PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20100163184A1
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nishio, Ryoji, Tamura, Tomoyuki, ICHINO, Takamasa, Obama, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 8,186,300 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/345.280
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus for processing a surface of a to-be-processed substrate includes a processing chamber, a first electrode provided in the processing chamber, a second electrode arranged in opposition to the first electrode, a main power source for supplying the first or second electrode with power for generating a plasma, a biasing power source for supplying the second or first electrode with biasing power, a gas supplying unit for supplying a processing gas into the processing chamber and a control unit for controlling the main power source, the biasing power source and the gas supplying unit. The control unit performs a control such that, during a time of transition from a stationary state of plasma, in which a plasma processing is to be carried out, to a plasma quenching, an output of the main power source is kept not larger than an output of the biasing power source.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus for processing a surface of a to-be-processed substrate, comprising:

a processing chamber;

a first electrode provided in said processing chamber;

a second electrode arranged in opposition to said first electrode;

a main power source for supplying said first electrode or said second electrode with power for generating a plasma;

a biasing power source for supplying said second electrode or said first electrode with biasing power;

a gas supplying unit for supplying a processing gas into said processing chamber; and

a control unit for controlling said main power source, said biasing power source and said gas supplying unit, wherein

said control unit performs a control such that, during a time of transition from a stationary state of plasma to a plasma quenching, an output of said main power source is kept not larger than an output of said biasing power source, a plasma processing being carried out in said stationary state of plasma.

2. A plasma processing apparatus for processing a surface of a to-be-processed substrate comprising:

a processing chamber;

a first electrode provided in said processing chamber;

a second electrode arranged in opposition to said first electrode;

a main power source for supplying said first or second electrode with power for generating a plasma;

a biasing power source for supplying said second or first electrode with biasing power;

a gas supplying unit for supplying a processing gas into said processing chamber; and

a control unit for controlling said main power source, said biasing power source and said gas supplying unit, wherein

said control unit performs a control such that, in a time of transition from a first state of plasma to a plasma quenching, a second state of plasma is created in which outputs of said main power source and said biasing power source are smaller than those in said first state of plasma, a plasma processing being carried out in said first state of plasma, and in said first state of plasma and during said time of transition including said second state of plasma, the output of said main power source is kept not larger than the output of said biasing power source.

3. A plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control unit serves to turn off, subsequent to said second state of plasma, powers of said main power source and said biasing power source to thereby quench a plasma.

4. A plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control unit serves to start to lower, in said second state of plasma, a pressure for said processing gas, serves to detect a quenching of a plasma by use of a luminosity monitor provided in said processing chamber and serves to turn off, after detection of the quenching of the plasma, said main power source said the biasing power source.

5. A plasma processing apparatus for processing a surface of a to-be-processed substrate comprising:

a processing chamber;

a first electrode provided in said processing chamber;

a second electrode arranged in opposition to said first electrode;

a main power source for supplying said first or second electrode with power for generating a plasma;

a biasing power source for supplying said second or first electrode with biasing power;

a gas supplying unit for supplying a processing gas into said processing chamber; and

a control unit for controlling said main power source, said biasing power source and said gas supplying unit, wherein

said control unit performs a control such that, for a plasma ignition, a second state of plasma is created in which outputs of the main power source and the biasing power source are smaller than those in a stationary state of plasma, a plasma processing being carried out in said stationary state of plasma, said creation of the second state of plasma being effected under conditions such that an output of said main power source is not larger than that of said biasing power source, and said stationary state of plasma is created from said second state of plasma.