Methods and apparatus for synchronizing RF pulses in a plasma processing system
First Claim
1. A synchronized pulsing arrangement comprising:
- a first RF generator for providing a first RF signal, said first RF signal provided to a plasma processing chamber to energize plasma therein, said first RF signal representing a pulsing RF signal; and
a second RF generator for providing a second RF signal to said plasma processing chamber, said second RF generator having a sensor subsystem for detecting at an output of the second RF generator values of at least one parameter associated with said plasma processing chamber indicating a change in pulsing of said first RF signal from a first state to a second state, said second RF generator having a pulse controlling subsystem for pulsing said second RF signal provided by the second RF generator in response to detecting that the values of said at least one parameter at the output of the second RF generator indicate a change in pulsing of said first RF signal from the first state to the second state,wherein the first RF signal in the first state has a different forward power level from a forward power level of the first RF signal in the second state,wherein the first RF generator and the sensor subsystem of the second RF generator are coupled to an impedance matching network.
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Abstract
A synchronized pulsing arrangement for providing at least two synchronized pulsing RF signals to a plasma processing chamber of a plasma processing system is provided. The arrangement includes a first RF generator for providing a first RF signal. The first RF signal is provided to the plasma processing chamber to energize a plasma therein, the first RF signal representing a pulsing RF signal. The arrangement also includes a second RF generator for providing a second RF signal to the plasma processing chamber. The second RF generator has a sensor subsystem for detecting values of at least one parameter associated with the plasma processing chamber that reflects whether the first RF signal is pulsed high or pulsed low and a pulse controlling subsystem for pulsing the second RF signal responsive to the detecting the values of at least one parameter.
153 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A synchronized pulsing arrangement comprising:
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a first RF generator for providing a first RF signal, said first RF signal provided to a plasma processing chamber to energize plasma therein, said first RF signal representing a pulsing RF signal; and a second RF generator for providing a second RF signal to said plasma processing chamber, said second RF generator having a sensor subsystem for detecting at an output of the second RF generator values of at least one parameter associated with said plasma processing chamber indicating a change in pulsing of said first RF signal from a first state to a second state, said second RF generator having a pulse controlling subsystem for pulsing said second RF signal provided by the second RF generator in response to detecting that the values of said at least one parameter at the output of the second RF generator indicate a change in pulsing of said first RF signal from the first state to the second state, wherein the first RF signal in the first state has a different forward power level from a forward power level of the first RF signal in the second state, wherein the first RF generator and the sensor subsystem of the second RF generator are coupled to an impedance matching network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 27)
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14. A synchronized pulsing arrangement comprising:
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a first RF generator for providing a first RF signal, said first RF signal provided to a plasma processing chamber to energize plasma therein, said first RF signal representing a pulsing RF signal; control circuitry for generating a pulse control signal to control pulsing by said first RF generator; a second RF generator for providing a second RF signal to said plasma processing chamber, said second RF generator having a sensor subsystem for detecting at an output of the second RF generator values of at least one parameter associated with said plasma processing chamber indicating a change in pulsing of said first RF signal from a first state to a second state, said second RF generator having a pulse controlling subsystem for pulsing said second RF signal provided by the second RF generator in response to detecting that the values of said at least one parameter at the output of the second RF generator indicate a change in pulsing of said first RF signal from the first state to the second state, wherein the first RF signal in the first state has a different forward power range level from a forward power level of the first RF signal in the second state, wherein the first RF generator and the sensor subsystem of the second RF generator are coupled to an impedance matching network; and a third RF generator for providing a third RF signal to said plasma processing chamber, said third RF generator having a sensor subsystem for detecting values at an output of the third RF generator of said at least one parameter associated with said plasma processing chamber indicating a change in pulsing of said first RF signal from the first state to the second state, said third RF generator having a pulse controlling subsystem for pulsing said third RF signal provided by the third RF generator in response to detecting that the values of said at least one parameter at the output of the third RF generator indicate a change in pulsing of said first RF signal from the first state to the second state, wherein said second RF generator does not pulse responsive to a signal from said control circuitry, said second RF generator pulses said second RF signal at least one of high-to-low and low-to-high responsive to said detecting said values of said at least one parameter associated with said plasma processing chamber, and wherein said third RF generator does not pulse responsive to the signal from said control circuitry, said third RF generator pulses said third RF signal at least one of high-to-low and low-to-high responsive to said detecting said values of said at least one parameter associated with said plasma processing chamber. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A system comprising:
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a first RF generator for generating a first RF signal; a second RF generator for generating a second RF signal at an output; a third RF generator for generating a third RF signal at an output; an impedance matching network connected to the first RF generator for receiving the first RF signal, the impedance matching network connected to the second RF generator for receiving the second RF signal; a plasma processing chamber coupled to the impedance matching network; control circuitry coupled to the first RF generator for generating a pulse control signal to control pulsing by the first RF generator; the second RF generator having a sensor subsystem for detecting at the output of the second RF generator values of a parameter associated with the plasma processing chamber indicating a change in pulsing of the first RF signal from a first state to a second state, the first RF signal in the first state having a different forward power level from a forward power level of the first RF signal in the second state, the second RF generator having an RF generator pulse controlling subsystem for pulsing the second RF signal generated by the second RF generator in response to detecting that the values of the parameter at the output of the second RF generator indicate a change in pulsing of the first RF signal from the first state to the second state, the third RF generator having a sensor subsystem for detecting values at the output of the third RF generator of the parameter associated with the plasma processing chamber indicating a change in pulsing of the first RF signal from the first state to the second state, the third RF generator having an RF generator pulse controlling subsystem for pulsing the third RF signal generated by the third RF generator in response to detecting that the values of the parameter at the output of the third RF generator indicate a change in pulsing of the first RF signal from the first state to the second state. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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Specification