Method and apparatus for monitoring plasma processing operations
First Claim
1. A system for running a plasma recipe on a product, said system comprising:
- a processing chamber comprising a product access, wherein at least one product may be introduced into said processing chamber through said product access;
means for removing materials from an interior of said processing chamber while no product is loaded in said processing chamber, said means for removing comprising a plasma present within said processing chamber while said processing chamber is devoid of any said product, said means for removing comprising means for plasma cleaning said interior of said processing chamber;
means for obtaining optical emissions of said plasma used by said means for removing at least a plurality of times during operation of said means for removing, wherein said means for obtaining comprises means for obtaining a current optical emissions segment of said plasma in said processing chamber, said current optical emissions segment comprising optical emissions which includes at least wavelengths from least about 250 nanometers to about 1,000 nanometers, inclusive, which defines a first wavelength range, and at a first wavelength resolution throughout said first wavelength range, wherein said first wavelength resolution is defined as a wavelength spacing between each adjacent pair of wavelengths throughout said first wavelength range, and wherein said first wavelength resolution is no more than about 1 nanometer;
means for comparing a current pattern of at least a portion of said optical emissions defined by at least one of a plurality of executions of said means for obtaining with a first standard pattern stored on a computer-readable storage medium; and
means for deactivating said means for removing, said means for deactivating being responsive to at least a first condition, said first condition being when said current pattern is within a predetermined tolerance of said first standard pattern and which is equated with an endpoint of a plasma cleaning operation provided by said means for plasma cleaning.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention generally relates to various aspects of a plasma process, and more specifically the monitoring of such plasma processes. One aspect relates in at least some manner to calibrating or initializing a plasma monitoring assembly. This type of calibration may be used to address wavelength shifts, intensity shifts, or both associated with optical emissions data obtained on a plasma process. A calibration light may be directed at a window through which optical emissions data is being obtained to determine the effect, if any, that the inner surface of the window is having on the optical emissions data being obtained therethrough, the operation of the optical emissions data gathering device, or both. Another aspect relates in at least some manner to various types of evaluations which may be undertaken of a plasma process which was run, and more typically one which is currently being run, within the processing chamber. Plasma health evaluations and process identification through optical emissions analysis are included in this aspect. Yet another aspect associated with the present invention relates in at least some manner to the endpoint of a plasma process (e.g., plasma recipe, plasma clean, conditioning wafer operation) or discrete/discernible portion thereof (e.g., a plasma step of a multiple step plasma recipe). A final aspect associated with the present invention relates to how one or more of the above-noted aspects may be implemented into a semiconductor fabrication facility, such as the distribution of wafers to a wafer production system.
-
Citations
24 Claims
-
1. A system for running a plasma recipe on a product, said system comprising:
-
a processing chamber comprising a product access, wherein at least one product may be introduced into said processing chamber through said product access; means for removing materials from an interior of said processing chamber while no product is loaded in said processing chamber, said means for removing comprising a plasma present within said processing chamber while said processing chamber is devoid of any said product, said means for removing comprising means for plasma cleaning said interior of said processing chamber; means for obtaining optical emissions of said plasma used by said means for removing at least a plurality of times during operation of said means for removing, wherein said means for obtaining comprises means for obtaining a current optical emissions segment of said plasma in said processing chamber, said current optical emissions segment comprising optical emissions which includes at least wavelengths from least about 250 nanometers to about 1,000 nanometers, inclusive, which defines a first wavelength range, and at a first wavelength resolution throughout said first wavelength range, wherein said first wavelength resolution is defined as a wavelength spacing between each adjacent pair of wavelengths throughout said first wavelength range, and wherein said first wavelength resolution is no more than about 1 nanometer; means for comparing a current pattern of at least a portion of said optical emissions defined by at least one of a plurality of executions of said means for obtaining with a first standard pattern stored on a computer-readable storage medium; and means for deactivating said means for removing, said means for deactivating being responsive to at least a first condition, said first condition being when said current pattern is within a predetermined tolerance of said first standard pattern and which is equated with an endpoint of a plasma cleaning operation provided by said means for plasma cleaning. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A system for running a plasma recipe on a product, said system comprising:
-
a processing chamber comprising a product access, wherein the product may be transferred between an interior and exterior of said processing chamber through said product access; means for removing materials from an interior of said processing chamber while no product is loaded in said processing chamber, said means for removing comprising a plasma within said processing chamber while said processing chamber is devoid of any said product, said means for removing comprising means for plasma cleaning said interior of said processing chamber; means for obtaining optical emissions of said plasma within said processing chamber at least a plurality of times during operation of said means for removing; means for determining, for each of a plurality of executions of said means for obtaining, a differential between a pattern of at least a portion of said optical emissions at a current time and a pattern of said at least a portion of said optical emissions from a preceding time; and means for deactivating said means for removing, wherein said means for deactivating is activated by a first condition, wherein said first condition is when said differential from said means for determining is at least a substantially flat line with no substantial peaks. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
Specification