PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS AND PLASMA PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20180025923A1
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Published: 01/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: MATSUMOTO, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 10,438,819 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/405 of refractory metals or yttrium
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/511 using microwave discharges
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32192 Microwave generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394, H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3222 Antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/2636 for heating, e.g. electron beam heating
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3065 Plasma etching; Reactive-ion etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/324 Thermal treatment for modifying the properties of semiconductor bodies, e.g. annealing, sintering H01L21/20 - H01L21/288 and H01L21/302 - H01L21/322 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/46 using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy H05H1/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/463 using antennas or applicators

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus includes: a processing container which defines a processing space; a microwave generator; a dielectric having an opposing surface which faces the processing space; a slot plate formed with a plurality of slots; and a heating member provided within the slot plate. The slot plate is provided on a surface of the dielectric at an opposite side to the opposing surface to radiate microwaves for plasma excitation to the processing space through the dielectric based on the microwaves generated by the microwave generator.

Claims

1. A method of performing a plasma processing by using a plasma processing apparatus, the plasma processing apparatus including a processing container which defines a processing space;

a microwave generator;

a dielectric having an opposing surface which faces the processing space;

a slot plate formed with a plurality of slots and provided on a surface of the dielectric at an opposite side to the opposing surface to radiate microwaves for plasma excitation to the processing space through the dielectric based on the microwaves generated by the microwave generator; and

a heating member provided within the slot plate, the method comprising;

performing a heating processing by the heating member before the plasma processing of irradiating the microwaves for plasma excitation to the processing space is performed;

performing the plasma processing after the heating processing is initiated; and

stopping the heating processing by the heating member after the plasma processing is initiated.