Tokyo Electron Limited

Tokyo Electron Yamanashi Limited

Shozo Hosoda

Shigeki Tozawa

Yoichi Kurono

Hiroshi Nishikawa

Koji Suzuki

Yoshifumi Tahara

Izumi Arai

Kazuo Fukasawa

Yoshio Fukasawa

Shunichi Iimuro

Yutaka Miura

Takashi Tozawa

Tatsuya Nakagome

Yasumasa Ishihara

Yoshinobu Mitano

Mahito Kajihara

Minoru Aoyagi

A plasma processing method in which a high-frequency power is supplied to a processing chamber in which an object to be processed is mounted, thereby producing a plasma in the processing chamber, and the object is processed in an atmosphere of the plasma, wherein the high-frequency power is subjected to modulation by a low-frequency power. In one embodiment a plasma is produced in a processing chamber by using an electric power with a direction of current changed with passing of time, and the object to be processed is processed in an atmosphere of the plasma, wherein a power having a basic frequency is subjected to frequency modulation with a frequency equal to n-times (n=an integer) the basic frequency. In a plasma processing apparatus of the invention, while a process gas is supplied to a processing chamber via a first gas introducing hole formed in an electrode, an object to be processed, which is held on an opposed electrode, is subjected to plasma processing. There is provided a resistance applying [means for applying] apply resistance to the process gas flowing to the processing chamber via the gas introducing hole from the gas introducing means such that a plasma discharge is prevented from occurring in the gas introducing means when a process pressure in the processing chamber is set at 0.5 Torr or less.

Plasma processing method and plasma processing apparatus

An apparatus for subjecting a semiconductor wafer having an uncovered marginal portion, from which a photoresist film is removed, to an anisotropic etching. The apparatus comprises a process chamber which can be set to a vacuum. Upper and lower electrodes opposite to each other are provided in the process chamber. An etching gas is made into plasma between these electrodes. An electrostatic chuck is arranged on the lower electrode. A wafer is mounted on the electrostatic chuck. A ring made of dielectric material, movable upward and downward, is arranged between the electrodes. A central portion of the ring is formed as a hood having a recessed shape corresponding to the marginal portion of the wafer. During the etching, the hood covers the marginal portion of the wafer under a plasma sheath, so as to be out of contact with the wafer, thereby preventing the marginal portion of the wafer from being etched.

Plasma processing apparatus

A vacuum process apparatus includes a convey chamber having a plurality of loading/unloading ports and an airtight structure kept in a vacuum when a target object is conveyed, at least one preliminary vacuum chamber connected to the convey chamber through a loading/unloading port, a plurality of vacuum process chambers connected to the convey chamber through the loading/unloading ports and each having a vacuum process mechanism, a plurality of gate valves for opening/closing the plurality of loading/unloading ports, and a multi-joint arm member, arranged in the convey chamber, for conveying the target object between the convey chamber and the vacuum process chambers, and between the convey chamber and the preliminary chamber. The convey chamber is evacuated through a bearing for a pivot shaft of the multi-joint arm member.

Vacuum process apparatus and vacuum processing method

Plasma processing apparatus and method

Growing community of inventors

Yamanashi-ken, Japan

Shozo Hosoda