Plasma etching a compound semiconductor substrate includes providing a substrate that includes a compound semiconductor material on a substrate support within a chamber. An etchant gas or gas mixture is introduced into the chamber. A plasma of the etchant gas or gas mixture is sustained within the chamber to plasma etch the compound semiconductor material. A pulsed electrical bias power is applied to the substrate support whilst the plasma is being sustained. The pulsed electrical bias power has a pulse frequency of less than or equal to about 160 Hz and a duty cycle of less than or equal to about 50%.

Apparatus include an atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD) analyte electrode defining an analyte discharge axis into an APGD volume, and a plurality of APGD counter electrodes having respective electrical discharge ends directed to the APGD volume, wherein the APGD analyte electrode and the APGD counter electrodes are configured to produce an APGD plasma in the APGD volume with a voltage difference between the APGD analyte electrode and one or more of the AGPD counter electrodes. An electrode can be integrated into an ion inlet. Apparatus can be configured to perform auto-ignition and/or provide multi-modal operation through selectively powering electrodes. Electrode holder devices are disclosed. Related methods are disclosed.

A controller including a voltage sensor coupled to a heater trace integrated in an electrostatic chuck, the voltage sensor configured to sense a voltage difference across the heater trace, wherein the heater trace is associated with a heater zone. The controller including a current sensor coupled to the heater trace and configured to sense a current in the heater trace. The controller including a resistance identifier configured to identify a resistance of the heater trace based on the voltage difference and the current that is sensed. The controller including a temperature correlator configured to approximate a temperature of the heater zone based on the resistance and a correlation function of the heater trace. The correlation function uses a temperature coefficient of resistance of the heater trace.

Disclosed is a multi-port phase compensation nested apparatus for microwave-plasma deposition of diamond films. A resonant cavity part includes an inner cavity body, a ring waveguide, a slot opening, a quartz ring, a metal platform, a deposition platform, a substrate, and a recess, wherein the slot opening is located on a wall of the inner cavity body, communicating the inner cavity body with the ring waveguide.

A method for improving service life of a magnetron, which belongs to the technical field of microwave applications, includes: taking anode working voltage range is taken as n voltage values U1 . . . Un constituting an arithmetic sequence; taking the voltage value as the anode voltage; in each voltage value, adjusting the magnet coil current between I min and Imax by the coil current control part , so that the output power P of the experimental magnetron is equal to the target power P0, and measuring the cathode filament temperature at this time by the temperature measuring part, which is denoted as Ti; measuring all the cathode filament temperatures Ti as the temperature data set corresponding to P0 by the temperature measuring part; taking out the minimum temperature value Tmin in the temperature data set, and using the anode voltage value and the magnet coil current value corresponding to Tmin as the working magnetron, wherein the output power is the anode voltage value and the magnet coil current value of P0. The present invention provides a method for improving the service life of a magnetron, which adjusts the electric field and the magnetic field, finds the synergy between the magnetic field and the electric field, and improves the service life of the magnetron.

Embodiments include methods and apparatuses that include a plasma processing tool that includes a plurality of magnets. In one embodiment, a plasma processing tool may comprise a processing chamber and a plurality of modular microwave sources coupled to the processing chamber. In an embodiment, the plurality of modular microwave sources includes an array of applicators positioned over a dielectric plate that forms a portion of an outer wall of the processing chamber, and an array of microwave amplification modules. In an embodiment, each microwave amplification module is coupled to one or more of the applicators in the array of applicators. In an embodiment, the plasma processing tool may include a plurality of magnets. In an embodiment, the magnets are positioned around one or more of the applicators.

There is provided a plasma processing apparatus. The apparatus comprises: a chamber body; and a power supply unit configured to output power for exciting a gas supplied to an inside of the chamber body. The power supply unit supplies, as power having a center frequency, a bandwidth, and a carrier pitch respectively corresponding to a set frequency, a set bandwidth, and a set carrier pitch that are indicated by a controller, power which is pulse-modulated so as to be a pulse frequency, a duty ratio, a high level, and a low level respectively corresponding to a set pulse frequency, a set duty ratio, a high-level set power, and a low-level set power indicated by the controller, and in which a pulse on time determined by the set pulse frequency and the set duty ratio is longer than a power fluctuation cycle of the power having the bandwidth.

A high-frequency power supply device generates a high-frequency signal, periodically controls the amplitude or phase of the generated high-frequency signal, and outputs high-frequency power, magnitude of which is controlled on the basis of the high-frequency signal, amplitude or phase of which has been controlled. The high-frequency power supply device controls the amplitude or phase of the high-frequency signal such that the magnitude of the high-frequency power is a first level in a first period of a control cycle and is a second level in a second period of the control cycle which is different from the first period. The second level is lower than the first level. The high-frequency power supply device gradually decreases or increases at least one of the second level and the ratio of the length of the first period to the length of the control cycle, and gradually increases or decreases the first level.

A device includes a microwave generator configured to generate a microwave having a bandwidth, an output unit, a directional coupler and a measurer. The microwave generator generates a microwave a power of which is pulse-modulated to be a High level and a Low level. A set carrier pitch is set to satisfy a preset condition. The preset condition includes a condition that a value obtained by dividing a set pulse frequency by the set carrier pitch or a value obtained by dividing the set carrier pitch by the set pulse frequency is not an integer and a condition that an ON-time of the High level is equal to or larger than 50%. The microwave generator averages a first High measurement value and a first Low measurement value in a preset moving average time longer than a sum of the ON-time of the High level at a preset sampling interval.

A microwave system has a solid-state generator which generates microwave energy and includes at least one control input for receiving a control signal to vary electrically a parameter of the microwave energy. A microwave load receives the microwave energy and produces an effect in response to the microwave energy. A microwave conducting element couples the microwave energy to the microwave load. An impedance match adjusting device is coupled to the microwave conducting element to vary at least one of the parameters of the microwave energy. The effect produced in response to the microwave energy is altered by both electrical variation of the parameter of the microwave energy via the control signal and adjustment of the impedance match adjusting device to vary the parameter of the microwave energy.