# US 9,435,692 B2 · Calculating power input to an array of thermal control elements to achieve a two-dimensional temperature output > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,435,692 B2 - Document ID: US9435692B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/173,149 - Filed: 2014-02-05 - Published: 2015-08-06 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-02-05 - Assignees: Lam Research Corporation - Applicants: Lam Research Corporation - Inventors: Ole Waldmann; Eric A. Pape; Robert Griffith O'Neill; Francisco Martinez - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9435692B2 ## CPC - G01J 5/485: {Temperature profile} - G01J 5/0007: {of wafers or semiconductor substrates, e.g. using Rapid Thermal Processing} - G01J 5/025: {Interfacing a pyrometer to an external device or network; User interface} - G01J 5/10: using electric radiation detectors - H10P 72/0434: {mainly by convection} - H10P 72/0602: {Temperature monitoring} - H10P 72/72: using electrostatic chucks - G01J 5/80: Calibration (using comparison with reference sources G01J5/52) - G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A method for calculating power input to at least one thermal control element of an electrostatic chuck includes: setting the at least one thermal control element to a first predetermined power level; measuring a first temperature of the at least one thermal control element when the at least one thermal control element is powered at the first predetermined power level; setting the at least one thermal control element to a second predetermined power level; measuring a second temperature of the at least one thermal control element when the at least one thermal control element is powered at the second predetermined power level; calculating a difference between the first temperature and the second temperature; calculating a system response of the at least one thermal control element based on the difference; inverting the system response; and calibrating the at least one thermal control element based on the inverted system response. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for calculating power input to at least one thermal control element of an electrostatic chuck having an array of independently controllable heater zones, the method comprising: setting, with a control unit including a processor, the at least one thermal control element in the electrostatic chuck to a first predetermined power level; measuring, with a temperature detector, a first temperature of the at least one thermal control element when the at least one thermal control element is powered at the first predetermined power level; setting, with the processor, the at least one thermal control element to a second predetermined power level; measuring, with the temperature detector, a second temperature of the at least one thermal control element when the at least one thermal control element is powered at the second predetermined power level; calculating a difference between the first temperature and the second temperature that are measured; calculating a system response of the at least one thermal control element based on the difference that is calculated; inverting the system response that is calculated; and calibrating the at least one thermal control element of the electrostatic chuck based on the inverted system response. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature detector is an infrared camera, and the first temperature and the second temperature are measured by at least one thermal image taken by the infrared camera, and the method further comprises: manipulating the at least one thermal image taken by the infrared camera to perform two-dimensional temperature prediction of the electrostatic chuck or a wafer substrate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the calculated system response is an algorithm to determine a relation between power input and temperature output of the at least one thermal control element. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting the edge of the electrostatic chuck by: taking a difference between the electrostatic chuck with all temperature control elements set to a same power level and an image with no temperature control elements powered up, starting close to an estimated center of the electrostatic chuck and comparing a value of each pixel to its neighboring pixel, and determining a pixel with a highest gradient to be the edge. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting the edge of the electrostatic chuck. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: validating the calibrating of the at least one thermal control element. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein during the setting of the first predetermined power level, all thermal control elements of the array are set to a same power level, and during the setting of the second predetermined power level, all thermal control elements of the array are not provided with any power. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the first predetermined power level is a maximum power level for the thermal control elements. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one thermal control element is a group of the array or the entire array of thermal control elements. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the array of thermal control elements includes at least 100 thermal control elements. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature detector is an infrared camera, and the first temperature and the second temperature are measured by at least one thermal image taken by the infrared camera, and the method further comprises: manipulating the at least one thermal image taken by the infrared camera to determine thermal output of the electrostatic chuck. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: reducing noise of the thermal image by performing a binning procedure in which n×m pixels are binned into one, where n and m are integers. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: reducing noise of the thermal image by performing a binning procedure in which 2×2 or 3×3 pixels are binned into one. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the calculated system response is a matrix. ### Claim 15 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the matrix includes vectors. ### Claim 16 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the matrix is a unit response matrix. ### Claim 17 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein dimensions of the matrix are total number of temperature control elements and number of binned pixels inside the electrostatic chuck. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A method of processing a semiconductor substrate in a plasma processing chamber on which the semiconductor substrate is supported on an electrostatic chuck validated by the method recited in claim 1. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) A method of processing a semiconductor substrate in a plasma etch chamber on which the semiconductor substrate is supported on an electrostatic chuck validated by the method recited in claim 1. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing instructions, which when executed by a processor, performs a method for calculating power input to at least one thermal control element of an electrostatic chuck having an array of independently controllable heater zones, the method comprising: setting the at least one thermal control element in the electrostatic chuck to a first predetermined power level; measuring, with a temperature detector, a first temperature of the at least one thermal control element when the at least one thermal control element is powered at the first predetermined power level; setting the at least one thermal control element to a second predetermined power level; measuring, with the temperature detector, a second temperature of the at least one thermal control element when the at least one thermal control element is powered at the second predetermined power level; calculating a difference between the first temperature and the second temperature that are measured; calculating a system response of the at least one thermal control element based on the difference that is calculated; inverting the system response that is calculated; and calibrating the at least one thermal control element of the electrostatic chuck based on the inverted system response.