The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 24, 2025
Filed:
May. 12, 2022
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, Hsin-Chu, TW;
Che Wei Yang, New Taipei, TW;
Chih Cheng Shih, Kaohsiung, TW;
Sheng-Chan Li, Tainan, TW;
Cheng-Yuan Tsai, Chu-Pei, TW;
Sheng-Chau Chen, Tainan, TW;
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LIMITED, Hsin-Chu, TW;
Abstract
A tunable plasma exclusion zone in semiconductor fabrication is provided. A semiconductor wafer is provided within a chamber of a plasma processing apparatus between a first plasma electrode and a second plasma electrode. A plasma is generated from a process gas within the chamber and an electric field between the first plasma electrode and the second plasma electrode. The plasma is at least partially excluded from an edge region of the semiconductor wafer by a plasma exclusion zone (PEZ) ring within the chamber. The plasma may be tuned toward a center of the semiconductor wafer by electrically coupling an electrode ring of the PEZ ring to a voltage potential.