Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Nisshin Seifun Group Inc.

Nisshin Engineering Inc.

Other

Olympus Corporation

Opnext Japan, Inc.

Hitachi Sanki Eng Co., Ltd.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited

Takashi Fujii

Motohiko Yoshigai

Tetsunori Kaji

Tatehito Usui

Toru Kiyota

Keitaroh Nakamura

Masaharu Nishiumi

Akira Takahashi

Hideyuki Yamamoto

Yoshinao Kawasaki

Kazuhiro Yubuta

Shizuaki Kimura

Hiroyuki Watanabe

Hironobu Kawahara

Taisuke Kashima

Koh Yokokawa

Masanori Kadotani

Akira Yukitake

Kazuhiro Joo

Hisashi Suekane

Masahide Aoki

Shigeki Gushiken

Keiichi Nishimura

Sadao Shinozaki

Masami Totsuka

Junichi Tanaka

Tsunehiko Tsubone

Toshio Masuda

Kazue Takahashi

Yoshinori Koyama

Hiroyuki Kitsunai

Saburo Kanai

Noriaki Yamamoto

Naoshi Itabashi

Tsutomu Tetsuka

Hiromi Ishii

Tooru Aramaki

Yukio Kuroiwa

Youichi Itou

Kazuyuki Tsuburaya

Takanori Tsutsumi

Hiroyuki Kogane

Ryujiro Udo

Takeichi Obata

Katsuhiro Ota

Kazuo Takata

Kazuhiro Jyouo

Ryouji Hamasaki

Keiji Tada

Gen Marumoto

Toru Higashihara

Mitsuo Kawaguchi

Takahiro Fujisawa

Tohru Kiyota

Fumitaka Itou

Tooru Higashihara

Takashi Yamamoto

The invention provides a plasma processing apparatus aimed at suppressing the corrosion caused by reactive gas and heavy-metal contamination caused by plasma damage of components constituting the high-frequency electrode and gas supply unit. The plasma processing apparatus comprises a processing chamberfor subjecting a processing substrateto plasma processing, gas supply meansandfor feeding gas to the processing chamber, and an antenna electrodefor supplying high-frequency radiation for discharging the gas to generate plasma, wherein the gas supply means includes a gas shower platehaving gas discharge holes on the surface exposed to plasma, and a portion of or a whole surface of the conductorexposed to gas constituting the antenna-electrode side of the gas supply means is subjected to ceramic spraying containing no heavy metal to form a protecting film

Plasma processing apparatus

A plasma processing apparatus includes a detector for detecting interference light of multiple wavelengths from a surface of a sample during processing, a pattern comparator for comparing actual deviation pattern data on the interference light obtained at a given time during processing and a plurality of standard deviation patterns corresponding to two or more thicknesses of the film, and calculating a deviation, the standard deviation patterns corresponding to interference light data of multiple wavelengths obtained, before the processing of the sample, for processing of another sample, a deviation comparator for comparing the deviation between the data and a predetermined deviation and outputting data on a thickness of the film of the sample at that time, a recorder for recording, as time series data, the data on the thickness of the film, and an endpoint decision unit.

The Ultrafine alloy particles of an alloy includes a primary metal and one or more subsidiary metals solid-soluble in said primary metal, a content of the one or more subsidiary metals is in a range of 1 wt % to 25 wt % and the one or more subsidiary metals solid-solved in the primary metal inhibit coalescence or oxidation of the ultrafine alloy particles including the primary metal, or both. The process introduces powder materials including the primary metal and the one or more subsidiary metals for producing the ultrafine alloy particles into a thermal plasma flame under reduced pressure to form a vapor-phase mixture and introduces a cooling gas toward an end portion of the thermal plasma flame in a supply amount sufficient for quenching the vapor-phase mixture so as to generate the ultrafine alloy particles.

Ultrafine alloy particles, and process for producing the same

A plasma processing apparatus is provided using a method of measuring the thickness of a processed material, by which the actual remaining thickness or etching depth of a processed layer can be correctly measured online. The plasma processing apparatus includes a detectorfor detecting interference light of multiple wavelengths from a surface of a sample during processing, pattern comparing meansfor comparing actual deviation pattern data on the interference light obtained at a given time during processing and a plurality of standard deviation patterns corresponding to two or more thicknesses of the film, and calculating a deviation, the standard deviation patterns corresponding to interference light data of multiple wavelengths obtained, before the processing of the sample, for processing of another sample, deviation comparing meansfor comparing the deviation between the data and a predetermined deviation and outputting data on a thickness of the film of the sample at that time, remaining-thickness time-series data recording meansfor recording, as time series data, the data on the thickness of the film, and an endpoint decision unitfor deciding completion of a predetermined amount of etching by using the data on the thickness of the film.

A fine particle producing process introduces a material for producing fine particles into a thermal plasma flame to make a vapor-phase mixture and quenches the vapor-phase mixture to form the fine particles. In the process, the material for producing the fine particles is dispersed or dissolved in a dispersion medium or solvent, preferably containing a combustible material to prepare a dispersion such as a slurry, a colloidal solution or a dissolution solution, the dispersion is made into a form of droplets, or the material for producing the fine particles is dispersed with a carrier gas and a combustible material and the dispersion in a droplet form or the dispersed material is introduced into the thermal plasma flame. In the fine particle producing process and apparatus, a gas of an amount sufficient to quench the vapor-phase mixture is supplied toward a tail of the thermal plasma flame. In the process and apparatus, primary fine particles are introduced into a cyclone to be subjected to cooling and classification and secondary fine particles having a particle size of 100 nm or less which are left upon removal of coarse particles are recovered.

Process and apparatus for producing fine particles

An image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup unit for outputting an electronic subject image, a metering unit for computing a metering value from the subject image, a brightness distribution chart generation unit for generating a brightness distribution chart from the subject image, and a display unit for overlaying the brightness distribution chart on the subject image and displaying them, and provides the brightness distribution chart for the display unit in various styles.

Image pickup apparatus with brightness distribution chart display capability

The ultrafine particle producing process introduces materials for producing ultrafine particles into a thermal plasma flame under reduced pressure to form a vapor-phase mixture, introduces a reactive gas and a cooling gas toward an end portion of the thermal plasma flame in supply amounts sufficient for quenching the vapor-phase mixture to generate the ultrafine particles and allows the resultant ultrafine particles to come into contact with the reactive gas so as to produce the ultrafine particles whose surfaces are coated with a thin film including one or more components compound derived from decomposition and/or reaction of the reactive gas, for example, an elementary carbon substance and/or a carbon. According to the process, thin film-coated ultrafine particles having high level uniformity in particle size and shape can be produced.

Process for producing ultrafine particles

A plasma processing method using a spectroscopic processing unit which includes separating spectrally plasma radiation emitted from a vacuum process chamber into component spectra, converting the component spectra into a time series of analogue electric signals composed of different wavelength components at a predetermined period, adding together analogue signals of the different wavelength components, converting a plurality of added signals into digital quantities on a predetermined-period basis, digitally adding together the plurality of added and converted signals a plural number of times on a plural-signal basis, determining discriminatively an end point of a predetermined plasma process on the basis of a signal resulting from the digital addition step, and terminating the predetermined plasma process.

Emission spectroscopic processing apparatus and plasma processing method using it

A system including: a film thickness measuring apparatus for measuring a film thickness of a member to be processed, including: a differential waveform pattern data base for holding a standard pattern consisting of a time differential value of an interference light for each of multiple wavelengths with respect to a film thickness of a first member to be processed; a unit for measuring an intensity of an interference light for each of multiple wavelengths of a second member to be processed; a unit for obtaining a real pattern consisting of time differential values of measured interference light intensities; and a unit for determining a processed amount of the film by using a pattern of zero-cross points of the differential values of intensities of the received interference light for a second wavelength among the received interference lights of the multiple wavelengths.

Film thickness measuring method of member to be processed using emission spectroscopy and processing method of the member using the measuring method

A plasma processing method for processing a sample by reducing a pressure within a processing chamber, including mounting the sample on a sample holder disposed in the processing chamber, and processing using a plasma generated in the processing chamber above the sample holder while supplying a gas for heat transfer to a space between a surface of the sample holder having the sample mounted thereon and a rear surface of the sample. The sample holder has a plurality of substantially ring-shaped depressed portions at the surface where the sample is mounted. A pressure in a space between the depressed portions arranged at a central portion of the sample holder with respect to outer circumferential portion and the sample is set to be lower than a pressure in a space between the depressed portions at the outer circumferential portion and the sample.

Plasma processing method

A standard pattern of a differential value of an interference light is set with respect to a predetermined film thickness of a first member to be processed. The standard pattern uses a wavelength as a parameter. Then, an intensity of an interference light of a second member to be processed, composed just like the first member, is measured with respect to each of a plurality of wavelengths so as to obtain a real pattern of an differential value of the measured interference light intensity. The real pattern also uses a wavelength as a parameter. Then, the film thickness of the second member is obtained according to the standard pattern and the real pattern of the differential value.

Standard patterns of differential values of interference light that correspond to a predetermined step height of the first material being processed and standard patterns of differential values of interference light that correspond to a predetermined remaining mask layer thickness of the material are set. These standard patterns use wavelengths as parameters. Then, the intensities of interference light of multiple wavelengths are measured for a second material that has the same structure as the first material. Actual patterns with wavelength as parameter are determined from differential values of the measured interference light intensities. Based on the standard patterns and the actual patterns of the differential values, the step height and the remaining mask layer thickness of the second material are determined.

Method and apparatus for determining endpoint of semiconductor element fabricating process

Method and apparatus for determining endpoint of semiconductor element fabricating process and method and apparatus for processing member to be processed

Growing community of inventors

Kudamatsu, Japan

Takashi Fujii