A plasma treatment method is provided. The method includes generating a planar plasma in a plasma treatment chamber, observing an effective influence region of the planar plasma by using an optical observation system in which an observation lens has a transparent substrate and a fluorescent coating thereon, adjusting a location of the observation lens to observe a brightness change of the fluorescent coating and the transparent substrate to obtain a location and a thickness range of the effective influence region of the planar plasma, and then adjusting a location of the observation lens to observe a brightness change of the fluorescent coating and the transparent substrate to obtain a location and a thickness range of the effective influence region of the planar plasma. A location of a sample is adjusted to within the effective influence region, and a plasma treatment is then performed on the sample.

A direct drive system for providing RF power to a substrate processing system includes a direct drive enclosure including a first direct drive circuit located in the direct drive enclosure and operating at a first frequency and a first connector connected to the first direct drive circuit. A junction box is arranged adjacent to the direct drive enclosure and includes a first capacitive circuit connected to the first direct drive circuit; a second connector located on one side of the junction box, connected to one terminal of the first capacitive circuit and mating with the first connector of the direct drive enclosure; third and fourth connectors connected to another terminal of the first capacitive circuit; and a coil enclosure arranged adjacent to the junction box and including first and second coils and fifth and sixth connectors mating with the third and fourth connectors of the junction box.

A repeating setpoint generator module selectively varies a setpoint for an output parameter according to a predetermined pattern that repeats during successive time intervals. A closed-loop module, during a first one of the time intervals, generates N closed-loop values based on N differences between (i) N values of the setpoint at N times during the first one of the time intervals and (ii) N measurements of the output parameter at the N times during the first one of the time intervals, respectively. An adjusting module, during the first one of the time intervals, generates N adjustment values based on N differences between (i) N values of the setpoint at the N times during a second one of the time intervals and (ii) N measurements of the output parameter at the N times during the second one of the time intervals, respectively.

A device for synchronizing a periodic high frequency power signal (18) and an external reference signal (10). The device comprises a phase control circuit (100) and a digital oscillator circuit (130). The digital oscillator circuit (130) is connected to the phase control circuit (100). The digital oscillator circuit (130) comprises means for generating the periodic high frequency power signal (18) dependent on the control signal from the phase control circuit. The phase control circuit (100) is configured to determine a phase difference of the periodic high frequency power signal (18) and the external reference signal (10).

A plasma generator and a method for the pulsed provision of electrical power having a frequency of at least 40 KHz to at least two process chambers are described. The plasma generator comprises: a control unit configured to obtain and evaluate process data about processes in the at least two process chambers; a controllable power supply having an output, the controllable power supply being configured to output a direct current at a predetermined voltage and/or intensity at its output in response to a control signal from the control unit; and a switching unit having a first input connected to the output of the power supply and having at least two switching unit outputs for respective connection to one of the at least two process chambers. The switching unit is configured to form, from a direct current at the input, an alternating current having a predetermined frequency of at least 40 KHz as an output signal and to selectively output the output signal as a pulse for a predetermined pulse duration to one of the switching unit outputs in response to a control signal from the control unit. The control unit is configured to coordinate power requirements of the at least two process chambers and to drive the power supply and the switching unit such that at the respective switching unit outputs communicating with the process chambers, substantially the power corresponding to the power requirements is provided as pulses over a period of time, wherein the pulses of the respective process chambers are temporally offset from each other such that the process chambers can be operated simultaneously.

A target value of magnetic flux density and magnetic flux density actually obtained are made to coincide precisely with each other. An electromagnet control device comprises a current value determining unit for determining, based on a magnetic flux density instruction value, a value of current that is made to flow through a coil. The current value determining unit is constructed to execute a second process for determining, based on a second function, a value of the current, if the magnetic flux density is to be decreased from that in a first magnetization state, and a fourth process for expanding or reducing the second function by use of a first scaling ratio for transforming it to a fourth function, and determining, based on the fourth function obtained after above transformation, a value of the current, if the magnetic flux density is to be decreased from that in a third magnetization state.

A system for estimating stress on a component of a processing chamber during a process includes a plurality of sensors configured to sense temperatures at a plurality of locations of the component during the process and a controller a controller configured to interpolate the temperatures to estimate a temperature distribution across the component and to estimate the stress on the component during the process. A method of estimating stress on a component of a processing chamber during a process includes sensing temperatures at a plurality of locations of the component during the process, interpolating the temperatures to estimate a temperature distribution across the component, and estimating the stress on the component during the process.

A substrate processing system comprises an etch chamber configured to perform an etch process on a substrate, the etch chamber comprising an optical sensor to generate one or more optical measurements of a film on the substrate during and/or after the etch process. The system further comprises a computing device operatively connected to the etch chamber, wherein the computing device is to: receive the one or more optical measurements of the film; determine, for each optical measurement of the one or more optical measurements, a film thickness of the film; determine an etch rate of the film based on the one or more optical measurements using the determined film thickness of each optical measurement of the one or more optical measurements; and determine a process parameter value of at least one process parameter for a previously performed process that was performed on the substrate based on the etch rate.

Systems, methods and apparatus for applying a periodic voltage function are disclosed. An exemplary method comprises applying a modified periodic voltage function to an electrical node and monitoring the modified periodic voltage function over multiple cycles to monitor a relationship

[00001]$\frac{{dV}_0}{\mathrm{dt}}-\frac{I_c}{C_1}=D$

to represent a status of a plasma process or the plasma processing chamber, where I.sub.c represents a controllable ion compensation current, D is a unitless value,

[00002]$\frac{{dV}_0}{\mathrm{dT}}$

represents a portion of the modified periodic voltage function that includes a negative voltage ramp, and C.sub.1 is an effective capacitance including a capacitance of a substrate support.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus and methods for controlling an ion energy distribution during plasma processing. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes a substrate support that has a body having a substrate electrode for applying a substrate voltage to a substrate, and an edge ring electrode embedded for applying an edge ring voltage to an edge ring. The apparatus further includes a substrate voltage control circuit coupled to the substrate electrode, and an edge ring voltage control circuit coupled to the edge ring electrode. The substrate electrode, edge ring electrode, or both are coupled to a power module configured to actively control an energy distribution function width of ions reaching the substrate, edge ring, or both. Methods for controlling an energy distribution function width of ions during substrate processing are also described.