Fundamental RF Plasma Generation for
Semiconductor Processing Equipment

This introductory course provides maintenance and equipment engineers and technicians with a basic working knowledge of RF technology as it is applied to semiconductor processing equipment. The role of RF in the various deposition processes, including sputter deposition and etching systems, is discussed. The characteristics and uses of various components that make up an RF system are described. The differences between resistive and reactive components are explained as well as the difference between series and parallel resonance. Under reactive components, the course covers tuning circuits, filter circuits, and the plasma chamber itself. The use of inductive versus capacitive coupling of RF power into the plasma discharge is reviewed as well as methods for measuring target and substrate voltages and their relation to ion energies. The course includes discussions of the operation and use of RF power amplifiers, transmission lines and matching networks.