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:
Jan. 05, 2016
Filed:
Feb. 19, 2014
Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US);
Alex Paterson, San Jose, CA (US);
Do Young Kim, Albany, CA (US);
Gowri Kamarthy, Pleasanton, CA (US);
Helene Del Puppo, Fremont, CA (US);
Jen-Kan Yu, Fremont, CA (US);
Monica Titus, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Radhika Mani, Fremont, CA (US);
Noel Yui Sun, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Nicolas Gani, Fremont, CA (US);
Yoshie Kimura, Castro Valley, CA (US);
Ting-Ying Chung, Fremont, CA (US);
Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US);
Abstract
The embodiments disclosed herein pertain to improved methods and apparatus for etching a semiconductor substrate. A plasma grid assembly is positioned in a reaction chamber to divide the chamber into upper and lower sub-chambers. The plasma grid assembly may include one or more plasma grids having slots of a particular aspect ratio, which allow certain species to pass through from the upper sub-chamber to the lower sub-chamber. In some cases, an electron-ion plasma is generated in the upper sub-chamber. Electrons that make it through the grid to the lower sub-chamber are cooled as they pass through. In some cases, this results in an ion-ion plasma in the lower sub-chamber. The ion-ion plasma may be used to advantage in a variety of etching processes.