JP-7854615-B2 - Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method

JP7854615B2JP 7854615 B2JP7854615 B2JP 7854615B2JP-7854615-B2

Inventors

武田直晃

Assignees

パナソニックＩＰマネジメント株式会社

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20220706

Claims (7)

Chamber and, A high-frequency power supply that supplies high-frequency power for generating plasma in the chamber, A matching circuit connected to the aforementioned high-frequency power supply, A distributor connected to the matching circuit and having a first variable capacitor and a second variable capacitor, which distributes and outputs the high-frequency power supplied from the high-frequency power supply, The output side of the distributor is provided with a first coil and a second coil connected in parallel to each other, A control unit controls the distribution ratio by adjusting the capacitance value of at least one of the first variable capacitor and the second variable capacitor based on distribution ratio information showing the relationship between the capacitance values of the first variable capacitor and the second variable capacitor and the distribution ratio of the high-frequency power to the first coil and the second coil, An update unit updates the distribution ratio information based on the high-frequency power output to the first coil and the second coil, A plasma processing apparatus equipped with the following features.
A first sensor for measuring the high-frequency power output to the first coil, A second sensor for measuring the high-frequency power output to the second coil, A calculation unit that calculates the actual distribution ratio based on the measurements of the first sensor and the second sensor, Furthermore, The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the update unit updates the distribution ratio information based on the actual distribution ratio and the capacitance values of the first variable capacitor and the second variable capacitor when the measured value corresponding to the actual distribution ratio is measured.
The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the update unit updates the distribution ratio information when the difference between the actual distribution ratio corresponding to any capacitance value of the first variable capacitor and the second variable capacitor and the distribution ratio in the distribution ratio information before the update corresponding to the arbitrary capacitance value exceeds a first threshold.
The plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a storage unit for storing the distribution ratio information.
Chamber and, A high-frequency power supply that supplies high-frequency power for generating plasma in the chamber, A matching circuit connected to the aforementioned high-frequency power supply, A distributor connected to the matching circuit and having a first variable capacitor and a second variable capacitor, which distributes and outputs the high-frequency power supplied from the high-frequency power supply, The output side of the distributor is provided with a first coil and a second coil connected in parallel to each other, A plasma processing method using a plasma processing apparatus comprising, A first step of controlling the distribution ratio by adjusting the capacitance value of at least one of the first variable capacitor and the second variable capacitor based on distribution ratio information showing the relationship between the capacitance values of the first variable capacitor and the second variable capacitor and the distribution ratio of the high-frequency power to the first coil and the second coil, A second step of updating the distribution ratio information based on the high-frequency power output to the first coil and the second coil, A plasma treatment method comprising the following features.
A third step involves measuring the high-frequency power output to the first coil and the second coil, respectively. A fourth step involves calculating the actual distribution ratio based on the measurements taken in the third step, Furthermore, The plasma processing method according to claim 5, wherein in the second step, the distribution ratio information is updated based on the actual distribution ratio and the capacitance values of the first variable capacitor and the second variable capacitor when the measured value corresponding to the actual distribution ratio is measured.
The plasma processing method according to claim 6, wherein in the second step, the distribution ratio information is updated when the difference between the actual distribution ratio corresponding to any capacitance value of the first variable capacitor and the second variable capacitor and the distribution ratio in the distribution ratio information before updating corresponding to the arbitrary capacitance value exceeds a first threshold.

Description

This disclosure relates to a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method. Conventionally, plasma processing apparatuses for plasma treatment of objects to be processed are known (for example, Patent Document 1). The plasma processing apparatus of Patent Document 1 comprises a chamber, a plurality of coils that generate plasma in the chamber when high-frequency power is applied, a power division unit that divides the high-frequency power and supplies it to each coil, and a control device that controls the power ratio to which the power division unit divides the power. The control device has a memory and controls the power ratio to which the power division unit divides the power according to a recipe pre-stored in the memory. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-238981 This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a plasma processing apparatus related to this disclosure.This is a schematic circuit diagram showing the configuration from the high-frequency power supply to the first and second coils.This is a flowchart of an example of the plasma processing method related to this disclosure. Embodiments of the plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method relating to this disclosure will be described below with examples. However, this disclosure is not limited to the examples described below. While specific numerical values and materials may be given as examples in the following description, other numerical values and materials may be applied as long as the effects of this disclosure are achieved. (Plasma processing equipment) The plasma processing apparatus according to this disclosure is an apparatus for plasma processing of an object to be processed. The plasma processing apparatus may be, for example, a plasma etching apparatus, a plasma dicer, a plasma ashing apparatus, or a plasma CVD apparatus. The plasma processing apparatus comprises a chamber, a high-frequency power supply, a matching unit, a distributor, a first coil and a second coil, a control unit, and a refresh unit. The chamber may be formed in a hollow cylindrical shape. The chamber may have an opening at its top. The opening may be open upwards. A dielectric member may be provided in the opening. The chamber may be grounded. The high-frequency power supply provides high-frequency power to generate plasma within the chamber. The frequency of the high-frequency power may be, for example, 3 MHz or higher and 30 MHz or lower. The impedance matching circuit is connected to the high-frequency power supply. The circuit matching circuit is configured to match the impedance of the high-frequency power supply (input impedance) with the impedance of the circuit downstream of the circuit (load impedance). The circuit matching circuit may have at least one variable capacitor, and impedance matching may be performed by changing the capacitance value of the variable capacitor. The circuit matching circuit may also be an automatic circuit matching circuit capable of performing impedance matching automatically. The distributor is connected to a matching circuit and has a first variable capacitor and a second variable capacitor. The distributor distributes and outputs the high-frequency power supplied from the high-frequency power supply. The distributor may have an input section connected to the matching circuit and a first output section and a second output section. The distributor may distribute the high-frequency power input to the input section through the first and second output sections. The distribution ratio of the high-frequency power may be changed by changing the capacitance values of the first and second variable capacitors. The first and second coils are connected in parallel to each other on the output side of the distributor. The first coil may be connected to the first output section of the distributor. The second coil may be connected to the second output section of the distributor. The first and second coils may be positioned above the chamber. By applying high-frequency power to the first and second coils, plasma for processing the material to be processed can be generated within the chamber. The first and second coils may each be configured in a vortex or spiral shape. The vortex or spiral first and second coils may be arranged coaxially with each other. The control unit controls the distribution ratio of high-frequency power to the first and second coils. The control unit controls this distribution ratio by adjusting the capacitance value of at least one of the first and second variable capacitors, based on distribution ratio information that shows the relationship between the capacitance values of the first and second variable capacitors and the distribution ratio. The distribution ratio information may be stored in a memory unit of the plasma processing apparatus, or in a memory unit of a separate device (e.g., a server device). The distribution ratio information may also be in table format, show