Systems and methods for enhancing plasma processing of a semiconductor substrate
First Claim
1. A plasma reactor system for processing a substrate, the plasma reactor comprising:
- a processing chamber for containing a plasma, the plasma comprising at least one plasma product for processing the substrate;
a gas inlet coupled to the processing chamber for providing gas to the processing chamber;
a first power source;
an induction coil, coupled to the first power source, to couple power from the first power source into the processing chamber to sustain the plasma;
a plasma shaping member positioned within the processing chamber, the plasma shaping member having a recessed portion substantially above the center of the substrate and an extended portion outside the recessed portion; and
a support for the substrate positioned such that the substrate is exposed to the at least one plasma product during processing.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Inductively-coupled plasma reactors for anisotropic and isotropic etching of a substrate, as well as chemical vapor deposition of a material onto a substrate. The reactor system comprises a processing chamber with a plasma shaping member contained therein. In one embodiment, the plasma shaping member extends from a portion of the top wall of the processing chamber, downward into the chamber, and it is generally positioned above the center of the substrate. The shaping member may be a separate piece of hardware attached to the top wall of the chamber, or it may be an integral part the wall itself. Preferably, the plasma shaping member has a recessed portion in the middle and an extended portion located at a distance outside that of the recessed region. The plasma shaping member may be fabricated from virtually any material since it is at an electrically floating potential during processing of the substrate. The plasma shaping member serves to reduce the ion density in the middle of the chamber, above the center of the substrate, thereby enhancing the uniformity of the plasma throughout the chamber. The enhanced plasma uniformity in turn results in more uniform processing rates of a substrate.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A plasma reactor system for processing a substrate, the plasma reactor comprising:
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a processing chamber for containing a plasma, the plasma comprising at least one plasma product for processing the substrate;
a gas inlet coupled to the processing chamber for providing gas to the processing chamber;
a first power source;
an induction coil, coupled to the first power source, to couple power from the first power source into the processing chamber to sustain the plasma;
a plasma shaping member positioned within the processing chamber, the plasma shaping member having a recessed portion substantially above the center of the substrate and an extended portion outside the recessed portion; and
a support for the substrate positioned such that the substrate is exposed to the at least one plasma product during processing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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17. A method of processing a substrate in a reactor system, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a processing chamber;
coupling power into the processing chamber to produce a plasma from which at least one product is used for processing the substrate;
providing a plasma shaping member within the processing chamber;
exposing the substrate to the at least one plasma product for processing.
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Specification