# US 2009/0260763 A1 · Plasma processing with preionized and predissociated tuning gases and associated systems and methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2009/0260763 A1 - Document ID: US20090260763A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/107,165 - Filed: 2008-04-22 - Published: 2009-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2008-04-22 - Assignees: Micron Technology, Inc. - Inventors: Mark Kiehlbauch - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20090260763A1 ## CPC - H01J 37/32009: {Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources (plasma generation in general H05H1/24)} - B81C 1/00531: {Dry etching} - H01J 37/32449: {Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow} - H01J 37/32541: {Shape} - H01J 37/32577: {Electrical connecting means} - H01J 37/32715: {Workpiece holder} - C23C 16/45521: {the gas, other than thermal contact gas, being introduced the rear of the substrate to flow around its periphery} - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) - B81C: PROCESSES OR APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS (making microcapsules or microballoons B01J13/02; processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/01) - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) ## Abstract Plasma processing systems and methods for using pre-dissociated and/or pre-ionized tuning gases are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a plasma processing system includes a reaction chamber, a support element in the reaction chamber, and one or more cathode discharge assemblies in the reaction chamber. The reaction chamber is configured to produce a plasma in an interior volume of the chamber. The support element positions a microelectronic workpiece in the reaction chamber, and the cathode discharge assembly supplies an at least partially dissociated and/or ionized tuning gas to the workpiece in the chamber. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for plasma processing of a microelectronic workpiece, the system comprising: a reaction chamber configured to produce a plasma in an interior volume of the chamber; a gas distributor in the reaction chamber for delivering a non-dissociated and non-ionized process gas to the interior volume of the chamber; a support element in the reaction chamber for positioning a microelectronic workpiece adjacent to the plasma; and a cathode discharge assembly in the reaction chamber, the cathode discharge assembly being spaced apart from the gas distributor and configured to deliver an at least partially dissociated and/or ionized tuning gas to the workpiece separate from the process gas. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the gas distributor is configured to direct the process gas downward and the cathode discharge assembly is configured to direct the tuning gas upward. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the support element includes an outer perimeter, and wherein the cathode discharge assembly is at the outer perimeter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the cathode discharge assembly includes a flow port for delivering the tuning gas to an edge of the workpiece. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the cathode discharge assembly comprises: a cathode; an anode; an insulator separating the cathode from the anode; and a flow port extending through the cathode, the anode, and the insulator. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the reaction chamber further includes a charge coupled plasma source or an inductively coupled plasma source. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of cathode discharge assemblies in the reaction chamber. ### Claim 8 A plasma reactor, comprising: a reaction chamber; a support element in the chamber for carrying a microelectronic workpiece in a workpiece plane; one or more cathode discharge assemblies in the chamber, wherein individual cathode discharge assemblies have a flow port configured to direct a tuning gas upwardly away from the workpiece plane; and a power supply electrically coupled with the cathode discharge assemblies to control the dissociation and/or ionization of the tuning gas within the flow port. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The reactor of claim 8 wherein the individual cathode discharge assemblies include a cathode and an anode surrounding a portion of the flow port, and wherein the power supply is configured to control an electric field region defined by the cathode and the anode. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The reactor of claim 8, further comprising a signal delivery device operably coupled with the power supply for automatically or semiautomatically controlling etching parameters at a surface of the workpiece via the power supply. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The reactor of claim 10 wherein the power supply comprises a first power supply and the support element includes a first electrode surface, and wherein the reactor further comprises: a gas distributor in the chamber, the gas distributor facing the support element, having a second electrode surface, and openings configured to direct a process gas into the chamber and toward the workpiece plane; and a second power supply electrically coupled with the first and second electrodes for dissociating and/or ionizing the process gas, wherein the signal delivery component is also operably coupled with the second power supply. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The reactor of claim 11 wherein the signal delivery component is operably coupled with the gas supply of the process gas and/or the gas supply of the tuning gas to control the rate of flow and/or the pressure of the process gas and/or the tuning gas in the chamber. ### Claim 13 A plasma reactor, comprising: a chamber having an interior volume; and a cathode discharge assembly configured to supply a tuning gas to the interior volume of the chamber, the cathode discharge assembly having a flow port configured to at least partially dissociate and/or ionize the tuning gas as the flow port delivers the tuning gas to the interior volume of the chamber. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The reactor of claim 13, further comprising a gas distributor configured to supply a process gas to the interior volume of the chamber and provide an electrode surface for forming a plasma in the interior volume of the chamber via the process gas and the electrode surface, wherein the cathode discharge assembly is separate from the gas distributor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The reactor of claim 13, further comprising a workpiece support in the interior volume of the chamber, the workpiece support having an outer perimeter that is adjacent to the flow port of the cathode discharge assembly, and wherein the gas distributor is configured to direct the process gas downward toward the support and the cathode discharge assembly is configured to direct the tuning gas upward. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The reactor of claim 13 further comprising: a workpiece support in the interior volume of the chamber, the workpiece support having an outer perimeter; and a plurality of cathode discharge assemblies surrounding the outer perimeter of the workpiece support. ### Claim 17 A plasma processing method, comprising: supplying a process gas to a reaction chamber and flowing the process gas in a first direction toward a workpiece; forming a plasma zone in the chamber using the process gas; flowing a tuning gas through an electric field in a second direction different than the first direction of the process gas, wherein the electric field at least partially dissociates and/or ionizes the tuning gas, and wherein the electric field is outside of the plasma zone in the chamber; and supplying the tuning gas to the plasma zone in the chamber after flowing the tuning gas through the electric field. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the plasma zone is adjacent to a surface of the workpiece in the reaction chamber, and wherein the tuning gas is supplied to an edge of the workpiece. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein supplying the tuning gas to the plasma zone includes flowing a stream of dissociated and/or ionized chemical species into the plasma zone. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein supplying the tuning gas to the plasma zone includes flowing a stream of reactive chemical species to an edge of the workpiece. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20 wherein the reactive chemical species etch the edge of the workpiece and/or passivate the edge of the workpiece. ### Claim 22 A method for plasma processing of a microfeature workpiece, the method comprising: treating a surface of the workpiece in a plasma zone; dissociating and/or ionizing a tuning gas in a region radially outward of the plasma zone; and treating an edge of the workpiece with the dissociated and/or ionized tuning gas. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22 wherein dissociating and/or ionizing the tuning gas comprises flowing the tuning gas through one or more cathode discharge assemblies. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22 wherein the dissociated and/or ionized tuning gas includes a majority population of reactive chemical species that is larger than a minority population of nondissociated and/or nonionizedchemical species. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24 wherein the majority population of reactive chemical species includes dissociated chemical species and/or ionized chemical species.