Method and apparatus for detecting plasma unconfinement

• US 8,852,384 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Inventors: Kim, KeeChan, Kim, Yunsang, Bailey, Andrew D. III
• Primary Examiner(s): MacArthur, Sylvia R
• Assistant Examiner(s): CROWELL, ANNA M
• Application Number:
  US13/584,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20120305189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 156/345.43, 156/345.44, 156/345.45, 156/345.46, 156/345.47, 156/345.24, 156/345.25, 118/723.E, 118/712, 118/713, 118/714
• US Class Current: 156/345.24
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/68 using high frequency electric fields
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67028 for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
• 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 method for detecting plasma unconfinement in a reaction chamber during a bevel edge cleaning operation is provided. The method initiates with selecting a wavelength associated with expected by products of a bevel edge clean process. The method includes cleaning the bevel edge area of a substrate and monitoring the intensity of the selected wavelengths during the cleaning for deviation from a threshold wavelength intensity. The cleaning is terminated if the deviation from the threshold wavelength intensity exceeds a target deviation.

Claims

1. A plasma processing chamber comprising:

a top insulator block disposed at a top side of the plasma processing chamber;

a powered substrate support disposed below the top insulator block and at a bottom side of the plasma processing chamber, wherein the top insulator block facilitates supply of an inert gas to a region between the top insulator block and the powered substrate support;

a top edge electrode disposed at the top side and surrounding the top insulator block;

a bottom edge electrode located opposite to the top edge electrode and surrounding the powered substrate support, the bottom edge electrode facing the top edge electrode, the bottom edge electrode located at the bottom side to form a gap between the top edge electrode and the bottom edge electrode, wherein the gap is formed to facilitate reception of a process gas, wherein the inert gas is received within the region between the top insulator block and the powered substrate support while the process gas is received in the gap, the process gas to be excited with radio frequency power to generate plasma within the gap; and

a signal monitor being positioned to have a view through a window of a wall of the plasma processing chamber, the view being toward the gap to monitor intensities of the plasma, wherein the gap is annular and does not extend into the region between the top insulator block and the powered substrate support, the intensities used to determine whether the plasma is confined or unconfined within the gap,

wherein the signal monitor is coupled to a system controller, wherein the system controller is configured to determine whether the plasma is confined or unconfined within the gap based on a ratio of a difference between a maximum value of the intensities and a minimum value of the intensities to an average value of the intensities.

2. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein each of the bottom edge electrode and the top edge electrode is grounded.

3. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the signal monitor is an optical signal monitor.

4. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the signal monitor rests on a platform attached to the plasma processing chamber to view the gap, wherein the signal monitor includes a sensor, the sensor configured to monitor the intensities of the plasma.

5. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the ratio is compared with a threshold by the system controller to determine whether the plasma is confined or unconfined.

14. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein a pressure maintained within the region between the top insulator block and the powered substrate support is greater than a pressure maintained within the gap.

15. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein each of the top edge electrode and the bottom edge electrode is grounded.

6. A system comprising:

a plasma processing chamber including;

a top insulator block disposed at a top side of the plasma processing chamber;

a gas supply channel located at a side of the top insulator block for facilitating a transfer of a process gas into the plasma processing chamber;

a powered substrate support disposed below the top insulator block and at a bottom side of the plasma processing chamber, the powered substrate support facing the top insulator block, wherein the top insulator block facilitates supply of an inert gas to a region between the top insulator block and the powered substrate support;

a top edge electrode disposed at the top side and surrounding the top insulator block;

a bottom edge electrode located opposite to the top edge electrode and surrounding the powered substrate support, the bottom edge electrode facing the top edge electrode, the bottom edge electrode located at the bottom side to form a gap between the top edge electrode and the bottom edge electrode, the gap facilitating reception of the process gas via the gas supply channel, wherein the inert gas is received within the region between the top insulator block and the powered substrate support while the process gas is received in the gap, the process gas to be excited with radio frequency power to generate plasma within the gap, the plasma to be used to perform a bevel etch cleaning process;

a dielectric between the bottom edge electrode and the powered substrate support;

a vacuum supply channel for transferring the plasma from the gap;

a vacuum pump connected with the vacuum supply channel to generate a vacuum to transfer the plasma from the gap, the plasma to be transferred via the vacuum supply channel;

a signal monitor being positioned to have a view through a window within a wall of the plasma processing chamber, the view being toward the gap to monitor intensities of the plasma, wherein the gap is annular and does not extend into the region between the top insulator block and the powered substrate support; and

a system controller coupled with the signal monitor, wherein the system controller is configured to calculate a ratio of a difference between a maximum value of the intensities and a minimum value of the intensities to an average value of the intensities, wherein the system controller is configured to determine whether the plasma is confined or unconfined within the gap based on the ratio, the system controller configured to terminate the bevel etch cleaning process in response to determining that the plasma is unconfined.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the signal monitor is an optical signal monitor.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the signal monitor rests on a platform attached to the plasma processing chamber to view the gap, wherein the signal monitor includes a sensor, the sensor configured to monitor the intensities of the plasma.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the system controller is configured to compare the ratio with a threshold to determine whether the plasma is confined or unconfined.

16. The system of claim 6, wherein a pressure maintained within the region between the top insulator block and the powered substrate support is greater than a pressure maintained within the gap.

17. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the top edge electrode and the bottom edge electrode is grounded.

10. A plasma processing chamber comprising:

a top insulator block disposed at a top side of the plasma processing chamber;

a powered substrate support disposed below the top insulator block and at a bottom side of the plasma processing chamber, wherein the top insulator block facilitates supply of an inert gas to a region between the top insulator block and the powered substrate support;

a top edge electrode disposed at the top side and surrounding the top insulator block; and

a bottom edge electrode located opposite to the top edge electrode and surrounding the powered substrate support, the bottom edge electrode facing the top edge electrode, the bottom edge electrode located at the bottom side to form a gap between the top edge electrode and the bottom edge electrode, wherein the gap facilitates reception of a process gas, wherein the inert gas is received within the region between the top insulator block and the powered substrate support while the process gas is received in the gap, the process gas to be excited with radio frequency power to generate plasma within the gap; and

a signal monitor having a sensor, the sensor integrated into the plasma processing chamber to monitor intensities of the plasma, the intensities used to determine whether the plasma is confined or unconfined within the gap, wherein the gap is annular and does not extend into the region between the top insulator block and the powered substrate support,

wherein the signal monitor is coupled to a system controller, wherein the system controller is configured to determine whether the plasma is confined or unconfined within the gap based on a ratio of a difference between a maximum value of the intensities and a minimum value of the intensities to an average value of the intensities.

11. The plasma processing chamber of claim 10, wherein the signal monitor is an optical signal monitor.

12. The plasma processing chamber of claim 10, wherein the sensor is embedded into a side wall of the plasma processing chamber.

13. The plasma processing chamber of claim 10, wherein the ratio is compared with a threshold by the system controller to determine whether the plasma is confined or unconfined.

18. The plasma processing chamber of claim 10, wherein a pressure maintained within the region between the top insulator block and the powered substrate support is greater than a pressure maintained within the gap.

19. The plasma processing chamber of claim 10, wherein each of the top edge electrode and the bottom edge electrode is grounded.