An inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) generation system may include a dielectric tube, a first inductive coil structure to enclose the dielectric tube, an RF power supply, a first main capacitor between a positive output terminal of the RF power supply and one end of the first inductive coil structure, and a second main capacitor between a negative output terminal of the RF power supply and an opposite end of the first inductive coil structure. The first inductive coil structure may include inductive coils connected in series to each other and placed at different layers, the inductive coils having at least one turn at each layer, and auxiliary capacitors, which are respectively provided between adjacent ones of the inductive coils to distribute a voltage applied to the inductive coils.

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. For example, a method for processing a substrate includes applying at least one of low frequency RF power or DC power to an upper electrode formed from a high secondary electron emission coefficient material disposed adjacent to a process volume; generating a plasma comprising ions in the process volume; bombarding the upper electrode with the ions to cause the upper electrode to emit electrons and form an electron beam; and applying a bias power comprising at least one of low frequency RF power or high frequency RF power to a lower electrode disposed in the process volume to accelerate electrons of the electron beam toward the lower electrode.

Plasma processing systems and methods are disclosed. The system may include at least one modulating supply that modulates plasma properties where the modulation of the plasma properties has a repetition period, T. A synchronization module configured to send a synchronization signal with a synchronization-signal-repetition-period that is an integer multiple of T to at least one piece of equipment connected to the plasma processing system. A waveform-communication module communicates characteristics of a characterized waveform to at least one piece of equipment connected to the plasma system to enable synchronization of pieces of equipment connected to the plasma processing system. The characterized waveform may contain information about the modulation of the plasma or information about a desired waveform of a piece of equipment connected to the plasma processing system.

An electrode for transmitting radiofrequency power to a plasma processing region includes a plate formed of semiconducting material and a high electrical conductivity layer formed on a top surface of the plate and integral with the plate. The high electrical conductivity layer has a lower electrical resistance than the semiconducting material of the plate. The electrode includes a distribution of through-holes. Each through-hole extends through an entire thickness of the electrode from a top surface of the high electrical conductivity layer to a bottom surface of the plate. In some embodiments, the plate can be formed of a silicon material and the high electrical conductivity layer can be a silicide material formed from the silicon material of the plate.

A semiconductor processing apparatus includes a chamber housing, an electrostatic chuck disposed in the chamber housing, the electrostatic chuck being configured to hold a semiconductor wafer, an edge ring surrounding the electrostatic chuck, the edge ring including a ring electrode disposed within the edge ring, and a ring voltage supply configured to supply a ring voltage to the ring electrode, the ring voltage having a non-sinusoidal periodic waveform, wherein each period of the non-sinusoidal periodic waveform comprises a positive voltage applied during a first time period and a negative voltage applied during a second time period, and wherein the negative voltage has a magnitude that increases during the second time period.

A plasma processing apparatus includes: a first electrode on which a substrate is placed; a plasma generation source that generates plasma; a bias power supply that supplies bias power to the first electrode; a source power supply that supplies source power to the plasma generation source; and a controller. The controller performs a control such that a first state and a second state of the source power are alternately applied in synchronization with a high frequency cycle of the bias power, or a phase within one cycle of a reference electrical state indicating any one of a voltage, a current and an electromagnetic field measured in a power feed system of the bias power, and performs a control to turn OFF the source power at least at a negative side peak of the phase within one cycle of the reference electrical state.

An inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) generation system may include a dielectric tube, a first inductive coil structure to enclose the dielectric tube, an RF power supply, a first main capacitor between a positive output terminal of the RF power supply and one end of the first inductive coil structure, and a second main capacitor between a negative output terminal of the RF power supply and an opposite end of the first inductive coil structure. The first inductive coil structure may include inductive coils connected in series to each other and placed at different layers, the inductive coils having at least one turn at each layer, and auxiliary capacitors, which are respectively provided between adjacent ones of the inductive coils to distribute a voltage applied to the inductive coils.

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus for an adaptive engine with a bifurcated nonlinear model partially represented by a mapping function. The adaptive engine uses a nonlinear model able to produce a possible control signal via a mapping function. The model also has estimation portion using a time-varying linear system to approximate nonlinear behavior of a power system. A boot up phase can be used wherein the mapping function provides possible control signals based on measured system outputs rather than an estimated model parameter tensor.

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus for estimation law modules of an adaptive engine. The estimation law modules estimate estimated model parameter tensors for each control sample within a frame. These estimated model parameter tensors are passed to control law modules and used to determine possible control signals as well as being passed to an estimation portion of a nonlinear model of the system, along with the possible control signals, to estimate estimated system outputs corresponding to each of the possible control signals. A selector module can then select a control as one of the possible control signals or a combination of two or more of the possible control signals, based on comparing the corresponding estimated system outputs to a reference signal, and/or measured system outputs.

Systems and methods for plasma processing are disclosed. An exemplary system may include a plasma processing chamber including a source to produce a plasma in the processing chamber and at least two bias electrodes arranged within the plasma processing chamber to control plasma sheaths proximate to the bias electrodes. A chuck is disposed to support a substrate, and a source generator is coupled to the plasma electrode. At least one bias supply is coupled to the at least two bias electrodes, and a controller is included to control the at least one bias supply to control the plasma sheaths proximate to the bias electrodes.