Method and apparatus to detect fault conditions of plasma processing reactor

1. A method for monitoring a plasma process, comprising the steps of:

initiating a plasma process within a plasma chamber;

obtaining plasma parameter data on the plasma process wherein the plasma parameter data is obtained by use of a single planar ion flux (PIF) probe wherein a sensing surface of the PIF probe is exposed to the plasma and is coextensive with a wall or component surface within the plasma chamber; and

evaluating the plasma parameter data for indications of a fault condition, wherein evaluation of the plasma parameter data includes any combination of:

storing the plasma parameter data on a computer-readable storage medium system,

filtering the plasma parameter data,

subjecting the plasma parameter data to an algorithm,

subjecting the plasma parameter data to a mathematical operation; and

comparing the plasma parameter data to existing reference data, which results in an interpretation; and, the issuance of a status report and/or warning based on the interpretation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma parameter data is obtained without substantively perturbing the plasma.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the probe is positioned in a recess extending into a radio frequency biased surface or at a grounded surface.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma parameter data is obtained by applying a radio-frequency (RF) burst comprising at least one RF pulse to the PIF probe.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma parameter data is used to indicate that the plasma chamber fault condition is the occurrence of a poor stabilization rate.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma parameter data is used to indicate that the plasma chamber fault condition is the occurrence of a loss of plasma confinement.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma parameter data is used to indicate that the plasma chamber fault condition is the occurrence of lack of chamber matching in a group of plasma chambers running the same process recipe on the same type of wafers.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein (a) the status report and/or warning initiates a corrective step in the system, (b) the status report and/or warning records the interpretation in a log containing wafer history and/or (c) the status report and/or warning stops the processing of a wafer in the plasma chamber.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein (a) the plasma parameter data is collected as a series of measurements during the course of processing a wafer, and/or (b) the plasma parameter data comprises post-RF ramp plasma density data.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the series of measurements of a plasma parameter as a function of time are plotted in graph form.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the fault condition is a build-up of process by-products in the process chamber.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein a change in the slope of the post-RF ramp plasma density data is used to indicate the plasma chamber fault condition is a build-up of process by-products in the process chamber.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein stability in the amplitude of the plasma density after match tuning takes more than about one half second before returning to its proper equilibrium point, indicating that the plasma chamber fault condition is the occurrence of a poor stabilization rate.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein an oscillation of the plasma density after an RF ramp of between about 5% and about 20% of the absolute value of the plasma density is used to indicate that the plasma chamber fault condition is a helium leak.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein an oscillation of the plasma density less than 5% of the absolute value of the plasma density and of duration less than 5 seconds, occurring after the RF ramp, is used to indicate that the plasma chamber fault condition is a random re-tuning of the matching system.