Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090022905 | RF CHOKE FOR GAS DELIVERY TO AN RF DRIVEN ELECTRODE IN A PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS - In large area plasma processing systems, process gases may be introduced to the chamber via the showerhead assembly which may be driven as an RF electrode. The gas feed tube, which is grounded, is electrically isolated from the showerhead. The gas feed tube may provide not only process gases, but also cleaning gases from a remote plasma source to the process chamber. The inside of the gas feed tube may remain at either a low RF field or a zero RF field to avoid premature gas breakdown within the gas feed tube that may lead to parasitic plasma formation between the gas source and the showerhead. By feeding the gas through an RF choke, the RF field and the processing gas may be introduced to the processing chamber through a common location and thus simplify the chamber design. | 01-22-2009 |
20090151636 | RPSC AND RF FEEDTHROUGH - The present invention generally comprises an apparatus having an RF choke and a remote plasma source combined into a single unit. Process gases may be introduced to the chamber via the showerhead assembly which may be driven as an RF electrode. The gas feed tube may provide process gases and the cleaning gases to the process chamber. The inside of the gas feed tube may remain at a zero RF field to avoid premature gas breakdown within the gas feed tube that may lead to parasitic plasma formation between the gas source and the showerhead during processing. Igniting the cleaning gas plasma within the gas feed tube permits the plasma to be ignited closer to the processing chamber. Thus, RF current travels along the outside of the apparatus during deposition and microwave current ignites a plasma within the apparatus before feeding the plasma to the processing chamber. | 06-18-2009 |
20090159423 | Asymmetrical RF Drive for Electrode of Plasma Chamber - RF power is coupled to one or more RF drive points ( | 06-25-2009 |
20090197015 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING PLASMA UNIFORMITY - Systems, methods, and apparatus involve a plasma processing chamber for depositing a film on a substrate. The plasma processing chamber includes a lid assembly having a ground plate, a backing plate, and a non-uniformity existing between the ground plate and the backing plate. The non-uniformity may interfere with RF wave uniformity and cause an impedance imbalance between portions of the ground plate and backing plate. The non-uniformity may include a structure or a reduced spacing of non-uniform surfaces. A reduced spacing of non-uniform surfaces may exist where a first distance between the ground plate and the backing plate at a first end is different from a second distance between the ground plate and the backing plate at a second end. The structure may be from 2 cm to 10 cm thick, cover from 20% to 50% of the backing plate, and be located away from a discontinuity existing inside the chamber. | 08-06-2009 |
20100080933 | MULTI-ELECTRODE PECVD SOURCE - Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods and apparatus for plasma generation in plasma processes. The methods and apparatus generally include a plurality of electrodes. The electrodes are connected to a RF power source, which powers the electrodes out of phase from one another. Adjacent electrodes are electrically isolated from one another by electrically insulating members disposed between and coupled to the electrodes. Processing gas may be delivered and/or withdrawn through the electrodes and/or the electrically insulating members. The substrate may remain electrically floating because the plasma may be capacitively coupled to it through a differential RF source drive. | 04-01-2010 |
20100089319 | RF RETURN PATH FOR LARGE PLASMA PROCESSING CHAMBER - A method and apparatus having a RF return path with low impedance coupling a substrate support to a chamber wall in a plasma processing system is provided. In one embodiment, a processing chamber includes a chamber body having a chamber sidewall, a bottom and a lid assembly supported by the chamber sidewall defining a processing region, a substrate support disposed in the processing region of the chamber body, a shadow frame disposed on an edge of the substrate support assembly, and a RF return path having a first end coupled to the shadow frame and a second end coupled to the chamber sidewall. | 04-15-2010 |
20100104771 | ELECTRODE AND POWER COUPLING SCHEME FOR UNIFORM PROCESS IN A LARGE-AREA PECVD CHAMBER - Embodiments discussed herein generally include electrodes having parallel ferrite boundaries that suppress RF currents perpendicular to the ferrite boundary and absorb magnetic field components parallel to the boundary. The ferrites cause the standing wave to stretch outside the ferrites and shrink inside the ferrite. Thus, the RF current on the uncovered electrode area will be a plane wave, quasi-uniform (in a direction perpendicular to the ferrites) propagating in the direction parallel to the ferrites. | 04-29-2010 |
20100104772 | ELECTRODE AND POWER COUPLING SCHEME FOR UNIFORM PROCESS IN A LARGE-AREA PECVD CHAMBER - Embodiments discussed herein generally include electrodes having parallel ferrite boundaries that suppress RF currents perpendicular to the ferrite boundary and absorb magnetic field components parallel to the boundary. The ferrites cause the standing wave to stretch outside the ferrites and shrink inside the ferrite. A plurality of power sources are coupled to the electrode. The phase of the VHF current delivered from the power sources may be modulated to move the standing wave that is perpendicular to the ferrites in a direction parallel to the ferrites. Thus, the VHF current on the uncovered electrode area will be a plane wave, quasi-uniform (in a direction perpendicular to the ferrites) propagating in the direction parallel to the ferrites. | 04-29-2010 |
20100186671 | ARRANGEMENT FOR WORKING SUBSTRATES BY MEANS OF PLASMA - The invention relates to an arrangement for working substrates by means of plasma (PECVD), wherein at least two electrodes are provided which are located in a common plane and are spaced apart from one another. Between the particular electrodes are provided interspaces which serve as gas inlets or gas outlets. | 07-29-2010 |
20100206483 | RF Bus and RF Return Bus for Plasma Chamber Electrode - For coupling RF power from an RF input of a plasma chamber to the interior of a plasma chamber, an RF bus conductor is connected between the RF input and a plasma chamber electrode. In one embodiment, an RF return bus conductor is connected to an electrically grounded wall of the chamber, and the RF bus conductor and the RF return bus conductor have respective surfaces that are parallel and face each other. In another embodiment, the RF bus conductor has a transverse cross section having a longest dimension oriented perpendicular to the surface of the plasma chamber electrode that is closest to the RF bus conductor. | 08-19-2010 |
20110135844 | LARGE AREA PLASMA PROCESSING CHAMBER WITH AT-ELECTRODE RF MATCHING - A plasma processing system having at-electrode RF matching and a method for processing substrates utilizing the same is provided. In one embodiment, the plasma processing system includes a chamber body, the substrate support, an electrode, a lid assembly and an RF tuning element. A substrate support is disposed in a processing volume defined in the chamber body. The electrode is positioned above the substrate support and below a cover of the lid assembly. The RF tuning element is disposed between the cover and the electrode and is coupled to the electrode. | 06-09-2011 |
20110192349 | Phase-Modulated RF Power for Plasma Chamber Electrode - A plurality of RF power signals have the same RF frequency as a reference RF signal and are coupled to respective RF connection points on an electrode of a plasma chamber. At least three of the RF connection points are not collinear. At least two of the RF power signals have time-varying phase offsets relative to the reference RF signal that are distinct functions of time. Such time-varying phase offsets can produce a spatial distribution of plasma in the plasma chamber having better time-averaged uniformity than the uniformity of the spatial distribution at any instant in time. | 08-11-2011 |
20110284100 | TIGHTLY FITTED CERAMIC INSULATOR ON LARGE AREA ELECTRODE - Embodiments of the invention generally include shield frame assembly for use with a showerhead assembly, and a showerhead assembly having a shield frame assembly that includes an insulator that tightly fits around the perimeter of a showerhead in a vacuum processing chamber. In one embodiment, a showerhead assembly includes a gas distribution plate and a multi-piece frame assembly that circumscribes a perimeter edge of the gas distribution plate. The multi-piece frame assembly allows for expansion of the gas distribution plate without creating gaps which may lead to arcing. In other embodiments, the insulator is positioned to be have the electric fields concentrated at the perimeter of the gas distribution plate located therein, thereby reducing arcing potential. | 11-24-2011 |