Plasma etching system and plasma etching method
First Claim
1. A plasma etching method, comprising the steps of:
- mounting a substrate on a chuck electrode disposed in a process chamber;
evacuating said process chamber to set up a reduced pressure within the process chamber;
introducing a process gas into the process chamber such that said gas flows through small holes made in a shower electrode at a mass flow rate of at least 620 kg/m2 /hr so as to prevent said process gas from being deposited within said small holes; and
applying a voltage between said shower electrode and said chuck electrode to generate a plasma between these two electrodes, with active species within said plasma acting on said substrate.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a plasma etching system, comprising a process chamber enclosing a plasma, means for evacuating said process chamber, a chuck electrode for supporting a substrate, a shower electrode positioned to face said chuck electrode and provided with a large number of small holes, a power source for applying a plasma voltage between the chuck electrode and said shower electrode, gas supply means communicating with said small holes of the shower electrode for supplying a plasma-forming gas into the process chamber through the small holes, and means for controlling said gas supply means such that said plasma-forming gas flows through said small holes at a mass flow rate of at least 620 kg/m2 /hr.
84 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A plasma etching method, comprising the steps of:
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mounting a substrate on a chuck electrode disposed in a process chamber; evacuating said process chamber to set up a reduced pressure within the process chamber; introducing a process gas into the process chamber such that said gas flows through small holes made in a shower electrode at a mass flow rate of at least 620 kg/m2 /hr so as to prevent said process gas from being deposited within said small holes; and applying a voltage between said shower electrode and said chuck electrode to generate a plasma between these two electrodes, with active species within said plasma acting on said substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An etching method using an etching apparatus comprising a chamber enclosing a plasma, means for evacuating said chamber, a chuck electrode for supporting a substrate, a shower electrode forming a plasma discharge circuit together with said chuck electrode, a power source for applying a plasma voltage between said shower electrode and said chuck electrode, gas supply means for supplying a plasma-generating gas to said chamber, and control means for controlling said gas supply means,
wherein said shower electrode comprises: -
a cathode plate positions to face the substrate supported by said chuck electrode; a cooling plate bonded to said cathode plate for cooling the cathode plate; a large number of inlet holes made in said cooling plate for guiding said gas supplied from said gas supply means into the chamber; and a large number of small holes made in said cathode plate to communicate with said inlet holes and positioned to face said chuck electrode, the diameter of said small hole being smaller than that of said inlet hole to form a stepped portion at the communicating portion with the inlet hole; and the mass flow rate of the plasma-generating gas passing through said stepped portion formed between said small hole and said inlet hole is controlled to be at least 620 kg/m2 /hr by said control means to prevent said gas component from being deposited in said stepped portion.
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Specification