Creating ion energy distribution functions (IEDF)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11069504-B2
Application number	US-202016867034-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2020
Priority date	Dec 12, 2016
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating arbitrarily-shaped ion energy distribution functions using shaped-pulse—bias. In an embodiment, a method includes applying a positive jump voltage to an electrode of a process chamber to neutralize a wafer surface, applying a negative jump voltage to the electrode to set a wafer voltage, and modulating the amplitude of the wafer voltage to produce a predetermined number of pulses to determine an ion energy distribution function. In another embodiment a method includes applying a positive jump voltage to an electrode of a process chamber to neutralize a wafer surface, applying a negative jump voltage to the electrode to set a wafer voltage, and applying a ramp voltage to the electrode that overcompensates for ion current on the wafer or applying a ramp voltage to the electrode that undercompensates for ion current on the wafer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
(a) delivering a first burst of pulses to an electrode of a process chamber, wherein the first burst of pulses comprises:
a first plurality of voltage pulses that are delivered during a first burst period, wherein each pulse of the first plurality of voltage pulses comprises a first pulse amplitude; and

(b) delivering a second burst of pulses to the electrode of the process chamber, wherein the second burst of pulses comprises:
a second plurality of voltage pulses that are delivered during a second burst period, wherein each pulse of the second plurality of voltage pulses comprises a second pulse amplitude,

(c) repeating (a) and (b) a plurality of times, wherein repeating (a) and (b) the plurality of times is configured to generate an ion energy distribution function (IEDF) that has a plurality of energy peaks in a plasma formed in the process chamber.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a duty cycle that comprises the first burst of pulses provided during the first burst period, the second burst of pulses provided during the second burst period and a period where no voltage pulses are provided to the electrode.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first pulse amplitude of the first plurality of voltage pulses is greater than the second pulse amplitude of the second plurality of voltage pulses.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first burst period is greater than the second burst period.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
(d) delivering a third burst of pulses to the electrode of the process chamber, wherein the third burst of pulses comprises:
a third plurality of voltage pulses that are delivered during a third burst period, wherein each pulse of the third plurality of voltage pulses comprises a third pulse amplitude, and

wherein:
repeating (a) and (b) a plurality of times further comprises repeating (a), (b) and (d) a plurality of times, and
the first pulse amplitude of the first plurality of voltage pulses, the second pulse amplitude of the second plurality of voltage pulses, and the third pulse amplitude of the third plurality of voltage pulses are each different.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first pulse amplitude is greater than the second pulse amplitude and the third pulse amplitude, and the second pulse amplitude is greater than the third pulse amplitude.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first pulse amplitude is less than the second pulse amplitude, and the second pulse amplitude is less than the third pulse amplitude.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein each pulse of the first plurality of voltage pulses and the second plurality of voltage pulses comprise:
a negative jump voltage that is applied to the electrode to set a wafer voltage for a wafer; and
the wafer voltage formed by applying the first plurality of voltage pulses and the second plurality of voltage pulses creates an ion energy distribution function having two or more energy peaks.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising applying a positive jump voltage to the electrode of the process chamber prior to applying the negative jump voltage to the electrode, and applying a ramp voltage to the electrode that overcompensates for ion current on the wafer.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising applying a positive jump voltage to the electrode of the process chamber to neutralize a surface of the wafer.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the positive jump voltage is applied to the electrode of the process chamber prior to applying the negative jump voltage.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generated ion energy distribution function induces a specific bias voltage waveform on a wafer disposed over the electrode.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein an ion fraction for each of the plurality of energy peaks is determined by a number of pulses produced during the first burst period and the second burst period.

14. A method of forming in a plasma an ion energy distribution function (IEDF) that has two or more peaks, the method comprising:
(a) delivering a first burst of pulses to an electrode of a process chamber, wherein the first burst of pulses comprises:
a first plurality of voltage pulses that are delivered during a first burst period, wherein each pulse of the first plurality of voltage pulses comprises a first negative jump amplitude; and

(b) delivering a second burst of pulses to the electrode of the process chamber, wherein the second burst of pulses comprises:
a second plurality of voltage pulses that are delivered during a second burst period, wherein each pulse of the second plurality of voltage pulses comprises a second negative jump amplitude; and

(c) repeating (a) and (b) a plurality of times.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising a duty cycle that comprises the first burst of pulses provided during the first burst period, the second burst of pulses provided during the second burst period and a period where no voltage pulses are provided to the electrode.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first negative jump amplitude of the first plurality of voltage pulses is greater than the second negative jump amplitude of the second plurality of voltage pulses.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first burst period is greater than the second burst period.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
(d) delivering a third burst of pulses to the electrode of the process chamber, wherein the third burst of pulses comprises:
a third plurality of voltage pulses that are delivered during a third burst period, wherein each pulse of the plurality of voltage pulses comprises a third negative jump amplitude,

wherein:
repeating (a) and (b) a plurality of times further comprises repeating (a), (b) and (d) a plurality of times, and
the first negative jump amplitude of the first plurality of voltage pulses, the second negative jump amplitude of the second plurality of voltage pulses, and the third negative jump amplitude of the third plurality of voltage pulses are each different.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first negative jump amplitude is greater than the second negative jump amplitude and the third negative jump amplitude, and the second negative jump amplitude is greater than the third negative jump amplitude.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first negative jump amplitude is less than the second negative jump amplitude and the third negative jump amplitude, and the second negative jump amplitude is less than the third negative jump amplitude.

21. The method of claim 14 , wherein each pulse of the first plurality of voltage pulses and each pulse of the second plurality of voltage pulses comprises applying a positive jump voltage to the electrode of the process chamber prior to applying a negative jump voltage.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Dorf Leonid
• Koh Travis
• Luere Olivier
• Joubert Olivier
• Kraus Philip A
• Dhindsa Rajinder
• Rogers James

Classifications

• H01J37/32577 Primary

  Electrical connecting means · CPC title

• H01J37/08 Primary

  Ion sources; Ion guns · CPC title

• H01J37/32706

  Polarising the substrate · CPC title

• H01J37/32715

  Workpiece holder · CPC title

• H01J37/248

  Components associated with high voltage supply · CPC title