| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| 7620511 |
Method for determining plasma characteristics |
November 17, 2009 |
| Methods for determining characteristics of a plasma are provided. In one embodiment, a method for determining characteristics of a plasma includes obtaining metrics of current and voltage information for first and second waveforms coupled to a plasma at different frequencies, determining |
| 7585685 |
Method of determining wafer voltage in a plasma reactor from applied bias voltage and current an |
September 8, 2009 |
| The voltage of a wafer on the pedestal of an RF plasma reactor is instantly determined from the applied bias current and the applied bias voltage sampled during plasma processing of the wafer using a pair constants. Prior to plasma processing of the wafer, a determination is made of |
| 7585384 |
Apparatus and method to confine plasma and reduce flow resistance in a plasma reactor |
September 8, 2009 |
| An apparatus configured to confine a plasma within a processing region in a plasma processing chamber. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a ring that has a baffle having a plurality of slots and a plurality of fingers. Each slot is configured to have a width less than the thicknes |
| 7554334 |
Matching network characterization using variable impedance analysis |
June 30, 2009 |
| Embodiments of a method of calculating the equivalent series resistance of a matching network using variable impedance analysis and matching networks analyzed using the same are provided herein. In one embodiment, a method of calculating the equivalent series resistance of a matching |
| 7553679 |
Method of determining plasma ion density, wafer voltage, etch rate and wafer current from applie |
June 30, 2009 |
| Plasma parameters such as plasma ion density, wafer voltage, etch rate and wafer current in the chamber are determined from external measurements on the applied RF bias electrical parameters such as voltage and current. The method includes sensing RF parameters corresponding to an input |
| 7541292 |
Plasma etch process with separately fed carbon-lean and carbon-rich polymerizing etch gases in i |
June 2, 2009 |
| A plasma etch process for etching high aspect ratio openings in a dielectric film on a workpiece is carried out in a reactor having a ceiling electrode overlying the workpiece and an electrostatic chuck supporting the workpiece. The process includes injecting a first polymerizing etc |
| 7540971 |
Plasma etch process using polymerizing etch gases across a wafer surface and additional polymer |
June 2, 2009 |
| A plasma etch process etches high aspect ratio openings in a dielectric film on a workpiece in a reactor having a ceiling electrode overlying the workpiece and an electrostatic chuck supporting the workpiece. The process includes injecting a polymerizing etch process gas through an a |
| 7521370 |
Method of operating a plasma reactor chamber with respect to two plasma parameters selected from |
April 21, 2009 |
| A plasma reactor chamber is characterized by performing the following steps: (a) for each one of the chamber parameters, ramping the level of the one chamber parameter while sampling RF electrical parameters at an RF bias power input to the wafer support pedestal and computing from each |
| 7510665 |
Plasma generation and control using dual frequency RF signals |
March 31, 2009 |
| A method for controlling a plasma in a semiconductor substrate processing chamber is provided. The method includes the steps of supplying a first RF signal to a first electrode within the processing chamber at a first frequency selected to cause plasma sheath oscillation at the first |
| 7479456 |
Gasless high voltage high contact force wafer contact-cooling electrostatic chuck |
January 20, 2009 |
| A method of electrostatically chucking a wafer while removing heat from the wafer in a plasma reactor includes providing a polished generally continuous surface on a puck, placing the wafer on the polished surface of the puck and cooling the puck. A chucking voltage is applied to an |
| 7470626 |
Method of characterizing a chamber based upon concurrent behavior of selected plasma parameters |
December 30, 2008 |
| A plasma reactor chamber is characterized by performing two steps for each one of plural selected chamber parameters. The first step consists of ramping the level of the one chamber parameter while sampling RF electrical parameters at an RF bias power input to said wafer support pede |
| 7452824 |
Method of characterizing a chamber based upon concurrent behavior of selected plasma parameters |
November 18, 2008 |
| The invention involves a method of characterizing a plasma reactor chamber through the behavior of many selected plasma parameters as functions of many selected chamber parameters. The plasma parameters may be selected from a group including ion density, wafer voltage, etch rate and wafe |
| 7440859 |
Method for determining plasma characteristics |
October 21, 2008 |
| Methods for determining characteristics of a plasma are provided. In one embodiment, a method for determining characteristics of a plasma includes obtaining metrics of a plasma at two different frequencies, and determining at least one characteristic of the plasma utilizing the metri |
| 7431859 |
Plasma etch process using polymerizing etch gases with different etch and polymer-deposition rat |
October 7, 2008 |
| A plasma etch process includes injecting process gases with different compositions of chemical species through different radial gas injection zones of an overhead electrode to establish a desired distribution of chemical species among the plural gas injection zones. |
| 7375947 |
Method of feedback control of ESC voltage using wafer voltage measurement at the bias supply out |
May 20, 2008 |
| In a plasma reactor having an electrostatic chuck, wafer voltage is determined from RF measurements at the bias input using previously determined constants based upon transmission line properties of the bias input, and this wafer voltage is used to accurately control the DC wafer cla |
| 7359177 |
Dual bias frequency plasma reactor with feedback control of E.S.C. voltage using wafer voltage m |
April 15, 2008 |
| A plasma reactor has a dual frequency plasma RF bias power supply furnishing RF bias power comprising first and second frequency components, f(1), f(2), respectively, and an RF power path having an input end coupled to the plasma RF bias power supply and an output end coupled to the |
| 7286948 |
Method for determining plasma characteristics |
October 23, 2007 |
| Methods for determining characteristics of a plasma are provided. In one embodiment, a method for determining characteristics of a plasma includes obtaining metrics of current and voltage information for first and second waveforms coupled to a plasma at different frequencies, determining |
| 7247218 |
Plasma density, energy and etch rate measurements at bias power input and real time feedback con |
July 24, 2007 |
| A plasma reactor process measurement instrument includes an input phase processor receiving wafer bias voltage, current and power and computing an input impedance, an input current and an input voltage to the transmission line; a transmission line processor for computing a junction a |
| 7221553 |
Substrate support having heat transfer system |
May 22, 2007 |
| A support for a substrate processing chamber has upper and lower walls that are joined by a peripheral sidewall to define a reservoir. A fluid inlet supplies a heat transfer fluid to the reservoir. In one version, a plurality of protrusions extends into the reservoir to perturb the flow |
| 7196283 |
Plasma reactor overhead source power electrode with low arcing tendency, cylindrical gas outlets |
March 27, 2007 |
| An overhead gas distribution electrode forming at least a portion of the ceiling of a plasma reactor has a bottom surface facing a processing zone of the reactor. The electrode includes a gas supply manifold for receiving process gas at a supply pressure at a top portion of the elect |
| 7186943 |
MERIE plasma reactor with overhead RF electrode tuned to the plasma with arcing suppression |
March 6, 2007 |
| A plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor workpiece, includes a reactor chamber having a chamber wall and containing a workpiece support for holding the semiconductor support, the electrode comprising a portion of the chamber wall, an RF power generator for supplying power at a |
| 7132618 |
MERIE plasma reactor with overhead RF electrode tuned to the plasma with arcing suppression |
November 7, 2006 |
| A plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor workpiece, includes reactor chamber having a chamber wall and containing a workpiece support for holding the semiconductor support, the electrode comprising a portion of the chamber wall, an RF power generator for supplying power at a f |
| 7030335 |
Plasma reactor with overhead RF electrode tuned to the plasma with arcing suppression |
April 18, 2006 |
| A plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor workpiece, includes a reactor chamber having a chamber wall and containing a workpiece support for holding the semiconductor workpiece, an overhead electrode overlying said workpiece support, the electrode comprising a portion of said c |
| 6900596 |
Capacitively coupled plasma reactor with uniform radial distribution of plasma |
May 31, 2005 |
| A plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor wafer includes a side wall and an overhead ceiling defining a chamber, a workpiece support cathode within the chamber having a working surface facing the ceiling for supporting a semiconductor workpiece, process gas inlets for introducing a |
| 6894245 |
Merie plasma reactor with overhead RF electrode tuned to the plasma with arcing suppression |
May 17, 2005 |
| A plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor workpiece, includes a reactor chamber having a chamber wall and containing a workpiece support for holding the semiconductor support, the electrode comprising a portion of the chamber wall, an RF power generator for supplying power at a |
| 6879870 |
Method and apparatus for routing harmonics in a plasma to ground within a plasma enhanced semico |
April 12, 2005 |
| A method and apparatus for routing harmonic energy within a plasma to ground in a plasma enhanced semiconductor wafer processing reactor. A model of the chamber is used to determine the pathway for RF power and the harmonic energy of that RF power through the chamber. From this model, th |
| 6853141 |
Capacitively coupled plasma reactor with magnetic plasma control |
February 8, 2005 |
| A plasma reactor includes a vacuum enclosure including a side wall and a ceiling defining a vacuum chamber, and a workpiece support within the chamber and facing the ceiling for supporting a planar workpiece, the workpiece support and the ceiling together defining a processing region |
| 6838635 |
Plasma reactor with overhead RF electrode tuned to the plasma |
January 4, 2005 |
| In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a plasma reactor has a capacitive electrode driven by an RF power source, and the electrode capacitance is matched at the desired plasma density and RF source frequency to the negative capacitance of the plasma, to provide an electrode |
| 6652712 |
Inductive antenna for a plasma reactor producing reduced fluorine dissociation |
November 25, 2003 |
| An inductive antenna of a plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor wafer is connected to a radio frequency (RF) power source, and consists of a conductor arranged in successive loops that wind in opposing directions, adjacent pairs of the successive loops having facing portions in w |
| 6528751 |
Plasma reactor with overhead RF electrode tuned to the plasma |
March 4, 2003 |
| In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a plasma reactor has a capacitive electrode driven by an RF power source, and the electrode capacitance is matched at the desired plasma density and RF source frequency to the negative capacitance of the plasma, to provide an electrode |
| 6508198 |
Automatic tuning in a tapped RF transformer inductive source of a plasma reactor for processing |
January 21, 2003 |
| In a plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor wafer having an overhead inductive coil antenna, automatic compensation for the load impedance shift that accompanies plasma ignition is achieved using fixed elements. This is accomplished by applying RF power to an intermediate tap of t |
