Plasma ashing method and apparatus therefor
First Claim
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1. A plasma ashing method for removing a resist film on a coated substrate comprising the steps of:
- placing the substrate coated with said resist film in a vacuum chamber;
simultaneously ashing the resist film by an oxygen plasma while heating the substrate to remove said resist film;
initially maintaining a temperature of the substrate during said step of ashing at a temperature below that at which explosion of said resist film occurs until a surface portion of said resist film has been removed; and
thereafter increasing the temperature during said step of ashing to remove remaining portions of said resist film.
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Abstract
In a method for plasma ashing a resist film coated on a substrate, the temperature of the substrate is controlled initially at temperatures below that at which explosion of the resist film occurs until a surface portion of a resist film has been removed. Thereafter, the substrate temperature is increased to remove the remaining portions of the resist film. An apparatus for conducting the method includes a plurality of supports, which may be movably disposed within a vacuum treatment chamber for moving the substrate away from a source of heat and for moving the substrate into contact with the heating source.
74 Citations
8 Claims
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1. A plasma ashing method for removing a resist film on a coated substrate comprising the steps of:
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placing the substrate coated with said resist film in a vacuum chamber; simultaneously ashing the resist film by an oxygen plasma while heating the substrate to remove said resist film; initially maintaining a temperature of the substrate during said step of ashing at a temperature below that at which explosion of said resist film occurs until a surface portion of said resist film has been removed; and thereafter increasing the temperature during said step of ashing to remove remaining portions of said resist film.
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2. A plasma ashing apparatus comprising:
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a vacuum treatment chamber for receiving a substrate coated with a resist film; a vacuum exhaust port in open communication with the vacuum treatment chamber; heating means located within the vacuum treatment chamber for heating the substrate; a plurality of pins for supporting a rear surface of the substrate a distance away from the heating means; introducing port means for introducing reactive gas radicals to said vacuum treatment chamber, the reactive gas radicals being formed from an oxygen-containing gas and being capable of removing the resist film from the substrate by ashing; and means for generating reactive gas radicals to be introduced into said vacuum treatment chamber with said introducing port means. - View Dependent Claims (3)
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4. A plasma ashing apparatus comprising:
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a vacuum treatment chamber for receiving a substrate coated with a resist film; a vacuum exhaust port in open communication with said vacuum treatment chamber; heating means located within said vacuum treatment chamber for heating the substrate; means for introducing reaction gas radicals to said vacuum treatment chamber, the reaction gas radicals formed from an oxygen-containing gas and being capable of removing the resist film from the substrate by ashing; means associated with said introducing means for generating the reaction gas radicals; a front electrode disposed in front of the substrate, in an opposed relation thereto, at a distance capable of generating a plasma; a rear electrode disposed on a rear side of the substrate in an opposed relationship thereto, said rear electrode being disposed at a narrow distance relative to the rear side of the substrate whereby a plasma is incapable of being generated; and a high-frequency power source and a ground, said front and rear electrodes selectively connected to said power source and ground. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. A plasma ashing apparatus comprising:
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a vacuum treatment chamber for receiving a substrate coated with a photo resist film on a surface thereof, said vacuum treatment chamber having therein heating means to heat said substrate; a reactive gas introduction pipe for conveying a reactive gas to said vacuum treatment chamber and having, in an intermediate portion of said reactive gas introduction pipe, a plasma applicator to generate plasma of the reactive gas; and a vacuum exhaust pipe having, at a first end, a vacuum exhaust port in open communication with said vacuum treatment chamber and having a second end connected to a vacuum pump, an inside of said vacuum treatment chamber being divided into two chambers by a shower plate, the shower plate including a perforated plate provided along a surface of the substrate, and further the shower plate having defined thereon a plurality of small holes on a majority of its surface and a hole of larger diameter relative to the plurality of small holes, located on the surface of the shower plate in a position which faces the surface of the substrate at a central portion thereof, said vacuum exhaust pipe being connected to a first side of the two chambers in which the substrate is located, and said reactive gas introduction pipe being connected to a second side of the two chambers whereby reactive gas introduced from said reactive gas introduction pipe, in an ionized condition, is caused to flow along a surface of the substrate to ash the resist film on the surface of the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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Specification