Apparatus for exciting a plasma in a semiconductor wafer processing system using a complex RF waveform

• US 6,043,607 A
• Filed: 12/16/1997
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Roderick, Craig A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bettendorf, Justin P.
• Application Number:
  US08/991,749
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 315/111.21, 315/111.41, 315/111.51, 156/345 C, 118/723 R, 118/723 AN, 118/723 I, 118/723 IR
• US Class Current: 315/111.21
• 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 37/32165 Plural frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/46 using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy H05H1/26 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and apparatus for generating a complex waveform and coupling the waveform to a reaction chamber of a semiconductor wafer processing system using a power amplifier. Specifically, the apparatus includes a complex waveform generator coupled to a high-power amplifier. The high-power amplifier is coupled to one or more frequency selective matching networks which select bands of RF signal to be coupled to plasma excitation circuit within the semiconductor wafer processing system.

Claims

1. Apparatus for exciting a plasma within a semiconductor wafer processing system, comprising:

a complex waveform generator for generating a complex waveform;

a power amplifier, coupled to said complex waveform generator, for amplifying said complex waveform; and

a matching network, coupled to the power amplifier, for matching the impedance of the power amplifier to the impedance of plasma excitation circuitry within said semiconductor wafer processing system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said complex waveform generator further comprises a plurality of sinusoidal frequency sources coupled to a summer for producing a complex waveform using a Fourier transform.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the complex waveform generator is a digital waveform generator.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power amplifier has a bandwidth of at least a decade.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the matching network further comprises two or more frequency selective matching networks.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the matching network comprises a transmission line transformer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power amplifier is a channelized amplifier.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said plasma excitation circuitry further comprises a radiative coil positioned proximate a plasma reaction chamber.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said plasma excitation circuitry further comprises a cathode pedestal positioned within said plasma reaction chamber.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said control device further comprises a plurality of power measuring devices for generating said measured indicia of complex waveform content as power within selected frequency bands of the complex waveform.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a control device, coupled to the power amplifier and said complex waveform generator, for dynamically controlling the complex waveform in response to measured indicia of complex waveform content.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said plasma excitation circuitry further comprises a cathode pedestal positioned within a plasma reaction chamber.

13. Apparatus for exciting a plasma within a semiconductor wafer processing system, comprising:

a complex waveform generator for generating a complex waveform;

a broadband power amplifier, coupled to said complex waveform generator, for amplifying said complex waveform;

a control device, coupled to the broadband power amplifier and said complex waveform generator, for dynamically controlling the complex waveform in response to measured indicia of complex waveform content; and

a broadband matching network, coupled to the broadband amplifier, for matching the impedance of the broadband amplifier to the impedance of plasma excitation circuitry within said semiconductor wafer processing system.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said complex waveform generator further comprises a plurality of sinusoidal frequency sources coupled to a summer for producing a complex waveform using a Fourier transform.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the complex waveform generator is a digital waveform generator.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the power amplifier has a bandwidth of at least a decade.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the broadband matching network further comprises two or more frequency selective matching networks.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the broadband matching network comprises a transmission line transformer.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the broadband power amplifier is a channelized amplifier.

20. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said plasma excitation circuitry further comprises a radiative coil positioned proximate a plasma reaction chamber.

21. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said plasma excitation circuitry further comprises a cathode pedestal positioned within a plasma reaction chamber.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said plasma excitation circuitry further comprises a cathode pedestal positioned within said plasma reaction chamber.

23. A method of exciting a plasma within a semiconductor wafer processing system, comprising:

generating a complex waveform;

amplifying said complex waveform; and

coupling the amplified complex waveform to plasma excitation circuitry within said semiconductor wafer processing system.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said complex waveform is a summation of a plurality of sinusoidal frequencies.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the complex waveform is a digital waveform.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the coupling step further comprises using two or more frequency selective matching networks.

27. The method of claim 23 further comprising the steps of:

providing a channelized signal comprising at least a first signal and a second signal that form said complex waveform;

amplifying the channelized signal in a channelized amplifier;

dividing the amplified channelized signal to form an amplified first signal and an amplified second signal; and

coupling the amplified first signal and the amplified second signal to said semiconductor wafer processing system.

28. The method of claim 23 further comprising the steps of:

measuring indicia of complex waveform content; and

dynamically controlling the generation of the complex waveform in response to the measured indicia of complex waveform content.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said measured indicia of complex waveform content is the power within selected frequency bands of the complex waveform.