Patent ID: 7575370
Filing Date: 2009-08-18
Classification: C23C,H01L

Abstract:
1. A calibrating method for a heat treatment apparatus that includes a processing vessel for accommodating process objects therein, a plurality of heaters and a plurality of temperature sensors; that stores a thermal model for estimating temperature of the process objects in the processing vessel based on outputs of the temperature sensors; that estimates the temperature of the process objects in the processing vessel based on the outputs of the temperature sensors by using the thermal model; and that controls the heaters based on the estimated temperature, to perform a heat treatment to the process objects, wherein the thermal model has a function of estimating temperature of one of the heaters and temperature of the temperature sensors, said method comprising the steps of: driving the heaters to heat an interior of the processing vessel; and calibrating a part of the thermal model involving temperature estimation of said one of the heaters wherein the calibrating step includes the steps of: determining a matrix [K where ΔT is said amount of change in the temperature of said heaters and ΔTs determining a difference between an estimated temperature of one of the temperature sensors located closest to the said one of the heaters, as estimated by using the thermal model, and an actual temperature of said one of the temperature sensors measured by the same; and calculating the correction value according to the following expression wherein said difference is assigned to one of “a