JP3346672B2 - Energy beam processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing apparatus and a processing method for processing the surface of a workpiece using an energy beam, and more particularly to a processing apparatus and processing suitable for ultra-fine and three-dimensional processing. About the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a photolithography technique used in a semiconductor process has been used as a means for performing fine processing. FIG. 10 shows steps of a substrate processing method using a photolithography technique. In the first step, the surface of the processing substrate 1 is coated with the resist material 2. Subsequently, in a second step, the photomask 3 in which the transmission holes 3 a having a predetermined pattern are formed is opposed to each other while slightly floating from the surface of the resist material 2.
The surface of the resist material 2 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays 4 through the line a.
Thereby, the same pattern as the transmission holes 3 a formed in the photomask 3 is transferred to the resist material 2.

Next, in a third step, the resist material 2 is developed, and a portion of the resist material 2 irradiated with the ultraviolet rays 4 through the transmission holes 3a is removed. Further, in the fourth step, anisotropic etching is performed on a portion of the processing substrate 1 where the resist material 2 is not present by using ions and radical species in the plasma.
Finally, in the fifth step, the resist material 2 is completely removed, and the processing is completed. Thus, the holes 1c having the same pattern as the transmission holes 3a of the photomask are formed on the surface of the processing substrate 1 by the processing operation including the first to fifth steps. In processing using such photolithography technology, ions and active particles are incident on all surfaces except the ground plane,
This is effective when processing the entire large surface such as a wafer at a time.

[0004]

However, when the workpiece is a small work having a three-dimensional structure (for example, a chip having a regular hexahedron), a specific processing cannot be performed on a specific processing surface. Therefore, it has been impossible to manufacture a microstructure having a three-dimensional three-dimensional shape. Also, since the process is performed in a vacuum, it is not possible to observe the progress of processing in the middle of the process, and to know the state after processing, the workpiece must be positioned with a mask and positioning device.
I had to move back and forth between vacuum and the atmosphere. Also, in the plasma process, the processing characteristics change depending on the shape of the electrode and the shape of the container of the plasma generating unit.
It is difficult to insert a magnifying observation mechanism at that location.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages of the related art. In energy beam processing, alignment between a mask and an object to be processed, and continual processing while grasping the progress of processing are performed. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a device capable of performing the following.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an energy beam processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a workpiece support device installed in a vacuum vessel, An energy beam source for irradiating an energy beam toward the inside of the container, and a magnifying observation device installed so as to have a field of view in the vacuum container, the workpiece support device is provided with an energy beam irradiation position and a magnifying observation device. A moving mechanism for selectively moving the object between the observation positions; a fine adjustment mechanism for finely adjusting the position of the workpiece in the workpiece support device;
At the observation position, the two or more magnifying observation devices
Observe the workpiece and mask from a different field of view
It is characterized in that it is adjusted .

Further, the mask has a plurality of patterns having different patterns.
Opening, and the mask is rotatably supported by the mask mounting fixture.
The opening of the mask is exchanged by the rotation of the fixture.
It is characterized by being made possible. Here, the
The energy beam is preferably a fast atom beam
No.

[0007]

In the processing apparatus using an energy beam according to the first aspect of the present invention, the irradiation position of the energy beam emitted from the energy beam source and the position of the magnifying observation apparatus in the same processing room while the workpiece is positioned. Reciprocate between fields of view. According to the invention described in claim 2,
The energy beam source and the magnifying observation device are alternately reciprocated to the position of the workpiece in the same processing chamber while the workpiece is positioned. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the position of the workpiece is finely adjusted by the fine adjustment mechanism at the observation position, so that the position of the shield and the workpiece can be determined and the progress of the processing can be grasped. May be moved along the optical axis of the magnifying observation device together with the workpiece support device to perform observation.

According to the energy beam processing apparatus of the present invention, the shield having the pattern shields the energy beam from the energy beam source and transfers the pattern to the workpiece. In addition, the energy beam of the present invention
According to the processing apparatus , the shield is moved relative to the workpiece or the energy beam by the shield position adjusting mechanism in a state of being enlarged and observed at the observation position. Ma
In addition , processing of another surface or processing of overlapping a pattern on the same surface is performed by exchanging shields having different patterns. In vacuum, a series of operations such as replacement of shields and adjustment of the positional relationship between workpieces and shields can be performed easily and accurately, and problems such as surface oxidation when opening the interior of the processing chamber and beams Is solved. Further , since the workpiece is observed from at least two directions, three-dimensional image information can be obtained. Also ,
The workpiece is translated and relatively moved by the moving mechanism, and reciprocates between the irradiation position and the observation position.

Further, the workpiece reciprocates the observation position and the irradiation position is moved rotated relative by the moving mechanism. Ma
In addition, the energy beam source emits an energy beam of any one of a high-speed atomic beam, an ion beam, an electron beam, an atomic beam, a molecular beam, a laser beam, and a radiation beam for processing. Fast atomic beams are neutral energetic particle beams,
It is a beam with excellent directivity, so it can be applied to any material, and when producing ultra-fine patterns, the beam can reach ultra-fine holes and gaps without difficulty, so it is very accurate, In addition, it is possible to produce a processing bottom surface with good flatness and a vertical processing wall. Further, the ion beam is effective when processing a conductive material such as a metal.

In the processing using an electron beam, there are a case where the electron beam itself is a beam radiated in a shower shape and a case where the electron beam itself has a small beam diameter. In both cases, a reactive gas is introduced. In addition, the workpiece is irradiated with an electron beam to excite a reactive gas, whereby the surface is processed, and the electron beam irradiation controllability is excellent. Lasers, synchrotron radiation, and X-rays have different energies and wavelengths, and have different interaction effects with the surface. However, when performing ultra-fine processing, surface desorption processing is performed only by laser, synchrotron radiation, and X-ray irradiation. In some cases, the surface-adsorbed gas particles are irradiated with a laser, a radiation light, or an X-ray using a reactive gas, and the surface desorption process is performed using the surface-adsorbed gas particles excited thereby.

Since the use of laser, radiation and X-ray is different depending on the size of the processing pattern and the effect of absorption and excitation with the processing surface and reactive gas particles, an efficient one is used. When the size becomes an ultra-fine pattern, for example, it becomes difficult to process a pattern shape smaller than the wavelength of the laser,
Utilize shorter wavelength X-rays and synchrotron radiation. Further, the atomic beam and the molecular beam are low-energy particle beams, and soft processing is achieved with low damage on the processing surface. Thus, an appropriate energy beam source is selected and used according to the processing purpose. Further , the magnification observation is performed by any one of an optical microscope, a laser microscope, and an electron microscope or a combination thereof. The optical microscope is excellent in simplicity, the laser microscope has a long work distance, and the scanning secondary electron microscope enables high magnification.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
Here, the entire processing chamber 11 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape is shown only by the outline. This processing chamber 11 forms a closed space,
A predetermined pump is connected to maintain the inside in a vacuum or a specific low-pressure gas atmosphere. An energy beam source 12 that emits an energy beam toward the processing chamber is provided above the one end of the processing chamber 11. An optical microscope 13 with the lens directed downward is installed at the upper end of the other end of the processing chamber 11, and another optical microscope 14 is installed in a horizontal direction on the other end of the processing chamber 11. I have.

In the processing chamber 11, a base 15 is provided.
It is slidably mounted on a pair of rails 16 installed in parallel with one wall. A driving device 17 for moving the base 15 along the rails 16 is provided at the lower center of the base 15, whereby the irradiation position of the base 15 below the energy beam source 12 and the driving position of the optical microscope 13 are adjusted. It is designed to reciprocate between two observation positions. In the illustrated example, the driving device 17 has a structure in which a driving motor 18 and a feed screw mechanism 19 are combined.
Reliable positioning is performed at the irradiation position and the observation position. Note that the structure of the driving device 17 is not limited to the above as long as the positioning can be surely performed. For example, a linear motor using a piezo element may be used.

On the base 15, a holding device 20 for holding the workpiece W, and a mask (shielding object) at a position opposed thereto.
A mask holding device 22 for holding the mask 21 is provided.
Each of the holding devices 20 and 22 has a workpiece W
Alternatively, position adjusting mechanisms 23 and 24 for changing the position and orientation of the mask 21 are provided, and these have actuators that can translate or rotate in the X, Y or Z directions. In this apparatus, the base 15 is moved to the observation position, and the position adjustment mechanisms 23 and 24 are driven while observing with the two optical microscopes 13 and 14, so that the mask 21 and the workpiece W are aligned. Next, the drive unit 17 is driven to move the base 15 to an irradiation position below the energy beam source 12, and processing is performed by the energy beam. When it is necessary to observe the progress of processing or to adjust the position of the mask 21 or the workpiece W, the driving device 17 is driven to move the base 15 to the observation position, and the microscope 13 and the microscope 13 are again moved.
The adjustment is performed while observing at 14, and the processing is performed again by moving to the energy beam irradiation position again.

As described above, in the processing apparatus of the present invention, since the two magnifying observation apparatuses 13 and 14 are used, not only can the position and shape of the workpiece W be three-dimensionally grasped, but also the relative position and shape can be relatively high. Fine adjustment of parallelism can be performed with high accuracy. In particular, when processing is performed by irradiating an energy beam having high rectilinearity, such as a high-speed atomic beam, through the mask 21 and transferring the pattern of the mask 21, the workpiece W and the mask 2
Since the relative positional relationship of 1 is easy to grasp, accurate positioning can be quickly performed. In this case, the size of the pattern is several tens μm.
Then, there is no practical problem if the optical microscopes 13 and 14 have a magnification observation ratio of 500 times or more. Further, in this processing apparatus, since the energy beam irradiation position and the observation position of the magnifying observation apparatus are separately set, the influence of particles scattered during the processing is prevented from directly affecting the magnifying observation apparatus. . Further, in order to further reduce such an effect, a mechanism may be provided that, when the base 15 is at the irradiation position, lowers the curtain between the base 15 and the observation position to partition the space.

FIG. 2 shows a modification of the above embodiment, in which a plurality of masks 21 can be mounted on a rotatable mask mounting tool 21a, and processing can be performed by replacing masks with different patterns. It is an example of a system. In this case, the mask can be replaced simply by rotating the mask mounting tool 21a. If the mask is aligned in advance in the magnifying observation unit, there is no need to perform the alignment again even if the mask is replaced during processing. Of course, it is also possible to adjust the relative positional relationship between the mask and the workpiece by moving again into the field of view of the microscope.

(Embodiment 2) In FIG. 3, a turntable-like base 25 is configured to rotate around a vertical axis, and a rotation drive device 26 is provided below the base 25. Here, the workpiece W is placed on the base 25 similarly to the above embodiment.
Devices 20 and 22 for holding the mask 21 and the mask 21 movably
Is provided. In this embodiment, the base 25 is
The workpiece W is moved between the irradiation position and the observation position by rotating the workpiece W by degrees. Also in this apparatus, it is possible to immediately judge whether the continuation of the processing and the necessity of the replacement of the mask 21 are observable by observation, and the work can proceed smoothly without interruption while the workpiece W is kept in a vacuum.

(Embodiment 3) In the embodiment of FIG.
1 is formed in a spherical shape, and the workpiece W is arranged so as to be substantially at the center of the processing chamber 31. And
The energy beam source 32 is positioned obliquely from above, and the two optical microscopes 33 and 34 are inclined about 45 degrees from above and about 45 degrees from below.
It is installed so as to face the center of the processing chamber 31 from the direction. The base 35 has a drive mechanism (not shown) that rotates around two horizontal and vertical axes 36 and 37, and accordingly, the holding device 2 that holds the workpiece W and the mask 21.
0, 22 can tilt and rotate horizontally at that position.
At the time of processing, the base is placed so that the mask 21 and the workpiece W come under the energy beam source 32, and at the time of observation, the mask 21 and the workpiece W come within the field of view of the optical microscopes 33 and 34. Adjust the tilt of 35. The base 35 is rotated during or after processing, and the two microscopes 3
3, 34, the positional relationship between the mask 21 and the workpiece W and the state of the processed surface can be observed. In this device, the base 35 can be made to face the irradiation position or the observation position by changing its direction by rotation around the axes 36 and 37, so that the moving distance is shorter than in the case of translation or rotation, and rapid movement is possible. it can.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, since the relative movement between the processing position and the observation position is relatively small, the magnifying observation apparatus is easily affected by the processing operation. When a corrosive gas or a reactive gas is used in a processing chamber, if it is desired to prevent contamination of a lens of a microscope, a diverter of an electron microscope, and a beam source, a mechanism shown in FIG. 5 is used. In FIG. 5, a shutter 50 or a valve is attached to the distal end of the introduction portion of the microscopes 33 and 34, and the shutter 50 is opened and the position of the microscopes 33 and 34 is controlled to perform magnification observation only for performing magnification observation. I do. Also, instead of the shutter 50, a glass window 51
The microscopes 33 and 34 may be provided inside the extension bellows 52 or the telescopic cylinder to which the airtightness is attached so as to maintain airtightness.

FIGS. 6 to 8 show a processing system having the same configuration of the processing chamber 31, the energy beam source 32, and the arrangement of the magnifying observation devices 33 and 34 as in FIG. It can be rotated around. Here, the rotation axis 39 is the energy beam source 3
2 and the magnifying observation devices 33 and 34 are arranged so as to be orthogonal to the plane including the axes thereof. Therefore, the workpiece W and the mask 21 sequentially face each other by the rotation of the base 38. The angle can be adjusted from outside the processing chamber 31 by driving the link mechanism 40 provided on the opposite side of the rotation shaft 39 with the handle 41 as shown in FIG.

(Embodiment 4) In the example of FIG. 9, a base 41 on which holding devices 20 and 22 for holding a mask 21 and a workpiece W are fixed. Then, the energy beam source 42 and the magnifying observation device 43 for observing from above are mounted on the turntable 44.
Attached to. In this case, the observation device 4 from above
3 moves, but the other observation device 45 performs enlarged observation only from the side surfaces of the mask 21 and the workpiece W. Turntable 44
A magnetic fluid seal, an O-ring seal, or the like is used for the supporting and driving mechanism to maintain the hermeticity of the processing chamber.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the positioning of the workpiece and the grasp of the progress of the processing can be performed while maintaining the atmosphere in the same processing chamber. In particular, in the process of transferring a pattern using a shield, it is necessary to frequently adjust the positional relationship between the workpiece and the shield, replace the shield, and check the progress of the processing. These operations can be performed without opening the vacuum container. As a result, the workpiece can be processed in a clean environment without ever exposing the workpiece to the atmosphere, eliminating the problem of oxidation and contamination on the workpiece surface, and producing high-quality products. Since the trouble of exhausting and leaking can be eliminated, the present invention provides a very advantageous means for improving work efficiency and shortening the process time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a modification of the processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a modification of the processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the operation of the processing device of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of the processing apparatus of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a view showing the operation of a processing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a processing step by a conventional processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

11, 31 Processing chamber (vacuum vessel) 12, 32, 42 Energy beam source 13, 14, 33, 34, 43, 45 Optical microscope (magnifying observation device) 15, 25, 35, 38 Base (workpiece support device) ) 16 rail 17 driving device (moving mechanism) 20 workpiece holding device 21 mask (shielding object) 21a mask mounting tool 22 shield holding device 26 rotation driving device (moving mechanism) 40 link mechanism (moving mechanism)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Takao Kato, Inventor 4-2-1 Motofujisawa, Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa Inside Ebara Research Institute Co., Ltd. (72) Masaaki Kajiyama 11-1, Haneda Asahimachi, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside the Ebara Corporation (72) Inventor Takashi Tsuzuki 11-1 Haneda Asahimachi, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside the Ebara Corporation (72) Inventor Yotaro Hatamura 2-12-11 Kohinata, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Masayuki Nakao 5-1 Shinmatsudo, Matsudo-shi, Chiba Prefecture Shin-Matsudo Chuo Park House C-908 (56) Reference JP-A-61-24136 (JP, A) JP-A-7-335166 (JP, A) JP-A Sho55 JP-A-8-241841 (JP, A) JP-A-6-229894 (JP, A) JP-A-5-104366 (JP, A) JP-A-4-89552 (JP, A) ) JP-A-62-26911 1 (JP, A) JP-A-4-51441 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G21K 5/00 G21K 5/04

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A vacuum container installed in a vacuum vessel,
Energy beam to irradiate energy beam toward
A source, a workpiece support device provided with a fine adjustment mechanism for finely adjusting the position of the workpiece, and an arrangement between the energy beam source and the workpiece support device.
Mask holding device provided with a position adjusting mechanism for a mask to be placed
And processed from another direction to have a field of view in the vacuum vessel
A magnifying observation apparatus of at least two groups facing things, equipped with the aforementioned workpiece support device and the mask holding device group
A moving mechanism for selectively moving the table between the energy beam irradiation position and the observation position of the magnifying observation device is provided, and at the observation position of the magnifying observation device,
With the magnifying observation device, the workpiece and mask can be
A processing apparatus using an energy beam, characterized by observing and positioning . 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mask has a plurality of openings having different patterns.
A mouth, the mask being rotatably supported by a mask mount.
The opening of the mask can be exchanged by rotating the fixture
The processing apparatus using an energy beam according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the energy beam is a fast atom beam.