Method of treating a workpiece with a plasma and processing reactor having plasma igniter and inductive coupler for semiconductor fabrication
First Claim
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1. In a method of treating a workpiece with a desired plasma, the steps of:
- (a) using an ignition electrode to apply electrical power to a gas to create said desired plasma;
(b) positioning an antenna to inductively couple energy into said plasma to sustain such plasma once it has been created.
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Abstract
A plasma generator for the fabrication of integrated circuit devices is described. The generator includes a separate plasma igniter electrode to apply the electrical power to a gas within a treatment chamber necessary to create a desired plasma. The plasma, once it is initiated, then is sustained by inductive coupling.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. In a method of treating a workpiece with a desired plasma, the steps of:
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(a) using an ignition electrode to apply electrical power to a gas to create said desired plasma; (b) positioning an antenna to inductively couple energy into said plasma to sustain such plasma once it has been created. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 16, 17)
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8. In a method of treating a workpiece with a desired plasma, the steps of:
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(a) positioning said workpiece in a processing section of a reactor chamber on an electrically conductive support located to subject said workpiece to a plasma to be formed in a source section of said reactor chamber; (b) introducing a gas from which a plasma is to be formed into said source section chamber; (c) using an ignition electrode to apply electrical power with an RF signal to said gas to create said desired plasma; and (d) inductively coupling RF energy with an antenna into said plasma to sustain such plasma. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A method of plasma processing a workpiece positioned in a chamber, comprising the steps of:
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(a) introducing a gas into said chamber; (b) applying power to an electrode to capacitively ignite said gas into a plasma; (c) inductively coupling RF power into said chamber; and (d) reducing said power applied to said ignition electrode, said plasma being maintained by said RF power and thereby processing said workpiece. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21)
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18. In processing apparatus for treating a workpiece with a plasma, the combination comprising:
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(a) an antenna positioned to inductively couple energy into a desired plasma to sustain such plasma within a reactor chamber of said apparatus; and (b) an ignition electrode to apply electrical power to a gas to create said desired plasma to be sustained by inductive coupling, said ignition electrode being positioned outside said chamber to capacitively couple said power to said gas when the same is within the chamber. - View Dependent Claims (19, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification