Applied Materials, Inc.

Other

Applied Material, Inc.

Richard Raymond Mett

Siamak Salimian

Hongching Shan

Claes H Bjorkman

Bryan Y Pu

Kenny Linh Doan

Mahmoud Dahimene

Mike Welch

Robert D Greenway

Hamid Noorbakhsh

Paul E Luscher

William N Taylor

Mark William Curry

Michael D Welch

Hongqing Shan

Roger Alan Lindley

Ajey M Joshi

Kuang-Han Ke

Mark Steven Contreras

Gabriel Bilek

Apparatus and method for inductively coupling electrical power to a plasma in a semiconductor process chamber. In a first aspect, an array of wedge-shaped induction coils are distributed around a circle. The sides of adjacent coils are parallel, thereby enhancing the radial uniformity of the magnetic field produced by the array. In a second aspect, electrostatic coupling between the induction coils and the plasma is minimized by connecting each induction coil to the power supply so that the turn of wire of the coil which is nearest to the plasma is near electrical ground potential. In one embodiment, the hot end of one coil is connected to the unbalanced output of an RF power supply, and the hot end of the other coil is connected to electrical ground through a capacitor which resonates with the latter coil at the frequency of the RF power supply.

Distributed inductively-coupled plasma source and circuit for coupling induction coils to RF power supply

A substrate support comprises an electrode and a dielectric layer covering the electrode, the dielectric layer having a surface to receive a substrate. A gas feed-through provides a gas to the surface of the dielectric layer and comprises a conduit extending through one or more of the dielectric layer and electrode. A dielectric insert in the gas feed-through has a passage therein that allows the gas to be flowed therethrough. Two opposing electrically conducting cups are around the passage in the dielectric insert.

Substrate support with gas feed-through and method

The present invention provides a safety guard for a type-N coaxial connector that prevents casual human contact with a conductive center pin of the coaxial cable. The safety guard is preferably made of a dielectric material and is generally tubular in shape. The safety guard is adapted to be installed on existing connectors in the field, or to be part of a connector assembly that is to be installed on a coaxial cable. Among the advantages of the present invention are substantial reduction in complexity over prior art interlock connector designs. The safety guard of the present invention is provided for a male connector only, thereby alleviating the need for modification of the mating female connector.

Safety guard for an RF connector

A gas feed-through to provide gas to a plasma chamber , comprises a dielectric insert having a passage that allows the gas to be flowed therethrough, and a electrically conducting cup around a portion of the passage. The electrically conducting cup is shaped to reduce plasma formation in the gas feed-through

Chamber having improved gas feed-through and method

A method and apparatus for retaining a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, upon an electrostatic chuck within a semiconductor wafer processing system. Specifically, the apparatus contains high voltage, DC power supply that is capable of both sourcing and sinking current at any polarity of output voltage level. This power supply is coupled to at least one electrode of an electrostatic chuck. Consequently, the power supply can be used to dynamically control the chucking voltage to apply a negative potential difference between said wafer and chuck.

Method and apparatus for minimizing plasma destabilization within a semiconductor wafer processing system

Apparatus and method for inductively coupling electrical power to a plasma in a semiconductor process chamber. In a first aspect, an array of induction coils is distributed over a geometric surface having a circular transverse section. Each coil has a transverse section which is wedge-shaped so that the adjacent sides of any two adjacent coils in the array are approximately parallel to a radius of the circular transverse section of the geometric surface. The sides of adjacent coils being parallel enhances the radial uniformity of the magnetic field produced by the coil array. In a second aspect, electrostatic coupling between the induction coils and the plasma is minimized by connecting each induction coil to the power supply so that the turn of wire of the coil which is nearest to the plasma is near electrical ground potential. In one embodiment, the near end of each coil connects directly to electrical ground. In second and third embodiments, two coils are connected in series at the near end of each coil. In the second embodiment, the opposite (&ldquo;RF hot&rdquo;) end of each coil is connected to a respective balanced output of an RF power supply. In the third embodiment, the hot end of one coil is connected to the unbalanced output of an RF power supply, and the hot end of the other coil is connected to electrical ground through a capacitor which resonates with the latter coil at the frequency of the RF power supply.

Distributed inductively-coupled plasma source

An apparatus and method for controlling a plasma in a plasma processing system. The apparatus comprises a wafer support pedestal surrounded by a process kit that is driven by an RF signal. Both an electrode (cathode) in the pedestal and the process kit are driven with an RF signal to establish a primary plasma above the pedestal and a secondary plasma above the process kit.

Apparatus and method for controlling plasma uniformity in a semiconductor wafer processing system

A method and apparatus for retaining a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, upon an electrostatic chuck within a semiconductor wafer processing system. Specifically, the invention contains high voltage, DC power supply that is capable of both sourcing and sinking current at any polarity of output voltage level. This power supply is coupled to at least one electrode of an electrostatic chuck. Consequently, the power supply can be used to dynamically control the chucking voltage in response to any indicia of optimal chucking including leakage current, wafer-to-chuck potential, backside gas leakage rate, and the like.

Method and apparatus for supplying a chucking voltage to an electrostatic chuck within a semiconductor wafer processing system

A DC power supply having a pair of 'piggybacked' voltage supplies, where a reference voltage supply provides a reference voltage for a variable voltage supply and each voltage supply is coupled to a current sink. The power supply is capable of sourcing and sinking current through a single output terminal when supplying a positive or negative output voltage with respect to ground.

DC power supply

A diagnostic pedestal assembly for measuring ion current and DC bias voltage within a high-power plasma reaction chamber of a semiconductor wafer processing system. The diagnostic pedestal assembly contains an aperture located in a surface of the pedestal and a probe element that is supported within the aperture.

Diagnostic pedestal assembly for a semiconductor wafer processing system

A high efficiency radio frequency (RF) impedance matching network containing an 'L-type' inductor-capacitor (LC) circuit where the capacitor is a variable capacitor coupled from an input port to ground and the inductor is a variable inductance inductor coupled from the input port to an output port. A blocking capacitor is provided between the inductor and the output port and a ceramic capacitor is coupled in parallel across the variable capacitor. The impedance match is tuned by physically adjusting tuning elements of both the inductor and capacitor. The variable inductor contains an improved inductor tuning element that optimizes current flow in the tuning elements and inductor. To further improve the efficiency of the matching network, the assembly uses an improved enclosure interior finish and various circuit optimization techniques that reduce contributions to match loop resistance.

Impedance matching network

A method and apparatus for actively controlling the DC cathode potential of a wafer support pedestal within a semiconductor wafer processing system. The apparatus contains a variable DC power supply coupled through an RF filter to a cathode pedestal. The variable DC power supply is actively controlled by a control signal generated by a cathode bias control unit, e.g., a computer or other control circuitry. The cathode bias control unit can be as simple as an operator adjustable control signal, e.g., a rheostat. However, for more accurate control of the DC power supply, a feedback circuit is used that generates a control signal that is proportional to the peak-to-peak voltage on a cathode pedestal. The application of the DC bias to the pedestal reduces the DC potential difference between the wafer and the cathode and, thereby avoids arcing from the wafer to the pedestal.

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Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Richard Raymond Mett