A method for selectively etching one exposed material of a substrate relative to another exposed material of the substrate includes a) arranging the substrate in a processing chamber; b) setting a chamber pressure; c) setting an RF frequency and an RF power for RF plasma; d) supplying a plasma gas mixture to the processing chamber; e) striking the RF plasma in the processing chamber in one of an electric mode (E-mode) and a magnetic mode (H-mode); and f) during plasma processing of the substrate, changing at least one of the chamber pressure, the RF frequency, the RF power and the plasma gas mixture to switch from the one of the E-mode and the H-mode to the other of the E-mode and the H-mode.

A generator and method for tuning the generator are disclosed. The method includes setting the frequency of power applied by the generator to a current best frequency and sensing a characteristic of the power applied by the generator. A current best error based upon the characteristic of the power is determined, and the frequency of the power at the current best frequency is maintained for a main-time-period. The frequency of the power is then changed to a probe frequency and maintained at the probe frequency for a probe-time-period, which is less than the main-time-period. The current best frequency is set to the probe frequency if the error at the probe frequency is less than the error at the current best frequency.

Methods and apparatuses suitable for depositing low hydrogen content, hermetic, thin encapsulation layers at temperatures less than about 300° C. are provided herein. Methods involve pulsing plasma while exposing a substrate to deposition reactants, and post-treating deposited encapsulation films to densify and reduce hydrogen content. Post-treatment methods include periodic exposure to inert plasma without reactants and exposure to ultraviolet radiation at a substrate temperature less than about 300° C.

Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) RF power delivery systems are disclosed that include at least two ICP coils. At least one of the ICP coils is directly driven by an RF resonant power amplifier that includes a resonant tank comprising the ICP coil. A controller is configured to control the power into the direct driven ICP coil by varying a corresponding DC voltage source and simultaneously varying operating frequency into the ICP coil by allowing a resonant voltage waveform across a corresponding open switch network to rise and then fall to substantially zero volts before closing the corresponding switch network for a remainder of an RF cycle. Some variations comprise at least one passive ICP coil that is arranged and configured to be inductively coupled to the first ICP coil, and the passive ICP coil is terminated by an independently adjustable impedance.

A plasma control apparatus includes a power source unit, a resonance producing unit, and a voltmeter. The resonance producing unit includes an LC circuit formed by a coil L1 and a capacitor C1 connected to each other, and a sensor S2 configured to detect a phase difference between current flowing in and voltage applied to the LC circuit, and the capacitor C1 of the LC circuit has a capacitance larger than an expected capacitance of the plasma P. The power source unit 1 configured to control the magnitude of radio-frequency power to be supplied in such a manner as to bring the voltage measured with the voltmeter 5 close to a set voltage as a target, and controls the frequency of the radio-frequency power to be supplied in such a manner as to minimize the phase difference detected with the sensor S2.

Systems and methods for achieving a pre-determined factor associated with the edge region within the plasma chamber is described. One of the methods includes providing an RF signal to a main electrode within the plasma chamber. The RF signal is generated based on a frequency of operation of a first RF generator. The method further includes providing another RF signal to an edge electrode within the plasma chamber. The other RF signal is generated based on the frequency of operation of the first RF generator. The method includes receiving a first measurement of a variable, receiving a second measurement of the variable, and modifying a phase of the other RF signal based on the first measurement and the second measurement. The method includes changing a magnitude of a variable associated with a second RF generator to achieve the pre-determined factor.

Proposed are techniques for simplifying the process of suppressing an increase in a reflected wave Pr due to IMD. A high-frequency power supply system for providing high-frequency power to a load includes: a bias power supply for supplying a bias power having a first frequency; a source power supply for supplying a high-frequency output having a second frequency higher than the first frequency and being frequency modulated with the first frequency; and a matching device including an impedance matching circuit for acquiring the bias power and the frequency modulated high-frequency output and achieving impedance matching between the source power supply and the load. The source power supply, in response to a trigger signal for timing having the first frequency, detects a reflected wave while causing a modulation start phase and a modulation amount gain to be varied, and determines an optimum modulation start phase and modulation amount gain that minimize the reflected wave.

Systems and methods for processing a workpiece are provided. In one example implementation, a method for processing a workpiece can include supporting a workpiece on a workpiece support. The method can include processing the workpiece by exposing the workpiece to one or more radicals generated using a hybrid plasma source. In one embodiment, the plasma source comprises a resonant circuit that that includes an inductively coupled plasma source and a capacitively coupled plasma source. A controller can be configured to adjust the excitation frequency of the resonant circuit by reducing a harmonic current below a target value, wherein the harmonic current is a sum of one or more currents respectively corresponding to one or more harmonics of the excitation frequency.

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 two-dimensional frequency search grid is defined by a first coordinate axis representing an operating frequency setpoint of an RF signal generator in a first operational state and a second coordinate axis representing an operating frequency setpoint of the RF signal generator in a second operational state. The RF signal generator has a first output power level in the first operational state and a second output power level in the second operational state. The RF signal generator operates in an multi-level RF power pulsing mode by cyclically alternating between the first operational state and the second operational state. An automated search process is performed within the two-dimensional frequency search grid to simultaneously determine an optimum value for the operating frequency setpoint of the RF signal generator in the first operational state and an optimum value for the operating frequency setpoint of the RF signal generator in the second operational state.