JP2007146211A - Plasma processing method, and plasma processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plasma processing method capable of excellently carrying a substrate in/out of a plasma processing chamber while maintaining plasma in the plasma processing chamber, and evacuating/re-carrying in an etched member in a cleaning mode. <P>SOLUTION: When performing the predetermined plasma processing by using a plasma processing system comprising a plasma processing chamber A for performing the predetermined plasma processing to a substrate, a conveying chamber B for carrying the substrate in/out of the plasma processing chamber A, and a first gate valve G1 arranged between the plasma processing chamber A and the conveying chamber B to partition them, the plasma processing chamber A is set to be under the pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma and plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber A is maintained. When the substrate is carried in from the conveying chamber B to the plasma processing chamber A, or the substrate is carried out from the plasma processing chamber A to the conveying chamber B, the pressure in the conveying chamber B is controlled to be equal to that in the plasma processing chamber A, and the first gate valve G1 is opened to carry in/out the substrate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a plasma processing method and a plasma processing system, and is particularly useful when applied to predetermined plasma processing such as film formation while carrying a substrate in and out of a plasma processing chamber.

  The plasma processing apparatus generates plasma in a chamber which is a plasma processing chamber and performs a predetermined process such as the production of a thin film on a substrate. ing. Such a plasma processing apparatus needs to exchange the substrate with the outside in order to carry out or carry in the substrate to be processed into the plasma processing chamber which is a vacuum atmosphere. In the prior art, the substrate is carried into or out of the plasma processing chamber by temporarily stopping the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber.

  On the other hand, a load lock chamber for transferring substrates to and from the outside, a processing chamber for performing predetermined processing on the substrates, and a transfer chamber for transferring substrates between the load lock chamber and the processing chamber are provided. In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, there is a known technique for disclosing pressure control of each chamber with a vacuum pump provided corresponding to each chamber (see Patent Document 1), but a substrate for performing plasma processing is placed in the plasma processing chamber. On the other hand, continuous processing of the substrate is not performed while maintaining the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber while being carried in or out.

JP 2005-64526 A

As described above, in the plasma processing according to the prior art, the plasma has to be stopped every time the substrate is carried in and out of the plasma processing chamber even when the substrate is continuously processed. That is, the plasma must be ignited for each treatment. In this case, a certain amount of time is required until the reignited plasma is stabilized. For this reason, processing efficiency falls and the problem that the throughput of the said plasma processing apparatus deteriorates arises.

  In view of the above prior art, the present invention provides a plasma processing method capable of satisfactorily carrying a substrate in and out of the plasma processing chamber while maintaining the plasma in the plasma processing chamber and retreating or re-loading a member to be etched in a cleaning mode. An object is to provide a plasma processing system.

The first aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is as follows:
A plasma processing chamber for performing a predetermined plasma processing on the substrate, a transfer chamber for carrying the substrate into and out of the plasma processing chamber, and the plasma processing chamber and the transfer chamber disposed between the two. In a plasma processing method for performing a predetermined plasma processing using a plasma processing system having a first gate valve for partitioning,
A pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma in the plasma processing chamber, while maintaining the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber,
When the substrate to be processed is transferred from the transfer chamber into the plasma processing chamber or when the processed substrate is transferred from the plasma processing chamber to the transfer chamber, the pressure in the transfer chamber is controlled to the same pressure as the plasma processing chamber. In this state, the first gate valve is opened, and the substrate is loaded or unloaded.

The second aspect of the present invention is:
A plasma processing chamber for performing a predetermined plasma processing on the substrate, a transfer chamber for carrying the substrate into and out of the plasma processing chamber, and the plasma processing chamber and the transfer chamber disposed between the two. A first gate valve that partitions the substrate, a spare chamber that transfers the substrate to and from the outside, and a second gate valve that is disposed between the spare chamber and the transfer chamber and partitions between the two In a plasma processing method of performing a predetermined plasma processing using a plasma processing system having
A pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma in the plasma processing chamber, while maintaining the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber,
When the substrate to be processed is transferred from the transfer chamber into the plasma processing chamber or when the processed substrate is transferred from the plasma processing chamber to the transfer chamber, the pressure in the transfer chamber is controlled to the same pressure as the plasma processing chamber. In this state, the first gate valve is opened to carry in or carry out the substrate,
When the substrate to be processed is transferred from the preliminary chamber to the transfer chamber or when the processed substrate is transferred from the transfer chamber to the preliminary chamber, the pressure of the preliminary chamber and the transfer chamber is controlled to control the preliminary chamber and the transfer chamber. In the plasma processing method, the second gate valve is opened while the pressure is kept at the same pressure to carry in or carry out the substrate.

The third aspect of the present invention is:
Etching with a radical of a cleaning gas formed by converting the cleaning gas into plasma is removed by removing the adhering material disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the plasma processing chamber in which the member to be etched is disposed and performing a predetermined plasma process on the substrate. In the plasma processing method,
Performing the cleaning by retracting the member to be etched into a transfer chamber that is partitioned by a first gate valve and carries the substrate into and out of the plasma processing chamber;
When the member to be etched is retracted or re-loaded into the plasma processing chamber, the plasma processing chamber is set to a pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma, and the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber is maintained.
When the member to be etched is retracted from the plasma processing chamber to the transfer chamber or re-loaded from the transfer chamber to the plasma processing chamber, the pressure in the transfer chamber is controlled to be the same as the plasma processing chamber. The plasma processing method is characterized in that the first gate valve is opened and the member to be etched is retracted or re-loaded.

The fourth aspect of the present invention is:
A plasma processing apparatus including a plasma processing chamber for performing a predetermined plasma processing on a substrate;
Plasma processing chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the plasma processing chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A transfer chamber for carrying the substrate into and out of the plasma processing chamber;
A transfer chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the transfer chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A first gate valve disposed between the plasma processing chamber and the transfer chamber and partitioning between the two,
The plasma processing chamber pressure adjusting means is controlled to make the plasma processing chamber a pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma, and the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber is controlled so as to be maintained. When carrying the substrate from the transfer chamber into the plasma processing chamber or when unloading the processed substrate from the plasma processing chamber to the transfer chamber, the transfer chamber pressure adjusting means is controlled to control the pressure of the transfer chamber with the plasma processing chamber. And a control means for controlling the substrate to be loaded or unloaded by opening the first gate valve in the same pressure state.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention,
A plasma processing apparatus including a plasma processing chamber for performing a predetermined plasma processing on a substrate;
Plasma processing chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the plasma processing chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A transfer chamber for carrying the substrate into and out of the plasma processing chamber;
A transfer chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the transfer chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A first gate valve disposed between the plasma processing chamber and the transfer chamber and partitioning between the two,
A spare room for transferring the substrate to and from the outside;
Preliminary chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the preliminary chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A second gate valve disposed between the preliminary chamber and the transfer chamber to partition the two;
The plasma processing chamber pressure adjusting means is controlled to make the plasma processing chamber a pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma, and the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber is controlled so as to be maintained. When carrying the substrate from the transfer chamber into the plasma processing chamber or when unloading the processed substrate from the plasma processing chamber to the transfer chamber, the transfer chamber pressure adjusting means is controlled to control the pressure of the transfer chamber with the plasma processing chamber. The first gate valve is opened under the same pressure so that the substrate is loaded or unloaded, and the substrate to be processed is loaded into the transfer chamber from the spare chamber or the substrate is processed. At the time of unloading from the transfer chamber to the auxiliary chamber, the transfer chamber pressure control means and the auxiliary chamber pressure adjusting means are controlled so that the auxiliary chamber and the transfer chamber are at the same pressure. A plasma processing system, characterized in that a control means for controlling open the serial second gate valve to perform loading or unloading of the substrate.

The sixth aspect of the present invention is:
In the plasma processing system according to the fourth or fifth aspect,
The plasma processing apparatus etches a member to be etched formed of a material containing an element capable of generating a high vapor pressure halide with a halogen radical obtained by converting a halogen-containing working gas into a plasma, and from the element and the halogen. The precursor is adsorbed on a substrate having a temperature lower than the temperature of the member to be etched, and then the precursor is reduced with the halogen radical to precipitate the element component. The plasma processing system is a thin film manufacturing apparatus for forming a thin film.

The seventh aspect of the present invention is
A predetermined plasma treatment is performed on the substrate, and the member to be etched is disposed so as to be able to be retracted or re-loaded, and the adhering matter adhering to the inner peripheral surface is formed by cleaning gas formed into plasma. A plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber configured to be removed by etching with radicals;
Plasma processing chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the plasma processing chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A transfer chamber for carrying in or carrying out the substrate to and from the plasma processing chamber and for retracting or carrying in the member to be etched;
A transfer chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the transfer chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A first gate valve disposed between the plasma processing chamber and the transfer chamber and partitioning between the two,
The member to be etched is retracted into the transfer chamber before the plasma processing chamber is cleaned, and the member to be etched is controlled to be reintroduced into the plasma processing chamber after the cleaning is completed. At this time, controlling the plasma processing chamber pressure adjusting means to make the plasma processing chamber a pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma, and controlling to maintain the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber, When the member to be etched is retracted from the plasma processing chamber into the transfer chamber or re-introduced from the transfer chamber into the plasma processing chamber, the transfer chamber pressure adjusting means is controlled to control the pressure of the transfer chamber to the plasma processing chamber. The first gate valve is opened with the same pressure as the pressure, and the member to be etched is retracted or re-loaded. A plasma processing system, characterized in that a control means for controlled so.

The eighth aspect of the present invention is
In the plasma processing system according to any one of the fourth, fifth, and seventh aspects,
The plasma processing apparatus etches a member to be etched formed of a material containing an element capable of generating a high vapor pressure halide with a halogen radical obtained by converting a halogen-containing working gas into a plasma, and from the element and the halogen. The precursor is adsorbed on a substrate having a temperature lower than the temperature of the member to be etched, and then the precursor is reduced with the halogen radical to precipitate the element component. While forming a thin film,
Etch deposits adhering to the inner peripheral surface of the plasma processing chamber with a cleaning gas radical formed by converting the cleaning gas into plasma, and cleaning the same. During this cleaning, the member to be etched is subjected to the plasma processing. The plasma processing system is a thin film forming apparatus adapted to be retracted from a chamber to the transfer chamber.

The ninth aspect of the present invention provides
In the plasma processing system according to the eighth aspect,
The retracting means for retracting or re-loading the member to be etched is configured to detachably support the member to be etched in a chamber that is a plasma processing chamber, and to move up and down a susceptor disposed in the chamber. The susceptor is provided with a support rod for holding the member to be etched with a space from the upper surface,
In cleaning, the susceptor is lifted with the fixing to the chamber being released to hold the member to be etched on the support rod, and the susceptor is lowered so that the member to be etched is at the height of the transporting portion, and the transporting means is used to In the plasma processing system, the etching member is configured to be retracted from the holding surface of the susceptor substrate.

The tenth aspect of the present invention provides
In the plasma processing system according to the eighth aspect,
The retracting means for retracting or re-loading the member to be etched is configured such that the susceptor disposed inside the chamber, which is a plasma processing chamber, can be raised and lowered, and is spaced from the upper surface of the susceptor. The susceptor is provided with a support column that detachably supports,
In the cleaning, the susceptor is lowered so that the member to be etched is at the height of the conveyance part, and the member to be etched is retracted from the holding surface of the substrate of the susceptor by a conveyance unit. A plasma processing system.

  According to the present invention, since the pressure in the transfer chamber is controlled in accordance with the pressure in the plasma processing chamber, the plasma is used for loading and unloading the substrate to and from the plasma processing chamber and for evacuating and reloading the member to be etched in the cleaning operation. This can be done while maintaining. Therefore, it is possible to achieve high efficiency of processing in the plasma processing chamber, and to realize a dramatic improvement in system throughput.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view conceptually showing the plasma processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the plasma processing chamber includes a plasma processing chamber for performing a predetermined plasma processing on the substrate. The plasma processing chamber in this embodiment is supplied with Cl ₂ which is a process gas diluted with He via the variable flow valve V1. The flow rate variable valve V2 and the vacuum pump D form a plasma processing chamber pressure adjusting means. By driving the vacuum pump D, the plasma processing chamber is evacuated to adjust the inside to a predetermined pressure.

  The transfer chamber B is for carrying in / out the substrate to be processed from / to the plasma processing chamber. The transfer robot B (not shown) disposed therein transfers, carries in, and carries out the substrate. Is supposed to do. The transfer chamber B in this embodiment is supplied with He, which is a purge gas, via the flow rate variable valve V4. Further, the transfer chamber pressure adjusting means is formed by the flow rate variable valve V5 and the vacuum pump E, and the inside of the transfer chamber E is purged with He gas by the driving of the vacuum pump E, and the inside is brought to a predetermined pressure by pulling the vacuum. adjust.

  The load lock chamber C, which is a spare chamber, exchanges substrates with the outside. Further, the load lock chamber pressure adjusting means is formed by the flow rate variable valve V6 and the vacuum pump F. When the vacuum pump F is driven, the load lock chamber C is evacuated to adjust the inside to a predetermined pressure.

  The plasma processing chamber and the transfer chamber B are partitioned by a first gate valve G1 disposed between them, and the transfer chamber B and the load lock chamber C are disposed between them. It is partitioned off by the gate valve G2.

  The plasma processing system according to the present embodiment has a control unit (not shown) that controls the overall operation thereof. That is, the control unit controls the driving of the variable flow valve V3 and the vacuum pump D to make the plasma processing chamber of the plasma processing apparatus A a pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma and generate the plasma processing chamber in the plasma processing chamber. Control to maintain plasma. On the other hand, when the substrate to be processed is transferred from the transfer chamber B to the plasma processing chamber or when the processed substrate is transferred from the plasma processing chamber to the transfer chamber B, the flow rate variable valve V5 and the vacuum pump E are controlled. The first gate valve G1 is opened in a state where the pressure in the transfer chamber B is the same as that in the plasma processing chamber, and control is performed so that the substrate is carried in or out. As a result, the substrate can be carried in or out while the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber is maintained.

  When the substrate to be processed is loaded from the load lock chamber C to the transfer chamber B or when the substrate to be processed is transferred from the transfer chamber B to the load lock chamber C, the flow rate variable valve V6 and the vacuum pump F are driven and the flow rate variable valve is driven. The driving of the V5 and the vacuum pump E is controlled to control the loading and unloading of the substrate by opening the second gate valve G2 with the load lock chamber C and the transfer chamber B at the same pressure.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a specific example of the plasma processing apparatus in the plasma processing system shown in FIG. This example is a thin film manufacturing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 2, a support base 2 is provided in the vicinity of the bottom of a chamber 1 made of, for example, ceramics, and a substrate 3 is placed on the support base 2. The support base 2 is provided with a temperature control means 6 including a heater 4 and a refrigerant flow means 5, and the temperature control means 6 causes the support base 2 to be at a predetermined temperature (for example, a temperature at which the substrate 3 is maintained at 100 ° C. to 300 ° C. ) Is controlled.

  The upper surface of the chamber 1 which is a plasma processing chamber is an opening, and the opening is closed by a ceramic plate-like ceiling plate 7 which is an insulating material. Above the ceiling plate 7 is provided a plasma antenna 8 for converting the gas supplied into the chamber 1 into plasma, and this plasma antenna 8 is formed in a planar ring shape parallel to the surface of the ceiling plate 7. . A matching unit 9 and a high frequency power source 10 are connected to the plasma antenna 8, and high frequency electromagnetic waves are introduced into the chamber 1 through the plasma antenna 8. That is, the plasma generating means is constituted by the plasma antenna 8, the matching unit 9 and the high frequency power source 10.

  The member to be etched 11 is formed of a metal (copper in this example) capable of forming a high vapor pressure halide, and is disposed in the chamber 1 below the plasma antenna 8. This member to be etched 11 is for forming a precursor of a metal thin film (copper in this example) produced by the apparatus by etching action with halogen plasma. Here, the halogen plasma is obtained by converting the working gas containing halogen (chlorine in this example) supplied into the chamber 1 into plasma using high-frequency electromagnetic energy supplied by the plasma antenna 8.

  The member to be etched 11 includes a rod-shaped protrusion 12 and a ring 13, and each protrusion 12 is directed toward the center of the chamber 1 without contacting the tip of the adjacent protrusion 12. Each base end portion is fixed to the ring portion 13 so as to extend. Thereby, each protrusion 12 has an electrically independent structure, and is devised so as not to shield the electromagnetic field formed by the plasma antenna 8 and introduced into the chamber 1.

  An action of supplying a working gas containing chlorine as a halogen (a working gas 21 diluted with He to a chlorine concentration of ≦ 50%, preferably about 10%) around the cylindrical portion of the chamber 1 A plurality of nozzles 14 as gas supply means are connected at equal intervals in the circumferential direction (for example, 8 locations: 2 locations are shown in the figure). The working gas 21 is sent to the nozzle 14 via a flow rate controller 15 that controls the flow rate and pressure of the working gas 21.

  Further, a nozzle 16 as a rare gas supply means for supplying an argon gas 22 which is a rare gas into the chamber 1 is connected to each nozzle 14, and a gas supply for controlling the flow rate and pressure of the argon gas 22 is connected to the nozzle 16. Argon gas 22 is sent through a flow rate controller 17 as control means.

  Gases and the like not involved in film formation are exhausted from the exhaust port 18 and the interior of the chamber 1 closed by the ceiling plate 7 is maintained at a predetermined vacuum pressure by a vacuum pump D (see FIG. 1).

  At the time of film formation in such a thin film manufacturing apparatus, an electromagnetic field by high-frequency power is incident on the chamber 1 through the plasma antenna 8, and first, argon gas 22, which is a rare gas, is supplied to the chamber 1 through the flow rate controller 17 and the nozzle 16. Supply in. As a result, the argon gas 22 is turned into plasma and the inside of the chamber 1 is preheated.

  When the member to be etched 11 reaches a predetermined temperature due to the preheating, the working gas 21 is supplied into the chamber 1 through the flow rate controller 15 and the nozzle 14 to shift to the film forming process.

  In the film forming step, the member to be etched 11 is etched with chlorine radicals obtained by converting the working gas 21 into plasma to form a precursor 24 composed of the element and halogen. Subsequently, the precursor 24 is adsorbed to the substrate 3 held at a temperature lower than the temperature of the member to be etched 11 by the temperature control means 6. Thereafter, the precursor 24 is reduced with chlorine radicals to deposit a copper thin film 19.

That is, in the thin film forming apparatus according to this embodiment, the metal film is formed on the substrate 3 by controlling the temperature of the substrate 3 to be lower than the temperature of the member 11 to be etched which is a metal source to be formed. ing. For example, when the metal of the member to be etched 11 is Cu and the halogen gas is Cl ₂ , the member 11 to be etched is controlled to a high temperature (eg, 300 ° C. to 700 ° C.) and the substrate 3 is controlled to a low temperature (eg, about 200 ° C.). Thus, a Cu thin film can be formed on the substrate 3. This is thought to be due to the following reaction.

(1) Plasma dissociation reaction; Cl ₂ → 2Cl ^*
(2) Etching reaction: Cu + Cl ^* → CuCl (g)
(3) Adsorption reaction on the substrate; CuCl (g) → CuCl (ad)
(4) Film formation reaction: CuCl (ad) + Cl ^* → Cu + Cl ₂ ↑
Here, Cl ^* represents a Cl radical, (g) represents a gas state, and (ad) represents an adsorption state.

  According to this embodiment, when a thin film is formed on the substrate 3 by the thin film manufacturing apparatus, the gas plasma 23 in the chamber 1 can be maintained while the substrate 3 is carried into and out of the chamber 1. Therefore, film formation on the substrate 3 can be continuously performed while maintaining plasma. In this case, the gas plasma 23 means both chlorine plasma and argon plasma.

  FIG. 3 is a time chart showing, in chronological order, how the substrate is carried in the plasma processing system shown in FIG. 1 having the thin film production apparatus shown in FIG. 2 as a plasma processing apparatus. FIG. 4A shows in which part the substrate 3 exists. That is, A is present in the plasma processing apparatus A, B is present in the transfer chamber B, and C is present in the load lock chamber C.

  As shown in FIG. 3, first, the substrate 3 is taken into the load lock chamber C from the outside. In this state, the drive of the variable flow valve V6 and the vacuum pump F and the drive of the variable flow valve V5 and the vacuum pump E are controlled to bring the load lock chamber C and the transfer chamber B to the same pressure. As shown, the second gate valve G2 is opened, and the substrate 3 is carried into the transfer chamber B.

  Thereafter, the substrate 3 is transferred in the transfer chamber B to the plasma processing chamber side. On the other hand, the second gate valve G2 is closed when the transfer of the substrate 3 into the transfer chamber B is completed, and at the same time, the purge gas He is driven through the variable flow valve V4 by driving the variable flow valve V5 and the vacuum pump E. Is introduced into the transfer chamber B as shown in FIG.

At this time, Ar gas is supplied to the plasma processing chamber as shown in FIG. Therefore, the pressure in the transfer chamber B is reduced by driving the variable flow valve V5 and the vacuum pump E to maintain the argon plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber. Thereafter, when the pressure in the transfer chamber B becomes the same as that in the plasma processing chamber, the first gate valve G1 is opened as shown in FIG. 3B, and the substrate 3 is transferred into the plasma processing chamber. When the loading is completed, the first gate valve G1 is closed and at the same time, the supply of Ar gas to the plasma processing chamber is stopped. Instead, as shown in FIG. 3 (f), the process gas Cl ₂ is diluted with He gas. To supply to the plasma processing chamber. As a result, plasma of Cl ₂ gas is formed, and a predetermined thin film is formed on the substrate 3 by the above-described reaction. This is the film forming step c. The supply of Cl ₂ gas to the plasma processing chamber is stopped at the end of the film forming step c, and Ar gas is supplied again to the plasma processing chamber instead. As a result, Ar gas plasma is formed in the plasma processing chamber, and the plasma is continuously maintained although the type is changed. At this time, since the pressure in the transfer chamber B is controlled to be the same as that in the plasma processing chamber, the first gate valve G1 is opened, and the substrate 3 after film formation is unloaded from the plasma processing chamber. When the unloading is completed, the supply of He to the transfer chamber B is stopped, and the substrate 3 after film formation is transferred to the load lock chamber C side of the transfer chamber B. The second gate valve G2 is opened and carried into the load lock chamber C at the time point d when the transfer is completed.

  By repeating the above operation, film formation on the substrate 3 is performed. This film formation can be performed continuously while maintaining the plasma in the plasma processing chamber (chamber 1). As a result, compared with the case where the plasma is ignited every time the substrate 3 is processed, the waiting time until the plasma becomes stable is not required, and the preheating of the non-etching member is not required, so that the throughput is dramatically improved. .

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view conceptually showing the plasma processing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, as will be described in detail later, the plasma processing apparatus A has a member to be etched in the plasma processing chamber, and the plasma processing is performed when the member to be etched is retracted from the plasma processing chamber to perform cleaning. System. In such a plasma processing apparatus A, the member to be etched needs to be retracted or re-loaded into the plasma processing chamber. Even in this case, maintaining the plasma in the plasma processing chamber can improve the throughput of the plasma processing system. It is a measure.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the plasma processing system according to the present embodiment is obtained by adding a evacuation chamber G and a post-processing chamber H to the system shown in FIG. Along with this, third and fourth gate valves G3 and G4 for partitioning from the transfer chamber B are added. Here, the evacuation chamber G is a chamber for temporarily storing the member to be etched evacuated from the plasma processing chamber. The post-treatment chamber H is for performing necessary post-treatments such as surface treatment with Ar plasma, for example, on a substrate that has been subjected to predetermined treatment such as film formation in the plasma treatment chamber.

  Also in this embodiment, the member to be etched is retracted from the plasma processing chamber into the transfer chamber B or the member to be etched is transferred again from the transfer chamber B to the plasma processing chamber in the case of the plasma processing system shown in FIG. The substrate is carried out in the same manner as that of the substrate. That is, while the plasma in the plasma processing chamber is maintained, the first gate valve G1 is opened by the pressure control in the transfer chamber B and the pressure in the transfer chamber B is the same as that in the plasma processing chamber, and the retraction or re-loading is performed. I do.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a specific example of the plasma processing apparatus in the plasma processing system shown in FIG. This example is a thin film production apparatus that forms a thin film on the same principle as the thin film production apparatus shown in FIG. However, the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to this example is different in that the member 33 to be etched is formed so as to be retractable from the chamber 1. This is because the member 33 to be etched is retracted when the chamber 1 is cleaned to avoid damage caused by the etching of the member 33 to be etched with the cleaning gas plasma. 5 that are the same as those in FIG. 2 are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic side view configuration of the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to this example during film formation, FIG. 6 is a schematic side configuration of the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to this example when the member to be etched is retracted, and FIG. 7 is a susceptor and etching target. FIG. 8 shows a structure of the support mechanism for the member to be etched, and FIG. 9 shows a plan view showing the conveying means.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a susceptor 30 is provided in a cylindrical chamber 1 made of, for example, ceramic (made of an insulating material) so as to be movable up and down, and a substrate 3 is placed on the susceptor 30. The susceptor 30 is maintained in a raised state during film formation, and is maintained in a lowered state when the substrate 3 is loaded and unloaded (see FIG. 7).

  The chamber 1 holds a member 33 to be etched made of copper (Cu) as a metal, and the member 33 to be etched is disposed between the substrate 3 and the ceiling plate 7 in a discontinuous state with respect to the electric flow of the plasma antenna 8. Has been. For example, the member 33 to be etched has a configuration in which a lattice portion is formed inside a ring-shaped frame. As a result, the member 33 to be etched is structurally discontinuous with respect to the circumferential direction, which is the flow direction of electricity of the plasma antenna 8.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the member 33 to be etched is supported by the chamber 1 in a detachable manner by a fixing jig 32. That is, the fixing jig 32 is provided at three locations in the circumferential direction of the chamber 1, and the fixing jig 32 is provided with a locking member 34 that locks to the periphery of the member to be etched 33. Each of the locking members 34 is freely moved back and forth by the cylinder 35, and when the locking members 34 are moved forward at the same time, the three locking members 34 are locked to the periphery of the member to be etched 33 so that the member to be etched 33 is supported. To do. Further, when the cylinders 35 are moved backward all at once, the three locking members 34 are detached from the peripheral edge of the member to be etched 33 and the member 33 to be etched is released.

As shown in FIG. 5, working gas supply means for supplying a working gas (Cl ₂ gas) 21 containing chlorine as a halogen to the inside of the chamber 1 around the cylindrical portion of the chamber 1 above the member 33 to be etched. A plurality of nozzles 14 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and each nozzle 14 supplies a Cl ₂ gas 21 as a cleaning gas at the time of cleaning for removing chloride adhering to the inner wall of the chamber 1. To do. That is, the nozzle 14 constitutes a cleaning gas supply means.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, a transfer chamber B is connected to a lower side surface portion of the chamber 1 via a first gate valve G <b> 1, and transfer means for carrying in and out of the substrate 3 is transferred to the transfer chamber B. A robot arm 38 is provided. As shown in FIG. 9, the robot arm 38 includes a fork portion 37 supported by the rotation link 39 and the rotation link 40, and the rotation link 40 moves in the arrow G direction by the rotation of the rotation link 39 in the arrow F direction. The fork part 37 moves forward into the chamber 1 by rotating. The fork portion 37 moves backward toward the transfer chamber B by the rotation of the rotation link 39 in the reverse direction.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, support bars 31 for holding the member to be etched 33 are provided at three positions on the upper surface of the susceptor 30, and the member to be etched 33 is placed on the support bars 31. As a result, the member 33 to be etched is held on the upper surface side of the susceptor 30 in a state of being spaced from the upper surface, that is, in a state where the fork portion 37 of the robot arm 38 is inserted. That is, when the susceptor 30 is lifted in a state where the fixing of the member to be etched 33 by the fixing jig 32 is released, the member to be etched 33 is placed on the support rod 31 and when the susceptor 30 is lowered, The member 33 to be etched is set to the height of the conveyance site (see FIG. 6).

In the above-described thin film manufacturing apparatus, the Cl ₂ gas 21 is supplied from the nozzle 14 into the chamber 1 and at the same time, an electromagnetic wave is incident from the plasma antenna 8 into the chamber 1 to ionize the Cl ₂ gas 21 to obtain Cl _2. A gas plasma is generated to generate Cl radicals. As a result, a desired thin film can be formed on the substrate 3 based on the same principle as that of the thin film manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.

On the other hand, in this type of thin film manufacturing apparatus according to this example, when film formation on the substrate 3 is continued, a Cu thin film is also deposited on the inner wall of the chamber 1. For this reason, the Cl ₂ gas 21 is supplied into the chamber 1 every predetermined period to turn the Cl ₂ gas 21 into plasma, and the Cu thin film adhering in the chamber 1 is etched by gas plasma (chlorine radical Cl ^* ). Deposits are removed (cleaning).

At this time, if the member to be etched 33 exists in the chamber 1, the member to be etched 33 may be etched depending on the temperature state. For this reason, at the time of cleaning, the member 33 to be etched is retracted into the retreat chamber G (see FIG. 4) via the transfer chamber B and is isolated from the gas plasma (chlorine radical Cl ^* ).

  That is, at the start of cleaning, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 6, the susceptor 30 is raised to hold the member to be etched 33 on the support rod 31 and the three locking members 34 are separated from the periphery of the member to be etched 33. Then, the member 33 to be etched is released and placed on the support bar 31. In this state, the susceptor 30 is lowered and the member 33 to be etched is positioned at the same height as the first gate valve G1. Thereafter, the gate valve G 1 is opened to advance the robot arm 38, and the member to be etched 33 is placed on the fork portion 37. Next, by retracting the robot arm 38, the member 33 to be etched is moved into the transfer chamber B, and the first gate valve G1 is closed. As a result, the member 33 to be etched is retracted to the transfer chamber B.

  Such a series of evacuation operations is performed by opening the first gate valve G1 after adjusting the pressure in the transfer chamber B to the same pressure as in the chamber 1 while maintaining the plasma in the chamber 1 as described above.

In the state where the member 33 to be etched is retracted to the transfer chamber B by the above-described retracting operation, the Cl ₂ gas 21 is supplied from the nozzle 14 acting as a cleaning gas supplying means to the inside of the chamber 1 and the electromagnetic wave is transmitted from the plasma antenna 8. By entering the inside of the chamber 1, the Cl ₂ gas 21 is ionized to generate Cl ₂ gas plasma to generate Cl radicals. When the Cl radicals act on the Cu thin film attached in the chamber 1, an etching reaction occurs in Cu, and the Cu thin film attached on the inner wall of the chamber 1 is removed.

  Since the member to be etched 11 is retracted during cleaning, the member to be etched 11 is not etched and CuCl is not generated. For this reason, CuCl does not adhere to the chamber 1 and chlorination of the surface of the member to be etched 11 does not occur. Further, the problem of adhesion of CuCl to the member to be etched 11 does not occur.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a thin film manufacturing apparatus as another specific example of the plasma processing apparatus in the plasma processing system shown in FIG. 4 in an aspect during film formation, and FIG. 11 is a thin film manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows this in the aspect at the time of withdrawal of the to-be-etched member. In both figures, the same parts as those in FIGS. 5 to 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the retracting means of this example is provided with a susceptor 30 that can be raised and lowered, and the susceptor 30 supports the member 33 to be etched so as to be detachable with a space from the upper surface. And the member 33 to be etched is retracted into the transfer chamber B by the robot arm 38 with respect to the column 43 at the portion of the first gate valve G1 corresponding to the transfer chamber B.

  That is, at the time of normal film formation, as shown in FIG. 10, the susceptor 30 is lifted while the member to be etched 33 is supported on the susceptor 30 by the support 43, and a predetermined process is performed.

  On the other hand, at the time of cleaning, as shown in FIG. 11, the susceptor 30 is lowered so that the member 33 to be etched is at the height of the first gate valve G1 corresponding to the transfer chamber B, and the member 33 to be etched is moved by the robot arm 38. The susceptor 30 is retracted from the holding surface of the substrate 3.

  Therefore, as in the example shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the member to be etched 33 is retracted during cleaning, so that the member to be etched 33 is not etched and CuCl is not generated. For this reason, CuCl does not adhere to the chamber 1 or chlorination of the surface of the member 33 to be etched does not occur. Further, the problem of adhesion of CuCl to the member 33 to be etched does not occur. Then, the member to be etched 33 supported by the susceptor 30 can be retracted by the robot arm 38, and the member to be etched 33 can be retracted using the existing substrate 3 transport mechanism with a simple configuration. Further, during the film formation, the positional relationship in the height direction between the substrate 3 and the member to be etched 33 can be kept constant.

  FIG. 12 is a time chart showing, in chronological order, how the etched member 33 is retracted and re-loaded in the plasma processing system shown in FIG. 4 having the thin film production apparatus shown in FIGS. 5 to 11 as a plasma processing apparatus. FIG. 5A shows in which part the member 33 to be etched exists. That is, A is present in the plasma processing apparatus A and B is present in the transfer chamber B.

  It is assumed that the substrate 3 is unloaded from the plasma processing chamber, which is the chamber 1, prior to the retreat operation of the member 33 to be etched. In this state, as shown in FIG. 12 (e), Ar plasma is generated and maintained in the plasma processing chamber. In this state, as shown in FIG. 12D, by driving the shape flow variable valve V5 and the vacuum pump E, He is introduced into the transfer chamber B through the flow variable valve V4 and Adjust pressure. As a result, when the pressure in the transfer chamber B becomes the same as that in the plasma processing chamber, as shown in FIG. 12B, the first gate valve G1 is opened.

  In this state, the member 33 to be etched is retracted from the plasma processing chamber to the transfer chamber B. After the retreat, the first gate valve G1 is closed. This completes the retracting operation of the member 33 to be etched.

  Here, since the plasma processing system shown in FIG. 4 has the evacuation chamber G, the third gate valve G3 may be opened and evacuated to the evacuation chamber G.

After the member 33 to be etched is retracted, the supply of Ar gas is stopped. Instead, as shown in FIG. 12 (f), Cl ₂ which is the cleaning gas at this time is diluted with He gas to enter the plasma processing chamber. Supply. As a result, plasma of Cl ₂ gas is formed, and the plasma processing chamber is cleaned by the above-described reaction. This is the cleaning step g. With the completion of the cleaning step g, the supply of Cl ₂ gas to the plasma processing chamber is stopped, and Ar gas is supplied again to the plasma processing chamber instead. As a result, Ar gas plasma is formed in the plasma processing chamber, and the plasma is continuously maintained although the type is changed. At this time point h, since the pressure in the transfer chamber B is controlled to be the same as that in the plasma processing chamber, the first gate valve G1 is opened, and the member 33 to be etched in the transfer chamber B is transferred again into the plasma processing chamber. And fix it at a predetermined position in the plasma processing chamber. This is the re-import process i. When the re-loading step i is completed, the supply of He to the transfer chamber B is stopped.

  With the above operation, the member 33 to be etched can be favorably retracted or re-introduced at the time of cleaning, but this cleaning can be performed continuously while maintaining the plasma in the plasma processing chamber (chamber 1). As a result, the throughput is dramatically improved as compared with the case where the plasma is ignited after the cleaning process.

  As shown in FIG. 3, first, the substrate 3 is taken into the load lock chamber C from the outside. In this state, the drive of the variable flow valve V6 and the vacuum pump F and the drive of the variable flow valve V5 and the vacuum pump E are controlled to bring the load lock chamber C and the transfer chamber B to the same pressure. As shown, the second gate valve G2 is opened, and the substrate 3 is carried into the transfer chamber B.

  Thereafter, the substrate 3 is transferred in the transfer chamber B to the plasma processing chamber side. On the other hand, the second gate valve G2 is closed when the transfer of the substrate 3 into the transfer chamber B is completed, and at the same time, the purge gas He is driven through the variable flow valve V4 by driving the variable flow valve V5 and the vacuum pump E. Is introduced into the transfer chamber B as shown in FIG.

At this time, Ar gas is supplied to the plasma processing chamber as shown in FIG. Therefore, the pressure in the transfer chamber B is reduced by driving the variable flow valve V5 and the vacuum pump E to maintain the argon plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber. Thereafter, when the pressure in the transfer chamber B becomes the same as that in the plasma processing chamber, the first gate valve G1 is opened as shown in FIG. 3B, and the substrate 3 is transferred into the plasma processing chamber. When the loading is completed, the first gate valve G1 is closed and at the same time, the supply of Ar gas to the plasma processing chamber is stopped. Instead, as shown in FIG. 3 (f), the process gas Cl ₂ is diluted with He gas. To supply to the plasma processing chamber. As a result, plasma of Cl ₂ gas is formed, and a predetermined thin film is formed on the substrate 3 by the above-described reaction. This is the film forming step c. The supply of Cl ₂ gas to the plasma processing chamber is stopped at the end of the film forming step c, and Ar gas is supplied again to the plasma processing chamber instead. As a result, Ar gas plasma is formed in the plasma processing chamber, and the plasma is continuously maintained although the type is changed. At this time, since the pressure in the transfer chamber B is controlled to be the same as that in the plasma processing chamber, the first gate valve G1 is opened, and the substrate 3 after film formation is unloaded from the plasma processing chamber. When the unloading is completed, the supply of He to the transfer chamber B is stopped, and the substrate 3 after film formation is transferred to the load lock chamber C side of the transfer chamber B. The second gate valve G2 is opened and carried into the load lock chamber C at the time point d when the transfer is completed.

  By repeating the above operation, film formation on the substrate 3 is performed. This film formation can be performed continuously while maintaining the plasma in the plasma processing chamber (chamber 1). As a result, the throughput is dramatically improved as compared with the case where plasma is ignited every time the substrate 3 is processed.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be effectively used in industrial fields such as thin film production involving plasma treatment and semiconductor manufacturing fields.

It is explanatory drawing which shows notionally the plasma processing chamber system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the thin film preparation apparatus which is a specific example of the plasma processing apparatus in the plasma processing system shown in FIG. It is a time chart which shows the mode at the time of board | substrate carrying-in in the plasma processing system shown in FIG. 1 in time series. It is explanatory drawing which shows notionally the plasma processing system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the thin film preparation apparatus which is a specific example of the plasma processing apparatus in the plasma processing system shown in FIG. 4 in the aspect at the time of film-forming. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the thin film preparation apparatus shown in FIG. 5 in the aspect at the time of withdrawal of a to-be-etched member. It is a perspective view which shows the aspect at the time of withdrawal of the to-be-etched member in the thin film preparation apparatus shown in FIG. 5 thru | or FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the support mechanism of the to-be-etched member in the thin film preparation apparatus shown in FIG. 5 thru | or FIG. It is a top view which shows the conveyance means in the thin film preparation apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the thin film production apparatus which is another specific example of the plasma processing apparatus in the plasma processing system shown in FIG. 4 in the aspect at the time of film-forming. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the thin film preparation apparatus shown in FIG. 10 in the aspect at the time of withdrawal of a to-be-etched member. It is a time chart which shows the aspect at the time of the reintroduction of the to-be-etched member in the plasma processing system shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

A Plasma processing apparatus B Transfer chamber C Load lock chamber D, E, F Vacuum pump G1, G2, G3, G4 Gate valve 1 Chamber 3 Substrate 6 Temperature control means 7 Ceiling plate 8 Plasma antenna 9 Matching unit 10 High frequency power supply 11 Etched Member 14 Nozzle 15 Flow controller 16 Nozzle 17 Flow controller 19 Copper thin film 21 Working gas 22 Noble gas

Claims (10)

A plasma processing chamber for performing a predetermined plasma processing on the substrate, a transfer chamber for carrying the substrate into and out of the plasma processing chamber, and the plasma processing chamber and the transfer chamber disposed between the two. In a plasma processing method of performing a predetermined plasma processing using a plasma processing system having a first gate valve for partitioning,
A pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma in the plasma processing chamber, while maintaining the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber,
When the substrate to be processed is transferred from the transfer chamber into the plasma processing chamber or when the processed substrate is transferred from the plasma processing chamber to the transfer chamber, the pressure in the transfer chamber is controlled to the same pressure as the plasma processing chamber. In this state, the first gate valve is opened to carry in or carry out the substrate. A plasma processing chamber for performing a predetermined plasma processing on the substrate, a transfer chamber for carrying the substrate into and out of the plasma processing chamber, and the plasma processing chamber and the transfer chamber disposed between the two. A first gate valve that partitions the substrate, a spare chamber that transfers the substrate to and from the outside, and a second gate valve that is disposed between the spare chamber and the transfer chamber and partitions between the two In a plasma processing method of performing a predetermined plasma processing using a plasma processing system having
A pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma in the plasma processing chamber, while maintaining the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber,
When the substrate to be processed is transferred from the transfer chamber into the plasma processing chamber or when the processed substrate is transferred from the plasma processing chamber to the transfer chamber, the pressure in the transfer chamber is controlled to the same pressure as the plasma processing chamber. In this state, the first gate valve is opened to carry in or carry out the substrate,
When the substrate to be processed is transferred from the preliminary chamber to the transfer chamber or when the processed substrate is transferred from the transfer chamber to the preliminary chamber, the pressure of the preliminary chamber and the transfer chamber is controlled to control the preliminary chamber and the transfer chamber. The plasma processing method is characterized in that the second gate valve is opened in the state where the pressure is the same, and the substrate is loaded or unloaded. Etching with a radical of a cleaning gas formed by converting the cleaning gas into plasma is removed by removing the adhering material disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the plasma processing chamber in which the member to be etched is disposed and performing a predetermined plasma process on the substrate. In the plasma processing method,
Performing the cleaning by retracting the member to be etched into a transfer chamber that is partitioned by a first gate valve and carries the substrate into and out of the plasma processing chamber;
When the member to be etched is retracted or re-loaded into the plasma processing chamber, the plasma processing chamber is set to a pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma, and the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber is maintained.
When the member to be etched is retracted from the plasma processing chamber to the transfer chamber or re-loaded from the transfer chamber to the plasma processing chamber, the pressure in the transfer chamber is controlled to be the same as the plasma processing chamber. And opening the first gate valve to retract or reload the member to be etched. A plasma processing apparatus including a plasma processing chamber for performing a predetermined plasma processing on a substrate;
Plasma processing chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the plasma processing chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A transfer chamber for carrying the substrate into and out of the plasma processing chamber;
A transfer chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the transfer chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A first gate valve disposed between the plasma processing chamber and the transfer chamber and partitioning between the two,
The plasma processing chamber pressure adjusting means is controlled to make the plasma processing chamber a pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma, and the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber is controlled so as to be maintained. When carrying the substrate from the transfer chamber into the plasma processing chamber or when unloading the processed substrate from the plasma processing chamber to the transfer chamber, the transfer chamber pressure adjusting means is controlled to control the pressure of the transfer chamber with the plasma processing chamber. And a control means for controlling the substrate to be loaded or unloaded by opening the first gate valve under the same pressure. A plasma processing apparatus including a plasma processing chamber for performing a predetermined plasma processing on a substrate;
Plasma processing chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the plasma processing chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A transfer chamber for carrying the substrate into and out of the plasma processing chamber;
A transfer chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the transfer chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A first gate valve disposed between the plasma processing chamber and the transfer chamber and partitioning between the two,
A spare room for transferring the substrate to and from the outside;
Preliminary chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the preliminary chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A second gate valve disposed between the preliminary chamber and the transfer chamber to partition the two;
The plasma processing chamber pressure adjusting means is controlled to make the plasma processing chamber a pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma, and the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber is controlled so as to be maintained. When carrying the substrate from the transfer chamber into the plasma processing chamber or when unloading the processed substrate from the plasma processing chamber to the transfer chamber, the transfer chamber pressure adjusting means is controlled to control the pressure of the transfer chamber with the plasma processing chamber. The first gate valve is opened under the same pressure so that the substrate is loaded or unloaded, and the substrate to be processed is loaded into the transfer chamber from the spare chamber or the processed substrate is loaded. At the time of unloading from the transfer chamber to the auxiliary chamber, the transfer chamber pressure control means and the auxiliary chamber pressure adjusting means are controlled so that the auxiliary chamber and the transfer chamber are at the same pressure. Serial plasma processing system, characterized in that a control means for controlling so as to open the second gate valve carrying in or out of the substrate. In the plasma processing system according to claim 4 or 5,
The plasma processing apparatus etches a member to be etched formed of a material containing an element capable of generating a high vapor pressure halide with a halogen radical obtained by converting a halogen-containing working gas into a plasma, and from the element and the halogen. The precursor is adsorbed on a substrate having a temperature lower than the temperature of the member to be etched, and then the precursor is reduced with the halogen radical to precipitate the element component. A plasma processing system, which is a thin film manufacturing apparatus for forming a thin film. A predetermined plasma treatment is performed on the substrate, and the member to be etched is disposed so as to be able to be retracted or re-loaded, and the adhering matter adhering to the inner peripheral surface is formed by cleaning gas formed into plasma. A plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber configured to be removed by etching with radicals;
Plasma processing chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the plasma processing chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A transfer chamber for carrying in or carrying out the substrate to and from the plasma processing chamber and for retracting or carrying in the member to be etched;
A transfer chamber pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the transfer chamber to a predetermined pressure;
A first gate valve disposed between the plasma processing chamber and the transfer chamber and partitioning between the two,
The member to be etched is retracted into the transfer chamber before the plasma processing chamber is cleaned, and the member to be etched is controlled to be reintroduced into the plasma processing chamber after the cleaning is completed. At this time, controlling the plasma processing chamber pressure adjusting means to make the plasma processing chamber a pressure atmosphere capable of generating plasma, and controlling to maintain the plasma generated in the plasma processing chamber, When the member to be etched is retracted from the plasma processing chamber into the transfer chamber or re-introduced from the transfer chamber into the plasma processing chamber, the transfer chamber pressure adjusting means is controlled to control the pressure of the transfer chamber to the plasma processing chamber. The first gate valve is opened with the same pressure as the pressure, and the member to be etched is retracted or re-loaded. Plasma processing system comprising: the control means for controlled so, the. In the plasma processing system according to any one of claims 4, 5 and 7,
The plasma processing apparatus etches a member to be etched formed of a material containing an element capable of generating a high vapor pressure halide with a halogen radical obtained by converting a halogen-containing working gas into a plasma, and from the element and the halogen. The precursor is adsorbed on a substrate having a temperature lower than the temperature of the member to be etched, and then the precursor is reduced with the halogen radical to precipitate the element component. While forming a thin film,
Etch deposits adhering to the inner peripheral surface of the plasma processing chamber with a cleaning gas radical formed by converting the cleaning gas into plasma, and cleaning the same. During this cleaning, the member to be etched is subjected to the plasma processing. A plasma processing system, which is a thin film forming apparatus adapted to be retracted from a chamber to the transfer chamber. The plasma processing system according to claim 8.
The retracting means for retracting or re-loading the member to be etched is configured to detachably support the member to be etched in a chamber that is a plasma processing chamber, and to move up and down a susceptor disposed in the chamber. The susceptor is provided with a support rod for holding the member to be etched with a space from the upper surface,
In cleaning, the susceptor is lifted with the fixing to the chamber being released to hold the member to be etched on the support rod, and the susceptor is lowered so that the member to be etched is at the height of the transporting portion, and the transporting means is used to A plasma processing system configured to retract an etching member from a holding surface of a substrate of a susceptor. The plasma processing system according to claim 8, wherein
The retracting means for retracting or re-loading the member to be etched is configured such that the susceptor disposed inside the chamber, which is a plasma processing chamber, can be raised and lowered, and is spaced from the upper surface of the susceptor. The susceptor is provided with a support column that detachably supports,
In the cleaning, the susceptor is lowered so that the member to be etched is at the height of the conveyance part, and the member to be etched is retracted from the holding surface of the substrate of the susceptor by a conveyance unit. Plasma processing system.

Images