Patent ID: 8668962

Claim:
A process for depositing a component on a substrate, the process comprising: (a) providing a microwave plasma assisted reactor comprising: (i) a first microwave chamber having a reference plane at a reference axial location Z 0 , the first microwave chamber comprising an electromagnetic wave source and extending in an axial direction z>Z 0 ; (ii) a plasma chamber having an outer wall, the plasma chamber extending into the first microwave chamber such that at least a portion of the plasma chamber is located at z>Z 0 and at least a portion of the plasma chamber is located at z<Z 0 ; (iii) a conductive stage for supporting a substrate holder and having a reference surface extending into the plasma chamber and defining a second microwave chamber in the plasma chamber (i) at z<Z 0 and (ii) between the plasma chamber outer wall and the conductive stage; (iv) a conducting short adjustably disposed in the second microwave chamber below Z 0 and in electrical contact with the plasma chamber outer wall and the conductive stage, the axial distance between the conducting short and Z 0 being L2, and the axial distance between the conducting short and the reference surface of the conductive stage being L1; and (v) a deposition substrate mounted above an upper surface of the conductive stage; wherein L2 and L1 are capable of adjustment in the reactor by moving the conducting short, such that different microwave modes are produced in the first microwave chamber and in the second microwave chamber during operation of the reactor; (b) operating the reactor at a pressure ranging from about 10 Torr to about 760 Torr; (c) adjusting the axial position of the conducting short and optionally the conductive stage of the reactor to optimize at least one of (i) a deposition area of the substrate having a deposition non-uniformity of 15% or less, (ii) a reactor power density, and (iii) a component deposition rate; and, (d) depositing a component on the substrate.