Plasma processing apparatus

• US 10,276,405 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2015
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Miyata, Akinori, Senzaki, Shigeru, Haga, Hirofumi, Nakao, Nobutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Zervigon, Rudy
• Application Number:
  US14/964,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20160172217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 118715, 15634533
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32449 Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32834 Exhausting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67017 Apparatus for fluid treatment H01L21/67126, H01L21/6715 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus includes: a processing container; a processing gas supply unit; a mounting table configured to mount a to-be-processed substrate thereon; an upper electrode provided above the mounting table; a plasma generation unit configured to supply a high frequency power to generate plasma of the processing gas; an exhaust flow path formed by a side wall of the processing container and a side surface of the mounting table; a conductive rectification plate configured to adjust a flow of the processing gas discharged to outside of the processing container; a conductor arranged in the exhaust flow path at a position higher than the rectification plate and lower than the to-be-processed substrate to face at least a part of the upper electrode. A distance of the conductor in the height direction in relation to the to-be-processed surface of the substrate is set to be within a predetermined range.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:

a processing container;

a gas supply unit configured to supply a processing gas into the processing container;

an electrostatic chuck located within the processing container, and configured to mount a to-be-processed substrate thereon;

a mounting table located below the electrostatic chuck and is configured to support the electrostatic chuck;

an upper electrode located at an upper side of the electrostatic chuck;

a plasma generation unit configured to supply a high frequency power to at least one of the upper electrode and the mounting table to generate plasma of the processing gas within the processing container;

an exhaust flow path formed by a side wall of the processing container and a side surface of the mounting table;

an electrically conductive rectification plate located in the exhaust flow path, and configured to adjust a flow of the processing gas that is discharged to outside of the processing container by the exhaust flow path; and

a first electrical conductor and a second electrical conductor arranged in the exhaust flow path at a position higher than the rectification plate and lower than the to-be-processed substrate to face at least a part of the upper electrode, a distance of the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor in a height direction in relation to a to-be-processed surface of the to-be-processed substrate being set to be within a predetermined range,

wherein the first electrical conductor is located on the side surface of the mounting table and separate from the side wall of the processing container,

wherein the second electrical conductor is located on the side wall of the processing container and separate from the side surface of the mounting table, and

wherein the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor are arranged to overlap with each other in a central area of the exhaust flow path.

2. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first electrical conductor is located at a position lower than the first electrical conductor.

3. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a distance between the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor along the height direction is within a range of 20 mm to 40 mm.