Plasma processing apparatus, plasma processing method and plasma processing analysis method

• US 10,408,762 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2015
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Asakura, Ryoji, Tamaki, Kenji, Shiraishi, Daisuke, Kagoshima, Akira, Inoue, Satomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Everhart, Caridad
• Application Number:
  US14/825,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20160225681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/68 using high frequency electric fields
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32926 Software, data control or modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32972 Spectral analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3299 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus, plasma processing method, and plasma processing analysis method in which a suitable combination of wavelength, time interval, and etching condition parameter for control to change etching conditions is determined among wavelengths, time intervals, and changeable parameters for spectroscopic measurement data in order to ensure stable etching conditions. Specifically, a regression equation which represents the correlation between emission intensity and etching result at a wavelength and a time interval is obtained for each of two or more combinations of wavelength, time interval, and etching condition parameter. Furthermore, for each of the combinations, the amount of change is calculated from the regression equation when the value set for the etching condition parameter is changed. Among the combinations, the combination for which the amount of change is the smallest is determined as the combination of wavelength, time interval, and changed etching condition parameter to be used for control.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus which performs plasma processing on a specimen with Advanced Process Control (APC) in use as control to suppress fluctuations in plasma processing by feedback control or feedforward control, the apparatus comprising:

an analysis unit configured to select a combination for the APC of plasma emission wavelength, time interval for the plasma emission wavelength, and a parameter for the plasma processing,

wherein the analysis unit is configured to

obtain a first regression equation representing correlation between a plasma emission intensity and a plasma processing result from temporal change data of the plasma processing;

change said parameter for the plasma processing by employing the plasma emission intensity and the plasma processing result so as to obtain a second regression equation representing correlation between the plasma emission intensity and the plasma processing result according to a changed recipe based on experimental data; and

select a combination of the plasma emission wavelength, the time interval for the plasma emission wavelength, and said parameter for the plasma processing based on a difference between a gradient of the first regression equation for the fixed recipe and a gradient of the second regression equation, and

wherein the analysis unit further calculates a weighted sum of a residual of the first regression equation and a residual of the second regression equation and finds the combination based on the difference and the weighted sum.

2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the parameter is provided in plurality.

3. A plasma processing apparatus which performs plasma processing on a specimen with Advanced Process Control (APC) in use as control to suppress fluctuations in plasma processing by feedback control or feedforward control, and is connected to an analysis unit configured to select a combination for the APC of emission wavelength, time interval for the emission wavelength, and a parameter for the plasma processing,

an etching unit connected to an analysis unit configured to find a combination for the APC of plasma emission wavelength, time interval for the plasma emission wavelength, and a parameter for the plasma processing,

wherein the analysis unit is further configured to

obtain a first regression equation representing correlation between a plasma emission intensity and a plasma processing result from temporal change data of the plasma processing;

change said parameter for the plasma processing by employing the plasma emission intensity and the plasma processing result, so as to obtain a second regression equation representing correlation between the plasma emission intensity and plasma processing result; and

select a combination of the plasma emission wavelength, the time interval for the plasma emission wavelength, and said parameter for the plasma processing based on a difference between a gradient of the first regression equation and a gradient of the second regression, and

wherein the analysis unit further calculates a weighted sum of a residual of the first regression equation and a residual of the second regression equation and finds the combination based on the difference and the weighted sum.

4. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the parameter is provided in plurality.

5. A plasma processing apparatus which performs plasma processing on a specimen with Advanced Process Control (APC) in use as control to suppress fluctuations in plasma processing by feedback control or feedforward control, the apparatus comprising:

an analysis unit configured to select a combination for the APC of plasma emission wavelength, time interval for the plasma emission wavelength, and a parameter for the plasma processing,

wherein the analysis unit is configured to

obtain a first regression equation representing correlation between a plasma emission intensity and a plasma processing result from temporal change data of the plasma processing;

change said parameter for the plasma processing by employing the plasma emission intensity and the plasma processing result so as to obtain a second regression equation representing correlation between the plasma emission intensity and the plasma processing result according to a changed recipe based on experimental data; and

select a combination of the plasma emission wavelength, the time interval for the plasma emission wavelength, and said parameter for the plasma processing based on a difference between a gradient of the first regression equation for the fixed recipe and a gradient of the second regression equation,

wherein the analysis unit adds to the difference estimation error of the second regression equation as a square average of residual of the second regression equation divided by the emission intensity result by changing the parameter, and finds the combination based on the difference to which the estimation error is added.

6. A plasma processing apparatus which performs plasma processing on a specimen with Advanced Process Control (APC) in use as control to suppress fluctuations in plasma processing by feedback control or feedforward control, and is connected to an analysis unit configured to select a combination for the APC of plasma emission wavelength, time interval for the plasma emission wavelength, and a parameter for the plasma processing,

wherein the analysis unit is further configured to

obtain a first regression equation representing correlation between a plasma emission intensity and a plasma processing result from temporal change data of the plasma processing;

change said parameter for the plasma processing by employing the plasma emission intensity and the plasma processing result, so as to obtain a second regression equation representing correlation between the plasma emission intensity and plasma processing result; and

select a combination of the plasma emission wavelength, the time interval for the plasma emission wavelength, and said parameter for the plasma processing based on a difference between a gradient of the first regression equation and a gradient of the second regression,

wherein the analysis unit adds to the difference estimation error of the second regression equation as a square average of residual of the second regression equation divided by the plasma emission intensity result by changing the parameter, and finds the combination based on the difference to which the estimation error is added.