Dry etching apparatus having means for preventing micro-arcing
First Claim
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1. A dry etching apparatus comprising:
- a processing chamber in which plasma is produced;
a plate fixed in place at an upper portion of said processing chamber;
a wafer chuck disposed at a lower portion of said processing chamber;
a metal focusing ring extending around a portion of the chuck for enhancing the uniformity of the density of the plasma;
a cathode disposed at an upper portion of the dry etching apparatus, facing said chuck and spaced apart from said chuck by a predetermined distance;
a confinement ring supporting said cathode at an outer peripheral portion of said cathode and protruding downwardly from said cathode;
a plurality of metal screws fixing said confinement ring to said plate;
caps of electrically insulating material covering said screws, wherein each of said caps has a vacuum hole extending horizontally therethrough; and
an RF power source connected to said anode and said cathode so as to produce an RF electric field therebetween, and wherein said screws are located outside a region in which the RF electric field is produced.
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Abstract
A dry etching apparatus used for manufacture of a semiconductor device includes a plasma confinement ring secured by screws to a cathode, an anode, and a metal focusing ring extending around the anode for enhancing the uniformity of the plasma. The screws are located a maximum distance away from the focusing ring. Thus, micro-arcing is prevented from occurring between the focusing ring and the screws. The confinement ring is also designed to distribute the plasma stream only onto the wafer, so that the generation of contamination particles is suppressed during etching.
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Citations
6 Claims
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1. A dry etching apparatus comprising:
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a processing chamber in which plasma is produced; a plate fixed in place at an upper portion of said processing chamber; a wafer chuck disposed at a lower portion of said processing chamber; a metal focusing ring extending around a portion of the chuck for enhancing the uniformity of the density of the plasma; a cathode disposed at an upper portion of the dry etching apparatus, facing said chuck and spaced apart from said chuck by a predetermined distance; a confinement ring supporting said cathode at an outer peripheral portion of said cathode and protruding downwardly from said cathode; a plurality of metal screws fixing said confinement ring to said plate; caps of electrically insulating material covering said screws, wherein each of said caps has a vacuum hole extending horizontally therethrough; and an RF power source connected to said anode and said cathode so as to produce an RF electric field therebetween, and wherein said screws are located outside a region in which the RF electric field is produced. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Specification