Plasma processing apparatus

• US 8,186,300 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ichino, Takamasa, Nishio, Ryoji, Tamura, Tomoyuki, Obama, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuan, Dah-Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomas, Binu
• Application Number:
  US12/370,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20100163184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 156/345.28, 156/345.43, 156/345.44, 156/345.45, 156/345.46, 156/345.47, 118/715, 118/722, 118/723.E, 118/723.R, 118/663, 315/111.21
• US Class Current: 118/663
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus for processing a surface of a to-be-processed substrate includes a processing chamber, a first electrode provided in the processing chamber, a second electrode arranged in opposition to the first electrode, a main power source for supplying the first or second electrode with power for generating a plasma, a biasing power source for supplying the second or first electrode with biasing power, a gas supplying unit for supplying a processing gas into the processing chamber and a control unit for controlling the main power source, the biasing power source and the gas supplying unit. The control unit performs a control such that, during a time of transition from a stationary state of plasma, in which a plasma processing is to be carried out, to a plasma quenching, an output of the main power source is kept not larger than an output of the biasing power source.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus for processing a surface of a substrate, which is located in a processing chamber, by using a plasma which is generated inside the processing chamber, comprising:

the processing chamber;

a first electrode which is provided in said processing chamber and on which the substrate is located;

a second electrode arranged above and in opposition to said first electrode at an upper portion of the processing chamber;

a main power source for supplying said second electrode with power for generating the plasma;

a biasing power source for supplying said first electrode with biasing power;

a gas supplying unit for supplying a processing gas into said processing chamber; and

a control unit is provided to control said main power source, said biasing power source and said gas supplying unit, wherein

said control unit is configured to perform a control such that, during a time of transition to a plasma quenching from a stationary state of plasma in which the processing of the substrate is carried out in a state that an output of the main power source is set to be equal to or smaller than an output of the biasing power source, the output of said main power source and the output of said biasing power source are reduced while the output of said main power source is kept to be equal to or smaller than the output of said biasing power source and thereafter the plasma is quenched.

2. A plasma processing apparatus for processing a surface of a substrate, which is located in a processing chamber, by using a plasma which is generated inside the processing chamber, comprising:

the processing chamber;

a first electrode which is provided in said processing chamber and on which the substrate is located;

a second electrode arranged above and in opposition to said first electrode at an upper portion of the processing chamber;

a main power source for supplying said second electrode with power for generating the plasma;

a biasing power source for supplying said first electrode with biasing power;

a gas supplying unit for supplying a processing gas into said processing chamber; and

a control unit is provided to control said main power source, said biasing power source and said gas supplying unit, wherein

said control unit is configured to perform a control such, during a time of transition from a stationary state of plasma to a plasma quenching, in a transition from a first state in which an output of the main power source is set to be equal to or smaller than an output of the biasing power source so as to carry out a processing of the substrate to a second state of plasma is created in which the outputs of said main power source and said biasing power source are respectively smaller than those in said first state of plasma, each of the outputs of the main power source and the biasing power source is reduced while the output of said main power source is kept to be equal to or smaller than the output of said biasing power source and thereafter the plasma is quenched.

3. A plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control unit serves to turn off, subsequent to said second state of plasma, powers of said main power source and said biasing power source to thereby quench a plasma.

4. A plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control unit:

serves to start to lower, in said second state of plasma, a pressure for said processing gas,

serves to detect a quenching of a plasma by use of a luminosity monitor provided in said processing chamber, and

serves to turn off, after detection of the quenching of the plasma, said main power source and said biasing power source.

5. A plasma processing apparatus for processing a surface of a to-be-processed substrate comprising:

a processing chamber;

a first electrode provided in said processing chamber;

a second electrode arranged in opposition to said first electrode;

a main power source for supplying said first electrode or said second electrode with power for generating a plasma;

a biasing power source for supplying said second electrode or said first electrode with biasing power;

a gas supplying unit for supplying a processing gas into said processing chamber; and

a control unit is provided to control said main power source, said biasing power source and said gas supplying unit, wherein

said control unit is configured to perform a control such that;

for a plasma ignition, a second state of plasma is created in which outputs of the main power source and the biasing power source are smaller than those in a stationary state of plasma, a plasma processing being carried out in said stationary state of plasma,

said creation of the second state of plasma being effected under conditions such that an output of said main power source is not larger than that of said biasing power source, and

said stationary state of plasma is created from said second state of plasma.