Apparatus for monitoring processing of a substrate
First Claim
1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
- a process chamber comprising walls defining an enclosure capable of sustaining an environment suitable to process a substrate, wherein the walls comprise a ceiling portion adapted to substantially face the substrate during processing, the ceiling portion including an external surface and having a window therein;
an antenna at least partially covering the external surface of the ceiling portion; and
a process monitoring assembly responsive to radiation that propagates through the window during processing of the substrate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for in-situ monitoring of a process in a semiconductor wafer processing system consists of a process chamber having a dome, an enclosure disposed above the chamber, a process monitoring assembly positioned proximate the dome, an opening in the dome, and a window covering the opening. A portion of the apparatus supports the process monitoring assembly to establish a line-of-sight propagation path of monitoring beams from above the dome, through the window to the substrate to facilitate etch depth measurement without encountering interference from high power energy sources proximate the chamber. A method of fabricating a process monitoring apparatus consists of the steps of boring an opening into a dome, positioning the process monitoring assembly in proximity to the dome so as to allow a line-of-sight propagation path of monitoring beams from the process monitoring assembly to a wafer, and covering the opening with a window. The window is permanent or removable dependent upon the type of process monitoring assembly being used in the system.
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Citations
56 Claims
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1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
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a process chamber comprising walls defining an enclosure capable of sustaining an environment suitable to process a substrate, wherein the walls comprise a ceiling portion adapted to substantially face the substrate during processing, the ceiling portion including an external surface and having a window therein; an antenna at least partially covering the external surface of the ceiling portion; and a process monitoring assembly responsive to radiation that propagates through the window during processing of the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus capable of processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
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a process chamber having sidewalls and a top surface, the top surface being at least partially domed and having a window therethrough; and a process monitoring assembly responsive to radiation that propagates through the window during processing of the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. An apparatus capable of processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
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a process chamber having walls defining an enclosure capable of sustaining an environment suitable to process a substrate, wherein the walls comprise a ceiling portion adapted to substantially face the substrate during processing, the ceiling portion including an exterior surface and a window therethrough; an enclosure disposed above the external surface of the ceiling portion; an antenna within the enclosure; and a process monitoring assembly at least partially housed within the enclosure, the process monitoring assembly being responsive to radiation that propagates through the window during processing of the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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Specification