Monopole antenna array source for semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

A plasma reactor includes a chamber body having an interior space that provides a plasma chamber, a gas distribution port to deliver a processing gas to the plasma chamber, a workpiece support to holda workpiece, an antenna array comprising a plurality of monopole antennas extending partially into the plasma chamber, and an AC power source to supply a first AC power to the plurality of monopole antennas.

Description

technical field [0001] This specification relates to wafer processing systems and related methods. Background technique [0002] For example, processing of a workpiece, such as a semiconductor wafer, may be performed using a form of electromagnetic energy, such as RF power or microwave power. For example, power may be employed to generate a plasma for performing plasma-based processes such as plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) or plasma-enhanced reactive ion etching (PERIE). Some processes require extremely high plasma ion densities as well as extremely low plasma ion energies. This is true for processes such as the deposition of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films, where the time required to deposit some types of DLC films can be hours, depending on the desired thickness and plasma ion density. Higher plasma densities require higher source powers and generally translate into shorter deposition times. [0003] Microwave sources typically produce very high plasm...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, microwave sources cannot meet the stringent uniformity required to distribute deposition rates or etch rates across an entire workpiece

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