HYBRID ETCH CHAMBER WITH DECOUPLED PLASMA CONTROLS

• US 20090004873A1
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intevac
• Original Assignee: Intevac
• Inventors: Bluck, Terry, Barnes, Michael, Yang, Jang Gyoo
• Application Number:
  US11/749,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20090004873A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/729
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32091 the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/321 the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32165 Plural frequencies

Abstract

A dielectric etch chamber and method for improved control of plasma parameters. The plasma chamber comprises dual-frequency bias source that capacitively couples the RF energy to the plasma, and a single or dual frequency source that inductively couples the RF energy to the plasma. The inductive source may be modulated for improved etch uniformity.

Claims

1. An etch plasma processing chamber for etching a substrate having a dielectric layer thereupon, comprising

a) a reactor vessel comprising non-conducting lateral wall, a ceiling, and a bottom closure comprising a wafer support device, said ceiling and said wafer support device defining a parallel plate reactor;

b) a first RE power source providing RE energy to the support device at a frequency ω

_pd sufficient to initiate and maintain a plasma of a process gas;

c) a second RE power source providing RF energy to the support device at a frequency ω

_ion sufficient to control kinematical properties of ions generated in the plasma, wherein ω

_ion <

ω

_pd;

d) inductive windings situated about the non-conductive lateral wall of said reactor vessel; and

,

e) a third RF power source providing RF energy to the inductive windings to inductively couple said third RF power source to said plasma.

2. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the third RF power source provides RF energy to the inductive windings at frequency ω

_icp <

ω

_ion.

3. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 1, further comprising modulating apparatus to modulate the third RE power source to thereby output pulses having selectable amplitude, width, and inter-pulse interval.

4. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein said inductive windings are distributed axially about said lateral wall.

5. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 4, wherein said inductive windings comprises a first coil and a second coil.

6. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 5, wherein said third RF power source comprises a first power supply coupling power to the first coil and a second power supply coupling power to the second coil.

7. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 6, wherein the frequencies of the first power supply and the second power supply are below 2MHz, and wherein the frequency of one of the first and second power supplies is about half that of the other.

8. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 6 wherein the frequencies of the first power supply and the second power supply are below 2MHz, and wherein the frequencies of the first power supply and the second power supply are the same.

9. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 5, wherein the lateral wall comprises a vertical section and a horizontal section, and wherein the first coil is wound in a vertical direction about the vertical section, and the second coil is wound in a horizontal direction about the horizontal section.

10. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein first RF power source provides RF energy at a frequency above 10MHz, the second RF power source provides RF energy at a frequency below 10MHz, and the third RF power source provides RF energy at a frequency below 2MHz.

11. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein first RF power source provides RF energy at a frequency above 15MHz, the second RF power source provides RF energy at a frequency below 15MHz, and the third RF power source provides RF energy at a frequency below 2MHz.

12. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein first Rf power source provides RF energy at a frequency of about 60MHz, the second RF power source provides RF energy at a frequency of about 2MHz, and the third RF power source provides RF energy at a frequency not exceeding 1 MHz.

13. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 1, further comprising a baffle preventing plasma from entering an exhaust manifold.

14. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 5, further comprising a switching circuit coupled between the third RF power source and the first and second coils.

15. The etch plasma processing chamber of claim 14, wherein the switching circuit controls power ratio of the RF power applied from the third RF power source to the first coil and the second coil.

16. A method of operating a plasma reactor, comprising:

a. introducing a workpiece into the reactor;

b. introducing a process gas into the reactor,

c. capacitively coupling high frequency RF energy into the reactor so as to initiate and maintain a process plasma within the reactor;

d. capacitively coupling low frequency RF energy into the reactor so as to control ion energy of ions within the plasma; and

,

e. inductively coupling RF energy into the reactor so to control neutrals flux within the plasma.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising modulating the RF energy to generate modulated inductive coupling.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the process of inductively coupling RF energy comprises energizing a first coil at a first frequency and energizing a second coil at a second frequency.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first frequency is about half of the second frequency.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the frequencies of the first frequency and the second frequency are about the same.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

f. removing the workpiece from the reactor; and

,

g. inductively coupling the second low frequency RF energy into the reactor so to ignite plasma to clean the reactor from residue.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein step e comprises modulating the low frequency RF energy to generate modulated inductive coupling.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein power level at step g is higher than power level at step e.