Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023420225-A1
Application number	US-202318368028-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 14, 2023
Priority date	Mar 15, 2021
Publication date	Dec 28, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A substrate processing method in a substrate processing apparatus includes (a) supplying a process gas that contains a gas containing halogen other than fluorine and a gas containing oxygen, to a processing container in which a stage is disposed, the stage being configured to place thereon a workpiece having an etching target film, (b) performing plasma processing on the workpiece by first plasma generated from the process gas under first plasma generation conditions, (c) performing plasma processing on the workpiece by second plasma generated from the process gas under second plasma generation conditions in which a condition of radio-frequency power and a processing time are different from those in the first plasma generation conditions, and other conditions are the same, and (d) repeating (b) and (c).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A substrate processing method in a substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing method comprising:
(a) supplying a process gas that contains a gas containing halogen other than fluorine and a gas containing oxygen, to a processing container in which a stage is disposed, the stage being configured to place thereon a workpiece including an etching target film; (b) performing a first plasma processing on the workpiece by first plasma generated from the process gas under first plasma generation conditions; (c) performing a second plasma processing on the workpiece by second plasma generated from the process gas under second plasma generation conditions in which a condition of radio-frequency power and a processing time are different from those in the first plasma generation conditions, and other conditions are substantially the same; and (d) repeating (b) and (c).

2 . The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in (b), radicals of the halogen, which are generated by the first plasma, are supplied to a surface of the etching target film, and
in (c), the etching target film is etched by etchants generated by the second plasma.

3 . The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the second plasma generation conditions are conditions under which a bias potential is generated on the workpiece.

4 . The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in (b), a generation amount of radicals of the oxygen generated by the first plasma is less than a generation amount of radicals of the oxygen generated by the second plasma in (c).

5 . The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
(e) generating no plasma, wherein in (d), (b), (c), and (e) are repeated in an order of (b), (c), and (e).

6 . The substrate processing method according to claim 5 , wherein a condition of the process gas introduced in (e) is a same condition as conditions of the process gas introduced in (b) and (c).

7 . The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the etching target film is a film containing at least silicon or germanium.

8 . The substrate processing method according to claim 7 , wherein the etching target film is a single-layer film of any one of silicon, germanium, and silicon germanium, or a laminated film of two or more thereof.

9 . The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the workpiece further includes a mask made of a silicon compound, on the etching target film, and
the etching target film is etched through an opening of the mask.

10 . The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the workpiece has a first region composed of the etching target film, and a second region composed of a silicon compound, and the first region is selectively etched over the second region.

11 . The substrate processing method according to claim 9 , wherein the silicon compound is at least one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and silicon nitride oxide.

12 . The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in the first plasma generation conditions and the second plasma generation conditions, the condition of the radio-frequency power and the processing time are adjusted according to a depth of the etched etching target film.

13 . The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in the second plasma generation conditions, application power of the radio-frequency power is higher than application power of the radio-frequency power in the first plasma generation conditions.

14 . The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in the second plasma generation conditions, a frequency of the radio-frequency power is higher than a frequency of the radio-frequency power in the first plasma generation conditions.

15 . The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the first plasma and the second plasma are inductively coupled plasma or capacitively coupled plasma.

16 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a processing container; a stage disposed within the processing container, and configured to place thereon a workpiece having an etching target film; and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to: (a) supply a process gas that contains a gas containing halogen other than fluorine and a gas containing oxygen, to a processing container in which a stage is disposed, the stage being configured to place thereon a workpiece including an etching target film; (b) perform a first plasma processing on the workpiece by first plasma generated from the process gas under first plasma generation conditions; (c) perform a second plasma processing on the workpiece by second plasma generated from the process gas under second plasma generation conditions in which a condition of radio-frequency power and a processing time are different from those in the first plasma generation conditions, and other conditions are the same; and (d) repeat (b) and (c).

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Huang Tejung
• Ogawa Shuhei
• Thomas Cedric

Classifications

• H01J37/321

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

• H01J37/32091

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

• H01J37/32165

  Plural frequencies · CPC title

• H01J37/32137

  controlling of the discharge by modulation of energy · CPC title

• H10P50/69

  using masks for semiconductor materials · CPC title