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US 12,325,909 B2Granted
EM source for enhanced plasma control
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsAlexander Jansen, Keith A. Miller, Prashanth Kothnur, Martin Riker, David Gunther, Emily Schooley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods for controlling plasma profiles during PVD deposition processes are disclosed. Some embodiments utilize EM coils placed above the target to control the plasma profile during deposition.
Claims14
A plasma cathode assembly comprising:
- a cathode housing having a top, sidewalls and a backing plate enclosing an interior volume with a center axis, the backing plate configured to support a target with an outer diameter during a sputtering process;
- a first EM coil inside the interior volume of the cathode housing, the first EM coil having a first inner diameter and a first outer diameter defining a first coil width, and a first bottom surface and a first top surface defining a first coil thickness;
- a second EM coil inside the interior volume of the cathode housing, the second EM coil having a second inner diameter and a second outer diameter defining a second coil width and a second bottom surface and a second top surface defining a second coil thickness, wherein the first EM coil is within the second inner diameter, the second inner diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the target, and the second outer diameter is outside of the outer diameter of the target;
- and
- a plurality of permanent magnets within the first inner diameter of the first EM coil, the plurality of permanent magnets rotating about the center axis of the cathode housing, the first EM coil and the second EM coil configured to enable a tangential magnetic field to be formed directly below the coils by the plurality of permanent magnets having a “D” shape.
2 more elements
A plasma processing chamber comprising:
- a chamber body comprising a bottom, sidewalls and a ceiling enclosing a process volume;
- a substrate support positioned within the process volume;
- and
- a plasma cathode assembly positioned above the substrate support, the plasma cathode assembly comprising:
- a cathode housing having a top, sidewalls and a backing plate enclosing an interior volume with a center axis, the backing plate configured to support a target with an outer diameter;
- a first EM coil inside the interior volume of the cathode housing, the first EM coil having a first inner diameter and a first outer diameter defining a first coil width;
- a second EM coil inside the interior volume of the cathode housing, the second EM coil having a second inner diameter and a second outer diameter defining a second coil width, wherein the first EM coil is within the second inner diameter, the second inner diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the target, and the second outer diameter is outside of the outer diameter of the target;
- a plurality of permanent magnets within the first inner diameter of the first EM coil, the plurality of permanent magnets rotating about the center axis of the cathode housing, the first EM coil and the second EM coil configured to enable a tangential magnetic field to be formed directly below the coils by the plurality of permanent magnets having a “D” shape.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.