Semiconductor fabricating apparatus with function of determining etching processing state

• US 6,972,848 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2003
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yoshigai, Motohiko, Usui, Tatehito, Ono, Tetsuo, Jyouo, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, HWA S
• Application Number:
  US10/377,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20040174530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 356/503, 356/504, 356/451, 438/14, 438/16
• US Class Current: 356/503
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring

Abstract

When a semiconductor wafer placed in a chamber and having films thereon is etched using plasma generated in the chamber, a change in the amount of lights with at least two wavelengths, obtained from the wafer surface during the processing, is detected. The time between the time at which the amount of a light with one of two wavelengths is maximized and the time at which the amount of a light with the other wavelength is minimized is compared with a predetermined value to determine the state of etching processing.

Claims

1. A semiconductor fabricating apparatus for etching a semiconductor wafer having a film thereon and placed inside of a chamber using plasma generated inside of the chamber, the semiconductor fabricating apparatus comprising:

a detector that detects a quantity of interference lights for each of at least two wavelengths obtained from a surface of the wafer for a predetermined time during the etching processing of the wafer; and

a determination unit that compares a predetermined value with an interval between a first time at which the detected quantity of the interference lights for one of the two wavelengths becomes one of a maximum and minimum and a second time at which the detected quantity of the interference lights for the other of the two wavelengths becomes one of a maximum and minimum, to determine a state of the etching, wherein both the first and second times are detected by using outputs of the detector.

2. The semiconductor fabricating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a thickness of the film being etched when the interval is determined to be smaller than the predetermined value.

3. The semiconductor fabricating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit stops the etching processing when the interval is determined to be smaller than the predetermined value.

4. A semiconductor fabricating apparatus for etching a semiconductor wafer placed inside of a chamber using plasma generated inside of the chamber, the semiconductor fabricating apparatus comprising:

a detector that detects a quantity of interference lights for each of at least two wavelengths obtained from a surface of the wafer for a predetermined time during the etching processing of the wafer; and

a control unit that compares a predetermined value with an interval between a first time at which the detected quantity of the interference lights for one of the two wavelengths output from the detector becomes one of a maximum and minimum and a second time at which the detected quantity of the interference lights for the other of the two wavelengths becomes one of a maximum and minimum to control the etching processing, both the first and second times being detected by using outputs of the detector.

5. The semiconductor fabricating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit stops the etching processing when the interval is determined to be smaller than the predetermined value.