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AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorJohn Donohue
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The present invention describes a system and method for monitoring a material film within a plasma processing device. The plasma processing device comprises a plasma reactor formed by a reactor wall and an electrode, a RF generator to couple electrical energy to the electrode, an impedance match network to maximize the transfer of electrical energy from the RF generator to the plasma through the electrode, and an electrical measurement device for measuring an electrical property of the plasma processing device. The present invention further provides a method of monitoring the state of the wall film comprising the steps of energizing the electrode by coupling electrical energy from the RF generator through the impedance match network to the electrode and forming a plasma, measuring an electrical property between the RF generator and the electrode, and determining a state of the film on the reactor wall, wherein the determining includes correlating an electrical property with the state of the wall film. In addition, the present invention provides a method for determining a time for scheduling at least one of a cleaning process and a maintenance process for the plasma reactor when the state of the film exceeds a threshold value.
A film monitoring system for a plasma processing device, the system comprising:
A method of monitoring a film in a plasma reactor, said plasma reactor comprises a reactor wall, an electrode, a RF generator coupled to said electrode, said RF generator configured to couple electrical energy to said electrode, an impedance match network for maximizing the coupling of said electrical energy to said electrode, the method comprising the steps of:
A method of monitoring a film by detecting a change in an electrical property of a RF circuit, said RF circuit comprises a RF generator coupled to an impedance match network, said impedance match network coupled to an electrode, said electrode coupled to a reactor wall through a plasma processing space, and said reactor wall having said film formed thereon and coupled to ground, the method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.