Plasma-enhanced etching in an augmented plasma processing system

A method for etching a substrate in a plasma processing chamber having at least a primary plasma generating region and a secondary plasma generating region separated from said primary plasma generating region by a semi-barrier structure, comprising:

• providing a primary feed gas into said primary plasma generating region;
• providing a secondary feed gas into said secondary plasma generating region, said secondary feed gas being different from said primary feed gas;
• generating a primary plasma from said primary feed gas;
• generating a secondary plasma from said secondary feed gas;
• etching said substrate using at least said primary plasma and neutral species from said secondary plasma, said neutral species migrating from said secondary plasma generating region to said primary plasma generating region across said barrier structure;
• thereafter turning off a power source to said primary plasma generating region, thereby inhibiting formation of said primary plasma;
• providing another secondary feed gas into said secondary plasma generating region to generate another secondary plasma;
• thereafter performing downstream plasma processing on said substrate using species from said another secondary plasma after said species from said another secondary plasma migrates across said barrier structure.

A method for etching a substrate in a plasma processing chamber having at least a primary plasma generating region and a secondary plasma generating region separated from said primary plasma generating region by a semi-barrier structure, comprising:

• providing a primary feed gas into said primary plasma generating region, wherein the primary feed gas is provided to said primary plasma generating region from outside the plasma processing chamber;
• providing a secondary feed gas into said secondary plasma generating region, said secondary feed gas being different from said primary feed gas;
• generating a primary plasma from said primary feed gas, said primary plasma employing a capacitively coupling mechanism;
• generating a secondary plasma from said secondary feed gas;
• and
• etching said substrate using at least said primary plasma and neutral species from said secondary plasma, said neutral species migrating from said secondary plasma generating region to said primary plasma generating region across said semi-barrier structure, said semi-barrier structure providing a barrier to the transfer of charged particles and plasma from the primary plasma generating region to the secondary plasma generating region.