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US 6,660,134 B1Granted
Feedthrough overlap coil
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsPraburam Gopalraja, Zheng Xu, Michael Rosenstein, John C. Forster
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A coil for inductively coupling RF energy to a plasma in a substrate processing chamber has adjacent spaced and circumferentially overlapping RF feedthroughs adjacent to overlapping ends to improve uniformity of processing of the substrate.
Claims60
An apparatus for processing a semiconductor workpiece, comprising:
- a chamber;
- a holder having a surface adapted to support said workpiece within said chamber;
- a plasma generation area adjacent said holder and within said chamber;
- a coil disposed within said chamber, said coil adapted to inductively couple energy into a plasma in said plasma generation area, said coil having a first end and a second end spaced from said first end, said first end being adjacent to said second end, said coil defining a central axis;
- a first RF feedthrough having a first connector member connected at said first end of said coil;
- and
- a second RF feedthrough having a second connector member connected at said second end of said coil;
- said coil extending around said central axis at least 360 degrees between said first connector member and said second connector member.
5 more elements
An apparatus for ionizing deposition material to be deposited onto a workpiece, comprising:
- a chamber;
- a holder having a surface for supporting said workpiece;
- a plasma generation area adjacent said holder;
- a single turn coil adapted to inductively couple energy into a plasma in said plasma generation area, said coil being exposed to said plasma generation area and having a first end and a second end spaced from said first end and adjacent thereto;
- a first RF feedthrough connected to said first end of said coil;
- and
- a second RF feedthrough connected to said second end of said coil and defining a least distance current path along said coil between said first and second RF feedthroughs, said least distance current path extending at least 360 degrees along said coil between said first RF feedthrough and said second RF feedthrough.
4 more elements
An apparatus for ionizing deposition material to be deposited onto a workpiece, comprising:
- a chamber;
- a sputtering target;
- a holder having a surface adapted to support said workpiece;
- a plasma generation area adjacent said holder;
- a single turn coil adapted to inductively couple energy into a plasma in said plasma generation area, said coil having a first end and a second end spaced from but overlapping said first end, wherein said first end has a first protruding portion and a first recess, and said second end defines a second protruding portion received by but spaced from said first recess, said second end further defining a second recess receiving but spaced from said first protruding portion;
- a first RF feedthrough connector member connected to said first end protruding portion of said coil in said second recess;
- and
- a second RF feedthrough connector member connected to said second end protruding portion of said coil in said first recess.
5 more elements
An apparatus for sputtering material onto a workpiece, comprising:
- a chamber;
- a target disposed in said chamber and adapted to sputter said material onto said workpiece;
- a holder for said workpiece;
- a generally cylindrical shaped plasma generation area between said target and said holder;
- a single turn circular coil adapted to inductively couple energy into a plasma in said plasma generation area, said coil having a first end and a second end spaced from but overlapping said first end, said first end being adjacent to said second end;
- a first RF feedthrough having a first connector member connected to said first end of said coil;
- and
- a second RF feedthrough having a second connector member connected to said second end of said coil, said coil extending at least 360 degrees around at least a portion of said plasma generation area from said first connector member to said second connector member.
5 more elements
A method of processing a semiconductor device, comprising:
- supplying a plasma precursor gas to a chamber;
- and
- radiating RF energy from a coil positioned in said chamber, said coil having two spaced but overlapping ends adjacent to each other, and into a plasma generation area containing a plasma energized by said coil, said radiating including supplying RF energy to said coil through a first RF feedthrough having a first connector member connected to said first end of said coil, and through a second RF feedthrough having a second connector member connected to said second end of said coil;
- wherein a conductive path defined by at least part of said first connector member, at least part of said second connector member, and said coil between said first connector member and said second connector member, extends at least 360 degrees.
1 more element
A method of depositing deposition material onto a workpiece, comprising:
- coupling energy from a coil into a plasma generation area to generate an evenly distributed plasma to ionize said material, said coil covering a full circumference of said plasma generation area and having two spaced but overlapping ends, each end defining a protruding portion and a recess, said radiating including supplying RF energy to said coil through a first RF feedthrough having a first connector member connected to said protruding portion of said first end of said coil, and through a second RF feedthrough having a second connector member connected to said protruding portion of said second end of said coil;
- and
- sputtering said material from said coil onto said workpiece to form a layer of said material on said workpiece.
A method of processing a semiconductor device, comprising:
- supplying a plasma precursor gas to a chamber;
- and
- radiating RF energy from a coil disposed in said chamber, said coil having two spaced but overlapping ends adjacent to each other, said ends each including a connection to an RF energy feedthrough, said coil including a least distance current path around said coil from one coil end connection to the other coil end connection, said least distance current path extending at least 360 degrees between said coil end connections.
A single turn coil for inductively coupling RF energy into a plasma in a plasma generation area in a semiconductor processing apparatus having first and second RF connectors, comprising:
- a conductive member defining a circumference and having a first end and a second end spaced from said first end, said coil having a full axial width;
- said first end of said conductive member having a first connection terminal for connecting to a first RF connector;
- and
- said second end of said conductive member having a second connection terminal for connecting to a second RF connector, said first and second connection terminals defining a least distance current path extending at least 360° along said coil between said first and second connection terminals, said first connection terminal being spaced a distance less than said full axial width from said second connection terminal.
1 more element
A coil for inductively coupling RF energy into a plasma in a plasma generation area in a semiconductor processing apparatus having first and second RF connectors, comprising:
- a conductive member defining a diameter and a full axial width, and having a first end and a second end spaced from said first end;
- said first end of said conductive member having a first connection terminal adapted to connect to a first RF connector;
- and
- said second end of said conductive member having a second connection terminal adapted to connect to a second RF connector, said second connection terminal spaced a distance less than said full axial width from said first connection terminal;
- said conductive member defining a radius, said second connection terminal overlapping said first connection terminal in a radial direction.
2 more elements
A coil for inductively coupling RF energy into a plasma in a plasma generation area in a semiconductor processing apparatus having first and second RF connectors, comprising:
- a conductive member defining a circumference and having a first end and a second end spaced from said first end and adjacent thereto;
- wherein said first end has a first protruding portion and a first recess, and said second end defines a second protruding portion received by but spaced from said first recess, said second end further defining a second recess receiving but spaced from said first protruding portion;
- and wherein said first protruding portion of said first end of said coil conductive member has a first connection terminal adapted to connect to a first RF connector;
- and said second protruding portion of said second end of said coil conductive member has a second connection terminal adapted to connect to a second RF connector.
1 more element
An apparatus for processing a workpiece comprising:
- a plasma chamber;
- a holder having a surface for supporting said workpiece in said plasma chamber;
- a plasma generation area adjacent said holder in said plasma chamber;
- a coil disposed in said plasma chamber for inductively coupling energy into a plasma in said plasma generation area, said coil having a first end and a second end adjacent to said first end;
- a first RF feedthrough having a first connecting member connected to said first end of said coil;
- and
- a second RF feedthrough having a second connecting member connected to said second end of said coil;
- wherein said coil is generally circular in shape and said first connecting member overlaps said second connecting member in a direction selected from the group consisting of axially overlapping, radially overlapping, and both axially and radially overlapping.
5 more elements
An apparatus for processing a semiconductor workpiece, comprising:
- a chamber;
- a holder having a surface adapted to support said workpiece within said chamber;
- a plasma generation area adjacent said holder and within said chamber;
- a coil disposed within said chamber, said coil adapted to inductively couple energy into a plasma in said plasma generation area, said coil having a first end and a second end spaced from said first end, said first end being adjacent to said second end, said coil defining a central axis;
- a first RF feedthrough having a first connector member connected at said first end of said coil;
- and
- a second RF feedthrough having a second connector member connected at said second end of said coil;
- wherein a conductive path defined by at least part of said first connector member, at least part of said second connector member, and said coil between said first connector member and said second connector member, extends at least 360 degrees.
5 more elements
A single turn coil adapted to inductively couple energy into a plasma in a plasma generation area in a chamber, comprising:
- said coil having a first end and a second end spaced from said first end, said first end being adjacent to said second end, said coil defining a central axis;
- a first RF feedthrough having a first connector member connected at said first end of said coil;
- and
- a second RF feedthrough having a second connector member connected at said second end of said coil;
- said coil extending around said central axis at least 360 degrees between said first connector member and said second connector member.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.