Electrostatic shields for plasma processing chambers

Abstract

A system includes a substrate processing chamber, one or more coils arranged along the substrate processing chamber, the one or more coils including an outer coil segment and an inner coil segment, and an electrostatic shield arranged between the coils and the substrate processing chamber to cover only the outer coil segment of the one or more coils. Other example systems and electrostatic shields are also disclosed.

Description

Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POAELECTROSTATIC SHIELDS FOR PLASMA PROCESSING CHAMBERSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.63 / 715,670 filed on November 4, 2024. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to substrate processing, and more particularly to electrostatic shields for plasma processing chambers.BACKGROUND

[0003] The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

[0004] A substrate processing system may be used to etch substrates such as semiconductor wafers in a processing chamber. The substrate processing system typically includes a processing chamber, a gas distribution device, and a substrate support. Examples of substrate processing systems for etching include capacitively coupled plasma (COP) systems and transformer coupled plasma (TCP) systems.

[0005] During processing, the substrate is arranged on the substrate support. Different gas mixtures may be introduced into the processing chamber and plasma may be generated to activate chemical reactions. With TCP systems, TCP coils are arranged around the processing chamber and a shield may be arranged over the entirety of the coils. When powered, the TCP coils couple to the plasma both electrostatically and electromagnetically. With this coupling, the TCP systems operates in an electric or capacitive mode (E-mode) with low plasma density or a magnetic or inductive mode (H- mode) with high plasma density.Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POASUMMARY

[0006] A system includes a substrate processing chamber, one or more coils arranged along the substrate processing chamber, the one or more coils including an outer coil segment and an inner coil segment, and an electrostatic shield arranged between the coils and the substrate processing chamber to cover only the outer coil segment of the one or more coils.

[0007] In other features, the system further includes a dielectric window arranged along a side of the substrate processing chamber. The dielectric window includes an inner surface facing the side of the substrate processing chamber and an opposing outer surface, wherein the one or more coils are arranged along the outer surface of the dielectric window.

[0008] In other features, the electrostatic shield is positioned between the coils and the dielectric window.

[0009] In other features, the electrostatic shield is integrated into the dielectric window.

[0010] In other features, the electrostatic shield includes a plurality of petal groups. Each petal group includes a substantially-flat structure and insulated from the remaining petal groups. Each substantially-flat structure includes at least one outer conductive annulus extending along an outer periphery of the substantially-flat structure and a plurality of conductive petals, at least two conductive petals of the plurality of conductive petals connected to the outer conductive annulus.

[0011] In other features, the system further includes an RF generator configured to provide an RF voltage to the electrostatic shield.

[0012] In other features, the outer coil segment is configured to receive an RF coil voltage.

[0013] In other features, the system further includes a controller in communication with the RF generator. The controller is configured to control the RF generator to stop providing the RF voltage to the electrostatic shield after the outer coil segment receives the RF coil voltage.

[0014] In other features, the outer coil segment is configured to receive a pulsed RF coil voltage.

[0015] In other features, the system further includes a controller in communication with the RF generator. The controller is configured to control the RF generator to provide theAttorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POARF voltage to the electrostatic shield before a rising edge of each pulse and stop providing the RF voltage to the electrostatic shield during each pulse.

[0016] In other features, the RF generator is configured to provide an RF voltage to the one or more coils.

[0017] In other features, the system further includes a converter coupled between the RF generator and the electrostatic shield. The converter is configured to adjust a phase and an amplitude of the RF voltage provided to the electrostatic shield.

[0018] In other features, the RF generator is a first RF generator, and the system further includes a second RF generator configured to provide an RF voltage to the one or more coils.

[0019] In other features, the substrate processing chamber includes a substrate support, and the RF generator is configured to provide an RF voltage to the substrate support.

[0020] In other features, the electrostatic shield is floating or grounded.

[0021] In other features, the electrostatic shield is capacitively coupled to plasma within the substrate processing chamber.

[0022] An electrostatic shield for use with a substrate processing chamber, includes a plurality of petal groups. Each petal group includes a substantially-f lat structure, insulated from the remaining petal groups and connected to at least one electrical lead. Each substantially-f lat structure includes at least one outer conductive annulus extending along an outer periphery of the substantially-flat structure and a plurality of conductive petals. At least two conductive petals of the plurality of conductive petals is connected to the outer conductive annulus.

[0023] In other features, the two conductive petals are a first set of petals, each substantially-flat structure includes at least one inner conductive annulus extending along an inner periphery of the substantially-flat structure, and a second set of petals of the plurality of conductive petals is connected to the inner conductive annulus.

[0024] In other features, the second set of petals includes one of the two conductive petals connected to the outer conductive annulus.Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA

[0025] In other features, each substantially-flat structure includes a plurality of outer conductive annuluses and a plurality of inner conductive annuluses alternately arranged about the electrostatic shield.

[0026] In other features, the two conductive petals are insulated from each other except where the conductive petals are connected to the outer conductive annulus.

[0027] In other features, the two conductive petals have the same surface areas.

[0028] In other features, the two conductive petals are symmetrically shaped.

[0029] In other features, the electrostatic shield has an outer diameter substantially equal to a periphery of an outer chamber wall of the substrate processing chamber.

[0030] In other features, the electrostatic shield has a radial distance between an outer diameter and an inner diameter is less than 10 inches.

[0031] In other features, the electrostatic shield has a thickness of 10 mils or less.

[0032] In other features, the electrostatic shield has a thickness of 1 mil.

[0033] Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, the claims and the drawings. The detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0035] FIGS. 1A-B are block diagrams of example substrate processing systems, according to the present disclosure;

[0036] FIG. 2 is a top view of an electrostatic shield having a zig-zag petal configuration, according to the present disclosure;

[0037] FIG. 3 is a top view of an electrostatic shield having an outer star configuration, according to the present disclosure;

[0038] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example substrate processing system including an electrostatic shield and one or more coils having an outer coil segment powered by the same RF generator, according to the present disclosure;Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA

[0039] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example substrate processing system including an electrostatic shield and one or more coils having an outer coil segment powered by different RF generators, according to the present disclosure;

[0040] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example substrate processing system including an electrostatic shield powered by a RF bias generator and one or more coils having an outer coil segment powered by a RF plasma generator, according to the present disclosure;

[0041] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an example substrate processing system including an electrostatic shield that is grounded, according to the present disclosure;

[0042] FIG. 8 is a graph showing power characteristics for the electrostatic shield, an outer coil segment, and an inner coil segment of the substrate processing system of FIG. 7, according to the present disclosure;

[0043] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example substrate processing system including one or more coils having an outer coil segment that is floating, according to the present disclosure;

[0044] FIG. 10 is a graph showing power characteristics for an electrostatic shield, the outer coil segment, and an inner coil segment of the substrate processing system of FIG. 9, according to the present disclosure;

[0045] FIG. 1 1 is a block diagram of an example substrate processing system including a converter coupled between a RF generator and an electrostatic shield to adjust a phase and an amplitude of RF power provided to the electrostatic shield, according to the present disclosure;

[0046] FIG. 12 is a graph showing power characteristics for the electrostatic shield, an outer coil segment, and an inner coil segment of the substrate processing system of FIG. 1 1 , according to the present disclosure;

[0047] FIGS. 13-14 are graphs each showing power characteristics for an electrostatic shield, an outer coil segment, and an inner coil segment of a substrate processing system, in which the electrostatic shield is powered when a plasma strike is applied to the outer coil segment, according to the present disclosure; and

[0048] FIG. 15 is a flow chart of an example method for controlling RF voltage applied to an electrostatic shield, according to the present disclosure.Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA

[0049] In the drawings, reference numbers may be reused to identify similar and / or identical elements.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] In a processing chamber of a TCP substrate processing system, TCP coils are arranged around the processing chamber. During processing, a substrate is arranged on a substrate support in the processing chamber. Different gas mixtures may be introduced into the processing chamber and plasma may be generated based on RF power provided to some or all of the TCP coils to activate chemical reactions and etch the substrate (e.g., wafer, etc.). Generally, the TCP coils include inner and outer segments that are coupled to the plasma both electrostatically and electromagnetically to enable the TCP substrate processing system to operate in an E-mode or a H-mode. The transition between the E- mode and the H-mode (E-H transition) usually results in plasma instability and a power regime that is not operational. Additionally, plasma strikes occurring at a low driving frequency while in the E-mode can be challenging because of the difficulty to couple power electrostatically between the TCP coils and the plasma at low plasma density and at low RF frequency. Further, low power, low duty cycle pulsing could increase plasma instability due to the need of plasma restrikes and E-H transition for each pulsing burst.

[0051] The processing systems according to the present disclosure utilize an electrostatic shield between coils and a substrate processing chamber to separate the electrostatic and electromagnetic coupling to plasma in the substrate processing chamber. In various embodiments, and as further explained below, electrostatic shields herein may be powered by a power supply shared with some or all of the TCP coils, a bias power supply, or a dedicated power supply, or may be floating or grounded. In doing so, electromagnetic and / or electrostatic power coupling between the coils and the plasma may be controlled. For example, the amount of electrostatic to electromagnetic coupling ratio can be controlled by an electrostatic shield to TCP coil power ratio, which functions as a tuning knob to reduce E-H transition instability. Additionally, with such configurations, the electrostatic power coupling through the electrostatic shield provides manageable E-mode plasma strikes and plasma restrikes for low pulsing duty cycle conditions. Utilization of the electrostatic shields herein expands the operation window of TCP systems and provides more control over how and where power is coupled to the bulk plasma, which is an important tuning knob for uniformity and plasma strike / stability.Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA

[0052] Referring now to FIG. 1 A, an example substrate processing system 100 is shown utilizing an electrostatic shield arranged between coils and a substrate processing chamber according to the present disclosure. As examples only, the substrate processing system 100 may be used for performing etching using RF plasma and / or other suitable substrate processing. While a specific type of substrate processing system is shown for the purpose of illustration, other types of substrate processing systems may be used.

[0053] As shown, the substrate processing system 100 includes a processing chamber 108 for substrate processing. The processing chamber 108 includes a substrate support (or pedestal) 120 for supporting a substrate 132. In the example of FIG. 1 A, the substrate support 120 includes an electrostatic chuck (ESC) 126. In some examples, the substrate support 120 includes a baseplate 122 having cooling channels 124 and a bonding layer 128. An edge ring 134 of the substrate support 120 is arranged around the ESC 126. The ESC 126 may include resistive heaters for heating the substrate and / or electrodes (e.g., conductors) 130 for electrostatically clamping the substrate 132.

[0054] The processing chamber 108 includes a chamber port 137, a chamber door 138, and an actuator (not shown) for selectively moving the chamber door 138 to open and close the chamber port 137. A chamber liner 133 surrounds the substrate support 120 and includes a slot 135 arranged near and aligned with the chamber port 137 to allow substrates to be delivered and removed. In some examples, the chamber port 137 of the processing chamber 108 is attached to a vacuum transfer module (not shown). Additionally, in various embodiments, the substrate processing system 100 may further include a robot (not shown) to control delivery and removal of substrates relative to the processing chamber 108.

[0055] In some examples, the substrate processing system 100 includes a plenum 144 and a dielectric window 142 arranged along a side of the processing chamber 108. In such examples, the dielectric window 142 includes an inner surface facing the side of the processing chamber 108 and an opposing outer surface. The plenum 144 may be arranged between one or more coils 164 (e.g., one or more TCP coils) and the dielectric window 142 to control the temperature of the dielectric window 142 with hot and / or cold gas (e.g., air) flow.

[0056] The one or more coils 164 of the substrate processing system 100 are generally arranged along an outer surface of the dielectric window 142. In the example of FIG. 1 A, the one or more coils 164 include an outer coil segment 160 and an inner coil segmentAttorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA162 located radially inward from the outer coil segment 160. In various embodiments, the one or more coils 164 may be a single inductive coil. In such examples, the outer coil segment 160 and the inner coil segment 162 may be portions of the same coil. In other examples, multiple inductive coils each including one or more conductors are used. With this configuration, the outer coil segment 160 may be (or a portion of) one or more coils and the inner coil segment 162 may be (or a portion of{) the same one or more coils or a different set of one or more coils.

[0057] In the example of FIG. 1 A, the outer coil segment 160 and / or the inner coil segment 162 may have any suitable configuration. For example, the outer coil segment 160 and / or the inner coil segment 162 may have the same or different cross-sectional shapes (e.g., square, rectangular, circular, oval, etc.). Additionally, the outer coil segment 160 and / or the inner coil segment 162 may have the same or different heights or other dimensions. Further, the outer coil segment 160 and / or the inner coil segment 162 may have the same or a different number of turns.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 1 A, the substrate processing system 100 further includes an electrostatic shield 168 arranged between the one or more coils 164 and the processing chamber 108. More specifically, in the example of FIG. 1 A, the electrostatic shield 168 is positioned between the one or more coils 164 and the dielectric window 142. In other embodiments, the electrostatic shield 168 may be integrated into the dielectric window 142, as represented by a dashed electrostatic shield 168A.

[0059] In the example of FIG. 1 A, the electrostatic shield 168 is generally circular in shape and covers only the outer coil segment 160 of the one or more coils 164. In other words, the electrostatic shield 168 may be positioned underneath only the outer coil segment 160 (and not the inner coil segment 162). In other examples, the electrostatic shield 168 may be positioned underneath the entirety of the one or more coils 164.

[0060] A gas delivery system 170 of the substrate processing system 100 may be used to supply process gas mixtures to the processing chamber 108. The gas delivery system 170 may include process, carrier, and / or inert gas sources 172, a gas metering system 174 (such as valves and mass flow controllers), and a manifold 176 for mixing the gases. A gas delivery system 180 may be used to deliver gas from one or more gas sources 182 via a valve 184 to the plenum 144. The gas may include cooling gas (e.g., air) that is used to cool the coils 164 and the dielectric window 142.Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA

[0061] As shown in FIG. 1 A, the substrate processing system 100 may further include a temperature controller 1 10 and an exhaust system 190. In this example, the temperature controller 1 10 may be used to control heating / cooling of the substrate support 120 to a predetermined temperature. For example, the temperature controller 1 10 may be used to control resistive heaters in the ESC 126 and / or flow of cooling fluid to the cooling channels 124. As shown, the exhaust system 190 includes a valve 192 and pump 194 to control pressure within the processing chamber 108 and / or to remove reactants from the processing chamber 108 by purging or evacuation.

[0062] Process gas is supplied to the processing chamber 108 and plasma 140 may be generated inside of the processing chamber 108 during substrate treatment such as deposition or etching. If plasma is used, the substrate processing system 100 includes an RF plasma generator 150. In some examples, the RF plasma generator 150 includes one or more RF sources 152 and a tuning circuit 158. The tuning circuit 158 may be directly connected to the coil(s) 164. The tuning circuit 158 generally tunes an output of the RF source(s) 152 to a desired frequency and / or a desired phase, matches an impedance of the coils 164, and / or splits power between the coil(s) 164.

[0063] Additionally, and as shown in FIG. 1 A, the substrate processing system 100 further includes an RF bias generator 136 that selectively provides an RF bias to the substrate support 120. For example, in FIG. 1 A, the RF bias generator 136 includes one or more RF bias sources 146 and a bias matching circuit 156 to selectively provide the RF bias to the substrate support 120 if needed.

[0064] In various embodiments, the electrostatic shield 168 of FIGS. 1 A may be powered via one or more power sources or grounded. Further, in some examples, the electrostatic shield 168 may be floating. For example, while not shown in FIG. 1 A, an RF generator for the electrostatic shield 168 may be shared with the one or more coils 164 or the bias, or from a separate, dedicated RF generator. In such examples, the electrostatic shield 168 may be capacitively coupled to the plasma 140 within the processing chamber 108. For instance, the electrostatic shield 168 may receive an RF voltage from the RF plasma generator 150 or from the RF bias generator 136. In other examples, the electrostatic shield 168 may receive an RF voltage from another RF generator not used with the one or more coils 164 or bias.

[0065] In the example of FIG. 1 A, the substrate processing system 100 further includes a controller 166 that may be used to control various aspects of the etching process. ForAttorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA example, the controller 166 may monitor system parameters and control delivery of the gas mixture, striking, maintaining, and / or extinguishing the plasma (if used), RF power to the one or more coils 164, the RF bias (if used), substrate temperature, removal of reactants, supply of cooling gas, pressure, and so on.

[0066] FIG. 1 B depicts another example substrate processing system 100B similar to the substrate processing system 100 of FIG. 1 A but with a different RF generator configuration. For example, the substrate processing systems 100B of FIG. 1 B includes an RF plasma generator 150B having the RF sources 152 of FIG. 1 A, one or more pulsing circuits 154, and the tuning circuit 158 of FIG. 1 A. The pulsing circuit(s) 154 control an envelope of the RF signal and varies a duty cycle of envelope during operation. The substrate processing systems 100B also includes an RF bias generator 136B having the RF bias sources 146 of FIG. 1 A, one or more pulsing circuits 148, and the bias matching circuit 156 of FIG. 1 A to selectively provide the RF bias to the substrate support 120 if needed. In various embodiments, the pulsing circuit(s) 148 and the RF bias source(s) 146 can be combined or separate.

[0067] In various embodiments, the electrostatic shield 168 of FIGS. 1 A-B may include any suitable configuration for separating the electrostatic and electromagnetic coupling to the plasma 140 in the processing chamber 108. For example, and as further explained below, the electrostatic shield 168 may include an outer star configuration in which all sets of pedals face inwards (e.g., towards a central point or location) or an inner and outer star configuration (or a zig-zag configuration) in which sets of pedals alternately face inwards and outwards. FIGS. 2-3 depict example embodiments of electrostatic shields 200, 300 that may be employable as the electrostatic shield 168 of FIGS. 1A-B. While the electrostatic shields 200, 300 of FIGS. 2-3 are shown and described as including specific features and configuration, it should be appreciated that other example electrostatic shields may be employed as the electrostatic shield 168 of FIGS. 1 A-B if desired.

[0068] Referring now to FIG. 2, the electrostatic shield 200 generally includes four petal groups (e.g., quadrants) 202, 204, 206, 208 each having a substantially flat structure and an RF feed point 210, 212, 214, 216 that connects to at least one electrical lead 218, 220, 222, 224. The electrical leads 218, 220, 222, 224 may then connect to an RF generator (e.g., such as the RF plasma generator 150, the RF bias generator 136, a dedicated RF generator), or ground. While the example electrostatic shield 200 of FIG. 2Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA is shown as including four petal groups, it should be appreciated that the electrostatic shield 200 or any other example electrostatic shield disclosed herein may include any suitable number of petal groups.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 2, each petal group 202, 204, 206, 208 is insulated from the remaining petal groups via slots 226, 228, 230, 232. More specifically, the petal group 202 is insulated from the petal groups 204, 208 via the slots 226, 232, the petal group 204 is insulated from the petal group 206 via the slot 228, and the petal group 206 is insulated from the petal group 208 via the slot 230. In the example of FIG. 2, the slots 226, 228, 230, 232 may be formed of air or another suitable dielectric material.

[0070] In the example of FIG. 2, each petal group 202, 204, 206, 208 (or substantially flat structure) includes multiple conductive petals and conductive annuluses connecting adjacent sets of petals. Each petal group 202, 204, 206, 208 includes the same conductive petal and conductive annulus configuration. While only the petal group 202 is explained in greater detail below, it should be appreciated that the other petal groups 204, 206, 208 have a similar configuration as the petal group 202.

[0071] For instance, the petal group 202 includes five conductive petals 234, 236, 238, 240, 242, two inner conductive annuluses 244, 248 extending along an inner periphery of the substantially flat structure, and two outer conductive annuluses 246, 250 extending along an outer periphery of the substantially flat structure. The inner conductive annuluses 244, 248 and the outer conductive annuluses 246, 250 are alternately arranged about the electrostatic shield 200.

[0072] While each petal group 202, 204, 206, 208 of the example electrostatic shield 200 of FIG. 2 is shown as including five conductive petals, it should be appreciated that each petal group of the shield 200 or any other example electrostatic shield disclosed herein may include any suitable number of conductive petals. For example, each petal group 202, 204, 206, 208 may include more or less than five conductive petals. In some examples, each petal group 202, 204, 206, 208 may include between ten conductive petals and a hundred conductive petals. As examples only, each petal group 202, 204, 206, 208 may include four conductive petals, eight conductive petals, ten conductive petals, twenty conductive petals, fifty conductive petals, eighty conductive petals, a hundred conductive petals, more than a hundred conductive petals etc.

[0073] In FIG. 2, different sets of the conductive petals 234, 236, 238, 240, 242 are connected to each conductive annulus 244, 248, 246, 250. For instance, the innerAttorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA conductive annulus 244 is connected between the petals 234, 236, the outer conductive annulus 246 is connected between the petals 236, 238, the inner conductive annulus 248 is connected between the petals 238, 240, and the outer conductive annulus 250 is connected between the petals 240, 242.

[0074] In various embodiments, the conductive petals 234, 236, 238, 240, 242 are insulated from each other except where the conductive petals are connected to the conductive annuluses 244, 248, 246, 250. To achieve this insulating characteristic, the petals 234, 236, 238, 240, 242 and the annuluses 244, 246, 248, 250 define slots 252, 254, 256, 258, which may be formed of air or another suitable dielectric material.

[0075] In this example, each petal group 202, 204, 206, 208 forms an inner and outer star configuration (or a zig-zag configuration) in which sets of the pedals alternately face inwards and outwards. For instance, and with continued reference to petal group 202, the set of petals 234, 236 have an inner connection point (the inner conductive annulus 244) and face outward (e.g., away from the center of the shield 200), and the set of petals 238, 240 have an inner connection point (the inner conductive annulus 248) and face outward. Conversely, the set of petals 236, 238 have an outer connection point (the outer conductive annulus 246) and face inward (e.g., towards the center of the shield 200), and the set of petals 240, 242 have an outer connection point (the outer conductive annulus 250) and face inward.

[0076] In the FIG. 3, the electrostatic shield 300 is similar to the electrostatic shield 200 of FIG. 2 but has an outer star configuration in which all sets of pedals face inwards. For example, the electrostatic shield 300 generally includes four petal groups (e.g., quadrants) 302, 304, 306, 308 each having a substantially flat structure and an RF feed point 310, 312, 314, 316 that connects to at least one electrical lead 318, 320, 322, 324. The electrical leads 318, 320, 322, 324 may then connect to an RF generator (e.g., such as the RF plasma generator 150, the RF bias generator 136, a dedicated RF generator), or ground, as explained herein. Each petal group 302, 304, 306, 308 of FIG. 3 is insulated from the remaining petal groups via slots 326, 328, 330, 332 in a similar as explained above relative to the petal groups 202, 204, 206, 208 and the slots 226, 228, 230, 232 of FIG. 2. In this example, the slots 326, 328, 330, 332 may be formed of air or another suitable dielectric material.

[0077] While the example electrostatic shield 300 of FIG. 3 is shown as including four petal groups, it should be appreciated that the electrostatic shield 300 or any otherAttorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA example electrostatic shield disclosed herein may include any suitable number of petal groups.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 3, each petal group 302, 304, 306, 308 (or substantially flat structure) includes multiple conductive petals and conductive annuluses connecting adjacent sets of petals. Each petal group 302, 304, 306, 308 includes the same conductive petal and conductive annulus configuration. As such, while only the petal group 302 is explained in greater detail below, it should be appreciated that the other petal groups 304, 306, 308 have a similar configuration as the petal group 302.

[0079] For example, the petal group 302 includes five conductive petals 334, 336, 338, 340, 342, and four outer conductive annuluses 344, 346, 348, 350 extending along an outer periphery of the substantially flat structure. In FIG. 3, different sets of the conductive petals 334, 336, 338, 340, 342 are connected to each outer conductive annulus 344, 346, 348, 350. More specifically, the outer conductive annulus 344 is connected between the petals 334, 336, the outer conductive annulus 346 is connected between the petals 336, 338, the outer conductive annulus 348 is connected between the petals 338, 340, and the outer conductive annulus 350 is connected between the petals 340, 342.

[0080] While each petal group 302, 304, 306, 308 of the example electrostatic shield 300 of FIG. 3 is shown as including five conductive petals, it should be appreciated that each petal group of the shield 300 or any other example electrostatic shield disclosed herein may include any suitable number of conductive petals. For example, each petal group 302, 304, 306, 308 may include more or less than five conductive petals. In some examples, each petal group 302, 304, 306, 308 may include between ten conductive petals and a hundred conductive petals. As examples only, each petal group 302, 304, 306, 308 may include four conductive petals, eight conductive petals, ten conductive petals, twenty conductive petals, fifty conductive petals, eighty conductive petals, a hundred conductive petals, more than a hundred conductive petals etc.

[0081] In the example of FIG. 3, the conductive petals 334, 336, 338, 340, 342 are insulated from each other except where the conductive petals are connected to the outer conductive annuluses 344, 346, 348, 350. In such examples, the petals 334, 336, 338, 340, 342 and the outer conductive annuluses 344, 346, 348, 350 define slots 352, 354, 356, 358, which may be formed of air or another suitable dielectric material.

[0082] In various embodiments, each petal group 302, 304, 306, 308 forms an outer star configuration. For instance, and with continued reference to petal group 302, eachAttorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA set of petals (e.g., the petals 334, 336, the petals 336, 338, etc.) has an outer connection point (e.g., the outer conductive annulus 344, the outer conductive annulus 346, etc.) and face inward (e.g., towards the center of the shield 300).

[0083] In the examples of FIGS. 2-3, each conductive petal, each conductive annulus, and each slot may be sized and / or shaped as desired. For example, and as shown in FIGS. 2-3, each conductive petal may have a generally symmetrical shape, such as trapezoidal, etc. In other examples, one or more petals may have nonsymmetrical shapes if desired. Additionally, any two or more of the conductive petals may have the same surface area or different surface areas, as shown in FIGS. 2-3. Further, the petals may have the same shape or different shapes.

[0084] In the examples of FIGS. 2-3, each petal group can have a combination of star and zig-zag configuration in a sub-group of petal groups.

[0085] Additionally, the example electrostatic shields 200, 300 of FIGS. 2-3 may be any suitable size. For example, an outer diameter of the shields 200, 300 may be substantially equal to (e.g., aligned with) a periphery of the dielectric window 142 of FIGS. 1 A-B, and an inner diameter of the shields 200, 300 may be substantially equal to (e.g., aligned with) a periphery of the plenum 144 (e.g., cooling duct, etc.). In such examples, the shields 200, 300 may have a radial distance between the outer diameter and the inner diameter of less than about 10 inches (e.g., about 25.4 cm). Additionally, in some embodiments, the outer diameter of the shields 200, 300 may be substantially equal to (e.g., aligned with) a periphery of an outer chamber wall in the processing chamber 108 of FIGS. 1 A-B. In some embodiments, such as the case of embedded electrostatic shield in the dielectric window, the inner diameter of the shield can extend further into the plenum region without compromising the window temperature control capabilities.

[0086] Further, the shields 200, 300 may have any suitable thickness. For example, the shields 200, 300 may have a thickness of about 10 mils or less (e.g., about 0.254 mm or less). In some examples, the thickness may be about 1 mil (e.g., about 0.0254 mm). With such small thicknesses, the shields 200, 300 may experience reduced losses as compared to thicker conventional shields that are formed of sheets of metal. In such examples, the shields 200, 300 may be formed of one or more thin films of conductive material (e.g., copper, etc.).

[0087] In the examples of FIGS. 2-3, the electrostatic shields 200, 300 are shown as including a specific number of petals and a specific number of petal groups. For example,Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA in FIGS. 2-3, the shields 200, 300 each include a total of 20 petals and 4 petal groups each having 5 petals. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, any one of the electrostatic shields 200, 300 may include more or less petals and / or more or less petal groups. For instance, the electrostatic shield 300 may include 8 petals, 12 petals, 16 petals, 24 petals, etc., and / or 2 petal groups, 6 petal groups, etc. Additionally, in some examples, the petal groups may have the same number of petals (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 2-3) or a different number of petals.

[0088] Additionally, while the electrostatic shields 200, 300 are shown as including specific petal patterns and slot ratios, it should be appreciated that any one of the shields 200, 300 may have a different petal pattern and / or slot ratio depending on desired characteristics of the electrostatic shields.

[0089] In various embodiments, any one of the electrostatic shields 168, 200, 300 and / or another suitable electrostatic shield may be powered via one or more power sources or grounded. In doing so, electromagnetic and / or electrostatic power coupling between the coil(s) and plasma in the processing chamber may be controlled. For example, FIGS. 4- 7, 9, and 1 1 depict substrate processing systems 400, 500, 600, 700, 900, 1 100 in which the electrostatic shield 168 of FIG. 1 A is powered via different power sources or is grounded. The substrate processing systems 400, 500, 600, 700, 900, 1100 are substantially similar to the substrate processing systems 100 of FIG. 1 A but with some components removed (e.g., the plenum 144, the gas delivery systems 170, 180, the exhaust system 190, etc.) for convenience.

[0090] In FIGS. 4-7, 9, and 11 , the substrate processing systems 400, 500, 600, 700, 900, 1 100 each include the processing chamber 108 of FIG. 1 A, the coil(s) 164 of FIG. 1 A, the electrostatic shield 168 of FIG. 1 A arranged between the coil(s) 164 and the processing chamber 108, the dielectric window 142 of FIG. 1 A, the RF plasma generator 150 of FIG. 1 A, and the controller 166 of FIG. 1 A. As shown, the processing chamber 108 includes the substrate support 120 for supporting the substrate 132, and the coil(s) include an outer coil segment 160 and an inner coil segment 162.

[0091] Referring now to FIG. 4, the electrostatic shield 168 of the substrate processing system 400 is shown as receiving an RF voltage from the RF plasma generator 150 (or more generally the RF source(s) 152 of FIG. 1 A). In such examples, the RF plasma generator 150 provides the same or different RF voltages to the outer coil segment 160 and the inner coil segment 162 of the coil (s) 164. For instance, and as explained above,Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POARF power may be split (e.g., equally or nonequally) between the outer coil segment 160 and the inner coil segment 162. In this example, the electrostatic shield 168 may receive the same RF voltage applied to the outer coil segment 160 or a different RF voltage from the RF plasma generator 150. Regardless, the RF voltage provided to electrostatic shield 168 may have a fixed phase shift to the RF voltage(s) provided to the outer coil segment 160 and the inner coil segment 162.

[0092] In another embodiment, two separate RF generators of different RF frequencies provide RF voltage to the outer coil and inner coil. The RF power of one of the two generators is split into the electrostatic shield 168, with a fixed phase shift to the voltage of either the outer coil or inner coil.

[0093] In some embodiments, the configuration shown with the substrate processing system 400 of FIG. 4 may provide stability during E-H transitions. For example, in FIG. 4, the electrostatic shield 168 is capacitively coupled to plasma within the processing chamber 108. In this example, the electrostatic shield 168 may have a high frequency (e.g., 13 MHz) and provide some high energy electrons to the outer coil segment 160 (e.g., operating at 2 MHz) for igniting or sustaining H-mode plasma processing. In such examples, the electrostatic shield 168 may function as a high frequency COP.

[0094] In FIG. 5, the electrostatic shield 168 of the substrate processing system 500 is shown as receiving an RF voltage from an RF generator 550. In this example, the RF plasma generator 150 provides the same or different RF voltages to the outer coil segment 160 and the inner coil segment 162 of the coil (s) 164, or separate RF generators provide RF voltages to the outer coil segment 160 and the inner coil segment 162 of the coil(s) 164 at different RF frequencies. In such examples, the RF generator 550 may be a dedicated power source for the electrostatic shield 168 (e.g., separate from the RF plasma generator 150) and controlled by the controller 166 to provide desired RF power to the electrostatic shield 168.

[0095] In FIG. 6, the electrostatic shield 168 of the substrate processing system 600 is shown as receiving an RF voltage from the RF bias generator 136 of FIG. 1 A. In such examples, the RF plasma generator 150 provides the same or different RF voltages to the outer coil segment 160 and the inner coil segment 162 of the coil (s) 164, or separate RF generators provide RF voltages to the outer coil segment 160 and the inner coil segment 162 of the coil(s) 164 at different RF frequencies. The RF bias generator 136 also provides an RF bias voltage to the substrate support 120. In this example, theAttorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA electrostatic shield 168 may receive the same RF voltage applied to the substrate support 120 or a different RF voltage. Regardless, the RF voltage provided to electrostatic shield 168 may have a fixed phase shift to the RF bias voltage provided to the substrate support 120.

[0096] As shown in FIG. 7, the electrostatic shield 168 of the substrate processing system 700 is electrically grounded. As such, no RF voltage is provided to the electrostatic shield 168. In this example, the RF plasma generator 150 provides the same or different RF voltage to the outer coil segment 160 and the inner coil segment 162 of the coil(s) 164, or separate RF generators provide RF voltages to the outer coil segment 160 and the inner coil segment 162 of the coil (s) 164 at different RF frequencies. In some embodiments, the configuration shown with the substrate processing system 700 of FIG. 7 may be desirable for high power outer coil conditions. For example, when the electrostatic shield 168 is grounded (as in FIG. 7), a maximum voltage limit on the outer coil segment 160 may be increased.

[0097] In another embodiment, the electrostatic shield 168 of the substrate processing system 700 is electrically floating. As such, no RF voltage is provided to the electrostatic shield 168. In this example, the RF plasma generator 150 provides the same or different RF voltage to the outer coil segment 160 and the inner coil segment 162 of the coil(s) 164, or separate RF generators provide RF voltages to the outer coil segment 160 and the inner coil segment 162 of the coil(s) 164 at different RF frequencies. This configuration provides spatially uniform electrostatic coupling between the outer coil and the plasma.

[0098] FIG. 8 depicts an example graph 800 showing power (y-axis) as a function of time (x-axis) for the substrate processing system 700. In this example, the electrostatic shield 168 has no RF power (0) as indicated by a line 806 having a dash-dash-dot configuration, the outer coil segment 160 has an RF power as indicated by a line 802 having a dash-dash-dash configuration, and the inner coil segment 162 has an RF power as indicated by a line 804 having a dash-dot-dot configuration. As shown, the RF power of the inner coil segment 162 is less than the RF power of the outer coil segment 160.

[0099] In FIG. 9, the electrostatic shield 168 of the substrate processing system 900 is shown as receiving an RF voltage from the RF plasma generator 150. In this example, the outer coil segment 160 of the coil(s) 164 is electrically floating and the RF plasma generator 150 provides an RF voltage to the inner coil segment 162 of the coil (s) 164. InAttorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA various embodiments, the configuration shown with the substrate processing system 900 of FIG. 9 may provide stability during E-mode plasma processing. With this configuration, the electrostatic shield 168 may have a more uniform capacitive coupling to the plasma in the processing chamber 108, thereby enabling a larger operation window for E-mode plasma processing from the top.

[0100] FIG. 10 depicts an example graph 1000 showing power (y-axis) as a function of time (x-axis) for the substrate processing system 900. In this example, the outer coil segment 160 has no RF power (0) as indicated by a line 1002 having a dash-dash-dash configuration, the inner coil segment 162 has an RF power as indicated by line 1004 having a dash-dot-dot configuration, and the electrostatic shield 168 has an RF power as indicated by a line 1006 having a dash-dash-dot configuration. As shown, the RF power of the electrostatic shield 168 is greater than the RF power of the inner coil segment 162.

[0101] In the substrate processing system 1 100 of FIG. 1 1 , the outer coil segment 160, the inner coil segment 162, and the electrostatic shield 168 receive an RF voltage from the RF plasma generator 150. In such examples, the RF voltage provided to the electrostatic shield 168 may be adjusted as compared to the RF voltage provided to the outer coil segment 160. For example, in the example of FIG. 1 1 , the substrate processing system 1100 includes a signal converter 1 150 coupled between the RF plasma generator 150 and the electrostatic shield 168. In such examples, the signal converter 1 150 may apply a phase shift and amplitude adjustment to the RF voltage from the RF plasma generator 150 before providing the adjusted RF voltage to the electrostatic shield 168. In various embodiments, the signal converter 1 150 may include, for example, a phase shifter and an amplitude attenuator to adjust the phase and reduce the amplitude of the RF voltage.

[0102] In some embodiments, the configuration shown with the substrate processing system 1100 of FIG. 1 1 may provide stability during E-H transitions. For example, if the electrostatic shield 168 shares a power source (e.g., the RF plasma generator 150) with the outer coil segment 160 but has a phase shift and amplitude attenuation as shown in FIG. 1 1 , a change in power with respect to change in plasma impedance (dP / dZ) may be tuned by the phase shift. This is because electron loss and energy gain per RF period may be affected by the phase shift. This tuning of dP / dZ may provide stability during E- H transitions.Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA

[0103] FIG. 12 depicts an example graph 1200 showing power (y-axis) as a function of time (x-axis) for the substrate processing system 1 100. In the example of FIG. 12, the outer coil segment 160 has an RF power as indicated by a line 1202 having a dash-dash- dash configuration, the inner coil segment 162 has an RF power as indicated by line 1204 having a dash-dot-dot configuration, and the electrostatic shield 168 has an RF power as indicated by a line 1206 having a dash-dash-dot configuration. As shown, the RF power of the electrostatic shield 168 is less than the RF power of the inner coil segment 162 and of the outer coil segment 160, and the RF power of the outer coil segment 160 is greater than the RF power of the inner coil segment 162.

[0104] In various embodiments, RF voltage applied to the electrostatic shield 168 from an RF generator (e.g., the RF plasma generator 150 of FIG. 4, the RF generator 550 of FIG. 5, or the RF bias generator 136 of FIG. 6) may be controlled by the controller 166. For example, in some embodiments, the electrostatic shield 168 may be powered when a plasma strike is applied to the outer coil segment 160 (e.g., during E-mode). Then, the RF generator or a switch may then turn off power to the electrostatic shield 168 after the plasma strike or continue providing power to the electrostatic shield 168.

[0105] For example, the controller 166 may control an RF power source or a switch in the RF generator to stop providing the RF voltage to the electrostatic shield 168 a period of time after the outer coil segment 160 receives its RF voltage. In such examples, the period of time may be a length of time taken to allow the TCP to stabilize. For example, after the outer coil segment 160 is powered (e.g., receives the RF voltage) to initiate plasma processing on the substrate 132, an output of the RF plasma generator 150 may become stable after a period of time.

[0106] In other examples, the controller 166 may determine or otherwise detect when the output of the RF plasma generator 150 (e.g., an output to the outer coil segment 160) is stable based on sensed feedback, or by optical emission signal from the plasma. Then, in response to determining the output is stable, the controller 166 may control an RF power source or a switch in the RF generator to stop providing the RF voltage to the electrostatic shield 168.

[0107] As one example, FIG. 13 depicts an example graph 1300 showing power (y-axis) as a function of time (x-axis). In FIG. 13, the outer coil segment 160 is represented by a line 1302 having a dash-dash-dash configuration, the inner coil segment 162 is represented by a line 1304 having a dash-dot-dot configuration, and the electrostaticAttorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA shield 168 is represented by a line 1306 having a dash-dash-dot configuration. As shown, when the electrostatic shield 168 is powered, a plasma strike is applied to the outer coil segment 160 as shown by an increasing RF power of the outer coil segment 160. After a period of time after the outer coil segment 160 receives its RF voltage (e.g., after an output of the RF plasma generator 150 becomes stable, or after an optical emission signal from the plasma is stable), the RF voltage to the electrostatic shield 168 is removed. During this interaction, the RF power of the inner coil segment 162 may remain steady as shown in FIG. 13.

[0108] In other embodiments, the electrostatic shield 168 may be powered each time a plasma strike is applied to the outer coil segment 160. For example, when a pulsing duty cycle is low, a short power spike from the powered electrostatic shield 168 may help to restrike plasma in each burst, thereby enabling a larger operation window. For instance, FIG. 14 depicts an example graph 1400 showing power (y-axis) as a function of time (x- axis). In this example, the electrostatic shield 168 is powered each time a plasma strike is applied to the outer coil segment 160. In FIG. 14, the outer coil segment 160 is represented by a line 1402 having a dash-dash-dash configuration, the inner coil segment 162 is represented by a line 1404 having a dash-dot-dot configuration, and the electrostatic shield 168 is represented by a line 1406 having a dash-dash-dot configuration.

[0109] As shown in FIG. 14, a plasma strike is applied multiple times to the outer coil segment 160 as shown by a pulsed RF power of the outer coil segment 160. During this time, the inner coil segment 162 has a pulsed RF power similar to the outer coil segment 160 but at a lower amplitude. Before each plasma strike is applied to the outer coil segment 160, the electrostatic shield 168 is powered. Then, after each plasma strike (e.g., a rising edge of each pulse), the RF voltage to the electrostatic shield 168 is removed. In such examples, the controller 166 may control a RF power source to provide the RF voltage to the electrostatic shield 168 before a rising edge of each pulse and stop providing the first voltage to the electrostatic shield 168 during each pulse (e.g., a period of time after each plasma strike).

[0110] Referring now to FIG. 15, an example method 1500 for controlling RF voltage applied to an electrostatic shield is depicted. While FIG. 15 is shown and described as including specific steps, it should be appreciated that the method 1500 is an example variation that may be implemented and in other embodiments, the method 1500 and / orAttorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA other example methods may include different steps, more or less steps, etc. Additionally, although the method 1500 is generally described in relation to the substrate processing system 100 of FIG. 1 A, the method 1500 may be employable by any other suitable TCP based processing system.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 15, the method 1500 begins at 1502, where the substrate 132 is arranged on the substrate support 120 in the processing chamber 108. Then, at 1504, the controller 166 of FIG. 1 A controls an RF generator to provide an RF voltage to an electrostatic shield. In various embodiments, the electrostatic shield may be any suitable electrostatic shield, such as the electrostatic shield 168 of FIG. 1 A, the electrostatic shield 200 of FIG. 2, the electrostatic shield 300 of FIG. 3, etc. In such examples, the RF voltage applied to the electrostatic shield may be provided by the RF plasma generator 150 of FIG. 1 A. In other examples, the RF voltage applied to the electrostatic shield may be provided by the RF bias generator 136 of FIG. 1 A that also provides an RF bias voltage to the substrate support 120 or by a separate, dedicated RF generator for the electrostatic shield. The method 1500 then proceeds to 1506.

[0112] At 1506, the RF plasma generator 150 is controlled by the controller 166 to provide power to the coil(s) 164 to initiate plasma processing on the substrate. For example, at 1506, the RF plasma generator 150 provides an RF voltage to the outer coil segment 160 of the coil(s) 164 and the same RF voltage or a different RF voltage to the inner coil segment 162 of the coil(s) 164. The method 1500 then proceeds to 1508.

[0113] At 1508, the controller 166 determines whether the TCP based processing system has stabilized. For example, at 1508, the controller 166 may determine or otherwise detect whether the RF voltage provided to the outer coil segment 160 is stable (e.g., within a threshold) based on sensed feedback. In other examples, the controller 166 may determine whether the RF voltage provided to the outer coil segment 160 is stable (e.g., within a threshold) by waiting a period of time. In other examples, the controller 166 may determine whether the RF voltage provided to the outer coil segment 160 is stable (e.g., within a threshold) based on an optical emission signal from the plasma. If no at 1508, the method returns to again determine whether the TCP based processing system has stabilized. If yes at 1508, the method 1500 then proceeds to 1510.

[0114] At 1510, the controller 166 controls the RF generator to stop providing the RF voltage to the electrostatic shield 168. The method 1500 then proceeds to 1512, where the controller 166 determines whether the plasma processing on the substrate 132 isAttorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA complete. If so, the method 1500 ends as shown in FIG. 15. If not, the method 1500 returns to 1512.

[0115] In other embodiments, the controller 166 may control the RF plasma generator 150 to provide multiple strikes to the coil(s) 164. In such examples, the controller 166 may control the RF plasma generator 150 to provide a pulse to the coil(s) 164 to initiate plasma processing on the substrate 132 at 1506. Then, after the RF voltage provided to the outer coil segment 160 is determined to be stable at 1508, the controller 166 controls the RF generator to stop providing the RF voltage to the electrostatic shield 168 at 1510. Then, the method 1500 may return to 1504 to repeat the steps 1504, 1506, 1510 with respect to the next pulse.

[0116] The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. The broad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples, the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, the specification, and the following claims. It should be understood that one or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (or concurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure. Further, although each of the embodiments is described above as having certain features, any one or more of those features described with respect to any embodiment of the disclosure can be implemented in and / or combined with features of any of the other embodiments, even if that combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or more embodiments with one another remain within the scope of this disclosure.

[0117] Spatial and functional relationships between elements (for example, between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms, including “connected,” “engaged,” “coupled,” “adjacent,” “next to,” “on top of,” “above,” “below,” and “disposed.” Unless explicitly described as being “direct,” when a relationship between first and second elements is described in the above disclosure, that relationship can be a direct relationship where no other intervening elements are present between the first and second elements, but can also be an indirect relationship where one or more intervening elements are present (either spatially or functionally) between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should beAttorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA construed to mean a logical (A OR B OR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed to mean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.”

[0118] In some implementations, a controller is part of a system, which may be part of the above-described examples. Such systems can comprise semiconductor processing equipment, including a processing tool or tools, chamber or chambers, a platform or platforms for processing, and / or specific processing components (a wafer pedestal, a gas flow system, etc.). These systems may be integrated with electronics for controlling their operation before, during, and after processing of a semiconductor wafer or substrate. The electronics may be referred to as the “controller,” which may control various components or subparts of the system or systems. The controller, depending on the processing requirements and / or the type of system, may be programmed to control any of the processes disclosed herein, including the delivery of processing gases, temperature settings (e.g., heating and / or cooling), pressure settings, vacuum settings, power settings, radio frequency (RF) generator settings, RF matching circuit settings, frequency settings, flow rate settings, fluid delivery settings, positional and operation settings, wafer transfers into and out of a tool and other transfer tools and / or load locks connected to or interfaced with a specific system.

[0119] Broadly speaking, the controller may be defined as electronics having various integrated circuits, logic, non-transitory memory, and / or software that receive instructions, issue instructions, control operation, enable cleaning operations, enable endpoint measurements, and the like. The integrated circuits may include chips in the form of firmware that store program instructions, digital signal processors (DSPs), chips defined as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or one or more microprocessors, or microcontrollers that execute program instructions (e.g., software). Program instructions may be instructions communicated to the controller in the form of various individual settings (or program files), defining operational parameters for carrying out a particular process on or for a semiconductor wafer or to a system. The operational parameters may, in some embodiments, be part of a recipe defined by process engineers to accomplish one or more processing steps during the fabrication of one or more layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon, silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and / or dies of a wafer.

[0120] The controller, in some implementations, may be a part of or coupled to a computer that is integrated with the system, coupled to the system, otherwise networked to the system, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller may be in the “cloud”Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA or all or a part of a fab host computer system, which can allow for remote access of the wafer processing. The computer may enable remote access to the system to monitor current progress of fabrication operations, examine a history of past fabrication operations, examine trends or performance metrics from a plurality of fabrication operations, to change parameters of current processing, to set processing steps to follow a current processing, or to start a new process. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g. a server) can provide process recipes to a system over a network, which may include a local network or the Internet. The remote computer may include a user interface that enables entry or programming of parameters and / or settings, which are then communicated to the system from the remote computer. In some examples, the controller receives instructions in the form of data, which specify parameters for each of the processing steps to be performed during one or more operations. It should be understood that the parameters may be specific to the type of process to be performed and the type of tool that the controller is configured to interface with or control. Thus as described above, the controller may be distributed, such as by comprising one or more discrete controllers that are networked together and working towards a common purpose, such as the processes and controls described herein. An example of a distributed controller for such purposes would be one or more integrated circuits on a chamber in communication with one or more integrated circuits located remotely (such as at the platform level or as part of a remote computer) that combine to control a process on the chamber.

[0121] Without limitation, example systems may include a plasma etch chamber or module, a deposition chamber or module, a spin-rinse chamber or module, a metal plating chamber or module, a clean chamber or module, a bevel edge etch chamber or module, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber or module, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber or module, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber or module, an atomic layer etch (ALE) chamber or module, an ion implantation chamber or module, a track chamber or module, and any other semiconductor processing systems that may be associated or used in the fabrication and / or manufacturing of semiconductor wafers.

[0122] As noted above, depending on the process step or steps to be performed by the tool, the controller might communicate with one or more of other tool circuits or modules, other tool components, cluster tools, other tool interfaces, adjacent tools, neighboring tools, tools located throughout a factory, a main computer, another controller, or toolsAttorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA used in material transport that bring containers of wafers to and from tool locations and / or load ports in a semiconductor manufacturing factory.

Claims

Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POACLAIMSWhat is claimed is:1 . A system comprising: a substrate processing chamber; one or more coils arranged along the substrate processing chamber, the one or more coils including an outer coil segment and an inner coil segment; and an electrostatic shield arranged between the coils and the substrate processing chamber to cover only the outer coil segment of the one or more coils.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a dielectric window arranged along a side of the substrate processing chamber, the dielectric window including an inner surface facing the side of the substrate processing chamber and an opposing outer surface, wherein the one or more coils are arranged along the outer surface of the dielectric window.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the electrostatic shield is positioned between the coils and the dielectric window.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the electrostatic shield is integrated into the dielectric window.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein: the electrostatic shield includes a plurality of petal groups, each petal group including a substantially-f lat structure and insulated from the remaining petal groups; and each substantially-flat structure includes at least one outer conductive annulus extending along an outer periphery of the substantially-flat structure and a plurality of conductive petals, at least two conductive petals of the plurality of conductive petals connected to the outer conductive annulus.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an RF generator configured to provide an RF voltage to the electrostatic shield.Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA7. The system of claim 6, wherein: the outer coil segment is configured to receive an RF coil voltage; and the system further comprises a controller in communication with the RF generator, the controller configured to control the RF generator to stop providing the RF voltage to the electrostatic shield after the outer coil segment receives the RF coil voltage.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein: the outer coil segment is configured to receive a pulsed RF coil voltage; and the system further comprises a controller in communication with the RF generator, the controller configured to control the RF generator to provide the RF voltage to the electrostatic shield before a rising edge of each pulse and stop providing the RF voltage to the electrostatic shield during each pulse.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the RF generator is configured to provide an RF voltage to the one or more coils.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a converter coupled between the RF generator and the electrostatic shield, the converter configured to adjust a phase and an amplitude of the RF voltage provided to the electrostatic shield.1 1. The system of claim 6, wherein: the RF generator is a first RF generator; and the system further comprises a second RF generator configured to provide an RF voltage to the one or more coils.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein: the substrate processing chamber includes a substrate support; and the RF generator is configured to provide an RF voltage to the substrate support.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electrostatic shield is floating or grounded.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electrostatic shield is capacitively coupled to plasma within the substrate processing chamber.Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA15. An electrostatic shield for use with a substrate processing chamber, the electrostatic shield comprising: a plurality of petal groups, each petal group including a substantially-f lat structure, insulated from the remaining petal groups and connected to at least one electrical lead, each substantially-f lat structure including at least one outer conductive annulus extending along an outer periphery of the substantially-flat structure and a plurality of conductive petals, at least two conductive petals of the plurality of conductive petals connected to the outer conductive annulus.

16. The electrostatic shield of claim 15, wherein the two conductive petals are a first set of petals; each substantially-flat structure includes at least one inner conductive annulus extending along an inner periphery of the substantially-flat structure; and a second set of petals of the plurality of conductive petals is connected to the inner conductive annulus.

17. The electrostatic shield of claim 16, wherein the second set of petals includes one of the two conductive petals connected to the outer conductive annulus.

18. The electrostatic shield of claim 15, wherein each substantially-flat structure includes a plurality of outer conductive annuluses and a plurality of inner conductive annuluses alternately arranged about the electrostatic shield.

19. The electrostatic shield of claim 15, wherein the two conductive petals are insulated from each other except where the conductive petals are connected to the outer conductive annulus.

20. The electrostatic shield of claim 15, wherein the two conductive petals have the same surface areas.

21. The electrostatic shield of claim 15, wherein the two conductive petals are symmetrically shaped.Attorney Docket No. 11916-1 WOHDP Ref. No. 15545-001298-WO-POA22. The electrostatic shield of claim 15, wherein the electrostatic shield has an outer diameter substantially equal to a periphery of an outer chamber wall of the substrate processing chamber.

23. The electrostatic shield of claim 15, wherein the electrostatic shield has a radial distance between an outer diameter and an inner diameter is less than 10 inches.

24. The electrostatic shield of claim 15, wherein the electrostatic shield has a thickness of 10 mils or less.

25. The electrostatic shield of claim 15, wherein the electrostatic shield has a thickness of 1 mil.

Images