PLASMA REACTOR WITH HIGH SPEED PLASMA LOAD IMPEDANCE TUNING BY MODULATION OF DIFFERENT UNMATCHED FREQUENCY SOURCES
First Claim
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1. A plasma reactor including a chamber for processing a workpiece, comprising:
- plural impedance matches and plural RF plasma power generators coupled to deliver respective RF plasma powers into said chamber through respective ones of said impedance matches;
a first stabilization RF power generator operatively connected to deliver RF stabilization power of a first frequency into said chamber;
a controller programmed to;
(a) determine changes in load impedance from RF parameters sensed at one of said generators and resolve said changes in load impedance into different components thereof; and
(b) change the output power delivered by said first stabilization RF power generator into said chamber in response to a first component of said changes in load impedance.
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Abstract
Fluctuations in a plasma characteristic such as load impedance are compensated by a controller that modulates a stabilization RF generator coupled to the plasma having a frequency suitable for stabilizing the plasma characteristic, the controller being responsive to the fluctuations in the plasma characteristic.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A plasma reactor including a chamber for processing a workpiece, comprising:
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plural impedance matches and plural RF plasma power generators coupled to deliver respective RF plasma powers into said chamber through respective ones of said impedance matches; a first stabilization RF power generator operatively connected to deliver RF stabilization power of a first frequency into said chamber; a controller programmed to; (a) determine changes in load impedance from RF parameters sensed at one of said generators and resolve said changes in load impedance into different components thereof; and (b) change the output power delivered by said first stabilization RF power generator into said chamber in response to a first component of said changes in load impedance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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15. A plasma reactor including a chamber for processing a workpiece, comprising:
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an RF impedance match and an RF plasma power generator coupled to deliver RF plasma power into said chamber through said RF impedance match; a first stabilization RF power generator operatively connected to deliver RF stabilization power into said chamber, and a first modulator coupled to modulate the output of said first stabilization RF power generator; a controller programmed to; (a) determine changes in load impedance from RF parameters sensed at said impedance match and resolve said changes in load impedance into first and second components thereof; and (b) change the output power delivered by said stabilization RF power generator into said chamber as a function of the first component of said changes in load impedance. - View Dependent Claims (14, 16, 17, 19)
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18. A plasma reactor including a chamber for processing a workpiece, comprising:
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an RF impedance match and an RF plasma power generator coupled to deliver RF plasma power into said chamber through said RF impedance match; an array of stabilization RF power generators operatively connected to deliver RF stabilization power of different respective frequencies into said chamber, and an array of modulator coupled to modulate the outputs of respective ones of said stabilization RF power generators; a controller programmed to; (a) determine changes in load impedance from RF parameters sensed at said impedance match and resolve said changes in load impedance into plural components thereof; and (b) make respective changes by the respective ones of said modulators in the output power delivered by respective ones of said stabilization RF power generators into said chamber as a function of the respective components of said changes in load impedance.
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Specification