Plasma processing apparatus and operation method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10008370-B2
Application number	US-201514973592-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2015
Priority date	Dec 19, 2014
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

A plasma apparatus of processing a wafer disposed in a processing chamber using plasma includes one window, another window, a light receiving unit, a light source, and an optical branching unit which is disposed between the light source and the other window, branches light emitted by the light source to an optical path toward the processing chamber and an optical path in other direction, and reflects light in the processing chamber from the other window, and a detection unit which detects the light having been emitted from the plasma and received by the light receiving unit using one branched light and other branched and reflected light. The apparatus processes the wafer according to a condition for the processing which is adjusted based on a result of the detection.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plasma apparatus of processing a wafer disposed in a processing chamber disposed in a vacuum chamber using plasma formed in the processing chamber, comprising:
a first window which is disposed on a side wall on one side of the vacuum chamber surrounding the processing chamber and through which light emitted from the plasma passes;
a second window which is disposed on another side opposite to the first window sandwiching the processing chamber and through which external light from outside of the processing chamber passes;
a light receiver which is disposed outside of the first window and receives and detects light through the first window;
a light source of the external light disposed outside of the second window;
a controllable multiport optical branching device disposed between the light source and the second window which has a plurality of optical ports including a first optical port for a first optical path, a second optical port for a second optical path, and a third optical port for a third optical path of light, the first optical path and the second optical path of light being branched from light emitted by the light source, the first optical path of light being directed toward the processing chamber and the second optical path of light being directed to another direction which is different from the direction of the first optical path, and the third optical path of light being branched from light from the second window into yet another direction different from the directions of the first and second optical paths; and
a detector configured to selectively receive one of the light paths from the controllable optical branching device including light from the first optical port having passed through the processing chamber and been received by the light receiver, and the light from the second optical port branched in the other direction and the light from the third optical port branching in yet another direction, and is configured to detect the light to detect the light having been emitted from the plasma and received by the light receiver using the lights from the controllable optical branching device,
wherein the apparatus further comprises a controller which is configured to adjust a condition for processing based on a result of the detection by the detector.

2. The plasma apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detector is configured to detect a state of a surface of an inner wall in the processing chamber using a detected result of each of amounts of light from the controllable optical branching device.

3. The plasma apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the controller is configured to adjust the generating of the plasma using the detected state of the surface of the inner wall in the processing chamber, and data on the light having been emitted from the plasma and detected in the processing, and using a database representing a correlation between a condition of the plasma and dimensions after the wafer processing.

4. The plasma apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detector is configured to detect a distribution of an intensity or density of the plasma generated in the processing chamber, or a state of a surface of an inner wall of the processing chamber on the one or the other side using a result of detecting each of amounts of the light from the controllable optical branching device, and amounts of light emitted from plasma generated using rare gas introduced into the processing chamber, and introduced into the controllable optical branching device through the first window, and the light introduced into the controllable optical branching device through the second window.

5. The plasma apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the controller is configured to adjust the generating of the plasma using the detected state of the surface of the inner wall in the processing chamber, and data on the light having been emitted from the plasma and detected in the processing, and using a database representing a correlation between a condition of the plasma and dimensions after the wafer processing.

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Ohmori Takeshi
• Satou Daisuke
• Usui Tatehito
• Inoue Satomi
• Maeda Kenji

Classifications

• H05H1/46

  using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy (H05H1/26 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01J37/3299

  Feedback systems · CPC title

• H01J37/32972

  Spectral analysis · CPC title

• H01J37/32926

  Software, data control or modelling · CPC title

• H01J37/32917 Primary

  Plasma diagnostics · CPC title