T. W. Hamilton

Ion energy and angular distributions in inductively driven radio frequency discharges in chlorine

In this article, we report values of ion energy and angular distributions measured at the grounded electrode of an inductively coupled discharge in chlorine gas. The inductive rf drive in our cell produced high plasma densities (1011/cm3 electron densities) and stable plasma potentials. As a result, ion energy distributions typically consisted of a single peak well separated from zero energy. Mean ion energy varied inversely with pressure, decreasing from 13 to 9 eV as the discharge pressure increased from 20 to 60 mTorr. Half-widths of the ion angular distributions in these experiments varied from 6° to 7.5°, corresponding to transverse energies from 0.13 to 0.21 eV. During the course of the experiment, ion energies gradually decreased, probably due to the buildup of contaminants on the chamber walls. Cell wall temperature also was an important variable, with ion fluxes to the lower electrode increasing and the ion angular distribution narrowing as the cell temperature increased.

Absolute Intensities of the Vacuum Ultraviolet Spectra in a Metal-Etch Plasma Processing Discharge

In this paper we report absolute intensities of vacuum ultraviolet and near ultraviolet emission lines (4.8 eV to 18 eV ) for aluminum etching discharges in an inductively coupled plasma reactor. We report line intensities as a function of wafer type, pressure, gas mixture and rf excitation level. IrI a standard aluminum etching mixture containing C12 and BC13 almost all the light emitted at energies exceeding 8.8 eV was due to neutral atomic chlorine. Optical trapping of the WV radiation in the discharge complicates calculations of VUV fluxes to the wafer. However, we see total photon fluxes to the wailer at energies above 8.8 eV on the order of 4 x 1014 photons/cm2sec with anon- reactive wafer and 0.7 x 10 `4 photons/cm2sec with a reactive wtier. The maj ority of the radiation observed was between 8.9 and 9.3 eV. At these energies, the photons have enough energy to create electron-hole pairs in Si02, but may penetrate up to a micron into the Si02 before being absorbed. Relevance of these measurements to vacuum-W photon-induced darnage of Si02 during etching is discussed.

Ion distribution functions in inductively coupled radio frequency discharges in argon–chlorine mixtures

We report on measurements of positive ion energies, current densities, and angular distributions at the grounded electrode of inductively coupled discharges in mixtures of argon and chlorine. We also report on ion species and Langmuir probe measurements for these discharges. The inductive drive in our gaseous electronics conference reference cell produced high plasma densities (1011–1012/cm3) and stable plasma potentials. As a result, ion energy distributions consisted of a single peak well separated from zero energy. At pressures of 2.5–20 mTorr and constant rf power, the addition of Cl2 to an Ar discharge lowered ion current densities, reduced ion energies, and reduced the width of the ion energy distributions. Half-widths of the ion angular distributions ranged from 4.5° to 8.5° with the distributions broadening with increases in pressure or rf power. The addition of Cl2 to Ar discharges made the angular distributions less sensitive to total pressure. Cl+ replaced Ar+ as the dominant ionized species wh...

Ion energy distributions at rf-biased wafer surfaces

We report the measurement of ion energy distributions at a radio frequency (rf)-biased electrode in inductively driven discharges in argon. We compare measurements made with a gridded energy analyzer and a commercial analyzer that contains a mass spectrometer and energy analyzer in tandem. The inductive drive and the rf bias in our Gaseous Electronics Conference reference cell were both at 13.56 MHz. By varying the plasma density, we were able to examine the transition region between the “low frequency limit” for rf bias and the intermediate frequency region where, at fixed bias frequency, the ion energy distribution width varies with the plasma density. We find that the experimental ion energy distributions become narrower as the time for ion transit through the sheath approaches the rf period, but that the ion distributions still have widths which are ∼90% of their low frequency limit when the ion transit time is 40% of the rf period. Space-charge-induced beam broadening inside our analyzers appears to ...

Surface dependent electron and negative ion density in inductively coupled discharges

Electron and negative ion density have been measured in a modfied Applied Materials DPS metal etch chamber using gas mixtures of BCl{sub 3}, Cl{sub 2} and Ar. Measurements were performed for four dflerent substrate types to examine the influence of surface material on the bulk plasma properties; aluminurq alumina, photoresist and 50 percent patterned aluminum / photoresist. Electron densities in the Cl{sub 2} / BCl{sub 3} mixtures varied from 0.25 to 4 x 10{sup 11} cm{sup -3}. Photodetachment measurements of the negative ion density indicate that the negative ion density was smaller than the electron density and that the electron to negative ion density ratio varied between 1 and 6. The presence of photoresist had a dominant intluence on the electron and negative ion density compared to alumina and aluminum surfaces. In most cases, the electron density above wafers covered with photoresist was a factor of two lower while the negative ion density was a factor of two higher than the aluminum or alumina surfaces.

Ion energy distribution functions in inductively coupled radio-frequency discharges—Mixtures of Cl2/BCl3/Ar

We have used a gridded energy analyzer to measure positive ion energy distributions and fluxes at the grounded electrode of a high-density rf discharge. We present details of ion energies and fluxes in discharges containing mixtures of chlorine, boron trichloride and argon. These feedstock mixtures have been used extensively in the patterning of metal films for semiconductor interconnects. Our experiments were carried out in a Gaseous Electronics Conference Reference Cell which had been modified to produce inductively coupled discharges. The 15-cm-diam bottom electrode was grounded for these experiments. Stainless steel, anodized aluminum, and silicon were used as bottom electrode materials to understand the effects of various chamber boundary conditions on the ion energy parameters. In most cases, the ion energy distributions had a single peak, well separated from zero energy with a 1.0–3.0 eV full width at half maximum. These peaks were typically centered at 12–16 eV, with ion energy increasing as press...

Ion energy distributions versus frequency and ion mass at the rf-biased electrode in an inductively driven discharge

In this article, we present ion energy distributions (IEDs) at a rf-biased surface as a function of driving frequency and ion mass. The experiments were carried out in high-density inductively coupled rare-gas (Ne,Ar,Xe) plasmas. Our quadrupole mass and cylindrical-mirror energy analyzer sampled ions incident on a rf-biased pinhole located in the center of the wafer chuck. The electron density, electron temperature, and plasma and chuck potential oscillations were measured, and they provided inputs to numerical models used to predict IEDs, which were shown to closely match our experimental results under certain conditions. For a given driving frequency, heavier ions showed narrower IEDs and, for a given ion mass, the IED became narrower and shifted to a higher mean energy with increased driving frequency, in agreement with calculations.

Experimental and theoretical study of ion distributions near 300 μm tall steps on rf-biased wafers in high density plasmas

We present an experimental and theoretical study of ion fluxes, energy distributions, and angular distributions close to 300 μm tall “steps” on rf-biased wafers in high-density argon plasmas. This feature size is important in the etching of microelectromechanical systems. The theory and data show good agreement in most of the trends in the ion distributions as our sampling point approaches the foot of the step: (1) the ion flux decreases, (2) the ions move away from vertical, turning towards the step, and (3) the widths of the double-peaked ion energy distributions become narrower. The theory predicts that the hot neutral flux near the foot of the step is comparable to the ion flux. These hot neutrals may have important effects on the etching process.

Influence of surface material on the boron chloride density in inductively coupled discharges

The relative density of BCl radicals has been measured in a modified Applied Materials decoupled plasma source commercial metal etch chamber using laser-induced fluorescence. In plasmas containing mixtures of BCl3 with Cl2, Ar, and/or N2, the relative BCl density was measured as a function of source and bias power, pressure, flow rate, BCl3/Cl2 ratio, and argon addition. To determine the influence of surface materials on the bulk plasma properties, the relative BCl density was measured using four different substrate types; aluminum, alumina, photoresist, and photoresist-patterned aluminum. In most cases, the relative BCl density was highest above photoresist-coated wafers and lowest above blanket aluminum wafers. The BCl density increased with increasing source power and the ratio of BCl3 to Cl2, while the addition of N2 to a BCl3/Cl2 plasma resulted in a decrease in BCl density. The BCl density was relatively insensitive to changes in the other plasma parameters.

Positive ion species in high-density discharges containing chlorine and boron–trichloride

We have used a quadrupole mass spectrometer to measure the positive ion species striking the wafer in a high-density plasma processing discharge containing chlorine and boron–trichloride. Since the relative transmission of our mass spectrometer versus ion mass is known, we are able to report the relative concentrations of the ion species striking the wafer. Our measurements were made in an inductively coupled Gaseous Electronics Conference Reference Cell operating at pressures between 15 and 50 mTorr and at electron densities up to 1011/cm3. The ion spectrum in these discharges is normally dominated by Cl+, Cl2+, BCl2+, and etch products. However, reactor wall or wafer surface conditions can strongly affect the ion species in the discharge. When a stainless steel “wafer” was replaced with a bare Si wafer, the dominant chlorine ion changed from Cl+ to Cl2+. A bare aluminum wafer strongly quenched both Cl+ and Cl2+ signals.