A plasma processing apparatus includes an electrostatic chuck including an electrode, a first switch, a second switch, and a control unit. The control unit controls the first switch and the second switch to be in a closed state, causes a power supply to output a first voltage, and determines that the first switch and the second switch are in the closed state when the first voltage is detected by a detector. Further, after it is determined that the first switch and the second switch are in the closed state, the control unit controls the first switch and the second switch to be in an open state to start a processing of the substrate using the plasma in a state where the electrode is controlled to be in a floating state.

Various embodiments of systems and methods are described herein for controlling a pulsed plasma. Pulse timing parameters (e.g., the pulse on-time and/or the pulse-off time) of the plasma generation source may be controlled based on the measurement data received from measurement device(s), to control the plasma exposure of the substrate during a sequence of dynamically controlled pulses within the plasma process chamber. In addition or alternatively, pulse timing parameters (e.g., the pulse on-time and/or the pulse-off time) can be applied to the source power, bias power, and/or both based on the measurement data received from measurement device(s), to control a plasma exposure of the substrate. The pulse timing changes may be made in a feedforward or feedback manner.

A plasma processing apparatus includes a stage for supporting a target object in a chamber defined by a chamber body. The stage includes a lower electrode, an electrostatic chuck provided on the lower electrode, heaters provided in the electrostatic chuck, and terminals electrically connected to the heaters. A conductor pipe electrically connects a high frequency power supply and the lower electrode and extends from the lower electrode to the outside of the chamber body. Power supply lines supply power from a heater controller to the heaters. Filters partially forming the power supply lines prevent the inflow of high frequency power from the heaters to the heater controller. The power supply lines include wirings which respectively connect the terminals and the filters and extend to the outside of the chamber body through an inner bore of the conductor pipe.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for processing a substrate using an inductively coupled plasma source. An inductively coupled plasma source utilizes a power source, a shield member, and a coil coupled to the power source. In certain embodiments, the coils are arranged with a horizontal spiral grouping and a vertical extending helical grouping. The shield member, according to certain embodiments, utilizes a grounding member to function as a Faraday shield. The embodiments herein reduce parasitic losses and instabilities in the plasma created by the inductively coupled plasma in the substrate processing system.

Plasma processing equipment includes a chuck stage for supporting a wafer and including a lower electrode, an upper electrode disposed on the chuck stage, an AC power supply which applies first to third signals having different magnitudes of frequencies to the upper electrode or the lower electrode, a dielectric ring which surrounds the chuck stage, an edge electrode located within the dielectric ring, and a resonance circuit connected to the edge electrode. The resonance circuit includes a filter circuit which allows only the third signal among the first to third signals to pass, and a series resonance circuit connected in series with the filter circuit and having a first coil and a first variable capacitor connected in series and grounded.

One plasma processing apparatus according to the invention includes: a processing chamber in which a sample is subjected to plasma processing; a first radio frequency power supply configured to supply a first radio frequency power for generating plasma via a matching unit; a sample stage on which the sample is placed; a second radio frequency power supply configured to supply a second radio frequency power to the sample stage; and a control device configured to control a matching unit so as to perform matching during a period corresponding to a mode in which a requirement for matching by the matching unit is defined when the first radio frequency power is modulated by a waveform having a plurality of amplitude values and repeating periodically. The period is each period of the waveform corresponding to any one of the plurality of amplitude values.

Methods and apparatus using a matching network for processing a substrate are provided herein. For example, a matching network configured for use with a plasma processing chamber comprises a local controller connectable to a system controller of the plasma processing chamber, a first motorized capacitor connected to the local controller, a second motorized capacitor connected to the first motorized capacitor, a first sensor at an input of the matching network and a second sensor at an output of the matching network for obtaining in-line RF voltage, current, phase, harmonics, and impedance data, respectively, and an Ethernet for Control Automation Technology (EtherCAT) communication interface connecting the local controller to the first motorized capacitor, the second motorized capacitor, the first sensor, and the second sensor.

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided. For example, a method of processing a substrate comprises supplying oxygen (O.sub.2) into a processing volume of an etch chamber to react with a silicon-based hardmask layer atop a base layer of ruthenium to form a covering of an SiO-like material over the silicon-based hardmask layer and etching the base layer of ruthenium using at least one of O.sub.2 or chloride (Cl.sub.2) while supplying nitrogen (N.sub.2) to sputter some of the SiO-like material onto an exposed ruthenium sidewall created during etching.

Plasma processing equipment includes a chuck stage for supporting a wafer and including a lower electrode, an upper electrode disposed on the chuck stage, an AC power supply which applies first to third signals having different magnitudes of frequencies to the upper electrode or the lower electrode, a dielectric ring which surrounds the chuck stage, an edge electrode located within the dielectric ring, and a resonance circuit connected to the edge electrode. The resonance circuit includes a filter circuit which allows only the third signal among the first to third signals to pass, and a series resonance circuit connected in series with the filter circuit and having a first coil and a first variable capacitor connected in series and grounded.

A method for controlling reflected power in a plasma processing system is provided, including: applying RF power from a first generator to an ESC; applying RF power from a second generator to an edge electrode that surrounds the ESC and is disposed below an edge ring that surrounds the ESC, the RF power from the second generator having a voltage set based on the amount of use of the edge ring, wherein the second generator automatically introduces a phase adjustment so that a phase of the RF power from the second generator substantially matches a phase of the RF power from the first generator; and, adjusting a variable capacitor of a match circuit through which the RF power from the second generator is applied to tune the phase adjustment to a target phase adjustment setting.