Plasma etching apparatus and plasma etching method

• US 9,263,298 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2009
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Naoki, Takai, Kazuto, Ko, Reika, Okayama, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): DHINGRA, RAKESH KUMAR
• Application Number:
  US12/919,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20120012556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,546 Days
• Field of Search: 156/345.27, 15634533-34536, 156/345.41, 156/345.52, 156/345.53, 118/723.MW, 118/723.ME, 118/723.MR, 118/715
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2001 Maintaining constant desired temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32192 Microwave generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394, H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/32137 of silicon-containing layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67109 mainly by convection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67248 Temperature monitoring

Abstract

A plasma etching apparatus 11 includes a mounting table that holds a semiconductor substrate W thereon; a first heater 18a that heats a central region of the semiconductor substrate W held on the mounting table 14; a second heater 18b that heats an edge region around the central region of the semiconductor substrate W held on the mounting table 14; a reactant gas supply unit 13 that supplies a reactant gas for a plasma process toward the central region of the semiconductor substrate W held on the mounting table 14; and a control unit 20 that performs a plasma etching process on the semiconductor substrate W while controlling the first heater 18a and the second heater 18b to heat the central region and the edge region of the processing target substrate W held on the mounting table 14 to different temperatures.

Claims

1. A plasma etching apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber that performs therein a plasma process on a processing target substrate;

a mounting table that is provided within the processing chamber and holds the processing target substrate thereon;

a first heater that heats a central region of the processing target substrate held on the mounting table;

a second heater that heats an edge region around the central region of the processing target substrate held on the mounting table;

a microwave generator that generates a microwave for plasma excitation;

a dielectric plate that is provided at a position facing the mounting table and introduces the microwave generated by the microwave generator into the processing chamber;

a reactant gas supply unit that supplies a reactant gas for a plasma process toward only the central region of the processing target substrate held on the mounting table; and

a control unit that performs a plasma etching process on the processing target substrate while controlling the first heater and the second heater to heat the central region and the edge region of the processing target substrate held on the mounting table to different temperatures,

wherein a CD (Critical Dimension) bias at the edge region of the processing target substrate is affected by a reaction product generated by the plasma etching process performed on the central region of the processing target substrate, and

the control unit is configured to control the first heater and the second heater in consideration of the reaction product, such that a CD bias at the central region of the processing target substrate and the CD bias at the edge region of the processing target substrate are substantially the same,

wherein the reactant gas supply unit is located in an upper recess formed in an upper surface of the dielectric plate, with a bottom surface of the reactant gas supply unit being recessed from a bottom surface of the dielectric plate, such that a processing space between the processing target substrate and the dielectric plate is extended to the bottom surface of the reactant gas supply unit recessed from the bottom surface of the dielectric plate, and

a sealing member is provided between a bottom surface of the reactant gas supply unit and an upper surface of a part of the dielectric plate supporting the reactant gas supply unit.

2. The plasma etching apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the first heater and the second heater depending on the reactant gas from the reactant gas supply unit.

3. The plasma etching apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the first heater and the second heater so as to set a temperature of the edge region to be higher than a temperature of the central region.

4. The plasma etching apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing target substrate has a polysilicon layer to be etched, and

the control unit performs a plasma etching process on the polysilicon layer.

5. The plasma etching apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first heater and the second heater are embedded in the mounting table.

6. The plasma etching apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting table is of a circular plate shape, and

the second heater is of a ring shape.

7. A plasma etching method for performing a plasma etching process on a processing target substrate, the method comprising:

holding the processing target substrate on a mounting table provided within a processing chamber;

generating a microwave for plasma excitation;

introducing the microwave generated by a microwave generator into the processing chamber through a dielectric plate provided at a position facing the mounting table;

heating a central region and an edge region around the central region of the processing target substrate held on the mounting table to different temperatures;

supplying a reactant gas for a plasma process from a reactant gas supply unit located in an upper recess formed in an upper surface of the dielectric plate, with a bottom surface of the reactant gas supply unit being recessed from a bottom surface of the dielectric plate, such that a processing space between the processing target substrate and the dielectric plate is extended to the bottom surface of the reactant gas supply unit recessed from the bottom surface of the dielectric plate, toward only the central region of the processing target substrate held on the mounting table, the reactant gas supply unit being secured to the dielectric plate by a sealing member provided between a bottom surface of the reactant gas supply unit and an upper surface of a part of the dielectric plate supporting the reactant gas supply unit; and

performing the plasma etching process on the processing target substrate while heating the central region and the edge region of the processing target substrate held on the mounting table to different temperatures,

wherein a CD (Critical Dimension) bias at the edge region of the processing target substrate is affected by a reaction product generated by the plasma etching process performed on the central region of the processing target substrate, and

the first heater and the second heater are controlled in consideration of the reaction product, such that a CD bias at the central region of the processing target substrate and the CD bias at the edge region of the processing target substrate are substantially the same.