Method and apparatus for gas abatement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10187966-B2
Application number	US-201615147974-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2016
Priority date	Jul 24, 2015
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein include a plasma source, an abatement system and a vacuum processing system for abating compounds produced in semiconductor processes. In one embodiment, a plasma source includes a dielectric tube and a coil antenna surrounding the tube. The coil antenna includes a plurality of turns, and at least one turn is shorted. Selectively shorting one or more turns of the coil antenna helps reduce the inductance of the coil antenna, allowing higher power to be supplied to the coil antenna that covers more processing volume. Higher power supplied to the coil antenna and larger processing volume lead to an improved DRE.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plasma source, comprising:
a dielectric tube;
a coil antenna surrounding the dielectric tube, wherein the coil antenna comprises a plurality of turns; and
a first metal connector connected to a first pair of turns of the plurality of turns.

2. The plasma source of claim 1 , wherein the first pair of turns comprises two adjacent turns.

3. The plasma source of claim 1 , wherein the first pair of turns comprises two turns, and the plasma source further comprises one or more turns between the two turns.

4. The plasma source of claim 1 , further comprising a second metal connector connecting a second pair of turns of the plurality of turns.

5. The plasma source of claim 1 , wherein the first metal connector comprises an electrical grade conductive material.

6. The plasma source of claim 5 , wherein the electrical grade conductive material comprises copper, aluminum, or brass.

7. The plasma source of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric tube comprises aluminum nitride, sapphire, or quartz.

8. An abatement system, comprising:
a power source; and
a plasma source, wherein the plasma source comprises:
a dielectric tube having an inlet and an outlet;
a coil antenna surrounding the dielectric tube, wherein the coil antenna comprises a plurality of turns; and
a first metal connector connected to a first pair of turns of the plurality of turns.

9. The abatement system of claim 8 , further comprising a second metal connector connecting a second pair of turns of the plurality of turns.

10. The abatement system of claim 8 , wherein the first metal connector comprises an electrical grade conductive material.

11. The abatement system of claim 10 , wherein the electrical grade conductive material comprises copper, aluminum, or brass.

12. The abatement system of claim 8 , wherein the coil antenna is hollow.

13. The abatement system of claim 8 , wherein the power source is a radio frequency power source for providing a radio frequency power ranging from 3 kW to 6 kW.

14. A vacuum processing system, comprising:
a vacuum processing chamber; and
a plasma source, wherein the plasma source comprises:
a dielectric tube having an inlet and an outlet;
a coil antenna surrounding the dielectric tube, wherein the coil antenna comprises a plurality of turns; and
a first metal connector connected to a first pair of turns of the plurality of turns.

15. The vacuum processing system of claim 14 , further comprising a second metal connector connecting a second pair of turns of the plurality of turns.

16. The vacuum processing system of claim 14 , wherein the first metal connector comprises an electrical grade conductive material.

17. The vacuum processing system of claim 16 , wherein the electrical grade conductive material comprises copper, aluminum, or brass.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Wang Rongping
• Zeng Jibing
• HOU David Muquing
• Cox Michael S
• Yuan Zheng
• L'Heureux James

Classifications

• H01J37/32348 Primary

  Dielectric barrier discharge · CPC title

• H01J37/3211 Primary

  Antennas, e.g. particular shapes of coils · CPC title

• H01J37/321

  the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma · CPC title

• H01J37/32357

  Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream · CPC title

• H01J37/32844

  Treating effluent gases · CPC title