Applied Materials, Inc.

Richard Gustav Hagborg

Douglas A Buchberger, Jr

Gerardo Delgadino

Alan Hiroshi Ouye

Graeme Jamieson Scott

Xiaozhou Che

Nelson A Yee

Methods and systems for monitoring film thickness using a sensor assembly include a process chamber having a chamber body, a substrate support disposed in the chamber body, a lid disposed over the chamber body, and a sensor assembly coupled to the chamber body at a lower portion of the sensor assembly. The sensor assembly is coupled to the lid at an upper portion of the sensor assembly. The sensor assembly includes one or more apertures disposed through one or more sides of the sensor assembly, and the one or more sensors are disposed in the sensor assembly through the one or more of the apertures.

Sensor assembly and methods of vapor monitoring in process chambers

A plasma etch process with in-situ backside polymer removal begins with a workpiece having a porous or non-porous carbon-doped silicon oxide dielectric layer and a photoresist mask on a surface of the workpiece. The workpiece is clamped onto an electrostatic chuck in an etch reactor chamber. The process includes introducing a fluoro-carbon based process gas and applying RF bias power to the electrostatic chuck and RF source power to an overhead electrode to etch exposed portions of the dielectric layer while depositing protective fluoro-carbon polymer on the photoresist mask. The process further includes removing the fluoro-carbon based process gas and introducing a hydrogen-based process gas and applying RF source power to the overhead electrode. The lift pins in the electrostatic chuck are extended to raise the workpiece above the electrostatic chuck and expose a backside of the workpiece to plasma in the reactor chamber, so as to reduce polymer previously deposited on the backside, until the polymer has been removed from the backside.

Plasma dielectric etch process including in-situ backside polymer removal for low-dielectric constant material

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Felton, CA, United States of America

Richard Gustav Hagborg