US 12,230,475 B2
Systems and methods of control for plasma processing
Alok Ranjan, Austin, TX (US); Peter Ventzek, Austin, TX (US); and Mitsunori Ohata, Miyagi (JP)
Assigned to Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Dec. 13, 2018, as Appl. No. 16/219,535.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/724,879, filed on Aug. 30, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/718,454, filed on Aug. 14, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0058469 A1, Feb. 20, 2020
Int. Cl. H01J 37/32 (2006.01); C23C 16/455 (2006.01); H01L 21/3065 (2006.01); H01L 21/67 (2006.01); H01L 21/683 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 37/32146 (2013.01) [C23C 16/45536 (2013.01); H01J 37/3211 (2013.01); H01L 21/3065 (2013.01); H01L 21/67069 (2013.01); H01L 21/6831 (2013.01); H01J 2237/332 (2013.01); H01J 2237/334 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A plasma processing system comprising:
a vacuum chamber;
a first coupling electrode configured to provide power for generation of a plasma in the vacuum chamber by coupling source power (SP) pulses to the plasma;
a substrate holder disposed in the vacuum chamber, the substrate holder being configured to support a substrate;
a second coupling electrode configured to couple bias power (BP) pulses to the substrate;
a timing circuit configured to generate a delay causing a first nonzero offset duration separating trailing edges of the SP pulses and leading edges of the BP pulses and to generate a trigger signal immediately following the first nonzero offset duration;
an SP pulse modulation circuit coupled to an input of the timing circuit, the SP pulse modulation circuit configured to receive SP pulse parameters and output SP pulse signals corresponding to the SP pulses to the timing circuit, the delay being triggered by leading edges of the SP pulse signals or trailing edges of the SP pulse signals; and
a BP pulse modulation circuit coupled to an output of the timing circuit and configured to receive BP pulse parameters different from the SP pulse parameters and output BP pulse signals triggered by the trigger signal and corresponding to the BP pulses.