Tokyo Electron Limited

Yoko Ueda

Nobuo Ishii

Satoru Kawakami

Yoshinobu Kawai

Issei Imahashi

Hideaki Amano

A probe ( ) is brought into contact with a plasma produced by ionizing Ar gas, a saturation current (I ) at which current flowing through the probe is saturated when the potential of the probe is changed in a potential region where the potential of the probe is higher than a ground potential, and a saturation current (I ) at which current flowing through the probe is saturated when the potential of the probe is changed in a potential region where the potential of the probe is lower than the ground potential. Similarly, saturation currents (I , I ) are measured by bringing the probe ( ) into contact with a plasma produced by ionizing a mixed gas containing Ar gas and a process gas, such as C F gas, and changing the potential of the probe ( ). The negative ion density of the plasma produced by ionizing C F gas is determined by using saturation current ratios (I /I , I /I ).

Method of measuring negative ion density of plasma and plasma processing method and apparatus for carrying out the same

The present invention aims to decrease reflected waves in a vacuum chamber to suppress standing waves, thereby easily controlling a plasma density so that uniform treatment can be performed. An electromagnetic wave absorber composed of a resistor such as carbon, a dielectric having a large dielectric loss, such as water, or a magnetic material such as ferrite-based ceramic, or a combination of these, is provided on an inner wall surface of a first vacuum chamber . Microwaves introduced from a waveguide into the first vacuum chamber via a transmissive window are absorbed to the electromagnetic wave absorber to suppress reflected waves, whereby a plasma density distribution with a nearly planned pattern is easily formed at an ECR point.

Method and apparatus for plasma processing

An electron density at an ECR point, which is spaced from a substrate to be treated and which faces the substrate, is set to be higher than or equal to 0.46 nc (nc: an upper limit side cut-off density of an X wave) and lower than nc. Thus, a high chevron distribution of electron density is formed in end portions of a magnetic field forming region, and a distribution of electron density having a lower peak value than those in the end portions is formed in a central portion of the magnetic field forming region. In this case, the periphery of a magnetic field crosses the inner wall of a vacuum chamber once between the ECR point and the substrate, and a space of one fourth or more of the wavelength of the X wave is formed between the periphery of the magnetic field and the inner wall of the vacuum chamber as the magnetic field runs downstream. Thus, it is possible to achieve an inplane uniform treatment when carrying out a treatment, such as a thin film deposition or etching, with ECR plasmas for a wafer.

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Fukuoka, Japan

Yoko Ueda