Method and apparatus for bias deposition in a modulating electric field
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorBradley O. Stimson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for achieving conformal step coverage of one or more materials on a substrate using sputtered ionized material. In one embodiment, a chamber having one or more current return plates, a support member, an electromagnetic field generator and a support member is provided. The target provides a source of material to be sputtered by a plasma and then ionized by an inductive coil, thereby producing electrons and ions. During processing, a bias is applied to the support member by an RF power source. The return plates are selectively energized to provide a return path for the RF currents, thereby affecting the orientation of an electric field in the chamber.
Claims35
A plasma processing system, comprising:
- (a) a processing chamber body forming a cavity;
- (b) a target disposed in the cavity;
- (c) a substrate support member disposed in the cavity, wherein the cavity includes a processing region disposed between the target and the substrate support;
- (d) a coil disposed about the processing region;
- (e) at least two current return plates disposed in the cavity;
- and
- (f) a phase shift power source comprising a signal generator electrically coupled to the support member and the at least two current return plates.
A method for operating a deposition vacuum chamber comprising a target at one end of the vacuum chamber, a substrate support member on another end of the vacuum chamber and at least two current return plates disposed between the ends of the vacuum chamber, the method comprising:
- (a) supplying a first signal to the target;
- (b) supplying a reference signal to the substrate support member;
- and
- (c) modulating a resultant electric field between the substrate support member and the at least two current return plates by changing a phase relationship between the reference signal and a phase shifted signal on the at least two current return plates.
A plasma processing system, comprising:
- (a) a processing chamber body forming a cavity;
- (b) a substrate support member disposed in the cavity;
- (c) at least two current return plates disposed in the cavity;
- and
- (d) a phase shift power source comprising (i) a signal generator electrically coupled to the support member and the at least two current return plates and (ii) a phase modulator electrically coupled between the signal generator and the at least two current return plates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.