IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,501,976
Granted Patent B2
US 11,501,976 · App. 17/179,436 · Granted Nov 15, 2022

Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

Inventors: Seiichi Watanabe (Miyagi, JP); Kazuki Narishige (Singapore, SG); Xinhe Jerry Lim (Singapore, SG); Jianfeng Xu (Singapore, SG); Yi Hao Ng (Miyagi, JP); Zhenkang Max Liang (Singapore, SG); Yujun Nicholas Loo (Singapore, SG); Chiew Wah Yap (Singapore, SG); Bin Zhao (Singapore, SG); Chai Jin Chua (Singapore, SG); Takehito Watanabe (Miyagi, JP); Koji Kawamura (Miyagi, JP); Kenji Komatsu (Miyagi, JP); Li Jin (Miyagi, JP); Wee Teck Tan (Singapore, SG); Dali Liu (Singapore, SG)
Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
H01L21/31116H01J37/3244H01J37/32146H01J37/32715H01L21/31144H01L21/67069H01L21/6831H01L21/76805H01J2237/004H01J2237/334
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,501,976
App. No.
17/179,436
Granted
Nov 15, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A substrate processing method performed in a chamber of a substrate processing apparatus is provided. The chamber includes a substrate support, an upper electrode, and a gas supply port. The substrate processing method includes (a) providing the substrate on the substrate support; (b) supplying a first processing gas into the chamber; (c) continuously supplying an RF signal into the chamber while continuously supplying a negative DC voltage to the upper electrode, to generate plasma from the first processing gas in the chamber; and (d) supplying a pulsed RF signal while continuously supplying the negative DC voltage to the upper electrode, to generate plasma from the first processing gas in the chamber. The process further includes repeating alternately repeating the steps (c) and (d), and a time for performing the step (c) once is 30 second or shorter.

Claims (31)

1. A substrate processing method comprising:

(a) providing a substrate on a substrate support disposed in a chamber;

(b) supplying a first processing gas into the chamber;

(c) continuously supplying an RF signal into the chamber while continuously supplying a negative DC voltage to an upper electrode provided to face the substrate support, to generate plasma from the first processing gas in the chamber; and

(d) supplying a pulsed RF signal while continuously supplying the negative DC voltage to the upper electrode, to generate plasma from the first processing gas,

wherein (c) and (d) are alternately repeated, and

a time for performing (c) once is 30 second or shorter.

2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein a time for performing (d) once is 60 seconds or shorter.

3. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in (d), a ratio of a time period for supplying the RF signal to one cycle of the pulsed RF signal is 90% or more.

4. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in (d), a time period of one cycle of the pulsed RF signal is 50 milliseconds or shorter.

5. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in (d), a frequency of the pulsed RF signal is 20 Hz or higher.

6. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in (d), a duty ratio of the pulsed RF signal is 90% or more.

7. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in (d), an absolute value of the negative DC voltage supplied to the upper electrode in a time period during which the supply of the RF signal is cut off is larger than an absolute value of the negative DC voltage supplied to the upper electrode m a time period during which the RF signal is supplied.

8. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate includes a conductive film, an insulating film provided on the conductive film, and a mask film provided on the insulating film and having a predetermined pattern formed therein.

9. The substrate processing method according to claim 8 , wherein the insulating film is an oxide film, and the conductive film is a film of silicon or tungsten.

10. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the first processing gas includes a gas containing carbon and fluorine, an oxygen-containing gas, and a rare gas.

11. The substrate processing method according to claim 10 , wherein the gas containing carbon and fluorine is C 4 F 8 gas or C 4 F 6 gas.

12. The substrate processing method according to claim 10 , wherein the oxygen-containing gas is O 2 gas or CO gas.

13. The substrate processing method according to claim 10 , wherein the rare gas is Ar gas.

14. The substrate processing method according to claim 10 , further comprising:

(e) supplying a second processing gas that includes a nitrogen-containing gas and a rare gas into the chamber, after (c) and (d) are repeated; and

(f) supplying the RF signal into the chamber to generate plasma from the second processing gas, thereby removing polymer that remains in a hole formed in the substrate as a result of (c) and (d).

15. The substrate processing method according to claim 14 , wherein the nitrogen-containing gas is N 2 gas, and the rare gas is Ar gas.

16. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in (c) and (d), a peak-to-peak magnitude of a voltage of the pulsed RF signal is controlled to fall within a predetermined range.

17. A substrate processing method comprising:

(a) providing a substrate on a substrate support disposed in a chamber;

(b) supplying a first processing gas into the chamber;

(c) continuously supplying an RF signal into the chamber while continuously supplying a negative DC voltage to an upper electrode provided to face the substrate support, to generate plasma from the first processing gas in the chamber; and

(d) supplying a pulsed RF signal while continuously supplying the negative DC voltage to the upper electrode, to generate plasma from the first processing gas,

wherein (c) and (d) are alternately repeated, and

a processing time for performing (c) is shorter than a processing time for performing (d).

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 23, 2021
From: LIANG, ZHENKANG MAX
To: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Reel/Frame 056956/0284 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 15, 2021
From: WATANABE, SEIICHI; NARISHIGE, KAZUKI; LIM, XINHE JERRY; XU, JIANFENG; NG, YI HAO; LOO, YUJUN NICHOLAS; YAP, CHIEW WAH; ZHAO, BIN; CHUA, CHAI JIN; WATANABE, TAKEHITO; KAWAMURA, KOJI; KOMATSU, KENJI; JIN, LI; TAN, WEE TECK; LIU, DALI
To: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Reel/Frame 055933/0633 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2020-026863 · Feb 20, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210265170A1 · Aug 26, 2021
Cited By (1)
US 12,327,748