Processing chamber and method with thermal control

• US 10,636,630 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2018
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Mungekar, Hemant P., Balasubramanian, Ganesh, Suzuki, Yoichi, Khaja, Abdul Aziz
• Primary Examiner(s): Graybill, David E
• Application Number:
  US16/033,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20190066984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2001 Maintaining constant desired temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/24585 Other variables, e.g. energy, mass, velocity, time, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/332 Coating
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/334 Etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32724 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/324 Thermal treatment for modifying the properties of semiconductor bodies, e.g. annealing, sintering H01L21/20 - H01L21/288 and H01L21/302 - H01L21/322 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67103 mainly by conduction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67248 Temperature monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6831 using electrostatic chucks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6833 Details of electrostatic chucks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/26 Acting in response to an ongoing measurement without interruption of processing, e.g. endpoint detection, in-situ thickness measurement endpoint detection arrangements in CMP apparatus B24B37/013, in discharge apparatus H01J37/32
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0233 for semiconductors manufacturing

Abstract

A processing chamber and a processing method for processing a substrate in the processing chamber with thermal control are described herein. The method includes heating a first substrate using a heater apparatus during a first processing operation. The heater apparatus has a first setpoint during at least a first portion of the first processing operation. The first substrate is disposed on a substrate support surface of an electrostatic chuck in a processing chamber. The method further includes determining a first parameter change corresponding to a resistivity change in the electrostatic chuck, determining a second setpoint for the heater apparatus based on the first parameter change, and controlling the heater apparatus to the second setpoint.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

heating a first substrate using a heater apparatus during a first processing operation, wherein the heater apparatus is controlled to a first temperature setpoint during at least a first portion of the first processing operation, and wherein the first substrate is disposed on a substrate support surface of an electrostatic chuck in a processing chamber;

determining a first parameter change corresponding to a resistivity change in the electrostatic chuck, wherein determining the first parameter change further comprises;

determining a first parameter during the first processing operation, wherein the first parameter is a first leakage current corresponding with a first resistivity in the electrostatic chuck; and

comparing the first parameter to a second parameter to determine a change therebetween, wherein the second parameter is a second leakage current corresponding with a second resistivity in the electrostatic chuck, and wherein the electrostatic chuck comprises an electrode and a dielectric material disposed adjacent to the electrode;

determining a second temperature setpoint for the heater apparatus based on the first parameter change; and

controlling the heater apparatus to the second temperature setpoint.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein heating the first substrate is performed during a first processing run, and wherein the method further comprises:

heating a second substrate using the heater apparatus during a second processing operation performed during a second processing run; and

controlling the heater apparatus to the second temperature setpoint during at least a portion of the second processing operation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the heater apparatus to the second temperature setpoint further comprises:

heating the first substrate during a second portion of the first processing operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the heater apparatus to the second temperature setpoint comprises:

adjusting a power provided to the heater apparatus to adjust a substrate temperature towards a target substrate temperature.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein controlling the heater apparatus to the second temperature setpoint comprises maintaining the substrate temperature within a tolerance temperature range around the second temperature setpoint.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

powering the electrode with an electrode power supply.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first parameter change further comprises:

measuring the first leakage current flowing through the electrostatic chuck disposed in the processing chamber during the first processing operation;

determining a first leakage current change using the first leakage current; and

determining a substrate temperature change using the first leakage current change, wherein the determining the second temperature setpoint for the heater apparatus further comprises using the substrate temperature change to determine the second temperature setpoint.

8. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program for processing a substrate in a processing chamber, the computer program comprising a set of instructions for causing the processing chamber to perform a process comprising:

heating a first substrate using a heater apparatus during a, first processing operation, wherein the heater apparatus is controlled to a first temperature setpoint during at least a first portion of the first processing operation, and wherein the first substrate is disposed on a substrate support surface of an electrostatic chuck in a processing chamber;

determining a first parameter change corresponding to a resistivity change in the electrostatic chuck, wherein determining the first parameter change further comprises;

determining a first parameter during the first processing operation, wherein the first parameter is a first leakage current corresponding with a first resistivity in the electrostatic chuck; and

comparing the first parameter to a second parameter to determine a change therebetween, wherein the second parameter is a second leakage current corresponding with a second resistivity in the electrostatic chuck, and wherein the electrostatic chuck comprises an electrode and a dielectric material disposed adjacent to the electrode;

determining a second temperature setpoint for the heater apparatus based on the first parameter change; and

controlling the heater apparatus to the second temperature setpoint.

9. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein determining a first parameter change comprises:

measuring a the first leakage current flowing through the electrostatic chuck disposed in the processing chamber during the first processing operation;

determining a first leakage current change using the first leakage current; and

determining a substrate temperature change using the first leakage current change, wherein the determining the second temperature setpoint for the heater apparatus further comprises using the substrate temperature change to determine the second temperature setpoint.

10. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein controlling the heater apparatus to the second temperature setpoint comprises:

adjusting a power provided to the heater apparatus to heat the substrate to a target substrate temperature.

11. A system for processing a substrate, comprising:

a chamber body defining a processing volume therein,

a substrate support assembly disposed in the processing volume, the substrate support assembly having an electrostatic chuck and a heater;

a first sensor, wherein the first sensor is a leakage current sensor; and

a controller configured to receive a signal from the first sensor corresponding to a change in a resistivity of the electrostatic chuck and, in response to receiving the signal, to control the heater to a first temperature setpoint.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the heater.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the temperature sensor is coupled to the controller and configured to provide a measured heater temperature thereto.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first temperature setpoint corresponds to the measured heater temperature, and wherein the controller is configured to adjust the first temperature setpoint to a second temperature setpoint in response to receiving the signal from the first sensor.

15. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a top electrode configured to generate a plasma within the processing volume.