Applied Materials, Inc.

Taeho Shin

Bryan Y Pu

Jeffrey D Chinn

Keiji Horioka

Chun Yan

Evans Yip Lee

Roger Alan Lindley

Douglas H Burns

Jingbao Liu

Nam-Hun Kim

Panyin Hughes

Qi Li

Daniel John Hoffman

Alexander Miller Paterson

Steven C Shannon

Dennis Stanley Grimard

Theodoros Panagopoulos

Michael G Chafin

Troy S Detrick

Mahmoud Dahimene

A method and apparatus for controlling characteristics of a plasma in a semiconductor substrate processing chamber using a dual frequency RF source is provided. The method comprises supplying a first RF signal to a first electrode disposed in a processing chamber, and supplying a second RF signal to the first electrode, wherein an interaction between the first and second RF signals is used to control at least one characteristic of a plasma formed in the processing chamber.

Plasma control using dual cathode frequency mixing

Methods for processing a substrate in a processing chamber using dual RF frequencies are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of processing a substrate includes forming a plasma of a polymer forming chemistry to etch a feature into a substrate disposed on a substrate support in a process chamber while depositing a polymer on at least portions of the feature being etched. A low frequency and a high frequency RF signal are applied to an electrode disposed in the substrate support. The method further includes controlling the level of polymer formation on the substrate, wherein controlling the level of polymer formation comprises adjusting a power ratio of the high frequency to the low frequency RF signal.

Plasma control using dual cathode frequency mixing and controlling the level of polymer formation

A method and apparatus for controlling a magnetic field gradient within a magnetically enhanced plasma reactor. The apparatus comprises a cathode pedestal supporting a wafer within an enclosure, a plurality of electromagnets positioned proximate the enclosure for producing a magnetic field in the enclosure and a magnetic field control element, positioned proximate the electromagnets, for controlling the magnetic field proximate a specific region of the wafer.

Method and apparatus for providing uniform plasma in a magnetic field enhanced plasma reactor

A magnetic field generator for producing a magnetic field that accelerates plasma formation is placed proximate a reaction chamber of semiconductor substrate processing system. The magnetic field generator has four main magnetic coil sections for producing a magnetic field nearly parallel to the top surface of a support pedestal in the reaction chamber and four sub-magnetic coil sections placed generally coaxially with the main magnetic coil sections to produce a magnetic field of the direction opposite of that of the magnetic field produced with the main magnetic coil sections. In the magnetic field generator, magnetic fields of opposite polarities are superimposed on each other when electric currents of opposite directions are applied to the main and sub-magnetic coil sections.

Method and apparatus for controlling the magnetic field intensity in a plasma enhanced semiconductor wafer processing chamber

The method of present invention etches a layer of polysilicon formed on a substrate disposed within a substrate processing chamber. The method flows an etchant gas including sulfur hexafluoride, an oxygen source and a nitrogen source into the processing chamber and ignites a plasma from the etchant gas to etch the polysilicon formed over the substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the etchant gas consists essentially of SF , molecular oxygen (O ) and molecular nitrogen (N ). In a more preferred embodiment the etchant gas includes a volume ratio of molecular oxygen to the sulfur hexafluoride of between 0.5:1 and 1:1 inclusive and a volume ratio of the sulfur hexafluoride to molecular nitrogen of between 1:1 and 4:1 inclusive. In an even more preferred embodiment, the volume ratio of O to sulfur hexafluoride is between 0.5:1 and 1:1 inclusive and the volume ratio of sulfur hexafluoride to N is between 1.5:1 and 2:1 inclusive.

Storage poly process without carbon contamination

A method of etching polysilicon using a fluorinated gas chemistry to provide an etch rate in excess of 10,000 &angst;/min and a photoresist selectivity of better than 3:1. The method is accomplished using a combination of a fluorinated gas and a fluorocarbon gas, e.g., 50-60 sccm of SF,, 1-40 sccm of CHF,, and 40-50 sccm of O,with a total chamber pressure of 4-60 mTorr. The power applied to the etch chemistry to produce an etching plasma is 400-1500 watts of inductive source power (at 13.56 MHz) via an inductively coupled antenna and 200-1500 watts (at 12.56 MHz) of cathode bias power applied via a cathode electrode within a wafer support pedestal. The pedestal supporting the wafer was maintained at 0-50 degrees C.

Plasma etching of polysilicon using fluorinated gas mixtures

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Taeho Shin