Control of Etch Rate Using Modeling, Feedback and Impedance Match

A host controller comprising:

• a memory device for storing a complex variable;
• a host processor coupled to the memory device, the host processor for:
• receiving a calculated variable associated with processing a work piece in a plasma chamber, the plasma chamber coupled to an impedance matching circuit via a radio frequency (RF) transmission line, the impedance matching circuit coupled to an RF generator via an RF cable;
• propagating the calculated variable through a computer-generated model to generate a value of the calculated variable at an output of the computer-generated model;
• identifying a calculated processing rate associated with the value of the calculated variable;
• identifying based on the calculated processing rate a pre-determined processing rate to be achieved;
• identifying a pre-determined variable at the output of the computer-generated model based on the pre-determined processing rate;
• identifying a first characteristic associated with a real portion of the pre-determined variable, the first characteristic of a first variable circuit component within the impedance matching circuit;
• sending a signal to the first variable circuit component to achieve the first characteristic to further achieve the real portion of the pre-determined variable;
• identifying a second characteristic associated with an imaginary portion of the pre-determined variable, the second characteristic of a second variable circuit component within the impedance matching circuit;
• and
• sending a signal to the second variable circuit component to achieve the second characteristic to further achieve the imaginary portion of the pre-determined variable.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a processor to perform the following operations:

• receiving a calculated variable associated with processing a work piece in a plasma chamber, the plasma chamber coupled to an impedance matching circuit via a radio frequency (RF) transmission line, the impedance matching circuit coupled to an RF generator via an RF cable;
• propagating the calculated variable through a computer-generated model to generate a value of the calculated variable at an output of the computer-generated model;
• identifying a calculated processing rate associated with the value of the calculated variable;
• identifying based on the calculated processing rate a pre-determined processing rate to be achieved;
• identifying a pre-determined variable at the output of the computer-generated model based on the pre-determined processing rate;
• identifying a first characteristic associated with a real portion of the pre-determined variable, the first characteristic of a first variable circuit component within the impedance matching circuit;
• sending a signal to the first variable circuit component to achieve the first characteristic to further achieve the real portion of the pre-determined variable;
• identifying a second characteristic associated with an imaginary portion of the pre-determined variable, the second characteristic of a second variable circuit component within the impedance matching circuit;
• and
• sending a signal to the second variable circuit component to achieve the second characteristic to further achieve the imaginary portion of the pre-determined variable.