Plasma etching system

A microwave plasma etching system comprising a substrate electrode mounted in a vacuum process chamber, a ground electrode and a plasma generation source for turning an etching gas into a plasma by an electric field formed by a microwave and a magnetic field, wherein said plasma is used for plasma etching of substrates mounted on said substrate electrode;

• said plasma etching system being characterized in that said ground electrode has a bottom end face, and the bottom end face of said ground electrode, when a substrate installation surface of the substrate electrode is horizontal, is substantially at a same level of said substrate installation surface or extends slightly below said substrate installation surface so that said ground electrode constitutes a part of the inner wall of said vacuum process chamber at an inclined upward position on the outside in the radial direction of the substrate installation surface of said substrate electrode, wherein said ground electrode is made of carbon or silicon carbide, and
• the surface of said substrate electrode corresponding to said ground electrode is covered with a dielectric material containing a Si compound.

A microwave plasma etching system comprising a substrate electrode mounted in a vacuum process chamber, a ground electrode and a plasma generating source for turning an etching gas into a plasma by an electric field formed by a microwave and a magnetic field, wherein chlorine gas or a mixture of chlorine gas and oxygen gas is used as an etching gas to provide etching of silicon substrate mounted on said substrate electrode at a gas pressure of 3 Pa or less;

• said plasma etching system being characterized in that when a substrate installation surface of the substrate electrode is horizontal, a bottom end face of said ground electrode is substantially at a same level of said substrate installation surface or extends slightly below said substrate installation surface so that said ground electrode constitutes a part of an inner wall of said vacuum process chamber at an inclined upward position outside, in the radial direction, of said substrate installation surface, and said ground electrode is made of carbon or silicon carbide, and
• dielectric material containing a Si compound covers the surface portion of said substrate electrode facing inside the substrate installation portion of said vacuum process chamber, except for the substrate installation portion.

A microwave plasma etching system comprising a substrate electrode mounted in a vacuum process chamber, a ground electrode and a plasma generating source for turning an etching gas into a plasma by an electric field formed by a microwave and a magnetic field, wherein hydrogen bromide gas or a mixture of hydrogen bromide gas and oxygen gas is used as said etching gas to provide plasma etching of silicon substrates mounted on said substrate electrode at a gas pressure of 3 Pa or less;

• said plasma etching system being characterized in that when a substrate installation surface of the substrate electrode is horizontal, a bottom end face of said ground electrode is substantially at a same level of said substrate installation surface or extends slightly below said substrate installation surface so that said ground electrode constitutes a part of an inner wall of said vacuum process chamber at an inclined upward position outside, in the radial direction, of said substrate installation surface, and said ground electrode is made of carbon or silicon carbide, and
• dielectric material containing a Si compound covers the surface portion of said substrate electrode facing inside the substrate installation portion of said vacuum process chamber, except for the substrate installation portion.