Patent ID: 6962664

Claim:
A method of adjusting a plasma density profile of a plasma contained in an interior region of a plasma reactor, so as to cause the plasma density profile to match or approach a desired plasma density profile, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing, adjacent the interior region, an electrode assembly having an upper electrode with an upper and lower surface, with the upper electrode lower surface facing the interior region, and two or more electrode segments arranged adjacent to the upper electrode upper surface so as to capacitively couple with the upper electrode, said two or more electrode segments being independently movable relative to said upper electrode upper surface; b) operating the plasma reactor and creating a database containing information relating to a plurality of parameters associated with a plurality of operating conditions corresponding to a plurality of different plasma density profiles; c) determining the plasma density profile by operating the plasma reactor to expose a substrate to the plasma and measuring the effect of the plasma on the substrate; d) using the database of said step b), comparing said determined plasma density profile in said step c) to the desired plasma density profile; and e) altering said determined plasma density profile to approach the desired plasma density profile by moving one or more electrode segments.