PLASMA PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20130146563A1
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shimada, Takeshi, Yoshida, Atsushi, ABE, Takahiro, Yamada, Kentaro, Fujita, Daisuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,591,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 216/22
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 4/00 Processes for removing metallic material from surfaces, not provided for in group C23F1/00 or C23F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: C23G 5/00 Cleaning or de-greasing metallic material by other methods; Apparatus for cleaning or de-greasing metallic material with organic solvents
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/334 Etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/321 the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/01 Manufacture or treatment

Abstract

A method for plasma-etching a magnetic film and plasma-cleaning, in which deposits in an etching processing chamber are efficiently removed while corrosion of a wafer is suppressed, is provided. A plasma processing method for plasma-etching a to-be-processed substrate having a magnetic film in an etching processing chamber includes the steps of plasma-etching the magnetic film using a first gas not containing chlorine, transferring out the to-be-processed substrate from the etching processing chamber, first plasma-cleaning of the etching processing chamber using a second gas containing chlorine, and second plasma-cleaning using a third gas containing hydrogen after the first plasma cleaning.

Claims

1. A plasma processing method for plasma-etching a to-be-processed substrate having a magnetic film in an etching processing chamber, comprising the steps of:

plasma-etching said magnetic film using a first gas not comprising chlorine;

transferring out said to-be-processed substrate having said magnetic film plasma-etched from said etching processing chamber; and

plasma-cleaning said etching processing chamber, said plasma-cleaning further comprising the steps of;

first plasma-cleaning to plasma-clean using a second gas comprising chlorine; and

second plasma-cleaning to plasma-clean using a third gas comprising hydrogen after said first plasma-cleaning.

2. The plasma processing method according to claim 1, wherein said plasma-cleaning further comprises a step of third plasma-cleaning to plasma-clean using an oxygen gas before said first plasma-cleaning.

3. The plasma processing method according to claim 1, wherein said second gas is any one of a chlorine gas, a boron trichloride gas, and a mixed gas of a chlorine gas and a boron trichloride gas.

4. The plasma processing method according to claim 1, wherein said third gas comprising hydrogen is a methanol gas.

5. The plasma processing method according to claim 1, wherein said magnetic film is a film containing at least one of iron, cobalt, and nickel.

6. A plasma processing method for plasma-etching a to-be-processed substrate having a magnetic film in an etching processing chamber using an inductively coupled plasma etching apparatus having a Faraday shield, comprising the steps of:

plasma-etching said magnetic film using a first gas not comprising chlorine;

transferring out said to-be-processed substrate having said magnetic film plasma-etched from said etching processing chamber; and

plasma-cleaning said etching processing chamber, said plasma-cleaning further comprising the steps of;

first plasma-cleaning to plasma-clean using a second gas comprising chlorine; and

second plasma-cleaning to plasma-clean using a third gas comprising hydrogen after said first plasma-cleaning, said second plasma-cleaning being performed while applying to said Faraday shield a voltage lower than a voltage applied to said Faraday shield during said first plasma-cleaning.

7. An etching processing method of a magnetic film material comprising:

a first step of etching a to-be-processed substrate of a magnetic film material by a first gas not comprising chlorine;

a second step of transferring out said to-be-processed substrate;

a third step of producing plasma by a second gas comprising chlorine in an etching processing chamber; and

a fourth step of producing plasma by a third gas comprising hydrogen in an etching processing chamber;

wherein each of said first to fourth steps is performed in a described sequence or, after said first and second steps are repeatedly performed, said third and fourth steps are performed.