US 5,383,984 AGranted

Plasma processing apparatus etching tunnel-type

AssigneesTokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo Electron Tohoku Kabushiki Kaisha, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

InventorsYutaka Shimada, Hitoshi Kato, Junichi Kakizaki, Kazutugu Aoki, Haruki Mori, Tatsuo Shiotsuki

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Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus comprising a process tube for enclosing a plurality of semiconductor wafers, injectors for introducing process gas into the process tube, a vacuum pump for exhausting the process tube, RF electrodes arranged along the outer circumference of the process tube and serving to generate high frequency electric field, when power is supplied, in a process-gas-introduced region so as to make process gas into plasmas, a high frequency power source for supplying power to the RF electrodes, heaters arranged in the process tube to directly heat the plural wafers, a power supply for supplying power to the heaters, and a controller for controlling the amount of power supplied from the power supply to the heaters.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An apparatus for processing substrates with plasma generated by exciting gas comprising:

a processing tube for housing a plurality of substrates;
means for introducing a processing gas into the processing tube;
electrode means arranged along the outer circumference of said processing tube for generating a high frequency electric field, when power is supplied, in a processing gas introducing region to convert said processing gas into plasma;
heater means arranged immediately adjacent to said plurality of substrates within said processing tube to directly heat said plurality of substrates;
etching tunnel means arranged between the heater means and the processing gas introducing region and having a plurality of holes through which only radicals in plasma generated in said processing gas introducing region are allowed to pass toward said substrates;
means for exhausting said processing gas from said processing tube;
first power supply means for supplying power to said electrode means;
second power supply means for supplying power to said heater means;
and
control means for controlling the amount of power supplied from said second power supply means to said heater means.

7 more elements

An apparatus for processing substrates with plasma generated by exciting gas, comprising:

a processing tube for housing a plurality of substrates;
means for introducing a processing gas into said processing tube;
electrode means arranged along the outer circumference of said processing tube for generating a high frequency electric field, when power is supplied, in a processing gas introducing region to convert the processing gas into plasma;
heater means arranged immediately adjacent to said plurality substrates in said processing tube to directly heat said substrates;
etching tunnel means arranged between said heater means and said processing gas introducing region and including a plurality of holes through which only radicals in plasma generated in the processing gas introducing region are allowed to pass toward the substrates;
means for exhausting said processing gas from said processing tube;
first power supply means for supplying power to said electrode means;
second power supply means for supplying power to said heater means;
and
control means for controlling the amount of power supplied from said second power supply means to said heater means,
wherein said processing gas introducing means includes a gas injector located remotely from regions where plasma is generated by said electrode means and also remotely from said holes included in said etching tunnel means.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.