Temperature control method and device, electronic equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a temperature control method, electronic equipment and semiconductor process equipment, and belongs to the technical field of semiconductors. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a current temperature set value; according to the current temperature set value, temperature control is conducted on all the temperature control areas, and heat preservation is conducted on the temperature control areas reaching the current temperature set value till the temperature difference between the temperature of all the temperature control areas and the current temperature set value is within a preset range; and repeating the steps of acquiring a next temperature set value, controlling the temperature of each temperature control area according to the next temperature set value, and preserving the temperature of the temperature control area reaching the next temperature set value until the temperature difference between the temperatures of all the temperature control areas and the next temperature set value is within a preset range. And the wafer bearing surface reaches the target temperature.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of semiconductor technology, and specifically relates to a temperature control method, device, electronic device and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In semiconductor process equipment such as physical vapor deposition (PVD) equipment, the temperature of the heating base is controlled to rise to the set temperature in a vacuum environment, and high-energy particles are used to bombard the target surface to deposit the atoms in the target onto the silicon wafer. The temperature and fluctuations of the chamber base will affect the quality of the silicon wafer coating process.

[0003] However, in the process of controlling the temperature of the chamber base, each temperature control zone on the carrier surface is controlled independently. When heating or cooling is required, each temperature control zone is independently controlled according to its own control loop, resulting in inconsistent temperature change speeds in each temperature control zone. There are large differences in the temperatures of each temperature control zone, which causes uneven heating of the wafers on the heated carrier surface and causes them to break. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a temperature control method, device, electronic device and storage medium, which can ensure that each temperature control zone on the carrier surface basically achieves synchronous temperature control with a certain step size, ensure that the semiconductor devices on the heated carrier surface are heated evenly and avoid fragmentation.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, this application is implemented as follows:

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a temperature control method for a wafer carrying device, wherein the wafer carrying surface of the wafer carrying device includes multiple temperature control zones, and the method includes: obtaining a current temperature setting value; controlling the temperature of each of the temperature control zones according to the current temperature setting value, and keeping the temperature control zones that have reached the current temperature setting value warm until the temperature difference between all the temperature control zones and the current temperature setting value is within a predetermined range; repeatedly obtaining a next temperature setting value, controlling the temperature of each of the temperature control zones according to the next temperature setting value, and keeping the temperature control zones that have reached the next temperature setting value warm until the temperature difference between all the temperature control zones and the next temperature setting value is within a predetermined range, until the wafer carrying surface reaches the target temperature.

[0007] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which includes a processor, a memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or instruction, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the method described in the first aspect.

[0008] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a readable storage medium, on which a program or instruction is stored, and when the program or instruction is executed by a processor, the steps of the method described in the first aspect are implemented.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a semiconductor process equipment, comprising: a process chamber, a heating base and a controller, wherein the heating base is arranged in the process chamber, and the controller comprises at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the method described in the first aspect are implemented.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present application, by obtaining the current temperature setting value; controlling the temperature of each temperature control zone according to the current temperature setting value, and keeping the temperature control zone that reaches the current temperature setting value warm, until the temperature difference between the temperature of all the temperature control zones and the current temperature setting value is within a predetermined range; repeatedly obtaining the next temperature setting value, controlling the temperature of each temperature control zone according to the next temperature setting value, and keeping the temperature control zone that reaches the next temperature setting value warm, until the temperature difference between the temperature of all the temperature control zones and the next temperature setting value is within a predetermined range, until the wafer carrying surface reaches the target temperature, it can be ensured that the temperature control zones on the carrying surface basically achieve synchronous temperature control, and ensure that the semiconductor devices on the heated carrying surface are heated evenly to avoid fragmentation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0012] Figure 1a This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer carrying surface in a semiconductor process equipment in an embodiment of the present application;

[0013] Figure 1b is a schematic flow chart of a temperature control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart of generating a current temperature setting value in a temperature control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart of a temperature control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 4 It is a schematic flow chart of obtaining the sampled temperature filtering value of each temperature control zone in a temperature control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 5 It is a schematic flow chart of obtaining the output value of a PID algorithm in a temperature control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of an alarm step in a temperature control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of a temperature control device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0022] The wafer carrying surface 1 in the semiconductor process equipment is used to carry wafers. If the temperature of the wafer carrying surface 1 is controlled by a control loop, the temperature near the center of the wafer carrying surface 1 will change quickly, while the temperature away from the center of the wafer carrying surface 1 will change slowly. The overall temperature difference of the wafer carrying surface 1 is large. To avoid this problem, the wafer carrying surface 1 can be divided into multiple temperature control zones. Figure 1a Schematic diagram of a structure of a wafer carrying surface in a semiconductor process equipment in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1a As shown, the wafer carrying surface 1 in the semiconductor process equipment includes multiple temperature control zones, such as Figure 1a The temperature control zones 11, 12, and 13 are controlled independently. When the temperature needs to be raised or lowered, each temperature control zone is independently controlled according to its own control loop to avoid the problem that the center temperature changes faster than the edge due to one control loop. However, the temperature change speeds of the temperature control zones are inconsistent, and there are large differences in the temperatures of the temperature control zones, which leads to uneven heating and cracking of the wafers on the heating support surface.

[0023] Figure 1bis a schematic flow chart of a temperature control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method can be executed by software or hardware installed on a host computer or a slave computer of a semiconductor process device. The method includes:

[0024] S101: Obtain the current temperature setting value.

[0025] In the related art, the temperatures of multiple temperature control zones on the wafer carrying surface may be unsynchronized when they are independently controlled. In this step, the current temperature setting value SP_out (Set Point_out, SP_out) obtained can be used as the target value for temperature synchronization of each of the temperature control zones in the current stage.

[0026] Optionally, the current temperature may be generated by a set value generator before this step. In one implementation, when the difference between the initial temperature of the wafer bearing surface and the target temperature is greater than a preset temperature control step, the current temperature may be determined based on the initial temperature of the wafer bearing surface and the preset temperature control step; otherwise, the target temperature may be directly used as the current temperature.

[0027] In the related art, there may be large differences in the temperatures of various temperature control zones. In order to avoid large differences in the temperatures of the temperature control zones, the embodiment of the present application sets a preset temperature control step in this step. Optionally, the preset temperature control step may be related to the properties of the wafer carried by the wafer carrying device. For example, if the wafer material is fragile, the preset temperature control step may be set relatively small.

[0028] S102: Control the temperature of each of the temperature control zones according to the current temperature setting value, and keep the temperature control zones that have reached the current temperature setting value warm until the temperature difference between the temperature of all the temperature control zones and the current temperature setting value is within a predetermined range.

[0029] Control the temperature of each temperature control zone to increase, decrease or maintain the current temperature. Specifically, multiple temperature control zones are independently temperature controlled, and the temperature of each temperature control zone may not reach the current temperature at the same time. Figure 1bAs shown, when temperature zone 1 reaches the current temperature setting value, temperature zone 1 is kept warm; when temperature zone 2 reaches the current temperature setting value, temperature zone 2 is kept warm; and so on. When temperature zone N reaches the current temperature setting value, temperature zone N is kept warm, and N is greater than or equal to 2. Thus, when the temperature of some of the temperature control zones in the multiple temperature control zones reaches the current temperature, the temperature control zones can be kept warm. Usually, heat preservation cannot accurately achieve the temperature unchanged, so it is difficult for the temperatures of multiple temperature control zones to be exactly the same. When the temperature difference of the multiple temperature control zones is within a preset range, it is determined that the temperatures of the multiple temperature control zones reach the current temperature. For example, when the initial temperature of multiple wafer carrying surfaces is 10 degrees and the target temperature is 15 degrees, the preset range can be 0.1 degrees. That is, when the temperature difference of multiple temperature control zones is within 0.1 degrees, it is determined that the temperatures of the multiple temperature control zones are the same.

[0030] S103: Repeat the steps of obtaining the next temperature setting value, controlling the temperature of each temperature control zone according to the next temperature setting value, and keeping the temperature control zone that reaches the next temperature setting value warm, until the temperature difference between the temperature of all the temperature control zones and the next temperature setting value is within a predetermined range, and until the wafer carrying surface reaches the target temperature.

[0031] When the temperature difference among the plurality of temperature control zones is within a preset range, the next temperature setting value is acquired according to the preset temperature control step until the current temperature is equal to the target temperature and the temperature of each temperature control zone reaches the target temperature.

[0032] For example, the initial temperature of multiple wafer carrying surfaces is 10 degrees, the target temperature is 15 degrees, and the preset temperature control step is 1 degree. In S101, the current temperature setting value of the wafer carrying surface is obtained as 11 degrees. In S102, when the temperature of each temperature control zone reaches 11 degrees, the next temperature setting value is obtained as 12 degrees according to the preset temperature control step of 1 degree. Repeat the above steps until the current temperature is equal to the target temperature (15 degrees) and the temperature of each temperature control zone reaches the target temperature (15 degrees).

[0033] Therefore, through the above steps, the embodiment of the present application can ensure that each temperature control zone performs temperature control with a certain temperature control step size to ensure that the temperature of each temperature control zone changes basically synchronously, and the time difference between the temperature of each temperature control zone reaching the target temperature is small, thereby achieving synchronous temperature control and ensuring that the wafers on the carrying surface are heated evenly to avoid breakage.

[0034] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart of generating a current temperature setting value in a temperature control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 After the embodiment generates each current temperature setting value, the embodiment of FIG. 1 obtains the current temperature setting value of the wafer carrying surface through S101.

[0035] like Figure 2 As shown, generating the current temperature setting value may include the following steps:

[0036] S201: Determine the relationship between the received temperature control value and the maximum limit value and the minimum limit value of the temperature of the wafer carrying surface.

[0037] Specifically, in the embodiment of Figure 1, the current temperature setting value can be generated by a setting value generator, which can receive the initial temperature control value input by the host computer. In this step, the relationship between the received temperature control value and the maximum and minimum temperature limits of the wafer carrying surface is determined.

[0038] Among them, SP_tmin and SP_tmax are the minimum and maximum temperature limits of the wafer bearing surface. If the set value SP_t input by the host computer is greater than the maximum limit value, it is processed according to the maximum limit value. If it is less than the minimum limit value, it is processed according to the minimum limit value. That is, when the received temperature control value is greater than the maximum temperature limit value of the wafer bearing surface, the maximum temperature limit value is used as the target temperature. When the received temperature control value is less than the minimum temperature limit value of the wafer bearing surface, the minimum temperature limit value is used as the target temperature.

[0039] S202: Determine an initial setting value SP_s and a preset temperature control step length st according to the current temperature of the susceptor.

[0040] S203: Calculate the setting value difference d(SP)=SP-SP_s, and record the setting output value L_SPout=SP_s changed last time.

[0041] S204: Determine whether |d(SP)|≤st holds, that is, determine whether the set value reaches the target set value SP.

[0042] Determine whether the difference |d(SP)| between the current temperature setting value and the target temperature is less than or equal to the preset temperature control step. Optionally, the current temperature setting value may be the initial temperature of the wafer bearing surface. For example, the initial temperature of the wafer bearing surface is 10 degrees, the target temperature is 12 degrees, and the preset temperature control step is 5 degrees. If the current temperature setting value is the initial temperature of the wafer bearing surface of 10 degrees, then this situation satisfies that the difference (2 degrees) between the current temperature setting value and the target temperature is less than the preset temperature control step of 5 degrees.

[0043] S205: If d(SP) is greater than 0, K=1; if d(SP) is less than 0, K=-1; if d(SP) is equal to 0, K=0.

[0044] According to the sign of the difference between the current temperature setting value t and the target temperature, the step change coefficient is determined, that is, whether the temperature control zone is heated up, cooled down or kept warm is determined, wherein if d(SP) is greater than 0, the temperature is increased, otherwise the temperature is lowered, and if d(SP) is equal to 0, the temperature is kept warm.

[0045] S206: Determine whether the temperature is increasing or decreasing according to the target temperature, and then change the next temperature setting value calculated and output every time t, and the change formula is: next temperature setting value = L_SPout + k*st, L_SPout = SP_out, where L_SPout records the current temperature setting value of the last change.

[0046] In a case where the difference between the next temperature setting value and the target temperature is less than or equal to the preset temperature control step, the target temperature is determined as the next temperature setting value.

[0047] Assume that the initial temperature of the wafer carrying surface is 10 degrees and the target temperature is 12 degrees, and the preset temperature control step is 5 degrees. Optionally, the current temperature setting value can be the initial temperature of the wafer carrying surface. In this case, the difference between the current temperature setting value and the target temperature (2 degrees) is less than the preset temperature control step of 5 degrees. At this time, the target temperature of 12 degrees is determined as the next temperature setting value.

[0048] When the difference between the current temperature setting value and the target temperature is greater than the preset temperature control step, the next temperature setting value is determined according to the current temperature setting value, the preset temperature control step and the step change coefficient.

[0049] Assume that the initial temperature of the wafer carrying surface is 10 degrees, the target temperature is 13 degrees, and the preset temperature control step is 2 degrees. Optionally, the current temperature setting value can be the initial temperature of the wafer carrying surface of 10 degrees. In this case, the difference of 3 degrees between the current temperature setting value of 10 degrees and the target temperature of 13 degrees is greater than the preset temperature control step of 2 degrees. At this time, the next temperature setting value is determined according to the current temperature setting value, the preset temperature control step and the step change coefficient, that is, the next temperature setting value = L_SPout + k*st, SP_out = L_SPout + k*st, L_SPout = SP_out, wherein L_SPout records the set output value of the last change.

[0050] Thus, the next temperature setting value is obtained in S102. For example, the initial temperature of the wafer bearing surface is 10 degrees, and the next temperature setting value is 12 degrees after the temperature control is performed based on the preset temperature control step of 2 degrees. Then, when the difference of 1 degree between the next temperature setting value 12 degrees and the target temperature 13 degrees is less than or equal to the preset temperature control step, the target temperature 13 degrees is determined as the next temperature setting value. Thus, an integer gradient temperature control from the initial temperature of the wafer bearing surface to the target temperature is achieved.

[0051] S207: Determine whether the next temperature setting value is equal to SP, until the next temperature setting value is equal to the target temperature, and then end the process.

[0052] The temperature setting method provided in the embodiment of the present application can set the upper and lower limits of the temperature control setting value. When the temperature control setting value differs greatly, it does not directly respond to the temperature control setting value, but makes the temperature setting value change gradually within a certain period of time until the setting value reaches the target setting value. That is, when the temperature control setting value and the actual value differ greatly, the controller actually gradually completes the issuance of the setting value with a certain gradient, so that the temperature of the wafer bearing surface of the wafer bearing device can be changed slowly, avoiding the wafer on the base from breaking.

[0053] Figure 3 A flow chart of a temperature control method provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown, and the method can be executed by an electronic device, such as a host computer or a slave computer of a semiconductor process device. In other words, the method can be executed by software or hardware installed in a host computer or a slave computer of a semiconductor process device. Figure 3 As shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0054] S301: Obtain the current temperature setting value of the wafer carrying surface output by the setting value generator.

[0055] S302: Obtain the sampled temperature filtering value yn of each temperature control zone respectively.

[0056] In one implementation, the temperature of at least one of the temperature control zones can be sampled within a predetermined time to obtain multiple sampled temperatures; when the difference between two consecutively sampled sampled temperatures is greater than a preset sampling temperature threshold, the sampled temperature with a later sampling order among the two consecutively sampled sampled temperatures is deleted; and the average of the multiple sampled temperatures within the predetermined time is used as the sampled temperature filter value of the temperature control zone.

[0057] Combination Figure 4 As shown, this step may include:

[0058] S401: Initialize the buffer area (i=0).

[0059] S402: The actual value of the sampled temperature c[i].

[0060] In this step, the temperature value of the temperature control zone is collected through the thermocouple module and recorded as c[i].

[0061] S403: Subtract the value from the last temperature sampling value to determine whether it exceeds the limit.

[0062] Specifically, it is determined whether the difference exceeds a first preset value.

[0063] S404a: If the difference does not exceed the first preset value, retaining the current sampling value c[i].

[0064] S404b: If the difference exceeds the first preset value, the last sampled value L_c is used to replace the current sampled value c[i].

[0065] S405: Execute i=i+1.

[0066] S406: Determine whether i is equal to N, where N is the maximum number of sampling times.

[0067] S407: When i is equal to N, i is reset to 0; when i is not equal to N, the actual temperature value c[i] of the temperature control zone continues to be collected, that is, step S402 is executed again.

[0068] S408: Determine whether the refresh time has arrived. If the refresh time has not arrived, continue to execute step S402.

[0069] S409: If the refresh time has arrived, the sum of N valid temperature values ​​Sum=c[0]+c[1]+…+c[N-1] is obtained.

[0070] S410: Calculate the average value f_ave=Sum / N to obtain the collected temperature value of the temperature control area.

[0071] The collected temperature value is used as the sampled temperature filtering value yn of the temperature control area.

[0072] The temperature acquisition method provided in the embodiment of the present application processes the sampled temperature value of the chamber heating base. For temperature feedback, it usually contains interference, which will cause the control system to adjust frequently. A digital filtering algorithm is used to reduce the influence of interference signals on the effective base temperature value, thereby effectively reducing the frequency of control system adjustment. At the same time, the embodiment of the present application adopts a method combining limiting filtering and recursive averaging filtering to filter the temperature signal of the base temperature control zone separately, and compares the deviation of the current sampling value with the previous sampling value. If the deviation exceeds the maximum allowable value, it is considered that random interference has occurred, and the current sampling value is discarded and replaced by the previous sampling value. The effective value is cyclically stored in the array c[i], and finally the arithmetic mean of the N effective values ​​in the array is calculated to obtain a more accurate collected temperature value of the temperature control zone, thereby improving the accuracy of temperature control.

[0073] S303: PID calculation output of each temperature control zone.

[0074] According to the sampled temperature filter value and the current temperature SP_out, the duty cycle of the solid-state relay for temperature control of each temperature control zone is determined. According to the duty cycle, the solid-state relay is controlled to be turned on and off, thereby controlling the heating to control the temperature of each temperature control zone.

[0075] In one implementation, the difference between the sampled temperature filter value and the current temperature is used as the input of the proportional integral differential PID algorithm to obtain the output value of the PID algorithm; the quotient of the output value of the PID algorithm and the preset PID maximum value is determined as the duty cycle, and the duty cycle is not greater than 1. The PID algorithm is a method for controlling a controlled object and is mainly used in automatic control systems. The PID controller can be regarded as a loop for controlling specific variables of a controlled object. Specifically, this controller compares the actual value of the controlled object with the set value and calculates an error value. The error value will be fed back to the PID controller, and the output signal of the controller will be continuously adjusted to achieve control of the controlled object. This step uses the algorithm to obtain the duty cycle of the solid-state relay on and off corresponding to each temperature control zone.

[0076] like Figure 5 As shown, this step may include:

[0077] S501: Initialization parameter settings, including: pulse width period tPWMPeriod setting, task period tTaskCycleTime setting, counter Counter clearing.

[0078] S502: Determine whether Counter*tTaskCycleTime≥tPWMPeriod holds.

[0079] S503a: When Counter * tTaskCycleTime < tPWMPeriod, determine whether Counter * tTaskCycleTim ≤ PID output duty cycle * tPWMPeriod holds.

[0080] S503b: When Counter * tTaskCycleTime ≥ tPWMPeriod, clear the counter Counter.

[0081] S504a: When Counter * tTaskCycleTim ≤ PID output duty cycle * tPWMPeriod, output a high level.

[0082] S504b: When Counter * tTaskCycleTim > PID output duty cycle * tPWMPeriod, output a low level.

[0083] S505: Increment the counter Counter by 1.

[0084] Then repeat step S502 until the temperature in the temperature control area reaches the target control temperature.

[0085] For example, if the pulse width period tPWMPeriod = 1 second and the task cycle tTaskCycleTime = 10 milliseconds, then when the counter Counter = 100, Counter * tTaskCycleTime ≥ tPWMPeriod holds, and the counter is reset to zero for counting. Within each pulse width period, when Counter * tTaskCycleTim ≤ PID output duty cycle * tPWMPeriod, a high level is output; when Counter * tTaskCycleTim > PID output duty cycle * tPWMPeriod, a low level is output, thereby controlling, according to the PID output duty cycle, how many task cycles output a high level to turn on the solid state relay for heating and how many task cycles output a low level to turn off the solid state relay for heating, to achieve the temperature control function of the temperature control area.

[0086] S304: When the temperature in each temperature control area reaches the current temperature set value SP_out, perform heat preservation treatment on the corresponding temperature control area.

[0087] S305: Determine whether the temperature difference between each of the temperature control areas is within the limit range.

[0088] Such as whether it is less than the second preset value.

[0089] S306: When the temperature difference of each temperature control zone falls within the limit range, obtain the next temperature setting value until the next temperature setting value is equal to the target temperature and the temperature of each temperature control zone reaches the target temperature, that is, the wafer carrying surface reaches the target temperature.

[0090] If the temperature difference of each temperature control zone does not fall within the limit range, wait until the temperature difference of the three temperature control zones falls within the limit range, obtain the next temperature setting value, control the temperature of each temperature control zone according to the next temperature setting value, and keep the temperature control zone that reaches the next temperature setting value warm, until the temperature difference between the temperature of all the temperature control zones and the next temperature setting value is within the predetermined range, until the wafer carrying surface reaches the target temperature.

[0091] The temperature control method provided in the embodiment of the present application controls each temperature control zone of the base independently, but each temperature control zone uniformly obtains the temperature control set value output by the set value generator, and then calculates the deviation from the sampled temperature filter value of each temperature control zone as the PID calculation input of each temperature control zone. When the temperature of a certain temperature control zone reaches the current temperature set value, the insulation program is entered until the temperature difference of the three temperature control zones falls within the limit range, and the next temperature set value of the base temperature output by the set value generator is obtained again. In this way, it can be ensured that each temperature control zone realizes synchronous temperature control with a certain gradient, and the wafer on the heating base is heated evenly to avoid fragmentation.

[0092] In one implementation, the embodiment of the present application further includes alarm processing, specifically including:

[0093] When the target temperature exceeds the preset temperature limit value, a temperature setting over-limit alarm is issued. When the collected temperature value of each temperature control zone exceeds the target temperature, an over-temperature alarm is issued. When the alarm code of the thermocouple collection module of the wafer carrier indicates that the thermocouple is abnormal, a thermocouple alarm is issued.

[0094] like Figure 6 As shown, the alarm step may include:

[0095] S601: Set the upper limit value C_High and the lower limit value C_Low of the chamber temperature, and the upper limit value SP_High and the lower limit value SP_Low of the temperature setting value.

[0096] This step is used to set the upper and lower limits of the temperature and the upper and lower limits of the temperature setting value.

[0097] S602: Sampling the actual temperature value C.

[0098] This step is used to collect the actual temperature value C of the temperature control zone.

[0099] S603: Determine whether C_Low < C < C_High holds.

[0100] If C_Low < C < C_High does not hold, that is, when the temperature in the temperature control area exceeds the limit value during the temperature change process, an over-temperature alarm is thrown.

[0101] S604: If C_Low < C < C_High holds, continue to determine whether SP_Low < SP < SP_High holds.

[0102] If SP_Low < SP < SP_High does not hold, that is, when the set temperature exceeds the limit value during the setting process, a temperature setting over-limit alarm is thrown.

[0103] S605: If SP_Low < SP < SP_High holds, obtain the thermocouple status code from the DeviceNet controller of the device bus.

[0104] S606: Determine whether the thermocouple status is normal.

[0105] If the thermocouple status is not normal, a thermocouple alarm is thrown.

[0106] S607: If the thermocouple status is normal, determine whether the refresh time has arrived.

[0107] If the refresh time has arrived, re-execute step S602 to collect the actual temperature value C of the temperature control area at the next moment for monitoring.

[0108] S608: Output the alarm information.

[0109] The temperature control method provided by the embodiment of the present application can monitor the entire control process, for example, including tolerance range monitoring and thermocouple status monitoring (open circuit, reverse voltage connection, etc.). By setting the upper and lower limit values of the temperature and the upper and lower limit values of the set temperature, when the temperature exceeds the limit value during the change process or the set temperature exceeds the limit value during the setting process, the upper computer records the alarm. The status of the thermocouple is monitored through the analog temperature acquisition module. If an abnormality occurs, the upper computer PC will obtain the alarm information from the DeviceNet controller and display these alarm information.

[0110] The present application further provides a temperature control device. Figure 7 The structural schematic diagram of a temperature control device provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown, as Figure 7As shown, the device 700 includes: a temperature setting module 710, which is used to obtain a current temperature setting value; a control module 720, which is used to control the temperature of each of the temperature control zones according to the current temperature setting value, and to keep the temperature control zones that have reached the current temperature setting value warm, until the temperature difference between the temperature of all the temperature control zones and the current temperature setting value is within a predetermined range; a temperature update module 730, which is used to repeatedly obtain a next temperature setting value, control the temperature of each of the temperature control zones according to the next temperature setting value, and to keep the temperature control zones that have reached the next temperature setting value warm, until the temperature difference between the temperature of all the temperature control zones and the next temperature setting value is within a predetermined range, until the wafer carrying surface reaches the target temperature.

[0111] In one implementation, the temperature setting module 710 is used to determine the next temperature setting value based on the current temperature setting value, the preset temperature control step and the step change coefficient when the difference between the current temperature setting value and the target temperature is greater than the preset temperature control step; and to determine the target temperature as the next temperature setting value when the difference between the current temperature setting value and the target temperature is less than or equal to the preset temperature control step.

[0112] In one implementation, the temperature setting module 710 is also used to, when the difference between the initial temperature of the wafer carrying surface and the target temperature is greater than 0, the step change coefficient is 1; when the difference between the initial temperature of the wafer carrying surface and the target temperature is less than 0, the step change coefficient is -1; when the difference between the initial temperature of the wafer carrying surface and the target temperature is equal to 0, the step change coefficient is 0.

[0113] In one implementation, the temperature setting module 710 is also used to use the maximum temperature limit value as the target temperature when the received temperature control value is greater than the maximum temperature limit value of the wafer carrying surface; and to use the minimum temperature limit value as the target temperature when the received temperature control value is less than the minimum temperature limit value of the wafer carrying surface.

[0114] In one implementation, the device also includes: a temperature acquisition module, used to obtain the sampled temperature filter value of each temperature control zone; a temperature control module, used to determine the duty cycle of the solid-state relay for temperature control of each temperature control zone based on the sampled temperature filter value and the current temperature SP_out; according to the duty cycle, the solid-state relay is controlled to be turned on and off to control the heating to control the temperature of each temperature control zone.

[0115] In one implementation, the temperature acquisition module is used to sample the temperature of at least one of the temperature control zones within a predetermined time to obtain multiple sampling temperatures; when the difference between two consecutively sampled sampling temperatures is greater than a preset sampling temperature threshold, the sampling temperature with a later sampling order among the two consecutively sampled sampling temperatures is deleted; and the sampling temperature filter value of the temperature control zone is determined based on the multiple sampling temperatures within the predetermined time.

[0116] In one implementation, the temperature control module is used to use the difference between the sampled temperature filter value and the current temperature SP_out as the input of a proportional integral differential PID algorithm to obtain the output value of the PID algorithm; and determine the quotient of the output value of the PID algorithm and a preset PID maximum value as the duty cycle, and the duty cycle is not greater than 1.

[0117] In one implementation, the device also includes: an alarm module, which is used to issue a temperature setting over-limit alarm when the target temperature exceeds the preset temperature limit value; issue an over-temperature alarm when the collected temperature value of each temperature control zone exceeds the target temperature; and issue a thermocouple alarm when the alarm code of the thermocouple collection module of the wafer carrier device indicates a thermocouple abnormality.

[0118] The temperature control device provided in the embodiments of the present application can execute the temperature control method described in at least one of the foregoing method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effect as the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0119] The temperature control device in the embodiment of the present application can be a device, or a component, integrated circuit, or chip in a terminal. The device can be a mobile electronic device or a non-mobile electronic device. Exemplarily, the mobile electronic device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a PDA, an in-vehicle electronic device, a wearable device, an ultra-mobile personal computer (ultra-mobile personal computer, UMPC), a netbook or a personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, PDA), etc., and the non-mobile electronic device can be a server, a network attached storage (Network Attached Storage, NAS), a personal computer (personal computer, PC), a television (television, TV), a teller machine or a self-service machine, etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0120] The temperature control device in the embodiment of the present application may be a device having an operating system. The operating system may be an Android operating system, an iOS operating system, or other possible operating systems, which are not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0121] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the semiconductor process equipment provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown. Referring to the figure, at the hardware level, the semiconductor process equipment includes a process chamber, a heating base and a controller, wherein the heating base is arranged in the process chamber, and the controller includes at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory. Among them, the memory may include a memory, such as a high-speed random access memory (Random-Access Memory, RAM), and may also include a non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as at least one disk storage, etc. Of course, the electronic device may also include hardware required for other services.

[0122] The processor, the network interface and the memory may be interconnected through an internal bus, which may be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one bidirectional arrow is used in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0123] The memory is used to store the program. Specifically, the program may include a program code, and the program code includes a computer operation instruction. The memory may include a memory and a non-volatile memory, and provides instructions and data to the processor.

[0124] The processor reads the corresponding computer program from the non-volatile memory into the memory and then runs it. The processor executes the program stored in the memory and is specifically used to execute: each step of the temperature control method described in at least one embodiment of the above method embodiments.

[0125] In the embodiment of the present application, the controller may be, for example, a host computer or a slave computer of a semiconductor process equipment. A computer can be used as a host computer, and a programmable logic controller (PLC) can be used as a slave computer. Through the combination of the host computer and the slave computer, various functions of the above controllers are realized. The temperature control algorithm is designed by using the calculation and data processing capabilities of the computer. The temperature control algorithm includes: obtaining the current temperature setting value; controlling the temperature of each temperature control zone according to the current temperature setting value, and keeping the temperature control zone that reaches the current temperature setting value warm until the temperature difference between all the temperature control zones and the current temperature setting value is within a predetermined range; repeatedly obtaining the next temperature setting value, controlling the temperature of each temperature control zone according to the next temperature setting value, and keeping the temperature control zone that reaches the next temperature setting value warm until the temperature difference between all the temperature control zones and the next temperature setting value is within a predetermined range, until the wafer bearing surface reaches the target temperature, thereby solving the dependence on the temperature controller hardware, saving hardware costs, reducing system complexity, improving system stability, and realizing the convenient control of the temperature of the semiconductor equipment chamber heating base through software technology.

[0126] Among them, the thermocouple can be used as a commonly used temperature measuring element in the temperature measurement system to directly measure the temperature, and the temperature signal can be converted into a thermoelectric potential signal, which is then converted into the temperature of the measured medium through the temperature acquisition module. The PLC determines the collected temperature value of the temperature control zone based on the temperature signal; at the same time, the PLC as the lower computer is connected to the upper computer through the field bus DeviceNet to transmit data at the control layer. The upper computer receives the collected temperature value sent by the lower computer, and determines the current temperature setting value based on the collected temperature value and the target control temperature value, and then transmits its output result to the lower computer through PID calculation, and the lower computer performs heating control. The upper and lower computers control the temperature of each temperature control zone according to the current temperature setting value, and keep the temperature control zone that reaches the current temperature setting value warm until the temperature difference between all the temperature control zones and the current temperature setting value is within a predetermined range; repeat the steps of obtaining the next temperature setting value, controlling the temperature of each temperature control zone according to the next temperature setting value, and keeping the temperature control zone that reaches the next temperature setting value warm until the temperature difference between all the temperature control zones and the next temperature setting value is within a predetermined range, until the wafer carrying surface reaches the target temperature.

[0127] The methods disclosed in the embodiments shown in the flowcharts of the present application can be applied to a processor or implemented by a processor. The processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor or an instruction in the form of software. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. The methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as a hardware decoding processor for execution, or a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor for execution. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0128] The electronic device can also execute the temperature control method described in at least one of the above method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effect as the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0129] Of course, in addition to software implementation methods, the electronic device of the present application does not exclude other implementation methods, such as logic devices or a combination of software and hardware, etc. That is to say, the execution subject of the following processing flow is not limited to each logic unit, but can also be hardware or logic devices.

[0130] An embodiment of the present application also proposes a computer-readable storage medium, which stores one or more programs. When the one or more programs are executed by an electronic device including multiple application programs, the electronic device executes each step of the temperature control method described in at least one embodiment of the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0131] The computer-readable storage medium includes a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0132] Furthermore, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program includes program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the steps of at least one embodiment of the above-mentioned method embodiments are implemented.

[0133] In short, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

[0134] The systems, devices, modules or units described in the above embodiments may be implemented by computer chips or entities, or by products with certain functions. A typical implementation device is a computer. Specifically, the computer may be, for example, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a cellular phone, a camera phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a media player, a navigation device, an email device, a game console, a tablet computer, a wearable device, or a combination of any of these devices.

[0135] Computer readable media include permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can be implemented by any method or technology to store information. Information can be computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or any other non-transmission media that can be used to store information that can be accessed by a computing device. As defined herein, computer readable media does not include temporary computer readable media (transitory media), such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0136] It should also be noted that the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, commodity or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, commodity or device. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, commodity or device including the elements.

[0137] Each embodiment in this specification is described in a progressive manner, and the same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. In particular, for the system embodiment, since it is basically similar to the method embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the partial description of the method embodiment.

Claims

1. A temperature control method for a wafer carrier, wherein the wafer carrier surface of the wafer carrier comprises a plurality of temperature control zones, characterized in that: The method comprises: Get the current temperature setting value; Control the temperature of each of the temperature control zones according to the current temperature setting value, and keep the temperature control zone that has reached the current temperature setting value warm until the temperature difference between the temperature of all the temperature control zones and the current temperature setting value is within a predetermined range; Repeat the steps of obtaining the next temperature setting value, controlling the temperature of each temperature control zone according to the next temperature setting value, and keeping the temperature control zone that reaches the next temperature setting value warm, until the temperature difference between the temperature of all the temperature control zones and the next temperature setting value is within a predetermined range, and until the wafer carrying surface reaches the target temperature.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of obtaining the next temperature setting value comprises: When the difference between the current temperature setting value and the target temperature is greater than the preset temperature control step, determining the next temperature setting value according to the current temperature setting value, the preset temperature control step and the step change coefficient; In a case where the difference between the current temperature setting value and the target temperature is less than or equal to the preset temperature control step, the target temperature is determined as the next temperature setting value.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that When the difference between the initial temperature of the wafer carrying surface and the target temperature is greater than 0, the step change coefficient is 1; when the difference between the initial temperature of the wafer carrying surface and the target temperature is less than 0, the step change coefficient is -1; when the difference between the initial temperature of the wafer carrying surface and the target temperature is equal to 0, the step change coefficient is 0.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before obtaining the current temperature setting value, the method further includes: In the case where the received temperature control value is greater than the maximum temperature limit value of the wafer carrying surface, taking the maximum temperature limit value as the target temperature; In a case where the received temperature control value is less than the minimum temperature limit value of the wafer carrying surface, the minimum temperature limit value is used as the target temperature.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before repeatedly obtaining the next temperature setting value, it also includes: Obtaining a sampled temperature filtering value of each of the temperature control zones; Determine the on-off duty cycle of the solid-state relay for temperature control of each of the temperature control zones according to the sampled temperature filter value and the current temperature setting value; According to the duty cycle, the solid-state relay is controlled to turn on and off the heating to control the temperature of each of the temperature control zones.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Obtaining the sampled temperature filtering value of each temperature control zone, including: Sampling the temperature of at least one of the temperature control zones within a predetermined time to obtain a plurality of sampled temperatures; When the difference between two consecutively sampled sampling temperatures is greater than a preset sampling temperature threshold, the sampling temperature in the later sampling order of the two consecutively sampled sampling temperatures is deleted; The sampling temperature filtering value of the temperature control zone is determined according to the plurality of sampling temperatures within the predetermined time.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Determining the on-off duty cycle of a solid-state relay for temperature control of each temperature control zone according to the sampled temperature filter value and the current temperature setting value includes: The difference between the sampled temperature filter value and the current temperature setting value is used as the input of the proportional integral differential PID algorithm to obtain the output value of the PID algorithm; The quotient of the output value of the PID algorithm and the preset PID maximum value is determined as the duty cycle, and the duty cycle is not greater than 1.

8. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the target temperature exceeds the preset temperature limit value, a temperature setting over-limit alarm is issued; When the collected temperature value of each temperature control zone exceeds the target temperature, an over-temperature alarm is issued; When the alarm code of the thermocouple acquisition module of the wafer carrier indicates that the thermocouple is abnormal, a thermocouple alarm is issued.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, a memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or instruction, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: include: A process chamber, a heating base and a controller, wherein the heating base is arranged in the process chamber, and the controller includes at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 8 are implemented.

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