Plasma enhanced chemical processing reactor and method

A plasma CVD system for depositing a void free layer of material on the surface of a wafer, comprising:

• a plasma chamber having a source of electromagnetic energy, said source having a helical resonator and a capacitive shield disposed within said helical resonator for exciting a gas to form a plasma having an ion density of equal to or greater than 10.sup.11 ions/cm.sup.3 ;
• a process chamber communicating with said plasma chamber for receiving reactive gases and whereby the plasma extends into said process chamber;
• a support, in said processing chamber, for supporting a wafer for interaction with the reactive gases and the plasma extending into the process chamber to form a layer of material on the surface of said wafer;
• a continuous annular gas manifold disposed in said process chamber above said support mounted along the periphery of said process chamber for directing reactive gases towards said support in such proximity that the density of the reactive gases is substantially uniform at the surface of said wafer, whereby the reactive gases interact with the plasma to process the surface of said wafer supported on said support:
• and
• a vacuum system, with an opening disposed directly beneath said support to promote substantially equal effective pumping speed at the wafer, and for evacuating said process chamber,
• wherein said layer fills gaps on said surface having a width of less than approximately 0.5 microns and a depth greater than or equal to two times the width without the presence of voids.

A plasma CVD system, comprising:

• a plasma chamber;
• a first gas injection -manifold communicating with said plasma chamber;
• a source of electromagnetic energy;
• a process chamber communicating with the plasma chamber;
• a wafer support for supporting a wafer, said wafer support being substantially axially aligned with said process chamber;
• a continuous annular gas manifold for receiving a first gas and a plurality of reactive gases wherein said first gas is excited by said source of electromagnetic energy to form a plasma, said continuous annular gas manifold being substantially axially aligned with said process chamber above said wafer support mounted along the periphery of said process chamber and where reactive gases are directed towards said wafer support in such proximity that the density of the reactive gases is substantially uniform at the surface of said wafer, whereby the reactive gases interact with the plasma and deposit a material on the wafer;
• and
• a vacuum system substantially axially aligned with said process chamber with an opening disposed directly beneath said wafer support to promote substantially equal effective pumping speed at the wafer, and for providing substantially axial flow of the gases around the surface of the wafer and for removing gases from said process chamber in a substantially symmetrical manner.

A plasma chemical processing reactor, comprising:

• a cylindrical plasma chamber;
• a first gas injection manifold communicating with said plasma chamber;
• a source of electromagnetic energy having a helical resonator and a capacitive shield disposed within said helical resonator, for exciting at least a first gas to form a plasma having an ion density of equal to or greater than 10.sup.11 ions/cm.sup.3 ;
• a cylindrical process chamber communicating with the plasma chamber;
• a wafer support for supporting a wafer in coupled relationship to said plasma, said wafer support being disposed on axis within said process chamber and attached to at least one vertical surface of said process chamber such that said wafer support is suspended within said process chamber;
• a continuous annular gas manifold for receiving the at least a first gas and a plurality of reactive gases, disposed on axis within said process chamber, above said wafer support and mounted along the periphery of said process chamber for directing reactive gases towards said wafer support in such proximity that the gas density of the reactive gases is substantially uniform at the surface of said wafer, whereby the reactive gases interact with the plasma to deposit a material on the wafer;
• and
• a vacuum system communicating with said process chamber, with an opening disposed directly beneath said wafer support to promote substantially equal effective pumping speed at the wafer, and being substantially aligned on axis with said process chamber, for providing substantially axial flow of the gases around said wafer and for removing gases from said process chamber in a substantially symmetrical manner.