RF impedance model based fault detection

• US 10,128,090 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2014
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Inventors: Valcore, Jr., John C., Rogers, James Hugh, Webb, Nicholas Edward, Muraoka, Peter T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmad, Khaja
• Application Number:
  US14/540,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20150069912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32146 Amplitude modulation, includes pulsing
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32183 Matching circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32926 Software, data control or modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 7/00 Automatic frequency control; Automatic scanning over a band of frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 2242/26 Matching networks

Abstract

A method to detect a potential fault in a plasma system is described. The method includes accessing a model of one or more parts of the plasma system. The method further includes receiving data regarding a supply of RF power to a plasma chamber. The RF power is supplied using a configuration that includes one or more states. The method also includes using the data to produce model data at an output of the model. The method includes examining the model data. The examination is of one or more variables that characterize performance of a plasma process of the plasma system. The method includes identifying the fault for the one or more variables. The method further includes determining that the fault has occurred for a pre-determined period of time such that the fault is identified as an event. The method includes classifying the event.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a plasma system based on an event, comprising:

accessing a computer-generated model of one or more parts of the plasma system, the one or more parts include a plurality of circuit components that are connected with each other via a plurality of connections, wherein the one or more parts include a radio frequency (RF) cable that is coupled to an input of an impedance matching circuit and to an output of an RF generator, the plasma system including a plasma chamber, the RF generator, the RF cable, the impedance matching circuit, and a transmission line between the plasma chamber and the impedance matching circuit, wherein the computer-generated model has a plurality of elements that are connected logically with each other via a plurality of connections, wherein the plurality of connections between the elements are generated based on the connections between the plurality of circuit components, wherein the computer-generated model includes a model of the RF cable, wherein at least one of the one or more elements are located within the model of the RF cable;

receiving data regarding a supply of RF power to the plasma chamber, wherein the data is received from a sensor within the RF generator, the RF power supplied via the impedance matching circuit and the transmission line to the plasma chamber using a configuration that includes one or more states, the one or more states repeat continuously during the supply of RF power to the plasma chamber;

propagating the data via the computer-generated model to produce model data at an output of the computer-generated model during the supply of RF power to the plasma chamber, the model data being associated with one of the one or more states;

examining the model data during the one of the one or more states, the examining being of one or more variables that characterize performance of a plasma process of the plasma system;

identifying a potential fault for the one or more variables during the one of the one or more states;

determining that the potential fault has occurred for a pre-determined period of time during the one of the one or more states, such that the potential fault is identified as an event;

classifying the event to generate a classification; and

controlling the one or more parts of the plasma system based on the classification of the event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-generated model includes a computer-generated model of the transmission line.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein examining the model data includes determining whether the one or more variables meet corresponding one or more variable thresholds and whether one or more variations in the one or more variables meet corresponding one or more variation thresholds,

wherein identifying the potential fault includes:

determining that the one or more variables do not meet the corresponding one or more variable thresholds; and

determining that the one or more variations do not meet the corresponding one or more variation thresholds.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein examining the model data comprises determining whether one or more variations in the one or more variables meet corresponding one or more variation thresholds,

wherein identifying the potential fault includes determining that the one or more variations do not meet the corresponding one or more variation thresholds.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein examining the model data during the one of the one or more states comprises examining the model data during first and second states, wherein examining the model data during the first and second states includes:

determining during the first state whether the one or more variables meet a first set of corresponding one or more thresholds and one or more variations in the one or more variables meet a first set of corresponding one or more variation thresholds; and

determining during the second state whether the one or more variables meet a second set of corresponding one or more thresholds and one or more variations in the one or more variables meet a second set of corresponding one or more variation thresholds.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parts of the plasma system include the impedance matching circuit, or the transmission line, or a lower electrode of the plasma chamber, or a combination of the RF cable and the impedance matching circuit, or a combination of the RF cable and the impedance matching circuit and the transmission line, or a combination of the RF cable and the impedance matching circuit and the transmission line and the lower electrode, wherein the transmission line couples the impedance matching circuit to the plasma chamber.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the data regarding the supply of RF power includes receiving a complex voltage and current that is measured by the sensor coupled to the output of the RF generator.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration includes a pulsed configuration that is synchronous to a clock signal that is provided by a clock source to the RF generator.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more states are repeated continuously when an instance of a first state is followed by an instance of a second state and an instance of the second state is followed by an instance of the first state.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a power level of an RF signal having the RF power during the first state is exclusive of a power level of the RF signal during the second state, wherein each power level includes multiple power magnitudes.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration includes a pulsed configuration and the one or more states include a first state and a second state, the method further comprising:

determining whether the pulsed configuration is in the first state or the second state; and

changing a value of a threshold associated with one of the one or more variables upon determining that the pulsed configuration is in the first state, the threshold corresponding to the first state after the change and to the second state before the change.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said propagating the data to generate the model data comprises computing a product of the data that is received and a variable of one of the plurality of elements, or computing a sum of the data that is received and the variable, or computing both the product and the sum.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the one or more variables from the model data, wherein determining the one or more variables comprises:

extracting the one or more variables from the model data; and

computing a ratio or a product of one of the one or more variables and another one of the one or more variables.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein classifying the event comprises determining whether the event is an arcing event, or a plasma unconfinement event, or a plasma drop-out event, or a plasma instability event.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more states include a first state and a second state, the method further comprising performing said examining, said identifying, said determining, and said classifying for the second state after performing said examining, said identifying, said determining, and said classifying for the first state.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more variables include two or more variables, the method further comprising classifying the potential fault based on a magnitude of one of the one or more variables, or a direction of change in the magnitude, or a combination of at least two of the two or more variables, or a rate at which the magnitude changes, or a combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration includes a pulsed configuration, wherein identifying the potential fault is performed during a pre-event determination state of the pulsed configuration, the pre-event determination state executed to strike plasma in the plasma chamber.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the potential fault comprises identifying the potential fault during an event determination state associated with steady-state plasma generated in the plasma chamber.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration includes a pulsed configuration, the method further comprising modifying a value of a threshold associated with one of the one or more variables based on a change of the pulsed configuration from a pre-event determination state to an event determination state, wherein plasma being is struck in the plasma chamber during the pre-event determination state and the plasma being is in a steady state during the event determination state.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more states include a first state and a second state, wherein the first state or the second state is determined from power level settings of the RF generator.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration includes a pulsed configuration and the one or more states include a first state and a second state, the method further comprising modifying a value of a threshold associated with one of the variables based on a change in the pulsed configuration from the first state or the second state to a transition state, wherein plasma being is struck in the plasma chamber during the first state, the pulsed configuration changing from the first state to the second state or from the second state to the first state during the transition state.

29. The method of claim 1,

wherein the computer-generated model includes a model of the impedance matching circuit, wherein the model of the impedance matching circuit is coupled to the model of the RF cable.

22. A method for controlling a plasma system based on an event, comprising:

receiving data for one of a plurality of states of radio frequency (RF) power of an RF signal supplied by an RF generator, wherein the data is received from a sensor within the RF generator, wherein the plurality of states of the RF power alternate between a first power level of the RF power and a second power level of the RF power over time, wherein the first power level represents an envelope of the RF signal and is different from an envelope represented by the second power level;

propagating the data through a computer-generated model of one or more parts of a plasma system to generate model data for the one of the plurality of states, wherein the model data is generated at an output of the computer-generated model, the one or more parts include a plurality of circuit components that are connected with each other via a plurality of connections, wherein the one or more parts include an RF cable that is coupled to an input of an impedance matching circuit and to an output of the RF generator, the plasma system including the RF generator, the impedance matching circuit, and a plasma chamber coupled to the impedance matching circuit via an RF transmission line, wherein the computer-generated model has a plurality of elements that are connected logically with each other via a plurality of connections, wherein the plurality of connections between the plurality of elements are generated based on the plurality of connections between the plurality of circuit components, wherein the computer-generated model includes a model of the RF cable, wherein at least one of the plurality of elements are located within the model of the RF cable;

generating values for the one of the plurality of states from the model data, wherein the values are associated with one or more variables;

determining for the one of the plurality of states whether the values associated with the one or more variables meet corresponding one or more thresholds for the one of the plurality of states;

generating a fault for the one of the plurality of states upon determining that one or more of the values of the one or more variables fail to meet the one or more thresholds;

determining whether the fault occurs for a pre-determined period of time;

generating an event for the one of the plurality of states upon determining that the fault occurs for the pre-determined period of time;

classifying the event to generate a classification for the one of the plurality of states; and

controlling the one or more parts of the plasma system based on the classification of the event.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the corresponding one or more thresholds include a plurality of thresholds, wherein determining whether the values associated with the one or more variables meet the corresponding one or more thresholds comprises:

determining whether one of the values meets one of the plurality of thresholds; and

determining whether a remaining one of the values of a variation in one of the one or more variables meets another one of the plurality of thresholds, the other one of the plurality of thresholds including a variation threshold.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein determining whether the values associated with the one or more variables meet the corresponding one or more thresholds comprises determining whether values of variations in the one or more variables meet corresponding one or more variation thresholds.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein classifying the event comprises determining whether the event is an arcing event, or an unconfinement event, or a drop-out event, or a plasma instability event.

26. A plasma system for identifying an event based on a potential fault in the plasma system, comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) generator for generating and supplying an RF signal at an output of the RF generator, the RF signal being supplied having RF power that includes a plurality of states, wherein the plurality of states repeat continuously during the supply of the RF signal, wherein the plurality of states of the RF power alternate between a first power level of the RF power and a second power level of the RF power over time, wherein the first power level represents an envelope of the RF signal and is different from an envelope represented by the second power level;

an impedance matching circuit connected to the RF generator for receiving the RF signal from the RF generator to generate a modified RF signal;

an RF transmission line coupled to the impedance matching circuit for transferring the modified RF signal;

a plasma chamber connected to the RF transmission line for receiving the modified RF signal via the RF transmission line to generate plasma;

a sensor coupled to the output of the RF generator and located within the RF generator; and

a host system coupled to the sensor, the host system including a processor for;

accessing a computer-generated model of one or more parts of a plasma system, the one or more parts including a plurality of circuit components that are connected with each other via a plurality of connections, wherein the one or more parts includes an RF cable that is coupled to an input of the impedance matching circuit and to the output of the RF generator, wherein the computer-generated model has a plurality of elements that are connected logically with each other via a plurality of connections, wherein the plurality of connections between the plurality of elements are generated based on the plurality of connections between the plurality of circuit components, wherein the computer-generated model includes a model of the RF cable, wherein at least one of the plurality of elements are located within the model of the RF cable;

receiving data from the sensor regarding the supply of the RF signal, wherein the data is received from the sensor within the RF generator, wherein the data is received for one of the plurality of states of the RF power;

propagating the data via the computer-generated model to produce model data for the one of the plurality of states, wherein the model data is produced at an output of the computer-generated model during the supply of the RF signal;

examining the model data for the one of the plurality of states, the examining being of one or more variables that characterize performance of a plasma process within the plasma chamber;

identifying a potential fault for the one of the plurality of states based on the one or more variables;

determining that the potential fault has occurred for a pre-determined period of time, such that the potential fault is identified as an event for the one of the plurality of states; and

classifying the event to generate a classification for the one of the plurality of states; and

controlling the one or more parts of the plasma system based on the classification of the event.

27. The plasma system of claim 26,

wherein to examine the model data, the processor is configured to determine whether the one or more variables meet corresponding one or more thresholds and whether one or more variations in the one or more variables meet corresponding one or more variation thresholds,

wherein to identify the potential fault, the processor is configured to determine that the one or more variables do not meet the corresponding one or more thresholds and that the one or more variations do not meet the corresponding one or more variation thresholds.

28. The plasma system of claim 26, wherein the processor is configured to classify the potential fault based on a magnitude of one of the one or more variables, or a direction of change in the magnitude, or a combination of at least two of the one or more variables, or rate at which the magnitude changes, or a combination thereof.

30. A controller for controlling a plasma system based on an event, comprising:

a processor configured to;

access a computer-generated model of one or more parts of the plasma system, wherein the one or more parts include a radio frequency (RF) cable that is coupled to an input of an impedance matching circuit and to an output of an RF generator, the plasma system including a plasma chamber, the RF generator, the RF cable, the impedance matching circuit, and a transmission line between the plasma chamber and the impedance matching circuit, wherein the computer-generated model has a plurality of elements that are connected with each other via a plurality of connections, wherein the computer-generated model includes a model of the RF cable, wherein at least one of the plurality of elements are located within the model of the RF cable;

receive data regarding RF power of an RF signal supplied by the RF generator to the impedance matching circuit, wherein the data is received from a sensor within the RF generator, wherein the RF power has a plurality of states that alternate between a first power level of the RF power and a second power level of the RF power over time, wherein the first power level represents an envelope of the RF signal and is different from an envelope represented by the second power level;

propagate the data via the computer-generated model to produce model data at an output of the computer-generated model, wherein the model data is produced for the one of the plurality of states, the model data being of one or more variables;

examine the model data to identify a potential fault, wherein the potential fault is identified for the one of the plurality of states; and

control the one or more parts of the plasma system based on the potential fault; and

a memory device coupled to the processor, wherein the memory device is configured to store the computer-generated model.

31. The controller of claim 30,

wherein to examine the model data, the processor is configured to determine whether the one or more variables meet corresponding one or more thresholds and whether one or more variations in the one or more variables meet corresponding one or more variation thresholds,

wherein to identify the potential fault, the processor is configured to determine that the one or more variables do not meet the corresponding one or more thresholds and that the one or more variations do not meet the corresponding one or more variation thresholds.