Hitachi, Ltd.

Ichiro Kanomata

Keizo Suzuki

Sadayuki Okudaira

Noriyuki Sakudo

Shigeru Nishimatsu

Katsumi Tokiguchi

Hidemi Koike

Ken Ninomiya

Hiroji Saida

Humihiko Nakashima

A microwave plasma etching system is disclosed which comprises a vacuum chamber for providing a discharge space and provided with an inlet for introducing a discharge gas containing a fluorine-containing gas, hydrogen and oxygen, magnetic field forming means for forming a magnetic field in the discharge space, microwave electric field forming means for forming a microwave electric field in the discharge space, and substrates holding means for holding substrates to be processed in the vacuum chamber. In the microwave plasma etching, the discharge gas containing fluorine, hydrogen with or without oxygen provides excellent etching almost free from side etching.

Microwave plasma etching

In a microwave plasma etching apparatus wherein the surface of a sample is exposed to a plasma generated by microwave discharge, thereby to subject the sample surface to an etching processing; the sample is transported while revolving along a circular orbit in a plasma exposure region, and the section of the plasma exposure region is put into the shape of a fan whose pivot coincides with the central point of the circuit orbit, whereby the enhancement of the etching processing capability and the uniformity of the etching speed are achieved.

Microwave plasma etching apparatus having fan-shaped discharge

A microwave discharge ion source according to this invention comprises a microwave generator, a discharge chamber having ridged electrodes, and a waveguide connecting the microwave generator with the discharge chamber. This waveguide consists of a waveguide having no ridged electrode, and a waveguide having ridged electrodes. Further, a vacuum-sealing dielectric plate is disposed at an intermediate position or an end part of the waveguide having no ridged electrode. A space in the waveguide as extends from the vacuum-sealing dielectric plate to the discharge chamber is filled with a dielectric. As a result, the design and fabrication of the vacuum-sealing dielectric plate are facilitated, and a microwave discharge ion source of high performance is provided.

Microwave discharge ion source

A microwave plasma ion source according to the present invention is designed such that a microwave electric field and a magnetic field are applied to a discharge gas introduced into a discharge region, to form plasma, from which ions are extracted. The above magnetic field is formed by means of an electromagnet provided on the low-voltage side of ion extraction electrodes and a high-permeability member provided in that section which is on the side of a waveguide and which permits the microwaves to be propagated freely.

Microwave plasma ion source

Micro-wave plasma etching is carried out with a gas containing at least SF.sub.6 as an etching gas at a high etching rate of silicon, and a high selectivity, with an easy monitoring and a low temperature dependency.

Process for plasma etching

A microwave plasma ion source according to this invention is characterized by the construction of the extracting electrode in contact with the discharge chamber. The electrode is divided into a part substantially exposed to a plasma and a remaining part which is not exposed to the plasma. Moreover, both these parts are held in a state in which they are electrically connected with each other. As a result, very little P or As deposits on the surface of the electrode, and a stable high-current ion beam can be supplied over a long period of time.

A dry etching apparatus using microwaves according to the present invention is equipped with means for impressing such an AC voltage upon a sample as has a frequency ranging from 100 KHx to 10 MHx. Consequently, the sample has its surface prevented from being charged up no matter which it might be made of an insulator or might have its surface covered with an insulator. As a result, the etching rate can be maintained at a high level even for such sample.

Dry etching apparatus

In an apparatus wherein a microwave discharge is caused by introducing a discharge gas into a discharge area to which a microwave electric field is supplied by a microwave coupler and to which an external magnetic field is supplied by a magnetic field generator, whereby the surface of a substrate is etched by using ions in a generated plasma, a plasma etching apparatus is characterized by employing a round waveguide as the microwave coupler, the discharge area being formed within the round waveguide.

Plasma etching apparatus

An ion source for emitting an efficient radiation of ion beam having a rectangular cross section includes a set of parallel electrodes to which a microwave power is supplied to generate a microwave electric field in an electrode gap. A DC magnetic field is applied in a direction along the opposing surfaces of the electrodes to provide a microwave discharge in the electrode gap in cooperation with the microwave electric field crossing therewith. The electrode gap or discharge space has a rectangular cross section perpendicular to a direction along which ions produced by the microwave discharge are extracted as an ion beam with a side of the cross section corresponding to the distance between the electrodes being shorter than its side crossing therewith. This allows the efficient generation of the ion beam having the rectangular cross section through one or more extraction electrodes which include rectangular slits corresponding in pattern to the above-mentioned cross section.

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Fuchu, Japan

Ichiro Kanomata