Method and apparatus for diagnosing status of parts in real time in plasma processing equipment

摘要

Apparatus and methods for diagnosing status of a consumable part of a plasma reaction chamber, the consumable part including at least one conductive element embedded therein. The method includes the steps of: coupling the conductive element to a power supply so that a bias potential relative to the ground is applied to the conductive element; exposing the consumable part to plasma erosion until the conductive element draws a current from the plasma upon exposure of the conductive element to the plasma; measuring the current; and evaluating a degree of erosion of the consumable part due to the plasma based on the measured current.

主权项

1. A consumable part of a plasma reaction chamber, the consumable part comprising:
an electrode formed of electrically conductive material and including a surface to be exposed to plasma; conductive elements embedded in the electrically conductive material of the electrode and entirely surrounded by and electrically insulated from the electrically conductive material of the electrode by a dielectric layer; the electrode configured such that the conductive elements can be coupled to a probe circuit which can be coupled to a power supply and ground to apply a bias potential to the conductive elements relative to ground; and the conductive elements are operative to draw a current from the plasma upon exposure of the conductive elements to the plasma and the conductive elements are electrically connected to each other by a conductive wire embedded in and electrically insulated from the electrically conductive material of the electrode.