Mattson Technology, Inc

Beijing E-town Semiconductor Technology, Co., Ltd

Aixtron Se

Comet Technologies Usa, Inc.

Other

Aixtron, Inc.

Applied Materials, Inc.

Advanced Ion Beam Technology, Inc.

Plasmasi, Inc.

Sandia Corporation

Stephen E Savas

Carl Galewski

Allan B Wiesnoski

Sooyun Joh

Sai Mantripragada

Alexandre De Chambrier

John P Zajac

Shawming Ma

Rene George

Brad S Mattson

Martin L Hammond

Daniel J Devine

Wolfgang Helle

Andreas Kadavanich

Jean-Fran&ccedil;ois Daviet

Hongching Shan

Stewart K Griffiths

Robert H Nilson

Robert Guerra

Steven C Selbrede

Hood Chatham

Niloy Mukherjee

Ashok K Sinha

Paul Janis Timans

Zhimin Wan

Karl B Levy

M Ziaul Karim

Jonathan David Mohn

Kristian E Johnsgard

Zsolt Nenyei

Subramanian Tamilmani

Martin L Zucker

Wilfried Lerch

Ryan M Pakulski

Hae Young Kim

Bruce W Peuse

Songlin Xu

Ashur J Atanos

Vincent Lee

Dixit V Desai

Guangcai Xing

Sing-Pin Tay

Xiao Bai

Charles Crapuchettes

Craig Ranft

Peter M Kopalidis

Dan Lester Cossentine

Mark J Kushner

Hao Chen

Georg Roters

Miguel Angel Saldana

Richard Keith Karlquist

Robert Eugene Weisse

Susan Felch

Tienyu Sheng

Neeta Jha

William Divergilio

Yuya Matsuda

Ivan Shkurenkov

Yaozhi Hu

Merim Mukinovic

David Dutton

Kevin Donohoe

Ronald L Kinder

Leroy Luo

James A Givens

Robert Mueller

Peter R Hanley

Plasma processing apparatus and associated methods are provided. In one example, a plasma processing apparatus includes a plasma chamber. The plasma processing apparatus includes a dielectric wall forming at least a portion of the plasma chamber. The plasma processing apparatus includes an inductive coupling element located proximate the dielectric wall. The plasma processing apparatus includes an ultraviolet light source configured to emit an ultraviolet light beam onto a metal surface that faces an interior volume of the plasma chamber. The plasma processing apparatus includes a controller configured to control the ultraviolet light source.

Enhanced ignition in inductively coupled plasmas for workpiece processing

A broad-band sensor for a radio frequency plasma processing system that includes a reaction chamber housing an electrode within a vacuum processing environment. The sensor includes an inductive pickup positioned in the vacuum processing environment proximate to the electrode. The inductive pickup includes a wire formed into a loop extending in an azimuthal direction about a symmetry axis of the reaction chamber. A lead carrying an electric signal from the inductive pickup extends through a vacuum wall of the reaction chamber outside the vacuum processing environment. An attenuator circuit including an electrical resistance bridge couples the lead to a signal carrier extending outside the vacuum processing environment. The broad-band sensor has radio frequency detection capability for measuring electromagnetic surface modes within the plasma chamber and coupling the measured electromagnetic surface modes to the signal carrier.

Inductive broad-band sensors for electromagnetic waves

A method of detecting non-uniformity in a plasma in a radio frequency plasma processing system, the method including generating a plasma within a reaction chamber of the radio frequency plasma processing system and detecting electrical signals from the plasma in a frequency range from a frequency of radio frequency power sustaining the plasma to a multiple of about ten times a frequency with a plurality of sensors disposed azimuthally about a chamber symmetry axis of the radio frequency plasma processing system. The method also including comparing the waveforms of the electrical signals picked up from the plasma by the plurality of sensors and determining when a plasma non-uniformity occurs based on the comparing the electrical property of the plasma detected by each of the plurality of sensors.

Plasma non-uniformity detection

Plasma processing apparatus and associated methods are provided. In one example, a plasma processing apparatus can include a plasma chamber configured to be able to hold a plasma. The plasma processing apparatus can include a dielectric window forming at least a portion of a wall of the plasma chamber. The plasma processing apparatus can include an inductive coupling element located proximate the dielectric window. The inductive coupling element can be configured to generate a plasma from the process gas in the plasma chamber when energized with radio frequency (RF) energy. The plasma processing apparatus can include a processing chamber having a workpiece support configured to support a workpiece. The plasma processing apparatus can include an electrostatic shield located between the inductive coupling element and the dielectric window. The electrostatic shield can be grounded via a tunable reactive impedance circuit to a ground reference.

Variable mode plasma chamber utilizing tunable plasma potential

A radio frequency plasma processing system including a reaction chamber, an electrode having an electrode symmetry axis, the electrode disposed in the reaction chamber, and a plurality of plates, each having an electrically conducting layer, disposed in the reaction chamber azimuthally with respect to the electrode symmetry axis around a perimeter of the electrode at a gap from the electrode surface, each of the plurality of plates connected to an electrical ground through a variable reactance circuit.

Sector shunts for plasma-based wafer processing systems

A method of detecting plasma asymmetry in a radio frequency plasma processing system, the method including providing a radio frequency power to a reaction chamber having an approximate chamber symmetry axis and receiving from a plurality of broadband electromagnetic sensors a radio frequency signal. The method also including processing the radio frequency signals using Fourier analysis and determining based on the Fourier analysis of the radio frequency signals that a plasma asymmetry has occurred within the reaction chamber.

Fast arc detecting match network

A method of controlling a radio frequency processing system, the method including determining an end time of a radio frequency pulse; stopping a load applied to the radio frequency processing system based on the end time of the radio frequency pulse; adjusting an additional load having a predetermined impedance applied to the radio frequency processing system in response to the determined end time; determining a start point of a second radio frequency pulse; and stopping the additional load before the second radio frequency pulse occurs.

Pulsing control match network

A radio frequency plasma processing system including a reaction chamber, a pedestal disposed in the reaction chamber, and a plurality of sector plates disposed azimuthally around the pedestal in an annulus between the pedestal and the reaction chamber.

Uniformity control for radio frequency plasma processing systems

Plasma processing systems and methods are provided. In one example, a system includes a processing chamber having a workpiece support. The workpiece is configured to support a workpiece. The system includes a plasma source configured to induce a plasma from a process gas in a plasma chamber to generate one or more species of negative ions. The system includes a grid structure configured to accelerate the one or more negative ions towards the workpiece. The grid structure can include a first grid plate, a second grid plate, and one or more magnetic elements positioned between the first grid plate and second grid plate to reduce electrons accelerated through the first grid plate. The system can include a neutralizer cell disposed downstream of the grid structure configured to detach extra electrons from ions of the one or more species of negative ions to generate energetic neutral species for processing the workpiece.

Systems and methods for workpiece processing using neutral atom beams

Plasma processing apparatus and associated methods are provided. In one example, a method can include admitting a process gas into a plasma chamber. The method can include exciting with RF energy an inductive coupling element to initiate ignition of a plasma induced in the process gas. The method can include adjusting an RF voltage of an electrostatic shield located between the inductive coupling element and the plasma chamber. The electrostatic shield can have a stray capacitance to a ground reference. The method can include conducting an ion-assisted etching process on the workpiece based at least in part on the RF voltage of the electrostatic shield.

Methods for tuning plasma potential using variable mode plasma chamber

During a pre-treat process, hydrogen plasma is used to remove contaminants (e.g., oxygen, carbon) from a surface of a wafer. The hydrogen plasma may be injected into the plasma chamber via an elongated injector nozzle. Using such elongated injector nozzle, a flow of hydrogen plasma with a significant radial velocity flows over the wafer surface, and transports volatile compounds and other contaminant away from the wafer surface to an exhaust manifold. A protective liner made from crystalline silicon or polysilicon may be disposed on an inner surface of the plasma chamber to prevent contaminants from being released from the surface of the plasma chamber. To further decrease the sources of contaminants, an exhaust restrictor made from silicon may be employed to prevent hydrogen plasma from flowing into the exhaust manifold and prevent volatile compounds and other contaminants from flowing from the exhaust manifold back into the plasma chamber.

Method and apparatus for surface preparation prior to epitaxial deposition

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Stephen E Savas