Semiconductor fabricating apparatus with function of determining etching processing state
First Claim
1. A semiconductor fabricating method for etching a semiconductor wafer, comprising the steps of:
- placing the semiconductor wafer having a film thereon inside of a chamber;
generating plasma inside of the chamber;
detecting a quantity of interference lights for each of at least two wavelengths obtained from a surface of the wafer for a predetermined time period during the etching of the wafer;
detecting a first time point at which the detected quantity of the interference lights for one of the two wavelengths becomes a maximum and a second time point at which the detected quantity of the interference lights for the other wavelength becomes a minimum;
determining a state of the etching based on a result of comparing a predetermined value with an interval between the first time point and the second time point, wherein both the first and second time points are detected by using outputs of a detector for detecting a quantity of the interference lights; and
controlling the etching in accordance with a result of the determining.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A semiconductor fabricating apparatus for etching a semiconductor wafer, which is placed in a chamber and which has a multiple-layer film composed of a first film formed on a surface thereof and a second film formed on the first film, using plasma generated in the chamber. The semiconductor fabricating apparatus includes a light detector that detects a change in an amount of light with a plurality of wavelengths obtained from the surface of the wafer for a predetermined time during which the second film is etched, and a detection unit that detects a thickness of the first film based on a specific waveform obtained from an output of the detector.
32 Citations
4 Claims
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1. A semiconductor fabricating method for etching a semiconductor wafer, comprising the steps of:
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placing the semiconductor wafer having a film thereon inside of a chamber; generating plasma inside of the chamber; detecting a quantity of interference lights for each of at least two wavelengths obtained from a surface of the wafer for a predetermined time period during the etching of the wafer; detecting a first time point at which the detected quantity of the interference lights for one of the two wavelengths becomes a maximum and a second time point at which the detected quantity of the interference lights for the other wavelength becomes a minimum; determining a state of the etching based on a result of comparing a predetermined value with an interval between the first time point and the second time point, wherein both the first and second time points are detected by using outputs of a detector for detecting a quantity of the interference lights; and controlling the etching in accordance with a result of the determining. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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Specification