SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20180182601A1
• Filed: 12/26/2017
• Published: 06/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corp.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: TAKEDA, Tsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,679,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45542 Plasma being used non-continuously during the ALD reactions
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/50 using electric discharges generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/505 using radio frequency discharges
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/24564 Measurements of electric or magnetic variables, e.g. voltage, current, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2485 Electric or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/327 Arrangements for generating the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3321 CVD [Chemical Vapor Deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32155 Frequency modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32183 Matching circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32541 Shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0217 the material being a silicon nitride not containing oxygen, e.g. SixNy or SixByNz H01L21/02126 and H01L21/0214 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02211 the compound being a silane, e.g. disilane, methylsilane or chlorosilane
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02274 in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/26 Acting in response to an ongoing measurement without interruption of processing, e.g. endpoint detection, in-situ thickness measurement endpoint detection arrangements in CMP apparatus B24B37/013, in discharge apparatus H01J37/32

Abstract

Described herein is a technique capable of uniformly processing substrates. According to the technique described herein, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a process chamber where a substrate is processed; a gas supply configured to supply a gas into the process chamber; a plasma generator configured to plasma-excite the gas supplied into the process chamber, the plasma generator including an electrode electrically connected to a high frequency power source; an impedance meter configured to measure an impedance of the plasma generator; a determiner configured to determine an amount of active species generated by the plasma generator based on the impedance measured by the impedance meter; and a controller configured to control the high frequency power source based on the amount of active species determined by the determiner.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a process chamber where a substrate is processed;

a gas supply configured to supply a gas into the process chamber;

a plasma generator configured to plasma-excite the gas supplied into the process chamber, the plasma generator including an electrode electrically connected to a high frequency power source;

an impedance meter configured to measure an impedance of the plasma generator;

a determiner configured to determine an amount of active species of plasma generated by the plasma generator based on the impedance measured by the impedance meter; and

a controller configured to control the high frequency power source based on the amount of active species determined by the determiner.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the high frequency power source to adjust an electrical power or a frequency thereof applied to the electrode based on a comparison between the impedance measured by the impedance meter and a predetermined impedance.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to control the high frequency power source to adjust an electrical power or a frequency thereof applied to the electrode such that the impedance of the plasma generator is maintained at the predetermined impedance.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to control the high frequency power source to adjust an electrical power or a frequency thereof applied to the electrode such that the amount of active species generated by the plasma generator is adjusted.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the impedance comprises at least reactance, and the controller is further configured to determine the amount of active species to be adequate when the reactance is within a predetermined range.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the impedance comprises at least reactance, and the controller is further configured to determine the amount of active species to be inadequate when the reactance is out of a predetermined range.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the impedance comprises at least resistance, and the controller is further configured to determine the electrode to be short-circuited when the resistance is lower than a lower limit of a predetermined range.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the impedance comprises at least resistance, and the controller is further configured to determine the electrode to be deteriorated or disconnected when the resistance is higher than an upper limit of a predetermined range.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plasma generator further comprises a plurality of electrodes, and further comprising a plurality of switches electrically connected between the impedance meter and the plurality of electrodes.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to control switching operations of the plurality of switches such that a high frequency wave is selectively applied to the plurality of electrodes.

11. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

(a) loading a substrate into a process chamber;

(b) supplying a gas into the process chamber;

(c) measuring an impedance of en electrode of a plasma generator electrically connected to a high frequency power source;

(d) determining an amount of active species generated by the plasma generator based on the impedance measured in (c);

(e) controlling the high frequency power source based on the amount of active species determined in (d) to activate the gas supplied into the process chamber into plasma; and

(f) supplying the gas activated into plasma to the substrate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the high frequency power source is controlled to adjust an electrical power or a frequency thereof applied to the electrode in (e) based on a comparison between the impedance measured in (c) and a predetermined impedance.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the high frequency power source is controlled to adjust the electrical power or the frequency thereof applied to the electrode in (e) such that the impedance of the plasma generator maintained at the predetermined impedance.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the high frequency power source is controlled to adjust the electrical power or the frequency thereof applied to the electrode in (e) such that the amount of active species generated by the plasma generator is adjusted.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the high frequency power source is controlled to adjust an electrical power or a frequency thereof applied to the electrode in (e) based on the amount of active species determined in (d).

16. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes, by a computer, a substrate processing apparatus to perform:

(a) loading a substrate into a process chamber;

(b) supplying a gas into the process chamber;

(c) measuring an impedance of en electrode of a plasma generator electrically connected to a high frequency power source;

(d) determining an amount of active species generated by the plasma generator based on the impedance measured in (c);

(e) controlling the high frequency power source based on the amount of active species determined in (d) to activate the gas supplied into the process chamber into plasma; and

(f) supplying the gas activated into plasma to the substrate.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 16, wherein the high frequency power source is controlled to adjust an electrical power or a frequency thereof applied to the electrode in (e) based on a comparison between the impedance measured in (c) and a predetermined impedance.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 17, wherein the high frequency power source is controlled to adjust the electrical power or the frequency thereof applied to the electrode in (e) such that the impedance of the plasma generator maintained at the predetermined impedance.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 17, wherein the high frequency power source is controlled to adjust the electrical power or the frequency thereof applied to the electrode in (e) such that the amount of active species generated by the plasma generator is adjusted.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 16, wherein the high frequency power source is controlled to adjust an electrical power or a frequency thereof applied to the electrode in (e) based on the amount of active species determined in (d).