Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-06
2003-04-22
Picard, Leo (Department: 2125)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C700S121000, C700S123000, C700S112000, C700S108000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06553277
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a vacuum processing method of using a vacuum processing unit including: a stage on which a substrate to be processed is adapted to be placed; a vacuum processing mechanism that conducts a vacuum process to the substrate to be processed placed on the stage; and a controller that controls the vacuum processing mechanism. In addition, this invention relates to the vacuum processing unit. Furthermore, this invention relates to a sensor substrate that is placed on the stage.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The structure of a conventional vacuum processing unit is explained with reference to FIG.
6
.
FIG. 6
shows a schematic sectional view of an etching unit
100
that is an example of a vacuum processing unit. In the etching unit
100
, a processing chamber
102
is formed in a processing container
104
that has a substantially cylindrical shape, that can be hermetically closed and that is made of aluminum whose surface has been subjected to an anodic oxidation process. The processing container
104
itself is connected to ground via a ground wire
106
.
An insulating support plate
108
is provided in a base portion of the processing chamber
102
. A substantially cylindrical susceptor (stage)
110
that forms a lower electrode in order to place a substrate to be processed (for example, a 6-inch wafer) W thereon is contained in a vertically movable manner above the insulating support plate
108
.
The susceptor
110
is supported by an elevation shaft
112
that freely passes through the insulating support plate
108
and a base portion of the processing container
104
. The elevation shaft
112
is vertically movable by means of a driving motor
114
disposed outside the processing container
104
. Thus, when the driving motor
114
operates, the susceptor
110
can be vertically moved in a direction shown by a two-way arrow in FIG.
6
. In addition, in order to secure airtightness of the processing chamber
102
, an extendable hermetic bellows
116
is arranged around the elevation shaft
112
between the susceptor
110
and the insulating support plate
108
.
The susceptor
110
is made of aluminum whose surface has been subjected to an anodic oxidation process. A heating means (not shown), such as a ceramics heater, and a cooling-medium circulating way (not shown), which is to cause a cooling medium from an outside cooling-medium source (not shown) to circulate, are provided in the susceptor
110
. The heating means and the cooling-medium circulating way are formed to be automatically controlled by a temperature controlling mechanism (not shown). Thus, it is possible to maintain a substrate to be processed W on the susceptor
110
at a predetermined temperature.
An electrostatic chuck
118
for sticking to and holding the substrate to be processed W is provided on the susceptor
110
. The electrostatic chuck
118
has a structure wherein an electric conductive thin film is sandwiched between upper and lower polyimide resin elements. The electrostatic chuck
118
is adapted to be applied a voltage (for example, a voltage of 1.5 kV to 2.0 kV) from a high-voltage direct-current source
120
that is disposed outside the processing container
104
. By means of coulomb force created by applying the voltage, the substrate to be processed W is adapted to be stuck to and held by an upper surface of the electrostatic chuck
118
.
On an upper peripheral area of the susceptor
110
, a substantially circular focus ring
122
is disposed surrounding the electrostatic chuck
118
. The focus ring
122
is made of crystal that has insulating performance, and has a function to restrain a diffusion of plasma that may be generated between the susceptor
110
and an upper electrode
124
as described below and a function to cause ions in the plasma effectively to reach the substrate to be processed W.
A substantially disk-shaped upper electrode
124
is arranged at a position facing a placing surface of the susceptor
110
. The upper electrode
124
is made of electric conductive single-crystal Silicon and has a plurality of through-holes
124
a.
An upper-electrode supporting member
126
that is made of electric conductive aluminum and that has substantially the same diameter as the upper electrode
124
is arranged above the upper electrode
124
.
An opening
126
a
is formed in the upper-electrode supporting member
126
on a side of the upper electrode
124
. Thus, in a state wherein the upper electrode
124
is attached to the upper-electrode supporting member
126
, a space
130
is formed between the upper electrode
124
and the upper-electrode supporting member
126
.
A substantially circular shield ring
132
that is made of crystal having insulating performance is arranged from a lower peripheral portion of the upper electrode
124
to a central portion of an outside curcumferential surface of an insulating ring
128
. The shield ring
132
has a function to form a gap together with the focus ring
122
and to restrain a diffusion of plasma, the gap being narrower than a gap between the electrostatic chuck
118
and the upper electrode
124
.
A gas inlet port
134
is connected to a substantially central upper portion of the space
130
. A gas inlet tube
138
is connected to the gas inlet port
134
via a valve
136
. Respective corresponding gas supply sources
152
,
154
and
156
are connected to the gas inlet tube
134
via valves
140
,
142
and
144
and mass flow controllers (MFC)
146
,
148
and
150
that are for adjusting respective corresponding flow rates.
Ar can be freely supplied from the gas supply source
152
. O
2
can be freely supplied from the gas supply source
154
. C
3
F
6
can be freely supplied from the gas supply source
156
. The respective gases from the gas supply sources
152
,
154
and
156
are introduced into the processing chamber
102
via the gas inlet tube
138
, the gas inlet port
134
, the space
130
and the through-holes
124
a,
and then uniformly flow toward a surface to be processed of the substrate to be processed W.
A discharging tube
160
leading to a vacuum means
158
such as a vacuum pump is connected to a lower portion of the processing container
104
. Thus, a vacuum of an optional level such as several mTorr to several hundred mTorr can be created in the processing chamber
102
via a gas-discharging plate
162
consisting of for example a punched plate, and the vacuum can be maintained.
Electric power from a first high-frequency power source
164
that outputs high frequency power whose frequency is about several hundred kHz (for example 800 kHz) can be supplied to the susceptor
110
via a matching device
166
. On the other hand, electric power from a second high-frequency power source
168
that outputs high frequency power whose frequency is not less than 1 MHz (for example 27.12 MHz), which is greater than that of the first high-frequency power source
164
, can be supplied to the upper electrode
124
via a matching device
170
and the upper-electrode supporting member
126
.
Next, an operation in a case wherein an etching process is conducted to a substrate to be processed W, which consists of for example SiO
2
, by using the above etching unit
100
is explained below.
At first, the substrate to be processed W is placed on the susceptor
110
. Then, a predetermined voltage from the high-voltage direct-current source
120
is applied to the electric conductive thin film in the electrostatic chuck
118
, so that the substrate to be processed W is sucked to and hence held by the electrostatic chuck
118
. Since the susceptor
110
is adjusted to a predetermined temperature by means of a temperature-adjusting means not shown, a surface temperature of the substrate to be processed W held on the susceptor
110
is set at a desired temperature (for example not more than 120° C.) even when the substrate is processed.
Then, a vacuum is created in the processing chamber
102
by means of the vacuum means
158
. In addition, gases necessary for the etching process are supplied at
Ito Takashi
Kanbara Hiromitsu
Nishikawa Hiroshi
Yagisawa Shoji
Masinick Michael D
Picard Leo
Smith , Gambrell & Russell, LLP
Tokyo Electron Limited
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