# US 10,872,779 B2 · Plasma etching method and plasma etching apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,872,779 B2 - Document ID: US10872779B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/286,262 - Filed: 2019-02-26 - Published: 2020-01-02 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-28 - Assignees: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation - Applicants: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation - Inventors: Nobuya Miyoshi; Hiroyuki Kobayashi; Kazunori Shinoda; Kohei Kawamura; Kazumasa Ookuma; Yutaka Kouzuma; Masaru Izawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10872779B2 ## CPC - H10P 50/283: {by chemical means} - H01J 37/32449: {Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow} - H01J 37/32724: {Temperature} - H10P 72/0421: {for drying etching} - H10P 72/0436: {mainly by radiation} - H10P 72/0602: {Temperature monitoring} - H01J 2237/002: Cooling arrangements - H01J 2237/1825: Evacuating means - H01J 2237/24585: Other variables, e.g. energy, mass, velocity, time, temperature - H01J 2237/3341: Reactive etching - H10P 72/0434: {mainly by convection} - H10P 72/72: using electrostatic chucks - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) ## Abstract An plasma etching method for etching a film layer includes a plurality of times repeating a step set including a first step of introducing a gas containing hydrogen fluoride into a processing chamber and supplying hydrogen fluoride molecules to the surface of an oxide film, a second step of exhausting the interior of the processing chamber in vacuum to remove the hydrogen fluoride, and a third step of introducing a gas containing hydrogen nitride into the processing chamber and supplying hydrogen nitride to the surface of the oxide film to form a compound layer containing nitrogen, hydrogen, and fluorine on the surface of the film layer, and removing the compound layer formed on the surface of the film layer. Foreign object contamination is prevented by inhibiting mixing of hydrogen fluoride gas and hydrogen nitride gas, and the etching amount is controlled by the number of times of repeating application thereof. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An plasma etching method for etching a film layer of an object to be processed disposed in a processing chamber inside a vacuum container and is made of a member containing silicon, the plasma etching method comprising: forming a film by repeating a set of steps a plurality of times, the set of steps including a first step of introducing a gas containing at least hydrogen fluoride into the processing chamber and supplying hydrogen fluoride molecules to a surface of the film layer of the object to be processed, after said first step, a second step of stopping the supply of the gas containing hydrogen fluoride into said processing chamber, and exhausting the interior of the processing chamber to reduce the gas containing hydrogen fluoride, and after said second step, starting a third step of supplying hydrogen nitride molecules to the surface of the film layer of the object to be processed to form a compound layer containing nitrogen, hydrogen, and fluorine on the surface of the film layer; and removing the compound layer formed on the surface of the film layer to be processed after the forming of the film. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The plasma etching method according to claim 1, wherein the third step includes introducing a gas containing hydrogen nitride into the processing chamber. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The plasma etching method according to claim 2, wherein the second step is executed after the introduction of the gas containing at least hydrogen fluoride into the processing chamber is stopped and before the introduction of the gas containing hydrogen nitride is started. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The plasma etching method according to claim 2, wherein the set of steps includes exhausting the interior of the processing chamber before the start of the first step or after the end of the third step to remove a gas containing hydrogen nitride. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The plasma etching method according to claim 4, wherein a pressure in the processing chamber in the second step or the exhausting step is made lower than a pressure in the processing chamber in the first step and the third step. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The plasma etching method according to claim 1, wherein the third step includes introducing N2 gas and H2 gas into the processing chamber and generating plasma to generate NH3 molecules. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The plasma etching method according to claim 6, wherein the second step is executed after the introduction of the gas containing at least hydrogen fluoride into the processing chamber is stopped and before the plasma is generated. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The plasma etching method according to claim 6, wherein the set of steps includes exhausting the interior of the processing chamber before the start of the first step or after the end of the third step to remove hydrogen nitride gas. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The plasma etching method according to claim 8, wherein a pressure in the processing chamber in the second step or the exhausting is made lower than a pressure in the processing chamber in the first step and the third step. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The plasma etching method according to claim 1, wherein the removal of the film includes heating the object to be processed to remove the compound layer. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The plasma etching method according to claim 10, further comprising: cooling the object to be processed after the removal of the film. ### Claim 12 An plasma etching apparatus comprising: a vacuum container in which an object to be processed made of a member containing silicon is disposed; a first gas source that supplies hydrogen fluoride gas into the vacuum container; a second gas source that supplies hydrogen nitride gas into the vacuum container; a heating device that heats the object to be processed; and a control unit, wherein the control unit repeats a set of steps a plurality of times, the set of steps including introducing hydrogen fluoride gas from the first gas source into the processing chamber and supplying hydrogen fluoride molecules to a surface of a film layer of the object to be processed, exhausting the interior of the processing chamber while stopping the supply of the hydrogen fluoride gas into the processing chamber to reduce the hydrogen fluoride molecules in said processing chamber, and introducing hydrogen nitride gas from the second gas source into the vacuum container to form a compound layer containing nitrogen, hydrogen, and fluorine on the surface of the film layer, and heating the object to be processed by the heating device to remove the compound layer formed on the surface of the film layer. ### Claim 13 An plasma etching apparatus comprising: a vacuum container in which an object to be processed made of a member containing silicon is disposed; a first gas source that supplies hydrogen fluoride gas into the vacuum container; a second gas source that supplies N2 gas and H2 gas into the vacuum container; a plasma device that generates plasma in the vacuum container; a heating device that heats the object to be processed; and a control unit, wherein the control unit repeats a set of steps a plurality of times, the set of steps including introducing hydrogen fluoride gas from the first gas source into the processing chamber and supplying hydrogen fluoride molecules to a surface of a film layer of the object to be processed, exhausting the interior of the processing chamber while stopping the supply of the hydrogen fluoride gas into the processing chamber to reduce the hydrogen fluoride molecules in said processing chamber, introducing N2 gas and H2 gas from the second gas source into the vacuum container and generating plasma in the vacuum container by the plasma device to generate NH3 molecules, and forming a compound layer containing nitrogen, hydrogen, and fluorine on the surface of the film layer, and heating the object to be processed by the heating device to remove the compound layer formed on the surface of the film layer.