A substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber providing a reaction space therein and including a substrate entrance through which a substrate enters or exits, a susceptor disposed inside the process chamber and supporting the substrate, a gas injector disposed on an opposing surface to inject a gas toward the substrate, a valve opening and closing the substrate entrance, and a control electrode formed on the valve. The control electrode is vertically driven.

An apparatus for plasma processing includes a first plasma source, a first planar electrode, a gas distribution device, a plasma blocking screen and a workpiece chuck. The first plasma source produces first plasma products that pass, away from the first plasma source, through first apertures in the first planar electrode. The first plasma products continue through second apertures in the gas distribution device. The plasma blocking screen includes a third plate with fourth apertures, and faces the gas distribution device such that the first plasma products pass through the plurality of fourth apertures. The workpiece chuck faces the second side of the plasma blocking screen, defining a process chamber between the plasma blocking screen and the workpiece chuck. The fourth apertures are of a sufficiently small size to block a plasma generated in the process chamber from reaching the gas distribution device.

Embodiments herein provide plasma processing chambers and methods configured for fine-tuning and control over a plasma sheath formed during the plasma-assisted processing of a semiconductor substrate. Embodiments include a sheath tuning scheme, including plasma processing chambers and methods, which can be used to tailor one or more characteristics of a plasma sheath formed between a bulk plasma and a substrate surface. Generally, the sheath tuning scheme provides differently configured pulsed voltage (PV) waveforms to a plurality of bias electrodes embedded beneath the surface of a substrate support in an arrangement where each of the electrodes can be used to differentially bias a surface region of a substrate positioned on the support. The sheath tuning scheme disclosed herein can thus be used to adjust and/or control the directionality, and energy and angular distributions of ions that bombard a substrate surface during a plasma-assisted etch process.

A control method of a plasma processing apparatus including a first electrode that places a workpiece thereon includes supplying a bias power to the first electrode, and supplying a source power having a frequency higher than that of the bias power into a plasma processing space. The source power has a first state and a second state. The control method further includes a first control process of alternately applying the first state and the second state of the source power in synchronization with a signal synchronized with a cycle of a radio frequency of the bias power, or a phase within one cycle of a reference electrical state that represents any one of a voltage, current, and electromagnetic field measured in a power feeding system of the bias power.

A plasma processing apparatus includes an impedance matching circuit, a balun having a first unbalanced terminal connected to the impedance matching circuit, a grounded second unbalanced terminal, a first balanced terminal and a second balanced terminal, a grounded vacuum container, a first electrode electrically connected to the first balanced terminal, a second electrode electrically connected to the second balanced terminal, an adjustment reactance configured to affect a relationship between a first voltage applied to the first electrode and a second voltage applied to the second electrode, a high-frequency power supply configured to supply a high frequency between the first unbalanced terminal and the second unbalanced terminal via the impedance matching circuit, and a controller configured to control an impedance of the impedance matching circuit and a reactance of the adjustment reactance.

In an exemplary embodiment, an upper electrode is disposed in a processing chamber to face a susceptor and provided with a plate-like member and an electrode part. In an exemplary embodiment, the plate-like member is formed with a gas distribution hole that distributes a processing gas used for a plasma processing. The electrode part is formed in a film shape by thermally spraying silicon onto a surface of the plate-like member where an outlet of the gas distribution hole is formed.

A plasma lining structure is used in a process chamber to block direct line-of-sight for plasma generated within to grounded surface. The plasma lining structure includes a plurality of sections to cover at least one or more portions of an inside surface of a plasma confinement structure disposed in the process chamber. The sections of the plasma lining structure are positioned between a plasma region and the sidewall of the plasma confinement structure, when the plasma lining structure and the plasma confinement structure are disposed in the plasma chamber, such that the sections directly face the plasma region.

Provided is a substrate processing apparatus including: a chuck configured to support a substrate; a dielectric plate disposed to face an upper surface of the substrate supported by the chuck; a gas supply unit configured to supply process gas to an edge region of the substrate; and a first edge electrode configured to generate plasma from the process gas to the edge region of the substrate supported by the chuck, in which the first edge electrode includes: a plurality of electrode units; and one or more insulating units provided between the electrode units.

There is provided a shower head electrode assembly of a plasma processing apparatus, comprising: an electrode having a plurality of first gas flow paths and having a surface exposed to plasma; and a backing member attached to the electrode and having a plurality of second gas flow paths which communicate with the plurality of first gas flow paths. Each of the plurality of second gas flow paths is a slit-shaped elongated hole, and is configured such that a length of the elongated hole in radial direction is longer than a length of the elongated hole in circumferential direction with respect to a central axis of the shower head electrode assembly.

The present disclosure is directed to a showerhead for distributing plasma. The showerhead includes a perforated tile coupled to a support structure. A dielectric window is disposed over the perforated tile. An electrode is coupled to the dielectric window. An inductive coupler is disposed over the dielectric window. At least a portion of the inductive coupler is angled relative to at least a portion of the electrode.