HERCULES^® PMX 500/1000

SMART SENSOR for PROCESS DEVELOPMENT and TRANSFER

Etch Profile Prediction by
Knowing the Plasma physical Background

Product:

• Hercules^® PMX 500 (10 - 35 MHz)
• Hercules^® PMX 1000 (10 - 70 MHz)
  includes also DC bias or RF peak voltage measurement point for SEERS model.

Applications:

• Process development and transfer
• Based on the RF peak or DC Bias voltage, Hercules^® PMX includes an extended model and allows parameters studies (power and pressure series).

Parameters:

• Electron collision rate as effective collision rate for momentum transfer including stochastic heating
• Electron density is calculated by a complete model with self-consistent sheath thickness. RF peak voltage or DC bias measurement point at the matchbox or chamber is necessary. Without peak or DC bias voltage or if there are two power couplings, the model uses a given (predeterminated) sheath thickness (see Hercules^® conifiguration file). Systematic reproducible deviations are possible, the repeatability is not concerned.
• Plasma bulk resistance
• Sheath width
• RF current (1st harmonic)
• RF Peak voltage measurement (measurement point at matchbox necessary)

Measurement range:

• Electron density: 10⁹ - 10¹¹ cm^-3
• Electron collision rate: 10⁷ - 5 10⁹ s^-1

Pressure range:

• Depends on gas, reactor geometry, and RF power
• Upper limit: typical 35 Pa (260 mTorr), 50 Pa (380 mTorr) for the most electropositive gases

Pre-conditions:

• Cylindrical chamber geometry
• Flange above wafer in process position, not in shadow of other parts
• Well grounded chamber wall and liner
• For full performance: RF peak voltage value for ECS; otherwise DC bias for
  anodized chamber surface

Etch and CVD:

• RIE-, MERIE-family
• TCP, ICP 
• Dual frequency tools (only Hercules^® C 1000)
• HDP tools
• Please see also REFERENCES/Tool and Process.

Model:

• Non-iterative SEERS algorithm

Flexible and small:

• 6.3 kg
• H: 210 mm, D: 250 mm, W: 280 mm
• 19" rack compatible

Data analysis and process control:

• Hercules^® Master
  GUI (Graphical User Interface) for Configuration of Hercules^® and data visualization
• HercView
• HercLotView
• SAPC Server

Interface:

• Modbus^® TCP
• Lam^® Plug and Play (optional)
• SECS/HSMS (optional via Hercules^® Master)

TOOLweb^®:
(MKS BlueBox)

• optional