US Patent Application 18447410. FOCUS RING FOR A PLASMA-BASED SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING TOOL simplified abstract

FOCUS RING FOR A PLASMA-BASED SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING TOOL

Organization Name

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.==Inventor(s)==

[[Category:Sheng-Chieh Huang of Hsinchu (TW)]]

[[Category:Chang Kuang Tso of Hsinchu (TW)]]

[[Category:Chou Feng Lee of Hsinchu County (TW)]]

[[Category:Chung-Hsiu Cheng of Banqiao City (TW)]]

[[Category:Jr-Sheng Chen of Hsinchu City (TW)]]

[[Category:Chun Yan Chen of Zhubei City (TW)]]

[[Category:Chih-Hsien Hsu of Hsinchu City (TW)]]

[[Category:Chin-Tai Hung of Hsinchu (TW)]]

FOCUS RING FOR A PLASMA-BASED SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING TOOL - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18447410 titled 'FOCUS RING FOR A PLASMA-BASED SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING TOOL

Simplified Explanation

- The abstract describes a focus ring designed for a plasma-based semiconductor processing tool. - The focus ring is intended to ensure uniform etch rates across a wafer during the plasma etch process. - It includes an angled inner wall that directs the plasma towards the wafer. - The angle of the inner wall is greater than 130 degrees relative to the wafer's top surface and less than 50 degrees relative to the focus ring's lower surface. - This design reduces or eliminates areas of overlapping plasma on the wafer, which can cause non-uniform etch rates. - The inner diameter of the focus ring is configured to be between 209 millimeters and 214 millimeters. - This further reduces or eliminates areas of overlapping plasma on the wafer. - The focus ring improves etch rate uniformity, which can reduce structural variations in semiconductor devices and increase processing yield.

Original Abstract Submitted

A focus ring for a plasma-based semiconductor processing tool is designed to provide and/or ensure etch rate uniformity across a wafer during a plasma etch process. The focus ring may include an angled inner wall that is angled away from a center of the focus ring to direct a plasma toward the wafer. The angle of the angled inner wall may be greater than approximately 130 degrees relative to the top surface of the wafer and/or may be less than approximately 50 degrees relative to an adjacent lower surface of the focus ring to reduce and/or eliminate areas of overlapping plasma on the wafer (which would otherwise cause non-uniform etch rates). Moreover, an inner diameter may be configured to be in a range of approximately 209 millimeters to 214 millimeters to further reduce and/or eliminate areas of overlapping plasma on the wafer. In this way, the focus ring provides and/or increases etch rate uniformity across the wafer, which may reduce structural variations across semiconductor devices being formed on the wafer and/or may increase processing yield.