Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for producing plasma uniformity in a magnetic field-enhanced plasma reactor

US5674321A · kind A · utility

119Cited by
10References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 28, 1995
Grant dateOct 7, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 28, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH05H1/46
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A magnetic field enhanced plasma etch reactor system for generating a radially-directed magnetic field within a reaction chamber. The reactor system comprises a reaction chamber for containing a plasma and a plurality of electromagnetic coils disposed about a reaction region within the reaction chamber. When each coil is driven with a current of similar magnitude, the electromagnetic coils produce a radially-directed magnetic field within the reaction chamber. The radially-directed magnetic field uniformly distributes the plasma throughout a bulk plasma region. Consequently, a substrate that is etched by such a uniform plasma has an improved uniformity in the etch pattern on the substrate.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.