JP2004111692A - Semiconductor processing method, semiconductor processing apparatus, semiconductor device, and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a semiconductor processing device which is improved in operating efficiency by carrying out cleaning of the inside of a chamber at a more appropriate time. <P>SOLUTION: Plasma is generated inside the chamber to carry out etching in a semiconductor processing method. The emission spectrum of a plasma luminous substance in the chamber 1 is detected through the wall surface of the chamber 1 to measure the emission intensity of the plasma luminous substance while etching is carried out, and a time for carrying out cleaning of the inside of the chamber 1 is determined on the basis of the measured emission intensity. A time for carrying out cleaning of the inside of the chamber 1 is determined on the basis of the fact that the thickness of deposits 5 deposited on the inner wall of the chamber 1 is measured by the measured emission intensity and that it is a time for cleaning the inside of the chamber 1 when the thickness of the deposits 5 becomes equal to or over a prescribed value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a semiconductor processing apparatus, a semiconductor processing method, a semiconductor device, and a method of manufacturing the same, each of which includes a container that forms a semiconductor processing chamber in which semiconductor processing is performed by generating plasma.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the manufacture of a semiconductor device such as a semiconductor device, a required film is formed on an object to be processed such as a wafer, and a plasma etching process for processing the film into a predetermined pattern is performed. In the etching processing chamber for performing the plasma etching processing, products generated by the etching processing adhere to the inner walls, electrodes, and the like as dirt and are deposited.
[0003]
The deposition amount of this product increases as the number of times of processing increases, and the product is peeled off and adheres to an object to be processed, resulting in poor etching. For this reason, the chamber constituting the etching processing chamber performs dry cleaning periodically based on the number of wafers counted or the etching processing time. Here, in the dry cleaning, cleaning is performed by plasma without removing the chamber from the apparatus.
[0004]
When the dry cleaning is performed, a processing time (for example, 18 hours) that does not cause a product defect is set in advance. This processing time is determined with a margin of a certain width. After the set processing time has elapsed, dry cleaning of the chamber is performed. Further, the cleaning conditions for performing the dry cleaning are fixed under conditions having a certain margin.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional plasma etching apparatus, if the margin width of the cleaning time is reduced, the reduction of the apparatus operation rate due to the cleaning can be suppressed, but the cleaning may be insufficient, and in that case, the etching processing becomes stable. Will be reduced. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the margin width of the cleaning time to some extent. As a result, the cleaning time becomes earlier, resulting in a time loss corresponding to the margin width, and the operation loss of the apparatus is reduced due to the time loss. , Lowering the throughput.
[0006]
Further, in the above-described conventional plasma etching apparatus, the cleaning conditions are fixed under a condition having a certain margin, and the cleaning inside the chamber is performed under an excessive cleaning condition because the state in the chamber is not considered. For this reason, there is a loss in the cleaning time, the gas supply amount, and the like, and this loss may reduce the operation rate of the apparatus or increase the unnecessary cleaning cost.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a semiconductor processing apparatus and a semiconductor processing apparatus in which the operation rate of the apparatus is improved by making the cleaning time in the container more suitable. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method, a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same. Another object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor processing apparatus, a semiconductor processing method, a semiconductor device, and a method of manufacturing the same, in which cleaning costs are reduced by making cleaning conditions in the container more suitable. .
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, a semiconductor processing method according to the present invention is directed to a semiconductor processing method for performing semiconductor processing by generating plasma in a container.
The emission intensity is measured by detecting the emission spectrum of the plasma emitter in the container during semiconductor processing through the wall of the container,
The cleaning time in the container is determined from the measured light emission intensity.
[0009]
According to the above-described semiconductor processing method, the emission intensity is measured by detecting the emission spectrum of the plasma illuminant generated during the semiconductor processing through the wall surface of the container. The timing of cleaning the inside of the container can be determined from the emission intensity. Therefore, unlike the conventional semiconductor processing method, it is not necessary to increase the margin width of the cleaning time, and it is possible to determine the optimum cleaning time or the more appropriate cleaning time. Therefore, the operation rate of the device can be improved.
[0010]
Further, in the semiconductor processing method according to the present invention, the cleaning timing in the container is determined by measuring the thickness of the deposit attached to the inner wall of the container from the measured emission intensity, and determining the thickness of the deposit to a predetermined value. When the thickness becomes equal to or more than the thickness, it is preferable to determine that it is time to clean the inside of the container.
[0011]
The semiconductor processing method according to the present invention is a semiconductor processing method for performing semiconductor processing by generating plasma in a container,
At a preset cleaning time in the container, the emission intensity is measured by detecting the emission spectrum of the plasma illuminant in the container during semiconductor processing through the wall surface of the container,
The cleaning condition is determined from the measured emission intensity.
[0012]
According to the semiconductor processing method, at the time of cleaning the inside of the container, the emission intensity is measured by detecting the emission spectrum of the plasma illuminant generated during the semiconductor processing through the wall surface of the container, and the optimum emission intensity is obtained from the emission intensity. Cleaning conditions or more suitable cleaning conditions can be determined. That is, cleaning can be performed under optimal cleaning conditions or more suitable cleaning conditions without performing cleaning under excessive cleaning conditions unlike the conventional semiconductor processing apparatus. As a result, it is possible to reduce the loss of the cleaning time, the gas supply amount, the applied power, and the like. Therefore, the cleaning cost can be reduced.
[0013]
Further, in the semiconductor processing method according to the present invention, the determination of the cleaning condition is performed by measuring the thickness of the deposit attached to the inner wall of the container from the measured emission intensity, and removing the deposit of the thickness. It is preferable to determine suitable cleaning conditions.
[0014]
Further, in the semiconductor processing method according to the present invention, the semiconductor processing may be an etching processing.
[0015]
A semiconductor processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a container that forms a semiconductor processing chamber in which semiconductor processing is performed by generating plasma,
A detector attached to the outside of the container and detecting the emission intensity of the plasma illuminant during semiconductor processing;
A control unit for determining a cleaning time in the container from the emission intensity detected by the detector,
It is characterized by having.
[0016]
Further, in the semiconductor processing apparatus according to the present invention, the control unit measures the thickness of the deposit attached to the inner wall of the container from the emission intensity detected by the detector, and the thickness of the deposit is a predetermined thickness. When this is the case, it is preferable to determine that it is time to clean the inside of the container.
[0017]
A semiconductor processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a container that forms a semiconductor processing chamber in which semiconductor processing is performed by generating plasma,
A detector attached to the outside of the container, for detecting the emission intensity of the plasma luminous body during the semiconductor processing at a preset cleaning time in the container;
A control unit that determines cleaning conditions from the emission intensity detected by the detector;
It is characterized by having.
[0018]
Further, in the semiconductor processing apparatus according to the present invention, the control unit measures the thickness of the attached matter attached to the inner wall of the container from the emission intensity detected by the detector, and removes the attached matter having the thickness. It is preferable to determine a cleaning condition suitable for the condition.
[0019]
Further, in the semiconductor processing apparatus according to the present invention, the semiconductor processing may be an etching processing.
[0020]
A semiconductor device according to the present invention is manufactured by performing semiconductor processing using the semiconductor processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
[0021]
A semiconductor device according to the present invention is manufactured by performing semiconductor processing using the semiconductor processing device according to any one of claims 6 to 10.
[0022]
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a step of performing semiconductor processing using a semiconductor processing method,
The semiconductor processing method includes:
A method for performing semiconductor processing by generating plasma in a container,
The emission intensity is measured by detecting the emission spectrum of the plasma emitter in the container during semiconductor processing through the wall of the container,
The cleaning time in the container is determined from the measured light emission intensity.
[0023]
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a step of performing semiconductor processing using a semiconductor processing method,
The semiconductor processing method includes:
A method for performing semiconductor processing by generating plasma in a container,
At a preset cleaning time in the container, the emission intensity is measured by detecting the emission spectrum of the plasma illuminant in the container during semiconductor processing through the wall surface of the container,
The cleaning condition is determined from the measured emission intensity.
[0024]
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a step of performing semiconductor processing using a semiconductor processing apparatus,
The semiconductor processing device is
A container constituting a semiconductor processing chamber in which semiconductor processing is performed by generating plasma;
A detector attached to the outside of the container and detecting the emission intensity of the plasma illuminant during semiconductor processing;
A control unit for determining a cleaning time in the container from the emission intensity detected by the detector,
It is characterized by having.
[0025]
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a step of performing semiconductor processing using a semiconductor processing apparatus,
The semiconductor processing device is
A container constituting a semiconductor processing chamber in which semiconductor processing is performed by generating plasma;
A detector attached to the outside of the container, for detecting the emission intensity of the plasma luminous body during the semiconductor processing at a preset cleaning time in the container;
A control unit that determines cleaning conditions from the emission intensity detected by the detector;
It is characterized by having.
[0026]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a plasma etching apparatus as an example of a semiconductor processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0027]
This plasma etching apparatus has a quartz chamber 1 constituting a plasma etching processing chamber. In this chamber 1, a plasma luminous body (not shown) such as ions and radicals generated during the plasma etching processing is provided. The spectrum detector 2 is attached by a mounting jig 2a so as to face. During the plasma etching process, the spectrum detector 2 generates a reaction product 3 in the chamber 1, and is disposed on a portion of the inner wall of the chamber 1 where the reaction product 3 is relatively easily attached. . The controller 4 is connected to the spectrum detector 2. The control unit 4 has a function of performing control as described below and determining a time to clean the deposit 5 having a reaction product attached to the inner wall of the chamber 1, the electrode, or the like.
[0028]
The spectrum detector 2 is detachably attached to the chamber 1 by an attachment jig 2a. The spectrum detector 2 is installed at any place where the plasma generated inside the chamber 1 can be observed. This installation position enables direct observation of plasma generated by installing the lower electrode (not shown) and the upper electrode (not shown) at a position where they are viewed sideways.
[0029]
Although the specific structures inside and outside the chamber 1 are not shown, for example, they are as follows. In the chamber, an upper electrode and a lower electrode, which are parallel plate electrodes, are arranged to face each other. The lower electrode serves as a stage on which a semiconductor wafer to be etched is placed. The upper electrode is connected to GND, and the lower electrode is connected to a high frequency power supply for applying high frequency power. A matching device for matching high-frequency power applied to the semiconductor wafer is provided between the high-frequency power supply and the lower electrode. The matching device has a variable coil wired in series and a variable capacitor. A gas supply system is connected to the upper part of the chamber 1, and a vacuum pump is connected to the lower part of the chamber 1.
[0030]
The spectrum detector 2 includes an optical filter (which may be another optical unit such as a monochromator) for separating light of a specific wavelength from a plasma emission spectrum from the inside of the chamber 1 and a light amount of the specific wavelength light separated by the optical filter. A light quantity measuring device for measuring the luminous intensity by converting the electric signal into a corresponding electric signal. The control unit 4 is electrically connected to the light quantity measuring device, and performs data processing of the output value to detect the time of replacement of the chamber 1.
[0031]
Next, a method of performing an etching process using the above-described plasma etching apparatus will be described.
The inside of the chamber 1 is evacuated by a vacuum pump, and a constant flow rate of the etching gas is supplied from a gas supply system to maintain the inside of the chamber 1 at a constant pressure. In this state, high-frequency power is applied to the lower electrode from the high-frequency power supply, matching is performed by the matching device, plasma is generated between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, and the semiconductor wafer placed on the lower electrode is plasma-etched. Various types of semiconductor wafers can be used for etching. For example, a silicon oxide film is deposited on the entire surface of a silicon wafer, and a photoresist film is patterned on the silicon oxide film. It is a pattern formed.
[0032]
By plasma etching the semiconductor wafer, plasma luminous bodies such as ions and radicals are generated. The plasma luminous spectrum emitted from the luminous body is taken in from the wall surface of the chamber 1, and the amount of light is transmitted through the optical filter of the spectrum detector 2 By introducing the light into a measuring device, the emission intensity of light of a specific wavelength selected by an optical filter is detected. Then, the control unit 4 calculates the transmission amount of the plasma light emission from the light emission intensity, and determines an optimum cleaning time or a more appropriate cleaning time from the result.
[0033]
FIG. 2 shows an example of the relationship between the emission intensity detected as described above and the plasma processing time. The plasma processing times 1 to 3 shown in FIG. 2 indicate the timing at which the inside of the chamber 1 is dry-cleaned. The dry cleaning is performed when the value of the emission intensity monitored during the etching process becomes b. This value b is a value obtained by lowering the light emission intensity at a predetermined ratio with respect to the light emission intensity a immediately after the cleaning. The value b of the light emission intensity reduced at the predetermined ratio is a light emission intensity when the thickness of the deposit 5 attached to the inner wall of the chamber 1 is slightly smaller than the thickness at which the deposit 5 is separated from the inner wall.
[0034]
That is, as the plasma etching process is performed on the semiconductor wafer, the thickness of the deposit 5 in which the reaction product has adhered to the inner wall of the chamber 1 increases. Then, since the amount of the plasma emission spectrum transmitted through the wall surface of the chamber decreases, the emission intensity detected by the spectrum detector 2 decreases. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the emission intensity decreases as the plasma processing time elapses. Then, the control unit is set so that the time when the spectrum detector 2 detects the emission intensity of the value b shown in FIG. Since the value b of the light emission intensity varies depending on the etching target and the etching conditions, it is preferable to confirm and set in advance by performing an experiment or the like for each etching target and the etching conditions.
[0035]
In addition, the number of etching processes or the etching process time for a product that does not cause a product failure is set in advance, and it is set in advance that the cleaning is performed after the number of etching processes is performed. It is also possible to adopt a method of reflecting the result at the time when the value of the light emission intensity becomes b.
[0036]
According to the first embodiment, the plasma emission spectrum generated by the plasma illuminant generated when the semiconductor wafer is subjected to plasma etching is taken in through the wall surface of the chamber 1 and the emission intensity is detected by the spectrum detector 2. The transmission amount of plasma emission is calculated from the emission intensity, and the thickness of the deposit 5 attached to the inner wall of the chamber 1 can be measured relatively accurately from the result. Therefore, unlike the conventional semiconductor processing apparatus, it is not necessary to increase the margin width of the cleaning time, and it is possible to determine the optimum cleaning time or the more appropriate cleaning time. Therefore, the operation rate of the apparatus can be improved, and the throughput can be improved.
[0037]
Next, a plasma etching apparatus as an example of a semiconductor processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, description of the same parts as in the first embodiment will be omitted.
[0038]
The number of etching processes or etching time for a product that does not cause product failure is set in advance, and it is set in advance that cleaning is performed after the number of processes or processing time, and the set cleaning is performed. At the same time, the emission intensity of the plasma is detected by the spectrum detector 2 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Then, the controller 4 calculates the transmission amount of the plasma emission from the emission intensity, measures the thickness of the deposit 5 attached to the inner wall of the chamber from the transmission amount, and determines the optimum cleaning condition from the measurement result. Alternatively, a more appropriate cleaning condition is determined.
[0039]
That is, as the plasma etching process is performed on the semiconductor wafer, the thickness of the deposit 5 in which the reaction product has adhered to the inner wall of the chamber 1 increases. Then, the amount of the plasma emission spectrum transmitted through the wall surface of the chamber decreases. At a preset cleaning time, the thickness of the deposit 5 adhering to the inner wall of the chamber 1 is measured, and cleaning conditions (cleaning time and cleaning time) suitable for removing the deposit 5 having the measured thickness are measured. The control unit 4 determines the gas supply amount and the like. Then, the inside of the chamber is cleaned under the cleaning conditions. Since the optimum cleaning conditions or more suitable cleaning conditions differ depending on the material of the deposit 5, it is preferable to confirm and set in advance by performing an experiment or the like for each deposit.
[0040]
According to the second embodiment, the plasma emission spectrum generated by the plasma illuminant generated when the semiconductor wafer is plasma-etched is taken in through the wall surface of the chamber 1 and the emission intensity is detected by the spectrum detector 2. The transmission amount of plasma emission is calculated from the emission intensity, the thickness of the deposit 5 attached to the inner wall of the chamber 1 is measured relatively accurately from the result, and the optimum cleaning condition or more suitable cleaning is determined from this thickness. The condition can be determined. Therefore, cleaning can be performed under optimal cleaning conditions or more suitable cleaning conditions without performing cleaning under excessive cleaning conditions unlike the conventional semiconductor processing apparatus. As a result, it is possible to reduce the loss of the cleaning time, the gas supply amount, the applied power, and the like. Therefore, the cleaning cost can be reduced, and the operation rate of the apparatus can be improved.
[0041]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be implemented with various modifications. For example, in the first and second embodiments, a plasma etching apparatus is used as the semiconductor processing apparatus of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to use a device.
[0042]
In the first and second embodiments, the plasma etching process is used as the semiconductor processing method of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to use a semiconductor processing method.
[0043]
In the first and second embodiments, the semiconductor processing apparatus and the semiconductor processing method are described. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and the semiconductor processing is performed using the semiconductor processing apparatus. By doing so, a semiconductor device can be manufactured, and by performing semiconductor processing using the semiconductor processing method, a semiconductor device can be manufactured. That is, the semiconductor device according to the present invention is manufactured by performing semiconductor processing using the semiconductor processing apparatus. Further, a semiconductor device according to the present invention is manufactured by performing semiconductor processing using the semiconductor processing method. Further, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a step of performing semiconductor processing using the semiconductor processing apparatus. Further, a semiconductor processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a step of performing semiconductor processing using the semiconductor processing method.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, there are provided a semiconductor processing apparatus, a semiconductor processing method, a semiconductor device, and a method of manufacturing the same, in which the operation rate of the apparatus is improved by making the cleaning time in the container more suitable. be able to.
Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a semiconductor processing apparatus, a semiconductor processing method, a semiconductor device, and a method of manufacturing the same, in which cleaning costs are reduced by making cleaning conditions in the container more suitable. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a plasma etching apparatus as an example of a semiconductor processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between emission intensity detected by the spectrum detector illustrated in FIG. 1 and plasma processing time.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Chamber 2 ... Spectrum detector 2a ... Mounting jig 3 ... Reaction product 4 ... Control part 5 ... Deposit on the inner wall of a chamber

Claims (16)

In a semiconductor processing method of performing semiconductor processing by generating plasma in a container,
The emission intensity is measured by detecting the emission spectrum of the plasma emitter in the container during semiconductor processing through the wall of the container,
A semiconductor processing method comprising: judging a cleaning time in the container from the measured light emission intensity. Judgment of the cleaning time in the container, the thickness of the attached matter attached to the inner wall of the container is measured from the measured emission intensity, when the thickness of the attached matter is equal to or more than a predetermined thickness, the inside of the container 2. The semiconductor processing method according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that it is a cleaning time. In a semiconductor processing method of performing semiconductor processing by generating plasma in a container,
At a preset cleaning time in the container, the emission intensity is measured by detecting the emission spectrum of the plasma illuminant in the container during semiconductor processing through the wall surface of the container,
A semiconductor processing method comprising determining a cleaning condition from the measured emission intensity. The determination of the cleaning conditions is characterized in that the thickness of the deposit attached to the inner wall of the container is measured from the measured emission intensity, and the cleaning condition suitable for removing the deposit of the thickness is determined. The semiconductor processing method according to claim 3. 5. The semiconductor processing method according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor processing is an etching processing. A container constituting a semiconductor processing chamber in which semiconductor processing is performed by generating plasma;
A detector attached to the outside of the container and detecting the emission intensity of the plasma illuminant during semiconductor processing;
A control unit for determining a cleaning time in the container from the emission intensity detected by the detector,
A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising: The control unit measures the thickness of the deposit attached to the inner wall of the container from the emission intensity detected by the detector, and when the thickness of the deposit exceeds a predetermined thickness, the cleaning timing in the container is determined. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determination is made. A container constituting a semiconductor processing chamber in which semiconductor processing is performed by generating plasma;
A detector attached to the outside of the container, for detecting the emission intensity of the plasma luminous body during the semiconductor processing at a preset cleaning time in the container;
A control unit that determines cleaning conditions from the emission intensity detected by the detector;
A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising: The controller measures the thickness of the deposit attached to the inner wall of the container from the emission intensity detected by the detector, and determines a cleaning condition suitable for removing the deposit having the thickness. 9. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein: 10. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the semiconductor processing is an etching processing. A semiconductor device manufactured by performing semiconductor processing using the semiconductor processing method according to claim 1. A semiconductor device manufactured by performing semiconductor processing using the semiconductor processing device according to claim 6. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a step of performing semiconductor processing using a semiconductor processing method,
The semiconductor processing method includes:
A method for performing semiconductor processing by generating plasma in a container,
The emission intensity is measured by detecting the emission spectrum of the plasma emitter in the container during semiconductor processing through the wall of the container,
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising determining a cleaning time in a container from the measured emission intensity. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a step of performing semiconductor processing using a semiconductor processing method,
The semiconductor processing method includes:
A method for performing semiconductor processing by generating plasma in a container,
At a preset cleaning time in the container, the emission intensity is measured by detecting the emission spectrum of the plasma illuminant in the container during semiconductor processing through the wall surface of the container,
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising determining a cleaning condition from the measured emission intensity. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a step of performing semiconductor processing using a semiconductor processing apparatus,
The semiconductor processing device is
A container constituting a semiconductor processing chamber in which semiconductor processing is performed by generating plasma;
A detector attached to the outside of the container and detecting the emission intensity of the plasma illuminant during semiconductor processing;
A control unit for determining a cleaning time in the container from the emission intensity detected by the detector,
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a step of performing semiconductor processing using a semiconductor processing apparatus,
The semiconductor processing device is
A container constituting a semiconductor processing chamber in which semiconductor processing is performed by generating plasma;
A detector attached to the outside of the container, for detecting the emission intensity of the plasma luminous body during the semiconductor processing at a preset cleaning time in the container;
A control unit that determines cleaning conditions from the emission intensity detected by the detector;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

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