Tokyo Electron Limited

Youngchul Park

Yuichi Takenaga

Wenling Wang

Fujio Suzuki

Koichi Sakamoto

Kazuhiro Kawamura

The present invention provides precise temperature estimation in a heat treatment apparatus that estimates temperatures of process objects by using a thermal model and performs a heat treatment while performing a temperature control based on the estimated temperatures. The heat treatment apparatus () includes a processing vessel () accommodating plural wafers W, plural heaters (to) and plural temperature sensors (Sto S), and stores the thermal model. The heat treatment apparatus 1 estimates temperatures of the wafers W based on outputs of the temperature sensors (Sto S) by using the thermal model and controls the heaters (to) based on the estimated temperatures, applying a heat treatment to the wafers W. The thermal model for an individual apparatus is made by calibrating a standard thermal model designed for a standard apparatus. The standard model calibration is performed by heating an interior of the processing vessel (), measuring the temperatures of the wafers W in the processing vessel (), estimating the temperatures of the wafers W by using the thermal model, comparing the measured temperature and the estimated temperature, and calibrating the standard thermal model so that the measured temperature substantially coincides with the estimated temperature.

Heat treatment apparatus and method of calibrating the apparatus

Temperature control is made without the risk of contaminating object-to-be-processed and with high accuracy. Temperatures are metered out of contact with the objects-to-be-processed, and based on a metered result, estimated temperatures of the objects-to-be-processed are computed. Furthermore, estimation errors of the estimated temperatures are computed to correct the estimated temperatures. Based on a temperature recipe stating relationships between set temperatures and times and the corrected estimated temperatures, a heater is controlled.

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Youngchul Park