Applied Materials, Inc.

Other

Craig A Roderick

Kenneth S Collins

John R Trow

Michael Robert Rice

Jeffrey S Marks

Douglas Buchberger

Chan-Lon Yang

David Walter Groechel

Peter R Keswick

Gerald Z Yin

Jay D Pinson, Ii

Tetsuya Ishikawa

Douglas A Buchberger, Jr

Masato M Toshima

Jon Mohn

Viktor Shel

Jerry Yuen Wong

Joshua Chiu-Wing Tsui

Eric Askarinam

Jerry Yuen-Kui Wong

Lawrence Chang-Lai Lei

Nicolas J Bright

Dennis Stanley Grimard

Yuen-Kui (Jerry) Wong

Robert P Hartlage

Dan Maydan

Lawrence C Lei

David N Wang

Robert W Wu

Jian Ding

Farahmand E Askarinam

Gerald Zheyao Yin

Gerhard M Schneider

Gerhard A Schneider

Joshua C-w Tsui

In a plasma reactor including a reactor chamber, a workpiece support for holding a workpiece inside the chamber during processing and an inductive antenna, a window electrode proximal a wall of the chamber, the antenna and wall being positioned adjacently, the window electrode being operable as (a) a capacitive electrode accepting RF power to capacitively coupled plasma source power into the chamber, and (b) a window electrode passing RF power therethrough from said antenna into the chamber to inductively couple plasma source power into the chamber.

Plasma reactor having RF power applicator and a dual-purpose window

A plasma chamber enclosure structure for use in an RF plasma reactor. The plasma chamber enclosure structure being a single-wall dielectric enclosure structure of an inverted cup-shape configuration and having ceiling with an interior surface of substantially flat conical configuration extending to a centrally located gas inlet. The plasma chamber enclosure structure having a sidewall with a lower cylindrical portion generally transverse to a pedestal when positioned over a reactor base, and a transitional portion between the lower cylindrical portion and the ceiling. The transitional portion extends inwardly from the lower cylindrical portion and includes a radius of curvature. The structure being adapted to cover the base to comprise the RF plasma reactor and to define a plasma-processing volume over the pedestal. The structure being formed of a dielectric material of silicon, silicon carbide, quartz, and/or alumina being capable of transmitting inductive power therethrough from an adjacent antenna.

Inductively coupled RF plasma reactor and plasma chamber enclosure structure therefor

A domed plasma reactor chamber uses an antenna driven by RF energy (LF, MF, or VHF) which is inductively coupled inside the reactor dome. The antenna generates a high density, low energy plasma inside the chamber for etching metals, dielectrics and semiconductor materials. Auxiliary RF bias energy applied to the wafer support cathode controls the cathode sheath voltage and controls the ion energy independent of density. Various magnetic and voltage processing enhancement techniques are disclosed, along with etch processes, deposition processes and combined etch/deposition processed. The disclosed invention provides processing of sensitive devices without damage and without microloading, thus providing increased yields.

Plasma reactor using inductive RF coupling, and processes

A domed plasma reactor chamber uses an antenna driven by RF energy (LF, MF, or VHF) which is inductively coupled inside the reactor dome. The antenna generates a high density, low energy plasma inside the chamber for etching metals, dielectrics and semiconductor materials. Auxiliary RF bias energy applied to the 10 wafer support cathode controls the cathode sheath voltage and controls the ion energy independent of density. Various magnetic and voltage processing enhancement techniques are disclosed, along with etch processes deposition processes and combined etch/deposition processed. The disclosed invention provides processing of sensitive devices without damage and without microloading, thus providing increased yields.

The invention is embodied in a plasma reactor including a plasma reactor chamber and a workpiece support for holding a workpiece near a support plane inside the chamber during processing, the chamber having a reactor enclosure portion facing the support, a cold body overlying the reactor enclosure portion, a plasma source power applicator between the reactor enclosure portion and the cold body and a thermally conductor between and in contact with the cold body and the reactor enclosure. The thermal conductor and the cold sink define a cold sink interface therebetween, the reactor preferably further including a thermally conductive substance within the cold sink interface for reducing the thermal resistance across the cold sink interface. The thermally conductive substance can be a thermally conductive gas filling the cold body interface. Alternatively, the thermally conductive substance can be a thermally conductive solid material. The reactor can include a gas manifold in the cold body communicable with a source of the thermally conductive gas an inlet through the cold body from the gas manifold and opening out to the cold body interface. The reactor can further include an O-ring apparatus sandwiched between the cold body and the thermal conductor and defining a gas-containing volume in the cold body interface of nearly infinitesimal thickness in communication with the inlet from the cold body. More generally, the reactor can include the facilitation of thermal transfer across an interface between a hot and/or cold sink and any part exposed to the reactor chamber interior atmosphere, such as the ceiling, wall or polymer-hardening precursor ring, for example, by the insertion into that interface of a thermally conductive gas or substance.

Thermal control apparatus for inductively coupled RF plasma reactor having an overhead solenoidal antenna

The invention is embodied in an RF plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor workpiece, including wall structures for containing a plasma therein, a workpiece support, a coil antenna capable of receiving a source RF power signal and being juxtaposed near the chamber, the workpiece support including a bias electrode capable of receiving a bias RF power signal, and first and second magnet structures adjacent the wall structure and in spaced relationship, with one pole of the first magnet structure facing an opposite pole of the second magnet structure, the magnet structures providing a plasma-confining static magnetic field adjacent said wall structure. The invention is also embodied in an RF plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor workpiece, including one or more wall structures for containing a plasma therein, a workpiece support, the workpiece support comprising a lower electrode, an upper electrode facing the lower electrode and spaced across a plasma generation region of said chamber from said lower electrode, and first and second magnet structures adjacent the wall structure and in spaced relationship with one pole of the first magnet structure facing an opposite pole of the second magnet structure, the magnet structures providing a plasma-confining static magnetic field adjacent said wall structure.

Magnetic confinement in a plasma reactor having an RF bias electrode

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, a plasma reactor having a chamber for containing a plasma and a passageway communicating with the chamber is enhanced with a first removable plasma confinement magnet module placed adjacent the passageway including a first module housing and a first plasma confinement magnet inside the housing. It may further include a second removable plasma confinement magnet module placed adjacent the passageway including a second module housing, and a second plasma confinement magnet. Preferably, the first and second modules are located on opposite sides of the passageway. Moreover, the first and second plasma confinement magnets have magnetic orientations which tend to oppose plasma transport or leakage through the passageway. Preferably, the module housing includes a relatively non-magnetic thermal conductor such as aluminum and is in thermal contact with said chamber body. Cooling apparatus can be thermally coupled to the chamber body, whereby to maintain the first plasma confinement magnet below its Curie temperature. If the reactor includes a pumping annulus adjacent of a periphery of the chamber, then the passageway can be one which communicates between the chamber and the pumping annulus. Also, the passageway can be a wafer slit valve or a gas feed inlet. Such a gas feed inlet can be a center gas feed through a ceiling of the chamber. The module housing can rest upon the chamber side wall and the chamber ceiling can rest upon the module housing.

Inductively coupled RF Plasma reactor having an overhead solenoidal antenna and modular confinement magnet liners

The invention is embodied in an inductively coupled RF plasma reactor including a reactor chamber enclosure defining a plasma reactor chamber and a support for holding a workpiece inside the chamber, a non-planar inductive antenna adjacent the reactor chamber enclosure, the non-planar inductive antenna including inductive elements spatially distributed in a non-planar relative to a plane of the workpiece to compensate for a null in an RF inductive pattern of the antenna, and a plasma source RF power supply coupled to the non-planar inductive antenna. The planar inductive antenna may be symmetrical or non-symmetrical, although it preferably includes a solenoid winding such as a vertical stack of conductive windings. In a preferred embodiment, the windings are at a minimum radial distance from the axis of symmetry while in an alternative embodiment the windings are at a radial distance from the axis of symmetry which is a substantial fraction of a radius of the chamber.

Inductively coupled RF plasma reactor having an antenna adjacent a window electrode

A general method of the invention is to provide a polymer-hardening precursor piece (such as silicon, carbon, silicon carbide or silicon nitride, but preferably silicon) within the reactor chamber during an etch process with a fluoro-carbon or fluoro-hydrocarbon gas, and to heat the polymer-hardening precursor piece above the polymerization temperature sufficiently to achieve a desired increase in oxide-to-silicon etch selectivity. Generally, this polymer-hardening precursor or silicon piece may be an integral part of the reactor chamber walls and/or ceiling or a separate, expendable and quickly removable piece, and the heating/cooling apparatus may be of any suitable type including apparatus which conductively or remotely heats the silicon piece.

Plasma reactor with heated source of a polymer-hardening precursor material

In a plasma reactor including a reactor chamber, a workpiece support for holding a workpiece inside the chamber during processing and an inductive antenna, a window electrode proximal a wall of the chamber, the antenna and wall being positioned adjacently, the window electrode being operable as (a) a capacitive electrode accepting RF power to capacitively coupled plasma source power into the chamber, and (b) a window electrode passing Rf power therethrough from said antenna into the chamber to inductively couple plasma source power into the chamber.

Plasma reactor having a dual mode RF power application

A plasma system which is to be coupled to a power source, the plasma system including a chamber defining an internal cavity in which a plasma is generated during operation; a coil which during operation couples power from the power source into the plasma within the chamber, the coil having first and second terminals; a first capacitor which is coupled between the first terminal and a reference potential; and a second capacitor connected to the second terminal and through which the power source is coupled to the second terminal.

Plasma system with a balanced source

Plasma etch processes

In an RF plasma reactor including a reactor chamber with a process gas inlet, a workpiece support, an RF signal applicator facing a portion of the interior of the chamber and an RF signal generator having a controllable RF frequency and an RF signal output coupled to an input of the RF signal applicator, the invention tunes the RF signal generator to the plasma-loaded RF signal applicator by sensing an RF parameter at the RF signal generator or at the RF signal applicator and then adjusting the frequency of the RF signal generator so as to optimize the parameter. The invention further controls the RF signal generator output magnitude (power, current or voltage) by optimizing the value of the same RF parameter or another RF parameter. The reactor preferably includes a fixed tuning circuit between the RF signal generator and the RF signal applicator.

RF tuning method for an RF plasma reactor using frequency servoing and power, voltage, current or DI/DT control

The invention is embodied in an inductively coupled RF plasma reactor including a reactor chamber enclosure defining a plasma reactor chamber and a support for holding a workpiece inside the chamber, a non-planar inductive antenna adjacent the reactor chamber enclosure, the non-planar inductive antenna including inductive elements spatially distributed in a non-planar manner relative to a plane of the workpiece to compensate for a null in an RF inductive pattern of the antenna, and a plasma source RF power supply coupled to the non-planar inductive antenna. The planar inductive antenna may be symmetrical or non-symmetrical, although it preferably includes a solenoid winding such as a vertical stack of conductive windings. In a preferred embodiment, the windings are at a minimum radial distance from the axis of symmetry while in an alternative embodiment the windings are at a radial distance from the axis of symmetry which is a substantial fraction of a radius of the chamber.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Craig A Roderick