METHODS FOR PLASMA MATCHING BETWEEN DIFFERENT CHAMBERS AND PLASMA STABILITY MONITORING AND CONTROL
First Claim
1. A method of matching the performance of process chambers, comprising:
- calibrating at least a first spectrometer with at least a first standardized light source and collecting calibration data;
collecting optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data using the at least first spectrometer during a first reference process utilizing a reference substrate, under known process parameters;
collecting OES data using the at least first spectrometer during a second plasma process for a second substrate under process parameters substantially the same as the first process;
measuring the degree of surface characteristic modification for the first and second substrates and correlating the degree of surface characteristic modification with the OES data for each substrate, wherein the correlation of OES data and surface characteristic modification of the second process is compared to the correlation of OES data and surface characteristic modification of the first process.
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Abstract
Methods for matching semiconductor plasma processing chambers using a calibrated spectrometer are disclosed. In one embodiment, plasma attributes are measured for a process in a reference chamber and a process in a sample chamber. Measuring the plasma attributes during process perturbations allows for the correlation of process parameters to the plasma optical emission spectra. The process parameters can then be adjusted to yield a processed substrate which matches that of the reference chamber. Methods for monitoring the stability of a plasma processing chamber using a calibrated spectrometer are also disclosed.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method of matching the performance of process chambers, comprising:
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calibrating at least a first spectrometer with at least a first standardized light source and collecting calibration data; collecting optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data using the at least first spectrometer during a first reference process utilizing a reference substrate, under known process parameters; collecting OES data using the at least first spectrometer during a second plasma process for a second substrate under process parameters substantially the same as the first process; measuring the degree of surface characteristic modification for the first and second substrates and correlating the degree of surface characteristic modification with the OES data for each substrate, wherein the correlation of OES data and surface characteristic modification of the second process is compared to the correlation of OES data and surface characteristic modification of the first process. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of monitoring the plasma stability of a processing chamber, comprising:
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calibrating at least a first spectrometer with at least a first standardized light source and collecting calibration data; collecting optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data using the at least first spectrometer during a reference plasma process for a reference substrate in a processing chamber under known process parameters; collecting OES data using the at least first spectrometer during a second plasma process for a second substrate in the same processing chamber under process parameters substantially the same as the first process and comparing the OES data obtained during the second process to the calibration data; varying the processing parameters of the process, and processing a substrate under the varied parameters while collecting OES data; measuring the degree of modification of a surface characteristic of the processed substrates and correlating the degree of modification of a surface characteristic and the OES data to determine the sensitivity to the modified process parameters; and monitoring the OES data during processing on at least a second substrate to predict when the at least second substrate will have a surface characteristic outside of the acceptable range. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification