Synchronization of RF generators

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12046450-B2
Application number	US-202118012212-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2021
Priority date	Sep 29, 2020
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

Systems and methods for synchronization of radio frequency (RF) generators are described. One of the methods includes receiving, by a first RF generator, a first recipe set, which includes information regarding a first plurality of pulse blocks for operating the first RF generator. The method further includes receiving, by a second RF generator, a second recipe set, which includes information regarding a second plurality of pulse blocks for operating a second RF generator. Upon receiving a digital pulsed signal, the method includes executing the first recipe set and executing the second recipe set. The method further includes outputting a first one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality based on the first recipe set in synchronization with a synchronization signal. The method includes outputting a first one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality based on the second recipe set in synchronization with the synchronization signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a first radio frequency (RF) generator, a first recipe set, wherein the first recipe set includes information regarding a first plurality of pulse blocks for operating the first RF generator;
receiving, by a second RF generator, a second recipe set, wherein the second recipe set includes information regarding a second plurality of pulse blocks for operating the second RF generator;
receiving, by the first and second RF generators, a digital pulsed signal,
wherein upon receiving the digital pulsed signal, executing, by the first RF generator, the first recipe set and executing, by the second RF generator, the second recipe set,
outputting, by the first RF generator, a first one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality based on the first recipe set in synchronization with a synchronization signal; and
outputting, by the second RF generator, a first one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality based on the second recipe set in synchronization with the synchronization signal.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, by the first RF generator, the synchronization signal;
sending the synchronization signal from the first RF generator to the second RF generator;
receiving, by the second RF generator, the synchronization signal from the first RF generator, wherein said outputting the first one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality in synchronization with the synchronization signal is performed in response to said receiving the synchronization signal.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the synchronization signal is generated by a processor of a host computer, the method further comprising:
receiving, by the first RF generator, the synchronization signal from the processor, wherein said outputting the first one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality in synchronization with the synchronization signal is performed in response to said receiving the synchronization signal by the first RF generator;
receiving, by the second RF generator, the synchronization signal from the processor, wherein said outputting the first one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality in synchronization with the synchronization signal is performed in response to said receiving the synchronization signal by the second RF generator.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the digital pulsed signal is a transistor-transistor logic (TTL) signal.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, by the first RF generator, an Ethernet for Control Automation (ECAT) train including information regarding the synchronization signal, wherein the information regarding the synchronization signal includes a frequency of pulses of the synchronization signal;
sending the ECAT train from the first RF generator to the second RF generator;
receiving, by the second RF generator from the first RF generator, the information regarding the synchronization signal in the ECAT train.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
outputting, by the second RF generator, a second one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality after a delay compared to a second one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality, wherein the second one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality is output before the synchronization signal is received by the second RF generator, wherein the second one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality is generated before the first one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality is generated, wherein the second one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality is generated before the first one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality is generated, wherein the delay is equal to a time interval of a portion of any one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the pulse blocks of the first plurality is an envelope of a variable of a first RF signal, wherein each of the pulse blocks of the first plurality includes two or more states of the variable of the first RF signal, wherein each of the pulse blocks of the second plurality is an envelope of a variable of a second RF signal, wherein each of the pulse blocks of the second plurality includes two or more states of the variable of the second RF signal.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the pulse blocks of the first plurality includes a second one of the pulse blocks, wherein the second one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality is consecutive to the first one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality, wherein the pulse blocks of the second plurality includes a second one of the pulse blocks, wherein the second one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality is consecutive to the first one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the synchronization signal includes a plurality of pulses, wherein a time interval between two consecutive ones of the plurality of pulses is generated based on a number of pulse periods in one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality and a time interval of one of the pulse periods in the one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality.

10. A system comprising:
a first radio frequency (RF) generator configured to receive a first recipe set, wherein the first recipe set includes information regarding a first plurality of pulse blocks for operating the first RF generator;
a second RF generator configured to receive a second recipe set, wherein the second recipe set includes information regarding a second plurality of pulse blocks for operating the second RF generator,
wherein the first and second RF generators are configured to receive a digital pulsed signal,
wherein upon receiving the digital pulsed signal, the first RF generator is configured to execute the first recipe set and the second RF generator is configured to execute the second recipe set,
wherein during the execution of the first recipe set, the first RF generator is configured to generate a synchronization signal and provide the synchronization signal to the second RF generator,
wherein the first RF generator is configured to output a first one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality based on the first recipe set in synchronization with the synchronization signal,
wherein upon receiving the synchronization signal, the second RF generator is configured to output a first one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality based on the second recipe set in synchronization with the synchronization signal.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first RF generator is configured to generate an Ethernet for Control Automation (ECAT) train including information regarding the synchronization signal, wherein the information regarding the synchronization signal includes a frequency of pulses of the synchronization signal, wherein to provide the synchronization signal to the second RF generator, the first generator is configured to send the ECAT train to the second RF generator.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein second RF generator is configured to send a second one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality after a delay compared to a second one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality, wherein the second one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality is output before the synchronization signal is received by the second RF generator, wherein the second one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality is generated before the first one of the pulse blocks of the first plurality is generated, wherein the second one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality is generated before the first one of the pulse blocks of the second plurality is generated, wherein the delay is equal to a time interva

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Wu Ying
• Drewery John Stephen
• Paterson Alexander Miller
• Zhou Xiang
• Wang Zhuoxian
• Kimura Yoshie

Classifications

• H01J2237/334

  Etching · CPC title

• H01J37/32174 Primary

  Circuits specially adapted for controlling the RF discharge · CPC title

• H01J37/321

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

• H01J37/32091

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

• H01J37/32165 Primary

  Plural frequencies · CPC title