The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 18, 1999
Filed:
May. 01, 1997
Masayuki Tomoyasu, Nirasaki, JP;
Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
In a plasma etching apparatus, an inactive gas and a reactive gas are supplied from gas spouting holes into a process chamber, and are turned into plasma by means of RF discharge, so that a semiconductor wafer placed on a susceptor is etched by the plasma. An antenna formed of a solenoidal coil is arranged around the side wall of the process chamber, so as to generate an RF inductive electric field in the process chamber. A plurality of barriers are arranged to extend into the skin-depth region of the plasma from the side wall of the process chamber, so as to limit a mean free path of electrons in the skin-depth region. The barriers decrease density of low energy electrons in the skin depth region, so as to suppress progress of dissociation of the reactive gas, thereby obtaining a predetermined etching selectivity.