Method and corresponding device for plasma treating substrates (21) moving along a transport direction (5) through a treatment zone that is delimited in a direction transversal to said transport direction (5) by at least one wall (13) forming a diffuser panel presenting an aperture (23). The plasma is introduced into the treatment zone trough said aperture (23) and is generated by means of a plasma source connecting to the aperture (23). A multipolar cusp magnetic field is generated that extends along said wall (13) and at least partially around the aperture (23) and adjacent to this aperture (23) such that said plasma, entering the treatment zone trough said aperture (23), is distributed along said wall (13) in this treatment zone.

A copper plasma etching method according an exemplary embodiment includes: placing a substrate on a susceptor in a process chamber of a plasma etching apparatus; supplying an etching gas that include hydrogen chloride into the process chamber; plasma-etching a conductor layer that include copper in the substrate; and maintaining a temperature of the susceptor at 10 C. or less during the plasma-etching.

A magnetically enhanced HDP-CVD plasma source includes a hollow cathode target and an anode. The anode and cathode form a gap. A cathode target magnet assembly forms magnetic field lines that are substantially perpendicular to a cathode target surface. The gap magnet assembly forms a cusp magnetic field in the gap that is coupled with the cathode target magnetic field. The magnetic field lines cross a pole piece electrode positioned in the gap. This pole piece is isolated from ground and can be connected with a voltage power supply. The pole piece can have a negative, positive, or floating electric potential. The plasma source can be configured to generate volume discharge. The gap size prohibits generation of plasma discharge in the gap. By controlling the duration, value and a sign of the electric potential on the pole piece, the plasma ionization can be controlled. The magnetically enhanced HDP-CVD source can also be used for chemically enhanced ionized physical vapor deposition (CE-IPVD). Gas flows through the gap between hollow cathode and anode. The cathode target is inductively grounded, and the substrate is periodically inductively grounded.

Disclosed is an inductively coupled RF plasma source that provides both magnetic confinement to reduce plasma losses and Faraday shielding to suppress parasitic capacitive components. The inductively coupled RF plasma system comprises an RF power source, plasma chamber, an array of permanent magnets, and an antenna array. The plasma chamber is comprised of walls and a dielectric window having an inner and outer surface wherein the inner surface seals the volume of the plasma chamber. The array of parallel conductive permanent magnets is electrically interconnected and embedded within the dielectric window walls proximate to the inner surface and coupled to ground on one end. The permanent magnet array elements are alternately magnetized toward and away from plasma in the plasma chamber to form a multi-cusp magnetic field. The antenna array may be comprised of parallel tubes through which an RF current is circulated. The antenna array is oriented perpendicular to the permanent magnet array.

Disclosed is a plasma processing apparatus including: a processing container; a placing table provided in the processing container and configured to place a workpiece thereon; a dielectric member having a facing surface that faces the placing table; a planar antenna provided on a surface of the dielectric member opposite to the facing surface and configured to introduce an induced electric field for plasma excitation into the processing container via the dielectric member; and an electromagnet group disposed along an outer circumference of the processing container and configured to form a magnetic field for moving ions in plasma based on the induced electric field along the facing surface of the dielectric member in the processing container.

An ion source assembly. The ion source assembly may include a hydrogen gas source, and an ion source, comprising a plasma chamber, coupled to receive a first flow of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas source, the ion source comprising a set of components to generate a plasma within the plasma chamber. The plasma may include a first portion of negative hydrogen ions. The ion source assembly may include a second gas source, separate from the hydrogen gas source, the second gas source being coupled to deliver to the plasma chamber a second flow of a second gas, different from the hydrogen gas. As such, the set of components of the ions source may be further arranged to generate a second portion of second negative ions, different than the first portion of negative hydrogen ions, by reacting the second gas with the first portion of negative hydrogen ions.