Temperature control method for wafer bearing apparatus, and semiconductor process device

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a temperature control method for a wafer bearing apparatus, and a semiconductor process device. The method comprises: when a process chamber executes a process task, acquiring a first temperature of a wafer bearing apparatus; if the first temperature meets a preset fluctuation condition, controlling the process chamber to execute the process task according to a temperature control mode; and in the temperature control mode, on the basis of a second temperature, a heating temperature and a preset temperature threshold value, controlling a heating apparatus, so as to keep the temperature of the wafer bearing apparatus stable. In the control method, during the process of the process chamber executing the process task, when the first temperature of the wafer bearing apparatus meets the preset fluctuation condition, the heating apparatus is controlled by means of the temperature control mode, such that the temperature of the wafer bearing apparatus is kept stable, thereby avoiding the phenomenon of wafer temperature accumulation caused by temperature fluctuations of the wafer bearing apparatus, mitigating the problem of an excessively large temperature difference of a wafer during the process, and improving the uniformity of a deposited thin film.

Description

Temperature control method for wafer carrier and semiconductor process equipment Technical Field

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

[0002] In the integrated circuit chip 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. PVD offers higher plasma concentrations, enabling excellent deposition efficiency, greater film thickness, and more precise compositional control. However, the uniformity of the film is significantly affected by temperature; temperature fluctuations can lead to inconsistent film densities between different deposited wafers. Therefore, maintaining temperature stability for each wafer during the deposition process is critical to 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 process. This results in excessive temperature differences within the wafer, reducing the uniformity of the deposited 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. A process chamber includes a heating device and a wafer carrier device, with the heating device heating 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 the heating temperature of the heating device, and controlling the heating device based on 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 based on the process-allowed 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 based on 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 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.

[0009] In some embodiments, the preset temperature threshold further includes: a lower 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: when the process chamber is in an idle state, determining whether the second temperature is greater than the lower limit value 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 for 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 based on 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 an alarm message to prompt the operator that the process chamber does not meet the conditions for executing the process task.

[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 has completed 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; and 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 process apparatus, including a process chamber and a controller; wherein, the process 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 run 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:

[0022] This application provides a temperature control method for a wafer carrier device and semiconductor process equipment. When the first temperature of the wafer carrier device meets the preset fluctuation conditions during the execution of process tasks in the process chamber, the heating device is controlled by the temperature control mode to keep the temperature of the wafer carrier device stable. 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.

[0023] Other features and advantages of this application will be set forth in the following description and will be apparent in part 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 accompanying drawings.

[0024] 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. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of this application or 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.

[0026] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of controlling wafer heating in a PVD chamber of a related technology;

[0027] Figure 2 is a flowchart of the temperature control process for wafers in related technologies;

[0028] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a temperature control method for a wafer carrier device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 4 is a flowchart of another temperature control method for a wafer carrier device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 5 is an illustration of the parameter activation mechanism of each stage of the ShutterCooler heating process provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0031] Figure 6 is an illustration of the parameter activation mechanism of WaferRecipe at each stage of heating provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of ESC temperature change in a prior art solution provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor process equipment provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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), the wafer 14 is placed on the wafer carrier device 13, and 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 will not be described in detail in the embodiments of this application.

[0036] 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 a 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 through a 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 through an output loop 172. This allows the heating power of the heating wire to be controlled according to the current output value, thereby controlling the temperature transmitted from the wafer carrier 13 to the wafer 14, and ultimately achieving temperature control of the wafer.

[0037] 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. Furthermore, a large amount of plasma 15 is generated during the deposition stage. The plasma contains a large amount of energy, and when deposited onto the wafer 14, the wafer 14 will experience temperature accumulation. Temperature accumulation 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 deposition 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.

[0038] To facilitate understanding, we will use the ESC as an example and explain the cause of temperature accumulation 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 ESC temperature 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 to make the heating wire continue heating, thereby controlling the ESC temperature until the ESC temperature reaches the target temperature.

[0039] Therefore, during the aforementioned temperature control process, when the wafer is first moved into the chamber, its low temperature will cause a brief drop in the ESC temperature. At this point, the following occurs: ① The current ESC temperature is less than the target temperature, so the temperature controller outputs a large power, the heating wire turns on and heats the wafer. After a period of output, the ESC is heated to the target temperature by the heat from the Heater base. At this point, the Heater base stops heating, but residual heat is still transferred to the ESC via the back-blowing air path. Combined with plasma deposition, this causes 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 satisfies the condition that the current ESC temperature is less than the target temperature. At this point, the Heater base starts heating again. However, since it takes time for temperature to be transferred from the Heater base to the ESC, the ESC temperature continues to decrease in a short period. When the ESC starts to heat up again, process ① repeats. Ultimately, this results in a wafer experiencing a large temperature difference during the process, i.e., accumulated temperature, which affects the wafer's processing quality.

[0040] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a temperature control method for a wafer carrier device and semiconductor process equipment. When the first temperature of the wafer carrier device meets the preset fluctuation conditions during the execution of process tasks in the process chamber, the heating device is controlled through a temperature control mode to keep the temperature of the wafer carrier device stable, thereby avoiding the wafer temperature accumulation phenomenon caused by temperature fluctuations 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.

[0041] To facilitate understanding of this embodiment, the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below.

[0042] Example 1

[0043] 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 refer to existing process chambers, and will not be described in detail here.

[0044] 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 semiconductor process equipment. This application embodiment does not limit the description in this regard.

[0045] 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:

[0046] Step S302: When the process chamber performs a process task, the first temperature of the wafer carrier device is obtained;

[0047] 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 it 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.

[0048] Step S304: If the first temperature meets the preset fluctuation conditions, control the process chamber to execute the process task according to the temperature control mode.

[0049] 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 regulated; 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 control unit. 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 adjusts the ESC temperature through the temperature control mode, preventing wafer overheating and ensuring the quality of wafer processing.

[0050] 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 execution of the process task. In this case, it is difficult for the wafer to accumulate temperature, so there is no need to regulate the temperature of the ESC. That is, at this time, the temperature controller controls the heating device according to the existing PID parameters and the first temperature until the process task is completed. The specific process of determining the power of the heating wire based on the existing PID parameters and the first temperature can be found in the prior art, and will not be described in detail in the embodiments of this application.

[0051] Furthermore, regarding the determination of whether the first temperature meets the preset fluctuation conditions, one method 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 a first preset difference threshold, then the first temperature at the current moment is determined to meet the preset fluctuation conditions.

[0052] 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. For example, if the specified time period is 5, the multiple first temperatures are: T i-4 T i-3 T i-2 T i-1 and T i Among them, T i T is the first temperature at the current moment. i-1 The temperature controller obtains multiple first temperatures within a specified time period, starting with the first temperature from the previous moment. Then, it calculates the first difference between any two adjacent first temperatures, resulting in multiple first differences. If all these first differences are less than a first preset difference threshold, the current first temperature is determined to meet a preset fluctuation condition. This method ensures 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] The preset temperature threshold is determined based on the allowable temperature of the process 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.

[0057] In one embodiment, the preset temperature thresholds include: an upper limit value (ESCHigh) and a lower limit value (ESCLow) for the carrier temperature corresponding to the wafer carrier ESC, and an upper limit value (HeaterHigh) and a lower limit value (HeaterLow) for the heating device; in practical applications, each preset temperature threshold is determined based on the process allowable temperature T. PN Settings; where the upper limit of the carrying temperature, ESCHigh, ranges from [T] PN T PN +5℃], the range of the lower limit value of the load-bearing temperature ESCLow is [T PN -5℃, T PN The upper limit value of heating temperature, HeaterHigh, ranges from [T] to [T]. PN -5℃, T PN +5℃], the range of the lower limit of the heating temperature, HeaterLow, is [TPN -10℃, T PN The specific values ​​of ESCHigh, ESCLow, HeaterHigh, and HeaterLow can be set according to the actual situation.

[0058] For ease of explanation, the second temperature of ESC is defined as T2, and the heating temperature is defined as T. Heater 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:

[0059] (1) Determine whether the second temperature is less than the upper limit of the bearing 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 avoid the heating device heating up and transferring more heat to ESC, which would cause the ESC temperature to be unable to dissipate, resulting in the wafer accumulating temperature.

[0060] (2) When the second temperature is less than the upper limit of the bearing temperature, determine whether the heating temperature is greater than the lower limit of the heating temperature; if not, control the heating device to be in the heating state.

[0061] Specifically, when T2 < ESCHigh, the temperature controller continues to determine whether the heating temperature is greater than the lower limit of the heating temperature, i.e., whether the T2 condition is met. Heater >HeaterLow, if not, i.e., T Heater If the temperature is ≤ HeaterLow, the temperature controller will keep the heating device in heating mode. In practical applications, regardless of whether the process is in progress, the temperature of the heating device must not fall below the minimum safe temperature (i.e., the lower limit of the heating temperature, HeaterLow). This is because when the deposition rate is slow or the deposition time is short, the ESC and the heating device will maintain a certain temperature difference and gradually cool down. If the heating temperature T... Heater If the temperature is below the lower limit of the heating temperature (HeaterLow), the ESC heat will be carried away when the process chamber door is opened for wafer transfer after the wafer process is completed. When the next wafer starts its process, it may trigger an alarm due to the ESC temperature not meeting the standard, preventing the process from proceeding. Therefore, when T... Heater When the temperature is ≤HeaterLow, the temperature controller keeps the heating device in heating mode to increase the ESC temperature, thereby ensuring that the subsequent wafer can perform the process normally.

[0062] (3) When the heating temperature is greater than the lower limit 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.

[0063] Specifically, when T2 < ESCHigh, and T Heater >When HeaterLow is reached, determine if the process chamber is in an idle state. If not, it indicates that the wafer is currently in the process phase. At this time, calculate the temperature difference (T2 - T) between the second temperature and the heating temperature. Heater And when the temperature difference is greater than the preset error △T, i.e., T2-T Heater When the temperature difference is greater than ΔT, it indicates that the heating device temperature is too low. The temperature controller keeps the heating device in heating mode to appropriately raise the temperature and prevent ESC from cooling down after the process is completed. Conversely, when the temperature difference is not greater than the preset error, i.e., T2-T... Heater When the temperature is ≤△T, it means that the temperature of the heating device is close to ESC. In order to prevent the heating device from over-heating ESC, the temperature controller controls the heating device to be in a non-heating state at this time.

[0064] It should be noted that the preset error ΔT ranges from -5℃ to 5℃. The smaller the ΔT, the closer the heating process is to the later stage of Dep (Dielectric Enhancement Process, Metal Vapor Deposition); the larger the ΔT, the closer the heating process is to the early stage of Dep. In practical applications, the value of ΔT needs to be flexibly set according to the Dep duration in the process recipe. For example, for process recipes with a longer Dep duration, due to the greater plasma accumulation, the temperature controller should be turned off as early as possible, and ΔT should be set to a positive value, for example. For process recipes with a shorter Dep duration, due to the less plasma energy, considering the temperature drop of ESC during wafer replacement, the temperature controller should be turned off later, and ΔT should be set to a smaller value, for example. The specific value of ΔT can be set according to the actual situation.

[0065] (4) When the process chamber is in an idle state, determine whether the second temperature is greater than the lower limit of the bearing temperature; if not, control the heating device to be in a heating state.

[0066] Specifically, when the process chamber is in an idle state, it means 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 of the bearing temperature. If not, that is, T2≤ESCLow, considering that the process chamber may be in an idle state 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 the heating state at this time so that the temperature of the ESC is above the safe value, that is, T2>ESCLow.

[0067] (5) When the second temperature is greater than the lower limit of the bearing temperature, determine whether the heating temperature is greater than the upper limit of the heating temperature; if so, control the heating device to be in a non-heating state.

[0068] When T2 > ESCLow, it indicates that the temperature of ESC is above the safe value; at this time, the temperature controller continues to determine whether the heating temperature is greater than the upper limit of the heating temperature. If so, that is, T... Heater >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 begins to die. Therefore, in order to avoid the heating temperature from rising during short periods of idle time, the temperature controller controls the heating device to be in a non-heating state.

[0069] In addition, if the heating temperature does not exceed the upper limit of the heating temperature, that is, when T Heater When the temperature is ≤HeaterHigh, in order to prevent the ESC temperature from dropping during idle state, which would cause the ESC temperature to be below standard and prevent the next wafer from being processed, the temperature controller keeps the heating device in heating state.

[0070] 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 fluctuations, improving the problem of excessive temperature difference of the wafer in the process, and improving the uniformity of the deposited film.

[0071] In one embodiment, before 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.

[0072] Specifically, before the wafer enters the process chamber, the temperature controller needs to determine whether the ESC temperature has reached the preset temperature range. Here, the ESC temperature before the wafer enters the process chamber is referred to as the third temperature, and the preset temperature range is based on the process allowable temperature T. PN Determine, for example, [T] PN -5℃, T PN 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.

[0073] 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 the preset number, if the third temperature still does not meet the preset temperature range, an alarm message is generated to remind the operator that the process chamber does not meet the conditions for executing the process task.

[0074] 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 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 whether it meets the preset temperature range. 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 the wafer in a process chamber that does not meet the conditions for executing the process task, thereby ensuring the quality of the wafer processing.

[0075] 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 includes 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.

[0076] In another exit mode, when the process chamber completes its process task, the temperature control chamber exits the temperature control mode. That is, when the temperature controller detects that the process chamber is no longer in the process task (Job) environment, it controls the process chamber to exit the temperature control mode and operates according to the corresponding mode or environment, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the process chamber.

[0077] Furthermore, the method also includes: when the process chamber exits the temperature control mode, acquiring 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.

[0078] 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 mode until the fourth temperature reaches the process allowable temperature T. PNThis restores the temperature of the ESC, ensuring that the ESC does not drop in temperature when there are no process tasks in the process chamber. This allows the next wafer to be transferred in and the process to proceed normally, thereby ensuring the process efficiency and effect of the semiconductor process equipment.

[0079] It should be noted that the first temperature, second temperature, third temperature, and fourth temperature mentioned above are only used to distinguish the temperature T of the wafer carrier device in different stages. ESC Heating temperature T Heater It is used only to characterize the temperature of the heating device.

[0080] Example 2

[0081] Based on the above method embodiments, this application also provides another temperature control method for a wafer carrier device. This method focuses on describing how a two-stage temperature-controlled wafer carrier device (ESC) achieves temperature stability during wafer deposition through temperature difference control logic. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes the following steps:

[0082] (A1) First, before the wafer enters the process chamber, it is necessary to determine the ESC temperature T. ESC Has the allowable process temperature T been reached? PN Within ±5℃, determine whether |T ESC -T PN The purpose of this judgment, which is to check the temperature below 5℃, is to avoid the ESC temperature T. ESC Insufficient or excessive wafer movement within this range will affect the process performance. If so, control the wafer's entry into the process chamber; otherwise, it indicates T... ESC If the standard is not met, wait 3 seconds and check again. Simultaneously, set the number of repetitions in the temperature controller or control unit. When the repetition count is reached, T... ESC If the requirements are still not met, an alarm message will be generated to alert the operator that the process chamber does not meet the conditions for executing the process task, so as to prevent subsequent wafers from entering the process chamber and terminate the current process task in the process chamber.

[0083] (A2) After the wafer enters the process chamber, until the process job ends, the temperature control mode will continuously cycle when the triggering conditions of the temperature control mode (i.e., the part within the dashed box in Figure 4) are met. In addition, after the job ends, the temperature controller automatically outputs power to restore the ESC temperature to the target temperature (i.e., the process allowable temperature T). PN This ensures that the ESC temperature does not drop when there is no job in the process chamber.

[0084] The trigger condition for the temperature control mode is as follows: if the ESC temperature fluctuates during Job execution, i.e., a 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 detailed further in this application. Furthermore, the process allowable temperature T...PN The temperature is set according to different process requirements; for example, it is 270℃.

[0085] In addition, in temperature control mode, based on the process allowable temperature T PN Determine the values ​​of ESCHigh, ESCLow, HeaterHigh, and HeaterLow, and for different process formulations, determine the corresponding allowable process temperature TP. N They may be different or the same, therefore, after obtaining the process formula, the temperature controller needs to determine the allowable process temperature T. PN Determine the corresponding values ​​for ESCHigh, ESCLow, HeaterHigh, and HeaterLow.

[0086] 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 allowable process temperature T set in the process recipe. PN Determine the corresponding values ​​for ESCHigh, ESCLow, HeaterHigh, and HeaterLow. For example, in the case where a Job contains two process recipes (ShutterCool and WaferRecipe), the corresponding ESCHigh, ESCLow, HeaterHigh, and HeaterLow values ​​for ShutterCool and WaferRecipe are shown in Table 1 below:

[0087] Table 1

[0088] To facilitate understanding, the specific control process of the temperature control mode (i.e., A3 to A6) is explained here based on the parameter values ​​in Table 1 above.

[0089] (A3) In temperature control mode, the first priority condition is: determine the ESC temperature T. ESC Whether it is less than the upper limit of the load-bearing temperature, i.e., judging T ESC If ESC < High, then the heating element (Heater) will be in a non-heating state, meaning the thermostat will not output power and the heating element will not heat up to avoid transferring more heat to ESC. If the ESC temperature fluctuates, the system will re-evaluate whether the preset fluctuation conditions are met. If the ESC temperature does not fluctuate, the heating element (Heater) will remain in a non-heating state until the ESC temperature reaches T. ESC The change is downward.

[0090] For example, as shown in Figure 6, in WaferRecipe, ESCHigh is set to 276℃, and the effective time is stage ② in Figure 6. At this time, the ESC temperature T ESCThe temperature T is greater than ESCHigh, therefore the heating device Heater is kept in a non-heating state until the end of stage ③. In stage ④, the temperature T of the heating device... Heater Less than HeaterLow.

[0091] (A4) When TESC < ESCHigh, the temperature controller continues to determine the second priority condition: whether T is satisfied. Heater > HeaterLow; if not, then control the heating device Heater to be in heating mode;

[0092] Specifically, under steady-state conditions, the temperature T of the heating device Heater It will be 10°C higher than the ESC temperature. Since HeaterLow is the lower limit temperature of the heating device's Heater, the heating device temperature T will remain constant regardless of whether it is during the process. Heater Neither temperature should be allowed to fall below the minimum safe temperature. Because when the deposition rate is slow or the deposition time is short, the ESC and Heater will maintain a certain temperature difference and gradually cool down. If T... Heater If the temperature is below HeaterLow, the chamber will open and transfer wafers after the wafer process is completed, which will remove the heat from the ESC. When the next wafer starts the process, it may trigger an alarm and prevent the process from starting because the ESC temperature is not up to standard. The temperature control mode takes effect when the ESC and Heater are kept at a temperature difference during the job (regardless of whether the wafer is being processed at this time). When the Heater temperature reaches the minimum limit HeaterLow, the heating device Heater needs to be kept in heating mode to restore the ESC temperature.

[0093] For example, as shown in Figure 5, the HeaterLow corresponding to ShutterCool is 270℃ and the ESCHigh is 276℃. The activation time is ① in Figure 5. At this time, the ESC temperature is lower than the ESCHigh temperature and the Heater temperature is lower than 270℃. Therefore, the heating device is in heating mode at this time, and the power curve jumps up.

[0094] It should be noted that the heating state here refers to the allowable output power of the temperature controller. The power level depends on the PID control, and specific details can be found in existing technologies. These details will not be elaborated upon here. Furthermore, when an ESC temperature fluctuation occurs, a re-evaluation is performed to determine whether the preset fluctuation condition is met; specific details can be found in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0095] (A5) When T ESC <ESCHigh, and, T Heater >When HeaterLow is reached, the temperature controller continues to determine the third priority condition: whether the process chamber is in an idle state. If not, meaning the current wafer is in the process of being processed (including Dep and Cool processes), then it determines T. ESC -THeater Is it greater than the preset error △T, i.e., T? ESC -T Heater >△T. Where △T is smaller, the Heater heats closer to the later stage of Dep; △T is larger, the Heater heats closer to the early stage of Dep. Operators should flexibly set this according to the Dep duration in the process recipe. For process recipes with longer Dep durations, due to greater plasma accumulation, the temperature controller should be turned off as early as possible, and △T should be set to a positive value. For process recipes with shorter Dep durations, due to less plasma energy, and considering the temperature drop of the ESC during wafer replacement, the temperature controller should be turned off later, and △T should be set to a smaller value.

[0096] Furthermore, since the plasma transfers heat to the wafer during the Dep process, the ESC temperature can be entirely maintained 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 T... ESC -T Heater When T > ΔT, it indicates that the Heater has been off for too long due to the ESC temperature being higher than ESCHigh, resulting in a low Heater temperature. In this case, the Heater needs to be appropriately heated to prevent the ESC from being cooled down by the Heater after Dep stops. Therefore, the temperature controller keeps the heating device in heating mode. When T ESC -T Heater When the temperature is ≤△T, it indicates that the Heater temperature is close to the ESC. To prevent the Heater from transferring excessive heat to the ESC, the thermostat controls the heating device to be in a non-heating state. Furthermore, when the ESC temperature fluctuates, it re-evaluates whether the preset fluctuation conditions are met; for details, please refer to the aforementioned embodiment.

[0097] Additionally, regarding appropriately increasing the heater temperature, this means activating the temperature controller, with PID control to raise the target temperature to the ESC temperature T. PN However, when the ESC temperature reaches T... PN Previously, if the temperature difference between the Heater and the ESC narrowed, the temperature controller would shut off and the temperature would no longer rise; hence, this was called appropriate heating.

[0098] 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, with 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 application of RF ignition; other process conditions are the same. The Dep time is relatively long, while the Cool time is very short, only 5s or even 3s. This can be seen in the subtle fluctuations of the ESC temperature for each chip in Figure 5.

[0099] (A6) When the process chamber is in an idle state (neither in the Dep nor in the cool state), there is no longer any plasma in the process chamber transferring heat to the ESC. The temperature controller determines whether the ESC temperature is greater than ESCLow, i.e., it determines T. ESC >ESCLow, if not, considering that the process chamber may be 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 the safe value. When the ESC temperature fluctuates, it is re-evaluated whether the preset fluctuation condition is met. For details, please refer to the above embodiment.

[0100] If T ESC If >ESCLow, then further determine whether the Heater temperature is greater than HeaterHigh. If so, that is, T Heater >HeaterHigh: If the heating device temperature rises at this time, due to hysteresis, 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. Otherwise, when T... Heater When the temperature is ≤ HeaterHigh, to prevent the ESC temperature from dropping during idle periods and causing the next wafer to be unable to pass the process due to insufficient ESC temperature, the temperature controller keeps the heating device in heating mode. It should be noted that when ESC temperature fluctuations occur, the preset fluctuation conditions are re-evaluated; please refer to the aforementioned embodiments for details.

[0101] 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, because 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.

[0102] It should be noted that Figures 5 and 6 are both time-based temperature change data graphs. The upper and lower halves share the same horizontal axis but not the same vertical axis. The horizontal axis represents time t (s), the unit for the upper half is temperature (°C), and the lower half includes both power (W) and ΔT (°C). Furthermore, for the upper half, T... ESC The curve represents the temperature change curve of ESC. The goal of the temperature control mode is to control T. ESCThe temperature difference within the film and job decreases; T Heater The curve represents the temperature change curve of the Heater, which affects the ESC temperature.

[0103] 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. When the thermostat outputs in automatic mode, the value is 0; when the thermostat outputs in temperature control mode, the value is 35. 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 vertical lines are reference curves, aligned with the temperature values ​​at each time point.

[0104] Furthermore, when T PN When the temperature of the ESC is set to 270℃, and the PID parameters are 17, 100, and 100, and the temperature is controlled according to the relevant technical solution shown in Figure 2, the temperature change of the ESC is shown in Figure 7. Here, T... ESC The curve represents the temperature change curve of ESC, T Heater The curve represents the temperature change curve of the 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℃.

[0105] 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, the temperature control mode greatly improves the problem of excessive wafer temperature difference and improves the uniformity of the deposited film.

[0106] 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.

[0107] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, when the operator manually exits the temperature control mode or the process chamber is not in a 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.

[0108] Example 3

[0109] This application also provides a semiconductor process apparatus, as shown in FIG8. The semiconductor process apparatus 200 may include a process chamber 20, an inlet assembly 20A, an upper electrode assembly 20B and a lower electrode assembly 20C, an exhaust 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.

[0110] For example, the controller can be a host computer or a slave computer. The controller can open the valve of the air inlet assembly 20A to introduce the corresponding process gas into the process chamber 20; the controller can also control the flow rate of the process gas by controlling the opening degree of the valve of the air inlet assembly 20A. The controller can also control the air extraction assembly 20D to evacuate the process chamber 20, for example, by controlling the valve opening degree of the air extraction assembly 20D or the speed of the air extraction pump, to control the pressure inside the process chamber 20 and remove reaction byproducts.

[0111] 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.

[0112] 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 configured to control the lower RF power supply 24 to provide RF power to the wafer carrier 22 through 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.

[0113] 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.

[0114] 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.

[0115] 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.

[0116] 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.

[0117] 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.

[0118] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working process of the system and apparatus described above can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0119] 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 through 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.

[0120] 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 various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0121] 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. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0122] 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 protection scope 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, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features, within the technical scope disclosed in this application. Such 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 protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

A method for temperature control of a wafer carrier device, wherein a process chamber includes a heating device and the wafer carrier device, and the heating device heats the wafer via the wafer carrier device; characterized in that... The method includes: When the process chamber performs a process task, the first temperature of the wafer carrier is obtained; If the first temperature meets the preset fluctuation conditions, the process chamber is controlled to perform the process task according to the temperature control mode; 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 a 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. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, 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 based on the second temperature, the heating temperature, and the preset temperature threshold includes: Determine whether the second temperature is less than the upper limit of the bearing temperature; If not, control the heating device to be in a non-heating state. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, 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 based on 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, it is determined whether the heating temperature is greater than the lower limit of the heating temperature; If not, control the heating device to be in heating mode. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of controlling the heating device based on 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, it is determined 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 a 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. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, 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 based on the second temperature, the heating temperature, and the preset temperature threshold includes: When the process chamber is in the idle state, it is determined whether the second temperature is greater than the lower limit of the bearing temperature; If not, control the heating device to be in heating mode. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The preset temperature threshold also includes: the upper limit value of the heating temperature corresponding to the heating device; The step of controlling the heating device based on 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, it is determined whether the heating temperature is greater than the upper limit of the heating temperature. If so, control the heating device to be in a non-heating state. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The step of controlling the heating device based on 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, the heating device is controlled to be in the heating state. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before the step of satisfying the preset fluctuation condition at the first temperature, the method further includes: Obtain multiple first temperatures within a specified duration including the current time; If the first difference between any two adjacent first temperatures is less than a first preset difference threshold, then the first temperature at the current moment is determined to meet the preset fluctuation condition. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, Before the step of satisfying the preset fluctuation condition at the first temperature, the method further includes: 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. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Prior to the step of performing a process task in the process chamber, the method further includes: A third temperature of the wafer carrier is obtained. If the third temperature meets a preset temperature range, the wafer is controlled to enter the process chamber so that the process chamber performs the process task to process the wafer. The preset temperature range is determined according to the allowable process temperature. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: 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 determinations is obtained. 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 remind the operator that the process chamber does not meet the conditions for executing the process task. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the shutdown operation of the temperature control mode is detected, the process chamber is controlled to exit the temperature control mode. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the process chamber completes the process task, the process chamber is controlled to exit the temperature control mode. The method according to claim 12 or 13 is characterized in that, The method further includes: When the process chamber exits the temperature control mode, the fourth temperature of the wafer carrier device at this time is obtained; The heating device is controlled to be in a heating state until the fourth temperature reaches the process allowable temperature. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, It includes a process chamber and a controller; wherein, the process chamber includes a heating device and a wafer carrier, the wafer carrier is used to carry the 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 described in any one of claims 1-14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, performs the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1-14.

Images