Multiple frequency plasma processor method and apparatus

A vacuum plasma processor for a workpiece comprising a vacuum chamber including first and second electrodes for supplying plasma excitation fields to a region of the chamber adapted to be responsive to gas adapted to be converted into a plasma for processing the workpiece, the chamber being arranged for carrying the workpiece while the plasma exciting fields are supplied to the region, a plasma excitation source arrangement having a set of frequencies, the set of frequencies including three frequencies, the plasma source arrangement being arranged for deriving electric energy at the set of frequencies, the plasma excitation source arrangement including circuitry for coupling the frequency of the set to the first electrode for enabling plasma exciting electric fields at the frequency of the set to be coupled to the plasma.

A vacuum plasma processor for a workpiece comprising a vacuum chamber including first and second electrodes for supplying plasma excitation fields to a region of the chamber adapted to be responsive to gas adapted to be converted into a plasma for processing the workpiece, the chamber being arranged for carrying the workpiece while the plasma exciting fields are supplied to the region, a plasma excitation source arrangement for deriving electric energy at a set of frequencies, the set of frequencies comprising three frequencies, the plasma excitation source arrangement including circuitry for selectively enabling coupling of the frequencies of the set to at least one of the first and second electrodes for enabling plasma exciting electric fields at the frequencies of the set to be coupled to the plasma, the circuitry and the chamber including a controller for selectively connecting the second electrode to a reference potential during a first workpiece processing time period and for selectively supplying the same frequency to the first and second electrodes during a second work piece processing time period.

A vacuum plasma processor for processing a workpiece comprising a vacuum chamber including an electrode arrangement for supplying plasma excitation fields to a region of the chamber adapted to be responsive to gas adapted to be converted into a plasma for processing the workpiece, the chamber being arranged for carrying the workpiece while the plasma excitation fields are supplied to the region, the electrode arrangement including first and second electrodes respectively on opposite first and second sides of the region and a third electrode on said first side of the region, the third electrode being peripheral to and electrically insulated from the first electrode, a plasma excitation source arrangement for deriving electric energy at plural frequencies, the plasma excitation source arrangement being arranged for selectively coupling energy at the plural frequencies to the first, second and third electrodes for causing current at at least one of the plural frequencies to flow in the third electrode without current at all of the frequencies flowing in the third electrode.

A vacuum plasma processor comprising a vacuum chamber including therein a first electrode and a second electrode, the first and second electrodes being arranged for coupling plasma excitation fields to gas in the chamber, the chamber being arranged for carrying a workpiece while the plasma excitation fields are coupled to the plasma, and a plasma excitation source arrangement for enabling the first and second electrodes to couple the electric energy at a set of frequencies to the plasma incident on the workpiece, the set of frequencies comprising three frequencies, wherein the plasma excitation source arrangement is arranged for simultaneously applying first, second, and third frequencies of the set to the first electrode while the second electrode is at a reference potential, the first of the frequencies being in the range of 100 kHz to 10 MHz, the second of the frequencies being in the range of 10 MHz to 150 MHz, and the third of the frequencies being in the range of 27 MHz to 300 MHz.