A system and method are described for depositing a material onto a receiving surface, where the material is formed by use of a plasma to modify a source material in-transit to the receiving surface. The system comprises a microwave generator electronics stage. The system further includes a microwave applicator stage including a cavity resonator structure. The cavity resonator structure includes an outer conductor, an inner conductor, and a resonator cavity interposed between the outer conductor and the inner conductor. The system also includes a multi-component flow assembly including a laminar flow nozzle providing a shield gas, a zonal flow nozzle providing a functional process gas, and a source material flow nozzle configured to deliver the source material. The source material flow nozzle and zonal flow nozzle facilitate a reaction between the source material and the functional process gas within a plasma region.

A microwave output device includes a microwave generator configured to generate a pulse-modulated microwave; an output unit; a first directional coupler configured to output a part of a progressive wave; and a measurement device configured to determine measurement values of High and Low levels of a power of the progressive wave. The microwave generator alternately generates a first microwave having a bandwidth and a second microwave having a single frequency peak in synchronization with switching of the High level and the Low level; averages the measurement value corresponding to the first microwave with a moving average time equal to or larger than a reciprocal of a carrier pitch; averages the measurement value corresponding to the second microwave with a moving average time less than the reciprocal of the carrier pitch; and controls the powers of High and Low levels based on the averaged measurement values and set powers.

Methods for filling a substrate feature with a seamless dielectric gap fill are described. Methods comprise sequentially depositing a film with a seam and partially etching the film in the same processing chamber. Methods and apparatus allow for the same hardware to be used for PEALD deposition of a film as well as plasma etch of the film.

A dry etching method includes a first step of adsorbing first radicals into a surface of an etching target, wherein the first radicals are contained in first plasma generated from a plasma generator; and a second step of irradiating ion-beams extracted from second plasma generated from the plasma generator onto the surface of the etching target into which the radicals have been adsorbed, thereby desorbing a surface atomic layer of the etching target, wherein the first step is performed such that: a positive potential greater than a potential of the first plasma is applied to one or two selected from first to third grids, while a ground potential is applied to the rest thereof; and a negative potential equal to or lower than a potential of the third grid is applied to a substrate support structure.

At a time of a wafer processing by a plasma processing apparatus, in order to prevent first radio frequency power from being diverted into an output line of a second radio frequency power supply via plasma, the plasma processing apparatus includes: a processing chamber in which a sample is plasma-processed; a sample stage that includes a first electrode and a second electrode disposed outside the first electrode and on which the sample is placed; a first radio frequency power supply configured to supply first radio frequency power to the first electrode via a first matching device and a first transmission path; and a second radio frequency power supply configured to supply second radio frequency power to the second electrode via a second matching device and a second transmission path. The plasma processing apparatus further includes a control device configured to control the first radio frequency power supply to supply the first radio frequency power to the sample stage when a preset value of the second matching device is a predetermined value. The predetermined value is a value that makes an impedance of the second transmission path an impedance at which the radio frequency power is not detected by the second matching device.

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 plasma processing apparatus including a plasma processing chamber in which an electrode for placing a substrate to be processed is provided; a power supply; and a control device configured to control the power supply, in which the control device is configured to execute heat-retaining discharge under a first condition in which the substrate is not placed on the electrode inside the plasma processing chamber to generate first plasma to heat an inner wall surface to a first temperature, rapid temperature control discharge under a second condition to generate second plasma inside the plasma processing chamber to heat the inner wall surface to a second temperature higher than the first temperature, and product processing of controlling the power supply under a third condition in a state where the substrate is placed on the electrode to generate third plasma inside the plasma processing chamber to process the substrate.

A device for measuring a density of plasma is provided. The device includes a first sensor configured to measure a microwave spectrum of an input port reflection parameter of plasma, the first sensor having a probe including a conductive material and a flat plate shape, and a second sensor configured to measure an optical signal generated from the plasma, the second sensor being configured to detect the optical signal through the probe of the first sensor.

Embodiments disclosed herein include a high-frequency emission module. In an embodiment, the high-frequency emission module comprises a solid state high-frequency power source, an applicator for propagating high-frequency electromagnetic radiation from the power source, and a thermal break coupled between the power source and the applicator. In an embodiment, the thermal break comprises a substrate, a trace on the substrate, and a ground plane.

A plasma generation system includes a reference clock, a plurality of solid state generator modules, and a processing chamber. The reference clock is configured to generate a reference signal. Each solid state generator module is linked to an electronic switch and each electronic switch is linked to the reference clock. The solid state generator modules are each configured to generate an output based on the reference signal from the reference clock. The processing chamber is configured to receive the output of at least two of the solid state generator modules to combine the outputs of said solid state generator modules therein.