US 10,209,136 B2Granted

Filament temperature derivation in hotwire semiconductor process

AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.

InventorPaul Steffas

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Abstract

The present disclosure provides apparatus and methods for monitoring and controlling filaments used in hotwire semiconductor processing and for monitoring integrity of filaments in a hotwire processing chamber. Embodiments of this disclosure may use real time voltage and current feedback signals provided by the power supply, known attributes, for example resistivity, of filament, filament geometries, for example diameter and length, and filament assembly configurations as input, to derive filament temperature in real time. Embodiments of the present disclosure are capable of continuously derive accurate temperatures of the filament assembly in a hotwire processing chamber after the filament assembly has changed geometries due to normal usage by using the measured cold resistance of the wire periodically before the process starts.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method for semiconductor processing, comprising:

performing a chemical vapor deposition process or an etch process on a substrate in a hotwire processing chamber by:
flowing a processing gas over a filament assembly in the hotwire processing chamber, wherein the filament assembly is powered by a power supply to heat the processing gas;
obtaining a resistance at a first temperature comprising:
applying a voltage level using the power supply;
measuring a voltage feedback and a current feedback of the power supply immediately after an electrical power is applied to the filament assembly;
maintaining the voltage level until the filament assembly reaches a steady state;
and
measuring a voltage feedback and a current feedback of the power supply at the steady state;
and
monitoring a real time temperature of the filament assembly comprising:
monitoring a real time voltage and a real time current of the power supply connected to the filament assembly while the power supply provides electrical power to the filament assembly;
calculating a real time resistance of the filament assembly from the real time voltage and the real time current of the power supply;
and
determining the real time temperature of the filament assembly according to a real time resistance and a resistance-temperature relationship.

11 more elements

A hotwire processing chamber, comprising:

a chamber body defining an internal processing volume;
a filament assembly disposed in the internal processing volume;
a power supply coupled to the filament assembly;
and
a temperature controller coupled to the power supply to facilitate a chemical deposition process or an etching process using the filament assembly as a heat source, wherein the temperature controller
obtains a resistance-temperature relationship by performing the following operation for a plurality of temperatures:
applying a voltage level using the power supply;
measuring a voltage feedback and a current feedback of the power supply immediately after an electrical power is applied to the filament assembly;
maintaining the voltage level until the filament assembly reaches a steady state at a corresponding temperature;
and
measuring a voltage feedback and a current feedback of the power supply at the steady state,
monitors a real time voltage and a real time current of the power supply,
calculates a real time resistance of the filament assembly from the real time voltage and the real time current of the power supply, and
determines a real time temperature of the filament assembly according to the real time resistance and the resistance-temperature relationship.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/501,902Filed 30 Sep 2014 · us provisional application
Priority: 23 Oct 2013
Published: US 2015/0112631 A123 Apr 2015
Granted: 19 Feb 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

G01K 7/16
Measuring temperature based on the use of electric or magnetic elements directly sensitive to heat ; Power supply therefor, e.g. using…: using…
B05B 12/08
Arrangements for controlling delivery; Arrangements for controlling the spray area: responsive to condition of liquid or other fluent material to…
C23C 16/4488
Characterised by the method used for generating reactive gas streams, e.g. by evaporation or sublimation of precursor materials: by in situ…
C23C 16/52
Characterised by the method of coating: controlling or regulating the coating process