Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Masunori Ishihara

Masamichi Sakaguchi

Yasuhiro Nishimori

Satoshi Une

Yutaka Kudou

Hitoshi Kobayashi

Hiroaki Ishimura

Yoshiharu Inoue

Toshiaki Nishida

Toru Ito

The invention provides a plasma processing method which includes (i) feeding a transferring gas which decreases a pressure difference between a processing chamber and a transfer chamber in order to prevent particles from adhering a processing sample, to be processed, passed to the processing chamber, before transferring the sample into the processing chamber; (ii) transferring the sample into the processing chamber while continuing to feed the transferring gas to the processing chamber; (iii) generating a plasma from the transferring gas in the processing chamber while continuing to feed the transferring gas to the processing chamber after the step of transferring the sample; and (iv) changing a gas supplied to the processing chamber from the transferring gas used in the step of generating the plasma to a processing gas for subjecting the processing sample, different from a cleaning sample, to plasma processing.

Plasma processing method

The invention provides a dry etching method capable of obtaining a good profile with little side etch without receiving the restriction of a micro loading effect. A dry etching method for etching a sample having formed on the surface thereof a pattern with an isolated portion and a dense portion using plasma comprises a first etching step using an etching gas containing a CF-based gas and a nitrogen gas in which an etching rate of a dense portion of the pattern is greater than the etching rate of the isolated portion of the mask pattern, and a second etching step in which the etching rate of the isolated portion of the pattern is greater than the etching rate of the dense portion of the pattern.

Dry etching method

The invention provides a plasma processing method capable of reducing particle caused by flinging up of particles by airflow due to the pressure fluctuation in the processing chamber during the time the sample is carried into the processing chamber, subjected to plasma processing and carried out of the processing chamber. The invention provides a plasma processing method using a plasma processing apparatus comprising multiple plasma processing chambers for processing samples, a transfer chamber connected to the processing chambers for transferring samples, and a supply system for supplying gas which is the same gas as a transferring gas supplied to the transfer chamber to both the processing chambers and transfer chamber or to only the processing chambers, wherein the process comprises (b) a step of transferring the sample into the processing chamber with the transferring gas supplied to the processing chamber; (c) thereafter, generating plasma from the transferring gas supplied to the processing chamber while maintaining the supply of transferring gas to the processing chamber; (d) a step of switching the gas supplied to the processing chamber from transferring gas to processing gas while maintaining plasma by supplying processing gas continuously to the processing chamber; and (e) a step of subjecting the sample to plasma processing.

Growing community of inventors

Kudamatsu, Japan

Masunori Ishihara