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Method of detecting etching process end point in semiconductor fabricating equipment and detector therefor

  • US 20030085198A1
  • Filed: 04/15/2002
  • Published: 05/08/2003
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2001
  • Status: Abandoned Application
First Claim
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1. An etching end point detector for detecting an etching end point by using plasma light generated during a plasma process in a chamber of plasma etching equipment, the detector comprising:

  • an optical device for diffracting plasma light generated in the chamber according to a spectrum of the light and turning the light into a plurality of optical signals having different wavelengths;

    a photoelectric transducer including of a plurality of unit converting elements having their own unique addresses for receiving the plurality of optical signals and converting the plurality of optical signals into corresponding electric signals each having an intensity corresponding to an intensity of the corresponding optical signal;

    an A/D converter for converting the plurality of electric signals of the photoelectric transducer into light intensity data and simultaneously outputting the light intensity data and the unique addresses of the unit converting elements as digital data; and

    a signal processing device for differentiating the light intensity data and unique addresses, performing a light intensity data synthesizing process of accumulatively storing the light intensity data in sequence to the unique addresses by comparing and determining whether each unique address is identical to a value corresponding to a preset wavelength, until the original address is a last address, and providing the accumulatively stored light intensity data in real time to a control system that operates to terminate the etching process of the plasma etching equipment.

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