Method and system for temperature control of a substrate

Abstract

A method for controlling the temperature of a substrate support assembly is provided. A first direct current (DC) power is supplied to a heating element embedded in a partition of a substrate support assembly included in a processing chamber. A voltage across the heating element is measured. Similarly, the current flowing through the heating element is measured. A temperature of the partition of the substrate support assembly is determined based on the voltage across the heating element and the current flowing through the heating element. A temperature difference between the determined temperature of the zone and a target temperature of the zone is determined. A second DC power delivered to the heating element to achieve the target temperature is determined based at least in part on the temperature difference. The second DC power is supplied to the heating element such that the temperature of the zone is modified to the target temperature.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application date of May 5, 2021, application number 202180032651.7, and invention name “Method and system for temperature control of a substrate”. Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to electronic device manufacturing and, more particularly, to systems for temperature control of substrates and methods for using the systems. Background Art

[0003] Defects may occur during processing of a substrate due to poor temperature control of the substrate and / or the environment surrounding the substrate. For example, during an etching process, a difference in temperature across the surface of the substrate may result in an uneven amount of material being etched away across the surface of the substrate. In another example, during a deposition process, a difference in temperature across the surface of the substrate may result in uneven deposition of material across the surface of the substrate. The accuracy of temperature measurement facilitates the ability to accurately control the temperature of the substrate. Current technology relies on a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermocouple) embedded in a substrate support assembly that supports the substrate during processing to determine the temperature of the substrate. However, transmission delays and other defects in feedback information from the embedded temperature sensor prevent accurate, real-time measurement of the temperature of the substrate. In addition, a typical substrate support assembly includes fewer embedded temperature sensors than zones of the substrate support assembly. For example, a substrate support assembly may include five or more zones and as few as two embedded temperature sensors. As a result, one embedded temperature sensor is relied upon to measure the temperature of two or more zones of the substrate support assembly, which prevents accurate, real-time temperature measurement of each zone of the substrate support assembly. Summary of the invention

[0004] Some of the described embodiments encompass a method comprising the steps of supplying a first direct current (DC) power to a heating element embedded in a partition of a substrate support assembly, the substrate support assembly being included in a processing chamber. The method further comprises the steps of measuring a voltage across the heating element and a current flowing through the heating element. The method further comprises the steps of determining a temperature of the partition of the substrate support assembly based on the voltage across the heating element and the current flowing through the heating element. The method further comprises the steps of determining a second DC power to be delivered to the heating element to achieve a target temperature. The method further comprises the steps of supplying the second DC power to the heating element so that the temperature of the partition is modified to the target temperature.

[0005] In some embodiments, an apparatus includes: a DC power supply operably coupled to a heating element embedded in a partition of a substrate support assembly, the substrate support assembly being included in a processing chamber. The apparatus further includes: a controller operably coupled to the heating element and the DC power supply. The controller is configured to cause the DC power supply to supply a first DC power to the heating element. The controller is further configured to: measure a voltage across the heating element and a current flowing through the heating element. The controller is further configured to: determine a temperature of the partition of the substrate support assembly based on the voltage across the heating element and the current flowing through the heating element. The controller is further configured to: determine a target temperature of the partition based on the determined temperature of the partition. The controller is further configured to: determine a second DC power to be delivered to the heating element to achieve the target temperature. The controller is further configured to: cause the DC power supply to supply the second power to the heating element so that the temperature of the partition is modified to the target temperature.

[0006] In some embodiments, an electronic device manufacturing system includes: a processing chamber including a substrate support assembly. The substrate support assembly includes one or more heating elements, each of which is embedded in a partition of the substrate support assembly. The electronic device manufacturing system further includes: a DC power supply configured to supply DC power to each heating element. The electronic device manufacturing system further includes: a controller operably coupled to each heating element, the DC power supply, and the system controller. The controller is configured to: cause the DC power supply to supply a first DC power to a heating element of the one or more heating elements embedded in a corresponding partition of the substrate support assembly. The controller is further configured to: measure a voltage across the heating element and a current flowing through the heating element. The controller is further configured to: determine a temperature of the corresponding partition of the substrate support assembly based on the voltage across the heating element and the current flowing through the heating element. The controller is further configured to: determine a target temperature of the corresponding partition based on the determined temperature of the corresponding partition. The controller is further configured to: determine a second DC power delivered to the heating element to achieve the target temperature. The controller is further configured to: cause the DC power supply to supply the second power to the heating element so that the temperature of the corresponding zone is modified to the target temperature. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters indicate similar elements. It should be noted that different references to "one" or "an" embodiment in this disclosure do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one.

[0008] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional schematic side view of a processing chamber having one embodiment of a substrate support assembly in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0009] Figure 2 is a schematic side view of a portion of a cross section detailing portions of a substrate support assembly in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 3 is a schematic side view of a portion of a cross section of a substrate support assembly coupled to a temperature controller in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 4 is a flow chart of a method for controlling the temperature of a zone of a substrate support assembly in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a method for determining a temperature of a zone of a substrate support assembly in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a method for determining DC power delivered to a heating element of a substrate support assembly in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 7 is a flow chart of a method for re-calibrating a relationship between a determined resistance of a heating element and a temperature of a zone including the heating element in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a computer system according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Implementations described herein provide a temperature controller for temperature control of a substrate during processing at a processing chamber. The temperature controller can be configured to provide power to one or more heating elements embedded in a substrate support assembly that supports the substrate during processing. The one or more heating elements can be embedded in a partition of the substrate support assembly. Each partition can correspond to a portion of the substrate. The temperature controller can increase, decrease, or maintain the amount of power provided to the one or more heating elements to heat the one or more partitions to a target temperature.

[0017] In some embodiments, the temperature controller may include a power rectifier. The temperature controller may be connected to one or more power supplies. In some embodiments, the power supply may be an alternating current (AC) power supply. In such embodiments, the power rectifier of the temperature controller may convert the AC power received from the AC power supply into a direct current (DC) power, and may transmit the DC power to one or more heating elements. In other or similar embodiments, the power supply may be a DC power supply. The temperature controller 190 may cause the DC power to be transmitted from the DC power supply to the one or more heating elements.

[0018] When delivering power to the heating element, the power control module can measure a voltage across the heating element and / or a current flowing through the heating element. The measured voltage value and current value can be used to determine a resistance value of the heating element. Based on the resistance value of the heating element, the temperature controller can determine a temperature of the heating element. The power control module can further determine a temperature of a partition of the substrate support assembly including the heating element based on the determined temperature of the heating element. The determined temperature of the partition can correspond to a temperature of a portion of the substrate.

[0019] The system controller may control one or more operating conditions of a process at a processing chamber based on a process recipe. The modification of the operating condition may result in a change in the temperature of a portion of the substrate. In some embodiments, the system controller may provide an indication to the temperature controller of the operating condition to be modified from a first setting to a second setting by the system controller. Using a temperature model, the temperature controller may determine whether the modification of the operating condition will result in a change in the temperature of this portion of the substrate. In response to determining that the modification to the second setting will result in a change in the temperature of this portion of the substrate, the temperature controller may modify the amount of power provided to one or more heating elements of the substrate support assembly so as to maintain the temperature of this portion of the substrate at a target temperature. In some embodiments, the temperature controller may provide feedback control of the one or more heating elements. For example, before the modification of the operating condition, the temperature controller may modify the amount of power provided to the one or more heating elements. In other or similar embodiments, the temperature controller may provide feedforward control of the one or more heating elements. For example, the temperature controller may modify the amount of power provided concurrently with the modification of the operating condition.

[0020] By providing a temperature controller that can obtain accurate, real-time temperature measurements of any heating element embedded in a substrate support assembly, the implementation of the present disclosure solves the above-mentioned deficiencies of the current technology. Compared with the temperature measurement of a traditional temperature sensor, the temperature measurement can be obtained more quickly and with less hysteresis. For example, a traditional temperature sensor is spaced apart from the heating element to be measured. It takes time to propagate heat from the heating element to the temperature sensor in such a system. In contrast, the embodiments described herein provide a system in which the temperature of the heating element is detected using the properties of the heating element itself. This provides almost instantaneous feedback of the temperature of the heating element.

[0021] By providing a system that can obtain temperature measurements more quickly and with less hysteresis, it is possible to more quickly identify and correct the heating elements and / or partitions of the substrate support assembly that cause defects. For example, the partition of the substrate support assembly may heat a portion of the substrate to a temperature below the target temperature, which may hinder the uniform etching process on the surface of the entire substrate. The temperature controller can more quickly determine that the partition of the substrate support assembly is heating the substrate to a temperature below the target temperature, and can more quickly increase the temperature of the substrate to the target temperature by causing the temperature of one or more heating elements in the partition. By more quickly identifying the heating elements and / or partitions to be modified in order to correct the defects, the target temperature of the process recipe can be more accurately maintained throughout the process, thereby reducing the number of overall substrate defects. In addition, in some embodiments, a separate temperature sensor can be omitted, thereby reducing the complexity and / or cost of the heater and / or electrostatic chuck. In addition, the temperature module described herein can also be used to provide diagnosis for the heating element. For example, the temperature module can be used alone or in conjunction with an additional temperature sensor to identify the drift of the resistance of the heating element and / or identify the heating element that has failed.

[0022] Furthermore, by delivering DC power to the heating element rather than AC power, more accurate measurements of the voltage and current associated with the heating element can be obtained compared to measurements that can be obtained using AC power. By obtaining more accurate measurements of the voltage and current, more accurate temperature measurements of the heating element and / or the partition that includes the heating element can be obtained. As discussed above, by obtaining more accurate temperature measurements of the heating element and / or the partition that includes the heating element, the heating element and / or the partition can be modified more quickly to heat the partition to a target temperature, thereby reducing the number of substrate defects. By reducing the number of substrate defects, the overall amount of error within the system is reduced, and overall system latency is improved.

[0023] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional schematic side view of a processing chamber 100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The processing chamber 100 can be, for example, a plasma processing chamber, an etch processing chamber, an annealing chamber, a physical vapor deposition chamber, a chemical vapor deposition chamber, an ion implantation chamber, or another type of processing chamber. The processing chamber 100 includes a chamber body 102 that can be grounded. The chamber body 102 includes walls 104, a bottom 106, and a lid 108 that surround an interior space 124. A substrate support assembly 126 is disposed in the interior space 124 and supports a substrate 134 during processing.

[0024] The wall 104 of the process chamber 100 may include an opening (not shown) through which the substrate 134 may be transferred into and out of the interior space 124 by a robot. A pumping port 110 is formed in the bottom 106 or one of the walls 104 of the chamber body 102 and is fluidly connected to a pumping system (not shown). The pumping system may maintain a vacuum environment within the interior space 124 of the process chamber 100 and may remove process byproducts from the process chamber.

[0025] A gas panel 112 may provide process gases and / or other gases to an interior volume 124 of the processing chamber 100 through one or more inlet ports 114 formed through at least one of the wall 104 or the lid 108 of the chamber body 102. The process gases provided by the gas panel 112 may be energized within the interior volume 124 to form a plasma 122 for processing a substrate 134 disposed on a substrate support assembly 126. The process gases may be energized by RF power inductively coupled to the process gases from a plasma applicator 120 positioned outside the chamber body 102. Alternatively or additionally, a plasma may be formed in the interior volume 124 of the processing chamber 100. Figure 1 In the embodiment depicted in , the plasma applicator 120 is a pair of coaxial coils coupled to the RF power source 116 through a matching circuit 118 .

[0026] The substrate support assembly 126 generally includes at least a substrate support 132. The substrate support 132 may be a vacuum chuck, an electrostatic chuck, a pedestal, or other workpiece support surface. Figure 1In an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate support 132 is an electrostatic chuck and will be described below as an electrostatic chuck 132. The substrate support assembly 126 may also include a cooling base 130. The cooling base 130 may alternatively be separate from the substrate support assembly 126. The substrate support assembly 126 may be removably coupled to a support pedestal 125. The support pedestal 125, which may include a pedestal base 128 and a facility plate 180, is mounted to the chamber body 102. The substrate support assembly 126 may be periodically removed from the support pedestal 125 to allow refurbishment of one or more components of the substrate support assembly 126.

[0027] The facility plate 180 is configured to accommodate one or more drive mechanisms configured to raise and lower a plurality of lift pins. In addition, the facility plate 180 is also configured to accommodate fluid connections from the electrostatic chuck 132 and the cooling base 130. The facility plate 180 is also configured to accommodate electrical connections from the electrostatic chuck 132 and the heater assembly 170. A myriad of connections can run on the exterior or interior of the substrate support assembly 126, and the facility plate 180 can provide an interface for connection to the corresponding terminus.

[0028] The electrostatic chuck 132 has a mounting surface 131 and a workpiece surface 133 opposite the mounting surface 131. The electrostatic chuck 132 generally includes a chucking electrode 136 embedded in a dielectric body 150. The chucking electrode 136 can be configured as a monopolar or bipolar electrode, or other suitable arrangements. The chucking electrode 136 can be coupled to a chucking power supply 138 through a radio frequency (RF) filter 182, which provides RF or direct current (DC) power to electrostatically fix the substrate 134 to the upper surface of the dielectric body 150. The RF filter 182 prevents the RF power used to form the plasma 122 in the processing chamber 100 from damaging electrical equipment or creating electrical hazards outside the chamber. The dielectric body 150 can be made of a ceramic material (e.g., AlN or Al2O3). Alternatively, the dielectric body 150 can be made of a polymer (e.g., polyimide, polyetheretherketone, polyaryletherketone, and the like). In some cases, plasma-resistant ceramic coatings (e.g., yttrium oxide, Y3Al5O 12 (YAG, etc.) to coat the dielectric body.

[0029] The workpiece surface 133 of the electrostatic chuck 132 may include a gas passage (not shown) for providing a backside heat transfer gas to an interstitial space defined between the substrate 134 and the workpiece surface 133 of the electrostatic chuck 132. The electrostatic chuck 132 may also include lift pin holes for receiving lift pins (neither shown) for raising the substrate 134 above the workpiece surface 133 of the electrostatic chuck 132 for robotic transfer into and out of the processing chamber 100.

[0030] The temperature controlled cooling base 130 is coupled to a heat transfer fluid source 144. The heat transfer fluid source 144 provides a heat transfer fluid (e.g., a liquid, a gas, or a combination of the foregoing fluids) that is circulated through one or more conduits 160 disposed in the cooling base 130. Fluids flowing through adjacent conduits 160 can be isolated to enable localized control of heat transfer between different areas of the cooling base 130 and the electrostatic chuck 132, which helps control the lateral temperature profile of the substrate 134.

[0031] A fluid distributor (not shown) may be fluidly coupled between the outlet of the heat transfer fluid source 144 and the temperature controlled cooling base 130. The fluid distributor operates to control the amount of heat transfer fluid provided to the conduit 160. The fluid distributor may be disposed external to the processing chamber 100, within the substrate support assembly 126, within the pedestal base 128, or at another suitable location.

[0032] The heater assembly 170 can include one or more primary resistive heating elements 154 and / or a plurality of auxiliary heating elements 140 embedded in the body 152 of the heater assembly 170 or embedded in the electrostatic chuck 132. In the illustrated example, the primary resistive heating elements 154 are disposed above the auxiliary heating elements 140. However, it should be understood that the auxiliary heating elements 140 can additionally or alternatively be located on the same plane as the primary resistive heating elements 154 and / or above the primary resistive heating elements 154. In one embodiment, the body 152 is a flexible polyimide or other flexible polymer. In another embodiment, the body is a ceramic such as AlN or Al2O3. In some embodiments, the body 152 has a disc-like shape.

[0033] A primary resistive heating element 154 may be provided to raise the temperature of the substrate support assembly 126 and the supported substrate 134 to a temperature specified in a process recipe. The auxiliary heating element 140 may provide local adjustments to the temperature distribution of the substrate support assembly 126 produced by the primary resistive heating element 154. Thus, the primary resistive heating element 154 operates on a global macro scale, while the auxiliary heating element operates on a local micro scale.

[0034] The heater assembly 170 may include a plurality of heating zones (referred to herein as zones). Each zone may be heated by at least one main resistive heating element 154 and / or at least one auxiliary heating element 140 embedded in the corresponding zone. In some embodiments, each zone may include one main resistive heating element 154 and one or more auxiliary heating elements 140. In other or similar embodiments, each zone may include multiple main resistive heating elements 154 and multiple auxiliary heating elements 140. In some embodiments, multiple zones may be associated with the same main resistive heating element 154. The heater assembly 170 may include anywhere from two heating zones to hundreds of heating zones (e.g., 150 heating zones or 200 heating zones in some embodiments). Each zone of the heater 170 may correspond to a portion of the substrate 134. For example, a first zone may heat a first portion of the substrate 134 to a first temperature, and a second zone may heat a second portion of the substrate 134 to a second temperature.

[0035] In one embodiment of a two-zone configuration of the main resistive heating element 154, the main resistive heating element 154 can be used to heat the substrate 134 to a temperature suitable for processing with a variation of about + / -10 degrees Celsius from one zone to another. In another embodiment of a four-zone configuration of the main resistive heating element 154, the main resistive heating element 154 can be used to heat the substrate 134 to a temperature suitable for processing with a variation of about + / -1 degree Celsius within a specific zone. Depending on process conditions and parameters, each zone can vary from about 0 degrees Celsius to about 20 degrees Celsius relative to adjacent zones. In some cases, a half-degree variation in the surface temperature of the substrate 134 can result in differences of up to nanometers when a structure is formed in the substrate. The auxiliary heating element 140 can be used to improve the temperature distribution of the surface of the substrate produced by the main resistive heating element 154 by reducing the variation of the temperature distribution to about + / -0.3 degrees Celsius. The temperature distribution can be uniformed or precisely varied in a predetermined manner across the various regions of the substrate 134 by using the auxiliary heating element 140 to obtain the desired results.

[0036] In one embodiment, the heater assembly 170 is included in the electrostatic chuck 132. In other or similar embodiments, the primary resistive heating element 154 and / or the auxiliary heating element 140 are formed in the electrostatic chuck 132. In such an embodiment, the substrate support assembly 126 can be formed without the heater assembly 170, wherein the electrostatic chuck 132 is disposed directly on the cooling base 130.

[0037] The main resistive heating element 154 can be coupled to the temperature controller 190 via the RF filter 184. In some embodiments, the auxiliary heating element 140 can be coupled to the temperature controller 190 via the RF filter 186. The temperature controller 190 may include a power rectifier 192 and a power control module 194. The temperature controller 190 can be operably coupled to the main power supply 156 and the auxiliary power supply 142. In an embodiment, the main power supply 156 can provide 900 watts or more of power to the main resistive heating element 154. In some embodiments, the auxiliary power supply 142 can provide 10 watts or less of power to the auxiliary heating element 140. In other or similar embodiments, the auxiliary power supply 142 can also provide 900 watts or more of power to the auxiliary heating element 140. In some embodiments, the power supplied by the auxiliary power supply 142 is an order of magnitude less than the power supplied by the main power supply 156 of the main resistive heating element 154. Although with respect to Figure 1 The main power supply 156 and the auxiliary power supply 142 are depicted as separate components, but in some embodiments, the main power supply 156 and the auxiliary power supply 142 are included in a single component. In other or similar embodiments, the main power supply 156 and the auxiliary power supply 142 are included in the temperature controller 190.

[0038] In some embodiments, the auxiliary heater power supply 142 and / or the main heater power supply 156 provide alternating current (AC) power to the auxiliary heating element 140 and / or the main resistive heating element 154 (collectively referred to herein as the heating elements 154, 140), respectively. In such embodiments, the power rectifier 192 can be configured to convert the AC power provided by the auxiliary power supply 142 and / or the main power supply 156 into DC power. In some embodiments, the power rectifier 192 is a single-phase rectifier, a three-phase rectifier, or another rectifier. In other or similar embodiments, the auxiliary power supply 142 and / or the main power supply 156 provide DC power to the heating elements 154, 140. In such embodiments, the power rectifier 192 can be configured to facilitate the transmission of DC power to the heating elements 154, 140.

[0039] The power control module 194 can be configured to increase or decrease the amount of power supplied to the heating elements 154, 140. The power control module 194 can be, for example, a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller. In some embodiments, the power control module 194 can measure the voltage across one or more heating elements 154, 140. The power control module 194 can also measure the current flowing through one or more heating elements 154, 140. In such embodiments, the power control module 194 can determine the temperature of the zone including the heating elements 154, 140 based on the measured voltage and current. In particular, the power control module 194 or the system controller 148 can calculate the resistance of the heating element 154, 140 based on the measured voltage and current for the heating element 154, 140 according to the following equation:

[0040] R=V / / I

[0041] Where R is the resistance of the heating element, V is the voltage across the heating element, and I is the current flowing through the heating element. Each heating element can be calibrated to associate a resistance value with a temperature value. Therefore, once the resistance of the heating element is calculated, the temperature of the heating element associated with the calculated resistance can be determined (e.g., by using a lookup table or function generated during calibration). The system controller 148 can be connected to the temperature controller 190 via a wired or wireless connection. For example, the system controller 148 can be connected to the temperature controller 190 via an Ethernet (EtherCAT) connection for control automation.

[0042] In response to determining the temperature of the zone, the power controller 194 can increase or decrease the amount of power delivered from the power source (e.g., auxiliary power source 142, main power source 156) to the heating element in order to modify the temperature of the zone to the target temperature. Figure 3 Further details are provided regarding the measurement of voltage and current and the control of power delivered to the heating element.

[0043] The system controller 148 is coupled to the processing chamber 100 to control the operation of the processing chamber 100 and the processing of the substrate 134. The system controller 148 includes a general data processing system that can be used in an industrial environment to control various sub-processors and sub-controllers. Generally speaking, the system controller 148 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 172 that communicates with other common components such as a memory 174 and an input / output (IO) circuit system 176. In some embodiments, the system controller 148 controls various conditions within the processing chamber 100 based on a process recipe. The process recipe may include a series of software commands to be executed by the CPU during the processing of the substrate 134. For example, the software commands executed by the CPU of the system controller 148 may cause the processing chamber to introduce an etchant gas mixture (i.e., a processing gas) into the interior space 124, form a plasma 122 from the processing gas by applying RF power from the plasma applicator 120, maintain a target temperature, and etch a material layer on the substrate 134.

[0044] The temperature of one or more portions of the surface of the substrate 134 in the processing chamber 100 can be affected by various conditions associated with the process recipe. For example, the temperature of the substrate 134 can be affected by the introduction of the etchant gas mixture into the interior space 124, evacuation of the process gas by a pump or a slit valve, formation of the plasma 122 from the process gas by applying RF power, the pressure within the interior space 124 of the processing chamber 100, the material layer on the etched substrate 134, and other factors. The cooling base 130, the one or more main resistive heating elements 154, and the auxiliary heating elements 140 all help control the surface temperature of the substrate 134.

[0045] The power control module 194 can adjust the amount of power supplied to the heating elements 154, 140 in order to maintain the temperature of the substrate 134 at a target temperature during processing. Before the system control module 148 executes the software commands of the process recipe, the power controller 194 can modify the amount of power supplied to the heating elements 154, 140 in order to offset the expected changes in the temperature of the substrate 134 that may occur in response to the execution of the software commands. For example, activating the RF electrodes in the electrostatic chuck 132 can increase the temperature in one or more zones.

[0046] The system controller 148 may inform the power control module 194 of the software commands to be executed by the system controller 148 based on the process recipe. The power control module 194 may determine the effect of the execution of the software command on the temperature distribution of the substrate 134. The temperature of the substrate 134 may correspond to the temperature of one or more portions of the substrate 134 or the temperature difference between two or more portions of the substrate 134. In some embodiments, the system controller 148 may also determine an indication of the effect on the temperature and / or temperature distribution of the substrate 134 in response to the execution of the software command and / or provide the indication to the power control module 194. In other or similar embodiments, the power control module 194 may identify the effect on the temperature and / or temperature distribution of the substrate 134. For example, the power control module 194 may use a lookup table generated during calibration to look up an expected temperature increase or decrease associated with the execution of the command. In another example, the power module may provide the current temperature of the substrate and / or the partition of the substrate support assembly and the effect of the operating conditions associated with the software command into the temperature model. Based on the impact, the power control module 194 or the system controller 148 can determine whether to increase, decrease, or maintain the amount of power supplied to one or more of the heating elements 154, 140 to maintain the target temperature and / or temperature distribution of the substrate 134 after executing the software command. In response to receiving an instruction to increase or decrease the amount of power supplied to one or more of the heating elements 154, 140, or in response to determining to increase or decrease the amount of power supplied to one or more of the heating elements 154, 140, the power control module 194 can increase or decrease the amount of power supplied to the corresponding heating element 154, 140. In some embodiments, the power control module 194 can increase or decrease the amount of power supplied to the corresponding heating element 154, 140 before the system controller 148 executes the software command. In other or similar embodiments, the power control module 194 can increase or decrease the amount of power supplied to the corresponding heating element 154, 140 while the system controller 148 executes the software command. By increasing or decreasing the amount of power supplied to the respective heating elements 154, 140 prior to or while the system controller 148 executes software commands, the temperature and / or temperature distribution of the substrate 134 can be maintained at a target temperature as the conditions of the processing chamber are modified according to the process recipe. Thus, in embodiments, the power supplied to the heating elements 154, 140 can be actively adjusted, rather than waiting for and adjusting in response to temperature changes. Thus, these embodiments provide increased temperature uniformity throughout processing compared to conventional temperature control techniques.

[0047] In some embodiments, the body 152 and / or the electrostatic chuck 132 may additionally include one or more temperature sensors (not shown). Each temperature sensor may be used to measure the temperature at a zone of the heater assembly 170 and / or the temperature of a zone of the electrostatic chuck 132 associated with a zone of the heater assembly 170. In an embodiment, a zone may include multiple zones (e.g., where a single temperature sensor is used for multiple zones). In another embodiment, each zone has a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor may provide feedback information to the temperature controller 190 and / or the system controller 148. In some embodiments, the feedback information provided from the temperature sensor may be used to verify the temperature of the heating element 154, 140 and / or the temperature of the surface of the substrate in accordance with the previously described embodiments. In other or similar embodiments, as described in more detail herein, the feedback information provided from the temperature sensor may be used to calibrate or recalibrate the relationship between the resistance of the heating element 154, 140 and the temperature of the heater. In addition, the temperature sensor may be used to identify a failed heating element.

[0048] Figure 2 is a schematic side view of a portion of a cross-section detailing portions of a substrate support assembly 126 in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 2 1 and 2 are portions of the electrostatic chuck 132 , the cooling base 130 , the heater assembly 170 , and the facility plate 180 .

[0049] The body 152 of the heater assembly 170 can be made of a polymer such as polyimide or made of a ceramic such as aluminum oxide or aluminum nitride. Therefore, the body 152 can be a flexible body in embodiments and can be rigid in other embodiments. The body 152 can be generally cylindrical, but can also be formed with other geometric shapes. The body 152 has an upper surface 270 and a lower surface 272. The upper surface 270 faces the electrostatic chuck 132, while the lower surface 272 faces the cooling base 130.

[0050] The heating elements 154, 140 may be formed or disposed on or in the body 152 of the heater assembly 170. Alternatively, the heating elements 154, 140 may be formed or disposed on or in the electrostatic chuck 132. The heating elements 154, 140 may be formed by plating, inkjet printing, screen printing, physical vapor deposition, stamping, wire mesh, pattern polyimide flex circuit, chemical and / or metal lamination, or by other suitable means. Vias may be formed in the heater assembly 170 or the electrostatic chuck 132 for providing connections from the heating elements 154, 140 to the outer surface of the heater assembly 170 or the electrostatic chuck 132. Alternatively or additionally, a metal layer (not shown) may be formed in the heater assembly 170 or in the electrostatic chuck 132. Vias may be formed in the heater assembly 170 or the electrostatic chuck 132 for providing connections from the heating elements 154, 140 to the metal layer. Additional vias may be formed that connect the metal layer to the heater assembly 170 or the outer surface of the electrostatic chuck 132 .

[0051] The heater assembly 170 may include a plurality of auxiliary heating elements 140, illustratively shown as auxiliary heating elements 140A, 140B, 140C, 140D, etc. The auxiliary heating elements 140 140 are generally an enclosed volume within the heater assembly 170 in which one or more heating elements 154, 140 effect heat transfer between the heater assembly 170 and the electrostatic chuck 132. Each auxiliary heating element 140 may be arranged laterally across the heater assembly 170 and define a cell 200 within the heater assembly 170 for locally providing additional heat to one or more zones of the heater assembly 170 aligned with the cell 200. The number of auxiliary heating elements 140 formed in the heater assembly 170 may vary, and it is contemplated that the auxiliary heating elements 140 (and cells 200) may be at least an order of magnitude greater than the number of primary heating elements 154. In one embodiment where the heater assembly 170 has four primary heating elements 154 (defining four zones of the heater assembly 170), there may be greater than 40 auxiliary heating elements 140. However, it is contemplated that there may be about 200, about 400, or even more auxiliary heating elements 140 in a given embodiment of a substrate support assembly 126 configured for use with a 300 mm substrate.

[0052] Similar to the heating elements 154, 140, one or more temperature sensors 141 may be formed or disposed on or in the body 152 or electrostatic chuck 132 of the heater assembly 170. In one embodiment, the temperature sensor 141 is a resistance temperature detector (RTD). Alternatively, the temperature sensor 141 may be a thermocouple. The temperature sensor 141 may be formed by plating, inkjet printing, screen printing, physical vapor deposition, stamping, screen, patterned polyimide flexible circuit, or by other suitable means. Each temperature sensor 141 may measure the temperature of one or more zones of the heater assembly 170 to determine the operability of one or more heating elements 154, 140 in the zone. In some embodiments, a single temperature sensor 141 may be used to determine the operability of both the auxiliary heating element 140 and the main resistive heating element 154.

[0053] Each heating element 154, 140 can be independently coupled to a temperature controller 190. In some embodiments, each temperature sensor 141 can be independently coupled to a temperature controller, such as Figure 1 The temperature controller 190 (not shown) of the heater assembly 170 may be provided. The temperature controller 190 may adjust the temperature of each heating element 154, 140 of the heater assembly 170. Alternatively, the temperature controller 190 may adjust the temperature of a group of heating elements 154, 140 in the heater assembly 170. For example, the temperature controller 190 may adjust the temperature of each heating element 154, 140 of one zone of the heater assembly 170 relative to the temperature of each heating element 154, 140 of another zone. The temperature controller 190 may control the amount of power delivered to the heating elements 154, 140 to control the temperature of the zone. For example, the temperature controller 190 may provide ten watts of power to one or more resistive heating elements 154, nine watts of power to other main resistive heating elements 154, and one watt of power to one or more auxiliary heating elements 140 to control the temperature of the zone including each heating element 154, 140 at a target temperature.

[0054] Figure 3 is a schematic side view of a portion of a cross-section of a substrate support assembly 126 coupled to a temperature controller 190 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. As described above, the temperature controller 190 may include at least one of a power rectifier 192 and a power control module 194.

[0055] The temperature controller 190 can be operably connected to the power source 310. In some embodiments, as described with respect to Figure 1As described, the power supply 310 may include the main power supply 156 and the auxiliary power supply 142. In other or similar embodiments, the main power supply 156 and the auxiliary power supply 142 may be separate components and may be separately connected to the temperature controller 190, such as Figure 1 In some embodiments, the power rectifier 192 can be included as a component of the power supply 310 instead of a component of the temperature controller 190. In other or similar embodiments, the power supply 310 can be included as a component of the temperature controller 190.

[0056] As about Figure 1 As described, the main power supply 156 and the auxiliary power supply 142 can be configured to provide AC power to the main resistive heating element 154 and the auxiliary heating element 140 (collectively referred to as the heating elements 154, 140), respectively. In such embodiments, the power rectifier 192 can be configured to convert the AC power to DC power. In other or similar embodiments, according to the previously described embodiments, the main power supply 156 and the auxiliary power supply 142 can be configured to provide DC power to the heating elements 154, 140.

[0057] The power control module 194 may be configured to increase or decrease the amount of power supplied to one or more heating elements 154, 140. The temperature controller 190 may be connected to the one or more heating elements 154, 140 via one or more connectors 320. For example, as described with respect to Figure 3 As shown, the temperature controller 190 can be connected to the first primary resistive heating element 154a via a connector 320a and to the second primary resistive heating element 154b via a connector 320b. In another example, the connector 320a can be connected to the first primary resistive heating element 154a, and the connector 320b can be connected (not shown) to the first auxiliary heater 140a. The connector 320 can include a plurality of connectors suitable for communicating between the heating elements 154, 140 and the temperature controller 190. The connectors 320 can each be a cable, a separate wire, a flat flexible cable such as a ribbon, a mating connector, or other suitable technology for transmitting signals between the primary resistive heating elements 154, 140 and the temperature controller 190.

[0058] Although Figure 3The temperature controller 190 is shown connected to the first primary resistive heating element 154a and the second primary resistive heating element 154b, but the temperature controller 190 may be connected to any number of heating elements 154, 140 via any number of connectors 320. For example, the temperature controller 190 may be connected to a single heating element 154, 140 via one or more connectors 320. In such an example, each heating element 154, 140 embedded within the body 152 of the heater assembly 170 may be connected to a separate temperature controller 190. In another example, the temperature controller 190 may be connected to each heating element 154, 140 embedded within a zone of the body 152 of the heater assembly 170 (i.e., the temperature controller 190 controls the power delivered to each heating element 154, 140 of the zone). In such an example, each heating element 154, 140 embedded within the zone may be connected to a single connector 320 or multiple connectors 320.

[0059] The connector 320 may include a plurality of power leads for each heating element 154, 140 coupled to the connector 320. For example, the connector 320a may include two or more of a separate positive power lead or a negative power lead for the main resistive heating element 154a. In some embodiments, each power lead has a switch managed by the power control module 194. Each switch may be located in the temperature controller 190, the substrate support assembly 126, or another suitable location. The switch may be a field effect transistor or other suitable electronic switch. The switch may provide a simple cycle between a powered (active) state and a powered (inactive) state for the heating elements 154, 140. The connector 320 may provide a signal generated by the power control module 194 to control the state of the switch.

[0060] The power control module 194 can control at least one or more of the duty cycle, voltage, current, or duration of power applied to one or more heating elements 154, 140 relative to another heating element and simultaneously. For example, the power control module 194 can provide a signal along the connector 320a to instruct the switch to allow 90% of the power to pass through the switch to the main resistive heating element 154a. According to the previously described embodiments, the power signal controller 194 can increase or decrease the duty cycle, voltage, current, or duration of power applied to one or more heating elements 154, 140 in response to the determined temperature of the zone including the heating elements 154, 140 and / or the indication of the software command to be executed by the system controller 148.

[0061] As previously described, the temperature controller 190 can measure the voltage across the heating elements 154, 140 and the current flowing through the heating elements 154, 140. The measured voltage and current can be used to determine the resistance and the temperature of the partition including the heating element. In some embodiments, the temperature controller 190 includes one or more sensors (not shown). Each sensor can provide data associated with the heating elements 154, 140. Each sensor can include an electrical device that performs electrical measurements of the feed conductors connected to the heating elements 154, 140 via the connector 320. This electrical device can sense the properties of the feed conductors (such as magnetic fluctuations, current, voltage, etc. in the feed conductors) and convert the properties into sensor data. This electrical device can measure sensor data including one or more values ​​of current, AC amplitude, phase, waveform (such as AC waveform, pulse waveform), DC, non-sinusoidal AC waveform, voltage or similar properties. In an alternative embodiment, the sensor is located outside the temperature controller 190 and is connected to the connectors 320a, 320b.

[0062] In some embodiments, such an electrical device may include a clamp that clamps around the feed conductor (e.g., via a jaw). Such an electrical device may use the clamp to perform electrical measurements on the feed conductor without physical contact with the feed conductor. In some embodiments, such an electrical device may be one or more of a current clamp, a current probe, a CT clamp, an iron blade clamp, a Hall effect clamp, a Rogowski coil current sensor, or the like. In some embodiments, such an electrical device includes a first current clamp for clamping around a first service main (e.g., for input power) and a second current clamp for clamping around a second service main (e.g., for output power).

[0063] According to the previously described embodiments, the temperature controller 190 can obtain the voltage value and / or current value of each of the heating elements 154, 140 by measuring the voltage and current of the DC power delivered to the heating elements 154, 140. In some embodiments, the temperature controller 190 can obtain the voltage value and / or current value of the heating elements 154, 140 without measuring the voltage and current. For example, the temperature controller 190 can receive the voltage value and / or current value of the heating elements 154, 140 from another component of the processing system (e.g., the system controller 148). In such embodiments, according to the embodiments described herein, the temperature controller 190 can determine the resistance value of the heating elements 154, 140 and the temperature of the partition including the heating elements 154, 140.

[0064] The power controller 194 may include a temperature determination component 312 and a power determination component 314. The temperature determination component 312 may be configured to determine the temperature of a zone that includes one of the more heating elements 154, 140 based on voltage and current measurements associated with each heating element 154, 140. As previously discussed, the temperature determination component 312 may receive one or more voltage measurements and / or current measurements associated with the heating elements 154, 140. Based on the received voltage measurements and / or current measurements, the temperature determination component 312 may determine a resistance value associated with the heating elements 154, 140. The temperature determination component 312 may determine the temperature of the zone that includes the heating elements 154, 140 based on a known relationship between the resistance value and the temperature of the zone.

[0065] The known relationship between the resistance value of the heating elements 154, 140 and the temperature of the zones of the substrate support assembly 126 may be determined before or during operation of a processing chamber including the substrate support assembly 126. In some embodiments, the known relationship may be determined by the power control module 194. In other or similar embodiments, the known relationship may be determined by another component within the temperature controller 190 or a component within the system controller 148. Figure 3 For purposes of illustration, this known relationship will be described as being determined by temperature determination component 312 .

[0066] A calibration procedure may be performed to determine the relationship between the temperature of a partition and the resistance of a heating element 154, 140 embedded within the partition. The calibration procedure may be performed before or after the operation of the processing chamber is started. During the calibration procedure, the temperature determination component 312 adjusts the amount of power provided to the heating elements 154, 140 to generate a series of varying voltage measurements and current measurements for each heating element 154, 140. Each voltage measurement and current measurement may be generated in accordance with the previously described embodiments (i.e., providing power to the heating elements 154, 140, and receiving the values ​​of the voltage measurement and current measurement for the heating elements 154, 140 from the sensor 330). The temperature determination component 312 may determine each resistance value of the heating elements 154, 140 based on each voltage measurement and current measurement.

[0067] As each voltage measurement and current measurement is generated, the temperature determination component 312 can further generate a temperature measurement of the zone including the one or more heating elements 154, 140. In some embodiments, before the calibration procedure is initiated, a calibration object (e.g., a calibration wafer) can be placed on the surface of the substrate support assembly 126. The calibration wafer can include one or more temperature sensors, wherein each temperature sensor is displaced in a different portion of the calibration wafer. In some embodiments, each temperature sensor of the calibration wafer can have an accuracy of approximately 99% or up to approximately 99.999%. In an embodiment, each temperature sensor is associated with one or more portions of the substrate 134. In other or similar embodiments, each temperature sensor corresponds to a zone of the substrate support assembly 136.

[0068] As voltage and current measurements are generated for the heating elements 154, 140 embedded within the partition, temperature measurements are generated from the temperature sensor of the calibration wafer corresponding to the partition. In response to determining the resistance value of the heating elements 154, 140, the temperature determination component 312 can associate the determined resistance value with the measured temperature value of the partition.

[0069] The temperature determination component 312 can define the relationship between a plurality of determined resistance values ​​and the measured temperature values ​​generated during the calibration procedure. In some embodiments, the relationship between a plurality of determined resistance values ​​and the measured temperature values ​​can be stored in a data structure (e.g., a lookup table). In other or similar embodiments, the relationship between a plurality of determined resistance values ​​and the temperature measurement values ​​can be defined as a function. In an embodiment, each heating element is associated with a unique data set of resistance to temperature. In other embodiments, a plurality of heating elements are associated with a shared data set of resistance to temperature. For example, each heating element in a partition can be associated with the same temperature data set.

[0070] During operation of the processing chamber, the temperature determination component 312 can determine the temperature of the partition based on the determined resistance value of the heating element 154, 140 embedded in the partition and the known relationship between the resistance value and the temperature of the partition. For example, the temperature determination component 312 can identify a previously measured temperature of the partition including the heating element 154, 140 in a data structure including the known relationship, the previously measured temperature corresponding to the determined resistance value of the heating element 154, 140. In another example, the temperature determination component 312 can provide the determined resistance value as an input value to a function defined by the known relationship, and obtain the temperature of the partition as an output value. The determined temperature of the partition can correspond to the temperature achieved at the corresponding portion of the substrate 134.

[0071] During operation of the processing chamber, one or more heating elements 154, 140 may degrade, causing a change in the relationship between the temperature of a zone including the heating element 154, 140 and the determined resistance of the heating element 154, 140 embedded in the zone. As previously described, one or more temperature sensors (not shown) may be embedded in the body 152 of the heater assembly 170. In some embodiments, the one or more temperature sensors may be used to generate a temperature measurement of a zone of the substrate support assembly 126. The determined temperature of the zone (which is a temperature determined based on the calculated resistance of the one or more heating elements 154, 140) may be compared to the measured temperature of the zone generated by the one or more temperature sensors. The temperature controller 190 may determine a difference between the measured temperature and the determined temperature based on the comparison. The temperature controller 190 may determine whether the difference deviates from an expected difference. In response to determining that the difference between the determined temperature and the measured temperature exceeds a threshold difference, the temperature controller 190 and / or the system controller 148 may modify the relationship between the temperature of the zone and the resistance of the heating elements 154, 140 (e.g., provide an indication that the determined resistance value of the heating elements 154, 140 corresponds to the first temperature measurement but not the second temperature measurement). In some embodiments, in response to determining that the difference exceeds the threshold difference, the temperature controller 190 and / or the system controller 148 may initiate a recalibration procedure for the substrate support assembly 126. The recalibration procedure may be the same or similar to the calibration procedure previously described.

[0072] In response to the temperature determination component 312 determining the temperature of the partition and / or the corresponding portion of the substrate 134 (referred to herein as the substrate temperature), the power determination component 314 can determine whether to increase or decrease the amount of power supplied to the one or more heating elements 154, 140 embedded in the partition. As previously described, the system controller 148 can control the process performed within the processing chamber based on a process recipe. The process recipe can include one or more commands to maintain or modify the substrate temperature to a target temperature. Based on the process recipe, the power determination component 314 can determine whether the substrate temperature corresponds to the target temperature. In some embodiments, the power determination component 314 can determine that the substrate temperature corresponds to the target temperature in response to determining that the difference between the substrate temperature and the target temperature meets (i.e., meets or falls below) a threshold temperature difference. In similar embodiments, the temperature determination component 312 can determine that the substrate temperature does not correspond to the target temperature of the process recipe in response to determining that the difference between the substrate temperature and the target temperature does not meet (i.e., exceeds) the threshold temperature difference. In response to determining that the substrate temperature does not correspond to the target temperature of the process recipe, the power determination component 314 may cause the power control module 194 to increase or decrease the amount of power supplied to the one or more heating elements 154 , 140 to heat the substrate temperature to the target temperature.

[0073] As previously described, the temperature of one or more portions of the substrate 134 may be affected by various conditions associated with the process recipe. As one or more conditions associated with the process recipe are modified, the temperature controller 190 may increase or decrease the amount of power delivered to the heating elements 154, 140 to maintain the target temperature of the heating elements 154, 140. In some embodiments, the power control module 194 may use a temperature model 316 to determine whether to increase or decrease the amount of power delivered to the heating elements 154, 140. The temperature model 316 may be a model used to identify target temperatures for zones of the heater assembly 170 in response to modifications to one or more of the various process conditions associated with the process recipe. For example, the temperature model 316 may receive as input the current temperature of the zones of the heater assembly 170 and at least one of the current process settings or future process settings of the process recipe. The temperature model 316 may provide as output the target temperature for the zones of the heater assembly 170. In some embodiments, as provided by the temperature model 316 , in response to one or more heating elements 154 , 140 of a zone being maintained at or heated to a target temperature for the zone, one or more portions of the substrate 134 may be heated at a target temperature according to a process recipe.

[0074] In an illustrative example, the ESC may include a radio frequency (RF) electrode for causing a plasma to be generated during a process in the processing chamber. The heating elements 154, 140 embedded in the heater assembly 170 may provide a path to ground for the RF electrode. In some cases, the power setting of the RF electrode may cause a change in the temperature of the partition including the embedded heating elements 154, 140, thereby changing the temperature of this portion of the substrate 134. The system controller 148 may provide an indication of the current operating conditions to the temperature controller 190, and / or an indication that the operating conditions are about to change from a first setting to a second setting. For example, the system controller 148 may provide an indication of the current power setting of the RF electrode to the temperature controller, and / or an indication that the power setting of the RF electrode is about to change from a first setting to a second setting. The temperature determination component 312 may measure the current temperature of the heating elements 154, 140, and provide the current temperature of the partition of the heater assembly 170 and the change in the power setting of the RF electrode as input to the temperature model 316. The temperature model 316 can output a target temperature for the zone of the heater assembly 170 to be achieved in response to the power setting of the RF electrode being changed from the first setting to the second setting. Based on the target temperature, the power determination component 314 can determine an amount of power to be increased or decreased to be provided to the heating elements 154, 140 to achieve the target temperature within the zone of the heater assembly 170. In some embodiments, the power control module 194 can cause the amount of power provided to the heating elements 154, 140 to be increased or decreased prior to or in response to the execution of a software command to modify the power setting of the RF electrode.

[0075] Figure 4-7 4 is a flow chart of various embodiments of methods 400-700 for controlling the temperature of a zone of a substrate support assembly. The methods are performed by processing logic, which may include hardware (circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), software (e.g., running on a general purpose computer system or a dedicated machine), firmware, or some combination of the above. Some methods 400-700 may be executed by a computing device (e.g., Figure 1 The system controller 148 or the temperature controller 190 is executed.

[0076] For ease of explanation, these methods are depicted and described as a series of actions. However, actions according to the present disclosure may occur in various orders and / or in parallel, and may occur in various orders and / or in parallel with other actions not presented and described herein. In addition, not all of the actions shown are performed to implement the methods according to the disclosed subject matter. In addition, those skilled in the art will also understand and appreciate that these methods may be alternatively represented as a series of interrelated states via state diagrams or events.

[0077] Figure 4 4 is a flow chart of a method 400 for controlling the temperature of a zone of a substrate support assembly in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, one or more steps of the method 400 are performed by a temperature controller 190. At block 410, the temperature controller supplies a first direct current (DC) power to a heating element embedded in a zone of a substrate support assembly. At block 420, the temperature controller measures a voltage across the heating element and a current flowing through the heating element.

[0078] At block 430, the temperature controller determines the temperature of the zone of the substrate support assembly based on the voltage across the heating element and the current flowing through the heating element. For example, the temperature controller may calculate the resistance of the heating element (the heating element is the load of the circuit). The temperature controller may then compare the resistance to a temperature-resistance function, table, or curve associated with the heating element.

[0079] At block 440, the temperature controller determines a target temperature for the zone. The temperature controller additionally compares the determined temperature with the target temperature to determine if there is any difference or delta between them. If there is a difference, this may mean that the current power being delivered to the heating element is insufficient to achieve the target temperature.

[0080] At block 450, the temperature controller may determine a second DC power delivered to the heating element to achieve a target temperature. The second DC power may be determined based at least in part on a determined temperature difference between the current temperature and the target temperature. The second DC power may be determined, for example, based on the current power being delivered to the heating element and the temperature difference between the current temperature and the target temperature. For example, the temperature controller may access a model that relates the input values ​​of the current temperature, the target temperature, and the current power to the output power. The temperature controller may input the current temperature, the target temperature, and the current power into the model, and the model may output a new DC power delivered to the heating element. The model may be a feed-forward model that may also consider current plasma power, target plasma power, current pressure, target pressure, and / or other current and / or target process parameters (i.e., such parameters are received as input). The target process parameters may be the same as the current process parameters, or may be different (e.g., different based on adjustments to process parameters from a process recipe).

[0081] At block 460 , the temperature controller supplies a second DC power to the heating element such that the temperature of the zone is modified to the target temperature.

[0082] Figure 55 is a flow chart of a method 500 for determining a temperature of a zone of a substrate support assembly in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, one or more steps of the method 500 are performed by the temperature controller 190 or the system controller 148. At block 510, processing logic measures a voltage and a current of a heating element. At block 512, processing logic uses the measured current and voltage to calculate a resistance of the heating element. At block 514, processing logic inputs the resistance into a function or a lookup table that relates the resistance of the heating element to a temperature value. At block 520, processing logic determines the temperature of the zone corresponding to the resistance. In some embodiments, the temperature is the temperature at the zone of the substrate rather than the temperature directly at the heating element. In other embodiments, the temperature is the temperature at the heating element. In such embodiments, processing logic may input the temperature into another lookup table or function that relates the temperature of the heating element to the temperature of a particular zone of the substrate to determine the temperature at the zone of the substrate.

[0083] Figure 6 6 is a flow chart of a method 600 for determining DC power delivered to a heating element of a substrate support assembly in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, one or more steps of the method 600 may be performed by the temperature controller 190 or the system controller 148. At block 610, processing logic determines a temperature of a zone of the substrate support assembly. At block 620, processing logic receives an indication that an operating condition of a process performed in a processing chamber is to be modified from a first process setting to a second process setting. For example, a target temperature may be increased from 200 degrees Celsius to 250 degrees Celsius, plasma power may be increased, a process gas that was not previously flowing may be started to flow, and so on.

[0084] At block 630, processing logic inputs the determined temperature of the partition and at least the second process setting into a model that relates the process setting and the current temperature to the target temperature. In an embodiment, processing logic inputs one or more current process settings, one or more future target process settings, the current power delivered to the heating element, the current temperature associated with the heating element (e.g., the temperature at the partition of the substrate or the temperature of the heating element), and / or the target temperature into the model. At block 640, processing logic receives an output of the model, which includes a second DC power delivered to the heating element in the partition. At block 640, processing logic may supply the second DC power to the heating element so that the temperature of the partition is modified to the target temperature.

[0085] Figure 7is a flow chart of a method 700 for recalibrating the relationship between a determined resistance of a heating element and a temperature of a zone including the heating element in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, one or more steps of method 700 are performed by temperature controller 190 or system controller 148.

[0086] At block 710, processing logic determines a resistance of the heating element based on the measured voltage and current of the power delivered to the heating element. At block 720, processing logic determines a temperature of a zone of the substrate support assembly that includes the heating element based on the determined resistance of the heating element. The temperature of the zone may be determined based on a known relationship between the resistance of the heating element and a previously measured temperature of the zone. The known relationship relates a previously determined resistance value of the heating element to a measured temperature value of the zone.

[0087] At block 730, processing logic measures the temperature of the partition. The temperature of the partition may be measured using a temperature sensor embedded within the substrate support assembly. At block 740, processing logic compares the determined temperature of the partition to the measured temperature of the partition.

[0088] At block 750, processing logic determines that a difference between the determined temperature of the partition and the measured temperature of the partition exceeds a threshold difference. In some embodiments, in response to determining that the difference exceeds the threshold difference, processing logic may update the association between the determined resistance of the heating element and the temperature of the partition to reflect the measured temperature of the partition. In other or similar embodiments, in response to determining that the difference exceeds the threshold difference, processing logic may recalibrate the relationship between the resistance of the heating element and the temperature of the partition including the heating element. In such embodiments, processing logic may initiate execution of a calibration process using a calibration object (e.g., a calibration wafer) processing chamber.

[0089] The operations of method 700 may be performed multiple times over an extended period of time. During each execution, processing logic may record the difference between the measured temperature of the partition and the determined temperature of the partition. Over the extended period of time, processing logic may identify an offset (e.g., drift) in the difference between the determined temperature and the measured temperature. For example, processing logic may determine that the difference between the measured temperature of the partition and the determined temperature of the partition increased over the extended period of time. Based on the identified offset, processing logic may initiate execution of a calibration process using a calibration object at the processing chamber. In other or similar embodiments, based on the identified offset, processing logic may initiate replacement of one or more heating elements, temperature controllers, and / or substrate support assemblies within the processing system.

[0090] Figure 8A diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of an example computing device 800 is depicted, in which a set of instructions can be executed, which is used to cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. In alternative embodiments, the machine can be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a local area network (LAN), an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. The machine can operate as a server or client machine in a client-server network environment, or as a peer in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine can be a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular phone, a network device, a server, a network router, a switch or a bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (in sequence or otherwise), the instructions specifying the actions to be taken by the machine. In addition, although only a single machine is depicted, the term "machine" should also be considered to include any collection of machines (e.g., computers) that execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions individually or jointly to perform any one or more of the methodologies described herein. In an embodiment, the computing device 800 may correspond to Figure 1 temperature controller 190 or system controller 148 .

[0091] The example computing device 800 includes a processing device 802, a main memory 804 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), etc.), a static memory 806 (e.g., flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), and a secondary memory (e.g., a data storage device 828) that communicate with each other via a bus 808.

[0092] The processing device 802 may represent one or more general purpose processors such as a microprocessor, a central processing unit, or the like. In particular, the processing device 802 may be a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, a processor implementing other instruction sets, or a processor implementing a combination of instruction sets. The processing device 802 may also be one or more special purpose processing devices such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), a network processor, or the like. The processing device 802 may also be or include a system on a chip (SoC), a programmable logic controller (PLC), or other types of processing devices. The processing device 802 is configured to execute processing logic (instructions 826 for mapping recipe 850) for executing the operations and steps discussed herein.

[0093] The computing device 800 may further include a network interface device 822 for communicating with a network 864. The computing device 800 may also include a video display unit 810 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), an alphanumeric input device 812 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 814 (e.g., a mouse), and a signal generating device 820 (e.g., a speaker).

[0094] The data storage device 828 may include a machine-readable storage medium (or more specifically, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) 824, on which one or more sets of instructions 826 are stored to implement any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The non-transitory storage medium refers to a storage medium other than a carrier wave. The instructions 826 may also reside completely or at least partially in the main memory 804 and / or the processing device 802 during the execution of the instructions by the computer device 800, and the main memory 804 and the processing device 802 also constitute computer-readable storage media.

[0095] The computer-readable storage medium 824 may also be used to store the mapping recipe 850. The computer-readable storage medium 824 may also store a software library containing methods for calling the mapping recipe 850. Although the computer-readable storage medium 824 is shown as a single medium in the example embodiment, the term "computer-readable storage medium" should also be considered to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database and / or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term "computer-readable storage medium" should also be considered to include any medium that is capable of storing or encoding a set of instructions for execution by a machine and causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present invention. Therefore, the term "computer-readable storage medium" should be considered to include (but not limited to) solid-state memory and optical and magnetic media.

[0096] The foregoing description has been described many specific details (such as examples of specific systems, parts, methods, etc.) to provide a good understanding of several embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that at least some embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, well-known parts or methods are not described in detail, or the parts or methods are presented in a simple block diagram format to avoid making the present disclosure unnecessarily obscure. Therefore, the specific details described are only exemplary. Specific implementations may vary with respect to these exemplary details, and are still considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0097] References throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". When the term "about" or "approximately" is used herein, this is intended to mean that the nominal value presented is accurate to within ±10%.

[0098] Although the operations of the methods herein are shown and described in a particular order, the order of operations of each method may be changed so that certain operations may be performed in a reverse order, so that certain operations may be performed at least partially in parallel with other operations. In another embodiment, instructions or sub-operations of distinct operations may be performed in an intermittent and / or alternating manner.

[0099] It should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, not restrictive. Upon reading and understanding the above description, many other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure will be determined with reference to the attached claims and the entire scope of equivalents to which these claims are assigned.

Claims

1. A method comprising the following steps: supplying direct current (DC) power to a heating element embedded in each of a plurality of partitions of a substrate support assembly included in a processing chamber; determining that a temperature of the substrate support assembly does not satisfy a temperature condition associated with a process recipe for a process at the processing chamber based on a measured voltage across the heating element and a measured current flowing through the heating element when the DC power is supplied to the heating element; identifying a zone among the plurality of zones having a temperature that does not correspond to a target temperature for the corresponding zone based on the temperature condition based on the measured voltage and the measured current across the heating element; and The DC power supplied to the heating element embedded in the identified zone is modified such that the temperature of the zone is modified to the target temperature and such that the temperature of the substrate support assembly satisfies the temperature condition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining that the temperature of the substrate support assembly does not satisfy the temperature condition comprises the steps of: determining the temperature of the substrate support assembly based on the measured voltage across the heating element and the measured current flowing through the heating element; and It is determined that the temperature of the substrate support assembly does not correspond to a substrate temperature of a substrate at the processing chamber.

3. The method of claim 1 , receiving an indication to modify an operating condition of a process performed in the processing chamber from a first process setting to a second process setting, wherein the DC power is further modified based at least in part on the second process setting.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the heating elements provides a path to ground for a radio frequency (RF) electrode, and wherein a power setting of the RF electrode causes a change in the temperature of the zone, and wherein the operating conditions include the RF power delivered to the RF electrode.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: An AC to DC rectifier is used to convert alternating current (AC) power into the DC power.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of identifying the zone among the plurality of zones for which the temperature does not correspond to the target temperature of the corresponding zone comprises the steps of: calculating a temperature of a heating element included in the zone using the voltage across the heating element and the current flowing through the heating element; and It is determined that the temperature of the heating element does not correspond to the target temperature for the zone.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: calculating a resistance of at least one of the heating elements using the voltage across at least one of the heating elements and the current flowing through the at least one of the heating elements; and The resistance is input into at least one of a function or a look-up table that relates the at least one heating element resistance of the heating element to a temperature value.

8. A device comprising: a direct current (DC) power source operably coupled to a heating element embedded in at least one of a plurality of zones of a substrate support assembly included in a processing chamber; and a controller operably coupled to the heating element and the DC power source, wherein the controller is configured to: causing the DC power source to supply DC power to the heating element; determining, based on a measured voltage across the heating element and a measured current flowing through the heating element when the DC power is supplied to the heating element, that a temperature of the substrate support assembly does not satisfy a temperature condition associated with a process recipe for a process at the processing chamber; identifying a zone among the plurality of zones having a temperature that does not correspond to a target temperature for the corresponding zone based on the temperature condition based on the measured voltage and the measured current across the heating element; and The DC power supplied to the heating element embedded in the identified zone is modified such that the temperature of the zone is modified to the target temperature and such that the temperature of the substrate support assembly satisfies the temperature condition.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein to determine that the temperature of the substrate support assembly does not satisfy the temperature condition, the controller is configured to: determining the temperature of the substrate support assembly based on the measured voltage across the heating element and the measured current flowing through the heating element; and It is determined that the temperature of the substrate support assembly does not correspond to a substrate temperature of a substrate at the processing chamber.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to: An indication is received to modify an operating condition of a process performed in the processing chamber from a first process setting to a second process setting, wherein the DC power is further modified based at least in part on the second process setting.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least one of the heating elements provides a path to ground for a radio frequency (RF) electrode, and wherein a power setting of the RF electrode causes a change in the temperature of the zone, and wherein the operating condition comprises the RF power delivered to the RF electrode.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the DC power source comprises an alternating current (AC) to DC rectifier, and the controller is further configured to: The AC to DC rectifier is used to convert alternating current (AC) power into the DC power.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein in order to identify the zone among the plurality of zones where the temperature does not correspond to the target temperature of the corresponding zone, the controller is configured to: calculating a temperature of the heating elements included in the zone using the voltage across the heating elements and the current flowing through the heating elements; and It is determined that the temperature of the heating element does not correspond to the target temperature of the zone.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to: calculating a resistance of at least one of the heating elements using the voltage across at least one of the heating elements and the current flowing through the at least one of the heating elements; and The resistance is input into at least one of a function or a look-up table that relates the resistance of the at least one of the heating elements to a temperature value.

15. A method comprising the steps of: supplying direct current (DC) power to a heating element embedded in the substrate support assembly; measuring a voltage across and a current through the heating element while the DC power is supplied to the heating element; determining a resistance of the heating element based on the measured voltage and the measured current; obtaining a temperature measurement of at least one of the heating element or a zone including the heating element while the DC power is electrically supplied to the heating element, wherein the temperature measurement is obtained based on one or more signals of a temperature sensor; updating a temperature model based on the determined resistance of the heating element and the obtained temperature measurements; and controlling the temperature of at least one of the following based on the updated temperature model and during substrate processing: said heating element embedded in said substrate support assembly, or An additional heating element embedded in the substrate support assembly or embedded in an additional substrate support assembly.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the temperature sensor is embedded in the substrate support assembly.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the temperature sensor comprises a thermocouple formed within the substrate support assembly according to at least one of plating, inkjet printing, screen printing, physical vapor deposition, or embossing.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of obtaining the temperature measurement of at least one of the heating element or a zone including the heating element while the DC power is electrically supplied to the heating element comprises: causing placement of a calibration object on a surface of the substrate support assembly, wherein the calibration object comprises the temperature sensor; and The one or more signals of the temperature sensor are received while the DC power is supplied to the heating element embedded in the substrate support assembly. The method of claim 18 , wherein the calibration object comprises a calibration wafer.

20. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the steps of: determining an additional resistance of the additional heating element based on a measured voltage across and a current flowing through the additional heating element when the DC power is supplied to the additional heating element; and generating a mapping between the resistance determined for the heating element, the additional resistance determined for the additional heating element, and the temperature measurements obtained, The temperature model is updated based on the generated map.

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