Mid-chamber gas distribution plate, tuned plasma flow control grid and electrode
First Claim
1. A plasma reactor comprising:
- a reactor chamber having a ceiling, a side wall and a workpiece support pedestal inside said chamber and facing said ceiling along an axis of symmetry and defining a chamber volume between said pedestal and said ceiling;
an RF plasma source power applicator at said ceiling and an RF plasma source power generator coupled to said applicator;
an in-situ electrode body inside said chamber and lying in a plane transverse to said axis and intermediate said ceiling and said support pedestal and dividing said chamber into upper and lower chamber regions, said in-situ electrode comprising;
(a) plural flow-through passages extending parallel to said axis and having different opening sizes, said passages being radially distributed by opening size in accordance with a desired radial distribution of gas flow resistance through said in-situ electrode body;
(b) a conductive electrode element inside said body and permeated by said plural flow-through passages, and an electrical terminal coupled to said conductive electrode element.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A plasma reactor is provided for processing a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer or a dielectric mask. The reactor chamber has a ceiling, a side wall and a workpiece support pedestal inside the chamber and facing the ceiling along an axis of symmetry and defining a chamber volume between the pedestal and the ceiling. An RF plasma source power applicator is provided at the ceiling. An in-situ electrode body inside the chamber lies divides the chamber into upper and lower chamber regions. The in-situ electrode comprises plural flow-through passages extending parallel to the axis and having different opening sizes, the passages being radially distributed by opening size in accordance with a desired radial distribution of gas flow resistance through the in-situ electrode body.
616 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A plasma reactor comprising:
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a reactor chamber having a ceiling, a side wall and a workpiece support pedestal inside said chamber and facing said ceiling along an axis of symmetry and defining a chamber volume between said pedestal and said ceiling; an RF plasma source power applicator at said ceiling and an RF plasma source power generator coupled to said applicator; an in-situ electrode body inside said chamber and lying in a plane transverse to said axis and intermediate said ceiling and said support pedestal and dividing said chamber into upper and lower chamber regions, said in-situ electrode comprising; (a) plural flow-through passages extending parallel to said axis and having different opening sizes, said passages being radially distributed by opening size in accordance with a desired radial distribution of gas flow resistance through said in-situ electrode body; (b) a conductive electrode element inside said body and permeated by said plural flow-through passages, and an electrical terminal coupled to said conductive electrode element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A gas distribution plate adaptable for a plasma reactor comprising:
an electrode body configured to be placed inside a plasma chamber in a plane transverse to an axis of said chamber, said electrode body comprising; (a) plural flow-through passages extending parallel to said axis and having different opening sizes, said passages being radially distributed by opening size in accordance with a desired radial distribution of gas flow resistance through said electrode body in said chamber; (b) a conductive electrode element inside said electrode body and permeated by said plural flow-through passages, and an electrical terminal coupled to said conductive electrode element. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
Specification