ADJUSTMENT OF VUV EMISSION OF A PLASMA VIA COLLISIONAL RESONANT ENERGY TRANSFER TO AN ENERGY ABSORBER GAS
First Claim
1. A method of adjusting the emission of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation from a plasma in a semiconductor processing chamber, the method comprising:
- generating a plasma in the processing chamber, the plasma comprising a VUV-emitter gas and a collisional energy absorber gas, the plasma emitting VUV radiation; and
adjusting the emission of VUV radiation from the plasma by altering the concentration ratio of the VUV-emitter gas to collisional energy absorber gas in the plasma.
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Abstract
Disclosed are methods of adjusting the emission of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation from a plasma in a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include generating a plasma in the processing chamber which includes a VUV-emitter gas and a collisional energy absorber gas, and adjusting the emission of VUV radiation from the plasma by altering the concentration ratio of the VUV-emitter gas to collisional energy absorber gas in the plasma. In some embodiments, the VUV-emitter gas may be helium and the collisional energy absorber gas may be neon, and in certain such embodiments, adjusting VUV emission may include flowing helium and/or neon into the processing chamber in a proportion so as to alter the concentration ratio of helium to neon in the plasma. Also disclosed are apparatuses which implement the foregoing methods.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method of adjusting the emission of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation from a plasma in a semiconductor processing chamber, the method comprising:
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generating a plasma in the processing chamber, the plasma comprising a VUV-emitter gas and a collisional energy absorber gas, the plasma emitting VUV radiation; and adjusting the emission of VUV radiation from the plasma by altering the concentration ratio of the VUV-emitter gas to collisional energy absorber gas in the plasma. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of etching a feature on the surface of a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising:
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(a) adsorbing an etchant onto the surface of a semiconductor substrate such that the etchant forms an adsorption-limited layer on the surface; (b) after (a), removing unadsorbed and/or desorbed etchant from the volume surrounding the adsorbed etchant; (c) after (b), generating a plasma in the processing chamber, the plasma comprising helium and neon, the plasma emitting VUV radiation; (d) contacting the adsorbed etchant with the plasma to etch the surface of the substrate; and (e) repeating (a)-(d) multiple times and adjusting the emission of VUV radiation from the plasma in (d) by altering the concentration ratio of helium to neon in the plasma, thereby altering the anisotropy of the etching of the surface of the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising:
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a processing chamber; a plasma generator; one or more gas flow inlets configured for flowing helium and neon into the processing chamber; and a controller comprising machine readable instructions for; operating the plasma generator to generate a plasma in the processing chamber, the plasma comprising helium and neon, the plasma emitting VUV radiation; and operating the one or more gas flow inlets to adjust the emission of VUV radiation from the plasma by flowing helium and/or neon into the processing chamber in a proportion so as to alter the concentration ratio of helium to neon in the plasma. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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Specification