Tokyo Electron Limited

Tokyo Electron Yamanashi Limited

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Kazuo Eguchi

Susumu Saito

Chishio Koshimizu

Keiji Horioka

Makoto Sekine

Masahiro Ogasawara

Koichiro Inazawa

Itsuko Sakai

Yukimasa Yoshida

Yoshio Ishikawa

Disclosed herein is a method of detecting an end point of plasma process performed on an object, and a plasma process apparatus. The method includes the steps of detecting an emission spectrum over a wavelength region specific to C.sub.2 in the plasma, by optical detecting means, and determining the end point of the plasma process from the emission intensity of the emission spectrum detected by the optical detector. The apparatus has a process chamber, a pair of electrodes, a light-collecting device, an optical detector, and a determining device. The chamber has a monitor window. The electrodes are located in the process chamber. The first electrode is used to support the object. A high-frequency power is supplied between the electrodes to change a process gas into plasma. The light-collecting device collects the light from the plasma through the monitor window. The optical detector detects an emission spectrum from the light collected. The determining device determines the end point of the plasma process from the emission intensity of the emission spectrum detected. The monitor window is secured to the distal end of a cylindrical member protruding from the chamber. The member has a narrow gas passage for trapping a gas generated by the plasma process.

Method and devices for detecting the end point of plasma process

A vacuum chamber contains a first electrode for supporting a wafer, and a second electrode opposing the first electrode. A supply system and an exhaustion system are connected to the vacuum chamber. The system supplies a reactive gas into the chamber, and the system exhaust the used gas from the chamber. A radio-frequency power supply is connected to the first electrode, for supplying power between the electrodes to generate an electric field E. An annular magnet assembly is provided around the chamber, for generating a magnetic field B which has a central plane intersecting with the electric field E. The magnet assembly has a plurality of magnet elements which have different magnetization axes in the central plane of the magnetic field. Electrons drift due to a force resulting from an outer product (E.times.B) of the electric field E and the magnetic field B. The central plane of the magnetic field B is shifted upwards from the target surface of the wafer, such that the magnetic force lines of the magnetic field intersect with the target surface of the substrate.

Plasma process apparatus

This invention provides an end point detection method including the steps of sequentially detecting, when a process using a plasma is performed for an object to be processed, emission spectra in a specific wavelength band of an active species in the plasma by using a photodetector, calculating sum average values of emission intensities of the emission spectra, calculating the ratio or the difference between the sum average values to obtain a calculated value, and determining a point at which the calculated value exceeds a predetermined reference value as an end point of the process.

Method and device for detecting the end point of plasma process

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Yamanashi-ken, Japan

Kazuo Eguchi