METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING ION ENERGY DISTRIBUTION

• US 20100276273A1
• Filed: 04/26/2010
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AES Global Holdings Pte Ltd. (Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (China))
• Original Assignee: Advanced Energy Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Heckman, Randy, Brouk, Victor
• Granted Patent: US 9,287,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 204/192.11
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/54 Controlling or regulating the coating process
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/509 using internal electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32009 Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources plasma generation in general H05H1/24
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32045 Circuits specially adapted for controlling the glow discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32082 Radio frequency generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394 and H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32146 Amplitude modulation, includes pulsing
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32174 Circuits specially adapted for controlling the RF discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32577 Electrical connecting means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32706 Polarising the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32715 Workpiece holder
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32944 Arc detection
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3299 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/01 Resonant DC/DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4815 Resonant converters H02M7/4811 and H02M7/4826 take precedence

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatus for regulating ion energies in a plasma chamber are disclosed. An exemplary system includes an ion-energy control portion, and the ion-energy control portion provides at least one ion-energy control signal responsive to at least one ion-energy setting that is indicative of a desired distribution of energies of ions bombarding a surface of a substrate. A controller is coupled to the switch-mode power supply, and the controller provides at least two drive-control signals. In addition, a switch-mode power supply is coupled to the substrate support, the ion-energy control portion and the controller. The switch-mode power supply includes switching components configured to apply power to the substrate responsive to the drive signals and the ion-energy control signal so as to effectuate the desired distribution of the energies of ions bombarding the surface of the substrate.

Claims

1. A system for plasma-based processing, comprising:

a plasma processing chamber configured to contain a plasma;

a substrate support positioned within the plasma processing chamber and disposed to support a substrate,

an ion-energy control portion, the ion-energy control portion provides at least one ion-energy control signal responsive to at least one ion-energy setting that is indicative of a desired distribution of energies of ions at the surface of the substrate;

a controller coupled to the ion-energy control portion, the controller providing one or more drive-control signals; and

a switch-mode power supply coupled to the substrate support, the ion-energy control portion and the controller, the switch-mode power supply including one or more switching components configured to apply power to the substrate responsive to the one or more drive signals and the ion-energy control signal so as to effectuate the desired distribution of the energies of ions at the surface of the substrate.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the switch-mode power supply includes a power supply selected from the group consisting of a buck, a boost, and buck-boost type power technologies.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the switch-mode power supply includes switch components arranged in a configuration selected from the group consisting of a half-bridge configuration and a full-bridge configuration.

4. The system of claim 1, including a waveform memory, the waveform memory including timing information for the drive-control signals.

5. The system of claim 1, including a plasma power supply configured to apply power at one or more frequencies to the plasma processing chamber so as to ignite and sustain the plasma.

6. The system of claim 1, including an arc detection component, the arc detection component detecting an indication of an arc and provide an arc signal to the controller responsive to the indication of the arc.

7. A method for plasma-based processing, comprising:

placing a substrate in a plasma chamber;

forming a plasma in the plasma chamber;

receiving at least one ion-energy setting that is indicative of a desired distribution of ion energies at a surface of the substrate; and

controllably switching power to the substrate so as to effectuate the desired distribution of ion energies.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein controllably switching includes controllably switching one or more switching components.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein controllably switching one or more switching components based upon waveform data.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein controllably switching includes controlling a voltage level that is applied to the substrate.

11. The method of claim 7, including controllably switching power to the substrate to extinguish an arc responsive to an indication of an arc.

12. A plasma-based processing apparatus, comprising:

a controller coupled to the switch-mode power supply, the controller providing one or more drive-control signals;

an ion-energy control portion, the ion-energy control portion provides at least one ion-energy control signal responsive to at least one ion-energy setting that is indicative of a desired distribution of energies of ions at the surface of the substrate; and

one or more switching components, the one or more switching components configured to apply power to the substrate responsive to the one or more drive signals and the ion-energy control signal so as to effectuate the desired distribution of the energies of ions at the surface of the substrate.

13. The plasma-based processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the ion energy control portion includes a power supply that applies a voltage responsive to the at least one ion-energy setting.

14. The plasma-based processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more switching components include one or more field effect transistors.

15. The plasma-based processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller includes a controller selected from the group consisting of an FPGA, a digital signal processor, a digital controller, and a processor.