Patent ID: 8119532

Claim:
A method of simultaneously processing first and second semiconductor substrates in a dual zone plasma processing chamber comprising: placing the first substrate on a first substrate support and the second substrate on a second substrate support in the plasma processing chamber; the first substrate support having a first support surface adapted to support the first substrate within the processing chamber; the second substrate support having a second support surface adapted to support the second substrate within the processing chamber; one or more gas sources in fluid communication with one or more gas distribution members supplying process gas to a first zone adjacent to the first substrate support and a second zone adjacent to the second substrate support; and a radio-frequency (RF) antenna adapted to inductively couple RF energy into an interior of the processing chamber and energize the process gas into a plasma state in the first and second zones, wherein the antenna is located between the first substrate support and the second substrate support; wherein the first support surface is parallel to the second support surface and the antenna is a planar antenna oriented parallel to the first and second support surfaces; discharging process gases from the one or more gas sources into the first zone between the antenna and the first substrate and into the second zone between the antenna and the second substrate; generating a first plasma from the process gas in the first zone and a second plasma from the process gas in the second zone; and simultaneously processing the first substrate with the first plasma and the second substrate with the second plasma.