SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EDGE RING WEAR COMPENSATION - Patent application

Abstract

To control a front surface height to a constant in accordance with deterioration of a night front surface height of a consumption of an edge ring installed to an external peripheral part of a pedestal of a plasma processing system.SOLUTION: A controller for adjusting a height of an edge ring in a substrate processing system, comprises: an edge ring wear compensation calculation module; and an actuator control module. The edge ring wear compensation calculation module receives at least one input indicating one or more corrosion rates of an edge ring, calculates at least one corrosion rate of the edge ring on the basis of at least one input, and calculates a corrosion amount of the edge ring on the basis of at least one corrosion rate. The actuator control module adjusts a height of the edge ring on the basis of the corrosion amount calculated by the edge ring wear compensation calculation module.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3A

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 594,861, filed December 5, 2017. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to substrate processing, and more particularly to a system and method for compensating for wear of an adjustable edge ring in a substrate process. [Background technology]

[0003] The description of the background art provided herein is intended to provide a general background to the present disclosure, and the work of the inventors named herein, to the extent described in this background art, together with aspects of the description that would not ordinarily be considered prior art at the time of filing, are not admitted, expressly or impliedly, as prior art to the present disclosure.

[0004] Substrate processing systems may be utilized to process substrates, such as semiconductor wafers. Examples of processes that may be performed on a substrate include, but are not limited to, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), conductor etching, and / or other etching, deposition, or cleaning processes. The substrate may be disposed on a substrate support (pedestal, electrostatic chuck (ESC), etc.) in a processing chamber of the substrate processing system. During etching, a gas mixture may be introduced into the processing chamber, and a plasma may be utilized to initiate a chemical reaction.

[0005] The substrate support may include a ceramic layer configured to support a substrate. For example, a wafer may be clamped to the ceramic layer during processing. The substrate support may include an edge ring disposed around an outer portion of the substrate support (e.g., outside and / or adjacent to a perimeter). The edge ring may be provided to confine plasma to a space above the substrate, to protect the substrate support from erosion caused by the plasma, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0006] A controller for adjusting a height of an edge ring in a substrate processing system includes an edge ring wear calculation module configured to receive at least one input indicative of one or more erosion rates of the edge ring, calculate at least one erosion rate of the edge ring based on the at least one input, and calculate an amount of erosion of the edge ring based on the at least one erosion rate. An actuator control module is configured to adjust the height of the edge ring based on the amount of erosion calculated by the edge ring wear calculation module.

[0007] In another feature, the at least one input includes an etch rate entered by a user. The at least one input includes a plurality of etch rates for respective usage periods of the substrate processing system. The at least one input includes information indicative of a type and duration of a process performed in the substrate processing system. The at least one input includes calibration data indicative of at least one of an edge ring height, thickness, and position.

[0008] In another feature, to calculate the at least one erosion rate, the edge ring wear calculation module is configured to calculate a plurality of erosion rates for each period of use of the substrate processing system. To calculate an amount of erosion of the edge ring, the edge ring wear calculation module is configured to calculate an amount of erosion based on the calculated plurality of erosion rates for each period of use. Each of the plurality of erosion rates is different for each period of use. The edge ring wear calculation module is configured to calculate the plurality of erosion rates using a lookup table that indexes erosion rates to periods of use. The edge ring wear calculation module is configured to calculate the plurality of erosion rates using a model.

[0009] In another feature, a system includes the controller as described above and further includes a user interface configured to receive at least one input, the user interface configured to receive a plurality of corrosion rates as the at least one input, and a display configured to display the amount of corrosion calculated by the edge ring wear calculation module.

[0010] A method for adjusting a height of an edge ring in a substrate processing system comprises receiving at least one input indicative of one or more erosion rates of the edge ring, calculating at least one erosion rate of the edge ring based on the at least one input, calculating an amount of erosion of the edge ring based on the at least one erosion rate, and adjusting a height of the edge ring based on the calculated amount of erosion.

[0011] In another feature, the at least one input includes at least one of an etch rate entered by a user, a plurality of etch rates for respective periods of use of the substrate processing system, information indicative of the type and duration of processes performed within the substrate processing system, and calibration data indicative of at least one of a height, thickness, and position of the edge ring.

[0012] In another feature, calculating the at least one corrosion rate includes calculating a plurality of corrosion rates for respective periods of use of the substrate processing system. Calculating the amount of corrosion of the edge ring includes calculating the amount of corrosion based on the calculated plurality of corrosion rates for the respective periods of use. Each of the plurality of corrosion rates is different for each period of use. The method further includes calculating the plurality of corrosion rates using at least one of a lookup table and a model that indexes the corrosion rate to the period of use. The method further includes receiving at least one input via a user interface.

[0013] Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, claims, and drawings. The detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] The present disclosure can be more fully understood from the detailed description and accompanying drawings set forth below.

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an example processing chamber according to the present disclosure.

[0016] [Figure 2A] 1 illustrates an example of a movable edge ring in a lowered position in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0017] [Figure 2B] 1 illustrates an example of a movable edge ring in a raised position in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0018] [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 illustrates an example controller according to the present disclosure.

[0019] [Figure 3B] 1 illustrates an example method for determining the amount of wear of an edge ring according to the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 4A] FIG. 13 shows examples of corrosion rates and corrosion calculations according to the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] FIG. 13 shows examples of corrosion rates and corrosion calculations according to the present disclosure. [Figure 4C] FIG. 13 shows examples of corrosion rates and corrosion calculations according to the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 5A] 11A-11C show examples of user interfaces for inputting corrosion rates in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 5B]11A-11C show examples of user interfaces for inputting corrosion rates in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 5C] 11A-11C show examples of user interfaces for inputting corrosion rates in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 5D] 11A-11C show examples of user interfaces for inputting corrosion rates in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0022] In the drawings, the same numbers may be used to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] A substrate support in a substrate processing system may include an edge ring. The top surface of the edge ring may extend above the top surface of the substrate support, such that the top surface of the substrate support (and in some cases the top surface of a substrate disposed on the substrate support) is recessed relative to the edge ring. This recess may be referred to as a pocket. The distance between the top surface of the edge ring and the top surface of the substrate may be considered the "pocket depth" or "pocket height." Generally, the pocket depth is fixed according to the height of the edge ring relative to the top surface of the substrate.

[0024] Some aspects of the etching process may vary depending on the characteristics of the substrate processing system, the substrate, the gas mixture, etc. For example, the flow pattern and therefore the etch rate and etch uniformity may vary according to the pocket depth of the edge ring, the edge ring geometry (i.e., shape), etc. In some process examples, the overall etch rate changes as the distance between the top surface of the substrate and the bottom surface of the gas distribution apparatus increases. Furthermore, the etch rate may vary from the center of the substrate to the outer periphery of the substrate. For example, at the outer periphery of the substrate, sheath bending and ion tilting may cause shallow trench isolation (STI), and chemical stress associated with reactive species (e.g., etchants and / or deposition precursors) may cause roll-off of hard mask critical dimensions. Changing the edge ring configuration (e.g., edge ring height and / or shape, etc.) can change the gas velocity profile across the surface of the substrate.

[0025] Portions of the edge ring may wear (i.e., erode) over time as a result of exposure to plasma and other process materials during substrate processing. Thus, the edge ring is raised to compensate for an estimated amount of wear experienced by the edge ring. For example, the edge ring may be coupled to an actuator configured to raise and lower the edge ring in response to a controller, a user interface, etc. In systems that do not include a mechanism (e.g., a sensor, a camera, etc.) for directly measuring the erosion of the edge ring, the erosion of the edge ring may be estimated.

[0026] An edge ring wear compensation system and method according to the principles of the present disclosure estimates the erosion of the edge ring and adjusts the height of the edge ring accordingly to compensate for the erosion. For example, the edge ring may have one or more associated erosion rates. In some examples, the erosion rate may vary with time (e.g., with radio frequency (RF) time), may vary based on the process being performed, etc. In other words, the erosion rate may not be linear since susceptibility to erosion may vary. Thus, the systems and methods described herein estimate the erosion based on various operating parameters and adjust the edge ring height based on the estimated erosion. In one example, the erosion may be estimated by calculating the amount of erosion for each period (RF time or RFh) by determining different erosion rates (e.g., mm / hr, μm / hr, etc.) for each period. The total erosion may then be calculated by adding up the erosion amounts calculated for each period.

[0027] 1, an example substrate processing system 100 is shown. By way of example only, the substrate processing system 100 may be used to perform etching and / or other suitable substrate processing using RF plasma. The substrate processing system 100 includes a processing chamber 102 that houses other components of the substrate processing system 100 and confines the RF plasma. The substrate processing chamber 102 includes an upper electrode 104 and a substrate support 106 (such as an electrostatic chuck (ESC)). During operation, a substrate 108 is disposed on the substrate support 106. Although the specific substrate processing system 100 and chamber 102 are shown by way of example, the principles of the present disclosure may be applied to other types of substrate processing systems and chambers, such as substrate processing systems that generate plasma in situ, substrate processing systems that implement remote plasma generation and delivery (e.g., using plasma tubes, microwave tubes, etc.).

[0028] By way of example only, the upper electrode 104 may comprise a gas distribution apparatus (such as a showerhead 109) for introducing and dispersing process gases. The showerhead 109 may comprise a stem portion with one end connected to the top surface of the processing chamber. The base portion is generally cylindrical and flares radially outward from an opposite end of the stem portion away from the top surface of the processing chamber. The substrate-facing surface or faceplate of the showerhead base portion comprises a plurality of holes through which process or purge gases flow. Alternatively, the upper electrode 104 may comprise a conductive plate, and the process gases may be introduced in another manner.

[0029] The substrate support 106 includes an electrically conductive base plate 110 that functions as a lower electrode. The base plate 110 supports a ceramic layer 112. In some examples, the ceramic layer 112 may include a heating layer (such as a ceramic multi-zone heating plate). A thermally resistive layer 114 (e.g., a bond layer) may be disposed between the ceramic layer 112 and the base plate 110. The base plate 110 may include one or more coolant channels 116 for flowing coolant to the base plate 110.

[0030] The RF generation system 120 generates and outputs an RF voltage to one of the upper electrode 104 and the lower electrode (e.g., the base plate 110 of the substrate support 106). The other of the upper electrode 104 and the base plate 110 may be DC grounded, AC grounded, or floating. By way of example only, the RF generation system 120 may include an RF voltage generator 122 that generates an RF voltage that is supplied to the upper electrode 104 or the base plate 110 by a matching / distribution network 124. In other examples, the plasma may be generated inductively or remotely. As shown for illustrative purposes, the RF generation system 120 corresponds to a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) system, although the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in other suitable systems, such as, by way of example only, a transformer coupled plasma (TCP) system, a CCP cathode system, a remote microwave plasma generation / delivery system, etc.

[0031] The gas supply system 130 includes one or more gas sources 132-1, 132-2, ..., and 132-N (collectively, gas sources 132), where N is an integer greater than zero. The gas sources supply one or more of an etching gas, a carrier gas, a purge gas, etc., and mixtures thereof. The gas sources may supply a purge gas. The gas sources 132 are connected to a manifold 140 by valves 134-1, 134-2, ..., and 134-N (collectively, valves 134) and mass flow controllers 136-1, 136-2, ..., and 136-N (collectively, mass flow controllers 136). An output of the manifold 140 is supplied to the process chamber 102. By way of example only, an output of the manifold 140 is supplied to a showerhead 109.

[0032] A temperature controller 142 may be connected to a number of heating elements (such as thermal control elements (TCEs) 144) disposed on the ceramic layer 112. For example, the heating elements 144 may include, but are not limited to, macro-heating elements corresponding to respective sections of a multi-zone heating plate and / or an array of micro-heating elements disposed across multiple sections of a multi-zone heating plate. The temperature controller 142 is used to control the number of heating elements 144 to control the temperature of the substrate support 106 and the substrate 108.

[0033] The temperature controller 142 may be in communication with a coolant assembly 146 for controlling the flow of coolant through the passages 116. For example, the coolant assembly 146 may include a coolant pump and a reservoir. The temperature controller 142 operates the coolant assembly 146 to selectively flow coolant through the passages 116 to cool the substrate support 106.

[0034] Valves 150 and pumps 152 may be used to evacuate reactants from the processing chamber 102. A system controller 160 may be used to control the components of the substrate processing system 100. A robot 170 may be used to deliver substrates onto and remove substrates from the substrate support 106. For example, the robot 170 may transfer substrates between the substrate support 106 and a load lock 172. Although shown as a separate controller, the temperature controller 142 may be implemented within the system controller 160. In some examples, a protective seal 176 may be provided around the bond layer 114 between the ceramic layer 112 and the base plate 110.

[0035] The substrate support 106 includes an edge ring 180. The edge ring 180 according to the principles of the present disclosure is movable (e.g., vertically movable up and down) relative to the substrate 108. For example, the edge ring 180 can be moved by a controller 160 In some examples, the user may control the controller via the user interface 184. 160 Control parameters (eg, corrosion rate) may be input to the user interface 184, which may include one or more input mechanisms, displays, and the like.

[0036] 2A and 2B, a substrate support 200 is shown having a substrate 204 disposed thereon in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. The substrate support 200 may comprise a base or pedestal having an inner portion 208 (e.g., corresponding to an ESC) and an outer portion 212. In an example, the outer portion 212 may be independent of and movable relative to the inner portion 208. The substrate 204 is disposed on the inner portion 208 during processing. A controller 216 (e.g., corresponding to the system controller 160) communicates with one or more actuators 220 to selectively raise and lower the edge ring 224 to adjust the pocket depth of the support 200. By way of example only, the edge ring 224 is shown in an example fully lowered position in FIG. 2A and fully raised position in FIG. 2B. As shown, the actuator 220 corresponds to a pin actuator configured to selectively extend and retract the pins 228 in a vertical direction. Other suitable types of actuators may be used in alternative examples. By way of example only, edge ring 224 corresponds to a ceramic or quartz edge ring. In Figure 2A, controller 216 communicates with actuator 220 to directly raise and lower edge ring 224 via pins 228. In some examples, inner portion 208 is movable relative to edge ring 224. Edge ring 224 may have one or more associated etch rates, as described in more detail below.

[0037] 3A, an example controller 300 includes an edge ring wear calculation module 304 configured to calculate an amount of wear (e.g., mm or μm) of the edge ring. For example, the edge ring wear calculation module 304 receives one or more inputs 308, including, but not limited to: calibration data indicative of an initial edge ring thickness, height, position, etc. of the edge ring; process parameters (e.g., information indicative of the material used, the type of process, duration of the process (such as information such as start and end times, temperature in the process chamber), etc.); chamber characteristics; user-defined variables; user inputs; sensor measurements, etc. The user inputs may include one or more erosion rates. The edge ring wear calculation module 304 calculates the edge ring wear based on the received inputs 308. For example, the edge ring wear calculation module 304 may calculate the edge ring wear according to the corrosion rate during each processing period (e.g., entered by a user via the user interface 310, stored in the memory 312, calculated based on various processing parameters, and / or a combination thereof) and the duration of each processing period (e.g., RF time). The data may include, but is not limited to, one or more lookup tables indexing corrosion rate to duration of use, a model executed by the edge ring wear calculation module 304, etc.

[0038] The edge ring wear calculation module 304 is further configured to calculate an amount to adjust the height of the edge ring based on the calculated wear (i.e., edge ring adjustment data) and provide the edge ring adjustment data to the actuator control module 316. The actuator control module 316 outputs one or more control signals to control respective actuators based on the edge ring adjustment data. For example, the control signals may be provided to actuators such as actuator 220 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B.

[0039] 3B, an example method 320 for calculating edge ring wear begins at step 324. At step 328, the method 320 (e.g., the edge ring wear calculation module 304) initializes the height and / or thickness of the edge ring in the processing chamber. For example, the edge ring wear calculation module 304 may determine the initial height of the edge ring based on a sensor measurement or physical measurement of the edge ring thickness during installation, maintenance, etc. At step 332, the method 320 initializes a timer or counter to monitor the duration (in units of RF time) of the process performed in the chamber. At step 336, substrate processing in the chamber begins and the timer is started.

[0040] At step 340, method 320 (e.g., edge ring wear calculation module 304) calculates edge ring wear during the current utilization period according to the associated corrosion rate. At step 344, method 320 determines whether processing is complete. If so, method 320 proceeds to step 348. If not, method 320 proceeds to step 352. At step 352, method 320 (e.g., edge ring wear calculation module 304) determines whether to select a different corrosion rate. For example, edge ring wear calculation module 304 may select a different corrosion rate when transitioning to a different utilization period (e.g., in response to a timer exceeding one or more RF time thresholds (50 RF hours, 200 RF hours, etc.)). If so, method 320 proceeds to step 356. If not, method 320 proceeds to step 340. In step 356 , the method 320 (eg, the edge ring wear calculation module 304 ) selects the new erosion rate and proceeds to step 340 .

[0041] At step 348, the method 320 (e.g., the edge ring wear calculation module 304) calculates a total amount (e.g., a cumulative amount) of erosion of the edge ring according to the edge ring wear calculated at each utilization period at step 340. In some examples, the height of the edge ring is adjusted at step 350 based on the calculated amount of erosion. For example, the edge ring may be lifted by an amount equal to the amount of erosion, an amount equal to the amount of erosion that has occurred since the edge ring was last lifted, etc. The method 320 ends at step 360.

[0042] 4A, 4B, and 4C, an example of corrosion rate and wear compensation is shown. In FIG. 4A, an example corrosion rate 400 (μm / RFh) is shown over 1000 RF hours. For example, the corrosion rate 400 may be calculated by measuring the amount of corrosion at one or more edge rings over time (e.g., using a sensor in a test chamber, physical measurements, etc.). As shown, the corrosion rate 400 is substantially non-linear. For example, the corrosion rate 400 may increase rapidly from 0.7 μm / RFh during a first period of use (e.g., 0-250 RF hours of use) and change between 1.1-1.3 μm / RFh during a second period of use (e.g., 250-800 hours of use).

[0043] 4B, an example corrosion rate 404 (mm / RFh) is shown over 6 RF hours. As shown, the corrosion rate 404 can vary over a relatively short application period. For example, the corrosion rate 404 can be substantially linear over application periods of 0 to 3 or 3.5 RF hours, but can vary over each half hour period over the same application period (e.g., from 0.05 mm / RFh to 0.08 / RFh).

[0044] Thus, the edge ring wear calculation module 304 determines the amount of wear for the edge ring based on the different erosion rates for each utilization period. For example, the edge ring wear calculation module 304 may be configured to determine the erosion rates (and adjust for wear calculation) periodically (e.g., each half-hour utilization period, 100-hour utilization period, non-uniform predetermined utilization periods, etc.), in response to user input, etc., using a model that adjusts one or more base erosion rates according to process parameters. The respective erosion rates may be calculated by the edge ring wear calculation module 304, stored in memory 312 for retrieval by the edge ring wear calculation module 304, input by a user at the start of or during processing, etc.

[0045] In examples where corrosion rates are determined for a given utilization period with uniform and / or non-uniform corrosion rates, the utilization period may be determined based on previously observed / measured corrosion rates as shown in Figures 4A and 4B. For example, a utilization period with an associated corrosion rate may correspond to a period with a corrosion rate that has not changed by more than a predetermined amount (e.g., more than 0.1, 0.2 μm / RFh, etc.). In another example, a utilization period may be defined based on an average corrosion rate within adjacent utilization periods. For example, if the average corrosion rate within a time moving window (e.g., 50 RFh) differs from the average corrosion rate within a previous position of the moving window (e.g., a position shifted by 5 RFh, 10 RFh, etc.) by more than a predetermined amount (e.g., 0.1 μm / RFh, 0.2 μm / RFh, etc.), the utilization period with an associated corrosion rate may be defined accordingly.

[0046] For example, as shown in Figure 4C, the first utilization period 408 may be associated with a first erosion rate of 0.8 μm / RFh (i.e., 0.8 x 300 or 240 microns during the first utilization period), while the second utilization period 412 may be associated with a second erosion rate of 1.0 μm / RFh (the amount of erosion during the first utilization period (240 microns) plus the amount of erosion during the second utilization period 412 (1.0 x 200 or 200 microns) resulting in 440 microns of cumulative erosion), the third utilization period 416 may be associated with a third erosion rate of 1.1 μm / RFh (770 microns of cumulative erosion for the first utilization period 408, the second utilization period 412, and the third utilization period 416), and the fourth utilization period 420 may be associated with a fourth erosion rate of 0.9 μm / RFh (950 microns of cumulative erosion for 1000 RFh). The associated corrosion rate may correspond to the average corrosion rate during the respective service life.

[0047] In one example, the transition between adjacent utilization periods and their respective corrosion rates may be defined according to the change in the average corrosion rate over a moving window of 50 RF hours. For example, the average corrosion rate in the moving window having a duration of 50 RF hours shown at 424 may be within 0.1 μm / RFh of the average corrosion rate of the first utilization period 408 of 0.8 μm / RFh. Meanwhile, the average corrosion rate in the moving window shown at 428 may have an average corrosion rate of 1.0 μm / RFh. Thus, the transition from the first utilization period 408 having the first corrosion rate to the second utilization period 412 having the second corrosion rate may be defined as 300 RF hours.

[0048] In this manner, the different erosion rates during each utilization period correspond to a sequence of compensations that are applied to control the edge ring position over the life of the edge ring. For example, the erosion rates and associated utilization periods are stored in memory 312. In one example, the erosion rates are stored as a table that indexes the erosion rates to the respective utilization periods. Either or both of the erosion rates and utilization periods may be input by a user.

[0049] The edge ring wear calculation module 304 is further configured to monitor the total utilization (i.e., accumulated in RF hours) of the edge ring. For example, the edge ring wear calculation module 304 may include a timer or counter that monitors the utilization and stores the total utilization of the edge ring accordingly. When calculating the erosion, the edge ring wear calculation module 304 calculates the total (i.e., accumulated) erosion according to the total utilization and the different erosion rates in each utilization period. For example, if the total utilization is 150 RF hours, the erosion may correspond to 0.8 μm / RFh×150 RF hours. On the other hand, if the total utilization is 400 RF hours, the erosion may correspond to 0.8 μm / RFh×300 RF hours+1.0 μm / RFh×100 RF hours.

[0050] 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D, an example user interface 500 for inputting corrosion rates (e.g., corresponding to user interface 184 of FIG. 1, user interface 310 of FIG. 3A, etc.) is shown. For example, a user can disable corrosion rate calculation at 504, select a single (e.g., linear) corrosion rate at 508 and input the selected corrosion rate at 512, or select multiple corrosion rates (e.g., non-linear multiple rates) at 516. If multiple corrosion rates are selected, the user can input each corrosion rate and the start time (in RF time) of the associated utilization period at 520. The calculated corrosion amount for each utilization period can be displayed (e.g., in real time) at 524. The user can add additional rows (i.e., utilization period, start time, and associated corrosion rate) and / or delete rows. The edge ring wear calculation module 304 calculates the corrosion based on the input corrosion rate for each period. For example, as shown, the edge ring wear calculation module 304 calculates the erosion for a utilization period beginning at 0 RF time according to the erosion rate entered at 520. The total utilization may be displayed at 528. The calculated amount of erosion may be displayed at 532. In some examples, the total utilization and amount of erosion may be reset (i.e., reset to zero) at 536.

[0051] The interface 500 may display a base pocket height at 540. For example, the base pocket height may correspond to the pocket height of the edge ring before any adjustments due to erosion. Meanwhile, a current height may be displayed at 544. The current height corresponds to the base pocket height reduced by the calculated erosion. As shown in FIG. 5B, the current height is (base pocket height 2.560 mm)-(calculated erosion 0.290 mm). In other words, during the next adjustment (e.g., after the current process step or recipe), the edge ring wear calculation module 304 may adjust the edge ring up by 0.290 mm to compensate for the calculated erosion.

[0052] The interface 500 may further display a calibrated wear (erosion) amount at 548. For example, the calibrated wear amount may correspond to a physically measured amount of erosion of the edge ring (e.g., erosion measured during installation, maintenance / cleaning, periodic calibration, etc.) and may account for variations in edge ring thickness due to manufacturing tolerances, previous usage, etc. In other words, at a usage of 0 RFh, the edge ring thickness may already be less than some predetermined or expected value. Thus, the total erosion amount 552 may correspond to the sum of the calibrated wear amount and the calculated erosion.

[0053] The interface 500 may include an edge ring life alert, as shown at 556, that may be selectively enabled or disabled. For example, the interface 500 may alert a user when the total erosion amount 552 exceeds a predetermined erosion threshold (e.g., erosion amount 560 (mm), percent of edge ring eroded or remaining 564, total RF time 568, etc., as shown in FIG. 5C). In some examples, the erosion threshold may be based, at least in part, on the thickness of the outer diameter of the edge ring. For example, the inner diameter of the edge ring may wear at a faster rate than the outer diameter of the edge ring. Thus, as the edge ring is adjusted upward to compensate for erosion to the inner diameter of the edge ring, the outer diameter of the edge ring may be increasingly raised to a height higher than the original (i.e., as installed or calibrated) height of the edge ring. In some examples, the raised outer diameter of the edge ring may interfere with the operation of the substrate processing system. For example, the outer diameter of the edge ring may interfere with other structures, robots, etc. that are taller than the edge ring. In this manner, the edge ring wear calculation module 304 may be further configured to calculate the erosion of the outer diameter of the edge ring, calculate the height of the outer diameter of the edge ring based on the amount the edge ring has been lifted to compensate for the erosion, and activate a ring life alert accordingly.

[0054] In another example shown in FIG. 5D , the interface 500 may allow a user to select one of a plurality of multi-rates 572. For example, the multi-rates 572 may correspond to different predefined and / or customized (i.e., user-entered or adjusted) multi-rates. Each of the multi-rates 572 may correspond to a different non-linear erosion rate, a different erosion rate model, and / or the like. For example, a user may select a different one of the multi-rates 572 based on a current recipe, substrate type, and / or other process or system parameters. In this manner, the amount of erosion may be calculated according to a plurality of different selected linear erosion rates and / or non-linear erosion multi-rates over the total utilization period of the edge ring.

[0055] Thus, the erosion compensation (e.g., the amount by which the edge ring is adjusted to compensate for the calculated erosion) may be controlled according to the respective recipe. In other words, a first erosion compensation amount may be calculated according to a first erosion multi-rate selected for the first recipe, and the edge ring may be adjusted accordingly, while a second erosion calculated amount may be calculated according to a second erosion multi-rate selected for the second recipe. Thus, the amount by which the edge ring is adjusted may vary based on the selected recipe and / or the particular one of the multi-rates selected for the recipe. After the recipe is run and / or the edge ring is adjusted, the erosion rate may revert to a default erosion rate for the system or processing tool, the user may be prompted to input a new erosion rate, etc.

[0056] The above description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the disclosure, its applications, or uses. The broad teachings of the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms. Thus, while the present disclosure includes certain examples, the true scope of the present disclosure is not limited to those examples, as other variations will become apparent upon study of the drawings, the specification, and the following claims. It should be understood that one or more steps included in a method may be performed in a different order (or simultaneously) without altering the principles of the present disclosure. Furthermore, although each of the embodiments is described as having certain features, any one or more of the features described with respect to any embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of the other embodiments and / or combined with any of the features of any of the other embodiments, even if the combination is not expressly described. In other words, the above-described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and it is within the scope of the present disclosure to substitute one or more of the embodiments for one another.

[0057] Spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers) are described using various terms such as "connected," "engaged," "coupled," "adjacent," "adjacent," "on top of," "above," "below," and "disposed." When describing a relationship between a first and second element in this disclosure, unless expressly described as "direct," the relationship may be a direct relationship where no other intervening elements exist between the first and second elements, but may also be an indirect relationship where one or more intervening elements exist (spatially or functionally) between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" should be interpreted to mean the logic (A or B or C) using a non-exclusive logical OR, and not to mean "at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C."

[0058] In some embodiments, the controller is part of a system, which may be part of the examples described above. Such systems may include semiconductor processing equipment, such as one or more processing tools, one or more chambers, one or more platforms for processing, and / or specific processing components (wafer pedestal, gas flow system, etc.). These systems may be integrated with electronics for controlling the operation of the system before, during, and after processing of a semiconductor wafer or substrate. The electronics may be referred to as a "controller" and may control various components or sub-components of the system. The controller may be programmed to control any of the processes disclosed herein, such as supply of process gases, temperature settings (e.g., heating and / or cooling), pressure settings, vacuum settings, power settings, radio frequency (RF) generator settings, RF matching circuit settings, frequency settings, flow settings, fluid supply settings, position and motion settings, and wafer movement in and out of tools and other moving tools and / or load locks connected or coupled to the specific system, depending on the processing requirements and / or type of system.

[0059] In general, a controller may be defined as electronic equipment having various integrated circuits, logic, memory, and / or software that receive instructions, issue instructions, control operations, enable cleaning operations, enable endpoint measurements, etc. Integrated circuits may include chips in the form of firmware that store program instructions, digital signal processors (DSPs), chips defined as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers that execute program instructions (e.g., software). Program instructions may be instructions that are communicated to the controller in the form of various individual settings (or program files) that define operational parameters for performing a particular process on or for a semiconductor wafer, or for a system. The operational parameters, in some embodiments, may be part of a recipe defined by a process engineer to accomplish one or more process steps during processing of one or more layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon, silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and / or dies of a wafer.

[0060] The controller may be part of or connected to a computer that is integrated with, connected to, or otherwise networked with the system, or a combination thereof, in some embodiments. For example, the controller may be in the "cloud" or may be all or part of a fab host computer system that may enable remote access of wafer processing. The computer may enable remote access to the system to monitor the current progress of a manufacturing operation, look at the history of past manufacturing operations, or look at trends or performance indicators from multiple manufacturing operations, to change parameters of a current process, set up a process step according to a current process, or start a new process. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g., a server) may provide a process recipe to the system over a network (which may include a local network or the Internet). The remote computer may include a user interface that allows for entry or programming of parameters and / or settings, which are communicated to the system from the remote computer. In some examples, the controller receives instructions in the form of data, where the instructions specify parameters for each of the process steps to be performed during one or more operations. It should be understood that the parameters may be specific to the type of process being performed as well as the type of tool the controller is configured to interface with or control. Thus, as described above, the controller may be distributed, such as by having one or more separate controllers that are networked and operate toward a common purpose (such as the process and control described herein). One example of a distributed controller for such purposes is one or more integrated circuits on the chamber that communicate with one or more remotely located integrated circuits (such as at the platform level or located as part of a remote computer) that cooperate to control the process in the chamber.

[0061] Without being limited thereto, example systems may include a plasma etch chamber or module, a deposition chamber or module, a spin rinse chamber or module, a metal plating chamber or module, a cleaning chamber or module, a bevel edge etch chamber or module, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber or module, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber or module, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber or module, an atomic layer etch (ALE) chamber or module, an ion implantation chamber or module, a track chamber or module, and any other semiconductor processing system that may be associated with or utilized in the fabrication and / or manufacturing of semiconductor wafers.

[0062] As described above, depending on the processing step or steps being performed by the tool, the controller may communicate with one or more of other tool circuits or modules, other tool components, cluster tools, other tool interfaces, adjacent tools, nearby tools, tools located throughout the factory, a main computer, another controller, or tools used in material transport to carry containers of wafers to or from tool locations and / or load ports within a semiconductor manufacturing factory. The present disclosure may be realized in the following forms. [Form 1] 1. A controller for adjusting a height of an edge ring in a substrate processing system, comprising: an edge ring wear calculation module, receiving at least one input indicative of one or more corrosion rates of the edge ring; calculating at least one corrosion rate of the edge ring based on the at least one input; an edge ring wear calculation module configured to calculate an amount of erosion of the edge ring based on the at least one erosion rate; an actuator control module configured to adjust the height of the edge ring based on the amount of corrosion calculated by the edge ring wear calculation module; A controller comprising: [Form 2] 2. The controller according to claim 1, The at least one input includes a corrosion rate entered by a user, the controller. [Form 3] 2. The controller according to claim 1, The at least one input includes a plurality of etch rates for respective periods of utilization of the substrate processing system, the controller. [Form 4] 2. The controller according to claim 1, The at least one input includes information indicative of a type and duration of a process to be performed within the substrate processing system. [Form 5] 2. The controller according to claim 1, The at least one input includes calibration data indicating at least one of the height, thickness, and position of the edge ring. [Form 6] 2. The controller according to claim 1, To calculate the at least one erosion rate, the edge ring wear calculation module is configured to calculate a plurality of erosion rates during respective utilization periods of the substrate processing system. [Form 7] 7. The controller according to claim 6, and to calculate the amount of erosion of the edge ring, the edge ring wear calculation module is configured to calculate the amount of erosion based on the plurality of calculated erosion rates during the respective utilization periods. [Form 8] 7. The controller according to claim 6, Each of the plurality of corrosion rates is different for the respective utilization period. [Form 9] 7. The controller according to claim 6, The edge ring wear calculation module is configured to calculate the multiple corrosion rates using a lookup table indexing corrosion rates to duration of use. [Form 10] 7. The controller according to claim 6, The edge ring wear calculation module is configured to calculate the multiple corrosion rates using a model. [Form 11] A system including the controller according to claim 1, The system further comprises a user interface configured to receive the at least one input. [Form 12] 12. The system according to claim 11, The system, wherein the user interface is configured to receive a plurality of corrosion rates as the at least one input. [Form 13] 12. The system according to claim 11, The system, wherein the user interface comprises a display configured to display the amount of corrosion calculated by the edge ring wear calculation module. [Form 14] 1. A method for adjusting a height of an edge ring in a substrate processing system, comprising: receiving at least one input indicative of one or more erosion rates of the edge ring; calculating a corrosion rate of at least one of the edge rings based on the at least one input; calculating an amount of corrosion of the edge ring based on the at least one corrosion rate; adjusting the height of the edge ring based on the calculated amount of corrosion; A method comprising: [Form 15] 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: The method, wherein the at least one input includes at least one of an erosion rate entered by a user, a plurality of erosion rates for respective periods of use of the substrate processing system, information indicative of the type and duration of processes performed within the substrate processing system, and calibration data indicative of at least one of the height, thickness, and position of the edge ring. [Form 16] 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: The method, wherein calculating at least one corrosion rate comprises calculating a plurality of corrosion rates during respective utilization periods of the substrate processing system. [Form 17] 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of: Calculating the amount of erosion of the edge ring comprises calculating the amount of erosion based on the plurality of calculated erosion rates during the respective utilization periods. [Form 18] 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of: Each of the plurality of corrosion rates is different for the respective service life. [Form 19] 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of: The method further comprises calculating the plurality of corrosion rates using at least one of a lookup table indexing corrosion rate to duration of utilization and a model. [Form 20] 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: The method further comprises receiving the at least one input via a user interface.

Claims

1. 1. A user interface configured for inputting and displaying an erosion rate of an edge ring disposed around an outer portion of a substrate support in a substrate processing system, the user interface comprising: a first input area configured to receive a plurality of inputs identifying erosion rates of the edge ring, the plurality of inputs including a plurality of erosion rates and a respective duration of utilization of the substrate processing system for each of the plurality of erosion rates; a first display area configured to display a corresponding corrosion amount for each of the respective utilization periods calculated based on the received inputs; a second display area configured to display a total amount of corrosion of the edge ring calculated according to the corresponding amount of corrosion for each of the respective periods of use; Equipped with Each of the plurality of corrosion rates varies over the respective periods of use due to non-linear time-dependent changes in corrosion rate.

2. 10. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising a second input area configured to receive a single corrosion rate; The user interface is configured to receive an input to select between the multiple corrosion rates and the single corrosion rate.

3. 2. The user interface of claim 1, The respective utilization periods include a respective start time for each of the plurality of corrosion rates.

4. 2. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising: A user interface comprising a third display area configured to display a total utilization of the edge ring.

5. 2. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising: a third display area configured to display a base pocket height of the edge ring before any height adjustment of the edge ring, and a current height of the edge ring calculated according to the base pocket height and the total corrosion amount.

6. 2. The user interface of claim 1, The user interface includes a selection area configured to display a plurality of predefined corrosion rates for selection as the plurality of inputs.

7. 7. A user interface according to claim 6, comprising: Each of the plurality of predetermined corrosion rates corresponds to a different linear or non-linear corrosion rate.

8. A processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory to implement the user interface of claim 1.

Images