Plasma processing apparatus

• US 6,503,364 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2000
• Issued: 01/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Shirayone, Shigeru, Usui, Tatehito, Takahashi, Kazue, Masuda, Toshio, Suehiro, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): Mills, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALEJANDRO MULERO, LUZ L
• Application Number:
  US09/651,720
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 118/723.MA, 118/723.MR, 118/712, 156/345
• US Class Current: 156/345.24
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32009 Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources plasma generation in general H05H1/24
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32972 Spectral analysis

Abstract

In the plasma processing apparatus for generating plasma in a processing chamber and processing a wafer by mutual action of electromagnetic waves radiated from a UHF band antenna installed in the processing chamber and a magnetic field formed by a magnetic field generator installed around the processing chamber, a hollow tube having one end in communication with an opening in the side wall of the processing chamber and another end, outside the processing chamber, which has a measuring window of plasma optical emission. By setting the lines of force of the magnetic field formed by the magnetic field generator so as to form an angle relative to the hollow tube, entry of plasma into the hollow tube can be prevented, and adhesion of deposits onto the measuring window can be suppressed, whereby the transmission factor of the measuring window can be kept constant over a long period of use.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus of a magnetic field UHF electromagnetic wave radiation system structured so as to feed process gas into a vacuum processing chamber, generate plasma by a plasma generation device, perform a plasma process for a sample by said plasma, and measure optical emission from said plasma via a measuring window, wherein a hollow tube is installed in communication with said processing chamber so as to extend from an opening of said processing chamber in an outer direction, and said measuring window is installed at an outside end of said hollow tube, and a magnetic field is formed in the neighborhood of said opening of said processing chamber which forms an inlet of said hollow tube in said processing chamber so that lines of magnetic force form an angle relative to an axis of said hollow tube and extend in a substantially vertical direction with respect to said processing chamber.

2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of said hollow tube is within a range from 2 mm to 10 mm and the length thereof is within a range from 50 mm to 250 mm.

3. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said magnetic field formed in said neighborhood of said opening of said processing chamber forming said inlet of said hollow tube has a magnetic flux density of at least 60 gauss.

4. The plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said angle formed by said lines of magnetic force relative to said axis of said hollow tube is at least 30 degrees.

5. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opening of said processing chamber is in a sidewall of said processing chamber, and the structure of the plasma processing apparatus substantially prevents entry of plasma from said processing chamber into said hollow tube and substantially suppresses adhesion of deposits onto said measuring window so that a transmission factor of said measuring window is maintained constant for an extended period of processing in said processing chamber.

7. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the opening of said processing chamber is in a sidewall of said processing chamber, and the structure of the plasma processing apparatus substantially prevents entry of plasma from said processing chamber into said hollow tube and substantially suppresses adhesion of deposits onto said measuring window so that a transmission factor of said measuring window is maintained constant for an extended period of processing in said processing chamber.

6. A plasma processing apparatus of a magnetic field UHF band electromagnetic wave radiation system structured so as to feed process gas into a vacuum processing chamber, generate plasma by a plasma generation device, perform a plasma process for a sample by said plasma, and measure optical emission from said plasma via a measuring window;

wherein a hollow tube is installed in communication with said processing chamber so as to extend from an opening of said processing chamber in an outer direction, and said measuring window is installed at an outside end of said hollow tube;

said hollow tube having an inner diameter and a length thereof in relation to a mean free path of molecules of said process gas which is set so that

(the inner diameter)/(the mean free path of molecules) is within a range from 0.1 to 2,

(the length)/(the mean free path of molecules) is within a range from 2 to 50, and

(the length)/(the inner diameter) is within a range from about 25 to 50; and

said magnetic field is formed such that magnetic force lines extend in the neighborhood of an inlet of said hollow tube at an angle in relation to an axis of said hollow tube and in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the processing chamber.