Inductively coupled plasma system

• US 20030111963A1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chang-Wook Moon, Dong-Joon Ma, Hea-Young Yoon, Yuri Nikolaevich Tolmachev
• Original Assignee: Chang-Wook Moon, Dong-Joon Ma, Hea-Young Yoon, Yuri Nikolaevich Tolmachev
• Inventors: Ma, Dong-Joon, Tolmachev, Yuri Nikolaevich, Yoon, Hea-Young, Moon, Chang-Wook
• Granted Patent: US 6,835,919 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/111.51
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/321 the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32357 Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream

Abstract

An inductively coupled plasma apparatus is provided, wherein the inductively coupled plasma apparatus includes a process chamber having a wafer susceptor on which a substrate is installed, a top plasma source chamber which is installed on the process chamber, a reactor, which is installed in the top plasma source chamber, having a channel through which a gas flows, wherein the reactor supplies plasma reaction products to the process chamber, an inductor, having two ends, is installed between the top plasma source chamber and the reactor and is wound around the reactor, an opening which is positioned within a circumferential space in which the inductor is installed between the reactor and the process chamber, and a shutter operable to open and close the opening. Thus, a uniform radial distribution of radicals emanating from a plasma source can be improved.

Claims

1. An inductively coupled plasma apparatus comprising:

a process chamber having a wafer susceptor on which a substrate is installed;

a top plasma source chamber which is installed on the process chamber;

a reactor, which is installed in the top plasma source chamber, having a channel through which a gas flows, wherein the reactor supplies plasma reaction products to the process chamber;

an inductor, having two ends, is installed between the top plasma source chamber and the reactor and is wound around the reactor;

an opening which is positioned within a circumferential space in which the inductor is installed between the reactor and the process chamber; and

a shutter operable to open and close the opening.

2. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises:

an inner cylinder;

an outer cylinder which surrounds the inner cylinder; and

an annular channel which is positioned between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder,

wherein a top of the annular channel is connected to a gas manifold outside the top plasma source chamber.

3. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bottom of the inner cylinder narrows so that a bottom of the annular channel between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder is changed into a circular shape.

4. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a gas distributing plate having a plurality of orifices, which is installed in the annular channel.

5. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

a gas distributing plate having a plurality of orifices, which is installed in the annular channel.

6. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a plurality of gas distributing plates spaced apart from each other in the annular channel, each one of the plurality of gas distributing plates having a plurality of orifices.

7. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a plurality of gas distributing plates spaced apart from each other in the annular channel, each one of the plurality of gas distributing plates having a plurality of orifices.

8. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wafer susceptor is electrically floating in the process chamber.

9. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the wafer susceptor is supported by a ceramic vacuum break in the process chamber.

10. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wafer susceptor is electrically floating in the process chamber.

11. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the wafer susceptor is supported by a ceramic vacuum break in the process chamber.

12. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a purge inert gas being supplied to the circumferential space in which the inductor is installed.

13. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a length of the inductor is equal to m×

{fraction (1/4)} wavelengths of a frequency of an applied electromagnetic field, where m is an integer.

14. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein a high frequency power is supplied to a turn of the inductor between the two ends of the inductor, and wherein the two ends of the inductor are either grounded or floating.

15. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a high frequency electromagnetic field and a low frequency electromagnetic field are pulsed periodically according to a given sequence.

16. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein a high frequency electromagnetic field and low frequency electromagnetic field are pulsed periodically according to a given sequence.

17. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of bipolar pulses of a DC voltage are applied to the substrate via the wafer susceptor.

18. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein a plurality of bipolar pulses of a DC voltage are applied to the substrate via the wafer susceptor.

19. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the pulses of the electromagnetic field are synchronized with pulses of a first and a second gas supply, whereby the first and a second gases are supplied sequentially to realize a modified radical-assisted sequential deposition process.

20. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the pulses of the electromagnetic field are synchronized with pulses of a first and a second gas supply whereby the first and a second gases are supplied sequentially to realize a modified radical-assisted sequential deposition process.

21. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the pulses of the electromagnetic field are synchronized with pulses of a first and a second gas supply, whereby the first and a second gases are supplied sequentially to realize a modified radical-assisted sequential deposition process.

22. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the pulses of the electromagnetic field are synchronized with pulses of a first and a second gas supply, whereby the first and a second gases are supplied sequentially to realize a modified radical-assisted sequential deposition process.