Plasma processing apparatus having high frequency power source with sag compensation function and plasma processing method

• US 7,615,132 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2004
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sumiya, Masahiro, Watanabe, Seiichi, Tamura, Hitoshi, Yasui, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hassanzadeh; Parviz
• Assistant Examiner(s): DHINGRA, RAKESH KUMAR
• Application Number:
  US10/795,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20050081999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,072 Days
• Field of Search: 156/345.28, 156/345.43, 118/723.E
• US Class Current: 156/345.47
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32082 Radio frequency generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394 and H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32623 Mechanical discharge control means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3266 Magnetic control means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32706 Polarising the substrate

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus suitable for high-speed and high-definition etching is provided. By applying to a wafer chucking electrode 9 a voltage waveform in which an absolute value of high frequency voltage increases with time and switching between a positive voltage and a negative voltage occurs, a rectangular high frequency voltage is caused to be generated in the wafer 10, with the result that the duty ratio of the rectangular high frequency voltage decreases and that the high energy ion ratio in the energy distribution of ions incident on the wafer increases. Therefore, high efficiency and high accuracy etching becomes possible, providing the advantage that the material selection ratio is improved.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:

a plasma generation means which generates plasma within the interior of a processing chamber;

a means for applying a high frequency voltage to an object to be processed;

a processing chamber to which a vacuum system is connected and the interior of which can be depressurized;

a gas supply device which supplies a gas to the interior of the processing chamber;

a substrate electrode disposed in the processing chamber, where the object to be processed is placed on the substrate electrode which is coated with a dielectric film; and

a substrate bias power source which supplies a substrate bias voltage to the substrate electrode;

wherein the substrate bias power source includes a rectangular wave power source which generates a substantially rectangular wave,

and a clip circuit, the clip circuit comprising;

a diode which removes at least one of a positive side and a negative side of a high frequency voltage waveform being output from the substrate bias power source and performs a voltage waveform operation so as to obtain a flat voltage waveform portion with time; and

a circuit having a transistor and a capacitor which generates a inclined portion to increase with time an absolute value of voltage on at least either of the positive side or the negative side of said that voltage waveform portion;

wherein the high frequency voltage waveform is controlled so as to be the voltage waveform in which a positive constant voltage and a negative constant voltage alternate with each other at given cycles.

3. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the means for applying a high frequency voltage, which becomes a voltage waveform in which a positive constant voltage and a negative constant voltage alternate with each other at given cycles, is constituted by a DC power source and a switching circuit (a chopper circuit).

4. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the means for applying a high frequency voltage, which becomes a voltage waveform in which a positive constant voltage and a negative constant voltage alternate with each other at given cycles, is constituted by a DC power source and a switching circuit (a chopper circuit), which uses as switch elements a thyristor, a GTO (a gate turn-off thyristor), an IGBT (an insulated gate bipolar transistor), a MOSFET and a power transistor.

5. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the substrate bias power source, the duty ratio of the rectangular wave is variable

6. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the means for applying a high frequency voltage, which becomes a voltage waveform in which a positive constant voltage and a negative constant voltage alternate with each other at given cycles, is constituted by a sine wave output power source.

7. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the substrate bias power source has a frequency in the range of 10 KHz to 4 MHz.

2. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:

a plasma generation means which generates plasma within the interior of a processing chamber;

a means for applying a high frequency voltage to an object to be processed;

a processing chamber to which a vacuum system is connected and the interior of which can be depressurized;

a gas supply device which supplies a gas to the interior of the processing chamber;

a substrate electrode disposed in the processing chamber, where the object to be processed is placed on the substrate electrode which is coated with a dielectric film; and

a substrate bias power source which supplies a substrate bias voltage to the substrate electrode;

wherein the substrate bias power source includes a rectangular wave power source which generates a substantially rectangular wave,

and a clip circuit, the clip circuit comprising;

a diode which removes at least one of a positive side and a negative side of a high frequency voltage waveform being output from the substrate bias power source and performs a voltage waveform operation so as to obtain a flat voltage waveform portion with time; and

a circuit having a transistor and a capacitor which generates a inclined portion to increase with time an absolute value of voltage on at least either of the positive side or the negative side of said voltage waveform portion.

8. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the clip circuit has the function of monitoring at least any one of a current of an wafer chucking electrode, a voltage generated in the object to be processed, a current which flows into the object to be processed, a voltage of the wafer chucking electrode, a power applied to the object to be processed and an output power of the high frequency power source, increasing with time an absolute value of voltage on at least either of the positive side and the negative side of said rectangular high frequency voltage waveform to said monitored quantity, and performing control so that the high frequency voltage waveform generated in the object to be processed becomes substantially rectangular.