Embedded plasma source for plasma density improvement
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorJozef Brcka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for regulating the plasma characteristics in a plasma processing system that includes a plasma generating assembly that generates a primarily inductively-coupled plasma from a process gas in a processing space to process a substrate. A walled enclosure is provided adjacent the processing space and is configured to generate a capacitively-coupled plasma from process gas therein. The enclosure further includes one or more outlets that permit the capacitively-coupled plasma to enter into the processing space. Charged particles from the capacitively-coupled plasma may be applied to alter the plasma density of the inductively-coupled plasma or to reduce the power required to generate the inductively-coupled plasma.
Claims24
An apparatus for processing a substrate with a plasma, the apparatus comprising:
- a vacuum chamber having a chamber wall defining a processing space therein and having a central longitudinal axis;
- a substrate support disposed in the processing space for supporting a substrate;
- a process gas supply in fluid communication with the vacuum chamber, said gas supply for selectively providing a process gas into said processing space;
- a plasma generating assembly operable for exciting the process gas in the processing space to generate a plasma;
- and
- an enclosure disposed within said vacuum chamber, wherein said enclosure is configured to define at least one cavity operable for containing a portion of the plasma which is sustained by capacitively-coupled energy from the plasma generating assembly, and the enclosure including at least one outlet configured for fluid communication with said processing space, so that the capacitively-coupled plasma within each cavity and each outlet can enter into the processing space.
An ionized physical vapor deposition apparatus comprising:
- a vacuum chamber having a chamber wall defining a processing space therein;
- a substrate support disposed in the processing space for supporting a substrate;
- a process gas supply in fluid communication with the vacuum chamber, said gas supply for selectively providing a process gas into said processing space;
- a source of a coating material positioned in the processing space opposite the substrate support;
- a dielectric window disposed in said chamber wall;
- an excitation coil positioned adjacent the dielectric window;
- a radio frequency power supply operably connected to the excitation coil so as to inductively couple radio frequency power into the vacuum chamber for forming an inductively coupled plasma in the processing space when the radio frequency power supply is energized;
- and
- an enclosure disposed within said vacuum chamber, wherein said enclosure is configured to define at least one cavity operable for containing a portion of the plasma which is sustained by capacitively-coupled energy from the excitation coil, and the enclosure includes at least one outlet configured for fluid communication with said processing space, so that the capacitively-coupled plasma in each cavity and each outlet can enter into said processing space.
An apparatus for processing a substrate with a plasma, the apparatus comprising:
- a vacuum chamber having a processing space, said processing space filled with a process gas;
- means for exciting the process gas to generate a plasma, said plasma exciting means selectively operable to sustain an inductively-coupled plasma in the processing space of the vacuum chamber;
- and
- an enclosure disposed within the vacuum chamber, wherein said enclosure is configured to define at least one cavity operable for containing a portion of the plasma generated by capacitively-coupled energy from the plasma exciting means, and the enclosure including at least one outlet configured for fluid communication with said processing space, so that the capacitively-coupled plasma within each cavity and each outlet can enter the processing space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.