Adaptive baking method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12196491-B2
Application number	US-202117527991-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2021
Priority date	Mar 7, 2014
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

A controller includes a non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store information related to a target temperature of a wafer, a target temperature of a heating element, a temperature of the wafer, and a temperature of the heating element. The controller further includes a processor connected to the non-transitory computer readable medium, the processor configured to generate at least one heating signal during a baking process to adjust a duration of an entirety of the baking process in response to the temperature of the wafer and the temperature of the heating element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
performing a baking process on an entirety of water, wherein the baking process comprises heating the wafer for a first duration using a heating element;
measuring a temperature of the heating element and a temperature of the wafer during the first duration to obtain temperature information related to both the heating element and the wafer; and
decreasing, during the first duration, an amount of heat provided by the heating element as a rate of change of the temperature information versus time increases.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the baking process comprises individually controlling each of a plurality of heating zones of the heating element.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the baking process comprises controlling a resistive heater of the heating element.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the baking process comprises controlling a fluid flowing through the heating element.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the backing process comprises controlling an infrared light source.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising increasing a duration of the baking process beyond the first duration in response to the temperature information being below a target temperature information.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein increasing the duration of the baking process comprises determining the duration based on a target heating rate of the target temperature information.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the baking process comprises controlling the heating element uniformly.

9. A method comprising:
performing a baking process on an entirety of a water, wherein the baking process comprises heating the wafer for a first duration using a heating element;
measuring a temperature of the heating element and a temperature of the wafer during the first duration to obtain temperature information related to both the heating element and the wafer; and
increasing a duration of the baking process beyond the first duration in response to the temperature information.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising decreasing, during the first duration, an amount of heat provided by the heating element as a rate of change of the temperature information versus time increases.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein performing the baking process comprises individually controlling each of a plurality of heating zones of the heating element.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein performing the baking process comprises controlling the heating element uniformly.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein increasing the duration comprises determining a magnitude of the duration based on a rate of heating for target temperature information.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein increasing the duration comprises transmitting signals to the heating element.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein performing the baking process comprises controlling a first heating zone of a plurality of heating zones of the heating element based on an amount of heat provided by a second heating zone of the plurality of heating zones.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein controlling the first heating zone comprises controlling the first heating zone based on the second heating zone adjacent to the first heating zone.

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein performing the baking process comprises controlling an infrared light source or controlling flow of a heating fluid through the heating element.

18. A method comprising:
performing a baking process on an entirety of a wafer, wherein the baking process comprises heating the wafer for a first duration using a heating element, and the heating element comprises a plurality of heating zones;
measuring a temperature of at least one of the plurality of heating zones of the heating element and a temperature of the wafer during the first duration to obtain temperature information related to both the heating element and the wafer; and
at least one of:
increasing a duration of the baking process beyond the first duration in response to the temperature information; or
decreasing, during the first duration, an amount of heat provided by the at least one zone of the plurality of heating zones of the heating element as a rate of change of the temperature information versus time increases.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein performing the baking process comprises performing the baking process with at least a portion of the wafer in direct contact with the heating element.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising individually controlling each of the plurality of heating zones during the baking process.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wu Tzung-Chen
• Lee Heng-Jen
• Hwang Ho-Yung David
• Zhou Wen-Zhan

Classifications

• H10P72/0616

  Monitoring of warpages, curvatures, damages, defects or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/0602

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0432

  mainly by conduction · CPC title

• F27D2019/0003

  Monitoring the temperature or a characteristic of the charge and using it as a controlling value · CPC title

• G03F7/168

  Finishing the coated layer, e.g. drying, baking, soaking · CPC title