Pressure regulated flow controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11835974-B2
Application number	US-202117175313-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2021
Priority date	Jul 25, 2019
Publication date	Dec 5, 2023
Grant date	Dec 5, 2023

Abstract

A manufacturing system includes a processing chamber, an gas supply, and a mass flow control apparatus coupled to the gas supply and the processing chamber. The mass flow control apparatus includes a flow restriction element configured to restrict a flow rate of a gas, a bypass flow element configured to control the flow rate of the gas in parallel to the flow restriction element, and a pressure regulator configured to control a pressure of the gas between the pressure regulator and the flow restriction element and/or a pressure of the gas between the pressure regulator and the flow restriction element. The manufacturing system further includes a controller that is configured to flow gas from the gas supply to the processing chamber via the mass flow control apparatus in view of a first pressure setting. The controller further determines to modify the flow of the gas from a first flow rate associated with the first pressure setting to a second flow rate. The controller further determines a second pressure setting associated with the second flow rate and causes the pressure regulator to modify the pressure of the gas between the pressure regulator and the flow restriction element and/or the pressure regulator and the bypass flow element in view of the second pressure setting.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A manufacturing system comprising:
a processing chamber;
a gas supply;
a mass flow control apparatus coupled to an outlet of the gas supply and an inlet of the processing chamber, wherein the mass flow control apparatus comprises a flow restriction element configured to restrict a flow rate of a gas, a bypass flow element configured to control the flow rate of the gas in parallel to the flow restriction element, and a pressure regulator configured to control at least one of a pressure of the gas between the pressure regulator and the flow restriction element or a pressure of the gas between the pressure regulator and the bypass flow element; and
a controller coupled to mass flow control apparatus, the controller configured to:
flow the gas from the gas supply to the processing chamber via the mass flow control apparatus in view of a first pressure setting associated with a first flow rate;
determine a second flow rate for the gas flowed from the gas supply to the processing chamber based on at least the first flow rate and a control gain metric identified for the mass flow control apparatus;
determine a second pressure setting associated with the second flow rate; and
cause the pressure regulator to modify the pressure of the gas between at least one of the pressure regulator and the flow restriction element or the pressure regulator and the bypass flow element in view of the second pressure setting.

2. The manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further to:
detect an error at the processing chamber or the mass flow control apparatus.

3. The manufacturing system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further to:
receive data associated with the error at the processing chamber or the mass flow control apparatus from one or more sensors at the manufacturing system; and
determine a value of the control gain metric based on the received data, wherein the control gain metric corresponds to at least one of a proportional control gain metric, an integral control gain metric, or a derivative control gain metric.

4. The manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further to:
determine that a first step of a process recipe for the process chamber is complete and that a second step of the process recipe is to be initiated, wherein the first step of the process recipe is associated with the first flow rate for the gas and the second step of the process recipe is associated with the second flow rate for the gas.

5. The manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein to determine the second pressure setting associated with the second flow rate, the controller is to:
identify, from calibration data mapping pressure settings to flow rates, the second pressure setting of the gas corresponding to the second flow rate.

6. The manufacturing system of claim 1 , further comprising a flow meter coupled to an outlet of the flow restriction element and an outlet of the bypass flow element of the mass flow control apparatus, wherein the flow meter is configured to measure a current flow rate of the gas at the outlet of the flow restriction element and the outlet of the bypass flow element.

7. The manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the flow restriction element and the bypass flow element of the mass flow control apparatus are components of a speed control valve.

8. The manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the pressure regulator of the mass flow control apparatus is an electro-pneumatic pressure regulator.

9. A method comprising:
flowing, by a controller of a manufacturing system, a gas from a gas supply to a processing chamber, wherein the gas supply and the processing chamber are each coupled to a mass flow control apparatus configured to control a flow of the gas from the gas supply to the processing chamber in view of a first pressure setting associated with a first flow rate;
determining, by the controller, a second flow rate for the gas flowed from the gas supply to the processing chamber based on at least the first flow rate and a control gain metric identified for the mass flow control apparatus;
determining, by the controller, a second pressure setting associated with the second flow rate; and
causing, by the controller, a pressure regulator of the mass flow control apparatus to modify pressure of the gas between at least one of the pressure regulator and a flow restriction element of the mass flow control apparatus or the pressure regulator and a bypass flow element of the mass flow control apparatus in view of the second pressure setting.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
detecting a system error present at one or more portions of the manufacturing system.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving, from one or more sensors at the manufacturing system, data associated with the system error at the one or more portions of the manufacturing system; and
determining a value of the control gain metric based on the received data, wherein the control gain metric corresponds to at least one of a proportional control gain metric, an integral control gain metric, or a derivative control gain metric.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining that a first step of a process recipe for the process chamber is complete and that a second step of the process recipe is to be initiated, wherein the first step of the process recipe is associated with the first flow rate of the gas and the second step of the process recipe is associated with the second flow rate of the gas.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining the second pressure setting associated with the second flow rate comprises:
identifying, from calibration data mapping pressure settings to flow rates, the second pressure setting of the gas corresponding to the second flow rate.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein an outlet of the flow restriction element and an outlet of the bypass flow element are coupled to a flow meter, wherein the flow meter is configured to measure a current flow rate of the gas at the outlet of the flow restriction element and the outlet of the bypass flow element.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receiving, from the flow meter, an indication of the current flow rate of the gas at the outlet of at least one of the flow restriction element or the bypass flow element, wherein the current flow rate of the gas corresponds to a third flow rate;
responsive to determining that the third flow rate of the gas does not correspond to the second flow rate, causing the pressure regulator to modify the pressure of the gas between the at least one of the pressure regulator and the flow restriction element or the pressure regulator and the bypass flow element in view of a third pressure setting;
receiving, from the flow meter, another indication of an updated flow rate of the gas at the outlet of at least one of the flow restriction element or the bypass flow element, wherein the updated flow rate of the gas corresponds to the second flow rate; and
updating calibration data for the mass flow control apparatus to include an association between at least one of the second pressure setting and the third flow rate or the third pressure setting and the second flow rate.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to:
flow a gas from a gas supply to a processing chamber, wherein the gas supply and the processing chamber are each coupled to a mass flow control apparatus configured to control a flow of gas from th

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Xu Ming
• Le Kenneth
• Okada Ashley M

Classifications

• G05D7/0635 Primary

  by action on throttling means (G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence) · CPC title

• G05D7/0623

  characterised by the set value given to the control element · CPC title

• G05D27/02 Primary

  characterised by the use of electric means · CPC title

• G01F15/002 Primary

  for gases · CPC title

• G01F5/005

  by measuring pressure or differential pressure, created by the use of flow constriction · CPC title