PLASMA DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20130141720A1
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PARK, Ho Yong, VOLYNETS, Valdimir, PROTOPOPOV, Vladimir, LEE, Sang Heon, JANG, Sung Ho, JEON, Sang Jean
• Application Number:
  US13/690,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20130141720A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/316
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/443 Emission spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/68 using high frequency electric fields

Abstract

A plasma diagnostic apparatus includes a vacuum chamber unit having at least one electrode and having plasma generated inside. A bias power unit is disposed inside the vacuum chamber unit to apply a radio frequency voltage to an electrode that supports a wafer. A spectrum unit decomposes light emitted from inside the plasma according to wavelengths. A light detection unit detects the light decomposed according to wavelengths. A control unit controls a turn-on and turn-off process of the light detection unit according to a waveform of the radio frequency voltage.

Claims

1. A plasma diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a vacuum chamber unit having at least one electrode and configured to generate plasma;

a bias power unit disposed inside the vacuum chamber unit and configured to apply a radio frequency voltage to an electrode that supports a wafer;

a spectrum unit configured to decompose light emitted from inside the plasma according to wavelengths;

a light detection unit configured to detect the light decomposed according to wavelengths; and

a control unit configured to control a turn-on and turn-off process of the light detection unit according to a waveform of the radio frequency voltage.

2. The plasma diagnostic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the turn-on and turn-off process of the light detection unit using a gate signal, and the gate signal has a period equal to half-period of the radio frequency voltage.

3. The plasma diagnostic apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to control a time delay of the gate signal according to a phase difference between the radio frequency voltage and an optical flux and the optical flux is detected by the light detection unit.

4. The plasma diagnostic apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured to control the light detection unit to maintain a turn-on status for a period of time when the light flux detected by the light detection unit has a maximum amplitude, according to the time delay of the gate signal.

5. The plasma diagnostic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light detection unit includes a charge coupled device and the light detection unit is configured to measure an intensity of an optical signal detected by the light detection unit through the charge coupled device.

6. The plasma diagnostic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spectrum unit includes a diffraction grating and the spectrum unit is configured to decompose the light emitted from inside the plasma through the diffraction grating according to wavelengths.

7. The plasma diagnostic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency voltage is applied to the electrode that supports the wafer through an impedance matching unit, the impedance matching unit configured to match an impedance of the bias power unit to an impedance of the vacuum chamber unit.

8. A plasma diagnostic method comprising:

generating plasma inside a vacuum chamber unit having at least one electrode while applying a radio frequency voltage to an electrode, the electrode disposed inside the vacuum chamber unit to support a wafer;

decomposing light emitted from inside the plasma through a spectrum unit according to wavelengths; and

detecting the light decomposed according to wavelengths through a light detection unit while controlling a turn-on and turn-off process of the light detection unit according to a waveform of the radio-frequency voltage.

9. The plasma diagnostic method of claim 8, wherein the detecting the light decomposed according to wavelengths includes controlling the turn-on and turn-off process of the light detection unit by use of a gate signal and the gate signal has a period equal to half-period of the radio frequency voltage.

13. The plasma diagnostic method of claim 8, wherein the light detection unit includes a charge coupled device and the detecting the light decomposed according to wavelengths includes measuring an intensity of an optical signal detected by the light detection unit through the charge coupled device.

14. The plasma diagnostic method of claim 8, wherein the spectrum unit includes a diffraction grating and the decomposing light emitted from inside the plasma includes decomposing the light emitted from inside the plasma through the diffraction grating according to wavelengths.

15. The plasma diagnostic method of claim 8, wherein the generating plasma includes matching an impedance of the vacuum chamber to an impedance of a bias power source that is configured to supply the radio frequency voltage and applying the radio frequency voltage to the electrode supporting the wafer.

10. The plasma diagnostic method of 9, wherein the detecting the light decomposed according to wavelengths includes detecting an optical flux and controlling a time delay of the gate signal according to a phase difference between the radio frequency voltage and the optical flux.

11. The plasma diagnostic method of claim 10, wherein the detecting the light decomposed according to wavelengths includes controlling the light detection unit according to the time delay of the gate signal to maintain a turn-on status for a period of time when the light flux detected by the light detection unit has a maximum amplitude.

12. The plasma diagnostic method of claim 11, wherein the detecting the light decomposed according to wavelengths includes measuring an intensity of a differential signal through a difference between an average of at least one optical signal intensity, which is obtained by measuring at least once when the light flux detected by the light detection unit is maximum, and an average of at least one optical signal intensity, which is obtained by measuring at least once when the light flux detected by the light detection unit is minimum.