Control device, processing apparatus, and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11894249-B2
Application number	US-202017031785-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2020
Priority date	Oct 8, 2019
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

A control device controls an operation of a processing apparatus for performing a processing in a processing container that accommodates a substrate. The control device includes: a temperature acquisition unit configured to acquire a temperature inside the processing container; a storage unit configured to store relationship information indicating a relationship between the temperature inside the processing container and an etching rate, and film thickness information including a cumulative film thickness of a deposited film inside the processing container; a rate calculator configured to calculate an etching rate of the deposited film based on the temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit and the relationship information stored in the storage unit; and a time calculator configured to calculate an etching time for removing the deposited film based on the etching rate calculated by the rate calculator and the film thickness information stored in the storage unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control device comprising:
a memory; and
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to:
store, in the memory, relationship information indicating a corresponding relationship between a temperature inside a processing container of a processing apparatus that performs a processing on a substrate accommodated therein and an etching rate of a deposited film inside the processing container, and film thickness information including a cumulative film thickness of the deposited film;
detect, by a temperature sensor, a temperature inside the processing container;
extract an etching rate of the deposited film corresponding to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor from the relationship information stored in the memory;
calculate an etching time for removing the deposited film based on the extracted etching rate of the deposited film and the film thickness information stored in the memory; and execute a cleaning process of the processing apparatus by controlling an operation of the processing apparatus to remove the deposited film inside the processing container based on the etching time.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor is provided inside the processing container.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor detects a plurality of temperatures of different positions in a height direction inside the processing container, and
the processor extracts the etching rate of the deposited film corresponding to a highest temperature among the plurality of temperatures detected by the temperature sensor from the relationship information stored in the memory.

4. The control device according to claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to
acquire a pressure inside the processing container,
store the relationship information for each pressure in the memory, and
extract the etching rate of the deposited film corresponding to the temperature and the pressure inside the processing container from the relationship information stored in the memory.

5. The control device according to claim 4 , wherein the pressure inside the processing container is a set pressure when a cleaning process is performed to remove the deposited film inside the processing container.

6. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the film thickness information including the cumulative film thickness of the deposited film inside the processing container is obtained by multiplying a film thickness of the deposited film when the processing is performed once in the processing container by a number of times of performing the processing in the processing container.

7. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor calculates the etching time by dividing the cumulative film thickness by the etching rate of the deposited film.

8. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor calculates the etching time after a cleaning process is started and the temperature inside the processing container is stabilized.

9. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor calculates the etching time repeatedly each time a predetermined time elapses during a cleaning process.

10. A processing apparatus comprising:
a processing container configured to accommodate a substrate;
a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature inside the processing container; and
a control device, wherein the control device is programmed to:
store, in a memory, relationship information indicating a corresponding relationship between a temperature inside the processing container and an etching rate of a deposited film inside the processing container, and film thickness information including a cumulative film thickness of the deposited film, detect a temperature inside the processing container by the temperature sensor, extract an etching rate of the deposited film corresponding to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor from the relationship information stored in the memory, calculate an etching time for removing the deposited film based on the extracted etching rate of the deposited film and the film thickness information stored in the memory, and execute a cleaning process of the processing apparatus by controlling an operation of the processing apparatus to remove the deposited film inside the processing container based on the etching time.

11. The processing apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising: a cooler configured to cool an inside of the processing container, wherein the control device controls the cooler to decrease the temperature inside the processing container to a room temperature or a temperature near the room temperature, and executes the cleaning process.

12. A control method comprising:
storing, in a memory, relationship information indicating a corresponding relationship between a temperature inside a processing container of a processing apparatus that performs a processing on a substrate accommodated therein and an etching rate of a deposited film inside the processing container, and film thickness information including a cumulative film thickness of the deposited film;
detecting, by a temperature sensor, a temperature inside the processing container;
extracting an etching rate of the deposited film corresponding to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor from the relationship information stored in the memory in the storing; and
calculating an etching time for removing the deposited film based on the etching rate of the deposited film extracted in the extracting the etching rate and the film thickness information stored in the memory in the storing.

13. The control method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
removing a deposited film inside the processing container based on the etching time calculated in the calculating the etching time, wherein the detecting, the extracting the etching rate, and the calculating the etching time are repeatedly performed during an execution of the removing the deposited film.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Oikawa Masami
• Watanabe Tsubasa
• Hasegawa Tomoya

Classifications

• H10P72/0604 Primary

  Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring · CPC title

• H01J37/32522

  Temperature · CPC title

• H01J37/32798

  Further details of plasma apparatus not provided for in groups H01J37/3244 - H01J37/32788; special provisions for cleaning or maintenance of the apparatus · CPC title

• H01J37/32862 Primary

  In situ cleaning of vessels and/or internal parts · CPC title

• H10P72/0602 Primary

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title