US 12,249,487 B2
Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method
Chishio Koshimizu, Miyagi (JP)
Assigned to TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Dec. 21, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/392,294.
Application 18/392,294 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2022/023741, filed on Jun. 14, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-102227 (JP), filed on Jun. 21, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0120176 A1, Apr. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. H01L 21/00 (2006.01); H01J 37/32 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 37/32155 (2013.01) [H01J 37/32165 (2013.01); H01J 37/32183 (2013.01); H01J 37/32174 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:
a chamber;
a substrate support in the chamber;
a radio-frequency power supply configured to provide radio-frequency power to generate plasma from a gas in the chamber;
a bias power supply configured to provide electrical bias energy to the substrate support to draw ions toward a substrate on the substrate support, the electrical bias energy having a waveform with repeated cycles each having a time length being an inverse of a bias frequency;
a memory that stores programs; and
processing circuitry, wherein
the processing circuitry is configured, with the programs stored in the memory, to control the radio-frequency power supply to perform, while the radio-frequency power is being provided and the electrical bias energy is being provided to the substrate support,
(a) using a predetermined reference time series of frequencies of the radio-frequency power in each of the repeated cycles,
(b) using, after the (a), a changed time series of frequencies of the radio-frequency power in each of the repeated cycles, and
(c) repeating the (b) to increase a degree of match of impedance between the radio-frequency power supply and a load coupled to the radio-frequency power supply based on an evaluation value indicating the degree of match, and
the changed time series used by the radio-frequency power supply in the (b) is
a time series of frequencies resulting from shifting the reference time series by a phase shift amount for each of the repeated cycles,
a time series of frequencies resulting from scaling up or down the reference time series in a frequency direction, or
a time series of frequencies resulting from scaling up or down two or more of a plurality of time zones of the reference time series in a time direction and including as many frequencies as the reference time series.