公开(公告)号：US10453653B2

公开(公告)日：2019-10-22

申请号：US15453555

申请日：2017-03-08

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Yan Chen ,  Xinkang Tian ,  Jason Ferns

IPC: H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: Described herein are architectures, platforms and methods for determining endpoints of an optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data acquired from a plasma processing system. The OES data, for example, includes an absorption—step process, a desorption—step process, or a combination thereof. In this example, the OES data undergoes signal synchronization and transient signal filtering prior to endpoint determination, which may be implemented through an application of a moving average filter.

公开(公告)号：US12165937B2

公开(公告)日：2024-12-10

申请号：US18075058

申请日：2022-12-05

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Yan Chen ,  Xinkang Tian

IPC: G01J3/28 ,  G01N21/71 ,  G01N21/88 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G06T7/00 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/66 ,  G01N21/84

Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments of an improved apparatus and system, and associated methods for optically diagnosing a semiconductor manufacturing process. A hyperspectral imaging system is used to acquire spectrally-resolved images of emissions from the plasma, in a plasma processing system. Acquired hyperspectral images may be used to determine the chemical composition of the plasma and the plasma process endpoint. Alternatively, a hyperspectral imaging system is used to acquire spectrally-resolved images of a substrate before, during, or after processing, to determine properties of the substrate or layers and features formed on the substrate, including whether a process endpoint has been reached; or before or after processing, for inspecting the substrate condition.

公开(公告)号：US12158374B2

公开(公告)日：2024-12-03

申请号：US17973083

申请日：2022-10-25

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Sergey Voronin ,  Andrej Mitrovic ,  Blaze Messer ,  Yan Chen ,  Joel Ng ,  Ashawaraya Shalini ,  Ying Zhu ,  Da Song

IPC: G01J3/44 ,  G01J3/02 ,  G01J3/443

Abstract: A method of processing a substrate that includes: exposing the substrate in a plasma processing chamber to a plasma powered by applying a first power to a first electrode of a plasma processing chamber; turning OFF the first power to the first electrode after the first time duration; while the first power is OFF, applying a second power to a second electrode of the plasma processing chamber for a second time duration, the second time duration being shorter than the first time duration, an energy of the second power over the second time duration is less than an energy of the first power over the first time duration by a factor of at least 2; and detecting an optical emission spectrum (OES) from species in the plasma processing chamber.

公开(公告)号：US20240230409A9

公开(公告)日：2024-07-11

申请号：US17973083

申请日：2022-10-25

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Sergey Voronin ,  Andrej Mitrovic ,  Blaze Messer ,  Yan Chen ,  Joel Ng ,  Ashawaraya Shalini ,  Ying Zhu ,  Da Song

IPC: G01J3/443 ,  G01J3/02

CPC classification number: G01J3/443 ,  G01J3/0205

Abstract: A method of processing a substrate that includes: exposing the substrate in a plasma processing chamber to a plasma powered by applying a first power to a first electrode of a plasma processing chamber; turning OFF the first power to the first electrode after the first time duration; while the first power is OFF, applying a second power to a second electrode of the plasma processing chamber for a second time duration, the second time duration being shorter than the first time duration, an energy of the second power over the second time duration is less than an energy of the first power over the first time duration by a factor of at least 2; and detecting an optical emission spectrum (OES) from species in the plasma processing chamber.

公开(公告)号：US20240094056A1

公开(公告)日：2024-03-21

申请号：US17948407

申请日：2022-09-20

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Sergey Voronin ,  Blaze Messer ,  Yan Chen ,  Joel Ng ,  Ashawaraya Shalini ,  Ying Zhu ,  Da Song

IPC: G01J3/443 ,  H01J37/32

CPC classification number: G01J3/443 ,  H01J37/32146 ,  H01J37/32972 ,  H01J2237/24485 ,  H01J2237/24507 ,  H01J2237/24585 ,  H01J2237/334

Abstract: A method of characterizing a plasma in a plasma processing system that includes: generating a pulsed plasma in a plasma processing chamber of the plasma processing system, the pulsed plasma being powered with a pulsed power signal, each pulse of the pulsed plasma including three periods: a overshoot period, a stable-ON period, and a decay period; performing cyclic optical emission spectroscopy (OES) measurements for the pulsed plasma, the cyclic OES measurements including: obtaining first OES data during one of the three periods from more than one pulses of the pulsed plasma; and obtaining a characteristic of the pulsed plasma for the one of the three periods based only on the first OES data.

公开(公告)号：US11538723B2

公开(公告)日：2022-12-27

申请号：US16880042

申请日：2020-05-21

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Yan Chen ,  Xinkang Tian

IPC: G01J3/28 ,  H01L21/66 ,  G01N21/71 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G01N21/88 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  G06T7/00 ,  G01N21/84

Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments of an improved apparatus and system, and associated methods for optically diagnosing a semiconductor manufacturing process. A hyperspectral imaging system is used to acquire spectrally-resolved images of emissions from the plasma, in a plasma processing system. Acquired hyperspectral images may be used to determine the chemical composition of the plasma and the plasma process endpoint. Alternatively, a hyperspectral imaging system is used to acquire spectrally-resolved images of a substrate before, during, or after processing, to determine properties of the substrate or layers and features formed on the substrate, including whether a process endpoint has been reached; or before or after processing, for inspecting the substrate condition.

公开(公告)号：US10473525B2

公开(公告)日：2019-11-12

申请号：US15648035

申请日：2017-07-12

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Ching-Ling Meng ,  Holger Tuitje ,  Yan Chen ,  Mihail Mihaylov

IPC: G01J3/443 ,  G01N21/68 ,  G01N21/31

Abstract: Disclosed is a method, system, and apparatus for optical emission measurement. The apparatus includes a collection system for collecting a plasma optical emission spectra through an optical window disposed at a wall of a plasma processing chamber. The optical system includes a mirror configured to scan a plurality of non-coincident rays across the plasma processing chamber; and a telecentric coupler for collecting an optical signal from a plasma and directing the optical signal to a spectrometer for measuring the plasma optical emission spectra.

公开(公告)号：US20160172258A1

公开(公告)日：2016-06-16

申请号：US15053368

申请日：2016-02-25

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Yan Chen ,  Vi Vuong ,  Serguei Komarov

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  H01L21/3065

CPC classification number: H01L22/26 ,  G06F17/16 ,  H01J37/32963 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/67069

Abstract: Described is a method for determining an endpoint of an etch process using optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data as an input. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data are acquired by a spectrometer attached to a plasma etch processing tool. The acquired time-evolving spectral data are first filtered and demeaned, and thereafter transformed into transformed spectral data, or trends, using multivariate analysis such as principal components analysis, in which previously calculated principal component weights are used to accomplish the transform. A functional form incorporating multiple trends may be used to more precisely determine the endpoint of an etch process. A method for calculating principal component weights prior to actual etching, based on OES data collected from previous etch processing, is disclosed, which method facilitates rapid calculation of trends and functional forms involving multiple trends, for efficient and accurate in-line determination of etch process endpoint.

Abstract translation: 描述了使用光发射光谱（OES）数据作为输入来确定蚀刻工艺的端点的方法。 光发射光谱（OES）数据通过附着在等离子体蚀刻处理工具上的光谱仪获得。 首先将所获取的时间演变的光谱数据进行滤波并分析，然后使用多元分析（如主成分分析）将其转换为变换的光谱数据或趋势，其中先前计算的主成分权重用于完成变换。 可以使用包含多个趋势的功能形式来更准确地确定蚀刻工艺的终点。 公开了一种基于从先前蚀刻处理收集的OES数据计算实际蚀刻之前的主要分量权重的方法，该方法有助于快速计算涉及多个趋势的趋势和功能形式，以有效和准确地在线确定蚀刻过程 端点。

公开(公告)号：US20240339309A1

公开(公告)日：2024-10-10

申请号：US18298259

申请日：2023-04-10

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Sergey Voronin ,  Francisco Machuca ,  Blaze Messer ,  Yan Chen ,  Ying Zhu ,  Mihail Mihaylov ,  Joel Ng ,  Ashawaraya Shalini ,  Da Song ,  Akiteru Ko

IPC: H01J37/32 ,  H01J37/18

CPC classification number: H01J37/32972 ,  H01J37/18 ,  H01J37/32357 ,  H01J37/32963 ,  H01J2237/3343

Abstract: A processing system that includes: a processing chamber configured to hold a substrate to be processed; a first vacuum pump; a second vacuum pump disposed downstream from the first vacuum pump; an exhaust gas line connecting the process chamber and the first vacuum pump, and the first vacuum pump and the second vacuum pump; a plasma power supply including a first RF power source configured to generate a plasma from a portion of an exhaust gas between the first and second vacuum pumps; and an optical emission spectroscopy (OES) measurement assembly including an OES detector configured to measure OES signals from the plasma.

公开(公告)号：US20240136164A1

公开(公告)日：2024-04-25

申请号：US17972958

申请日：2022-10-24

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Sergey Voronin ,  Blaze Messer ,  Yan Chen ,  Joel Ng ,  Ashawaraya Shalini ,  Ying Zhu ,  Da Song

IPC: H01J37/32

CPC classification number: H01J37/32972 ,  H01J37/32926

Abstract: A method of processing a substrate that includes: exposing the substrate in a plasma processing chamber to a plasma powered by applying a first power to a first electrode of the plasma processing chamber for a first time duration; and after the first time duration, determining a process endpoint by: while exposing the substrate to the plasma by applying the first power to the first electrode, applying a second power to a second electrode of the plasma processing chamber for a second time duration that is shorter than the first time duration; and obtaining an optical emission spectrum (OES) from the plasma while applying the second power to the second electrode, where an energy of the second power over the second time duration is less than an energy of the first power over a sum of the first and the second time durations by a factor of at least 2.