Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Hitachi High-tech Corporation

Yoshiharu Inoue

Tetsuo Ono

Michikazu Morimoto

Masakazu Miyaji

Masaki Fujii

Tadamitsu Kanekiyo

Hitoshi Kobayashi

Mamoru Yakushiji

Tsuyoshi Matsumoto

Hiroaki Ishimura

Masunori Ishihara

Toshiaki Nishida

Toru Ito

A plasma processing method in which a stable process region can be ensured in a wide range, from low microwave power to high microwave power. The plasma processing method includes making production of plasma easy in a region in which production of plasma by continuous discharge is difficult, and plasma-processing an object to be processed, with the generated plasma, wherein the plasma is produced by pulsed discharge in which ON and OFF are repeated, radio-frequency power for producing the pulsed discharge, during an ON period, is a power to facilitate production of plasma by continuous discharge, and a duty ratio of the pulsed discharge is controlled so that an average power of the radio-frequency power per cycle is power in the region in which production of plasma by continuous discharge is difficult.

Plasma processing apparatus

Plasma processing method

A plasma processing method and a plasma processing apparatus in which a stable process region can be ensured in a wide range, from low microwave power to high microwave power. The plasma processing method includes making production of plasma easy in a region in which production of plasma by continuous discharge is difficult, and plasma-processing an object to be processed, with the generated plasma, wherein the plasma is produced by pulsed discharge in which ON and OFF are repeated, radio-frequency power for producing the pulsed discharge, during an ON period, is a power to facilitate production of plasma by continuous discharge, and a duty ratio of the pulsed discharge is controlled so that an average power of the radio-frequency power per cycle is power in the region in which production of plasma by continuous discharge is difficult.

In a plasma processing method for conducting etching on an object to be processed by generating plasma from depositional gas introduced into a processing chamber and exposing the object to be processed to the plasma in a state in which radio frequency power is applied, the object to be processed is etched under etching conditions that a deposit film on an inner wall of the processing chamber becomes amorphous by repeating a first period during which the object to be processed is exposed to plasma and a second period during which the object to be processed is exposed to plasma and an etching rate is lower as compared with the first period. Consequently, particles due to increase in the number of processed sheets of the object to be processed can be suppressed.

The invention provides a dry etching method capable of obtaining a good profile with little side etch without receiving the restriction of a micro loading effect. A dry etching method for etching a sample having formed on the surface thereof a pattern with an isolated portion and a dense portion using plasma comprises a first etching step using an etching gas containing a CF-based gas and a nitrogen gas in which an etching rate of a dense portion of the pattern is greater than the etching rate of the isolated portion of the mask pattern, and a second etching step in which the etching rate of the isolated portion of the pattern is greater than the etching rate of the dense portion of the pattern.

Dry etching method

Growing community of inventors

Kudamatsu, Japan

Yoshiharu Inoue