and N heating layers, wherein the N heating layers are vertically stacked within the pedestal below the upper surface. Each of the N heating layers includes a respective resistive heating element. The watt density of the resistive heating elements in at least one of the N heating layers varies in at least one radial zone of the substrate support relative to other radial zones of the substrate support.

[0008] In other features, each of the resistive heating elements includes a resistive coil. At least one of the resistive coils has a different spacing from the other resistive coils. Each of the resistive coils has the same spacing. The resistive heating elements in at least two of the N heating layers are aligned in the vertical direction. The watt density varies in an outer zone of the substrate support. The watt density varies in an inner zone of the substrate support.

[0009] Among other features, each of the resistive heating elements is configured to receive 1 / N of the total power provided to all of the N heating layers. The diameter of each of the respective resistive heating elements is 90 - 99% of the diameter of the upper surface of the substrate support. A system includes the substrate support described above and further includes a controller configured to control the power provided to the N heating layers based on a desired power ratio between corresponding ones of the N heating layers.

[0010] A system includes a substrate support configured to support a substrate during a deposition process. The substrate support includes: a base having an upper surface configured to support the substrate; and N heating layers vertically stacked within the base below the upper surface. Each of the N heating layers includes a respective resistive heating element. A controller is configured to control the power provided to the N heating layers based on a desired power ratio between corresponding ones of the N heating layers.

[0011] Among other features, each of the resistive heating elements includes a resistive coil. At least one of the resistive coils has a different spacing from the others of the resistive coils. Each of the resistive coils has the same spacing. The resistive heating elements in at least two of the N heating layers are aligned in a vertical direction. The watt density of the resistive heating elements in at least one of the N heating layers varies in at least one radial zone of the substrate support relative to other radial zones of the substrate support. The watt density varies in an outer zone of the substrate support. The watt density varies in an inner zone of the substrate support.

[0012] Among other features, each of the resistive heating elements is configured to receive 1 / N of the total power provided to all of the N heating layers. The diameter of each of the respective resistive heating elements is 90 - 99% of the diameter of the upper surface of the substrate support.

[0013] 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 for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The present disclosure will be more fully understood from the detailed description and the drawings, in which:

[0015] Figure 1A is a functional block diagram of an example of a substrate processing system in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 1Bis an exemplary substrate support according to the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 1C is Figure 1B another example of a substrate support;

[0018] Figure 1D is an example of a resistive heating element of a substrate support according to the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 is an example heat map of the upper surface of a substrate support;

[0020] Figure 3 is an exemplary temperature controller according to the principles of the present disclosure; and

[0021] Figure 4 depicts an exemplary method of controlling the temperature of a substrate support according to the principles of the present disclosure.

[0022] In the drawings, reference numerals may be reused to identify similar and / or identical elements. Detailed Description

[0023] In a film deposition process such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) (or, in certain examples, chemical vapor deposition (CVD)), various properties of the deposited film vary across the spatial (i.e., x-y coordinates on a horizontal plane) distribution. For example, a substrate processing tool may have corresponding specifications for film thickness non-uniformity (NU), which may be measured as the 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 certain examples, NU may be reduced by, for example, addressing the direct cause of the NU and / or introducing a reactive NU that compensates for and offsets the existing NU. In other examples, materials may be intentionally deposited and / or removed non-uniformly to compensate for known non-uniformities in 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.

[0024] Various characteristics of the deposited film are affected by the substrate temperature during deposition. For example, during a deposition process (such as the deposition of an oxide film), the substrate is disposed on a substrate support such as an ALD pedestal. The pedestal temperature may be adjusted during the deposition process to control the substrate temperature in an attempt to compensate for NU. For example, the pedestal may include a controlled resistive heating element to control the substrate temperature.

[0025] The structure of the susceptor and control limitations restrict the ability to compensate for all thermal NU during processing (e.g., thermal NU due to various non-repeatable effects in manufacturing). For example, an ALD susceptor may include only a single zone (i.e., a single temperature-adjustable zone). In other examples, an ALD susceptor may include two zones (e.g., a central zone and an annular outer zone surrounding the central zone). However, adjusting the temperature of the entire susceptor and / or substrate may not compensate for temperature NU across the substrate surface.

[0026] In other examples, manufacturing and / or design limitations result in NU in the structure of the susceptor. For example, in a susceptor (e.g., an aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramic susceptor) configured for deposition processes at very high temperatures, resistive heating elements are configured to operate at temperatures of 400 - 800 °C or higher. Due to limitations associated with operating at these high temperatures (e.g., heat flux due to radiative losses, thermal conductivity of AlN (e.g., 50 - 60 watts / m-K), etc.), higher precision in the operating characteristics of the resistive heating elements (e.g., watt density, heat generation uniformity, etc.) is required. The physical characteristics of the heating elements and various types of defects affect heat generation uniformity.

[0027] Generally, the heating elements are provided in a single layer within a single-zone or multi-zone susceptor. In a susceptor (e.g., an AlN susceptor) according to the principles of the present disclosure, the heating elements are vertically stacked to form multiple zones (e.g., N heating layers) in the respective heating layers. Thus, the heat generation distribution for a given area of the susceptor spreads across multiple heating elements. In this way, the non-uniformity associated with any one of the heating elements in a given area is reduced.

[0028] For example, by vertically stacking multiple heating elements on top of each other, the heat flux reaching a discrete area of the substrate is provided by multiple heating elements. In the case of having N (e.g., three) heating elements, the power supplied to each of the heating elements is reduced to 1 / N of the power supplied to the heating element of a susceptor having only a single layer. If the heating elements in each of the respective layers have the same thermal NU as the heating element in a conventional single-layer susceptor, and the thermal NU in the individual heating elements is not aligned in the vertical direction (i.e., the thermal NU does not directly stack on top of each other), then the net thermal NU on the substrate will be reduced to 1 / N. For example, in the case where three heating elements are vertically stacked, a thermal NU of 6 °C will be reduced to 2 °C.

[0029] In some examples, the N layers may be configured to have a watt density bias in different radial regions to facilitate control of the power ratio between the inner and outer regions of the susceptor. For example, in the case of three layers, the top layer may be biased to have a higher watt density (e.g., 30% greater) in the outer region, the middle layer may have a watt density corresponding to the predicted thermal boundary conditions, and the bottom layer may have a higher watt density (e.g., 30% greater) in the inner region. Since each zone (i.e., layer) is substantially the full size of the susceptor (e.g., 90 - 99% of the diameter), it is easier to achieve the desired resistance range. Additionally, at nominal operating conditions, a 1:1:1 power ratio between these zones can be achieved. Thus, the thermal uniformity is increased and the control of the precise and efficient zone ratio is facilitated.

[0030] Now referring Figure 1A 、 1B 、1C, and 1D, illustrate examples of a substrate processing system 100 that includes a substrate support 104 (e.g., an AlN ALD susceptor) in accordance with the present disclosure. The substrate support 104 is configured within a processing chamber 108. During processing, a substrate 112 is placed on the substrate support 104. Figure 1B The substrate processing system 100 of

[0031] The gas delivery system 120 includes gas sources 122-1, 122-2, ……, and 122-N (collectively referred to as gas sources 122), which are connected to valves 124-1, 124-2, ……, and 124-N (collectively referred to as valves 124) and mass flow controllers 126-1, 126-2, ……, and 126-N (collectively referred to as MFCs 126). The MFCs 126 control the flow of gas from the gas sources 122 to a manifold 128, where the gas is mixed. The output of the manifold 128 is supplied to a manifold 136 via an optional pressure regulator 132. The output of the manifold 136 is input to a multi-injector showerhead 140. Although manifolds 128 and 136 are shown, a single manifold may be used.

[0032] The substrate support 104 includes a plurality of vertically stacked zones (i.e., N zones arranged in multiple layers). As shown, the substrate support 104 includes a lower zone 144, a middle zone 148, and an upper zone 152 in corresponding vertical layers of the substrate support 104 (e.g., N = 3). For example, each zone may include individually controllable resistive heating elements 156. For example, each of the resistive heating elements 156 may correspond to a resistive heating coil, as in Figure 1Dshown in more detail in. Each of the heating elements 156 has a diameter that is only slightly less than the diameter of the upper surface 106 of the substrate support 104. For example, the diameter of the heating element 156 can be 90-99% of the diameter of the upper surface 106.

[0033] In some examples, the pressure sensors 168, 170 can be respectively disposed in the manifold 128 or the manifold 136 to measure pressure. Valves 172 and pumps 174 can be used to evacuate the reactants from the processing chamber 108 and / or control the pressure within the processing chamber 108.

[0034] The controller 176 can control the ingredients provided by the multi-syringe nozzle 140. The controller 176 also controls the gas delivery from the gas delivery system 120. The controller 176 uses the valves 172 and the pumps 174 to control the pressure in the processing chamber and / or the evacuation of the reactants. The controller 176 is also configured to control the temperature of the substrate support 104 and the substrate 112 based on temperature feedback (e.g., from one or more sensors (not shown) in the substrate support, a temperature calculation module, etc.). For example, the controller 176 can include a temperature controller 178 configured to control the temperature of the substrate support 104 by respectively providing power to the resistive heating elements 156 disposed in the corresponding zones 144, 148, and 152, as described in more detail below. Although shown as integrated with the controller 176, in other examples the temperature controller 178 can be separate from the controller 176.

[0035] Now referring to Figure 2 , an exemplary heat map 200 of the upper surface 204 of the substrate support 208 is shown. As shown, the heat generation on the upper surface 204 is non-uniform, resulting in a heat NU. The non-uniformity of the heat generation (i.e., power output or generation) of the heating elements is a function of the non-uniformity of the resistance of the heating elements. As the resistance of the heating elements varies across the coil, the power output (and thus the heat output) varies accordingly. In one example, the temperature across the entire upper surface 204 can vary from an average of 509 °C in the first region 212 to an average of 515 °C in the second region 216 (i.e., a difference of 6 °C). The average temperature across the entire upper surface 204 can be 512 °C. In other examples, the temperature difference may be greater than or less than 6 °C.

[0036] Most of the power loss from the upper surface 204 can be attributed to radiation loss, the percentage difference in power flux from the second region 216 to the first region 212, etc. A relatively low power output difference (e.g., less than 5%) can correspond to a relatively significant difference (e.g., 5-15 °C) in the temperature of the upper surface 204 in the corresponding regions 212 and 216.

[0037] According to (P = R × I 2) The power generation (P) of the heating element is directly and linearly related to the resistance R of the heating element, where I is the current passing through the heating element. Thus, as the resistance varies in different regions of the heating element, the current (and thus the power output) also varies in different regions, causing the heat generation to vary. The reasons for the change in the resistance of the heating element include, but are not limited to: other defects or contaminants in the material, changes in wire diameter, resistivity changes (e.g., caused by oxidation, chemical changes, changes in wire density, etc.), geometric changes (e.g., the placement of the heater coil, the position or shape of the heating element pattern, etc.) and / or changes in the material of the base (e.g., changes in the thickness of the AlN ceramic plate, changes in the thermal conductivity of AlN, etc.). These and other changes can cause resistance variations between different regions of the heating element. Additionally, there may be additional resistance variations between different bases.

[0038] Referring again to Figures 1A - 1D , the heat generation of a given region of the substrate support 104 is distributed across a plurality of resistive heating elements 156 disposed in the respective zones 144, 148, and 152. For example, if the substrate support 104 includes N vertically stacked heating elements 156 and a total power P is supplied to the heating elements 156, the power supplied to each of the heating elements (e.g., in response to an instruction from the controller 176) is (1 / N)*P. Additionally, if the heat NU in a given region of one of the heating elements 156 is 10%, the corresponding heat generation NU attributable to that heating element 156 is 10% of (1 / N)*P. Conversely, if the substrate support 104 includes only one of the heating elements 156, the heating element 156 will receive the total power P and the corresponding heat generation NU attributable to that heating element will be 10% of P. Thus, by providing N heating elements 156, the heat generation NU is significantly reduced (e.g., reduced by 2 / N).

[0039] The above reduction in heat generation NU assumes an ideal case where only one of the heating elements 156 in a given region has a heat NU. In other words, the ideal reduction of 2 / N can correspond to a setting where only one heating element 156 has a heat NU of 10% and the remaining heater elements 156 each have a heat NU of 0%. In other examples, the remaining heater elements 156 may have a heat NU higher than 0% but lower than 10%. In the worst case, each of the N heating elements will have a heat NU of 10%. However, even in the worst case, the overall heat NU will be 10% of P, or the same as the NU of a setting with only one heater element 156 having a heat NU of 10%.

[0040] In this way, since it is statistically impossible for each of the N heating elements 156 to have the same thermal NU in a given area, the magnitude of the thermal generation NU of the entire substrate support 104 is significantly reduced.

[0041] In some examples, the N layers may be arranged to have a watt density deviation in different radial regions (e.g., "radial zones") of the substrate support 104 to facilitate control of the power ratio between the inner and outer radial zones of the substrate support 104. Watt density corresponds to the heating element power divided by the surface area of active heating. For example, as Figure 1A 、 1C and shown in 1D, the substrate support 104 may have multiple (e.g., two or three) radial zones, such as an inner zone 180-1, an intermediate zone 180-2, and an outer zone 180-3, which are collectively referred to as the radial zones 180. The parameters (e.g., pitch) of the respective coils of the heating elements 156 may vary across the radial zones 180 to provide different heat generation in different radial zones 180.

[0042] In one example, the heating elements 156 in the first of the zones 144, 148, and 152 (e.g., the upper zone 152) may have a higher watt density (e.g., 20-40% greater) in the outer zone 180-3. For example, the pitch of the coils of the heating elements 156 in the outer zone 180-3 may be greater than the pitch in other regions of the heating element 156 to increase the watt density deviation in the outer zone 180-3. The relatively narrow width of the outer zone 180-3 (e.g., relative to the overall diameter of the substrate support 104) facilitates fine-tuning of the temperature at the outer edge of the substrate 112 (e.g., where the diameter of the substrate support 104 is greater than 9.0" (228.6 mm), 9.5" (241.3 mm), 10.0" (254 mm), 10.5" (266.7 mm), etc.).

[0043] The heating elements 156 in the second of these zones 180 (e.g., the intermediate zone 180-2) may have a watt density corresponding to the predicted thermal boundary conditions of the substrate support 104. For example, the pitch of the coils of the heating elements 156 in the intermediate zone 180-2 may vary according to the predicted thermal variations in the surface of the substrate support 104.

[0044] The heating elements in the third layer (e.g., the lower zone 144) may have a higher watt density (e.g., 20-40% greater) in the inner zone 180-1. For example, the pitch of the coils of the heating elements 156 in the inner zone 180-1 (e.g., at a diameter less than 3" or 76.2 mm) may be greater than the pitch in other regions of the heating element 156 to increase the watt density deviation in the inner zone 180-1.

[0045] In some examples, one or more heating elements 156 of zones 144, 148, and 152 may include two or more independently controllable radial zones.

[0046] In some examples, the power supplied to each of zones 144, 148, 152 is (1 / N)*P (i.e., a 1:1:1 power ratio). In other words, the power supplied to each of these zones is equal. In other examples, different powers may be supplied to each of zones 144, 148, 152. For example, the power ratio may be 1:1:2, 2:1:1, 1:2:1, and so on.

[0047] In some examples, the coils of the heating elements 156 in the respective zones 144, 148, and 152 may not be aligned in the vertical direction. For example, as Figure 1A and 1C shown in 182, the heating elements 156 of the upper zone 152 and the lower zone 144 are aligned in the vertical direction. In other words, the respective coils of the heating elements 156 of zones 144 and 152 are aligned in the vertical direction. Conversely, the coils of the heating elements 156 of the middle zone 148 are offset (not vertically aligned) from the heating elements 156 of zones 144 and 152. Thus, the thermal NU effects of any heating element 156 can be dispersed.

[0048] Now referring Figure 3 , an exemplary temperature controller 300 in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure (e.g., corresponding to Figure 1B temperature controller 178) includes: a heating layer controller 304, a temperature calculation module 308, a memory 312, and an interface 316. The interface 316 is configured to receive inputs that include, for example: inputs from controller 176, user inputs, various sensors of the substrate processing system 100, temperature and power feedback, and so on. By way of example only, the memory 312 may include non-volatile memory such as flash memory.

[0049] The temperature calculation module 308 calculates temperatures based on the inputs received via the interface 316 and the data stored in the memory 312, which temperatures include, for example: the respective temperatures of the heating layer / elements, the temperatures in different regions of each of the heating layers, the temperatures in different regions of the entire substrate, and so on. For example, the memory 312 may store data including but not limited to: data representing the heat map 200; data representing the relationship between the resistance, temperature, and power of the heating elements; data representing the thermal NU of the substrate support 104; data representing the watt density deviation in the respective radial regions of the substrate support 104; models for calculating temperatures based on various feedback measurements, and so on. The temperature calculation module 308 provides the calculated temperature values to the heating layer controller 304.

[0050] The heating layer controller 304 is configured to receive the calculated temperature values and thus selectively and independently control the respective heating elements 156 of the heating layer. For example, the heating layer controller 304 receives the calculated temperature values, process setpoint temperatures (e.g., desired setpoint temperatures, corresponding setpoint temperatures for respective time intervals and / or process steps, etc.), and / or other parameters from the controller 176 via the interface 316, as well as data from the memory 312. The process setpoint temperatures may include a single setpoint temperature for each of the heating elements 156 and / or different process setpoint temperatures for each of the respective elements 156. The heating layer controller 304 controls the power supplied to the heating elements 156 to maintain and / or adjust the desired temperature and maintain the desired zone ratio.

[0051] Figure 4 An exemplary method 400 for controlling the temperature of a substrate support in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure begins at 404. At 408, the method 400 (e.g., the temperature calculation module 308) receives one or more inputs representative of the temperature of the substrate support. At 412, the method 400 (e.g., the temperature calculation module 308) calculates various temperatures of the substrate support, including but not limited to: the temperature of each heating element, the temperature in respective regions or zones of the substrate support, and the temperature of the entire substrate being processed on the substrate support. The temperature calculation module 308 may be configured to calculate the temperature based on the following information: direct temperature feedback (e.g., signals from a plurality of sensors configured to measure temperature, signals from a single temperature sensor in the central region of the substrate support, etc.), inputs and / or measurements corresponding to other parameters regarding temperature (e.g., resistance of the heating element, power and / or current supplied to the heating element, etc.), one or more models configured to calculate temperature based on various inputs, and / or combinations thereof.

[0052] At 416, the method 400 (e.g., the heating layer controller 304) receives inputs that include but are not limited to: the calculated temperature values, the setpoint temperatures, and relevant data (e.g., from the memory 312) for determining the control of the respective heating layers based on the calculated temperature values and the setpoint temperatures. At 420, the method 400 (e.g., the heating layer controller 304) controls the power supplied to the respective heating layers based on the following information: the calculated temperature values, the setpoint temperatures, the desired relationship (e.g., ratio) of the power supplied to the respective heating layers, the power ratio between the inner and outer radial zones of the substrate support, and / or the respective wattage deviation densities in different regions of each of the heating layers.

[0053] For example, if the substrate support 104 includes N vertically stacked heating elements 156 and a total power P is supplied to the heating elements 156, the heating layer controller may supply power to each of the heating elements 156 according to (1 / N)*P, where P is calculated based on the calculated temperature value and the set point temperature. In other words, P may correspond to the total power required to achieve the set point temperature, and an equal portion of that power is supplied to each of the N heating elements 156. In other examples, different portions of the total power P may be supplied to different ones of the heating elements 156. In some examples, the heating layer controller 304 implements a control loop (e.g., a PID loop) that is configured to control the heating layer to maintain the desired temperature, as described above. Method 400 ends at 424.

[0054] The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. The broad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety of forms. Thus, while the disclosure includes specific examples, the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent upon study of the drawings, the specification, and the appended claims. It should be understood that one or more steps in a method can be performed in a different order (or concurrently) without changing the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, while each embodiment is described above as having certain features, any one or more of those features described with respect to any embodiment of the disclosure can be implemented in 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 permutations of one or more of the embodiments with each other remain within the scope of the disclosure.

[0055] Various terms are used to describe the spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, between circuit elements, between semiconductor layers, etc.), and the various terms include "connected," "joined," "coupled," "adjacent," "next to," "on top of," "above," "below," and "disposed." Unless the relationship between the first and second elements is explicitly described as "direct," when such a relationship is described in the foregoing disclosure, the relationship can be a direct relationship in which no other intervening elements exist between the first and second elements, but can also be an indirect relationship in which one or more intervening elements exist (spatially or functionally) between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" should be construed to mean a logical (A or B or C) using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed to mean "at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C."

[0056] In some implementations, the controller is part of a system, which can be part of the above examples. Such systems can include semiconductor processing equipment, which includes one or more processing tools, one or more chambers, one or more platforms for processing, and / or specific processing components (wafer chucks, gas flow systems, etc.). These systems can be integrated with electronics for controlling their operations before, during, and after the processing of semiconductor wafers or substrates. The electronics can be referred to as a "controller", which can control various components or sub-components of one or more systems. Depending on the processing requirements and / or system type, the controller can be programmed to control any of the processes disclosed herein, including the delivery of processing 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 or interfaced with a specific system.

[0057] Broadly speaking, a controller can be defined as electronics having various integrated circuits, logic, memory, and / or software for receiving instructions, issuing instructions, controlling operations, enabling cleaning operations, enabling endpoint measurements, etc. The integrated circuits can include chips in the form of firmware storing program instructions, digital signal processors (DSPs), chips defined as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or one or more microprocessors, or microcontrollers that execute 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), which define the 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 fabrication of one or more (types of) layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon, silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and / or die of a wafer.

[0058] In some implementations, the controller can be part of or coupled to a computer that is integrated with, coupled to, networked to the system in other ways, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller can be in the "cloud" or be all or part of a fab host system, which can allow for remote access to wafer processing. The computer can implement remote access to the system to monitor the current progress of manufacturing operations, review the history of past manufacturing operations, review trends or performance criteria of multiple manufacturing operations, change parameters of the current process, set process steps to follow the current process, or initiate a new process. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g., a server) can provide a process recipe to the system via a network, which can include a local network or the Internet. The remote computer can include a user interface that enables the 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 the parameters for each process step to be performed during one or more operations. It should be understood that the parameters can 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 can be distributed, for example, by including one or more discrete controllers that are networked together and work towards a common purpose, such as the processes and controls described herein. An example of a distributed controller for such purposes is one or more integrated circuits on a chamber that communicate with one or more integrated circuits remote (e.g., at the platform level or as part of a remote computer), which combine to control the process on the chamber.

[0059] Example systems can include, but are not limited to, a plasma etch chamber or module, a deposition chamber or module, a spin rinse chamber or module, a metal plating chamber or module, a cleaning chamber or module, a bevel edge etch chamber or module, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber or module, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber or module, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber or module, an atomic layer etch (ALE) chamber or module, an ion implantation chamber or module, an orbital chamber or module, and any other semiconductor processing system that can be associated with or used in the manufacture and / or preparation of semiconductor wafers.

[0060] As described above, depending on one or more process 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 the material transport that shuttles the wafer container to and from the tool locations and / or load ports in a semiconductor manufacturing factory.

Claims

1. A substrate support for a substrate processing system configured to perform a deposition process on a substrate, the substrate support comprising: a base having an upper surface configured to support a substrate; and N heating layers, wherein the N heating layers are vertically stacked within the base below the upper surface, and wherein each of the N heating layers includes a respective resistive heating element, wherein at least one of the resistive heating elements in at least one of the N heating layers has a watt density deviation different from i) a second region of the base located radially inward of the first region and ii) a third region of the base located radially outward of the first region in the first region of the base.

2. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein each of the resistive heating elements includes a resistive coil.

3. The substrate support according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the resistive coils has a pitch different from the others of the resistive coils.

4. The substrate support according to claim 2, wherein each of the resistive coils has the same pitch.

5. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein the resistive heating elements in at least two of the N heating layers are aligned in the vertical direction.

6. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein the watt density varies in an outer region of the substrate support.

7. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein the watt density varies in an inner region of the substrate support.

8. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein each of the resistive heating elements is configured to receive 1 / N of the total power provided to all of the N heating layers.

9. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of each of the respective resistive heating elements is 90 - 99% of the diameter of the upper surface of the substrate support.

10. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein, The watt density deviation of at least one resistive heating element in at least one of the N heating layers in a first region of the base is higher than i) a second region of the base located radially inward of the first region, and ii) a third region of the base located radially outward of the first region.

11. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein, The watt density deviation of at least one resistive heating element in at least one of the N heating layers in a first region of the base is lower than i) a second region of the base located radially inward of the first region, and ii) a third region of the base located radially outward of the first region.

12. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein, The N heating layers include at least three heating layers, and at least one of the at least three heating layers has a watt density based on predicted thermal boundary conditions.

13. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein, The pitch between adjacent coils of at least one resistive heating element in at least one of the N heating layers in a first region of the base is greater than i) a second region of the base located radially inward of the first region, and ii) a third region of the base located radially outward of the first region.

14. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein, At least one resistive heating element in at least one of the N heating layers has a pitch between adjacent coils in a first region of the susceptor that is less than i) a second region of the susceptor radially inward of the first region, and ii) a third region of the susceptor radially outward of the first region.

15. The susceptor support according to claim 1, wherein: The N heating layers include a first heating layer, a second heating layer, and a third heating layer; The watt density of the first heating layer in the outer region of the susceptor support is greater than the watt density of the first heating layer in the inner region of the susceptor support; The watt density of the second heating layer is based on predicted thermal boundary conditions; and The watt density of the third heating layer in the inner region of the susceptor support is greater than the watt density of the third heating layer in the outer region of the susceptor support.

16. The susceptor support according to claim 1, wherein each resistive heating element in the N heating layers has a different watt density deviation pattern on the susceptor region, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

17. The susceptor support according to claim 1, wherein: The N heating layers include a first heating layer including a first resistive heating element, a second heating layer including a second resistive heating element, and a third heating layer including a third resistive heating element; The second heating layer is disposed between the first heating layer and the third heating layer; and The second resistive heating element includes coils that are not laterally aligned with the coils of the first resistive heating element and the coils of the third resistive heating element.

18. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein, The watt density deviation of at least one resistive heating element in at least one of the N heating layers varies due to differences in at least one of the following: i) defects in at least one resistive heating element, and ii) oxidation chemistry of at least one resistive heating element.

19. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein, The watt density deviation of at least one resistive heating element in at least one of the N heating layers varies due to differences in at least one of the following: i) changes in the susceptor material, and ii) changes in the susceptor thickness.

20. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein, The first resistive heating element of the first heating layer among the N heating layers has a different watt density deviation in a first region of the susceptor from i) a second region of the susceptor radially inward of the first region, and ii) a third region of the susceptor radially outward of the first region.

21. The substrate support according to claim 1, wherein, The second resistive heating element of the second heating layer among the N heating layers has a different watt density deviation in a first region of the susceptor from i) a second region of the susceptor radially inward of the first region, and ii) a third region of the susceptor radially outward of the first region.

22. The susceptor support according to claim 1, wherein: The first resistive heating element of the first heating layer among the N heating layers has a different watt density deviation in a first region of the susceptor from a second region radially inward of the first region of the susceptor; and The second resistive heating element of the second heating layer among the N heating layers has a different watt density deviation in a first region of the susceptor from a third region radially outward of the first region of the susceptor.

23. A system comprising the substrate support according to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to control the power supplied to the N heating layers based on a desired power ratio between corresponding ones of the N heating layers.

24. A substrate processing system comprising: a substrate support configured to support a substrate during a deposition process, the substrate support comprising a base having an upper surface configured to support the substrate; and N heating layers, wherein the N heating layers are vertically stacked within the base below the upper surface, wherein each of the N heating layers comprises respective resistive heating elements, and wherein at least one of the resistive heating elements in at least one of the N heating layers has a watt density deviation different from i) a second region of the base located radially inward of the first region and ii) a third region of the base located radially outward of the first region; and a controller configured to control the power supplied to the N heating layers based on a desired power ratio between corresponding ones of the N heating layers.

25. The substrate processing system according to claim 24, wherein each of the resistive heating elements comprises a resistive coil.

26. The substrate processing system according to claim 25, wherein at least one of the resistive coils has a pitch different from the other of the resistive coils.

27. The substrate processing system according to claim 25, wherein each of the resistive coils has the same pitch.

28. The substrate processing system according to claim 24, wherein the resistive heating elements in at least two of the N heating layers are aligned in a vertical direction.

29. The substrate processing system according to claim 24, wherein the watt density of the resistive heating elements in at least one of the N heating layers varies in at least one radial zone of the substrate support relative to other radial zones of the substrate support.

30. The substrate processing system according to claim 29, wherein the watt density varies in an outer zone of the substrate support.

31. The substrate processing system according to claim 29, wherein the watt density varies in an inner zone of the substrate support.

32. The substrate processing system according to claim 24, wherein each of the resistive heating elements is configured to receive 1 / N of the total power sum supplied to all of the N heating layers.

33. The substrate processing system according to claim 24, wherein the diameter of each of the respective resistive heating elements is 90-99% of the diameter of the upper surface of the substrate support.

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