Substrate processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10651012-B2
Application number	US-201615378590-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2016
Priority date	Jan 18, 2012
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A substrate processing method performed by a substrate processing apparatus is provided. The substrate processing method comprises: setting a magnetic pole on a processing space side of each electromagnet belonging to one of first, second and third electromagnet groups to be different from a magnetic pole on the processing space side of each electromagnet belonging to the other two electromagnet groups; generating an electric field by applying a high frequency power to a lower electrode; and performing a first process on the substrate with plasma generated by the electric field.

First claim

We claim:

1. A substrate processing method performed by a substrate processing apparatus that generates an electric field in a processing space between a lower electrode to which a high frequency power is applied and an upper electrode provided to face the lower electrode, and that performs a plasma process on a substrate mounted on the lower electrode with plasma generated by the electric field, the substrate processing apparatus comprising multiple electromagnets arranged on a top surface of the upper electrode opposite to the processing space, wherein:
each of the electromagnets is radially arranged with respect to a central portion of the upper electrode facing a central portion of the substrate,
the multiple electromagnets are divided into a first electromagnet group, a second electromagnet group, and a third electromagnet group,
the first electromagnet group includes the electromagnets facing the central portion of the substrate, the second electromagnet group includes the electromagnets facing a peripheral portion of the substrate, and the third electromagnet group includes the electromagnets arranged on an outside of the second electromagnet group with respect to the central portion of the upper electrode without facing the substrate, and
magnetic poles on the processing space side of the electromagnets belonging to the first electromagnet group are identical to each other, magnetic poles on the processing space side of the electromagnets belonging to the second electromagnet group are identical to each other, and magnetic poles on the processing space side of the electromagnets belonging to the third electromagnet group are identical to each other, and
the substrate processing method comprises:
setting a magnetic pole on the processing space side of each electromagnet belonging to any two adjacent electromagnet groups from among the first, second and third electromagnet groups to be same;
setting a magnetic pole on the processing space side of each electromagnet belonging to a remaining electromagnet group to be different from the magnetic pole on the processing space side of each electromagnet belonging to said any two adjacent electromagnet groups;
generating the electric field by applying the high frequency power to the lower electrode; and
performing a first process on the substrate with the plasma generated by the electric field.

2. The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein the magnetic pole on the processing space side of each electromagnet belonging to the first electromagnet group is set as an N pole, and the magnetic pole on the processing space side of each electromagnet belonging to the second electromagnet group and the third electromagnet group is set as an S pole.

3. The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein the magnetic pole on the processing space side of each electromagnet belonging to the first electromagnet group and the second electromagnet group is set as an N pole and the magnetic pole on the processing space side of each electromagnet belonging to the third electromagnet group is set as an S pole.

4. The substrate processing method of claim 1 , further comprising:
performing a second process on the substrate after performing the first process,
wherein a first high frequency power supply that is configured to supply a high frequency power having a first high frequency and a second high frequency power supply that is configured to supply a high frequency power having a second high frequency higher than the first high frequency are connected to the lower electrode,
wherein the first process includes configuring the second frequency power supply to supply the high frequency power having the second high frequency, and
wherein the second process includes configuring the first frequency power supply to supply the high frequency power having the first high frequency, and
wherein in the second process, an electric current is not applied to each electromagnet belonging to the first, second and third electromagnet group so as not to generate a magnetic flux.

5. The substrate processing method of claim 4 ,
wherein the first process includes configuring the first frequency power supply not to supply the high frequency power having the first high frequency, and
wherein the second process includes configuring the second frequency power supply not to supply the high frequency power having the second high frequency.

6. The substrate processing method of claim 5 ,
wherein the magnetic pole on the processing space side of each electromagnet belonging to the first electromagnet group and the second electromagnet group is set as an N pole and the magnetic pole on the processing space side of each electromagnet belonging to the third electromagnet group is set as an S pole.

7. The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein a diameter of a rod-shaped yoke included in each electromagnet belonging to one group of the first, second and third electromagnet groups is different from a diameter of a rod-shaped yoke included in each electromagnet belonging to another group of the first, second and third electromagnet groups, and
wherein a winding number of a coil included in each electromagnet belonging to one group of the first, second and third electromagnet groups is different from a winding number of a coil included in each electromagnet belonging to another group of the first, second and third electromagnet groups.

8. A substrate processing method performed by a substrate processing apparatus that generates an electric field in a processing space between a lower electrode to which a high frequency power is applied and an upper electrode provided to face the lower electrode, and that performs a plasma process on a substrate mounted on the lower electrode with plasma generated by the electric field, the substrate processing apparatus comprising multiple electromagnets arranged on a top surface of the upper electrode opposite to the processing space, wherein:
each of the electromagnets is radially arranged with respect to a central portion of the upper electrode facing a central portion of the substrate,
the multiple electromagnets are divided into a first electromagnet group, a second electromagnet group, and a third electromagnet group,
the first electromagnet group includes the electromagnets facing the central portion of the substrate, the second electromagnet group includes the electromagnets facing a peripheral portion of the substrate, and the third electromagnet group includes the electromagnets arranged on an outside of the second electromagnet group with respect to the central portion of the upper electrode without facing the substrate, and
magnetic poles on the processing space side of the electromagnets belonging to the first electromagnet group are identical to each other, magnetic poles on the processing space side of the electromagnets belonging to the second electromagnet group are identical to each other, and magnetic poles on the processing space side of the electromagnets belonging to the third electromagnet group are identical to each other, and
the substrate processing method comprises:
setting a magnetic pole on the processing space side of each electromagnet belonging to one of the first, second and third electromagnet groups to be different from a magnetic pole on the processing space side of each electromagnet belonging to the other two electromagnet groups;
generating the electric field by applying the high frequency power to the lower electrode;
performing a first process on the substrate with the plasma generated by the electric field; and
performing a second process on the substrate after performing the first process,
wherein a first high frequency power supply that

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Yokota Akihiro
• Ito Etsuji
• Himori Shinji

Classifications

• H01J37/32091 Primary

  the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma · CPC title

• H01J2237/334

  Etching · CPC title

• H01J37/3266 Primary

  Magnetic control means · CPC title

• C23C14/3492

  Variation of parameters during sputtering · CPC title

• C23C14/54

  Controlling or regulating the coating process · CPC title