US 11,923,221 B2
Methods and assemblies for gas flow ratio control
Kevin Brashear, San Jose, CA (US); Ashley M. Okada, San Jose, CA (US); Dennis L. Demars, Santa Clara, CA (US); Zhiyuan Ye, San Jose, CA (US); Jaidev Rajaram, Bangalore (IN); and Marcel E. Josephson, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 27, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/935,810.
Application 16/659,332 is a division of application No. 15/070,342, filed on Mar. 15, 2016, granted, now 10,453,721, issued on Oct. 22, 2019.
Application 17/935,810 is a continuation of application No. 16/659,332, filed on Oct. 21, 2019, granted, now 11,462,426.
Prior Publication US 2023/0017206 A1, Jan. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. C23C 16/455 (2006.01); G05D 11/13 (2006.01); H01L 21/67 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/67253 (2013.01) [G05D 11/132 (2013.01); H01L 21/67017 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
a process chamber;
a set of mass flow controllers fluidly coupled to the process chamber, wherein each of the set of mass flow controllers are configured to flow at least one of a process gas or a carrier gas into a respective zone of the process chamber;
a distribution manifold fluidly coupled to each of the set of mass flow controllers;
a process gas supply fluidly coupled to the distribution manifold, wherein the process gas supply is configured to provide at least one of the process gas or the carrier gas to the process chamber via the distribution manifold and the set of mass flow controllers;
a back pressure controller fluidly coupled to the distribution manifold configured to control a back pressure within the distribution manifold in view of a back pressure reading by a back pressure sensor of the distribution manifold;
a master controller operatively coupled to each of the set of mass flow controllers, the process gas supply, the back pressure controller, and the back pressure sensor of the distribution manifold, wherein the master controller is configured to:
determine a first flow setpoint for at least one of a process gas flow or a carrier gas flow through a first mass flow controller of the set of mass flow controllers;
obtain a back pressure setpoint of the distribution manifold;
determine, in view of the determined first flow setpoint and the obtained back pressure setpoint, a second flow setpoint for at least one of the process gas flow or the carrier gas flow through at least one of a second mass flow controller of the set of mass flow controllers or the back pressure controller;
control at least one of the process gas flow or the carrier gas flow through the first mass flow controller to the first flow setpoint and at least one of the second mass flow controller or the back pressure controller to the second flow setpoint; and
control the back pressure of the distribution manifold to the back pressure setpoint in view of the back pressure reading provided by the back pressure sensor of the distribution manifold.