Plasma reactor having digital control over rotation frequency of a microwave field with direct up-conversion

• US 10,453,655 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2018
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Satoru, Sugai, Hideo, Park, Soonam, Ramaswamy, Kartik, Lubomirsky, Dmitry
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US16/213,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20190108981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32192 Microwave generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394, H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3222 Antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32302 Plural frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32311 Circuits specially adapted for controlling the microwave discharge

Abstract

A plasma reactor for processing a workpiece has a microwave source with a digitally synthesized rotation frequency using direct digital up-conversion and a user interface for controlling the rotation frequency.

Claims

1. A plasma reactor comprising:

a cylindrical microwave cavity overlying a workpiece processing chamber, and first and second coupling apertures in a sidewall of said cylindrical microwave cavity spaced apart by an angle;

a system-controlling clock to generate a system clock signal; and

a microwave source having a microwave frequency and comprising a microwave controller having respective microwave outputs coupled to respective ones of said first and second coupling apertures, said microwave controller including

digital circuitry configured to receive the system clock signal and generate therefrom two digital outputs, at least one of the two digital outputs being a combination of a first component having a first frequency that is lower than the microwave frequency and a second component having a second frequency that is lower than the first frequency,

a digital-to-analog converter coupled to said two digital outputs to generate two analog outputs corresponding to said two digital outputs, and

an up-converter coupled to said two analog outputs to convert the two analog outputs to the microwave frequency to provide said microwave outputs.

2. The reactor of claim 1, wherein the digital circuitry is configured to generate first and second digital modulation signals at the second frequency and a first digital carrier signal at the first frequency.

3. The reactor of claim 2, wherein the digital circuitry includes a first multiplier to multiply the first digital carrier signal by the first digital modulation signal to generate a first of the two digital outputs.

4. The reactor of claim 3, wherein the digital circuitry includes a second multiplier to multiply the first digital carrier signal by the second digital modulation signal to generate a second of the two digital outputs.

5. The reactor of claim 2, wherein the digital circuitry is configured to generate a second digital carrier signal at the first frequency.

6. The reactor of claim 5, wherein the first digital carrier signal provides a first of the two digital outputs.

7. The reactor of claim 6, wherein the digital circuitry includes a first multiplier to multiply the first digital carrier signal by the first digital modulation signal, a second multiplier to multiply the second digital carrier signal by the second digital modulation signal, and an adder to add outputs of the first multiplier and the second multiplier to provide a second of the two digital outputs.

8. The reactor of claim 2, wherein the digital circuitry includes a first multiplier to multiply the first digital carrier signal by the first digital modulation signal, and a second multiplier to multiply the first digital carrier signal by a constant, and a first adder to add outputs of the first multiplier and the second multiplier to provide a first of the two digital outputs.

9. The reactor of claim 8, wherein the digital circuitry includes a third multiplier to multiply a second digital carrier signal by the second digital modulation signal, and a fourth multiplier to multiply the second digital carrier signal by the constant, and a second adder to add outputs of the third multiplier and the fourth multiplier to generate a second of the two digital outputs.

10. The reactor of claim 2, wherein said first and second digital modulation signals comprise, respectively, a cosine-form component I and a sine-form component Q.

11. The reactor of claim 10, wherein digital circuitry includes a first RAM containing successive samples of said cosine-form component I, a second RAM containing successive samples of said sine-form component Q, and a first clock pointer directed at the successive samples of I and Q in synchronism with said second frequency.

12. The reactor of claim 11, wherein said digital circuitry comprises a third RAM containing successive samples of said first digital carrier signal, and a second clock pointer directed at the successive samples of said digital carrier signal in synchronism with said first frequency.

13. The reactor of claim 1, wherein said angle is 90 degrees.

14. The reactor of claim 1, further comprising a user interface for allowing a user to specify said second frequency.

15. The reactor of claim 1, wherein the system-controlling clock includes a phase locked loop module to generate the system clock signal.

16. The reactor of claim 15, wherein the phase locked loop is configured to generate an up-conversion signal at an up-conversion frequency, and the up-converter receives the up-conversion signal.