EP0710055A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Plasma reactors for processing semi-conductor wafers
Assignee: Applied Materials Inc
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Filing: 1995-10-13
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2015-10-13
Abstract
Abstract The disclosure relates to a coil antenna (30) for radiating RF power supplied by an RF source (64) into a vacuum chamber (54) of an inductively coupled plasma reactor which processes a semiconductor wafer in the vacuum chamber. The reactor has a gas supply inlet (56) for supplying processing gases into the vacuum chamber. The coil antenna includes plural concentric spiral conductive windings (32, 34, 36), each of the windings having an interior end (32a, 34a, 36a) near an apex of a spiral of the winding and an outer end (32b, 34b, 36b) at a periphery of the spiral of the winding, and a common terminal (38) connected to the interior ends of the plural concentric spiral windings. The RF power source is connected across the terminal and the outer end of each one of the windings.
Inventors
- 👤 Xue-Yu Qian
- 👤 Arthur H. Sato
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 22:38
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/32; H01J37/32009; H01J37/32082; H01J37/321; H05; H05H; H05H1/00; H05H1/24; H05H1/46
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 41
Claim 1
Independent Claim
118 words
A plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor wafer, comprising: a vacuum chamber; means for introducing a processing gas into said vacuum chamber; a wafer pedestal for supporting said semiconductor wafer inside said vacuum chamber; an RF power source; a coil antenna near said vacuum chamber, said coil antenna comprising: plural concentric spiral conductive windings, each of said windings having an interior end near an apex of a spiral of the winding and an outer end at a periphery of the spiral of the winding, and a common terminal connected to the interior ends of said plural concentric spiral windings, said RF power source being connected across said terminal and the outer end of each one of said windings.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
73 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 1 wherein said RF power source comprises two terminals, one of said two terminals being an RF power terminal and the other of said two terminals being an RF return terminal which is connected to ground, said common terminal of said plural concentric spiral conductive windings being connected to ground and said outer ends of said plural concentric spiral conductive windings being connected to said RF power terminal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 1 wherein said reactor chamber comprises a planar ceiling and said antenna coil has a planar disk shape and lies on an exterior surface of said ceiling.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 1 wherein said reactor chamber comprises a cylindrical side wall and said antenna coil has a cylindrical shape and is lies on a portion of said cylindrical wall.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 1 wherein said reactor comprises a dome-shaped ceiling and said antenna coil has a dome shape and lies on and is congruent with at least a portion of said dome-shaped ceiling.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
39 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 1 wherein said reactor comprises a truncated dome-shaped ceiling and said antenna coil has a truncated dome shape and lies on and is congruent with at least a portion of said truncated dome-shaped ceiling.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
54 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 1 wherein said reactor chamber comprises a planar ceiling and a cylindrical side wall and one portion of said antenna coil is planar and overlies said planar ceiling while another portion of said antenna coil is cylindrical and lies on at least a portion of said cylindrical side wall.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
57 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 1 wherein said reactor comprises a dome-shaped ceiling and a cylindrical side wall and one portion of said antenna coil is dome-shaped and overlies and is congruent with said dome-shaped ceiling and another portion of said coil antenna is cylindrical and lies on at least a portion of said cylindrical side wall.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
61 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 1 wherein said reactor comprises a truncated dome-shaped ceiling and a cylindrical side wall and one portion of said antenna coil has a truncated dome-shape and overlies and is congruent with said truncated dome-shaped ceiling and another portion of said coil antenna is cylindrical and lies on at least a portion of said cylindrical side wall.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 1 wherein said plural windings are of about the same length.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 1 wherein said coil antenna comprises three of said windings.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 11 wherein said inner ends are circumferentially spaced from one another at equal intervals and wherein said outer ends are circumferentially spaced from one another at equal intervals.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 1 further comprising a bias RF source connected to said wafer pedestal.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 1 wherein said chamber comprises a sidewall and a ceiling overlying said sidewall, a first portion of said coil antenna conformally overlying said sidewall and a second portion of said antenna conformally overlying said ceiling, there being a smooth transition between said first and second portions of said antenna.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 12 wherein said inner ends of said windings are radially spaced from said apex and connected to said common terminal by respective straight line symmetrically spaced conductors.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
39 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 15 wherein said common terminal is displaced vertically above a plane of said inner ends of said windings and said straight line conductors wick upwardly away from said inner ends toward said common terminal.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
78 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 14 wherein said ceiling comprises a central portion having a characteristic shape and an outer annular chamber having a curvature providing a smooth transition between said sidewall and said central portion of said ceiling, and wherein said second portion of said antenna comprises a first subportion conformally overlying said central portion of said ceiling and a second subportion conformally overlying said chamber, said second subportion smoothly transitioning between said ceiling and said sidewall.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
14 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 17 wherein said characteristic shape is a hemispherical dome.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
13 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 17 wherein said characteristic shape is a disc.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
17 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 17 wherein said characteristic shape is a portion of a hemispherical dome.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
119 words
A coil antenna for radiating RF power supplied by an RF source into a vacuum chamber of an inductively coupled plasma reactor which processes a semiconductor wafer in said vacuum chamber, said reactor having a gas supply inlet for supplying processing gases into said vacuum chamber, said coil antenna comprising: plural concentric spiral conductive windings, each of said windings having an interior end near an apex of a spiral of the winding and an outer end at a periphery of the spiral of the winding, and a common terminal connected to the interior ends of said plural concentric spiral windings, said RF power source being connected across said terminal and the outer end of each one of said windings.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
73 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 21 wherein said RF power source comprises two terminals, one of said two terminals being an RF power terminal and the other of said two terminals being an RF return terminal which is connected to ground, said common terminal of said plural concentric spiral conductive windings being connected to ground and said outer ends of said plural concentric spiral conductive windings being connected to said RF power terminal.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
32 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 21 wherein said reactor chamber comprises a planar ceiling and said antenna coil has a planar disk shape and lies on an exterior surface of said ceiling.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
33 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 21 wherein said reactor chamber comprises a cylindrical side wall and said antenna coil has a cylindrical shape and is lies on a portion of said cylindrical wall.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
36 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 21 wherein said reactor comprises a dome-shaped ceiling and said antenna coil has a dome shape and lies on and is congruent with at least a portion of said dome-shaped ceiling.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
39 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 21 wherein said reactor comprises a truncated dome-shaped ceiling and said antenna coil has a truncated dome shape and lies on and is congruent with at least a portion of said truncated dome-shaped ceiling.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
54 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 21 wherein said reactor chamber comprises a planar ceiling and a cylindrical side wall and one portion of said antenna coil is planar and overlies said planar ceiling while another portion of said antenna coil is cylindrical and lies on at least a portion of said cylindrical side wall.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
57 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 21 wherein said reactor comprises a dome-shaped ceiling and a cylindrical side wall and one portion of said antenna coil is dome-shaped and overlies and is congruent with said dome-shaped ceiling and another portion of said coil antenna is cylindrical and lies on at least a portion of said cylindrical side wall.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
61 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 21 wherein said reactor comprises a truncated dome-shaped ceiling and a cylindrical side wall and one portion of said antenna coil has a truncated dome-shape and overlies and is congruent with said truncated dome-shaped ceiling and another portion of said coil antenna is cylindrical and lies on at least a portion of said cylindrical side wall.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
16 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 21 wherein said plural windings are of about the same length.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
15 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 21 wherein said coil antenna comprises three of said windings.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
33 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 31 wherein said inner ends are circumferentially spaced from one another at equal intervals and wherein said outer ends are circumferentially spaced from one another at equal intervals.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
17 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 21 further comprising a bias RF source connected to said wafer pedestal.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
54 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 21 wherein said chamber comprises a sidewall and a ceiling overlying said sidewall, a first portion of said coil antenna conformally overlying said sidewall and a second portion of said antenna conformally overlying said ceiling, there being a smooth transition between said first and second portions of said antenna.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
32 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 32 wherein said inner ends of said windings are radially spaced from said apex and connected to said common terminal by respective straight line symmetrically spaced conductors.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
39 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 35 wherein said common terminal is displaced vertically above a plane of said inner ends of said windings and said straight line conductors wick upwardly away from said inner ends toward said common terminal.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
78 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 34 wherein said ceiling comprises a central portion having a characteristic shape and an outer annular chamber having a curvature providing a smooth transition between said sidewall and said central portion of said ceiling, and wherein said second portion of said antenna comprises a first subportion conformally overlying said central portion of said ceiling and a second subportion conformally overlying said chamber, said second subportion smoothly transitioning between said ceiling and said sidewall.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
14 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 37 wherein said characteristic shape is a hemispherical dome.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
13 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 37 wherein said characteristic shape is a disc.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
17 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 37 wherein said characteristic shape is a portion of a hemispherical dome.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
34 words
The plasma reactor of Claim 21 wherein said vacuum chamber is circularly symmetrical and said concentric windings of said coil antenna are circularly symmetrical having a common axis of symmetry with said vacuum chamber.
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