Tokyo Electron Limited

University of Houston System

Jianping Zhao

Lee Chen

Merritt Funk

Radha Sundararajan

Peter Ventzek

Zhiying Chen

Barton Lane

Toshihiko Iwao

Toshihisa Nozawa

Peter L G Ventzek

Peter Lowell George Ventzek

John L Carroll

Ronald Victor Bravenec

Charles Schlechte

Demetre J Economou

Iwao Toshihiko

Michael Hummel

Vincent M Donnelly

Peter Lg Ventzek

Megan Doppel

John Entralgo

A method of processing a substrate that includes: in a plasma processing chamber, performing an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process including cycles of deposition while maintaining a temperature of a substrate support between 25° C. and 450° C., one of the cycles including exposing the substrate loaded in a plasma processing chamber to a first precursor to modify a surface of the substrate with the first precursor, after exposing the substrate, purging the plasma processing chamber with an inert gas, exposing the modified surface of the substrate to a first plasma generated from the inert gas, and flowing a second precursor into the plasma processing chamber, after exposing to the first plasma, to form a conformal layer from the modified surface.

ALD process with plasma treatment

A plasma system includes a plasma apparatus comprising a plasma chamber and a substrate support disposed in the plasma chamber. The system includes an electromagnetic (EM) circuit block coupled to a radio frequency (RF) electrode. The EM circuit block includes a broadband RF waveform function generator, the broadband RF waveform having EM power distributed over a range of frequencies, and a broadband impedance matching network having an input coupled to an output of the broadband RF waveform function generator and an output coupled to a terminal of the RF electrode, an operating frequency range of the broadband impedance matching network including the range of frequencies. The system includes a controller programmed to adjust an input parameter of the EM circuit block.

Plasma processing with broadband RF waveforms

A method of plasma processing that includes: flowing a first gas and a second gas into a plasma processing chamber including a substrate, the second gas including a film precursor; at a first time instance, while maintaining the flow of the first gas, shutting off the flow of the second gas into the plasma processing chamber; and at a second time instance after the first time instance, powering an electrode of the plasma processing chamber to generate a plasma within the plasma processing chamber, the surface of the substrate being exposed to the generated plasma to form a film over the substrate.

Plasma enhanced film formation method

A method of nitridation includes cyclically performing the following steps in situ within a processing chamber at a temperature less than about 400° C.: directing an energy flux to a localized region of an unreactive surface of a substrate to convert the localized region of the unreactive surface to a localized reactive region: and selectively nitridating the localized reactive region using a nitrogen-based gas to convert the localized reactive region to a nitride layer.

Cyclic low temperature film growth processes

A plasma system includes a plasma apparatus including: a plasma chamber; a pedestal configured to hold a substrate in the chamber; and a radio frequency (RF) electrode configured to excite plasma in the chamber; an electromagnetic (EM) circuit block coupled to the RF electrode, the EM circuit block including: a function generator configured to output a broadband RF waveform, the waveform having EM power distributed over a range of frequencies; a broadband amplifier coupled to an output of the function generator, an operating frequency range of the amplifier including the range of frequencies; and a broadband impedance matching network having an input coupled to an output of the broadband amplifier and an output coupled to a terminal of the RF electrode, an operating frequency range of the broadband impedance matching network including the range of frequencies; and a controller configured to adjust an input parameter of the EM circuit block.

An exemplary plasma processing system includes a plasma processing chamber, an electrode for powering plasma in the plasma processing chamber, a tunable radio frequency (RF) signal generator configured to output a first signal at a first frequency and a second signal at a second frequency. The second frequency is at least 1.1 times the first frequency. The system includes a broadband power amplifier coupled to the tunable RF signal generator, the first frequency and the second frequency being within an operating frequency range of the broadband power amplifier. The output of the broadband power amplifier is coupled to the electrode. The broadband power amplifier is configured to supply, at the output, first power at the first frequency and second power at the second frequency.

Broadband plasma processing systems and methods

A method of forming a carbon hard mask includes generating a radio frequency plasma including carbon-based ions by supplying continuous wave radio frequency power to a plasma processing chamber. The carbon-based ions have a first average ion energy. The method further includes adjusting the first average ion energy of the carbon-based ions to a second average ion energy by supplying continuous wave direct current power to the plasma processing chamber concurrently with the continuous wave radio frequency power and forming a carbon hard mask at a substrate within the plasma processing chamber by delivering the carbon-based ions having the second average ion energy to the substrate.

Hard mask deposition using direct current superimposed radio frequency plasma

This disclosure relates to a plasma processing system for controlling plasma density near the edge or perimeter of a substrate that is being processed. The plasma processing system may include a plasma chamber that can receive and process the substrate using plasma for etching the substrate, doping the substrate, or depositing a film on the substrate. This disclosure relates to a plasma processing system for controlling plasma density near the edge or perimeter of a substrate that is being processed. In one embodiment, the plasma density may be controlled by reducing the rate of loss of ions to the chamber wall during processing. This may include biasing a dual electrode ring assembly in the plasma chamber to alter the potential difference between the chamber wall region and the bulk plasma region.

Electric pressure systems for control of plasma properties and uniformity

A method of nitridation includes cyclically performing the following steps in situ within a processing chamber at a temperature less than about 400&#xb0; C.: treating an unreactive surface of a substrate in the processing chamber to convert the unreactive surface to a reactive surface by exposing the unreactive surface to an energy flux, and nitridating the reactive surface using a nitrogen-based gas to convert the reactive surface to a nitride layer including a subsequent unreactive surface.

A plasma processing system includes a plasma chamber configured to contain a plasma, a shutter chamber fluidically coupled to the plasma chamber via a first orifice, a mass spectrometer fluidically coupled to the shutter chamber, and a shutter disposed in the shutter chamber between the first orifice and the mass spectrometer in the path of a particle beam. The first orifice is configured to generate the particle beam from the plasma using a pressure differential between the shutter chamber and the plasma chamber. The mass spectrometer includes an ionizer configured to ionize species of the particle beam by sweeping through a range of electron energies in a plurality of energy steps. The shutter is configured to open and close during each of the plurality of energy steps.

Quantification of processing chamber species by electron energy sweep

A system includes a plasma chamber coupled to a power source, and an impedance matching network coupled between the power source and the plasma chamber, wherein the impedance matching network comprises an L-shaped network and a first adjustable inductor coupled between an input of the plasma chamber and ground, and wherein the impedance matching network is configured such that, in a predetermined frequency range, an impedance of the impedance matching network and the plasma chamber is substantially equal to an impedance of the power source.

Impedance matching apparatus and control method

A method of operating a plasma processing system includes determining a first frequency to power a first plasma within a plasma processing chamber. The method includes generating a first amplified RF signal having the first frequency at a broadband power amplifier. The method includes supplying the first amplified RF signal to process a substrate disposed in the plasma processing chamber using a first plasma process including the first plasma. The method includes determining a second frequency to power a second plasma within the plasma processing chamber. The method includes generating a second amplified RF signal having the second frequency at the broadband power amplifier. The method includes supplying the second amplified RF signal to process the substrate disposed in the plasma processing chamber using a second plasma process including the second plasma.

A system and method for using plasma to treat a substrate are described. The system includes a substrate holder disposed within a plasma processing system, and arranged to support a substrate, a first signal generator for coupling a first signal at a first frequency to plasma in the plasma processing system, and a second signal generator for coupling a second signal at a second frequency to plasma in the plasma processing system, wherein the second frequency being less than the first frequency. The system further includes an amplitude modulation circuit for modulating the first signal between a high amplitude state and a low amplitude state in response to an amplitude modulation signal, and a timing circuit configured to define the amplitude modulation signal that synchronizes the amplitude modulation of the first signal with a target phase for each cycle of the second signal.

Plasma processing system with synchronized signal modulation

A processing system is disclosed, having a power transmission element with an interior cavity that propagates electromagnetic energy proximate to a continuous slit in the interior cavity. The continuous slit forms an opening between the interior cavity and a substrate processing chamber. The electromagnetic energy may generate an alternating charge in the continuous slit that enables the generation of an electric field that may propagate into the processing chamber. The electromagnetic energy may be conditioned prior to entering the interior cavity to improve uniformity or stability of the electric field. The conditioning may include, but is not limited to, phase angle, field angle, and number of feeds into the interior cavity.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Jianping Zhao