Substrate supports, substrate support assemblies and methods of using the substrate supports are described. The substrate support has a support surface with at least two electrodes and a plurality of purge channels bounded by a seal band. A power supply connected to the electrodes configured as an electrostatic chuck. A capacitance of the substrate is measured while on the substrate support to determine the chucking state of the substrate.

A decrease of an etching rate of a substrate can be suppressed, and energy of ions irradiated to an inner wall of a chamber main body can be reduced. A plasma processing apparatus includes a DC power supply configured to generate a negative DC voltage to be applied to a lower electrode of a stage. In a plasma processing performed by using the plasma processing apparatus, a radio frequency power is supplied to generate plasma by exciting a gas within a chamber. Further, the negative DC voltage from the DC power supply is periodically applied to the lower electrode to attract ions in the plasma onto the substrate placed on the stage. A ratio occupied, within each of cycles, by a period during which the DC voltage is applied to the lower electrode is set to be equal to or less than 40%.

Systems and methods for creating arbitrarily-shaped ion energy distribution functions using shaped-pulse-bias. In an embodiment, a method includes applying a positive jump voltage to an electrode of a process chamber to neutralize a wafer surface, applying a negative jump voltage to the electrode to set a wafer voltage, and modulating the amplitude of the wafer voltage to produce a predetermined number of pulses to determine an ion energy distribution function. In another embodiment a method includes applying a positive jump voltage to an electrode of a process chamber to neutralize a wafer surface, applying a negative jump voltage to the electrode to set a wafer voltage, and applying a ramp voltage to the electrode that overcompensates for ion current on the wafer or applying a ramp voltage to the electrode that undercompensates for ion current on the wafer.

An isolation system includes an input junction coupled to one or more RF power supplies via a match network for receiving radio frequency (RF) power. The isolation system further includes a plurality of channel paths connected to the input junction for distributing the RF power among the channel paths. The isolation system includes an output junction connected between each of the channel paths and to an electrode of a plasma chamber for receiving portions of the distributed RF power to output combined power and providing the combined RF power to the electrode. Each of the channel paths includes bottom and top capacitors for blocking a signal of the different type than that of the RF power. The isolation system avoids a risk of electrical arcing created by a voltage difference between an RF terminal and a non-RF terminal when the terminals are placed proximate to each other.

First, second, third, and fourth radiofrequency (RF) signal generators generate first, second, third, and fourth RF signals, respectively, having first, second, third, and fourth frequencies, respectively. The second and third frequencies are different specified harmonics of the first frequency. The fourth frequency is at least two orders of magnitude larger than the first frequency. An impedance matching system controls impedances for the first, second, third, and fourth RF signal generators. A control module is programmed to control: A) a first phase difference between the first and second RF signals, B) a second phase difference between the first and third RF signals, C) a first voltage difference between the first and second RF signals, D) a second voltage difference between the first and third RF signals. The first and second phase differences and the first and second voltage differences collectively control a plasma sheath voltage as a function of time.

A nanosecond pulser system is disclosed. In some embodiments, the nanosecond pulser system may include a nanosecond pulser having a nanosecond pulser input; a plurality of switches coupled with the nanosecond pulser input; one or more transformers coupled with the plurality of switches; and an output coupled with the one or more transformers and providing a high voltage waveform with a amplitude greater than 2 kV and a frequency greater than 1 kHz based on the nanosecond pulser input. The nanosecond pulser system may also include a control module coupled with the nanosecond pulser input; and an control system coupled with the nanosecond pulser at a point between the transformer and the output, the control system providing waveform data regarding an high voltage waveform produced at the point between the transformer and the output.

Systems and methods for creating arbitrarily-shaped ion energy distribution functions using shaped-pulse-bias. In an embodiment, a method includes applying a negative jump voltage to an electrode of a process chamber to set a wafer voltage for a wafer, modulating an amplitude of the wafer voltage to produce a train of groups of pulse bursts with different amplitudes, and repeating the modulating of the amplitude of the wafer voltage to repeat the train of the groups of pulse bursts to create an ion energy distribution function having more than one energy peak. In some embodiments, the negative jump voltage can include a single-cycle voltage waveform with a voltage ramp during an ion-current phase, in which the voltage ramp can be positive or negative and a duration of the ion-current phase can comprise more or less than fifty percent of a period of the waveform.

A substrate processing system includes a substrate support, N RF sources and a controller. The substrate support is arranged in a processing chamber, supports a substrate on an upper surface thereof, and includes: a baseplate made of electrically conductive material and M electrodes disposed in the baseplate. Each of the N RF sources supplies a respective RF signal to one or more of the M electrodes, where: M and N are integers greater than or equal to two; each of the respective RF signals is supplied to a different set of the M electrodes; and each of the sets includes a different one or more of the M electrodes. The controller causes one or more coils to strike and maintain plasma in the processing chamber independently of the N RF sources and separately controls voltage outputs of the N RF sources to adjust the plasma in the processing chamber.

Bias supplies and plasma processing systems are disclosed. One bias supply comprises an output node, a return node, and a switch network and at least one power supply coupled to the output node and the return node. The switch network and the at least one power supply configured, in combination, to apply an asymmetric periodic voltage waveform and provide a corresponding current waveform at the output node relative to the return node.

The present disclosure provides a plasma reactor having a function of tuning low frequency RF power distribution, comprising: a reaction chamber in which an electrically conductive base is provided, the electrically conductive base being connected to a low frequency RF source via a first match, an electrostatic chuck being provided on the electrically conductive base, an upper surface of the electrostatic chuck being configured for fixing a to-be-processed substrate, an outer sidewall of the electrically conductive base being coated with at least one layer of plasma corrosion-resistance dielectric layer, a coupling ring made of a dielectric material surrounding an outer perimeter of the base, a focus ring being disposed above the coupling ring, the focus ring being arranged surround the electrostatic chuck and be exposed to a plasma during a plasma processing procedure; the plasma reactor further comprising an annular electrode that is disposed above the coupling ring but below the focus ring; a wire, a first end of which is electrically connected to the base, and a second end of which is connected to the annular electrode, a variable capacitance being serially connected to the wire.