Surface wave coupled plasma etching apparatus

Details Surface wave coupled plasma etching apparatus Surface wave coupled plasma etching apparatus

1999-04-20

2001-05-08

Dang, Thi (Department: 1763)

Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture

Differential fluid etching apparatus

With microwave gas energizing means

C118S7230MW, C204S298380

Reexamination Certificate

active

06228210

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an etching apparatus for fabricating a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a surface wave coupled plasma etching apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
As semiconductor wafers become larger, there has been an increasing need for semiconductor fabrication apparatuses capable of processing the large wafers. Particularly, an etching apparatus capable of forming a plasma over a large area is required to form uniform fine patterns having critical dimensions on the wafer.
A surface wave coupled plasma etching apparatus, which is disclosed in “Oxide etching using surface wave coupled plasma”, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. Vol. 33 (1994) pp. 7037-7041, by Takeshi Akimoto, Eiji Ikawa, Toshiaki Sango, Kyouichi Komachi, Katuo Katayama and Tosiki Ebata, is proposed to provide uniform plasma etching of large wafers. The surface wave coupled plasma etching apparatus uniformly generates a plasma over a large area by a microwave (2.45 GHz) excitation. The microwave is introduced into the surface wave coupled plasma etching apparatus through a dielectric plate, for instance, a polymer plate into an etching chamber confined by a grounded metal, upper electrode.
A conventional surface wave coupled plasma etching apparatus typically applies a high power radio frequency signal to a lower electrode, and thus the plasma etches the upper metal electrode as well as the semiconductor wafer. Accordingly, metal particles from the upper metal electrode contaminate the semiconductor wafer and can cause a failure of the semiconductor wafer etching.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a surface wave coupled plasma etching apparatus can be divided into an upper portion which emits a microwave and a lower portion which performs an etching. The upper portion includes a microwave supplying unit, a dielectric plate, upper and lower glass plates, a microwave confinement plate and a microwave guide. The dielectric plate is placed horizontally in the upper portion and connected to the microwave supplying unit. The upper and lower glass plates are spaced apart from and parallel to the dielectric plate. The microwave confinement plate is interposed between the upper and lower glass plates. The microwave guide covers an outer surface of the dielectric plate, and sidewalls of the upper glass plate and the microwave confinement plate. The lower portion includes an etching chamber, and a chamber wall of the chamber supports the upper portion.
Preferably, the dielectric plate is formed of a fluorocarbon polymer, and the upper and lower glass plates are formed of a material , such as quartz of which can resist rapid temperature change when an etching process starts and stops. Particularly, the lower glass plate should be thick enough to avoid the sudden temperature change. A buffer layer is also provided to enhance adhesion between the microwave confinement plate and the upper and lower glass plates.
The etching chamber includes a lower electrode on which an etching object is loaded and a radio frequency power supply connected to the lower electrode. It is preferred that the chamber walls have a sufficient area to provide a ground to a radio frequency power applied by the radio frequency power supply.
The present invention can prevent a plasma sputtering of the microwave confinement plate by interposing the microwave confinement plate between the upper and lower glass plates, and thus avoid a contamination of the etching object.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5034086 (1991-07-01), Sato
patent: 5951887 (1999-09-01), Mabuchi et al.
Oxide Etching Using Surface Wave Coupled Plasma, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., vol. 33, Part 1, No. 12B pp. 7037-41, Dec. 1994.
Reactive Ion Etching Lag On High Rate Oxide Etching Using High Density Plasma, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 13(6). pp. 2390-2393, Nov./Dec. 1995.
High Aspect Contact Fabrication using High Density Plasma, Dry Process Symposium, pp. 361-366 (1997).

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