Granted Patent B2

US 12,399,518 · App. 17/184,078 · Granted Aug 26, 2025

Inventors: Stanton H. Breitlow (Winona, MN); Matthew Yender (St. Louis, MO); Brittany Phillips (St. Louis, MO)

Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company

G05D23/2401G05D23/1934

Abstract

Claims (61)

1. A method of dynamically calibrating a heater having a plurality of zones defined by one or more resistive heating elements, the method comprising:

controlling power to the heater based on a dynamic resistance-temperature (R-T) model to control a temperature of the heater to a temperature setpoint;

for each of the plurality of zones,

measuring a temperature of a respective zone based on a resistance of the one or more resistive heating elements of the respective zone and the dynamic R-T model;

measuring a reference temperature for the respective zone; and

incrementally adjusting a resistance value associated with the temperature setpoint provided in the dynamic R-T model for the respective zone to a calibrated resistance value using a resistance adjustment rate, wherein, for the respective zone, the resistance adjustment rate is determined based on a difference between the reference temperature associated with the respective zone and the temperature of the respective zone; and

providing the dynamic R-T model that correlates the calibrated resistance values of the plurality of zones with the temperature setpoint as a calibrated R-T model.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling power to the heater further comprises:

measuring resistances of the one or more resistive heating elements;

determining the temperature of each of the plurality of zones based on the measured resistances of the one or more resistive heating elements of the respective zone and the dynamic R-T model; and

adjusting power to the respective zone in response to the temperature of the respective zone being different from the temperature setpoint until the temperature of the respective zone is equal to the temperature setpoint.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein when the temperature of each of the plurality of zones equals the temperature setpoint, the method further comprises applying a voltage pulse to the plurality of zones and measuring a thermal response of the plurality of zones.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein when the temperature of each of the plurality of zones equals the temperature setpoint, the method further comprises adjusting an external system variable and measuring a thermal response of the plurality of zones, wherein the external system variable includes chamber pressures, backside gas pressures, gas flow rates, an emissivity of a chamber, an emissivity of a pedestal, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the resistance adjustment rate is further based on a predefined gain factor.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein incrementally adjusting the resistance value further comprises:

decreasing the resistance value associated with the respective zone when the reference temperature of the respective zone is greater than the temperature of the respective zone; and

increasing the resistance value associated with the respective zone when the reference temperature of the respective zone is less than the temperature of the respective zone, wherein decreasing and increasing the resistance value associated with the respective zone is performed at a defined rate based on the resistance adjustment rate for the respective zone, and wherein the defined rate for one or more zones of the plurality of zones is different than the defined rate for one or more other zones of the plurality of zones.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reference temperatures of the plurality of zones are measured by one or more sensors.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

applying a nominal measurement voltage to each of the plurality of zones; and

measuring a cold start resistance for each of the plurality of zones prior to controlling the temperature of the heater to the temperature setpoint.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the temperature setpoint is selected from among a plurality of temperature setpoints and the calibrated resistance value for each of the zones is determined for each of the plurality of temperature setpoints, and

the dynamic R-T model provides, for each of the plurality of temperature setpoints, the calibrated resistance values for each of the plurality of zones.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising thermally leveling the reference temperatures of the plurality of zones such that the reference temperature for a first zone is substantially the same as that of a second zone that is associated with the first zone.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising, for each of the zones:

determining whether the temperature of the respective zone is equal to the reference temperature of the respective zone, wherein the resistance value is incrementally adjusted in response to the temperature not equaling the reference temperature; and

storing the resistance value as the calibrated resistance value for the respective zone in response to the temperature of the respective zone equaling the reference temperature.

12. A method of dynamically calibrating a heater having a plurality of zones defined by one or more resistive heating elements, the method comprising:

controlling power to the heater based on a dynamic resistance-temperature (R-T) model to control a temperature of the heater to a temperature setpoint;

for each of the plurality of zones:

measuring a reference temperature for a respective zone;

measuring a zone temperature for the respective zone based on a resistance of the one or more resistive heating elements of the respective zone and the dynamic R-T model;

determining, for the respective zone, whether the zone temperature is equal to the reference temperature;

in response to the zone temperature not equaling the reference temperature, incrementally adjusting a resistance value associated with the temperature setpoint in the dynamic R-T model for the respective zone using a resistance adjustment rate, wherein, for the respective zone, the resistance adjustment rate is determined based on a difference between the reference temperature associated with the respective zone and the temperature of the respective zone; and

in response to the zone temperature equaling the reference temperature, providing the resistance value in the dynamic R-T model as a calibrated resistance value for the temperature setpoint; and

storing the dynamic R-T model as a calibrated R-T model in response to the calibrated resistance value being provided for each of the plurality of zones.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising thermally leveling the reference temperatures of the plurality of zones such that the reference temperature for a first zone is substantially the same as that of a second zone associated with the first zone.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the resistance value is stored in the dynamic R-T model as the calibrated resistance value for the temperature setpoint in response to the zone temperature equaling the reference temperature and the plurality of reference temperatures being thermally leveled.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein:

the temperature setpoint is selected from among a plurality of temperature setpoints, and the calibrated resistance value is determined for each of the plurality of temperature setpoints, and

the dynamic R-T model provides, for each of the plurality of temperature setpoints, the calibrated resistance values for each of the plurality of zones.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein incrementally adjusting the resistance values further comprises determining the resistance adjustment rate based on a predefined gain factor and a difference between the reference temperature and the zone temperature of the respective zone.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein incrementally adjusting the resistance value for the respective zone further comprises:

decreasing the resistance value associated with the respective zone when the reference temperature of the respective zone is greater than the temperature of the respective zone; and

increasing the resistance value associated with the respective zone when the reference temperature of the respective zone is less than the temperature of the respective zone.

18. A control system for controlling power to a heater having a plurality of zones, each of the plurality of zones being defined by one or more resistive heating elements, the control system comprising:

a controller configured to control power to the heater and determine a temperature of each of the plurality of zones based on a calibrated resistance-temperature (R-T) model, the controller being configured to execute a dynamic calibration process to define the calibrated R-T model, wherein the dynamic calibration process comprises:

performing, using a dynamic R-T model, a closed-loop temperature control to maintain temperature of the heater to a temperature setpoint;

for each of the plurality of zones,

obtaining a reference temperature for a respective zone;

thermally leveling the reference temperature of the respective zone with one or more other reference temperatures by adjusting a resistance value associated with the respective zone in response to the temperature of the heater not equaling the temperature setpoint;

measuring a zone temperature for the respective zone based on the resistance value of the one or more resistive heating elements of the respective zone and the dynamic R-T model for the respective zone;

determining, for the respective zone, whether the zone temperature is equal to the reference temperature;

in response to the zone temperature not equaling the reference temperature, incrementally adjusting the resistance value associated with the temperature setpoint provided in the dynamic R-T model for the respective zone using a resistance adjustment rate, wherein, for the respective zone, the resistance adjustment rate is determined based on a difference between the reference temperature associated with the respective zone and the temperature of the respective zone; and

in response to the zone temperature equaling the reference temperature and the reference temperature being thermally leveled, providing the resistance value in the dynamic R-T model as a calibrated resistance value for the temperature setpoint for the respective zone; and

storing the dynamic R-T model that correlates the calibrated resistance value with the temperature setpoint for the plurality of zones as the calibrated R-T model.

19. The control system of claim 18 , wherein incrementally adjusting the resistance value further comprises, determining the resistance adjustment rate based on a predefined gain factor and a difference between the reference temperature and the zone temperature of the respective zone.

20. The control system of claim 18 , wherein incrementally adjusting the resistance value for the respective zone further comprises:

decreasing the resistance value associated with the respective zone when the reference temperature of the respective zone is greater than the temperature of the respective zone; and

increasing the resistance value associated with the respective zone when the reference temperature of the respective zone is less than the temperature of the respective zone.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (26)