Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11482402-B2
Application number	US-202017127838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2020
Priority date	Dec 18, 2019
Publication date	Oct 25, 2022
Grant date	Oct 25, 2022

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. For example, an apparatus can be a controller for a high peak power radio frequency (RF) generator. The controller comprises a control logic circuit in operable communication with an RF generator operating in a burst mode, the control logic circuit configured to receive a power, P, request at a predetermined duty cycle, δ, from a plasma processing chamber, determine a peak maximum power, Ppeakmax, based on a maximum average power, Pavgmax, and a maximum absolute power, Pabsmax, of the RF generator and the predetermined duty cycle, and transmit a control signal to the RF generator to limit a peak power, Ppeak, to the plasma processing chamber based on the Ppeakmax.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A controller for a high peak power radio frequency (RF) generator, comprising:
a control logic circuit in operable communication with an RF generator operating in a burst mode, the control logic circuit configured to receive a power, P, request at a predetermined duty cycle, δ, from a plasma processing chamber, determine a peak maximum power, P peak max , based on a maximum average power, P avg max , and a maximum absolute power, P abs max , of the RF generator and the predetermined duty cycle, and transmit a control signal to the RF generator to limit a peak power, P peak , to the plasma processing chamber based on the P peak max .

2. The controller of claim 1 , wherein P peak max is determined using:
P peak max =min( P avg max /δ,P abs max )

where P abs max is a maximum rated output of the RF generator, δ is the predetermined duty cycle, and P avg max is a maximum rated average power of the RF generator.

3. The controller of claim 1 , wherein when the power, P, is less than P peak max , the control logic circuit is configured to limit P peak =P.

4. The controller of claim 1 , wherein when P is greater than or equal to P peak max , the control logic circuit is configured to limit P peak =P peak max .

5. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the RF generator is at least one of an RF bias power source or an RF source power.

6. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the plasma processing chamber is configured to perform a high aspect ratio etch process.

7. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the control logic circuit is a component of at least one of the RF generator, a controller of the plasma processing chamber, or a matching circuit coupled to the plasma processing chamber.

8. A high peak power radio frequency generator (RF), comprising:
a control logic circuit configured to receive a power, P, request at a predetermined duty cycle, δ, from a plasma processing chamber, determine a peak maximum power, P peak max , based on a maximum average power, P avg max , and a maximum absolute power, P abs max , of the RF generator and the predetermined duty cycle, and transmit a control signal to the RF generator to limit a peak power, P peak , to the plasma processing chamber based on the P peak max .

9. The radio frequency generator of claim 8 , wherein P peak max is determined using:
P peak max =min( P avg max /δ,P abs max )

where P abs max is a maximum rated output of the RF generator, δ is the predetermined duty cycle, and P avg max is a maximum rated average power of the RF generator.

10. The radio frequency generator of claim 8 , wherein when the power, P, is less than P peak max , the control logic circuit is configured to limit P peak =P.

11. The radio frequency generator of claim 8 , wherein when P is greater than or equal to P peak max , the control logic circuit is configured to limit P peak =P peak max .

12. The radio frequency generator of claim 8 , wherein the RF generator is at least one of an RF bias power source or an RF source power.

13. The radio frequency generator of claim 8 , wherein the plasma processing chamber is configured to perform a high aspect ratio etch process.

14. The radio frequency generator of claim 8 , wherein the control logic circuit is a component of at least one of the RF generator, a controller of the plasma processing chamber, or a matching circuit coupled to the plasma processing chamber.

15. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
receiving, at control logic circuit in operable communication with an RF generator operating in a burst mode, a power, P, request at a predetermined duty cycle, δ, from a plasma processing chamber;
determining a peak maximum power, P peak max , based on a maximum average power, P avg max , and a maximum absolute power, P abs max , of the RF generator and the predetermined duty cycle; and
transmitting a control signal to the RF generator to limit a peak power, P peak , to the plasma processing chamber based on the P peak max .

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein P peak max is determined using:
P peak max =min( P avg max /δ,P abs max )

where P abs max is a maximum rated output of the RF generator, δ is the predetermined duty cycle, and P avg max is a maximum rated average power of the RF generator.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising when the power, P, is less than P peak max , limiting P peak =P.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising when P is greater than or equal to P peak max , limiting P peak =P peak max .

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the RF generator is at least one of an RF bias power source or an RF source power.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising performing a high aspect ratio etch process.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Dorf Leonid
• Dhindsa Rajinder
• Luere Olivier
• Kamenetskiy Evgeny

Classifications

• H01J2237/334

  Etching · CPC title

• H01J37/32183 Primary

  Matching circuits · CPC title

• H05H1/46

  using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy (H05H1/26 takes precedence) · CPC title