Negative ion control for dielectric etch

• US 10,181,412 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2015
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Inventors: Marakhtanov, Alexei, Abatchev, Mirzafer K., Dhindsa, Rajinder, Hudson, Eric, Bailey, III, Andrew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lund, Jeffrie R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Antolin, Stanislav
• Application Number:
  US14/827,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20150357209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/345 using substrate bias
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/505 using radio frequency discharges
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/334 Etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3343 Problems associated with etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3348 control of ion bombardment energy
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32091 the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32137 controlling of the discharge by modulation of energy
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3065 Plasma etching; Reactive-ion etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31116 by dry-etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/466 using capacitive coupling means, e.g. electrodes

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, and computer programs for semiconductor processing in a capacitively-coupled plasma chamber are provided. A chamber includes a bottom radio frequency (RF) signal generator, a top RF signal generator, and an RF phase controller. The bottom RF signal generator is coupled to the bottom electrode in the chamber, and the top RF signal generator is coupled to the top electrode. Further, the bottom RF signal is set at a first phase, and the top RF signal is set at a second phase. The RF phase controller is operable to receive the bottom RF signal and operable to set the value of the second phase. Additionally, the RF phase controller is operable to track the first phase and the second phase to maintain a time difference between the maximum of the top RF signal and the minimum of the bottom RF signal at approximately a predetermined constant value, resulting in an increase of the negative ion flux to the surface of the wafer.

Claims

1. A method for operating a capacitively-coupled plasma in a chamber having a bottom electrode and a top electrode, the method comprising:

applying a bottom radio frequency (RF) signal set at a first phase to the bottom electrode in the chamber;

calculating, for an etch process and a distance between the top electrode and bottom electrode, a travel time for negative ions formed in the chamber to reach the bottom electrode; and

applying a top RF signal to the top electrode in the chamber, wherein the first phase and a second phase are adjusted to maintain a time difference between a maximum of the top RF signal and a minimum of the bottom RF signal, the time difference is set based on the calculated travel time for the negative ions,

wherein the first phase and the second phase are adjusted so that the minimum of the bottom RF signal is offset from the first phase producing the maximum of the top RF signal based on the calculated travel time between the top electrode and bottom electrode.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said negative ions are formed near a top plasma sheath of a plasma that is proximate to the top electrode in the chamber and said negative ions travel to a bottom plasma sheath of the plasma proximate to the bottom electrode over which the substrate is disposed during operation.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising,

calculating a velocity of the negative ions travelling in the plasma, the travel time is the distance divided by the velocity of the negative ions.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the velocity of the negative ions is calculated as

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein negative ions are formed near a top plasma sheath when the top RF signal has a value of the maximum of the top RF signal, wherein the negative ions arrive at a bottom plasma sheath when the bottom RF signal has a value of the minimum of the bottom RF signal.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the top signal and the bottom RF signal have a frequency between 0.2 MHz and 2 MHz.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein,

the top RF signal is a first low frequency signal and the bottom RF signal is a second low frequency signal, the bottom electrode further having a high frequency signal.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the chamber is configured to generate positive ions when the bottom RF signal approaches or is at a maximum value.

9. A method for operating a chamber that generates a capacitively-coupled plasma, the method comprising:

applying a bottom radio frequency (RF) signal to a bottom electrode in the chamber, the bottom RF signal set at a first frequency at a first phase;

applying a top RF signal at the first frequency to a top electrode in the chamber, the top electrode set at a distance from the bottom electrode;

calculating a travel time required for negative ions formed near a top plasma sheath in the chamber to travel the distance towards the bottom electrode;

determining a second phase for the top RF signal based on the travel time based on a time offset between a maximum of the top RF signal and a minimum of the bottom RF signal for the travel time; and

using the second phase for the top RF signal while using the first phase for the bottom RF signal.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the negative ions are formed near the top plasma sheath when the top RF signal is at said maximum, wherein the negative ions are configured to arrive at a bottom plasma sheath when the bottom RF signal is at said minimum.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, further including:

applying a high frequency RF signal to the bottom electrode,

wherein the top RF signal and the bottom RF signal are low frequency RF signals, wherein the high frequency RF signal has a frequency of about 27 MHz,

wherein the top RF signal and the bottom RF signal each have a frequency of about 2 MHz.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the top RF signal and the bottom RF signal each has a frequency between 0.2 MHz and 2 MHz.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the chamber is configured to generate positive ions when the bottom RF signal has about a maximum value.

14. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the distance between the top electrode and the bottom electrode is between 15 mm and 100 mm.

15. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the travel time is calculated as the distance between the top electrode and the bottom electrode divided by a velocity of a negative ion travelling in the plasma.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the velocity of the negative ions is calculated as