Plasma processing apparatus

• US 9,293,299 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Yamazawa, Yohei
• Primary Examiner(s): ALEJANDRO MULERO, LUZ L
• Application Number:
  US13/434,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20120247679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 118/723.I, 118/723.IR, 118/723.AN, 156/345.48, 156/345.49, 315/111.51
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/321 the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3211 Antennas, e.g. particular shapes of coils
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32715 Workpiece holder

Abstract

In an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus, it is possible to control a plasma density distribution while suppressing a wavelength effect within a RF antenna. Provided at a ceiling of a chamber 10 or above a dielectric window 52 is a circular ring-shaped RF antenna 54 for generating inductively coupled plasma within the chamber 10. This RF antenna 54 includes two coil segments 84(1) and 84(2) each having a semicircular arc shape. The coil segments 84(1) and 84(2) are electrically connected to each other in parallel with respect to a high frequency power supply unit 62. On the dielectric window 52, a circular ring-shaped floating coil 60 having a variable capacitor 58 coupled to the RF antenna 54 by an electromagnetic induction is provided. The variable capacitor 58 is varied in a certain range by a capacitance varying unit 82 under the control of a main controller 80.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber having a dielectric window;

a substrate holding unit configured to hold thereon a processing target substrate within the processing chamber;

a processing gas supply unit configured to supply a processing gas into the processing chamber to perform a plasma process on the substrate;

a RF antenna, provided outside the dielectric window to generate plasma of the processing gas within the processing chamber by inductive coupling, having a plurality of coil segments that are arranged along a loop having a predetermined shape and a predetermined size while electrically connected to each other in parallel;

a high frequency power supply unit configured to supply a high frequency power having a frequency for generating a high frequency electric discharge of the processing gas;

at least one floating coil that is in an electrically floating state and provided outside the processing chamber to be coupled to the RF antenna by an electromagnetic induction; and

a capacitor provided in a loop of the at least one floating coil,

wherein an angular frequency on a radius of the at least one floating coil is denoted by ω

, a mutual inductance between the RF antenna and the at least one floating coil is denoted by M, an antenna current flowing in the RF antenna is denoted by I_RF, a self-inductance of the at least one floating coil is denoted by L, and an electrostatic capacitance of the capacitor is denoted by C, and an induced current I_IND flowing in the at least one floating coil is expressed by an approximation equation;

I_IND≈

−

Mω

I_RF/(Lω

1/Cω

), and

the at least one floating coil and the RF antenna are arranged on the same plane.

2. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of coil segments are extended along at least one round of the loop or along the most of the at least one round of the loop of the RF antenna as a whole.

3. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein a high frequency input terminal of one coil segment of the plurality of coil segments is adjacent to a high frequency output terminal of another coil segment thereof with a gap therebetween, and

a high frequency output terminal of said one coil segment is adjacent to a high frequency input terminal of said another coil segment with a gap therebetween.

4. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein all the gaps are formed in a circumferential direction of the loop of the RF antenna.

5. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least one of the gaps is formed in a direction perpendicular to a circumferential direction of the loop of the RF antenna.

6. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of coil segments are extended along at least one round of the loop of the RF antenna as a whole.

7. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a length of each of the plurality of coil segments is shorter than about ¼

of a wavelength of the high frequency power.

8. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of coil segments have substantially the same self-inductance.

9. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein directions of electric currents flowing in the plurality of coil segments are same along the loop of the RF antenna.

10. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein a direction of an electric current flowing in the at least one floating coil is the same as a direction of an electric current flowing in the RF antenna in the circumferential direction.

11. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein an electrostatic capacitance of the capacitor in the at least one floating coil is smaller than an electrostatic capacitance obtained when a series resonance occurs in the at least one floating coil.

12. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one floating coil includes a reactance having a negative value.

13. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein a direction of an electric current flowing in the at least one floating coil is opposite to a direction of an electric current flowing in the RF antenna in a circumferential direction.

14. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein an electrostatic capacitance of the capacitor in the at least one floating coil is greater than an electrostatic capacitance obtained when a series resonance occurs in the at least one floating coil.

15. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one floating coil includes a reactance having a positive value.

16. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein magnitudes of electric currents flowing in the plurality of coil segments are substantially same.

17. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the loop of the RF antenna is parallel to the dielectric window.

18. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the loop of the RF antenna is coaxial to the substrate held on the substrate holding unit.

19. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one floating coil is arranged to be coaxial to the RF antenna.

20. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one floating coil is electromagnetically coupled to each of the plurality of coil segments with the same mutual inductance.

21. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one floating coil is provided inside or outside the RF antenna in a radial direction.

22. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a loop of the at least one floating coil has a similar shape to the loop of the RF antenna.

23. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 22, wherein the loop of the at least one floating coil has a diameter of about ⅓

to about 3 times a diameter of the loop of the RF antenna.

24. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitor in the at least one floating coil is a variable capacitor, and a variable range of an electrostatic capacitance of the variable capacitor has a value smaller than a value obtained when a series resonance occurs in the at least one floating coil.

25. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitor in the at least one floating coil is a variable capacitor, and a variable range of an electrostatic capacitance of the variable capacitor has values smaller and greater than a value obtained when a series resonance occurs in the at least one floating coil.

26. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitor in the at least one floating coil is a variable capacitor, and a variable range of an electrostatic capacitance of the variable capacitor has a value greater than a value obtained when a series resonance occurs in the at least one floating coil.

27. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one floating coil is plural in number, and the floating coils are arranged to be coaxial to one another.