Inert-dominant pulsing in plasma processing systems

摘要

A method for processing substrate in a processing chamber, which has at least one plasma generating source and a gas source for providing process gas into the chamber, is provided. The method includes exciting the plasma generating source with an RF signal having RF frequency. The method further includes pulsing the gas source, using at least a first gas pulsing frequency, such that a first process gas is flowed into the chamber during a first portion of a gas pulsing period and a second process gas is flowed into the chamber during a second portion of the gas pulsing period, which is associated with the first gas pulsing frequency. The second process gas has a lower reactant-gas-to-inert-gas ratio relative to a reactant-gas-to-inert-gas ratio of the first process gas. The second process gas is formed by removing at least a portion of a reactant gas flow from the first process gas.

主权项

1. A method for processing a substrate in a plasma processing chamber of a plasma processing system, said plasma processing chamber having at least one plasma generating source and at least a gas source for providing a process gas into an interior region of said plasma processing chamber, comprising:
exciting said plasma generating source with an RF signal having an RF frequency; and pulsing said gas source, using at least a first gas pulsing frequency, such that a first process gas is flowed into said plasma processing chamber during a first portion of a gas pulsing period associated with said first gas pulsing frequency and a second process gas is flowed into said plasma processing chamber during a second portion of said gas pulsing period associated with said first gas pulsing frequency, said second process gas having a lower reactant-gas-to-inert-gas ratio relative to a reactant-gas-to-inert-gas ratio of said first process gas, wherein said second process gas is formed by removing at least a portion of a reactant gas flow from said first process gas.