Applied Materials, Inc.

Other

Hideo Sugai

Dmitry Lubomirsky

Satoru Kobayashi

Soonam Park

Toan Q Tran

Naoki Toyoda

Seiichi Takasuga

Kartik Ramaswamy

Lance A Scudder

Nikolai Nikolaevich Kalnin

David Alexander Britz

Denis Ivanov

A plasma reactor has a cylindrical microwave cavity overlying a workpiece processing chamber, a microwave source having a pair of microwave source outputs, and a pair of respective waveguides. The cavity has first and second input ports in a sidewall and space apart by an azimuthal angle. Each of the waveguides has a microwave input end coupled to a microwave source output and a microwave output end coupled to a respective one of the first and second input ports, a coupling aperture plate at the output end with a rectangular coupling aperture in the coupling aperture plate, and an iris plate between the coupling aperture plate and the microwave input end with a rectangular iris opening in the iris plate.

Cylindrical cavity with impedance shifting by irises in a power-supplying waveguide

Plasma is generated in a semiconductor process chamber by a plurality of microwave inputs with slow or fast rotation. Radial uniformity of the plasma is controlled by regulating the power ratio of a center-high mode and an edge-high mode of the plurality of microwave inputs into a microwave cavity. The radial uniformity of the generated plasma in a plasma chamber is attained by adjusting the power ratio for the two modes without inputting time-splitting parameters for each mode.

Methods and apparatus for dynamical control of radial uniformity in microwave chambers

Methods and apparatus provide plasma generation for semiconductor process chambers. In some embodiments, the plasma is generated by a system that may comprise a process chamber having at least two upper microwave cavities separated from a lower microwave cavity by a metallic plate with a plurality of radiation slots, at least one microwave input port connected to a first one of the at least two upper microwave cavities, at least two microwave input ports connected to a second one of the at least two upper microwave cavities, and the lower microwave cavity receives radiation through the plurality of radiation slots in the metallic plate from both of the at least two upper microwave cavities, the lower microwave cavity is configured to form an electric field that provides uniform plasma distribution in a process volume of the process chamber.

Methods and apparatus for dynamical control of radial uniformity with two-story microwave cavities

A rotating microwave is established for any resonant mode TEor TMof a cavity, where the user is free to choose the values of the mode indices m, n and l. The fast rotation, the rotation frequency of which is equal to an operational microwave frequency, is accomplished by setting the temporal phase difference &#x394;&#xd8; and the azimuthal angle &#x394;&#x3b8; between two microwave input ports P and Q as functions of m, n and l. The slow rotation of frequency &#x3a9;(typically 1-1000 Hz), is established by transforming dual field inputs &#x3b1; cos &#x3a9;t and &#xb1;&#x3b1; sin &#x3a9;t in the orthogonal input system into an oblique system defined by the angle &#x394;&#x3b8; between two microwave ports P and Q.

Generalized cylindrical cavity system for microwave rotation and impedance shifting by irises in a power-supplying waveguide

Exemplary systems according to embodiments of the present technology include a housing that defines a process chamber and a waveguide cavity. A first conductive plate is disposed within the housing. The system also includes a second conductive plate positioned within the housing and at least partially defining the waveguide cavity. The second conductive plate is vertically translatable within the housing to adjust a distance between the first conductive plate and the second conductive plate to affect modes of electromagnetic radiation propagating within the waveguide cavity. The systems also include one or more electronics sets that are configured to transmit the electromagnetic radiation into the waveguide cavity to produce plasma from at least one process gas delivered within the process chamber.

Systems and methods for radial and azimuthal control of plasma uniformity

A plasma reactor for processing a workpiece has a microwave source with a digitally synthesized rotation frequency using direct digital up-conversion and a user interface for controlling the rotation frequency.

Plasma reactor having digital control over rotation frequency of a microwave field with direct up-conversion

A system includes a process chamber, a housing that defines a waveguide cavity, and a first conductive plate within the housing. The first conductive plate faces the process chamber. The system also includes one or more adjustment devices that can adjust at least a position of the first conductive plate, and a second conductive plate, coupled with the housing, between the waveguide cavity and the process chamber. Electromagnetic radiation can propagate from the waveguide cavity into the process chamber through apertures in the second conductive plate. The system also includes a dielectric plate that seals off the process chamber from the waveguide cavity, and one or more electronics sets that transmit the electromagnetic radiation into the waveguide cavity. A plasma forms when at least one process gas is within the chamber, and the electromagnetic radiation propagates into the process chamber from the waveguide cavity.

A system provides post-match control of microwaves in a radial waveguide. The system includes the radial waveguide, and a signal generator that provides first and second microwave signals that have a common frequency. The signal generator adjusts a phase offset between the first and second signals in response to a correction signal. The system also includes first and second electronics sets, each of which amplifies a respective one of the first and second microwave signals. The system transmits the amplified, first and second microwave signals into the radial waveguide, and matches an impedance of the amplified microwave signals to an impedance presented by the waveguide. The system also includes at least two monitoring antennas disposed within the waveguide. A signal controller receives analog signals from the monitoring antennas, determines the digital correction signal based at least on the analog signals, and transmits the correction signal to the signal generator.

Radial waveguide systems and methods for post-match control of microwaves

A plasma density information measuring method capable of easily measuring the plasma density information over the long term, a probe for measuring the plasma density information, and a plasma density information measuring apparatus are disclosed. A measuring probe is set such that a tip end of a glass tube of the measuring probe is brought into contact with plasma PM to be measured. High-frequency power sent through a coaxial cable is supplied to the plasma PM from a loop antenna through a wall of the tube, and reflection power of the high-frequency power is received by the loop antenna to obtain a counter frequency variation of reflection coefficient of the high-frequency power. In the obtained reflection coefficient, a portion thereof in which the reflection coefficient is largely reduced is a peak at which strong absorption of high-frequency power is caused due to the plasma density. The plasma density can be obtained from the plasma absorption frequency.

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Aichi, Japan

Hideo Sugai