Plasma processing apparatus

• US 6,433,298 B1
• Filed: 09/19/2000
• Issued: 08/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Ishii, Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): PASCHALL, MARK H
• Application Number:
  US09/665,068
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: 219/121.52, 219/121.41, 219/121.4, 219/121.43, 219/121.48, 219/746, 219/750, 118/723.MW, 156/345
• US Class Current: 219/121.43
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32192 Microwave generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394, H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32678 Electron cyclotron resonance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67017 Apparatus for fluid treatment H01L21/67126, H01L21/6715 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus has a vacuum vessel 2, an annular, transparent plate 23 put on the upper open end of the vacuum vessel 2 and a shower head 50 fitted in an opening formed in a central part of the annular transparent plate 23. A waveguide 25 has an outer guide member 25b and an inner guide member 25a connected to the shower head 50. Film forming gases including a CF gas is supplied through the inner guide member 25a and the shower head 50 into the vacuum vessel 2. A plasma producing gas, such as Ar gas, is supplied through an opening formed in the side wall at a position above the ECR point into the vacuum vessel 2. Active species of the film forming gases are distributed uniformly over the surface of a wafer. The interior of the shower head 50 formed of a metal is not contaminated with particles because the plasma does not flow into the shower head 50.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:

a vacuum vessel;

a stage disposed in the vacuum vessel to support a substrate thereon;

a waveguide connected to the vacuum vessel from outside the vacuum vessel, the waveguide having a cylindrical outer guide member and a cylindrical inner guide member extended in the outer guide member, so as to propagate a high-frequency wave through a space between the outer guide member and the inner guide member into the vacuum vessel and so as to supply a reactive gas through the inner guide member into the vacuum vessel from a position opposite the stage;

a high-frequency wave transmitting plate of a dielectric material disposed opposite to the stage and hermetically separating the space between the outer guide member and the inner guide member from a space defined by the vacuum vessel; and

a shower head of a conductive material, disposed to cover an end opening of the inner guide member facing the stage, and provided with a plurality of gas spraying holes opening toward the stage,

wherein the reactive gas supplied through the shower head into the vacuum vessel is ionized by the high-frequency wave propagated through the transmitting plate to produce a plasma, and the substrate is processed.

4. The plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, or 3, further comprising a magnetic field creating device to create a predetermined magnetic field in the vacuum vessel,

wherein an ECR plasma is produced by interaction of the high-frequency wave and the predetermined magnetic field.

5. The plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the reactive gas is a film forming gas containing carbon and fluorine.

6. The plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the reactive gas is an etching gas.

2. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:

a vacuum vessel;

a stage disposed in the vacuum vessel to support a substrate thereon;

a first waveguide connected to the vacuum vessel from outside the vacuum vessel, the first waveguide having a cylindrical first outer guide member and a cylindrical first inner guide member coaxially extended in the outer guide member, so as to propagate a high-frequency wave through a space between the first outer guide member and the first inner guide member into the vacuum vessel and so as to supply a reactive gas through the first inner guide member into the vacuum vessel from a position opposite the stage;

a second waveguide connected to the vacuum vessel from outside the vacuum vessel, the second waveguide having a second inner guide member coaxially surrounding the first waveguide and a second outer guide member coaxially surrounding the second inner guide member, so as to propagate a high-frequency wave through a space between the second inner guide member and the second outer guide member in to the vacuum vessel and so as to supply a reactive gas through a space between the second inner guide member and the first outer guide member into the vacuum vessel from a position opposite the stage;

a first high-frequency wave transmitting plate of a dielectric material disposed opposite to the stage and hermetically separating the space between the first outer guide member and the first inner guide member from a space defined by the vacuum vessel;

a second high-frequency wave transmitting plate of a dielectric material disposed opposite to the stage and hermetically separating the space between the second outer guide member and the second inner guide member from the space defined by the vacuum vessel;

a first shower head of a conductive material, disposed in an end of the first inner guide member facing the stage, and provided with a plurality of gas spraying holes opening toward the stage; and

a second shower head of a conductive material, disposed between an end of the first outer guide member facing the stage and an end of the second inner guide member facing the stage, and provided with a plurality of gas spraying holes opening toward the stage,

wherein the reactive gas supplied through the first shower head and the second shower head into the vacuum vessel is ionized by the high-frequency wave propagated through the first transmitting plate and the second transmitting plate to produce a plasma, and the substrate is processed.

3. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:

a vacuum vessel;

a stage disposed in the vacuum vessel to support a substrate thereon;

a waveguide connected to the vacuum vessel from outside the vacuum vessel, the waveguide having a cylindrical outer guide member and a cylindrical inner guide member coaxially extended in the outer guide member, so as to propagate a high-frequency wave through a space between the outer guide member and the inner guide member into the vacuum vessel and so as to supply a reactive gas through the inner guide member into the vacuum vessel from a position opposite the stage;

a shower head of conductive material, disposed in an end of the inner guide member facing the stage, and provided with a plurality of gas spraying holes opening toward the stage,

wherein an end part of the outer guide member of the waveguide facing the stage is provided with an antenna cover of a conductive material radially extending in the shape of a flange and axially extending toward the stage, a microwave transmitting plate of a dielectric material disposed between the inside of the antenna cover and an end of the inner guide member facing the stage so as to separate a space between the outer guide member and the inner guide member from a space defined by the vacuum vessel, so that a microwave is propagated through an annular space between the outer guide member and the inner guide member and through the microwave transmitting plate radially extending in the shape of a flange from the end of the outer guide member, and

wherein a reactive gas supplied through the shower head into the vacuum vessel is ionized by a predetermined high-frequency wave transmitted through the microwave transmitting plate, and the substrate is processed.