# US 12,772,792 B2 · System for monitoring performance of electrostatic chucks in substrate processing systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,772,792 B2 - Document ID: US12772792B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/707,790 - Filed: 2022-11-10 - Published: 2025-01-16 - Granted: 2026-10-20 - Earliest claimed: 2021-11-12 - Assignees: Lam Research Corporation - Applicants: Lam Research Corporation - Inventors: Liwei An; Ramesh Chandrasekharan; Sergey Georgiyevich Belostotskiy; Tu Hong; Chunhai Ji; Noah Elliot Baker - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12772792B2 ## CPC - H10P 72/722: {Details of electrostatic chucks} - H01J 37/32935: {Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge} - H10P 72/0616: {Monitoring of warpages, curvatures, damages, defects or the like} - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) ## Abstract A system for monitoring health of a pedestal of a processing chamber comprises a memory storing instructions and a processor. The processor is configured to execute the instructions to sense one or more currents through one or more electrodes arranged in the pedestal; generate one or more metrics based on the one or more currents; and determine a health of the pedestal based on the one or more metrics. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for monitoring health of a pedestal of a processing chamber, the system comprising: a memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions to: sense currents through one or more electrodes arranged in the pedestal; generate a plurality of metrics based on a statistical analysis of the currents, the statistical analysis comprising generating averages of the currents and differences between the currents, and comprising generating maximum and mean values based on the averages and differences; select a set of metrics from the plurality of metrics based on a type of the pedestal for determining a health of the pedestal; and determine the health of the pedestal by comparing the selected set of metrics to respective thresholds. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the electrodes include clamping electrodes that clamp a substrate to the pedestal during processing of the substrate in the processing chamber. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to detect, based on the selected set of metrics, a degradation of the pedestal due to at least one of chemical, electrical, and thermal environment in the processing chamber. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to predict a problem with the pedestal based on the selected set of metrics. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to predict a likelihood of occurrence of a defect in a substrate processed on the pedestal based on the selected set of metrics. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to detect a problem with clamping of a substrate to the pedestal based on the selected set of metrics. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to predict, based on the selected set of metrics, a likelihood of occurrence of arcing in the processing chamber when a substrate is processed on the pedestal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to detect an imbalance in the currents based on the selected set of metrics and wherein the imbalance is indicative of degradation of the pedestal due to at least one of chemical, electrical, and thermal environment in the processing chamber. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to sense the currents during one or more processing steps performed on a substrate arranged on the pedestal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to sense the currents during at least one of the following operations performed on a substrate arranged on the pedestal: clamping the substrate to the pedestal; holding the clamped substrate on the pedestal; supplying a process gas to the processing chamber; and processing the clamped substrate using the process gas by striking plasma in the processing chamber. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to determine the respective thresholds based on data received from a plurality of processing chambers of a plurality of tools. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to determine the health of the pedestal by comparing the selected set of metrics to respective predetermined ranges. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12 wherein the processor is configured to determine the respective predetermined ranges based on data received from a plurality of processing chambers of a plurality of tools. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein two of the currents through two of the electrodes flow in opposite directions, wherein at least one of the metrics detects an imbalance in the two currents, and wherein the imbalance is indicative of a degradation of the pedestal due to at least one of chemical, electrical, and thermal environment in the processing chamber. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein directions of the currents through the two electrodes are reversed during processing of each successive substrate. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the electrodes is exposed to plasma during processing of a substrate on the pedestal and wherein one of the currents through the at least one of the electrodes includes a plasma component. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein the processor is configured to determine the plasma component and to offset the currents through two of the electrodes by the plasma component.