Methods and apparatus for a hybrid capacitively-coupled and an inductively-coupled plasma processing system
AssigneeLam Research Corporation
InventorsAlexei Marakhtanov, Eric Hudson, Rajinder Dhindsa, Neil Benjamin
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Abstract
A capacitively-coupled plasma (CCP) processing system having a plasma processing chamber for processing a substrate is provided. The capacitively-coupled Plasma (CCP) processing system includes an upper electrode and a lower electrode for processing the substrate, which is disposed on the lower electrode during plasma processing. The capacitively-coupled Plasma (CCP) processing system also includes an array of inductor coils arrangement configured to inductively sustain plasma in a gap between the upper electrode and the lower electrode.
Claims19
A capacitively-coupled plasma (CCP) processing system having a plasma processing chamber capable of both CCP processing and inductively coupled plasma processing for processing a substrate, comprising:
- at least an upper electrode and a lower electrode for processing said substrate, said substrate being disposed on said lower electrode during plasma processing, wherein the upper electrode has at least one slit extending through the upper electrode;
- and
- an array of inductor coils arrangement having a plurality of inductor coils, said array of inductor coils arrangement being disposed above and in contact with said upper electrode, said array of inductor coils arrangement configured to inductively sustain plasma in a gap between said upper electrode and said lower electrode, wherein individual ones of at least a subset of said plurality of inductor coils are independently controllable with respect to and between phase and RF power, wherein said array of inductor coils arrangement includes at least
- a set of magnetic cores, wherein each magnetic core is a single unitary magnetic core, and
- a set of coils, each single unitary magnetic core is wound with a coil of said set of coils, wherein a first magnetic core in said set of magnetic cores is separated from an adjacent magnetic core by a distance of about 25 percent to 100 percent of said gap between said upper electrode and said lower electrode.
A plasma processing system having a plasma processing chamber capable of both CCP processing and inductively-coupled plasma processing for processing a substrate, comprising:
- at least an upper electrode and a lower electrode for processing said substrate, said substrate being disposed on said lower electrode during plasma processing wherein the upper electrode has at least one slit extending through the upper electrode;
- and
- an array of inductor coils arrangement having a plurality of inductor coils, said array of inductor coils arrangement being disposed above and in contact with said upper electrode, each inductor coil of said array of inductor coils arrangement employing a single unitary magnetic core of magnetic material and configured to inductively sustain plasma in a gap between said upper electrode and said lower electrode, wherein individual ones of at least a subset of said plurality of inductor coils are independently controllable with respect to and between phase and RF power and wherein magnetic cores of adjacent ones of said a subset of said plurality of inductor coils are arranged in an alternating pole configuration, wherein a first magnetic core in said magnetic cores is separated from an adjacent magnetic core of said magnetic cores that is adjacent to said first magnetic core by a distance of about 25 percent to 100 percent of said gap between said upper electrode and said lower electrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.