17972958. Method for OES Data Collection and Endpoint Detection simplified abstract (Tokyo Electron Limited)
Contents
Method for OES Data Collection and Endpoint Detection
Organization Name
Inventor(s)
Sergey Voronin of Albany NY (US)
Blaze Messer of Albany NY (US)
Ashawaraya Shalini of Fremont CA (US)
Method for OES Data Collection and Endpoint Detection - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17972958 titled 'Method for OES Data Collection and Endpoint Detection
The patent application describes a method of processing a substrate in a plasma processing chamber by applying different powers to electrodes at specific time durations to determine a process endpoint.
- Exposing the substrate to a plasma by applying a first power to a first electrode for a first time duration.
- Determining a process endpoint by applying a second power to a second electrode for a shorter time duration while obtaining an optical emission spectrum from the plasma.
- The energy of the second power is significantly less than the energy of the first power by a factor of at least 2.
Potential Applications: - Semiconductor manufacturing - Thin film deposition - Surface modification processes
Problems Solved: - Accurately determining process endpoints in plasma processing - Improving process control and efficiency
Benefits: - Enhanced control over substrate processing - Increased yield and quality of manufactured products - Reduction in processing time and costs
Commercial Applications: Plasma processing equipment manufacturers can integrate this technology to offer more advanced and efficient systems to semiconductor and electronics manufacturers.
Questions about the Technology: 1. How does the method of applying different powers to electrodes improve process control in plasma processing? 2. What are the specific factors that determine the optimal energy levels for the first and second powers in this method?
Original Abstract Submitted
A method of processing a substrate that includes: exposing the substrate in a plasma processing chamber to a plasma powered by applying a first power to a first electrode of the plasma processing chamber for a first time duration; and after the first time duration, determining a process endpoint by: while exposing the substrate to the plasma by applying the first power to the first electrode, applying a second power to a second electrode of the plasma processing chamber for a second time duration that is shorter than the first time duration; and obtaining an optical emission spectrum (OES) from the plasma while applying the second power to the second electrode, where an energy of the second power over the second time duration is less than an energy of the first power over a sum of the first and the second time durations by a factor of at least 2.
