Model based temperature controller for semiconductor thermal processors

• US 5,895,596 A
• Filed: 01/27/1997
• Issued: 04/20/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Semitool Thermal
• Inventors: Tsakalis, Konstantinos, Stoddard, Kevin, Hugues, Jean Benoit
• Primary Examiner(s): PASCHALL, MARK H
• Application Number:
  US08/791,024
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 219/483-486, 219/481, 219/497, 219/505, 219/508, 374/110, 392/416, 392/418, 392/405, 392/411, 118/724, 118/725, 118/50.1, 364/477, 364/557
• US Class Current: 219/497
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/10 Heating of the reaction chamber or the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1931 to control the temperature of one space
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/22 the sensing element being a thermocouple
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67115 mainly by radiation

Abstract

Controllers and associated methods for controlling a thermal reactor or other thermal semiconductor processors which include a heating element powered by a power source, and having profile thermocouples and spike thermocouples. One preferred method comprises the following steps: modeling thermal dynamic characteristics of the thermal reactor, the modeling step including providing thermocouple instrumented wafers in the thermal reactor, perturbing the thermal reactor by controlling the heating element using a stimulation sequence, and developing models based on changes in temperature created by the perturbations. The models are developed off-line and can include one or more models, such as a model of power versus spike thermocouple readings, a model of spike thermocouple readings versus profile thermocouple readings, and a model of profile thermocouple readings versus thermocouple instrumented wafer readings. On-line models are further derived and used during operation to control power input to the zones of the thermal processor using measured profile and spike temperatures. The models can be cascaded or selectively activated to achieve different control regimes.

Claims

1. A controller unit for controlling a thermal processor including a heating element powered by a power source, and having profile thermocouples and spike thermocouples, the controller unit comprising:

an on-line model which predicts wafer temperature; and

a plurality of selectable control mode logic circuits which control the heating element in response to the on-line model, the profile thermocouples, and spike thermocouples;

wherein the control mode logic circuits include a thermal budget control mode logic circuit which controls energy provided to the thermal processor relative to desired energy, by using measurements from profile thermocouples and taking the integral of e.sup.(-2/kT) where k is Boltzmann'"'"'s constant and T is temperature measured using the profile thermocouples.

2. A controller unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein the control mode logic circuits include a dynamic control mode logic circuit which controllably supplies power to the heating element based on predicted wafer temperature, the dynamic control mode logic circuit including an on-line wafer model in which wafer temperature is predicted based on measurements from the spike and profile thermocouples.

3. A controller unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein the control mode logic circuits include a base control mode logic circuit which controls power supplied to the heating element in response to measurements by the profile thermocouples.

4. A controller unit for controlling a thermal reactor including a heating element powered by a power source, and having profile thermocouples and spike thermocouples, the controller unit comprising:

an on-line model which predicts wafer temperature based on measurements from the spike and profile thermocouples; and

a plurality of selectable control mode logic circuits, the control mode logic circuits including a base control mode logic circuit having a spike controller which controls power supplied to the heating element in response to measurements by the spike thermocouples, and a profile controller which controls the spike controller in response to measurements by the profile thermocouples;

a thermal budget control mode logic circuit which measures energy provided to the thermal reactor and controls energy provided to the thermal reactor with respect to desired energy, the thermal budget control mode logic circuit employing the spike controller, and the profile controller, and the thermal budget control mode logic circuit further including a Dt controller controlling the profile controller; and

a dynamic control mode logic circuit which controls energy provided to the thermal reactor based on predicted wafer temperature, the dynamic control mode logic circuit employing the spike controller, the profile controller, and the on-line model, the dynamic control mode logic circuit further including a wafer controller in communication with the on-line model and controlling the profile controller.

5. A controller unit in accordance with claim 4 wherein the controllers are respectively derived from off-line models.

6. A method for controlling a thermal processor used to process semiconductors, the thermal processor having a plurality of heating elements powered by at least one power source, a plurality of profile thermocouples, and a plurality of spike thermocouples, the method comprising:

modeling dynamic thermal characteristics of the thermal processor, said modeling including providing thermocouple instrumented wafers in the thermal processor, perturbing the thermal processor by controlling the plurality of heating elements using a stimulation sequence which controllably activates the heating elements to produce varying heating effects, and developing at least one model based on changes in temperature caused by said perturbing;

wherein said developing at least one model includes;

developing at least a first model which relates power input to changes in spike thermocouple readings;

developing at least a second model which relates spike thermocouple readings to changes in profile thermocouple readings; and

,

developing at least a third model which relates both profile and spike thermocouple readings to thermocouple instrumented wafer readings;

controlling the delivery of power from the at least one power supply to the plurality of heating elements using at least one controller which utilizes at least one of said first, second or third models in estimating power requirements needed to achieve a desired process recipe.

7. A method according to claim 6 and further defined by selecting a control mode from a plurality of available control modes utilizing one or more of said first, second or third models.

8. A method according to claim 6 and wherein one of the available control modes is a thermal budget control mode in which energy provided to the thermal reactor is measured and controlled with respect to a desired energy budget.

9. A method according to claim 6 and wherein one of the available control modes is a thermal budget control mode in which energy provided to the thermal processor is measured and controlled with respect to a desired energy budget;

wherein said energy budget is measured using the integral of e.sup.(-2/kT) where k is Boltzmann'"'"'s constant and T is temperature measured using the profile thermocouples.

10. A method according to claim 6 and wherein one of the available control modes is a dynamic control mode in which power is controllably supplied to the heating element based on predicted wafer temperature, and in which wafer temperature is predicted based on measurements from the spike and profile thermocouples.

11. A method according to claim 6 and wherein one of the available control modes is a base control mode, in which power is controllably supplied to the heating element in response to profile thermocouple measurements.

12. A controller unit for controlling a thermal processor used to process semiconductor wafers, the thermal processor including a plurality of heating elements powered by at least one power source, a plurality of profile thermocouples, and a plurality of spike thermocouples, the controller unit comprising:

an on-line model which predicts wafer temperature based on measurements from the spike and profile thermocouples;

said on-line model including;

at least one first model which relates power input to changes in spike thermocouple readings;

at least one second model which relates spike thermocouple readings to changes in profile thermocouple readings; and

,

at least a third model which relates both profile and spike thermocouple readings to thermocouple instrumented wafer readings;

a controller for determining the delivery of power from the at least one power supply to the plurality of heating elements using at least one of said first, second or third models in estimating power requirements needed to achieve a desired process recipe.