ESC Temperature Mixing Control for Fast Wafer Thermal Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional temperature control systems for semiconductor manufacturing face challenges in efficiently managing temperature variations, leading to high power consumption, thermal shock, and inefficiencies due to the need for abrupt temperature changes and the disturbance of RF power in the chamber.
Innovation Solution
A temperature control system that mixes a low-temperature heating medium cooled through a thermoelectric element with a high-temperature heating medium heated by a heater, using a dual structure of thermoelectric element blocks and heaters to minimize thermal shock and optimize power consumption by distributing the mixed heating medium according to specific ratios, and incorporating a heat exchanger to recover residual heat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a conventional chiller system is used to maintain uniform temperature, then temperature stability is improved, but temperature adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The heating medium supply system is segmented into multiple independent channels: a first channel supplies cooled heating medium from a chiller, a second channel supplies heated heating medium from a heater, and a third channel supplies recovered heating medium from the electrostatic chuck. This segmentation allows independent control of each temperature source, enabling both stable baseline temperature maintenance and rapid adaptation to temperature variations by adjusting the flow ratios of different channels.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a tunable heater is added to the electrostatic chuck for temperature variation, then temperature adaptability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
A mixing device is introduced as an intermediary component that combines cooled heating medium, heated heating medium, and recovered heating medium in adjustable ratios before supplying to the electrostatic chuck. This intermediary mixing system enables temperature adaptation by varying the proportion of different temperature sources, eliminating the need for high-power tunable heaters embedded in the electrostatic chuck while achieving the same temperature control objective with lower overall power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers heating medium from the electrostatic chuck outlet and redirects it through the mixing device to be combined with cooled and heated heating medium. This recovery and reuse of thermal energy reduces the total heating load required, thereby decreasing power consumption while maintaining temperature adaptability through ratio control of the recovered medium.
3Speed
If heating medium flow rate is increased for rapid temperature control, then temperature response speed is improved, but thermal shock increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of changing only the flow rate parameter, the system changes the temperature composition parameter by adjusting the mixing ratios of heating medium at different temperatures (cooled, heated, and recovered). This allows rapid temperature response through ratio adjustment while maintaining a more gradual effective temperature change that reduces thermal shock to the electrostatic chuck.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system enables rapid and precise temperature control, minimizing thermal shock and power consumption while maintaining stable operation, even with abrupt temperature variations, by continuously circulating the heating medium and utilizing residual heat for energy efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a first thermoelectric element block configured to cool and provide the heating medium of the first heating medium tank
Implementation Method 2
cooling water flow path configured to cool heat generated by a cooling operation of the thermoelectric element block
Implementation Method 3
a first heater configured to heat the heating medium in the second heating medium tank
Implementation Method 4
a mixer configured to mix a low temperature heating medium and a high temperature heating medium to supply the mixed heating medium to a load
Implementation Method 5
incorporating a heat exchanger to recover residual heat
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a temperature control system configured to mix a low temperature heating medium and a high temperature heating medium to supply the heating mediums at a temperature according to a process recipe to an electrostatic chuck (ESC) configured to maintain a temperature and support a wafer in a chamber in which a semiconductor wafer processing process is performed, and a heating medium obtained by mixing a heating medium cooled through a thermoelectric element and a heating medium heated through a heater to a desired target temperature according to a first ratio and a second ratio is provided to a load and recovered from the load, and the heating medium is distributed to the thermoelectric element and the heater according to the first ratio and the second ratio, which are ratios upon the mixing, optimizing power consumption for cooling or heating.