IP Library Granted Patent US 12711290
Granted Patent B2
US 12711290 · App. 17/723,285 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Machine learning model based controller for rapid thermal processing chamber

Inventors: Preetham Rao (Morgan Hill, CA); Raechel Tan (Santa Clara, CA); Ananda Sankar Kundu (Kolkata, IN); Wolfgang Aderhold (Santa Clara, CA)
Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
G06F30/27G05B17/02G06F30/18G06F2119/08
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12711290
App. No.
17/723,285
Granted
Aug 18, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein include a method of developing a reduced order model (ROM) for a model based controller. In an embodiment, the method comprises obtaining a design of a plant, and building a detailed model of the thermal network of the plant from the design of the plant. In an embodiment, the method further comprises obtaining a training input recipe, and running the detailed model using the training input recipe. In an embodiment, the method further comprises generating a plurality of snapshots, wherein each snapshot includes the temperatures of a plurality of components in the detailed model, and utilizing a dynamic mode decomposition with control (DMDc) operation in order to extract the ROM from the plurality of snapshots.

Claims (42)

1 . A method of developing a reduced order model (ROM) for a model based controller, comprising:

obtaining a design of a rapid thermal processing (RTP) tool, the RTP tool comprising a plurality of heater zones at a lid of a chamber, and a reflector plate over a bottom of the chamber;

building a detailed model of the thermal network of the RTP tool from the design of the RTP tool;

obtaining a training input recipe;

running the detailed model using the training input recipe;

generating a plurality of snapshots, wherein each snapshot includes the temperatures of a plurality of components in the detailed model;

utilizing a dynamic mode decomposition with control (DMDc) operation in order to extract the ROM from the plurality of snapshots;

using the ROM in a recipe to set a temperature for each zone of the plurality of heater zones and to set a temperature for the reflector plate; and

processing a substrate between the plurality of heater zones and the reflector using the recipe.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

calibrating the detailed model with available experimental data.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the DMDc operation includes a non-linear component.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the ROM is in the format of {dot over (x)}=Ax+Bu, wherein A and B are matrices.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the ROM is an approximation of the actual governing equations of thermodynamics for the RTP tool.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein an error between an output of the ROM and an output of the detailed model is within 10%.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the design of the RTP tool is a computer aided design (CAD) file.

8 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the ROM is in the format of {dot over (x)}=Ax 4 +Bx+c+Du, wherein A, B, and D are matrices.

9 . A processing tool, comprising:

a chamber;

a plurality of heater zones at a lid of the chamber;

a reflector along a bottom of the chamber;

a substrate support between the plurality of lamps and the reflector; and

a controller coupled to the chamber for controlling a temperature of the substrate, wherein the controller is a model based controller that utilizes a reduced order model (ROM) generated with a dynamic mode decomposition with control (DMDc) process, wherein the controller uses the ROM in a recipe to set a temperature for each zone of the plurality of heater zones and to set a temperature for the reflector plate, and wherein the controller is configured to process a substrate on the substrate support between the plurality of heater zones and the reflector using the recipe.

10 . The processing tool of claim 9 , wherein the processing tool is a rapid thermal processing (RTP) tool.

11 . The processing tool of claim 9 , wherein the ROM is in the format of {dot over (x)}=Ax+Bu, wherein A and B are matrices.

12 . The processing tool of claim 9 , wherein the ROM is in the format of {dot over (x)}=Ax 4 +Bx+c+Du, wherein A, B, and D are matrices.

13 . The processing tool of claim 9 , wherein the ROM is generated from a plurality of snapshots.

14 . The processing tool of claim 9 , wherein the ROM is an approximation of the actual governing equations of thermodynamics for the processing tool.

15 . The processing tool of claim 13 , wherein the ROM is generated before the processing tool is assembled.

16 . A method of developing a reduced order model (ROM) for a model based controller, comprising:

generating a plurality of snapshots, wherein each snapshot includes the temperatures of a plurality of components in a processing tool, the processing tool comprising a plurality of heater zones at a lid of a chamber, and a reflector plate over a bottom of the chamber;

utilizing a dynamic mode decomposition with control (DMDc) operation in order to extract the ROM from the plurality of snapshots;

using the ROM in a recipe to set a temperature for each zone of the plurality of heater zones and to set a temperature for the reflector plate; and

processing a substrate between the plurality of heater zones and the reflector using the recipe.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein generating the plurality of snapshots comprises:

obtaining a computer aided design of a rapid thermal processing (RTP) tool;

building a detailed model of the thermal network of the RTP tool from the computer aided design of the RTP tool;

obtaining a training input recipe; and

running the detailed model using the training input recipe.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein generating the plurality of snapshots comprises:

running a training recipe on a processing tool; and

recording temperatures of a plurality of components at a plurality of times.