JP2006080550A - Plasma processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent electric discharge in the gas supply hole of a shower plate for supplying gas in the shape of a shower to a plasma processing chamber and to achieve the stable operation of equipment. <P>SOLUTION: The gas supply hole of a shower plate is arranged in the region of low electric field in which the electric field is equal to or lower than a predetermined electric field strength on the basis of electromagnetic field distribution in the shower plate surface of an electromagnetic field introduced in the plasma processing chamber. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus, and more particularly to a plasma processing apparatus suitable for processing a substrate to be processed having a diameter of 300 mm or more.

  As a conventional plasma processing apparatus, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a microwave, UHF, or VHF electromagnetic wave is transmitted to a processing chamber using a coaxial line to generate plasma. The upper part is partitioned by a quartz window, and a disk-shaped antenna connected to the end of the inner conductor of the coaxial line is provided on the opposite side of the quartz window. The outer diameter of the disk-shaped antenna is smaller than the inner diameter of the processing chamber, and Electromagnetic waves can be introduced into the processing chamber from the outer periphery of the antenna through a quartz window. Further, a slot antenna is provided in the disk-shaped antenna, and electromagnetic waves are also introduced into the processing chamber from the inside of the disk-shaped antenna to control the plasma distribution. A plasma processing apparatus that performs uniform plasma processing is known.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-260594

  The above prior art is not considered about the introduction position of the processing gas, and when a shower plate which is a gas supply plate is provided in the quartz window forming the processing chamber and gas is supplied into the processing chamber in the form of a shower, There is a possibility that the shower plate deteriorates due to the repetition of the plasma treatment for a long period of time, and discharge is generated in the gas supply hole provided in the shower plate. When a discharge occurs in the gas supply hole of the shower plate, there is a problem that the plasma characteristics change and the plasma processing characteristics deteriorate.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a plasma processing apparatus capable of preventing discharge in a gas supply hole of a gas supply plate and performing stable plasma processing.

  The object is to provide a processing chamber in which the inside is evacuated, a substrate electrode provided in the processing chamber where a substrate to be processed is disposed, and a plurality of gas supply holes provided in the processing chamber facing the substrate electrode. And a gas supply plate surface of the electromagnetic wave introduced into the processing chamber in a plasma processing apparatus that generates a plasma by introducing an electromagnetic wave into the processing chamber and processes the substrate to be processed using the plasma. This is achieved by providing an unformed region of the gas supply hole in the surface of the gas supply plate in a region where the electric field strength is equal to or greater than the predetermined electric field strength.

  Further, the object is to provide a processing chamber in which the inside is evacuated, a substrate electrode provided in the processing chamber where a substrate to be processed is disposed, and a plurality of gas supplies provided in the processing chamber facing the substrate electrode. A gas supply plate having holes and electromagnetic wave radiation means disposed opposite to the gas supply plate. The electromagnetic wave radiation means introduces electromagnetic waves into the processing chamber to generate plasma, and the plasma is used for processing. In a plasma processing apparatus for processing a substrate, gas supply holes of a gas supply plate are arranged in a region where the electric field strength is equal to or lower than a predetermined electric field strength according to the electric field strength distribution in the surface of the gas supply plate of electromagnetic waves introduced into the processing chamber. Is achieved.

Further, the predetermined electric field strength is ½ of the maximum value.
The predetermined electric field strength is 50 kV / m.

  Further, the object is to provide a processing chamber in which the inside is evacuated, a substrate electrode provided in the processing chamber where a substrate to be processed is disposed, and a plurality of gas supplies provided in the processing chamber facing the substrate electrode. A gas supply plate having holes and electromagnetic wave radiation means disposed opposite to the gas supply plate. The electromagnetic wave radiation means introduces electromagnetic waves into the processing chamber to generate plasma, and the plasma is used for processing. In the plasma processing apparatus for processing a substrate, the electric field intensity distribution in the gas supply plate surface of the electromagnetic wave introduced into the processing chamber has a plurality of maximum values, and the second electric field absolute value is smaller than the first maximum value. This is achieved by disposing the gas supply holes of the gas supply plate in a region below the maximum value of.

  Further, the object is to provide a processing chamber in which the inside is evacuated, a substrate electrode provided in the processing chamber where a substrate to be processed is disposed, and a plurality of gas supplies provided in the processing chamber facing the substrate electrode. Plasma having a gas supply plate having holes and electromagnetic wave radiation means disposed opposite to the gas supply plate, introducing electromagnetic waves into the processing chamber by the electromagnetic wave radiation means, and forming a magnetic field in the processing chamber, thereby causing interaction between the plasmas. In the plasma processing apparatus for processing the substrate to be processed using the plasma, it is achieved by providing a gas supply hole non-formed region in the central region of the gas supply plate of 30% or less of the processing chamber inner diameter. Is done.

  Further, the object is to provide a processing chamber in which the inside is evacuated, a substrate electrode provided in the processing chamber where a substrate to be processed is disposed, and a plurality of gas supplies provided in the processing chamber facing the substrate electrode. A dielectric gas supply plate having a hole and a flat antenna disposed through a dielectric window facing the gas supply plate to form a processing chamber, and electromagnetic waves are introduced into the processing chamber by the flat antenna. In the plasma processing apparatus that generates plasma and processes the substrate to be processed using the plasma, the electric field strength is equal to or lower than the predetermined electric field strength according to the electric field strength distribution in the gas supply plate of the electromagnetic wave introduced into the processing chamber. This is achieved by arranging gas supply holes of the gas supply plate in the region.

  Further, the object is to provide a processing chamber in which the inside is evacuated, a substrate electrode provided in the processing chamber on which a substrate to be processed is disposed, a flat antenna provided in the processing chamber and facing the substrate electrode, A conductive gas supply plate attached to the side surface of the substrate electrode of the flat antenna and having a plurality of gas supply holes in the plane, and electromagnetic waves are introduced into the processing chamber by the flat antenna to generate plasma, In a plasma processing apparatus for processing a substrate to be processed using plasma, the gas supply plate is disposed in a region where the electric field strength is equal to or lower than a predetermined electric field strength according to the electric field strength distribution in the gas supply plate surface of the electromagnetic wave introduced into the processing chamber. This is achieved by arranging gas supply holes.

  According to the present invention, in the plasma processing apparatus having a gas supply plate for supplying a shower-like gas into the processing chamber, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of discharge in a plurality of gas supply holes provided in the gas supply plate, There is an effect that a stable plasma treatment can be performed.

  When the shower plate, which is a gas supply plate located below the antenna for electromagnetic wave supply, which is an electromagnetic wave radiation means, is provided in the processing chamber and is opposed to the substrate electrode, which is an electromagnetic wave emission means, plasma is generated inside the shower plate. As a result, the electromagnetic waves supplied to the processing chamber are distributed in a certain pattern determined by the surrounding boundary conditions, the power of the input electromagnetic waves, and the like. In addition, when the shower plate, which is a gas supply plate located below the antenna for supplying electromagnetic waves, is formed of a conductive material and attached to the lower surface of the antenna, it is formed at the interface of the plasma generated in the shower plate and the processing chamber. The electromagnetic field of the input electromagnetic wave is distributed in the sheath region.

  On the other hand, it is considered that the threshold value of the electric field strength of the discharge generated in the gas supply hole is determined by the pressure in the processing chamber, the gas type, the shape of the gas supply hole of the shower plate, and the like. If a region having an electric field intensity exceeding the threshold exists in the shower plate or a sheath region in contact with the shower plate, and there is a gas supply hole in the region, discharge occurs in the gas supply hole. Therefore, by disposing the gas supply hole in accordance with the electric field distribution in the shower plate while avoiding the region where the electric field is strong, discharge at the gas supply hole of the shower plate can be prevented.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows an etching apparatus which is an embodiment of the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention. A dielectric window 5 is hermetically attached to the upper portion of the processing chamber 7, and the inside can be decompressed by an evacuation device (not shown). On the upper surface of the dielectric window 5, a disk-shaped flat antenna 1 serving as electromagnetic wave radiation means is provided, and in this case, connected to a high frequency power source 4 having a frequency of 450 MHz via a coaxial line 2 and a matching unit 3. Yes. A shower plate 6 that is a gas supply plate is provided between the lower surface of the dielectric window 5, in other words, between the dielectric window 5 and the processing chamber 7, and processing gas is supplied by the gas supply device 8 so that it can be introduced into the processing chamber. It has become. The shower plate 6 is made of a dielectric, and has a gas supply hole 9 in the surface except for the central portion as shown in FIG. The gas supply hole 9 is provided with a plurality of holes having a diameter of 0.5 mm. A substrate electrode 11 on which a substrate to be processed 10 can be placed is attached to the lower portion of the processing chamber 7 so as to face the dielectric window 5, and a bias power source 13 is connected to the substrate electrode 11 through a matching unit 12. . An electromagnet 14 is provided around the processing chamber 7 so that a static magnetic field can be formed inside the processing chamber 7.

  In this case, the processing chamber 7 has a cylindrical shape with an inner diameter of about 500 mm so as to be compatible with a 12-inch wafer as a substrate to be processed. Quartz is used as the material for the dielectric window 5 and the shower plate 6, but other materials such as alumina ceramics may be used as long as they do not adversely affect the plasma processing and the loss to electromagnetic waves is not large. The shower plate 6 and the dielectric window 5 do not necessarily have to be made of the same material. For example, one may be quartz and the other may be alumina ceramic. Although the diameter of the gas supply hole 9 is 0.5 mm, it is desirable that the diameter is smaller from the standpoint of preventing discharge in the gas supply hole.

  In the apparatus configured as described above, the processing gas is brought from the gas flow path provided between the shower plate 6 and the dielectric window 5 to the gas supply hole 9 by the gas supply device 8 and supplied to the processing chamber 7. . On the other hand, electromagnetic waves from the high-frequency power source 4 are radiated to the processing chamber 7 through the dielectric window 5 provided immediately below the flat antenna 1 and a magnetic field is formed by the electromagnet 14, utilizing the action of the electric field and the magnetic field. Plasma is generated in the processing chamber 7. In addition, the plasma distribution can be adjusted by controlling the diffusion of the plasma by the static magnetic field. Furthermore, by generating a static magnetic field (0.016 Tesla) that matches the frequency of the cyclotron motion of electrons in the plasma with the frequency of the applied electromagnetic wave (450 MHz), an ECR that efficiently supplies electromagnetic energy to the electrons ( Electron Cyclotron Resonance (Electron Cyclotron Resonance) phenomenon can also occur. As a result, plasma can be generated stably and the plasma density can be improved. Bias power can be supplied from the bias power supply 13 to the substrate 10 to be processed via the matching unit 12. By applying bias power, ions in the plasma are drawn into the substrate to be processed, and the etching process can be made more efficient and the etching shape can be controlled.

  The inventors changed the radius of the region where there is no gas supply hole at the center of the shower plate and performed a simulation to determine whether or not a discharge occurs in the gas supply hole. This will be described below.

FIG. 3 shows the electric field strength distribution of the 450 MHz electromagnetic wave supplied for plasma generation in the shower plate 6. The conditions at this time are: power: 1200 W, plasma density: 9 × 10 ¹⁶ / m ³ , the radius of the shower plate 6 is about 500 mm, which is the same as the diameter of the processing chamber, and the materials of the dielectric window 5 and the shower plate 6 are the same. It is a simulation result in the case where uniform plasma is present in the processing chamber when quartz is used. The simulation was performed by solving Maxwell's equations by the finite element method.

  In this embodiment, electromagnetic waves are supplied from the center by a coaxial line, the electromagnetic field distribution is axially symmetric and uniform in the azimuth direction, and the electric field strength distribution is determined by the distance from the center. There is a maximum value at the center, and the electric field strength tends to decrease as a whole as it moves away from the center. When quartz is used as a dielectric window, a first peak having a first maximum value exists at the center, and a second peak having a second maximum value (hereinafter referred to as a second peak) is present at a radius of about 160 mm. . When a material having a high relative dielectric constant is used for the shower plate 6 and the dielectric window 5, the wavelength in the material is shortened, so that the number of peaks in the shower plate 6 increases. For example, when alumina ceramic (relative permittivity 9.8) is used as the dielectric window 5, the electric field peak in the shower plate 6 is 3 regardless of whether the shower plate 6 is quartz (relative permittivity 3.8) or alumina ceramic. Increase to one.

  When the gas supply hole 9 is disposed in a place where the electric field strength is high, the possibility of discharge in the gas supply hole 9 is increased. In FIG. 4, a region where the gas supply hole 9 does not exist is provided in a circular shape near the center of the shower plate 6, and a region where the gas supply hole 9 exists uniformly is provided outside the region, and there is no gas supply hole 9. A relationship between the radius of the region and the maximum electric field in the region where the gas supply hole 9 exists is shown. According to this, when the area without the gas supply hole 9 is expanded in the circumferential direction from the central portion, the maximum value in the area where the gas supply hole 9 exists gradually decreases. However, if the region without the gas supply hole 9 is expanded to a radius of about 90 mm, the second peak near the radius of 160 mm becomes the maximum value of the electric field thereafter, so even if the region without the gas supply hole 9 is expanded. The maximum value of the electric field does not decrease. Further, when the region without the gas supply hole 9 is enlarged and the radius exceeds about 160 mm, the maximum value of the second peak is not included, and the electric field strength begins to decrease again. On the other hand, from the standpoint of controlling the gas flow in the processing chamber, it is desirable that the gas supply hole 9 can be freely arranged in the shower plate 6. Accordingly, when it is desired to reduce the electric field strength in the region where the gas supply hole 9 exists, it is desirable to set a region having no gas supply hole in a region having a radius of about 90 mm or less from the center.

From the above results, in the case of the present embodiment, by setting a region without a gas supply hole in a region having a radius of about 75 mm, discharge in the gas supply hole 9 can be prevented under process conditions with UHF power up to 1200 W. it can. FIG. 5 shows the results of simulating the dependence of the electric field strength on the UHF input power at a radius of 75 mm from the center of the shower plate 6 at various plasma densities. Note that the plasma density directly under the shower plate 6 in this apparatus has been measured to be about 9 × 10 ¹⁶ / m ³ . Accordingly, the present inventors infer from FIG. 5 that the threshold value of the electric field strength causing the discharge in the gas supply hole 9 is about 50 kV / m. Here, the size of the region without the gas supply hole greatly depends on the electric field distribution in the shower plate, and is also defined by the diameter of the processing chamber 7 or the shower plate 6. When the diameter of the processing chamber 7 or the shower plate 6 is reduced or enlarged, the diameter of the region without the gas supply hole may be determined by the ratio with the diameter of the processing chamber 7 or the shower plate 6. In the case of the present embodiment, the area without gas supply holes is 150 mm (radius 75 mm) with respect to the diameter 500 mm of the processing chamber 7 or the shower plate 6, and the ratio is 30%. In addition, the UHF electric field at a position of 150 mm in the area without the gas supply hole has an electric field strength that is approximately half of the center position where the maximum value is obtained from FIG.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent discharge in the gas supply hole of the shower plate and to perform stable plasma processing.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the case where the electric field distribution in the shower plate 6 is axisymmetric has been described as an example. However, regarding other distributions as well, a region where no gas supply hole is provided is determined in the same manner as described below. be able to.
(1) In the case of a dielectric shower plate, the electric field distribution in the shower plate is obtained. This can be carried out by using a method of providing thermal paper in the electric field measurement portion or a measuring device provided with a probe in the processing chamber.
(2) The electric field strength that does not cause discharge in the gas supply hole is determined.
(3) A contour map of the electric field strength is obtained from the data of (1) above, and no gas supply hole is provided in a region where the electric field exceeds the electric field strength determined in (2) above.

  In the case of a device in which the shower plate is made of a conductive material and is directly attached to the flat antenna as shown in FIG. 6, the sheath region between the shower plate and the plasma interface is used as the step (1). The electric field distribution within is determined. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 6, the same reference numerals as those in the apparatus shown in FIG. A processing gas supply path is formed in the flat antenna 1a, a shower plate 6a is attached to the lower portion of the flat antenna 1a, and the shower plate 6a also functions as an antenna.

  Further, in this embodiment, the etching apparatus that generates plasma by electromagnetic waves in the UHF band with a frequency of 450 MHz has been described as an example, but in a structure that generates a strong electric field strength locally in the electric field strength distribution of the shower plate part, The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and can be similarly applied to other plasma processing apparatuses such as those having different frequencies and plasma CVD apparatuses and sputtering apparatuses.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows one Example of the plasma processing apparatus of this invention. It is a top view which shows the shower plate detail of the apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows electric field strength distribution in a shower plate. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the radius of the area | region where the gas supply hole does not exist of a shower plate, and the maximum electric field strength of a gas supply hole area | region. It is a figure which shows the relationship between UHF input electric power and electric field strength. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the other Example of the plasma processing apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1a ... Flat antenna, 2 ... Coaxial line, 3 ... Matching device, 4 ... High frequency power supply, 5, 5a ... Dielectric window, 6, 6a ... Shower plate, 7 ... Processing chamber, 8 ... Processing gas supply apparatus, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Gas supply hole, 10 ... Substrate to be processed, 11 ... Substrate electrode, 12 ... Matching device, 13 ... Bias power supply.

Claims (10)

A vacuum processing chamber in which the inside is evacuated, a substrate electrode provided in the vacuum processing chamber and on which a substrate to be processed is disposed, and a plurality of electrodes provided to face the substrate electrode and for supplying a processing gas into the processing chamber In a plasma processing apparatus having a shower plate with a gas supply hole of
The shower plate is provided with a region where the gas supply hole is not formed in a central portion.
The plasma processing apparatus, wherein the unformed region is formed with a diameter of 30% with respect to the diameter of the shower plate. In claim 1,
The non-formed region is formed in a region having a radius of 90 mm or less from the center of the shower plate. A vacuum processing chamber whose inside is evacuated and a substrate electrode which is provided in the vacuum processing chamber and has a substrate electrode on which a substrate to be processed is disposed is provided to face the substrate electrode and is processed in the empty processing chamber. In a shower plate having a plurality of gas supply holes for supplying gas,
The said shower plate is provided with a region where the gas supply hole is not formed at the center,
The non-formed region is formed with a diameter of 30% with respect to the diameter of the shower plate. In claim 3,
The non-formed region is formed in a region having a radius of 90 mm or less from the center of the shower plate. A vacuum processing chamber whose inside is evacuated and a substrate electrode which is provided in the vacuum processing chamber and has a substrate electrode on which a substrate to be processed is disposed is provided to face the substrate electrode and is processed in the empty processing chamber. In a shower plate made of a dielectric having a plurality of gas supply holes for supplying gas,
A first step of determining an electric field distribution in the shower plate;
A second step of determining an electric field strength that does not cause a discharge in the gas supply hole;
A third step for obtaining a contour line of the electric field strength from the data obtained in the first step;
The shower plate formed by the manufacturing process provided with the 4th step which makes the area | region used as the electric field strength more than the electric field intensity | strength calculated | required at the said 2nd step into the area | region where the said gas supply hole is not formed. A vacuum processing chamber whose inside is evacuated and a substrate electrode which is provided in the vacuum processing chamber and has a substrate electrode on which a substrate to be processed is disposed is provided to face the substrate electrode and is processed in the empty processing chamber. In a shower plate made of a conductive material provided with a plurality of gas supply holes for supplying gas,
A first step of determining an electric field distribution in a sheath region between the shower plate and the plasma interface;
A second step of determining an electric field strength that does not cause a discharge in the gas supply hole;
A third step for obtaining a contour line of the electric field strength from the data obtained in the first step;
The shower plate formed by the manufacturing process provided with the 4th step which makes the area | region used as the electric field strength more than the electric field intensity | strength calculated | required at the said 2nd step the area | region where the said gas supply hole is not formed. A vacuum processing chamber in which the inside is evacuated, a substrate electrode provided in the vacuum processing chamber and on which a substrate to be processed is disposed, and the processing chamber mounted on the substrate electrode side of an antenna provided facing the substrate electrode A shower plate having a plurality of gas supply holes in a surface in contact with plasma generated in the vacuum processing chamber and forming a gas flow in the vacuum processing chamber, and transmitting UHF band electromagnetic waves into the vacuum processing chamber via the antenna. A shower plate used in a plasma processing apparatus for introducing and generating plasma and processing the substrate to be processed using the plasma,
The shower plate is
The gas supply hole is arranged in an outer region exceeding 30% of the diameter of the shower plate, and an inner region of 30% of the diameter of the shower plate is an unformed region of the gas supply hole. Shower plate. A vacuum processing chamber in which the inside is evacuated, a substrate electrode provided in the vacuum processing chamber on which a substrate to be processed is disposed, and provided in the vacuum processing chamber so as to face the substrate electrode are generated in the vacuum processing chamber. A shower plate having a plurality of gas supply holes in a surface in contact with the plasma to form a gas flow in the vacuum processing chamber, and an electromagnetic wave radiation means disposed opposite to the counter-plate electrode side of the shower plate. A shower plate used in a plasma processing apparatus for generating a plasma by introducing an electromagnetic wave in a UHF band into the vacuum processing chamber by the electromagnetic wave radiation means, and processing the substrate to be processed using the plasma,
The shower plate is
The gas supply hole is arranged in an outer region exceeding 30% of the diameter of the shower plate, and an inner region of 30% of the diameter of the shower plate is an unformed region of the gas supply hole. Shower plate. A vacuum processing chamber in which the inside is evacuated, a substrate electrode provided in the vacuum processing chamber on which a substrate to be processed is disposed, a flat antenna provided in the vacuum processing chamber and facing the substrate electrode, A conductive shower plate attached to a side surface of the substrate electrode of the flat antenna and having a plurality of gas supply holes in a surface in contact with plasma generated in the vacuum processing chamber, and the flat antenna A shower plate used in a plasma processing apparatus for introducing a UHF band electromagnetic wave into a vacuum processing chamber to generate plasma, and processing the substrate to be processed using the plasma,
The shower plate is
The gas supply hole is arranged in an outer region exceeding 30% of the diameter of the shower plate, and an inner region of 30% of the diameter of the shower plate is an unformed region of the gas supply hole. Shower plate. Shower plate provided with a vacuum processing chamber, a substrate electrode provided in the vacuum processing chamber on which a wafer is placed, and a gas supply hole disposed opposite to the substrate electrode for supplying gas into the vacuum processing chamber A flat plate antenna provided in the vacuum processing chamber and facing the substrate electrode, a gas supply device for introducing a processing gas between the flat plate antenna and the counter substrate electrode side of the shower plate, A shower plate used for a plasma etching apparatus comprising a high-frequency power source for supplying plasma generating electromagnetic waves connected to the antenna and a magnetic field forming means for forming a plasma generating magnetic field in the vacuum processing chamber. And
The shower plate is
The gas supply hole is arranged in an outer region exceeding 30% of the diameter of the shower plate, and an inner region of 30% of the diameter of the shower plate is an unformed region of the gas supply hole. Shower plate.

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