JP2016086040A - Output inspection method of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily inspect a high-frequency power of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.SOLUTION: In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising an application electrode that applies a high-frequency power, an output inspection method of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is for applying the high-frequency power in a non-plasma environment. The output inspection method of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is for predicting an output of the high-frequency power in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus based of an inclination in a plurality of relation expressions showing a relationship between each Vpp or reflection wave and the output in a plurality of measurement points each having a different output of the high-frequency power, and an inspection formula based on an output deviation amount in the plurality of relation expressions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  Various aspects and embodiments of the present invention relate to an output inspection method for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

  In semiconductor manufacturing processes, for example, plasma processing apparatuses that perform plasma processing for the purpose of depositing or etching thin films are widely used as semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses. Examples of the plasma processing apparatus include a plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatus that performs a thin film deposition process, a plasma etching apparatus that performs an etching process, and the like.

  By the way, the plasma processing apparatus needs to calibrate the plasma processing apparatus depending on installation conditions and use conditions, for example, when a certain period of time elapses, parts are replaced, or the apparatus is moved. In this regard, for example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, data is recorded when the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is operated with a recipe for inspecting an inspection item corresponding to each sensor, and the data is operated with the same recipe at the transfer destination. It is disclosed that the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is calibrated by repairing, adjusting, and exchanging parts based on the comparison result in comparison with the time data.

  Further, for example, in Patent Document 3, by sequentially changing one apparatus parameter of plasma generation conditions as a reference and sequentially changing a plurality of apparatus parameters of other plasma generation conditions, an offset value with another apparatus is obtained. It is disclosed that a plasma processing apparatus is calibrated by grasping and adjusting plasma generation conditions.

JP 2005-327877 A JP 2012-28816 A JP 2014-22695 A

  However, in the conventional technique that operates with the inspection recipe, it is necessary to operate the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus with the inspection recipe, so that it takes time to calibrate the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. Further, in the conventional technique in which each apparatus parameter is changed in a state in which plasma is generated, it is affected by disturbance factors such as chamber conditions, so that the inspection accuracy is lowered.

  That is, in the prior art, data is recorded when the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is operated with a recipe for inspecting inspection items corresponding to each sensor. In addition, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is compared with data obtained when the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is operated with the same recipe at the transfer destination, and the parts are repaired, adjusted, and exchanged based on the comparison result. For this reason, in the prior art, it is necessary to operate the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus with an inspection recipe, and it takes time to calibrate the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

  An output inspection method for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention applies the high-frequency power in a non-plasma environment in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having an application electrode for applying high-frequency power. Further, the output inspection method of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a plurality of relational expressions indicating the relationship between the Vpp or reflected wave and the output at a plurality of measurement points with different outputs of the high-frequency power, and the plurality of the plurality of relational expressions. The output of the high frequency power of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is predicted by an inspection formula based on the amount of deviation of the output in the relational expression.

  According to various aspects and embodiments of the present invention, an output inspection method of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that can easily inspect the output of high-frequency power of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus are realized.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a plasma processing apparatus applied to the output inspection method according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of the check expression generation process of the output check method according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relational expression of HF output. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an inspection formula for HF output. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relational expression of LF output. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an inspection formula for LF output. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a comparison between an actual measurement value and a predicted value. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the actual measurement value and the predicted value of the HF output. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the actual measurement value of the LF output and the predicted value. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of output inspection processing of the output inspection method according to the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In one embodiment, an output inspection method for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment applies high-frequency power in a non-plasma environment and outputs high-frequency power in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including an application electrode for applying high-frequency power. The high frequency of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is determined by the inspection formula based on the slope of a plurality of relational expressions indicating the relationship between each Vpp or reflected wave and the output at a plurality of different measurement points and the amount of deviation of the output in the plurality of relational expressions. Predict power output.

  Further, in one embodiment, the output inspection method of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment is such that the variable frequency of the matching unit connected to the high-frequency power source that supplies the high-frequency power has a variable capacitance. It is applied in a state of being fixed at the upper limit value or the lower limit value.

  In the output inspection method of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment, in one embodiment, the relational expression is expressed by an approximate expression of a linear function of the square of Vpp and the output.

  In the output inspection method of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment, in one embodiment, the relational expression is represented by an approximate expression of a linear function of the reflected wave and the output.

  Further, in the output inspection method of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment, in one embodiment, the process to be predicted is the output of each Vpp or reflected wave measured at a plurality of measurement points with different high-frequency power outputs. Is calculated, and the output of the high-frequency power of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is predicted by obtaining an output deviation amount based on the calculated inclination and the inspection formula.

  In one embodiment, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment includes a high-frequency power source that applies high-frequency power in a non-plasma environment and a high-frequency power output in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that includes an application electrode that applies high-frequency power. The high-frequency power of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is determined by an inspection formula based on the slopes of a plurality of relational expressions indicating the relationship between each Vpp or reflected wave and the output at a plurality of different measurement points, and the amount of output deviation in the plurality of relational expressions. And a control unit for predicting the output of.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a plasma processing apparatus applied to the output inspection method according to the present embodiment. The plasma processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has a processing chamber 1 that is airtight and electrically grounded. The processing chamber 1 has a cylindrical shape, and is made of, for example, aluminum having an anodized film formed on the surface thereof. In the processing chamber 1, a mounting table 2 that horizontally supports a semiconductor wafer W that is an object to be processed is provided.

  The mounting table 2 has a base 2a made of a conductive metal, such as aluminum, and has a function as a lower electrode. The mounting table 2 is supported by a conductor support 4 via an insulating plate 3. A focus ring 5 made of, for example, single crystal silicon is provided on the outer periphery above the mounting table 2. Further, a cylindrical inner wall member 3 a made of, for example, quartz is provided so as to surround the periphery of the mounting table 2 and the support table 4.

  Above the mounting table 2, a shower head 16 having a function as an upper electrode is provided so as to face the mounting table 2 in parallel, in other words, to face the semiconductor wafer W supported by the mounting table 2. Is provided. The shower head 16 and the mounting table 2 function as a pair of electrodes (upper electrode and lower electrode). A first high frequency power supply 10a is connected to the base material 2a of the mounting table 2 via a first matching unit 11a. A second high frequency power source 10b is connected to the base material 2a of the mounting table 2 via a second matching unit 11b. The first high-frequency power source 10a is for generating plasma, and high-frequency power having a predetermined frequency (for example, 40 MHz) is supplied from the first high-frequency power source 10a to the base material 2a of the mounting table 2. ing. The second high frequency power source 10b is for ion attraction (bias), and the second high frequency power source 10b receives a high frequency power having a predetermined frequency (for example, 13 MHz) lower than that of the first high frequency power source 10a. It is supplied to the base material 2 a of the mounting table 2.

  The first high frequency power supply 10a and the second high frequency power supply 10b measure Vpp and reflected waves. The first matching unit 11a and the second matching unit 11b include variable capacitors that are automatically adjusted so that no reflected wave is generated when plasma is generated. The variable capacitor is manually operated in a non-plasma environment, and is fixed to an upper limit value or a lower limit value of a variable capacitance, for example.

  An electrostatic chuck 6 for electrostatically attracting the semiconductor wafer W is provided on the upper surface of the mounting table 2. The electrostatic chuck 6 is configured by interposing an electrode 6a between insulators 6b, and a DC power source 12 is connected to the electrode 6a. When the DC voltage is applied from the DC power source 12 to the electrode 6a, the semiconductor wafer W is attracted by the Coulomb force.

  A refrigerant channel 2b is formed inside the mounting table 2, and a refrigerant inlet pipe 2c and a refrigerant outlet pipe 2d are connected to the refrigerant channel 2b. The support 4 and the mounting table 2 can be controlled to a predetermined temperature by circulating a coolant such as Galden in the coolant channel 2b. Further, a backside gas supply pipe 30 for supplying a cooling heat transfer gas (backside gas) such as helium gas is provided on the back surface side of the semiconductor wafer W so as to penetrate the mounting table 2 and the like. The backside gas supply pipe 30 is connected to a backside gas supply source (not shown). With these configurations, the semiconductor wafer W attracted and held on the upper surface of the mounting table 2 by the electrostatic chuck 6 can be controlled to a predetermined temperature.

  The shower head 16 described above is provided on the top wall portion of the processing chamber 1. The shower head 16 includes a main body portion 16 a and an upper top plate 16 b that forms an electrode plate, and is supported on the upper portion of the processing chamber 1 via an insulating member 45. The main body portion 16a is made of a conductive material, for example, aluminum whose surface is anodized, and is configured such that the upper top plate 16b can be detachably supported at the lower portion thereof. The upper top plate 16b is made of a silicon-containing material, for example, quartz.

  Gas diffusion chambers 16c and 16d are provided inside the main body portion 16a, and a large number of gas flow holes 16e are formed at the bottom of the main body portion 16a so as to be positioned below the gas diffusion chambers 16c and 16d. Has been. The gas diffusion chamber is divided into two parts: a gas diffusion chamber 16c provided in the central portion and a gas diffusion chamber 16d provided in the peripheral portion. The supply state of the processing gas is independently determined in the central portion and the peripheral portion. It can be changed.

  The upper top plate 16b is provided with a gas introduction hole 16f so as to penetrate the upper top plate 16b in the thickness direction so as to overlap the gas flow hole 16e. With such a configuration, the processing gas supplied to the gas diffusion chambers 16c and 16d is dispersed and supplied into the processing chamber 1 through the gas flow holes 16e and the gas introduction holes 16f. ing. The main body 16a and the like are provided with a temperature controller such as a heater (not shown) and a pipe (not shown) for circulating the refrigerant so that the shower head 16 can be controlled to a desired temperature during the plasma etching process. It has become.

  In the main body 16a, two gas inlets 16g and 16h for introducing the processing gas into the gas diffusion chambers 16c and 16d are formed. Gas supply pipes 15a and 15b are connected to the gas inlets 16g and 16h, and a processing gas supply source 15 for supplying a processing gas for etching is connected to the other ends of the gas supply pipes 15a and 15b. Has been. The processing gas supply source 15 is an example of a gas supply unit. The gas supply pipe 15a is provided with a mass flow controller (MFC) 15c and an on-off valve V1 in order from the upstream side. The gas supply pipe 15b is provided with a mass flow controller (MFC) 15d and an on-off valve V2 in order from the upstream side.

  Then, a processing gas for plasma etching is supplied from the processing gas supply source 15 to the gas diffusion chambers 16c and 16d through the gas supply pipes 15a and 15b, and gas flow holes are provided from the gas diffusion chambers 16c and 16d. 16e and the gas introduction hole 16f are distributed and supplied into the processing chamber 1 as a shower. For example, the processing gas supply source 15 supplies an oxygen-containing gas, a silicon-containing gas, and the like that are used when a silicon oxide film is formed on the surface of a member disposed inside the processing chamber 1. Further, for example, the processing gas supply source 15 supplies a processing gas containing HBr / NF 3 used when plasma processing is performed on the object to be processed. Further, from the processing gas supply source 15, a fluorine-containing gas used for removing the silicon oxide film from the surface of a member disposed inside the processing chamber 1 is supplied.

  A variable DC power source 52 is electrically connected to the shower head 16 as the upper electrode through a low-pass filter (LPF) 51. The variable DC power supply 52 can be turned on / off by an on / off switch 53. The current / voltage of the variable DC power supply 52 and the on / off of the on / off switch 53 are controlled by a control unit 60 described later. When a high frequency is applied from the first high frequency power supply 10a and the second high frequency power supply 10b to the mounting table 2 to generate plasma in the processing space, the controller 60 sets the on / off switch 53 as necessary. It is turned on, and a predetermined DC voltage is applied to the shower head 16 as the upper electrode.

  An exhaust port 71 is formed at the bottom of the processing chamber 1, and an exhaust device 73 is connected to the exhaust port 71 via an exhaust pipe 72. The exhaust device 73 has a vacuum pump. By operating this vacuum pump, the inside of the processing chamber 1 can be depressurized to a predetermined degree of vacuum. The exhaust device 73 is an example of an exhaust unit. On the other hand, a loading / unloading port 74 for the semiconductor wafer W is provided on the side wall of the processing chamber 1, and a gate valve 75 for opening and closing the loading / unloading port 74 is provided at the loading / unloading port 74.

  In the figure, reference numerals 76 and 77 denote depot shields that are detachable. The deposition shield 76 is provided along the inner wall surface of the processing chamber 1, and has a role of preventing etching by-products (deposition) from adhering to the processing chamber 1. Hereinafter, the inner wall of the processing chamber 1 and the deposition shield 76 may be collectively referred to as “the inner wall of the processing chamber 1”. The deposition shield 77 is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral surfaces of the mounting table 2, the inner wall member 3 a, and the support table 4 that serve as the lower electrode. Hereinafter, the mounting table 2, the inner wall member 3a, the support table 4, and the deposition shield 77 may be collectively referred to as “lower electrode”. A conductive member (GND block) 79 connected to the ground in a DC manner is provided at substantially the same height as the semiconductor wafer W of the deposition shield 76, thereby preventing abnormal discharge.

  In addition, a ring magnet 80 is disposed concentrically around the processing chamber 1. The ring magnet 80 applies a magnetic field to the space between the shower head 16 and the mounting table 2. The ring magnet 80 is configured to be rotatable by a rotation mechanism (not shown).

  The operation of the plasma etching apparatus having the above configuration is comprehensively controlled by the control unit 60. The control unit 60 includes a process controller 61 that includes a CPU and controls each unit of the plasma etching apparatus, a user interface 62, and a storage unit 63.

  The user interface 62 includes a keyboard that allows a process manager to input commands to manage the plasma etching apparatus, a display that visualizes and displays the operating status of the plasma etching apparatus, and the like.

  The storage unit 63 stores a recipe in which a control program (software) for realizing various processes executed by the plasma etching apparatus under the control of the process controller 61 and processing condition data are stored. Then, if necessary, an arbitrary recipe is called from the storage unit 63 by an instruction from the user interface 62 and executed by the process controller 61, so that a desired process in the plasma etching apparatus is performed under the control of the process controller 61. Processing is performed. In addition, recipes such as control programs and processing condition data may be stored in computer-readable computer recording media (for example, hard disks, CDs, flexible disks, semiconductor memories, etc.), or It is also possible to transmit the data from other devices as needed via a dedicated line and use it online.

  For example, the control unit 60 controls each unit of the plasma processing apparatus (semiconductor manufacturing apparatus) so as to perform an output inspection method of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus described later. As a detailed example, the control unit 60 applies high-frequency power to the application electrode of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in a non-plasma environment. Then, the control unit 60 includes a plurality of relational expressions indicating the relationship between the Vpp or reflected wave and the output at a plurality of measurement points with different high-frequency power outputs, and output deviation amounts in the plurality of relational expressions. The high frequency power output of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is predicted by an inspection formula based on the above. Here, the Vpp and the reflected wave are measured by the first high frequency power supply 10a or the second high frequency power supply 10b. In addition, the variable capacitors of the first matching unit 11a and the second matching unit 11b are fixed to, for example, an upper limit value or a lower limit value of variable capacitance.

  Next, an output inspection method for the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of the check expression generation process of the output check method according to the present embodiment. In the following description, a plasma processing apparatus will be described as an example of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the plasma processing apparatus is set to 100 W, 300 W, and 500 W in a non-plasma environment, for example, the output of the high frequency power of the first high frequency power supply 10a is a plurality of measurement points having different outputs. The reflected wave is measured (step S101). The measured value at this time is treated as a reference in the following description, that is, the output deviation amount is 0%. The controller 60 of the plasma processing apparatus applies a high frequency power from the first high frequency power supply 10a to the inside of the processing chamber 1 without supplying a processing gas, thereby creating a non-plasma environment in which plasma is not generated. At this time, the controller 60 does not apply high frequency power for ion attraction from the second high frequency power supply 10b.

  Here, the pressure of the processing chamber 1 is set to, for example, 0 mT, that is, the minimum set value of the pressure of the plasma processing apparatus. Further, the processing gas is 0 sccm, that is, the processing gas is not flowed. In addition, the variable capacitor of the first matching unit 11a is fixed to the lower limit value of the variable capacitance (C1 / C2 / C3 / C4 = 0/0/0/0), for example.

  Further, the plasma processing apparatus measures the reflected wave when the output of the high-frequency power of the first high-frequency power supply 10a is pseudo-shifted by ± 10% in a non-plasma environment (step S102). At this time, the pressure in the processing chamber 1, the processing gas, and the variable condenser of the first matching unit 11a are set to the same settings as in step S101. Here, the pseudo shift of the output by ± 10% is, for example, plotting the reflected wave when the output is 110 W as 100 W (+ 10%) on the graph, and the reflected wave when the output is 90 W is 100 W. By plotting on the graph as (−10%), it is assumed that the deviation is ± 10%.

  The control unit 60 of the plasma processing apparatus plots each reflected wave on a graph with each measured value of the reflected wave at the reference and ± 10% at the vertical axis and each corresponding output as the horizontal axis. An approximate expression is obtained as a relational expression (step S103). Here, the relational expression can be obtained, for example, by performing linear approximation on the three measured values of 100 W, 300 W, and 500 W using the least square method.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relational expression of HF output. FIG. 3 shows a relational expression showing the relationship between the reflected wave and the output when the first high frequency power supply 10a is set to 100 W, 300 W, and 500 W as a plurality of measurement points with different high frequency power outputs. FIG. 3 shows a relational expression when the output of each measurement point is the reference and ± 10%. In the example of FIG. 3, the reference relational expression is the following expression (1), the + 10% relational expression is the following expression (2), and the −10% relational expression is the following expression (3).

y = 0.9646x (1)
y = 1.0631x (2)
y = 0.8695x (3)

  Returning to the description of FIG. Subsequently, the control unit 60 of the plasma processing apparatus displays each relationship on the graph with the amount of deviation of the output of the high frequency power, that is, the reference (0%) and ± 10% as the vertical axis and the slope of each relational expression as the horizontal axis. The slope of the equation is plotted, and an approximate expression of a linear function is obtained as a check equation (step S104). Here, the check equation can be obtained by performing linear approximation using, for example, the least square method for three points where the deviation amount is 0% and ± 10%.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an inspection formula for HF output. FIG. 4 shows an inspection formula representing the relationship between the amount of deviation of the output of the high-frequency power and the slope of the above formulas (1) to (3). In the example of FIG. 4, the inspection formula is the following formula (4).

      Y = 103.30X-99.756 (4)

  Next, the control part 60 of a plasma processing apparatus calculates | requires each relational expression and inspection type | formula similarly to the 1st high frequency power supply 10a about the output of the high frequency power of the 2nd high frequency power supply 10b. Note that the details of the calculation of each relational expression and the inspection expression of the second high-frequency power supply 10b are the same as those in steps S101 to S104 described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relational expression of LF output. FIG. 5 shows a relational expression indicating the relationship between the reflected wave and the output when the second high-frequency power supply 10b is set to 100 W, 300 W, and 500 W as a plurality of measurement points with different high-frequency power outputs. FIG. 5 shows a relational expression when the output of each measurement point is the reference and ± 10%. In the example of FIG. 5, the reference relational expression is the following expression (5), the + 10% relational expression is the following expression (6), and the −10% relational expression is the following expression (7).

y = 0.9902x (5)
y = 1.0895x (6)
y = 0.8915x (7)

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an inspection formula for LF output. FIG. 6 shows an inspection formula representing the relationship between the amount of deviation of the output of the high-frequency power and the slope of the above formulas (5) to (7). In the example of FIG. 6, the inspection formula is the following formula (8).

      Y = 101.01X-100.040 (8)

  Subsequently, a comparison result between the actually measured value using the calibrator and the predicted value using the calculated inspection formula will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a comparison between an actual measurement value and a predicted value. FIG. 7 shows, for example, measured values, predicted values, and absolute values of deviations between the measured values and the predicted values of the devices A to C when the outputs of the first high-frequency power source 10a and the second high-frequency power source 10b are 1000 W. Indicates. As shown in FIG. 7, even in different apparatuses A to C, the deviation amount (machine difference) between the actual measurement value and the predicted value is 0.0% to 0.00 in the HF output corresponding to the first high frequency power supply 10a. 7%, and the LF output corresponding to the second high frequency power supply 10b is 0.2% to 1.3%.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the actual measurement value and the predicted value of the HF output. FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the actual measurement value and the predicted value when the high frequency power output of the first high frequency power supply 10a is changed from 0 W to 2700 W for the devices A to C. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the actual measurement value of the LF output and the predicted value. FIG. 9 shows the relationship between the actually measured value and the predicted value when the output of the high frequency power of the second high frequency power supply 10b is changed from 0 W to 3000 W for the devices A to C. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the maximum deviation (machine difference) between the actual measurement values and the predicted values of the devices A to C is 1.71% for the HF output and 1.77% for the LF output. As a result, it can be seen that the inspection formula has inspection accuracy equivalent to that of the calibrator.

  Next, output inspection processing for predicting the output of high-frequency power using an inspection formula will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of output inspection processing of the output inspection method according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the plasma processing apparatus, for example, when the output of the high frequency power of the first high frequency power supply 10a is set to 100 W, 300 W, and 500 W as a plurality of measurement points having different outputs in a non-plasma environment. The reflected wave is measured (step S111). Note that details of step S111 are the same as step S101 described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  Next, the control unit 60 of the plasma processing apparatus plots each reflected wave on a graph with each measured value of the reflected wave as the vertical axis and each corresponding output as the horizontal axis, and uses an approximate expression of a linear function as a relational expression. Obtained (step S112). The details of step S112 are the same as step S103 described above, except that one relational expression is obtained, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the control unit 60 of the plasma processing apparatus applies an inclination of the obtained relational expression to the inspection expression to obtain an output deviation amount (step S113). For example, when the slope of the relational expression is “1”, when applied to the check expression of Expression (4), Y = 103.30 × 1−99.756, and Y = 3.544, that is, the output deviation. The amount is required to be 3.544%. In other words, the amount of deviation of the output of the high frequency power of the first high frequency power supply 10a of the plasma processing apparatus is predicted to be 3.544%. Note that the control unit 60 of the plasma processing apparatus multiplies the output of the high-frequency power by the amount of deviation, for example, 1033.54 W obtained by multiplying 1000 W by 3.544% as a predicted output value when the set value is 1000 W. May be used as a predicted value.

  Next, the control unit 60 of the plasma processing apparatus determines whether or not the amount of output deviation is within a predetermined value (step S114). When the output deviation amount is within a predetermined value (step S114: affirmative), the control unit 60 of the plasma processing apparatus passes the output inspection (step S115). When the amount of output deviation exceeds a predetermined value (No at Step S114), the control unit 60 of the plasma processing apparatus rejects the output inspection (Step S116). Here, the predetermined value may be an arbitrary value, for example, 10%.

  In the above embodiment, the relational expression is calculated based on the reflected wave and output of the high-frequency power, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the relational expression may be expressed by an approximate expression of a linear function of the square of Vpp of the high-frequency power and the output.

  In the above embodiment, the variable capacitor of the matching unit 11a or 11b is fixed to the variable capacitance lower limit value. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the variable capacitor may be fixed to a variable capacitance upper limit (C1 / C2 / C3 / C4 = 100/100/100/100).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including an application electrode that applies high-frequency power, high-frequency power is applied in a non-plasma environment, and the output of the high-frequency power is different at a plurality of measurement points. The output of the high-frequency power of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is predicted based on the inclination of a plurality of relational expressions indicating the relationship between each Vpp or reflected wave and the output, and an inspection expression based on the amount of output deviation in the plurality of relational expressions. As a result, compared with the case where a calibrator is used, preparation for inspection becomes unnecessary, and the output of the high-frequency power of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus can be easily inspected. Furthermore, compared with the case of analyzing the log when plasma is generated by flowing a specific recipe, the chamber condition before and after the inspection does not change, so that the inspection accuracy can be improved.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the high frequency power is applied in a state in which the variable capacitor of the matching unit connected to the high frequency power supply that supplies the high frequency power is fixed to the upper limit value or the lower limit value of the variable capacitance. The As a result, the impedance is stabilized and the influence of individual differences in the variable capacitors can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the relational expression is represented by an approximate expression of a linear function of the square of Vpp and the output. As a result, it becomes possible to easily inspect the output of the high frequency power of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the relational expression is represented by an approximate expression of a linear function of the reflected wave and the output. As a result, it becomes possible to easily inspect the output of the high frequency power of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the prediction process is performed by calculating the slope of the relational expression between each Vpp or reflected wave and the output measured at a plurality of measurement points with different outputs of high-frequency power. The output of the high frequency power of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is predicted by obtaining the amount of output deviation based on the inclination and the inspection formula. As a result, the amount of output deviation can be predicted by measuring the Vpp or reflected wave of the high-frequency power, so that the output of the high-frequency power of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus can be easily inspected.

(Other embodiments)
Although the output inspection method and the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment have been described above, the embodiment is not limited to this. Other embodiments will be described below.

(Measurement point)
In the above embodiment, three measurement points for the output of the high-frequency power are used to calculate the relational expression, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the number of measurement points may be two, or four or more. For example, by using two measurement points, the time for calculating the relational expression of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus to be inspected can be shortened, so that the inspection time can be shortened. In addition, for example, by setting the number of measurement points to four or more, it is possible to calculate an inspection formula with higher accuracy.

(Degree of vacuum)
In the above embodiment, the pressure of the processing chamber 1 is set to 0 mT as an example, but is not limited thereto. For example, if the pressure of the processing chamber 1 during operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is 10 mT, the output of the high frequency power may be measured without being changed. As a result, since it is not necessary to change the pressure of the processing chamber 1 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in operation, the inspection time can be further shortened. Further, the pressure in the processing chamber 1 may be open to the atmosphere. As a result, even when the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is in a stopped state, it is possible to easily inspect the output of the high frequency power without reducing the pressure of the processing chamber 1.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing chamber 2 Mounting base 2a Base material 2b Refrigerant flow path 2c Refrigerant inlet piping 2d Refrigerant outlet piping 3 Insulating plate 3a Inner wall member 4 Support stand 5 Focus ring 6 Electrostatic chuck 6a Electrode 6b Insulator 10a 1st high frequency power supply 10b 1st 2 High-frequency power supply 15 Processing gas supply source 16 Shower head 16a Main body 16b Upper top plate 52 Variable DC power supply 60 Control unit 61 Process controller 62 User interface 63 Storage unit 71 Exhaust port 72 Exhaust pipe 73 Exhaust device

Claims (6)

In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided with an application electrode for applying high-frequency power,
Applying the high frequency power in a non-plasma environment,
Inspection based on the slopes of a plurality of relational expressions indicating the relationship between the respective Vpp or reflected wave and the output at a plurality of measurement points with different outputs of the high-frequency power, and the amount of deviation of the output in the plurality of relational expressions An output inspection method for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, wherein the output of the high-frequency power of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is predicted by an equation.   The high-frequency power is applied in a state in which a variable capacitor of a matching unit connected to a high-frequency power source that supplies the high-frequency power is fixed to an upper limit value or a lower limit value of a variable capacitance. Item 14. A method for inspecting output of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to Item 1.   3. The output inspection method for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the relational expression is represented by an approximate expression of a linear function of the square of Vpp and the output.   3. The output inspection method for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the relational expression is represented by an approximate expression of a linear function of the reflected wave and the output.   The predicting process calculates an inclination of a relational expression between each output of Vpp or reflected wave and the output measured at a plurality of measurement points with different outputs of the high-frequency power, and calculates the calculated inclination and the inspection expression. 5. The output of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output of the high-frequency power of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is predicted by obtaining a deviation amount of the output based on Inspection method. In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided with an application electrode for applying high-frequency power,
A high frequency power supply for applying the high frequency power in a non-plasma environment;
Inspection based on the slopes of a plurality of relational expressions indicating the relationship between the respective Vpp or reflected wave and the output at a plurality of measurement points with different outputs of the high-frequency power, and the amount of deviation of the output in the plurality of relational expressions A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising: a control unit that predicts an output of the high-frequency power of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an equation.