Plasma etching apparatus and plasma etching method

Abstract

A plasma processing method includes the steps of evacuating a vacuum vessel by an evacuation system, introducing a processing gas into the vacuum vessel, disposing an object or example to be processed within the vacuum vessel, supplying electrical bias power to a lower electrode within the vacuum vessel, radiating a high frequency electromagnetic wave within the vacuum vessel, and causing said processing gas to change into a plasma for performing processing of the object to be processed. The vacuum vessel includes a processing chamber having a sidewall and subjecting the sidewall to temperature control so that the temperature of the sidewall is controlled so as to be maintained within ±10° C. in a range of 20 to 80° C.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A plasma processing method including the steps of: 
 evacuating a vacuum vessel by an evacuation system;    introducing a processing gas into the vacuum vessel;    disposing a sample to be processed within the vacuum vessel;    supplying electrical bias power to a lower electrode within the vacuum vessel;    radiating a high frequency electromagnetic wave within the vacuum vessel; and    causing the processing gas to change into a plasma for performing processing of the sample to be processed;    wherein said vacuum vessel includes a processing chamber having its sidewall and subjecting the sidewall to temperature control so that the temperature thereof is controlled to be maintained within ±10° C. in a range of 20 to 80° C.    
     
     
         2 . A plasma processing method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of forming on an inner wall surface of the side wall during etching a deposition layer comprising fluorine (F) and carbon (C) as contained in a CF-based processing gas.  
     
     
         3 . The plasma processing method according to  claim 2 , wherein the temperature control is a constant temperature control which enables acceleration of polymerization of the deposition layer.  
     
     
         4 . A plasma processing method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of vacuum-adjusting the vacuum vessel so that pressure thereof ranges from 0.5 to 4 pascals (Pa).  
     
     
         5 . A plasma processing method according to  claim 1 , wherein a disk-like conductor is used for supplying high frequency bias power to the inside of said vacuum vessel and a distance between a plate contacted with the disk-like conductor and the sample is set to fall within a range of from 30 to 150 mm, the vacuum vessel being vacuum-adjusted to have a resultant pressure thereof ranging from 0.5 to 4 Pa.  
     
     
         6 . A plasma processing method for changing a CF-based processing gas into a plasma for use in performing processing of a sample to be processed, comprising the step of: 
 controlling a temperature at an inner wall of a processing chamber having the sample being processed therein is so as to be maintained within ±10° C. in a range of 20 to 80° C.    
     
     
         7 . A plasma processing method according to  claim 6 , further comprising the step of adjusting the processing chamber to have an internal pressure ranging from 0.5 to 4 Pa.  
     
     
         8 . A plasma processing method for changing a CF-based gas into a plasma for use in performing processing of an object to be processed, comprising the steps of: 
 controlling a temperature of a side wall of a processing chamber having the object being processed therein so as to fall within a range of 20 to 80° C.; and    adjusting the processing chamber so as to have an internal pressure ranging from 0.5 to 4 Pa.    
     
     
         9 . A plasma processing method for changing a CF-based gas into a plasma for use in performing processing of an object to be processed, comprising the step of controlling a temperature of an inner wall of a processing chamber which in contact with the plasma so as to be maintained within ±10° C. in a range of 20 to 80° C.  
     
     
         10 . A plasma processing method according to  claim 9 , further comprising the step of adjusting the processing chamber so as to have an internal pressure ranging from 0.5 to 4 Pa.