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:
Jul. 13, 2010
Filed:
Jul. 31, 2006
Siddhartha Panda, Kanpur, IN;
Richard Wise, Newbugh, NY (US);
Lee Chen, Cedar Creek, TX (US);
Michael Sievers, Poughkeepsie, NY (US);
Siddhartha Panda, Kanpur, IN;
Richard Wise, Newbugh, NY (US);
Lee Chen, Cedar Creek, TX (US);
Michael Sievers, Poughkeepsie, NY (US);
Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo, JP;
International Business Machines Corporation (“IBM ”), Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for detecting the endpoint in a dry plasma etching system comprising a first electrode (e.g., upper electrode) and a second electrode (e.g., lower electrode) upon which a substrate rests is described. A direct current (DC) voltage is applied between the first electrode and a ring electrode surrounding the second electrode, and the DC current is monitored to determine the endpoint of the etching process. The DC current is affected by the impedance of the plasma, and therefore responds to many variations including, for example, the plasma density, electron/ion flux to exposed surfaces, the electron temperature, etc.