Case Studies

Model-Based Control versus PID Control

Many modern thermal processing systems involve temperature control of heated plates. Typically these plates are heated by infrared radiation from hot filaments (including tungsten halogen lamps) and the temperature is measured using pyrometers. In many cases the temperature of the system is controlled using a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller. However, there are applications where the temperature must be ramped up (or ramped down) rapidly [...]

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Model-Based Tuning of a Multi-Zone Heated Plate

Driven by ever-increasing requirements for wafer temperature uniformity, equipment manufacturers are developing heated plates (or chucks) with more and more actuator zones to achieve finer resolution of the actuated heat. By creating an accurate model of the multi-zone plate heat transfer, and integrating this with SC Solutions' proprietary optimization software, we provide a customized solution that maximizes performance for each customer’s unique plate.

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Physics-informed Machine Learning for Control – DNN in a Dynamic Feedback Loop

This Case Study describes an approach to combining physical principles with Machine Learning (ML) for modeling and control of complex systems. Our approach was developed as part of a DARPA-funded research project. It was applied to oil reservoir management. While this Case Study provides an overview, technical details may be found in a separate publication [1].

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Optimization of Multi-Zone Temperature Control

This case study describes the development of model-based temperature control of the susceptor of a Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) reactor. A generic axisymmetric geometry has been used together with representative process conditions to highlight the issues related to the control of process temperature.

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Multiphysics Model of Silicon Epitaxy CVD

This case study reproduces a modeling study published in the literature by Habuka et al. on epitaxial deposition of silicon film on a silicon substrate in a horizontal hot-wall reactor. The steady-state FEM model incorporates fluid flow, heat transfer, dilute species transport, and one-step Arrhenius kinetics at the wafer surface.

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Thermal Model of MOCVD Chamber

SC Solutions' develops physics-based models of chambers for Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD). Our capability is illustrated here using an example from the literature (U.S. Patent 8778079). Background MOCVD is a deposition technique used to grow thin films on solid substrates (wafers) using organo-metallic compounds as sources. The films grown by MOCVD are usually semiconductors and […]