Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Tokyo Electron Limited

Other

Tokyo Electron Yamanashi Limited

Yukimasa Yoshida

Katsuya Okumura

Keiji Horioka

Haruo Okano

Isahiro Hasegawa

Junichi Arami

Satoshi Kaneko

Toshihisa Nozawa

Masaki Narita

Hiromi Kumagai

Hiromi Harada

Sinji Kubota

Osamu Yamazaki

Makoto Sekine

Itsuko Sakai

Hiroshi Fujita

Isao Matsui

Katsuaki Aoki

Toshimitsu Omine

Takashi O

Taichi Fugita

Tohru Watanabe

Masahiro Ogasawara

Haruki Mori

Koichiro Inazawa

Kei Hattori

Naruhiko Kaji

Kouichiro Inazawa

Yoshio Ishikawa

Yoichi Ueda

Tomoki Suemasa

Shiro Koyama

Tsuyoshi Ono

Kazuo Eguchi

Osamu Kamikanda

Koji Shimomura

In a processing chamber of an etching apparatus a lower electrode and an upper electrode grounded through a processing container are disposed oppositely to each other. A first high frequency power supply section composed of a first filter, a first matching device, and a first power source, and a second high frequency power supply section composed of a second filter, a second matching device, and a second power source are connected to the lower electrode. A superimposed power of two frequencies composed of a first high frequency power component of at least 10 MHz produced from the first power source and a second high frequency power component of at least 2 MHz produced from the second power source is applied to the lower electrode. Ions in the plasma do not accelerated by changes of electric field in the processing chamber, but are accelerated by a self-bias voltage and collide only against a wafer on the lower electrode.

Plasma processing method

There is provided a semiconductor device manufacturing method that comprises a first step of loading a processed substrate in a reaction chamber, a second step of introducing a reaction gas into the reaction chamber at a predetermined flow rate, a third step of maintaining an interior of the reaction chamber at a predetermined pressure, a fourth step of starting generation of plasma by supplying a high frequency power to an electrode arranged in the reaction chamber, a fifth step of applying a predetermined process to the processed substrate, and a sixth step of stopping generation of the plasma by stopping supply of the high frequency power after the predetermined process is completed, wherein the reaction gas is introduced continuously when the generation of the plasma is stopped.

Semiconductor device manufacturing method

A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprises the steps of placing a substrate to be processed on an electrostatic chuck on a substrate stand in a process chamber, and applying a negative voltage to the electrostatic chuck. After applying the negative voltage, the substrate is stuck onto the electrostatic chuck, a process gas is introduced into the process chamber, discharge plasma is generated, and the substrate is processed as predetermined.

Semiconductor device manufacturing method using electrostatic chuck and semiconductor device manufacturing system

A semiconductor processing apparatus includes a load chamber, an unload chamber, a common transfer chamber, a first process chamber, and a second process chamber, which are connected via gate valves. The load and unload chambers are connected to a first vacuum-exhaust mechanism including a common dry pump. The common transfer chamber is connected to a second vacuum-exhaust mechanism including a dry pump. The first and second processes chambers are connected to a third vacuum-exhaust mechanism including a common dry pump, and first and second turbo molecular pumps. The processing apparatus includes a controller which can drive and stop the dry pumps independently of each other in coordination with open/closed switching of the gate valves, while keeping the turbo molecular pumps driven.

Plasma processing apparatus and method

The invention provides a novel magnetron plasma processing apparatus comprising the following, a vacuum chamber storing an etching object, the first electrode which is provided in the vacuum chamber and holds the etching object, the second electrode which is disposed in opposition from the first electrode, where the first and second electrodes are in parallel with each other, a gas-supply unit feeding etching gas to the vacuum chamber, a magnetic-field generating means which is disposed on the part opposite from the first electrode in opposition from the second electrode, and a power-supply unit which feeds power to either of these first and second electrodes and generates discharge between these parallel electrodes. Magnetic-field generating means is provided with a magnetic block whose both-end surfaces are provided with magnetic poles having polarity inverse from each other, and in addition, a plane recess opposite from the second electrode is provided between both-end surfaces of the magnetic block.

Magnetron plasma processing apparatus and processing method

According to the present invention, there is provided an etching method comprising the steps of forming a first thin film on a surface of a substrate to be processed, supporting the substrate to be processed, forming a second thin film serving to deactivate an active gas used for etching the first thin film, on a surface of a mask plate piece used as the first thin film mask, fixing the mask plate piece so that the first thin film and the second thin film oppose to each other with a predetermined distance therebetween, and etching the first thin film by supplying the active gas to the first thin film via the mask plate piece.

Etching method and apparatus

A vacuum chamber contains a first electrode for supporting a wafer, and a second electrode opposing the first electrode. A supply system and an exhaustion system are connected to the vacuum chamber. The system supplies a reactive gas into the chamber, and the system exhaust the used gas from the chamber. A radio-frequency power supply is connected to the first electrode, for supplying power between the electrodes to generate an electric field E. An annular magnet assembly is provided around the chamber, for generating a magnetic field B which has a central plane intersecting with the electric field E. The magnet assembly has a plurality of magnet elements which have different magnetization axes in the central plane of the magnetic field. Electrons drift due to a force resulting from an outer product (E.times.B) of the electric field E and the magnetic field B. The central plane of the magnetic field B is shifted upwards from the target surface of the wafer, such that the magnetic force lines of the magnetic field intersect with the target surface of the substrate.

Plasma process apparatus

A magnetron plasma processing apparatus includes, a vacuum chamber storing an etching object, a first electrode which is provided in the vacuum chamber and holds the etching object, a second electrode which is disposed in opposition from the first electrode and parallel with the first electrode. A gas-supply unit feeding etching gas to the vacuum chamber while, a magnetic-field generating means is disposed on the part opposite from the first electrode in opposition from the second electrode, and a power-supply unit feeds power to either the first or second electrodes and generates discharge between the electrodes. The magnetic-field generating means is provided with a magnetic block whose both-end surfaces are provided with magnetic poles having polarity inverse from each other, and in addition, a plane recess opposite from the second electrode is provided between both-end surfaces of the magnetic block.

A magnetron plasma processing apparatus including a vacuum chamber storing an object to be etched, a first electrode provided in the vacuum chamber to hold the object, a second electrode disposed to one side of the first electrode, where the first and second electrodes are in parallel with each other, a gas-supply unit feeding etching gas to the vacuum chamber, a magnetic-field generating means including a magnetic block disposed outside the chamber on the opposite side of the second electrode and rotatable about an axis normal to the object held by the first electrode, and a power-supply unit which feeds power to either of the first and second electrodes and generates discharge between these parallel electrodes. The magnetic block has end surfaces provided with magnetic poles having polarity inverse from each other, and in addition, a plane recess opposite from the second electrode is provided between the magnetic poles.

A magnetron plasma etching apparatus comprises a chamber and a mount for supporting a substrate. A high-potential electrode connected to an RF power source is connected to the mount, and a low-potential electrode which is grounded is connected to the chamber. A rotary magnet is provided above the chamber, thereby generating a rotary magnetic field intersecting at right angles an electric field generated by both electrodes. An end-point detecting member for detecting an end-point of etching of the substrate is provided at the side of the chamber. The end-point detecting member collects mainly the light at a region near the rotation center of the magnetic field. That light component of a spectrum, which varies greatly with the progress of the etching, is extracted from the collected light, and the intensity of the light of this spectrum is converted to a first electric signal. The intensity of the collected light is converted to a second electric signal. The end-point detecting means calculates a ratio of the first and second electric signals, and the end-point of the etching is detected on the basis of the ratio.

Plasma etching apparatus

A method of removing electric charges accumulated on a semiconductor substrate during ion implantation by irradiating a highly accelerated electron beam with an acceleration energy of 1 to 50 KeV into the portion of the substrate irradiated with ion beams. The so-formed electron beam induced current eliminates the electric charges.

Method of removing electric charge accumulated on a semiconductor

A liquid level detecting device used in a vacuum processing apparatus, the device comprising a liquid container section, an inlet pipe for liquid supply connected to the liquid container section, and outlet pipe for discharging the liquid when the liquid in the liquid container section overflows a predetermined liquid level, a temperature measurement terminal provided in the liquid container section, for detecting the temperature of the liquid in the container section, means for heating or cooling the temperature measurement terminal, and a liquid level detecting section for detecting the surface level of the liquid on the basis of the difference between two temperatures of the liquid measured when the heating or cooling means is in contact with the liquid and when not in contact.

Liquid level detecting device and a processing apparatus

A semiconductor wafers processing apparatus comprises a susceptor for mounting and fixing a wafer thereon, a cooling jacket for cooling the susceptor, a process chamber whose wall encloses the susceptor and the cooling jacket, an O-ring for shielding from process atmosphere in the process chamber a clearance formed between an inner cylinder of the process chamber wall and the outer circumferences of the susceptor and the cooling jacket, and an exhaust pump for exhausting gas in the clearance. It further comprises load lock chambers for carrying the wafer into and out of the process chamber, and heat insulating members interposed between those faces of the process chamber and each of the load lock chambers which are opposed to each other. The process chamber wall can be heat-insulated from the susceptor and the cooling jacket by the exhausted clearance and the process chamber can be heat-insulated from each of the load lock chambers by the heat insulating members.

Apparatus for forming reduced pressure and for processing object

A transporting device used in a plasma etching apparatus comprises a loading unit having a loading surface on which articles to be treated are loaded, and a moving mechanism for moving the loading unit. The loading unit is coated with an electrically conducting layer for moving electric charges accumulated on the loading surface due to plasma etching and preventing erosion of the loading unit.

Plasma etching apparatus and transporting device used in the same

The pressure-reduced chamber system of the invention includes a handling mechanism for loading and/or unloading a semiconductor wafer between a process chamber in which a plasma etching is carried out on a semiconductor wafer under a reduced pressure, and a pressure-reduced chamber. Further, the system includes an outer cover for covering the driving force transmitting section of the handling mechanism, a filter mounted to the outer cover such that it defines the inside and outside of the outer cover, and an exhaustion pump for evacuating the space region formed between the outer cover and the pressure-reduced chamber. Thus, when the space region is evacuated by the exhaustion pump, the dust generated from the driving force transmitting section of the handling mechanism is caught by the filter.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Yukimasa Yoshida