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The invention is embodied in an inductively coupled RF plasma reactor including a reactor chamber enclosure defining a plasma reactor chamber and a support for holding a workpiece inside the chamber, a non-planar inductive antenna adjacent the reactor chamber enclosure, the non-planar inductive antenna including inductive elements spatially distributed in a non-planar relative to a plane of the workpiece to compensate for a null in an RF inductive pattern of the antenna, and a plasma source RF power supply coupled to the non-planar inductive antenna. The planar inductive antenna may be symmetrical or non-symmetrical, although it preferably includes a solenoid winding such as a vertical stack of conductive windings. In a preferred embodiment, the windings are at a minimum radial distance from the axis of symmetry while in an alternative embodiment the windings are at a radial distance from the axis of symmetry which is a substantial fraction of a radius of the chamber.

Inventors: Kenneth S. Collins, Michael Rice, John Trow, Douglas Buchberger, Craig A. Roderick
Original Assignee: Applied Materials Inc.
Primary Examiner: Rodney G. McDonald
Attorneys: Michaelson and Wallace, Joseph Bach
Current U.S. Classification: 156/345.1; 118/723.00E; 118/723.00I; 118/723.0ER; 118/723.0IR; 204/298.06; 204/298.08; 204/298.31; 204/298.34; 257/E21.252
International Classification: C23C/1600; C23F/102

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Referenced by

Citing PatentFiling dateIssue dateOriginal AssigneeTitle
US6597117Nov 30, 2001Jul 22, 2003Samsung Austin Semiconductor, L.P.Plasma coil
US7264688Apr 24, 2006Sep 4, 2007Applied Materials, Inc.Plasma reactor apparatus with independent capacitive and toroidal plasma sources
US7645357Apr 24, 2006Jan 12, 2010Applied Materials, Inc.Plasma reactor apparatus with a VHF capacitively coupled plasma source of variable frequency
US7651587Aug 11, 2005Jan 26, 2010Applied Materials, Inc.Two-piece dome with separate RF coils for inductively coupled plasma reactors
US7695633Jan 19, 2006Apr 13, 2010Applied Materials, Inc.Independent control of ion density, ion energy distribution and ion dissociation in a plasma reactor
US7695983Feb 22, 2006Apr 13, 2010Applied Materials, Inc.Independent control of ion density, ion energy distribution and ion dissociation in a plasma reactor
US7727413Apr 24, 2006Jun 1, 2010Applied Materials, Inc.Dual plasma source process using a variable frequency capacitively coupled source to control plasma ion density
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US7886688Sep 20, 2005Feb 15, 2011Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.Plasma processing apparatus
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Claims

1. A plasma reactor comprising:

a) a plasma generation chamber and a workpiece support for holding a workpiece near a support plane inside the plasma generation chamber during processing, the chamber having a semiconductor portion capable of being connected to an RF potential source as an electrode; and
b) an inductive antenna outside the chamber and adjacent the semiconductor portion, the antenna comprising turns spatially distributed along an axis extending from the support plane and at different distances from the semiconductor portion, the inductive antenna being adapted to couple power into the chamber through the semiconductor portion such that the semiconductor portion is a window for the inductive antenna.

2. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the inductive antenna comprises a solenoidal-like antenna.

3. The reactor of claim 2 wherein the antenna comprises a vertical stack of turns.

4. The reactor of claim 3 wherein the vertical stack of turns comprises at least one of: a right cylindrical shape, an upright conical shape, or an inverted conical.

5. The reactor of claim 4 wherein the vertical stack of turns comprises a right cylindrical solenoidal shape.

6. The reactor of claim 2 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises at least one of silicon or silicon carbide.

7. The reactor of claim 6 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises doped silicon or doped silicon carbide.

8. The reactor of claim 6 wherein the plasma generation chamber comprises a semiconductor ceiling and a semiconductor side wall, and wherein at least one of the semiconductor ceiling and the semiconductor side wall comprises doped silicon or doped silicon carbide.

9. The reactor of claim 8 wherein the ceiling has a shape comprising at least one of the following: (a) planar, (b) dome, (c) conical, (d) cylindrical, (e) curve of rotation, or (f) truncated conical.

10. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the plasma generation chamber comprises an all-semiconductor chamber.

11. The reactor of claim 10 wherein the all-semiconductor chamber comprises at least one of silicon or silicon carbide.

12. The reactor of claim 10 wherein the all-semiconductor chamber comprises doped silicon or doped silicon carbide.

13. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the plasma generation chamber comprises a semiconductor ceiling and a semiconductor side wall.

14. The reactor of claim 13 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises at least one of silicon or silicon carbide.

15. The reactor of claim 14 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises doped silicon or doped silicon carbide.

16. The reactor of claim 15 wherein the ceiling has a shape comprising at least one of the following: (a) planar, (b) dome, (c) conical, (d) cylindrical, (e) curve of rotation, or (f) truncated conical.

17. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises at least one of silicon or silicon carbide.

18. The reactor of claim 17 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises doped silicon or doped silicon carbide.

19. The reactor of claim 18 wherein the semiconductor portion has a shape comprising at least one of the following: (a) planar, (b) dome, (c) conical, (d) cylindrical, (e) curve of rotation, or (f) truncated conical.

20. The reactor of claim 1 further comprising a second inductive antenna separated by a radial distance from the inductive antenna comprising turns spatially distributed along the axis.

21. The reactor of claim 20 wherein the second inductive antenna distributed along an axis extending from the support plane.

22. The reactor of claim 1 further comprising multiple inductive antennas.

23. The reactor of claim 22 wherein the inductive antenna distributed along the axis and the multiple inductive antennas are in a nested configuration.

24. A plasma reactor comprising:

a) a plasma generation chamber and a workpiece support for holding a workpiece near a support plane inside the plasma generation chamber during processing, the chamber having a semiconductor portion capable of being connected to an RF potential source as an electrode; and
b) an inductive antenna outside the plasma generation chamber and adjacent the semiconductor portion, the inductive antenna comprising turns non-conformal with the plasma generation chamber, the inductive antenna being adapted to couple power into the chamber through the semiconductor portion such that the semiconductor portion is a window for the inductive antenna.

25. The reactor of claim 24 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises at least one of silicon or silicon carbide.

26. The reactor of claim 25 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises doped silicon or doped silicon carbide.

27. The reactor of claim 26 wherein the plasma generation chamber comprises a semiconductor ceiling and a semiconductor side wall, and wherein at least one of the semiconductor ceiling and the semiconductor side wall comprises doped silicon.

28. The reactor of claim 27 wherein the inductive antenna has an axis intersecting the support plane.

29. The reactor of claim 24 wherein the plasma generation chamber comprises an all-semiconductor chamber.

30. The reactor of claim 24 wherein the plasma generation chamber comprises a semiconductor ceiling and a semiconductor side wall.

31. The reactor of claim 30 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises at least one of silicon or silicon carbide.

32. The reactor of claim 31 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises doped silicon or doped silicon carbide.

33. The reactor of claim 30 wherein the ceiling has a shape comprising at least one of the following: (a) planar, (b) dome, (c) conical, (d) cylindrical, (e) curve of rotation, or (f) truncated conical.

34. The reactor of claim 30 wherein the inductive antenna comprises a solenoidal antenna.

35. The reactor of claim 34 wherein the inductive antenna and has an axis intersecting the support plane.

36. The reactor of claim 35 wherein the solenoidal antenna comprises a vertical stack of turns comprising at least one of: a right cylindrical shape, an upright conical shape, or an inverted conical.

37. The reactor of claim 36 wherein the ceiling has a shape comprising at least one of the following: (a) planar, (b) dome, (c) conical, (d) cylindrical, (e) curve of rotation, or (f) truncated conical.

38. The reactor of claim 24 further comprising a second inductive antenna separated by a radial distance from the non-conformal inductive antenna.

39. The reactor of claim 38 wherein the second inductive antenna is non-conformal with the plasma generation chamber.

40. The reactor of claim 24 further comprising multiple inductive antennas.

41. The reactor of claim 40 wherein the non-conformal inductive antenna and the multiple inductive antennas are in a nested configuration.

42. The reactor of claim 24 wherein the inductive antenna and has an axis intersecting the support plane.

43. The reactor of claim 42 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises at least one of silicon or silicon carbide.

44. The reactor of claim 43 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises doped silicon or doped silicon carbide.

45. A plasma reactor comprising:

a) a plasma generation chamber and a workpiece support for holding a workpiece inside the plasma generation chamber during processing, the chamber having a semiconductor portion capable of being connected to an RF potential source as an electrode; and
b) an inductive antenna outside the plasma generation chamber and adjacent the semiconductor portion, the inductive antenna being adapted to couple power into the chamber through the semiconductor portion such that the semiconductor portion is a window for the inductive antenna.

46. The reactor of claim 45 wherein the semiconductor portion is comprises a ceiling portion of the plasma generation chamber.

47. The reactor of claim 46 wherein the ceiling portion has a shape comprising at least one of the following: (a) planar, (b) dome, (c) conical, (d) cylindrical, (e) curve of rotation, or (f) truncated conical.

48. The reactor of claim 47 wherein the ceiling portion is dome shaped.

49. The reactor of claim 47 wherein the ceiling portion is generally planar.

50. The reactor of claim 49 wherein the ceiling portion is generally parallel to and overlying the workpiece.

51. The reactor of claim 45 wherein the plasma generation chamber comprises a planar ceiling comprising the semiconductor portion overlying the workpiece, the inductive antenna comprising a multiple turn antenna overlying the semiconductor portion.

52. The reactor of claim 45 wherein the plasma generation chamber comprises a sidewall portion comprising the semiconductor portion, and wherein the sidewall portion is generally perpendicular to the workpiece.

53. The reactor of claim 52 wherein the sidewall portion has a greater diameter than the workpiece.

54. The reactor of claim 45 further comprising a second inductive antenna separated by a radial distance from the inductive antenna adjacent the semiconductor portion.

55. The reactor of claim 45 further comprising an electric terminal coupled to the semiconductor portion.

56. The reactor of claim 55 further comprising an RF bias power source capable of coupling power to the workpiece, the electric terminal of the semiconductor portion being coupled to the RF bias power so as to enable the semiconductor portion to be a counter electrode to the RF bias power source.

57. The reactor of claim 45 wherein the plasma generation chamber comprises an all-semiconductor chamber.

58. The reactor of claim 45 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises at least one of silicon or silicon carbide.

59. The reactor of claim 45 wherein the semiconductor portion comprises doped silicon or doped silicon carbide.

Drawings