Applied Materials, Inc.

Other

John R Trow

Kenneth S Collins

Craig A Roderick

Douglas Buchberger

Michael Robert Rice

Tetsuya Ishikawa

David Walter Groechel

Jay D Pinson, Ii

Jeffrey S Marks

Joshua Chiu-Wing Tsui

Masato M Toshima

Chan-Lon Yang

Peter R Keswick

Eric Askarinam

Gerald Z Yin

Douglas A Buchberger, Jr

Raymond Hoiman Hung

Jerry Yuen-Kui Wong

Viktor Shel

Lawrence Chang-Lai Lei

Nicolas J Bright

Robert P Hartlage

Lawrence C Lei

Dennis Stanley Grimard

Robert W Wu

Jian Ding

Jerry Yuen Wong

Hiroji Hanawa

Gerald Zheyao Yin

Fernando Silveira

Joel M Cook

Gerhard M Schneider

Gerhard A Schneider

Joshua C-w Tsui

David Stover

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

An electrostatically shielded toroidal plasma and radical source is provided. The plasma source includes a grounded metallic plasma source chamber that defines an interior for plasma generation. The plasma source chamber is configured from two L-shaped portions arranged to form rectangularly shaped enclosure. Dielectric breaks are defined by gaps between the two L-shaped portions. A drive inductor is configured such that the metallic plasma source chamber is positioned between loops of the drive inductor.

High-frequency electrostatically shielded toroidal plasma and radical source

A plasma reactor for processing a workpiece includes a reactor enclosure defining a processing chamber, a base within the chamber for supporting the workpiece during processing thereof, a semiconductor window electrode overlying the base, a gas inlet system for admitting a plasma precursor gas into the chamber, an electrical terminal coupled to the semiconductor window electrode, an inductive antenna adjacent one side of the semiconductor window electrode opposite the base for coupling power into the interior of said chamber through the semiconductor window electrode.

Plasma reactor having an inductive antenna coupling power through a parallel plate electrode

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

There is disclosed a plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor workpiece such as a wafer, including a chamber having an overhead ceiling with a three-dimensional shape such as a hemisphere or dome. The reactor further includes an inductive antenna over the ceiling which may be conformal or nonconformal in shape with the ceiling. The ceiling may be a semiconductor material so that it can function as both a window for the inductive field of the antenna as well as an electrode which can be grounded, or to which RF power may be applied or which may be allowed to float electrically. The reactor includes various features which allow the radial distribution of the plasma ion density across the wafer surface to be adjusted to an optimum distribution for processing uniformity across the wafer surface.

Parallel-plate electrode plasma reactor having an inductive antenna and adjustable radial distribution of plasma ion density

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 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

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.

Inductively coupled RF plasma reactor having an overhead solenoidal

The invention is embodied by a plasma reactor for processing a workpiece, including a reactor enclosure defining a processing chamber, a semiconductor window, a base within the chamber for supporting the workpiece during processing thereof, a gas inlet system for admitting a plasma precursor gas into the chamber, and an inductive antenna adjacent a side of the semiconductor window opposite the base for coupling power into the interior of the chamber through the semiconductor window electrode.

Plasma reactor having an inductive antenna coupling power through a

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

John R Trow