Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11967485-B2
Application number	US-202017083709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2020
Priority date	Nov 5, 2019
Publication date	Apr 23, 2024
Grant date	Apr 23, 2024

Abstract

There is provided a plasma processing apparatus including: a chamber having a processing space in which a plasma processing is performed on a substrate and a synthetic space in which electromagnetic waves are synthesized; a dielectric window configured to partition the processing space and the synthetic space; an antenna unit including a plurality of antennas configured to radiate the electromagnetic waves to the synthetic space; an electromagnetic wave output part configured to output the electromagnetic waves to the antenna unit; and a controller configured to control the antenna unit to function as the phased array antenna, wherein the plurality of antennas are helical antennas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:
a chamber having a processing space in which a plasma processing is performed on a substrate and a synthetic space in which electromagnetic waves are synthesized;
a dielectric window configured to partition the processing space and the synthetic space;
an antenna unit including a plurality of antennas configured to radiate the electromagnetic waves to the synthetic space and configured to function as a phased array antenna;
an electromagnetic wave output part configured to output the electromagnetic waves to the antenna unit; and
a controller configured to control the antenna unit to function as the phased array antenna,
wherein the plurality of antennas are helical antennas, and
wherein each of the helical antennas has a pitch in a range of λ/12 to λ/8 and a number of turns of 1 to 3, where λ is a wavelength of the electromagnetic waves.

2. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller controls a phase of each of the electromagnetic waves radiated from the plurality of antennas so that the electromagnetic waves are focused at an arbitrary position on a surface of the dielectric window by interference to form a focusing portion when the electromagnetic waves are synthesized in the synthetic space.

3. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to control a plasma distribution in the processing space by moving the focusing portion based on the control of the phase.

4. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to control an average electric field distribution per unit time by changing a movement speed of the focusing portion based on the control of the phase.

5. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the antenna unit includes a plurality of phase shifters provided to respectively correspond to the plurality of antennas, and phases of the electromagnetic waves radiated from the plurality of antennas are adjusted by the plurality of phase shifters.

6. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein a diameter of each of the helical antennas is λ/π.

7. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of antennas is provided so as to extend vertically from an inner surface of an upper wall of the synthetic space to the synthetic space.

8. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein a height of the synthetic space is in a range of λ/4 to λ/2, and a height from a lower end of each of the helical antennas to a surface of the dielectric window is in a range of λ/8 to λ/2.

9. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the antenna unit includes a plurality of phase shifters provided to respectively correspond to the plurality of antennas, and phases of the electromagnetic waves radiated from the plurality of antennas are adjusted by the plurality of phase shifters.

10. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of each of the helical antennas is λ/π.

11. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of antennas is provided so as to extend vertically from an inner surface of an upper wall of the synthetic space to the synthetic space.

12. A plasma processing method of performing a plasma processing on a substrate with a plasma processing apparatus,
wherein the plasma processing apparatus includes:
a chamber having a processing space in which the plasma processing is performed on the substrate and a synthetic space in which electromagnetic waves are synthesized;
a dielectric window configured to partition the processing space and the synthetic space;
an antenna unit including a plurality of antennas configured to radiate the electromagnetic waves to the synthetic space; and
an electromagnetic wave output part configured to output the electromagnetic waves to the antenna unit,
wherein the plurality of antennas are helical antennas, the plasma processing method comprising:
disposing the substrate in the processing space;
controlling a phase of each of the electromagnetic waves radiated from the plurality of antennas so that the antenna unit functions as a phased array antenna;
radiating the electromagnetic waves, the phase of each of which is controlled, from the plurality of antennas to the synthetic space, and focusing the electromagnetic waves at an arbitrary position on a surface of the dielectric window to form a focusing portion; and
subsequently, generating plasma in the processing space by the electromagnetic waves that transmit through the dielectric window, and processing the substrate with the plasma, and

wherein each of the helical antennas has a pitch in a range of λ/2 to λ/8 and a number of turns of 1 to 3, where λ is a wavelength of the electromagnetic waves.

13. The plasma processing method of claim 12 , further comprising: controlling a distribution of the plasma generated in the processing space by moving the focusing portion by controlling the phase.

14. The plasma processing method of claim 13 , further comprising: controlling an average electric field distribution per unit time by changing a movement speed of the focusing portion by controlling the phase.

15. The plasma processing method of claim 12 , further comprising: controlling an average electric field distribution per unit time by changing a movement speed of the focusing portion by controlling the phase.

16. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a distance between the helical antennas is equal to or less than λ/2.

17. The plasma processing method of claim 12 , wherein a distance between the helical antennas is equal to or less than λ/2.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Kamata Eiki
• Ikeda Taro
• Sato Mikio
• Yamamoto Nobuhiko

Classifications

• H10P50/242

  of Group IV materials · CPC title

• H01J37/3222 Primary

  Antennas · CPC title

• H01J37/32238 Primary

  Windows · CPC title

• H05H1/46 Primary

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

• H01J37/3211 Primary

  Antennas, e.g. particular shapes of coils · CPC title