Measurement system and measurement method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10186402-B2
Application number	US-201514941925-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2015
Priority date	Nov 19, 2014
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

A measurement system for measuring a consumption amount of a focus ring in a plasma etching apparatus including a processing chamber, a lower electrode and the focus ring surrounding a periphery of the lower electrode, comprises a sensor substrate having a distance sensor and a measurement unit configured to measure a consumption amount of the focus ring. The measurement unit includes a transfer instruction unit, an acquisition unit and a measurement unit. The transfer instruction unit is configured to instruct a transfer unit to transfer the sensor substrate into the processing chamber. The acquisition unit is configured to acquire information on a physical amount corresponding to a distance from the distance sensor to the focus ring, which is measured by the distance sensor. The measurement unit is configured to measure a consumption amount of the focus ring based on the acquired information on the physical amount.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A measurement system for measuring a consumption amount of a focus ring in a plasma etching apparatus including a processing chamber configured to accommodate a target substrate, a lower electrode provided in the processing chamber and configured to mount thereon the target substrate loaded into the processing chamber by a transfer unit, and the focus ring provided on a peripheral region of the lower electrode, the measurement system comprising:
a sensor substrate having a distance sensor configured to measure information on a physical amount corresponding to a vertical distance from the distance sensor to the focus ring; and
a measurement apparatus configured to measure a consumption amount of the focus ring, wherein the measurement apparatus includes:
(i) a transfer instruction unit configured to instruct the transfer unit to transfer the sensor substrate into the processing chamber,
(ii) an acquisition unit configured to acquire the information on the physical amount, and
(iii) a measurement unit configured to measure the consumption amount of the focus ring based on the acquired information on the physical amount,
wherein the sensor substrate has a positioning portion that is an orientation flat or a notch,
wherein the distance sensor is located at a position on the sensor substrate which is separated by a predetermined distance from a straight line passing through the center of the sensor substrate and the positioning portion, and
wherein the predetermined distance is in a range of ¼ to ½ of the radius of the sensor substrate.

2. The measurement system of claim 1 , wherein the distance sensor measures the information on the physical amount at a plurality of positions of the focus ring while passing through a space above the focus ring in a horizontal direction.

3. The measurement system of claim 1 , wherein the transfer instruction unit instructs the transfer unit to load the sensor substrate to a position which is farther from a gate through which the target substrate is loaded into the processing chamber than a position where the target substrate is mounted on the lower electrode, and
the distance sensor measures the information on the physical amount at least at a first portion and a second portion of the focus ring, the first portion being placed between a center of the focus ring and the gate and the center of the focus ring being placed between the second portion and the first portion.

4. The measurement system of claim 1 , wherein when the transfer unit loads the sensor substrate into the processing chamber, the transfer instruction unit instructs the transfer unit to hold the sensor substrate such that the distance sensor is located at the position on the sensor substrate which is separated by a predetermined distance from a straight line passing through the center of the sensor substrate and indicating a transfer direction of the sensor substrate.

5. The measurement system of claim 1 , wherein the distance sensor is an electrostatic capacitance sensor and measures an electrostatic capacitance as the physical amount corresponding to the vertical distance from the distance sensor to the focus ring.

6. The measurement system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor substrate includes a wireless communication device configured to wirelessly transmit the information on the physical amount, and
the acquisition unit acquires the information on the physical amount-which is wirelessly transmitted by the wireless communication device.

7. A measurement method for measuring a consumption amount of a focus ring in a plasma etching apparatus including a processing chamber configured to accommodate a target substrate, a lower electrode provided in the processing chamber and configured to mount thereon the target substrate loaded into the processing chamber by a transfer unit, and the focus ring provided on a peripheral region of the lower electrode, the measurement method comprising:
transferring a sensor substrate having a distance sensor into the processing chamber, the distance sensor being configured to measure information on a physical amount corresponding to a vertical distance from the distance sensor to the focus ring;
acquiring the information on the physical amount; and
measuring a consumption amount of the focus ring based on the acquired information on the physical amount,
wherein the sensor substrate has a positioning portion that is an orientation flat or a notch,
wherein the distance sensor is located at a position on the sensor substrate which is separated by a predetermined distance from a straight line passing through the center of the sensor substrate and the positioning portion, and
wherein the predetermined distance is in a range of ¼ to ½ of the radius of the sensor substrate.

8. The measurement system of claim 1 , wherein the measurement unit is configured to output an information indicating that the consumption amount of the focus ring has reached a threshold to an output device.

9. The measurement method of claim 7 , further comprising outputting an information indicating that the consumption amount of the focus ring has reached a threshold to an output device.

10. A measurement system for measuring a consumption amount of a focus ring in a plasma etching apparatus including a processing chamber configured to accommodate a target substrate, a lower electrode provided in the processing chamber and configured to mount thereon the target substrate loaded into the processing chamber by a transfer unit, and the focus ring provided on a peripheral region of the lower electrode, the measurement system comprising:
a sensor substrate having a distance sensor configured to measure information on a physical amount corresponding to a vertical distance from the distance sensor to the focus ring; and
a measurement apparatus configured to measure a consumption amount of the focus ring, wherein the measurement apparatus includes:
(i) a transfer instruction unit configured to instruct the transfer unit to transfer the sensor substrate into the processing chamber,
(ii) an acquisition unit configured to acquire the information on the physical amount, and
(iii) a measurement unit configured to measure the consumption amount of the focus ring based on the acquired information on the physical amount,
wherein the sensor substrate has a positioning portion that is an orientation flat or a notch,
wherein the distance sensor is located at a position on the sensor substrate which is separated by a predetermined distance from a straight line passing through the center of the sensor substrate and the positioning portion, and
wherein a plurality of openings are formed at the sensor substrate.

11. The measurement method of claim 7 , wherein a plurality of openings are formed at the sensor substrate.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Kamata Koji
• Ikari Hiroshi

Classifications

• G01B7/08

  using capacitive means · CPC title

• H01J37/32917

  Plasma diagnostics · CPC title

• G01B7/023

  for measuring distance between sensor and object (G01B7/082 and G01B7/102 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01J37/32642

  Focus rings · CPC title

• H01J37/32935 Primary

  Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge · CPC title