Systems and methods for internal surface conditioning in plasma processing equipment

• US 10,707,061 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2017
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Park, Soonam, Zhu, Yufei, Suarez, Edwin C., Ingle, Nitin K., Lubomirsky, Dmitry, Huang, Jiayin
• Primary Examiner(s): Dhingra, Rakesh K
• Application Number:
  US15/581,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20170229293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 118723 E, 118723 ER, 15634524-34547
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/455 characterised by the method used for introducing gases into reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45536 Use of plasma, radiation or electromagnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45559 Diffusion of reactive gas to substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/50 using electric discharges generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/505 using radio frequency discharges
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/334 Etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32082 Radio frequency generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394 and H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32119 Windows
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32357 Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32532 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3255 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32623 Mechanical discharge control means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32972 Spectral analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31116 by dry-etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/32137 of silicon-containing layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/26 Acting in response to an ongoing measurement without interruption of processing, e.g. endpoint detection, in-situ thickness measurement endpoint detection arrangements in CMP apparatus B24B37/013, in discharge apparatus H01J37/32

Abstract

A method of conditioning internal surfaces of a plasma source includes flowing first source gases into a plasma generation cavity of the plasma source that is enclosed at least in part by the internal surfaces. Upon transmitting power into the plasma generation cavity, the first source gases ignite to form a first plasma, producing first plasma products, portions of which adhere to the internal surfaces. The method further includes flowing the first plasma products out of the plasma generation cavity toward a process chamber where a workpiece is processed by the first plasma products, flowing second source gases into the plasma generation cavity. Upon transmitting power into the plasma generation cavity, the second source gases ignite to form a second plasma, producing second plasma products that at least partially remove the portions of the first plasma products from the internal surfaces.

Claims

1. A plasma processing system, comprising:

a remote plasma generator configured to ionize first source gases; and

a processing chamber comprising;

a processing region to process a workpiece;

a plasma generation cavity remote and upstream from the processing region, the plasma generation cavity bounded by;

a first planar electrode configured to deliver the ionized first source gases and second plasma source gases into the plasma generation cavity through first perforations defined through the first planar electrode,

a second planar electrode defining second perforations configured to deliver plasma products from the plasma generation cavity toward the processing region, and

a ring shaped insulator that is disposed about and in contact with a periphery of the first electrode, and about and in contact with a periphery of the second electrode; and

a power supply configured to ignite a plasma of the ionized first source gases and the second plasma source gases in the plasma generation cavity, wherein the ring shaped insulator includes a port configured to receive an optical signal from the plasma, the port defining a radial aperture recessed to limit optical emissions to interactions with adjacent surfaces of the plasma generation cavity, the port disposed between the first perforations defined through the first planar electrode and the second perforations defined through the second planar electrode.

2. The plasma processing system of claim 1, the processing chamber further comprising a planar diffuser between the second planar electrode and the processing region, the planar diffuser defining third perforations and configured to deliver the plasma products from the second planar electrode, through the third perforations of the diffuser, into the processing region.

3. The plasma processing system of claim 2, the planar diffuser further comprising gas channels having outlets only on a processing region side thereof, the outlets being interspersed with the third perforations, such that an additional gas from the outlets is configured to mix with the plasma products as the plasma products enter the processing region.

4. The plasma system of claim 1, wherein the ring shaped insulator comprises a ceramic ring forming a radial aperture for transmission of optical emissions from the plasma, and the port comprises:

an optical window configured to seal to the ceramic ring across an outer opening of the radial aperture, and

wherein the plasma processing system further comprises a block that positions a fiber optic adjacent the optical window to propagate optical emissions into the fiber optic to form the optical signal.

5. The plasma system of claim 4, wherein the optical window comprises sapphire or quartz.

6. The plasma system of claim 1, further comprising an optical emission spectrometer configured to receive the optical signal and to generate emission peak data from the optical signal.

7. The plasma system of claim 6, further comprising a computer configured for generating records of the emission peak data.

8. The plasma system of claim 7, the emission peak data including hydrogen emission peak data, the computer being configured to calculate a stability metric of the hydrogen emission peak data over process sequences of the plasma source.

9. The plasma system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second electrodes comprises yttria.

10. The plasma system of claim 1, the port further comprising an optical window that is disposed adjacent the plasma generation cavity and is oriented such that captured optical emissions are not affected by interaction of the plasma with a workpiece.

11. A plasma processing system comprising:

a processing chamber comprising a plurality of electrodes and one or more internal surfaces;

a plasma generation cavity bounded at least in part by one or more internal surfaces and disposed upstream from placement of a workpiece, the plasma generation cavity bounded by;

a first planar electrode defining first perforations and a first planar electrode internal surface,

a second planar electrode defining second perforations configured to deliver plasma products from the plasma generation cavity toward a processing region, and having a second planar electrode internal surface, the second planar electrode internal surface facing the first planar electrode internal surface, to define the processing region there-between, and

a ring shaped insulator that is disposed about and in contact with a periphery of the first planar electrode, and about and in contact with a periphery of the second planar electrode, and defines a ring shaped insulator internal surface;

a power supply configured to apply power across the electrodes to ignite a plasma

an optical window that is disposed adjacent the plasma generation cavity and is oriented such that captured optical emissions are not affected by interaction of the plasma with the workpiece, wherein the optical window is configured to capture optical emissions from the plasma; and

a computer configured to monitor one or more emission peaks of the captured optical emissions to assess the surface conditioning of the one or more internal surfaces,

wherein the ring shaped insulator includes a radial aperture with which the optical window is coupled.

12. The plasma processing system of claim 11, where the computer system is configured to generate a record of at least a subset of the captured optical emissions each time an etch recipe reaches a predetermined recipe step.

13. The plasma processing system of claim 12, wherein the computer system is further configured to calculate a stability metric from the records generated each time the etch recipe reaches the predetermined recipe step over a plurality of recipe cycles, and wherein the computer system is configured to compare a stability metric with a predetermined criterion to assess the surface conditioning of the one or more internal surfaces.

14. The plasma processing system of claim 11, wherein the ring shaped insulator comprises a ceramic ring defining the radial aperture for transmission of optical emissions from the plasma, and a port that comprises:

the optical window sealably connected to the ceramic ring shaped insulator across an outer opening of the radial aperture, and where the plasma processing system further comprises a block that positions a fiber optic adjacent the optical window configured to propagate the optical emissions into the fiber optic to form an optical signal.

15. The plasma processing system of claim 14, wherein the optical window comprises sapphire or quartz.