Plasma system with residence time adjustment assembly

Abstract

Plasma apparatus. The plasma apparatus may include a plasma chamber that defines a plasma inside, and an extraction opening positioned along a first side of the plasma chamber, which defines an ion beam extracted through it. The plasma apparatus may further include a residence time adjustment assembly connected to a portion of the plasma chamber different from the first side, the residence time adjustment assembly comprising a pumping duct connected at a first end to the plasma chamber, which defines a pumping path for extracting gas species directly from the plasma chamber, separately from the extraction opening.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 18 / 220,163, filed Jul. 10, 2023. The content of the foregoing application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002]

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to plasma processing apparatuses, and more specifically, to plasma - based ion sources and related processing apparatuses.

Background Art

[0003]

[0003] Today, plasma is used to process semiconductor substrates to fabricate integrated electronic circuits. In such applications, ions are involved in substrate etching, ion implantation, thin - film deposition, and other processes. Some processing apparatuses employ a plasma chamber that generates a plasma acting as an ion source for substrate processing. The ion beam can be extracted by an extraction assembly and directed towards a substrate in a processing chamber located adjacent to the plasma chamber. Depending on how energy is delivered to the working gas, the plasma in the ion source can be generated in various ways such as rf excitation, dc, or microwave.

[0004]

[0004] According to the design of an apparatus having a plasma chamber or ion source separated from a process chamber, recent designs may include an ion extraction assembly provided with an extraction plate, such as a substrate plate located in the process chamber, which includes an extraction opening that defines an ion beam when a bias is applied between the plasma chamber and the process chamber. The gas used to generate the plasma can enter the plasma chamber through one or more conduits. In addition to the ion beam, other gas species, including excited neutral matter (both atoms and molecules) and unexcited gases, move from the plasma chamber into the process chamber through the extraction opening. The gas species are then exhausted from the processing system via a pumping port and an external pump connected to the process chamber. Thus, the outward flow of gas from the ion source or plasma chamber is performed via the same structure(s) used to extract ions or an ion beam from the ion source / plasma chamber.

[0005]

[0005] In order to generate more chemically active neutral and ionic species (known as radicals), it is necessary to increase the residence time of the gas species in the plasma chamber. However, if the residence time is too long, it can lead to excessive fractionation of the parent monomer supplied into the plasma chamber. This situation reduces the production of polymer species necessary to protect the trench sidewalls. Therefore, careful adjustment of the residence time is necessary. The residence time is proportional to the gas pressure in the plasma chamber and inversely proportional to the gas flow rate. In known systems, the substrate platen can be positioned adjacent to the extraction opening, such as within a few millimeters or centimeters of the extraction opening. To change the vacuum conductance and therefore the residence time, the substrate platen can be moved to change the orthogonal distance between the extraction platen and the substrate platen, the so-called Z gap. However, variations in the Z gap also change the electrostatic field adjacent to the extraction opening and therefore affect the characteristics of the extracted ion beam. Changes in the electrostatic field can be compensated for by adjusting the extraction voltage accordingly, but this adjustment leads to changes in ion energy. Therefore, according to known designs of plasma processing systems using plasma chambers with extraction openings, various residence times may not be achieved, independently of various other process characteristics such as ion beam properties.

[0006]

[0006] In relation to these and other considerations, this disclosure is provided. [Overview of the project]

[0007]

[0007] In one embodiment, a plasma processing apparatus is provided, comprising a plasma chamber that defines a plasma therein, and an extraction opening positioned along a first side of the plasma chamber, wherein the extraction opening is positioned to define an ion beam extracted through therein. The plasma processing apparatus may also include a residence time adjustment assembly connected to a portion of the plasma chamber, distinct from the first side. The residence time adjustment assembly may include a pumping duct, which is connected to the plasma chamber at a first end and defines a pumping path for extracting gas species directly from the plasma chamber, separately from the extraction opening.

[0008]

[0008] In another embodiment, a plasma processing system is provided which includes a plasma chamber that defines a plasma inside and a process chamber positioned along one side of the plasma chamber. The plasma processing system may include an extraction opening positioned between the plasma chamber and the process chamber to define an ion beam extracted through thereof. The plasma processing system may also include a residence time adjustment assembly connected to a portion of the plasma chamber, distinct from the first side. The residence time adjustment assembly may include a pumping duct, which is connected to the plasma chamber at a first end and defines a pumping path for extracting gas species directly from the plasma chamber, separately from the extraction opening.

[0009]

[0009] In further embodiments, a method is provided for operating an ion source, which includes forming a plasma in a plasma chamber of the ion source using a gas species. The method may include extracting an ion beam through an extraction opening positioned along one side of the ion source. The method may include pumping at least a portion of the gas species from the plasma chamber using a residence time adjustment assembly which includes a pumping duct connected at a first end to the plasma chamber and defines a pumping path for extracting the gas species directly from the plasma chamber, separate from the extraction opening. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1A]

[0010] This is a side view of a processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 1B]

[0011] This is the processing system shown in Figure 1A during operation. [Figure 2A]

[0012] This is a modified example of the residence time adjustment assembly shown in Figure 1A. [Figure 2B]

[0013] This is a more specific example of the residence time adjustment assembly shown in Figure 2A. [Figure 3A]

[0014] This is a plasma processing apparatus including a modified example of the residence time adjustment assembly shown in Figure 1A. [Figure 3B]

[0015] Figure 3A shows a specific example of a residence time adjustment assembly. [Figure 4]

[0016] This is a plasma processing apparatus including another modification of the residence time adjustment assembly shown in Figure 1A. [Figure 5A]

[0017] Figure 1A is an isometric view of a plasma processing apparatus, including different modifications of the residence time adjustment assembly. [Figure 5B] Figure 1A is a side view of a plasma processing apparatus, including different modifications of the residence time adjustment assembly. [Figure 6A-6B]

[0018] These are side views of the reference processing apparatus and the processing apparatus arranged according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, respectively. [Figure 6C-6D]

[0019] These are the apparatuses shown in Figures 6A and 6B, respectively, including the gas streamlines within the process chamber. [Figures 7A-7B]

[0020] We present graphs showing computer simulations of gas species path lengths and time spent within the plasma chamber for known plasma chambers and plasma chambers pumped with residence time adjustment assemblies. [Figure 8A]

[0021] A graph showing plasma chamber pressure as a function of valve opening, using a residence time adjustment assembly, according to some embodiments. [Figure 8B]

[0022] The dependence of the amount of gas pumped through a residence time adjustment assembly as a function of valve opening percentage. [Figure 8C]

[0023] A graph showing beam current as a function of the valve opening of a valve of a residence time adjustment assembly, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8D]

[0024] A graph showing beam uniformity as a function of valve opening of a residence time adjustment assembly, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9]

[0025] Variation of gas pressure in a plasma chamber as a function of time during scanning of a substrate in an adjacent process chamber when the plasma chamber is pumped only through an extraction aperture and when the plasma chamber is additionally evacuated through a pumping port of a residence time adjustment assembly. [Figure 10]

[0026] An exemplary process flow.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011]

[0027] The drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are merely representations and are not intended to depict specific parameters of the present disclosure. The drawings are intended to show exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be regarded as limiting the scope. In the drawings, like reference numerals represent like elements.

[0012]

[0028] The apparatus, systems, and methods described herein will be fully described below with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating embodiments of the systems and methods. The systems and methods may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments specified herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to ensure consistency and completeness of this disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the systems and methods to those skilled in the art.

[0013]

[0029] In relation to the shape, dimensions, and orientation of semiconductor manufacturing device components as shown in the drawings, terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “upward,” “downward,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “lateral,” and “longitudinal” may be used herein to describe the relative arrangement and orientation of these components and their parts. Technical terms may include the words specifically mentioned, their derivatives, and words with similar meanings.

[0014]

[0030] As used herein, elements or actions listed in the singular and followed by the word "a" or "an" are also understood to potentially include multiple elements or actions. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” in this disclosure are not intended to be construed as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the listed features.

[0015]

[0031] This specification provides apparatus for improving the operation of ion sources and related systems used for processing substrates.

[0016]

[0032] Referring to the figures, Figure 1A shows a side view of a processing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The processing system 100 comprises a plasma chamber 102 acting as an ion source, and a process chamber 104 positioned along one side of the plasma chamber 102. The processing system 100 further includes an extraction opening 114 positioned between the plasma chamber 102 and the process chamber 104. As shown in Figure 1B, when a plasma 128 is formed in the plasma chamber 102, the extraction opening 114 can define an ion beam 130 that is extracted through it. During operation, gaseous chemical species can be injected into the plasma chamber 102 via a gas line 110, where the species may be any suitable combination of atomic or molecular inert gases and / or chemically active gases. A plasma output assembly 116 may be provided for connecting power to the plasma chamber 102. In various non-limiting embodiments, the plasma output assembly may include any suitable combination of components for generating radio frequency (RF) plasma (capacitively coupled plasma, inductively coupled plasma, helicon plasma), microwave plasma (electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma), or other known plasmas.

[0017]

[0033] During operation, an ion beam 130 can be generated by applying a voltage between the plasma chamber 102 and the substrate platen 106, for example, using a bias supply 118. Once the ion beam 130 is formed, it can be directed through the opening 114 to the substrate 108 located on the substrate platen 106 within the process chamber 104. A system vacuum pump 120 is connected to the process chamber 104 to exhaust gas species from the process chamber 104, such as ions, neutral matter, and other gases leaving the plasma chamber 102 through the extraction opening 114, or species formed as a result of interaction with the substrate material. As an example, the pressure inside the operating plasma chamber may range between 1 mTorr and 30 mTorr in some non-limiting embodiments, while the gas pressure inside the process chamber may range between 0.01 mTorr and several mTorr. In certain embodiments, the plasma chamber 102 and process chamber 104 may be pumped by a system vacuum pump 120 representing one or more pumps, such as a turbomolecular pump, attached to the process chamber 104. During substrate processing using ions extracted from the plasma chamber 102, the pressure in the bulk of the process chamber 104 outside the zone between the substrate platen 106 and the plasma chamber 102 is 10 -4 Torr~10 -5 It can be maintained during Torr.

[0018]

[0034] In various embodiments, the substrate platen 106 may be movable along various directions, including along the Z-axis of the Cartesian coordinate system shown. Thus, the Z-gap is changed, and this change can result in a change in the flow rate of gas species from the plasma chamber 102, which can alter the local gas pressure near the substrate 108. Simultaneously, as a result of the change in the Z-gap, the beam characteristics of the ion beam 130 may be altered.

[0019]

[0035] As further shown in Figure 1A, the system 100 may include a residence time adjustment assembly 122 connected to the plasma chamber 102. The residence time adjustment assembly 122 may be embodied as a pumping duct 124 having a near end 126 including an opening in the plasma chamber 102. In this embodiment, the residence time adjustment assembly 122 has a pumping duct 124 that is directly connected to the process chamber 104 at a second end 129. Thus, in the configuration of Figure 1A, the gas species in the plasma chamber 102 can be pumped into the process chamber 104 via the extraction assembly 114 and the residence time adjustment assembly 122 using the system vacuum pump 120. Furthermore, the gas species supplied into the plasma chamber 102 can be exhausted from the process chamber 104 using the system vacuum pump 120. As detailed in the following embodiments, the residence time adjustment assembly 122 in various embodiments may be used to independently control the characteristics of the system 100, including characteristics related to the residence time of the gas species in the plasma chamber 102. Since vacuum conductance is limited by the minimum duct cross-section according to various non-limiting embodiments, the diameter of the vacuum duct may be selected to match the standard dimensions of commercially available vacuum hardware (such as ISO 80 or ISO 100, which may have diameters of 3 inches and 4 inches, respectively), while maximizing vacuum pumping.

[0020]

[0036] Referring to Figure 2A, a plasma processing apparatus 210 is shown, including a variation of a residence time adjustment assembly 122 that includes a pumping duct 222 and a bellows 224 positioned along a portion of the pumping duct 222. Figure 2B shows a specific example of the residence time adjustment assembly 122 of Figure 2A. In this example, the pumping duct 222 includes a first elbow portion 222a directly connected to the plasma chamber 102, a bellows 224 connected to the first elbow portion 222a, and a second elbow portion 222b connected to the bellows 224 and the process chamber 104. The role of the bellows 224 is to make the joint formed by the pumping duct 122 flexible and to mitigate slight mechanical misalignment.

[0021]

[0037] Referring to Figure 3A, a plasma processing apparatus 310 is shown, including a variation of a residence time adjustment assembly 122 that includes a pumping duct 322 and a bellows 224 positioned along a portion of the pumping duct 322. Figure 3B shows a specific example of the residence time adjustment assembly 122 of Figure 3A. In this example, in addition to the components described above for the embodiment of Figure 2A, a valve 330 is provided, positioned between a first end and a second end of the pumping duct 322. The valve 330 is connected to a valve controller 332 configured to change the gas pressure in the plasma chamber by adjusting the opening of the valve 330. The results of adjusting the valve 330 are described in detail with respect to various figures below.

[0022]

[0038] Referring to Figure 4, a plasma processing apparatus 410 is shown, which includes another modification of the residence time adjustment assembly 122. In this modification, the residence time adjustment assembly 122 includes a pair of pumping ducts, each pumping duct equipped with a valve 330 and a valve controller 332. The leftmost part of the pumping duct 322 defines a first pumping path, and the rightmost part of the pumping duct 322 defines a second pumping path. This configuration can double the pumping conductance in applications requiring a greater vacuum conductance from the plasma chamber 102, in contrast to the embodiment in Figure 3.

[0023]

[0039] Referring to Figures 5A and 5B, isometric and side views of the plasma processing apparatus 510 are shown, respectively, including different modifications of the residence time adjustment assembly 122. In this case, the back pump 540 is connected to a second end of the pumping duct 522, opposite to the end of the pumping duct 522 that is connected to the plasma chamber 102. The back pump provides extra direct pumping of the plasma chamber 102, separated from the pumping of gas through the system vacuum pump 120. For example, in one embodiment, the back pump 540 may be a dedicated turbomolecular pump used solely for direct pumping the plasma chamber 102.

[0024]

[0040] Referring to Figures 6A and 6B, side views of a reference processing apparatus 600 and a processing apparatus 610 according to embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. The reference processing apparatus 600 and the processing apparatus 610 include a plasma chamber 602, which includes an internal ICP antenna assembly 603, for igniting plasma within the plasma chamber 602. The plasma chamber 602 is provided with an extraction plate 616 that defines an extraction opening 620 for extracting an ion beam through it. A beam blocker 614 is provided in the plasma chamber 602 near the extraction opening 620 to define a pair of extraction slits 618, through which the ion beam can be defined as a pair of angled ion beamlets 622.

[0025]

[0041] In the reference processing unit 600, exhaust of gas species from the plasma chamber 602 is performed only through the extraction opening 620. Figures 6A and 6B also show a 2D map based on a simulation of the gas flow superimposed on the plasma chamber 602. In the reference processing unit 600, all gas molecules are pumped out through the extraction slit 618. In the processing unit 610, gas pumping is divided. Some gas species are pumped through the extraction slit 618, and some gas species are pumped through the residence time adjustment assembly 122. In this case, it is embodied as a pumping port 612 and is attached to the plasma chamber 602 at a location opposite to the extraction opening 620.

[0026]

[0042] Referring to Figure 6C, another side view of the reference processing apparatus 600 is shown, which includes a gas species flow path from the inlet in the plasma chamber 602, through the extraction opening 620, through the process chamber 604, to the external pump.

[0027]

[0043] Referring to Figure 6D, another side view of the processing apparatus 610, including the process chamber 604, is shown. The side view superimposes the flow paths of the gas species exhausted to the external pump through the pumping port 612 and the extraction opening 620. The brighter shading in the plasma chamber 602 indicates that the gas pressure in the plasma chamber 602 is relatively higher compared to the gas pressure in the process chamber 604. The gas pressure also gradually decreases in the pumping port 612, as shown in the figure.

[0028]

[0044] As shown in various embodiments described above, to demonstrate the effect of the residence time adjustment assembly 122, Figures 7A and 7B present graphs showing computer simulations of path lengths and time spent in the plasma chamber for various simulations of gas molecules. Thus, the graphs present an aggregate of results for numerous possible lifetime residence times of gas molecules. In Figure 7A, the plasma chamber is provided without the residence time adjustment assembly, and in Figure 7B, the residence time adjustment assembly is connected to the plasma chamber. In the convention used in Figures 7A and 7B, residence time is estimated from the length of the gas species path within the plasma chamber from the extraction slit to the gas inlet, resulting in negative time along the x-axis. Qualitatively, residence time t is the time from when molecules are injected into the chamber until they are pumped out. Mathematically, this can be written as follows: t = V / Q (1) Here, V is the chamber space and Q is the flow rate. 3Represented as Q in sccm, residence time is in minutes. However, residence time is also determined by the gas flow regime (turbulent, laminar, transitional, or molecular), which is defined by the mean free path (gas pressure), chamber dimensions (chamber shape), and the locations of the gas inlet and outlet. According to embodiments of this disclosure, a relatively wide range of residence time variation can be generated by using the residence time adjustment assembly 122. At the lower end, the production of relatively large amounts of radicals and ions is preferred due to the increased probability of gas molecule collisions, while at the upper end, the formation of polymer films is preferred. Generally, residence time can be adjusted by changing the plasma chamber pressure while maintaining a constant gas flow rate. However, as demonstrated by the simulations in Figures 7A and 7B, residence time is a statistic and can be more accurately calculated from statistics of the time spent by molecules in the plasma chamber. Considering all gas species passing through the provided extraction slits, the range of residence time can be estimated from the graph by calculating the path of each gas species retrospectively. Without back-pumping as shown in Figure 7A, residence times range from 100 milliseconds to 400 milliseconds. For the same gas flow rate, with back-pumping using the residence time adjustment assembly detailed above, some gas species spend more than 2 seconds in the plasma chamber, but the majority of residence times are between 100 and 800 milliseconds. In the scenario without the residence time adjustment assembly shown in Figure 7A, the residence times for many gas species increase by 400 milliseconds.

[0029]

[0045] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, the valve controller 332 can be used to change the opening of the valve 330, and thus control the vacuum conductance and other characteristics of the processing system. Referring to Figure 8A, a graph is shown showing the plasma chamber pressure as a function of valve opening when the gas flow rate is 20 sccm. As shown, the pressure can vary from 4.2 mTorr (valve closed) to 1.7 mTorr (valve fully open). Figure 8B shows the dependence of the amount of gas pumped through a residence time adjustment assembly, meaning a pumping duct such as the pumping duct 124, as a function of valve opening percentage. As can be seen, back pumping through the pumping duct 124 is very effective. Half of the gas pumping occurs through the back for only 35% of the valve opening.

[0030]

[0046] This behavior demonstrates that substrate processing, such as substrate etching, can be easily controlled over a wide range using the valve control of the residence time adjustment assembly in this embodiment. Further explanation is that in etching processes such as reactive ion beam etching of surface layers or structures, the synergistic effect of ion collisions and chemical reactivity of radicals produced in the plasma is generally understood to be key to etching the substrate material. Upon collision with substrate surface ions, dangling bonds are generated in the surface mixed layer, and then, by filling these bonds, the radicals form volatile compounds, which are subsequently pumped out. As a result, the etching process characteristics are determined by the relative flux of ions and radicals reaching the substrate surface. Too few ions result in a "radical-excess" regime where insufficient dangling bonds are generated. Conversely, too few radicals result in a "radical-starvated" regime where many dangling bonds are generated, but there are not enough radicals to combine and form volatile compounds and advance the etching front. As a result of the interaction of these two different mechanisms, there exists an optimal ratio between the flux of radicals and the flux of ions reaching the substrate at which the etching rate is maximum. The relative gas pumping changes through the pumping duct 124 provide the ability to alter the residence time of the gas species, and therefore the degree of formation of radical and polymer species. Polymer species are needed that help prevent etching of the sidewalls by depositing a passivation polymer film, and thus help propagate the etching front toward the bottom of the trench. These polymer films are CH x F yIt is formed by the plasma polymerization of specific monomers, which are part of the gaseous mixture supplied to the plasma chamber. Conversely, excessively long residence times increase the fractionation of the parent monomer, resulting in a decrease in the deposition rate of the passivation layer. Therefore, there is a delicate equilibrium between the etching species and the polymerization species, and this equilibrium is maintained within the plasma. This equilibrium is driven by the length of the residence time. Thus, the provision of a residence time adjustment assembly in this embodiment can give more ability to define the optimal conditions for etching of the extracted ion beam.

[0031]

[0047] Furthermore, as mentioned above, by adjusting the residence time, the residence time adjustment assembly of this embodiment can also affect ionization and related process characteristics (e.g., beam current). Referring to Figure 8C, a graph is shown showing the amount of beam current as a function of the valve opening of valve 330 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the illustrated example, the beam current increases by 15% from a fully closed valve to a fully open valve. The inventors also unexpectedly discovered that opening the valve to more than 60% can reduce beam non-uniformity, in other words, increase beam uniformity by about 35%. This behavior is shown in Figure 8D, and is a result of a decrease in pressure in the chamber, which promotes gas diffusion and, consequently, plasma homogenization.

[0032]

[0048] Another advantage provided by this embodiment is the ability to reduce pressure fluctuations during reactive ion beam processing of the substrate. According to some embodiments, and referring to Figure 1B, during ion beam processing, the substrate 108 can be scanned along the Y direction so that the entire substrate 108 can be exposed to the ion beam 130, but the ion beam 130 is relatively narrower than the substrate 108 along the Y direction. While repeatedly scanning the substrate 108 back and forth along the Y axis, pressure fluctuations over time were observed in the plasma chamber, as shown in Figure 9. In this figure, the gas pressure and the position of the substrate center are shown as a function of time of the processing apparatus arranged with the plasma chamber 102, where a repeating uniform pattern is observed. The experimental conditions for the plasma chamber 102 are an overall gas flow of 30 sccm and a Z gap between the extraction opening and the substrate of 7 mm. The right half of the graph shows the behavior when no residence time adjustment assembly is used, such as when valve 330 is closed. In this case, the pressure in the plasma chamber varies between 6.1 mTorr and 7.2 mTorr. The left half of the graph shows the case where valve 330 is partially opened to set a nominal pressure of 4.6 mTorr under static substrate conditions. During substrate scanning, the pressure varies between 4.3 mTorr and 4.8 mTorr show a much narrower range of plasma chamber pressure variation compared to when the residence time adjustment assembly is not used.

[0033]

[0049] Figure 10 shows an exemplary process flow 1000. In block 1010, plasma is generated in a plasma chamber of an ion source. The ion source can be any suitable plasma-based ion source as known in the art. In block 1020, an ion beam is extracted from the ion source and directed towards a substrate in the process chamber. In some embodiments, an extraction opening may be provided along one side of the ion source to extract the ion beam. In certain embodiments, the ion extraction opening may have an elongated shape that defines the ion beam characterized by an elongated cross-section, forming a so-called ribbon beam. In some embodiments, a beam blocker may be provided next to the extraction opening to split the ion beam into a pair of ion beamlets.

[0034]

[0050] In block 1030, at least a portion of the gaseous species is exhausted from the ion source using a pumping duct attached to the plasma chamber, separate from the extraction opening. Therefore, the use of the pumping duct can increase the residence time of the gaseous species in the plasma chamber on average.

[0035]

[0051] In block 1040, the amount of opening of a valve that regulates the gas flow through the pumping duct is adjusted to control at least one characteristic of the ion source, such as the amount of ion beam current, the uniformity of the ion beam current, or the gas pressure.

[0036]

[0052] From the above perspective, this disclosure offers at least the following advantages: i) Gas flow rate and gas pressure can be controlled independently. In other words, the gas flow rate can be adjusted while maintaining the same ion source gas pressure by adjusting the valve of the pumping port of the residence time adjustment assembly. Furthermore, the gas residence time can be implicitly and independently adjusted by adjusting the same valve without having to change other processing system parameters such as gas pump speed or Z gap.

[0037]

[0053] While this specification has described specific embodiments of the Disclosure, the Disclosure is broad in scope as the art permits, and this specification may be read similarly; therefore, the Disclosure is not limited to the descriptions herein. Accordingly, the above descriptions should not be construed as limiting. Those skilled in the art will anticipate such modifications within the scope of the claims and essence appended to this specification.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus, Inside is a plasma chamber that defines the plasma, An extraction opening arranged along the first side of the plasma chamber, which defines the ion beam extracted through it, A residence time adjustment assembly connected to a portion of the plasma chamber, different from the first side, A plasma processing apparatus comprising, wherein the residence time adjustment assembly comprises a pumping duct, the pumping duct being connected to the plasma chamber at a first end, and defining a pumping path for directly extracting a gas species from the plasma chamber, separately from the extraction opening.

2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residence time adjustment assembly further comprises a bellows positioned along a portion of the pumping duct.

3. The plasma apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residence time adjustment assembly further comprises a valve disposed between a first end of the pumping duct and a second end of the pumping duct, and a valve controller configured to change the gas pressure in the plasma chamber by adjusting the valve.

4. The plasma apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pumping duct is a first pumping duct defining a first pumping path, and the residence time adjustment assembly further comprises a second pumping duct having a near end connected to the plasma chamber and defining a second pumping path for directly extracting the gas species from the plasma chamber.

5. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residence time adjustment assembly further comprises a back pump connected to the second end of the pumping duct.

6. The plasma apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the extraction opening is arranged along one side of the process chamber and the pumping duct is directly connected to the process chamber at a second end.

7. The aforementioned pumping duct, A first elbow portion directly connected to the plasma chamber, The bellows connected to the first elbow portion, The bellows and the second elbow portion connected to the process chamber The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 6, comprising:

8. The plasma apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pumping duct is arranged along a portion of the plasma chamber opposite to the extraction opening.

9. A plasma processing system, Inside is a plasma chamber that defines the plasma, A process chamber arranged along one side of the plasma chamber, An extraction opening disposed between the plasma chamber and the process chamber, which defines the ion beam extracted through it, A residence time adjustment assembly connected to a portion of the plasma chamber and A plasma processing system comprising, wherein the residence time adjustment assembly comprises a pumping duct, the pumping duct being connected to the plasma chamber at a first end, and defining a pumping path for directly extracting a gas species from the plasma chamber, separately from the extraction opening.

10. The plasma treatment system according to claim 9, wherein the residence time adjustment assembly further comprises a bellows positioned along a portion of the pumping duct.

11. The plasma processing system according to claim 9, wherein the residence time adjustment assembly further comprises a valve disposed between a first end of the pumping duct and a second end of the pumping duct, and a valve controller configured to change the gas pressure in the plasma chamber by adjusting the valve.

12. The plasma processing system according to claim 9, wherein the pumping duct is a first pumping duct defining a first pumping path, and the residence time adjustment assembly further comprises a second pumping duct having a near end connected to the plasma chamber and defining a second pumping path for directly extracting the gas species from the plasma chamber.

13. The plasma processing system according to claim 9, wherein the residence time adjustment assembly further comprises a back pump connected to the second end of the pumping duct.

14. The plasma processing system according to claim 9, wherein the pumping duct is connected to the process chamber at a second end.

15. The aforementioned pumping duct, A first elbow portion directly connected to the plasma chamber, The bellows connected to the first elbow portion, The bellows and the second elbow portion connected to the process chamber The plasma processing system according to claim 9, comprising:

16. The plasma processing system according to claim 9, wherein the pumping duct is arranged along a portion of the plasma chamber opposite to the extraction opening.

17. The plasma processing system according to claim 9, wherein the process chamber further comprises a substrate platen, the substrate platen being positioned opposite the extraction opening, defining a separation between the extraction opening and a substrate placed on the substrate platen, and the substrate platen being movable to adjust the separation.

18. A method for operating an ion source, Forming a plasma in the plasma chamber of the ion source using a gas species, Extracting the ion beam through an extraction opening arranged along one side of the ion source, Pumping at least a portion of the gas species from the plasma chamber using a residence time adjustment assembly that includes a pumping duct connected at a first end to the plasma chamber and defining a pumping path for directly extracting the gas species from the plasma chamber, separately from the extraction opening. Methods that include...

19. The extraction opening defines the boundary between the plasma chamber and the process chamber. A system pump is connected to the process chamber to exhaust the gas from the process chamber. The method according to claim 18, wherein the pumping duct is connected to the process chamber at a second end.

20. To provide a valve that regulates the flow of gas through the pumping duct, Adjusting the opening of a valve that adjusts at least one characteristic of the ion source, wherein the at least one characteristic includes beam current, beam uniformity, and gas pressure in the plasma chamber. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

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