System and method for determining field non-uniformities of a wafer processing chamber using a wafer processing parameter

A method for controlling a condition of a wafer processing chamber, the method comprising:

• arranging a plurality of sets of first thermal control elements in respective zones of an electrostatic chuck (ESC) of the wafer processing chamber, wherein each of the sets of first thermal control elements is separately controllable to adjust a temperature of one of the respective zones;
• distributing a plurality of second thermal control elements throughout each of the respective zones, wherein each of the second thermal control elements is separately controllable from the first thermal control elements and others of the second thermal control elements;
• storing in memory a plurality of profiles of respective ones of the plurality of second thermal control elements;
• determining, for a first substrate, first respective etch rates of each of the plurality of second thermal control elements at predetermined setpoints of the plurality of sets of first thermal control elements;
• determining, for a second substrate, second respective etch rates of each of the plurality of second thermal control elements at the predetermined setpoints of the plurality of sets of first thermal control elements;
• determining, using the first and second respective etch rates as determined for the first substrate and the second substrate at the predetermined setpoints of the plurality of sets of first thermal control elements, (i) a first average etch rate of the first and second respective etch rates for the first substrate and the second substrate for a first one of the plurality of second thermal control elements, (ii) a second average etch rate of the first and second respective etch rates for the first substrate and the second substrate for a second one of the plurality of second thermal control elements, and (iii) a third average etch rate of the first average etch rate and the second average etch rate;
• determining non-uniformities for each of the first and second average etch rates using the first, second, and third average etch rates;
• and
• adjusting at least one of the plurality of profiles based on the non-uniformities in the first and second average etch rates and a sensitivity of the first and second respective etch rates to a condition of the wafer processing chamber;
• and
• during processing of a third substrate, controlling the plurality of second thermal control elements in accordance with the at least one of the plurality of profiles as adjusted based on the determined non-uniformities in the first and second average etch rates.

A system, comprising:

• a plurality of sets of first thermal control elements arranged in respective zones of an electrostatic chuck (ESC) of a substrate processing chamber, wherein each of the sets of first thermal control elements is separately controllable to adjust a temperature of one of the respective zones;
• a plurality of second thermal control elements distributed throughout each of the respective zones, wherein each of the second thermal control elements is separately controllable from the first thermal control elements and others of the second thermal control elements;
• memory that stores a plurality of profiles of respective ones of the plurality of second thermal control elements;
• a first controller configured to:
• determine a first average of respective etch rates associated with a first one of the plurality of second thermal control elements for a plurality of substrates;
• determine a second average of respective etch rates associated with a second one of the plurality of second thermal control elements for the plurality of substrates;
• determine a third average using the first average and the second average;
• determine respective non-uniformities of the first average and the second average using the third average;
• adjust at least one of the plurality of profiles based on the respective non-uniformities;
• and
• during processing of subsequent substrates, control the plurality of second thermal control elements in accordance with the at least one of the plurality of profiles as adjusted based on the respective non-uniformities.