A system for plasma ignition and maintenance of an atmospheric pressure plasma. The system has a variable frequency alternating current (AC) power source, a transformer, a cable connected to a secondary winding of the transformer, a programmed microprocessor for control of power to the atmospheric pressure plasma. The microprocessor is configured to a) at pre-ignition, power the AC power source at an operational frequency f.sub.op higher than the resonant frequency f.sub.r, b) decrease the operational frequency f.sub.op of the AC power source until there is plasma ignition, and c) after the plasma ignition, further decrease the operational frequency f.sub.op of the AC power source to a frequency lower than the resonant frequency f.sub.r.

A method for achieving uniformity in an etch rate is described. The method includes receiving a voltage signal from an output of a match, and determining a positive crossing and a negative crossing of the voltage signal for each cycle of the voltage signal. The negative crossing of each cycle is consecutive to the positive crossing of the cycle. The method further includes dividing a time interval of each cycle of the voltage signal into a plurality of bins. For one or more of the plurality of bins associated with the positive crossing and one or more of the plurality of bins associated with the negative crossing, the method includes adjusting a frequency of a radio frequency generator to achieve the uniformity in the etch rate.

A process of detecting a thickness of a film layer to be processed or a depth of etching by using a result of detection of a signal indicating intensity of interference light having a plurality of wavelengths formed at a plurality of time instants from when plasma is formed to when the etching is completed. A start time instant is detected by using an amount of change in the intensity of the interference light. Then, a remaining film thickness or the etching amount at an arbitrary time instant is detected from a result of comparing actual data indicating the intensity of the interference light at the arbitrary time instant during the processing after the start time instant with a plurality of pieces of data for detection of the intensity of the interference light obtained in advance and associated with values of a the film thicknesses or the depths of etching.

According to one aspect of the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a process vessel in which a substrate is processed; an outer vessel configured to cover an outer circumference of the process vessel; a gas flow path provided between the outer vessel and the outer circumference of the process vessel; an exhaust path in communication with the gas flow path; an adjusting valve configured to be capable of adjusting a conductance of the exhaust path; a first exhaust apparatus provided on the exhaust path downstream of the adjusting valve; a pressure sensor configured to measure an inner pressure of the outer vessel; and a controller configured to be capable of adjusting an exhaust volume flow rate of the first exhaust apparatus by controlling the first exhaust apparatus based on a pressure measured by the pressure sensor.

A method for achieving a first uniformity level in a processing rate across a surface of a substrate is described. The method includes receiving the first uniformity level to be achieved across the surface of the substrate and identifying a first plurality of duty cycles associated with a first plurality of states based on the first uniformity level. The first plurality of states are of a variable of a first radio frequency (RF) signal. The method further includes controlling an RF generator to generate the first RF signal having the first plurality of duty cycles.

A system, method, and apparatus for processing substrates. A plasma processing system includes a processing chamber having a chamber body having walls with a first material enclosing an interior volume. The plasma processing system further includes a plasma source designed to expose a substrate disposed within the processing chamber to plasma related fluxes. The first material has a first set of recombination coefficients associated with the plasma related fluxes. The plasma processing system further includes a second material disposed along a first region of the chamber body, the first material having a second set of plasma recombination coefficients associated with the plasma related fluxes. The second set of plasma recombination coefficients is different that the first set of plasma recombination coefficients.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, which when executed by a processing device of a diagnostic server, cause the processing device to perform certain operations. The operations include receiving, from a processing chamber, (i) measurement values of a combined signal that is based on an injection of an alternating signal wave onto a first output signal of a controller of the processing chamber, and (ii) measurement values of a second output signal of the controller that incorporates feedback from the processing chamber. The operations further include generating, based on the measurement values of the combined signal and the measurement values of the second output signal of the controller, a baseline bode fingerprint pertaining to a state associated with the processing chamber. The operations further include storing, in computer storage, the baseline bode fingerprint to be used in performing diagnostics of the processing chamber.

A plasma processing apparatus includes a stage having a placing surface on which a workpiece is accommodated; a heater provided in the stage and configured to adjust a temperature of the placing surface of the stage; and a controller. The controller is configured to control a supply power to the heater; measure the supply power in a transient state where the supply power to the heater increases and in a second steady state where the supply power to the heater is stable in an extinguished state of plasma; calculate a heat input amount and a heat resistance by performing a fitting on a calculation model that calculates the supply power in the transient state using the heat input amount from the plasma and the heat resistance between the workpiece and the heater as parameters; and calculate a temperature of the workpiece in the first steady state.

Capacitive sensors and capacitive sensing data integration for plasma chamber condition monitoring are described. In an example, a plasma chamber monitoring system includes a plurality of capacitive sensors, a capacitance digital converter, and an applied process server coupled to the capacitance digital converter, the applied process server including a system software. The capacitance digital converter includes an isolation interface coupled to the plurality of capacitive sensors, a power supply coupled to the isolation interface, a field-programmable gate-array firmware coupled to the isolation interface, and an application-specific integrated circuit coupled to the field-programmable gate-array firmware.

A power converter is capable to convert an electrical input power into a bipolar output power and to deliver the bipolar output power to at least two independent plasma processing chambers. The power converter includes: a power input port for connection to an electrical power delivering grid, at least two, preferably more than two, power output ports each for connection to one of the plasma process chambers, and a controller configured to control the power converter to deliver the bipolar output power to the power output ports, using one or more control parameters selected from a list comprising: power, voltage, current, excitation frequency, and threshold for protective measures, such that at least one of the control parameters at a first power output port is different from the corresponding control parameter at a different power output port.