# US 9,038,567 B2 · Plasma processing apparatus

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- Number: US 9,038,567 B2
- Document ID: US9038567B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/262,466
- Filed: 2014-04-25
- Published: 2014-08-21
- Granted: 2015-05-26
- Earliest claimed: 2004-07-26
- Assignees: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
- Applicants: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
- Inventors: Hiroyuki Kobayashi; Kenji Maeda; Kenetsu Yokogawa; Masaru Izawa; Tadamitsu Kanekiyo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9038567B2

## CPC

- H01J 37/32449: {Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow}
- C23C 16/455: characterised by the method used for introducing gases into reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in reaction chamber
- C23C 16/50: using electric discharges {(generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34)}
- C23C 16/503: using DC or AC discharges
- C23C 16/505: using radio frequency discharges
- C23C 16/509: using internal electrodes
- H01J 37/32082: {Radio frequency generated discharge (H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394 and H01J37/32403 take precedence)}
- H01J 37/3244: {Gas supply means}
- H10P 50/242: {of Group IV materials}
- Y10T 137/0402: Cleaning, repairing, or assembling
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

The object of the invention is to provide a plasma processing apparatus having enhanced plasma processing uniformity. The plasma processing apparatus comprises a processing chamber 1, means 13 and 14 for supplying processing gas into the processing chamber, evacuation means 25 and 26 for decompressing the processing chamber 1, an electrode 4 on which an object 2 to be processed such as a wafer is placed, and an electromagnetic radiation power supply 5A, wherein at least two kinds of processing gases having different composition ratios of O2 or N2 are introduced into the processing chamber through different gas inlets so as to control the in-plane uniformity of the critical dimension while maintaining the in-plane uniformity of the process depth.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A plasma processing apparatus comprising:
a processing chamber,
a shower plate for supplying a processing gas into the processing chamber,
a gas dispersion plate for dispersing the gas which is supplied to the shower plate,
a gas supply means for feeding the processing gas to the gas dispersion plate,
an evacuation means for decompressing the processing chamber, and
a radio-frequency power supply for supplying RF power which generates plasma into the processing chamber;
wherein:
the gas dispersion plate is divided into an inner area and an outer area,
the gas supply means includes a first gas supply source; a second gas supply source; a gas flow controller for controlling a flow rate of a gas supplied from the first gas supply source; a first gas distribution means for branching a gas supplied from the gas flow controller at a predetermined gas flow ratio; a second gas distribution means for branching a gas supplied from the second gas supply source at a predetermined gas flow ratio; a first gas junction portion in which one gas branched at the predetermined gas flow ratio via the first gas distribution means and one gas branched at the predetermined gas flow ratio via the second gas distribution means join together; a second gas junction portion in which the other gas branched at the predetermined gas flow ratio via the first gas distribution means and the other gas branched at the predetermined gas flow ratio via the second gas distribution means join together; a first gas pipe for supplying a gas from the first gas junction portion to the inner area of the gas dispersion plate; and a second gas pipe for supplying a gas from the second gas junction portion to the outer area of the gas dispersion plate, and
wherein the shower plate has an inner area which supplies a gas supplied from the inner area of the gas dispersion plate into the processing chamber, and an outer area which supplies a gas supplied from the outer area of the gas dispersion plate into the processing chamber.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises:
a magnetic field generation means for generating a magnetic field in the processing chamber.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the radio frequency power supply is capable of supplying RF power respectively to an inner area of an antenna and an outer area of the antenna via a distributor.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first gas distribution means has a gas distributor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first gas distribution means and the second gas distribution means have a gas distributor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
an O-ring for separating the gas dispersion plate into plural areas.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first gas distribution means has a gas distributor, and the second gas distribution means has a gas flow controller for controlling a flow rate of a gas supplied from the second gas supply source.