Tiltable Plasma Coil Layout for High-Temperature Deposition Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plasma generation apparatuses face challenges in supporting high-temperature processes and adjusting the inclination of coils to achieve uniform plasma distribution, particularly when using metal Faraday shields that cannot withstand temperatures above 650°C.
Innovation Solution
A plasma generation apparatus with a housing and coil configuration that allows for independent upward and downward movement of the coil ends, enabling inclination adjustment and supporting high-temperature processes without a metal Faraday shield, ensuring uniform plasma distribution across the wafer surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a metal Faraday shield is used in the plasma generation apparatus, then electromagnetic field shielding is improved, but the apparatus cannot support high-temperature processes above 650°C
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the metal Faraday shield from the system entirely. Instead of trying to find a material that can withstand high temperatures while providing electromagnetic shielding, the invention extracts the shielding component and replaces it with a housing structure that provides plasma containment through geometric design rather than electromagnetic shielding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters by eliminating the temperature constraint imposed by metal Faraday shields. By removing the shield, the system can operate at temperatures above 650°C without material degradation, fundamentally changing the temperature parameter range from limited to extended high-temperature capability.
2Device complexity
If the coil is fixed in a horizontal position, then the structure is simple, but plasma distribution becomes non-uniform between inner and outer positions of the rotation table
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the coil from a fixed horizontal structure to a dynamic, adjustable structure. The coil can be tilted at various angles relative to the rotation table, allowing optimization of plasma distribution for different process conditions. This dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction by enabling both structural simplicity and plasma uniformity through adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the coil configuration by introducing adjustable tilt angles. By varying the angle between the coil axis and the vertical direction, the system can optimize plasma coupling and distribution across the rotation table, achieving uniform plasma generation without requiring complex multi-coil arrangements.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple antenna members are moved to change bending angles, then plasma distribution uniformity is improved, but the device complexity and adjustment mechanism become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex multi-member antenna adjustment mechanism and replaces it with a simpler single-coil tilting system. Instead of moving multiple antenna members with connection fulcrums, the invention uses a single coil structure that can be tilted as a whole, achieving plasma uniformity through geometric repositioning rather than shape transformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional approach: rather than changing the shape or bending angle of antenna members to achieve plasma uniformity, the invention keeps the coil shape simple and changes its spatial orientation (tilt angle) relative to the rotation table. This inverted strategy achieves the same goal with reduced mechanical complexity.
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
This configuration allows for high-temperature processes and uniform plasma distribution, correcting imbalances in plasma processing between the inner and outer positions of the rotation table, and enabling efficient film deposition with improved in-plane uniformity.
Implementation Method 1
a coil (83) wound around a side surface of the protruding portion
Implementation Method 2
plasma generation apparatus capable of supporting a high-temperature process and adjusting an inclination of a coil
Data Source
AI summary
A plasma generation apparatus includes a housing fitted in a portion of an upper surface of a process chamber of a deposition apparatus and having a protruding portion having an elongated shape in a plan view and protruding upward from a bottom surface, a coil wound around a side surface of the protruding portion and having an elongated shape in the plan view, and an inclination adjustment mechanism configured to independently move upward and downward both ends in a longitudinal direction of the coil to change an inclination of the coil in the longitudinal direction.