Substrate carrier using a proportional thermal fluid delivery system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11615973-B2
Application number	US-201916656334-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2019
Priority date	Nov 26, 2014
Publication date	Mar 28, 2023
Grant date	Mar 28, 2023

Abstract

A substrate carrier is described that uses a proportional thermal fluid delivery system. In one example the apparatus includes a heat exchanger to provide a thermal fluid to a fluid channel of a substrate carrier and to receive the thermal fluid from the fluid channel, the thermal fluid in the fluid channel to control the temperature of the carrier during substrate processing. A proportional valve controls the rate of flow of thermal fluid from the heat exchanger to the fluid channel. A temperature controller receives a measured temperature from a thermal sensor of the carrier and controls the proportional valve in response to the measured temperature to adjust the rate of flow.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for processing a workpiece comprising:
generating a plasma containing gas ions in a plasma chamber;
applying the plasma to a workpiece on a workpiece holder;
regulating a temperature of the workpiece through a thermal fluid channel of the workpiece holder, using a heat exchanger to provide a thermal fluid to the fluid channel and to receive the thermal fluid from the fluid channel, the thermal fluid in the fluid channel to control the temperature of the workpiece carrier during substrate processing using a proportional valve to control the flow rate of the thermal fluid from the heat exchanger to the fluid channel and a temperature controller to receive a measured temperature from a thermal sensor of the workpiece holder and to control the proportional valve in response to the measured temperature to adjust the flow rate of the thermal fluid, wherein the heat exchanger provides a cold thermal fluid and the second heat exchanger provides a hot thermal fluid, and wherein the cold thermal fluid and the hot thermal fluid comprise polyethers.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the flow rate comprises the temperature controller providing an analog voltage signal to a pressure regulator and the pressure regulator providing a fluid pressure to the proportional valve in response to the analog voltage signal to control the proportional valve.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the proportional valve is an analog flow valve with a passageway that is opened or closed by an amount that depends on the fluid pressure.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the analog voltage signal is stepless and wherein the fluid pressure is stepless.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the fluid pressure provided to the pressure regulated valve is supplied by compressed dry air.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a fluid pressure from a pressure sensor and a fluid flow rate from a flow meter in the fluid channel and the temperature controller controlling the proportional valve in response to the pressure sensor and the fluid channel.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the proportional valve comprises a pressure regulated valve, wherein the proportional valve comprises a valve body with an upper chamber and a lower chamber, and wherein an upper diaphragm in the upper chamber is coupled to a lower diaphragm in the lower chamber.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Criminale Phillip
• Phi Justin
• Marohl Dan A
• Shoji Sergio Fukuda
• Mays Brad L

Classifications

• H10P72/72

  using electrostatic chucks · CPC title

• H10P72/0434 Primary

  mainly by convection · CPC title

• H10P72/0402

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title

• H10P72/0602 Primary

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title

• H10P50/242

  of Group IV materials · CPC title