US 12,142,458 B2
Symmetric plasma source to generate pie-shaped treatment
Anantha K. Subramani, San Jose, CA (US); Farzad Houshmand, Santa Clara, CA (US); Philip A. Kraus, San Jose, CA (US); Abhishek Chowdhury, Bangalore (IN); John C. Forster, Mt. View, CA (US); and Kallol Bera, Fremont, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 29, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/137,296.
Application 17/137,296 is a continuation of application No. 15/413,581, filed on Jan. 24, 2017, granted, now 10,879,042.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/341,597, filed on May 25, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/286,407, filed on Jan. 24, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2021/0210312 A1, Jul. 8, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H01J 37/32 (2006.01); C23C 16/455 (2006.01); C23C 16/50 (2006.01); H01L 21/67 (2006.01); H05H 1/24 (2006.01); H01L 21/3065 (2006.01); H01L 21/311 (2006.01); H01L 21/3213 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 37/32091 (2013.01) [C23C 16/45525 (2013.01); C23C 16/50 (2013.01); H01J 37/32082 (2013.01); H01J 37/32174 (2013.01); H01J 37/3244 (2013.01); H01J 37/32532 (2013.01); H01J 37/32577 (2013.01); H01L 21/67069 (2013.01); H05H 1/4697 (2021.05); H01J 2237/334 (2013.01); H01L 21/3065 (2013.01); H01L 21/31116 (2013.01); H01L 21/31138 (2013.01); H01L 21/32136 (2013.01); H05H 2245/40 (2021.05)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A plasma source assembly comprising:
a housing having a gas inlet and a front face defining a flow path, the gas inlet allowing a flow of gas to move along the flow path to pass through the housing and out an opening in the front face;
an RF hot electrode within the housing, the RF hot electrode having a body and a plurality of source electrodes extending from the RF hot electrode toward the opening in the front face;
a return electrode spaced a gap distance from the source electrodes; and
a ceramic plate within the housing on a side of the RF hot electrode opposite the front face of the housing, the ceramic plate positioned to form a plenum above the ceramic plate and a plenum below the ceramic plate, the plenum above the ceramic plate bounded by the ceramic plate and the housing, the plenum below the ceramic plate bounded by the ceramic plate and the RF hot electrode, the ceramic plate including a plurality of passages extending through the ceramic plate to allow a flow of gas to pass from the plenum above the ceramic plate to the plenum below the ceramic plate,
wherein the plenum above the ceramic plate, the passages through the ceramic plate and the plenum below the ceramic plate have a width of less than or equal to about 0.5 mm.