Lam Research Corporation

Ole Waldmann

Eric A Pape

Keith William Gaff

Tao Zhang

Carlos Leal-Verdugo

Harmeet Singh

Robert G O'Neill

Francisco Martinez

A method of determining thermal stability of an upper surface of a substrate support assembly in a plasma processing apparatus includes: before processing of at least one substrate in the plasma processing apparatus and while powering an array of thermal control elements of the substrate support assembly to achieve a desired spatial and temporal temperature of the upper surface of the substrate support assembly, recording pre-process temperature data of the substrate support assembly; after the processing of the at least one substrate in the plasma processing apparatus and while powering the array of thermal control elements to achieve the desired spatial and temporal temperature of the upper surface of the substrate support assembly, recording post-process temperature data; comparing the post-process temperature data to the pre-process temperature data; and determining whether the post-process temperature data is within a predetermined tolerance range of the pre-process temperature data.

Method of determining thermal stability of a substrate support assembly

A temperature controller for a substrate processing system includes an interface configured to receive a processing temperature corresponding to a desired processing temperature of a substrate. The temperature controller includes a thermal control element controller configured to selectively control a thermal control element to adjust a temperature of a substrate support. The thermal control element controller is further configured to, prior to the substrate being loaded onto the substrate support, determine at least one of a temperature of the substrate support and a temperature of the substrate and, based on the processing temperature and the at least one of the temperature of the substrate support and the temperature of the substrate, control the thermal control element to adjust the temperature of the substrate support to a setpoint temperature that is different than the processing temperature.

Reducing temperature transition in a substrate support

A method for controlling a substrate temperature in a substrate processing system includes determining a temperature difference between the substrate temperature before the substrate is loaded onto a substrate support device and a desired temperature for the substrate support device and, during a first period, controlling a thermal control element to adjust the temperature of the substrate support device to a temperature value based on the temperature difference. The temperature value is not equal to the desired temperature for the substrate support device. The method further includes loading the substrate onto the substrate support device after the first period begins and before the temperature of the substrate support device returns to the desired temperature and, during a second period that follows the first period, controlling the temperature of the substrate support device to the desired temperature for the substrate support device.

Method for reducing temperature transition in an electrostatic chuck

A system for controlling a substrate temperature in a substrate processing system includes a substrate support device, a controller, a temperature sensor, and a thermal control element (TCE). The controller is configured to, during a first period, control the TCE to adjust the temperature of the substrate support device to a temperature value based on a temperature difference between the substrate temperature before the substrate is loaded onto the substrate support device and a desired temperature for the substrate support device. The temperature value is not equal to the desired temperature. The substrate is loaded onto the substrate support device after the first period begins and before the temperature of the substrate support device returns to the desired temperature. The controller is further configured to, during a second period following the first period, control the temperature of the substrate support device to the desired temperature for the substrate support device.

System and method for reducing temperature transition in an electrostatic chuck

A method of determining thermal stability of an upper surface of a substrate support assembly comprises recording time resolved pre-process temperature data of the substrate before performing a plasma processing process while powering an array of thermal control elements to achieve a desired spatial and temporal temperature of the upper surface. A substrate is processed while powering the array of thermal control elements to achieve a desired spatial and temporal temperature of the upper surface of the assembly, and time resolved post-process temperature data of the assembly is recorded after processing the substrate. The post-process temperature data is recorded while powering the thermal control elements to achieve a desired spatial and temporal temperature of the upper surface. The post-process temperature data is compared to the pre-process temperature data to determine whether the data is within a desired tolerance range.

A method for auto-correction of at least one malfunctioning thermal control element among an array of thermal control elements that are independently controllable and located in a temperature control plate of a substrate support assembly which supports a semiconductor substrate during processing thereof, the method including: detecting, by a control unit including a processor, that at least one thermal control element of the array of thermal control elements is malfunctioning; deactivating, by the control unit, the at least one malfunctioning thermal control element; and modifying, by the control unit, a power level of at least one functioning thermal control element in the temperature control plate to minimize impact of the malfunctioning thermal control element on the desired temperature output at the location of the at least one malfunctioning thermal control element.

Auto-correction of malfunctioning thermal control element in a temperature control plate of a semiconductor substrate support assembly that includes deactivating the malfunctioning thermal control element and modifying a power level of at least one functioning thermal control element

A method for calculating power input to at least one thermal control element of an electrostatic chuck includes: setting the at least one thermal control element to a first predetermined power level; measuring a first temperature of the at least one thermal control element when the at least one thermal control element is powered at the first predetermined power level; setting the at least one thermal control element to a second predetermined power level; measuring a second temperature of the at least one thermal control element when the at least one thermal control element is powered at the second predetermined power level; calculating a difference between the first temperature and the second temperature; calculating a system response of the at least one thermal control element based on the difference; inverting the system response; and calibrating the at least one thermal control element based on the inverted system response.

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Oakland, CA, United States of America

Ole Waldmann