1. A compensation method in the thermal processing of production substrates within a processing chamber including an array of incandescent lamps, comprising the steps of:
(a0) an initial step of thermally processing in the processing chamber a reference substrate supported on a single-wafer support in opposition to the array of incandescent lamps;
(a) then thermally processing in the processing chamber a plurality of production substrates successively supported on the single-substrate support according to a production recipe;
(b) thereafter thermally processing in the processing chamber a monitor substrate similar to the reference substrate, of less horizontal structural complexity than the production substrates, and supported on the single-substrate support in the processing chamber according to a test recipe incorporating part of the production recipe including a distribution of power to the lamps arranged in the radial zones;
(c) adjusting the production recipe in the processing chamber according to a profile of measured values across the processed monitor wafer, wherein the adjusting step compares the profile of measured values across the monitor substrate to a profile of measured values across the reference substrate; and
(d) repeating step (a) with another production substrate according to the adjusted production recipe.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of production substrates are thermally processed in step (a) before the monitor substrate is processed in step (b).
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the array of incandescent lamps are arranged in radial zones and wherein the part of the production recipe includes a distribution of separately selected power to the lamps arranged in the different zones.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the production recipe includes an anneal in a hydrogen-containing ambient and the test recipe includes oxidation.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the incandescent lamps are arranged in separately controllable radial heating and wherein the adjusting step includes changing a relative amount of power delivered to the lamps arranged in the radial heating zones.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting step compensates for detuning of the process in step (b).
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile of measured values across the reference substrate accounts for edge effects occurring in the production substrates.
8. A method of compensating for thermally processing a production wafer comprising at least one of a vertical structure and a horizontal structure according to a production process, wherein the processing includes radiantly heating the production wafer within a chamber with an array of lamps, comprising the steps of:
(a) obtaining a set of production process conditions for treating substrates according to the production process conditions;
(b) a first step of processing a reference substrate comprising a reference structure of less complexity than the vertical and horizontal structure according to a set of test process conditions;
(c) measuring the reference substrate to determine a reference profile across the reference substrate, wherein the reference profile reflects non-uniform edge effects resulting from the horizontal structure of the production wafer;
(d) a second step of processing a plurality of production substrates according to the set of production process conditions;
(e) thereafter, a third step of processing a test substrate comprising the reference structure according to the set of test process conditions;
(f) measuring the test substrate to determine a test profile across the test substrate;
(g) in comparison of the test profile to the reference profile, adjusting the set of production process conditions to compensate for detuning of the process in step (d); and
(h) thereafter returning to step (d).
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the set of production process conditions include a production zonal heating distribution produced by the array of lamps which is substantially the same as a test zonal heating distribution of the test process conditions.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the lamps are arranged in separately controllable radially arranged heating zones and wherein the adjusting includes changing a relative amount of power delivered to the lamps in different ones of the zones.
11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and third processing steps each include heating reference and test substrates and exposing them to an oxygen-containing ambient and the reference profile and the test profile comprise thickness profiles.
12. The method of claim 8, wherein the adjusting step compensates for detuning of the process in step (d).
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the production process smooths a surface of a cleaved SOI substrate.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the reference and test substrates comprise substantially bare silicon wafers.
15. A method of compensating for thermally processing a production wafer comprising at least one of a vertical structure and a horizontal structure according to a production process, wherein the processing includes radiantly heating the production wafer within a chamber with an array of lamps, comprising the steps of:
(a) obtaining a set of production process conditions for treating substrates according to the production process conditions;
(b) a first step of processing a reference substrate comprising a reference structure of less complexity than the vertical and horizontal structure according to a set of test process conditions;
(c) measuring the reference substrate to determine a reference profile across the reference substrate;
(d) a second step of processing a plurality of production substrates according to the set of production process conditions including injecting along a direction anti-parallel to a direction in which the array of lamps irradiate the production substrates a stream of gas preferentially toward a periphery of the substrate during the second processing step;
(e) thereafter, a third step of processing a test substrate comprising the reference structure according to the set of test process conditions;
(f) measuring the test substrate to determine a test profile across the test substrate;
(g) in comparison of the test profile to the reference profile, adjusting the set of production process conditions to compensate for detuning of the process in step (d); and
(h) thereafter returning to step (d).
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the set of production process conditions include a production zonal heating distribution produced by the array of lamps which is substantially the same as a test zonal heating distribution of the test process conditions.
17. A thermal processing method, comprising radiantly heating a substrate from a plurality of incandescent lamps directing radiation to a first side of the substrate along a first direction while injecting a stream of gas comprising argon along a direction anti-parallel to the first direction and preferentially toward a periphery of a second side of the substrate opposite the first side into a region between the second side of the substrate and a cooled bottom wall to thereby promote convective heat transfer to the cooled bottom wall.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the stream of gas is injected to strike an edge ring supporting the substrate.
19. A compensation method in the thermal processing of production substrates within a processing chamber including an army of incandescent lamps, comprising the steps of:
(a) thermally processing in the processing chamber a plurality of production substrates successively supported on a single-substrate support in opposition to the array of incandescent lamps in the processing chamber according to a production recipe;
(b) thereafter thermally processing in the processing chamber a monitor substrate of less horizontal structural complexity than the production substrates and supported on the single-substrate support in the processing chamber according to a test recipe incorporating part of the production recipe including a distribution of power to the lamps arranged in the radial zones;
(c) adjusting the production recipe in the processing chamber according to a profile of measured values across the processed monitor wafer;
(d) repeating step (a) with another production substrate according to the adjusted production recipe;
and further comprising the preceding steps of:
(a1) obtaining a set of production process conditions forming a production recipe for treating substrates;
(b1) a first step of processing a reference substrate comprising a reference structure according to a set of test process conditions, wherein the reference structure is of less complexity than a vertical and horizontal structure according to the production recipe; and
(c1) measuring the reference substrate to determine a reference profile across the reference substrate; wherein the thermally processing step processes a plurality of production substrates according to the production recipe; and
wherein the adjusting step includes (f1) a step of measuring the monitor substrate to determine a test profile across the test substrate and wherein the adjusting is performed in comparison of the test profile to the reference profile.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A vehicle air-conditioning system which has a compressor for compressing refrigerant and an evaporator mounted inside an air-conditioner casing, said air-conditioner case forming an air passage to channel air into a vehicle interior, the air being cooled by evaporation of refrigerant in the evaporator, the vehicle air-conditioning system comprising:
a first clock means for measuring a first predetermined time after compressor stops operation; and
a second clock means for measuring a time after compressor stops operation;
wherein the compressor is operated until the time measured by the second clock means reaches a second predetermined time that is shorter than the first predetermined time.
2. A vehicle air-conditioning system which has a compressor for compressing refrigerant and an evaporator mounted inside an air-conditioner casing, said casing forming a passage to channel air into a vehicle interior, the air being cooled by evaporation of refrigerant in the evaporator, the vehicle air-conditioning system comprising:
a first clock means for measuring a time after compressor stops; and
a second clock means for measuring a time after the compressor stops;
wherein an intermittent operation mode is performed after the compressor stops to intermittently operate the compressor by stopping the compressor until the time measured by the first clock means reaches a first predetermined time, and thereafter operating the compressor until the time measured by the second clock means reaches a second predetermined time which is shorter than the first predetermined time.
3. A vehicle air-conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the intermittent operation mode is stopped when a temperature of air passing through the evaporator has exceeded a wet-bulb temperature of the evaporator.
4. A vehicle air-conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the intermittent operation mode is stopped when the compressor operates a predetermined number of times after the start of the intermittent operation mode.
5. A vehicle air-conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the first predetermined time is increased according to the temperature rise of air introduced into the air-conditioner casing.
6. A vehicle air-conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the first predetermined time is increased according to an increase in a humidity of air introduced into the air-conditioner casing.
7. A vehicle air-conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the first predetermined time is increased with a decrease in a volume of air flowing in the air-conditioner casing.
8. A vehicle air-conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the first predetermined time is increased longer during an inside-air circulation mode in which inside air is introduced into the air-conditioner casing than in an outside-air introduction mode in which outside air is introduced into the air-conditioner casing.
9. A vehicle air-conditioning system according to claim 8, wherein the first predetermined time is decreased with an increase in the vehicle speed during the outside air introduction mode.
10. A vehicle air-conditioning system according to claim 8, wherein the first predetermined time is increased with a decrease in solar radiation entering the vehicle interior during the inside-air circulation mode.
11. A vehicle air-conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the compressor is driven by a driving source, the intermittent operation mode being stopped when the driving source stops.
12. An air conditioning system according to claim 1, further comprising:
a evaporator detecting means for detecting the evaporator temperature;
a wet bulb temperature detecting means for detecting wet-bulb temperature inside a vehicle compartment;
wherein the compressor is operated so that an evaporator temperature detected by the evaporator temperature detecting means becomes below a wet-bulb temperature detected by the wet-bulb temperature detecting means, after onoff operation mode starts, as well as when the compressor reaches a predetermined number of operation times.
13. An air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the second predetermined time period is a duration of time when the refrigerant reaches only a part of the evaporator while the compressor is being turned ON for a same duration of time.
14. A vehicle air-conditioning system for cooling a vehicle interior, comprising:
an evaporator;
a compressor fluidly communicating with said evaporator through a cooling circuit;
a processor having a first clock operation and a second clock operation, said compressor operating or stopping in response to said processor;
an evaporator air outlet temperature sensor providing an evaporator outlet temperature signal to said processor;
a wet bulb temperature sensor that detects a wet bulb temperature inside said vehicle interior, said wet bulb temperature sensor providing a wet bulb temperature signal to said processor;
wherein said processor obtains a wet bulb temperature from said wet bulb temperature sensor at a predetermined time after said compressor stops operating, said processor instructing said compressor to operate for a predetermined time when said wet bulb temperature is lower than a temperature detected by said evaporator air outlet temperature sensor.
15. A method for controlling a compressor of a cooling system, said cooling system having an evaporator and a compressor, said cooling system cooling an interior of a vehicle by blowing cooling air across the evaporator and into said interior, said method comprising:
stopping operation of the compressor;
comparing a wet bulb temperature inside the interior of the vehicle with a dry bulb temperature of air entering the evaporator after a first predetermined time passes from when said compressor is stopped;
operating said compressor for a second predetermined time if said wet bulb temperature is above a temperature of air exiting said evaporator; and
controlling said compressor so that said evaporator provides a target outlet temperature if said wet bulb temperature is below said temperature of air exiting said evaporator.
16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:
counting a number of times said compressor is operated for said first predetermined time when said wet bulb temperature is above said temperature of air exiting said evaporator; and
controlling said compressor to a target outlet temperature when said number of times reaches a predetermined number.
17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first predetermined time is increased with an increase in temperature of air entering the evaporator.
18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first predetermined time is increased with a humidity increase in air entering the evaporator.
19. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first predetermined time is longer during an inside air circulation mode than during an outside air introduction mode.
20. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first predetermined time is decreased with an increase in vehicle speed during the outside air introduction mode.