Patent ID: 8809747
Filing Date: 2014-08-19
Classification: H01L,H05B

Abstract:
1. A method of operating a heating plate for a substrate support assembly used to support a semiconductor substrate in a semiconductor processing apparatus, wherein the heating plate includes a first electrically insulating layer, M electrically conductive power supply lines, N electrically conductive power return lines, an array of multiple planar heater zones wherein a respective planar heater zone Z ij is connected to an i-th power supply line and a j-th power return line wherein 1≦i≦M, 1≦j≦N, i and j are integers, and the planar heater zone Z ij comprises one or more heater elements, and a diode serially connected to planar heater zone Z ij between the i-th power supply line and the j-th power return line such that the diode does not allow reverse electrical current flow in a direction from the j-th power return line through the planar heater zone Z ij to the i-th power supply line, and wherein the planar heater zones are laterally distributed across the first electrically insulating layer and operable to tune a spatial temperature profile on the semiconductor substrate, and wherein no two planar heater zones are connected to the same pair of i-th power supply line and j-th power return line; the method comprising: (a) calculating a time duration T (b) maintaining a connection between the i-th power supply line and the power supply for a controller time duration T (c) during the controller time duration T (d) repeating step (c) for all integer values of j wherein 1≦j≦N such that not all time durations T (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) for all integer values of i wherein 1≦i≦M.