JP2015138931A - vacuum processing apparatus and vacuum processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve cleaning effect of a vacuum processing chamber in a vacuum processing apparatus.SOLUTION: A vacuum processing apparatus includes: a vacuum processing chamber 101 which may be evacuated; a gas introduction port 112 which introduces a process gas into the vacuum processing chamber 101: a high frequency power source 127 which supplies high-frequency power to the vacuum processing chamber 101; a specimen support 103 which is provided in the vacuum processing chamber 101 and supports a semiconductor wafer 102; and deposit removal parts which remove deposits adhering to the vacuum processing chamber 101. The deposit removal parts includes first deposit removal parts 124 and second deposit removal parts 125. Each deposit removal part is disposed below the specimen support 103 and includes: a water cooling pipe 118 which cools the deposit removal parts and an induction coil 117 which generates plasma.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum processing technique, and more particularly to a vacuum processing chamber cleaning technique.

  In a vacuum processing apparatus used when processing a substrate or the like in a vacuum atmosphere, when cleaning a place where plasma is not in contact, such as the inner wall surface of the lower part of the vacuum processing chamber, a gas is simply flowed to chemistry with the deposit. The deposit is removed by the reaction.

  For example, in a vacuum processing chamber, plasma generated by etching or the like does not pass through, such as the inner wall surface of the lower part of the electrode, the inner surface of the bottom part, the surface of the lower part of the electrode, the inner wall surface of the exhaust pipe connected to the exhaust chamber, etc. These surfaces are abbreviated as the lower inner surface of the vacuum processing chamber).

  Note that the gas that has not been converted to plasma has low reactivity. Therefore, in order to clean the lower inner surface of the vacuum processing chamber, the vacuum processing chamber is opened to the atmosphere, and an operator manually removes deposits (reaction products).

  Here, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for making the electrode height at the time of cleaning higher than the plasma position and removing the reaction products deposited on the lower part of the electrode. However, the vertical mechanism of the electrode complicates the vacuum processing apparatus. In addition, the cleanable range is limited to the side surface of the electrode and the lower part of the electrode.

  Patent Document 2 describes a technique for removing deposits by heating the lower part of the vacuum processing chamber with respect to substances deposited in the lower part of the lower temperature vacuum processing chamber. In the case of the technique of Patent Document 2, the substance to be removed is limited to the deposit having a low boiling point, and further, when the substance moves to an unheated exhaust pipe located downstream, it is deposited there.

JP 2001-85402 A JP 2002-180250 A

  In the above-described vacuum processing apparatus, the etching gas is decomposed into ions and radicals by the plasma, and the product (reaction product) formed by reacting with the processing substrate on the electrode and the unreacted radical are vacuumed by the pressure difference. Flows to the bottom of the processing chamber. There is no plasma in the lower part of the vacuum processing chamber, and the temperature is lower than that of the upper part of the vacuum processing chamber. Therefore, when a strong deposition gas is generated from a reaction product or a reaction between different radicals, the reaction product is deposited on the lower inner surface of the vacuum processing chamber through which plasma generated by the etching process does not pass.

  Further, the vacuum exhaust pump and the piping connected to the vacuum pump are at a lower temperature than the lower part of the vacuum processing chamber and are not easily heated, so that the residual strong depositing gas is more likely to deposit. For this reason, when a continuous process is implemented, it is a subject that the reaction product which cannot be removed accumulates and a foreign material occurs frequently.

  Furthermore, it is a problem that the yield of products is lowered.

  The objective of this invention is providing the technique which can improve the cleaning effect of the vacuum processing chamber in a vacuum processing apparatus.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of stabilizing the yield of products in a vacuum processing apparatus.

  The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

  Of the inventions disclosed in this application, the outline of typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

  A vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention includes: a processing unit that is evacuated; a gas introduction unit that introduces a process gas into the processing unit; a high-frequency power source that supplies high-frequency power to an electrode in the processing unit; A sample stage for supporting, and a deposit removing unit for removing deposits, the deposit removing unit being disposed below the sample stage, and a cooling mechanism for cooling the deposit removing unit, And a plasma generation mechanism for generating plasma.

  In addition, the vacuum processing method according to the present invention includes a step of performing plasma processing on an object to be processed disposed on a sample stage in a processing unit that has been evacuated, and a step of performing plasma cleaning on the inside of the processing unit. A deposit removing unit for removing deposits is disposed below the sample stage in the processing unit. The deposit removing unit includes a cooling mechanism for cooling the deposit removing unit and a plasma for generating plasma. And a generation mechanism. Further, when the plasma treatment is performed, the deposit removing unit is cooled by the cooling mechanism, and when the plasma cleaning is performed, the cooling by the cooling mechanism is stopped and the plasma is generated by the plasma generation mechanism. To do.

  Of the inventions disclosed in the present application, effects obtained by typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

  By providing the deposit removing section in the vacuum processing chamber, the deposit (reaction product) deposited in the vacuum processing chamber can be removed, and the cleaning effect of the vacuum processing chamber can be improved.

  In addition, it is possible to stabilize the product yield in the vacuum processing apparatus.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the structure of the vacuum processing apparatus of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a top view which cuts along the AA line | wire shown in FIG. 1, and shows the structure of the lower inner surface side in a vacuum processing chamber. It is a data figure which shows an example of the cleaning conditions in the cleaning of the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the structure of the vacuum processing apparatus of Embodiment 3 of this invention.

  In the following embodiments, the description of the same or similar parts will not be repeated in principle unless particularly necessary.

  Further, in the following embodiment, when it is necessary for the sake of convenience, the description will be divided into a plurality of sections or embodiments, but they are not irrelevant to each other unless otherwise specified. The other part or all of the modifications, details, supplementary explanations, and the like are related.

  Also, in the following embodiments, when referring to the number of elements (including the number, numerical value, quantity, range, etc.), particularly when clearly indicated and when clearly limited to a specific number in principle, etc. Except, it is not limited to the specific number, and it may be more or less than the specific number.

  Further, in the following embodiments, the constituent elements (including element steps) are not necessarily indispensable unless otherwise specified and clearly considered essential in principle. Needless to say.

  Further, in the following embodiments, regarding constituent elements and the like, when “consisting of A”, “consisting of A”, “having A”, and “including A” are specifically indicated that only those elements are included. It goes without saying that other elements are not excluded except in the case of such cases. Similarly, in the following embodiments, when referring to the shapes, positional relationships, etc. of the components, etc., the shapes are substantially the same unless otherwise specified, or otherwise apparent in principle. And the like are included. The same applies to the above numerical values and ranges.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiments, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted. Further, even a plan view may be hatched for easy understanding of the drawing.

(Embodiment 1)
1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the structure of a vacuum processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. FIG.

  In the first embodiment, as an example of a vacuum processing apparatus, an etching apparatus that generates plasma and performs a dry etching process on a processing substrate such as a semiconductor substrate is taken up. Further, among the above etching apparatuses, an electron cyclotron resonance (Electron Cyclotron Resonance) is used. (Hereinafter, abbreviated as ECR) A case of an etching apparatus 100 using a microwave plasma of a method will be described.

  That is, the etching apparatus 100 uses an electron cyclotron resonance type microwave plasma using a microwave and a magnetic field as plasma generation means during dry etching (hereinafter, also simply referred to as etching). Here, the vacuum processing chamber 101 of the etching apparatus 100 will be described with the magnetron 106 side as the upper side and the exhaust pipe 121 side as the lower side.

  For cleaning the lower inner surface of the vacuum processing chamber 101, inductively coupled plasma (hereinafter abbreviated as ICP) is used as plasma generating means. Here, the lower inner surface of the vacuum processing chamber 101 refers to the inner wall surface (side wall 122) of the lower portion of the electrode 114, the inner surface of the bottom portion 120, and the electrode, in which plasma generated by etching or the like is difficult to pass in the vacuum processing chamber 101. 114 is a surface such as an inner wall surface of an exhaust pipe (exhaust portion) 121 connected to the exhaust chamber.

  First, the structure of the etching apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

  The etching apparatus 100 includes a vacuum processing chamber (processing unit) 101 that can be evacuated, a magnetron 106 that generates electromagnetic waves for converting the process gas introduced into the vacuum processing chamber 101 into plasma in the vacuum processing chamber 101, and a vacuum A sample stage 103 provided in the processing chamber 101 and supporting a semiconductor wafer (processing substrate, object to be processed) 102 is provided. The sample stage 103 is also called a stage or an adsorption stage.

  That is, the microwave (electromagnetic wave) oscillated by the magnetron 106 is introduced into the vacuum processing chamber 101 through the waveguide 105. Further, an electrode 114 is provided at the lower part of the sample stage 103 provided in the vacuum processing chamber 101 so as to be joined to the sample stage 103, and the electrode 114 is supported by the electrode support part 115 on the lower side.

  That is, the sample stage 103 and the electrode 114 are supported by the electrode support portion 115. A high frequency power supply 127 is electrically connected to the electrode 114, and high frequency power is applied to the electrode 114 by the high frequency power supply 127.

  On the other hand, the process gas is introduced into the vacuum processing chamber 101 from a gas inlet (gas inlet) 112.

  Further, the vacuum processing chamber 101 is provided with an exhaust pipe (exhaust part) 121 provided so as to open to the bottom 120 thereof, and a variable conductance valve 109 and a turbo molecular pump 116 provided in the exhaust pipe 121. Has been.

  Therefore, the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 101 can be made into a vacuum atmosphere by exhausting the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 101 through the exhaust pipe 121 by the turbo molecular pump 116.

  Further, in the etching apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, in the vacuum processing chamber 101, a first deposition that removes deposits at positions below the sample stage 103 (exhaust side, exhaust pipe 121 side), respectively. An object removing unit 124 and a second deposit removing unit 125 are provided.

  Each of the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125 includes a cooling mechanism that cools each deposit removing unit and a plasma generating mechanism that generates plasma.

  The cooling mechanism is a water cooling pipe 118 as an example. Moreover, the said plasma production | generation mechanism is the induction coil 117 as the example. In this case, the induction coil 117 is a mechanism that generates inductively coupled plasma.

  As described above, when the semiconductor wafer 102 is subjected to the plasma etching process, during the etching process (process process), the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125 are controlled by the water cooling pipe (cooling mechanism) 118. Cool each one. On the other hand, when the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 101 is plasma-cleaned, the cooling by the water cooling pipes 118 of the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125 is stopped, and in this cooling stopped state, induction is performed. Plasma is generated by the coil 117 to perform plasma cleaning.

  The control of the start / stop of the cooling by the water cooling pipe 118 of each of the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125 and the generation of plasma by the induction coil 117 are, for example, controlled. This is performed by the unit 126.

  However, the cooling control by the water cooling pipe 118 and the plasma generation control by the induction coil 117 may be performed by another control unit included in the etching apparatus 100.

  Next, a basic process of dry etching processing including plasma cleaning processing using the etching apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the semiconductor wafer 102 is carried into the vacuum processing chamber 101 having a vacuum atmosphere from the wafer carry-in port 110, and the semiconductor wafer 102 is electrostatically adsorbed on the upper surface of the sample stage 103 by the electrostatic adsorption power source 108.

  Next, a microwave (electromagnetic wave) having a frequency of 2.45 GHz is oscillated from the magnetron 106, the propagation mode is selectively excited in the cavity resonance portion through the waveguide 105, and further passes through the quartz plate 104 to pass through the vacuum processing chamber 101. Microwave is introduced in

  On the other hand, the process gas is introduced into the vacuum processing chamber 101 from the gas introduction port (gas introduction part) 112 through the quartz shower plate 113 and is ionized by the ECR plasma 111 generated by ECR to form ions and radicals. Is done.

  A solenoid coil (magnetic field forming unit) 107 for forming a magnetic field (magnetic field) in the vacuum processing chamber 101 is disposed around the outside of the vacuum processing chamber 101. A high frequency is applied from a high frequency power supply 127 to the electrode 114 provided at the lower part of the sample stage 103, and ions in the plasma are drawn vertically to the semiconductor wafer 102, thereby plasma etching the semiconductor wafer 102. Process (dry etching process).

  Further, after the plasma etching process, the process gas is regulated by the variable conductance valve 109 and exhausted from the exhaust pipe 121 by the turbo molecular pump 116 together with the deposit (reaction product). Then, after the plasma etching process is completed, the semiconductor wafer 102 is carried out to the atmosphere via the wafer carry-in port 110.

  In the etching apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, the deposit removing section is provided on the side wall (wall section) 122 and the bottom section 120 of the vacuum processing chamber 101.

  That is, in the vacuum processing chamber 101, a first deposit removing unit 124 and a second deposit removing unit 125 for removing deposits are provided at positions below the sample stage 103, respectively. Each of the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125 includes a water cooling pipe (cooling mechanism) 118 that cools each deposit removing unit, and an induction coil (plasma generating mechanism) that generates plasma. ) 117.

  Specifically, each of the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125 includes an induction coil 117, a water cooling pipe 118, and a ceramic box 119 that surrounds these two parts.

  The first deposit removing unit 124 is disposed on the bottom 120 of the vacuum processing chamber 101 at a position below the sample stage 103, while the second deposit removing unit 125 is disposed on the vacuum processing chamber 101. It arrange | positions so that the inner side wall 122 may be followed.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the first deposit removing unit 124 provided on the bottom 120 of the vacuum processing chamber 101 has a disk shape with a circular opening formed in the center, and is large in the bottom 120. A portion is covered from above and the opening is arranged so as to avoid the exhaust pipe (exhaust part) 121. An induction coil 117 and a water cooling pipe 118 are provided in a spiral shape (coil shape) in the ceramic box 119 and are arranged so as to extend from the vicinity of the center portion of the bottom portion 120 toward the outside thereof. .

  On the other hand, the second deposit removing unit 125 is disposed along the side wall 122 at a position below the sample stage 103 as shown in FIG. That is, it is formed in a cylindrical shape concentric with the side wall 122, in which the induction coil 117 and the water cooling pipe 118 are installed in an annular shape from a higher place to a lower place.

  The induction coil 117 is composed of a conductor such as copper, aluminum, stainless steel, etc., and a high frequency of a predetermined frequency (for example, 13.56 MHz) is applied from the high frequency power source 127 with a predetermined power, and the ICP plasma is introduced by introducing a cleaning gas. 123 is generated.

  Further, the water cooling pipe 118 makes contact with the bottom 120 and the side wall 122 of the vacuum processing chamber 101 at as many locations as possible, so that the bottom 120 and the side wall 122 of the vacuum processing chamber 101 can be quickly connected with a predetermined water flow rate. It is designed to cool down.

  Further, a space other than the induction coil 117 and the water cooling pipe 118 in the ceramic box 119 is closely filled with the same ceramic material as the ceramic box 119. This ceramic material shields the induction coil 117 from the metal vacuum processing chamber 101 as a partition member and protects the induction coil 117 and the water cooling pipe 118 from the ICP plasma 123.

  As described above, the induction coil 117 can generate the ICP plasma 123 below the sample stage 103 (including the electrode 114) of the vacuum processing chamber 101, while the water cooling pipe 118 allows the sample stage of the vacuum processing chamber 101 to be generated. The side wall 122 and the bottom 120 below 103 can be cooled.

  During the etching process (process process), each of the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125 is cooled by the water cooling pipe (cooling mechanism) 118, and is below the sample stage 103. The temperature of the side wall 122 and the bottom part 120 is lowered to induce the deposition of gas having a strong deposition property, and deposits are deposited on the side wall 122 and the bottom part 120 below the sample stage 103 in the vacuum processing chamber 101.

  Thereby, the deposit adhering to the inner surface of the exhaust pipe 121 connected to the exhaust chamber can be greatly reduced.

  Next, plasma cleaning is performed. In this plasma cleaning, after the etching process, the plasma processing is performed while keeping the vacuum atmosphere in the vacuum processing chamber 101 without opening the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 101 to the atmosphere. However, increase / decrease (adjustment, etc.) of the degree of vacuum of the vacuum processing chamber 101 may be performed within a range not opened to the atmosphere. When plasma cleaning the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 101, first, the cooling by the water cooling pipes 118 of the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125 is stopped, and in this cooling stopped state, induction is performed. Plasma is generated by the coil 117.

Thereafter, oxygen (O ₂ ), boron trichloride (BCl ₃ ), chlorine (Cl ₂ ), sulfur hexafluoride (SF ₆ ), nitrogen trifluoride (NF ₃ ), nitrogen A gas such as carbon oxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) is introduced, and deposits adhering to the surfaces of the side wall 122, the bottom 120, and the electrode support 115 below the sample stage 103 in the vacuum processing chamber 101 are generated by plasma. Let it react chemically.

  And it exhausts from the exhaust pipe 121 in the form of low sedimentary gas.

Next, a plasma cleaning method of ammonium fluoride (hereinafter referred to as NH ₄ F) using the etching apparatus 100 of the first embodiment will be described.

First, when the semiconductor wafer 102 made of Si is etched (plasma treated) using a gas containing nitrogen (N) element, hydrogen (H) element, and fluorine (F) element, a deposit (reaction product) is obtained. NH ₄ F is generated.

Further, NH ₄ F is generated by the reaction between the supplied gases. Since these substances have a high vapor pressure, they are difficult to deposit on the part above the sample stage 103 in contact with the plasma. However, the substance moves to the lower part of the vacuum processing chamber 101 by the gas introduction at the upper part of the vacuum processing chamber 101 and the exhaust by the turbo molecular pump 116 below, and is deposited there.

Here, in the lower part of the vacuum processing chamber 101, the cooling water is allowed to flow through the water cooling pipe 118 during the etching process, so that NH ₄ SiF or NH ₄ F is contained in the first deposit removing unit 124 and the first deposit removing part 124. Most of the deposits 125 are deposited on each of the two deposit removal portions 125 and do not deposit on the inner surface of the exhaust pipe 121 connected to the exhaust chamber.

  As described above, during the etching process, the deposit (reaction product) is trapped (deposited) in the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125.

Thereafter, in the plasma cleaning process of the vacuum processing chamber 101, first, the upper portion (above the sample stage 103) of the vacuum processing chamber 101 is plasma cleaned by etching processing using SF ₆ / O ₂ or the like and ECR plasma 111.

  Next, the cooling by the water cooling pipe 118 is stopped, and a current is passed through the induction coil 117 to generate ICP plasma 123, whereby the lower part of the vacuum processing chamber 101 (below the sample stage 103) is cleaned.

  Here, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the cleaning conditions in the cleaning of the etching apparatus 100 shown in FIG.

Since plasma cleaning of the vacuum processing chamber 101 is more reactive than gas cleaning, SF ₆ and O ₂ shown in FIG. 3 are decomposed by the ICP plasma 123 and react with the deposits NH ₄ F and NH ₄ SiF. Thus, it is decomposed into a material having a low deposition property such as H ₂ O, NOF, SiF ₄ or the like.

  Therefore, no deposit is formed downstream of the exhaust pipe 121. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce foreign substances caused by the deposits and improve the production yield.

  In other words, deposits were deposited on the bottom 120 and the side wall 122 of the vacuum processing chamber 101 by providing the deposit removing portions (the first deposit removing portion 124 and the second deposit removing portion 125) in the vacuum processing chamber 101. Deposits (reaction products) can be removed. Furthermore, since the ICP plasma 123 can be formed on the lower side of the electrode 114, deposits deposited on the electrode support portion 115 disposed on the lower side of the electrode 114 can also be removed.

  As a result, the cleaning effect of the vacuum processing chamber 101 can be improved.

  Further, since the product can be processed for a long time in the vacuum processing chamber 101 with little foreign matter generated, the yield of the product can be stabilized.

  In addition, the frequency of cleaning due to air release can be reduced.

  As a result, the time spent for cleaning the vacuum processing chamber 101 can be reduced.

  Further, by performing plasma cleaning in an as-is vacuum atmosphere after plasma processing such as etching processing, the efficiency of plasma processing including cleaning processing can be improved.

  Note that, as in the etching apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, in the vacuum processing chamber 101, the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125 are arranged at the side wall 122 at a position below the sample stage 103. And the bottom 120, it is possible to collect and remove deposits more efficiently.

  However, the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125 may be installed at any one place as necessary.

  Further, the cooling method in the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125 may be performed by circulating a refrigerant cooled to a low temperature in addition to water cooling. Furthermore, you may utilize the cooling by adiabatic expansion using a compressor.

  Further, in the deposit removing unit, the one provided on the bottom 120 may be referred to as a second deposit removing unit 125, while the one provided on the side wall 122 may be referred to as a first deposit removing unit 124.

(Embodiment 2)
In the second embodiment, the case of plasma cleaning of carbon-based deposits will be described using the etching apparatus 100 shown in FIG.

In plasma processing such as dry etching, carbon-based gases such as carbon tetrafluoride (CF ₄ ), cyclobutane (C ₄ H ₈ ), trifluoromethane (CHF ₃ ), and methyl fluoride CH ₃ F are used as etching gases. In particular, in the case of an etching gas that does not use an oxidizing gas, a carbon-based deposit is deposited on the inner surface (side wall 122) of the vacuum processing chamber 101 during the etching process.

The carbon-based deposit is less depositable than the NH ₄ F deposit shown in the first embodiment. Therefore, during the etching process, the lower part of the sample stage 103 in the vacuum processing chamber 101 is cooled by the water cooling pipes 118 of the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125, and then cleaned. In the process, current is passed through the induction coil 117 to generate ICP plasma 123 in the lower portion of the vacuum processing chamber 101, and SF ₆ gas and O ₂ gas are passed under the etching conditions shown in FIG.

This etches the carbon deposits adhering to the surfaces of the side wall 122, bottom 120, and electrode support 115 below the sample stage 103 of the vacuum processing chamber 101 and exhausts them in the form of CO ₂ gas or CO gas, Carbon deposits can be effectively removed from the vacuum processing chamber 101.

  As a result, as in the first embodiment, deposits (reaction products) deposited on the bottom 120 and the side wall 122 of the vacuum processing chamber 101 and the electrode support 115 can be removed, and the vacuum processing chamber 101 is cleaned. The effect can be improved.

  In addition, the yield of products can be stabilized in the vacuum processing chamber 101.

The cleaning gas used for the plasma cleaning is at least one gas selected from O ₂ , CO, CO ₂ , SF ₆ , NF ₃ , Cl _2, BCl _{3 and the} like according to the deposit (reaction product). Can be used.

The plasma generated by the induction coil (plasma generation mechanism) 117 at this time is a gas such as the O ₂ gas, CO gas, CO ₂ gas, SF ₆ gas, NF ₃ gas, Cl ₂ gas, and BCl ₃ gas. The plasma generated using

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the structure of a vacuum processing apparatus (etching apparatus) according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

  The etching apparatus 200 according to the third embodiment employs an ICP method as a plasma generation method during the plasma etching process. Therefore, in the etching apparatus 200, the induction coil 201 for generating the ICP plasma 202 is disposed outside (outside) the side wall 122 of the vacuum processing chamber 101.

  During the plasma etching process, ICP plasma 202 is generated by passing a current through the induction coil 201.

  The other structure of the etching apparatus 200 of the third embodiment is the same as that of the etching apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1, and the deposits on the side wall 122 and the bottom 120 below the sample stage 103 in the vacuum processing chamber 101 are also shown. The removal effect is also the same as that of the etching apparatus 100 shown in FIG.

  That is, by providing the deposit removing unit (the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125) in the vacuum processing chamber 101, the bottom 120 and the side wall 122 of the vacuum processing chamber 101, and further Deposits deposited on the electrode support portion 115 can be removed, and the cleaning effect of the vacuum processing chamber 101 can be improved as in the first embodiment.

  In addition, the yield of products can be stabilized in the vacuum processing chamber 101.

  Furthermore, the frequency of cleaning due to atmospheric release can be reduced.

  As a result, the time spent for cleaning the vacuum processing chamber 101 can be reduced.

  The other effects obtained by the etching apparatus 200 according to the third embodiment are the same as the effects obtained by the etching apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, and therefore redundant description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, even if the plasma generation method is different, by providing the deposit removing unit (the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125) of the third embodiment, In addition, it is possible to clean the portion below the sample stage 103 in the vacuum processing chamber 101 (the side wall 122 and the bottom 120, and further the electrode support 115).

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the first deposit removing unit 124 and the second deposit removing unit 125 may be installed at any one place as necessary.

  Furthermore, the cooling method in the 1st deposit removal part 124 and the 2nd deposit removal part 125 may circulate the refrigerant | coolant cooled to low temperature other than water cooling. Moreover, you may utilize the cooling by adiabatic expansion using a compressor.

  As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments of the invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments of the invention, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It goes without saying that it is possible.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to above-described embodiment, Various modifications are included. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to one having all the configurations described.

  Further, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. . In addition, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations for a part of the configuration of each embodiment. In addition, each member and relative size which were described in drawing are simplified and idealized in order to demonstrate this invention clearly, and it becomes a more complicated shape on mounting.

100 Etching equipment (vacuum processing equipment)
101 Vacuum processing chamber (processing section)
102 Semiconductor wafer (processing substrate, object to be processed)
103 Sample stage 104 Quartz plate 105 Waveguide 106 Magnetron 107 Solenoid coil (magnetic field generator)
108 Electrostatic adsorption power supply 109 Variable conductance valve 110 Wafer carry-in port 111 ECR plasma 112 Gas introduction port (gas introduction part)
113 Shower plate 114 Electrode 115 Electrode support 116 Turbo molecular pump 117 Inductive coil (Plasma generation mechanism)
118 Water cooling piping (cooling mechanism)
119 Ceramic box 120 Bottom 121 Exhaust piping (exhaust part)
122 Side wall (wall)
123 ICP plasma 124 First deposit removal unit 125 Second deposit removal unit 126 Control unit 127 High-frequency power supply 200 Etching apparatus (vacuum processing apparatus)
201 induction coil 202 ICP plasma

Claims (8)

A processing unit to be evacuated;
A gas introduction unit for introducing a process gas into the processing unit;
A high frequency power source for supplying high frequency power to the electrodes provided in the processing unit;
A sample stage provided in the processing section and supporting the object to be processed;
A deposit removing unit provided in the processing unit and removing deposits;
Have
The said deposit removal part is arrange | positioned below the said sample stand, and is provided with the cooling mechanism which cools the said deposit removal part, and the plasma production | generation mechanism which produces | generates a plasma. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1,
When the object to be processed is plasma-treated, the cooling mechanism is used to control the deposit removing unit,
A vacuum processing apparatus comprising: a control unit that performs control to stop cooling by the cooling mechanism and to generate the plasma by the plasma generation mechanism when the inside of the processing unit is plasma cleaned. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The vacuum processing apparatus, wherein the deposit removing unit includes a first deposit removing unit disposed at a bottom of the processing unit and a second deposit removing unit disposed on a wall portion in the processing unit. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
A magnetic field forming unit for forming a magnetic field in the processing unit;
The high frequency power supply supplies microwave high frequency power,
The plasma generation mechanism is a vacuum processing apparatus that generates inductively coupled plasma. (A) a step of performing a plasma treatment on an object to be processed disposed on a sample stage in a processing unit that is evacuated;
(B) a step of plasma cleaning the inside of the processing unit;
Have
In the processing unit, a deposit removing unit for removing deposits is disposed below the sample stage,
The deposit removing unit includes a cooling mechanism for cooling the deposit removing unit, and a plasma generating mechanism for generating plasma,
When performing the plasma treatment in the step (a), the deposit removing unit is cooled by the cooling mechanism,
A vacuum processing method in which when performing the plasma cleaning in the step (b), cooling by the cooling mechanism is stopped and the plasma is generated by the plasma generating mechanism. In the vacuum processing method of Claim 5,
The plasma generated by the plasma generation mechanism uses at least one gas selected from O ₂ gas, CO gas, CO ₂ gas, SF ₆ gas, NF ₃ gas, Cl ₂ gas, and BCl ₃ gas. The vacuum processing method which is the plasma produced | generated by this. The vacuum processing method according to claim 5 or 6,
The plasma treatment is a vacuum treatment method which is performed using a gas containing an H element, an N element, and an F element. In the vacuum processing method of Claim 5,
When performing the plasma cleaning in the step (b) after the step (a), after the step (a), the processing unit is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere without opening the processing unit to the atmosphere. b) A vacuum processing method for performing the plasma cleaning in the step.

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