In some examples, a gas mixer comprises a body and an orbital array of gas inlets for receiving one or more constituents of a mixed gas. A mixed gas outlet emits a mixed gas from the body and is disposed at a center of the orbital array of gas inlets. A central gas mixing point, separate from the mixed gas outlet, comprises an internal volume disposed within the body and is surrounded by the orbital array of gas inlet. The internal volume is in fluid communication with the orbital array of gas inlets via a corresponding array of gas pathways extending from the internal volume to each of the gas inlets. Each gas path length of the respective gas pathways is the same. Control circuitry is configured to control gas flow rate within each of the gas pathways individually.

In a disclosed inspection method, a substrate and an edge ring are placed on first and second regions, respectively. A first inspection circuit is connected to the substrate. The first inspection circuit has impedance. A second inspection circuit is connected to the edge ring. The second inspection circuit has impedance. A first electrical bias and a second electrical bias having a common bias frequency are applied to a first electrode in the first region and a second electrode in the second region, respectively. A voltage waveform of the substrate and a voltage waveform of the edge ring is acquired by using a waveform monitor.

In a plasma processing apparatus, occurrence of unplanned maintenance is predicted in advance so that a time when the work should be incorporated into planned maintenance can be determined. An apparatus diagnostic apparatus including a degradation score estimation unit that receives an output of a sensor mounted on a plasma processing apparatus and estimates a degradation score of the plasma processing device; a maintenance work occurrence probability estimation unit that calculates a probability of occurrence of an unplanned maintenance work that is not included in an original maintenance plan based on the degradation score; an actual maintenance cost calculation unit that calculates an actual maintenance cost; and a plan incorporated maintenance cost calculation unit that outputs a correction plan of maintenance plan in which the original maintenance plan is corrected by incorporating the unplanned maintenance work based on the probability of occurrence of the unplanned maintenance work.

Embodiments provided herein generally include apparatus, e.g., plasma processing systems, and methods for the plasma processing of a substrate in a processing chamber. Some embodiments are directed to a radio-frequency (RF) generation system. The RF generation system generally includes an RF generator, and a vacuum interrupter configured to selectively decouple the RF generator from a bias electrode of a plasma chamber based on detection of a fault condition associated with operation of the plasma chamber.

A microwave output device includes a microwave generator configured to generate a pulse-modulated microwave; an output unit; a first directional coupler configured to output a part of a progressive wave; and a measurement device configured to determine measurement values of High and Low levels of a power of the progressive wave. The microwave generator alternately generates a first microwave having a bandwidth and a second microwave having a single frequency peak in synchronization with switching of the High level and the Low level; averages the measurement value corresponding to the first microwave with a moving average time equal to or larger than a reciprocal of a carrier pitch; averages the measurement value corresponding to the second microwave with a moving average time less than the reciprocal of the carrier pitch; and controls the powers of High and Low levels based on the averaged measurement values and set powers.

Disclosed is a dicing system including a protection layer forming apparatus, a patterning apparatus, a plasma treatment apparatus, a measuring apparatus that obtains at least of first processing data relating to a protection layer, second processing data relating to a mask, and third processing data relating to element chips, and a control unit that operates at least one of the protection layer forming apparatus, the patterning apparatus, and the plasma treatment apparatus on a recipe that is defined for each of the apparatuses. The control unit determines, based on at least one of the first processing data, whether or not to modify the recipe, the second processing data, and the third processing data, modifies the at least one of the recipes if the recipe needs to be modified, and operates at least one of the protection layer forming apparatus, the patterning apparatus, and the plasma treatment apparatus based on the modified recipe.

The present disclosure provides a method and a system therefore for processing wafer. The method includes: monitoring a distribution of particles in a chamber while processing the wafer; determining at least one parameter according to the distribution of the particles for configuring at least one device of the chamber; configuring the at least one device of the chamber according to the at least one parameter; and processing another wafer based on a recipe after configuring the at least one device of the chamber.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to a method for impedance matching. A matching network includes a first reactance element and a second reactance element. A sensor detects a value related to the plasma chamber or the matching network, and a system parameter is determined based on the detected value. For the determined system parameter, an error-related value is calculated for each of a plurality of potential first reactance element positions or for each of a plurality of potential second reactance element positions. A new first reactance element position and a new second reactance element position are calculated based on the error-related values calculated in the prior step. The first reactance element and the second reactance element are then altered to their new positions to reduce a reflected power.

A radio frequency plasma processing system including a reaction chamber, a pedestal disposed in the reaction chamber, and a plurality of sector plates disposed azimuthally around the pedestal in an annulus between the pedestal and the reaction chamber.

In one embodiment, a method of matching an impedance is disclosed. An impedance matching network is coupled between a radio frequency (RF) source and a plasma chamber. The matching network includes a variable reactance element (VRE) having different positions for providing different reactances. The RF source has an RF source control circuit carrying out a power control scheme to control a power delivered to the matching network. Based on a determined parameter, a new position for the VRE is determined to reduce a reflected power at the RF input of the matching network. The matching network provides a notice signal to the RF source indicating the VRE will be altered. In response to the notice signal, the RF source control circuit alters the power control scheme. While the power control scheme is altered, the VRE is altered to the new position.