PLASMA PROCESSING METHOD, APPARATUS AND STORAGE MEDIUM

Abstract

In etching an insulating film such as an SiOC film or the like, in order to suppress a diameter of a hole or a width of a groove, a pre-processing is performed before performing the etching. In the pre-processing, a processing gas containing CF4 gas and CH3F gas is converted into a plasma, and an opening size of an opening portion of a resist mask is decreased by depositing deposits at a sidewall thereof by using the plasma. Further, in etching the SiOC film, a processing gas containing CF4 gas, CH3F gas, and N2 gas is converted into a plasma by supplying a processing gas atmosphere by using a first high frequency wave for generating the plasma, wherein the electric power divided by a surface area of a substrate becomes over 1500 W/70685.8 mm2 (a surface area of a 300 mm wafer), and then the SiOC film is etched.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a plasma processing apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 2A to 2D show configurations of a wafer used in the plasma processing in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 3A to 3C illustrate configurations of a wafer used in the experimental examples in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 4A and 4B present a result of the experimental example 1 in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 5A and 5B describe a result of the experimental example 2 in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 6A and 6B provide a result of the experimental example 6 in accordance with the present invention; and

FIGS. 7A and 7B depict a result of the experimental example 7 in accordance with the present invention.

Claims

1. A plasma processing method for processing a substrate by using a plasma processing apparatus having a first high frequency power supply, wherein the first high frequency power supply is connected to one of an upper electrode and a lower electrode facing to each other and supplies a first high frequency wave to a processing gas atmosphere in order to convert a processing gas into a plasma, the method comprising the steps of: mounting the substrate, in which a resist mask is laminated on an insulating film made of a low-k film containing silicon and oxygen, on the lower electrode;supplying the processing gas, which contains CF-based compound made of carbon and fluorine and CHxFy (a sum of x and y equals four, each of them being a natural number), to the processing gas atmosphere;generating plasma by converting the processing gas into a plasma by supplying the first high frequency wave to the processing gas atmosphere, and decreasing an opening size of an opening portion of the resist mask by depositing deposits at a sidewall thereof; andetching the insulating film by using the plasma.

2. The plasma processing method of claim 1, wherein the step for decreasing the opening size is performed while a bias power is supplied to the substrate mounted on the lower electrode, by supplying a second high frequency wave, which has a frequency lower than that of the first high frequency wave, to the processing gas atmosphere by using a second high frequency power supply connected to the lower electrode.

3. The plasma processing method of claim 1, wherein an electric power of the first high frequency wave supplied to the upper electrode or the lower electrode divided by a surface area of the substrate is equal to or greater than 1000 W/70685.8 mm2.

4. The plasma processing method of claim 1, wherein a flow rate ratio of the CHxFy gas to the CF-based gas is equal to or greater than 0.05.

5. The plasma processing method of claim 1, wherein the step for etching the insulating film by using the plasma includes the steps of: supplying the processing gas, which contains CF4, CHxFy (a sum of x and y equals four, each of them being a natural number) and N2, to the processing gas atmosphere; andgenerating the plasma by converting the processing gas into the plasma by supplying the first high frequency wave to the processing gas atmosphere, wherein the electric power supplied to the upper electrode or the lower electrode by the first high frequency wave divided by the surface area of the substrate is equal to or greater than 1500 W/70685.8 mm2, and etching the insulating film by using the plasma while the bias power is supplied to the substrate mounted on the lower electrode, by supplying the second high frequency wave, which has a frequency lower than that of the first high frequency wave, to the processing gas atmosphere by using the second high frequency power supply connected to the lower electrode.

6. A plasma processing method for processing a substrate by using a plasma processing apparatus having a first high frequency power supply and a second high frequency power supply, wherein the first high frequency power supply is connected to one of an upper electrode and a lower electrode facing to each other and supplies a first high frequency wave to a processing gas atmosphere in order to convert a processing gas into a plasma; and wherein a second high frequency power supply is connected to the lower electrode and supplies a second high frequency wave, which has a frequency lower than that of the first high frequency wave, to the processing gas atmosphere in order to supply a bias power to the substrate mounted on the lower electrode, the method comprising the steps of: mounting the substrate, in which a resist mask is laminated on an insulating film made of a low-k film containing silicon and oxygen, on the lower electrode;supplying the processing gas, which contains CF4, CHxFy (a sum of x and y equals four, each of them being a natural number) and N2, to the processing gas atmosphere; andgenerating the plasma by converting the processing gas into the plasma by supplying the first high frequency wave to the processing gas atmosphere, wherein the electric power supplied to the upper electrode or the lower electrode by the first high frequency wave divided by a surface area of the substrate is equal to or greater than 1500 W/70685.8 mm2, and etching the insulating film by using the plasma by supplying the second high frequency wave to the processing gas atmosphere.

7. The plasma processing method of claim 5, wherein a flow rate ratio of the CF4 gas to the CHxFy gas is equal to or greater than 0.2 and equal to or smaller than 2.

8. The plasma processing method of claim 6, wherein a flow rate ratio of the CF4 gas to the CHxFy gas is equal to or greater than 0.2 and equal to or smaller than 2.

9. A plasma processing apparatus for etching an insulating film of a substrate in which a resist mask is laminated on the insulating film made of a low-k film containing silicon and oxygen, the apparatus comprising: a processing chamber;an upper electrode and a lower electrode disposed in the processing chamber to face to each other;a first high frequency power supply, wherein the first high frequency power supply is connected to one of the upper electrode and the lower electrode and supplies a first high frequency wave to a processing gas atmosphere in order to convert a processing gas into a plasma;a supply unit for supplying the processing gas, which contains CF-based compound made of carbon and fluorine and CHxFy (a sum of x and y equals four, each of them being a natural number), to the processing chamber; anda control unit for performing the plasma processing method of claim 1.

10. A plasma processing apparatus for etching an insulating film of a substrate in which a resist mask is laminated on the insulating film made of a low-k film containing silicon and oxygen, the apparatus comprising: a processing chamber;an upper and a lower electrode disposed in the processing chamber to face to each other;a first high frequency power supply, wherein the first high frequency power supply is connected to the upper electrode and supplies a first high frequency wave to a processing gas atmosphere in order to convert a processing gas into plasma;a second high frequency power supply, wherein the second high frequency power supply is connected to the lower electrode and supplies a second high frequency wave, which has a frequency lower than that of the first high frequency wave, to the processing gas atmosphere in order to supply a bias power to the substrate mounted on the lower electrode;a supply unit for supplying the processing gas, which contains CF-based compound made of carbon and fluorine and CHxFy (a sum of x and y equals four, each of them being a natural number), to the processing chamber; anda control unit for performing the plasma processing method of claim 2.

11. A plasma processing apparatus for etching an insulating film of a substrate in which a resist mask is laminated on the insulating film made of a low-k film containing silicon and oxygen, the apparatus comprising: a processing chamber;an upper and a lower electrode disposed in the processing chamber to face to each other;a first high frequency power supply, wherein the first high frequency power supply is connected to one of the upper electrode and the lower electrode and supplies a first high frequency wave to a processing gas atmosphere in order to convert a processing gas into a plasma;a second high frequency power supply, wherein the second high frequency power supply is connected to the lower electrode and supplies a second high frequency wave, which has a frequency lower than that of the first high frequency wave, to the processing gas atmosphere in order to supply a bias power to the substrate mounted on the lower electrode;a supply unit for supplying the processing gas containing CF4, CHxFy (a sum of x and y equals four, each of them being a natural number) and N2, to the processing chamber; anda control unit for performing the plasma processing method of claim 6.

12. A storage medium for storing therein a computer program to be run on a computer, the program used in a plasma processing apparatus having a first high frequency power supply and a second high frequency power supply, wherein the first high frequency power supply is connected to one of an upper electrode and a lower electrode facing to each other and supplies a first high frequency wave to a processing gas atmosphere in order to convert a processing gas into plasma; and wherein the second high frequency power supply is connected to the lower electrode and supplies a second high frequency wave, which has a frequency lower than that of the first high frequency wave, in order to supply a bias power to the substrate mounted on the lower electrode, wherein the computer program includes steps for performing the plasma processing method of claim 1.