PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS AND PLASMA PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20200135430A1
• Filed: 09/06/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: INOUE, Masaki, KOYAMA, Koji, SAKAI, Yasutaka
• Granted Patent: US 11,217,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/334 Etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32266 Means for controlling power transmitted to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/46 using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy H05H1/26 takes precedence

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus comprises a processing chamber, a gas supply unit, a power supply unit and a frequency control unit. The processing chamber accommodates a target object. The gas supply unit supplies a processing gas into the processing chamber. The power supply unit supplies a power of a predetermined frequency band into the processing chamber to generate plasma of the processing gas in the processing chamber. The frequency control unit sweeps a frequency of the power supplied into the processing chamber by the power supply unit from a first frequency to a second frequency at the time of generating the plasma of the processing gas in the processing chamber.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber that accommodates a target object;

a gas supply unit configured to supply a processing gas into the processing chamber;

a power supply unit configured to supply a power of a predetermined frequency band into the processing chamber to generate plasma of the processing gas in the processing chamber; and

a frequency control unit configured to sweep a frequency of the power supplied into the processing chamber by the power supply unit from a first frequency to a second frequency at the time of generating the plasma of the processing gas in the processing chamber.

2. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frequency of the power is swept multiple times from the first frequency to the second frequency.

3. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frequency control unit sweeps the frequency of the power at a speed of 50 milliseconds or less per 100 MHz.

4. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the frequency control unit sweeps the frequency of the power at a speed of 50 milliseconds or less per 100 MHz.

5. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined frequency band is a microwave band.

6. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the predetermined frequency band is a microwave band.

7. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the predetermined frequency band is a microwave band.

8. A plasma processing method comprising:

loading a target object into a processing chamber;

supplying a processing gas into the processing chamber; and

generating plasma of the processing gas in the processing chamber by supplying a power of a predetermined frequency band into the processing chamber,

wherein in said generating the plasma of the processing gas in the processing chamber, a frequency of the power supplied into the processing chamber is swept from a first frequency to a second frequency.