Method and its apparatus for detecting floating particles in a plasma processing chamber and an apparatus for processing a semiconductor device

A device for detecting particles suspended in a processing chamber for processing semiconductor devices, comprising:

• a laser light source module for outputting a laser;
• a monitoring optical system for receiving a laser emitted by said laser light source, scanning a laser to illuminate inside said processing chamber, and detecting scattered light scattered by a particle suspended inside said processing chamber;
• and
• a signal processing module for processing a detection signal from said monitoring optical system detecting said scattered light;
• wherein said monitoring optical system is connected to said laser light source module and said signal processing module by optical fibers.

A device for processing semiconductor devices comprising:

• a processing chamber having an observation window allowing observation inside said processing chamber, a mounting module for mounting a substrate to be processed in said processing chamber, and a pressure setting module for maintaining a predetermined pressure inside said processing chamber;
• plasma processing means for processing plasma inside said processing chamber in which said predetermined pressure is maintained, and processing said substrate mounted on said mounting module;
• a laser light source module disposed outside of said processing chamber;
• a laser illumination optical system for receiving a laser emitted by said laser light source by way of an optical fiber, and scanning a laser through said observation window to illuminate inside said processing chamber;
• a scattered light detection optical system for detecting, through said observation window, scattered light scattered by a particle suspended inside said processing chamber and illuminated by said scanning performed by said laser illumination optical system, while said plasma processing means is processing said substrate mounted on said mounting module;
• and
• a signal processing module for receiving and processing, by way of an optical fiber, a detection signal from said scattered light detection optical system, and outputting information relating to said particle suspended in said processing chamber.

A device for processing semiconductor devices comprising:

• a processing chamber having an observation window allowing observation inside said processing chamber, a mounting module for mounting a substrate to be processed in said processing chamber, and a pressure setting module for maintaining a predetermined pressure inside said processing chamber;
• means for processing plasma inside said processing chamber in which said predetermined pressure is maintained, and processing said substrate mounted on said mounting module;
• a laser light source module disposed outside of said processing chamber;
• a monitoring optical system for receiving a laser emitted by said laser light source by way of an optical fiber, scanning a laser through said observation window to illuminate inside said processing chamber, and detecting, through said observation window, scattered light scattered by a particle suspended inside said processing chamber in which said plasma processing means is processing said substrate mounted on said mounting module and illuminated by said scanning performed by said laser illumination optical system;
• and
• a signal processing module for receiving and processing, by way of an optical fiber, a detection signal from said scattered light detection optical system, and outputting information relating to said particle suspended in said processing chamber.