High density plasma process chamber
First Claim
1. A process chamber capable of processing a substrate in a plasma, the process chamber comprising:
- (a) a process gas distributor capable of distributing process gas into a plasma zone of the process chamber;
(b) a primary electrode;
(c) a dielectric member having a power electrode therein, the dielectric member having a receiving surface capable of receiving the substrate;
(d) a secondary electrode below the dielectric member; and
(e) an electrode voltage supply adapted to maintain the power electrode, primary electrode, and secondary electrode, at one or more electrical potentials so as to capacitively couple the primary electrode and the power electrode to energize the process gas.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A process chamber 55 for processing a semiconductor substrate 60 in a plasma, comprises a process gas distributor 100 for distributing process gas into a plasma zone 65 in the chamber. An inductor antenna 135 is used to form an inductive plasma from the process gas in the plasma zone. A primary bias electrode 145 on a ceiling 140 of the chamber 55 has a conducting surface 150 exposed to the plasma zone 65. A dielectric member 155 comprising a power electrode 165 embedded therein, has a receiving surface for receiving a substrate 60. A secondary bias electrode 170 below the dielectric member 155 has a conducting surface 175 exposed to the plasma zone 65. An electrode voltage supply 180 maintains the power electrode 165, primary bias electrode 145, and secondary bias electrode 170, at different electrical potentials to provide a high density, highly directional, plasma in the plasma zone 65 of the chamber 55.
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Citations
86 Claims
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1. A process chamber capable of processing a substrate in a plasma, the process chamber comprising:
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(a) a process gas distributor capable of distributing process gas into a plasma zone of the process chamber; (b) a primary electrode; (c) a dielectric member having a power electrode therein, the dielectric member having a receiving surface capable of receiving the substrate; (d) a secondary electrode below the dielectric member; and (e) an electrode voltage supply adapted to maintain the power electrode, primary electrode, and secondary electrode, at one or more electrical potentials so as to capacitively couple the primary electrode and the power electrode to energize the process gas. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 81)
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20. A process chamber capable of processing a substrate in a plasma, the process chamber comprising:
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(a) a process gas distributor capable of distributing process gas into a plasma zone in the chamber; (b) a primary electrode; (c) a dielectric member comprising a power electrode therein, the dielectric member comprising (i) a coupling layer having a receiving surface for receiving a substrate in facing relationship to the primary electrode, the coupling layer comprising an electric field absorption sufficiently low for the power electrode to capacitively couple with the primary electrode to energize process gas in the chamber and to electrostatically hold the substrate, and (ii) a non-coupling layer surrounding the other surfaces of the power electrode, the non-coupling layer comprising an electric field absorption sufficiently high to substantially preclude capacitive coupling of the power electrode to surrounding walls of the chamber; (d) a secondary electrode below the non-coupling layer; and (e) an electrode voltage supply adapted to provide an RF voltage and a DC voltage to the power electrode in the dielectric member. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 82)
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27. A process chamber capable of processing a substrate in a plasma, the process chamber comprising:
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(a) a gas distribution system for distributing process gas into the chamber; (b) a primary electrode capable of allowing an RF induction field to permeate therethrough; (c) an inductor antenna to generate the RF induction field; and (d) a dielectric member comprising a power electrode therein, the dielectric member having a coupling layer that has a receiving surface for receiving a substrate and comprises an electric field absorption sufficiently low for RF and DC voltages applied to the power electrode to capacitively couple therethrough to energize process gas in the chamber and to electrostatically hold the substrate, respectively, and an non-coupling layer surrounding the other surfaces of the electrode, the non-coupling layer comprising an electric field absorption sufficiently high to reduce capacitive coupling therethrough; (e) a secondary electrode below the non-coupling layer; and (f) an electrode voltage supply adapted to maintain the primary electrode and power electrode at different electrical potentials relative to one another thereby energizing the process gas. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 83)
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35. A process chamber capable of processing a substrate in a plasma, the process chamber comprising:
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(a) a process gas distributor capable of distributing process gas into a plasma zone in the process chamber; (b) an inductor antenna capable of forming a plasma from the process gas in the plasma zone, and a conducting surface adapted to be exposed to the plasma zone; (c) a dielectric member below the conducting surface, the dielectric member comprising a receiving surface capable of receiving a substrate thereon, and the dielectric member comprising an electrode; and (d) an electrode voltage supply adapted to maintain the conducting surface and the electrode at different electrical potentials to capacitively couple the conducting surface and the electrode and thereby energize the process gas, wherein the dielectric member comprises a cover layer that has an RF reactance of about 1 to about 500 Ohms, and a surrounding layer having an RF reactance of about 100 to about 10000 Ohms. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A process chamber capable of processing a substrate in a plasma, the process chamber comprising:
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(a) a gas distribution system for distributing process gas into the chamber; (b) a primary electrode; (c) a dielectric member comprising a power electrode therein, the dielectric member having a coupling layer that forms a receiving surface adapted to receive a substrate, the coupling layer having an electric field absorption sufficiently low for RF and DC voltages applied to the electrode to capacitive couple therethrough to energize the plasma and to electrostatically hold the substrate, respectively, and a non-coupling layer comprising an electric field absorption sufficiently high to reduce capacitive coupling therethrough; (d) an electrode voltage supply adapted to maintain the primary electrode and power electrode at different electrical potentials relative to one another; and (e) a multi-directional magnetic field generator adjacent to the chamber and adapted to generate in the plasma zone a multi-directional magnetic field having an angular orientation and magnitude that varies over time, wherein the coupling layer comprises an RF reactance of about 1 to about 500 Ohms, and the non-coupling layer comprises an RF reactance of about 100 to about 10000 Ohms. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A process chamber capable of processing a substrate in a plasma, the process chamber comprising:
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(a) a process gas distributor capable of distributing process gas into a plasma zone in the process chamber; (b) a primary electrode in the process chamber; (c) a dielectric member comprising a power electrode, the dielectric member having a receiving surface capable of receiving a substrate below the primary electrode; and (d) an electrode voltage supply adapted to maintain the power electrode and the primary electrode at different electrical potentials relative to one another to energize the process gas, wherein the dielectric member comprises a cover layer capable of allowing coupling of an RF voltage applied to the power electrode through the cover layer and to the primary electrode, and a support layer capable of reducing coupling of the RF voltage applied to the power electrode through the support layer to the secondary electrode and wherein the cover layer comprises an RF reactance of about 1 to about 500 Ohms, and the support layer comprises an RF reactance of about 100 to about 10000 Ohms. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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61. A process chamber capable of processing a substrate in a plasma, the process chamber comprising:
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(a) a gas distribution system capable of distributing process gas into the chamber; (b) a primary electrode; (c) an inductor antenna capable of generating the RF induction field; (d) a dielectric member having a power electrode therein, and a receiving surface for receiving the substrate, the power electrode adapted to capacitively couple with the primary electrode to energize the process gas, and (e) a secondary electrode below the dielectric member. - View Dependent Claims (62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 84, 86)
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71. A process chamber for processing a substrate in a plasma, the process chamber comprising:
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(a) a process gas distributor capable of distributing process gas into the chamber; (b) a primary electrode forming a wall of the chamber, the primary electrode having a conducting surface adapted to be exposed to the plasma; (c) a dielectric member comprising a power electrode therein, the dielectric member having a receiving surface layer to receive the substrate, the receiving surface layer covering the power electrode and having an electric field absorption sufficiently low for RF and DC voltages applied to the power electrode to capacitively couple with the primary electrode to energize the process gas and to electrostatically hold the substrate; (d) a secondary electrode below the dielectric member; and (e) an electrode voltage supply adapted to maintain the primary electrode and power electrode at different electrical potentials relative to one another. - View Dependent Claims (72, 85)
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73. A process chamber capable of processing a substrate, the process chamber comprising:
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(a) gas distributor capable of distributing process gas into the process chamber; (b) a primary electrode; (c) a dielectric member having a power electrode therein, the dielectric member having a receiving surface capable of receiving the substrate, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a cover layer having an RF reactance of about 1 to about 500 Ohms and a support layer having an RF reactance of about 100 to about 10000 Ohms. - View Dependent Claims (74, 75, 76)
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77. A process chamber capable of processing a substrate, the process chamber comprising:
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(a) gas distributor capable of distributing process gas into the process chamber; (b) a primary electrode; (c) a dielectric member having a surface adapted to receive the substrate, the dielectric member having a power electrode therein, the power electrode adapted to capacitively couple with the primary electrode to energize the process gas and adapted to electrostatically hold the substrate; and (d) a secondary electrode below the dielectric member. - View Dependent Claims (78, 79, 80)
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Specification