Method and system of determining chamber seasoning condition by optical emission

• US 6,825,920 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2003
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Lam, Hieu A., Shriner, John, Yue, Hongyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans, F. L.
• Application Number:
  US10/446,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20040008336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 356/72, 356/300, 356/326, 356/328, 356/416, 356/419, 156/345.24
• US Class Current: 356/72
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 48/005 characterised by an aspect of the 'active' part of the composition delivered, i.e. the nucleic acid delivered
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4404 Coatings or surface treatment on the inside of the reaction chamber or on parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2333/4706 stimulating, promoting or activating activity
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/574 for cancer
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring

Abstract

A plasma processing system that comprises a process chamber, a plasma source, a light detection device and a controller. The controller is useful for determining a seasoning state of the plasma processing system. The present invention further provides a method of determining the seasoning state of a plasma processing system comprising the steps of forming a first plasma in the process chamber utilizing the plasma source; measuring a first signal related to light emitted from the first plasma using the light detection device and storing the first signal using the controller; forming a second plasma in the process chamber utilizing the plasma source; measuring a second signal related to light emitted from the second plasma using the light detection device and storing the second signal using the controller; and correlating a change between the first signal and the second signal with a seasoning state of the plasma processing system.

Claims

1. A plasma processing system comprising:

a plasma reactor;

a light detection device coupled to said plasma reactor to receive light emitted from a plasma formed within said plasma reactor; and

a controller coupled to said light detection device, said controller configured to measure a signal related to the received light detected by the light detection device and to correlate a change between the measured signal and a target signal corresponding to a seasoning state of said plasma reactor, wherein the measured signal related to e received light is a product of multivariate analysis.

2. The plasma processing system according to claim 1, wherein said light detection device comprises a photodetector.

3. The plasma processing system according to claim 2, wherein said light detection device further comprises at least one of an optical filter and a grating.

4. The plasma processing system according to claim 1, wherein said light detection device comprises at least one of a spectrometer and a monochromator.

5. The plasma processing system according to claim 1, wherein the measured signal related to the received light comprises at least one of a light intensity, a spectral light intensity, and a light spectrum.

6. The plasma processing system according to claim 1, wherein said seasoning state of said plasma reactor comprises whether the plasma reactor is seasoned.

7. The plasma processing system according to claim 1, wherein said controller determines that the seasoning state of the plasma reactor corresponds to a seasoned plasma reactor when a change between said signal and a target signal comprises said signal being of a value less than a value of said target signal.

8. The plasma processing system according to claim 1, wherein said multivariate analysis comprises principal components analysis.

9. The plasma processing system according to claim 8, wherein a result of said principal components analysis is a set of scores.

10. The plasma processing system according to claim 9, wherein said controller further comprises a correlator configured to determine a difference signal between said set of scores for the measured signal and a set of scores for said target signal in order to determine said seasoning state of said plasma reactor.

11. The plasma processing system according to claim 10, wherein said seasoning state corresponds to a seasoned plasma reactor when said difference signal is substantially close to a value of zero.

12. The plasma processing system according to claim 1, wherein said controller further comprises a seasoning state controller.

13. The plasma processing system according to claim 12, wherein said seasoning state controller comprises a controller configured to use at least one of a seasoning process recipe and a seasoning substrate.

14. A method of determining a seasoning state of a plasma processing system, wherein said plasma processing system comprises a process chamber, a plasma source, a light detection device and a controller, said method comprises:

forming a first plasma in said process chamber utilizing said plasma source;

measuring a first signal related to light emitted from said first plasma using said light detection device and storing said first signal;

forming a second plasma in said process chamber utilizing said plasma source;

measuring a second signal related to light emitted from said second p1 a using said light detection device and storing said second signal using said controller; and

correlating a change between said first signal and said second signal with a seasoning state of said plasma processing system, wherein the first signal or the second signal, or both the first and second signal is provided as a product of multivariate analysis.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said forming said first plasma corresponds to a first substrate, and said forming said second plasma corresponds to a second substrate.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein said forming said first plasma corresponds to a first period of time during processing a substrate, and said forming said second plasma corresponds to a second period of time during processing another substrate.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein said first signal and said second signal are at least one of a light intensity, a spectral light intensity and a light spectrum.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein said correlating said change between said first signal and said second signal with said seasoning state of said plasma processing system comprises forming a difference signal from said first and said second signals and determining said seasoning state of said plasma processing system from a magnitude of said difference signal.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said plasma processing system is seasoned when said magnitude of said difference signal is less than one.

20. A method of determining a seasoning state of a plasma processing system, wherein said plasma processing system comprises a process chamber, a plasma source, a light detection device and a controller, said method comprises:

forming a plasma in said process chamber utilizing said plasma source;

measuring a first signal related to light emitted from said plasma using said light detection device and storing said first signal;

measuring a second signal related to light emitted from said plasma using said light detection device and storing said second signal using said controller; and

correlating a change between said first signal and said second signal with a seasoning state of said plasma processing system, wherein the first signal or the second signal, or both the first and second signal is provided as a product of multivariate analysis.

21. A method of determining a seasoning state of a plasma processing system, wherein said plasma processing system comprises a process chamber, a plasma source, a light detection device and a controller, said method comprises:

loading a substrate into said plasma processing system;

forming a plasma to facilitate processing of said substrate;

measuring a signal related to light emitted from said plasma;

comparing the measured signal with a target signal determined for said plasma processing system; and

determining a seasoning state of said plasma processing system from a result of said comparing of the measured signal with said target signal, wherein the measure signal is a product of multivariate analysis.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the measured signal is at least one of a light intensity, a spectral light intensity and a light spectrum.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein said seasoning state of said plasma processing system comprises whether said plasma processing system is seasoned.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein said multivariate analysis comprises principal components analysis.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein a result of said principal components analysis is a set of scores.

26. The method according to claim 21, wherein said comparing the measured signal with a target signal comprises determining difference signal between said set of scores for the measured signal and a set of scores for aid target signal.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein said determining said seasoning state of said plasma processing system comprises determining that said plasma processing system is seasoned when said difference signal is substantially close to a value of zero.

28. The method according to claim 21, wherein said determining said seasoning state of said plasma processing system comprises determining that said plasma processing system is seasoned when said measured signal is less than said target signal.

29. A method of determining a seasoning state of a plasma processing system, wherein said plasma processing system comprises process chamber, a plasma source, a light detection device and a controller, said meth comprises:

loading a first substrate into said plasma processing system;

forming a first plasma to facilitate processing of said first substrate;

measuring a first signal related to light emitted from said first plasma and storing said first signal using said controller;

unloading said first substrate;

loading a second substrate into said plasma processing system;

forming a second plasma to facilitate processing of said second substrate;

measuring a second signal related to light emitted from said second plasma and storing said second signal using said controller;

determining a difference signal from said second signal and said first signal;

comparing said difference signal with a target signal; and

determining a seasoning state of said plasma processing system from and comparing of said difference signal with said target signal, wherein said first and second signals are a product of multivariate analysis.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein said loading said first substrate follows a maintenance operation performed on said plasma processing system.

31. The method according to claim 29, wherein said second substrate is an Nth substrate loaded into said plasma processing system since a last maintenance operation was performed on said plasma processing system.

32. The method according to claim 29, wherein said first and second signals are at least one of a light intensity, a spectral light intensity and light spectrum.

33. The method according to claim 29, wherein said multivariate analysis comprises principal components analysis.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein a result of said principal components analysis includes a set of scores associated with said firs signal and a set of scores associated with said second signal.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein said first signal is a distance between said set of scores associated with said first signal and an expected set of scores and said second signal is a distance between said set of scores associated with said second signal and an expected set of scores.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein said determining said seasoning state of said plasma processing system comprises determining at said plasma processing system is seasoned when said difference signal is substantially close to a value of zero.

37. A detection system comprising:

a light detection device configured to be coupled to a plasma processing system to receive light emitted from a plasma;

a controller coupled to said light detection device, said controller configured to measure a signal related to the received light and to correlate a change between said signal and a target signal with a seasoning state of said plasma processing system herein the measured signal related to the received light is a product of multivariate analysis.

38. A method for constructing a seasoning model for a plasma processing system, said method comprises:

measuring a plurality of optical signals;

determining a first set of said plurality of optical signals corresponding to an unseasoned plasma processing system;

forming a second set of said plurality of optical signals by discarding aid first set of said plurality of optical signals; and

performing principal components analysis on said second set of said plurality of said optical signals, wherein an output of said principal components analysis comprises said seasoning model.

39. The method for constructing a seasoning model as recited in claim 38, wherein said plurality of optical signals corresponds to a plurality of substrates.

40. The method for constructing a seasoning model recited in claim 38, wherein said seasoning model comprises a set of principal components and model scores.

41. The method for constructing a seasoning model recited in claim 38, wherein said determining a first set of said plurality of optical signal corresponding to an unseasoned plasma processing system comprises performing principal components analysis.