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US 10,483,091 B1Granted
Selective ion filtering in a multipurpose chamber
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsLawrence A. Clevenger, Roger Allan Quon, Theodorus E. Standaert, Wei Wang, Chih-Chao Yang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multipurpose semiconductor process chamber includes a vessel wall that encloses contiguous first and second volumes of the multipurpose chamber, and means for selectively effectively preventing ions moving across a plane that partitions the first volume from the second volume. For example, the means can include an electromagnet, or at least one permanent magnet, that is operable to impose and remove a magnetic field with field lines extending in the plane.
Claims10
A method comprising:
- placing a semiconductor wafer into a first volume of a multipurpose chamber having contiguous first and second volumes;
- establishing a vacuum in the multipurpose chamber;
- activating an ion filter to effectively prevent ions moving between first and second volumes;
- producing a first plasma in the second volume of the multipurpose chamber, such that the ion filter effectively prevents ions of the first plasma entering the first volume;
- venting the first plasma from the multipurpose chamber;
- de-activating the ion filter to permit ions to move between the first and second volumes;
- and
- producing a second plasma in the second volume of the multipurpose chamber, such that ions of the second plasma interact with the semiconductor wafer.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.