PLASMA PROCESSING SYSTEM WITH DYNAMIC GAS DISTRIBUTION CONTROL
First Claim
1. A plasma processing system, said plasma processing system comprising:
- a plasma processing chamber used to process a substrate; and
a gas flow system coupled to said plasma processing chamber, said gas flow system controlling flow of input gas into at least two different regions of said plasma processing chamber.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A plasma processing system that includes a plasma processing chamber that provides enhanced control over an etch process is disclosed. The plasma processing chamber is connected to a gas flow system. The gas flow system can be employed to control the release of gases into different regions within the plasma processing chamber. In addition, the volume of the released gas, e.g., the flow rate of the gas, can be adjusted by a gas flow control mechanism. In this manner, both the position and the amount of the gas that is delivered to the plasma processing chamber can be controlled. The ability to adjust the position and the amount of gas that is released into the plasma processing chamber provides for a better control over the distribution of the neutral components. This in turn enhances control over the etching process.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A plasma processing system, said plasma processing system comprising:
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a plasma processing chamber used to process a substrate; and
a gas flow system coupled to said plasma processing chamber, said gas flow system controlling flow of input gas into at least two different regions of said plasma processing chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A plasma processing system for processing a substrate, comprising:
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a substantially cylindrical plasma processing chamber within which a plasma is both ignited and sustained for said processing, said plasma processing chamber having no separate plasma generation chamber, said plasma processing chamber having an upper end and a lower end;
a coupling window disposed at an upper end of said plasma processing chamber. an RF antenna arrangement disposed above a plane defined by said substrate when said substrate is disposed within said plasma processing chamber for said processing;
an electromagnet arrangement disposed above said plane defined by said substrate, said electromagnet arrangement being configured so as to result in a radial variation in the static magnetic field topology within said plasma processing chamber in the region proximate said RF antenna when at least one direct current is supplied to said electromagnet arrangement, said radial variation being effective to affect processing uniformity across said substrate;
a dc power supply coupled to said electromagnet arrangement, said dc power supply having a controller to vary a magnitude of said at least one direct current, thereby changing said radial variation in said magnetic field topology within said plasma processing chamber in said region proximate said antenna to improve said processing uniformity across said substrate; and
a gas flow system coupled to said plasma processing chamber, said gas flow system controlling flow of input gas into at least two different regions of said plasma processing chamber. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A plasma processing system for processing a substrate, comprising:
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a substantially cylindrical plasma processing chamber within which a plasma is both ignited and sustained for said processing, said plasma processing chamber having no separate plasma generation chamber, said plasma processing chamber having an upper end and a lower end;
a coupling window disposed at an upper end of said plasma processing chamber. an RF antenna arrangement disposed above a plane defined by said substrate when said substrate is disposed within said plasma processing chamber for said processing;
an electromagnet arrangement disposed above said plane defined by said substrate, said electromagnet arrangement being configured so as to result in a radial variation in the static magnetic field topology within said plasma processing chamber in the region proximate said RF antenna when at least one direct current is supplied to said electromagnet arrangement, said radial variation being effective to affect processing uniformity across said substrate;
a dc power supply coupled to said electromagnet arrangement, said dc power supply having a controller to vary a magnitude of said at least one direct current, thereby changing said radial variation in said magnetic field topology within said plasma processing chamber in said region proximate said antenna to improve said processing uniformity across said substrate; and
a gas flow system coupled to said plasma processing chamber, wherein the gas flow system controls the input gas is released into a first and a second region within the plasma processing chamber, the first region being a top central region within the plasma processing chamber and the second region being a peripheral region of the plasma processing chamber.
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Specification