Nec Corporation

Renesas Electronics Corporation

Other

Nec Electronics Corporation

Natsuko Ito

Fumihiko Uesugi

Tsuyoshi Moriya

Shuji Moriya

Mitsuhiro Tachibana

Yousuke Itagaki

Yoshinori Kato

Masaru Aomori

Hiroyuki Okada

Mitsuo Yasaka

In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device with plasma generated in a process chamber by impressing radio-frequency power, a level of a radio-frequency power for each step is switched over in response to processing in each step upon applying a plurality of processing steps to a semiconductor substrate while holding the semiconductor substrate, and thereby the plurality of steps are carried out successively.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor devices and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

An apparatus includes a housing defining a chamber in which an electric field is generated, and an internal member provided in the chamber. At least one part of the internal member is formed of a dielectric material. A process is executed in the chamber so that a dielectric deposit is formed on the at least one part of the internal member. An m(d&#x2208;/dm) value of the dielectric material and an m(d&#x2208;/dm) value of the dielectric deposit are set so that production of particles from the deposit is properly controlled. The term mis a mass density of the dielectric material, &#x2208;is a permittivity of the dielectric material, mis a mass density of the dielectric deposit, and &#x2208;is a permittivity of the dielectric deposit.

Object-processing apparatus controlling production of particles in electric field or magnetic field

In a plasma processing apparatus having an electrostatic chuck for holding a semiconductor wafer by an electrostatic adsorption force and a DC power supply for applying an electrostatic adsorption voltage to the electrostatic chuck, abnormal discharge in plasma is suppressed by providing the apparatus with a signal detector that detects a foresee signal that foresees occurrence of abnormal discharge in plasma, and a controller that controls ESC leakage current based upon the foresee signal. If the foresee signal is outside a prescribed range, control is exercised so as to reduce the absolute value of the electrostatic adsorption voltage, thereby suppressing the occurrence of an abnormal discharge.

Plasma processing apparatus and method of suppressing abnormal discharge therein

In a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus that processing a substrate by applying a voltage to a gas to create a plasma, positively charged particles are trapped or guided at the instant that the cathode voltage is stopped, by an electrode to which is imparted a negative voltage, so as to prevent particles reaching the substrate.

Particle-removing method for a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus

There is provided an apparatus for monitoring a size of a particle, including (a) a laser beam source which radiates a laser beam to an area in which particles exist, (b) a photodetector which receives the laser beam having been scattered by the particles, and outputs image data including brightness of pixels, (c) an area detector which detects pixels corresponding to an area on which the scattered laser beam is incident, based on the image data, (d) a maximum brightness detector which detects a maximum brightness among brightness of the pixels detected by the area detector, and (e) a measurement unit which compares the maximum brightness to a predetermined threshold brightness to thereby measure a relative size of the particles.

Apparatus for monitoring particles and method of doing the same

A cleaning end point detecting apparatus detects an end point of a cleaning process in which contamination attached to an inner wall of a reaction chamber is removed by introducing a cleaning gas into the chamber to produce a cluster cloud and detached particles. An irradiating unit irradiates a laser beam onto the cluster cloud and the detached particles within the reaction chamber to produce a scattered laser beam. A monitoring unit monitors the scattered laser beam as a two-dimensional image information. A judging unit judges the end point of the cleaning process on the basis of the two-dimensional image information. Preferably, the judging unit judges, as the end point of the cleaning process, a time instant when neither the detached particles nor the cluster cloud are detected on the basis of the two-dimensional image information.

Apparatus and method for detecting an end point of a cleaning process

Particle-removing apparatus for a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus and method of removing particles

A method for processing a substrate includes the steps of determining an allowable margin of process condition such that a substrate is processed without forming particles, selecting a process condition of a substrate for a production process such that the process condition falls in the allowable margin in the production process, and carrying out a processing of the substrate in the production process at the selected process condition, wherein the step of determining the allowable margin includes the steps of introducing an optical beam to an atmosphere in which the substrate is processed in the step of determining the allowable margin, and detecting scattering of the optical beam.

Vapor-phase processing method capable of eliminating particle formation

A plasma etching apparatus includes a processing chamber for etch-processing a substrate, a lower electrode located within the processing chamber for holding the substrate on an upper surface thereof by an electrostatic attraction, and an upper electrode located to face the lower electrode. A purge gas introducing port is provided at a side wall of the processing chamber at a position which is between the upper electrode and the lower electrode in height and which opposes to the evacuation port in a plan view in such a manner that the lower electrode is positioned between the evacuation port and the purge gas introducing port in the plan view. A plasma etching method includes the steps of holding the substrate on the lower electrode in such a condition that a surface to be etched of the substrate is faced upwards, then introducing a process gas into the processing chamber, applying a high frequency voltage between the lower electrode and the upper electrode to generate a plasma gas in a low pressure so as to etch the substrate, and thereafter, introducing a purge gas into the process chamber at the time of completion of the processing. At the time of completing the processing, the supplying of the process gas is stopped and it starts to supply the purge gas into the processing chamber, and thereafter, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the application of the high frequency voltage is stopped.

Method and apparatus for plasma etching

A part of the outer wall of the processing chamber supplied with an active gas for an intended processing forms a protruding section extending out from the outer wall into the air. An incident side window through which laser light is guided is mounted to the protruding portion. A baffle is provided inside the protruding portion for intercepting unnecessary portion of light guided in the processing chamber even if irregularly reflecting light arises, when laser light is guided into the window. An antireflection coating is coated on the air side surface of the window. A purge gas inlet port for blowing out a purge gas along the inside surface of the window is formed in the protruding portion. Therefore, a deposit caused by a process gas on the chamber inside surface of an incident side window and the surface of a stopper for beam light is prevented from producing, thereby the inside of the chamber is not contaminated and weak scattered light from a fine particle floating or falling down in the chamber can be measured.

Processing apparatus for fabricating LSI devices

Particles generated within a semiconductor wafer process chamber are monitored by emitting a rastered laser beam into the process chamber and detecting a two-dimensional image of scattered radiant energy within the process chamber. A video frame representing a matrix array of pixel intensities is produced and processed by a processor. The processor receives first and second video frames, the first frame representing a matrix array of pixels of a background image of the process chamber before a wafer processing is started and the second frame representing a matrix array of corresponding pixels of a target image of the process changer after a wafer processing is started. Differential intensities between the pixels of the background image and corresponding pixels of the target image are detected and a decision is made on the detected intensities to produce an output signal representing presence or absence of the particles.

System and method for detecting particles produced in a process chamber

Processing apparatus for fabricating LSI with protected beam damper

A particle monitor includes a light source for transmitting a light into a space over a wafer in wafer processing equipment to irradiate particles floating above the wafer for causing a scattered light; a photo-detector for detecting the scattered light to generate output signals corresponding to the intensity of the scattered light; a signal intensity judgment device for receiving the output signals from the photo-detector and comparing the output signals with a predetermined reference value already set in the signal intensity judgment device so as to judge whether the intensity of the scattered light is higher or lower than the predetermined reference value; and a display for displaying the intensity of the scattered light and luminance and distribution in intensity thereof or displaying distributions in size and the number of particles.

Particle monitor and particle-free recessing system with particle monitor

When a intensity of a signal from a light detector 14 to measure a scattered light exceeds a predetermined value, a motion of a particle 20 is displayed as a locus of the scattered light, by means of extending an exposure time of the scattered light to the light detector, or by means of increasing a pulse oscillation frequency of a laser beam 13, or by means of extending a pulse width of the laser light. And then a straight line connecting start and terminal points of the locus is displayed to superimpose on the locus. An origin of the particle is estimated by extending the straight line beyond the start point, and a destination point of the particle is estimated by extending the straight line beyond the terminal point. A mass of the particle is estimated by dividing a projective length of the straight line in a vertical direction by the exposure time of the scattered light.

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Tokyo, Japan

Natsuko Ito