Chemistry: electrical and wave energy – Processes and products – Coating – forming or etching by sputtering
Patent
1991-08-14
1993-09-07
Nguyen, Nam X.
Chemistry: electrical and wave energy
Processes and products
Coating, forming or etching by sputtering
156345, 156643, 156646, 20429832, 20429838, C23F 404
Patent
active
052425614
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
THE FIELD TO WHICH THE INVENTION PERTAINS
The present invention relates to a plasma processing method capable of practicing plasma processing at the time of performing etching, resist-ashing or film-formation particularly for a semiconductor wafer utilizing plasma and an apparatus suitable for practicing said plasma processing method.
The term "plasma processing method" in this specification means a processing in which highly active radicals and ions produced by plasmanizing a specific material are contacted with a work for example, substrate etc.) to thereby perform processing such as etching, film deposition, sputtering, cleaning or ashing for the work. And, the term "processing apparatus" means an apparatus to be used for practicing said plasma processing method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The conventional plasma processing apparatus comprises a plasma processing chamber comprising a vacuum vessel having a raw material gas inlet opening and a discharge opening and a means for supplying electromagnetic wave or the like in order to supply energy for producing plasma of a raw material gas.
The plasma processing method to be practiced using such plasma processing apparatus utilizes high energy of radicals or ions and is applicable to various desired processes including etching and film deposition by selectively deciding processing conditions such as the respective densities of the radicals and ions, the temperature of a work, etc. A method of controlling ions with electric charges is employed in order to efficiently carrying out those processes.
Specifically, there is known a method in which a medium capable of imparting energy for producing plasma in order to provide a plasma state, a high-frequency magnetic wave of 13.56 MHz is applied to the processing gas to produce plasma, by which an energy is provided for the ions to reach the work, thereby performing the control of the ions. This method can be practiced using an apparatus shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a view schematically illustrating an example of the reactive ion etching apparatus (RIE) for etching a work by producing plasma by the action of a high-frequency magnetic wave of 13.56 MHz. see, Applied Physics, vol. 51, volume 3, pp. 350 (1982))
In the reactive ion etching apparatus shown in FIG. 9, a work electrode 909 is placed in a vacuum vessel 903 through an insulator 910, and a counter electrode 920 is arranged while facing to the work electrode 909. Plasma 906 is formed in a space between the work electrode 909 and the counter electrode 920, and a work 908 on the work electrode 909 is etched by the action of the resulting plasma. Numeral reference 905 stands for a processing gas inlet opening and numeral reference 923 stands for a matching box.
Explanation is to be made about the case of etching a Si substrate using Cl.sub.2 gas in the etching process using the above apparatus shown in FIG. 9.
First, the work Si substrate 908 to be etched is positioned on the work electrode 909 and the inside of the vacuum vessel 903 is evacuated by an exhausting system to a vacuum degree of less than 10.sup.-4 Torr for example.
Then, the Cl.sub.2 gas as the etching gas is introduced into the vacuum vessel 903 through the gas inlet opening 905, and the inside of the vessel is maintained at 0.05 Torr for example. A high-frequency power from a high-frequency power source 919 is applied through the matching box 923 to the work electrode 909 to thereby produce plasma 906 between the work electrode and the counter electrode 920.
Herein, the work electrode 909 in contact with the plasma 906 is electrically isolated from earth electric potential by way of the insulator 910 and a condenser (not shown) in the matching box 923. Because of this, a negative bias voltage (this is also called a cathode drop voltage; its degree is about a maximum value Vm of the high-frequency to have been applied) is induced at the work electrode 909 due to the difference between the mobility of an electron and that of an ion. And ions are accelerated with the action of the bias voltage to
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patent: 4693805 (1987-09-01), Quazi
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patent: 4950376 (1990-08-01), Hayashi et al.
patent: 4950377 (1990-08-01), Huebner
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Nguyen Nam X.
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