Inductively coupled source for deriving substantially uniform plasma flux

• US 5,759,280 A
• Filed: 06/10/1996
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Inventors: Barnes, Michael S., Holland, John Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Jey
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, JONI YUK YING
• Application Number:
  US08/662,732
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 118/723 I, 118/723 IR, 118/723 E, 118/723 ER, 118/723 MP, 156/345, 204/298.08, 204/298.34
• US Class Current: 118/723.00I
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/321 the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma

Abstract

A planar coil exciting a plasma of an r.f. vacuum plasma processor for a workpiece processed surface in a chamber includes plural turns. The coil, chamber and workpiece are arranged to produce in the chamber a magnetic flux having substantially greater density in peripheral portions of the coil and chamber than in a center portion of the chamber and coil so a substantially uniform plasma flux is incident on a processed surface of the workpiece.

Claims

1. A vacuum plasma processor for treating a workpiece in a vacuum chamber comprising a vacuum plasma processing chamber arranged to be responsive to a source of ionizable gas and including a holder for the workpiece, a coil reactively coupled with the gas for exciting the gas to a plasma state capable of processing workpieces on the holder, the coil having plural turns and exciting gas to the plasma state in response to r.f. energization of the coil, the coil including interior and exterior arcuate segments and first and second excitation terminals adapted to be connected to a source of the r.f. excitation, the first terminal being at one end of the coil and at one end of the interior arcuate segment, the exterior arcuate segment being radially displaced from the interior arcuate segment, the second terminal being at one of the arcuate segments different from the interior arcuate segment, the coil, chamber and workpiece being arranged to produce in the chamber a magnetic flux having substantially greater density in peripheral portions of the coil and chamber than in a center portion of the chamber and coil so a substantially uniform plasma flux is incident on a processed surface of the workpiece, one of the terminals of the coil being connected to the source of the r.f. energization by a reactance, the value of the reactance, the length of the coil and the r.f. energization having a frequency such that peak-to-peak r.f. voltages V_pkpk (x) and currents I_pkpk (x) in the coil are approximated by

View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)

2. The vacuum processor of claim 1 wherein a source of the r.f. source is connected to first and second terminals of the coil such that the magnitude of the peak-to-peak r.f. voltage has a maximum value with a first polarity at the first terminal of the coil and a maximum value with a second polarity at the second terminal of the coil.

3. The vacuum processor of claim 1 wherein the coil includes several arcuate segments having an arcuate extent of about a turn, including an outermost arcuate segment having an arcuate extent of about a turn and a next outermost arcuate segment having an arcuate extent of about a turn, the r.f. energization being connected to the coil and the coil being configured such that r.f. current in the outermost arcuate segment and the next outermost arcuate segment is substantially greater than current in an interior segment of the coil.

4. The vacuum processor of claim 1 wherein a source of the r.f. energization is connected to first and second terminals of the coil and the coil is such that the magnitude of peak-to-peak r.f. current at the first terminal is approximately equal to the peak-to-peak r.f. current at the second terminal, the equal currents at the first and second terminals having amplitudes lower than any other currents in the coil.

5. The vacuum processor of claim 1 further including a reactance connected in series with the coil and a source of the r.f. excitation, the reactance having a value and connections to the coil and source and the coil having a configuration so there are approximately equal magnitude peak-to-peak r.f. currents at excitation terminals of the coil.

6. The vacuum processor of claim 1 wherein first and second excitation terminals of the coil are located in a center region of the coil, the first and second excitation terminals being respectively connected to first and second arcuate segments having an arcuate extent of about one half a turn, the arcuate segments having an arcuate extent of about one half a turn having about the same dimensions and arranged substantially concentrically such that the first and second terminals are located next to each other.

7. The vacuum processor of claim 6 wherein each of the first and second arcuate segments having an arcuate extent of about one half a turn has an effective linear length of about 0.026 times the wavelength of r.f. current flowing in the coil.

8. The vacuum processor of claim 7 wherein the coil has an outermost arcuate turn having an effective length that is approximately 0.078 times the wavelength of r.f. current flowing in the coil and is connected in series to one of the segments having an arcuate extent of about one half a turn such that the instantaneous r.f. current flows in the same direction in both said one segments having an arcuate extent of about one half a turn and said outermost arcuate turn.

9. The vacuum processor of claim 8 wherein the outermost arcuate turn is connected to said one inner segment by a straight length of conductive strap electrically insulated from the coil except at its ends.

10. The vacuum processor of claim 7 wherein the coil includes first and second additional substantially concentric arcuate segments each having an arcuate extent of about a turn and connected in series to the outermost arcuate segment, the additional substantially concentric arcuate segments having effective lengths approximately 0.065 times the wavelength of the current flowing in the coil and approximately 0.046 times the wavelength of the current flowing in the coil.

11. The vacuum processor of claim 6 wherein the first and second excitation terminals of the coil are terminals of innermost arcuate segments of the coil having an arcuate extent of about one half a turn and respectively forming the first and second arcuate segments, the innermost arcuate segments being located on diametrically opposite sides of a centerline which cuts the coil in half, the coil being arranged and connected to the r.f. excitation source so instantaneous r.f. voltages at the first and second excitation terminals have substantially equal magnitude but are of opposite polarity.

12. A vacuum plasma processor for treating a workpiece in a vacuum chamber comprising a vacuum plasma processing chamber arranged to be responsive to a source of ionizable gas and including a holder for the workpiece, a coil reactively coupled with the gas for exciting the gas to a plasma state capable of processing workpieces on the holder, the coil having plural turns and exciting gas to the plasma state in response to r.f. energization of the coil, the coil including interior and exterior arcuate segments and first and second excitation terminals adapted to be connected to a source of the r.f. excitation, the first terminal being at one end of the coil and at one end of the interior arcuate segment, the exterior arcuate segment being radially displaced from the interior arcuate segment, the second terminal being at one of the arcuate segments different from the interior arcuate segment, the coil, chamber and workpiece being arranged to produce in the chamber a magnetic flux having substantially greater density in peripheral portions of the coil and chamber than in a center portion of the chamber and coil so a substantially uniform plasma flux is incident on a processed surface of the workpiece, the net magnetic field generated by an outermost arcuate turn of the coil and a next outermost arcuate turn of the coil being substantially the same for all angular orientations and radii in the vicinity of the two outermost coils.

13. A vacuum plasma processor for treating a workpiece in a vacuum chamber comprising a vacuum plasma processing chamber arranged to be responsive to a source of ionizable gas and including a holder for the workpiece, a coil reactively coupled with the gas for exciting the gas to a plasma state capable of processing workpieces on the holder, the coil having plural turns and exciting gas to the plasma state in response to r.f. energization of the coil, the coil including interior and exterior arcuate segments and first and second excitation terminals adapted to be connected to a source of the r.f. excitation, the first terminal being at one end of the coil and at one end of the interior arcuate segment, the exterior arcuate segment being radially displaced from the interior arcuate segment, the second terminal being at one of the arcuate segments different from the interior arcuate segment, the coil, chamber and workpiece being arranged to produce in the chamber a magnetic flux having substantially greater density in peripheral portions of the coil and chamber than in a center portion of the chamber and coil so a substantially uniform plasma flux is incident on a processed surface of the workpiece, an outermost arcuate turn of the coil and a next outermost arcuate turn of the coil having a net electrostatic coupling of r.f. voltages to the plasma that is small relative to the net electrostatic coupling of r.f. voltages to the plasma by inner arcuate segments of the coil.

14. An r.f. vacuum plasma processor for treating a workpiece in a vacuum chamber with a plasma that is adapted to be excited by a source having an r.f. frequency, the processor comprising a coil reactively coupled with a gas in the chamber to excite the gas to the plasma, the coil having first and second excitation terminals and plural turns, the coil being arranged to excite gas in the chamber to a plasma state in response to energization of the coil by the r.f. source, a circuit connected to the excitation terminals and adapted to be connected to the source, the coil having a length between the terminals and the circuit being such that there are substantial current and voltage variations at the r.f. frequency along the coil length, the circuit elements and the coil geometry being such that the current has a relatively low peak-to-peak value in proximity to the excitation terminals and relatively high values in portions of the coil removed from the excitation terminals.

15. The vacuum plasma processor of claim 14 wherein the coil includes peripheral and interior portions, the peripheral and interior portions being radially displaced from each other, the excitation terminals being at the interior portions of the coil, the peripheral portions being the portion removed from the excitation terminals.

16. The vacuum plasma processor of claim 14 wherein the coil includes first and second interior segments and another portion outside the interior segments, each interior segment having a further terminal connected to said another portion, the excitation terminals being at portions of the interior segments displaced substantially from the further terminals.

17. The vacuum plasma processor of claim 16 wherein said another portion includes series connected plural turns, one of the turns being a peripheral turn having a first terminal, another of the turns being an intermediate turn having a second terminal, the first terminal being connected to said further terminal of one of the interior segments, the second terminal being connected to said further terminal of the other interior segment.

18. The vacuum plasma processor of claim 17 wherein another of the turns is a further turn located between and connected to the intermediate and peripheral turns.

19. The vacuum plasma processor of claim 18 wherein the coil is designed to be used with a workpiece having a circular surface to be processed, the circular surface having a predetermined diameter, the chamber and coil having common axes of symmetry, the chamber being arranged so the center of the workpiece is adapted to be located on the axes, the intermediate and further turns respectively having diameters greater and less than the workpiece diameter.

20. The vacuum plasma processor of claim 14 wherein the chamber and coil are arranged so there is a substantially uniform plasma flux across an entire processed surface of the workpiece.

21. The vacuum plasma processor of claim 14 wherein the circuit elements and the coil geometry are such that r.f. current flowing in the coil has peak-to-peak equal values at the excitation terminals, the current having minimum values at the excitation terminals and higher values in the portions of the coil removed from the excitation terminals, the peak-to-peak r.f. voltage having a maximum value at the excitation terminals.

22. The vacuum processor of claim 14 wherein the coil is connected to the source of the r.f. energization by a reactance, the value of the reactance included in the circuit, the length of the coil and the r.f. energization having a frequency such that peak-to-peak r.f. voltages V_pkpk (x) and currents I_pkpk (x) in the coil are approximated by

23. The r.f. vacuum plasma processor of claim 14 wherein the portions of the coil removed from the excitation terminals are peripheral portions of the coil.

24. An r.f. vacuum plasma processor for treating a workpiece in a vacuum chamber with a plasma that is adapted to be excited by a source having an r.f. frequency, the processor comprising a coil reactively coupled with a gas in the chamber to excite the gas to the plasma, the coil having first and second excitation terminals and plural turns, the coil being arranged to excite gas in the chamber to a plasma state in response to energization of the coil by the r.f. source, a circuit connected to both of the excitation terminals and adapted to be connected to the source, the coil having a length between the terminals and the circuit being such that there are substantial current and voltage variations at the r.f. frequency along the coil length, both of the excitation terminals being at the interior portions of the coil.

25. The vacuum plasma processor of claim 24 wherein the coil includes first and second interior segments and another portion outside the interior segments, each interior segment having a further terminal connected to said another portion, the excitation terminals being at portions of the interior segments displaced substantially from the further terminals.

26. The vacuum plasma processor of claim 25 wherein said another portion includes series connected plural turns, one of the turns being a peripheral turn having a first terminal, an other of the turn s being an intermediate turn having a second terminal, the first terminal being connected to said further terminal of one of the interior segments, the second terminal being connected to said further terminal of the other interior segment.

27. The vacuum plasma processor of claim 26 wherein another of the turns is a further turn located between and connected to the intermediate and peripheral turns.

28. The vacuum plasma processor of claim 27 wherein the coil is designed to be used with a workpiece having a circular surface to be processed, the circular surface having a predetermined diameter, the chamber and coil having common axes and symmetry, the chamber being arranged so the center of the workpiece is adapted to be located on the axes, the intermediate and further turns respectively having diameters greater and less than the workpiece diameter.

29. The vacuum plasma processor of claim 24 wherein the chamber and coil are arranged so there is a substantially uniform plasma flux across an entire processed surface of the workpiece.

30. The vacuum plasma processor of claim 24 wherein elements of the circuit and the coil geometry are such that r.f. current flowing in the coil has peak-to-peak equal values at the excitation terminals, the current having minimum values at the excitation terminals and higher values in the peripheral portions of the coil, the peak-to-peak r.f. voltage having a maximum value at the excitation terminals.

31. The vacuum processor of claim 24 wherein the coil is connected to the source of the r.f. energization by a reactance, the value of the reactance included in the circuit, the length of the coil and the r.f. energization having a frequency such that peak-to-peak r.f. voltages V_pkpk (x) and currents I_pkpk (x) in the coil are approximated by