Plasma process uniformity across a wafer by controlling RF phase between opposing electrodes

• US 8,076,247 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2007
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Collins, Kenneth S., Hanawa, Hiroji, Ramaswamy, Kartik, Buchberger, Douglas A. Jr., Rauf, Shahid, Bera, Kallol, Wong, Lawrence, Merry, Walter R., Miller, Matthew L., Shannon, Steven C., Nguyen, Andrew, Cruse, James P., Carducci, James, Detrick, Troy S., Deshmukh, Subhash, Sun, Jennifer Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vinh, Lan
• Application Number:
  US11/733,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20080180028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: 438/8, 438/9, 438/706, 438/710, 438/712, 438/714, 156/345.47, 156/48, 156/345.35, 156/345.48, 156/47, 216/67, 216/71
• US Class Current: 438/714
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45574 Nozzles for more than one gas
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/5096 Flat-bed apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32091 the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32165 Plural frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32174 Circuits specially adapted for controlling the RF discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6831 using electrostatic chucks

Abstract

A method is provided for processing a workpiece in a plasma reactor chamber. The method includes coupling, to a plasma in the chamber, power of an RF frequency via a ceiling electrode and coupling, to the plasma, power of at least approximately the same RF frequency via a workpiece support electrode. The method also includes providing an edge ground return path. The method further includes adjusting the proportion between (a) current flow between said electrodes and (b) current flow to the edge ground return path from said electrodes, to control plasma ion density distribution uniformity over the workpiece.

Claims

1. A method of processing a workpiece in a plasma reactor chamber, comprising:

coupling, to a plasma in the chamber, power of an RF frequency via a ceiling electrode and coupling, to the plasma, power of at least approximately the same RF frequency via a workpiece support electrode;

providing an edge ground return path; and

adjusting the proportion between (a) current flow through a center RF current path between said electrodes and (b) current flow to the edge ground return path from said electrodes, wherein said adjusting comprises;

(a) determining non-uniformity of radial distribution of plasma ion density in said chamber,

(b) performing one of;

(i) responding to a center-high nonuniformity by reducing a phase difference between RF voltages or currents at said ceiling electrode and said workpiece support electrode,

(ii) responding to an edge high nonuniformity by increasing a phase difference between RF voltages or currents at said ceiling electrode and said workpiece support electrode.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said adjusting comprises changing a phase angle between respective RF power sources coupled to respective ones of said electrodes.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if said nonuniformity is center high, increasing an impedance of said center RF current path relative to impedance of said edge ground return path by adjusting the reactance of a reactive element coupled to one of said electrodes;

if said nonuniformity is edge high, increasing an impedance of said edge ground return path relative to impedance of said center RF current path by adjusting the reactance of a reactive element coupled to one of said electrodes.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said increasing an impedance of said center RF current path relative to impedance of said edge ground return path further comprises adjusting in a first manner the reactances of respective reactive elements coupled to respective ones of said electrodes and wherein said increasing an impedance of said edge ground return path relative to impedance of said center RF current path further comprises adjusting in a second manner the reactances of said respective reactive elements coupled to respective ones of said electrodes.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said adjusting comprises bringing said phase difference closer to an angle of 180 degrees in order to increase current flow between the two electrodes and decrease current flow to the edge ground return path so as to decrease an edge-high non-uniformity in plasma ion density distribution.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said adjusting comprises:

reducing a center-high plasma ion density distribution by decreasing the ratio of current flow between the two electrodes to current flow to the edge ground return path.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said adjusting comprises:

reducing an edge-high plasma ion density distribution nonuniformity by decreasing the ratio of current flow through the edge ground return path to current flow between the two electrodes.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adjusting the plasma ion density distribution by adjusting a gap between the workpiece and the ceiling electrode.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said coupling comprises:

generating said RF power at a frequency f1 from a fundamental frequency f0 for which said RF frequency f1 is a harmonic using a resonator tuned to said RF frequency f1.

6. The method of 1 wherein said adjusting comprises bringing said phase difference closer to an angle of zero degrees in order to decrease current flow between the two electrodes and increase current flow to the edge ground return path so as to decrease a center-high non-uniformity in plasma ion density distribution.

11. A method of processing a workpiece in a plasma reactor chamber, comprising:

coupling, to a plasma in the chamber, power of an RF frequency via a ceiling electrode and coupling, to the plasma, power of at least approximately the same RF frequency via a workpiece support electrode;

providing an edge ground return path;

determining nonuniformity of radial distribution of plasma ion density in said chamber; and

performing one of;

(a) responding to a center high nonuniformity by increasing an impedance of a center RF current path between said electrodes relative to impedance of said edge ground return path by adjusting the reactance of a reactive element coupled to one of said electrodes,

(b) responding to an edge high nonuniformity by increasing an impedance of said edge ground return path relative to impedance of said center RF current path by adjusting the reactance of a reactive element coupled to one of said electrodes.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said adjusting comprises:

reducing a center-high plasma ion density distribution by decreasing the ratio of current flow between the two electrodes to current flow through the edge ground return path.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said adjusting comprises:

reducing an edge-high plasma ion density distribution by decreasing the ratio of current flow through the edge ground return path to current flow between the two electrodes.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

providing both (a) a reactive element coupled to said ceiling electrode and (b) a reactive element coupled to said workpiece support electrode;

wherein said adjusting the reactance comprises adjusting the reactance of both reactive elements.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

adjusting the plasma ion density distribution by adjusting a gap between the workpiece and the ceiling electrode.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein said coupling comprises:

generating said RF power at a frequency f1 from a fundamental frequency f0 for which said RF frequency f1 is a harmonic using a resonator tuned to said RF frequency f1.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

adjusting the plasma ion density distribution by adjusting a gap between the workpiece and the ceiling electrode.

17. A method of processing a workpiece in a plasma reactor chamber, comprising:

coupling, to a plasma in the chamber, power of an RF frequency via a ceiling electrode and coupling, to the plasma, power of at least approximately the same RF frequency via a workpiece support electrode;

providing an edge ground return path;

determining whether radial distribution of plasma ion density in said chamber has a nonuniformity that is one of (i) center high, (ii) edge high; and

performing one of;

(a) responding to a center high nonuniformity by adjusting the phase angle between the RF currents at the two electrodes to increase impedance of a center RF current path between said electrodes relative to impedance of said edge ground return path,

(b) responding to an edge high nonuniformity by adjusting said phase angle to increase impedance of said edge ground return path relative to impedance of said center RF current path if said nonuniformity is edge high.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said adjusting comprises:

reducing a center-high plasma ion density distribution by decreasing the ratio of current flow between the two electrodes to current flow the edge ground return path.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said adjusting comprises:

reducing an edge-high plasma ion density distribution nonuniformity by decreasing the ratio of current flow through the edge ground return path to current flow between the two electrodes.