Toroidal electron cyclotron resonance reactor

• US 5,061,838 A
• Filed: 06/23/1989
• Issued: 10/29/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Sawin, Herbert H., Smatlak, Donna L., Lane, Barton G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paschall, M. H.
• Application Number:
  US07/370,594
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 219/121.59, 219/121.92, 219/121.43, 219/123, 156/643, 156/646, 156/345, 29/576, 315/111.21, 315/111.41, 204/298.17, 204/298.37, 204/298.38
• US Class Current: 219/121.59
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32357 Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream

Abstract

A toroidal ECR reactor is described in which a poloidal magnetic field is established in a plasma generating chamber in which a specimen to be processed is disposed on an electrode in a specimen chamber. Microwaves and gaseous reactants are introduced into the plasma generating chamber. A plasma discharge occurs in which high energy electrons are confined in a plasma source region extending between a magnetic mirror formed in the specimen chamber out of line-of-sight to the wafer(s) when disposed on the electrode. A baffle region formed between the two chambers prevents microwaves from entering the specimen chamber. The reactor is particularly suitable for etching or depositing films on semiconductor substrates, since the sensitive substrates are not exposed to the high energy ions and/or photons of the source region.

Claims

1. A reactor comprising:

(a) a plasma generating chamber in which a plasma, comprised of electrical particles, is formed in a plasma source region;

(b) magnet means for generating a poloidal magnetic field having a cylindrical axis of symmetry extending through the chamber;

(c) microwave generating means for generating microwave fields in said plasma generating chamber;

(d) a source of gaseous reactants for supplying gaseous reactants to said plasma generating chamber;

(e) a specimen chamber adjacent said plasma generating chamber with a holding member adapted to hold specimens for processing and structure between the specimen and the plasma generating chamber for blocking the line-of-sight so that the specimen, when so held, is not in line-of-sight with the plasma source region;

(f) a passageway between said specimen chamber and said plasma generating chamber through which said plasma is introduced into said specimen chamber;

(g) pump means for controlling the flow of gaseous reactants into and out of the chamber;

(h) the interaction between said magnetic field and microwave field with said reactants producing said plasma, said magnetic field extending from said source region to said electrode for guiding particles in the plasma until they encounter the specimen.

2. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the plasma generating chamber is below the specimen chamber.

3. The reactor of claim 1 wherein a magnetic mirror is formed in the plasma generating chamber and the plasma source region is located within said mirror.

4. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the plasma generating chamber is cylindrical and the axis of symmetry of the poloidal field is coincident to a longitudinal axis of the cylindrical chamber.

5. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the plasma source region is formed adjacent said axis and the holding member is located on said axis above said plasma generating chamber.

6. The reactor of claim 1 including coils mounted adjacent the holding member for adjusting the modulus of the magnetic field across the specimen.

7. The reactor of claim 1 including means for varying the magnetic field to selectively control the profile of the plasma.

8. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the microwave generating means includes a coaxially-fed shorted loop antenna.

9. The reactor of claim 1 including a terminating surface upon which the high-energy electrons are allowed to impinge to evaporate material from said surface for deposition on said specimen.

10. The reactor of claim 9 wherein the material is a metal.

11. The reactor of claim 10 wherein the metal is aluminum.

12. The reactor of claim 1 further comprising gas means for introducing gaseous elements directly into the specimen chamber for reaction with said specimen.

13. The reactor of claim 12 wherein the gaseous elements are in an excited state prior to introduction.

14. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the magnet means comprises solenoid coils through which current runs and the magnitude of such current is varied to selectively control the profile of the plasma particles guided to the specimen.

15. The reactor of claim 14 wherein the magnetic field comprises lines of force which intersect with modulus B contours and at such intersection a resonance condition occurs between the microwave fields and the electrical particles an wherein varying the current through said coil varies the intersection.

16. The reactor of claim 15 wherein the coil current is varied so as to cause the intersection to occur at a harmonic of the resonant condition.

17. The reactor of claim 16 wherein resonance is at the second harmonic using 2.45 GHz microwave and a 437.5 kiloGauss magnetic field.

18. The reactor of claim 1 wherein a grid is placed between the specimen and the plasma generating chamber and the specimen and grid are biased with electrical potentials.

19. The reactor of claim 9 wherein reactant gasses are also introduced into the specimen chamber.

20. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the holding member is an electrode which is electrically biased to accelerate particles toward said electrode.

21. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the plasma contains high energy particles which are substantially confined in the plasma generating chamber and the other particles are selectively guided to the specimen.

22. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the plasma generating chamber is located above the specimen chamber and is generally toroidal in shape and the passageway extends from the bottom of the plasma generating chamber to the top of the specimen chamber.

23. A method for processing a specimen comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a plasma comprising electrical particles in a plasma generating chamber which plasma is contained in a plasma source region;

(b) generating a poloidal magnetic field having a cylindrical axis of symmetry extending through the chamber;

(c) generating microwave fields and coupling said fields to said plasma;

(d) coupling gaseous reactants to said plasma generating chamber;

(e) holding said specimen on a holding member in a specimen chamber for processing and in which the specimen, when so held, is out of line-of-sight with the plasma source region;

(f) coupling said plasma to said specimen;

(g) the interaction between said magnetic field and microwave field producing said plasma, said magnetic field extending from said source region to said electrode for guiding particles in the plasma to the specimen.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the plasma generating chamber is located below the specimen chamber.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein a magnetic mirror is formed in the plasma generating chamber and the plasma source region is located within said mirror.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the plasma generating chamber is cylindrical and the axis of symmetry of the poloidal field is coincident to a longitudinal axis of the cylindrical chamber.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein the plasma source region is formed adjacent said axis and the holding member is located on said axis above said plasma generating chamber.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein magnetic resonance is established in the plasma generating chamber.

29. The method of claim 23 wherein the plasma contains high energy particles which are substantially confined in the plasma generating chamber and the other particles are selectively guided to the specimen.

30. A reactor comprising:

(a) a plasma generating chamber in which a plasma, comprised of electrical particles, is formed in a plasma source region;

(b) magnet means for generating a poloidal magnetic field having a cylindrical axis of symmetry extending through the chamber;

(c) microwave generating means for generating microwave fields in said plasma generating chamber;

(d) a source of gaseous reactants for supplying gaseous reactants to said plasma generating chamber;

(e) a specimen chamber adjacent said plasma generating chamber with an electrode adapted to hold specimens for processing and in which the specimen, when so held, is not in line-of-sight with the plasma source region;

(f) a passageway between said specimen chamber and said plasma generating chamber through which said plasma is introduced into said specimen chamber, said passageway comprising a baffle region with baffles extending transverse said passageway comprising a baffle region with baffles extending transverse said passageway and further comprised of an annular opening being in the form of rings extending along the cylindrical axis between the two chambers, said annular opening so constructed as to create a pressure differential between the two chambers for cooling energetic particles and confining microwave energy to the plasma generating chamber;

(g) pump means for controlling the flow of gaseous reactants into and out of the chamber;

(h) the interaction between said magnetic field and microwave field with said reactants producing said plasma, said magnetic field extending from said source region to said electrode for guiding particles in the plasma until they encounter the specimen.

31. The reactor of claim 30 wherein the baffles are electrically biased to modify the plasma stream.

32. The reactor of claim 30 wherein the rings are formed from graphite.

33. A reactor comprising:

(a) a plasma generating chamber in which a plasma, comprised of electrical particles, is formed in a plasma source region;

(b) magnet means for generating a poloidal magnetic field having a cylindrical axis of symmetry extending through the chamber;

(c) microwave generating means for generating microwave fields in said plasma generating chamber;

(d) a source of gaseous reactants for supplying gaseous reactants to said plasma generating chamber;

(e) a specimen chamber adjacent said plasma generating chamber with an electrode adapted to hold specimens for processing and in which the specimen, when so held, is not in line-of-sight with the plasma source region;

(f) a passageway between said specimen chamber and said plasma generating chamber through which said plasma is introduced into said specimen chamber;

(g) pump means for controlling the flow of gaseous reactants into and out of the chamber;

(h) the interaction between said magnetic field and microwave field with said reactants producing said plasma, said magnetic field extending from said source region to said electrode for guiding particles in the plasma until they encounter the specimen; and

(i) a terminating surface in the plasma generating chamber and wherein the microwave fields form modulus B contours and the modulus B in the passageway is higher than at the terminating surface causing a preferential loss of high-energy particles at said terminating surface.