Plasma processing assembly using pulsed-voltage and radio-frequency power

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11462388-B2
Application number	US-202117315256-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2021
Priority date	Jul 31, 2020
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure provided herein include an apparatus and method for the plasma processing of a substrate in a processing chamber. More specifically, embodiments of this disclosure describe a biasing scheme that is configured to provide a radio frequency (RF) generated RF waveform from an RF generator to one or more electrodes within a processing chamber and a pulsed-voltage (PV) waveform delivered from one or more pulsed-voltage (PV) generators to the one or more electrodes within the processing chamber. The plasma process(es) disclosed herein can be used to control the shape of an ion energy distribution function (IEDF) and the interaction of the plasma with a surface of a substrate during plasma processing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A plasma processing chamber, comprising:
a substrate support assembly, comprising:
a substrate supporting surface;
a support base;
a first biasing electrode that is disposed between the support base and the substrate supporting surface;
a first dielectric layer is disposed between the support base and the first biasing electrode; and
a second dielectric layer is disposed between the first biasing electrode and the substrate supporting surface; and

a pulsed-voltage waveform generator electrically coupled to the first biasing electrode through a first electrical conductor, and is configured to establish a pulsed-voltage waveform at the first biasing electrode;
a radio frequency filter assembly electrically coupled between the pulsed-voltage waveform generator and the first electrical conductor;
a radio frequency generator electrically coupled to the support base or the first biasing electrode through a second electrical conductor, and is configured to establish a radio frequency voltage waveform at the support base or the first biasing electrode; and
a pulsed-voltage filter assembly electrically coupled between the radio frequency generator and the second electrical conductor.

2. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1 , further comprising a parallel plate structure, wherein the parallel plate structure comprises a first biasing electrode and the second dielectric layer, and has an effective capacitance of between about 3 nF and about 50 nF.

3. The plasma processing chamber of claim 2 , wherein the second dielectric layer comprises a material that has a finite resistivity.

4. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the second dielectric layer has a thickness of between about 0.1 mm and about 2 mm.

5. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1 , further comprising:
a filter coupling assembly that is configured to electrically couple a filter end of the first electrical conductor to the radio frequency filter assembly;
an electrode coupling assembly that is configured to electrically couple a second end of the first electrical conductor to the first biasing electrode;
a generator output coupling assembly that is configured to electrically couple a pulsed-voltage generator to the radio frequency filter assembly; and
a chucking assembly comprising:
a chucking power supply that is electrically coupled to the generator output coupling assembly; and
a blocking resistor that has a resistance of more than about 500 kOhm that is disposed between the chucking power supply and the generator output coupling assembly.

6. The chucking assembly of claim 5 , further comprising a first end and a second end.

7. The chucking assembly of claim 6 , wherein the radio frequency filter assembly is coupled to a first end, and the chucking power supply is electrically coupled to the first end.

8. The chucking assembly of claim 7 , wherein the blocking resistor is disposed between the chucking power supply and the generator output coupling assembly on the first end.

9. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the pulsed-voltage filter assembly comprises a blocking capacitor.

10. The plasma processing chamber of claim 9 , further comprising an RF matching circuit electrically coupled between the pulsed-voltage filter assembly and the support base.

11. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the substrate support assembly further comprises:
a second biasing electrode, wherein the second biasing electrode is disposed between the support base and the first biasing electrode; and
one or more vias that have a first end that is in electrical contact with the first biasing electrode and a second end that is in electrical contact with the second biasing electrode.

12. A plasma processing chamber, comprising:
a substrate support assembly, comprising:
a substrate supporting surface;
a support base;
a first biasing electrode that is disposed between the support base and the substrate supporting surface;
a first dielectric layer is disposed between the support base and the first biasing electrode;
a second dielectric layer is disposed between the first biasing electrode and the substrate supporting surface; and
an edge control electrode;

a first pulsed-voltage waveform generator electrically coupled to the first biasing electrode through a first electrical conductor, and is configured to establish a pulsed-voltage signal waveform at the first biasing electrode;
a first radio frequency filter assembly electrically coupled between the first pulsed-voltage waveform generator and the first electrical conductor;
a second pulsed-voltage waveform generator electrically coupled to the edge control electrode through a second electrical conductor, and is configured to establish a pulsed-voltage waveform at the edge control electrode;
a second radio frequency filter assembly electrically coupled between the second pulsed-voltage waveform generator and the second electrical conductor;
a radio frequency generator electrically coupled to the support base or the first biasing electrode through a third electrical conductor, and is configured to establish an RF waveform at the support base or the first biasing electrode; and
a pulsed-voltage filter assembly electrically coupled between the radio frequency generator and the third electrical conductor.

13. The plasma processing chamber of claim 12 , further comprising a parallel plate structure, wherein the parallel plate structure comprises the first biasing electrode and the second dielectric layer, and has an effective capacitance of between about 3 nF and about 50 nF.

14. The plasma processing chamber of claim 12 , wherein the second dielectric layer has a thickness of between about 0.1 mm and about 1 mm.

15. The plasma processing chamber of claim 12 , further comprising:
a first filter coupling assembly that is configured to electrically couple a filter end of the first electrical conductor to the first radio frequency filter assembly;
a first electrode coupling assembly that is configured to electrically couple a second end of the first electrical conductor to the first biasing electrode;
a first generator output coupling assembly that is configured to electrically couple the first pulsed-voltage waveform generator to the first radio frequency filter assembly; and
a chucking assembly comprising a first chucking power supply that is electrically coupled to a radio frequency filter end of the first generator output coupling assembly.

16. The plasma processing chamber of claim 15 , further comprising:
a second filter coupling assembly that is configured to electrically couple a filter end of the second electrical conductor to the second radio frequency filter assembly;
a second electrode coupling assembly that is configured to electrically couple a second end of the second electrical conductor to the edge control electrode;
a second generator output coupling assembly that is configured to electrically couple a pulsed-voltage generator to the second radio frequency filter assembly; and
a chucking assembly comprising a second chucking power supply that is electrically coupled to the radio frequency filter end of the second generator output coupling assembly.

17. The plasma processing chamber of claim 16 , further comprising:
a blocking resistor that has a resistance of more than about 500 kOhm and is disposed between the first chucking power supply and the radio frequency filter end of the first generator output coupling assembly; and
a diode that is connected in parallel wi

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Dorf Leonid
• Dhindsa Rajinder
• Rogers James
• Byun Daniel Sang
• Kamenetskiy Evgeny
• Guo Yue
• Ramaswamy Kartik
• Todorow Valentin N
• Luere Olivier
• Cui Linying

Classifications

• H10P72/72

  using electrostatic chucks · CPC title

• H10P50/283

  by chemical means · CPC title

• H10P50/242

  of Group IV materials · CPC title

• H01J37/32174

  Circuits specially adapted for controlling the RF discharge · CPC title

• H01J37/32183

  Matching circuits · CPC title