Acoustic microbalance for in-situ deposition process monitoring and control
US6752899B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 16, 2002 |
| Grant date | Jun 22, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 3, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC23C16/52
- WIPO fieldSurface technology, coating
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The invention provides a system and process for depositing films, wherein an acoustic microbalance is used for process monitoring and/or control. The acoustic microbalance is placed in a deposition chamber and may optionally be mounted on a semiconductor substrate, such as a silicon wafer, on which a film is being deposited. Data from the acoustic microbalance is employed to detect a process endpoint, determine an adjustment to process conditions for a subsequent batch, and/or provide feedback control over current process conditions. One aspect of the invention involves the application of a model or database to correct for differences between the extent of deposition on an acoustic microbalance cantilever and the extent of deposition on a substrate being processed. Another aspect of the invention takes a probabilistic approach to employing acoustic microbalance data. The acoustic microbalance data is employed, optionally together with other process data, as evidence in a probabilistic dependancy model that infers the process state and/or predicts a process outcome.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.