Plasma reactor using UHF/VHF and RF triode source, and process

• US 5,707,486 A
• Filed: 07/16/1996
• Issued: 01/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Collins, Kenneth S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NAM X
• Application Number:
  US08/683,125
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 156/345, 156/643.1, 156/646.1, 216/67, 216/63, 216/71, 204/192.12, 204/192.32, 204/298.06, 204/298.34
• US Class Current: 156/345.49
• 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 37/32091 the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32165 Plural frequencies

Abstract

A plasma reactor preferably uses a split electrode which surrounds a plasma dome region of the reactor, is driven by high frequency energy selected from VHF and UHF and produces an electric field inside the electrode, parallel to the wafer support electrode. A static axial magnetic field may be used which is perpendicular to the electric field. The above apparatus generates a high density, low energy plasma inside a vacuum chamber for etching metals, dielectrics and semiconductor materials. Relatively lower frequency, preferably RF frequency, auxiliary bias energy applied to the wafer support cathode controls the cathode sheath voltage and controls the ion energy independent of density. Various etch processes, deposition processes and combined etch/deposition processes (for example, sputter/facet deposition) are disclosed. The triode (VHF/UHF split electrode plus RF wafer support electrode) provides processing of sensitive devices without damage and without microloading, thus providing increased yields.

Claims

1. A system for processing a workpiece comprising:

a vacuum processing chamber for the workpiece;

a chamber inlet for introducing process gas into the chamber;

a plurality of electrodes coupling AC electrical energy into the chamber to generate a plasma in the gas, the electrodes comprising a first electrode structure having two separate sections for defining a plasma-generating electrical field, the field being concentrated within a region of the chamber spaced from the workpiece, the field also being principally oriented parallel to the workpiece for preventing ion acceleration from or toward the workpiece, and a second electrode structure adapted to support the workpiece and for modifying a sheath voltage associated with the electrodes and plasma ion energy proximate the workpiece;

first source of AC electrical energy to the first electrode at a first frequency within the range of about 50 MHz to about 800 MHz, and

a second source of AC electrical energy to the second electrode at a second frequency within the range of about 0.1 MHz up to but below about 50 MHz, thereby controlling the sheath voltage and the plasma ion energy.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the chamber includes a dielectric dome internally defining a section of the chamber;

the first electrode structure surrounds the chamber section defined within the dome;

the second electrode structure has a planar surface proximate and parallel to the workpiece; and

the first electrode structure and the second electrode structure are positioned for forming an electric field in the chamber parallel to and spaced from the planar surface of the second electrode structure.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first electrode structure is located on the interior of the dielectric dome and is covered on the inside of the dielectric dome.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first electrode structure comprises a split electrode, the system further comprising means for feeding the gas within the chamber from proximate the chamber inlet to proximate the workpiece for transporting components of the plasma into contact with the workpiece.

6. The system of claim 5,

wherein the chamber comprises an exhaust port for evacuating the chamber;

and

wherein said chamber inlet comprises;

said exhaust port which is located opposite the workpiece from the split electrode; and

a plurality of gas inlet ports for admitting the gas into the chamber, the inlet ports being spaced about the chamber proximate the split electrode for producing gas flow toward the workpiece from the selected region of the chamber.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the split electrode comprises a pair of approximately semicircular ring members.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the ring members concentrically enclose the chamber for concentrating the electric field within a right circular cylinder that is perpendicular to the workpiece.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said chamber comprises a first chamber including said first electrode structure and a second chamber including said second electrode structure and having a central opening in a wall thereof, side walls of said first chamber substantially extending to said central opening, whereby said first chamber substantially uninterruptibly communicates with said second chamber.

4. The system of 2, wherein the first electrode structure is formed on the exterior of the dielectric dome.

10. A system for processing a workpiece in a plasma generated from a gas, comprising:

a vacuum processing chamber for receiving the gas;

a support electrode for supporting the workpiece within the chamber;

a split electrode surrounding a volume of the chamber in parallel spaced relation to the workpiece for capacitively coupling AC electrical energy into the chamber to produce a plasma-inducing electrical field in a selected region of the chamber spaced from the support electrode, to prevent damage to the workpiece, and

a first power supply connected to the split electrode for supplying high frequency AC energy having a frequency in the range of 50-800 MHz to the split electrode and for controlling the power of the energy, to provide selected plasma density and plasma ion current density; and

a second power supply for applying to the support electrode selected AC electrical energy of lower frequency, in the range 0.1 MHz up to but below 50 MHz, than said capacitively coupled AC electrical energy, and for controlling said selected AC electrical energy applied to the support electrode to control a plasma sheath voltage at the support electrode and an associated plasma ion energy.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for applying to the chamber a magnetic field oriented non-orthogonal to the electric field and transverse to the support electrode, for controlling the location of the plasma and extending the plasma downstream to the workpiece.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for feeding the gas within the chamber from proximate the selected region to proximate the workpiece for transporting components of the plasma into contact with the workpiece.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the chamber comprises an exhaust port for evacuating the chamber, and wherein the means for feeding the gas comprises:

said exhaust port which is located opposite the workpiece from the split electrode; and

a plurality of gas inlet ports for admitting the gas into the chamber, the inlet ports being spaced about the chamber proximate the dielectric dome for producing gas flow toward the workpiece from the selected regions of the chamber.

14. A system for processing a workpiece according to claim 10 wherein said chamber includes a dielectric dome inside the split electrode.

15. A process for generating a plasma, comprising:

supporting a workpiece on a supporting electrode within a vacuum chamber;

supplying gas to the vacuum chamber;

using a surrounding electrode structure having two separate sections surrounding a volume of the vacuum chamber in relation to the workpiece, capacitively coupling electrical energy at a first frequency of from 50-800 MHz into the chamber for generating a plasma from the gas for processing one or more materials on the workpiece; and

controlling the power of the first frequency electrical energy;

applying RF energy to the supporting electrode at a second frequency of 0.1 up to but below 50 Mhz; and

controlling a power of the RF energy at said second frequency.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein a power delivered to the surrounding electrode structure defines an ion flux density and the power delivered to the supporting electrode defines a cathode sheath voltage, for directing ions and controlling ion energy independently of the ion flux density.

17. The process of claim 15, wherein the plasma is generated within a region of concentration of electrical energy at the first frequency, and wherein the step of supplying the gas to the vacuum chamber comprises the further step of feeding the gas within the chamber in a direction toward the workpiece from proximate the region of first frequency energy concentration.

18. A process for generating a plasma according to claim 15 wherein a first power source is connected to the first frequency electrical energy and is selected to control the plasma density.

19. A process for generating a plasma according to claim 15 wherein a second power source is connected to the second frequency electrical energy and is selected to control the sheath voltage at the supporting electrode.