Abstract: A system for improving the total thickness variation across a surface of a bulk semiconductor wafer includes an initial total thickness variation measuring instrument. The initial total thickness variation profile is then converted to a dwell time versus position map. A confined plasma is then used to selectively locally remove material from the surface so that the final surface of the bulk semiconductor has an improved final total thickness variation.

Abstract: A reactor 10 having a vacuum housing 30 which encloses a plasma chamber 14 is used to perform local plasma assisted chemical etching on an etchable substrate 12. The chamber 14 is movable and is sized according to the removal material footprint desired. An rf driven electrode 22 and rf driven gas diffuser 22 have the same diameter as the chamber 14. The substrate 12 is mounted on a substrate holder 44 which also acts as the other electrode. The holder 44 is mounted on an X-Y positioning table 46. A reactive gas is flowed into the chamber with rf power so as to break the reactive gas into a plasma. The plasma chamber 14 which locally confines the plasma may be scanned over the substrate surface while the gap between the chamber and the substrate is varied to yield a desired etch profile.

Abstract: A gas, which is flowed into a plasma chamber 12 positioned "upstream" from a etching reaction site on a substrate 20, is converted into a plasma and its active species by the application of excitation. The means for excitation may be radio frequency power or microwave power. The excitation is decoupled from the substrate so as to prevent "print through" effects caused by electrical and geometric characteristic of the substrate. The active species are then flowed "downstream" from the plasma chamber 12 to the surface of the substrate 20 through an outlet 16 having an interactive flange 18 attached to the terminal end. The interactive flange 18 provides a surface separate from the substrate to consume the active species. The interactive flange inhibits the etching reaction from occurring outside of the local material removal footprint. The distance between the oulet and surface of the substrate is adjustable to provide a means to control the material removal footprint and removal footprint profile.

Abstract: A method to determine the tool path of a material removal tool which is part of a system to shape the surface of a substrate is disclosed. The method conditions initial metrology data of the substrate into a dwell time versus position on the surface for the removal tool. The dwell time array is subsequently converted into a velocity versus position array so that a position controller means may be utilized to guide the movement of the substrate with respect to the removal tool to perform precise material removal on the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A high pressure plasma is used in conjunction with a plasma assisted chemical etching material removal tool 10 to rapidly remove subsurface damage from a substrate without mechanically contacting the surface and without introducing new microscopic or atomic damage to the substrate.