Monitoring of inner wall condition in mass-production plasma etching process using a load impedance monitoring system

Abstract

This work describes the detection of changes in the inner wall condition of mass-production plasma etching equipment using a load impedance monitoring system. The system detects the change in the imaginary part of the load impedance from a 50-Ω transmission line when the inner wall condition changes following exposure to the atmosphere. The results demonstrate that the system can be used as a practical method for real-time and noninvasive monitoring of the wall condition of etching chambers. This method will contribute to improvements in production yield and overall equipment effectiveness, and the development of predictive maintenance in semiconductor manufacturing.