US 12,078,547 B2 · Etalon thermometry for plasma environments

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining the temperature of a substrate within a processing chamber are described herein. The methods and apparatus described herein utilize an etalon assembly and a heterodyning effect to determine a first temperature of a substrate. The first temperature of the substrate is determined without physically contacting the substrate. A separate temperature sensor also measures a second temperature of the substrate and/or the substrate support at a similar location. The first temperature and the second temperature are utilized to calibrate one of the temperature sensors disposed within the substrate support, a model of the processes performed within the processing chamber, or to adjust a process parameter of the process performed within the processing chamber.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method of sensing temperature suitable for use in a semiconductor processing chamber, the method comprising:

passing a first light beam through a first etalon;
passing the first light beam through a substrate disposed in the processing chamber, the substrate providing a second etalon;
generating a reflected second beam and a transmitted second beam from the first light beam after passing the reflected second beam through both of the first etalon and the second etalon;
determining fringe spacing from an interference pattern of one of the reflected second beam or the transmitted second beam;
determining a temperature of the substrate based on the fringe spacing;
and
calibrating a substrate temperature sensor of the processing chamber using the temperature determined based on the fringe spacing of the interference pattern.

4 more elements

A method of sensing temperature suitable for use in a semiconductor processing chamber, the method comprising:

passing a first light beam through a first etalon;
passing the first light beam through a substrate disposed in the processing chamber, the substrate providing a second etalon;
generating a reflected second beam and a transmitted second beam from the first light beam after passing the reflected second beam through both of the first etalon and the second etalon;
determining fringe spacing from an interference pattern of one of the reflected second beam or the transmitted second beam;
and
determining a temperature of the substrate based on the fringe spacing,
wherein before the determining the fringe spacing, the processing chamber and the substrate are brought to a steady state temperature and a thickness of the substrate is calculated using an initial substrate temperature measurement and a first thickness of the first etalon is adjusted to be within 10 μm of a second thickness of the substrate by moving the first etalon out of a path of the first light beam and placing an alternate first etalon in the path of the first light beam.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Etalon thermometry for plasma environments

Life of this patent

Etalon thermometry for plasma environments

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19