The plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019006153-A1
Application number	US-201715562353-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 30, 2017
Priority date	Sep 28, 2016
Publication date	Jan 3, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

In order to provide a plasma processing apparatus or method with improved processing uniformity, a plasma processing apparatus includes: a processing chamber which is disposed inside a vacuum container; a sample stage which is disposed inside the processing chamber and has a top surface for placing a wafer corresponding to a processing target thereon; an electric field forming part which forms an electric field supplied into the processing chamber; a coil which forms a magnetic field for forming plasma inside the processing chamber by an interaction with the electric field; and a controller which increases or decreases intensity of the plasma inside the processing chamber by repeatedly increasing or decreasing intensity of the magnetic field formed by the coil at a predetermined interval, wherein the wafer is processed while the plasma is repeatedly formed and diffused.

First claim

1 . A plasma processing apparatus comprising:
a processing chamber which is disposed inside a vacuum container; a sample stage which is disposed inside the processing chamber and has a top surface for placing a wafer corresponding to a processing target thereon; an electric field forming part which forms an electric field supplied into the processing chamber; a coil which forms a magnetic field for forming plasma inside the processing chamber by an interaction with the electric field; and a controller which increases or decreases intensity of the plasma inside the processing chamber by repeatedly increasing or decreasing intensity of the magnetic field formed by the coil at a predetermined interval, wherein the wafer is processed while the plasma is repeatedly formed and diffused.

2 . The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller decreases the intensity of the magnetic field of the coil after the plasma is formed and a change in intensity of the plasma falls within a predetermined range.

3 . The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller increases the magnetic field of the coil after an amount representing the intensity of the plasma becomes smaller than a predetermined lower limit value.

4 . The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the controller decreases the magnetic field to remove the plasma and increases the magnetic field to form the plasma again.

5 . The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller increases or decreases the magnetic field of the coil by using a result of an amount representing the intensity of the plasma or a change in intensity thereof while the wafer is processed.

6 . A plasma processing method of placing a wafer corresponding to a processing target on a top surface of a sample stage inside a processing chamber of a vacuum container, supplying an electric field and a magnetic field interacting with the electric field into the processing chamber to form plasma inside the processing chamber, and processing the wafer,
wherein intensity of the magnetic field formed by the coil is repeatedly increased or decreased at a predetermined interval to increase or decrease intensity of the plasma inside the processing chamber and the plasma is repeatedly formed and diffused to process the wafer.

7 . The plasma processing method according to claim 6 ,
wherein the intensity of the magnetic field of the coil is decreased after the plasma is formed and a change in intensity of the plasma falls within a predetermined range.

8 . The plasma processing method according to claim 6 ,
wherein the magnetic field of the coil is increased after an amount representing the intensity of the plasma becomes smaller than a predetermined lower limit value.

9 . The plasma processing method according to claim 8 ,
wherein the magnetic field is decreased to remove the plasma and is increased to form the plasma again.

10 . The plasma processing method according to claim 6 ,
wherein the magnetic field of the coil is increased or decreased by using a result of an amount representing the intensity of the plasma or a change in intensity thereof while the wafer is processed.

11 . The plasma processing method according to claim 7 ,
wherein the magnetic field of the coil is increased or decreased by using a result of an amount representing the intensity of the plasma or a change in intensity thereof while the wafer is processed.

12 . The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the controller increases or decreases the magnetic field of the coil by using a result of an amount representing the intensity of the plasma or a change in intensity thereof while the wafer is processed.

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• TAMARI Nanako
• Tamura Hitoshi
• Yasui Naoki

Classifications

• H10P72/0421

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• H10P50/242

  of Group IV materials · CPC title

• H01J37/32935

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

• H01J37/32678

  Electron cyclotron resonance · CPC title

• H01J37/3299

  Feedback systems · CPC title