System for impedance matching and power control for apparatus for high frequency plasma treatment

• US 5,936,481 A
• Filed: 01/15/1998
• Issued: 08/10/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Adtec Plasma Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Adtec Servicos Rurais S/C LTDA EPP
• Inventors: Fujii, Shuitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): GENSLER, PAUL L
• Application Number:
  US09/007,428
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 333/17.3, 333/32, 333/99 PL
• US Class Current: 333/17.3
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance

Abstract

The invention provides an impedance matching and power control system not resorting to mechanical control for a device for high frequency plasma treatment. An impedance matching unit 14 inserted in the terminal end of a power feed line 3 extending from a high frequency power oscillator 1 to a plasma chamber 2 comprises phase detecting means 17, a load-associated detector 19 having the function of detecting voltage, current, and phase angle, and an arithmetic and output section 21, whereby the impedance matching unit delivers a frequency control signal corresponding to the detected phase and a power signal representing the consumed power of the plasma chamber as calculated from the voltage, current and phase angle. The high frequency power oscillator comprises an oscillation control section 24 for controlling the oscillation frequency thereof according to said frequency control signal, and an output control section including a summing amplifier 25 which receives an external set power signal and the detected power signal to find the difference between the two values of power, thus controlling its own output power according to the difference.

Claims

1. An impedance matching and power control system, including an impedance matching unit inserted in the terminal end of a power feed line extending from a high frequency power oscillator to a plasma chamber, characterized in that:

a) said impedance matching unit comprises an input-associated detector including phase detection means disposed in the input side of an LC circuit forming the core of the matching unit, a load-associated detector having the function of detecting voltage, current, and phase angle disposed on the output side of said LC circuit, and an arithmetic and output section connected to said input-associated detector and load-associated detector, said impedance matching unit delivering a frequency control signal corresponding in magnitude to a phase detected by said phase detector, and delivering a power signal representing the consumed power of the plasma chamber as calculated from the voltage, current and phase angle detected by said load-associated detector,

b) said high frequency power oscillator comprises an oscillation control section for controlling the oscillation frequency thereof according to said frequency control signal, and an output control section including a summing amplifier which receives an external set power signal for the plasma chamber and a detection power signal representing said consumed power to find the difference between the two signals and controls the output power according to the difference so as to equalize the power consumption in the plasma chamber with the value of said external set power, whereby

c) the impedance matching between the high frequency power oscillator and the plasma chamber is effected at an electrical response rate without resorting to mechanical control.

2. A system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said input-associated detector in said impedance matching unit includes power detecting means for detecting whether or not a high frequency power is being transferred through said power feed line, the arrangement being such that when such high frequency power is not transferred, said impedance matching unit transfers said high frequency control signal, whose size is taken to be zero, to said oscillation control section, thereby setting the central frequency in the oscillation power of said high frequency power oscillator.

3. A system as set forth in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said arithmetic and output section of said impedance matching unit has a display device connected thereto, so as to display the load power calculated from the oscillation frequency control signal or the voltage-current phase detected by said phase detector and the voltage, current and phase angle detected by said load-associated detector.

4. A system as set forth in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said impedance matching unit comprises a variable capacitor in said LC circuit for presetting the load impedance, an adjustable capacitor in said LC circuit for presetting the load phase, first and second servo motors for respectively adjusting these capacitors, and first and second preset drive amplifiers for respectively driving said servo motors for rotation, said arithmetic and output section being adapted to calculate control signals for driving said servo motors to be fed to said first and second preset drive amplifiers so as to set said two adjustable capacitors to respectively preset the load impedance and the load phase into values which enable the impedance matching between the output impedance of the high frequency power oscillator and the load impedance of the plasma chamber with the high frequency power oscillator fixed in the standard state under various plasma chamber conditions.