Tokyo Electron Limited

Tokyo Electron Kyushu Limited

Kazuki Denpoh

Chishio Koshimizu

Yohei Yamazawa

Jun Yamawaku

Masashi Saito

Lee Chen

Kiyohisa Tateyama

Peter L G Ventzek

Takenobu Matsuo

Kimio Motoda

Tatsuya Iwasaki

Lin Xu

Eiji Yamaguchi

Tatsuo Matsudo

Jun Hirose

Hachishiro Iizuka

Kimihiro Higuchi

Hiromasa Mochiki

Shosuke Endoh

Koichi Nagakura

Noriyuki Iwabuchi

Shigeaki Kato

Tomoya Okubo

Tomoaki Ukei

A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber including a dielectric window; a coil shaped RF antenna provided outside the dielectric window; a substrate supporting unit, provided in the processing chamber, for mounting thereon a target substrate to be processed; a processing gas supply unit for supplying a desired processing gas to the processing chamber to perform a desired plasma process on the target substrate; and an RF power supply unit for supplying an RF power to the RF antenna to generate a plasma of the processing gas by an inductive coupling in the processing chamber. The apparatus further includes a floating coil electrically floated and arranged at a position outside the processing chamber where the floating coil is to be coupled with the RF antenna by an electromagnetic induction; and a capacitor provided in a loop of the floating coil.

Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method

A plasma processing apparatus includes: an evacuable processing chamber including a dielectric window; a substrate supporting unit, provided in the processing chamber, for mounting thereon a target substrate; a processing gas supply unit for supplying a desired processing gas to the processing chamber to perform a plasma process on the target substrate; a first RF antenna, provided on the dielectric window, for generating a plasma by an inductive coupling in the processing chamber; and a first RF power supply unit for supplying an RF power to the first RF antenna. The first RF antenna includes a primary coil provided on or above the dielectric window and electrically connected to the first RF power supply unit; and a secondary coil provided such that the coils are coupled with each other by an electromagnetic induction therebetween while being arranged closer to a bottom surface of the dielectric window than the primary coil.

A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber including a dielectric window; a coil-shaped RF antenna, provided outside the dielectric window; a substrate supporting unit provided in the processing chamber; a processing gas supply unit; an RF power supply unit for supplying an RF power to the RF antenna to generate a plasma of the processing gas by an inductive coupling in the processing chamber, the RF power having an appropriate frequency for RF discharge of the processing gas; a correction coil, provided at a position outside the processing chamber where the correction coil is to be coupled with the RF antenna by an electromagnetic induction, for controlling a plasma density distribution on the substrate in the processing chamber; a switching device provided in a loop of the correction coil; and a switching control unit for on-off controlling the switching device at a desired duty ratio by pulse width modulation.

Plasma processing apparatus

A chamber component configured to be coupled to a processing chamber is described. The chamber component comprises one or more adjustable gas passages through which a process gas is introduced to the process chamber. The adjustable gas passage may be configured to form a hollow cathode that creates a hollow cathode plasma in a hollow cathode region having one or more plasma surfaces in contact with the hollow cathode plasma. Therein, at least one of the one or more plasma surfaces is movable in order to vary the size of the hollow cathode region and adjust the properties of the hollow cathode plasma. Furthermore, one or more adjustable hollow cathodes may be utilized to adjust a plasma process for treating a substrate.

Hollow cathode device and method for using the device to control the uniformity of a plasma process

A shower plate of a processing gas supply unit disposed in a processing chamber of a substrate processing apparatus to supply a processing gas into a processing space in the processing chamber. The shower plate is interposed between a processing gas introduction space formed in the processing gas supply unit for introduction of the processing gas and the processing space. The shower plate includes processing gas supply passageways which allow the processing gas introduction space to communicate with the processing space. The processing gas supply passageways include gas holes formed toward the processing gas introduction space and gas grooves formed toward the processing space, the gas holes and gas grooves communicating with each other. A total flow path cross sectional area of all the gas grooves is larger than a total flow path cross sectional area of all the gas holes.

Shower plate and substrate processing apparatus

There is provided a plasma processing apparatus capable of performing a uniform plasma process on a substrate by controlling a plasma distribution within a chamber to a desired state and uniformizing a plasma density within the chamber. The plasma processing apparatus includes an evacuable chamberfor performing a plasma process on a wafer W; a susceptorfor mounting the wafer W within the chamber; an upper electrode platefacing the susceptorwith a processing space S; a high frequency power supplyfor applying a high frequency power to one of the susceptorand the upper electrode plateto generate plasma within the processing space S; and an inner wall member facing the processing space S. Hollow cathodestoare formed at the upper electrode plateconnected with a DC power supplyfor adjusting a sheath voltage.

Plasma processing apparatus having hollow electrode on periphery and plasma control method

A plasma processing apparatus includes: a processing chamber including a dielectric window; a coil-shaped RF antenna, provided outside the dielectric window; a substrate supporting unit, provided in the chamber, for mounting thereon a target substrate; a processing gas supply unit for supplying a processing gas to the chamber; and an RF power supply unit for supplying an RF power to the RF antenna to generate a plasma of the processing gas by an inductive coupling in the chamber. The apparatus further includes a correction coil, provided at a position outside the chamber where the correction coil is to be coupled with the RF antenna by an electromagnetic induction, for controlling a plasma density distribution in the chamber; and an antenna-coil distance control unit for controlling a distance between the RF antenna and the correction coil while supporting the correction coil substantially in parallel with the RF antenna.

A plasma processing apparatus having a focus ring, enables the efficiency of cooling of the focus ring to be greatly improved, while preventing an increase in cost thereof. The plasma processing apparatus is comprised of a susceptor which has an electrostatic chuck and the focus ring. A wafer W to be subjected to plasma processing is mounted on the electrostatic chuck. The focus ring has a dielectric material portion and a conductive material portion. The dielectric material portion forms a contact portion disposed in contact with the electrostatic chuck. The conductive material portion faces the electrostatic chuck with the dielectric material portion therebetween.

Plasma processing apparatus, focus ring, and susceptor

A method of plasma particle simulation capable of preventing solution divergence. A space within a housing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus is divided into a plurality of cells. A weighting factor corresponding to the number of plasma particles represented by a superparticle is set in each of the divided cells. Superparticles are set in each of the divided cells using plasma particles contained in the divided cell and the set weighting factor. The behavior of the superparticles in each of the divided cells is calculated. The weighting factor becomes smaller as the divided cell is located closer to a solid wall surface of the housing chamber.

Method of plasma particle simulation, storage medium, plasma particle simulator and plasma processing apparatus

A plasma processing apparatus for converting a processing gas into a plasma by a high frequency power in a processing chamber and performing a plasma processing on a substrate mounted on a mounting table includes a ring portion disposed to surround the substrate on the mounting table, and a temperature control unit for establishing a temperature difference between the ring portion and the substrate, such that the ring portion is at least 50&#xb0; C. higher than the substrate. Further, the processing gas generates chlorine radicals, and the temperature control unit is at least one of a heating unit for heating the ring portion and a cooling unit for cooling the mounting table.

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Nirasaki, Japan

Kazuki Denpoh