Plasma processing apparatus

• US 10,020,167 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2016
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• 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:
  US15/015,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20160155613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 118723 I, 118723 IR, 118723 AN, 15634548, 15634549, 31511151
• 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

A plasma processing apparatus includes: a processing chamber; a substrate holding unit; a processing gas supply unit; a RF antenna having an inner antenna coil and an outer antenna coil; a high frequency power supply unit; at least one floating coil that is in an electrically floating state and provided outside the processing chamber to be coupled to at least one of the inner antenna coil and the outer antenna coil by an electromagnetic induction; and a capacitor. The inner antenna coil includes a single inner coil segment or more than one inner coil segments connected in series, the outer antenna coil includes a plurality of outer coil segments segmented in a circumferential direction and electrically connected with each other in parallel, and the at least one floating coil is positioned between the inner antenna coil and the outer antenna coil in a radial direction.

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 an inner antenna coil and an outer antenna coil respectively provided at an inner side and an outer side thereof in a radial direction with a gap therebetween;

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 at least one of the inner antenna coil and the outer antenna coil by an electromagnetic induction; and

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

wherein the inner antenna coil includes a single inner coil segment or more than one inner coil segments connected in series,

the outer antenna coil includes a plurality of outer coil segments segmented in a circumferential direction and electrically connected with each other in parallel, and

the at least one floating coil is positioned between the inner antenna coil and the outer antenna coil in a radial direction.

2. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inner antenna coil, the outer antenna coil, and the at least one floating coil are arranged to be coaxial to one another.

3. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one floating coil and the RF antenna are arranged on the same plane.

4. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one floating coil is positioned farther than the RF antenna from the dielectric window.

5. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a direction of an electric current flowing in the inner antenna coil and a direction of an electric current flowing in the outer antenna coil are same in the circumferential direction, and

an electric current flowing in the at least one floating coil has the same direction as electric currents flowing in the inner antenna coil and the outer antenna coil in the circumferential direction.

6. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 5, 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.

7. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one floating coil includes a reactance having a negative value.

8. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 5, 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.

9. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a direction of an electric current flowing in the inner antenna coil and a direction of an electric current flowing in the outer antenna coil are same in the circumferential direction, and

a direction of an electric current flowing in the at least one floating coil is opposite to directions of electric currents flowing in the inner antenna coil and the outer antenna coil in the circumferential direction.

10. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 9, 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.

11. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one floating coil includes a reactance having a positive value.

12. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 9, 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 include a value greater than a value obtained when a series resonance occurs in the at least one floating coil.

13. 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.

14. 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 an inner antenna coil and an outer antenna coil respectively provided at an inner side and an outer side thereof in a radial direction with a gap therebetween;

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 at least one of the inner antenna coil and the outer antenna coil by an electromagnetic induction; and

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

wherein the inner antenna coil includes a single inner coil segment or more than one inner coil segments connected in series,

the outer antenna coil includes a plurality of outer coil segments segmented in a circumferential direction and electrically connected with each other in parallel, and

the at least one floating coil is provided inside the inner antenna coil or outside the outer antenna coil in a radial direction.