KR101938574B1 - A Digital Power Delivery Apparatus For Supplying High-Precision and High-speed Power to the Plasma Chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a digital power transfer apparatus for supplying electric power to a plasma chamber at high precision and high speed. According to the present invention, the digital power transfer apparatus connects a power generation unit with a digital power matching unit by a coaxial cable in order to supply power to a plasma chamber. The power generation unit comprises: a digital frequency generator performing control for generating an optical frequency by a power transfer algorithm of a DSP controller to generate a desired frequency signal; and a wide band power amplifier amplifying frequency signal power generated from the digital frequency generator. The digital power matching unit comprises: an input sensor detecting the phase and the level of the frequency signal power outputted from the wide band power amplifier; and an impedance matching unit converting impedance at high speed by a target frequency and a target digital impedance value calculated from the phase and the level of the frequency signal power, which are detected from the input sensor, by a high speed digital power control unit. Accordingly, the digital power transfer apparatus at high speed and high accuracy of the present invention can quickly transfer digital power precisely controlled based on impedance matching by a fixed capacitor on time at high speed, and also, can remove a mechanical element, thereby providing effects of securing product reliability and reducing after-sales service expenses through cost saving and life extension.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a digital power delivery apparatus for supplying high-precision and high-speed power to a plasma chamber,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital power transfer apparatus for supplying power to a plasma chamber, and more particularly, to a power transfer apparatus for powering a plasma chamber, including a power generating unit capable of finely controlling control and RF on- In order to overcome the limit of control speed, high-speed digital power matching unit supplies high-precision and high-speed power to plasma chamber which can extend system life and reduce maintenance cost by digital electronic control using high output switch And more particularly to a digital power delivery device for use in a wireless communication system.

In recent years, demand for V-NAND in 3D structure has surged to meet increasing memory demand and capacity in response to popularization of smart phones and the emergence of the Internet of Things. However, due to the multi-stage V-NAND characteristics, the phenomenon that the thickness of the film is not constant becomes more as the plural stages are formed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a conventional mechanical power transfer device applied for plasma power supply in a 3D structure V-NAND memory deposition process. FIG.

As shown in the figure, in the mechanical power transmission apparatus according to the related art, the power generation unit 10 and the mechanical impedance matching unit 20 are connected by the coaxial cable 30 to transmit electric power to the plasma chamber 40.

At this time, in the case of the analog type power generation unit 10, since the control of the high frequency power can be controlled only by the step of 1W unit, there is a limit in controlling the thickness of the fine semiconductor film. In addition, It is impossible to precisely control the plasma process due to the irregular delay effect of the signal.

In addition, in the conventional mechanical impedance matching unit 20, the vacuum variable capacitor 24 is adjusted using the motor block 25, which is a mechanical motor. The matching time is 1 second or more, msec. In order to make the vacuum variable capacitor 24 constantly variable and to perform power matching, it is necessary to use a moving means such as a motor or a gear The motor block 25, which is a moving part, can be inevitably used. Therefore, it is expensive due to the large size of the equipment, shortening the service life of the power transmission system, and generating additional costs such as A / S.

Therefore, it is necessary to be able to fine-tune the output power with respect to the frequency signal generated by the power generating unit so as to enable high-precision power control of the power generating unit, which directly affects the thickness of the semiconductor wafer film, In the negative case, since the control speed is limited by the impedance matching by the mechanical motor, a digital impedance matching unit matching the impedance at a high speed and outputting power at high speed and high precision within a cycle of output of several hundreds ms is provided In order to reduce the cost due to the development of an RF power transmission device and the use of expensive parts such as motors and vacuum variable capacitors, a more realistic Available and applicable Technology development for RF power transmission devices is urgently needed.

U.S. Patent No. 5,936,481 A (Aug. 10, 1999) Fig. 2, 3 Korean Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-2000-0016599 (Mar. 25, 2000) Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1116587 (2012, 02. 08)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been conceived in order to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method, which are capable of accurately and rapidly controlling power within a process cycle of several hundreds ms, To a digital power transmission device.

The present invention relates to a digital power transmission apparatus having a power generation unit and a high-speed digital power matching unit, which are controlled in high speed and direct and precise power, in order to overcome the limit of the control speed for transferring power due to the conventional mechanical control scheme .

The present invention can precisely control RF power and precision control of RF on-time as compared with a frequency generator of a conventional mechanical power transmission apparatus, and realize high-speed impedance matching, And a digital power transmission device having the same.

Further, in the case of a conventional mechanical power transmission device, mechanical elements such as a motor and a gear are inevitably used so that power matching due to the variable of the variable capacity capacitor is performed, On the other hand, the high-speed and ultra-precise digital power transmission apparatus according to the present invention can provide high-precision digital impedance matching by high-speed digital impedance matching by fixed capacitors instead of expensive vacuum variable capacitors according to the present invention, time to high speed, and it is also aimed to provide a digital power delivery device which can reduce the cost of A / S by securing product reliability by reducing cost and lifetime by removing mechanical element.

A digital power transfer apparatus for supplying high-precision and high-speed power to a plasma chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a power generating unit and a digital power matching unit for supplying power to a plasma chamber, In the apparatus,

The power generation unit includes a digital frequency generator for generating a desired frequency signal by controlling an optimal frequency to be generated by a power transfer algorithm of the DSP controller and a broadband power amplifier for amplifying a frequency signal power generated by the digital frequency generator In addition,

The digital power matching unit comprises an input sensor for detecting a phase and a magnitude of a frequency signal power output from the broadband power amplifier, and a phase and magnitude calculating unit for calculating a phase and a magnitude of the frequency signal power, An impedance matching section for converting the impedance at high speed by the target frequency and the target digital impedance value, and an output sensor.

Also, the power generator may further include a power amplifier for finely controlling power from the DSP controller to a frequency signal generated by the digital frequency generator before amplifying the power of the frequency signal generated from the digital frequency generator by the broadband power amplifier An RF attenuator, a pair of RF attenuators, and a power switching unit that switches and forms an RF switch in series.

The power generation unit may include a voltage detector for amplifying the power of the frequency signal generated from the digital frequency generator by the broadband power amplifier and then detecting the voltage and current of the amplified frequency signal power flowing on the RF transmission line, And an electric current detector, and an electric power detector formed by a RF switch and an RF attenuator and a switching unit in which a pair of RF switches and an RF switch are connected in series to switch and control the voltage and current output from the voltage detector and the current detector, respectively can do.

Also, the power generator may precisely control the RF processor so that a signal delay of the frequency signal power detected by the power detector may not be generated according to a predetermined RF On-time value, so that the signal processor outputs the RF signal at a predetermined RF On-time .

The impedance matching unit of the digital power matching unit includes an impedance adjusting unit connected in parallel to an RF transmission line connected to the input sensor for switching and controlling the impedance of the frequency signal power detected by the input sensor at a high speed, And a fixed impedance matching part connected in series to the input sensor and connected in parallel to the impedance adjusting part to match the impedances.

The digital power control unit of the digital power matching unit calculates a target impedance value to be matched from the magnitude and phase value of the voltage and current of the signal power detected from the input sensor and the output sensor at a high speed and supplies the calculated target impedance value to the impedance matching unit And the maximum power is transferred to the plasma chamber by matching the impedance by the high-speed switching control of the high-output switch unit.

Wherein the digital power controller calculates a value of a 4-bit capacitor of the impedance adjusting unit based on a current and a voltage value of a signal detected from the input sensor, and calculates a value of a 4-bit capacitor of the impedance adjusting unit based on the real part impedance of the load impedance of the plasma chamber, The frequency of the signal generated in the frequency generator is calculated so that the real part impedance has the same value and the imaginary part impedance with respect to the load impedance of the plasma chamber and the input impedance of the input sensor respectively have mutually conjugate complex numbers, And is directly impedance-matched to the load impedance of the plasma chamber at a high speed without passing through the region.

Wherein the impedance controller comprises: a plurality of fixed RF capacitors connected in parallel to an RF transmission line for controlling the impedance of the frequency signal power detected by the input sensor at a high speed; and a plurality of fixed RF capacitors connected in series to the plurality of fixed RF capacitors A switching driver for ON / OFF switching control of the high output switch unit, and a switching power supply unit for applying a high voltage and a negative power to the high output switch unit through the switching driver.

The fixed impedance matching unit includes a fixed load capacitor connected in parallel to an RF transmission line connected to the input sensor, a fixed inductor connected in series to the RF transmission line and connected in parallel to the fixed load capacitor, And a fixed capacitor connected in series with the capacitor.

The high output switch unit of the impedance control unit includes a high output pin diode and a DC return enable inductor connected in parallel to the fixed RF capacitor, and the high output pin diode includes an RF choke inductor for DC power supply and an RF short capacitor for DC power supply And the switching driver is connected between the RF choke inductor for DC power supply and the RF shorting capacitor for DC power supply so that the impedance can be finely and precisely And performs switching control.

As described above, the present invention provides a digital power transmission device for transmitting precise and high-speed power within a process cycle of hundreds of milliseconds, and a precise amount of power of a certain level by digital control to a plasma chamber so that a precise plasma process control can be performed. There is an effect of providing,

The present invention relates to a high-precision and high-speed digital power transmission apparatus having a power generating unit and a high-speed digital power matching unit at high speed and direct and precise in order to overcome the limit of the control speed for transferring power due to the conventional mechanical control scheme There is an effect to provide.

The present invention relates to a power generating unit suitable for a highly precise semiconductor process by precisely controlling RF power and precision control of RF on-time as compared with a frequency generating unit of a conventional mechanical power transmitting apparatus and performing high-speed impedance matching. There is an effect of providing a digital power transmission device.

Further, in the case of a conventional mechanical power transmission device, mechanical elements such as a motor and a gear are inevitably used so that power matching due to the variable of the variable capacity capacitor is performed, On the other hand, the high-speed and ultra-high-precision power transmission device according to the present invention generates a high-speed, high-precision, high-speed, , It is possible to reduce the cost of A / S by securing the product reliability by reducing the cost and extending the lifetime by eliminating the mechanical element.

1 is a mechanical power transmission apparatus according to the prior art.
2 is an overall block diagram of a digital power delivery apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a detailed view of a power switching unit and a power detecting unit of a power generating unit in a digital power transmitting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation procedure for constantly controlling the RF On-time value in order to reduce the process variation.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for comparing an operation procedure for constantly controlling the RF On-time value according to FIG. 4 with a conventional technique.
6 is a diagram for explaining a high-speed digital impedance matching control process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram for explaining a process in which the output impedance of the digital power matching unit is changed for each frequency according to the n-bit capacitor value of the impedance adjusting unit.
8 is a view showing an impedance matching algorithm for varying the frequency and the digital capacitor value for impedance matching according to the detected output value of the input sensor.
9 is a detailed view of an impedance control unit of a digital power matching unit in a digital power transmission apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a detailed circuit diagram of a high-output switch unit of a high-speed impedance matching unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a detailed circuit diagram of a fixed impedance matching unit of a high-speed impedance matching unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The description of the present invention is merely an example for structural or functional explanation, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the embodiments described in the text. That is, the embodiments are to be construed as being variously embodied and having various forms, so that the scope of the present invention should be understood to include equivalents capable of realizing technical ideas.

Meanwhile, the meaning of the terms described in the present invention should be understood as follows.

The terms "first "," second ", and the like are intended to distinguish one element from another, and the scope of the right should not be limited by these terms. For example, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected to the other element, but there may be other elements in between. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between. On the other hand, other expressions that describe the relationship between components, such as "between" and "between" or "neighboring to" and "directly adjacent to" should be interpreted as well.

It should be understood that the singular " include "or" have "are to be construed as including a stated feature, number, step, operation, component, It is to be understood that the combination is intended to specify that it does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

In each step, the identification code (e.g., a, b, c, etc.) is used for convenience of explanation, the identification code does not describe the order of each step, Unless otherwise stated, it may occur differently from the stated order. That is, each step may occur in the same order as described, may be performed substantially concurrently, or may be performed in reverse order.

All terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used predefined terms should be interpreted to be consistent with the meanings in the context of the related art and can not be interpreted as having ideal or overly formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is an overall block diagram of a digital power transmission apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a power switching unit and a power detection unit of a power generation unit in a digital power delivery apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, a digital power transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a digital power transfer device for supplying high-speed and high-precision power to a plasma chamber 400, The power generation unit 100 and the digital power matching unit 200 are connected to the coaxial line 300 to transmit the high-precision and high-speed power to the plasma chamber 400. The digital power transmission apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a power control server 500 to monitor the signal power detected and measured by the power generation unit 100 and the digital power matching unit 200, The desired on-time and frequency and power intensity can be set.

The power generation unit 100 is a control method of a power generator 10 of a conventional mechanical power transmission apparatus by a digital signal processing control algorithm in a power of 1W unit step at a single fixed frequency, The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art and allows ultra fine power control finely controlled in 0.1 W increments regardless of the frequency band.

The digital power matching unit 200 controls the frequency and impedance adjusting unit so that optimum power can be transmitted at a high speed between the plasma chamber 400 and the power generating unit 100 to adjust the impedance of the plasma chamber 400, And the impedance of the power output from the antenna unit 100 is matched to the impedance.

Hereinafter, the detailed configuration and operation principle of the power generation unit 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

2, the power generator 100 includes a digital frequency generator 120 generating a frequency signal, a power switching unit 130 switching a frequency signal generated by the digital frequency generator 120, A broadband power amplifier 140 for amplifying the power accurately controlled and controlled by the power switching unit 130 to a wide band and a power detector 150 for detecting the power of the amplified signal from the broadband power amplifier 140 The power switching unit 130, the broadband power amplifier 140, and the power detector 150 so as to generate optimum ultra-fine power from the power generator 100, And a DSP controller 110 for controlling by signal processing.

The DSP controller 110 controls the digital frequency generator 120 to generate an optimal RF frequency signal according to a power transfer algorithm based on a power signal fed back from the power detector 150.

That is, according to the present invention, the digital frequency generator 120 controls the power control of the DSP controller 110 based on the feedback signal detected from the power detector 150, 13.56 MHz, 27.12 MHz, 40.68 MHz and 60 MHz.

The DSP controller 110 may further include a power signal detected and fed back from the power detector 150 and the input sensor 220 or the output sensor 260 of the digital impedance matcher 200, The on-time program for determining the on-time to which the desired output is applied in the on-time of the power switching unit 130 so that the signal power generated by the digital frequency generator 120 is accurately output on a constant time basis, time.

In addition, the DSP controller 110 outputs the signal power generated by the digital frequency generator 120 in units of 0.1 W according to a request signal to be output at a desired power level in the power control server 500 And controls the power level of the power switching unit 130 and the power detection unit 150 so that the power switching unit 130 and the power detection unit 150 are operated.

Therefore, the DSP controller 110 controls the digital frequency generator 120, the power switching unit 130, and the power detection unit 150, thereby controlling the on-time time, which is the requirement of the power control server 500, The control and output levels can be controlled simultaneously.

The power switching unit 130 may be configured to switch the frequency generated by the digital frequency generator 120 before amplifying the power of the frequency signal generated by the digital frequency generator 120 by the wideband power amplifier 140. [ An RF switch 131, a pair of an RF attenuator 132, and an RF switch 131 are formed in series to output a signal to the DSP controller 110 in order to output finely controlled power, / RTI >

Therefore, the DSP controller 110 controls the RF switch 131 and the RF attenuator 132 provided in the power switching unit 130, respectively, to control the ultra-fine power to be output in 0.1 W units.

The broadband power amplifier 140 amplifies the power of a signal that is precisely controlled and output from the power switching unit 130 to a high output signal by a power transfer algorithm of the digital power controller 110.

Here, the power detector 150 is connected to the broadband power amplifier 140 to detect minute power and then feed back to the DSP controller 110.

At this time, the DSP controller 110 directly transmits a desired frequency signal to the digital frequency generator 120 based on the fine power fed back from the power detector 150, Controls the power switching unit 130 in a precise manner based on the fine power fed back from the power detector 150 and controls the power to be output in steps of 0.1 W units.

The power detector 150 amplifies the power of a frequency signal generated from the digital frequency generator 120 by the wideband power amplifier 140 and then amplifies the amplified frequency signal power flowing on the RF transmission line 151 A voltage detector 152 and a current detector 153 for detecting the voltage and current of the voltage detector and the current detector, respectively; and a switching unit 154 for controlling the voltage and current output from the voltage detector and the current detector, respectively.

The switching unit 154 of the power detector 15 includes an RF switch 155 and a pair of RF attenuator 156 and RF switch 155 connected in series to connect the voltage detector 152 and the current detector 155. [ Respectively, so that the voltage and current output from the voltage detector 152 and the current detector 153 are respectively switched and output.

The RF switches 131 and 155 and the RF attenuators 132 and 156 provided in the power switching unit 130 and the power detecting unit 150 may be configured in multiple stages according to the power level desired to be controlled .

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining an operation process of constantly controlling an RF On-time value in order to reduce a process variation. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure for constantly controlling the RF On- Fig.

The high-precision and high-speed digital power transmission apparatus according to the present invention may be configured such that the power transmission server 500 transmits a desired frequency band and a constant RF On-time Can be set and controlled.

4, the DSP controller 110 of the power generating unit 100 determines whether the power of the power source 500 is higher than the power of the plasma chamber 400, Time of the feedback signal power detected by the power detector 150 of the generator 100 and a constant RF ON-time based on the RF On-time set by the power delivery server 500, The frequency generator 120 and the power switching unit 130 can be precisely controlled to prevent a process deviation in the plasma chamber 400 from being generated.

As shown in FIG. 5, according to the prior art as shown in FIG. 1, a mechanical motor block, an interface between equipment and a time delay are generated as compared with a target process time, and a time deviation of RF on- And a time deviation in the plasma process is generated, so that a process variation such as a thickness of the semiconductor deposition film inevitably occurs frequently in a fine semiconductor deposition process.

On the other hand, the high-precision and high-speed digital power transmission apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the RF power of the power supply server 500 and the voltage and current values of the feedback signal power detected from the power detector 150 Time control of the DSP controller 110 based on the result of the RF on-time program control, if the target process time is 1000 ms, -time, so that the target process time is controlled so that the RF OFF-time coincides exactly with 1000 ms, thereby preventing the occurrence of time deviations.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a high-speed digital impedance matching control process according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 illustrates a process in which the output impedance of the digital power matching unit is varied for each frequency according to the n-bit capacitor value of the impedance adjusting unit. 8 is a diagram illustrating an impedance matching algorithm for varying a frequency and a digital capacitor value for impedance matching according to a detected output value of an input sensor, and FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an impedance matching algorithm for digital power 10 is a detailed circuit diagram of a high-power switch unit of an impedance matching unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of an impedance matching unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. And FIG. 5 is a detailed circuit diagram of the negative fixed impedance matching portion.

 The digital power matching unit 200 of the digital power transmission apparatus according to the present invention may be configured such that the phase of the frequency signal power amplified and outputted from the broadband power amplifier of the power generation unit 100 and transmitted through the coaxial cable 130, The phase and magnitude of the frequency signal power detected from the input sensor 220 and the impedance detected from the output sensor 260 are matched and the power transmitted to the plasma chamber 400 An impedance matching unit 230 for receiving a phase and a magnitude and calculating a target frequency and a target digital impedance value calculated by the digital power control unit 210 and converting the impedance at a high speed and an output sensor 260 have.

Accordingly, the digital power controller 210 of the digital power matching unit 200 can control the input power of the input sensor 220 and the output sensor 220 without the impedance control process by the conventional mechanical motor operation, From the magnitude and the phase value of the voltage and current of the power detected from the power detecting unit 260 and calculates the matching impedance value to be matched by the fast switching control of the high output semiconductor switching circuit provided in the impedance matching unit 230 So that the maximum power is transferred to the plasma chamber 400.

Therefore, as shown in the figure for explaining the process in which the output impedance of the digital power matching unit varies according to the frequency according to the n-bit capacitor value of the impedance adjusting unit of FIG. 7, the optimum power- Based on the maximum power transfer theory, since the real part impedance of the power source and the power transfer load are the same and the imaginary part impedance is combined with the conjugate complex number, since the maximum power is transmitted from the digital power matching part 200 The fixed impedance matching unit 250 of the impedance matching unit 230 may be configured to match the real impedance of the plasma chamber 400 to which the maximum power is transmitted and the real impedance output from the output sensor 260 to the same value, And a 4-bit capacitor of the impedance adjusting unit 240. The fixed-

The input sensor 220 or the output sensor 260 may be connected to an imaginary part impedance of the plasma chamber 400 and a imaginary part impedance output from the output sensor 260 in a conjugate (or calle) The digital power controller 210 calculates the frequency based on the signal detected by the frequency detector 260 and the series inductor 252 of the fixed impedance matching unit 250 of the impedance matching unit 230, .

8 is a view showing an impedance matching algorithm for varying the frequency and the digital capacitor value for impedance matching according to the detected output value of the input sensor.

As shown in FIG. 8, the impedance matching algorithm according to the present invention is designed such that the real part impedance of the power source for transmitting the maximum power is equal to the real part impedance of the power transmission load and the imaginary part impedance is conjugated as a conjugate complex number The input impedance is calculated on the basis of the signal detected from the input sensor 220 or the output sensor 260 and the signal frequency information generated from the digital frequency generator 120. The impedance matching unit 230, The impedance of the plasma chamber 400 is calculated on the basis of the circuit element values of the impedance matching unit 250 and the fixed impedance matching unit 250. Then, And the imaginary part impedance is set to a frequency calculated so as to be a mutually conjugate complex value and to a 4-bit capacitor value of the impedance control part 240 The frequency generator 120 generates a signal corresponding to the calculated frequency, and the impedance controller 240 switches the value to one of the calculated 4-bit capacitor values at a high speed, Impedance match.

The impedance matching algorithm according to the present invention calculates the input impedance from the I ² , P and Q signals detected by the input sensor 220 and calculates the impedance of the plasma chamber 400 from the calculated impedance, The 4-bit capacitor value of the controller 240 is calculated by the following equation.

That is, I ² , P, and Q can be calculated by the following equation based on the current and voltage components of the signal detected through the input sensor 220.

,

,

Herein, V _in and I _in are the current and voltage of the signal detected from the input sensor 220.

The real part R _in and the imaginary part X _in of the input impedance outputted from the input sensor 220 by I ² , P, and Q are expressed by the following equations.

,

,

The real parts R _L and X _L of the load impedance of the plasma chamber 400 from the calculated R _in and X _in are calculated by the following equation.

here,

C ₁ : Digital capacitor value of the impedance regulator + Fixed load capacitor

C ₂ : Fixed capacitor 253

L _fix : Fixed inductor (252)

From the calculated R _L and X _L , the digital capacitor value C and the frequency f of the generated signal can be calculated by the following equations.

Here, Zo has a characteristic impedance value of 50 OMEGA.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the digital power controller 210 of the digital power matching unit 200 can control the impedance of the input sensor 220 and the output sensor 220 without the need for impedance control by an unnecessary mechanical motor operation according to the prior art. 260 and the magnitude and phase values of the voltage and current of the power detected by the impedance matching unit 230. The high-speed switching control of the high-power semiconductor switching circuit provided in the impedance matching unit 230 determines the optimal So that the maximum power is transferred to the plasma chamber 400.

That is, in the mechanical method according to the related art, not only the rotational motion of the motor, such as passing an unnecessary impedance region in order to find the capacitor value of the variable capacity capacitor according to the impedance value to be matched by the sequential rotation of the motor, Analog Impedance Convergence Algorithm The loop method also converges through the unnecessary impedance region to converge to the impedance matching.

In contrast to the conventional mechanical motor control system and the analog impedance convergence linear system, the digital power controller 210 controls the impedance based on the current and voltage values of the signal detected from the input sensor 210, Bit capacitor of the plasma chamber 240 so that the real part impedance of the load impedance of the plasma chamber and the real part impedance of the input impedance detected from the input sensor 210 have the same value, The frequency of the signal generated in the frequency generator 120 is calculated so that the imaginary part impedance of each of the impedance and the input impedance of the input sensor 210 has mutually conjugate complex numbers, The direct impedance is matched with the load impedance of the high-speed amplifier 400 at high speed.

Hereinafter, the detailed configuration and operation principle of the digital power matching unit 200 of the digital power delivery apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9 with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 .

The digital power controller 210 includes an A / D converter for detecting a signal from the digital frequency generator 120 and the input sensor 220, and a controller for controlling the state of the power generator (Power ON / OFF, And a DSP control unit for outputting an impedance control signal (detailed circuit not shown).

The digital power controller 210 controls the DSP controller 110 to generate an optimum RF frequency signal in the digital frequency generator 120 so that the optimal power is transmitted based on the power signal detected and fed back from the input sensor 220 To control the digital frequency generator 120.

The input sensor 220 controls the 4-bit capacitor value of the impedance adjusting unit 240 provided in the frequency and impedance matching unit 230 so that the maximum power is matched to the PM And transmits the detected signal to the digital power controller 210.

That is, the input sensor 220 receives an input voltage transmitted from the power detector 150 of the power generator 100, a phase value that is a phase difference of a current, a magnitude value And converts the phase and magnitude values of the voltage and current into DC values according to the degree of matching of the transmitted RF signal powers and outputs the converted DC values. The A / D converter (not shown) And reads the digital code value from the digital power controller 210 and performs a digital control process for various impedance matching.

The impedance matching unit 230 includes an impedance adjusting unit 240 connected in parallel on the RF transmission line 241 and a fixed impedance matching unit 250 connected in series on the RF transmission line 241, So that the impedance of the signal power transmitted by the control operation of the digital power controller 210 and the impedance of the plasma chamber 400 are matched with each other at an optimum speed so that the electric power is delivered to the plasma chamber 400 at a high speed.

The impedance adjusting unit 240 of the impedance matching unit 230 controls and adjusts the digital 4-bit capacitor value instead of the vacuum variable capacitor of the conventional power transmission device. That is, the RF transmission line 241 is formed such that a plurality of high output switch portions 243 connected in series with the fixed RF capacitor 242 are arranged in parallel in a pair. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the RF transmission line 241 is connected in parallel so that 4-bit capacitors are arranged in pairs.

The 4-bit array capacitor is finely adjusted by switching ON / OFF by the ON / OFF switching operation under the control of the digital power controller 210 so that the real part of the imaginary part impedance is matched .

6, the digital power controller 210 of the digital power matcher may be configured to adjust the impedance of the input terminal of the digital input matching unit 200, And calculates a fixed RF capacitor value with which the impedance can be matched optimally based on the magnitude and the phase value of the voltage and current of the signal power detected from the sensor 220 and the output sensor 260. The fixed RF capacitor 242, The high output switch 243 is controlled to be ON / OFF switched so that the output value of the input sensor 220 is the calculated capacitor value, and the matching state of the input sensor 220 is confirmed to maintain the optimum matching state in real time.

7, the impedance controller 240 includes a plurality of high-output switch units 243 connected in series with a fixed RF capacitor 242 on an RF transmission line 241, A switching driver 244 for ON / OFF switching control of the high output switch part 243, and a switching driver 244 for controlling the backward flow of high output RF signal power, And a switching power supply unit 255 for applying a high voltage and a negative power to the high output switch unit 243.

8, the high output switch unit 243 of the impedance control unit 240 is connected to a fixed RF capacitor 242 connected in parallel on the RF transmission line 241 and a high output pin diode 243-1 and the DC return-passing inductor 243-2 are connected in parallel to each other, and the high output pin diode 243-1 is connected to the RF power supply RF choke inductor 243-3 An RF shorting capacitor 243-4 for DC power supply, and a DC blocking and RF shorting capacitor 243-4 are connected in parallel to each other.

At this time, the switching driver 244 is connected between the DC power supply RF choke inductor 243-3 and the DC power supply RF shorting capacitor 243-4 to finely switch the impedance at a high speed.

9, the fixed impedance matching unit 250 includes a fixed load capacitor 251 connected in parallel to an RF transmission line 241 connected to the input sensor 220, A fixed inductor 252 connected in series to the transmission line 241 and connected to the fixed load capacitor 251 in parallel and a fixed capacitor 253 connected in series to the fixed inductor 252 .

6 to 9, a high-speed impedance matching process can be performed in detail using a pin diode or FET (Field Effect Transistor) capable of high-speed switching control in the digital power matching unit 200 according to the present invention The following is an explanation.

The digital power controller 210 controls the switching driver 244 to be connected in parallel to the fixed RF capacitor 242 when the pin diode 243-1 is switched on so that the real part value of the imaginary part impedance And conversely, when the pin diode 243-1 is switched off, it is opened so that one end of the fixed RF capacitor 242 is opened, so that the real part impedance value becomes high at the imaginary part impedance.

Accordingly, when the pin diode 243-1 is applied in a forward direction higher than the DC turn-on voltage, the connection of the switch and the high output pin diode 243-1 are electrically connected with a low resistance value.

At this time, in order to apply the voltage higher than the DC turn-on voltage, when the negative power is supplied from the switching driver 234, the DC return inductor 243-2 is connected to the pin diode 243-1 The pin diode 243-1 is turned on and the pin diode 243-1 is electrically connected to a low resistance value. In view of the RF signal, the fixed RF capacitor 243-1 is turned on, Only the high voltage high current RF capacitor 243 for DC blocking and RF shorting is operated so that the pin diode 243-1 is connected in parallel with the fixed RF capacitor 232. [

On the other hand, when the pin diode 243-1 is applied with a DC voltage in the reverse direction, the pin diode 243-1 is opened to an electrically high resistance value similarly to the case where the switch is opened.

At this time, when a high voltage power is applied to the switching driver 244, a reverse high voltage is applied to the pin diode 243-1, the pin diode 243-1 is opened, and the pin diode 243-1 is electrically The fixed RF capacitor 242 connected to the open pin diode 243-1 is also opened in view of the RF signal.

As described above, according to the impedance control operation of the digital power controller 210 of the digital power matching unit 200 according to the present invention, the fixed RF capacitor value is changed according to the short-circuit and open operation of the high-output pin diode 243-1 It is determined that the impedances are matched together with the fixed impedance matching unit 250 by the high speed switching operation and the maximum power can be transmitted to the plasma chamber 400 at a high speed.

Therefore, the control operation of the power switching unit by the DSP controller capable of controlling the power of the RF signal output from the frequency generator 120 of the power generating unit 100 according to the present invention in a highly precise unit and the control operation of the power switching unit 200 The maximum power is transmitted to the plasma chamber 400 at a high speed by the impedance matching by the impedance control unit 240 by the digital power control unit 210 of the control unit 210, There is an effect that can be done.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, It is within the scope of the present invention that component changes to such an extent that they can be coped evenly within a range that does not deviate from the scope of the present invention.

10: power generator 20: mechanical impedance matching unit
30: Coaxial cable 40: Plasma chamber
11: Power generator control unit 12: Analog oscillator
13: power controller 14: power amplifier
15: Output sensor
21: Input Impedance Sensor 22:
23: Variable capacitor block 24: Vacuum variable capacitor
25: Motor block
100: power generation unit 110: DSP controller
120: digital frequency generator 130: power switching unit
131: RF switch 132: RF attenuator
140: Broadband power amplifier 150: Power detector
151: RF transmission line 152: Voltage detector
153: current detector 154:
154: RF switch 155: RF attenuator
200: Digital power matching unit
210: digital power controller 220: input sensor
230: Impedance matching part 240: Impedance adjusting part
241: RF transmission line 242: fixed RF capacitor
243: High output switch section 243-1: Pin diode
243-2: DC return-pass inductor 243-3: RF choke inductor for DC power supply
243-4: RF short-circuit capacitor for DC power supply
243-5: High Voltage High Current RF Capacitors for DC Block and RF Short
244: switching driver 255: switching power supply unit
250: Fixed impedance matching part 251: Fixed load capacitor
252: Fixed type
253: Fixed capacitor
260: output sensor 300: coaxial cable
400: plasma chamber 500: power control server

Claims (10)

A digital power delivery apparatus in which a power generating unit and a digital power matching unit are connected by a coaxial cable to supply power to a plasma chamber,
The power generation unit includes a digital frequency generator for generating a desired frequency signal by controlling an optimal frequency to be generated by a power transfer algorithm of the DSP controller and a broadband power amplifier for amplifying a frequency signal power generated by the digital frequency generator In addition,
The digital power matching unit comprises an input sensor for detecting a phase and a magnitude of a frequency signal power output from the broadband power amplifier, and a phase and magnitude calculating unit for calculating a phase and a magnitude of the frequency signal power, And an impedance matching unit for converting the impedance at high speed by the target frequency and the target digital impedance value,
Wherein the impedance matching unit includes an impedance adjusting unit connected in parallel to an RF transmission line connected to the input sensor for switching and controlling the impedance of the frequency signal power detected by the input sensor at a high speed, And a fixed impedance matching part connected to the impedance adjusting part and connected in parallel to match the impedances,
The fixed impedance matching unit includes a fixed load capacitor connected in parallel to an RF transmission line connected to the input sensor, a fixed inductor connected in series to the RF transmission line and connected in parallel to the fixed load capacitor, And a fixed capacitor connected in series with the capacitor,
Wherein the impedance controller comprises: a plurality of fixed RF capacitors connected in parallel to an RF transmission line for controlling the impedance of the frequency signal power detected by the input sensor at a high speed; and a plurality of fixed RF capacitors connected in series to the plurality of fixed RF capacitors And a high-output switch unit
The high output switch unit includes a high output pin diode and a DC return inductor connected in parallel to the fixed RF capacitor, and an RF choke inductor for DC power supply and an RF short capacitor for DC power supply are serially connected to the high output pin diode And a DC blocking and an RF shorting capacitor are connected in parallel to each other, and a switching driver is connected between the RF choke inductor for DC power supply and the RF shorting capacitor for DC power supply to fine control switching of the impedance at a high speed A digital power delivery device for supplying high precision and high speed power to a plasma chamber.
The power supply apparatus according to claim 1,
An RF switch for finely controlling a frequency signal generated by the digital frequency generator from the DSP controller before amplifying the power of the frequency signal generated from the digital frequency generator by the broadband power amplifier; An RF attenuator, and an RF switch, wherein the RF switch is connected in series to the power switching unit.
The power supply according to claim 2,
A voltage detector and a current detector for respectively detecting voltage and current of the amplified frequency signal power flowing on the RF transmission line after amplifying the power of the frequency signal generated from the digital frequency generator by the broadband power amplifier, And a power detector formed by a RF switch and an RF attenuator formed in a multi-stage, and a switching unit in which an RF switch is connected in series so as to switch and control voltage and current output from the detector and the current detector, respectively. To provide high-precision and high-speed power to the power supply.
The power supply unit according to claim 3,
Wherein the control unit controls the RF processor so that a signal delay of the frequency signal power detected by the power detector is not generated according to a preset RF On-time value. A digital power delivery device for supplying high speed power.

delete The method according to claim 1,
The digital power control unit of the digital power matching unit calculates a target impedance value to be matched from the magnitude and phase value of the voltage and current of the signal power detected from the input sensor and the output sensor at a high speed and supplies the calculated target impedance value to the impedance matching unit And the maximum power is transferred to the plasma chamber by matching the impedance by the high-speed switching control of the high-output switch unit.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the digital power controller calculates a value of a 4-bit capacitor of the impedance adjusting unit based on a current and a voltage value of a signal detected from the input sensor, and calculates a value of a 4-bit capacitor of the impedance adjusting unit based on the real part impedance of the load impedance of the plasma chamber, The frequency of the signal generated in the frequency generator is calculated so that the real part impedance has the same value and the imaginary part impedance with respect to the load impedance of the plasma chamber and the input impedance of the input sensor respectively have mutually conjugate complex numbers, Wherein the plasma chamber is directly impedance-matched to the load impedance of the plasma chamber without passing through a region of the plasma chamber. The impedance matching circuit of claim 1,
A switching driver for ON / OFF switching-controlling the high-output switch unit, and
Further comprising a switching power source for applying high voltage and negative power to the high output switch unit through the switching driver.
delete delete

Images