System, method and apparatus for RF power compensation in a plasma processing system

A method for adjusting a plasma process recipe comprising:

• determining an RF compensation adjustment including:
• applying a calibration plasma process to at least one wafer in a plasma processing chamber;
• measuring at least one plasma parameter during the calibration plasma process;
• and
• comparing the measured at least one plasma parameter to a corresponding at least one plasma parameter predicted by a complete RF transmission line model to determine an RF compensation adjustment, the complete RF transmission line model including an RF transmission path, a plasma in the plasma processing chamber and an RF return path;
• receiving the RF compensation adjustment in an RF power compensation logic;
• adjusting at least one of a plurality of plasma processing settings included in the plasma processing recipe;
• storing the adjusted at least one of a plurality of plasma processing settings;
• and
• applying a plasma process to a process wafer, the applied plasma process including the adjusted at least one of the plurality of plasma processing settings.

A plasma processing system comprising:

• a plasma processing chamber including an electrostatic chuck;
• an RF transmission path including:
• at least one RF generator;
• a match circuit having an input coupled to an output of the at least one RF generator;
• and
• an RF feed coupling a match circuit output to an RF input to an electrostatic chuck input;
• an RF return path coupled between the plasma processing chamber and the at least one RF generator;
• and
• a plasma processing system controller coupled to the plasma processing chamber and the RF transmission path, the plasma processing system controller including:
• a recipe logic including computer readable instructions for at least one plasma processing recipe including a plurality of plasma processing settings;
• and
• an RF power compensation logic including:
• computer readable instructions for adjusting at least one of the plurality of plasma processing settings;
• computer readable instructions for measuring a plasma induced voltage on a wafer during a calibration plasma process;
• and
• computer readable instructions for comparing the plasma induced voltage measured on the wafer to a corresponding plasma induced voltage on the wafer as predicted by a complete RF transmission line model, the complete RF transmission line model including RF models for the RF transmission path, a plasma produced in the plasma processing chamber and the RF return path.