Tokyo Electron Limited

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Hiromi Sakima

Masahiro Yamada

Kunihiko Hinata

Kouichiro Inazawa

Abron S Toure

Youbun Ito

Makoto Aoki

Makoto Hasegawa

Yoshio Ishikawa

Yasuo Imamura

Hiromitsu Kanbara

A plasma processing method allows to suppress the drop of the etching rate of the depoless-process without performing an additional seasoning process right after the dry cleaning process. The method includes a first and a second plasma processing step carried out in a single chamber and a step of dry cleaning an inside of the chamber by using a dummy substrate between the first and the second plasma processing step. Deposits are substantially accumulated in the chamber during the first plasma processing step, while substantially no deposits are accumulated in the chamber during the second plasma processing step. The dry cleaning step is performed by supplying into the chamber a deposit removing gas for removing the deposits produced in the chamber during the first plasma processing step and a dummy substrate etching gas capable of etching the dummy substrate.

Plasma processing method and apparatus

A method and system for processing a substrate in the presence of high purity C F . When processing oxides and dielectrics in a gas plasma processing system, C F is used in combination with a carrier gas (e.g., Ar) and one or more of CO and O . When using a silicon nitride (Si N ) layer as an etch stop, effective etching is performed due to the selectivity of oxides versus silicon nitride. The method is used when etching down to self-aligning contacts and other layers. The method may be practiced with or without using an anti-reflective coating underneath the photoresist layer.

Etchant for use in a semiconductor processing method and system

A method and system for processing a substrate in the presence of high purity C.sub.5 F.sub.8. When processing oxides and dielectrics in a gas plasma processing system, C.sub.5 F.sub.8 is used in combination with a carrier gas (e.g., Ar) and one or more of CO and O.sub.2. When using a silicon nitride (Si.sub.x N.sub.y) layer as an etch stop, effective etching is performed due to the selectivity of oxides versus silicon nitride. The method is used when etching down to self-aligning contacts and other layers. The method may be practiced with or without using an anti-reflective coating underneath the photoresist layer.

Semiconductor processing method and system using C.sub.5 F.sub.8

An apparatus for etching a WSi film on a wafer by using a plasma of a gas containing a halogen element includes a vacuum process chamber in which upper and lower counter electrodes are provided. An electrostatic chuck is provided on a table at the center of a susceptor or the lower electrode. The wafer is held on the electrostatic chuck. A focus ring surrounding the wafer in a complementary manner is placed on a flange of the susceptor. The temperature of the wafer surface is set to be lower than that of the surface of the focus ring while the plasma is being generated. The focus ring comprises an inner part of amorphous carbon and an outer part of tungsten. While the plasma is being generated, a halide of tungsten generated from the outer part is diffused on the wafer surface, thereby correcting a distribution of the amount of the halide of tungsten on the wafer surface. Thus, the uniformity within the wafer surface of the etching rate and etching anisotropy is enhanced.

Plasma etching apparatus

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Nirasaki, Japan

Hiromi Sakima