Pressure regulating flow controller

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling a flow rate of a gas is disclosed herein, including a flow restriction element configured to restrict a flow rate of a gas; a pressure regulator coupled to an inlet of the flow restriction element, wherein the pressure regulator is configured to control a pressure of the gas between the pressure regulator and the flow restriction element; a flow meter coupled to an outlet of the flow restriction element, wherein the flow meter is configured to measure the flow rate of the gas at the outlet of the flow restriction element; and a controller operatively coupled to the pressure regulator and the flow meter, wherein the controller receives the flow rate measurement of the flow meter, determines a pressure setting associated with a target flow rate, and causes the pressure regulator to have the pressure setting.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on July 24, 2020, with application number 202080053778.2 and title "Pressure Regulating Flow Controller". Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to methods and apparatus for controlling the flow rate of a gas by adjusting the pressure of the gas. Background Technology

[0003] Controlling gas flow rates presents a common challenge in electronic device manufacturing systems. In some systems, process gases (i.e., gases used during the manufacture of electronic devices) and / or cleaning gases (i.e., gases used to clean the manufactured electronic devices and / or the chambers used to manufacture them) may have precise delivery targets for high-quality flow rates (i.e., 500 standard liters per minute (slm) or higher) and the ability to precisely control low flow rates (i.e., 10 slm or lower). Traditional electronic device manufacturing systems typically use one or more mass flow controllers (MFCs) to measure and control the mass flow rate of the process gases. MFCs may include thermally based MFCs, pressure-based MFCs, or decay rate MFCs, etc.

[0004] Each type of MFC imposes one or more limitations depending on the application in which it is used, making MFCs an inefficient and expensive option for measuring and controlling gas flow rates. For example, attenuation rate MFCs can be used in limited applications with gas flow rates less than 2.0 slm. If the downstream pressure of the gas being processed (i.e., at the outlet of a pressure-based MFC) remains at approximately 400 Torr or lower, a pressure-based MFC can be used in the application to obtain accurate measurements and control precision. Thermal MFCs can be used in applications with gas flow rates up to 500 slm. However, thermal MFCs measure gas flow rates by increasing the temperature of the gas using one or more heating elements and / or thermally based sensors. Depending on the chemical properties of the gas measured by a thermally based MFC, the increase in temperature can corrode one or more components of the thermally based MFC or cause the gas to decompose. Additionally, sensors used in thermally based MFCs may fail to capture flow rate measurements exceeding certain thresholds; therefore, a wide range of flow rate measurements cannot be obtained using thermally based MFCs. The limitations imposed by each of thermally based MFCs, pressure-based MFCs, and attenuation rate MFCs increase the cost of gas delivery systems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Some embodiments of the above describe a mass flow control device including a flow limiting element configured to limit the flow rate of a gas. The mass flow control device further includes a pressure regulator coupled to the inlet of the flow limiting element, wherein the pressure regulator is configured to control the pressure of the gas between the pressure regulator and the flow limiting element. The mass flow control device further includes a flow meter coupled to the outlet of the flow limiting element. The flow meter is configured to measure the flow rate of the gas at the outlet of the flow limiting element. The mass flow control device further includes a controller operatively coupled to the pressure regulator and the flow meter. The controller receives the flow rate measurement from the flow meter, determines a pressure setting associated with a target flow rate, and applies the pressure setting to the pressure regulator.

[0006] In some embodiments, a method includes the step of receiving a measurement of the flow rate of a gas from a flow meter of a mass flow control device. The flow meter is coupled to the outlet of a flow limiting element of the mass flow control device and is configured to measure the flow rate of the gas at the outlet of the flow limiting element. The method further includes the step of determining, based on the difference between the measured flow rate of the gas and a target flow rate of the gas, to change the flow rate of the gas. In response to determining to change the flow rate of the gas, a target pressure of the gas corresponding to the target flow rate can be determined. The method further includes the step of transmitting a pressure setting corresponding to the target pressure of the gas to a pressure regulator of the mass flow control device, the pressure regulator being coupled to the inlet of the flow limiting element, wherein the pressure regulator is configured to control the pressure of the gas between the pressure regulator and the flow limiting element according to the pressure setting.

[0007] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations including the steps of: receiving a measurement of the flow rate of a gas from a flow meter of a mass flow control device, wherein the flow meter is coupled to the outlet of a flow limiting element of the mass flow control device, and the flow meter is configured to measure the flow rate of the gas at the outlet of the flow limiting element. The operation further includes the step of: determining, based on the difference between the measured flow rate of the gas and a target flow rate of the gas, to change the flow rate of the gas. The operation further includes the step of: determining a target pressure for the gas corresponding to the target flow rate. The operation further includes the step of: transmitting a pressure setting corresponding to the target pressure of the gas to a pressure regulator of the mass flow control device, the pressure regulator being coupled to the inlet of the flow limiting element, wherein the pressure regulator is configured to control the pressure of the gas between the pressure regulator and the flow limiting element according to the pressure setting. Attached Figure Description

[0008] The present disclosure is illustrated in the accompanying drawings by way of example rather than limitation, wherein similar reference numerals indicate similar elements. It should be noted that different references to "an" or "one" embodiments in this disclosure do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one.

[0009] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a processing chamber according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted.

[0010] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a pressure regulating flow controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted.

[0011] Figure 3 The illustration shows a method for controlling the flow rate of a gas based on gas pressure, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 4 The illustration shows a method for generating calibration data for controlling gas flow rate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 5 The icon is a block diagram of a computer system according to certain implementation methods. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The embodiments described herein relate to apparatus and methods for controlling the flow rate of a gas in an electronic device manufacturing system by adjusting the pressure of the gas. The pressure-regulated flow controller may include a flow-limiting element, a pressure regulator coupled to an inlet of the flow-limiting element, a flow meter coupled to an outlet of the flow-limiting element, and a system controller. The system controller is operatively coupled to the pressure regulator and the flow meter. In some embodiments, the pressure regulator may be an electro-pneumatic pressure regulator. In some embodiments, the flow-limiting element includes at least one of the following: a needle valve, an electric valve, or a piezoelectric valve.

[0015] The flow rate of the gas can be measured by a flow meter, which can be configured to measure the flow rate of the gas at the outlet of the flow limiting element. In response to the flow meter measuring the gas flow rate, the measured flow rate can be transmitted to a system controller. Based on the measured flow rate for the gas and a target flow rate, the system controller can determine whether to change the gas pressure setting to correspond the gas flow rate to the target flow rate. The system controller can determine a pressure setting for a pressure regulator, wherein the pressure setting is associated with the target flow rate. The system controller can determine the pressure setting based on calibration data maintained by the controller that maps the pressure setting to the flow rate. After determining the pressure setting associated with the target flow rate, the controller can transmit the pressure setting to the pressure regulator. Based on the received pressure setting, the pressure regulator can control the gas pressure. By controlling the gas pressure according to the received pressure setting, the pressure regulator can indirectly increase or decrease the flow rate of the gas flowing through the flow limiting element to achieve the target gas flow rate. In some embodiments, the pressure-regulated flow controller may have an operating range between approximately 0 standard liters per minute (slm) and approximately 1200 slm. In other embodiments, the pressure-regulated flow controller may have an operating range between about 0 slm and about 500 slm.

[0016] In some embodiments, the pressure-regulated flow controller may further include a bypass flow element coupled to the pressure regulator and flow meter in parallel with the flow-limiting element. The bypass flow element may include a valve configured to open in response to a gas pressure exiting the pressure regulator exceeding a mechanically or predetermined software-controlled threshold, or a gas flow rate exiting the pressure regulator exceeding a threshold. In some embodiments, the flow-limiting element and the bypass flow element may be components of a needle valve. In some embodiments, the pressure-regulated flow controller may include multiple bypass flow elements coupled to the pressure regulator and flow meter. In such embodiments, the multiple bypass flow elements may be coupled together in parallel to facilitate high flow rates (i.e., flow rates greater than about 500 slm).

[0017] As described above, the system controller maintains calibration data that maps pressure settings to flow rates. The system controller can use the calibration data to determine the pressure setting to achieve a target flow rate. In some embodiments, the pressure setting may include a target pressure associated with the target flow rate. In other embodiments, the pressure setting may include the difference between the target pressure and the gas pressure associated with the measured gas flow rate, and instructions to increase or decrease the gas pressure based on that difference. Calibration data may be generated during or after the initialization of the electronic device manufacturing system. In some embodiments, the calibration data is generated by the system controller, which transmits instructions to the pressure regulator to modify the gas pressure corresponding to a set of test pressures. The system controller may receive flow rate measurements corresponding to the test pressures from the flowmeter. The system controller may update the correlation between the test pressures and the flow rate measurements, where this correlation will be used to determine the pressure setting to achieve the target flow rate.

[0018] Typically, precise control of the flow rate of process gases used in electronic manufacturing processes is advantageous for better control of the manufacturing process. As described herein, flow rates between approximately 0 slm and approximately 500 slm can be achieved by using an MFC configured with a flow-limiting element, pressure regulator, flow meter, and system controller to measure and control the process gas. In some embodiments of the pressure-regulated flow controller that include one or more bypass flow elements, flow rates greater than 500 slm can be achieved. Using an MFC configured with a flow-limiting element, pressure regulator, flow meter, and controller to measure and control the process gas is further advantageous because the MFC described in the embodiments does not adjust the temperature of the gas being measured. By not using heat-based components to increase the temperature of the gas, the gas does not corrode the components of the pressure-regulated flow controller or decompose the gas within the pressure-regulated flow controller.

[0019] Implementations of an MFC for limiting the flow rate of gases used in electronic device manufacturing systems are discussed. However, it should be understood that the implementations described herein are also applicable to MFCs used for other purposes, such as limiting the flow rate of gases used in other manufacturing systems.

[0020] Figure 1A cross-sectional view of a processing chamber 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. The processing chamber 100 can be used in processes that provide a corrosive plasma environment. For example, the processing chamber 100 can be a chamber for a plasma etcher or plasma etching reactor, a plasma cleaner, etc. In alternative embodiments, other processing chambers that may or may not be exposed to a corrosive plasma environment can be used. Some examples of chamber components include chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chambers, physical vapor deposition (PVD) chambers, atomic layer deposition (ALD) chambers, ion-assisted deposition (IAD) chambers, etching chambers, and other types of processing chambers. In some embodiments, the processing chamber 100 can be any chamber used in an electronic device manufacturing system.

[0021] In one embodiment, the processing chamber 100 includes a chamber body 102 and a nozzle 130 that encloses an internal space 106. The nozzle 130 may include a nozzle base and a nozzle gas distribution plate. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the nozzle 130 may be replaced by a cap and a nozzle, or in other embodiments, it may be replaced by a plurality of pie-shaped nozzle compartments and a plasma generation unit. The chamber body 102 may be made of aluminum, stainless steel, or other suitable materials (e.g., titanium (Ti)). The chamber body 102 typically includes sidewalls 108 and a bottom 110.

[0022] An outer liner 116 may be disposed near the sidewall 108 to protect the chamber body 102. The outer liner 116 may be manufactured to include one or more holes. In one embodiment, the outer liner 116 is made of alumina.

[0023] The exhaust port 126 may be defined within the chamber body 102 and may couple the internal space 106 to the pump system 128. The pump system 128 may include one or more pumps and throttle valves for evacuating and regulating the pressure of the internal space 106 of the treatment chamber 100.

[0024] A gas panel 158 may be coupled to a processing chamber 100 to supply processing and / or cleaning gas to an interior space 106 via a nozzle 130 and a supply line 112. A pressure-regulating flow controller 160 may be coupled to both the gas panel 158 and the processing chamber 100. The pressure-regulating flow controller 160 may be used to measure and control the gas flow rate from the gas panel 158 to the interior space 106. The pressure-regulating flow controller 160 may include at least a flow-limiting element, a pressure regulator coupled to the inlet of the flow-limiting element, and a flow meter coupled to the outlet of the flow-limiting element. The pressure regulator and flow meter are operatively coupled to a system controller, wherein the system controller determines a pressure setting associated with a target flow rate and enables the pressure regulator to have a pressure setting. Figure 2Further details regarding the pressure-regulated flow controller are provided below. In some embodiments, one or more gas panels 158 may be coupled to the processing chamber 100 to supply gas to the interior space 106 via nozzles 130. In such embodiments, one or more pressure-regulated flow controllers 160 may be coupled to each gas panel 158 and the processing chamber 100.

[0025] Nozzle 130 may be supported on sidewall 108 of chamber body 102. Nozzle 130 (or cap) may be opened to allow access to interior space 106 of processing chamber 100 and may provide a seal to processing chamber 100 when closed. Gas panel 158 may be coupled to processing chamber 100 to provide processing and / or cleaning gases to interior space 106 via nozzle 130 or cap and nozzle (e.g., via orifices of nozzle or cap and nozzle). Nozzle 130 may be used in processing chambers for dielectric etching (etching of dielectric materials). Nozzle 130 may include a gas distribution plate (GDP) and may have multiple gas delivery orifices 132 (also referred to as channels) throughout GDP. Nozzle 130 may be formed from a metal or alloy plate and has protection with a multilayer protective coating as described herein. The metal or alloy plate may be composed of aluminum, aluminum alloy, or other metals or metal alloys. Nozzle 130 may be formed having GDP bonded to an aluminum substrate or anodized aluminum substrate. GDP can be made from Si or SiC, or it can be ceramic, such as Y2O3, Al2O3, Y3Al5O 12 (YAG), etc.

[0026] For processing chambers used for conductor etching (etching of conductive materials), a cap may be used instead of a nozzle. The cap may contain a central nozzle fitted into a central aperture. The cap may be ceramic, such as Al₂O₃, Y₂O₃, YAG, or a ceramic compound containing a solid solution of Y₄Al₂O₉ and Y₂O₃-ZrO₂. The nozzle may also be ceramic, such as Y₂O₃, YAG, or a ceramic compound containing a solid solution of Y₄Al₂O₉ and Y₂O₃-ZrO₂.

[0027] Examples of processing gases that can be used to process substrates in processing chamber 100 include halogen-containing gases such as C2F6, SF6, SiCl4, HBr, NF3, CF4, CHF3, CH2F3, F, NF3, Cl2, CCl4, BCl3, and SiF4, as well as other gases such as O2 or N2O. The flow rate of any of these gases can be measured using a pressure-regulated flow controller 160. A remote plasma can be formed from any of these and / or other processing gases and then delivered to chamber 100 via supply line 112 through the pressure-regulated flow controller 160. Accordingly, the remote plasma can consist of C2F6, SF6, SiCl4, HBr, NF3, CF4, CHF3, CH2F3, F, NF3, Cl2, CCl4, BCl3, and SiF4, as well as other gases such as O2 or N2O. Examples of carrier gases include N2, He, Ar, and other gases that are inert to the process gas (e.g., non-reactive gases).

[0028] A substrate support assembly 148 is disposed within the internal space 106 of the processing chamber 100 below the nozzle 130. The substrate support assembly 148 holds the substrate 144 during processing. A ring (e.g., a single ring) may cover a portion of the electrostatic chuck 150 and protect the covered portion from exposure to plasma during processing. In one embodiment, the ring may be silicon or quartz.

[0029] The inner liner can be coated onto the periphery of the substrate support assembly 148. The inner liner can be a halogen-containing gas resistance material, such as that discussed with reference to the outer liner 116. In one embodiment, the inner liner can be made of the same material as the outer liner 116.

[0030] In one embodiment, the substrate support assembly 148 includes a base 152 supporting the electrostatic chuck 150. The electrostatic chuck 150 further includes a thermally conductive base and an electrostatic puck bonded to the thermally conductive base by an adhesive, which in one embodiment may be silicone. The thermally conductive base and / or electrostatic puck of the electrostatic chuck 150 may include one or more optional embedded heating elements, embedded thermal isolators, and / or conduits to control the lateral temperature distribution of the substrate support assembly 148. The electrostatic puck may further include multiple gas passages, such as trenches, mesas, and other surface features, that can be formed in the upper surface of the electrostatic puck. The gas passages may be fluidly coupled to a source of heat transfer (or backside) gas (e.g., He) via holes drilled in the electrostatic puck. In operation, a controlled pressure can be used to supply backside gas into the gas passages to enhance heat transfer between the electrostatic puck and the supported substrate 144. The electrostatic chuck 150 may include at least one clamping electrode controlled by a chuck power supply.

[0031] Figure 2A cross-sectional view of a pressure regulating flow controller 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. The pressure regulating flow controller 200 can be configured to measure and control the mass flow rate of process gases and / or cleaning gases used in electronic device manufacturing systems, and therefore can be considered a type of MFC. In some embodiments, the pressure regulating flow controller 200 may correspond to... Figure 1 Pressure regulating flow controller 160. Pressure regulating flow controller 200 can be coupled to gas supply 202 via supply line 204. Gas supply 202 and supply line 204 can respectively correspond to Figure 1 Gas panel 158 and supply line 112.

[0032] As previously discussed, the pressure-regulated flow controller 200 may include at least a pressure regulator 206, a flow-limiting element (flow limiter) 208, and a flow meter 210. The pressure regulator 206 may be coupled to the inlet of the flow-limiting element 208, and the flow meter 210 may be coupled to the outlet of the flow-limiting element 208. The pressure-regulated flow controller 200 may further include a system controller 230, which is operatively coupled to the pressure regulator 206 and the flow meter 210. The outlet of the flow meter 210 may be coupled via a supply line 212 to the inlet of a processing chamber of an electronic manufacturing system (also not shown) or other system.

[0033] Pressure regulator 206 can be configured to control the gas pressure between pressure regulator 206 and flow limiting element 208. In some embodiments, pressure regulator 206 may be an electro-pneumatic pressure regulator (e-regulator). Pressure regulator 206 may have an operating pressure control range between about 0 kPa and about 750 kPa. In some embodiments, pressure regulator 206 may have an operating pressure control range between about 0 kPa and about 500 kPa. In other embodiments, pressure regulator 206 may have an operating pressure control range between about 100 kPa and about 400 kPa. In some embodiments, pressure regulator 206 may have a minimum operating pressure of about 100 kPa and a maximum operating pressure of about 700 kPa. In some embodiments, pressure regulator 206 may have a gas flow rate capacity between about 0 slm and about 1500 slm. In other embodiments, pressure regulator 206 may have a gas flow rate capacity between about 10 slm and about 500 slm.

[0034] In some embodiments, pressure regulator 206 may further include a controller component. The controller component may include a central processing unit (CPU), microcontroller, or other suitable computer processing device, memory, and supporting circuitry. The controller component may be configured to execute programming instructions related to the operation of pressure regulator 206. For example, pressure regulator 206 may execute instructions related to increasing or decreasing the gas pressure at the outlet of pressure regulator 206. The controller component may further include input / output (I / O) components configured to send and / or receive instructions from a system controller. As previously discussed, pressure regulator 206 is operatively coupled to system controller 230. System controller 230 may transmit one or more pressure settings to pressure regulator 206, causing pressure regulator 206 to change the gas pressure according to the transmitted pressure settings.

[0035] The flow limiting element 208 can be configured to limit the flow rate of gas. The flow limiting element 208 can have an operating flow rate range between about 0 slm and about 1200 slm. In some embodiments, the flow limiting element 208 can have an operating flow rate range between about 10 slm and about 500 slm. In some embodiments, the flow limiting element 208 can be a needle valve, an electric valve, a piezoelectric valve, etc.

[0036] In some embodiments, the pressure regulating flow controller 200 may further include a bypass flow element 214. The bypass flow element 214 may include a bypass flow path and a bypass valve. The bypass valve may be configured to open in response to a gas pressure exceeding a threshold pressure or a gas flow rate exceeding a threshold flow rate. The bypass flow element 214 can facilitate a higher gas flow rate compared to the possibility of not having it. In some embodiments, the bypass flow element 214 may be coupled in parallel to the flow limiting element 208. In some embodiments, the bypass valve may be a mechanical throttle valve.

[0037] In some embodiments, the flow limiting element 208 and the bypass flow element 214 may be components of a single flow limiting element 218. For example, in some embodiments, the flow limiting element 208 and the bypass flow element 214 may be components of a speed control valve. In such embodiments, the flow limiting element 208 may have an operating flow rate range between about 0 slm and about 1200 slm. In other embodiments, the flow limiting element may have an operating flow rate range between about 10 slm and about 500 slm. The flow limiting element 208 may include one or more mechanical components that are movable (e.g., manually or automatically) within the flow limiting element 208 to increase or decrease the gas flow rate through the flow limiting element 208. In some embodiments, one or more mechanical components within the flow limiting element 208 may not move when gas flows through the limiting element 208. In such embodiments, the gas flow rate may be controlled based on the gas pressure before the gas flows through the flow limiting element 208. As previously described, the gas pressure may be controlled by a pressure regulator 206 coupled to the inlet of the flow limiting element 208.

[0038] Flow meter 210 can be configured to measure the flow rate of gas at the outlet of flow limiting element 208. Flow meter 210 can be at least one of the following: a heat-based flow meter, a pressure-based flow meter, etc. In some embodiments, flow meter 210 can have an operating flow range between about 0 slm and about 2000 slm. In other embodiments, flow meter 210 can have an operating flow range between about 10 slm and about 500 slm.

[0039] In some embodiments, the flow meter 210 may further include a controller component. The controller component may include a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, or other suitable computer processing device, memory, and supporting circuitry. The controller component may be configured to execute programming instructions related to the operation of the flow meter 210. For example, the flow meter 210 may execute instructions related to measuring the flow rate of gas flowing through the flow meter 210. The controller component may further include input / output (I / O) components configured to transmit and / or receive instructions from the system controller 230.

[0040] As previously described, flow meter 210 may be operatively coupled to system controller 230. System controller 230 may receive a measurement of the gas flow rate at the outlet of flow limiting element 208 from flow meter 210. In some embodiments, flow meter 210 may be configured to consistently (e.g., continuously) measure the gas flow rate at the outlet of flow limiting element 208 and transmit the measured flow rate to system controller 230 when a measurement is generated. In other embodiments, flow meter 210 may be configured to periodically measure the gas flow rate and transmit the measured value to system controller 230 when a measurement is generated. In such embodiments, the period for flow meter 210 to measure the gas flow rate may be established by the user of pressure regulating flow controller 200 or based on one or more operating conditions associated with one or more components of pressure regulating flow controller.

[0041] System controller 230 may be any suitable computing device coupled to and / or configured to control one or more components of the electronic device manufacturing system. In some embodiments, system controller 230 may be configured to control one or more components of pressure regulating flow controller 200, but may not be configured to control other components of the manufacturing system. System controller 230 may include a central processing unit, microcontroller, or other suitable computer processing device, memory, and support circuitry. System controller 230 may be configured to execute programming instructions related to the operation of pressure regulating flow controller 200. In some embodiments, system controller 230 may be a programmable logic controller (PLC), a system-on-a-chip (SoC), a server computer, or other type of computing device.

[0042] System controller 230 can be configured to receive a flow rate measurement from flow meter 210. In response to receiving the flow rate measurement, system controller 230 can determine to change the gas flow rate based on the difference between the measured flow rate and a target gas flow rate. System controller 230 can determine a target pressure corresponding to the target flow rate and transmit a pressure setting corresponding to the target gas pressure to a pressure regulator. The pressure setting can be determined based on calibration data 232 that maps the pressure setting to the flow rate. Different calibration data 232 can be determined during calibration for different gases. In some embodiments, the pressure setting may include a target pressure associated with the target flow rate. In other embodiments, the pressure setting may include the difference between the target pressure and the gas pressure associated with the measured gas flow rate, and instructions to the pressure regulator to increase or decrease the gas pressure according to that difference. In response to determining the pressure setting based on calibration data, system controller 230 can transmit the pressure setting to pressure regulator 206. In response to receiving the pressure setting from system controller 230, pressure regulator 206 can change the gas pressure according to the received pressure setting. Figure 3 and Figure 4 Further details are provided regarding determining the pressure setting and generating calibration data 232.

[0043] Figure 3 The illustration shows a method 300 for controlling the flow rate of a gas based on gas pressure, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The operation of method 300 may be performed, for example, by a system controller (e.g., a computing device) of a pressure-regulated flow controller. At block 310, a measurement of the gas flow rate may be received. In some embodiments, the measurement of the gas flow rate may be received by the system controller of the pressure-regulated flow controller, for example… Figure 1 Pressure regulating flow controller 160 or Figure 2 A pressure regulating flow controller 200. In some embodiments, the gas flow rate measurement can be received from the flow meter of the pressure regulating flow controller, for example... Figure 2 Flow controller 210.

[0044] At block 320, the difference between the measured flow rate and the target flow rate is determined. The system controller can determine to change the gas flow rate based on the difference between the measured gas flow rate and the target gas flow rate. In some embodiments, the system controller may also receive the target gas flow rate. The target flow rate can be established by setting a processing recipe, which can be provided to the system controller. The target flow rate can be established additionally or alternatively based on the operating conditions of one or more components of the pressure regulating flow controller.

[0045] At block 330, the system controller determines whether the difference exceeds a difference threshold. In some embodiments, the threshold difference may be a fixed or configurable setting. In other embodiments, the threshold difference may be established based on the operating conditions or operating thresholds of one or more components of the pressure regulating flow controller. In some embodiments, the threshold difference is 0 slm. Accordingly, any difference between the current flow rate and the target flow rate can trigger a change in pressure. If the difference exceeds the difference threshold, the method may proceed to block 340. If the difference does not exceed the difference threshold, the method may proceed to block 360.

[0046] At block 340, the target pressure of the gas corresponding to the target flow rate and the gas pressure corresponding to the measured flow rate can be determined. In some embodiments, the target gas pressure is determined by identifying the target pressure from calibration data maintained by the system controller. The calibration data maps the gas pressure controlled by the pressure limiter to the flow rate measured by the flow meter. This document is relative to... Figure 4Further details regarding the generation of calibration data are provided. The controller determines the target gas flow rate and the measured gas flow rate. Based on the target flow rate and the measured flow rate, the controller identifies the target pressure associated with the target flow rate and the gas pressure associated with the measured flow rate from the calibration data. The system controller can also determine the current pressure setting of the pressure regulator.

[0047] In some implementations, the system controller may consider one or more system errors (i.e., unexpected temperature rises in the gas, etc.) to determine the target pressure associated with the target flow rate. In such implementations, the system controller may use at least one of the following to consider one or more system errors: proportional control gain (i.e., a term or value showing the proportional relationship between the target flow rate and the measured flow rate), integral control gain (i.e., a term or value considering past differences between the target flow rate and the measured flow rate), and derivative control gain (i.e., a term or value representing the rate at which the error between the target flow rate and the measured flow rate is changing). As determined at block 320, the proportional control gain, integral control gain, and derivative control gain, along with the difference between the target flow rate and the measured flow rate received from the system controller, may be used to determine the adjusted target flow rate for the gas. In some implementations, the adjusted target flow rate may be slightly higher or slightly lower than the received target flow rate (i.e., ±10% difference). The target pressure for the system may be identified from calibration data based on the adjusted target flow rate, rather than the received target flow rate. Target pressure can be identified more accurately by using an adjusted target flow rate, because the adjusted target flow rate takes into account one or more systematic errors that would not be considered if the target pressure were identified based on the received target flow rate. Furthermore, because the adjusted target flow rate takes into account prior differences between the target flow rate and the measured flow rate, the system controller can identify the target pressure for the gas more quickly.

[0048] At block 350, the pressure setting is transmitted to the pressure regulator, causing the regulator to change the gas pressure to correspond to the target pressure. In some embodiments, the pressure setting may include the target gas pressure. In such embodiments, the controller of the pressure regulator may execute a series of one or more instructions to increase or decrease the gas pressure according to the target pressure set. In other embodiments, the pressure setting may include the difference between the target pressure and the gas pressure. In such embodiments, the controller of the pressure regulator may execute a series of one or more instructions to increase or decrease the gas pressure according to the pressure difference set.

[0049] At block 360, it can be determined whether gas is still flowing through the pressure-regulated flow controller. This can be determined based on whether the gas flow rate measured by the flow meter exceeds a threshold flow rate. For example, the threshold flow rate could be 1.0 slm. If the measurement received by the system controller from the flow meter indicates a gas flow rate less than 1.0 slm, it can be determined that gas is no longer flowing through the pressure-regulated flow controller. If it is determined that gas is no longer flowing through the pressure-regulated flow controller, method 300 can terminate.

[0050] If it is determined that the gas is still flowing through the pressure-regulated flow controller, method 300 can return to block 310, wherein method 300 can be continuously repeated while the gas is flowing. Accordingly, the controller can receive a second measurement of the gas flow rate. Depending on the pressure setting, the second measurement can be received after the pressure regulator has changed the gas pressure. According to the previously described embodiments, the controller can determine whether to change the gas flow rate based on the difference between the measured gas flow rate and the target gas flow rate. In some embodiments, a larger pressure change can be performed first, followed by a smaller pressure change, to quickly adjust the flow rate to the target flow rate.

[0051] Figure 4 The illustration shows a method 400 for generating calibration data for controlling gas flow rate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The operation of method 400 may be performed, for example, by a system controller (e.g., a computing device) of a pressure-regulated flow controller. The relationship between gas pressure and gas flow rate may be non-linear (i.e., a constant change in gas pressure does not necessarily correspond to a constant change in gas flow rate, and vice versa). Thus, calibration data can be generated for the system controller to use to determine the pressure setting of the pressure regulator corresponding to a target gas flow rate. In some embodiments, calibration data may be generated during the initialization of the pressure-regulated flow controller. In other embodiments, calibration data may be generated after the pressure-regulated flow controller has been initialized, in response to a user request to recalibrate the pressure-regulated flow controller. In some embodiments, the calibration data is applied to a specific gas. Accordingly, if multiple gases can be monitored and controlled by the pressure-regulated flow controller, different calibrations can be performed for different gases.

[0052] At block 410, a first instruction is transmitted to the pressure regulator to modify the gas pressure corresponding to a set of test pressures. According to the foregoing embodiments, the pressure regulator may be a pressure regulator of a pressure-regulated flow controller. In some embodiments, the set of test pressures is provided by the user of the pressure-regulated flow controller or by a calibration recipe. In other embodiments, the set of test pressures is established based on one or more operating conditions associated with one or more components of the pressure-regulated flow controller. For example, the set of test pressures may be established based on the minimum operating pressure and the maximum operating pressure of the pressure regulator.

[0053] At block 420, a second indication is received from the flow meter, which includes a flow rate measurement corresponding to the test pressure. According to the previously described embodiment, the flow meter may be a flow meter of a pressure-regulated flow controller.

[0054] At block 430, the correlation between the test pressure and flow rate measurements can be updated. In some embodiments, the pressure-regulated flow controller can be calibrated during its initialization. In such embodiments, the correlation between the test pressure and flow rate measurements can be generated. In other embodiments, calibration data can be generated in response to a request to recalibrate the pressure-regulated flow controller after the electronic device manufacturing system is initialized. In such embodiments, it can be determined whether the correlation between the test pressure and flow rate measurements has changed since the pressure-regulated flow controller was last calibrated. In response to determining that the correlation has changed, the correlation between the test pressure and flow rate measurements can be updated to reflect the latest calibration of the pressure-regulated flow controller. At block 440, it is determined whether each of the group of test pressures has been calibrated. In response to determining that each of the group of test pressures has not been calibrated, method 400 can return to block 410, where different test pressures in the group of test pressures can be selected and calibrated according to previously disclosed embodiments. In response to determining that each of the group of test pressures has been calibrated, method 400 can terminate.

[0055] Figure 5 This is a block diagram of a computer system 500 according to certain implementations. In some implementations, the computer system 500 may be a system controller 230 (e.g., see...). Figure 2 In other embodiments, the computer system 500 may be a controller component of the pressure regulator 206 or a controller component of the flow meter 210.

[0056] In some implementations, computer system 500 may be connected (e.g., via a network, such as a local area network (LAN), intranet, extranet, or the Internet) to other computer systems. Computer system 500 may operate as a server or client computer in a client-server environment, or as a peer computer in a peer-to-peer or distributed network environment. Computer system 500 may be provided by a personal computer (PC), tablet computer, set-top box (STB), personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile phone, network application device, server, network router, switch or bridge, or any device capable of executing a set of instructions (sequentially or otherwise) to specify the actions to be taken by that device. Furthermore, the term "computer" should include a collection of any computers that individually or jointly execute a set of instructions (or more sets of instructions) to perform any one or more methods described herein.

[0057] In a further aspect, the computer system 500 may include a processing device 502, volatile memory 504 (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), non-volatile memory 506 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM) or electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM)), and data storage device 516, which can communicate with each other via a bus 508.

[0058] The processing device 502 may be provided by one or more processors, such as general-purpose processors (e.g., complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessors, reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessors, very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessors, microprocessors that implement other types of instruction sets, or microprocessors that implement a combination of various instruction sets) or special-purpose processors (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or network processors).

[0059] The computer system 500 may further include a network interface device 522 (e.g., communicating via a network 574). The computer system 500 may also include a communication display unit 510 (e.g., an LCD), an alphanumeric input device 512 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 514 (e.g., a mouse), and a signal generation device 520.

[0060] In some implementations, the data storage device 516 may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 524 thereon on which instructions 526 are stored to encode any one or more methods or functions described herein, including instructions for carrying out the methods described herein (e.g., performing...). Figure 3 and 4 Method 300 or 400).

[0061] Instruction 526 may also reside wholly or partially in volatile memory 504 and / or processing device 502 during execution by computer system 500, thus volatile memory 504 and processing device 502 may also constitute machine-readable storage media.

[0062] Although computer-readable storage medium 524 is shown as a single medium in the illustration example, the term "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium" should include a single medium or multiple media storing one or more sets of executable instructions (e.g., a centralized or distributed database and / or associated caches and servers). The term "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium" should also include any tangible medium capable of storing or encoding a set of instructions for execution by a computer and causing the computer to perform any one or more of the methods described herein. The term "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium" should include, but is not limited to, solid-state memory, optical media, and magnetic media.

[0063] The methods, components, and features described herein can be implemented by separate hardware components or integrated into the functionality of other hardware components (e.g., ASICs, FPGAs, DSPs, or similar devices). Alternatively, the methods, components, and features can be implemented by solid-state modules or functional circuits within a hardware device. Furthermore, the methods, components, and features can be implemented by any combination of hardware devices and computer program components or by a computer program.

[0064] Unless otherwise specified, terms (e.g., “scan,” “move,” “cause,” “execute,” “remove,” “place,” “guide,” “determine,” “set,” “actuate,” “locate,” etc.) refer to actions and processes performed or carried out by a computer system to process and convert data representing the number of entities (electronics) in the computer system's registers and memory into other data similarly representing the number of entities in the computer system's memory or registers or other such information storage, transmission, or display devices. Furthermore, the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc., used herein are labels to distinguish different elements and may not have ordinal meaning based on their numerical names.

[0065] The examples described herein also relate to apparatus for performing the methods described herein. This apparatus may be specially configured to perform the methods described herein, or it may comprise a general-purpose computer system selectively programmed by a computer program stored in a computer system. This computer program may be stored in a computer-readable tangible storage medium.

[0066] The methods and illustrative examples described herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other device. Various general-purpose systems can be used based on the teachings described herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized devices to perform the methods described herein and / or each of their individual functions, routines, subroutines, or operations. Examples of structures for various such systems are illustrated in the above description.

[0067] The foregoing description sets forth numerous specific details, such as examples of particular systems, components, methods, etc., to provide a good understanding of several embodiments of this disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that at least some embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented without these specific details. In other instances, well-known components or methods have not been described in detail, or have been presented in a simple block diagram format to avoid unnecessarily obscuring this disclosure. Therefore, the specific details set forth are merely exemplary. Specific embodiments may differ from these exemplary details and will still be contemplated within the scope of this disclosure.

[0068] Throughout this specification, references to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the term "or" is intended to indicate inclusive "or" rather than exclusive "or." When the terms "about" or "approximately" are used herein, it is intended to indicate that the provided numerical values ​​are accurate within ±10%.

[0069] Although the operations of the methods described herein are shown and described in a specific order, the order of operations for each method may be changed so that certain operations can be performed in reverse order, or that certain operations can be performed at least partially concurrently with other operations. In another embodiment, the instructions or sub-operations of individual operations may be performed intermittently and / or alternately.

[0070] It should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the above description. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure should be determined by reference to the appended claims and the full scope of their equivalents.

Claims

1. A manufacturing system, comprising: Processing chamber; Gas supply; A mass flow control device coupled to an outlet of the gas supply and an inlet of the processing chamber, wherein the mass flow control device includes: a flow limiting element configured to limit the flow rate of a gas; a bypass flow element configured to control the flow rate of the gas in parallel with the flow limiting element; and a pressure regulator configured to control at least one of the pressure of the gas between the pressure regulator and the flow limiting element or the pressure of the gas between the pressure regulator and the bypass flow element; and A controller, coupled to a mass flow control device, is configured to: According to a first pressure setting associated with a first flow rate, gas is flowed from the gas supply to the processing chamber via the mass flow control device; A second flow rate of gas from the gas supply to the processing chamber is determined based on at least the first flow rate and a control gain metric identified as the mass flow control device, wherein the control gain metric corresponds to at least one of a proportional control gain metric, an integral control gain metric, or a derivative control gain metric. Determine the second pressure setting associated with the second flow rate; and According to the second pressure setting, the pressure regulator changes the pressure of the gas between at least one of the pressure regulator and the flow limiting element or the pressure regulator and the bypass flow element.

2. The manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises: Detect the error at the processing chamber or the mass flow control device.

3. The manufacturing system of claim 2, wherein the controller further comprises: Receive data from one or more sensors at the manufacturing system that is associated with errors at the processing chamber or the mass flow control device; and The value of the control gain metric is determined based on the received data.

4. The manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises: The first step of determining the processing formula for the processing chamber has been completed and the second step of the processing formula will begin, wherein the first step of the processing formula is associated with the first flow rate of the gas and the second step of the processing formula is associated with the second flow rate of the gas.

5. The manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein when determining the second pressure setting associated with the second flow rate, the controller will: The second pressure setting corresponding to the second flow rate is identified from calibration data that maps pressure settings to flow rates.

6. The manufacturing system of claim 1, further comprising a flow meter coupled to the outlet of the flow limiting element and the outlet of the bypass flow element of the mass flow control device, wherein the flow meter is configured to measure the current flow rate of gas at the outlet of the flow limiting element and the outlet of the bypass flow element.

7. The manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the flow limiting element and the bypass flow element of the mass flow control device are components of a speed control valve.

8. The manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the pressure regulator of the mass flow control device is an electro-pneumatic pressure regulator.

9. A method comprising the following steps: Gas is flowed from a gas supply to a processing chamber via a controller of the manufacturing system, wherein each of the gas supply and the processing chamber is coupled to a mass flow control device configured to control the flow rate of the gas from the gas supply to the processing chamber based on a first pressure setting associated with a first flow rate; The controller determines a second flow rate of gas flowing from the gas supply to the processing chamber based on at least the first flow rate and a control gain metric identified as the mass flow control device, wherein the control gain metric corresponds to at least one of a proportional control gain metric, an integral control gain metric, or a derivative control gain metric. The controller determines the second pressure setting associated with the second flow rate; and The controller, based on the second pressure setting, causes the pressure regulator of the mass flow control device to change the pressure of the gas between at least one of the pressure regulator and the flow limiting element of the mass flow control device or the bypass flow element of the pressure regulator and the mass flow control device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the following steps: Detect systematic errors present in one or more parts of the manufacturing system.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the following steps: Receive data from one or more sensors at the manufacturing system that is associated with the systematic error at one or more parts of the manufacturing system; and The value of the control gain metric is determined based on the received data.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the following steps: The first step of determining the processing formula for the processing chamber has been completed and the second step of the processing formula will begin, wherein the first step of the processing formula is associated with the first flow rate of the gas and the second step of the processing formula is associated with the second flow rate of the gas.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the second pressure setting associated with the second flow rate includes the following steps: The second pressure setting corresponding to the second flow rate is identified from calibration data that maps pressure settings to flow rates.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the outlet of the flow limiting element and the outlet of the bypass flow element are coupled to a flow meter, wherein the flow meter is configured to measure the current flow rate of gas at the outlet of the flow limiting element and the outlet of the bypass flow element.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the following steps: The flow meter receives an indication of the current flow rate of gas at the outlet of at least one of the flow limiting element or the bypass flow element, wherein the current flow rate of gas corresponds to a third flow rate; In response to determining that the third flow rate of the gas does not correspond to the second flow rate, the pressure regulator is caused to change the gas pressure between at least one of the pressure regulator and the flow limiting element or the pressure regulator and the bypass flow element, according to the third pressure setting. The flow meter receives another indication of the updated flow rate of gas at the outlet of at least one of the flow limiting element or the bypass flow element, wherein the updated flow rate of gas corresponds to the second flow rate; and Update the calibration data of the mass flow control device to include the correlation between the second pressure setting and the third flow rate, or at least one of the third pressure setting and the second flow rate.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform an operation, comprising the following steps: Gas is flowed from a gas supply to a processing chamber, wherein each of the gas supply and the processing chamber is coupled to a mass flow control device configured to control the flow rate of gas from the gas supply to the processing chamber based on a first pressure setting associated with a first flow rate; A second flow rate of gas from the gas supply to the processing chamber is determined based on at least the first flow rate and a control gain metric identified as the mass flow control device, wherein the control gain metric corresponds to at least one of a proportional control gain metric, an integral control gain metric, or a derivative control gain metric. Determine the second pressure setting associated with the second flow rate; and The pressure of the gas between at least one of the pressure regulator of the mass flow control device and the flow limiting element of the mass flow control device or the bypass flow element of the mass flow control device, according to the second pressure setting, is changed by the pressure regulator of the mass flow control device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the processing apparatus further comprises: Detect the error at the processing chamber or the mass flow control device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the processing means further comprises: Receive data associated with errors at the processing chamber or the mass flow control device; and The value of the control gain metric is determined based on the received data.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the processing apparatus further comprises: The first step of determining the processing formula for the processing chamber has been completed and the second step of the processing formula will begin, wherein the first step of the processing formula is associated with the first flow rate of the gas and the second step of the processing formula is associated with the second flow rate of the gas.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein, upon determining the second pressure setting associated with the second flow rate, the processing device will: The second pressure setting corresponding to the second flow rate is identified from calibration data that maps pressure settings to flow rates.

Images