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:
Dec. 25, 2001
Filed:
Jun. 02, 2000
Applicant:
Inventors:
Wayne L. Johnson, Phoenix, AZ (US);
Richard Parsons, Phoenix, AZ (US);
Assignee:
Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo, JP;
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
C23C 1/434 ; C23C 1/454 ; G01R 2/300 ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
C23C 1/434 ; C23C 1/454 ; G01R 2/300 ;
Abstract
A system and method for detecting and preventing arcing in plasma processing systems. Arcing is detected and characterized by measuring and analyzing electrical signals from a circuit coupled to the plasma. After characterization, the electrical signals can then be correlated with arcing events occurring during a processing run. Information can be obtained regarding location, severity, and frequency of arcing events. The system and method better diagnose the causes of arcing and provide improved protection against undesirable arcing, which can cause damage to the system and the workpiece.