Plasma reactor coil magnet
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorAndrej S. Mitrovic
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for processing a workpiece is carried out with a plasma derived from a process gas in a plasma chamber of a plasma processing apparatus during a plasma processing operation. The apparatus includes an array of electromagnets mounted circumferentially around the plasma chamber. The method comprises generating a plasma from a process gas within the chamber and causing plasma particles to strike the workpiece, selecting distributions of current signals for the electromagnets, and applying each selected distribution to the electromagnets to impose more than one magnetic field topology on the plasma during the plasma processing operation.
Claims26
A method for processing a workpiece with a plasma derived from a process gas in a plasma chamber of a plasma processing apparatus during a plasma processing operation, the apparatus including an array of electromagnets mounted circumferentially around the plasma chamber, the method comprising:
- generating a plasma from a process gas within the chamber and causing plasma particles to strike the workpiece;
- selecting distributions of current signals for said electromagnets;
- and
- applying each said selected distribution to said electromagnets to impose more than one magnetic field topology on the plasma during the plasma processing operation.
A method for processing a workpiece with a plasma derived from a process gas in a plasma chamber of a plasma processing apparatus during a plasma processing operation, the apparatus including an array of electromagnets mounted circumferentially around the plasma chamber, the method comprising:
- generating a plasma from a process gas within the chamber and causing plasma particles to strike the workpiece;
- and
- supplying a distribution of current signals to said electromagnets so that said electromagnets impose a rotating bucket magnetic field topology on the plasma during the plasma processing operation.
A plasma processing apparatus for processing a workpiece, the plasma processing apparatus comprising:
- a plasma chamber including an interior region for supporting a plasma;
- a plasma generating source;
- a vacuum system in fluidic communication with the interior region of the plasma chamber;
- a gas supply system in fluidic communication with the interior region of the plasma chamber;
- a plurality of coil magnets mounted circumferentially around the plasma chamber, each coil magnet having an axis extending radially from an axis of the plasma chamber;
- a plurality of arbitrary waveform generators, each being electrically communicated to an associated one of the plurality of coil magnets;
- a control system electrically coupled to the gas supply system, the vacuum system, the cooling system, and the plurality of arbitrary waveform generators, the control system being configured to operate the arbitrary waveform generators so that the coil magnets impose a magnetic field topology on the plasma during the plasma processing operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.