Abstract: A high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition tool and the method for use of the tool is disclosed. The chemical vapor deposition tool allows for angular adjustment of the pedestal that holds the substrate being manufactured. Electromagnets serve as an “electron filter” that allows for angular deposition of material onto the substrate. Methods for fabrication of trench structures and asymmetrical spacers in a semiconductor manufacturing process are also disclosed. The angular deposition saves process steps, thereby reducing time, complexity, and cost of manufacture, while improving overall product yield.

Abstract: The plasma reactor of the invention is intended for treating the surfaces of objects such as semiconductor wafers and large display panels, or the like, with plasma. The main part of the plasma reactor is an array of RF antenna cells, which are deeply immersed into the interior of the working chamber. Each antenna cell has a ferromagnetic core with a heat conductor and a coil wound onto the core. The core and coil are sealed in the protective cap. Deep immersion of the antenna cells having the structure of the invention provides high efficiency of plasma excitation, while the arrangement of the plasma cells and possibility of their individual adjustment provide high uniformity of plasma distribution and possibility of adjusting plasma parameters, such as plasma density, in a wide range.

Abstract: Provided are a substrate supporting apparatus and a plasma etching apparatus having the same. There is provided a substrate supporting apparatus that can separately provide powers to a central region and an edge region by disposing an electrode supporting a substrate at the central region of the substrate supporting apparatus, and disposing an electrode receiving radio frequency (RF) power at the edge region of the substrate supporting apparatus. There is provided a substrate edge etching apparatus having the substrate supporting apparatus for removing layers or particles deposited in an edge region of a semiconductor substrate and preventing damage of a center region of the semiconductor substrate during an etching process of the substrate edge.

Abstract: A high density RF plasma source uses a special antenna configuration to launch waves at frequencies such as 13.56 MHz. The tunability of this antenna allows one to adapt actively the coupling of the RF energy into an evolutive plasma as found in plasma processing in semiconductor manufacturing. The plasma source can be used for plasma etching, deposition, sputtering systems, space propulsion, plasma based sterilization, and plasma abatement systems. Also, the plasma source can be used with one or several process chambers, which comprise an array of magnets and RF coils too. These elements can be used for plasma confinement or active plasma control (plasma rotation) thanks to a feedback control approach, and for in situ NMR monitoring or analysis such as moisture monitoring inside a process chamber, before or after the plasma process, or for in situ NMR inspection of wafers or others work pieces.

Abstract: An inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus for a large area processing includes a reaction chamber and a bending type antenna structure. The bending type antenna structure includes bending type linear antennas. Each of the bending type linear antennas has a first end, a second end and a bended portion. The bending type linear antennas are arranged horizontally in parallel with the substrate to pass through the reaction chamber inside the reaction chamber. The bending type linear antennas are spaced apart from each other. A bended portion of a bending type linear antenna is protruded out of the reaction chamber, a first end of each of the bending type linear antennas is protruded out of the reaction chamber and is coupled to an RF power, and a second end of each of the bending type linear antennas is protruded out of the reaction chamber and is coupled to a ground.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus comprises a plasma generation chamber where plasma is generated by exciting a processing gas with high-frequency power applied to a coil wound around a side wall of a reaction container, a processing chamber where a specific type of processing is executed on a wafer with the plasma thus generated and a high-frequency power source capable of selectively outputting either first high-frequency power with a reference frequency or second high-frequency power with a frequency (2n+1)/2 times the reference frequency, to be applied to the coil.

Abstract: There is provided a plasma reactor with an internal transformer. The plasma reactor comprises: a plasma chamber with a gas inlet and a gas outlet, for providing a plasma discharging space; one or more core cylinder jackets for providing a core storage space in the plasma discharging space and forming a plasma centralized channel and a plasma decentralized channel by including one or more through-apertures; and one or more transformers each including a magnetic core with primary winding surrounding the through-aperture and installed in the core storage space, wherein the plasma discharging space comprises one or more first spatial regions to form the plasma centralized channel and one or more second spatial regions to form the plasma decentralized channel. In the plasma reactor, since the transformer is installed in the plasma chamber, energy is transferred with almost no loss from the transformer to the plasma discharging space and therefore the energy transfer efficiency is very high.

Abstract: An inductively-coupled plasma processing chamber has a chamber with a ceiling. A first and second antenna are placed adjacent to the ceiling. The first antenna is concentric to the second antenna. A plasma source power supply is coupled to the first and second antenna. The plasma source power supply generates a first RF power to the first antenna, and a second RF power to the second antenna. A substrate support disposed within the chamber. The size of the first antenna and a distance between the substrate support are such that the etch rate of the substrate on the substrate support is substantially uniform.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to a plasma chamber having a coil assembly which improves plasma uniformity and improves power coupling to the plasma. One embodiment provides a plasma chamber. The plasma chamber includes a chamber body having sidewalls and a lid, wherein the chamber body defines a processing volume. The plasma chamber further includes a coil assembly disposed over the lid configured to generate inductively coupled plasma within the processing volume, wherein the coil assembly comprises two or more horizontal coils arranged in a common horizontal plane.

Abstract: Systems and methods of forming plasma are provided. In an embodiment, by way of example only, a plasma generation system includes a container comprising an insulating material, a means for forming a first plasma within the container from a processing gas, the first plasma including charged particles, a means for extracting a portion of the charged particles from the first plasma and storing the portion of extracted charged particles on the insulating material, and a means for forming a second plasma from the extracted portion of the charged particles and a second portion of the processing gas.

Abstract: Broadly speaking, the embodiments of the present invention provide an improved chamber cleaning mechanism. The present invention can also be used to provide additional knobs to tune the etch processes. In one embodiment, a plasma processing chamber configured to generate a plasma includes a bottom electrode assembly with an bottom electrode, wherein the bottom electrode is configured to receive a substrate. The plasma processing chamber includes a top electrode assembly with a top electrode and an inductive coil surrounding the top electrode. The inductive coil is configured to convert a gas into a plasma within a region defined within the chamber, wherein the region is outside an area defined above a top surface of the bottom electrode.

Abstract: Plasma processing chamber having a bottom electrode assembly is disclosed. The assembly has an inner bottom electrode for supporting a substrate and an outer bottom electrode disposed outside of the inner bottom electrode. The outer bottom electrode defines a region for chamber cleaning, and the outer bottom electrode includes a conductive ring and an inductive coil placed under the conductive ring. Further included is a dielectric material disposed between the inner bottom electrode and the outer bottom electrode, and the dielectric material separates the inner bottom electrode from the outer bottom electrode. A switch is provided for connecting radio frequency (RF) power to either the inner bottom electrode or the outer bottom electrode. The chamber also includes a top electrode assembly with a top electrode. The top electrode is disposed above both the inner and outer bottom electrodes.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a beam-shaped spacer 7 which is placed at an upper opening of a chamber 3 opposed to a substrate 2 to support a dielectric plate 8. The dielectric plate 8 is supported by the beam-shaped spacer 7. In the beam-shaped spacer 7 are provided a plurality of process gas introducing ports 31, 36 which have a depression angle ?d and which are provided downward and directed toward the substrate 2, as well as a plurality of rare gas introducing ports 41 having a elevation angle ?e directed toward the dielectric plate 8. Improvement of processing rates such as etching rate as well as effective suppression of wear of the dielectric plate 8 can be achieved.

Abstract: The disclosure concerns a process ring for the wafer support pedestal of a toroidal source plasma immersion ion implantation reactor. The process ring improves edge uniformity by providing a continuous surface extending beyond the wafer edge, in one embodiment. In another embodiment, the process ring includes a floating electrode that functions as an extension of the wafer support electrode by RF coupling at the bias frequency.

Abstract: Plasma processing of plural substrates is performed in a plasma processing apparatus, which is provided with a plasma processing chamber having an antenna electrode and a lower electrode for placing and retaining the plural substrates in turn within the plasma processing chamber, a gas feeder for feeding processing gas into the processing chamber, a vacuum pump for discharging gas from the processing chamber via a vacuum valve, and a solenoid coil for forming a magnetic field within the processing chamber. At least one of the plural substrates is placed on the lower electrode, and the processing gas is fed into the processing chamber. RF power is fed to the antenna electrode via a matching network to produce a plasma within the processing chamber in which a magnetic field has been formed by the solenoid coil. This placing of at least one substrate and this feeding of the processing gas are then repeated until the plasma processing of all of the plural substrates is completed.

Abstract: A silicon electrode for a plasma reaction chamber wherein processing of a semiconductor substrate such as a single wafer can be carried out and a method of processing a semiconductor substrate with the electrode. The electrode is a low resistivity electrode having an electrical resistivity of less than 1 ohm-cm. The electrode can be a zero defect single crystal silicon or silicon carbide electrode such as a showerhead electrode bonded or clamped to support such as a temperature controlled plate or ring. The showerhead electrode can be in the form of a circular disk of uniform thickness and an elastomeric joint can be provided between a support ring and the electrode. The electrode can include gas outlets having 0.020 to 0.030 inch diameters.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a plasma source facing a substrate, and a shielding member placed between the substrate and the plasma source. The plasma source diffuses a plasma radially and the shielding member has a through hole through which a part of the radially diffused plasma passes. A substrate processing method is used for performing a plasma processing on a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus including a plasma source facing the substrate and a shielding member placed between the plasma source and the substrate. The shielding member has a through hole. The method includes the step of diffusing a plasma radially by the plasma source.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a sample stage disposed at a lower part of a processing chamber, a bell jar made of an insulative material constituting an upper portion of a vacuum vessel, a coil antenna disposed outside and around the bell jar to which electric power is supplied so as to generate the plasma in a plasma generating space inside of the bell jar, and a Faraday shield mounted on the bell jar and disposed between an external surface of the bell jar and the coil antenna. A ring shaped member made of an electric conductive material is disposed inside of an inner surface of a ring portion of the processing chamber located below a skirt portion of the bell jar and constitutes a part of the processing chamber. The ring shaped member extends upwardly so as to cover a portion of an inner surface of the bell jar.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus in which it is possible to efficiently perform maintenance of a processing chamber. A plasma processing apparatus has a processing chamber including a lower chamber and an upper chamber, a platen on which a silicon substrate is placed, a processing gas supply device, coils, high-frequency power supply unit for coil, an elevating board with a through hole provided to be vertically movable, an elevating mechanism for supporting and moving the elevating board, and a fixing mechanism for fixing the upper chamber. The fixing member is configured from a fixing board, first fixing bolts for connecting and fixing a top plate to the elevating board using the fixing board, second fixing bolts for fixing a flange portion of a holding member to an annular plate, and third fixing bolts for fixing the annular plate to a sidewall of the lower chamber.

Abstract: A plasma treatment container internal member, which is used in a plasma treatment container for performing a process on an object to be treated by plasma, includes an anodic oxide coating formed on a surface of a base material of the plasma treatment container internal member by an anodic oxidation treatment using plasma discharge, and a thermally sprayed film formed on the anodic oxide coating. The anodic oxidation treatment includes immersing the base material in an alkaline organic solvent, and performing the plasma discharge in the alkaline organic solvent.