TEMPERATURE CONTROL METHOD, STORAGE MEDIUM STORING A PROGRAM THEREFOR, TEMPERATURE CONTROL APPARATUS, AND HEAT TREATMENT APPARATUS

• US 20130037534A1
• Filed: 08/09/2012
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: YOSHII, Koji, Wang, Wenling, Saito, Takanori, Yamaguchi, Tatsuya
• Granted Patent: US 9,209,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/494
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67248 Temperature monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67781 Batch transfer of wafers

Abstract

Provided is a method of controlling temperatures of objects to be heated in a heating unit by adjusting a heating rate of each of a plurality of heating elements, based on temperature detection values detected at a plurality of temperature detection elements, wherein the plurality of temperature detection elements are positioned at different positions and the plurality of heating elements are positioned at different positions. The method includes estimating a temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements by using a first estimation algorithm when one of the plurality of temperature detection elements is broken, based on the temperature detection values of the temperature detection elements excluding the broken temperature detection element, and controlling the temperatures of the objects to be heated based on the estimated temperatures.

Claims

1. A method of controlling temperatures of objects to be heated in a heating unit by adjusting a heating rate of each of a plurality of heating elements, based on temperature detection values detected at a plurality of temperature detection elements, the plurality of temperature detection elements being positioned at different positions and the plurality of heating elements being positioned at different positions, the method comprising:

estimating a temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements by using a first estimation algorithm for estimating the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements when one of the plurality of temperature detection elements is broken, based on the temperature detection values detected at the plurality of temperature detection elements excluding the broken temperature detection element; and

controlling the temperatures of the objects to be heated based on the estimated temperatures.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first estimation algorithm is configured to estimate the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements by using a first Kalman filter.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements are estimated based on the temperature detection values and the heating rate of each of the plurality of heating elements when one of the plurality of temperature detection elements is broken, and

wherein each of the plurality of heating elements is disposed to correspond to each of the temperature detection elements, respectively.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first Kalman filter is previously prepared based on the temperature detection values of the temperature detection elements excluding a temperature detection element selected among the plurality of temperature detection elements, when none of the plurality of temperature detection elements are broken, and

wherein the prepared first Kalman filter is used to estimate the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements when the selected temperature detection element is broken.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

estimating the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements by using a second estimation algorithm for estimating the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements when none of the plurality of temperature detection elements are broken, based on the temperature detection values detected at the plurality of temperature detection elements; and

controlling the temperatures of the objects to be heated based on the temperatures estimated by the second estimation algorithm.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second estimation algorithm is configured to estimate the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements by using a second Kalman filter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements are estimated based on the temperature detection values and the heating rates of each of the plurality of heating elements when none of the plurality of temperature detection elements is broken, and

wherein each of the plurality of heating elements is disposed to correspond to each of the temperature detection elements, respectively.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the temperature control method of claim 1.

9. A temperature control apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of temperature detection elements, each of the temperature detection elements being positioned at different positions;

a heating unit provided with a plurality of heating elements, each of the heating elements being positioned at different positions, and configured to heat objects to be heated; and

a control unit configured to adjust a heating rate of each of the plurality of heating elements in the heating unit, based on temperature detection values detected at the plurality of temperature detection elements, and configured to control temperatures of the objects to be heated,

wherein, the control unit is further configured to estimate a temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements by using a first estimation algorithm for estimating the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements when one of the plurality of temperature detection elements is broken, based on the temperature detection values detected at the plurality of temperature detection elements excluding the broken temperature detection element, and configured to control the temperatures of the objects to be heated based on the estimated temperatures.

10. The temperature control apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first estimation algorithm is configured to estimate the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements by using a first Kalman filter.

11. The temperature control apparatus of claim 10, wherein the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements is estimated when one of the plurality of temperature detection elements is broken based on the temperature detection values and the heating rate of each of the plurality of heating elements,

wherein each of the plurality of heating elements is disposed to correspond to each of the temperature detection elements.

12. The temperature control apparatus of claim 9, wherein the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements is estimated by using a second estimation algorithm for estimating the temperature of each of the plurality of the temperature detection elements when none of the plurality of temperature detection elements are broken, based on the temperature detection values detected at the plurality of temperature detection elements, such that the temperatures of the object to be heated are controlled based on the temperatures estimated by the second estimation algorithm.

13. The temperature control apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second estimation algorithm is configured to estimate the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements by using a second Kalman filter.

14. The temperature control apparatus of claim 13, wherein the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements are estimated when none of the plurality of temperature detection elements are broken based on the temperature detection values and the heating rates of each of the plurality of heating elements,

wherein each of the plurality of heating elements is disposed to correspond to each of the temperature detection elements.

15. A heat treatment apparatus for performing a heat treatment on substrates, comprising:

a processing vessel;

a substrate holding unit disposed in the processing vessel and configured to hold the substrates with a predetermined interval therebetween along one direction;

a heating unit provided with a plurality of heating elements, each of the heating elements being positioned at different positions along the one direction, and configured to heat the substrates held by the substrate holding unit in the processing vessel;

a plurality of temperature detection elements, each of the temperature detection elements being positioned at different positions along the one direction; and

a control unit configured to adjust a heating rate of each of the plurality of heating elements in the heating unit, based on temperature detection values detected at the plurality of temperature detection elements, and configured to control temperatures of the substrates,

wherein the control unit is further configured to estimate a temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements by using a first estimation algorithm for estimating the temperature of each of the plurality of the temperature detection elements when one of the plurality of temperature detection elements is broken, based on the temperature detection values detected at the plurality of temperature detection elements excluding the broken temperature detection element, and configured to control the temperatures of the substrates based on the estimated temperatures.

16. The heat treatment apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first estimation algorithm is configured to estimate the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements by using a first Kalman filter.

17. The heat treatment apparatus of claim 16, wherein the control unit is configured to estimate the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements when one of the plurality of temperature detection elements is broken based on the temperature detection values and the heating rate of each of the plurality of heating elements,

wherein each of the plurality of heating elements is disposed to correspond to each of the temperature detection elements.

18. The heat treatment apparatus of claim 15, wherein the control unit is configured to estimate the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements by using a second estimation algorithm for estimating the temperature of each of the plurality of the temperature detection elements when none of the plurality of temperature detection elements are broken, based on the temperature detection values detected at the plurality of temperature detection elements, and configured to control the temperatures of the substrates based on the estimated temperatures.

19. The heat treatment apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second estimation algorithm is configured to estimate the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements by using a second Kalman filter.

20. The heat treatment apparatus of claim 19, wherein the control unit is configured to estimate the temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements when none of the plurality of temperature detection elements are broken based on the temperature detection values and the heating rate of each of the plurality of heating elements, and

wherein each of the plurality of heating elements is disposed to correspond to each of the temperature detection elements.