Tokyo Electron Limited

Toshiaki Hongoh

Kiichi Hama

Satoru Kawakami

Jiro Hata

Mitsuhiro Yuasa

Tetsu Osawa

Shigemi Murakawa

Tadahiro Ohmi

Chishio Koshimizu

Naoki Matsumoto

Masaki Hirayama

Masaki Kondo

Satohiko Hoshino

Tetsu Oosawa

Yasuyuki Kuriki

In a method for forming an insulating film, a film containing an organic curable material and provided on a substrate for an electronic device is irradiated with an energy plasma produced by a microwave irradiation through a planar antenna member having a plurality of slits to thereby cure the film containing the organic curable material and form the insulating film having a dielectric constant of 3 or less.

Method and apparatus for forming insulating layer

A plasma processing apparatus comprises a plate that separates a high frequency induction antenna from a vacuum chamber. The plate comprises a nonmagnetic metal plate that has an opening and a dielectric material member that seals the opening. The area of the nonmagnetic metal plate is larger than the area of the dielectric material member.

Plasma processing apparatus

A plasma CVD apparatus for forming a silicon film on an LCD substrate includes a container which is divided into process and upper chambers by a quartz partition plate. A work table on which the substrate is mounted is arranged in the process chamber and a lower electrode to which a high frequency potential is applied is arranged in the work table. First lower and second upper supply heads are arranged between the partition plate and the work table in the process chamber. SiHand Hgas and He gases are supplied through the first and second supply heads. He gas is transformed into plasma while SiHand Hgas is excited and decomposed by the plasma thus formed. Two coils are arranged in the upper chamber and high frequency voltages are applied to the coils to generate electromagnetic field to induce the transforming of He gas into plasma. High frequency voltages applied to the coils are the same in phase and directions of current flowing through adjacent portions of the coils are the same.

Plasma process apparatus

A plasma processing apparatus includes a process chamber having a ceiling with an opening, a supporting frame member placed along the periphery of the ceiling and including a ring-shaped supporting shelf protruding toward the center of the process chamber, and an insulating plate having its peripheral portion supported by the supporting shelf of the supporting frame member and airtightly covering the opening of the ceiling of the process chamber. The plasma processing apparatus is characterized in that the supporting shelf has an inner periphery which includes a corner portion shaped into a curve.

A microwave plasma processing apparatus prevents the component parts of a process chamber from being influenced by heat associated with plasma, thereby improving the quality of plasma processing performed in the process chamber. A wavelength reducing member reduces a wavelength of a microwave transmitted therethrough. A slot electrode guides the microwave exiting the wavelength reducing member, the slot electrode provided adjacent to the wavelength reducing member. A first temperature control device controls a temperature of at least one of the slot electrode and component parts including the wavelength reducing member provided in the vicinity of the slot electrode. The microwave exiting the slot electrode is introduced to the process chamber so that plasma is generated by the microwave within the process chamber.

Microwave plasma processing apparatus for controlling a temperature of a wavelength reducing member

A plasma processing apparatus includes a process chamber, an insulating plate airtightly attached to the ceiling of the process chamber, a mount base placed in the process chamber for mounting thereon a workpiece to be processed, a planar antenna member placed above the insulating plate and including a microwave radiation hole for transmitting therethrough microwave used for generating plasma, the microwave transmitted through the insulating plate into the process chamber, and a wave-delay member placed above the planar antenna member for reducing the wavelength of microwave. The insulating plate has its peripheral end formed into an uneven shape with depressions and protrusions for causing, reflected waves of the microwave propagated through the insulating plate from the center and in the radial direction of the insulating plate, to cancel out each other.

In an atmosphere of processing gas, on a wafer W consisting mainly of silicon, through a planar-array antenna RLSA having a plurality of slits, microwaves are irradiated to generate plasma containing oxygen, or nitrogen, or oxygen and nitrogen and to implement therewith on the surface of the wafer W direct oxidizing, nitriding, or oxy-nitriding to deposit an insulator film of a thickness of 1 nm or less in terms of oxide film. A manufacturing method to and apparatus of semiconductors that can successfully regulate film quality of the interface between a silicon substrate and a SiN film and can form SiN film of high quality in a short time can be obtained.

Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

In an atmosphere of processing gas, on a wafer W consisting mainly of silicon, through a planar-array antenna RLSA having a plurality of slits, microwaves are irradiated to generate plasma containing oxygen, or nitrogen, or oxygen and nitrogen and to implement therewith on the surface of the wafer W direct oxidizing, nitriding, or oxy-nitriding to deposit an insulator film of a thickness of 1 nm or less in terms of oxide film. A manufacturing method and apparatus of semiconductors that can successfully regulate film quality of the interface between a silicon substrate and a SiN film and can form SiN film of high quality in a short time can be obtained.

Semiconductor manufacturing method and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

A microwave plasma processing apparatus has a process chamber in which an object to be processed is subjected to plasma processing under a predetermined negative pressure environment. A susceptor holding the object thereon is provided in the process chamber. The susceptor is moved by a susceptor moving member which is moved by a susceptor moving mechanism located outside the process chamber. The susceptor moving member extends from the process chamber via a bellows provided to a bottom of the process chamber. The bellows allows a vertical movement of the susceptor moving member while providing a hermetic seal to the process chamber to maintain the predetermined negative pressure environment in the process chamber. A vacuum pump is provided to the bottom of the process chamber so that an inlet opening of the vacuum pump aligns with the susceptor in the vertical direction.

Microwave plasma processing apparatus having a vacuum pump located under a susceptor

A flat antenna is used for introducing a microwave into a process chamber so as to generate plasma within the process chamber. The flat antenna has a front surface to which the microwave is supplied and a back surface opposite to the front surface. The microwave is supplied to a center portion of the front surface and propagates in radial directions within the flat antenna. A plurality of openings are provided in the flat antenna so that each of the openings extends between the front surface and the back surface of the flat antenna. The contour of each of the openings is curved so as to prevent generation of an abnormal electrical discharge.

Flat antenna having rounded slot openings and plasma processing apparatus using the flat antenna

A flat antenna radiates a microwave toward a process chamber so as to generate a plasma within the process chamber. The flat antenna has a front surface to which the microwave is supplied and a back surface opposite to the front surface. The microwave is supplied to a center portion of the front surface and propagates in radial directions within the flat antenna. A plurality of openings extend between the front surface and the back surface of the flat antenna. A conductive member is located in each of the openings so that a circularly polarized microwave is radiated by each of the openings.

Flat antenna having openings provided with conductive materials accommodated therein and plasma processing apparatus using the flat antenna

A plasma CVD apparatus for forming a silicon film on an LCD substrate includes a container which is divided into process and upper chambers by a quartz partition plate. A work table on which the substrate is mounted is arranged in the process chamber and a lower electrode to which a high frequency potential is applied is arranged in the work table. First lower and second upper supply heads are arranged between the partition plate and the work table in the process chamber. SiH.sub.4 and H.sub.2 gas and He gases are supplied through the first and second supply heads. He gas is transformed into plasma while SiH.sub.4 and H.sub.2 gas is excited and decomposed by the plasma thus formed. Two coils are arranged in the upper chamber and high frequency voltages are applied to the coils to generate electromagnetic field to induce the transforming of He gas into plasma. High frequency voltages applied to the coils are the same in phase and directions of current flowing through adjacent portions of the coils are the same.

A plasma etching apparatus of the induction coupling type for processing an LCD substrate has a process container forming an airtight process room. A work table is arranged in the process room for supporting the LCD substrate. A vacuum pump is arranged for exhausting and setting the process room at a vacuum. An antenna block having a plurality of dielectric layers is arranged to face the work table. An RF antenna is embedded in one of the dielectric layers of the antenna block for forming an electric field. A power supply is connected to the RF antenna for applying an RF power. The lowermost layer of the antenna block is formed as a shower head for supplying a process gas into the process room from a position between the RF antenna and the work table. At least part of said process gas is turned into plasma by the electric field.

The present invention provides an electrostatic chuck device with a strong chucking force for use in an ion injection apparatus, an etching apparatus, a sputtering apparatus, an CVD apparatus, etc., which require electrostatic chucking. The chuck device is capable of easily loading/unloading an object to be chucked and providing sure grounding for a semiconductor wafer. To this purpose, three-phase AC voltages of 1 Hz or less with different phases are applied, and contact pins with pointed tips are provided.

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Nirasaki, Japan

Toshiaki Hongoh