Diagnosis system for pulsed plasma

• US 9,564,295 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2015
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Dong-soo, Kim, Byeong-hee, Sung, Doug-yong, Shin, Dong-ok, Jang, Sung-ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Nur, Abdullahi
• Application Number:
  US14/827,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20160126068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/44 Electric circuits for command of an exposure part G03B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4238 Pulsed light
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4453 PMT
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32091 the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32146 Amplitude modulation, includes pulsing
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32972 Spectral analysis

Abstract

A diagnosis system for pulsed plasma includes an optical emission sensor (OES) to receive light generated the pulsed plasma, the pulsed plasma having been generated in accordance with a pulse signal, a digitizer to synchronize the electrical signal with the pulse signal, and an analyzer to analyze the synchronized electrical signal.

Claims

1. A diagnosis system for pulsed plasma, the diagnosis system comprising:

a chamber in which light is to be generated by a reaction between a substrate and the pulsed plasma;

a first pulsed RF power supply to provide a first pulsed RF power corresponding to a pulse signal to the chamber;

an optical emission sensor (OES) to sense generated light and convert the generated light into an electrical signal;

a digitizer to synchronize the electrical signal with the pulse signal; and

an analyzer to analyze the synchronized electrical signal, wherein

a period of the pulse signal is divided into a pulse-on period and a pulse-off period, and

the analyzer is to determine at least one from among a first maximum signal magnitude value defined as the maximum electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-on period, a first maximum signal time when the first maximum signal magnitude value occurs, a first minimum signal magnitude value defined as the minimum electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-on period, a first minimum signal time when the first minimum signal magnitude value occurs, a first average signal magnitude value defined as an average of an electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-on period, a first standard deviation value defined as a standard deviation corresponding to the first average signal magnitude value, a second maximum signal magnitude value defined as the maximum electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-off period, a second maximum signal time when the second maximum signal magnitude value occurs, a second minimum signal magnitude value defined as the minimum electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-off period, a second minimum signal time when the second minimum signal magnitude value occurs, a second average signal magnitude value defined as an average of an electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-off period, and a second standard deviation value defined as a standard deviation corresponding to the second average signal magnitude value.

2. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical emission sensor is a photo multiplier tube (PMT).

3. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the photo multiplier tube and the digitizer have a nanosecond time resolution.

4. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pulse signal is supplied to the digitizer by electrical T-branching of a signal generated by the first pulsed RF power supply or by direct connection from the first pulsed RF power supply.

5. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analyzer is to determine a magnitude of the pulsed plasma at a specific time.

6. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a period of the pulse signal is divided into a pulse-on period and a pulse-off period, and

the analyzer is to analyze the synchronized electrical signal from a start point of the pulse-on period or the pulse-off period.

7. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

a period of the pulse signal is divided into a pulse-on period and a pulse-off period, and

the analyzer is to determine a magnitude of the electrical signal in the pulse-on period or a magnitude of the electrical signal in the pulse-off period.

8. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the analyzer is to determine a period of the pulsed plasma, and

the period of the pulsed plasma is measured based on a time difference between times when the first maximum signal occurs, a time difference between times when the first minimum signal occurs, a time difference between times when the second maximum signal occurs, or a time difference between times when the second minimum signal occurs.

9. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the period of the pulsed plasma is divided into a duty-on period defined from a first point in time when the electrical signal magnitude value becomes equal to or greater than a start threshold level in the pulse-on period to a first point in time when the electrical signal magnitude value becomes equal to or less than an end threshold level outside the pulse-on period, and a duty-off period defined as a remaining period of the period of the pulsed plasma excluding the duty-on period, and

the analyzer is to determine a duty ratio equal to a ratio of the duty-on period to the period of pulsed plasma.

10. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analyzer is to analyze the synchronized electrical signal over at least two periods of the pulse signal.

11. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the analyzer is to determine a period of the pulsed plasma and to compare the period of the pulsed plasma to the period of the pulse signal.

12. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a second pulsed RF power supply to provide to second pulsed RF power in accordance with the pulse signal to the chamber.

13. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first and second pulsed RF power supplies commonly include a pulse controller to generate the pulse signal.

14. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of the first and second pulsed RF power supplies includes a pulse RF generator to generate the pulse signal.

15. An etching apparatus, comprising:

a chamber in which light is to be generated by an etching reaction between a substrate and a pulsed plasma;

a pulsed RF power supply to provide to pulsed RF power in accordance with a pulse signal to the chamber;

an optical emission sensor to output an electrical signal obtained by electrically converting the generated light;

a digitizer to synchronize the electrical signal with the pulse signal;

a detector to detect an etch end point time based on a magnitude of the synchronized electrical signal; and

an analyzer to analyze the synchronized electrical signal, wherein;

a period of the pulse signal is divided into a pulse-on period and a pulse-off period, and

the analyzer is to determine at least one from among;

a first maximum signal magnitude value defined as the maximum electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-on period,

a first maximum signal time when the first maximum signal magnitude value occurs, a first minimum signal magnitude value defined as the minimum electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-on period,

a first minimum signal time when the first minimum signal magnitude value occurs,

a first average signal magnitude value defined as an average of an electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-on period,

a first standard deviation value defined as a standard deviation corresponding to the first average signal magnitude value,

a second maximum signal magnitude value defined as the maximum electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-off period,

a second maximum signal time when the second maximum signal magnitude value occurs,

a second minimum signal magnitude value defined as the minimum electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-off period,

a second minimum signal time when the second minimum signal magnitude value occurs,

a second average signal magnitude value defined as an average of an electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-off period, and

a second standard deviation value defined as a standard deviation corresponding to the second average signal magnitude value.

16. A diagnosis system for pulsed plasma, comprising:

an optical emission sensor (OES) to receive light generated by the pulsed plasma and output an electrical signal in accordance with the light, the pulsed plasma having been generated in accordance with a pulse signal;

a digitizer to synchronize the electrical signal with the pulse signal; and

an analyzer to analyze the synchronized electrical signal, wherein;

a period of the pulse signal is divided into a pulse-on period and a pulse-off period, and

the analyzer is to determine at least one from among;

a first maximum signal magnitude value defined as the maximum electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-on period,

a first maximum signal time when the first maximum signal magnitude value occurs, a first minimum signal magnitude value defined as the minimum electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-on period,

a first minimum signal time when the first minimum signal magnitude value occurs,

a first average signal magnitude value defined as an average of an electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-on period,

a first standard deviation value defined as a standard deviation corresponding to the first average signal magnitude value,

a second maximum signal magnitude value defined as the maximum electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-off period,

a second maximum signal time when the second maximum signal magnitude value occurs,

a second minimum signal magnitude value defined as the minimum electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-off period,

a second minimum signal time when the second minimum signal magnitude value occurs,

a second average signal magnitude value defined as an average of an electrical signal magnitude value in the pulse-off period, and

a second standard deviation value defined as a standard deviation corresponding to the second average signal magnitude value.

17. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 16, the pulsed plasma having been generated by a radio frequency, wherein the optical emission sensor has a time resolution on an order of the radio frequency.

18. The diagnosis system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the optical emission sensor is a photo multiplier tube (PMT).