Apparatus and method for efficient materials use during substrate processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9589769-B2
Application number	US-201414464175-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2014
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

A processing apparatus may include a plasma chamber to house a plasma; and an extraction assembly disposed along a side of the plasma chamber. The extraction assembly may be configured to direct ions from the plasma to a substrate, wherein the ions generate etched species comprising material that is etched from the substrate; and wherein the extraction assembly comprises at least one component having a recess that faces the substrate and is configured to intercept and retain the etched species.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A processing apparatus comprising:
a plasma chamber to house a plasma; and
an extraction assembly disposed along a side of the plasma chamber, the extraction assembly configured to direct ions from the plasma to a substrate, wherein the ions generate etched species comprising material that is etched from the substrate, and
wherein the extraction assembly comprises at least one component having a recess that faces the substrate and is configured to intercept and retain the etched species, wherein the extraction assembly comprises an extraction plate having an extraction aperture and a beam blocker disposed within the plasma chamber and having at least one recess that faces the substrate through the extraction aperture, wherein the beam blocker comprises a plurality of elongated recesses having a long direction that is perpendicular to a plane of the substrate.

2. The processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the extraction plate comprises a grooved outer surface that faces the substrate.

3. The processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the beam blocker and extraction aperture are interoperative to generate a plurality of menisci in a plasma sheath boundary of the plasma, wherein a plurality of ion beams are extracted from the plurality of menisci and directed to the substrate, wherein the etched species are generated as a plurality of sputter plumes over a range of sputter angles, and wherein the at least one recess is tailored according to the range of sputter angles of the plurality of sputter plumes.

4. The processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the extraction plate comprises a curved recess on a surface that faces the substrate and is configured to intercept the etched species.

5. The processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the ions are configured to generate the etched species as a sputter plume over a determined range of sputter angles, wherein the curved recess is tailored according to the range of sputter angles of the sputter plume.

6. A processing apparatus comprising:
a plasma chamber to house a plasma; and
an extraction assembly disposed along a side of the plasma chamber, the extraction assembly configured to direct ions from the plasma to a substrate, wherein the ions generate etched species comprising material that is etched from the substrate, and

wherein the extraction assembly comprises at least one component having a recess that faces the substrate and is configured to intercept and retain the etched species, wherein the extraction assembly comprises an extraction plate having an extraction aperture and a beam blocker disposed within the plasma chamber and having at least one recess that faces the substrate through the extraction aperture, wherein the beam blocker comprises a plurality of elongated recesses having long axes that are oriented at a non-zero angle with respect to a perpendicular to a plane of the substrate.

7. The processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the extraction plate and beam blocker are configured to condense greater than 70% of the etched species.

8. An extraction assembly, comprising:
an extraction plate having an extraction aperture; and
a beam blocker disposed adjacent the extraction aperture and interoperative with the extraction aperture to extract a plurality of ion beams from a plasma and to direct the plurality of ion beams to a substrate,
wherein the extraction plate comprises an outer surface having a plurality of grooves and the beam blocker comprising a body and at least one elongated recess disposed within the body and facing the substrate, the beam blocker and extraction plate being configured to intercept and condense etched species that are ejected by the plurality of ion beams from the substrate, wherein the ions are configured to generate the etched species as a sputter plume over a determined range of sputter angles, wherein the beam blocker comprises a plurality of elongated recesses that have long axes that are oriented according to the range of sputter angles.

9. The extraction assembly of claim 8 , further comprising a curved recess disposed on an outer surface of the extraction plate and configured to condense the etched species.

10. The extraction assembly of claim 9 , wherein the curved recess is tailored according to the range of sputter angles of the sputter plume.

11. The processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the extraction plate comprises a curved recess on a surface that faces the substrate and is configured to intercept the etched species.

12. The processing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the ions are configured to generate the etched species as a sputter plume over a determined range of sputter angles, wherein the curved recess is tailored according to the range of sputter angles of the sputter plume.

13. The processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the extraction plate and beam blocker are configured to condense greater than 70% of the etched species.

Assignees

• Varian Semiconductor Equipment Ass Inc

Inventors

• Venugopal Vijayakumar C
• Hertel Richard J
• Singh Vikram
• Allen Ernest E

Classifications

• H01J37/32357

  Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream · CPC title

• H01J37/32082 Primary

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

• H01J37/32623

  Mechanical discharge control means · CPC title