Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Hitachi High-tech Corporation

Yasuhiro Nishimori

Masamichi Sakaguchi

Naoki Yasui

Satoshi Une

Yutaka Kudou

Masunori Ishihara

Seiichi Watanabe

Takeshi Shimada

Susumu Tauchi

Takeshi Ohmori

Norihiko Ikeda

Hitoshi Kobayashi

Tooru Aramaki

Hiroaki Ishimura

Kenichi Kuwabara

Kousa Hirota

Takeshi Oono

Yoshitaka Kai

Takeo Uchino

Shunsuke Kanazawa

Hiroshige Uchida

To improve processing uniformity by improving a working characteristic in an edge exclusion region. Provided is a plasma processing apparatus for processing a sample by generating plasma in a vacuum vessel to which a processing gas is supplied and that is exhausted to a predetermined pressure and by applying a radio frequency bias to a sample placed in the vacuum vessel, wherein a conductive radio frequency ring to which a radio frequency bias power is applied is arranged in a stepped part formed outside a convex part of the sample stage on which the wafer is mounted, and a dielectric cover ring is provided in the stepped part, covering the radio frequency ring, the cover ring substantially blocks penetration of the radio frequency power to the plasma from the radio frequency ring, and the radio frequency ring top surface is set higher than a wafer top surface.

Plasma processing apparatus and method

A plasma processing method which performs plasma processing on a sample by a plurality of steps includes a first step of stopping supply of gas of one step while supplying an inert gas and a second step stopping the supply of the inert gas of the first step while as supplying a gas of the other step after the first step. An amount of the gas of the one step remaining inside a process chamber in which the sample is plasma-processed is detected in the first step. An amount of the gas of the other step reached inside the process chamber is detected in the second step. The one step is switched to the other step based on the amount of the gas of the one step detected in the first step and the amount of the gas of the other step detected in the second step.

Plasma processing method

In the present invention, provided is a plasma processing method which reduces or eliminates the emission of contaminating matters caused by a quality-altered layer on the surface of yttria of a processing chamber's inner wall and parts inside the processing chamber. It is the plasma processing method including an etching step of setting a sample inside the processing chamber, and etching the sample, a deposition-product removing step of removing a deposition product by using a plasma, the deposition product being deposited inside the processing chamber by the etching step, the plasma being generated using a gas which contains fluorine or chlorine, and a step of exposing, to a rare-gas-based plasma, the inside of the processing chamber after the deposition-product removing step.

The invention provides a plasma processing method which includes (i) feeding a transferring gas which decreases a pressure difference between a processing chamber and a transfer chamber in order to prevent particles from adhering a processing sample, to be processed, passed to the processing chamber, before transferring the sample into the processing chamber; (ii) transferring the sample into the processing chamber while continuing to feed the transferring gas to the processing chamber; (iii) generating a plasma from the transferring gas in the processing chamber while continuing to feed the transferring gas to the processing chamber after the step of transferring the sample; and (iv) changing a gas supplied to the processing chamber from the transferring gas used in the step of generating the plasma to a processing gas for subjecting the processing sample, different from a cleaning sample, to plasma processing.

The invention provides a method for performing mass production processing of etching a sample capable of maintaining a stable processing profile. The method for performing mass production processing of etching for subjecting a wafer carried into a vacuum processing reactor to plasma processing uses an apparatus comprising a vacuum processing chamber, a gas supply apparatus, a plasma generating means for generating plasma, an emission spectroscope for monitoring the plasma emission, and a device for storing the emission spectrum, wherein a non-operating time of the apparatus (idling SS) occurs in which the mass production processing of the wafer is temporarily stopped, wherein during cleaning steps Sand S' before and after idling SS, emission intensities SiF() and SiF() in the plasma including the information on the state of deposition of reaction products and the temperature on the uppermost surface of the reactor are monitored, and a database Sis referred to based on these emission spectrums, so that the time of the plasma heating step Safter the idling SS is controlled to heat the reactor, and after performing plasma heating S, the next sample is subjected to etching S

Method for etching a sample

A plasma processing apparatus includes: a decompression chamber of which the inside is depressed; a gas supply unit that supplies process gas into said chamber; a microwave supply unit that supplies a microwave into the chamber to generate plasma; an object-placing electrode where a processing material, is placed and which holds the processing material in the chamber; and a vacuuming unit that is connected to the chamber to discharge the gas in the chamber, in which the chamber, a part for providing gas into the chamber of the gas supply unit, a part for introducing a microwave into the chamber of the microwave supply unit, the object-placing electrode, and the vacuuming unit are disposed coaxially with the center axis of the chamber, and the part for introducing a microwave includes a microwave rotation generator that rotates a polarization plane of the input microwave and supplies the microwave to the chamber.

Plasma processing apparatus

The invention provides a plasma processing method capable of reducing particle caused by flinging up of particles by airflow due to the pressure fluctuation in the processing chamber during the time the sample is carried into the processing chamber, subjected to plasma processing and carried out of the processing chamber. The invention provides a plasma processing method using a plasma processing apparatus comprising multiple plasma processing chambers for processing samples, a transfer chamber connected to the processing chambers for transferring samples, and a supply system for supplying gas which is the same gas as a transferring gas supplied to the transfer chamber to both the processing chambers and transfer chamber or to only the processing chambers, wherein the process comprises (b) a step of transferring the sample into the processing chamber with the transferring gas supplied to the processing chamber; (c) thereafter, generating plasma from the transferring gas supplied to the processing chamber while maintaining the supply of transferring gas to the processing chamber; (d) a step of switching the gas supplied to the processing chamber from transferring gas to processing gas while maintaining plasma by supplying processing gas continuously to the processing chamber; and (e) a step of subjecting the sample to plasma processing.

The invention provides a semiconductor fabrication apparatus capable of preventing increase of carriage time of samples, deterioration of sample output, increase of footprint and increase of investment costs. The vacuum processing apparatus comprises a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for subjecting a sample to vacuum processing; a vacuum carriage for carrying the sample into and out of the vacuum processing chamber; a switchable chamber capable of being switched between atmosphere and vacuum for carrying the sample into and out of the vacuum processing chamber; a cassette support for supporting a plurality of cassettes and a controller for controlling carrying of the sample from a cassette through the switchable chambers, the vacuum carriage means into and out of the vacuum processing chamber. The vacuum processing chamber is equipped with an etching chamber and a critical dimension measurement chamber for critical dimension inspection of the sample.

Growing community of inventors

Hikari, Japan

Yasuhiro Nishimori