Plasma processing system with dynamic gas distribution control

A plasma processing system for processing a substrate, comprising:

• a substantially cylindrical plasma processing chamber within which a plasma is both ignited and sustained for said processing, said plasma processing chamber having no separate plasma generation chamber, said plasma processing chamber having an upper end and a lower end;
• a coupling window disposed at an upper end of said plasma processing chamber.
• an RF antenna arrangement disposed above a plane defined by said substrate when said substrate is disposed within said plasma processing chamber for said processing;
• an electromagnet arrangement disposed above said plane defined by said substrate, said electromagnet arrangement being configured so as to result in a radial variation in the static magnetic field topology within said plasma processing chamber in the region proximate said RF antenna when at least one direct current is supplied to said electromagnet arrangement, said radial variation being effective to affect processing uniformity across said substrate;
• a dc power supply coupled to said electromagnet arrangement, said dc power supply having a controller to vary a magnitude of said at least one direct current, thereby changing said radial variation in said magnetic field topology within said plasma processing chamber in said region proximate said antenna to improve said processing uniformity across said substrate;
• and
• a gas flow system coupled to said plasma processing chamber, said gas flow system controlling flow of input gas into at least two different regions of said plasma processing chamber.

A plasma processing system for processing a substrate, comprising:

• a substantially cylindrical plasma processing chamber within which a plasma is both ignited and sustained for said processing, said plasma processing chamber having no separate plasma generation chamber, said plasma processing chamber having an upper end and a lower end;
• a coupling window disposed at an upper end of said plasma processing chamber.
• an RF antenna arrangement disposed above a plane defined by said substrate when said substrate is disposed within said plasma processing chamber for said processing;
• an electromagnet arrangement disposed above said plane defined by said substrate, said electromagnet arrangement being configured so as to result in a radial variation in the static magnetic field topology within said plasma processing chamber in the region proximate said RF antenna when at least one direct current is supplied to said electromagnet arrangement, said radial variation being effective to affect processing uniformity across said substrate;
• a dc power supply coupled to said electromagnet arrangement, said dc power supply having a controller to vary a magnitude of said at least one direct current, thereby changing said radial variation in said magnetic field topology within said plasma processing chamber in said region proximate said antenna to improve said processing uniformity across said substrate;
• and
• a gas flow system coupled to said plasma processing chamber, wherein the gas flow system controls the input gas is released into a first and a second region within the plasma processing chamber, the first region being a top central region within the plasma processing chamber and the second region being a peripheral region of the plasma processing chamber.