Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Koji Okuda

Ken Yoshioka

Ryoji Nishio

Hideki Kihara

Saburou Kanai

Tadamitsu Kanekiyo

Seiichiro Kanno

A plasma processing apparatus includes a sample stage disposed at a lower part of a processing chamber, a bell jar made of an insulative material constituting an upper portion of a vacuum vessel, a coil antenna disposed outside and around the bell jar to which electric power is supplied so as to generate the plasma in a plasma generating space inside of the bell jar, and a Faraday shield mounted on the bell jar and disposed between an external surface of the bell jar and the coil antenna. A ring shaped member made of an electric conductive material is disposed inside of an inner surface of a ring portion of the processing chamber located below a skirt portion of the bell jar and constitutes a part of the processing chamber. The ring shaped member extends upwardly so as to cover a portion of an inner surface of the bell jar.

Plasma processing apparatus and method

A plasma processing apparatus includes in a processing chamber, a sample stage, a bell jar, a coil antenna, a Faraday shield, and a gas ring member located below a skirt portion of the bell jar and above the sample stage. The gas ring member supplies a process gas to a plasma generating space inside the bell jar from a gas port disposed on an inner surface of the gas ring member. A ring shaped plate is disposed near a periphery of the Faraday shield and having an inner surface facing and covering along the inner surface of the gas ring member and being spaced from the inner surface of the gas ring member so as to delimit a gap therebetween.

A plasma processing method for a plasma processing apparatus which includes, a gas ring, a bell jar, an antenna, a sample table, a Faraday shield, and an RF power source circuit for supplying a power source voltage to the antenna and the Faraday shield. The RF power source circuit includes an RF power source, an antenna connected with the RF power source, a resonance circuit connected in series with the antenna and supplying a resonance voltage, a detection circuit for detecting the resonance voltage of the resonance circuit, and a comparator circuit for comparing the resonance voltage detected by the detection circuit with a predetermined set value. A RF bias voltage is adjusted based on the result of comparison by the comparison circuit.

Plasma processing method

A plasma processing apparatus includes a gas ring forming a portion of a vacuum processing chamber and having a blowing port for a processing gas, a bell jar to define a vacuum processing chamber, an antenna for supplying an RF electric field into the vacuum processing chamber to form plasmas, a sample table, a Faraday shield, and a deposition preventive plate attached detachably at least to the inner surface of the gas ring excluding the blowing port. An area of the inner surface of the gas ring including the deposition preventive plate that can be viewed from the sample surface is set to about &#xbd; or more of the area of the sample. A susceptor made of a dielectric material covers the outer surface and the outer lateral side of the sample table. A metal film is disposed with respect to the susceptor, and an RF voltage is applied to the metal film.

A wafer processing method for use with a wafer processing apparatus having a liquid cooling jacket with a built-in coolant liquid circulation path and a ceramic plate as attached onto the liquid cooling jacket and having therein a heater and an electrode for an electrostatic chuck. The method enables performance of wafer processing while letting a wafer be mounted on the ceramic plate by a wafer transport. The method includes causing the wafer transport to transport the wafer onto the ceramic plate, pre-heating the wafer while the wafer is held on the ceramic plate for a predetermined length of time, and mounting the preheated wafer on the ceramic plate.

Wafer processing method

A wafer stage for use in a wafer processing apparatus having a liquid cooling jacket with a built-in coolant liquid circulation path and a ceramic plate as attached onto the liquid cooling jacket and having therein a heater and an electrode for an electrostatic chuck. The wafer stage enables performance of wafer processing while letting a wafer be mounted on the ceramic plate. The liquid cooling jacket enables attachment of the ceramic plate through a gap for circulation of a coolant gas as formed over the liquid cooling jacket, and a heat resistant seal material containing therein an elastic body for sealing the coolant gas between the liquid cooling jacket and the ceramic plate.

Wafer stage for wafer processing apparatus

A wafer stage for use in wafer processing apparatus which comprises a liquid cooling jacket with a built-in coolant liquid circulation path and a ceramic plate that is attached onto the liquid cooling jacket and has therein a heater and an electrode for electrostatic chuck use, the wafer stage performing wafer processing while letting a wafer be mounted on the ceramic plate, wherein the liquid cooling jacket permits attachment of the ceramic plate through a coolant gas circulating gap as formed over the liquid cooling jacket while disposing between the liquid cooling jacket and the ceramic plate more than one heat resistant seal material containing therein an elastic body for sealing the coolant gas.

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Kudamatsu, Japan

Koji Okuda