초록 ▼

Controlling ion/radical ratio and monoatomic/polyatomic radical ratio in a process plasma provides improved processing performance during inductively-coupled plasma and/or helicon wave plasma processing of substrate materials. In a plasma processing method employing inductively coupled plasma, high

Controlling ion/radical ratio and monoatomic/polyatomic radical ratio in a process plasma provides improved processing performance during inductively-coupled plasma and/or helicon wave plasma processing of substrate materials. In a plasma processing method employing inductively coupled plasma, high frequency current to a high frequency antenna is intermittently supplied in a controlled manner to control the state of gas dissociation to promote formation of polyatomic radicals. In a plasma processing method employing helicon wave plasma, current supplied to a magnetic field generator is intermittently supplied in a controlled manner to promote formation of ions. In a preferred method, both the high frequency current and magnetic field generating current are varied in a controlled manner to provide a variable plasma composition, i.e., radical rich plasma or ion-rich plasma, as desired, for improved plasma processing, especially improved selective anisotropic dry etching at high etch rate.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A plasma apparatus, comprising:a vacuum vessel for accommodating a substrate therein, said vacuum vessel having a wall,a portion of said wall of said vacuum vessel being formed of an electrically non-conductive material,a high-frequency antenna placed around the portion o

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A plasma apparatus, comprising:a vacuum vessel for accommodating a substrate therein, said vacuum vessel having a wall,a portion of said wall of said vacuum vessel being formed of an electrically non-conductive material,a high-frequency antenna placed around the portion of the wall of the vacuum vessel formed of the electrically non-conductive material,magnetic field generating means place on an outer periphery of said high-frequency antenna for generating a magnetic field,magnetic field control means for switching between generation and extinction of the magnetic field by said magnetic field generating means so as to switch between a helicon wave plasma and an inductively coupled plasma in said vacuum vessel,high-frequency electrical field control means for high-speed switching between supply and interruption of a high-frequency current to said high-frequency antenna, andmeans for generating a helicon-wave plasma within said vacuum vessel.