JPH01309328A - Method and apparatus for plasma treatment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent cracking of electrodes due to thermal expansion and to improve the durability of an apparatus by supplying a cooling gas to at least one of the electrodes. CONSTITUTION:A semiconductor wafer 13 is brought into contact with the surface of a lower electrode 14 in a treating container 1. Thereafter, the peripheral part of the wafer 13 is compressed with a clamping ring 15. The wafer 13 is supported along the curvature R of the electrode 14. Then, an electrode body 4 is lowered with a lifting mechanism 2. The interval between an upper electrode 7 and the lower electrode 14 is set at the desired interval for generating plasma. The electrode body 4 is formed with a conductive material. A cooling material circulating path 5 is formed in the electrode body 4. The upper electrode 7 is attached to the lower part in an electrically connected state with the electrode body 4. When the plasma is to be generated, etching gas is supplied into a space 8 under the state wherein cooling water is made to flow through the cooling path 5. High frequency power is applied across the electrodes 7 and 14, and the treating gas is turned into plasma.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Purpose of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a plasma processing method and an apparatus thereof.

(Prior Art) In recent years, plasma etching apparatuses that utilize reactive components in gas plasma have attracted attention as etching apparatuses for various thin films. Such an etching apparatus can simplify and automate the complicated manufacturing process of semiconductor devices. Moreover, such an etching apparatus can form fine patterns constituting a semiconductor element with high precision.

In such a plasma etching apparatus, an aluminum electrode is provided at the bottom of an airtight processing chamber connected to a vacuum apparatus. An aluminum electrode body including an amorphous carbon electrode is provided above the aluminum electrode. An RF electrode is connected between the amorphous carbon electrode and the aluminum electrode. For example, a semiconductor wafer is set on the aluminum electrode as the object to be processed. And R.F.
Apply power between the power source and each electrode. At the same time, a desired processing gas is supplied between each electrode. As a result, the processing gas is turned into plasma by the above electric power. The surface of the semiconductor wafer is etched using this plasma processing gas.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, the above-described plasma etching apparatus converts the processing gas into plasma by applying electric power between the electrodes. The semiconductor wafer is heated by the energy generated during this plasma formation. This heating destroys the resist layer on the semiconductor wafer. Therefore, it is necessary to cool the semiconductor wafer during etching. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-206225 discloses a technique for cooling semiconductor wafers and the like. In this technique, the semiconductor wafer is set as an electrode by pressing around the semiconductor wafer. Then, cooling gas is supplied from the center between the semiconductor wafer and the electrode to cool the semiconductor wafer.

In this case, cooling gas is simply supplied to the back surface of the semiconductor wafer from the center thereof. Therefore, the pressure and flow rate of the cooling gas differ depending on the position on the back surface of the semiconductor wafer. As a result, the semiconductor wafer rises from the electrode, and the contact area with the electrode becomes smaller. Furthermore, there is a problem in that it is not possible to perform uniform etching over the entire surface of the semiconductor wafer.

Additionally, conventional plasma etching apparatuses apply power to a surface electrode. Then, the upper electrode has a temperature of 150 to 180°C.
As a result, the upper amorphous carbon electrode and the aluminum electrode body equipped with this electrode expand thermally. In this case, since amorphous carbon and aluminum have different coefficients of thermal expansion, there was a problem in that the amorphous carbon electrode would crack.

In order to solve this problem, a technique for cooling the electrode is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 48758/1982. In this technique, electric power is applied between the amorphous carbon electrodes while the electrodes are cooled. This prevents cracks from forming in the electrode. However, if electric power is applied between the electrodes without the cooling operation being performed, there is still the problem that cracks occur in the electrodes due to thermal expansion.

The present invention has been made in response to the above-mentioned problems, and has made it possible to improve durability by preventing cracks in the electrode due to thermal expansion, and to prevent the adverse effects of high temperatures on the object to be processed. The present invention aims to provide a plasma processing method and apparatus.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention comprises a step of supplying a cooling gas at a predetermined flow rate and pressure to at least one of electrodes provided in a processing container, and a step of supplying a processing gas into the processing container. , comprising a step of applying a predetermined power between the electrodes to turn the processing gas into plasma, and a step of processing an object to be processed provided in the processing container with the processing gas turned into plasma. The present invention provides a plasma processing method characterized by:

Further, the present invention converts the processing gas in the processing container into plasma using electric power applied between electrodes provided in the processing container, and processes the object to be processed provided in the processing container with the plasma-turned processing gas. In the plasma processing apparatus, there is provided an electrode cooling means for cooling at least one of the electrodes, a cooling failure detection means for detecting cooling failure of the electrode, and a cooling failure detection signal of the cooling failure detection means. The present invention provides a plasma processing apparatus characterized in that it is equipped with plasma generation stop means for stopping the driving of the generation means.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the electrode cooling means includes a cooling gas supply means for supplying cooling gas to the object to be processed and a gap between the electrodes on which the object to be processed is provided, and a flow rate and pressure of the cooling gas to a desired value. The present invention provides a plasma processing apparatus characterized in that the plasma processing apparatus is comprised of a flow rate and pressure control means for controlling the flow rate and pressure.

(Operation and Effect) That is, according to the present invention, when poor cooling of the electrode is detected,
Plasma generation is stopped in synchronization with the cooling failure detection signal. This prevents abnormal heating of the electrodes caused by the power applied to the electrodes to generate plasma. As a result, for example, it is possible to suppress cracking due to thermal expansion of an electrode constructed by combining materials with extremely different coefficients of thermal expansion, improve the durability of the device, and reduce the work required to replace the electrodes. By suppressing cracks in the electrode, contamination within the processing container can be prevented.

In addition, by controlling the flow rate and pressure of the cooling gas supplied to the gap between the object to be processed and the electrodes on which it is placed, and cooling the object to be processed, the temperature at each point of the object to be processed can be adjusted. Make it uniform. Since the object to be processed is subjected to plasma processing in this state, it is possible to improve the processing uniformity of the object to be processed and to suppress any adverse effects on the object to be processed.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example in which the present invention is applied to etching processing of a semiconductor wafer will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the configuration of the etching apparatus will be explained.

As shown in Fig. 1, the upper part of the processing vessel ω is made of a conductive material such as aluminum, the surface of which is anodized, and the interior is kept airtight. An electrode body (2) that can be raised and lowered via a connecting rod (2) is provided. This electrode body (a)
is made of a conductive material such as aluminum, and the surface is anodized. This electrode body is equipped with an electrode cooling means. This cooling means forms, for example, a circulating flow path (2) inside the electrode body (a). It has a structure in which it is connected to a cooling device (not shown) provided outside the processing container (1) through a pipe 0 connected to this flow path (1), and a liquid such as water is controlled at a predetermined temperature and circulated. ing. This cooling means includes forced air cooling that cools and circulates gas without controlling liquid cooling, natural air cooling using radiation fins (not shown) provided in contact with the electrode body (A), and electrode body (A).
The same effect can be achieved using an electric cooling mechanism provided with a Peltier effect element inside. For example, an upper electrode made of amorphous carbon ■ is placed on the bottom surface of such an electrode body (A).
It is provided in electrical connection with the electrode body 0).

There is some space (
8) is formed, and a gas supply pipe (9) is connected to this space 0. The gas supply pipe (9) supplies processing gas, for example, from a gas supply source (not shown) outside the processing container. Argon, freon, etc. can be freely supplied to the space (8). A plurality of holes (10) are formed in the upper electrode (2) so that the processing gas supplied to the space (0) flows into the processing container (2) through the upper electrode (2).

An insulating ring (11) is provided around the upper electrode (2) and the electrode body (A). A shield ring (12) is provided extending from the lower surface of the insulating ring (11) to the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the upper electrode. This shield ring (12
) is made of an insulator, such as tetrafluoroethylene resin, so as to be able to generate plasma with approximately the same diameter as the object to be etched, such as a semiconductor wafer (13). Further, the semiconductor wafer (13) can be freely set on the surface of the lower electrode (14) provided at a position facing the upper electrode (2). This lower electrode (14) is made of, for example, aluminum and has a flat plate shape whose surface is subjected to alumite treatment. The upper surface of this lower electrode (14) is formed into a curved surface R, which is inclined from the center to the peripheral edge.

An ideal embodiment of this curved surface R is a uniform distribution surface.

This curved surface allows uniform etching. That is, this is to enable the entire back surface of the wafer to be brought into contact with the electrode. A clamp ring (15) is attached to the peripheral edge of this lower electrode (14).
) will be placed. The peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer (13) is adapted to the diameter of the semiconductor wafer (13) so that it comes into contact with the curved surface of the lower part 'RjMCI4>. This clamp ring (15) is made of, for example, aluminum, and its surface is anodized to provide an insulating alumina coating. This clamp ring (15) is attached to the semiconductor wafer (13) under a predetermined pressure using a lifting mechanism (not shown).
can be pressed freely.

Further, the lower electrode (14) is formed with, for example, four through holes (16) that penetrate in the vertical direction. A lid pin (17) is provided in the through hole (16) so as to be able to rise and fall freely. This lift turbine (17) is, for example, 5t
The lifting mechanism (1
9), it can be raised and lowered freely. In this case, the plate (18) is urged downward by the coil spring (20) when the elevating mechanism (19) is not driven. The tip of the lift turbine (17) is lowered from the surface of the lower electrode (14). The through hole (16) has a cooling gas flow conduit (2
1) is connected. This cooling gas flow conduit (21) is
A lower electrode (14) located at the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer (13)
) A plurality of openings (22), for example 16, provided on the surface.
is connected to. This opening (22) and the through hole (16)
A cooling gas introduction pipe (23) is provided at the bottom of the processing container 0) and is connected to a cooling gas supply source (not shown) so that a cooling gas, such as cooled helium gas, can be freely supplied to the back surface of the semiconductor wafer (13). There is.

Furthermore, when power is applied to the lower electrode (14), the temperature becomes high as in the case of the upper electrode (2). For this reason, this lower electrode (14) is also provided with an electrode cooling means, for example, a flow path (24) in contact with the lower surface of the lower electrode (14). This flow path (2
For example, a liquid cooling device (not shown) connected to the pipe (25) connected to the pipe (25) is provided with a cooling means by circulating a cooling liquid, for example, cooling water. This lower electrode (14)
Similarly to the cooling of the upper electrode (2), the cooling can also be performed by forced air cooling, natural air cooling, electrical cooling, etc. These lower electrodes (14) and upper electrodes are connected to the RF main power source 26).
is electrically connected to. In addition, the lower electrode (14
) and the inner surface of the processing vessel α).
An exhaust ring (28) with 27) is fitted. The exhaust gas inside the processing container can be freely exhausted by an exhaust device (not shown) or the like through an exhaust pipe (29) connected to the side wall of the processing container (2) below the exhaust ring (28). In this way, the etching device (30) is constructed.

Next, the operation and etching method of the above-mentioned etching apparatus will be explained.

First, an object to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer (13), is taken out according to a predetermined program from a wafer cassette provided in a loading section (not shown) of processing container (2), and is carried into processing container (2) via a load lock chamber (not shown). . and,
The semiconductor wafer (14) is placed above the electrode (14) inside the processing container while the lid pin (17) is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism (19). 13) Uke takes.

Then, the lift turbine (17) is lowered (the electrode (14) may be raised) and brought into contact with the surface of the lower electrode (14). Then, the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer (13) is pressed toward the lower electrode (14) by the clamp ring (15) and held along the curved surface R of the electrode (14).

At this time, the surface of this lower electrode (14) is formed into the above-mentioned curved surface R. For this reason, even if the semiconductor wafer (13) has warp or flexure caused by the pretreatment of the semiconductor wafer (13), the back surface of the semiconductor wafer (13) that is in contact with the surface of the lower electrode (14) is Almost the entire surface can be evenly contacted. Then, the inside of the processing container (G) is kept airtight, and the inside is set to a desired vacuum state. This vacuum operation may be performed in advance when the semiconductor wafer (13) is transferred by using a well-known preliminary chamber (load lock chamber).

Next, the electrode body 0 is moved through the connecting rod (3) by the lifting mechanism (■).
) is lowered, and the interval between the upper electrode (17) and the lower electrode (14) is set to a desired interval for plasma generation, for example, on the order of several meters. Then, an etching processing gas such as Freon gas or argon gas is supplied from a gas supply source (not shown) to the space (8) through the gas supply pipe (9). This space (8
) flows out to the surface of the semiconductor wafer (13) through a plurality of holes (10) provided in the upper electrode (2). At the same time, high frequency power is applied between the upper electrode (1) and the lower electrode (14) by the RF main power source 26) to turn the processing gas into plasma. The semiconductor wafer (13) is etched using this plasma processing gas. At this time,
By applying high frequency power, the upper electrode ■ and the lower electrode (14
) becomes high temperature.

Naturally, when the upper electrode (2) reaches a high temperature, thermal expansion occurs.

In this case, the upper electrode (2) is made of amorphous carbon, and the electrode body (2) in contact with it is made of aluminum, so the coefficients of thermal expansion are different and cracks occur. In order to prevent the occurrence of cracks, cooling water is flowed from a cooling device (not shown) connected via piping 0 into the flow path 0 previously formed inside the electrode body, and indirectly The electrode ■ is being cooled. Further, as the temperature of the lower electrode (14) increases, the temperature of the semiconductor wafer (13) also increases.

Therefore, there is a risk that the resist pattern formed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer (13) will be destroyed, causing adverse effects such as causing defects. Therefore, the lower electrode (14)
Similarly to the upper electrode ■, there is also a flow path (24) formed at the bottom.
Cooling is performed by flowing cooling water or the like from a cooling device (not shown) that is connected via piping (25). This cooling water is controlled at about 20 to 80°C in order to process the semiconductor wafer (13) at a constant temperature. In addition, since the semiconductor wafer (13) is also heated by the thermal energy of the plasma, a plurality of openings (22) formed in the lower electrode (14), for example, 16 places around the periphery and 4 through holes (16) near the center, A cooling gas such as helium gas is supplied to the semiconductor wafer (13) from a cooling gas supply source (not shown) through a cooling gas flow conduit (21) and a cooling gas introduction pipe (23).
It is supplied to the W surface and cooled. At this time, the opening (22) and the through hole (16) are sealed by setting the semiconductor wafer (13). However, in reality, semiconductor wafers (13
) and the surface of the lower electrode (14). Cooled helium gas is supplied to this gap to cool the semiconductor wafer (13). Figure 2A shows an example of the characteristics for determining the optimal values for the pressure and flow rate of helium gas.
, shown in FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C. This means that the degree of vacuum in the processing container (G) is 2.4 Torr, the output of the RF electrode (26) is 500 W, and the flow rate of Freon gas, which is the reaction gas, is 80 Torr.
cc/min・Argon gas flow rate 500cc/m
Set in. The flow rate of helium gas, which is a cooling gas, is 3.
cc/min (Figure 2 A), 5cc/min
, n (Fig. 2B).

8 cc/min (FIG. 2C), and measured the temperature at the center (C) and two peripheral areas (E□) (E2) of the surface of the semiconductor wafer (13). From this characteristic example, the helium gas flow rate shown in Figure 2B is 5 cc.
/min The pressure of helium gas is 7.5 Tor
At each point C and E of the semiconductor wafer (13) at r
It can be seen that the flow rate and pressure are such that the temperature of No. 2 is constant and etching is uniform.

An example of a control mechanism for such a cooling gas, that is, helium gas, is shown in FIG. First, adjust the flow rate of helium gas to a desired level using the flow rate regulator controller (31).

In conjunction with this, the flow rate regulator (32) operates the gas supply source (33).
) is automatically set to the adjusted flow rate as described above. This helium gas whose flow rate is adjusted is supplied to a valve (35) which can be opened and closed by a solenoid (34a).
The gas is connected via a pipe (36) to a cooling gas introduction pipe (23) inside the etching apparatus (30), and is supplied to the back surface of the semiconductor wafer (13). This piping (36) has
A pressure monitor (37), such as a manometer, is provided to detect the pressure of the helium gas flowing. The detected pressure information is input to the pressure controller l-roller (38). This pressure controller (38) can freely open and close a control valve (39) based on the input pressure information, and this is installed in the middle of a pipe (41) connected to a vacuum device (40). The valve (42) is driven together with the valve (35) by the solenoid (34a).
) is connected to the piping (36). A desired pressure is set by driving such a control valve (39). In addition, after processing the semiconductor wafer (13), a pipe (43) is installed between the processing container ■ and the pipe (36) in order to equalize the pressure between the 11 side of the semiconductor wafer (13) and the inside of the processing container ω. Connected. A valve (44) interlocked with a solenoid (34b) is interposed in the middle of this pipe (43), and the valve (44) opens when the pressures are equalized. At this time, the solenoid (34a) and the solenoid (34b) are configured to operate in reverse, and at the same time the supply of helium gas is stopped and the semiconductor wafer (13
) The i-plane and the inside of the processing container (1) are made to have the same pressure.

In this way, the uniformity of etching can be improved by controlling the pressure and flow rate of the cooling gas supplied to the back surface of the semiconductor wafer (13). However, this uniformity depends on the pressing force of the clamp ring that presses the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer and the opening (22) provided on the surface of the lower electrode (14).
It is also affected by the position of As shown in FIG. 4A, there are four openings (22) near the center of the surface of the lower electrode (14).
) is shown in Fig. 4B, and Fig. 5
FIG. 5B shows an example of the characteristics when openings (22) are provided at four locations near the center of the lower electrode (14) and at 16 locations at the periphery as shown in FIG. A. In both FIG. 4B and FIG. 5B, the pressure inside the processing container ω, that is, the degree of vacuum, is 2.4 Torr, R
The output of the F power supply (26) was set to 500 cc/min, and the Freon gas flow rate was 80 cc/In1n/Argon gas flow rate was 500 cc/min.

The temperature of the upper electrode (■) was set to 20°C, the temperature of the lower electrode (I4) was set to 8°C or less, the cooling gas flow rate of the lower electrode (14) in Fig. 4A was set to 2 cc/min, and the pressure was set to 10T.
orr+cooling gas flow rate of the lower electrode (14) in FIG. 5A is 5 cc/min.

The pressure was set to 7.5 Torr and the clamp ring (15
) The temperature distribution at one location at the center (C) and two locations at the periphery (E) of the surface of the semiconductor wafer (13) was measured when the driving pressure of the semiconductor wafer (13) was varied. As can be seen from the toughness examples shown in FIGS. 4B and 5B, the lower electrode (14) having an opening (22) also provided at the periphery of the lower electrode (14) is more durable than the semiconductor wafer (13). Temperature distribution is uniform. Furthermore, the clamp ring (15) set pressure is 6.0 kg.
/d, each point C, E1 . E,
It can be seen that the temperature is constant at .

In this way, the semiconductor wafer (13
) is heated and the etching uniformity deteriorates, but by supplying a cooling gas, a constant temperature distribution is created to improve the etching uniformity.

The exhaust gas after etching and the exhaust inside the processing container ω during the transportation of the semiconductor wafer (13) are discharged from the outside of the processing container ω via the exhaust hole (27) provided in the exhaust ring (28) and the exhaust pipe (29). The air is appropriately evacuated by an exhaust device (not shown) provided in the .

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the lower electrode is provided with four openings in the center and 16 openings on the periphery for supplying cooling gas to the back surface of the semiconductor wafer, but the number of openings is not limited to the above. Further, although the cooling gas is supplied from the four central locations through the through holes through which the lifter pins move up and down, the same effect can be obtained even if the system is divided into separate systems.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the flow rate and pressure of the cooling gas to be supplied to the gap between the object to be processed and the electrode on which it is set are controlled and supplied to cool the object to be processed. , it is possible to equalize the temperature at each point of the object to be processed and improve the uniformity of etching. In addition, by monitoring the pressure and flow layer of the cooling gas, it is possible to control it to a desired value, and even if the supply of cooling gas has stopped due to a failure, it can be detected and any countermeasures can be taken. This makes it possible to prevent the yield of semiconductor wafers from decreasing.

In the embodiment, the upper electrode is cooled by the cooling means (45). In this case, as shown in FIG.
A flow switch (46) is provided in the middle of the pipe 0, and the flow switch (46) detects whether the flow rate of the cooling water flowing in the pipe 0 is within a set range, or detects whether the cooling water is flowing. A means for stopping plasma generation when the value deviates from the set value may be provided. For example, a flow switch (46
) performs the above detection, and if it deviates from the set value or set range, the switch section of the flow switch (46) is opened to cut off the power from the RF power source and stop the plasma discharge necessary for the etching process. do. At this time, instead of using liquid cooling to control the cooling of the liquid, forced air cooling to cool and circulate the gas, and heat radiation fins (
1) In the case of forced air cooling, detection of cooling failure by monitoring the gas flow rate;
In the case of natural air cooling, detecting a cooling failure by monitoring the temperature of the electrode body (4), and in the case of electrical cooling, detecting a cooling failure by monitoring the temperature of the cooling element or the supplied power, etc., is carried out in the same way regardless of the configuration. be able to.

In this case, the lower electrode (4) and the upper electrode (2) are electrically connected to the RF power source (26), and the upper electrode (4) is connected to the RF main power source (26) via the flow switch (46). . This flow switch (46) is configured to cut off the power supply from the RF main power source 26) when it detects a cooling failure of the upper electrode (2).

In this way, the cooling of the upper electrode (1) and the lower electrode (14) is controlled, respectively, and stable etching processing can be performed. However, if the cooling of the upper electrode (2) is insufficient, adverse effects such as the occurrence of cracks and temperature fluctuations of the semiconductor wafer (13) due to radiant heat will occur.

This may lead to a decrease in yield. Therefore, a means for detecting poor cooling of the electrode body (4), for example, a flow switch (46) is provided in the middle of the pipe 0, and this flow switch (46) is used to control the flow rate of the cooling water flowing through the pipe (to) to a set range. The device is equipped with means for detecting whether the flow rate is within the set value or whether there is a flow of cooling water, and stopping plasma generation if the flow rate deviates from the set value. The means for stopping the generation of plasma is, for example, by using the flow switch (46) to perform the above-mentioned detection, and when the value deviates from the set value or setting range, open the switch section of the flow switch (46) to
In this case, the supply of power from the F main power source 26) is stopped, and the plasma discharge necessary for the etching process is stopped. By stopping the power supply, the adverse effects of cracking and etching can be suppressed. If this etching process is stopped,
It may also be configured to report to the operator using an alarm sound, an alarm display, etc.

In addition, as a means of detecting a cooling failure, a flow switch is used to detect whether the flow rate of cooling water flowing through the piping is within a set range, or by detecting the presence or absence of a flow of cooling water. We have explained what to detect. However, the invention is not limited to this, and for example, a temperature detection mechanism such as a thermistor thermocouple or thermography is provided on the electrode body or the upper electrode, and this mechanism monitors the temperature and stops the generation of plasma when the temperature falls outside of a predetermined range. A similar effect can be obtained with a configuration in which:

Moreover, the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention is a CVD apparatus.

Of course, the same effect can be obtained even when applied to an ion implantation device, a sputtering device, an ashing device, etc.

As described above, in the etching apparatus shown in FIG. 6, an electrode body having an electrode arranged opposite to an electrode on which an object to be processed can be set is cooled by a cooling means, and a means for detecting a cooling failure of this electrode body is provided. If insufficient cooling of the electrode body is detected, generation of plasma is stopped, that is, power supply is stopped in conjunction with this, to prevent abnormal heating of the electrode due to the application of power.

By preventing this abnormal heating, it is possible to suppress cracking of the electrode due to thermal expansion of an electrode body formed by bonding materials having extremely different coefficients of thermal expansion, and to improve the durability of the device. Further, by preventing abnormal heating and controlling the temperature of the upper electrode by the cooling means, the temperature of the object to be processed can be kept constant, and the etching process will not be adversely affected.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an etching apparatus for explaining an embodiment of the method and apparatus of the present invention, and Fig. 2 shows the semiconductor wafer surface temperature when the flow rate and pressure of the cooling gas shown in Fig. 1 are varied. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of the control system for the flow rate and pressure of the cooling gas in Figure 1, Figures 4 and 5 are diagrams of the opening position for supplying the cooling gas in Figure 1, and Figure 6 is FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the cooling means in FIG. 1; 4... Electrode body 5... Channel 7... Upper electrode 13... Semiconductor wafer 14... Lower electrode 24... Channel 31... Flow rate regulator controller 32... Flow rate regulator 37...Pressure monitor 38...Pressure controller 45...Cooling means 46
...Flow switch patent applicant Tokyo Electron Ltd. Figure 1 Figure 218 Pressure (TORR) Figure 2 8 Pressure (70RR) Figure 2 C Pressure (TORR) Figure 3

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A step of supplying cooling gas at a predetermined flow rate and pressure to at least one of the electrodes provided in the processing container, a step of supplying the processing gas into the processing container, and applying a predetermined electric power between the electrodes. A plasma processing method comprising the steps of: converting the processing gas into plasma; and processing an object provided in the processing container with the processing gas that has been turned into plasma. (2) Plasma processing in which the processing gas in the processing container is turned into plasma by electric power applied between electrodes provided in the processing container, and the object to be processed provided in the processing container is processed with the processing gas turned into plasma. In the apparatus, an electrode cooling means for cooling at least one of the electrodes, a cooling failure detection means for detecting cooling failure of the electrode, and a cooling failure detection signal of the cooling failure detection means, and a cooling failure detection signal of the plasma generation means. 1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising: plasma generation stopping means for stopping driving. (3) The electrode cooling means includes a cooling gas supply means for supplying cooling gas to the object to be processed and the gap between the electrodes on which the object to be processed is provided, and a flow rate for controlling the flow rate and pressure of the cooling gas to desired values. 3. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising pressure control means.