Electric field uniformity on distributed electrode
AssigneeASM IP Holding B.V.
InventorJordan Alexander THIMOT
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In one embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to a system for providing improved electric field uniformity to a plasma chamber receiving multiple signal inputs. The system includes one or more dielectrics distributing received energy to one or more antennas. The one or more dielectrics have N receiving areas. N circular waveguides are positioned over the N receiving areas. Each of waveguides has a mode converter converting a received first transverse mode signal to a second transverse mode signal to be output by the circular waveguide to the corresponding receiving area.
Claims20
A system for providing energy to a plasma chamber having multiple power signal inputs, the system comprising:
- one or more dielectrics configured to distribute received energy to one or more antennas of a plasma chamber, the one or more dielectrics comprising N receiving areas positioned at a substantially equal distance from each other and at a substantially equal distance from a center point, wherein N is a natural number greater than one;
- N circular waveguides positioned over the N receiving areas of the one or more dielectrics such that each receiving area of the N receiving areas has a corresponding circular waveguide of the N circular waveguides, wherein each of the N circular waveguides comprises:
- a mode converter configured to convert a received first transverse mode signal to a second transverse mode signal to be output by the circular waveguide to the corresponding receiving area of the one or more dielectrics.
The system of claim 8 wherein each of the N antennas is positioned over a corresponding bottom dielectric.
A semiconductor processing system comprising:
- a power source transmitting, via N outputs, N first transverse mode signals, wherein N is a natural number greater than 1;
- and
- a plasma chamber comprising:
- N circular waveguides configured to receive the N first transverse mode signals, wherein each of the N circular waveguides comprises
- a mode converter configured to convert the received first transverse mode signal to a second transverse mode signal to be output by the circular waveguide;
- and
- one or more dielectrics configured to receive the second transverse mode signals from the N circular waveguides and to distribute energy from the second transverse mode signals to one or more antennas of the plasma chamber, the one or more dielectrics comprising N receiving areas positioned at a substantially equal distance from each other and at a substantially equal distance from a center point;
- wherein the N circular waveguides are positioned adjacent to the N receiving areas of the one or more dielectrics such that each receiving area of the N receiving areas has a corresponding circular waveguide of the N circular waveguides.
A system for providing energy to a plasma chamber having multiple power signal inputs, the system comprising:
- N dielectrics evenly positioned at a substantially equal distance from a center point, wherein N is a natural number greater than one;
- N antennas, wherein each dielectric of the N dielectrics is positioned over a corresponding antenna of the N antennas, and each dielectric of the N dielectrics is configured to provide received energy to its corresponding antenna of the N antennas;
- N circular waveguides, wherein each of the N circular waveguides is positioned over a corresponding one of the N dielectrics, wherein each of the N circular waveguides comprises
- a mode converter configured to convert a received first transverse mode signal to a second transverse mode signal to be output by the circular waveguide to the corresponding dielectric of the one or more dielectrics.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.