US20080179005A1 - Plasma processing apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents
Plasma processing apparatus and control method thereof Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20080179005A1 US20080179005A1 US12/055,664 US5566408A US2008179005A1 US 20080179005 A1 US20080179005 A1 US 20080179005A1 US 5566408 A US5566408 A US 5566408A US 2008179005 A1 US2008179005 A1 US 2008179005A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- frequency power
- frequency
- outputs
- power supply
- powers
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 37
- 230000001276 controlling effect Effects 0.000 claims description 10
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000000630 rising effect Effects 0.000 abstract description 2
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 26
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 13
- 238000001020 plasma etching Methods 0.000 description 10
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 7
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 description 6
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 description 6
- 150000002500 ions Chemical class 0.000 description 5
- CPELXLSAUQHCOX-UHFFFAOYSA-N Hydrogen bromide Chemical compound Br CPELXLSAUQHCOX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 239000004020 conductor Substances 0.000 description 3
- KZBUYRJDOAKODT-UHFFFAOYSA-N Chlorine Chemical compound ClCl KZBUYRJDOAKODT-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000003990 capacitor Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000011810 insulating material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 2
- OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon Chemical compound [C] OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- ZAMOUSCENKQFHK-UHFFFAOYSA-N Chlorine atom Chemical compound [Cl] ZAMOUSCENKQFHK-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- RTAQQCXQSZGOHL-UHFFFAOYSA-N Titanium Chemical compound [Ti] RTAQQCXQSZGOHL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000004913 activation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004380 ashing Methods 0.000 description 1
- YXTPWUNVHCYOSP-UHFFFAOYSA-N bis($l^{2}-silanylidene)molybdenum Chemical compound [Si]=[Mo]=[Si] YXTPWUNVHCYOSP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052799 carbon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000000460 chlorine Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052801 chlorine Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011889 copper foil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005520 cutting process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009792 diffusion process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010494 dissociation reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005593 dissociations Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003028 elevating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002708 enhancing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000008246 gaseous mixture Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000001307 helium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052734 helium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- SWQJXJOGLNCZEY-UHFFFAOYSA-N helium atom Chemical compound [He] SWQJXJOGLNCZEY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910000042 hydrogen bromide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910021344 molybdenum silicide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920002120 photoresistant polymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000005268 plasma chemical vapour deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910021420 polycrystalline silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 229920001721 polyimide Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000009719 polyimide resin Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920005591 polysilicon Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000004886 process control Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001737 promoting effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003870 refractory metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000009877 rendering Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004904 shortening Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910021332 silicide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- FVBUAEGBCNSCDD-UHFFFAOYSA-N silicide(4-) Chemical compound [Si-4] FVBUAEGBCNSCDD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000001179 sorption measurement Methods 0.000 description 1
- WQJQOUPTWCFRMM-UHFFFAOYSA-N tungsten disilicide Chemical compound [Si]#[W]#[Si] WQJQOUPTWCFRMM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910021342 tungsten silicide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
- H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
- H01J37/32009—Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources
- H01J37/32082—Radio frequency generated discharge
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
- H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
- H01L21/30—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26
- H01L21/302—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26 to change their surface-physical characteristics or shape, e.g. etching, polishing, cutting
- H01L21/306—Chemical or electrical treatment, e.g. electrolytic etching
- H01L21/3065—Plasma etching; Reactive-ion etching
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
- H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
- H01J37/32917—Plasma diagnostics
- H01J37/32935—Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus and a control method thereof.
- a plasma processing apparatus which employs high-frequency glow discharge of a reactive gas introduced into a processing chamber has been widely used for a semiconductor fabrication process in order to perform a microprocessing on an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer.
- a plasma processing apparatus which employs high-frequency glow discharge otherwise known as a parallel plate type plasma processing apparatus, includes an upper electrode and lower electrode and performs a plasma processing on an object to be processed mounted on the lower electrode by applying a high-frequency power only to the upper electrode.
- Such a plasma processing apparatus has disadvantages in that it is difficult to control plasma voltage between the two electrodes, and some of electrical discharges will be lost through the wall surface in the processing chamber which is grounded, thereby making plasma non-uniform and unstable. Consequently, the apparatus tend to be unsuitable for microprecessing on a quarter-micron to half-micron scale as demanded in the industry recently.
- FIG. 8 illustrates an example of such a plasma processing apparatus.
- a processing chamber 100 includes a lower electrode 102 to be mounted thereon an object to be processed W in a processing chamber 101 , and an upper electrode 103 facing the lower electrode 102 , wherein a first high-frequency power supply 106 applies a first high-frequency power to the upper electrode 103 via a first matching unit 107 , and a second high-frequency power supply 108 applies a second high-frequency power to the lower electrode 102 via a second matching unit 109 , thereby controlling the density of plasma generated in the processing chamber 101 .
- a glow discharge is formed between the lower electrode 102 (grounded)and the upper electrode 103 to give rise to a plasma of reactive gas species. Desired etching is performed by making ions in the plasma hit the surface of an object to be processed mounted on the lower electrode 102 through the use of a potential difference between the two electrodes.
- the high frequency power or the matching unit can be overloaded or some plasma can be lost by an activation of a safety circuit therein. This can be caused by, for example, generation of reflected waves from an abrupt impedance change in the plasma processing apparatus.
- a plasma for etching is generated by forming a plasma through applying a high-frequency power to one electrode first, then, a high-frequency power is applied to the other electrode.
- a plasma for etching is generated by forming a plasma through applying a high-frequency power to one electrode first, then, a high-frequency power is applied to the other electrode.
- the dissociation rate increases and the plasma density becomes high, thereby reducing charge-up damages in the object to be processed.
- the present invention has been developed to solve the above problems of the conventional plasma processing apparatus by providing a new or improved plasma processing apparatus or a control method thereof, capable of efficient plasma generation, reducing damages on an object to be processed and reducing the loads on a high-frequency power supply, matching unit or so forth.
- a plasma processing apparatus comprising: a lower electrode disposed in a processing chamber, capable of mounting an object to be processed thereon; an upper electrode disposed in the chamber to face the lower electrode; a first high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency power to the upper electrode; a second high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency power to the lower electrode; an output controller for raising stepwise, respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies up to respective set levels for processing the object to be processed in at least three steps, wherein the output controller regulates raise timings of the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that raising the output of the second high-frequency power supply is followed by raising the output of the first high-frequency power supply, while the outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are raised stepwise up to the respective set levels.
- a plasma processing apparatus comprising: a lower electrode disposed in a processing chamber, capable of mounting an object to be processed thereon; an upper electrode disposed in the chamber to face the lower electrode; a first and a second high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency power to the lower electrode; an output controller for raising stepwise, respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies up to respective set levels for processing the object to be processed in at least three steps, wherein the output controller regulates raise timings of the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that raising the output of the second high-frequency power supply is followed by raising the output of the first high-frequency power supply, while the outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are raised stepwise up to the respective set levels.
- a method for controlling a plasma processing apparatus including a lower electrode in a processing chamber on which an object to be processed is mounted, an upper electrode disposed in the chamber to face the lower electrode, a first high-frequency power supply for applying a high-frequency power to the upper electrode and a second high-frequency power supply for applying a high-frequency power to the lower electrode, comprising the steps of: raising respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies at least three times stepwise to reach respective set levels for processing the object to be processed; and controlling respective raise timings of the outputs of the high-frequency power supplies so that raising the output of the second high-frequency power supply is followed by raising the output of the first high-frequency power supply while the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are raised to the respective set levels.
- a method for controlling a plasma processing apparatus including a lower electrode in a processing chamber on which an object to be processed is mounted, an upper electrode disposed to face the lower electrode and a first and a second high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency powers to the lower electrode, comprising the steps of: raising respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies at least three times stepwise to reach respective set levels for processing the object to be processed; and controlling respective raise timings of the outputs of the high-frequency power supplies so that raising the output of the second high-frequency power supply is followed by raising the output of the first high-frequency power supply while the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are raised to the respective set levels.
- the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that the outputs right before reaching the respective set levels are within 25% and 50% of the set levels.
- the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that first outputs are equal to or above levels at which plasma can be ignited and not more than 25% of the respective set levels.
- the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that, while keeping the output of one high-frequency power supply constant, the output of the other high-frequency power supply is raised. Otherwise, the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that differences between the respective outputs fall within a certain range.
- a plasma processing apparatus comprising: a lower electrode disposed in a processing chamber, capable of mounting an object to be processed thereon; an upper electrode disposed in the chamber to face the lower electrode; a first and a second high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency power to the electrodes; an output controller for continuously raising respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies to respective set levels for processing the object to be processed or for raising the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies to the respective set levels stepwise during a certain interval and continuously during the rest.
- a method for controlling a plasma processing apparatus including a lower electrode in a processing chamber on which a object to be processed is mounted, an upper electrode disposed in the chamber to face the lower electrode and a first and a second high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency powers to the electrodes, comprising the steps of continuously raising respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies to respective set levels for processing the object to be processed or for raising the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies to the respective set levels stepwise during a certain interval and continuously during the rest.
- the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that ratios between the respective outputs remain constant or so that slopes of the outputs of the respective power supplies are identical as they go up. Still further, the output controller regulates the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies so that the respective outputs are raised to the respective set levels stepwise during a certain interval and continuously during the rest. In this case, it is preferable that the part during which the outputs go up stepwise is the initial period when plasma is ignited.
- the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that the output of one high-frequency power supply goes up stepwise while the other output goes up continuously.
- the output of the first high-frequency power supply is applied to the upper electrode and the output of the second high-frequency power supply is applied to the lower electrode, the output controller regulating the respective outputs so that the output of the first high-frequency power supply goes up stepwise and the output of the second high-frequency power supply goes up continuously.
- a plasma can be generated efficiently; damages on an object to be processed can be further reduced; and the loads on a high-frequency power supply, matching unit and so forth can be further reduced.
- FIG. 1 shows a cross sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a plasma etching apparatus in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 describes a specific example of raise timings of high-frequency powers applied to two electrodes in the plasma etching apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the respective high-frequency powers are raised to set levels stepwise continuously a certain amount at a time;
- FIG. 3 provides a specific example of raise timings of high-frequency powers applied to two electrodes in the plasma etching apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the respective high-frequency powers are raised stepwise repeatedly a certain amount at a time in the initial stage and then raised directly to the set levels at once right before reaching the set levels;
- FIG. 4 presents a more specific example of raise timings shown in FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 5 offers another example of raise timings of high-frequency powers applied to two electrodes in the plasma etching apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the respective high-frequency powers are raised to set levels continuously;
- FIG. 6 represents another example of raise timings of high-frequency powers applied to two electrodes in the plasma etching apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the respective high-frequency powers are raised stepwise in the initial stage and then continuously thereafter;
- FIG. 7 presents another example of raise timings of high-frequency powers applied to two electrodes in the plasma etching apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the high-frequency power to one of the electrodes is raised stepwise while that to the other electrode is raised continuously;
- FIG. 8 provides a cross sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a conventional plasma etching apparatus with two electrodes.
- a plasma etching apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a processing chamber 2 formed in a cylindrical or rectangular shape made of conductive material, e.g., aluminum, and the processing chamber 2 houses therein a mounting table 4 of an approximately cylindrical shape for supporting an object to be processed, e.g., a wafer W, the mounting table 4 having a vertically movable structure by means of an elevation mechanism 3 such as a motor. It is possible to construct the mounting table 4 by securing a plurality of members formed of, e.g., aluminum by, e.g., bolts. Installed in the mounting table 4 is a heat source unit such as a heat transfer medium circulation unit 5 , which is designed such that it can adjust temperature on the processing surface of the object to be processed to a desirable temperature.
- a heat source unit such as a heat transfer medium circulation unit 5 , which is designed such that it can adjust temperature on the processing surface of the object to be processed to a desirable temperature.
- a heat transfer medium of which temperature has been adjusted to an appropriate temperature by means of a temperature control unit can be introduced into the heat transfer medium circulation unit 5 via a heat transfer medium inlet line 6 .
- the introduced heat transfer medium circulates in the heat transfer medium circulation unit 5 so that heat or cooling is transmitted into the semiconductor wafer W via the mounting table 4 during the circulation, thereby making it possible to adjust the temperature of the processing surface on the semiconductor wafer W to a desirable temperature.
- the heat transfer medium is driven out of the chamber via the heat transfer medium discharge line 7 .
- the illustrated example has such configuration in which the heat transfer medium of which temperature has been adjusted to an appropriate temperature by means of a temperature control not shown in the drawings is made to circulate, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a cooling jacket and a heater installed in the mounting table 4 heat or cool the mounting table 4 so that temperature of the wafer W can be controlled.
- a central portion of an upper surface on the mounting table 4 has a shape of a projecting circular plate.
- a chuck portion for supporting a object to be processed such as an electrostatic chuck 8 is installed at the central portion of the upper surface on the mounting table 4 , wherein a diameter of the electrostatic chuck 8 is approximately identical to, or slightly longer or shorter than, that of the semiconductor wafer W as a object to be processed.
- the electrostatic chuck 8 which supports the wafer W, is constituted by an electrostatic chuck sheet having a conductive film 8 c of, e.g., copper foil inserted between two films 8 a and 8 b made of high molecular insulating material such as polyimide resin or the like.
- the conductive film 8 c is connected to a variable DC voltage supply 11 via a voltage supply lead 9 and a filter 10 for cutting off a high-frequency signal, such as a coil.
- a high power to the conductive film 8 c, it is possible to adsorb the wafer W onto an upper surface on an upper film 8 a in the electrostatic chuck by a Coulomb force.
- the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 employs an electrostatic chuck 8 as a chuck unit for adsorbing a object to be processed, the present invention should not be construed to be limited thereto.
- the electrostatic chuck sheet 8 has a thermally conductive gas supply opening 12 formed in concentric circles.
- a thermally conductive gas feed pipe 13 for supplying a thermally conductive gas such as helium from a gas source not shown in the drawings to a small space formed between a back side of the object to be processed W and the chuck surface on the electrostatic chuck 8 , thereby enhancing the efficiency of thermal conduction from the mounting table 4 to the object to be processed W.
- an annular focus ring 14 is set to enclose a periphery of the wafer W on the electrostatic chuck 8 .
- the focus ring 14 made of insulating or conductive material that does not attract reactive ions, functions to make, for example, the reactive ions effectively projected only onto the semiconductor wafer W inside the focus ring.
- a gas exhaust ring 15 placed between the mounting table 4 and an inner wall of the processing chamber 2 is a gas exhaust ring 15 having a plurality of baffle holes such that the gas exhaust ring 15 encloses the mounting table 4 and contacts an outer peripheral portion of the focus ring 14 .
- the gas exhaust ring 15 renders exhaust streams arranged properly so that, for example, a processing gas is uniformly discharged from the inside of the processing chamber.
- the mounting table 4 is connected to a power feed rod made of conductive material and formed hollow, which is coupled to a second high-frequency power supply 18 via a matching unit 17 having, e.g., a blocking capacitor.
- a high-frequency power of, e.g., 2 MHz can be supplied to the mounting table 4 via the power fed rod 16 .
- a detector 19 is inserted between the matching unit 17 and the mounting table 4 . Information on an output of the second high-frequency power supply 18 is detected by the detector 19 and then sent back to a controller 20 to be used during a control on the process.
- the controller 20 includes an output controller for controlling a high-frequency power output applied to an upper electrode 21 and the mounting table 4 .
- the mounting table 4 functions as a lower electrode so that, as will be explained later, glow discharge takes place between the mounting table 4 and the upper electrode 21 positioned to face the object to be processed W, thereby rendering the processing gas introduced into the processing chamber into a plasma state to enable an etching process on the object to be processed by using the plasma.
- the upper electrode 21 is placed on a mounting surface of the mounting table 4 constituting a lower electrode (hereinafter, the mounting table will be also called “the lower electrode”) in a manner that there is a certain distance, for example, that of about 5 to 150 mm, between the upper electrode 21 and the lower electrode 4 .
- the distance between the upper electrode 21 and the lower electrode 4 can be adjusted by elevating the lower electrode 4 by the elevation mechanism 3 .
- it is possible to control plasma uniformity during a process by adjusting the above-mentioned distance pursuant to a film quality of a object to be processed.
- the upper electrode 21 is connected to a first high-frequency power supply 29 via a matching unit 28 having, e.g., a blocking capacitor.
- a high-frequency power of, e.g., 60 MHz can be supplied to the upper electrode 21 .
- a detector 30 is inserted between the matching unit 28 and the upper electrode 21 . Information on an output of the first high-frequency power supply 29 is detected by the detector 19 and then sent back to the controller 20 to be used during process controls such as plasma ignition and stopping.
- the upper electrode 21 is formed hollow and a processing feed pipe gas 22 is connected to a hollow portion of the upper electrode 21 so that a processing gas including, for example, at least either hydrogen bromide (HBr) or chlorine (Cl 2 ) can be introduced from a processing gas source 23 via a mass flow controller (MFC) 24 .
- a processing gas including, for example, at least either hydrogen bromide (HBr) or chlorine (Cl 2 )
- MFC mass flow controller
- a baffle plate 25 placed about the middle of the hollow portion is a baffle plate 25 with a plurality of tiny holes for promoting a uniform diffusion of the processing gas, and, below the baffle plate 25 is installed a processing gas inlet 27 constituted by a plate member having a plurality of small holes 26 for injecting the processing gas.
- a gas exhaust port 31 for communicating with a gas exhaust unit including, e.g., a vacuum pump, thereby making it possible to vacuum pump in the processing chamber down to a set vacuum level, e.g., to a depressurized atmosphere below 100 mTorr.
- a gas exhaust unit including, e.g., a vacuum pump
- a load-lock chamber 33 below one side of the processing chamber 2 is set a load-lock chamber 33 via a gate valve 32 .
- the load-lock chamber 33 houses a transfer mechanism 24 having a transfer arm 34 (or handling arm).
- the mounting table is moved down by the elevation mechanism 3 when loading or unloading the wafer W, because, as shown in FIG. 1 , the gate valve 32 has an opening below the processing chamber 2 .
- the elevation mechanism 3 elevates the mounting table 4 up to a certain height where the distance between the upper electrode 21 and the lower electrode 4 is optimal.
- the handling arm 34 loads the wafer W as an object to be processed from the load-lock chamber 33 into the processing chamber 2 via the gate valve 32 .
- the mounting table 4 has been moved down to a loading position by the elevation mechanism 3 .
- the handling arm 34 mounts the wafer W on an adsorption surface of the electrostatic chuck 8 on the mounting table 4 , and then, a high voltage is applied to the conductive film 8 c in the electrostatic chuck 8 by the DC voltage supply 11 for high voltage so that the wafer W is adsorbed onto the chuck surface by a Coulomb force.
- the elevation mechanism raises the mounting table 4 up to a processing position.
- a pressure in the processing chamber is lowered down to a predetermined depressurized atmosphere, e.g., 100 mTorr and the gas source 23 introduces a gaseous mixture of Cl 2 and HBr without carbon as a processing gas via the upper electrode 21 .
- a predetermined high-frequency power is applied to the upper electrode 21 by the first high-frequency power supply 29 and another predetermined high-frequency power is applied to the mounting table 4 by the second high-frequency power supply 18 .
- plasma is generated from the processing gas so that a plasma processing is performed on the wafer W.
- the controls as to how the high-frequency powers are applied to the two electrodes will be described.
- an etching process is carried out on the wafer W.
- the high-frequency powers applied to the two electrodes are monitored by the detectors 19 and 30 so that signals thereof are sent to the controller 20 , thereby maintaining an optimal processing condition.
- the supply of the processing gas is stopped, the inside of the processing chamber is purged, the mounting table 4 is moved down to an unloading position and then the handling arm 34 unloads the wafer W completely processed from the processing chamber 2 to the load-lock chamber 33 , thereby finishing the whole process.
- FIGS. 2 to 4 show specific examples of raise timings of the high-frequency powers applied to the two electrodes.
- FIGS. 2 to 4 describe embodiments where the two high-frequency powers are raised in a stepwise manner.
- the outputs of the two high-frequency power supplies 18 and 29 are raised up to a set level (a recipe level) for the plasma processing on the wafer W by being raised at least three times in a stepwise manner. While the high-frequency power are raised up to the set level in a stepwise manner as described above, the controller 20 controls the raise timings of the outputs of the two high-frequency power supplies 18 and 29 such that the output of the second high-frequency power supply 18 applied to the lower electrode 4 is raised earlier than the output of the first high-frequency power supply 29 .
- a certain level of high-frequency power is firstly applied to the lower electrode 4 while the high-frequency power applied to the upper electrode 21 remains 0W, as shown in FIG. 2 . Subsequently, after a certain period of time, a certain amount of high-frequency power is applied to the upper electrode 21 while the high-frequency power applied to the lower electrode 4 remains substantially the same. By doing this, a plasma is ignited. Thereafter, high-frequency powers are alternately applied stepwise to the lower electrode 4 and to the upper electrode 21 respectively, thereby reaching the set levels P 1 W and P 2 W eventually.
- plasma can be generated efficiently, thereby further reducing damages on an object to be processed and further reducing the loads on the high-frequency power supply, matching unit or so forth.
- the output of one of the high-frequency power supplies 18 and 29 is controlled to be raised while the output of the other high-frequency power supply is kept constant.
- the period between raising the high-frequency power to the upper electrode and then raising the high-frequency power to the lower electrode is either equal to or longer than the period between raising the high-frequency power to the lower electrode and then raising the high-frequency power to the upper electrode. It is more preferable that the two periods are the same.
- a high-frequency power difference i.e., the difference between the two outputs of the two high-frequency power supplies 18 and 29 is controlled to remain below a certain value.
- the high-frequency power applied to the lower electrode 4 can be restrained not to become too high compared to the high-frequency power applied to the upper electrode 21 , thereby further reducing a load on the power supply or the matching unit.
- P 1 W is the set level of the high-frequency power applied to the upper electrode 21 and P 2 W is the set level of the high-frequency power applied to the lower electrode 4 (the same is applied for FIGS. 3 , 5 and 6 as will be described later).
- P 1 W and P 2 W can be set to appropriate values pursuant to the type of a plasma processing, processing condition and the like. For example, P 1 W applied to the upper electrode 21 is 3300 W and P 2 W applied to the lower electrode 4 is 3800 W.
- the time unit (the time interval a illustrated in FIG. 2 ) by which each of the high-frequency powers controlled is raised, for example, is between 0.1 and 0.5 second inclusive.
- the high-frequency powers can be controlled to be raised every time when the time interval “a” elapses (for example, every 0.1 second).
- the time interval “a” is set to be an appropriate span based on magnitudes of the set levels of the high-frequency powers or required periods of time for the high-frequency powers to reach the set levels.
- a period of time for each high-frequency power to reach its set level is 2 to 5 seconds.
- the high-frequency power applied to the lower electrode 4 reaches its set level P 2 W earlier than that applied to the upper electrode 21 .
- a period of time from an application of the high-frequency power to the lower electrode 4 until the high-frequency power applied to the upper electrode 21 reaches the set level P 1 W is, for example, 2.5 seconds.
- a raised level of each high-frequency power at each step may vary among raise times. However, it is more preferable that the raised level of each high-frequency power stays constant. For example, the raised level may increase slowly at each rising stage. It is also possible to control the output of each high-frequency power supply such that it ranges inclusively between 25% and 50% of each set level until right before it reaches the set level and then goes up to the set level at once, as shown in FIG. 3 . In this case, it is preferable that the output of each high-frequency power supply be not less than an output level where plasma can be ignited (for example, not less than 200W) and not more than 25% of each set level. More particularly, as shown in FIG. 4 , a high-frequency power of 400W is initially applied to the lower electrode 4 at time 0.
- high-frequency powers are alternately applied to the lower electrode 4 and the upper electrode 21 every 0.4 second in an increasing manner.
- the high-frequency powers reach their set levels (in this case, 3300W and 3800W), they are set to range inclusively between 25% and 50% of their set levels, e.g., 1200W. Then, the high-frequency powers are controlled to go up to the set level at once.
- the high-frequency power applied to each electrode is raised up to an amount sufficient for igniting a plasma at the initial stage, and then raised slowly to range inclusively between 25% and 50% of its set level right before reaching the set level, and then raised up to the set level at once, thereby ensuring that a plasma is ignited, reducing damages on the object to be processed, or reducing loads on the power supplies or matching units, and shortening the required periods of time to reach the set levels.
- FIGS. 5 to 7 illustrate other examples of raise timings of high-frequency powers applied to the electrodes.
- FIGS. 5 to 7 depict other examples where the high-frequency powers applied to each electrode is raised in a continuous manner up to the set level or raised in a stepwise manner during a certain part of time and in a continuous manner during the other part of time.
- the output (the high-frequency powers) ratios between the high-frequency power supplies 18 and 29 are kept constant or their slopes of the outputs (the high-frequency powers) of the high-frequency power supplies 18 and 29 as they go up are kept identical to each other.
- the high-frequency power applied to the lower electrode 4 can be controlled to be not too high relative to the high-frequency power applied to the upper electrode 21 . In this way, loads on the power supplies or the matching units can be further reduced.
- the output ratios (the high-frequency powers) between the high-frequency power supplies 18 and 29 are controlled to be constant or their output (the high-frequency powers) slopes of the high-frequency power supplies 18 and 29 as they go up are controlled to be identical to each other
- the overall period for the high-frequency power applied to each electrode to reach the set level P 1 W or P 2 W is set based on the set level P 1 W or P 2 W. Therefore, the periods of time for the high-frequency powers applied to the electrodes to reach the set levels P 1 W and P 2 W may be identical to or different from each other.
- the outputs of the high-frequency power supplies 18 and 29 may be raised in a stepwise manner during a certain part of time and in a continuous manner during the other part of time.
- the part of time during which the outputs are raised in a stepwise manner be an initial period during which plasma is ignited, as shown in FIG. 6 .
- the ignition of the plasma can be performed efficiently at the initial stage during which the high-frequency powers begin to be applied.
- the high-frequency power applied to one of the electrodes is raised in a stepwise manner and the high-frequency power applied to the other electrode is raised in a continuous manner.
- the output of the first high-frequency power supply 29 applied to the upper electrode 21 may be raised in a stepwise manner and the second high-frequency power supply 18 applied to the lower electrode 4 may be raised in a continuous manner.
- the invention is not limited thereto but includes the case where two high-frequency powers (for example, a high-frequency power for generating plasma and another high-frequency power for attracting charged particles such as ions) are applied to the lower electrode 4 .
- the first high-frequency power supply 29 may be used for generating plasma and the second high-frequency power supply 18 may be used for attracting charged particles such as ions.
- a frequency of the first high-frequency power supply 29 is set, for example, between 60 and 100 MHz inclusive and a frequency of the second high-frequency power supply 18 is set, for example, between 2 and 3.2 MHz inclusive.
- the invention can also be applied to any apparatuses that introduce a processing gas into a processing chamber and include an upper electrode, lower electrode, first and second high-frequency power supply for applying a high-frequency power to each of the electrodes to perform a plasma processing, for example, a plasma CVD apparatus, an ashing apparatus and so forth.
- the preferred embodiments were described as to an etching process on polysilicon, the invention can also be applied to an etching process on an oxide film, photoresist or refractory metals such as tungsten silicide, molybdenum silicide, titan silicide and the like.
- the present invention can be applied to a plasma processing apparatus and a control method thereof.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
- Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Drying Of Semiconductors (AREA)
- Plasma Technology (AREA)
- Chemical Vapour Deposition (AREA)
Abstract
There is provided a plasma processing apparatus includes a lower electrode in a processing chamber on which a object to be processed is mounted; an upper electrode confronting the lower electrode; a first and a second high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency powers respectively to the upper and the lower electrode; and an output controller for raising each of outputs from the high-frequency power supplies at least three times in a stepwise manner up to each of set levels for processing the object to be processed. The output controller adjusts each of rising times of the outputs from the high-frequency power supplies so that an output of the second high-frequency power supply is raised earlier than an output of the first high-frequency power supply while the outputs from the high-frequency power supplies are raised up to the set levels in a stepwise manner.
Description
- The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus and a control method thereof.
- Conventionally, a plasma processing apparatus which employs high-frequency glow discharge of a reactive gas introduced into a processing chamber has been widely used for a semiconductor fabrication process in order to perform a microprocessing on an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer. A plasma processing apparatus which employs high-frequency glow discharge, otherwise known as a parallel plate type plasma processing apparatus, includes an upper electrode and lower electrode and performs a plasma processing on an object to be processed mounted on the lower electrode by applying a high-frequency power only to the upper electrode.
- However, such a plasma processing apparatus has disadvantages in that it is difficult to control plasma voltage between the two electrodes, and some of electrical discharges will be lost through the wall surface in the processing chamber which is grounded, thereby making plasma non-uniform and unstable. Consequently, the apparatus tend to be unsuitable for microprecessing on a quarter-micron to half-micron scale as demanded in the industry recently.
- Therefore, attempts are underway to control the density of plasma generated in a processing chamber by applying high-frequency powers to an upper and lower electrode for microprocessing.
FIG. 8 illustrates an example of such a plasma processing apparatus. Aprocessing chamber 100 includes alower electrode 102 to be mounted thereon an object to be processed W in aprocessing chamber 101, and anupper electrode 103 facing thelower electrode 102, wherein a first high-frequency power supply 106 applies a first high-frequency power to theupper electrode 103 via afirst matching unit 107, and a second high-frequency power supply 108 applies a second high-frequency power to thelower electrode 102 via asecond matching unit 109, thereby controlling the density of plasma generated in theprocessing chamber 101. Thus, a glow discharge is formed between the lower electrode 102 (grounded)and theupper electrode 103 to give rise to a plasma of reactive gas species. Desired etching is performed by making ions in the plasma hit the surface of an object to be processed mounted on thelower electrode 102 through the use of a potential difference between the two electrodes. - With respect to managing the problems of microprocessing, attempts are underway to achieve a high selectivity and high etching-rate without charge-up damages by setting the process condition at low pressure, e.g., 100 mTorr or less, or otherwise using certain gases.
-
- (Reference 1) Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. H8-162293
- (Reference 2) U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,534
- However, when using a conventional plasma processing apparatus such as in
FIG. 8 , it is difficult to control the process as desired during the plasma generation stage because of interferences between high-frequency power signals from the two high-frequency power supplies, or distortions in waveform thereof. At times, an object to be processed is subject to charge-up damages. - Further, depending on the manner in which two high-frequency power supplies provide high-frequency powers, the high frequency power or the matching unit can be overloaded or some plasma can be lost by an activation of a safety circuit therein. This can be caused by, for example, generation of reflected waves from an abrupt impedance change in the plasma processing apparatus.
- To solve the above problems, the present inventor developed the methods disclosed in
References - However, as demands for microprocessing on a smaller scale and for extending useful life of a plasma processing apparatus have been growing, it has become necessary to further minimize damages on an object to be processed and to reduce loads on a high-frequency power supply, matching unit, and the like.
- The present invention has been developed to solve the above problems of the conventional plasma processing apparatus by providing a new or improved plasma processing apparatus or a control method thereof, capable of efficient plasma generation, reducing damages on an object to be processed and reducing the loads on a high-frequency power supply, matching unit or so forth.
- To solve the above problems, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma processing apparatus, comprising: a lower electrode disposed in a processing chamber, capable of mounting an object to be processed thereon; an upper electrode disposed in the chamber to face the lower electrode; a first high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency power to the upper electrode; a second high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency power to the lower electrode; an output controller for raising stepwise, respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies up to respective set levels for processing the object to be processed in at least three steps, wherein the output controller regulates raise timings of the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that raising the output of the second high-frequency power supply is followed by raising the output of the first high-frequency power supply, while the outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are raised stepwise up to the respective set levels.
- In order to solve the aforementioned problems, in accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma processing apparatus, comprising: a lower electrode disposed in a processing chamber, capable of mounting an object to be processed thereon; an upper electrode disposed in the chamber to face the lower electrode; a first and a second high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency power to the lower electrode; an output controller for raising stepwise, respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies up to respective set levels for processing the object to be processed in at least three steps, wherein the output controller regulates raise timings of the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that raising the output of the second high-frequency power supply is followed by raising the output of the first high-frequency power supply, while the outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are raised stepwise up to the respective set levels.
- In order to solve the aforementioned problems, in accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a plasma processing apparatus including a lower electrode in a processing chamber on which an object to be processed is mounted, an upper electrode disposed in the chamber to face the lower electrode, a first high-frequency power supply for applying a high-frequency power to the upper electrode and a second high-frequency power supply for applying a high-frequency power to the lower electrode, comprising the steps of: raising respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies at least three times stepwise to reach respective set levels for processing the object to be processed; and controlling respective raise timings of the outputs of the high-frequency power supplies so that raising the output of the second high-frequency power supply is followed by raising the output of the first high-frequency power supply while the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are raised to the respective set levels.
- In order to solve the aforementioned problems, in accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a plasma processing apparatus including a lower electrode in a processing chamber on which an object to be processed is mounted, an upper electrode disposed to face the lower electrode and a first and a second high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency powers to the lower electrode, comprising the steps of: raising respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies at least three times stepwise to reach respective set levels for processing the object to be processed; and controlling respective raise timings of the outputs of the high-frequency power supplies so that raising the output of the second high-frequency power supply is followed by raising the output of the first high-frequency power supply while the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are raised to the respective set levels.
- Further, in the apparatuses and the methods, the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that the outputs right before reaching the respective set levels are within 25% and 50% of the set levels. In this case, it is preferable that the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that first outputs are equal to or above levels at which plasma can be ignited and not more than 25% of the respective set levels.
- Still further, in the apparatuses and the methods, the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that, while keeping the output of one high-frequency power supply constant, the output of the other high-frequency power supply is raised. Otherwise, the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that differences between the respective outputs fall within a certain range.
- In order to solve the aforementioned problems, in accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided A plasma processing apparatus, comprising: a lower electrode disposed in a processing chamber, capable of mounting an object to be processed thereon; an upper electrode disposed in the chamber to face the lower electrode; a first and a second high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency power to the electrodes; an output controller for continuously raising respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies to respective set levels for processing the object to be processed or for raising the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies to the respective set levels stepwise during a certain interval and continuously during the rest.
- In order to solve the aforementioned problems, in accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a plasma processing apparatus including a lower electrode in a processing chamber on which a object to be processed is mounted, an upper electrode disposed in the chamber to face the lower electrode and a first and a second high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency powers to the electrodes, comprising the steps of continuously raising respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies to respective set levels for processing the object to be processed or for raising the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies to the respective set levels stepwise during a certain interval and continuously during the rest.
- Further, in the apparatus and the method, the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that ratios between the respective outputs remain constant or so that slopes of the outputs of the respective power supplies are identical as they go up. Still further, the output controller regulates the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies so that the respective outputs are raised to the respective set levels stepwise during a certain interval and continuously during the rest. In this case, it is preferable that the part during which the outputs go up stepwise is the initial period when plasma is ignited.
- Still further, in the apparatus and the method, the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that the output of one high-frequency power supply goes up stepwise while the other output goes up continuously. In this case, it is preferable that the output of the first high-frequency power supply is applied to the upper electrode and the output of the second high-frequency power supply is applied to the lower electrode, the output controller regulating the respective outputs so that the output of the first high-frequency power supply goes up stepwise and the output of the second high-frequency power supply goes up continuously.
- In accordance with the present invention, a plasma can be generated efficiently; damages on an object to be processed can be further reduced; and the loads on a high-frequency power supply, matching unit and so forth can be further reduced.
- The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments, given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 shows a cross sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a plasma etching apparatus in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 describes a specific example of raise timings of high-frequency powers applied to two electrodes in the plasma etching apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the respective high-frequency powers are raised to set levels stepwise continuously a certain amount at a time; -
FIG. 3 provides a specific example of raise timings of high-frequency powers applied to two electrodes in the plasma etching apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the respective high-frequency powers are raised stepwise repeatedly a certain amount at a time in the initial stage and then raised directly to the set levels at once right before reaching the set levels; -
FIG. 4 presents a more specific example of raise timings shown inFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 5 offers another example of raise timings of high-frequency powers applied to two electrodes in the plasma etching apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the respective high-frequency powers are raised to set levels continuously; -
FIG. 6 represents another example of raise timings of high-frequency powers applied to two electrodes in the plasma etching apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the respective high-frequency powers are raised stepwise in the initial stage and then continuously thereafter; -
FIG. 7 presents another example of raise timings of high-frequency powers applied to two electrodes in the plasma etching apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the high-frequency power to one of the electrodes is raised stepwise while that to the other electrode is raised continuously; and -
FIG. 8 provides a cross sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a conventional plasma etching apparatus with two electrodes. - Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further, in this specification and the accompanying drawings, components having substantially identical functions and configurations are assigned an identical reference numeral to simplify their description.
- A
plasma etching apparatus 1 shown inFIG. 1 includes aprocessing chamber 2 formed in a cylindrical or rectangular shape made of conductive material, e.g., aluminum, and theprocessing chamber 2 houses therein a mounting table 4 of an approximately cylindrical shape for supporting an object to be processed, e.g., a wafer W, the mounting table 4 having a vertically movable structure by means of anelevation mechanism 3 such as a motor. It is possible to construct the mounting table 4 by securing a plurality of members formed of, e.g., aluminum by, e.g., bolts. Installed in the mounting table 4 is a heat source unit such as a heat transfermedium circulation unit 5, which is designed such that it can adjust temperature on the processing surface of the object to be processed to a desirable temperature. - A heat transfer medium of which temperature has been adjusted to an appropriate temperature by means of a temperature control unit (not shown in the drawings) can be introduced into the heat transfer
medium circulation unit 5 via a heat transfer medium inlet line 6. The introduced heat transfer medium circulates in the heat transfermedium circulation unit 5 so that heat or cooling is transmitted into the semiconductor wafer W via the mounting table 4 during the circulation, thereby making it possible to adjust the temperature of the processing surface on the semiconductor wafer W to a desirable temperature. After the heat transfer process, the heat transfer medium is driven out of the chamber via the heat transfer medium discharge line 7. Further, although the illustrated example has such configuration in which the heat transfer medium of which temperature has been adjusted to an appropriate temperature by means of a temperature control not shown in the drawings is made to circulate, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a cooling jacket and a heater installed in the mounting table 4 heat or cool the mounting table 4 so that temperature of the wafer W can be controlled. - A central portion of an upper surface on the mounting table 4 has a shape of a projecting circular plate. A chuck portion for supporting a object to be processed such as an
electrostatic chuck 8 is installed at the central portion of the upper surface on the mounting table 4, wherein a diameter of theelectrostatic chuck 8 is approximately identical to, or slightly longer or shorter than, that of the semiconductor wafer W as a object to be processed. Theelectrostatic chuck 8, which supports the wafer W, is constituted by an electrostatic chuck sheet having aconductive film 8 c of, e.g., copper foil inserted between twofilms conductive film 8 c is connected to a variableDC voltage supply 11 via avoltage supply lead 9 and afilter 10 for cutting off a high-frequency signal, such as a coil. Thus, by applying a high power to theconductive film 8 c, it is possible to adsorb the wafer W onto an upper surface on anupper film 8 a in the electrostatic chuck by a Coulomb force. Besides, it has been described as to a case where the apparatus shown inFIG. 1 employs anelectrostatic chuck 8 as a chuck unit for adsorbing a object to be processed, the present invention should not be construed to be limited thereto. For example, it is also possible to adopt a mechanical chuck unit for mechanically holding a object to be processed by means of an annular clamp member capable of a vertical movement. However, it is more preferable to adopt theelectrostatic chuck 8 in that it can reduce damages on the wafer W. - In addition, the
electrostatic chuck sheet 8 has a thermally conductivegas supply opening 12 formed in concentric circles. Connected to the thermally conductivegas supply opening 12 is a thermally conductivegas feed pipe 13 for supplying a thermally conductive gas such as helium from a gas source not shown in the drawings to a small space formed between a back side of the object to be processed W and the chuck surface on theelectrostatic chuck 8, thereby enhancing the efficiency of thermal conduction from the mounting table 4 to the object to be processed W. - Moreover, on the mounting table 4, an
annular focus ring 14 is set to enclose a periphery of the wafer W on theelectrostatic chuck 8. Thefocus ring 14, made of insulating or conductive material that does not attract reactive ions, functions to make, for example, the reactive ions effectively projected only onto the semiconductor wafer W inside the focus ring. Placed between the mounting table 4 and an inner wall of theprocessing chamber 2 is agas exhaust ring 15 having a plurality of baffle holes such that thegas exhaust ring 15 encloses the mounting table 4 and contacts an outer peripheral portion of thefocus ring 14. Thegas exhaust ring 15 renders exhaust streams arranged properly so that, for example, a processing gas is uniformly discharged from the inside of the processing chamber. - Further, the mounting table 4 is connected to a power feed rod made of conductive material and formed hollow, which is coupled to a second high-
frequency power supply 18 via amatching unit 17 having, e.g., a blocking capacitor. During the process, a high-frequency power of, e.g., 2 MHz can be supplied to the mounting table 4 via the power fedrod 16. Additionally, adetector 19 is inserted between the matchingunit 17 and the mounting table 4. Information on an output of the second high-frequency power supply 18 is detected by thedetector 19 and then sent back to acontroller 20 to be used during a control on the process. In addition, as will be described later, thecontroller 20 includes an output controller for controlling a high-frequency power output applied to anupper electrode 21 and the mounting table 4. As can be seen above, the mounting table 4 functions as a lower electrode so that, as will be explained later, glow discharge takes place between the mounting table 4 and theupper electrode 21 positioned to face the object to be processed W, thereby rendering the processing gas introduced into the processing chamber into a plasma state to enable an etching process on the object to be processed by using the plasma. - The
upper electrode 21 is placed on a mounting surface of the mounting table 4 constituting a lower electrode (hereinafter, the mounting table will be also called “the lower electrode”) in a manner that there is a certain distance, for example, that of about 5 to 150 mm, between theupper electrode 21 and thelower electrode 4. Moreover, the distance between theupper electrode 21 and thelower electrode 4 can be adjusted by elevating thelower electrode 4 by theelevation mechanism 3. In addition, it is possible to control plasma uniformity during a process by adjusting the above-mentioned distance pursuant to a film quality of a object to be processed. - Furthermore, similarly to the
lower electrode 4, theupper electrode 21 is connected to a first high-frequency power supply 29 via amatching unit 28 having, e.g., a blocking capacitor. During the process, a high-frequency power of, e.g., 60 MHz can be supplied to theupper electrode 21. Additionally, adetector 30 is inserted between the matchingunit 28 and theupper electrode 21. Information on an output of the first high-frequency power supply 29 is detected by thedetector 19 and then sent back to thecontroller 20 to be used during process controls such as plasma ignition and stopping. - In addition, the
upper electrode 21 is formed hollow and a processingfeed pipe gas 22 is connected to a hollow portion of theupper electrode 21 so that a processing gas including, for example, at least either hydrogen bromide (HBr) or chlorine (Cl2) can be introduced from aprocessing gas source 23 via a mass flow controller (MFC) 24. Further, placed about the middle of the hollow portion is abaffle plate 25 with a plurality of tiny holes for promoting a uniform diffusion of the processing gas, and, below thebaffle plate 25 is installed aprocessing gas inlet 27 constituted by a plate member having a plurality ofsmall holes 26 for injecting the processing gas. Still further, below theprocessing chamber 2 is provided agas exhaust port 31 for communicating with a gas exhaust unit including, e.g., a vacuum pump, thereby making it possible to vacuum pump in the processing chamber down to a set vacuum level, e.g., to a depressurized atmosphere below 100 mTorr. - Moreover, below one side of the
processing chamber 2 is set a load-lock chamber 33 via agate valve 32. The load-lock chamber 33 houses atransfer mechanism 24 having a transfer arm 34 (or handling arm). The mounting table is moved down by theelevation mechanism 3 when loading or unloading the wafer W, because, as shown inFIG. 1 , thegate valve 32 has an opening below theprocessing chamber 2. On the contrary, when processing the wafer, theelevation mechanism 3 elevates the mounting table 4 up to a certain height where the distance between theupper electrode 21 and thelower electrode 4 is optimal. - With the above-described configuration of the plasma etching apparatus, the
handling arm 34 loads the wafer W as an object to be processed from the load-lock chamber 33 into theprocessing chamber 2 via thegate valve 32. At this time, the mounting table 4 has been moved down to a loading position by theelevation mechanism 3. Thehandling arm 34 mounts the wafer W on an adsorption surface of theelectrostatic chuck 8 on the mounting table 4, and then, a high voltage is applied to theconductive film 8 c in theelectrostatic chuck 8 by theDC voltage supply 11 for high voltage so that the wafer W is adsorbed onto the chuck surface by a Coulomb force. Subsequently, the elevation mechanism raises the mounting table 4 up to a processing position. Thereafter, a pressure in the processing chamber is lowered down to a predetermined depressurized atmosphere, e.g., 100 mTorr and thegas source 23 introduces a gaseous mixture of Cl2 and HBr without carbon as a processing gas via theupper electrode 21. - Afterwards, pursuant to the control of the
controller 20, a predetermined high-frequency power is applied to theupper electrode 21 by the first high-frequency power supply 29 and another predetermined high-frequency power is applied to the mounting table 4 by the second high-frequency power supply 18. Thus, plasma is generated from the processing gas so that a plasma processing is performed on the wafer W. Later, the controls as to how the high-frequency powers are applied to the two electrodes will be described. - By using the plasma generated as above, an etching process is carried out on the wafer W. During this, the high-frequency powers applied to the two electrodes are monitored by the
detectors controller 20, thereby maintaining an optimal processing condition. After the plasma processing on the wafer W has been finished, the supply of the processing gas is stopped, the inside of the processing chamber is purged, the mounting table 4 is moved down to an unloading position and then thehandling arm 34 unloads the wafer W completely processed from theprocessing chamber 2 to the load-lock chamber 33, thereby finishing the whole process. - Hereinafter, a description will be given as to a method for controlling the application of high-frequency powers to the electrodes (which are the
upper electrode 21 and thelower electrode 4 in case of the plasma processing apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment shown inFIG. 1 ) with reference toFIGS. 2 to 4 .FIGS. 2 to 4 show specific examples of raise timings of the high-frequency powers applied to the two electrodes.FIGS. 2 to 4 describe embodiments where the two high-frequency powers are raised in a stepwise manner. - In accordance with these embodiments, the outputs of the two high-
frequency power supplies controller 20 controls the raise timings of the outputs of the two high-frequency power supplies frequency power supply 18 applied to thelower electrode 4 is raised earlier than the output of the first high-frequency power supply 29. - More particularly, for example, a certain level of high-frequency power is firstly applied to the
lower electrode 4 while the high-frequency power applied to theupper electrode 21 remains 0W, as shown inFIG. 2 . Subsequently, after a certain period of time, a certain amount of high-frequency power is applied to theupper electrode 21 while the high-frequency power applied to thelower electrode 4 remains substantially the same. By doing this, a plasma is ignited. Thereafter, high-frequency powers are alternately applied stepwise to thelower electrode 4 and to theupper electrode 21 respectively, thereby reaching the set levels P1W and P2W eventually. - Thus, plasma can be generated efficiently, thereby further reducing damages on an object to be processed and further reducing the loads on the high-frequency power supply, matching unit or so forth.
- Further, as shown in
FIG. 2 , the output of one of the high-frequency power supplies - In addition, a high-frequency power difference, i.e., the difference between the two outputs of the two high-
frequency power supplies lower electrode 4 can be restrained not to become too high compared to the high-frequency power applied to theupper electrode 21, thereby further reducing a load on the power supply or the matching unit. - Furthermore, in
FIG. 2 , P1W is the set level of the high-frequency power applied to theupper electrode 21 and P2W is the set level of the high-frequency power applied to the lower electrode 4 (the same is applied forFIGS. 3 , 5 and 6 as will be described later). P1W and P2W can be set to appropriate values pursuant to the type of a plasma processing, processing condition and the like. For example, P1W applied to theupper electrode 21 is 3300 W and P2W applied to thelower electrode 4 is 3800 W. - It is preferable that the time unit (the time interval a illustrated in
FIG. 2 ) by which each of the high-frequency powers controlled is raised, for example, is between 0.1 and 0.5 second inclusive. As shown inFIG. 2 , the high-frequency powers can be controlled to be raised every time when the time interval “a” elapses (for example, every 0.1 second). The time interval “a” is set to be an appropriate span based on magnitudes of the set levels of the high-frequency powers or required periods of time for the high-frequency powers to reach the set levels. - Preferably, a period of time for each high-frequency power to reach its set level is 2 to 5 seconds. In case shown in
FIG. 2 , the high-frequency power applied to thelower electrode 4 reaches its set level P2W earlier than that applied to theupper electrode 21. A period of time from an application of the high-frequency power to thelower electrode 4 until the high-frequency power applied to theupper electrode 21 reaches the set level P1W is, for example, 2.5 seconds. - A raised level of each high-frequency power at each step may vary among raise times. However, it is more preferable that the raised level of each high-frequency power stays constant. For example, the raised level may increase slowly at each rising stage. It is also possible to control the output of each high-frequency power supply such that it ranges inclusively between 25% and 50% of each set level until right before it reaches the set level and then goes up to the set level at once, as shown in
FIG. 3 . In this case, it is preferable that the output of each high-frequency power supply be not less than an output level where plasma can be ignited (for example, not less than 200W) and not more than 25% of each set level. More particularly, as shown inFIG. 4 , a high-frequency power of 400W is initially applied to thelower electrode 4 attime 0. Thereafter, high-frequency powers are alternately applied to thelower electrode 4 and theupper electrode 21 every 0.4 second in an increasing manner. Right before the high-frequency powers reach their set levels (in this case, 3300W and 3800W), they are set to range inclusively between 25% and 50% of their set levels, e.g., 1200W. Then, the high-frequency powers are controlled to go up to the set level at once. - In this way, the high-frequency power applied to each electrode is raised up to an amount sufficient for igniting a plasma at the initial stage, and then raised slowly to range inclusively between 25% and 50% of its set level right before reaching the set level, and then raised up to the set level at once, thereby ensuring that a plasma is ignited, reducing damages on the object to be processed, or reducing loads on the power supplies or matching units, and shortening the required periods of time to reach the set levels.
- Hereinafter, other examples of the method for controlling application of the high-frequency power to each electrode will be described with reference to
FIGS. 5 to 7 .FIGS. 5 to 7 illustrate other examples of raise timings of high-frequency powers applied to the electrodes.FIGS. 5 to 7 depict other examples where the high-frequency powers applied to each electrode is raised in a continuous manner up to the set level or raised in a stepwise manner during a certain part of time and in a continuous manner during the other part of time. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , it is allowable that, after the high-frequency powers begin to be simultaneously applied to theupper electrode 21 and thelower electrode 4, the high-frequency power applied to each electrode are raised in a continuous manner until it reaches its set level P1W or P2W. In this way, since each high-frequency power is raised slowly, damages on the object to be processed can be further reduced and loads on the high-frequency power supplies or matching units can be further alleviated. - In this case, it is preferable that the output (the high-frequency powers) ratios between the high-
frequency power supplies frequency power supplies lower electrode 4 can be controlled to be not too high relative to the high-frequency power applied to theupper electrode 21. In this way, loads on the power supplies or the matching units can be further reduced. Further, in case the output ratios (the high-frequency powers) between the high-frequency power supplies frequency power supplies - As described above, it is preferable that the outputs of the high-
frequency power supplies FIG. 6 . Thus, the ignition of the plasma can be performed efficiently at the initial stage during which the high-frequency powers begin to be applied. - In addition, as shown in
FIG. 7 , it is also preferable that the high-frequency power applied to one of the electrodes is raised in a stepwise manner and the high-frequency power applied to the other electrode is raised in a continuous manner. In this case, the output of the first high-frequency power supply 29 applied to theupper electrode 21 may be raised in a stepwise manner and the second high-frequency power supply 18 applied to thelower electrode 4 may be raised in a continuous manner. - While the invention has been shown and described with respect to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
- For example, although the preferred embodiments were described as to the case where the high-frequency powers are applied from the
electrodes upper electrode 21 and thelower electrode 4, the invention is not limited thereto but includes the case where two high-frequency powers (for example, a high-frequency power for generating plasma and another high-frequency power for attracting charged particles such as ions) are applied to thelower electrode 4. For example, the first high-frequency power supply 29 may be used for generating plasma and the second high-frequency power supply 18 may be used for attracting charged particles such as ions. In this case, a frequency of the first high-frequency power supply 29 is set, for example, between 60 and 100 MHz inclusive and a frequency of the second high-frequency power supply 18 is set, for example, between 2 and 3.2 MHz inclusive. - Further, although the preferred embodiments were described as to a plasma etching apparatus, the invention can also be applied to any apparatuses that introduce a processing gas into a processing chamber and include an upper electrode, lower electrode, first and second high-frequency power supply for applying a high-frequency power to each of the electrodes to perform a plasma processing, for example, a plasma CVD apparatus, an ashing apparatus and so forth.
- Furthermore, although the preferred embodiments were described as to an etching process on polysilicon, the invention can also be applied to an etching process on an oxide film, photoresist or refractory metals such as tungsten silicide, molybdenum silicide, titan silicide and the like.
- The present invention can be applied to a plasma processing apparatus and a control method thereof.
Claims (17)
1-24. (canceled)
25. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:
a lower electrode disposed in a processing chamber, capable of mounting an object to be processed thereon;
an upper electrode disposed in the chamber to face the lower electrode;
a first high-frequency power supply and a second high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency powers to at least one of the upper and the lower electrode; and
an output controller for raising respective outputs of the first and the second high-frequency power supply up to respective set levels for processing the object to be processed,
wherein the output controller controls the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies to be raised continuously, to be raised stepwise, or to be raised stepwise during a certain interval and continuously during the rest, and
wherein the output controller regulates raise timings of the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies such that one of the high-frequency powers, whose frequency is lower than that of the other of the high-frequency powers, is raised earlier than the other of the high-frequency powers, while the outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are raised up to the respective set levels.
26. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 25 , wherein the output controller controls the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies such that the high frequency powers are raised stepwise in at least three steps, and one of the high-frequency powers reaches a level of a first step after the other of the high-frequency powers reaches a level of a first step but before the other of the high-frequency powers reaches a level of a second step, and
wherein an output of the first high-frequency power supply has a frequency higher than that of an output of the second high-frequency power supply.
27. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the output of the first high-frequency power supply is supplied to the upper electrode, and the output of the second high-frequency power supply is supplied to the lower electrode.
28. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that the outputs right before reaching the respective set levels are within 25% and 50% of the set levels.
29. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that first outputs are equal to or above levels at which plasma can be ignited and not more than 25% of the respective set levels.
30. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that, while keeping the output of one high-frequency power supply constant, the output of the other high-frequency power supply is raised.
31. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the output controller regulates the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies so that differences between the respective outputs fall within a certain range.
32. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 25 , wherein one of the high-frequency powers is applied to the lower electrode whereas the other of the high-frequency powers is applied to the upper electrode, and
wherein the output controller controls the high-frequency powers such that one of the high-frequency powers applied to the lower electrode reaches a set level earlier than the other of the high-frequency powers applied to the upper electrode.
33. A method for controlling a plasma processing apparatus including a lower electrode in a processing chamber on which an object to be processed is mounted, an upper electrode disposed in the chamber to face the lower electrode, and a first high-frequency power supply and a second high-frequency power supply for applying high-frequency powers to at least one of the upper and the lower electrode, the method comprising the step of:
raising respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies to reach respective set levels for processing the object to be processed,
wherein the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are controlled to be raised continuously, to be raised stepwise, or to be raised stepwise during a certain interval and continuously during the rest, and
wherein respective raise timings of the outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are controlled such that one of the high-frequency powers, whose frequency is lower than that of the other of the high-frequency powers, is raised earlier than the other of the high-frequency powers, while the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are raised to the respective set levels.
34. The method of claim 33 , wherein the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are controlled such that the high-frequency powers are raised stepwise in at least three steps, and one of the high-frequency powers reaches a level of a first step after the other of the high-frequency powers reaches a level of a first step but before the other of the high-frequency powers reaches a level of a second step, and
wherein an output of the first high-frequency power supply has a frequency higher than that of an output of the second high-frequency power supply.
35. The method of claim 34 , wherein the output of the first high-frequency power supply is supplied to the upper electrode, and the output of the second high-frequency power supply is supplied to the lower electrode.
36. The method of claim 35 , wherein the respective outputs of the high-frequency power supplies are regulated so that the outputs right before reaching the respective set levels are within 25% and 50% of the set levels.
37. The method of claim 36 , wherein the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies are regulated so that first outputs are equal to or above levels at which plasma can be ignited and not more than 25% of the respective set levels.
38. The method of claim 35 , wherein the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies are regulated so that, while keeping the output of one high-frequency power supply constant, the output of the other high-frequency power supply is raised.
39. The method of claim 35 , wherein the outputs of the respective high-frequency power supplies are regulated so that differences between the respective outputs fall within a certain range.
40. The method of claim 33 , wherein one of the high-frequency powers is applied to the lower electrode whereas the other of the high-frequency powers is applied to the upper electrode, and
wherein the high-frequency powers are controlled such that one of the high-frequency powers applied to the lower electrode reaches a set level earlier than the other of the high-frequency powers applied to the upper electrode.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/055,664 US20080179005A1 (en) | 2004-02-20 | 2008-03-26 | Plasma processing apparatus and control method thereof |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2004045172A JP4359521B2 (en) | 2004-02-20 | 2004-02-20 | Plasma processing apparatus and control method thereof |
JP2004-045172 | 2004-02-20 | ||
US11/060,547 US7682982B2 (en) | 2004-02-20 | 2005-02-18 | Plasma processing apparatus and control method thereof |
US12/055,664 US20080179005A1 (en) | 2004-02-20 | 2008-03-26 | Plasma processing apparatus and control method thereof |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/060,547 Continuation US7682982B2 (en) | 2004-02-20 | 2005-02-18 | Plasma processing apparatus and control method thereof |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20080179005A1 true US20080179005A1 (en) | 2008-07-31 |
Family
ID=34984938
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/060,547 Active 2027-09-05 US7682982B2 (en) | 2004-02-20 | 2005-02-18 | Plasma processing apparatus and control method thereof |
US12/055,664 Abandoned US20080179005A1 (en) | 2004-02-20 | 2008-03-26 | Plasma processing apparatus and control method thereof |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/060,547 Active 2027-09-05 US7682982B2 (en) | 2004-02-20 | 2005-02-18 | Plasma processing apparatus and control method thereof |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US7682982B2 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4359521B2 (en) |
KR (1) | KR100630792B1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20100163184A1 (en) * | 2008-12-26 | 2010-07-01 | Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation | Plasma processing apparatus |
US20100271040A1 (en) * | 2009-04-28 | 2010-10-28 | Seyed Jafar Jafarian-Tehrani | Arrangements for detecting discontinuity of flexible connections for current flow and methods thereof |
US8320099B2 (en) * | 2008-09-05 | 2012-11-27 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Electrostatic chuck electrical balancing circuit repair |
Families Citing this family (16)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7851368B2 (en) * | 2005-06-28 | 2010-12-14 | Lam Research Corporation | Methods and apparatus for igniting a low pressure plasma |
JP4865352B2 (en) * | 2006-02-17 | 2012-02-01 | 三菱重工業株式会社 | Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method |
JP4801522B2 (en) * | 2006-07-21 | 2011-10-26 | 株式会社日立ハイテクノロジーズ | Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and plasma processing method |
JP4905304B2 (en) * | 2007-09-10 | 2012-03-28 | 東京エレクトロン株式会社 | Plasma processing apparatus, plasma processing method, and storage medium |
JP5141519B2 (en) * | 2008-12-02 | 2013-02-13 | 東京エレクトロン株式会社 | Plasma processing apparatus and method of operating plasma processing apparatus |
JP5100704B2 (en) * | 2009-04-30 | 2012-12-19 | シャープ株式会社 | Plasma processing method and plasma processing apparatus |
US8501631B2 (en) * | 2009-11-19 | 2013-08-06 | Lam Research Corporation | Plasma processing system control based on RF voltage |
JP5597463B2 (en) * | 2010-07-05 | 2014-10-01 | 東京エレクトロン株式会社 | Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method |
US10157729B2 (en) | 2012-02-22 | 2018-12-18 | Lam Research Corporation | Soft pulsing |
US10128090B2 (en) | 2012-02-22 | 2018-11-13 | Lam Research Corporation | RF impedance model based fault detection |
US9320126B2 (en) | 2012-12-17 | 2016-04-19 | Lam Research Corporation | Determining a value of a variable on an RF transmission model |
JP5596082B2 (en) * | 2012-06-18 | 2014-09-24 | 東京エレクトロン株式会社 | Substrate adsorption / desorption method and substrate processing method |
JP6144917B2 (en) * | 2013-01-17 | 2017-06-07 | 東京エレクトロン株式会社 | Plasma processing apparatus and method of operating plasma processing apparatus |
US9594105B2 (en) | 2014-01-10 | 2017-03-14 | Lam Research Corporation | Cable power loss determination for virtual metrology |
JP6195528B2 (en) * | 2014-02-19 | 2017-09-13 | 東京エレクトロン株式会社 | Plasma processing apparatus and operation method thereof |
US10950421B2 (en) | 2014-04-21 | 2021-03-16 | Lam Research Corporation | Using modeling for identifying a location of a fault in an RF transmission system for a plasma system |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5716534A (en) * | 1994-12-05 | 1998-02-10 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Plasma processing method and plasma etching method |
US20010034138A1 (en) * | 2000-04-19 | 2001-10-25 | Takeshi Yamashita | Dry etching method, fabrication method for semiconductor device, and dry etching apparatus |
US6365060B1 (en) * | 1997-08-22 | 2002-04-02 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Method for controlling plasma processor |
US6426477B1 (en) * | 1999-09-13 | 2002-07-30 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Plasma processing method and apparatus for eliminating damages in a plasma process of a substrate |
US20050142873A1 (en) * | 2002-08-30 | 2005-06-30 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Plasma processing method and plasma processing apparatus |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPH06318552A (en) | 1993-05-10 | 1994-11-15 | Nissin Electric Co Ltd | Plasma processing and its apparatus |
JP3323190B2 (en) | 2000-04-19 | 2002-09-09 | 松下電器産業株式会社 | Dry etching method, method of manufacturing semiconductor device, and dry etching apparatus |
JP3565774B2 (en) * | 2000-09-12 | 2004-09-15 | 株式会社日立製作所 | Plasma processing apparatus and processing method |
-
2004
- 2004-02-20 JP JP2004045172A patent/JP4359521B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2005
- 2005-02-18 US US11/060,547 patent/US7682982B2/en active Active
- 2005-02-18 KR KR1020050013416A patent/KR100630792B1/en active IP Right Grant
-
2008
- 2008-03-26 US US12/055,664 patent/US20080179005A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5716534A (en) * | 1994-12-05 | 1998-02-10 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Plasma processing method and plasma etching method |
US6365060B1 (en) * | 1997-08-22 | 2002-04-02 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Method for controlling plasma processor |
US6426477B1 (en) * | 1999-09-13 | 2002-07-30 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Plasma processing method and apparatus for eliminating damages in a plasma process of a substrate |
US6576860B2 (en) * | 1999-09-13 | 2003-06-10 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Plasma processing method and apparatus for eliminating damages in a plasma process of a substrate |
US20010034138A1 (en) * | 2000-04-19 | 2001-10-25 | Takeshi Yamashita | Dry etching method, fabrication method for semiconductor device, and dry etching apparatus |
US20050142873A1 (en) * | 2002-08-30 | 2005-06-30 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Plasma processing method and plasma processing apparatus |
Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8320099B2 (en) * | 2008-09-05 | 2012-11-27 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Electrostatic chuck electrical balancing circuit repair |
US20100163184A1 (en) * | 2008-12-26 | 2010-07-01 | Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation | Plasma processing apparatus |
US8186300B2 (en) * | 2008-12-26 | 2012-05-29 | Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation | Plasma processing apparatus |
US20100271040A1 (en) * | 2009-04-28 | 2010-10-28 | Seyed Jafar Jafarian-Tehrani | Arrangements for detecting discontinuity of flexible connections for current flow and methods thereof |
CN102415221A (en) * | 2009-04-28 | 2012-04-11 | 朗姆研究公司 | Arrangements for detecting discontinuity of flexible connections for current flow and methods thereof |
US8466697B2 (en) * | 2009-04-28 | 2013-06-18 | Lam Research Corporation | Arrangements for detecting discontinuity of flexible connections for current flow and methods thereof |
CN104360211A (en) * | 2009-04-28 | 2015-02-18 | 朗姆研究公司 | Arrangements for detecting discontinuity of flexible connections for current flow and methods thereof |
TWI489117B (en) * | 2009-04-28 | 2015-06-21 | Lam Res Corp | Arrangements for detecting discontinuity of flexible connections for current flow and methods thereof |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US7682982B2 (en) | 2010-03-23 |
JP4359521B2 (en) | 2009-11-04 |
KR100630792B1 (en) | 2006-10-11 |
JP2005236138A (en) | 2005-09-02 |
KR20060042958A (en) | 2006-05-15 |
US20050205208A1 (en) | 2005-09-22 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US7682982B2 (en) | Plasma processing apparatus and control method thereof | |
KR102432446B1 (en) | Mounting table and plasma processing apparatus | |
US5716534A (en) | Plasma processing method and plasma etching method | |
US8431035B2 (en) | Plasma processing apparatus and method | |
US8641916B2 (en) | Plasma etching apparatus, plasma etching method and storage medium | |
US6426477B1 (en) | Plasma processing method and apparatus for eliminating damages in a plasma process of a substrate | |
US7048869B2 (en) | Plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method | |
KR20170066224A (en) | Systems and methods for frequency modulation of radiofrequency power supply for controlling plasma instability | |
US20090317565A1 (en) | Plasma cvd equipment | |
JP2010519735A (en) | Multi-step plasma doping method with improved dose control | |
US7023002B2 (en) | Surface treating device and surface treating method | |
KR20150001664A (en) | Temperature controlling method and plasma processing apparatus | |
US20100263196A1 (en) | Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method, and storage medium storing program for implementing the method | |
JP3113786B2 (en) | Plasma processing apparatus and control method therefor | |
US20210020408A1 (en) | Substrate support assembly, substrate processing apparatus, and edge ring | |
US20200194238A1 (en) | Structure for substrate processing apparatus | |
JP3606497B2 (en) | Plasma processing method and plasma processing apparatus | |
KR102398674B1 (en) | A support unit, a substrate processing apparatus including the same, and a substrate processing method | |
US20220102160A1 (en) | Etching method and etching apparatus | |
KR102126979B1 (en) | A showerhead unit, a substrate processing apparatus including the same, and a substrate processing method | |
JP3150044B2 (en) | Plasma processing apparatus and control method thereof | |
JPH08162444A (en) | Plasma processor and control method thereof | |
JP3999774B2 (en) | Plasma processing method and plasma processing apparatus | |
JP2023067238A (en) | Plasma processing method and plasma processing apparatus | |
KR20230101649A (en) | Substrate processing apparatus with exhausting unit and substrate processing method with same |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |