Plasma Reactor and method for semiconductor processing.

摘要

Magnetic confinement of electrons in a plasma reactor (200,300) is effected by using electro-magnetic coils (232,234,332,334) and other magnets (246) which generate respective magnetic fields (B,230) which are mutually opposed and substantially orthogonal on their common axis (236) to the major plane (242) of a wafer (202) being processed, instead of being aligned and parallel to the major plane as in prior magnetically enhanced plasma reactors. The respective magnetic fields (B,230) combine to yield a net magnetic field which is nearly parallel to the wafer (202) away from the magnetic axis (236) so that electrons are confined in the usual manner. In addition, a magnetic mirror (244) provides confinement near the magnetic axis (236). The E x B cross product defines a circumferential drift velocity urging electrons about a closed path about the magnetic axis (236). The magnetic and cross-product forces on plasma electrons have a rotational symmetry which enhances reaction uniformity across the wafer (202).