Kelk Ltd.

Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho

Komatsu Electronic Metals Co., Ltd.

Kazuhiro Mimura

Yosuke Sasaki

Noboru Harashima

Atsushi Kobayashi

Hiroshi Yoshinada

Naritoshi Ohtsukasa

Satoshi Fujimoto

Hideaki Okubo

Toru Suzuki

Masakazu Kobayashi

Junsuke Tomioka

Kenji Okamura

Hiroshi Monden

Shoei Kurosaka

Hideaki Ohkubo

Makoto Nogawa

Kan-ichi Sato

Makoto Higuchi

A temperature control system includes: first adjusting the temperature of fluid in a first portion the fluid having a first temperature determined based on a second temperature higher than the first temperature or the second temperature; second adjusting the temperature of the fluid supplied to a target at a second portion between the first portion and the target; first detecting the temperature of first fluid supplied from the first to second portion; second detecting the temperature of the fluid or the target at a predetermined position between an outlet of the second portion and an inlet of the first portion; controlling the first adjusting based on the first detected value such that the temperature of the first fluid becomes a first temperature; and controlling the second adjusting based on a the second detected such that the temperature of the fluid becomes a second temperature at the predetermined position.

Temperature control system with circulating fluid

To control the temperature of a fluid with high accuracy, a temperature control system is equipped with: a circulation channel including a temperature control target and a tank containing a fluid adjusted to a specified temperature range including a target temperature of the temperature control target; and a first temperature controller that is arranged between the tank and the temperature control target in the circulation channel and that adjusts the temperature of the fluid to be supplied to the temperature control target.

Temperature control system and temperature control method

A temperature control device includes a smoother including a smoothing channel through which fluid from a first inlet flows, and a first outlet from which the fluid flowed through the smoothing channel flows out, the smoother making a temperature fluctuation amount of the fluid in the first outlet smaller than that in the first inlet, a thermoregulator including a second inlet into which the fluid from the first outlet flows, a thermoregulating channel through which the fluid from the second inlet flows, a thermoregulating unit regulating a temperature of the fluid flowing through the thermoregulating channel, and a second outlet from which the fluid flowed through the thermoregulating channel flows out, calculating a temperature regulation amount of the thermoregulating unit, based on temperature of the fluid in the smoothing channel, and calculating the temperature regulation amount, based on temperature of the fluid at a position downstream of the second outlet.

Temperature control device

A fluid heating device includes: a tank to store a fluid; a pump to deliver the fluid stored in the tank; a heater to heat the delivered fluid to a predetermined temperature; a return pipe to return the heated fluid to the tank; a fluid supply valve to supply an unheated fluid into the tank; a fluid discharge valve to discharge the heated fluid from the tank; a temperature sensor to detect a temperature of the heated fluid; and a temperature controller to control an opening degree of each of the fluid supply valve and the fluid discharge valve to control the temperature of the fluid stored in the tank. The temperature controller includes: a discharge opening-degree controller-to control the opening degree of the fluid discharge valve; and a supply opening-degree controller to control the opening degree of the fluid supply valve.

Fluid heating device

A manipulated variable calculator having a plurality of control loops and configured to calculate manipulated variables to be respectively given to a plurality of temperature adjusters includes: a reference model output generator configured to generate a reference model that is a response output until reaching a temperature setpoint when, in the plurality of control loops, a manipulated variable of a control loop having the slowest response speed is defined as 100%; a simulator configured to sequentially search for a switching time to determine a manipulated variable pattern; a reference model configured to generate a reference model output based on the searched switching time; and a control switching unit configured to switch to a feed-back control using an error between the reference model outlet and the temperature setpoint when the reference model outlet reaches a predetermined time or a predetermined temperature after the reference model outlet starts.

Temperature controller of semiconductor wafer and temperature control method of semiconductor wafer

A plurality of temperature adjusters each independently include a control loop. A manipulated variable calculator is configured to give manipulated variables to the respective temperature adjusters and includes a reference model output generator configured to provide a reference model as a response output for reaching a temperature setpoint when a first control loop having a slowest response speed among the control loops is defined to have a 100% manipulated variable. The reference model output generator includes: a simulator configured to determine a manipulated variable pattern by conducting successive search of a switching time; and a reference model obtained from a response in which, among the plurality of control loops, the first control loop having the slowest response speed is defined to have the 100% manipulated variable, and the rest of the plurality of control loops are controlled to follow the first control loop.

A manipulated variable calculator having a plurality of control loops and configured to calculate manipulated variables to be respectively given to a plurality of temperature adjusters includes: a reference model output generator configured to generate a reference model that generates a response output until reaching a temperature setpoint when, in the plurality of control loops, a manipulated variable of a control loop having the slowest response speed is defined as 100%; a simulator configured to sequentially search for a switching time to determine a manipulated variable pattern; a reference model configured to generate a reference model output based on the searched switching time; and a reference model selecting unit configured to select the reference model depending on a heating responsiveness and a cooling responsiveness of the temperature adjusters.

A temperature controller for a semiconductor wafer is configured to perform a temperature control on a plurality of temperature adjusters including a reference temperature adjuster to perform a temperature adjustment of the semiconductor wafer, in which a manipulated variable calculator to give a manipulated variable to a master loop and a slave loop includes a master-slave switching unit configured to switch between the master loop and the slave loop and a master-slave cancellation unit configured to cancel a setting of the master loop and the slave loop when a temperature setpoint of the slave loop is set to have a temperature gradient against a temperature setpoint of the master loop.

Temperature controller of semiconductor wafer

A temperature controller that performs a temperature control on a plurality of temperature adjusters including a reference temperature adjuster to adjust a temperature of a semiconductor wafer includes a setpoint setting section that: sets a temperature detected by a master temperature detector as a control setpoint for a reference one of the temperature adjusters of a master loop, until a temporary setpoint below an actual control setpoint preset as a desired temperature of the semiconductor wafer is reached; and sets the actual control setpoint as the control setpoint for the master loop after the temporary setpoint is reached.

Temperature controller for semiconductor wafer and temperature control method for semiconductor wafer

A temperature adjustment system configured to adjust the temperature of a fluid used in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes: a heat exchanger including therein a temperature adjuster for heating and cooling the fluid, the heat exchanger being configured to perform heat exchange between the fluid therein and the temperature adjuster; a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the fluid; a PID-constant calculator configured to calculate PID constants for PID control based on the physical properties of the fluid and a time constant of the temperature sensor; and a PID-control calculator configured to perform the PID control on the temperature adjuster with the PID constants calculated by the PID-constant calculator.

Temperature controller for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, method for calculating PID constants in semiconductor manufacturing, and method for operating temperature controller for semiconductor manufacturing equipment

A temperature control device includes an estimator that estimates the outlet temperature of fluid at an outlet of heating tanks to which no outlet temperature sensor is provided. The temperature control device includes a control unit. For a heating tank to which an outlet temperature sensor is provided, the control unit determines a manipulated variable on the basis of the outlet temperature which has been measured and an individual target temperature. For a heating tank to which no outlet temperature sensor is provided, the control unit determines a manipulated variable on the basis of the estimated temperature estimated by the estimator and an individual target temperature. The control unit controls the outlet temperature of the heating tanks on the basis of the manipulated variables.

Device and method for adjusting temperature of fluid

There is described an apparatus for producing a single crystal ingot capable of stably manufacturing a single crystal ingot by means of the Czochralski method, without being affected by influence of variation in extension of wires or an offset in points clamped by a clamping member. The clamping member is engaged with an engagement step formed in a single crystal which is being pulled by the CZ method, and the single crystal is pulled. The single crystal ingot manufacturing apparatus is provided with a flexible mechanism for absorbing variation in extension of the wires, in intermediate portions of the wires. Variation in extension of the wires is eliminated by means of the flexible mechanism, thereby retaining the single crystal in an upright position. Further, a sacrifice member which deforms so as to conform to the circumference of the engagement step is interposed between the clamping member and the engagement step, thereby preventing occurrence of cracking or deformation in the single crystal.

Apparatus for producing single crystal

A single crystal pulling apparatus and droppage preventing device constituted so as to enable the mechanical strength required by an arm to be decreased, and to enable arm manufacturing costs to be reduced and the pulling apparatus to be made more compact, and furthermore, to eliminate the need to provide in a separate manner a mechanism for preventing single crystal droppage, and to enhance reliability and durability by not adversely affecting a clean environment during single crystal growth. The arm has a mating member, which mates with the mating portion of a single crystal, and does not allow the single crystal to drop when pulling the single crystal. The arm undergoes an attitude change to a mating position in accordance with moving a circular motion having a circular motion support point as the center of the circular motion. And, when the single crystal mating portion is formed, the arm undergoes an attitude change, arriving at a position, at which the arm mating member is capable of mating with the mating portion of the single crystal. And then, when mated to the single crystal mating portion, the arm is raised in synch with the single crystal pulling operation. At this time, the arm is raised, maintaining a vertical attitude.

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Hiratsuka, Japan

Kazuhiro Mimura