Grounded confinement ring having large surface area

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9337004-B2
Application number	US-57035909-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2009
Priority date	Apr 6, 2009
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

A wafer processing system is provided for use with a driver and a material supply source. The driver is operable to generate a driving signal. The material supply source is operable to provide a material. The wafer processing system includes an upper confinement chamber portion, a lower confinement chamber portion, a confinement ring, and an electro-static chuck. The upper confinement chamber portion has an upper confinement chamber portion inner surface. The lower confinement chamber portion is detachably disposed in contact with the upper confinement chamber portion. The lower confinement chamber portion has a lower confinement chamber portion inner surface. The confinement ring is removably disposed in contact with the upper confinement chamber portion inner surface and the lower confinement chamber portion inner surface. The confinement ring has a confinement ring inner surface. The electro-static chuck has an electro-static chuck upper surface and is arranged to receive the driving signal. The upper confinement chamber portion, the lower confinement chamber portion, the confinement ring and the electro-static chuck are arranged such that the upper confinement chamber portion inner surface, the lower confinement chamber portion inner surface, the confinement ring inner surface and the electro-static chuck upper surface surround a plasma-forming space that is capable of receiving the material. The upper confinement chamber portion, the lower confinement chamber portion, the confinement ring and the electro-static chuck are operable to transform the material into a plasma when the electro-static chuck receives the driving signal. The confinement ring has a non-rectangular cross section.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A wafer processing system for use with a RF driver and a material supply source that is operable to supply a material, the RF driver being operable to generate a driving signal such that material supplied by the material supply source can be transformed into plasma and a wafer may be plasma processed, said wafer processing system comprising:
an upper confinement chamber portion having a horizontally extending exposed bottom surface and a vertically extending portion;
a lower confinement chamber portion having a horizontally extending exposed top surface and a vertically extending portion, said lower confinement chamber portion and the said upper confinement chamber portion detachably disposed in direct contact with each other via their corresponding vertically extending portions;
a removable confinement ring consisting essentially of: a horizontally extending top annular wall outward of the exposed bottom surface of the upper confinement chamber portion, a horizontally extending bottom annular wall outward of the exposed top surface of the lower confinement chamber portion, and a vertically extending annular wall extending between outer peripheries of the respective horizontally extending top and bottom annular walls wherein an inner periphery of the horizontally extending bottom annular wall is radially outward of an inner periphery of the horizontally extending top annular wall; and
an electro-static chuck having an electro-static chuck upper surface arranged to hold a wafer to be processed,
wherein the exposed bottom surface of the upper confinement chamber portion, the exposed top surface of the lower confinement chamber portion, the electro-static chuck upper surface, and the removable confinement ring define a plasma forming space in which plasma can be generated when a wafer is processed.

2. The wafer processing system of claim 1 , wherein said removable confinement ring has a c-shaped cross section.

3. The wafer processing system of claim 1 , wherein an inner surface of the vertically extending annular wall comprises a protrusion.

4. The wafer processing system of claim 3 , wherein said protrusion comprises a fin.

5. The wafer processing system of claim 3 , wherein said protrusion comprises a spike.

6. The wafer processing system of claim 3 , wherein said protrusion comprises a convex portion.

7. The wafer processing system of claim 3 , wherein the inner surface of the vertically extending annular wall includes a plurality of protrusions.

8. The wafer processing system of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of protrusions are shaped as spikes.

9. The wafer processing system of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of protrusions are shaped as fins.

10. The wafer processing system of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of protrusions are shaped as bumps.

11. The wafer processing system of claim 3 , wherein the inner surface of the vertically extending annular wall includes a convex portion.

12. The wafer processing system of claim 1 , wherein the plasma exposed top surface of the lower confinement chamber portion includes an exhaust portion formed therein that is radially inward of the horizontally extending bottom annular wall of the removable confinement ring.

13. The wafer processing system of claim 1 , wherein a vertical distance between a lower surface of the horizontally extending top annular wall and an upper surface of the horizontally extending bottom annular wall is less than a vertical distance between the electro-static chuck upper surface and the exposed bottom surface of the upper confinement chamber portion so as to reduce plasma volume at an outer periphery of the plasma forming space when a wafer is processed in the wafer processing system.

14. The wafer processing system of claim 1 , wherein an inner surface and an upper surface of the horizontally extending bottom annular wall, an inner surface of the vertically extending annular wall, and an inner surface and a lower surface of the horizontally extending top annular wall are exposed to plasma when a wafer is processed in the wafer processing system.

Assignees

• Marakhtanov Alexei
• Dhindsa Rajhinder
• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Marakhtanov Alexei
• Dhindsa Rajhinder

Classifications

• H01J37/32642 Primary

  Focus rings · CPC title

• H01J37/32623

  Mechanical discharge control means · CPC title

• H01J37/32422

  Arrangement for selecting ions or species in the plasma · CPC title

• H01J37/32495

  Means for protecting the vessel against plasma · CPC title