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US 6,652,717 B1Granted
Use of variable impedance to control coil sputter distribution
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorLiubo Hong
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Variable reactances in an impedance-matching box for an RF coil, in a plasma deposition system for depositing a film of sputtered target material on a substrate, can be varied during the deposition process so that the RF coil and substrate heating, and the film deposition, are more uniform due to “time-averaging” of the RF voltage distributions along the RF coil.
Claims92
A semiconductor fabrication system for sputtering material onto a substrate, the system comprising:
- a semiconductor fabrication chamber having a plasma generation area within said chamber;
- said chamber having a target of said material for sputtering;
- a coil positioned to couple energy into said plasma generation area;
- and
- an impedance-matching box coupled to said coil, said impedance-matching box having a continuously tunable variable reactance adapted to shift voltage distributions in a predetermined continuous path along said coil to thereby time-average said voltage distributions along said coil.
2 more elements
A semiconductor fabrication system, comprising:
- a semiconductor fabrication chamber having a plasma generation area within said chamber;
- a coil positioned to couple energy into said plasma generation area to maintain a plasma in said plasma generation area, said coil having a plurality of voltage values distributed along said coil;
- and
- means for shifting said distribution of voltage values in a predetermined continuous path along said coil.
1 more element
A semiconductor fabrication system, comprising:
- a semiconductor fabrication chamber having a plasma generation area within said chamber;
- a coil positioned to couple energy into said plasma generation area to maintain a plasma in said plasma generation area, said coil having a plurality of voltage values distributed along said coil;
- a first inductor coupled between said coil and ground;
- and
- means for changing the inductance of said first inductor so as to shift voltage distributions in a predetermined continuous oath along said coil.
2 more elements
A semiconductor fabrication system for use with an RF generator, comprising:
- a semiconductor fabrication chamber having a plasma generation area within said chamber;
- a coil carried by said chamber and positioned to couple energy into said plasma generation area to maintain a plasma in said plasma generation area, said coil having a first end and a second end wherein said first end is adapted to be coupled to said RF generator;
- a first variable inductor coupled between said coil second end and ground, said first inductor having a first core adapted to move within said first inductor;
- and
- a second variable inductor adapted to be coupled between said coil first end and said RF generator, said second inductor having a second core adapted to move within said second inductor, said second core being mechanically coupled to said first core so that said first and second cores move in unison.
2 more elements
A semiconductor fabrication process for sputtering material onto a substrate, the process comprising:
- energizing a coil of a semiconductor fabrication chamber having a plasma generation area within said chamber, said chamber having a target of said material for sputtering, said coil positioned to couple energy into said plasma generation area to ionize said sputtered target material to form a layer of said sputtered target material on said substrate;
- and
- time-averaging voltage distributions along said coil by shifting said voltage distributions in a predetermined continuous path along said coil using an impedance-matching box connected to said coil, said impedance-matching box having a continuously tunable variable reactance.
A semiconductor fabrication process comprising:
- energizing a coil positioned to couple energy into a plasma generation area to maintain a plasma in said plasma generation area;
- and
- changing the inductance of a first inductor coupled to said coil so as to shift voltage distributions in a predetermined continuous path along said coil.
A semiconductor fabrication process, comprising:
- energizing a coil positioned to couple energy into a plasma generation area to maintain a plasma in said plasma generation area, said coil having a plurality of voltage values distributed along said coil;
- and;
- shifting said distribution of voltage values in a predetermined continuous path along said coil.
A semiconductor fabrication system, comprising:
- a semiconductor fabrication chamber having a plasma generation area within said chamber;
- a coil positioned to couple energy into said plasma generation area to maintain a plasma in said plasma generation area, said coil having a plurality of voltage values distributed along said coil;
- and
- a voltage distribution controller adapted to shift said distribution of voltage values in a predetermined continuous path along said coil.
1 more element
A semiconductor fabrication system, comprising:
- a semiconductor fabrication chamber having a plasma generation area within said chamber;
- a coil positioned to couple energy into said plasma generation area to maintain a plasma in said plasma generation area, said coil having a plurality of voltage values distributed along said coil;
- a first inductor coupled between said coil and ground;
- and
- an inductance controller adapted to change the inductance of said first inductor so as to shift said voltage value distribution in a predetermined continuous path along said coil.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.