Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi-High-Technologies Corporation

Other

Shoji Ikuhara

Hideyuki Yamamoto

Junichi Tanaka

Akira Kagoshima

Hiroyuki Kitsunai

Daisuke Shiraishi

Toshio Masuda

Kouji Nishihata

Kazue Takahashi

Shoji Okiguchi

Tetsuya Tahara

Kazuhiro Joo

Takeshi Shimada

Shigeru Nakamoto

Kenji Tamaki

Takao Arase

Toshihiro Morisawa

Tsuyoshi Matsumoto

Kenichi Kuwabara

Natsuyo Morioka

Eiji Ikegami

Satomi Inoue

Ken Yoshioka

Tatehito Usui

Yoshinao Kawasaki

Tetsunori Kaji

Minoru Soraoka

Katsuyoshi Kudo

Keiji Tada

Hiroshige Uchida

Hideyuki Yamamato

A plasma processing apparatus including: a monitor device which monitors a process quantity generated at plasma processing; a monitor value estimation unit which has monitor quantity variation models for storing change of a monitor value of the process quantity in accordance with the number of processed specimens and which estimates a monitor value for a process of a next specimen by referring to the monitor quantity variation models; and a control quantity calculation unit which stores a relation between a control quantity for controlling the process quantity of the vacuum processing device and a monitor value and which calculates the control quantity based on a deviation of the estimated monitor value from a target value to thereby control the process quantity for the process of the next specimen. Thus, stable processed results can be obtained even when variation occurs in processes.

Plasma processing apparatus

Plasma processing of plural substrates is performed in a plasma processing apparatus, which is provided with a plasma processing chamber having an antenna electrode and a lower electrode for placing and retaining the plural substrates in turn within the plasma processing chamber, a gas feeder for feeding processing gas into the processing chamber, a vacuum pump for discharging gas from the processing chamber via a vacuum valve, and a solenoid coil for forming a magnetic field within the processing chamber. At least one of the plural substrates is placed on the lower electrode, and the processing gas is fed into the processing chamber. RF power is fed to the antenna electrode via a matching network to produce a plasma within the processing chamber in which a magnetic field has been formed by the solenoid coil. This placing of at least one substrate and this feeding of the processing gas are then repeated until the plasma processing of all of the plural substrates is completed. An end of seasoning is determined when a parameter including an internal pressure of the processing chamber has become stable to a steady value with plasma processing time.

Plasma processing method and apparatus

A plasma processing apparatus including: a monitor device which monitors a process quantity generated at plasma processing; a monitor value estimation unit which has monitor quantity variation models for storing change of a monitor value of the process quantity in accordance with the number of processed specimens and which estimates a monitor value for a process of a next specimen by referring to the monitor quantity variation models; and a control quantity calculation unit which stores a relation between a control quantity for controlling the process quantity of the vacuum processing device and a monitor value and which calculates the control quantity based on a deviation of the estimated monitor value from a target value to thereby control the process quantity for the process of the next specimen. Thus, a process model indicating variation of the state of a process processing apparatus can be added to a control loop in such run-to-run control that process conditions are changed according to each wafer process, so that stable processed results can be obtained even when variation occurs in processes.

An etching process state judgment method comprising: a spectral data obtaining step, in which an optical emission spectrum distribution is obtained by monitoring optical emission during an etching process of a plurality of wafers; a peak detection step, in which peaks are detected from the optical emission spectrum distribution at a specific time point during the etching process, to obtain peak characteristics; a common peak identifying step, in which peaks common to the wafers are identified among the peaks detected in the peak detection step; and a state detection step, in which the characteristics are compared regarding the common peaks, to detect a state of each wafer in the etching process. A state (anomaly or normalcy) of an etching process is detected from optical emission spectrum distribution at the time of etching process, by a simple method without assuming substances.

Etching process state judgment method and system therefor

A microscopic change in a luminous intensity occurring near an etching endpoint is accurately detected, whereby the endpoint of etching is quickly determined. An etching endpoint determination method for determining an endpoint of etching processing in a plasma etching apparatus that introduces a processing gas into a vacuum chamber, produces plasma by feeding high-frequency energy to a introduced processing gas, and uses the produced plasma to perform plasma processing on a workpiece stored in the chamber includes: a step of sampling light of a pre-set wavelength from light emitted by the plasma produced in the vacuum chamber, acquiring as time-sequential data the luminous intensity of the sampled light of the specific wavelength, and computing a regression line on the basis of the acquired time-sequential data; and a step of computing distances in a time-base direction between the regression line and the time-sequential data which are obtained at the first step. An endpoint of etching processing is determined based in the distances in the time-base direction obtained at the second step.

Etching endpoint determination method

A plasma processing system includes a first unit for plasma-processing a sample based on a recipe for plasma processing, and a second unit for modifying the recipe in accordance with a monitored value obtained during the plasma processing of the sample in the first unit. A next sample is plasma processed in the first unit based on the modified recipe.

Disturbance-free, recipe-controlled plasma processing system and method

A plasma processing method for processing a sample by using plasma on a lot unit basis, including: detecting plural kinds of information as monitor data relating to a processing state of the sample, using a plurality of sensors; selecting a detection time range of the monitor data thus detected; converting the monitor data within the selected detection time range into a converted signal; predicting a pattern shape of the sample based on the converted signal; calculating a correction quantity of a processing parameter, for decreasing a deviation between the predicted pattern shape and a standard value; and converting the correction quantity of a processing parameter obtained by the calculating operation when a kind of a next sample of a next lot is different from the sample, thereby to use a converted correction quantity of the processing parameter for a processing of the next sample.

Process monitoring device for sample processing apparatus and control method of sample processing apparatus

A semiconductor processing apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer includes a plurality of sensors for monitoring a processing state, a processing result input unit, a model equation generation unit to generate a model equation for predicting a processing result, a processing result prediction unit which predicts a processing result, and a process recipe control unit. Further, a system is provided which comprises the model equation generation unit is provided at a remote location, and transmits the generated prediction model equation to the semiconductor processing apparatus through a network to control the processing condition of the semiconductor processing apparatus by the process recipe control unit.

System for monitoring and controlling a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus using prediction model equation

The invention provides a means for estimating a self-bias voltage under arbitrary etching conditions via a simple procedure. The present invention provides a method for measuring self-bias voltage of an etching apparatus comprising an electrostatic chuck mechanismandfor chucking a sample, a mechanismandfor supplying cooling gasto a rear surface of the sampleand controlling the pressure thereof, and a means for measuring the relative force of electrostatic chuck of the sample based on the rear surface pressure control status of the samplebeing processed, wherein the relative force of electrostatic chuck of the sample and the electrostatic chuck voltage corresponding to the force of electrostatic chuck are acquired based on the rear surface pressure control of the samplewhen high-frequency bias power is applied to the samplebeing processed, and the relative force of electrostatic chuck of the sample and the electrostatic chuck voltage corresponding to the force of electrostatic chuck are acquired based on the rear surface pressure control status of the sample when high-frequency bias power is not applied to the sample being processed, and the self-bias voltage is estimated using the acquired forces of electrostatic chuck and the electrostatic chuck voltages corresponding to the two statuses.

Etching apparatus, method for measuring self-bias voltage, and method for monitoring etching apparatus

A plasma processing apparatus for processing a sample within a vacuum vessel, including: a plurality of sensors for detecting plural kinds of information relating to a processing state of the sample as monitor data; data selecting means for selecting a detection time range of the monitor data thus detected which is used for monitoring the plasma processing apparatus; a signal filter for converting the monitor data within the selected detection time range into an effective signal; a model expression unit for generating a predicted value of a patterned physical-shape of a sample based on the effective signal; and a display screen for displaying the patterned physical-shape predicted value; wherein the display screen displays the patterned physical-shape predicted value without measuring a patterned shape after processing of the sample.

Occurrence of a process abnormality in a semiconductor processing apparatus is obtained by obtaining an index of a processing size of each of wafers within an X-th lot, in which the X represents an integer, based on data obtained during processing of each of the wafers of the X-th lot, obtaining an index of a processing size of each of wafers within an X+1-th lot, based on data thereof and anticipating an index of a processing sizes of each of wafers within an X+2-th lot, based on the index obtained as to each of the wafers of the X-th lot and the X+1-th lot. A process abnormality occurring during the processing of a wafer of the X+2-th lot is anticipated when the anticipated index of the X+2-th lot exceeds an allowance range.

Method for controlling semiconductor processing apparatus

For maintenance after wet cleaning of a plasma processing apparatus which processes a specimen in a vacuum processing chamber by using a plasma, when restoration processing after the wet cleaning of members configuring the vacuum processing chamber is performed with the vacuum processing chamber opened to the atmosphere, it is automatically or semiautomatically judged whether the restoration processing is appropriate or not according to a predetermined optimum sequence inherent in the apparatus, and the next processing is started automatically or semiautomatically according to the results.

Maintenance method and system for plasma processing apparatus

A semiconductor processing apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer includes a sensor for monitoring a processing state of the semiconductor processing apparatus, a processing result input unit which inputs measured values for processing results of a semiconductor wafer processed by the semiconductor processing apparatus, and a model equation generation unit relying on sensed data acquired by the sensor and the measured values to generate a model equation for predicting a processing result using the sensed data as an explanatory variable. The apparatus includes a processing result prediction unit which predicts a processing result based on the model equation and the sensed data, and a process recipe control unit which compares the predicted processing result with a previously set value to control a processing condition or input parameter. The process recipe control unit includes a controller which controls at least one of a plurality of different processing performances for processing of the semiconductor wafer.

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Hikari, Japan

Shoji Ikuhara