Patent ID: 9090460
Filing Date: 2015-07-28
Classification: B81C,C23C,H01J

Abstract:
1. A plasma processing method, comprising: supplying a process gas to a reaction chamber and flowing the process gas through a gas distributor in a first direction toward a surface of a workpiece; forming a plasma zone in the chamber using the process gas; flowing a tuning gas through a cathode discharge assembly, forming an electric field at least partially between a cathode and an anode of the cathode discharge assembly, wherein the cathode and the anode of the cathode discharge assembly are positioned at around an outer perimeter of a support element carrying the workpiece, and wherein the electric field at least partially dissociates and/or ionizes the tuning gas; and after flowing the tuning gas through the electric field, supplying the at least partially dissociated or ionized tuning gas to the plasma zone in the chamber proximate to a peripheral edge of the workpiece, wherein the tuning gas flows through an outlet of the cathode discharge assembly in a second direction different than the first direction of the process gas.