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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12237148-B2
Application number	US-202318375886-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2023
Priority date	Jul 31, 2020
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

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 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 first electrode that is disposed a first distance from a substrate supporting surface of the substrate support assembly;
a first pulsed-voltage (PV) waveform generator electrically coupled to the first electrode;
a second pulsed-voltage waveform generator electrically coupled to a second electrode disposed in the substrate support assembly radially outward of the first electrode; and
a controller comprising a memory that includes computer program instructions stored therein, and the computer program instructions when executed by a processor of the controller cause:
a delivery, by use of the second pulsed-voltage waveform generator, of a series of voltage waveform pulses to the second electrode, wherein
the series of voltage waveform pulses comprise a first series of voltage waveform pulses and a second series of voltage waveform pulses,
the first series of voltage waveform pulses comprise a first burst duration and the second series of voltage waveform pulses comprise a second burst duration,
the first series of voltage waveform pulses comprises a first direct current power level and a first voltage waveform pulses duration, and
the second series of voltage waveform pulses comprises a second direct current power level and a second voltage waveform pulses duration, and

a delivery, by use of the first pulsed-voltage waveform generator, of a series of voltage waveform pulses to the first electrode, wherein
the series of pulsed voltage waveform pulses comprise a third series of voltage waveform pulses fourth series of voltage waveform pulses,
the third series of voltage waveform pulses comprise a third burst duration and the fourth series of voltage waveform pulses comprise a fourth burst duration,
the third series of voltage waveform pulses comprises a third direct current power level and a third voltage waveform pulses duration, and
the fourth series of voltage waveform pulses comprises a fourth direct current power level and a fourth voltage waveform pulses duration, and

wherein
the first and the second series of voltage waveform pulses each comprise a plurality of voltage pulses that comprise a first voltage pulse phase and a second voltage pulse phase, and during the second voltage pulse phase the first pulsed-voltage waveform generator establishes a negative voltage at the first electrode,
the third and the fourth series of voltage waveform pulses each comprise a plurality of voltage pulses that comprise the first voltage pulse phase and the second voltage pulse phase, and during the second voltage pulse phase the second pulsed-voltage waveform generator establishes a negative voltage at the second electrode.

2. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the computer program instructions when executed by the processor of the controller further causes:
each of the pulsed voltage waveform bursts within the series of pulsed voltage waveform bursts have a same burst period.

3. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein pulsed voltage waveform bursts include a plurality of pulses that can include negative pulse waveforms, shaped pulse waveforms or positive pulse waveforms, or combinations thereof.

4. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the first pulsed-voltage waveform generator is a sourcing and not a sinking supply.

5. The plasma processing chamber of claim 4 , wherein the first pulsed-voltage waveform generator only passes a current in one direction and an output can charge but not discharge a capacitor.

6. The plasma processing chamber of claim 4 , wherein when a switch remains in an open position, a voltage across an output of the first pulsed-voltage waveform generator is not controlled by the first pulsed-voltage waveform generator and is instead determined by an interaction of its internal components with other circuit elements.

7. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1 , further comprising:
a current-return output stage coupled to a ground, wherein the current-return output stage has circuit elements, and wherein the circuit elements include the following elements:
a resistor and an inductor connected in series; and
a switch which permits a positive current flow towards the ground.

8. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to provide a plurality of differently configured bursts including a repeating cycle of the differently configured bursts that have a repeating cycle length.

9. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1 , further comprising:
a generator output coupling assembly that is configured to form an electrical connection between the first pulsed-voltage waveform generator and the first electrode; 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.

10. A method of processing a substrate in a plasma processing chamber, comprising:
delivering, by use of a first pulsed-voltage (PV) waveform generator, a series of pulsed voltage waveform bursts that comprise a first voltage waveform that is established at a first electrode, wherein
the series of pulsed voltage waveform bursts comprise a first pulsed voltage waveform burst and a second pulsed voltage waveform burst that comprise a first burst duration and a second burst duration, respectively,
the first pulsed voltage waveform burst comprises a first portion of the first voltage waveform that comprises a series of voltage pulses that comprise a first voltage pulse phase and a second voltage pulse phase, and
the second pulsed voltage waveform burst comprises a second portion of the first voltage waveform that comprises a series of voltage pulses that comprise a first voltage pulse phase and a second voltage pulse phase, and
during the second voltage pulse phase of the series of voltage pulses of the first and the second portion of the first voltage waveform the first pulsed-voltage waveform generator establishes a negative voltage at the first electrode; and delivering, a series of second pulsed voltage waveform bursts that comprise a second voltage waveform that is established at a second electrode, wherein the second electrode circumscribes the first electrode.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein
each of the pulsed voltage waveform bursts include negative pulse waveforms, shaped pulse waveforms or positive pulse waveforms, or combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein a characteristics of the first pulsed voltage waveform burst and the second pulsed voltage waveform burst have a different pulse voltage magnitude and are able to form two different lon Energy Distribution Function peaks that have different peak heights.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the characteristics of the voltage pulses are different between of the first pulsed voltage waveform burst and the second pulsed voltage waveform burst within a repeating cycle include differing individual PV waveform periods, different pulse voltage magnitudes, different shapes of at least a portion of a waveform within a first region and a second region.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first pulsed voltage waveform burst and the second pulsed voltage waveform burst have a burst period that includes a burst delivery length TON and burst rest length TOFF, and the burst period and a burst duty cycle are based on the burst delivery le

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

• H01J2237/2007

  Holding mechanisms · CPC title

• H01J37/32715

  Workpiece holder · CPC title