Plasma processing method and apparatus
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorsHin Oh, Yuichi Mimura
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a plasma processing method and apparatus for monitoring an operating status of a plasma processing apparatus and/or a processing status of an object being processed, emission spectra emitted from a plasma is obtained as optical data when the plasma process is performed on the object. Quantitative data of each emission source is obtained from the obtained optical data by using reference data in a database storing therein emission spectra of a plurality of emission source as the reference data. The operating status of the plasma processing apparatus and/or the processing status of the object being processed is estimated based on changes in the quantitative data of each emission source.
Claims16
A plasma processing method for monitoring an operating status of a plasma processing apparatus and/or a processing status of an object being processed, based on a result of analyzing light emitted from a plasma generated while the plasma processing apparatus performs a plasma process on the object in a processing chamber, the plasma processing method comprising the steps of:
- obtaining an emission spectrum emitted from the plasma as optical data when the plasma process is performed on the object;
- obtaining quantitative data of each emission source from the obtained optical data by using reference data in a database storing therein emission spectra of a plurality of emission sources as the reference data;
- and
- estimating the operating status of the plasma processing apparatus and/or the processing status of the object being processed, based on changes in the quantitative data of said each emission source.
A plasma processing apparatus for monitoring an operating status of a plasma processing apparatus and/or a processing status of an object being processed, based on a result of analyzing light emitted from a plasma generated while the plasma processing apparatus performs a plasma process on the object in a processing chamber, the plasma processing apparatus comprising:
- a unit for obtaining an emission spectrum emitted from the plasma as optical data when the plasma process is performed on the object;
- a unit for obtaining quantitative data of each emission source from the obtained optical data by using reference data in a database storing therein emission spectra of a plurality of emission sources as the reference data;
- and
- a unit for estimating the operating status of the plasma processing apparatus and/or the processing status of the object being processed, based on changes in the quantitative data of said each emission source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.