公开(公告)号：US11776795B2

公开(公告)日：2023-10-03

申请号：US16393319

申请日：2019-04-24

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Koichi Nagami ,  Tatsuro Ohshita

IPC: H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/683 ,  H01L21/67

CPC classification number: H01J37/32935 ,  H01J37/32724 ,  H01L21/6833 ,  H01J37/32467 ,  H01J37/32495 ,  H01J2237/002 ,  H01J2237/24564 ,  H01J2237/334 ,  H01L21/67069

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes: a placement table serving as a lower electrode and configured to place thereon a workpiece to be subjected to a plasma processing; a DC power supply configured to alternately generate a positive DC voltage and a negative DC voltage to be applied to the placement table; and a controller configured to control an overall operation of the plasma processing apparatus. The controller is configured to: measure a voltage of the workpiece placed on the placement table; calculate, based on the measured voltage of the workpiece, a potential difference between the placement table and the workpiece in a period during which the negative DC voltage is applied to the placement table; and control the DC power supply such that a value of the negative DC voltage applied to the placement table is shifted by a shift amount that decreases the calculated potential difference.

公开(公告)号：US11764082B2

公开(公告)日：2023-09-19

申请号：US16978193

申请日：2019-07-17

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Chishio Koshimizu ,  Shinji Kubota ,  Koji Maruyama ,  Takashi Dokan ,  Koichi Nagami

IPC: H01L21/00 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01J37/32

CPC classification number: H01L21/67069 ,  H01J37/32045 ,  H01J37/32183 ,  H01J37/32697 ,  H01J2237/3347

Abstract: A control method of a plasma processing apparatus including a first electrode and a second electrode includes supplying a bias power to the first electrode, and supplying a negative DC voltage to the second electrode. The negative DC voltage periodically repeats a first state that takes a first voltage value and a second state that takes a second voltage value having an absolute value smaller than the first voltage value. The control method further includes a first control process of applying the first state of the negative DC voltage in a partial time period within each cycle of a signal synchronized with a cycle of a radio frequency of the bias power, or in a partial time period within each cycle of a periodically varying parameter measured in a transmission path of the bias power, and applying the second state continuously with the first state.

公开(公告)号：US11251048B2

公开(公告)日：2022-02-15

申请号：US16896304

申请日：2020-06-09

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Yusuke Aoki ,  Toshikatsu Tobana ,  Fumiya Takata ,  Shinya Morikita ,  Kazunobu Fujiwara ,  Jun Abe ,  Koichi Nagami

IPC: H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H05H1/24 ,  C23C16/44

Abstract: A plasma processing method according to an exemplary embodiment includes generating plasma from a film formation gas in a chamber of a plasma processing apparatus by supplying radio frequency power from a radio frequency power source. The plasma processing method further includes forming a protective film on an inner wall surface of a side wall of the chamber by depositing a chemical species from the plasma on the inner wall surface. In the forming a protective film, a pulsed negative direct-current voltage is periodically applied from a direct-current power source device to an upper electrode of the plasma processing apparatus.

公开(公告)号：US20210335578A1

公开(公告)日：2021-10-28

申请号：US17232231

申请日：2021-04-16

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Koichi Nagami

IPC: H01J37/32

Abstract: The disclosed plasma processing apparatus is provided with a chamber, a substrate support, and a power source system. The substrate support has an electrode and configured to support a substrate in the chamber. The power source system is electrically connected to the electrode and configured to apply a bias voltage to the electrode to draw ions from a plasma in the chamber into the substrate on the substrate support. The power source system is configured to output a first pulse to the electrode in a first period and output a second pulse to the electrode in a second period after the first period, as the bias voltage. Each of the first pulse and the second pulse is a pulse of a voltage. A voltage level of the first pulse is different from a voltage level of the second pulse.

公开(公告)号：US20180096822A1

公开(公告)日：2018-04-05

申请号：US15834528

申请日：2017-12-07

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Masafumi Urakawa ,  Koichi Nagami

IPC: H01J37/32

CPC classification number: H01J37/32146 ,  H01J37/32174 ,  H01J37/32568 ,  H01J37/32715

Abstract: A plasma processing method includes applying a pulse wave of high frequency electric power for plasma generation and a pulse wave of high frequency electric power for bias whose frequency is lower than that of the high frequency electric power for plasma generation on the mounting table; and controlling the pulse wave of the high frequency electric power for plasma generation and the pulse wave of the high frequency electric power for bias such that a predetermined phase difference is generated between the pulse wave of the high frequency electric power for plasma generation and the pulse wave of the high frequency electric power for bias, and a duty ratio of the high frequency electric power for plasma generation becomes greater than or equal to a duty ratio of the high frequency electric power for bias.

公开(公告)号：US20180012736A1

公开(公告)日：2018-01-11

申请号：US15661052

申请日：2017-07-27

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Norikazu Yamada ,  Toshifumi Tachikawa ,  Koichi Nagami

IPC: H01J37/32

Abstract: At a time point T0 when starting a process, a duty ratio of a high frequency power RF1 to which power modulation is performed is set to be an initial value (about 90%) which allows plasma to be ignited securely under any power modulating conditions. At the substantially same time of starting the process, the duty ratio of the high frequency power RF1 is gradually reduced from the initial value (about 90%) in a regular negative gradient or in a ramp waveform. At a time point t2 after a lapse of a preset time Td, the duty ratio has an originally set value Ds for an etching process. After the time point t2, the duty ratio is fixed or maintained at the set value Ds until the end (time point T4) of the process.

公开(公告)号：US20170372873A1

公开(公告)日：2017-12-28

申请号：US15642469

申请日：2017-07-06

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited ,  Daihen Corporation

Inventor： Norikazu Yamada ,  Toshifumi Tachikawa ,  Koichi Nagami ,  Satoru Hamaishi ,  Koji Itadani

IPC: H01J37/32 ,  H05H1/46

CPC classification number: H01J37/32183 ,  H01J37/32091 ,  H01J37/32146 ,  H01J37/32165 ,  H01J2237/24495 ,  H01J2237/24564 ,  H01J2237/334 ,  H05H1/46 ,  H05H2001/4682

Abstract: A plasma processing method for performing a plasma process on a substrate in a plasma processing apparatus is provided. The plasma processing method comprises: a sampling-average-value calculating process of sampling voltage detection signals and electric current detection signals and calculating an average value of these signals during a first monitoring time; a moving-average-value calculating process of calculating a moving average value of the voltage detection signals and the electric current detection signals; a load impedance-measurement-value calculating process of calculating a measurement value of a load impedance with respect to a first high frequency power supply; and a reactance control process of controlling a reactance of a variable reactance element such that the measurement value of the load impedance is equal or approximate to a preset matching point corresponding to impedance on the side of the first high frequency power supply.

公开(公告)号：US20170278675A1

公开(公告)日：2017-09-28

申请号：US15464503

申请日：2017-03-21

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Kumiko Ono ,  Hiroshi Tsujimoto ,  Koichi Nagami

IPC: H01J37/32

CPC classification number: H01J37/32174 ,  H01J37/32091 ,  H01J37/32165 ,  H01J37/32183 ,  H01J37/32449 ,  H01J37/32577

Abstract: In a plasma processing method in which multiple cycles, each of which includes a first stage of generating plasma of a first processing gas containing a first gas and a second stage of generating plasma of a second processing gas containing the first gas and a second gas, are performed, a time difference between a start time point of a time period during which the second stage is performed and a start time point of an output of the second gas from a gas supply system is decided automatically according to a recipe. A delay time corresponding to flow rates of the first gas and the second gas in the second stage is specified from a function or a table. The output of the second gas is begun prior to the start time point of the second stage by a time difference set based on the delay time.

公开(公告)号：US09761419B2

公开(公告)日：2017-09-12

申请号：US15008855

申请日：2016-01-28

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Koichi Nagami

IPC: H01J37/32

CPC classification number: H01J37/32715 ,  H01J37/32568 ,  H01J37/32577

Abstract: In a method of suppressing abnormal discharge through a space between a space and a susceptor, a pulse-modulated high frequency wave is supplied from at least one of a first high frequency power supply and a second high frequency power supply. In addition, a DC voltage, which is pulse-modulated in synchronization with the modulated high frequency wave, is applied to the susceptor from a voltage application unit. A voltage value of the modulated DC voltage is set to reduce a difference between a potential of the substrate placed on an electrostatic chuck and a potential of the susceptor.

公开(公告)号：US09734992B2

公开(公告)日：2017-08-15

申请号：US14365334

申请日：2012-12-05

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited ,  Daihen Corporation

Inventor： Norikazu Yamada ,  Toshifumi Tachikawa ,  Koichi Nagami ,  Satoru Hamaishi ,  Koji Itadani

IPC: H01L21/00 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H05H1/46

CPC classification number: H01J37/32183 ,  H01J37/32091 ,  H01J37/32146 ,  H01J37/32165 ,  H01J2237/24495 ,  H01J2237/24564 ,  H01J2237/334 ,  H05H1/46 ,  H05H2001/4682

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus performs a stable and accurate matching operation with high reproducibility in a power modulation process of modulating of a high frequency power to be supplied into a processing vessel in a pulse shape. In the plasma processing apparatus, an impedance sensor 96A provided in a matching device performs a dual sampling averaging process on a RF voltage measurement value and an electric current measurement value respectively obtained from a RF voltage detector 100A of a voltage sensor system and a RF electric current detector 108A of an electric current sensor system by sampling-average-value calculating circuits 104A and 112A and by moving-average-value calculating circuits 106A and 114A. Thus, an update speed of a load impedance measurement value outputted from the impedance sensor 96A can be matched well with a driving control speed of a motor in a matching controller.