A SCALABLE HELICON WAVE PLASMA PROCESSING DEVICE WITH A NON-CYLINDRICAL SOURCE CHAMBER

摘要

A plasma processing device (25) including a vacuum chamber (27) for processing a substrate (29) and a source chamber (26) for generating a plasma is disclosed where the source chamber (26) has a non-cylindrical geometry. Helicon waves of plasma are propagated from the source chamber into the vacuum chamber by a magnetic field having substantially parallel magnetic field lines extending from the source chamber into the vacuum chamber. A RF antenna (31 and 32) of a novel serpentine configuration is used to couple electromagnetic energy into the source chamber to create helicon plasma waves in the source chamber (26). The non-cylindrical geometry of the source chamber allows the processing of large area substrates due to the ability to scale the source chamber to the desired application while maintaining throughput efficiency and the ability to propagate helicon waves along the magnetic field lines present in the source chamber. In one embodiment a linear source chamber having the shape of an elongated rectangular box is disclosed wherein a slot opening (28) connects the source chamber to the vacuum chamber. Due to the ability of the helicon waves from a linear source chamber to propagate in a vacuum chamber without interference from a helicon wave from a similar source chamber, a plasma processing device is disclosed wherein multiple extended non-cylindrical source chambers are arranged to propagate nonparallel helicon plasma waves in a vacuum chamber.