Patent ID: 8883024

Claim:
A method for processing a substrate using a Vacuum Ultra-Violet and Electron Energy Distribution Function (VUV and EEDƒ) etch system, the method comprising: positioning a substrate on a substrate holder in a process chamber configured to perform the VUV and EEDƒ-related procedure; creating an initial VUV and EEDf-related pre-processing plasma in a processing region during a first pre-processing time associated with the VUV and EEDƒ-related procedure using a Radio Frequency (RF) generator; determining a first measured VUV radiation value for the initial VUV and EEDƒ-related pre-processing plasma; comparing the first measured VUV radiation value to first VUV radiation limits during the first pre-processing time; performing at least one first corrective action to improve the first measured VUV radiation value when the first measured VUV radiation value exceeds one or more of the first VUV radiation limits during the first pre-processing time; and creating one or more first VUV and EEDƒ-related plasmas in the process chamber during a second pre-processing time associated with the VUV and EEDf-related procedure using the RF generator.