Mono-energetic neutral beam activated chemical processing system and method of using

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9520275-B2
Application number	US-5300808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2008
Priority date	Mar 21, 2008
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

A chemical processing system and a method of using the chemical processing system to treat a substrate with a mono-energetic space-charge neutralized neutral beam-activated chemical process is described. The chemical processing system comprises a first plasma chamber for forming a first plasma at a first plasma potential, and a second plasma chamber for forming a second plasma at a second plasma potential greater than the first plasma potential, wherein the second plasma is formed using electron flux from the first plasma. Further, the chemical processing system comprises a substrate holder configured to position a substrate in the second plasma chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A chemical processing system configured to treat a substrate, comprising:
a plasma generation chamber comprising a first plasma region configured to receive a first process gas at a first pressure;
a process chamber comprising a second plasma region disposed downstream of said first plasma region and configured to receive said first process gas from said first plasma region at a second pressure;
a first gas injection system coupled to said plasma generation chamber and configured to introduce said first process gas to said first plasma region;
a plasma generation system coupled to said plasma generation chamber and configured to generate a first plasma at a first plasma potential in said first plasma region from said first process gas;
a separate member disposed between said first plasma region and said second plasma region, wherein said separation member comprises one or more openings configured to allow an electron flux to flow from said first plasma region to said second plasma region to sustain a second plasma at a second plasma potential;
a bias electrode system coupled to said process chamber and configured to elevate said second plasma potential above said first plasma potential in order to control said electron flux;
a substrate holder coupled to said process chamber and configured to support said substrate proximate said second plasma region; and
a vacuum pumping system coupled to said process chamber and configured to pump said second plasma region in said process chamber,
wherein said separation member is composed of a dielectric material, and
wherein one or more of said one or more openings in said separation member comprises a diameter greater than the Debye length,
wherein said bias electrode system comprises at least one DC conductive bias electrode having a conductive surface in contact with said second plasma, and wherein said at least one DC conductive bias electrode is coupled to a DC voltage source,
wherein said process chamber comprises:
a chamber housing member that is fabricated from a DC conductive material and is coupled to DC ground;
a liner member coupled to said chamber housing member that is fabricated from
a dielectric material and is configured to electrically insulate said chamber housing member from said second plasma;
an electrical feed-through that is configured to allow electrical connection to said at least one DC conductive bias electrode; and
an electrode insulator disposed between said at least one DC conductive bias electrode and said chamber housing member and configured to electrically insulate said at least one DC conductive bias electrode from said chamber housing member.

2. The chemical processing system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one DC conductive bias electrode comprises a doped silicon electrode.

3. The chemical processing system of claim 1 , wherein said DC voltage source is configured to bias said at least one DC conductive bias electrode with a DC voltage ranging from about 50 V to about 5000V.

4. The chemical processing system of claim 1 , wherein said plasma generation chamber comprises at least one DC conductive ground electrode having a conductive surface in contact with said first plasma, and wherein said at least one DC conductive ground electrode is coupled to DC ground.

5. The chemical processing system of claim 4 , wherein said at least one DC conductive ground electrode comprises a surface having a surface area in contact with said first plasma greater than any other surface area in contact with said first plasma.

6. The chemical processing system of claim 1 , wherein said substrate holder is coupled to DC ground, and wherein said substrate is at DC ground or floating ground.

7. The chemical processing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller coupled to said plasma generation system, said bias electrode system, said process chamber, said first gas injection system, said substrate holder, and said vacuum pumping system, and configured to adjust or control said second plasma by varying at least one of a power coupled by said plasma generation system to said first process gas in said first plasma region, a DC voltage coupled to said second plasma by said bias electrode system, a composition of said first process gas coupled to said plasma generation chamber, a flow rate of said first process gas coupled to said plasma generation chamber, a pumping speed coupled to said process chamber, or a temperature of said substrate, or a combination of one or more thereof.

8. The chemical processing system of claim 1 , wherein said first plasma is driven by a first boundary at DC ground voltage, and wherein said second plasma is driven by a second boundary at a DC bias voltage.

Assignees

• Chen Lee
• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Lee

Classifications

• H10P50/242

  of Group IV materials · CPC title

• H01J37/3244

  Gas supply means · CPC title

• H01J37/3255 Primary

  Material · CPC title

• H01J37/32192

  Microwave generated discharge (H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394, H01J37/32403 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01J37/321

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