Apparatus for monitoring thickness of deposited layer in reactor and dry processing method

• US 6,750,977 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2001
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Usui, Tatehito, Otsubo, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Font, Frank G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Khaled
• Application Number:
  US09/855,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20010043984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 356/632, 356/311, 356/316, 118/712, 118/713, 438/9, 438/707, 134/1, 134/31, 216/60, 216/66, 216/67
• US Class Current: 356/632
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4401 Means for minimising impurities, e.g. dust, moisture or residual gas, in the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence

Abstract

A dry processing apparatus includes a processing chamber provided with a measurement window having a reflection portion which totally reflects light on the side of an inner surface thereof and a transmission portion. When a layer is not deposited, measurement light is irradiated so that the light is totally reflected by the reflection portion. A deviation between the measurement light reflected by a surface of the deposited layer and the measurement light reflected by the reflection portion is measured to determine a thickness of the deposited layer. A quantity of light reflected by the surface of the deposited layer is compared with the light quantity in case where irregularities are not formed in the surface of the deposited layer to evaluate a state of irregularities of the surface. The thickness of the deposited layer and a state of the surface of the layer are monitored separately.

Claims

1. A monitoring apparatus for detecting a thickness of a layer deposited on an inner wall surface of a processing chamber of a dry processing apparatus, comprising:

a measurement window formed in the inner wall surface of the processing chamber and which can transmit light;

means for irradiating said measurement window with measurement light at an incident angle that said measurement light is totally reflected by an inner surface of said measurement window on the side of the inner wall surface of the processing chamber;

detection means for focusing said measurement light passed through inside of the layer deposited on the inner surface of said measurement window and reflected from the inner surface the processing chamber to detect said measurement light; and

means for evaluating the layer deposited on the inner surface of said measurement window on the basis of a detection result of said detection means.

2. A monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a reflection portion which reflects said measurement light and a transmission portion which transmits said measurement light are formed on the inner surface of said measurement window on the side of the inner wall surface of the processing chamber, and said evaluation means evaluates the deposited layer on the inner surface on the basis of said measurement light reflected by said reflection portion formed on the inner surface and said measurement light which said transmission portion transmits and is reflected by the surface of the layer deposited on the inner surface.

3. An monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a reflection and transmission layer which reflects part of said measurement light and which transmits the remaining part of said measurement light is formed on the inner surface of said measurement window on the side of the inner wall surface of the processing chamber, and said evaluation means evaluates the deposited layer on the inner surface on the basis of said measurement light reflected by said reflection and transmission layer formed on the inner surface and said measurement light which said reflection and transmission layer transmits and is reflected by the surface of the layer deposited on the inner surface.

7. A monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of reflecting patterns with higher reflection factor than the surroundings are disposed through a transmission portion such that the light travels across said patterns to obtain a slit-like light.

8. A monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for receiving the reflected light from said reflecting patterns and the light passed through said deposited layer and reflected from the inner surface of the processing chamber.

4. A dry processing method of generating discharge in a processing chamber in a predetermined gas atmosphere to process an object to be processed so that a deposit produced in the processing chamber is cleaned, comprising:

irradiating a measurement window, which is formed in an inner wall surface of the processing chamber and can transmit light, with measurement light at an incident angle that said measurement light is totally reflected by an inner surface of said measurement window on the side of an inner wall surface of the processing chamber;

focussing said measurement light passed through inside of a layer deposited on the inner surface of said measurement window and reflected from the inner surface of the processing chamber to detect said measurement light;

evaluating the layer deposited on the inner surface of said measurement window on the basis of the detected reflected light of said measurement light; and

deciding a time of cleaning the deposit produced in the processing chamber on the basis of the evaluation of the deposited layer.

5. A dry processing apparatus for generating discharge in a processing chamber in a predetermined gas atmosphere to process an object to be processed so that a deposit produced in the processing chamber is cleaned, comprising:

a measurement window which is formed in an inner wall surface of the processing chamber and can transmit light;

means for irradiating said measurement window with measurement light at an incident angle that said measurement light is totally reflected by an inner surface of said measurement window on the side of an inner wall surface of the processing chamber;

detection means for focusing said measurement light passed through inside of a aver deposited on the inner surface of said measurement window and reflected from the inner surface of the processing chamber to detect said measurement light; and

means for evaluating the layer deposited on the inner surface of said measurement window on the basis of the detection result of said detection means and deciding a time of cleaning the deposit produced in the processing chamber on the basis of the evaluation of the deposited layer.

6. A dry processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a reflection portion which reflects said measurement light and a transmission portion which transmits said measurement light are formed on the inner surface of said measurement window formed in the inner wall surface of the processing chamber, and said evaluation means calculates a thickness of the deposited layer on the inner surface on the basis of a deviation between an optical axis of said measurement light reflected by said reflection portion and an optical axis of said measurement light which said transmission portion transmits and which is reflected by the surface of the layer deposited on the inner surface and judges a state of irregularities of the surface of the deposited layer on the basis of the calculated thickness and a quantity of said measurement light reflected by said reflection portion.