RF plasma reactor with hybrid conductor and multi-radius dome ceiling

• US 5,777,289 A
• Filed: 02/02/1996
• Issued: 07/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Hanawa, Hiroji, Loewenhardt, Peter K., Ma, Diana Xiaobing, Zhao, Allen, Yin, Gerald Zheyao, Salzman, Philip M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paschall, Mark H.
• Application Number:
  US08/597,445
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 219/121.43, 219/123, 219/121.44, 219/121.52, 219/121.4, 56/345, 56/646, 56/643, 204/298.19, 204/298.06, 204/192.1, 204/298.34, 204/298.33, 118/723 E, 118/723 I, 118/723 MD
• US Class Current: 219/121.43
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/321 the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma

Abstract

An inductively coupled RF plasma reactor for processing semiconductor wafer includes a reactor chamber having a side wall and a ceiling, a wafer pedestal for supporting the wafer in the chamber, an RF power source, apparatus for introducing a processing gas into the reactor chamber, and a coil inductor adjacent the reactor chamber connected to the RF power source, the coil inductor including (a) a side section facing a portion of the side wall and including a bottom winding and a top winding, the top winding being at a height corresponding at least approximately to a top height of the ceiling, and (b) a top section extending radially inwardly from the top winding of the side section so as to overlie at least a substantial portion of the ceiling. The present invention adheres to an optimized coil-dome geometry including a particular dome apex height range relative to the dome base and a particular wafer position range relative to the dome apex.

Claims

1. A plasma reactor for processing a workpiece, comprising:

a pedestal defining thereon a workstation of diameter d to support a workpiece of a similar diameter on said pedestal within the reactor;

a chamber enclosure including a side wall having a top and a ceiling having a base over said top of said side wall;

an inductive coil adjacent said ceiling and capable of being coupled to an RF power supply;

said base being at a height h above said pedestal and said ceiling having an apex at a height H above said base, wherein H+h is in the angle of approximately 4" to 7" for said workstation diameter d within a range between about 6" and about 12".

2. The plasma reactor of claim 1 wherein said ceiling has one of the following shapes:

(a) flat;

(b) conical;

(c) arcuate;

(d) multi-radius dome.

3. The plasma reactor of claim 1 wherein said ceiling comprises a multi-radius dome having at least a center radius R and a corner radius r less than the center radius R, wherein R/r is in a range between on the order of 2 and 10.

4. The plasma reactor of claim 1 wherein the base-to-apex height H is generally in a range between on the order of about 3" and about 6" while the pedestal-to-base height h is between on the order of about 1.5" and about 4".

5. The plasma reactor of claim 2 wherein the base-to-apex height H is in a range between on the order of about 3" and about 6" while the pedestal-to-base height h is between on the order of about 1.5" and about 4".

6. The plasma reactor of claim 1 wherein said inductive coil comprises plural windings including a bottom winding adjacent said ceiling base and a top winding.

7. The plasma reactor of claim 6 wherein said top winding defines an aperture of diameter A of said inductive coil.

8. The plasma reactor of claim 7 wherein the coil aperture diameter A is no less than the workstation diameter d.

9. A plasma reactor for processing a workpiece, comprising:

a pedestal defining thereon a workstation of diameter d to support a workpiece of a similar diameter on said pedestal within the reactor;

a chamber enclosure including a vertical side wall having a top and a ceiling having a base underlying said top of said side wall, said ceiling comprising a multi-radius dome having at least a center radius R and a corner radius r less than the center radius R, wherein R/r is in a range between on the order of about 2 and about 10;

an inductive coil overlying said ceiling and capable of being coupled to an RF power supply;

said vertical side wall top being at a height h above said pedestal and said ceiling having an apex at a height H above said ceiling base, wherein H+h is in a range of between about 4" and 7".

10. The plasma reactor of claim 9 wherein the base-to-apex height H is in a range between on the order of about 3" and about 6" while the pedestal-to-base height h is between on the order of about 1.5" and about 4".

11. The plasma reactor of claim 10 wherein said inductive coil comprises plural windings including a bottom winding adjacent said ceiling base and a top winding.

12. The plasma reactor of claim 11 wherein said op winding defines an aperture of diameter A of said inductive coil.

13. The plasma reactor of claim 12 wherein the coil aperture diameter A is no less than the workstation diameter d.