Apparutus for varying magnetic field to control volume of plasma

Abstract

A plasma confinement apparatus for controlling a plasma volume when a substrate is processed within a processing chamber includes a processing chamber within which a plasma processing a substrate is induced and maintained. The processing chamber is defined at least in part by chamber walls and also includes plasma confinement means. The plasma confinement device includes a magnetic matrix disposed about the periphery of the chamber and configured to generate a magnetic field that establishes a pattern of intersection points on the walls of the chamber. The pattern of intersections on the chamber walls defines areas where the plasma may damage and create cleaning problems. The intersection pattern is moved to improve the operation of the substrate processing system and reduce damage and / or cleaning problems due to plasma interaction with chamber walls. The movement of the intersection pattern can be realized by moving the magnetic matrix or the wall of the processing chamber. Movement of the magnetic elements can be continuous, i.e. rotating one or more magnetic elements or rotating all or part of the chamber wall, or incremental, i.e. periodically moving the position of one or more magnetic elements or the position of all or part of the chamber wall .

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for processing substrates such as semiconductor substrates used in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs) or glass plates used in flat panel displays. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of controlling a plasma within a plasma processing chamber. Background technique [0002] Plasma processing systems have been available for many years. Plasma processing systems utilizing inductively coupled plasma sources, electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) sources, capacitive sources, etc. have been introduced to various degrees for processing semiconductor substrates and glass sheets over the years. [0003] During processing, multiple deposition and / or etch steps are typically used. During deposition, various materials are deposited onto the surface of a substrate such as glass or a semiconductor wafer. For example, a deposited layer such as SiO2 may be formed on the surface of...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Increased power density leads to higher electron temperatures in the plasma and consequently to possible damage to the substrate and chamber

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