Applied Materials, Inc.

Zhi-wen Sun

Xue-Yu Qian

Gerald Z Yin

Arthur Y Chen

Shaoher X Pan

Jeffrey D Chinn

Girish Anant Dixit

Xikun Wang

Ming-Hsun Yang

Weinan Jiang

Patrick Leahey

Chunman Yu

Ming-Hsun Kuo

John Patrick Holland

Arthur H Sato

David S Mui

Jonathan David Mohn

Valentin N Todorov

Nicolay Kovarsky

David S L Mui

Brian K Hatcher

Robert E Ryan

Maocheng Li

Brian Metzger

Waiching Chow

David W Nguyen

Embodiments of the invention provide an electro-analytical method for determining the concentration of an organic additive in an acidic or basic metal plating bath using an organic chemical analyzer. The method includes preparing a supporting-electrolyte solution, preparing a testing solution including the supporting-electrolyte solution and a standard solution, measuring an electrochemical response of the supporting-electrolyte solution using the organic chemical analyzer, and implementing an electro-analytical technique to determine the concentration of the organic additive in the plating bath from the electrochemical response measurements. The method is performed for independently analyzing one organic additive component in a plating bath containing multi-component organic additives, regardless of knowledge of the concentration of other organic additives and with minimal interference among organic additives.

Methods in electroanalytical techniques to analyze organic components in plating baths

A cyclic voltammetric method for measuring the concentration of additives in a plating solution. The method generally includes providing the plating solution, having an unknown concentration of an additive to be measured therein and cycling the potential of an inert working electrode through a series of measurement steps. The series of measurement steps includes a metal stripping step including pulsing from an open circuit potential to a metal stripping potential between about 0.2 V and about 0.8 V, and holding the metal stripping potential until a corresponding current nears 0 mA/cm. The series of measurement steps further includes a cleaning step including pulsing from the metal stripping potential to a cleaning potential between about 1.2 V and about 1.6 V, and holding the cleaning potential for about 2 seconds to about 10 seconds. The series of measurement steps then includes a pre-plating step including pulsing from the cleaning potential to a pre-plating potential between about &minus;0.2 V and about &minus;0.5 V, and holding the pre-plating potential for about 2 seconds to about 10 seconds. The series of measurement steps additionally includes an equilibration step including pulsing from the pre-plating potential to the open circuit potential, and holding the open circuit potential for a predetermined time period, and a metal deposition step including scanning from the open circuit potential of the equilibration step to an additive sensitive potential, holding the additive sensitive potential for about 1 second to about 30 seconds, and scanning back to the open circuit potential. The method further includes plotting a profile of a deposition current resulting from the metal deposition potential as a function of time and integrating the deposition current to determine the concentration of the additive to be measured.

Potential pulse-scan methods of analyzing organic additives in plating baths with multi-component additives

A process for etching a substrate in an etching chamber , and simultaneously cleaning a thin, non-homogeneous, etch residue deposited on the surfaces of the walls and components of the etching chamber . In the etching step, process gas comprising etchant gas is used to etch a substrate in the etching chamber thereby depositing etch residue inside the chamber . Cleaning gas is added to the process gas for a sufficient time and in a volumetric flow ratio that is sufficiently high, to react with and remove substantially all the etch residue deposited by the process gas. The present method advantageously cleans the etch residue in the chamber , during the etching process, and without use of separate cleaning, conditioning, and seasoning process steps.

Self-cleaning etch process

The invention provides a system and a method for dynamic RF inductive and capacitive coupling control to improve plasma substrate processing, as well as for achieving contamination and defect reduction. A plasma reactor includes a substrate support disposed in a chamber. An RF coil is disposed adjacent the chamber for inductively coupling RF energy into the chamber. An electrode is disposed adjacent the chamber and has a voltage for capacitively coupling energy into the chamber. The electrode is spaced from the substrate support and the RF coil. An electrode adjusting member is coupled with the electrode for dynamically adjusting the voltage in the electrode to vary the capacitive coupling for improved plasma ignition and plasma stability. A Faraday shield may be placed between the RF coil and the plasma process region in the chamber to suppress capacitive coupling of the RF coil. Sensors may be provided to monitor the amounts of inductive coupling and capacitive coupling to provide feedback to a controller which is used to adjust the inductive coupling and capacitive coupling in real time to stabilize the plasma and achieve improved processing.

Plasma reactor with dynamic RF inductive and capacitive coupling control

An apparatus and process for treating and conditioning an etching chamber , and cleaning a thin, non-homogeneous, etch residue on the walls and components of the etching chamber . In the etching step, a substrate is etched in the etching chamber to deposit a thin etch residue layer on the surfaces of the walls and components in the chamber. In the cleaning step, cleaning gas is introduced into a remote chamber adjacent to the etching chamber , and microwave or RF energy is applied inside the remote chamber to form an activated cleaning gas. A short burst of activated cleaning gas at a high flow rate is introduced into the etching chamber to clean the etch residue on the walls and components of the etching chamber. The method is particularly useful for cleaning etch residue that is chemically adhered to ceramic surfaces in the chamber, for example surfaces comprising aluminum nitride, boron carbide, boron nitride, diamond, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, titanium oxide, titanium carbide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, or mixtures thereof.

Treatment of etching chambers using activated cleaning gas

A process for etching a substrate 25 in an etching chamber 30, and simultaneously cleaning a thin, non-homogeneous, etch residue deposited on the surfaces of the walls 45 and components of the etching chamber 30. In the etching step, process gas comprising etchant gas is used to etch a substrate 25 in the etching chamber 30 thereby depositing etch residue inside the chamber 30. Cleaning gas is added to the process gas for a sufficient time and in a volumetric flow ratio that is sufficiently high, to react with and remove substantially all the etch residue deposited by the process gas. The present method advantageously cleans the etch residue in the chamber 30, during the etching process, and without use of separate cleaning, conditioning, and seasoning process steps.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Zhi-wen Sun