Plasma constituent analysis by interferometric techniques

Abstract

An interferometer (18 or 40) is used to identify trace constituents in a plasma during processing semiconductor devices such as transistors. Light emissions collected from the processing chamber (10) are collimated by lens (14) and transmitted to the interferometer (18 or 40) which selectively allows therethrough particular wavelengths of light which are characteristic of the excitation emissions of certain atoms such as sodium and copper. The light intensity at the selected wavelengths is sensed by a photomultiplier tube (30). In one embodiment, the interferometer (18) is a Fabry-Perot type interferometer and the separation of the plates (20 and 22) which form the Fabry-Perot etalon is controlled using a piezoelectric driver (26). A signal processor (34) correlates the sensed light emissions from the photomultiplier tube (30) with the selected wavelength that is determined by the piezoelectric driver (26). In another embodiment, the interferometer (40) is a narrow bandpass interferometric filter which is tiltable with respect to the collimated incident light from the processing chamber (10). Tilting a narrow bandpass interferometric filter (42) with respect to incident light changes the path length through the filter (42) and allows for the selective transmission of certain wavelengths of light. By rapidly tilting the narrow bandpass interferometric filter (42) at a rate between 5-300 Hz with respect to the incident light, a narrow range of wavelengths on the order of 3 nm can be scanned.