阅读说明：本技术 定向耦合器 (Directional coupler ) 是由 史威格·尼古拉 格莱德·安德烈 于 2020-09-28 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种定向耦合器(100),其包括用于接收高功率信号的非直主导线(39)和至少一个耦合元件(38a、38b)。所述主导线(39)布置成在平面P-0中延伸。所述至少一个耦合元件(38a、38b)被布置成与所述主导线(39)部分地平行。此外,本发明涉及一种使用所述定向耦合器(100)测量RF电压和/或RF功率的方法。该方法包括将所述定向耦合器(100)的测量信号与VI传感器单元(40)的测量电压值和电流值进行组合的步骤。在其中一个测量信号具有低电平或零电平的情况下,RF电压和/或RF功率的测量的灵敏度被提高。(The invention relates to a directional coupler (100) comprising a non-straight main conductor (39) for receiving high-power signals and at least one coupling element (38a, 38 b). The main conductor (39) is arranged in a plane P 0 Middle extension. The at least one coupling element (38a, 38b) is arranged partially parallel to the main conductor (39). Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for measuring RF voltage and/or RF power using the directional coupler (100). The method comprises measuring signals of the directional coupler (100)And a step of combining with the measured voltage value and current value of the VI sensor unit (40). In case one of the measurement signals has a low or zero level, the sensitivity of the measurement of the RF voltage and/or the RF power is increased.)

1. A directional coupler (100), comprising:

a non-straight main conductor (39) for receiving a high power signal and at least one coupling element (38a, 38b),

the non-straight main conductor (39) is arranged in a plane (P)₀) Middle extension; and is

The at least one coupling element (38a, 38b) is arranged partially parallel to the main conductor (39).

2. The directional coupler (100) of claim 1,

the main conductor (39) comprises two straight segments (50a, 50b) and a third segment (51).

3. The directional coupler (100) of claim 2,

the two straight segments (54a, 54b) and the third segment (51) are shaped so as to substantially form a U-shaped main conductor (39).

4. The directional coupler (100) of any of the preceding claims,

the directional coupler (100) is arranged on a circuit board (48), in particular a printed circuit board.

5. The directional coupler (100) of claim 4,

the circuit board (48) comprising first and second circuit board portions (54a, 54b),

wherein each of the at least two straight line segments (50a, 50b) is arranged on a respective printed circuit board portion (54a, 54b), an

Wherein the at least two conductor portions (50a, 50b) are connected by the third segment (51), wherein the third segment (51) is a connecting bridge or contact through the first and second circuit board portions (54a, 54 b).

6. The directional coupler (100) of claim 5,

the third segment (51) is arranged in a plane substantially perpendicular to each of the at least two straight segments (50a, 50 b).

7. The directional coupler (100) of any of claims 2 to 6,

the third section (51) and the at least two straight segments (50a, 50b) are configured as a one-piece or multi-part main guide wire (39).

8. The directional coupler (100) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a VI sensor unit (40) for measuring a voltage (V) and a current (I),

the VI sensor unit (40) is arranged adjacent to one of the at least two straight sections (50a, 50b) and parallel to the circuit board (48).

9. The directional coupler (100) of claim 8,

the VI sensor unit (40) further comprises a flat housing (44) having a flat side (45) and a flat inner surface (46), and the flat inner surface (46) is arranged adjacent to one of the at least two straight sections (50a, 50b) and parallel to the circuit board (48).

10. The directional coupler (100) of claim 9,

the VI sensor unit (40) comprises a flat housing (44) with a flat side (45), the flat side (45) having a flat inner surface (46) and a flat outer surface, which are arranged substantially on the same plane and which are continuous with the small side or top side of the directional coupler (100,48) on the circuit board (48).

11. The directional coupler (100) of any of claims 5 to 10,

the directional coupler (100) and the main conductor (39) are arranged on a plurality of circuit boards (48) forming a multilayer structure,

wherein each of the plurality of circuit boards comprises the first and second circuit board portions (54a, 54b),

wherein each of the at least two straight segments (50a, 50b) is arranged on a respective printed circuit board portion (54a, 54b) of each of the plurality of circuit boards.

12. The directional coupler (100) of claim 11,

the directional coupler (100) and the main conductor (39) are arranged on two circuit boards (48) forming a two-layer structure with a distance and an angle between the two circuit boards (48).

13. The directional coupler (100) of claim 12,

the two circuit boards (48) are arranged together on a metallic ground plane.

14. A method of measuring RF voltage and/or RF power using a directional coupler (100) according to any of claims 8 to 13, characterized by the steps of:

-combining the measurement signals of the directional coupler (100) and the measurement voltage and current values of the VI sensor unit (40), and-in case one of the measurement signals has a low or zero level, increasing the sensitivity of the measurement of RF voltage and/or RF power.

15. A method of impedance matching a generator output radio frequency signal to a load impedance generated by a plasma processing chamber, comprising the steps of;

generating a radio frequency signal;

amplifying the radio frequency signal into a high power radio frequency signal at an output of the radio frequency generator;

providing the high power radio frequency signal from the output of the generator to an electrode of a plasma processing chamber;

measuring forward reflected power characteristics using the directional coupler of claims 1-13 to sample power delivered into the plasma processing chamber;

adjusting the generation of the radio frequency signal or the amplification of the radio frequency signal based on sampling power in a plasma delivered to the plasma processing chamber.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a directional coupler comprising a non-straight main conductor for receiving high power signals and at least one coupling element. The main conductor is arranged in a plane P₀Middle extension. At least one coupling element is arranged partially parallel to the main conductor.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for measuring RF voltage and/or RF power using a directional coupler. The method comprises the step of combining the measurement signal of the directional coupler and the measured voltage and current values of the VI sensor unit. In case one of the measurement signals has a low or zero level, the sensitivity of the measurement of the RF voltage and/or the RF power is increased.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method of impedance matching a generator output radio frequency signal to a load impedance generated by a plasma processing chamber. The method comprises the following steps: generating a radio frequency signal; amplifying the radio frequency signal into a high power radio frequency signal at the output of the radio frequency generator; providing a high power rf signal from the output of the generator to an electrode of the plasma processing chamber; measuring forward reflected power characteristics using a directional coupler according to the present invention to sample power delivered to a plasma processing chamber; and adjusting the generation of the radio frequency signal or the amplification of the radio frequency signal based on the sampling of the power delivered to the plasma processing chamber.

Background

A directional coupler is a circuit element used at radio frequencies and has a characteristic of dividing a signal fed to an input port into two output ports in a prescribed manner. The signal component distribution to the two output ports need not be uniform. For a directional coupler with four ports, one port is "decoupled", i.e. ideally, there is no signal component output at that port. Where a port is considered alone, the assignment of the remaining ports depends on the direction of the signal or wave passing through that port. This is therefore called a directional coupler.

A Radio Frequency (RF) generator, sometimes referred to as an "RF power supply," is used to generate radio frequency power suitable for delivery to an application. From an electrical point of view, this application provides a load for the power transmission circuit. The load has an electrical impedance that determines how well the power is delivered to the load (to the application). Examples of rf power applications include deposition and etch processes by generating plasma in a dedicated plasma processing chamber. These processes are very common in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, for which frequencies of 13.56MHz, 27.12MHz, 40.68MHz, or any other suitable frequency or combination of frequencies may be used. The power levels involved in providing plasma processing chambers may be, for example, 100W to 1000W, or greater than 1000W. Other applications exist including powering radio antennas, wireless power transfer, and dielectric heating, to name a few.

When the load impedance does not match the supply impedance, power is not properly delivered into the load (due to the impedance mismatch). Since the impedance of the load may vary with a number of parameters (e.g. gas type, gas pressure, ionization degree of gas particles in case of plasma processing applications) and is therefore usually unknown, it is necessary to monitor the power actually supplied to the load. One possibility is to monitor the forward power (the part actually transmitted to the application) and the reflected power (the part reflected and therefore not available to the application). The physical source of reflected power is impedance mismatch. Directional couplers are known sensing elements for monitoring the forward and reflected power and providing feedback to the controller of the generator so that the power signal (in terms of amplitude, phase, frequency, waveform or other characteristics) can be adjusted for a high and stable portion of the transmitted power with little or no reflected power.

In other words, this allows the radiofrequency generator to be stabilized in such a way that the power absorbed in the load can be tuned and kept constant (impedance matching). In order to be able to measure the radio frequency power supplied in the load direction as well as the reflected power, a directional coupler is usually used, which has a secondary line in relation to a main line transmitting the radio frequency power in the load direction. The power provided in the load direction may be measured via one secondary line and the reflected power may be measured via another secondary line. Due to the provision of radio frequency power through the main line, an electromagnetic field is generated which is coupled to the secondary line, so that measurement signals can be recorded on the secondary line, which measurement signals are related to the power directed towards the load ("forward") and the reflected power, respectively, on the main line.

Another probe element that may be used is a voltage-current probe (i.e., VI probe). The information obtained from the amplitude and phase information of the VI probe is substantially equivalent to the reflected/forward information collected by the directional coupler, since both techniques theoretically allow the impedance of the load to be derived and, in operation, provide this feedback to the generator.

However, impedance measurements by directional couplers only (forward and reflected power) or by VI probes only have poor resolution when the measured values are very small. When measured by a directional coupler and the reflected power is very small, it is difficult to accurately measure such a value. When measured by a VI probe and the voltage or current is very small or almost at zero value, it is difficult to measure those voltage or current values with high accuracy.

Generally, the directional couplers used in the prior art extend very much in the longitudinal direction of the main conductor. A disadvantage of such a directional coupler is therefore that a large amount of space is required in this direction, which has a negative effect on the size of the radio frequency generator.

WO 2013/017397a1 discloses a DC isolated directional coupler, in particular for coupling high frequency measurement signals into and out of a radar level gauge. The radar level gauge comprises two mutually engaging conductor tracks bent in opposite directions. The two oppositely curved conductor tracks are arranged in such a way that they are coupled to one another over a region of a quarter wavelength (lambda/4) of the wavelength associated with the intermediate frequency of the measurement signal and form two sets of side-coupled conductor tracks. Furthermore, in each case a curved conductor track piece adjoins each of the two sets of side-coupled conductor tracks over a region of less than one eighth of the wavelength (λ/8) associated with the intermediate frequency.

DE 102014009141a1 discloses a converter using RF communication signals. The converter is arranged on a chip using a plurality of pairs of transmission lines bent in a U-shape.

DE 19647315a1 discloses an element with electromagnetic field coupling lines. These lines form a spiral.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a directional coupler of compact size that can simplify its implementation. It is a further object of the invention to provide a directional coupler of an integrated VI probe which improves the resolution of the impedance measurement by the directional coupler and allows a space-saving arrangement of a plurality of probe elements.

This object is achieved by a directional coupler comprising a non-straight main conductor for receiving a high power signal and at least one coupling element. The main conductor is arranged in a plane P₀Middle extension. The at least one coupling element is arranged partially parallel to the main conductor.

Furthermore, the object is achieved by a method for measuring RF voltage and/or RF power using a directional coupler. The method comprises the step of combining the measurement signal of the directional coupler and the measured voltage and current values of the VI sensor unit. In case one of the measurement signals has a low or zero level, the sensitivity of the measurement of the RF voltage and/or the RF power is increased.

The directional coupler of the present invention allows the spatial size of the directional coupler to be reduced. This also advantageously improves the implementation of the inventive directional coupler as a radio frequency transmission device (e.g. a radio frequency generator or an impedance matching network), since such a compact assembly is easier or simpler to implement, based on the inventive directional coupler having more compact dimensions. Furthermore, this may also save costs for manufacturing the radio frequency power delivery device.

Furthermore, the use of a directional coupler comprising a VI probe advantageously improves the resolution of the impedance measurements for certain impedance values, as will become more clear when referring to the smith chart discussed later in this specification. This is based on the measurement properties of the VI probe, which advantageously complements the resolution of very small measured values in areas of poor measurement by the directional coupler. Thus, the combination of the directional coupler and the VI probe promotes certain measurements or impedance measurements in all regions of the so-called smith chart.

According to a first embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the main conductor of the directional coupler comprises two straight line segments and a third segment.

According to a second embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the two straight sections and the third section are shaped to substantially form a U-shaped main conductor.

According to a third embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the directional coupler is arranged on a circuit board, in particular a printed circuit board.

It is very convenient if the circuit board is provided as a printed circuit board, known as PCB. The printed circuit board comprises a carrier plate or flat layer of electrically insulating material. For example, a wire of copper material may be printed on the board by an etching process. The main and sensor wires may be copper wires. Optionally, the circuit board is arranged as a flexible and/or thin printed circuit board.

According to a fourth embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the circuit board comprises a first and a second circuit board section. Each of the at least two straight segments is disposed on a respective printed circuit board portion. The at least two conductor sections are connected by the third segment, wherein the third segment is a connecting bridge or contact through the first and second circuit board sections.

According to a fifth embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the third segment is arranged in a plane substantially perpendicular to each of the at least two straight segments.

According to a sixth embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the third section and the at least two straightaway sections are configured as a one-piece or multi-part main guide wire.

According to a seventh embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the directional coupler further comprises a VI sensor unit for measuring the voltage (V) and the current (I). The VI sensor unit is disposed adjacent to one of the at least two straight segments and parallel to the circuit board.

This advantageously enables the directional coupler to be used over a wide range of frequencies and to accurately measure frequencies for different applications. Alternatively, another VI sensor may be arranged parallel to the first VI sensor, but on the opposite side of the circuit board or the directional coupler.

According to an eighth embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the VI sensor unit further comprises a flat housing having a flat side and a flat inner surface, and the flat inner surface is arranged adjacent to one of the at least two straight segments and parallel to the circuit board.

According to a ninth embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the VI sensor unit comprises a flat housing having a flat side with a flat inner surface and a flat outer surface. The flat inner surface and the flat outer surface are arranged substantially on the same plane and are continuous with the small side or top side of the directional coupler on the circuit board.

According to a tenth embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the directional coupler and the main conductor are arranged on a plurality of circuit boards forming a multilayer structure. Each of the plurality of circuit boards includes the first and second circuit board sections. Each of the at least two straight segments is disposed on a respective printed circuit board portion of each of the plurality of circuit boards.

According to an eleventh embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the directional coupler and the main conductor are arranged on two circuit boards forming a two-layer structure, and the two circuit boards have a distance and an angle to each other.

According to a twelfth embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the two circuit boards are arranged together on a metallic ground layer.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a method of measuring RF voltage and/or RF power using a directional coupler according to the first aspect of the invention, the method comprising the steps of: combining the measurement signal of the directional coupler and the measured voltage and current values of the VI sensor unit. In case one of the measurement signals has a low or zero level, a step of increasing the sensitivity of the measurement of the RF voltage and/or the RF power is further included.

According to a third aspect of the invention, a method of impedance matching a generator output radio frequency signal to a load impedance generated by a plasma processing chamber comprises the steps of: generating a radio frequency signal; amplifying the radio frequency signal into a high power radio frequency signal at an output of the radio frequency generator; providing the high power radio frequency signal from the output of the generator to an electrode of a plasma processing chamber. Forward reflected power characteristics are measured using a directional coupler according to the first aspect of the invention to sample the power delivered into the plasma processing chamber. The generation of the radio frequency signal or the amplification of the radio frequency signal is adjusted based on sampling of power in the plasma delivered to the plasma processing chamber.

According to other aspects, the invention comprises the following features or grouping features:

a directional coupler according to the first aspect of the invention comprises a non-straight main conductor for receiving a high power signal and at least one coupling element. The main non-straight conductor being arranged in a plane P₀Middle extension. The other plane S is perpendicular to the plane P₀And the at least one coupling element is arranged to extend in a plane S, wherein the at least one coupling element is arranged partially parallel to the main conductor.

This arrangement of the components of the directional coupler allows for a non-planar arrangement or a non-planar directional coupler, since the main conductor and the coupling element lie in two different planes P arranged perpendicularly₀And S. Furthermore, this arrangement enables a space-saving arrangement of the directional coupler.

The directional coupler according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a further plane S having a surface, and the surface shape of the plane S depends on the shape of the main conductor.

The directional coupler according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises a plane P having a surface₀And the course of the main conductor depends on the plane P₀The spatial shape of the surface of (a). Plane P₀The shape of the surface of (b) is a single curved surface or a plurality of curved surfaces P.

The directional coupler according to the first aspect of the invention comprises a main conductor, wherein the course of the main conductor or main conductor is defined by the intersection of the two surfaces of planes P and S.

Drawings

The invention will be described in detail in connection with various exemplary embodiments in the following figures:

figure 1 shows an exemplary set-up diagram for supplying radio frequency power from a radio frequency generator to a load,

figure 2a shows a schematic 3D view of the spatial arrangement of the components of the directional coupler according to the invention,

figure 2b shows a schematic 2D view of the spatial arrangement of the components shown in figure 2a,

figure 2c shows a schematic 3D view of another spatial arrangement of the components of the directional coupler according to the invention,

figure 2D shows a schematic 2D view of the spatial arrangement of the components shown in figure 2c,

figure 2e shows a schematic 3D view of another spatial arrangement of the components of the directional coupler according to the invention,

figure 3 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a directional coupler according to the invention,

figure 3a shows a schematic view of another embodiment of a directional coupler according to the present invention,

figure 3b shows a schematic side view of an embodiment of the directional coupler of figure 3a,

figure 4 shows a schematic view of a VI sensor unit or VI probe,

FIG. 4a shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a directional coupler

Figure 5 shows a schematic side view of a further embodiment of a directional coupler,

figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a directional coupler,

figure 7 shows a schematic side view of yet another embodiment of the invention,

figure 8 shows a schematic view of a further embodiment of the invention,

figure 9 shows a schematic view of another embodiment of the invention,

fig. 10 shows a smith chart or region Z1 to Z3 in a smith chart measuring certain impedance values.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 depicts an exemplary radio frequency power supply circuit for providing radio frequency power from an RF generator to a load. The circuit comprises a radio frequency generator 1. The RF generator is typically configured to provide high power (e.g., 1000W or higher) at a frequency of 13.56MHz, although other frequencies are alternatively possible. The radio frequency power supply circuit also comprises a pick-up with a so-called power meter 2. These power meters 2 are configured as examples of directional couplers that measure forward and reflected radio frequency power, giving information about the power delivered. Furthermore, fig. 1 shows an isense coil 3 for measuring the current I and a vprob 4 for measuring the voltage V. The so-called VI probe 5 is usually combined for voltage and current measurements. The circuit further comprises a load 6, such as a plasma chamber 6, comprising an electrode 7 and a plasma 8. From a structural point of view, the radio frequency power supply circuit generally includes an impedance matching network 11 including variable capacitors C111 a, C211C, and a coil L11 b. The network 11 matches the impedance to the plasma load.

Fig. 2a shows a schematic 3D view of the spatial arrangement of the components of the directional coupler according to the present invention. FIG. 2a shows a plane P₀. The main conductor 39 is arranged in a plane P₀And an upper extension. The main conductor 39 is not straight, or the course of the main conductor 39 is not straight. Optionally, the main conductor is curved, bent or partially straight. The other plane S is perpendicular to the plane P₀And (4) setting. The main conductor 39 is arranged to extend on a plane S or is comprised in a plane P₀In (1). The coupling elements 38a, 38b are arranged to extend in or to be comprised in the plane S. The coupling elements 38a, 38b are arranged partially parallel to the main conductor 39. The box numbers 1,2 and 3 represent reference points for easier orientation in 2D and 3D views. Main conductor 39 extends from plane P₀And the intersection of the two surfaces of S.

Fig. 2b depicts a schematic 2D view of the spatial arrangement of the components depicted in fig. 2 a. These components are identical to the components already described in fig. 2 a.

Fig. 2c depicts a schematic 3D view of another spatial arrangement of components of a directional coupler according to the present invention. These components have already been described in fig. 2 a. Unlike fig. 2a, the main conductor 39 is shaped like a hairpin. On both sides of the main conductor, two coupling elements 38a, 38b are arranged parallel to the main conductor 39. The plane S includes a main conductor 39 and the surface of the plane S is shaped according to or depending on the shape of the main conductor 39. Main conductor 39 extends from plane P₀And the intersection of the two surfaces of S.

Fig. 2D depicts a schematic 2D view of the spatial arrangement of the components depicted in fig. 2 c. These components are already depicted in fig. 2 c.

Fig. 2e depicts a schematic 3D view of another spatial arrangement of components of the directional coupler according to the present invention. Unlike the other embodiments shown in fig. 2a and 2c, in this embodiment, the plane P is₀Is curved to give a shape other than plane P. The main conductor 39 is defined by the intersection of two non-planar surfaces of the planes P and S.

Fig. 3 depicts an embodiment of a directional coupler 100 according to the present invention, which includes a non-straight main conductor 39 for receiving high power signals and at least one coupling element 38a, 38 b. The main conductor 39 is arranged in a plane (P)₀) And at least one coupling element 38a, 38b is arranged partly parallel to the main conductor. Sensor lines for measuring Forward (FWD) power and Reflected (RFL) power are optionally arranged in the same plane.

Fig. 3a depicts a schematic view of another embodiment of a directional coupler according to the present invention. The directional coupler 100 includes a non-straight main conductor 39 for receiving high power signals and at least one coupling element 38a, 38 b. The main conductor 39 is arranged in a plane P₀And at least one coupling element 38a, 38b is arranged parallel to the main conductor portion. The two straight segments 50a, 50b and the third segment 51 are shaped to substantially form a U-shaped main conductor 39.

Fig. 3b depicts an embodiment of a directional coupler 100 in which the main conductor 39 is disposed on the circuit board 48, and two coupling elements 38a, 38b are adjacent to the main conductor 39. In this embodiment, the printed circuit board 48 is bendable. The main conductor 39 extends along the circuit board and may be a mostly straight or curved or twisted or bent conductor 39, as long as it is in the plane P₀The preparation method is implemented by the following steps. In this figure, plane P₀Is a plane perpendicular to the surface 48 that contains the main conductor 39. The third section 51 of the main conductor 39 follows the flexible circuit board and connects the two straight sections 50a and 50 b.

Fig. 4 depicts a VI sensor unit 40. The VI sensor unit 40 or the VI probe sensor element 40 is configured for measuring voltage and current and thus for measuring output power. The VI sensor unit 40 comprises a flat housing 44 having a flat side 45, the flat side 45 having a flat inner surface 46. The RF power line passes through the opening 47 of the VI sensor unit 40. The VI sensor unit shown in fig. 4 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, having two small sides 52 and two long sides 53 in addition to the flat sides 45 and 46 described above. The opening 47 of the VI sensor unit 40 may optionally be arranged asymmetrically to the centerline B of the VI sensor unit 40. The center line B is perpendicular to the RF power line direction (parallel to the surface 45) and parallel to the small side 52 of the VI sensor unit 40. As is known from the prior art, a VI probe consists of an inductive coupling element and a capacitive coupling element. These elements may be arranged in a box of rectangular parallelepiped shape. The inductive element may be implemented as a Rogowski coil. The rogowski coil may be disposed, for example, around the opening 47 of the VI probe shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 4a shows an embodiment of the invention in combination with a VI sensor unit 40. The VI sensor unit comprises a flat housing 44 with a flat side 45, the flat side 45 having a flat inner surface 46. The RF power line or main conductor 39 passes through an opening 47 of the VI sensor unit 40. The length L1 of the directional coupler 100 has a certain length according to the prior art. This length L1, in combination with the thickness L2 of the VI sensor unit 40 perpendicular to the length L1 and the space propagation (not shown), determines the space requirements necessary for the directional coupler 100 including the sensor of the VI sensor unit 40, which may occupy a large amount of space.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the flat inner surface 46 of the VI sensor unit 40 is arranged near one straight section 50b of the directional coupler 100. The VI sensor unit 40 comprises a flat housing 44 having a flat side 45, the flat side 45 having a flat inner surface 46. The VI sensor unit 40 has a measurement opening 47 for receiving the output line portion 39b of the main conductor 39. Although the present embodiment shows only the output wire portion 39b being received by the measurement opening 47 of the VI probe, it will be apparent that any other portion of the main conductor 39 may also be received by the measurement opening 47 of the VI probe, including for example the input wire portion 39 a. The opening 47 of the VI sensor unit 40 may optionally be arranged asymmetrically to the centerline B of the VI sensor unit 40. The center line B is perpendicular to the RF power line direction of the main conductor 39 and parallel to the small side 52 of the VI sensor unit 40.

The VI sensor unit 40 may be housed on a printed circuit board 48. The straight line segments 50a and 50b of the main conductor 39 of the directional coupler can also be accommodated on a (further) circuit board, as already discussed in fig. 3 a. Alternatively, both the VI sensor unit 40 and the directional coupler 39 may be integrated into one sensing unit by housing them on two adjacent circuit boards or two parts of the same circuit board.

Fig. 6 and 7 show other embodiments of the directional coupler 100. In these embodiments, the directional coupler 100 comprises two printed circuit board portions 54a, 54b using a through contact 55 for connecting the two straight line segments 50a, 50b via the third segment 51. Multiple circuit boards may be used, each circuit board 48 including two circuit board portions 54a, 54b, for improved impedance measurement.

In the embodiment according to fig. 3a and according to fig. 5 to 7, the RF power supply line or main conductor 39 of the directional coupler 100 comprises an input line portion 39a and an output line portion 39b, both of which are arranged perpendicular to the straight line segments 50a, 50b of the U-shaped directional coupler 100, but at the free end of the U-shaped portion. The input line section 39a and the output line section 39b are arranged on one RF axis.

Fig. 8 shows another embodiment according to the present invention, wherein the VI sensor unit 40 is placed in parallel with the circuit board portion 54b of the directional coupler 100. The coupling element 38a is disposed on the circuit board portion 54a (as shown in fig. 3a and 3 b), while the coupling element 38b is disposed on the circuit board portion 54 b. The directional coupler 100 and the VI sensor unit 40 in this embodiment enable a very compact arrangement and are therefore advantageous for space saving and easy implementation. This is achieved by stacking printed circuit boards together.

Fig. 9 depicts another embodiment of a directional coupler that uses a through contact 55 for connecting two straight segments 50a, 50 b. Another VI sensor unit 40' may be disposed parallel to the first VI sensor unit 40, but on the opposite side of the circuit board 48 or the directional coupler 100. Furthermore, as shown in fig. 3a, each VI sensor 40, 40' is parallel to the coupling element 38a, 38 b. The VI sensor units 40, 40' for measuring voltage and current each comprise a flat housing 44 with a flat side 45, the flat side 45 of which has a flat inner surface 46. The flat surfaces of the VI probe sensors 40, 40' are arranged substantially at the same plane as the circuit board portions 54a, 54b of the circuit board 48 and/or continuous with the small side of the directional coupler 100. This embodiment shows the use of a multi-stack structure, using multiple printed circuit boards, for advantageous RF power measurement along the RF power transmission lines 39a, 50a, 51, 50b, 39 b: the integration of the VI sensor unit with the directional coupler in a compact manner using a U-shaped planarly arranged main RF conductor line and using multiple stacked printed circuit boards to accommodate the coupling element of the directional coupler and the detection element of the VI sensor unit saves space compared to previously known power sensing elements.

In the embodiment of fig. 6-9, circuit board 48 has a first printed circuit board section and a second printed circuit board section. The main conductor 39 comprises two straight line segments 50a, 50b, each arranged on a respective printed circuit board portion, wherein the straight line segments 50a, 50b are interconnected via a third segment 51 (e.g. a connecting bridge) that passes through the printed circuit board portions, constituting a through connection 55 or a through contact 55.

In all embodiments according to fig. 3 to 9, the directional coupler 100 comprises a first coupling element 38a and a second coupling element 38 b. Each coupling element 38a, 38b is arranged partially parallel to the main conductor 39 so that a suitable power measurement can be made. The second coupling element 38b is configured for Forward Running Wave (FWD) and the first coupling element 38a is configured for Reflected Wave (RFL). The first coupling element 38a is arranged on the opposite side of the second coupling element 38b, i.e. on the different board side.

Fig. 10 shows smith charts or regions Z1-Z3 in smith charts measuring certain impedance values. A smith chart is a graphical representation of the complex impedance of Radio Frequency (RF) engineering. Supporting the solution of the problems of transmission lines and matching circuits. The smith chart can be used to simultaneously display multiple parameters including impedance (complex Z), admittance, reflection coefficient, scattering parameters, noise coefficient circle, constant gain profile and unconditional stability region.

Fig. 10 also depicts three zones Z1 to Z3 when using the directional coupler 100 for impedance measurement of the present invention comprising a VI sensor unit 40.

When measuring RF voltage and/or RF power using the directional coupler 100 according to the present invention, the measurement signal of the directional coupler 100 is combined with the measured voltage and current values of the VI sensor unit 40. In the case of one of the measurement signals having a low or zero level, the measurement sensitivity required for determining the impedance is not affected, since one or the other measurement probe always has sufficient resolution. In other words, the RF voltage and RF current can be well resolved, or if this is not the case, the reflected and transmitted RF power can be well resolved, as described below.

Region Z1 in fig. 10 (close to impedance matching) corresponds to a parameter region where the reflected power becomes very small and it may be difficult to accurately measure with only the directional coupler because it is difficult to resolve the extremely low signal corresponding to the reflected power. Thus, the combination of a directional coupler and a VI probe is particularly advantageous in this case, since both voltage and current signals can be well resolved in the region Z1.

The region Z2 (near the short circuit) corresponds to a parameter region where the voltage becomes very small and it may be difficult to measure very accurately with only the VI probe because it is difficult to resolve very low voltage signals. The combination of VI probe and directional coupler is therefore particularly advantageous in this case, since both forward and reflected power can be well resolved in the region Z2.

Region Z3 (near open circuit) corresponds to a parameter region where the current becomes very small and it may be difficult to measure very accurately with only the VI probe because of the difficulty in resolving the very low current signal. The combination of VI probe and directional coupler is therefore particularly advantageous in this case, since both forward and reflected power can be well resolved in the region Z3.

Therefore, in order to be able to accurately measure the parameters related to impedance matching under all possible conditions (including near open, near short and near perfect matching regions), it is advantageous to use a combination of VI and directional coupler. It is particularly advantageous to have such a combination with a compact arrangement similar to that provided by various embodiments according to the present invention.

The method of impedance matching the generator output rf signal to the load impedance generated by the plasma processing chamber can be advantageously performed by using the directional coupler 100 of the present invention, which includes the VI probe 40. The method comprises the following steps: generating a radio frequency signal; the radio frequency signal is amplified to a high power radio frequency signal at the output of the radio frequency generator. A high power radio frequency signal is provided from the output of the generator to the electrodes of the plasma processing chamber. Forward reflected power characteristics are measured using a directional coupler according to the present invention to sample the power delivered into a plasma processing chamber. The generation of the radio frequency signal (phase, amplitude, waveform, and/or frequency) or amplification of the radio frequency signal is adjusted based on sampling of power in the plasma delivered to the plasma processing chamber.

It should be pointed out explicitly that one subject of the invention can advantageously be combined with another subject of the above-described aspects of the invention and/or with the features shown in the figures, i.e. individually or in cumulative form.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1 radio frequency generator/radio frequency power supply

2 power meter (Directional coupler)

3I sensing coil

4V probe

6 plasma chamber

7 electrode

8 plasma

10 Power supply and diagnostics

11 impedance matching network

12 Power supply application/load and diagnostics

38a first coupling element

38b second coupling element

39a main conductor; RF power line

39a input line part

39b output line part

40 VI sensor unit

40' VI sensor unit

44 flat housing

45 flat side

46 flat inner surface

47 opening

48 circuit board

50a first straight line segment

50b second straight line segment

51 a third stage; connecting support leg

52 minor side surface

53 long side

54a first circuit board section

54b second circuit board part

55 straight-through contact

100 directional coupler