Temperature control method for wafer carrier device and semiconductor processing equipment

Abstract

This application provides a temperature control method for a wafer carrier and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The method includes: acquiring a first temperature of the wafer carrier when a process chamber performs a process task; if the first temperature meets preset fluctuation conditions, controlling the process chamber to perform the process task according to a temperature control mode; in the temperature control mode, controlling a heating device based on a second temperature, a heating temperature, and a preset temperature threshold to maintain a stable temperature of the wafer carrier. In this control method, when the first temperature of the wafer carrier meets preset fluctuation conditions during the process chamber's process task, the heating device is controlled by the temperature control mode, improving the problem of excessive temperature difference in the wafer during the process and enhancing the uniformity of the deposited thin film.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a method for temperature control of a wafer carrier and semiconductor process equipment. Prior Technology

[0002] In the integrated circuit wafer manufacturing industry, wafer fabrication is crucial, typically involving core processes such as photolithography, etching, ion implantation, and metal deposition. Among these, magnetron sputtering (PVD) is the primary method used in metal thin film deposition. Specifically, magnetron sputtering involves adding a magnet to the back of the target and using a sputtering source to create an interactive electromagnetic field within the chamber. This extends the electron path, increasing plasma concentration and ultimately resulting in more deposited material. Magnetron sputtering (PVD) offers higher plasma concentrations, enabling excellent deposition efficiency, greater film thickness, and more precise compositional control in metal thin film deposition. However, since the uniformity of the thin film is significantly affected by temperature, temperature fluctuations can lead to inconsistent film densities between different deposited wafers. Therefore, controlling the temperature stability of each wafer during the deposition process is crucial for wafer quality.

[0003] However, temperature accumulation is a common problem during wafer deposition. Temperature accumulation occurs because the temperature of the wafer carrier cannot dissipate, causing the temperature of a wafer to deteriorate and become unstable within an ideal range during the fabrication process. This results in excessive temperature differences within the wafer, reducing the uniformity of the deposited thin film. Therefore, mitigating temperature accumulation on wafers is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of this application is to provide a temperature control method for a wafer carrier device and semiconductor process equipment to alleviate the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a temperature control method for a wafer carrier device. The process chamber includes a heating device and a wafer carrier device, wherein the heating device heats the wafer via the wafer carrier device. The method includes: when the process chamber performs a process task, acquiring a first temperature of the wafer carrier device; if the first temperature meets a preset fluctuation condition, controlling the process chamber to perform the process task according to a temperature control mode; in the temperature control mode, acquiring a second temperature of the wafer carrier device and a heating temperature of the heating device, and controlling the heating device according to the second temperature, the heating temperature, and a preset temperature threshold to keep the temperature of the wafer carrier device stable; wherein the preset temperature threshold is determined according to the process allowable temperature corresponding to the process task.

[0006] In some embodiments, the preset temperature threshold includes: an upper limit value of the bearing temperature corresponding to the wafer carrier device; the step of controlling the heating device according to the second temperature, the heating temperature and the preset temperature threshold includes: determining whether the second temperature is less than the upper limit value of the bearing temperature; if not, controlling the heating device to be in a non-heating state.

[0007] In some embodiments, the preset temperature threshold further includes: a lower limit value of the heating temperature corresponding to the heating device; the step of controlling the heating device according to the second temperature, the heating temperature and the preset temperature threshold includes: when the second temperature is less than the upper limit value of the bearing temperature, determining whether the heating temperature is greater than the lower limit value of the heating temperature; if not, controlling the heating device to be in a heating state.

[0008] In some embodiments, the step of controlling the heating device according to the second temperature, the heating temperature and the preset temperature threshold includes: when the heating temperature is greater than the lower limit of the heating temperature, determining whether the process chamber is in an idle state; if not, calculating the temperature difference between the second temperature and the heating temperature, and when the temperature difference is greater than the preset error, controlling the heating device to be in a heating state; or, when the temperature difference is not greater than the preset error, controlling the heating device to be in a non-heating state.

[0009] In some embodiments, the preset temperature threshold further includes: a lower limit of the bearing temperature corresponding to the wafer carrier device; the step of controlling the heating device according to the second temperature, the heating temperature and the preset temperature threshold includes: when the process chamber is in an idle state, determining whether the second temperature is greater than the lower limit of the bearing temperature; if not, controlling the heating device to be in a heating state.

[0010] In some embodiments, the preset temperature threshold further includes: an upper limit value of the heating temperature corresponding to the heating device; the step of controlling the heating device according to the second temperature, the heating temperature and the preset temperature threshold includes: when the second temperature is greater than the lower limit value of the bearing temperature, determining whether the heating temperature is greater than the upper limit value of the heating temperature; if so, controlling the heating device to be in a non-heating state.

[0011] In some embodiments, the step of controlling the heating device according to the second temperature, the heating temperature and the preset temperature threshold includes: if the heating temperature is not greater than the upper limit of the heating temperature, controlling the heating device to be in a heating state.

[0012] In some embodiments, before the step of satisfying the preset fluctuation condition for the first temperature, the method further includes: obtaining a plurality of first temperatures within a specified time period including the current time; if the first difference between any two adjacent first temperatures among the plurality of first temperatures is less than a first preset difference threshold, then it is determined that the first temperature at the current time satisfies the preset fluctuation condition.

[0013] In some embodiments, before the step of satisfying the preset fluctuation condition for the first temperature, the method further includes: obtaining the first temperature at the current moment and calculating a second difference between the first temperature at the current moment and the first temperature at the previous moment; if the second difference is less than a second preset difference threshold, then determining that the first temperature at the current moment satisfies the preset fluctuation condition.

[0014] In some embodiments, before the step of performing a process task in the process chamber, the method further includes: obtaining a third temperature of the wafer carrier; if the third temperature meets a preset temperature range, controlling the wafer to enter the process chamber so that the process chamber performs a process task to process the wafer; wherein the preset temperature range is determined according to the process allowable temperature.

[0015] In some embodiments, the method further includes: if the third temperature does not meet the preset temperature range, then after a preset interval, reacquire the third temperature and determine whether the reacquired third temperature meets the preset temperature range; and, acquire the number of determinations, and when the number of determinations reaches a preset number, if the third temperature still does not meet the preset temperature range, generate alarm prompt information to prompt the operator that the process chamber does not meet the process task execution conditions.

[0016] In some embodiments, the method further includes: controlling the process chamber to exit the temperature control mode when a shutdown operation of the temperature control mode is detected.

[0017] In some embodiments, the method further includes: controlling the process chamber to exit the temperature control mode when the process chamber completes the process task.

[0018] In some embodiments, the method further includes: when the process chamber exits the temperature control mode, acquiring a fourth temperature of the wafer carrier at this time; controlling the heating device to be in a heating state until the fourth temperature reaches the process allowable temperature.

[0019] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, including a manufacturing chamber and a controller; wherein, the manufacturing chamber includes a heating device and a wafer carrier device, the wafer carrier device is used to carry a wafer, and the heating device heats the wafer via the wafer carrier device; the controller includes at least one processor and at least one memory, the memory storing a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the method described in the first aspect.

[0020] Thirdly, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, performs the steps of the method described in the first aspect.

[0021] The embodiments of this application bring the following beneficial effects: This application provides a temperature control method for a wafer carrier device and a semiconductor process equipment. When the first temperature of the wafer carrier device meets the preset fluctuation conditions during the execution of the process task in the process chamber, the heating device is controlled by the temperature control mode to keep the temperature of the wafer carrier device stable, thereby avoiding the wafer temperature accumulation phenomenon caused by the temperature fluctuation of the wafer carrier device, improving the problem of excessive temperature difference of the wafer during the process, and improving the uniformity of the deposited thin film.

[0022] Other features and advantages of this application will be set forth in the following description and, in part, will be apparent from the description or may be learned by practicing the application. The objectives and other advantages of this application are realized and obtained through the structures particularly pointed out in the description and the drawings.

[0023] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of this application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort. Figure 1 is a structural diagram of the PVD chamber for controlling wafer heating in related technologies; Figure 2 is a flowchart of the temperature control process for wafers in related technologies; Figure 3 is a flowchart of a temperature control method for a wafer carrier device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 is a flowchart of another temperature control method for a wafer carrier device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 is an illustration of the parameter activation mechanism of ShutterCooler at each stage of heating according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 is an illustration of the parameter activation mechanism at each stage of the WaferRecipe heating process provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of ESC temperature change in a prior art solution provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided in an embodiment of this application. Implementation

[0025] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0026] In the PVD chamber of the related technology, the structure for controlling wafer heating is shown in Figure 1, including: a base lifting mechanism 11, a heater heating base 12, and a wafer carrier device 13; wherein, the wafer carrier device 13 is, for example, an ESC (Electrostatic Chuck), and the wafer 14 is placed on the wafer carrier device 13. The plasma 15 generated in the PVD chamber is used to process the wafer 14. The specific structure of the PVD chamber and the structure for generating the plasma 15 can be referred to the prior art, and the embodiments of this application will not be described in detail here.

[0027] During the deposition of the thin film on wafer 14, the temperature of wafer 14 is maintained by a two-stage heat transfer structure consisting of Heater heating base 12 and wafer carrier device 13. Specifically, heat is conducted between Heater heating base 12 and wafer carrier device 13 through a back-blown gas path, and heat is also conducted between wafer carrier device 13 and wafer 14 through a back-blown gas path. For example, back-blown gas path heat conduction can be understood as heat being transferred from ESC to wafer by Ar gas. The heater base 12 is equipped with a heating wire, and the heating power and on / off state of the heating wire are controlled by the temperature controller 16. The wafer carrier 13 is equipped with a temperature sensor to detect the current temperature of the wafer carrier 13 (such as ESC) and feed the current temperature back to the temperature controller 16 via the feedback loop 171. The temperature controller 16 calculates the current output value by combining the current temperature and PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) parameters, and sends the current output value back to the heater base 12 via the output loop 172 so as to control the heating power of the heating wire according to the current output value, thereby controlling the temperature transmitted from the wafer carrier 13 to the wafer 14, and finally realizing the control of the wafer temperature.

[0028] Therefore, in the entire wafer 14 processing flow, the closed-loop control loop of the temperature controller 16 ultimately controls the heating wire in the Heater heating base 12. However, due to the unidirectional conduction of the two-stage heat transfer structure, the feedback value of the temperature signal in the closed-loop control loop always lags behind the heat conduction action. In addition, a large amount of plasma 15 is generated during the deposition stage. The plasma contains a large amount of energy, and when it is deposited on the wafer 14, the wafer 14 will experience temperature accumulation. The temperature accumulation phenomenon refers to the inability to dissipate the temperature on the wafer carrier 13, causing the temperature of a wafer 14 to be unstable and not maintained within an ideal range during the process. When the temperature difference of the wafer 14 during the deposition process exceeds a certain value (such as 10°C), it is very detrimental to the uniformity of thin film deposition. Therefore, mitigating the temperature accumulation phenomenon of the wafer is of great significance.

[0029] To facilitate understanding, we will use the ESC as an example and explain the cause of the temperature accumulation phenomenon in conjunction with the wafer temperature control process. Specifically, the wafer temperature control process is shown in Figure 2. A target temperature is set in the temperature controller, which is the target temperature corresponding to the current process. The temperature sensor detects the temperature of the ESC in real time and feeds back the current ESC temperature to the temperature controller. The temperature controller determines whether the current ESC temperature has reached the target temperature. If it has, it means that the ESC needs to be cooled, and the temperature controller controls the heating wire to stop heating, that is, to turn off the Heater. Conversely, if the current ESC temperature has not reached the target temperature, the temperature controller calculates the heating power based on the current ESC temperature and outputs it to the heating wire so that the heating wire continues to heat, thereby controlling the temperature of the ESC until the temperature of the ESC reaches the target temperature.

[0030] Therefore, during the temperature control process described above, when the wafer is first moved into the chamber, the low temperature of the wafer itself will cause a brief drop in the ESC temperature. At this time, the following occurs: ① The current ESC temperature is less than the target temperature, the temperature controller outputs a large power, the heating wire turns on and heats up. After the temperature controller outputs power for a period of time, the ESC is heated to the target temperature by the heat transferred from the Heater heating base. At this time, the Heater heating base stops heating, but residual heat will still be transferred to the ESC through the back-blown air path. In addition, the plasma deposition will cause the wafer temperature to continue to rise; ② After the power output is turned off for a period of time, the ESC temperature drops and meets the condition that the current ESC temperature is less than the target temperature. At this time, the Heater heating base starts heating. However, since it takes time for the temperature to be transferred from the Heater heating base to the ESC, the ESC temperature continues to drop in a short period of time. When the ESC starts to heat up, the process ① is repeated. Ultimately, this results in a wafer having a large temperature difference during the process, i.e., a temperature accumulation phenomenon, which affects the wafer processing quality.

[0031] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a temperature control method for a wafer carrier device and a semiconductor process equipment. When the first temperature of the wafer carrier device meets the preset fluctuation conditions during the execution of the process task in the process chamber, the heating device is controlled by the temperature control mode to keep the temperature of the wafer carrier device stable, thereby avoiding the wafer temperature accumulation phenomenon caused by temperature fluctuation of the wafer carrier device, improving the problem of excessive temperature difference of the wafer during the process, and improving the uniformity of the deposited thin film.

[0032] To facilitate understanding of this embodiment, the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below. Example 1

[0033] This application provides a temperature control method for a wafer carrier device. The process chamber includes a heating device and a wafer carrier device, as shown in Figure 1. For ease of explanation, in this application embodiment, the heating device is, for example, a Heater heating base containing heating wires, and the wafer carrier device is, for example, an ESC. The heating device heats the wafer via the wafer carrier device, that is, the wafer is heated by a two-stage heating structure composed of the ESC and the Heater heating base. The specific structure of the process chamber can be referred to existing process chambers, and will not be described in detail here.

[0034] It should be noted that the execution subject of the temperature control method for the wafer carrier device described below can be a temperature controller or a controller of a semiconductor process equipment. This application does not limit the description in this regard.

[0035] For ease of explanation, a temperature controller is used as an example here. As shown in Figure 3, the temperature control method for the wafer carrier device provided in this embodiment includes the following steps: Step S302: When the process chamber performs a process task, the first temperature of the wafer carrier device is obtained; Specifically, when the process chamber performs process tasks to process the wafer, the temperature controller obtains the first temperature of the wafer carrier device, i.e., ESC. The ESC is equipped with a temperature sensor to detect the first temperature of the ESC in real time and feed the first temperature back to the temperature controller so that the temperature controller can control the temperature of the ESC according to the first temperature, thus avoiding the wafer temperature accumulation phenomenon caused by the ESC temperature not being able to dissipate.

[0036] Step S304: If the first temperature meets the preset fluctuation conditions, the process chamber is controlled to execute the process task according to the temperature control mode; After the temperature controller obtains the initial temperature of the ESC, it determines whether the initial temperature meets the preset fluctuation conditions. If so, it indicates that the ESC temperature fluctuates significantly, which can easily cause wafer overheating. In this case, the ESC temperature needs to be adjusted; therefore, the temperature controller activates the temperature control mode. This temperature control mode, also known as the TempControl module, is pre-built into the temperature controller or controller. During process execution, when the initial temperature of the ESC meets the preset fluctuation conditions, the temperature control mode is activated, and the process chamber is controlled to execute the process task according to the temperature control mode. This temperature control mode adjusts the ESC temperature, preventing wafer overheating and ensuring the quality of wafer processing.

[0037] Furthermore, if the first temperature of the ESC does not meet the preset fluctuation condition, it indicates that the temperature of the ESC remains stable during the process execution. In this case, the wafer is unlikely to experience temperature accumulation, so there is no need to regulate the temperature of the ESC. That is, the temperature controller controls the heating device according to the existing PID parameters and the first temperature until the process is completed. The specific process of determining the heating wire power using the existing PID parameters and the first temperature can be found in the prior art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0038] Furthermore, one way to determine whether the first temperature meets the preset fluctuation conditions is to obtain multiple first temperatures within a specified time period including the current moment; if the first difference between any two adjacent first temperatures is less than the first preset difference threshold, then the first temperature at the current moment is determined to meet the preset fluctuation conditions.

[0039] Specifically, taking the current time i as an example, the temperature controller acquires multiple first temperatures within a specified time period, including the current time. If the specified time period is 5, the multiple first temperatures are: Ti-4, Ti-3, Ti-2, Ti-1, and Ti; where Ti is the first temperature at the current time, Ti-1 is the first temperature at the previous time, and so on. The temperature controller obtains multiple first temperatures within the specified time period. Then, it calculates the first difference between any two adjacent first temperatures, obtaining multiple first differences. If all the first differences are less than a first preset difference threshold, it is determined that the first temperature at the current time meets the preset fluctuation condition. This judgment method ensures the judgment accuracy by using multiple first temperatures within a specified time period, further improving the temperature control accuracy of the ESC and avoiding wafer temperature accumulation caused by ESC temperature fluctuations.

[0040] In addition, another method of judgment is to obtain the first temperature at the current moment and calculate the second difference between the first temperature at the current moment and the first temperature at the previous moment; if the second difference is less than the second preset difference threshold, then the first temperature at the current moment is determined to meet the preset fluctuation condition. That is, for the first temperature at each moment, taking the current moment as an example, as long as the second difference between the first temperature at the current moment and the first temperature at the previous moment is less than the second preset difference threshold, the first temperature at the current moment is determined to meet the preset fluctuation condition, thereby ensuring that the first temperature of the ESC at each moment does not meet the preset fluctuation condition, avoiding the wafer temperature accumulation phenomenon caused by the first temperature at a certain moment meeting the preset fluctuation condition, and further improving the temperature control accuracy of the ESC.

[0041] It should be noted that the first difference and the second difference mentioned above are only used to characterize the difference between two adjacent first temperatures in different judgment methods. The first preset difference threshold and the second preset difference threshold can be the same or different, and can be set according to the actual situation.

[0042] Step S306: In the temperature control mode, the second temperature of the wafer carrier and the heating temperature of the heating device are obtained, and the heating device is controlled according to the second temperature, the heating temperature and the preset temperature threshold to keep the temperature of the wafer carrier stable.

[0043] The preset temperature threshold is determined based on the process-allowed temperature corresponding to the process task. In the temperature control mode, the heating device is controlled by the second temperature, the heating temperature and the preset temperature threshold to keep the temperature of the wafer carrier stable. This avoids the wafer temperature accumulation phenomenon caused by temperature fluctuations of the wafer carrier, improves the problem of excessive temperature difference of the wafer in the process, and improves the uniformity of the deposited film.

[0044] In one embodiment, the preset temperature thresholds include: the upper limit value of the carrier temperature ESCHigh and the lower limit value of the carrier temperature ESCLow corresponding to the wafer carrier ESC, and the upper limit value of the heating temperature HeaterHigh and the lower limit value of the heating temperature HeaterLow corresponding to the heating device. In practical applications, each preset temperature threshold is set according to the process allowable temperature TPN. The upper limit value of the carrier temperature ESCHigh ranges from [TPN, TPN+5℃], the lower limit value of the carrier temperature ESCLow ranges from [TPN-5℃, TPN], the upper limit value of the heating temperature HeaterHigh ranges from [TPN-5℃, TPN+5℃], and the lower limit value of the heating temperature HeaterLow ranges from [TPN-10℃, TPN]. The specific values ​​of ESCHigh, ESCLow, HeaterHigh, and HeaterLow can be set according to the actual situation.

[0045] For ease of explanation, the second temperature of ESC is defined as T2, and the heating temperature is defined as THEATER. Therefore, in step S306, the process of controlling the heating device based on the second temperature, the heating temperature, and the preset temperature threshold includes the following sub-steps: (1) Determine whether the second temperature is less than the upper limit value of the carrier temperature; specifically, first determine whether T2 < ESCHigh is satisfied. If not, that is, when T2 ≥ ESCHigh, control the heating device to be in a non-heating state to prevent the heating device from heating up and transferring more heat to the ESC, thereby causing the ESC temperature to not dissipate and resulting in the phenomenon of cumulative temperature of the wafer. (2) When the second temperature is less than the upper limit value of the carrier temperature, determine whether the heating temperature is greater than the lower limit value of the heating temperature; if not, control the heating device to be in a heating state.

[0046] Specifically, when T2 < ESCHigh, the thermostat continues to determine whether the heating temperature is greater than the lower limit value of the heating temperature, that is, determine whether THeater > HeaterLow is satisfied. If not, that is, THeater ≤ HeaterLow, then the thermostat controls the heating device to be in a heating state. In practical applications, whether in the process or not, the temperature of the heating device is not allowed to be lower than the minimum safety temperature (that is, the lower limit value of the heating temperature HeaterLow). Because when the deposition rate is slow or the deposition time is short, there will be a certain temperature difference between the ESC and the heating device and they will gradually cool down. If the heating temperature THeater is lower than the lower limit value of the heating temperature HeaterLow, when the wafer process of this piece ends and the process chamber door is opened to transfer the wafer, it will带走 the heat of the ESC. When the next wafer starts the process, it may report an alarm and cannot process due to the unqualified ESC temperature. Therefore, when THeater ≤ HeaterLow, the thermostat controls the heating device to be in a heating state to increase the ESC temperature, thereby ensuring that the subsequent wafers can perform the process normally. (3) When the heating temperature is greater than the lower limit value of the heating temperature, determine whether the process chamber is in an idle state; if not, calculate the temperature difference between the second temperature and the heating temperature, and when the temperature difference is greater than the preset error, control the heating device to be in a heating state; or when the temperature difference is not greater than the preset error, control the heating device to be in a non-heating state.

[0047] Specifically, when T2 < ESCHigh and THeater > HeaterLow, it is determined whether the process chamber is in an idle state. If not, it indicates that the current wafer is in the process. At this time, the temperature difference (T2 - THeater) between the second temperature and the heating temperature is calculated. When the temperature difference is greater than the preset error △T, that is, T2 - THeater > △T, it indicates that the temperature of the heating device is too low. The temperature controller controls the heating device to be in the heating state to appropriately increase the temperature of the heating device and prevent the ESC from cooling down after the process ends. On the contrary, when the temperature difference is not greater than the preset error, that is, T2 - THeater ≤ △T, it indicates that the temperature of the heating device is close to that of the ESC. To prevent the heating device from transferring too much heat to the ESC, at this time, the temperature controller controls the heating device to be in the non-heating state.

[0048] It should be noted that the value range of the above preset error △T is [-5°C, 5°C]. The smaller △T is, the closer the heating process of the heating device is to the later stage of Dep (Dielectric enhancement process, metal vapor deposition process); the larger △T is, the closer the heating process of the heating device is to the early stage of Dep. In practical applications, the value of △T needs to be flexibly set according to the Dep duration in the process recipe. For example, for a process recipe with a longer Dep duration, due to more plasma accumulation, the temperature controller should be turned off earlier, and △T is set to a positive value, for example; for a process recipe with a shorter Dep duration, due to less plasma energy, considering the temperature drop of the ESC during wafer change, the temperature controller should be turned off later, and △T is set to a smaller value, for example. The specific value of △T can be set according to the actual situation. (4) When the process chamber is in an idle state, it is determined whether the second temperature is greater than the lower limit value of the carrier temperature; if not, the heating device is controlled to be in the heating state.

[0049] Specifically, when the process chamber is in an idle state, it indicates that the current wafer is not in the process. At this time, there is no longer plasma in the process chamber transferring heat to the ESC. The temperature controller determines whether the second temperature is greater than the lower limit value of the carrier temperature. If not, that is, T2 ≤ ESCLow, considering that the process chamber may be idle for a long time and the next wafer may enter the process chamber at any time, therefore, at this time, the temperature controller controls the heating device to be in the heating state so that the temperature of the ESC is above the safe value, that is, T2 > ESCLow. (5) When the second temperature is greater than the lower limit value of the carrier temperature, it is determined whether the heating temperature is greater than the upper limit value of the heating temperature; if so, the heating device is controlled to be in the non-heating state.

[0050] When T2>ESCLow, it means that the temperature of ESC is above the safe value. At this time, the temperature controller continues to judge whether the heating temperature is greater than the upper limit of the heating temperature. If so, that is, THEATER>HeaterHigh. If the temperature of the heating device rises at this time, due to the lag, the newly introduced wafer will accumulate a serious temperature when it starts to die. Therefore, in order to avoid the heating temperature from rising during short-term idle state, the temperature controller controls the heating device to be in non-heating state.

[0051] In addition, if the heating temperature is not greater than the upper limit of the heating temperature, that is, when THEater≤HeaterHigh, in order to avoid the ESC temperature dropping during the idle state, which would cause the ESC temperature to be below the standard and the process to fail when the next wafer is introduced, the temperature controller controls the heating device to be in the heating state.

[0052] Therefore, in the temperature control mode, the heating device is controlled by the second temperature, the heating temperature and the preset temperature threshold to keep the ESC temperature stable, thereby avoiding the wafer temperature accumulation phenomenon caused by ESC temperature fluctuation, improving the problem of excessive temperature difference of wafer in the process, and improving the uniformity of the deposited film.

[0053] In one embodiment, before the process chamber performs the process task, the method further includes: obtaining a third temperature of the wafer carrier device; if the third temperature meets a preset temperature range, controlling the wafer to enter the process chamber so that the process chamber performs the process task to process the wafer; wherein the preset temperature range is determined according to the process allowable temperature.

[0054] Specifically, before the wafer enters the process chamber, the temperature controller needs to determine whether the temperature of the ESC has reached the preset temperature range. Here, the temperature of the ESC before the wafer enters the process chamber is called the third temperature. The preset temperature range is determined according to the process allowable temperature TPN, for example, [TPN-5℃, TPN+5℃]. If the third temperature meets the preset temperature range, the wafer is controlled to enter the process chamber so that the process chamber can perform process tasks to process the wafer, thereby ensuring the process effect of the wafer being processed in the process chamber.

[0055] In addition, if the third temperature does not meet the preset temperature range, the third temperature is reacquired after a preset interval, and it is determined whether the reacquired third temperature meets the preset temperature range; and the number of judgments is obtained. When the number of judgments reaches a preset number, if the third temperature still does not meet the preset temperature range, an alarm prompt message is generated to prompt the operator that the process chamber does not meet the process task execution conditions.

[0056] The preset interval is, for example, 3 seconds. If the current third temperature does not meet the preset temperature range, the temperature controller waits for 3 seconds, then re-acquires the third temperature and checks again whether the re-acquired third temperature meets the preset temperature range. If it does, the wafer is controlled to enter the process chamber. Conversely, if it does not meet the preset temperature range, the temperature controller waits for 3 seconds, then re-acquires the third temperature and checks again. To avoid repeated checks, a preset number of checks is set. The temperature controller counts the number of checks during repeated checks. If the number of checks reaches the preset number and the corresponding third temperature still does not meet the preset temperature range, the temperature controller generates an alarm message to inform the operator that the process chamber does not meet the conditions for executing the process task and terminates the corresponding process task in that process chamber. This prevents subsequent wafers from entering that process chamber for processing, thus avoiding processing of wafers in process chambers that do not meet the conditions for executing the process task, thereby ensuring the wafer's processing effect.

[0057] In one implementation, the process chamber exits the temperature control mode when the exit conditions are met. One exit method is: when a temperature control mode shutdown operation is detected, the process chamber exits the temperature control mode. That is, the semiconductor process equipment also has a temperature control mode shutdown button; when the operator operates (e.g., presses) the shutdown button, the temperature controller controls the process chamber to exit the temperature control mode. In some scenarios, a shutdown button icon can also be displayed on the semiconductor process equipment's display device, such as a screen; when the operator triggers or clicks the shutdown button icon, the temperature controller controls the process chamber to exit the temperature control mode.

[0058] In another exit mode, when the process chamber completes its process task, it exits the temperature control mode. That is, when the temperature controller detects that the process chamber is not in the process task job environment, it controls the process chamber to exit the temperature control mode and controls the process chamber to operate according to the corresponding mode or environment, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the process chamber.

[0059] Furthermore, the method also includes: when the process chamber exits the temperature control mode, obtaining the fourth temperature of the wafer carrier at this time; controlling the heating device to be in a heating state until the fourth temperature reaches the process allowable temperature.

[0060] Specifically, when the process chamber exits the temperature control mode, the controller controls the temperature of the wafer carrier according to the existing scheme, that is, it obtains the temperature of the ESC at this time, which is referred to as the fourth temperature for ease of explanation. Based on the current fourth temperature and PID parameters, the controller controls the heating device to be in heating state until the fourth temperature reaches the process allowable temperature TPN, thereby restoring the temperature of the ESC. This ensures that the ESC does not drop in temperature when there is no process task in the process chamber, so that the next wafer can be transferred in and the process can be carried out normally, thereby ensuring the process efficiency and process effect of the semiconductor process equipment.

[0061] It should be noted that the first temperature, second temperature, third temperature and fourth temperature mentioned above are only used to distinguish the temperature of the wafer carrier device TESC in different stages, and the heating temperature THEATER is only used to characterize the temperature of the heating device. Example 2

[0062] Based on the above method embodiments, this application also provides another temperature control method for a wafer carrier device. This method focuses on describing a two-stage temperature-controlled wafer carrier device (ESC) that achieves temperature stability during wafer deposition through temperature difference control logic. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes the following steps: (A1) Before the wafer enters the process chamber, it is necessary to determine whether the ESC temperature TESC is within the allowable process temperature TPN ± 5℃, that is, whether |TESC-TPN| < 5℃. The purpose of this determination is to avoid the ESC temperature TESC being insufficient or higher than this range, which would affect the process effect. If yes, the wafer is controlled to enter the process chamber; if no, it means that TESC has not met the standard, so wait 3 seconds and determine again. At the same time, the number of repeated determinations is set in the temperature controller or controller. When the number of repeated determinations is reached and TESC still does not meet the standard, an alarm message is generated to prompt the operator that the process chamber does not meet the conditions for the execution of the process task, to prevent subsequent wafers from entering the process chamber, and to terminate the current process task in the process chamber. (A2) After the wafer enters the process chamber, the temperature control mode will continue to loop until the process task Job ends, when the triggering conditions of the temperature control mode (i.e., the part in the dashed box in Figure 4) are met. In addition, after the Job ends, the temperature controller will automatically output power to restore the ESC temperature to the target temperature (i.e., the process allowable temperature TPN), ensuring that the ESC temperature does not drop when there is no Job in the process chamber.

[0063] The trigger condition for the temperature control mode is as follows: if the ESC temperature fluctuates during Job execution, i.e., the preset fluctuation condition is met, the trigger condition is satisfied. The specific preset fluctuation condition can be found in the aforementioned embodiments, and will not be described in detail here. Furthermore, the process allowable temperature (TPN) can be set according to different process requirements, for example, 270°C.

[0064] In addition, in temperature control mode, the values ​​of ESCHigh, ESCLow, HeaterHigh, and HeaterLow are determined based on the process allowable temperature TPN. For different process recipes, the corresponding process allowable temperature TPN may be different or the same. Therefore, after the temperature controller obtains the process recipe, it needs to determine the corresponding values ​​of ESCHigh, ESCLow, HeaterHigh, and HeaterLow based on the process allowable temperature TPN.

[0065] Furthermore, for the same process recipe, after the first wafer enters the process chamber, the temperature controller obtains the corresponding process recipe and determines the corresponding ESCHigh, ESCLow, HeaterHigh, and HeaterLow values ​​based on the process allowable temperature TPN set in the process recipe. For example, in the case where a job contains two process recipes (ShutterCool and WaferRecipe), the ESCHigh, ESCLow, HeaterHigh, and HeaterLow values ​​corresponding to ShutterCool and WaferRecipe are shown in Table 1 below: Table 1 Parameter name Recipe ESCHigh Heater Low ESCLow HeaterHigh △T Process allowable temperature ShutterCool 276℃ 270℃ 274℃ 271℃ 4℃ 275℃ WaferRecipe 276℃ 265 °C 273 °C 271 °C -4 °C 275 °C Value range [TPN, TPN + 5 °C] [TPN - 10 °C, TPN] [TPN - 5 °C, TPN] [TPN - 5 °C, TPN + 5 °C] [-5 °C, 5 °C] TPN

[0066] For ease of understanding, here, according to each parameter value in Table 1 above, the specific control process of the temperature control mode (i.e., A3 to A6) is described. (A3) In the temperature control mode, the first priority condition is: determine whether the ESC temperature TESC is less than the upper limit value of the carrier temperature, that is, determine whether TESC < ESCHigh. If not, then control the heating device Heater to be in a non-heating state, that is, the thermostat does not output power, and the heating device Heater does not heat, to avoid the heating device raising the temperature and transferring more heat to the ESC; after the ESC temperature fluctuates, it will be re-judged whether the preset fluctuation condition is met. If the ESC temperature does not fluctuate, then control the heating device Heater to be in a non-heating state continuously until the ESC temperature TESC decreases and changes.

[0067] For example, as shown in Figure 6, in WaferRecipe, ESCHigh is set to 276 °C, and the effective time is the second stage in Figure 6. At this time, the ESC temperature TESC is greater than ESCHigh, so control the heating device Heater to be in a non-heating state until the end of the third stage. In the fourth stage, the temperature of the heating device THeater is less than HeaterLow. (A4) When TESC < ESCHigh, the thermostat continues to judge the second priority condition: judge whether THeater > HeaterLow is satisfied; if not, then control the heating device Heater to be in a heating state;

[0068] Specifically, in the steady state, the temperature of the heating device THeater is 10°C higher than the ESC temperature. Since HeaterLow is the lower limit temperature of the heating device Heater, regardless of whether it is during the process, the temperature of the heating device THeater is not allowed to be lower than the minimum safety temperature. When the deposition rate is slow or the deposition duration is short, the ESC and Heater will maintain a certain temperature difference and gradually cool down. If THeater is less than HeaterLow, when the chamber door is opened to transfer the wafer after the process of this wafer is completed, it will带走 ESC heat. When the next wafer starts the process, it may throw an alarm and cannot process due to the unqualified ESC temperature. The effective time of the temperature control mode is when the ESC and Heater maintain a temperature difference and cool down during the Job (regardless of whether the wafer is in the process at this time). When the Heater temperature reaches the lowest limit HeaterLow, the heating device Heater needs to be controlled to be in the heating state to restore the ESC temperature.

[0069] For example, as shown in Figure 5, the HeaterLow corresponding to ShutterCool is 270°C, and ESCHigh is 276°C. The effective time is the first one in Figure 5. At this time, the ESC temperature is less than ESCHigh, and the Heater temperature is lower than 270°C. Therefore, at this time, the heating device is controlled to be in the heating state, and the power curve jumps.

[0070] It should be noted that the heating state here refers to the power output allowed by the temperature controller. The power size depends on the PID control. Specifically, it can refer to the existing technology, and the embodiments of this application will not be elaborated in detail here. Also, when the ESC temperature fluctuates, it is necessary to re-judge whether it meets the preset fluctuation conditions, which can specifically refer to the foregoing embodiments. (A5) When TESC < ESCHigh and THeater > HeaterLow, the temperature controller continues to judge the third priority condition: whether the process chamber is in the idle state. If not, that is, when the current wafer is in the process (including the Dep and Cool processes), it is judged whether TESC - THeater is greater than the preset error △T, that is, TESC - THeater > △T. Among them, the smaller △T is, the closer the Heater heating is to the later stage of Dep; the larger △T is, the closer the Heater heating is to the early stage of Dep. The operator should set it flexibly according to the Dep duration in the process recipe. For the process recipe with a longer Dep duration, since there is more plasma accumulation, the temperature controller should be turned off earlier, and △T is set as a positive value; for the process recipe with a shorter Dep duration, since there is not much plasma energy, considering the temperature drop of the ESC during wafer change, the temperature controller should be turned off later, and △T is set to a smaller value.

[0071] Furthermore, since the plasma transfers heat to the wafer during the Dep process, the ESC temperature can be maintained entirely by the wafer's heat. Only a certain temperature difference needs to be maintained between the Heater and the ESC to prevent the Heater from cooling down. The Cool step after Dep can maintain the ESC temperature. Therefore, when TESC - THEATer > ΔT, it indicates that the Heater has been off for too long due to the ESC temperature being greater than ESCHigh, resulting in a low Heater temperature. In this case, the Heater needs to be appropriately heated to prevent the ESC from cooling down after Dep stops. Therefore, the temperature controller keeps the heating device in heating mode. When TESC - THEATer ≤ ΔT, it indicates that the Heater temperature is close to the ESC temperature. To prevent excessive heat transfer from the Heater to the ESC, the temperature controller keeps the heating device in non-heating mode. Additionally, when ESC temperature fluctuations occur, the preset fluctuation conditions are re-evaluated; please refer to the aforementioned embodiments for details.

[0072] Furthermore, regarding appropriately increasing the temperature of the Heater, this means turning on the temperature controller and using PID control to raise the target temperature to the ESC temperature reaching the TPN. However, if the temperature difference between the Heater and the ESC becomes closer before the ESC temperature reaches the TPN, the temperature controller will be turned off and the temperature will no longer be increased. Therefore, this is called appropriately increasing the temperature.

[0073] As shown in Figure 5, with ΔT set to 4℃, the activation timing is shown in ② of Figure 5. At this point, the ESC temperature is lower than ESCHigh, the Heater temperature is higher than HeaterLow, and the process is in the ShutterCool process, resulting in a temperature difference greater than 4℃. Therefore, the Heater is controlled to stop heating, and the power curve drops. It should be noted that the difference between Dep and Cool is the loading of RF ignition; other process conditions are the same. Dep time is relatively long, while Cool time is very short, only 5s or even 3s. This can be seen in the slight fluctuations of the ESC temperature for each chip in Figure 5. (A6) When the process chamber is in an idle state (neither in the Dep nor in the cool state), there is no longer plasma transferring heat to the ESC. The temperature controller determines whether the ESC temperature is greater than ESCLow, i.e., TESC > ESCLow. If not, considering that the process chamber may remain idle for a long time and the next wafer may enter the process chamber at any time, the temperature controller controls the heating device to be in heating mode to keep the ESC temperature above a safe value. When the ESC temperature fluctuates, it is re-evaluated whether the preset fluctuation condition is met. For details, please refer to the aforementioned embodiment.

[0074] If TESC > ESCLow, then it further determines whether the Heater temperature is greater than HeaterHigh. If so, i.e., TESC > HeaterHigh, and the heating device temperature rises at this time, due to lag, the newly arrived wafer will experience severe temperature accumulation when it begins to die. Therefore, to avoid the heating temperature rising during short periods of idle time, the temperature controller keeps the heating device in a non-heating state. If not, i.e., when TESC ≤ HeaterHigh, to prevent the ESC temperature from dropping during idle time, which would cause the next wafer to arrive with an insufficient ESC temperature for processing, the temperature controller keeps the heating device in a heating state. It should be noted that when ESC temperature fluctuations occur, the preset fluctuation conditions are re-evaluated; please refer to the aforementioned embodiment for details.

[0075] As shown in Figure 6, WaferRecipe sets ESCLow to 273℃ and HeaterHigh to 271℃. It takes effect at point ⑤ in Figure 6. At this time, since ShutterCool ends, the ESC temperature briefly rises after the airflow stops. The ESC temperature is lower than ESCHigh but higher than ESCLow. The Heater temperature is higher than HeaterLow and higher than HeaterHigh. Therefore, the Heater is controlled to stop heating, and the power curve drops. After point ⑤ ends, WaferRecipe is executed. The temperature difference is greater than -4℃, so the Heater is controlled to remain unheated.

[0076] It should be noted that Figures 5 and 6 are temperature change data based on time. The upper and lower halves share the same horizontal axis but not the same vertical axis. The horizontal axis is time t (s). The unit of the upper half is temperature (°C), while the lower half includes both power (W) and ΔT (°C). In addition, for the upper half, the TESC curve represents the temperature change curve of the ESC. The goal of the temperature control mode is to reduce the temperature difference of the TESC within the chip and the job. The THEATer curve represents the temperature change curve of the Heater, which affects the ESC temperature.

[0077] In the lower half of the graph, curve L1 represents the output power curve of the thermostat. Periods without lines represent periods where the thermostat has no output and does not heat the heater; periods with lines represent periods where the thermostat outputs power as shown on the vertical axis and heats the heater. Curve L2 represents the output mode of the thermostat; the value is 0 when the thermostat outputs in automatic mode, and 35 when the thermostat outputs in temperature control mode. The ΔT curve represents the curve corresponding to the temperature difference. Additionally, the dashed horizontal lines are reference curves, corresponding to the values ​​of the parameters set in the Recipe; the dashed separators are reference curves aligned with the temperature values ​​at each time point.

[0078] Furthermore, when the TPN is 270℃, the PID parameters are 17, 100, and 100 respectively, and the ESC temperature is controlled according to the relevant technical solution shown in Figure 2, the temperature change of ESC is shown in Figure 7. In this figure, the TESC curve represents the temperature change curve of ESC, the THEATE curve represents the temperature change curve of Heater, and curve L1 represents the output power curve of the temperature controller. At this time, the temperature difference of a job during temperature control is 20℃, the highest temperature is 281℃, and the lowest temperature is 261℃; the maximum temperature difference of a wafer is 274℃-261℃=13℃.

[0079] When using the temperature control mode of this application embodiment, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the maximum temperature difference of a job is 7.5°C, with the highest temperature being 279°C and the lowest temperature being 272.5°C; the maximum temperature difference of a wafer is 279°C - 272.5°C = 6.5°C. Therefore, by using the temperature control mode, the problem of excessive wafer temperature difference is greatly improved, and the uniformity of the deposited film is enhanced.

[0080] Therefore, in the temperature control mode, by controlling the state of the heating device Heater, the temperature of ESC is stabilized between ESC Low and ESC High, and the temperature of the heating device Heater is stabilized between Heater Low and Heater High. This avoids the wafer temperature accumulation phenomenon caused by temperature fluctuations of the wafer carrier device, improves the problem of excessive temperature difference of the wafer during the process, and improves the uniformity of the deposited thin film.

[0081] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, when the operator manually exits the temperature control mode or the process chamber is not in the job environment, the temperature controller controls the process chamber to exit the temperature control mode. After exiting the temperature control mode, the controller automatically outputs power based on the ESC temperature and PID control to restore the ESC temperature. This ensures that the ESC does not drop in temperature when there is no process task, so that the next wafer can be transferred in and the process can proceed normally. This, in turn, ensures the process efficiency and process effect of the semiconductor process equipment. Example 3

[0082] This application also provides a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, as shown in FIG8. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 200 may include a process chamber 20, an air intake assembly 20A, an upper electrode assembly 20B and a lower electrode assembly 20C, an air extraction assembly 20D, and a controller (not shown in FIG8). The controller includes at least one processor and at least one memory, the memory storing a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, implements the method of any of the above embodiments.

[0083] For example, the controller can be a host computer or a slave computer. The controller can introduce the corresponding process gas into the process chamber 20 by controlling the opening of the valve of the air intake assembly 20A; the controller can also control the flow rate of the process gas by controlling the opening degree of the valve of the air intake assembly 20A. The controller can also control the evacuation assembly 20D to evacuate the process chamber 20, for example, by controlling the valve opening degree of the evacuation assembly 20D or the speed of the evacuation pump, to control the pressure inside the process chamber 20 and remove reaction byproducts.

[0084] The upper electrode assembly 20B may include an RF coil 21, an upper RF power supply 23, and an upper matching unit 25. The controller is also used to control the upper RF power supply 23 to provide RF power to the RF coil 21 through the upper matching unit 25, so that the RF coil 21 excites the process gas inside the process chamber 20 to generate plasma.

[0085] The lower electrode assembly 20C may include a wafer carrier 22, a lower RF power supply 24, and a lower matching unit 26. The controller is also used to control the lower RF power supply 24 to provide RF power to the wafer carrier 22 via the lower matching unit 26 to provide RF bias. The wafer carrier 22 may be, for example, an electrostatic chuck, a mechanical chuck, or a vacuum suction chuck.

[0086] In addition, a heating device (not shown in Figure 8) is provided below the wafer carrier 22. The heating device contains a heating wire. When the controller controls the heating wire to heat, the heating device conducts heat to the wafer carrier 22 through the back-blowing air path. For details, please refer to the prior art; the embodiments of this application will not be described in detail here.

[0087] The semiconductor process equipment 200 in this application embodiment can be either an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) device or a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) device. This application embodiment does not limit the type of semiconductor process equipment 200.

[0088] The semiconductor process equipment provided in this application has the same technical features as the temperature control method for the wafer carrier device provided in the above embodiments, so it can also solve the same technical problems and achieve the same technical effects.

[0089] This embodiment also provides a machine-readable storage medium storing machine-executable instructions. When the machine-executable instructions are called and executed by a processor, the machine-executable instructions cause the processor to implement the above-described temperature control method for the wafer carrier device.

[0090] The computer program product for the wafer carrier temperature control method and semiconductor process equipment provided in this application includes a computer-readable storage medium storing program code. The instructions included in the program code can be used to execute the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. For specific implementation details, please refer to the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0091] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working process of the system and device described above can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0092] Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection via an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0093] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a processor-executable, non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, optical disks, and other media capable of storing program code.

[0094] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. In addition, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0095] Finally, it should be noted that the above-described embodiments are merely specific implementations of this application, used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and not to limit them. The scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that any person skilled in the art can still modify or easily conceive of changes to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features; and these modifications, changes, or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be covered within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of protection of the claims.

[0096] 11: Base Lifting Mechanism 12: Heater base 13: Wafer carrier device 14: Wafer 15: Plasma 16: Thermostat 20: Process Chamber 20A: Intake assembly 20B: Upper electrode assembly 20C: Lower electrode assembly 20D: Air extraction assembly 21: Radio Frequency Coil 22: Wafer carrier device 23: Upgrade RF power supply 24: Lower RF power supply 25: Upper Matcher 26: Lower Matcher 171: Feedback Loop 172: Output circuit 200: Semiconductor manufacturing equipment L1: Curve L2: Curve S302: Steps S304: Steps S306: Steps TESC: Curve Theeater: Curve △T: Curve

Claims

1. A method for temperature control of a wafer carrier device, wherein a process chamber includes a heating device and the wafer carrier device, the heating device heating the wafer via the wafer carrier device; wherein, The method includes: when the process chamber performs a process task, acquiring a first temperature of the wafer carrier; determining whether the first temperature meets a preset fluctuation condition; if the first temperature meets the preset fluctuation condition, controlling the process chamber to perform the process task according to a temperature control mode, wherein determining whether the first temperature meets the preset fluctuation condition includes: calculating the difference between two or more adjacent first temperatures within a specified time period backward from the current time, and comparing the difference with a preset difference threshold; in the temperature control mode, acquiring a second temperature of the wafer carrier and a heating temperature of the heating device, and controlling the heating device according to the second temperature, the heating temperature, and the preset temperature threshold to keep the temperature of the wafer carrier stable; wherein the preset temperature threshold is determined according to the process allowable temperature corresponding to the process task.

2. The method as described in request item 1, wherein, The preset temperature threshold includes: the upper limit of the bearing temperature corresponding to the wafer carrier device; the step of controlling the heating device according to the second temperature, the heating temperature and the preset temperature threshold includes: determining whether the second temperature is less than the upper limit of the bearing temperature; if not, controlling the heating device to be in a non-heating state.

3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein, The preset temperature threshold also includes: the lower limit of the heating temperature corresponding to the heating device; the step of controlling the heating device according to the second temperature, the heating temperature and the preset temperature threshold includes: when the second temperature is less than the upper limit of the bearing temperature, determining whether the heating temperature is greater than the lower limit of the heating temperature; if not, controlling the heating device to be in a heating state.

4. The method as described in request item 3, wherein, The steps of controlling the heating device based on the second temperature, the heating temperature, and the preset temperature threshold include: when the heating temperature is greater than the lower limit of the heating temperature, determining whether the process chamber is in an idle state; if not, calculating the temperature difference between the second temperature and the heating temperature, and when the temperature difference is greater than a preset error, controlling the heating device to be in a heating state; or, when the temperature difference is not greater than the preset error, controlling the heating device to be in a non-heating state.

5. The method as described in request item 4, wherein, The preset temperature threshold also includes: the lower limit of the bearing temperature corresponding to the wafer carrier device; the step of controlling the heating device according to the second temperature, the heating temperature and the preset temperature threshold includes: when the process chamber is in the idle state, determining whether the second temperature is greater than the lower limit of the bearing temperature; if not, controlling the heating device to be in the heating state.

6. The method as described in claim 5, wherein, The preset temperature threshold also includes: the upper limit of the heating temperature corresponding to the heating device; the step of controlling the heating device according to the second temperature, the heating temperature and the preset temperature threshold includes: when the second temperature is greater than the lower limit of the bearing temperature, determining whether the heating temperature is greater than the upper limit of the heating temperature; if so, controlling the heating device to be in a non-heating state.

7. The method as described in claim 6, wherein, The steps of controlling the heating device based on the second temperature, the heating temperature, and the preset temperature threshold include: if the heating temperature is not greater than the upper limit of the heating temperature, controlling the heating device to be in a heating state.

8. The method as described in request item 1, wherein, Before the step of determining that the first temperature meets the preset fluctuation condition, the method further includes: obtaining multiple first temperatures within the specified time period including the current moment; if the first difference between any two adjacent first temperatures among the multiple first temperatures is less than a first preset difference threshold, then determining that the first temperature at the current moment meets the preset fluctuation condition.

9. The method as described in claim 8, wherein, Before the step of determining that the first temperature meets the preset fluctuation condition, the method further includes: obtaining the first temperature at the current moment and calculating a second difference between the first temperature at the current moment and the first temperature at the previous moment; if the second difference is less than a second preset difference threshold, then determining that the first temperature at the current moment meets the preset fluctuation condition.

10. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, Before the step of performing the process task in the process chamber, the method further includes: obtaining a third temperature of the wafer carrier; if the third temperature meets a preset temperature range, controlling the wafer to enter the process chamber so that the process chamber performs the process task to process the wafer; wherein the preset temperature range is determined according to the process allowable temperature.

11. The method as described in claim 10, wherein, The method further includes: if the third temperature does not meet the preset temperature range, then after a preset interval, the third temperature is reacquired, and it is determined whether the reacquired third temperature meets the preset temperature range; and, the number of determinations is obtained, and when the number of determinations reaches a preset number, if the third temperature still does not meet the preset temperature range, an alarm message is generated to prompt the operator that the process chamber does not meet the process task execution conditions.

12. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: when the shutdown operation of the temperature control mode is detected, controlling the process chamber to exit the temperature control mode.

13. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: when the process chamber completes the process task, controlling the process chamber to exit the temperature control mode.

14. The method as described in claim 12 or 13, wherein, The method further includes: when the process chamber exits the temperature control mode, obtaining the fourth temperature of the wafer carrier at this time; controlling the heating device to be in a heating state until the fourth temperature reaches the process allowable temperature.

15. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising a process chamber and a controller; wherein, The process chamber includes a heating device and a wafer carrier for holding a wafer, and the heating device heats the wafer via the wafer carrier; the controller includes at least one processor and at least one memory, the memory storing a computer program that, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, performs the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

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