Methods and arrangement for the reduction of byproduct deposition in a plasma processing system

• US 20060130758A1
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Inventors: Bailey, Andrew D. III, Lohokare, Shrikant P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,959,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/715
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4404 Coatings or surface treatment on the inside of the reaction chamber or on parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32623 Mechanical discharge control means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32633 Baffles

Abstract

In a plasma processing system, a method of reducing byproduct deposits on a set of plasma chamber surfaces of a plasma processing chamber is disclosed. The method includes providing a deposition barrier in the plasma processing chamber, the deposition barrier is configured to be disposed in a plasma generating region of the plasma processing chamber, thereby permitting at least some process byproducts produced when a plasma is struck within the plasma processing chamber to adhere to the deposition barrier and reducing the byproduct deposits on the set of plasma processing chamber surfaces.

Claims

1. In a plasma processing system, a method of reducing byproduct deposits on a set of plasma chamber surfaces of a plasma processing chamber, comprising:

providing a deposition barrier in said plasma processing chamber, said deposition barrier is configured to be disposed in a plasma generating region of said plasma processing chamber, thereby permitting at least some process byproducts produced when a plasma is struck within said plasma processing chamber to adhere to said deposition barrier and reducing said byproduct deposits on said set of plasma processing chamber surfaces.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier is substantially transparent to a generated RF.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said deposition barrier is a Faraday shield.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said deposition barrier comprises a material that is substantially resistant to plasma attack.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said deposition barrier is coated by a material that is substantially resistant to plasma attack.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier comprises at least one of quartz, Y₂O₃, yttrium, CeO₂, cerium, ZrO₂, zirconium, Teflon, Vespel, BN, BC, SiN, SiO, SiC, substantially pure plastic, and ceramic.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier comprises a material that generates volatile etch byproducts when exposed to said plasma.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising independently heating said deposition barrier.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a RF bias to said deposition barrier.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said deposition barrier comprises a metal that does not generate a substantial quantity of volatile etch byproducts when exposed to said plasma.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said metal includes at least one of Ni, Pt, Ir, anodized Al, and Cu.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing in-situ cleaning of said deposition using a plasma cleaning process.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing ex-situ cleaning of said deposition barrier using a wet chemical flush process.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said deposition barrier comprises a material that is substantially resistant to a wet clean process.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said deposition barrier is coated by a material that is substantially resistant to a wet clean process.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier can be removed while substantially maintaining a vacuum in the plasma chamber.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said removal can be accomplished by a vacuum robot under automatic control.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier can be replaced in-situ.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier includes a substantially continuous surface.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier includes a set of holes.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier is configured to be removed prior to removing said substrate from said plasma processing chamber.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier is configured to be removed after removing said substrate from said plasma processing chamber.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier is configured to be removed simultaneously with removing said substrate from said plasma processing chamber.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier is reusable after cleaning.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier protects a source RF.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said source RF comprises an inductive source.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said source RF is configured to protect a dielectric coupling window for said inductive source.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein said source RF comprises a capacitive source.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein said source RF comprises an inductive source and a capacitive source.

30. The method of claim 25 wherein said source RF comprises ECR source.

31. The method of claim 25 wherein said source RF comprises a microwave source.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein said plasma processing system includes a source RF that is coupled from a top of said plasma processing chamber

33. The method of claim 1, wherein said plasma processing system includes a source RF that is coupled from a side of said plasma processing chamber.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein said plasma processing system includes a source RF that is coupled from a bottom of said plasma processing chamber.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein said set of plasma chamber surfaces is configured to be independently heated.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein said set of plasma chamber surfaces is configured to be independently cooled.

37. The method of claim 1 further comprising independently heating said deposition barrier.

38. The method of claim 1 further comprising independently cooling said deposition barrier.

39. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

halting processing of substrates in said plasma processing chamber at least until said deposition barrier is cooled down to a predefined temperature threshold; and

cleaning said deposition barrier in-situ after said deposition barrier is cooled at least down to said predefined temperature threshold.

40. The method of claim 1 wherein said deposition barrier is cleaned in-situ by a plasma cleaning process when said deposition barrier has heated up.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier surface has a pre-determined roughness which facilitates control of adhesion of the depositing material.

43. The method of claim 1, wherein said deposition barrier surface has a pre-determined surface composition which facilitates control of adhesion of the depositing material.

41. The method of 1 wherein said deposition barrier is configured to protect a set of gas injectors from said byproduct deposits

44. A method of reducing a set of byproduct deposits on a set of plasma chamber surfaces in a plasma reactor, comprising:

positioning a substrate in a plasma processing chamber;

positioning a deposition barrier in said plasma processing chamber, wherein a first plasma is configured to surround said deposition barrier when struck, and whereby said deposition barrier is configured to make contact with a first subset of said set of byproduct deposits from said substrate;

re-positioning said deposition barrier in said plasma processing chamber, wherein a second plasma is configured to surround said deposition barrier when struck, and whereby said deposition barrier is configured to make contact with a second subset of said set of byproduct deposits from said substrate.

45-70. -70. (canceled)

71. A deposition barrier arrangement configured to reduce byproduct deposits on a set of plasma chamber surfaces of a plasma processing chamber, comprising:

a deposition barrier configured to be disposed in a plasma generating region of said plasma processing chamber, said deposition barrier being configured to enable at least some process byproducts produced when a plasma is struck within said plasma processing chamber to adhere to said deposition barrier and thereby reducing said byproduct deposits on said set of plasma chamber surfaces.

72-89. -89. (canceled)