L-Shaped Plasma Confinement Ring Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
C-shaped plasma confinement rings in semiconductor processing chambers are difficult to manufacture and maintain due to the need for extensive machining of hard materials and protective measures during orifice fabrication, limiting process flexibility and increasing costs.
Innovation Solution
An L-shaped plasma confinement ring design that eliminates the upper portion, allowing for easier fabrication of orifices using abrasive waterjet cutting and simplifying replacement, reducing material and time costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If C-shaped plasma confinement ring is used, then plasma confinement is achieved, but manufacturing difficulty and cost increase due to extensive machining of hard materials
Solution Approach 1:
The plasma confinement ring is divided into two separate components: a C-shaped confinement ring and a removable orifice plate. This segmentation allows the orifice plate to be manufactured separately with easier machining processes, while the C-shaped ring maintains its plasma confinement function. The orifice plate can be inserted into the C-shaped ring to complete the confinement structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The orifices are extracted from the C-shaped confinement ring itself and placed on a separate removable orifice plate. This extraction eliminates the need for extensive machining of the hard C-shaped ring material, as the orifices are now fabricated on a separate plate that can be made from more easily machined materials or using different manufacturing processes.
2Reliability
If C-shaped plasma confinement ring with orifices is used, then plasma confinement is achieved, but fabrication time increases due to protective measures during orifice fabrication
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the confinement structure into a C-shaped ring and a separate orifice plate, the orifices can be fabricated on the plate without requiring protective measures on the C-shaped ring. This eliminates time-consuming protective measures and extensive machining operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The orifice plate is prepared in advance with all necessary orifices fabricated before assembly with the C-shaped ring. This preliminary fabrication allows for optimized manufacturing processes without the constraints of machining the final assembled structure, significantly reducing overall fabrication time.
3Strength
If traditional C-shaped design is used, then structural integrity is maintained, but maintenance and replacement difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The removable orifice plate is segmented from the C-shaped confinement ring, allowing the plate to be independently removed and replaced. This segmentation maintains the structural integrity of the C-shaped ring while enabling easy maintenance and replacement of the orifice plate without affecting the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The orifice plate is designed as a dynamic, removable component rather than a fixed integral part of the C-shaped ring. This allows the plate to be easily inserted and removed for maintenance, replacement, or reconfiguration, significantly improving ease of repair while the C-shaped ring remains structurally intact.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The L-shaped design provides cost savings and increased flexibility in manufacturing and serviceability, with orifice cutting times reduced by up to 83% compared to traditional methods, and allows for easier maintenance by eliminating the need for protective measures during fabrication.
Implementation Method 1
gas mixtures may be introduced into the processing chamber and plasma may be used to initiate and sustain chemical reactions
Implementation Method 2
The ring-shaped element, the substrate support assembly, and an electrode (an upper electrode) coupled to a distal end of the cylindrical element define a volume within the plasma chamber in which plasma is confined during processing
Data Source
AI summary
A plasma confinement ring for a plasma chamber comprises a ring-shaped element and a cylindrical element. The ring-shaped element of the plasma confinement ring surrounds a substrate support assembly in the plasma chamber and is arranged along a plane in which a substrate is arranged on the substrate support assembly. The ring-shaped element includes a plurality of orifices. The cylindrical element of the plasma confinement ring extends from an outer edge of the ring-shaped element in a direction perpendicular to the plane in which the substrate is arranged on the substrate support assembly in the plasma chamber. The plasma confinement ring is monolithic.