US20110284165A1 - Plasma processing apparatus - Google Patents

Plasma processing apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
US20110284165A1
US20110284165A1 US13/109,365 US201113109365A US2011284165A1 US 20110284165 A1 US20110284165 A1 US 20110284165A1 US 201113109365 A US201113109365 A US 201113109365A US 2011284165 A1 US2011284165 A1 US 2011284165A1
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upper electrode
annular member
processing apparatus
plasma processing
processing chamber
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US13/109,365
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Hachishiro IIzuka
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Tokyo Electron Ltd
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Tokyo Electron Ltd
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Publication of US20110284165A1 publication Critical patent/US20110284165A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • 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
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
    • H01L21/67063—Apparatus for fluid treatment for etching
    • H01L21/67069—Apparatus for fluid treatment for etching for drying 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
    • H01J37/32009—Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources
    • H01J37/32082—Radio frequency generated discharge
    • H01J37/321—Radio frequency generated discharge the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
    • 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
    • H01J37/321—Radio frequency generated discharge the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
    • H01J37/3211—Antennas, e.g. particular shapes of coils
    • 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
    • H01J37/32431—Constructional details of the reactor
    • 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
    • H01J37/32431—Constructional details of the reactor
    • H01J37/3244—Gas supply means
    • 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
    • H01J37/32431—Constructional details of the reactor
    • H01J37/3244—Gas supply means
    • H01J37/32449—Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow
    • 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
    • H01J37/32431—Constructional details of the reactor
    • H01J37/32532—Electrodes
    • H01J37/32568—Relative arrangement or disposition of electrodes; moving means
    • 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
    • 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
    • H01L21/31—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26 to form insulating layers thereon, e.g. for masking or by using photolithographic techniques; After treatment of these layers; Selection of materials for these layers
    • H01L21/3205—Deposition of non-insulating-, e.g. conductive- or resistive-, layers on insulating layers; After-treatment of these layers
    • H01L21/321—After treatment
    • H01L21/3213—Physical or chemical etching of the layers, e.g. to produce a patterned layer from a pre-deposited extensive layer
    • H01L21/32133—Physical or chemical etching of the layers, e.g. to produce a patterned layer from a pre-deposited extensive layer by chemical means only
    • H01L21/32135—Physical or chemical etching of the layers, e.g. to produce a patterned layer from a pre-deposited extensive layer by chemical means only by vapour etching only
    • H01L21/32136—Physical or chemical etching of the layers, e.g. to produce a patterned layer from a pre-deposited extensive layer by chemical means only by vapour etching only using plasmas
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05H—PLASMA TECHNIQUE; PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OF NEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMIC BEAMS
    • H05H1/00—Generating plasma; Handling plasma
    • H05H1/24—Generating plasma
    • H05H1/46—Generating plasma using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus.
  • a shower head for supplying a gas toward a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer or the like, in a shower shape.
  • a holding stage for holding a substrate is provided inside a processing chamber, and a shower head is provided to face the holding stage, in a plasma processing apparatus which performs a plasma etching process on a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer or the like.
  • a plurality of gas ejection holes are formed on a surface facing the shower head, which faces the holding stage, and the gas is supplied toward the substrate from the gas ejection holes in a shower shape.
  • the plasma processing apparatus which includes a configuration of exhausting a gas from around the holding stage downward so as to make a flow of the gas inside the processing chamber uniform.
  • a plasma processing apparatus configured to exhaust a gas from around a shower head toward above a processing chamber is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
  • a plasma processing apparatus having counter electrodes provided in a processing chamber, and a coil provided on an outer side wall of the processing chamber and generating inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 2). Also, a plasma processing apparatus, wherein a coil for generating inductively coupled plasma is disposed inside a processing chamber while being surrounded by a dielectric, is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 3).
  • a plasma processing apparatus is configured to exhaust a gas from around a holding stage (substrate) toward below a processing chamber, or from around a shower head toward above the processing chamber. Accordingly, the gas supplied from the shower head flows from a central portion of the substrate toward a circumferential portion of the substrate, and thus processing on the central portion and the circumferential portion of the substrate may easily differ, and uniformity of a processing surface may deteriorate. Also, since an exhaust flow path is required to be provided around the holding stage (substrate) or around the shower head, a volume inside the processing chamber becomes quite large compared to that of the substrate accommodated in the processing chamber. Thus, it is difficult to promote miniaturization of an entire apparatus since there are many unnecessary spaces. Also, accompanied by a big size of the apparatus, a standby time to start the apparatus increases while initial processing changes increase, and thus processing efficiency is deteriorated.
  • a shower head also serves as an upper electrode and a holding stage also serves as a lower electrode
  • an interval between the upper electrode (shower head) and the lower electrode (holding state) is required to vary.
  • a driving source since the inside of a processing chamber is depressurized, a driving source requires large power so as to move the upper electrode (shower head) or the lower electrode (holding stage) up and down while resisting a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the processing chamber, and thus energy required to drive the capacitive-coupled type plasma processing apparatus increases.
  • the present invention provides a plasma processing apparatus that is capable of promoting improvement of in-plane uniformity of a process compared to a conventional technology, promoting miniaturization of the apparatus and improvement of processing efficiency, and easily changing an interval between an upper electrode and a lower electrode.
  • a plasma processing apparatus including: a lower electrode, which is provided in a processing chamber and also serves as a holding stage for holding a substrate thereon; an upper electrode, which is provided in the processing chamber to face the lower electrode, has a function of a shower head for supplying a gas from a plurality of gas ejection holes formed on a facing surface facing the lower electrode toward the substrate in a shower shape, and is capable of moving up and down so that an interval between the upper electrode and the lower electrode is changeable; a lid, which is provided at an upper side of the upper electrode and airtightly blocks an upper opening of the processing chamber; a plurality of exhaust holes formed on the facing surface; an annular member, which is provided to protrude downward along a circumferential portion of the upper electrode to be capable of moving up and down with the upper electrode, and forms a processing space surrounded by the lower electrode, the upper electrode, and the annular member at a descending location; and a coil, which is provided on an inner wall part
  • FIG. 1 is a longitudinal-sectional view of a configuration of main parts of a plasma processing apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a magnified longitudinal-sectional view of a configuration of main parts of the plasma processing apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 3 is a magnified longitudinal-sectional view of a configuration of main parts of the plasma processing apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 4 is a longitudinal-sectional view of a shower head of the plasma processing apparatus of FIG. 1 in a risen state.
  • FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a cross-sectional configuration of a plasma etching apparatus 200 , according to an embodiment of a plasma processing apparatus of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a shower head 100 provided in the plasma etching apparatus 200 of FIG. 1
  • the plasma etching apparatus 200 includes main parts of a capacitive-coupled type parallel-plate plasma etching apparatus, wherein electrode plates face each other so as to be arranged up and down and parallel to each other, and a plasma-generating power source (not shown) is connected to the capacitive-coupled type parallel-plate plasma processing apparatus.
  • the shower head 100 includes a laminated body 10 in which two plate-shaped members of a lower member 1 and an upper member 2 disposed on the lower member 1 are laminated.
  • the lower member 1 and the upper member 2 are formed of, for example, aluminum or the like, on each surface of which an anode oxidation process is performed.
  • the shower head 100 is provided in a processing chamber 201 of the plasma etching apparatus 200 to face a holding stage 202 , on which a semiconductor wafer (substrate) is held.
  • the shower head 100 is provided so that the lower member 1 shown in FIG. 2 includes a facing surface 14 facing the holding stage 202 shown in FIG. 1 .
  • a plurality of gas ejection holes 11 are formed on the lower member 1 including the facing surface 14 facing the holding stage 202 , and gas flow paths 12 communicating with the gas ejection holes 11 are formed between the lower member 1 and the upper member 2 .
  • the gas ejection holes 11 supply a gas toward a substrate (a lower side in FIG. 2 ) in a shower shape, as shown in arrows in FIG. 2 .
  • a gas introduction unit (not shown) for introducing a gas into the gas flow paths 12 is formed at a circumferential portion of the laminated body 10 .
  • a plurality of exhaust holes 13 are formed by penetrating through the laminated body 10 , i.e., through the lower member 1 and the upper member 2 .
  • the exhaust holes 13 constitutes an exhaust mechanism performing exhaustion so that a gas flows from the substrate (the lower side in FIG. 2 ) toward an opposite side of the substrate (an upper side in FIG. 2 ), as shown in dotted arrows in FIG. 2 .
  • Diameters of the exhaust holes 13 are, for example, about 1.2 mm, and the exhaust holes 13 are approximately evenly formed throughout an entire area of the shower head 100 except for a circumferential portion (a fixing portion for fixing an annular member 220 which will be described later) of the shower head 100 .
  • a number of the exhaust holes 13 in case of the shower head 100 for processing a semiconductor wafer having a diameter of, for example, 12 inch (300 mm), is from about 2000 to about 2500.
  • a shape of the exhaust holes 13 is not limited to a circular shape, and may have, for example, an oval shape or the like.
  • the exhaust holes 13 also eject a reaction product.
  • an overall shape of the shower head 100 is a circular plate shape corresponding to an overall shape of a semiconductor wafer constituting a substrate to be processed.
  • the processing chamber (processing container) 201 of the plasma etching apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 1 may have a cylindrical shape formed of, for example, aluminum or the like on a surface of which an anode oxidation process is performed, and the processing chamber 201 is grounded.
  • the holding stage 202 on which the semiconductor wafer constituting a substrate to be processed is held and which serves as a lower electrode, is provided inside the processing chamber 201 .
  • a high-frequency electric power applying apparatus (not shown), such as a high-frequency power source or the like, is connected to the holding stage 202 .
  • An electrostatic chuck 203 for electrostatically adsorbing the semiconductor wafer thereon is provided at an upper side of the holding stage 202 .
  • the electrostatic chuck 203 is configured by disposing an electrode between insulating materials, and electrostatically adsorbs the semiconductor wafer due to Coulomb force generated by applying a direct voltage to the electrode.
  • a flow path (not shown) for circulating a temperature adjusting medium is provided in the holding stage 202 so that a temperature of the semiconductor wafer adsorbed on the electrostatic chuck 203 is adjusted to a predetermined temperature.
  • an opening 215 for transferring the semiconductor wafer into and out of the processing chamber 201 is formed on a side wall portion of the processing chamber 201 .
  • the shower head 100 shown in FIG. 2 is disposed above the holding stage 202 to face the holding stage 202 with a distance away from the holding stage 202 . Also, a pair of counter electrodes, wherein the shower head 100 serves as an upper electrode and the holding stage 202 serves as a lower electrode, are formed. A predetermined process gas (etching gas) is supplied from a gas supply source (not shown) into the gas flow path 12 of the shower head 100 .
  • etching gas is supplied from a gas supply source (not shown) into the gas flow path 12 of the shower head 100 .
  • a lid 205 which airtightly blocks an upper opening of the processing chamber 201 and constitutes a ceiling portion of the processing chamber 201 , is provided above the shower head 100 , and an exhaust pipe 210 having a container shape is provided at a central portion of the lid 205 .
  • a vacuum pump (not shown), such as a turbo molecule pump or the like, is connected to the exhaust pipe 210 , with an opening and shutting control valve, an opening and closing mechanism, etc. disposed therebetween.
  • the annular member 220 having a circular annular shape is provided on a bottom surface of the shower head 100 to protrude downward along the circumferential portion of the shower head 100 .
  • the annular member 220 is formed of, for example, aluminum or the like covered with an insulating film (anode oxidation film or the like), and thus is maintained electrically conducted with the shower head 100 constituting an upper electrode.
  • the annular member 220 includes an upper member 221 constituting an main portion of a side wall of the annular member 220 , and a lower member 222 adhered to the bottom of the upper member 221 .
  • a protruding portion 221 a protruding inward is formed on an upper end portion of an inner wall of the upper member 221 .
  • a container formed of a dielectric material which has an overall shape of a circular annular shape and a longitudinal-sectional shape of an reversed U-shape, i.e., a quartz container 230 formed of quartz in the present embodiment, is provided along the inner wall of the annular member 220 so as to be interposed between the protruding portion 221 a and an upper surface of the lower member 222 .
  • An O-ring 231 is disposed as an airtight sealing member between a lower end portion of the quartz container 230 and a top surface of the lower member 222 . Meanwhile, an upper end portion of the quartz container 230 is kept pressed down by the protruding portion 221 a of the upper member 221 , and accordingly, the quartz container 230 is fixed to the annular member 220 while the inside of the quartz container 230 and a processing space inside the processing chamber 201 are airtightly isolated from each other.
  • An ICP coil 240 is provided inside the quartz container 230 .
  • An overall shape of the ICP coil 240 is a circular annular shape, and in the present embodiment, the ICP coil 240 is provided to wind around the processing space a plurality of times.
  • the ICP coil 240 is formed of a metal having a hollow pipe shape.
  • a temperature adjusting medium circulating mechanism (not shown) is connected to the ICP coil 240 , and a temperature adjusting medium circulates in a hollow space of the ICP coil 240 .
  • the ICP coil 240 is connected to a high-frequency power source (not shown). ICP plasma is generated in a processing space 212 that is disposed at an inner side than the quartz container 230 by applying high-frequency power of a predetermined frequency (for example, in the range from 450 KHz to 2 MHz) from the high-frequency supply source.
  • the inside of the quartz container 230 has an air or inert gas atmosphere, and has pressure (for example, pressure between 1330 Pa (10 Torr) and atmospheric pressure) that does not generate discharge therein.
  • the ICP plasma is generated in the circumferential portion of the processing space 212 by using the ICP coil 240 , thereby controlling plasma density in the circumferential portion of the processing space 212 .
  • a temperature of the ICP coil 240 tends to increase, and the increasing of the temperature of the ICP coil 240 may be prevented by circulating the temperature adjusting medium in the ICP coil 240 .
  • plasma is generated by using the ICP coil 240 during a preparation process for starting the process so that moisture or the like adsorbed to parts in the processing chamber 201 is detached therefrom. Accordingly, a standby time may be reduced, and initial process changes generated while driving the plasma etching apparatus 200 may also be reduced.
  • the annular member 220 is connected to an elevating mechanism 270 , and thus is capable of moving up and down together with the shower head 100 .
  • An inner diameter of the annular member 220 is set slightly larger than an outer diameter of the holding stage 202 , and thus a lower portion of the annular member 220 may descend to surround the holding stage 202 .
  • the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 are at descending locations. At the descending locations, the processing space 212 surrounded by the holding stage (lower electrode) 202 , the shower head (upper electrode) 100 , and the annular member 220 is formed above the holding stage 202 .
  • the processing space 212 is only formed above the holding stage 202 , thereby suppressing an unnecessary space extending outward in a horizontal direction from the circumferential portion of the holding stage 202 from being formed.
  • FIG. 4 shows the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 at ascending locations.
  • the opening 215 for transferring the semiconductor wafer into and out of the processing chamber 201 is opened, and at this time, the semiconductor wafer is transferred into and out of the processing chamber 201 .
  • the opening 215 is blocked by being covered by the annular member 220 .
  • an electric cylinder 260 is used as a driving source of the elevating mechanism 270 .
  • a multi-axial driving method where a plurality of elevating mechanisms 270 is provided at regular intervals along a circumferential direction of the processing chamber 201 , is used.
  • locations of the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 may be precisely controlled compared to, for example, when a pneumatic driving mechanism is used.
  • cooperative control may be electrically easily performed even by using the multi-axial driving method.
  • a driving shaft of the electric cylinder 260 is connected to an elevating shaft 261 , and the elevating shaft 261 is provided to penetrate through a fixing shaft 262 having a cylindrical shape and standing to extend from a bottom portion of the processing chamber 201 toward an upper portion of the processing chamber 201 .
  • a driving part of the elevating shaft 261 is airtightly sealed by, for example, a double O-ring or the like.
  • the shower head 100 since the shower head 100 is disposed under a depressurized atmosphere at an inner side of the lid 205 that airtightly blocks the upper opening of the processing chamber 201 , a pressure difference is added only to a part of the elevating shaft 261 , without having to add a pressure difference between the depressurized atmosphere and an air atmosphere to the shower head 100 itself. Accordingly, the shower head 100 is easily moved up and down with low power, thereby promoting energy saving. Also, since a mechanical strength of a driving mechanism may be reduced, apparatus expenses may be reduced.
  • a plurality of sheet cables 250 are provided at the annular member 220 and a ground side of a high-frequency side line of a bottom of the holding stage 202 to electrically connect therebetween.
  • the sheet cables 250 are provided at regular intervals along a circumferential direction of the annular member 220 .
  • the sheet cable 250 is formed by coating a surface of a conductor, having a sheet shape and formed of copper or the like, with an insulating layer, wherein the conductor near both ends are exposed to form a connecting portion through which a through hole for fixing a screw is formed.
  • the sheet cable 250 has a thickness of, for example, about hundreds of microns, and is thus flexible and is configured to freely transform according to up-and-down movements of the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 .
  • the sheet cable 250 is used with the object of returning a high frequency wave of the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 constituting the upper electrode, and thus the shower head 100 constituting the upper electrode and the annular member 220 are electrically connected to each other via the sheet cable 250 , and are electrically connected to the ground side of the high-frequency side line.
  • the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 constituting the upper electrode are electrically connected to the ground side of the high-frequency side line in a short path via the sheet cable 250 instead of a wall of a processing chamber or the like. Accordingly, a potential difference of each portion due to plasma may be suppressed to be very low.
  • annular member 220 and the shower head 100 constituting the upper electrode move up and down while being always electrically connected to the ground side of the high-frequency side line by the sheet cable 250 , and thus are not electrically floated.
  • the processing space 212 may be formed only above the holding stage 202 , and thus an unnecessary space extending outward in a horizontal direction may be suppressed from being formed. Accordingly, reduction or the like of process gas consumption may be promoted. Also, since the plasma density in the circumferential portion of the processing space may be controlled by generating the ICP plasma in the circumferential portion of the processing space by using the ICP coil 240 provided in the annular member 220 , a plasma state in the processing space 212 may be more precisely controlled, thereby performing a uniform process. Also, a distance between the shower head 100 constituting the upper electrode and the holding stage 202 may be changed according to process conditions or the like.
  • a physical shape of the processing space 212 is symmetrical, and thus an asymmetrical shape due to the opening 215 for transferring the semiconductor wafer into and out of the processing chamber 201 may be suppressed from affecting plasma. Therefore, a more uniform process may be performed.
  • the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 are ascended to open the opening 215 .
  • the semiconductor wafer is transferred into the processing chamber 201 from the opening 215 , is held on the electrostatic chuck 203 , and is electrostatically adsorbed on the electrostatic chuck 203 .
  • the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 are descended to close the opening 215 , and the processing space 212 is formed above the semiconductor wafer. Also, the processing space 212 in the processing chamber 201 is adsorbed to a predetermined vacuum level via the exhaust holes 13 by using a vacuum pump or the like.
  • a predetermined process gas (etching gas) of a predetermined flow rate is supplied from a gas supply source (not shown).
  • the process gas is supplied from the gas ejection holes 11 through the gas flow path 12 of the shower head 100 to the semiconductor wafer on the holding stage 202 in a shower shape.
  • high-frequency power of a predetermined frequency for example, 13.56 MHz
  • a predetermined frequency for example, 13.56 MHz
  • the etching gas is dissociated and plasmatized.
  • high-frequency power is applied to the ICP coil 240 as occasion demands so as to generate ICP plasma in the circumferential portion of the processing space. Then, a predetermined uniform etching process is performed on the semiconductor wafer by the plasma.
  • the process gas supplied from the gas ejection holes 11 of the shower head 100 is exhausted from the plurality of exhaust holes 13 distributedly formed in the shower head 100 , a gas flow from the central portion of the semiconductor wafer toward the circumferential portion thereof like when exhaustion is performed from the bottom portion of the processing chamber 201 does not occur. Accordingly, the process gas supplied to the semiconductor wafer may be made more uniform. Accordingly, the plasma state may be uniform, and thus a uniform etching process may be performed on each portion of the semiconductor wafer. In other words, in-plane uniformity of a process may be improved.
  • the application of the high-frequency power and the supply of the process gas are stopped, and the semiconductor wafer is transferred out of the processing chamber 201 in an order opposite to the order above.
  • the process gas is supplied and exhausted by using the shower head 100 , and thus the process gas supplied to the semiconductor wafer may be made more uniform. Accordingly, a uniform etching process may be performed on each portion of the semiconductor wafer.
  • the plasma etching apparatus 200 since exhaustion is performed through the exhaust holes 13 formed in the shower head 100 , an exhaust path may not be formed around the holding stage 202 or around the shower head 100 like in a conventional apparatus. Accordingly, it is possible to set a diameter of the processing chamber 201 closer to an outer diameter of the semiconductor wafer constituting a substrate to be processed, thereby promoting miniaturization of the apparatus. Also, since the vacuum pump may be provided above the processing chamber 201 , exhaustion may be performed from a part closer to the processing space of the processing chamber 201 , and thus a gas may be efficiently exhausted.
  • an interval between the shower head (upper electrode) 100 and the holding stage (lower electrode) 202 may be changed according to a process, and the shower head 100 may be easily moved up and down with low driving power, and thus energy saving and apparatus expense reduction may be promoted.
  • a plasma processing apparatus is capable of promoting improvement of in-plane uniformity of a process compared to a conventional technology, promoting miniaturization of the apparatus and improvement of processing efficiency, and easily changing an interval between an upper electrode and a lower electrode.
  • the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications may be made.
  • high-frequency power of one frequency is supplied to the holding stage (lower electrode)
  • the present invention may be equally applied to a type of apparatus in which a plurality of high-frequency power of different frequencies are applied to the lower electrode, or the like.

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  • Plasma Technology (AREA)

Abstract

Provided is a plasma processing apparatus that is capable of promoting improvement of in-plane uniformity of a process compared to a conventional technology, promoting miniaturization of the apparatus and improvement of processing efficiency, and easily changing an interval between an upper electrode and a lower electrode. The plasma processing apparatus includes a lower electrode provided in a processing chamber; an upper electrode having a function of a shower head and capable of moving up and down; a lid provided at an upper side of the upper electrode and airtightly blocking an upper opening of the processing chamber; a plurality of exhaust holes formed on a facing surface of the upper electrode; an annular member capable of moving up and down with the upper electrode by being formed to protrude downward along a circumferential portion of the upper electrode, and forming a processing space surrounded by the lower electrode, the upper electrode, and the annular member at a descending location; and a coil disposed on an inner wall portion of the annular member and accommodated in a container formed of a dielectric material.

Description

    CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
  • This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-113262, filed on May 17, 2010, in the Japan Patent Office, and U.S. Patent Application No. 61/348,529, filed on May 26, 2010, in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in there entireties by reference.
    • BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • 1. Field of the Invention
  • The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus.
  • 2. Description of the Related Art
  • Conventionally, in fields of manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like, a shower head for supplying a gas toward a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer or the like, in a shower shape is used. In other words, for example, a holding stage for holding a substrate is provided inside a processing chamber, and a shower head is provided to face the holding stage, in a plasma processing apparatus which performs a plasma etching process on a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer or the like. A plurality of gas ejection holes are formed on a surface facing the shower head, which faces the holding stage, and the gas is supplied toward the substrate from the gas ejection holes in a shower shape.
  • It is well known the plasma processing apparatus which includes a configuration of exhausting a gas from around the holding stage downward so as to make a flow of the gas inside the processing chamber uniform. Also, a plasma processing apparatus configured to exhaust a gas from around a shower head toward above a processing chamber is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
  • Also, a plasma processing apparatus having counter electrodes provided in a processing chamber, and a coil provided on an outer side wall of the processing chamber and generating inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 2). Also, a plasma processing apparatus, wherein a coil for generating inductively coupled plasma is disposed inside a processing chamber while being surrounded by a dielectric, is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 3).
    • [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 2662365
    • [Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. hei 8-64540
    • [Patent Document 3] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. hei 10-98033
    SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • In the above conventional technology, a plasma processing apparatus is configured to exhaust a gas from around a holding stage (substrate) toward below a processing chamber, or from around a shower head toward above the processing chamber. Accordingly, the gas supplied from the shower head flows from a central portion of the substrate toward a circumferential portion of the substrate, and thus processing on the central portion and the circumferential portion of the substrate may easily differ, and uniformity of a processing surface may deteriorate. Also, since an exhaust flow path is required to be provided around the holding stage (substrate) or around the shower head, a volume inside the processing chamber becomes quite large compared to that of the substrate accommodated in the processing chamber. Thus, it is difficult to promote miniaturization of an entire apparatus since there are many unnecessary spaces. Also, accompanied by a big size of the apparatus, a standby time to start the apparatus increases while initial processing changes increase, and thus processing efficiency is deteriorated.
  • Further, in a capacitive-coupled type plasma processing apparatus, wherein a shower head also serves as an upper electrode and a holding stage also serves as a lower electrode, an interval between the upper electrode (shower head) and the lower electrode (holding state) is required to vary. However, since the inside of a processing chamber is depressurized, a driving source requires large power so as to move the upper electrode (shower head) or the lower electrode (holding stage) up and down while resisting a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the processing chamber, and thus energy required to drive the capacitive-coupled type plasma processing apparatus increases.
  • To solve the above and/or other problems, the present invention provides a plasma processing apparatus that is capable of promoting improvement of in-plane uniformity of a process compared to a conventional technology, promoting miniaturization of the apparatus and improvement of processing efficiency, and easily changing an interval between an upper electrode and a lower electrode.
  • According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a plasma processing apparatus including: a lower electrode, which is provided in a processing chamber and also serves as a holding stage for holding a substrate thereon; an upper electrode, which is provided in the processing chamber to face the lower electrode, has a function of a shower head for supplying a gas from a plurality of gas ejection holes formed on a facing surface facing the lower electrode toward the substrate in a shower shape, and is capable of moving up and down so that an interval between the upper electrode and the lower electrode is changeable; a lid, which is provided at an upper side of the upper electrode and airtightly blocks an upper opening of the processing chamber; a plurality of exhaust holes formed on the facing surface; an annular member, which is provided to protrude downward along a circumferential portion of the upper electrode to be capable of moving up and down with the upper electrode, and forms a processing space surrounded by the lower electrode, the upper electrode, and the annular member at a descending location; and a coil, which is provided on an inner wall part of the annular member and accommodated in a container formed of a dielectric material so as to be airtightly isolated from the processing space, and generates induced plasma by applying high-frequency power.
    • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
  • The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
  • FIG. 1 is a longitudinal-sectional view of a configuration of main parts of a plasma processing apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
  • FIG. 2 is a magnified longitudinal-sectional view of a configuration of main parts of the plasma processing apparatus of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a magnified longitudinal-sectional view of a configuration of main parts of the plasma processing apparatus of FIG. 1; and
  • FIG. 4 is a longitudinal-sectional view of a shower head of the plasma processing apparatus of FIG. 1 in a risen state.
    •  EXPLANATION ON REFERENCE NUMERALS
      • 11: gas ejection hole
      • 13: exhaust hole
      • 100: shower head (upper electrode)
      • 200: plasma etching apparatus
      • 201: processing chamber
      • 202: holding stage (lower electrode)
      • 205: lid
      • 212: processing space
      • 220: annular member
      • 230: quartz container
      • 240: ICP coil
      • 270: elevating mechanism
    DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
  • Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by explaining exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the attached drawings.
  • FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a cross-sectional configuration of a plasma etching apparatus 200, according to an embodiment of a plasma processing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a shower head 100 provided in the plasma etching apparatus 200 of FIG. 1. The plasma etching apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment includes main parts of a capacitive-coupled type parallel-plate plasma etching apparatus, wherein electrode plates face each other so as to be arranged up and down and parallel to each other, and a plasma-generating power source (not shown) is connected to the capacitive-coupled type parallel-plate plasma processing apparatus.
  • As shown in FIG. 2, the shower head 100 includes a laminated body 10 in which two plate-shaped members of a lower member 1 and an upper member 2 disposed on the lower member 1 are laminated. The lower member 1 and the upper member 2 are formed of, for example, aluminum or the like, on each surface of which an anode oxidation process is performed. As shown in FIG. 1, the shower head 100 is provided in a processing chamber 201 of the plasma etching apparatus 200 to face a holding stage 202, on which a semiconductor wafer (substrate) is held. In other words, the shower head 100 is provided so that the lower member 1 shown in FIG. 2 includes a facing surface 14 facing the holding stage 202 shown in FIG. 1.
  • In the laminated body 10, a plurality of gas ejection holes 11 are formed on the lower member 1 including the facing surface 14 facing the holding stage 202, and gas flow paths 12 communicating with the gas ejection holes 11 are formed between the lower member 1 and the upper member 2. The gas ejection holes 11 supply a gas toward a substrate (a lower side in FIG. 2) in a shower shape, as shown in arrows in FIG. 2. Also, a gas introduction unit (not shown) for introducing a gas into the gas flow paths 12 is formed at a circumferential portion of the laminated body 10.
  • Also, a plurality of exhaust holes 13 are formed by penetrating through the laminated body 10, i.e., through the lower member 1 and the upper member 2. The exhaust holes 13 constitutes an exhaust mechanism performing exhaustion so that a gas flows from the substrate (the lower side in FIG. 2) toward an opposite side of the substrate (an upper side in FIG. 2), as shown in dotted arrows in FIG. 2.
  • Diameters of the exhaust holes 13 are, for example, about 1.2 mm, and the exhaust holes 13 are approximately evenly formed throughout an entire area of the shower head 100 except for a circumferential portion (a fixing portion for fixing an annular member 220 which will be described later) of the shower head 100. A number of the exhaust holes 13, in case of the shower head 100 for processing a semiconductor wafer having a diameter of, for example, 12 inch (300 mm), is from about 2000 to about 2500. A shape of the exhaust holes 13 is not limited to a circular shape, and may have, for example, an oval shape or the like. The exhaust holes 13 also eject a reaction product. Also, in the present embodiment, an overall shape of the shower head 100 is a circular plate shape corresponding to an overall shape of a semiconductor wafer constituting a substrate to be processed.
  • The processing chamber (processing container) 201 of the plasma etching apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 1 may have a cylindrical shape formed of, for example, aluminum or the like on a surface of which an anode oxidation process is performed, and the processing chamber 201 is grounded. The holding stage 202, on which the semiconductor wafer constituting a substrate to be processed is held and which serves as a lower electrode, is provided inside the processing chamber 201. A high-frequency electric power applying apparatus (not shown), such as a high-frequency power source or the like, is connected to the holding stage 202.
  • An electrostatic chuck 203 for electrostatically adsorbing the semiconductor wafer thereon is provided at an upper side of the holding stage 202. The electrostatic chuck 203 is configured by disposing an electrode between insulating materials, and electrostatically adsorbs the semiconductor wafer due to Coulomb force generated by applying a direct voltage to the electrode. Also, a flow path (not shown) for circulating a temperature adjusting medium is provided in the holding stage 202 so that a temperature of the semiconductor wafer adsorbed on the electrostatic chuck 203 is adjusted to a predetermined temperature. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, an opening 215 for transferring the semiconductor wafer into and out of the processing chamber 201 is formed on a side wall portion of the processing chamber 201.
  • The shower head 100 shown in FIG. 2 is disposed above the holding stage 202 to face the holding stage 202 with a distance away from the holding stage 202. Also, a pair of counter electrodes, wherein the shower head 100 serves as an upper electrode and the holding stage 202 serves as a lower electrode, are formed. A predetermined process gas (etching gas) is supplied from a gas supply source (not shown) into the gas flow path 12 of the shower head 100.
  • Also a lid 205, which airtightly blocks an upper opening of the processing chamber 201 and constitutes a ceiling portion of the processing chamber 201, is provided above the shower head 100, and an exhaust pipe 210 having a container shape is provided at a central portion of the lid 205. A vacuum pump (not shown), such as a turbo molecule pump or the like, is connected to the exhaust pipe 210, with an opening and shutting control valve, an opening and closing mechanism, etc. disposed therebetween.
  • The annular member 220 having a circular annular shape (cylindrical shape) is provided on a bottom surface of the shower head 100 to protrude downward along the circumferential portion of the shower head 100. The annular member 220 is formed of, for example, aluminum or the like covered with an insulating film (anode oxidation film or the like), and thus is maintained electrically conducted with the shower head 100 constituting an upper electrode.
  • As shown in FIG. 3, the annular member 220 includes an upper member 221 constituting an main portion of a side wall of the annular member 220, and a lower member 222 adhered to the bottom of the upper member 221. A protruding portion 221 a protruding inward is formed on an upper end portion of an inner wall of the upper member 221. Also, a container formed of a dielectric material, which has an overall shape of a circular annular shape and a longitudinal-sectional shape of an reversed U-shape, i.e., a quartz container 230 formed of quartz in the present embodiment, is provided along the inner wall of the annular member 220 so as to be interposed between the protruding portion 221 a and an upper surface of the lower member 222.
  • An O-ring 231 is disposed as an airtight sealing member between a lower end portion of the quartz container 230 and a top surface of the lower member 222. Meanwhile, an upper end portion of the quartz container 230 is kept pressed down by the protruding portion 221 a of the upper member 221, and accordingly, the quartz container 230 is fixed to the annular member 220 while the inside of the quartz container 230 and a processing space inside the processing chamber 201 are airtightly isolated from each other.
  • An ICP coil 240 is provided inside the quartz container 230. An overall shape of the ICP coil 240 is a circular annular shape, and in the present embodiment, the ICP coil 240 is provided to wind around the processing space a plurality of times. In the present embodiment, the ICP coil 240 is formed of a metal having a hollow pipe shape. A temperature adjusting medium circulating mechanism (not shown) is connected to the ICP coil 240, and a temperature adjusting medium circulates in a hollow space of the ICP coil 240.
  • Also, the ICP coil 240 is connected to a high-frequency power source (not shown). ICP plasma is generated in a processing space 212 that is disposed at an inner side than the quartz container 230 by applying high-frequency power of a predetermined frequency (for example, in the range from 450 KHz to 2 MHz) from the high-frequency supply source. The inside of the quartz container 230 has an air or inert gas atmosphere, and has pressure (for example, pressure between 1330 Pa (10 Torr) and atmospheric pressure) that does not generate discharge therein.
  • The ICP plasma is generated in the circumferential portion of the processing space 212 by using the ICP coil 240, thereby controlling plasma density in the circumferential portion of the processing space 212. In this case, a temperature of the ICP coil 240 tends to increase, and the increasing of the temperature of the ICP coil 240 may be prevented by circulating the temperature adjusting medium in the ICP coil 240.
  • Also, when the inside of the processing chamber 201 is opened to an air for maintenance or the like and then a process starts again, plasma is generated by using the ICP coil 240 during a preparation process for starting the process so that moisture or the like adsorbed to parts in the processing chamber 201 is detached therefrom. Accordingly, a standby time may be reduced, and initial process changes generated while driving the plasma etching apparatus 200 may also be reduced.
  • The annular member 220 is connected to an elevating mechanism 270, and thus is capable of moving up and down together with the shower head 100. An inner diameter of the annular member 220 is set slightly larger than an outer diameter of the holding stage 202, and thus a lower portion of the annular member 220 may descend to surround the holding stage 202. In FIG. 1, the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 are at descending locations. At the descending locations, the processing space 212 surrounded by the holding stage (lower electrode) 202, the shower head (upper electrode) 100, and the annular member 220 is formed above the holding stage 202. As such, by delimiting the processing space 212 by using the annular member 220 capable of moving up and down, the processing space 212 is only formed above the holding stage 202, thereby suppressing an unnecessary space extending outward in a horizontal direction from the circumferential portion of the holding stage 202 from being formed.
  • Meanwhile, FIG. 4 shows the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 at ascending locations. At the ascending locations, the opening 215 for transferring the semiconductor wafer into and out of the processing chamber 201 is opened, and at this time, the semiconductor wafer is transferred into and out of the processing chamber 201. When the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 are at the descending locations as shown in FIG. 1, the opening 215 is blocked by being covered by the annular member 220.
  • In the present embodiment, an electric cylinder 260 is used as a driving source of the elevating mechanism 270. A multi-axial driving method, where a plurality of elevating mechanisms 270 is provided at regular intervals along a circumferential direction of the processing chamber 201, is used. As such, by using the multi-axial driving method using the electric cylinder 260, locations of the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 may be precisely controlled compared to, for example, when a pneumatic driving mechanism is used. Also, cooperative control may be electrically easily performed even by using the multi-axial driving method.
  • As shown in FIG. 1, a driving shaft of the electric cylinder 260 is connected to an elevating shaft 261, and the elevating shaft 261 is provided to penetrate through a fixing shaft 262 having a cylindrical shape and standing to extend from a bottom portion of the processing chamber 201 toward an upper portion of the processing chamber 201. Also, in an airtight sealing portion 263, a driving part of the elevating shaft 261 is airtightly sealed by, for example, a double O-ring or the like.
  • In the present embodiment, since the shower head 100 is disposed under a depressurized atmosphere at an inner side of the lid 205 that airtightly blocks the upper opening of the processing chamber 201, a pressure difference is added only to a part of the elevating shaft 261, without having to add a pressure difference between the depressurized atmosphere and an air atmosphere to the shower head 100 itself. Accordingly, the shower head 100 is easily moved up and down with low power, thereby promoting energy saving. Also, since a mechanical strength of a driving mechanism may be reduced, apparatus expenses may be reduced.
  • A plurality of sheet cables 250 are provided at the annular member 220 and a ground side of a high-frequency side line of a bottom of the holding stage 202 to electrically connect therebetween. The sheet cables 250 are provided at regular intervals along a circumferential direction of the annular member 220. The sheet cable 250 is formed by coating a surface of a conductor, having a sheet shape and formed of copper or the like, with an insulating layer, wherein the conductor near both ends are exposed to form a connecting portion through which a through hole for fixing a screw is formed. The sheet cable 250 has a thickness of, for example, about hundreds of microns, and is thus flexible and is configured to freely transform according to up-and-down movements of the annular member 220 and the shower head 100.
  • The sheet cable 250 is used with the object of returning a high frequency wave of the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 constituting the upper electrode, and thus the shower head 100 constituting the upper electrode and the annular member 220 are electrically connected to each other via the sheet cable 250, and are electrically connected to the ground side of the high-frequency side line.
  • As such, in the present embodiment, the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 constituting the upper electrode are electrically connected to the ground side of the high-frequency side line in a short path via the sheet cable 250 instead of a wall of a processing chamber or the like. Accordingly, a potential difference of each portion due to plasma may be suppressed to be very low.
  • Also, the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 constituting the upper electrode move up and down while being always electrically connected to the ground side of the high-frequency side line by the sheet cable 250, and thus are not electrically floated.
  • As described above, since the plasma etching apparatus 200 includes the annular member 220 capable of moving up and down, the processing space 212 may be formed only above the holding stage 202, and thus an unnecessary space extending outward in a horizontal direction may be suppressed from being formed. Accordingly, reduction or the like of process gas consumption may be promoted. Also, since the plasma density in the circumferential portion of the processing space may be controlled by generating the ICP plasma in the circumferential portion of the processing space by using the ICP coil 240 provided in the annular member 220, a plasma state in the processing space 212 may be more precisely controlled, thereby performing a uniform process. Also, a distance between the shower head 100 constituting the upper electrode and the holding stage 202 may be changed according to process conditions or the like.
  • Further, a physical shape of the processing space 212 is symmetrical, and thus an asymmetrical shape due to the opening 215 for transferring the semiconductor wafer into and out of the processing chamber 201 may be suppressed from affecting plasma. Therefore, a more uniform process may be performed.
  • When plasma etching is performed on the semiconductor wafer by using the plasma etching apparatus 200 having such a configuration, first, as shown in FIG. 4, the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 are ascended to open the opening 215. At this time, the semiconductor wafer is transferred into the processing chamber 201 from the opening 215, is held on the electrostatic chuck 203, and is electrostatically adsorbed on the electrostatic chuck 203.
  • Next, the annular member 220 and the shower head 100 are descended to close the opening 215, and the processing space 212 is formed above the semiconductor wafer. Also, the processing space 212 in the processing chamber 201 is adsorbed to a predetermined vacuum level via the exhaust holes 13 by using a vacuum pump or the like.
  • Then, a predetermined process gas (etching gas) of a predetermined flow rate is supplied from a gas supply source (not shown). The process gas is supplied from the gas ejection holes 11 through the gas flow path 12 of the shower head 100 to the semiconductor wafer on the holding stage 202 in a shower shape.
  • After a pressure in the processing chamber 201 is maintained to a predetermined pressure, high-frequency power of a predetermined frequency, for example, 13.56 MHz, is applied to the holding stage 202. Accordingly, a high-frequency electric field is generated between the shower head 100 constituting the upper electrode and the holding stage 202 constituting the lower electrode, and thus the etching gas is dissociated and plasmatized. Also, for example, if the plasma density in the circumferential portion of the processing space 212 is to be increased or the like, high-frequency power is applied to the ICP coil 240 as occasion demands so as to generate ICP plasma in the circumferential portion of the processing space. Then, a predetermined uniform etching process is performed on the semiconductor wafer by the plasma.
  • During the etching process, since the process gas supplied from the gas ejection holes 11 of the shower head 100 is exhausted from the plurality of exhaust holes 13 distributedly formed in the shower head 100, a gas flow from the central portion of the semiconductor wafer toward the circumferential portion thereof like when exhaustion is performed from the bottom portion of the processing chamber 201 does not occur. Accordingly, the process gas supplied to the semiconductor wafer may be made more uniform. Accordingly, the plasma state may be uniform, and thus a uniform etching process may be performed on each portion of the semiconductor wafer. In other words, in-plane uniformity of a process may be improved.
  • Also, after the predetermined plasma etching process is ended, the application of the high-frequency power and the supply of the process gas are stopped, and the semiconductor wafer is transferred out of the processing chamber 201 in an order opposite to the order above.
  • As described above, according to the plasma etching apparatus 200 of the present embodiment, the process gas is supplied and exhausted by using the shower head 100, and thus the process gas supplied to the semiconductor wafer may be made more uniform. Accordingly, a uniform etching process may be performed on each portion of the semiconductor wafer.
  • Also, in the plasma etching apparatus 200, since exhaustion is performed through the exhaust holes 13 formed in the shower head 100, an exhaust path may not be formed around the holding stage 202 or around the shower head 100 like in a conventional apparatus. Accordingly, it is possible to set a diameter of the processing chamber 201 closer to an outer diameter of the semiconductor wafer constituting a substrate to be processed, thereby promoting miniaturization of the apparatus. Also, since the vacuum pump may be provided above the processing chamber 201, exhaustion may be performed from a part closer to the processing space of the processing chamber 201, and thus a gas may be efficiently exhausted.
  • In addition, an interval between the shower head (upper electrode) 100 and the holding stage (lower electrode) 202 may be changed according to a process, and the shower head 100 may be easily moved up and down with low driving power, and thus energy saving and apparatus expense reduction may be promoted.
  • A plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention is capable of promoting improvement of in-plane uniformity of a process compared to a conventional technology, promoting miniaturization of the apparatus and improvement of processing efficiency, and easily changing an interval between an upper electrode and a lower electrode.
  • However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications may be made. For example, in the above embodiment, high-frequency power of one frequency is supplied to the holding stage (lower electrode), but the present invention may be equally applied to a type of apparatus in which a plurality of high-frequency power of different frequencies are applied to the lower electrode, or the like.
  • While this invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (8)

1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:
a lower electrode, which is provided in a processing chamber and also serves as a holding stage for holding a substrate thereon;
an upper electrode, which is provided in the processing chamber to face the lower electrode, has a function of a shower head for supplying a gas from a plurality of gas ejection holes formed on a facing surface facing the lower electrode toward the substrate in a shower shape, and is capable of moving up and down so that an interval between the upper electrode and the lower electrode is changeable;
a lid, which is provided at an upper side of the upper electrode and airtightly blocks an upper opening of the processing chamber;
a plurality of exhaust holes formed on the facing surface;
an annular member, which is provided to protrude downward along a circumferential portion of the upper electrode to be capable of moving up and down with the upper electrode, and forms a processing space surrounded by the lower electrode, the upper electrode, and the annular member at a descending location; and
a coil, which is provided on an inner wall part of the annular member and accommodated in a container formed of a dielectric material so as to be airtightly isolated from the processing space, and generates induced plasma by applying high-frequency power.
2. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein an opening, which is freely opened and shut so as to transfer into and out the substrate, is formed at a side wall of the processing chamber between the lower electrode and the upper electrode, and the substrate is transferred into and out while the annular member is ascended.
3. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the annular member is formed of aluminum covered by an insulating film.
4. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container formed of the dielectric material has an air or inert gas atmosphere under a pressure higher than or equal to 1330 Pa and lower than or equal to an atmospheric pressure.
5. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil is formed of a hollow conductor having a pipe shape, and a temperature adjusting medium is introduced into the coil.
6. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a frequency of the high-frequency power applied to the coil is in the range from 450 KHz to 2 MHz.
7. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the annular member and the upper electrode are maintained electrically conducted to each other, and the annular member is connected to ground potential via a flexible sheet cable formed of a metal sheet having a surface covered with an insulating layer.
8. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein driving means, which moves the annular member and the upper electrode up and down is multi-axially driven using an electric cylinder.
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