Abstract: The invention is embodied in an antenna for radiating RF power supplied by an RF source into a vacuum chamber, the antenna including plural concentrically spiral conductors, each having a first end located in a first common region and a second end located in a second common region, and each being wound about a common axis passing through both regions, the regions being concentric with the axis, the conductors being substantially the same length, substantially the same shape, and substantially evenly spaced with respect to each other about the common axis.

Abstract: The invention is embodied in a coil antenna for radiating RF power supplied by an RF source into a vacuum chamber, the coil antenna including plural helical conductors each having a first end and a second end, the first ends being adapted for connection to a first common RF potential, the second ends being adapted for connection to a second common RF potential, each of the plural conductors being wound about a common axis of helical symmetry, each of the second ends being spaced substantially equally from the axis and from each other.

Abstract: A process for etching a substrate 25 in an etching chamber 30, and simultaneously cleaning a thin, non-homogeneous, etch residue deposited on the surfaces of the walls 45 and components of the etching chamber 30. In the etching step, process gas comprising etchant gas is used to etch a substrate 25 in the etching chamber 30 thereby depositing etch residue inside the chamber 30. Cleaning gas is added to the process gas for a sufficient time and in a volumetric flow ratio that is sufficiently high, to react with and remove substantially all the etch residue deposited by the process gas. The present method advantageously cleans the etch residue in the chamber 30, during the etching process, and without use of separate cleaning, conditioning, and seasoning process steps.

Abstract: A plasma chamber having a magnet which produces a magnetic field such that, within a region parallel to and adjacent to the workpiece, the direction of the magnetic field is approximately the vector cross product of (i) the gradient of the magnitude of the magnetic field, and (ii) a vector extending perpendicularly from the workpiece surface toward the plasma. Alternatively, the plasma chamber includes a north magnetic pole and a south magnetic pole located at distinct azimuths around the periphery of the workpiece. The azimuth of the south magnetic pole relative to the north magnetic pole is clockwise around the central axis, and each magnetic pole faces a direction which is more toward than away from a central axis of the workpiece area. An additional aspect of the invention is a plasma chamber having a rotating magnetic field produced by electromagnets spaced around the periphery of the workpiece which receive successive fixed amounts of electrical current during successive time intervals.

Abstract: An Electron flood apparatus for neutralizing positive charge build-up on substrate during implantation of ions in a substrate by ion beam implantation apparatus. The electron flood apparatus comprises a tube for axially receiving and passing an ion beam to a substrate, an opening in a sidewall of the tube, a plasma chamber having an exit aperture in communication with said opening of said tube, a supply of inert gas to said plasma chamber, a high frequency power generator, and means to deliver high frequency power from said generator to maintain a plasma in said chamber to produce low energy electrons, whereby a flux of said low energy electrons emerges from said chamber through said exit aperture into said tube to merge with the ion beam.

Abstract: An inductively coupled plasma reactor for processing a substrate has an inductively coupled coil antenna including plural inductive antenna loops which are electrically separated from one another and independently connected to separately controllable plasma source RF power supplies. The RF power level in each independent antenna loop is separately programmed and instantly changeable to provide a perfectly uniform plasma ion density distribution across the entire substrate surface under a large range of plasma processing conditions, such as different process gases or gas mixtures. In a preferred embodiment, there are as many separately controllable RF power supplies as there are independent antenna loops, and all the separately controllable power supplies receive their RF power from a commonly shared RF generator.

Abstract: The invention is embodied in a coil antenna for radiating RF power supplied by an RF source into a vacuum chamber of an inductively coupled plasma reactor which processes a semiconductor wafer in the vacuum chamber, the reactor having a gas supply inlet for supplying processing gases into the vacuum chamber, the coil antenna including plural concentric spiral conductive windings, each of the windings having an interior end near an apex of a spiral of the winding and an outer end at a periphery of the spiral of the winding, and a common terminal connected to the interior ends of the plural concentric spiral windings, the RF power source being connected across the terminal and the outer end of each one of the windings. In embodiment, the inner ends of the concentric spiral windings are connected radially outwardly of a common conductor rather than inwardly to an apex terminal. In another embodiment, the concentric spiral windings are each powered at a point intermediate the radially inner and outer ends.

Abstract: An inductively coupled plasma reactor for processing a substrate has an inductively coupled coil antenna including plural inductive antenna loops which are electrically separated from one another and independently connected to separately controllable plasma source RF power supplies. The RF power level in each independent antenna loop is separately programmed and instantly changeable to provide a perfectly uniform plasma ion density distribution across the entire substrate surface under a large range of plasma processing conditions, such as different process gases or gas mixtures. In a preferred embodiment, there are as many separately controllable RF power supplies as there are independent antenna loops, and all the separately controllable power supplies receive their RF power from a commonly shared RF generator.

Abstract: During the etching of a silicon-containing material using a halogen-containing etch gas, a silicon-hydride gas is added to the etch gas to provide increased sidewall protection during the etch. Suitably up to about 50 percent by volume of a silicon-containing gas such as silane is added to improve anisotropy of the etch and to prevent notching at the silicon-substrate interface.

Abstract: Apparatus for measuring plasma characteristics within a semiconductor wafer processing system and a method of fabricating and using the apparatus. The apparatus contains a first insulator layer upon which one or more conductive collector pads are formed by patterning and etching a copper laminate. Each collector pad is connected to a conductive lead (e.g., a printed circuit trace) that extends from each collector pad to the edge of the first insulator layer. A second insulator layer is positioned above the first insulator layer such that the collector pad(s) and their respective lead(s) are sandwiched between the two insulator layers. An adhesive is used to affix the second insulator to the first insulator and the collector pads. The collector pads are exposed to the plasma through apertures defined by the second insulator layer.

Abstract: During the etching of a silicon-containing material using a halogen-containing etch gas, a silicon-hydride gas is added to the etch gas to provide increased sidewall protection during the etch. Suitably up to about 50 percent by volume of a silicon-containing gas such as silane is added to improve anisotropy of the etch and to prevent notching at the silicon-substrate interface.

Abstract: In an inductively coupled RF plasma reactor having an inductive coil antenna connected through an RF impedance match network to an RF power source, capacitive coupling from the antenna to the plasma is reduced by isolating the coil antenna from the RF power source by an isolation transformer, so that the potential of the coil antenna is floating. The output of the RF impedance match network is connected across the primary winding of the isolation transformer while the floating coil antenna is connected across the secondary winding of the isolation transformer.

Abstract: The amount of capacitive coupling of RF power to a semiconductor substrate or wafer in an inductively coupled RF plasma reactor is quantitatively measured by separating the RF current from the plasma through the wafer pedestal into the Fourier components including the fundamental frequency (F) of the RF power and the second harmonic (2F) of the frequency of the RF power and then measuring the current or power of the fundamental component. As an additional feature, the amount of inductive coupling is measured by measuring the current or power of the second harmonic.

Abstract: A magnetic field enhanced plasma etch reactor system and method of operation is disclosed. In the system and operation, modulated sinusoidal currents are generated and applied 90.degree. out of phase to opposing pairs of series connected electromagnets to produce a modified rotating magnetic field parallel to a substrate processed in the system. The modification of the rotating magnetic field, in turn, results in an improvement in the uniformity of the etch pattern over the upper surface of the substrate.