Closed-loop identification of wafer temperature dynamics in a rapid thermal process

摘要

Single wafer rapid thermal processing (RTP) can be used for various wafer fabrication steps such as annealing, oxidation and chemical vapor deposition. A key issue in RTP is accurate temperature control, i.e., the wafer temperatures should be rapidly increased while maintaining uniformity of the temperature profile. A closed-loop identification method that suppresses RTP drift effects and maintains a linear operating region during identification tests is proposed. A simple graphical identification method that can be implemented on a field controller for autotuning and a nonlinear least squares method have been investigated. Both methods are tested with RTP equipment based on a design developed by Texas Instruments.