Plasma processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11527386-B2
Application number	US-202117193088-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2021
Priority date	Mar 6, 2020
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

A microwave output device includes a microwave generator configured to generate a pulse-modulated microwave; an output unit; a first directional coupler configured to output a part of a progressive wave; and a measurement device configured to determine measurement values of High and Low levels of a power of the progressive wave. The microwave generator alternately generates a first microwave having a bandwidth and a second microwave having a single frequency peak in synchronization with switching of the High level and the Low level; averages the measurement value corresponding to the first microwave with a moving average time equal to or larger than a reciprocal of a carrier pitch; averages the measurement value corresponding to the second microwave with a moving average time less than the reciprocal of the carrier pitch; and controls the powers of High and Low levels based on the averaged measurement values and set powers.

First claim

We claim:

1. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:
a chamber main body; and
a microwave output device configured to output a microwave for exciting a gas supplied into the chamber main body,
wherein the microwave output device comprises:
a microwave generator configured to generate a microwave a power of which is pulse-modulated such that the power of the microwave has a pulse frequency, a duty ratio, a high level and a low level according to a set pulse frequency, a set duty ratio, a set power of high level and a set power of low level instructed from a controller;
an output unit configured to output the microwave propagated from the microwave generator;
a first directional coupler configured to output a part of a progressive wave propagated to the output unit from the microwave generator; and
a measurement device configured to determine, based on the part of the progressive wave outputted from the first directional coupler, a first high measurement value and a first low measurement value respectively indicating a high level and a low level of a power of the progressive wave in the output unit,
wherein the microwave generator is configured to alternately generate a microwave of a first waveform and a microwave of a second waveform in synchronization with switching of the high level and the low level of the power, the microwave of the first waveform having a median frequency, a bandwidth and a carrier pitch according to a set frequency, a set bandwidth and a set carrier pitch instructed from the controller, respectively, and the microwave of the second waveform having a single frequency peak at a median frequency according to the set frequency instructed from the controller,
the measurement device averages, between the first high measurement value and the first low measurement value, the measurement value corresponding to the microwave of the first waveform with a moving average time equal to or larger than a reciprocal of the set carrier pitch and a preset sampling number,
the measurement device averages, between the first high measurement value and the first low measurement value, the measurement value corresponding to the microwave of the second waveform with a moving average time less than the reciprocal of the set carrier pitch and a preset sampling number,
the microwave generator controls the power of high level of the pulse-modulated microwave based on the averaged first high measurement value and the set power of high level, and
the microwave generator controls the power of low level of the pulse-modulated microwave based on the averaged first low measurement value and the set power of low level.

2. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second directional coupler configured to output a part of a reflection wave returned to the output unit,
wherein the measurement device further determines, based on the part of the reflection wave outputted from the second directional coupler, a second high measurement value and a second low measurement value respectively indicating a high level and a low level of a power of the reflection wave in the output unit,
the measurement device averages, between the second high measurement value and the second low measurement value, the measurement value corresponding to the microwave of the first waveform with a moving average time equal to or larger than the reciprocal of the set carrier pitch and a preset sampling number,
the measurement device averages, between the second high measurement value and the second low measurement value, the measurement value corresponding to the microwave of the second waveform with a moving average time less than the reciprocal of the set carrier pitch and a preset sampling number,
the microwave generator controls the power of high level of the pulse-modulated microwave based on the averaged first high measurement value, the averaged second high measurement value and the set power of high level, and
the microwave generator controls the power of low level of the pulse-modulated microwave based on the averaged first low measurement value, the averaged second low measurement value and the set power of low level.

3. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the microwave generator controls the microwave such that a value obtained by subtracting the averaged second high measurement value from the averaged first high measurement value approaches the set power of high level, and
the microwave generator controls the microwave such that a value obtained by subtracting the averaged second low measurement value from the averaged first low measurement value approaches the set power of low level.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Kaneko Kazushi
• Ishida Yohei

Classifications

• H01J37/32229

  Waveguides · CPC title

• H01J37/32311 Primary

  Circuits specially adapted for controlling the microwave discharge · CPC title

• H01J37/3299

  Feedback systems · CPC title

• H01J37/32449

  Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow · CPC title

• H01J37/32275

  Microwave reflectors · CPC title