Hitachi, Ltd.

Masaharu Nishiumi

Takashi Fujii

Yoshinao Kawasaki

Motohiko Yoshigai

Tetsunori Kaji

Hironobu Kawahara

Sadayuki Okudaira

Noriaki Yamamoto

Shigeru Nishimatsu

Hiromichi Enami

Norio Nakazato

Yoshifumi Ogawa

Makoto Nawata

Kazuo Takata

Ryoji Fukuyama

Yoshie Tanaka

A plurality of measuring devices to obtain numerical information necessary for control in process control of plasma utilizing equipment are connected to a first communication link, a plurality controllers to conduct numerical operations according to the numerical information are connected to a second communication link, and a plurality of control devices to receive control numerical information generated by the controllers to conduct necessary control.

Control apparatus for plasma utilizing equipment

A plasma processing apparatus includes a plasma processing chamber defining a plasma region. The plasma processing chamber has an inner metallic portion defining at least a portion of the plasma region. The plasma processing apparatus also includes a sample table disposed in the plasma region for holding a sample to be subjected to plasma processing, elements for applying an AC voltage to the sample table, elements for generating a plasma, including a region of intense plasma, in the plasma region independently of the AC voltage applied to the sample table such that the AC voltage applied to the sample table has no effect on the generation of the plasma, and an insulator having a thickness of several tens to several hundreds of micrometers (.mu.m) disposed on the inner metallic portion of the plasma processing chamber in a neighborhood of the region of intense plasma.

Plasma processing apparatus having insulator disposed on inner surface

A microwave plasma processing apparatus includes a vacuum chamber which is evacuated to a predetermined pressure and into which processing gas is introduced, a sample table, disposed in the vacuum chamber, to which an AC voltage is applied, a microwave generating device for generating microwaves and introducing the microwaves towards a surface to be processed of a sample located on the sample table, a magnetic field generating device for generating a magnetic field in the vacuum chamber, an insulator disposed on a part of the vacuum chamber exposed to a plasma produced in the vacuum chamber by interaction of the processing gas, the microwaves, and the magnetic field, and a ground electrode disposed in the vacuum chamber at a place which is on a microwave introduction side of the vacuum chamber with respect to the surface of the sample table on which the sample is placed, a surface of the ground electrode being covered by a semiconducting thin film.

Plasma process apparatus including ground electrode with protection film

A microwave plasma processing device is composed of a vacuum chamber which is evacuated to a predetermined pressure and into which processing gas is introduced; a sample table disposed in the vacuum chamber to which an AC voltage is applied; a microwave generating apparatus which generates microwaves and introduces the microwaves towards a surface to be processed of a sample located on the sample table; a magnetic field generating apparatus for generating a magnetic field in the vacuum chamber; an insulator disposed on a part exposed to plasma produced in the vacuum chamber; and a ground electrode disposed at a place which is on a microwave introduction side with respect to the surface of the sample table on which the sample is placed. The ground electrode arranged in an insulator exposed to the plasma is protected by covering the surface of the ground electrode by an insulating film which is so thin that application of an AC voltage is not prevented. In this way the AC voltage is applied at a place where efficiency is high, and stable plasma processing can be effected.

Microwave plasma processing device

The present invention relates to the etching of a gate film, a tungsten film, a silicon film, etc. In the present invention, use is made of an etching gas comprising a mixture composed of a reductive fluoride gas, a hydrocarbon gas and a halogen gas having a larger atomic diameter than a material to be etched, or a mixture composed of a reductive fluoride gas and a Cl-containing hydrocarbon gas, and the process comprises the step of conducting anisotropic etching of a material to be etched with an etching gas (a reductive fluoride gas), the step of forming a protective film by a depositing gas (a hydrocarbon gas), and the step of removing excess deposits formed as the protective film by means of a gas reactive with the protective film (a halogen gas or a Cl-containing hydrogen gas), wherein anisotropic etching is conducted by forming a protective film on a side wall while removing excess deposits formed as the protective film, thus enabling the anisotropic etching to be conducted with good accuracy.

Process for etching

The present invention is concerned with a dry-etching method wherein a gaseous mixture of boron trichloride, chlorine and a hydrocarbon, to be used as an etching gas, is converted into plasma to etch aluminum or its alloys with ions or radicals formed thereby. The invention makes it possible to accomplish the anisotropic etching of aluminum or its alloys at high speeds with a low RF power density.

Dry etching method

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring etching. The monitor method comprises the steps of regulating a gas pressure inside a treating chamber, in which a sample is being etched by a dry etching process, to a pressure at which a emission line spectrum can be clarified, converting the gas whose pressure is regulated to plasma, and monitoring the etching state of the sample from the change of the intensity of the emission line spectrum with time. The monitor apparatus comprises exhaust means for discharging a gas from a treating chamber in which a sample is being etched by a dry etching process, plasma means for introducing the gas discharged from the treating chamber and converting it plasma, pressure regulation means for regulating the pressure of the gas at the plasma means to a pressure at which a emission line spectrum can be clarified, and spectrum detection means for detecting the emission line spectrum of the plasma at the plasma means, and detecting the change of the intensity of the detected emission line spectrum with time.

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Kudamatsu, Japan

Masaharu Nishiumi