Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Differential fluid etching apparatus – With radio frequency antenna or inductive coil gas...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-07
2004-01-06
Hassanzadez, Parviz (Department: 1763)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Differential fluid etching apparatus
With radio frequency antenna or inductive coil gas...
C156S345460, C118S7230IR, C118S7230ER, C118S7230MA, C118S7230MR, C438S732000, C438S728000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06673199
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the plasma etching of a substrate.
In the fabrication of electronic components and circuitry, a plasma of a process gas may be used to process semiconductor, dielectric and conductor materials, such as for example, silicon, silicon dioxide, and metal-containing layers, on a substrate. The substrate may be a semiconductor wafer or dielectric material. The substrate materials are typically formed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), oxidation or nitridation processes. In a typical CVD process, a plasma is provided in the chamber to deposit material on the substrate. In a typical PVD process, a target facing the substrate is sputtered to deposit target material on the substrate. The substrate is then etched by forming a patterned etch-resistant material, such as resist or hard mask, on the substrate, and etching exposed portions of the substrate by a plasma to form features such as gates, vias, contact holes and interconnect lines, in the substrate. The plasma may also be used in other substrate fabrication processes, such as post-etch treatments and in chamber cleaning processes.
However, conventional plasma processes often fail to provide good etch rate uniformity across the substrate. For example, in etching processes, the peripheral edge of the substrate may often be etched at faster etching rates than the central portion of the substrate. The non-uniform etching rates may arise from a non-uniform distribution of energized plasma species across the substrate, temperature variations, or other factors. It is difficult to control the etching process to obtain uniform etching rates across the surface of the entire substrate.
Thus it is desirable to be able to generate and control a plasma to etch a substrate with good etch rate uniformity across the substrate.
SUMMARY
A substrate etching chamber comprises a substrate support to support a substrate in a process zone, a gas supply to introduce a process gas into the process zone, an inductor antenna to inductively couple energy to the process gas to form a plasma of the process gas in the process zone, a magnetic field generator to generate a magnetic field in the process zone, the magnetic field generator comprising first and second solenoids disposed about the process zone and a power supply to power the solenoids, a controller adapted to control the power supply of the magnetic field generator to pass a first current through the first solenoid and pass a second current through the second solenoid, the second current being in the opposite direction of the first current, and an exhaust to exhaust the process gas.
In another aspect, a substrate etching method comprises placing a substrate in a process zone, introducing a process gas into the process zone, inductively coupling energy to the process gas to form a plasma in the process zone, generating a magnetic field in the process zone by providing a first current to a first solenoid and a second current to a second solenoid, the first current being in the opposite direction to the second current, and exhausting the process gas from the process zone.
In yet another aspect, the substrate etching chamber comprises a substrate support to support a substrate in a process zone, a gas supply to introduce a process gas into the process zone, a gas energizer comprising an inductor antenna to inductively couple energy to the process gas to form a plasma of the process gas in the process zone and an RF power supply to pass an RF current through the inductor antenna, a magnetic field generator to generate a controllable magnetic field in the process zone, the magnetic field generator comprising first and second solenoids disposed about the process zone and a DC power supply to pass direct current through the first and second solenoids, and an exhaust to exhaust the process gas.
In yet another aspect, the substrate etching method comprises placing a substrate in a process zone, introducing a process gas into the process zone, inductively coupling energy to the process gas to form a plasma in the process zone by providing RF current to an inductor coil, generating a magnetic field in the process zone by providing direct current to first and second solenoids, and exhausting the process gas from the process zone.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3170383 (1965-02-01), Hunt
patent: 3316468 (1967-04-01), Hanks
patent: 3514391 (1970-05-01), Hablanian et al.
patent: 4037945 (1977-07-01), Wollam
patent: 4198261 (1980-04-01), Busta et al.
patent: 4208240 (1980-06-01), Latos
patent: 4493745 (1985-01-01), Chen et al.
patent: 4842683 (1989-06-01), Cheng et al.
patent: 4859277 (1989-08-01), Barna et al.
patent: 4913928 (1990-04-01), Sugita et al.
patent: 4953982 (1990-09-01), Ebbing et al.
patent: 4975141 (1990-12-01), Greco et al.
patent: 4990229 (1991-02-01), Campbell et al.
patent: 5002631 (1991-03-01), Giapis et al.
patent: 5074985 (1991-12-01), Tamura et al.
patent: 5122251 (1992-06-01), Campbell et al.
patent: 5129994 (1992-07-01), Ebbing et al.
patent: 5146137 (1992-09-01), Gesche et al.
patent: 5200023 (1993-04-01), Gifford et al.
patent: 5225740 (1993-07-01), Ohkawa
patent: 5277746 (1994-01-01), Anderson
patent: 5290383 (1994-03-01), Koshimizu
patent: 5308414 (1994-05-01), O'neil et al.
patent: 5344536 (1994-09-01), Obuchi et al.
patent: 5361016 (1994-11-01), Ohkawa et al.
patent: 5362356 (1994-11-01), Schoenborn
patent: 5370765 (1994-12-01), Dandl
patent: 5372673 (1994-12-01), Stager et al.
patent: 5392124 (1995-02-01), Barbee et al.
patent: 5399229 (1995-03-01), Stefani et al.
patent: 5403433 (1995-04-01), Morrison et al.
patent: 5406080 (1995-04-01), Friedhelm
patent: 5421891 (1995-06-01), Campbell et al.
patent: 5429070 (1995-07-01), Campbell et al.
patent: 5430355 (1995-07-01), Paranjpe
patent: 5445705 (1995-08-01), Barbee et al.
patent: 5450205 (1995-09-01), Sawin et al.
patent: 5451289 (1995-09-01), Barbee et al.
patent: 5456788 (1995-10-01), Barbee et al.
patent: 5467883 (1995-11-01), Frye et al.
patent: 5468341 (1995-11-01), Samukawa
patent: 5472508 (1995-12-01), Saxena
patent: 5531862 (1996-07-01), Otsubo et al.
patent: 5536359 (1996-07-01), Kawada et al.
patent: 5567268 (1996-10-01), Kadomura
patent: 5587038 (1996-12-01), Cechhi et al.
patent: 5622635 (1997-04-01), Cuomo et al.
patent: 5648701 (1997-07-01), Hooke et al.
patent: 5654903 (1997-08-01), Reitman et al.
patent: 5662819 (1997-09-01), Kadomura
patent: 5669975 (1997-09-01), Ashtiani
patent: 5674321 (1997-10-01), Pu et al.
patent: 5686796 (1997-11-01), Boswell et al.
patent: 5691540 (1997-11-01), Halle et al.
patent: 5716451 (1998-02-01), Hama et al.
patent: 5738756 (1998-04-01), Liu
patent: 5747380 (1998-05-01), Yu et al.
patent: 5748297 (1998-05-01), Suk et al.
patent: 5753044 (1998-05-01), Hanawa et al.
patent: 5767628 (1998-06-01), Keller et al.
patent: 5770097 (1998-06-01), O'Neill et al.
patent: 5772772 (1998-06-01), Chi
patent: 5792272 (1998-08-01), Van Os et al.
patent: 5800619 (1998-09-01), Holland et al.
patent: 5800688 (1998-09-01), Lantsman et al.
patent: 5804046 (1998-09-01), Sawada et al.
patent: 5807761 (1998-09-01), Coronel et al.
patent: 5824602 (1998-10-01), Molvik et al.
patent: 5834375 (1998-11-01), Chen
patent: 5837057 (1998-11-01), Koyama et al.
patent: 5846883 (1998-12-01), Moslehi
patent: 5858259 (1999-01-01), Hirose et al.
patent: 5874704 (1999-02-01), Gates
patent: 5907677 (1999-05-01), Glenn et al.
patent: 5975013 (1999-11-01), Holland et al.
patent: 5983828 (1999-11-01), Savas
patent: 6006694 (1999-12-01), DeOrnellas et al.
patent: 6028286 (2000-02-01), Wicker et al.
patent: 6085688 (2000-07-01), Lymberopoulos et al.
patent: 6300227 (2001-10-01), Liu et al.
patent: 0607797 (1994-07-01), None
patent: 0735565 (1996-02-01), None
patent: 0756318 (1997-01-01), None
patent: 0788138 (1997-08-01), None
patent: 0801413 (1997-10-01), None
patent: 0908922 (1999-04-01), None
patent: 61160926 (1986-07-01), None
patent: 03015198 (1991-01-01), None
patent: 63253617 (1998-10-01), None
patent: WO9844535 (1998-10-01), None
patent: W
Loewenhardt Peter K.
Lubomirsky Dmitry
Singh Saravjeet
Yamartino John M.
Applied Materials Inc.
Bach Joseph
Hassanzadez Parviz
Janah Ashok K
LandOfFree
Shaping a plasma with a magnetic field to control etch rate... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Shaping a plasma with a magnetic field to control etch rate..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Shaping a plasma with a magnetic field to control etch rate... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3218931