Self-bias measuring method, apparatus thereof and electrostatic chucking apparatus

• US 5,557,215 A
• Filed: 05/09/1994
• Issued: 09/17/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Saeki, Hiroaki, Kondo, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wieder, Kenneth A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOBERT, RUSSELL MARC
• Application Number:
  US08/239,982
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 204/298.31, 204/298.32, 204/298.34, 204/192.13, 156/643, 156/345, 216/59, 324/765
• US Class Current: 324/756.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/24 Arrangements for measuring quantities of charge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6833 Details of electrostatic chucks

Abstract

According to the present invention, there are provided a self-bias measurement method of measuring the self-bias voltage of an object when the object is subjected to a plasma process by using a plasma generated between a pair of electrodes, the object being held, by means of electrostatic chucking means having an electrostatic chucking electrode, on one of the pair of electrodes situated in a processing chamber, the method including the steps of detecting a leak current between the object and the electrostatic chucking electrode while varying the DC voltage applied to the electrostatic chucking electrode, and calculating the self-bias voltage of the object on the basis of the leak current detected, an apparatus for measuring the self-bias, and an electrostatic chucking apparatus having means capable of measuring the self-bias.

Claims

1. A self-bias measurement method of measuring the self-bias voltage of an object when the object is subjected to a plasma process by using a plasma generated between a pair of electrodes, said object being held, by means of electrostatic chucking means having an electrostatic chucking electrode, on one of the pair of electrodes situated in a processing chamber,

said method comprising the steps of:

detecting a leak current between the object and the electrostatic chucking electrode while varying the DC voltage applied to the electrostatic chucking electrode; and

calculating the self-bias voltage of the object on the basis of the leak current detected.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein in the self-bias voltage calculating step, a value of the DC voltage obtained when the leak current value is substantially zero is regarded as the self-bias voltage value.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein in the self-bias voltage calculating step, a value of substantially intermediate between the first and second voltage values obtained when the first and second current values of the leak currents having opposite polarities but the same absolute value, is regarded as the self-bias voltage value.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a DC voltage is applied to the electrostatic chucking electrode on the basis of the self-bias voltage value, such that a voltage difference between the object and the electrostatic chucking electrode is sufficient to obtained an electrostatic chucking force for chucking the object on the electrostatic chucking electrode.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein there are two of the electrostatic chucking electrodes, and a DC voltage is applied to each of the chucking electrodes while varying the DC voltage so that a polarity of a leak current flowing between one of the chucking electrodes and the object differs from that of a leak current flowing between the other chucking electrode and the object, whereby to detect the two leak currents flowing between the object and each of the chucking electrodes.

6. A self-bias measurement method of measuring the self-bias voltage of an object when the object is subjected to a plasma process by using a plasma generated between a pair of electrodes, said object being held by means of electrostatic chucking means having two electrostatic chucking electrodes on one of the pair of electrodes situated in a processing chamber, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting leak currents flowing between the object and each of the two electrostatic chucking electrodes while varying a DC voltage applied to each of the two electrostatic chucking electrodes so that a polarity of a leak current flowing between one of the two chucking electrodes and the object differs from that of a leak current flowing between the other of the two chucking electrodes and the object, and

calculating the self-bias voltage of the object on the basis of the leak currents detected, wherein an intermediate value between voltage values obtained when absolute values of the two leak currents are substantially equal to each other, is regarded as the self-bias voltage value.

7. A self-bias measurement apparatus comprising:

a pair of electrodes situated in a processing chamber;

electrostatic chucking means provided on one of the pair of electrodes, and having an electrostatic chucking electrode for chucking an object on the one of the electrodes by means of an electrostatic chucking force;

variable direct current voltage generating means for applying a variable direct current voltage to the electrostatic chucking electrode;

leak current detecting means for detecting a leak current between the object and the electrostatic chuck electrode; and

self-bias voltage detecting means for obtaining a self-bias voltage of the object on the basis of current/voltage characteristics between a voltage value of the variable direct current voltage and a current value of the leak current.

8. An electrostatic chucking apparatus comprising:

a pair of electrodes situated in a processing chamber;

electrostatic chucking means provided on one of the pair of electrodes, and having an electrostatic chucking electrode for chucking an object on the one of the electrodes by means of an electrostatic chucking force;

variable direct current voltage generating means for applying a variable direct current voltage to the electrostatic chucking electrode;

leak current detecting means for detecting a leak current between the object and the electrostatic chucking electrode;

self-bias voltage detecting means for obtaining a self-bias voltage of the object on the basis of current/voltage characteristics between a voltage value of the variable direct current voltage and a current value of the leak current; and

voltage controlling means for controlling the variable direct current voltage applied to the electrostatic chucking electrode on the basis of the self-bias voltage so that an electrostatic chucking force sufficient for chucking the object on the one of the electrodes.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the voltage controlling means controls the variable DC voltage so that a voltage substantially equal to a sum of or difference between the self-bias voltage value and the voltage value between the object and the chucking electrode necessary to have an electrostatic chucking force sufficient to hold the object on one of the chucking electrodes, is applied to the chucking electrode when the object is processed.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein there are two of the electrostatic chucking electrodes, and variable DC voltage detection means and leak current detection means are connected to each of the chucking electrodes.

11. An electrostatic chucking apparatus comprising:

a pair of electrodes situated in a processing chamber;

electrostatic chucking means provided on one of the pair of electrodes, and having two electrostatic chucking electrodes for chucking an object on one of the electrodes by means of an electrostatic chucking force;

variable direct current voltage generating means for applying a variable direct current voltage to each of the electrostatic chucking electrodes;

variable DC voltage detection means connected to each of the chucking electrodes;

leak current detecting means connected to each of the chucking electrodes for detecting two leak currents flowing between the object and each of the electrostatic chucking electrodes;

self-bias voltage detecting means for obtaining a self-bias voltage of the object on the basis of current/voltage characteristics between a voltage value of the variable direct current voltage and a current value of the detected leak currents; and

voltage controlling means for controlling the variable DC voltage applied to each of the electrostatic chucking electrodes on the basis of the self-bias voltage so that a voltage difference between the variable DC voltages is maintained at double the value of the voltage difference between the object and each of the chucking electrodes necessary to have an electrostatic chucking force sufficient to hold the object on one of the chucking electrodes, and absolute values of leak currents detected by the leak current detection means are substantially equal to each other.