Spacer for preventing shorting between conductive plates

摘要

An improved spacer means for separating and inhibiting the shorting together of conductive plates in an RF plasma reactor used in Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) processing of semiconductor devices. The improved spacer means inhibits the accumulation of conductive films on the surface of the separating means by substantially precluding the plasma field, and hence, inhibiting depositions in areas where recessed grooves are in the surface of the separating means. Accordingly, a direct electrical path on the spacer means between the multiple conductive plates of the RF plasma reactor is inhibited. As a result, the reactors can run for longer periods of time and deposit greater thicknesses of conductive films without the conductive plates shorting together causing shutdown of the process.