Method and apparatus for monitoring and adjusting chamber impedance

• US 7,004,107 B1
• Filed: 12/01/1997
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Mudholkar, Mandar, Raoux, Sébastien, Taylor, William N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zervigon, Rudy
• Application Number:
  US08/988,246
• Time in Patent Office: 3,011 Days
• Field of Search: 156/627.1, 156/643, 15634543- 45, 156/345.28, 156/345, 204/298, 204/298.37, 204/298.06, 219/121.PD, 315/111.21, 118/723.E, 118/723.ER, 118/663
• US Class Current: 118/723.00E
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/5096 Flat-bed apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32174 Circuits specially adapted for controlling the RF discharge

Abstract

A substrate processing system that includes a deposition chamber having a reaction zone, a substrate holder that positions a substrate in the reaction zone, a gas distribution system that includes a gas inlet manifold for supplying one or more process gases to said reaction zone, a plasma power source for forming a plasma from a process gas introduced into the reaction zone of the deposition chamber and an impedance monitor that is electrically coupled to the deposition chamber to measure an impedance level of the plasma. In a preferred embodiment, the substrate holder is a first electrode and the gas inlet manifold is a second electrode and RF power is supplied by the plasma power source to either the first or second electrodes to form the plasma. In another preferred embodiment, the processing system further includes a computer processor that is communicatively coupled to the impedance monitor and to other control systems of the processing system so that the computer processor can adjust the impedance of the deposition chamber during the course of an extended wafer run if the impedance drifts outside of a predetermined tolerance range.

Claims

1. A substrate processing system comprising:

a deposition chamber comprising a reaction zone;

a substrate holder that positions a substrate in the reaction zone;

said substrate holder comprising a low frequency (LF) electrode;

a gas distribution system that includes a gas inlet manifold for supplying one or more process gases to said reaction zone;

said gas inlet manifold comprising a high frequency (HF) electrode;

a plasma power source for forming a plasma within the reaction zone of said deposition chamber, the plasma power source comprising a high frequency power supply coupled with the HF electrode and a low frequency power supply coupled with the LF electrode;

an impedance monitor comprising a first impedance probe electrically coupled to said high frequency electrode to measure the impedance at the HF electrode and a second impedance probe electrically coupled to said low frequency electrode to measure the impedance at the LF electrode; and

a processor coupled with the impedance monitor for adjusting processing conditions of the deposition chamber based on measurements by the first impedance probe and the second impedance probe.

2. The substrate processing system of claim 1 wherein said processor receives as an input the measured impedance level of said plasma.

3. The substrate processing system of claim 2 further comprising a variable capacitor electrically coupled to said chamber and controllably coupled to said processor wherein said processor adjusts a capacitance level of said variable capacitor to vary the impedance of said plasma in response to an output of said impedance monitor.

4. The substrate processing system of claim 2 further comprising a pressure control system configured to control a pressure level within said chamber and controllably coupled to said processor wherein said processor controls said pressure control system to vary the pressure within the chamber in response to the measured impedance level of said plasma.

5. The substrate processing system of claim 2 wherein said processor controls said plasma power source to vary the power applied to the plasma in response to the measured impedance level of said plasma.

6. The substrate processing system of claim 1 further comprising a variable capacitor electrically coupled to said LF electrode and controllably coupled to said processor wherein said processor adjusts a capacitance level of said variable capacitor to vary the impedance of said plasma in response to an output of said impedance monitor.

7. The substrate processing system of claim 1 further comprising an impedance tuner coupled in series to said substrate holder.

8. The substrate processing system of claim 7 wherein said impedance tuner is coupled between said substrate holder and a low frequency RF generator.

10. The substrate processing system of claim 8, wherein said impedance tuner includes a variable capacitor.

12. The substrate processing system of claim 3 further comprising an RF matching network electrically coupled to the chamber, and wherein the variable capacitor is separate from the matching network.

15. The substrate processing system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to adjust a pressure in the deposition chamber based on measurements by the first impedance probe and the second impedance probe.

16. The substrate processing system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to adjust at least one of a high frequency RF power level of the power source and a low frequency RF power level of the power source, based on measurements by the first impedance probe and the second impedance probe.

17. The substrate processing system of claim 7 wherein the processor is configured to adjust a setting of the impedance tuner based on measurements by the first impedance probe and the second impedance probe.

9. A substrate processing system comprising:

a deposition chamber comprising a reaction zone;

a substrate holder that positions a substrate in the reaction zone;

said substrate holder comprising a low frequency (LF) electrode;

a gas distribution system that includes a gas inlet manifold for supplying one or more process gases to said reaction zone;

said gas inlet manifold comprising a high frequency (HF) electrode;

a plasma power source for forming a plasma within the reaction zone of said deposition chamber, the plasma power source comprising a high frequency power supply coupled with the HF electrode and a low frequency power supply coupled with the LF electrode;

an impedance monitor electrically coupled to said high frequency electrode and said low frequency electrode;

a computer processor communicatively coupled to said impedance monitor so that said computer processor receives as an input the measured impedance level of said plasma;

a variable capacitor electrically coupled to said chamber and controllably coupled to said processor wherein said processor adjusts a capacitance level of said variable capacitor to vary the impedance of said plasma in response to an output of said impedance monitor; and

a matching network electrically coupled to a high frequency RF generator and said gas manifold, wherein said matching network has capacitors that are different than said variable capacitor.

13. The substrate processing system of claim 9 wherein the impedance monitor comprises a first impedance probe connected to the HF electrode and a second impedance probe connected to the LF electrode.

18. The substrate processing system of claim 13 wherein the computer processor is configured to adjust a pressure in the deposition chamber based on measurements by the first impedance probe and the second impedance probe.

11. A substrate processing system comprising:

a deposition chamber comprising a reaction zone;

a substrate holder that positions a substrate in the reaction zone;

said substrate holder comprising a low frequency (LF) electrode;

a gas distribution system that includes a gas inlet manifold for supplying one or more process gases to said reaction zone;

said gas inlet manifold comprising a high frequency (HF) electrode;

a plasma power source for forming a plasma within the reaction zone of said deposition chamber, the plasma power source comprising a high frequency power supply coupled with the HF electrode and a low frequency power supply coupled with the LF electrode;

an impedance monitor electrically coupled to said high frequency electrode and said low frequency electrode, said impedance monitor including an impedance monitor variable capacitor;

a processor communicatively coupled to said impedance monitor for receiving as an input a measured impedance level of said plasma;

a variable capacitor electrically coupled to said LF electrode and controllably coupled to said processor wherein said processor adjusts a capacitance level of said variable capacitor to vary the impedance of said plasma in response to an output of said impedance monitor; and

a matching network coupled between a low frequency RF generator and said variable capacitor, wherein said matching network includes capacitors that are different than said variable capacitor.

14. The substrate processing system of claim 11 wherein the impedance monitor comprises a first impedance probe connected to the HF electrode and a second impedance probe connected to the LF electrode.