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:
Oct. 15, 1996
Filed:
Jul. 27, 1995
Xue Y Qian, Milpitas, CA (US);
Arthur H Sato, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
A plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor substrate within a reactor chamber with a process gas from which a plasma has been formed in the chamber by electromagnetic excitation includes a sputter target in the chamber and overlying the wafer, the sputter target having additive material for the plasma, and a sputter excitation electrode overlying the target surface, the sputter excitation electrode having plural conductive segments separated by apertures therebetween, selected ones of the plural conductive segments being excited by an RF signal of a given phase and other of said plural conductive segments being excited by an RF signal of a different phase. Preferably, alternate segments are excited by RF signals of opposite phase, so that RF power radiated by alternate ones of the conductive segments is balanced by the RF power radiated by the remaining ones of the conductive segments. Preferably, segments excited by one phase are insulated from segments excited by the other phase.