Methods for plasma matching between different chambers and plasma stability monitoring and control

• US 7,813,895 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2007
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Tallavarjula, Sairaju, Haney, Robert M., Ranish, Joseph, Swenberg, Johanes, Hunter, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Barbee; Manuel L
• Application Number:
  US11/829,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20090030632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 702 81- 84, 438/9, 438/16, 438/710, 216 59- 61, 356/72, 356/316
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/2866 Markers; Calibrating of scan
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/443 Emission spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/274 Calibration, base line adjustment, drift correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/73 using plasma burners or torches

Abstract

Methods for matching semiconductor plasma processing chambers using a calibrated spectrometer are disclosed. In one embodiment, plasma attributes are measured for a process in a reference chamber and a process in a sample chamber. Measuring the plasma attributes during process perturbations allows for the correlation of process parameters to the plasma optical emission spectra. The process parameters can then be adjusted to yield a processed substrate which matches that of the reference chamber. Methods for monitoring the stability of a plasma processing chamber using a calibrated spectrometer are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of matching the performance of process chambers, comprising:

calibrating at least a first spectrometer with at least a first standardized light source and collecting calibration data;

collecting optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data using the at least first spectrometer during a first reference process utilizing a reference substrate, under known process parameters;

collecting OES data using the at least first spectrometer during a second plasma process for a second substrate under process parameters substantially the same as the first process; and

measuring the degree of surface characteristic modification for the first and second substrates and correlating the degree of surface characteristic modification with the OES data for each substrate, wherein the correlation of OES data and surface characteristic modification of the second process is compared to the correlation of OES data and surface characteristic modification of the first process.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

varying the process parameters of the second process, and processing a substrate using the varied parameters while collecting OES data;

measuring the degree of surface characteristic modification of the substrate using varied parameters;

correlating the degree of surface characteristic modification and the OES data obtained from the substrate using varied process to determine the OES data sensitivity to the varied process parameters; and

adjusting the process parameters of the second process based on the correlation data so that the surface characteristic modification of at least a third processed substrate would match the reference substrate.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the second process is performed in the same chamber operated at a later time.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the modified process parameter of the second process is selected from a group consisting of RF power, chamber pressure, reflected power, nitrogen flow rate, helium leak amount, wafer type, wafer temperature, base oxide amount, helium content of the nitrogen, oxygen content and moisture content.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first spectrometer is calibrated by measuring total intensity of light generated by the first standardized light source at selected wavelengths.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first spectrometer is calibrated using a second standardized light source and measuring the intensity of light at selected wavelengths.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the second standardized light source emits discrete wavelengths.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the standardized light sources are comprised of a plurality of light emitting diodes.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the standardized light sources are located inside the process chamber.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the standardized light sources are located outside of the process chamber.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the second process is performed in the same chamber operated at a later time.

12. The method of claim 5 wherein the first standardized light source has a continuous spectral emission.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the process is selected from a group consisting of decoupled plasma nitridation, decoupled plasma oxidation, atomic layer deposition, plasma immersion ion implantation, plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition, remote plasma oxidation, and argon sputtering.

14. A method of monitoring the plasma stability of a processing chamber, comprising:

calibrating at least a first spectrometer with at least a first standardized light source and collecting calibration data;

collecting optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data using the at least first spectrometer during a reference plasma process for a reference substrate in a processing chamber under known process parameters;

collecting OES data using the at least first spectrometer during a second plasma process for a second substrate in the same processing chamber under process parameters substantially the same as the first process and comparing the OES data obtained during the second process to the calibration data;

varying the processing parameters of the process, and processing a substrate under the varied parameters while collecting OES data;

measuring the degree of modification of a surface characteristic of the processed substrates and correlating the degree of modification of a surface characteristic and the OES data to determine the sensitivity to the modified process parameters; and

monitoring the OES data during processing on at least a second substrate to predict when the at least second substrate will have a surface characteristic outside of the acceptable range.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein only one spectrometer is employed.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the modified processing parameter of the process is selected from a group consisting of RF power, chamber pressure, reflected power, nitrogen flow rate, helium leak amount, wafer type, wafer temperature, base oxide amount, helium content of the nitrogen, oxygen content and moisture content.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the first spectrometer is calibrated by measuring total intensity of light generated by the first standardized light source at selected wavelengths.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the first spectrometer is calibrated using a second standardized light source and measuring the intensity of light at selected wavelengths.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the standardized light sources comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the standardized light sources are located inside the processing chamber.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the standardized light sources are located outside of the processing chamber.

22. The method of claim 14 wherein the process is selected from a group consisting of decoupled plasma nitridation, decoupled plasma oxidation, atomic layer deposition, plasma immersion ion implantation (P3i), plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE ALD), and remote plasma oxidation (RPO).