Process for producing materials for electronic device

Abstract

A process for producing an electronic device material of a high quality MOS-type semiconductor comprising an insulating layer and a semiconductor layer excellent in the electrical characteristic. The process includes: a step of CVD-treating a substrate to be processed comprising single-crystal silicon as a main component, to thereby form an insulating layer; and a step of exposing the substrate to be processed to a plasma which has been generated from a process gas on the basis of microwave irradiation via a plane antenna member having a plurality of slots, to thereby modify the insulating film by using the thus generated plasma.

1 . A plasma processing apparatus, comprising: 
 a processing chamber for plasma-processing an object having an insulating film;    object-holding pedestal for holding the object in the processing chamber;    plasma-generating unit for generating a plasma in the processing chamber;    gas supply opening for supplying a process gas comprising at least one of oxygen and nitrogen into the processing chamber; and    exhaust means for evacuating the inside of the processing chamber;    wherein the processing chamber supplies the process gas comprising at least oxygen gas or nitrogen gas into the processing chamber via the gas supply opening, so as to generate a plasma having an electron temperature of 0.5 eV-2 eV in the processing chamber by the plasma-generating unit, whereby the insulating film of the object is exposed to the plasma to modify the insulating film.    
   
   
       2 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 1 , wherein the plasma-generating unit comprises an antenna for generating the plasma by irradiating microwaves into the processing chamber.  
   
   
       3 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 2 , wherein the antenna comprises a plane antenna member having a plurality of slots.  
   
   
       4 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 1 , wherein the process gas further comprises an inert gas, and the inert gas is selected from krypton, argon or helium.  
   
   
       5 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 4 , wherein the process gas further comprises hydrogen.  
   
   
       6 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 1 , wherein the insulating film is modified at a pressure of 20-5000 mTorr.  
   
   
       7 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 6 , wherein the process plasma processing is conducted at a temperature of room temperature to 700° C.  
   
   
       8 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 3 , wherein the plasma is generated at an output of the plasma-generating unit of 0.5-5 W/cm2.  
   
   
       9 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 8 , wherein the plasma has a plasma density of 1×10 10 /cm 3  to 5×10 12 /cm 3 .  
   
   
       10 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 1 , wherein the plasma-generating unit comprises antenna for generating the plasma by irradiating microwaves into the processing chamber. 
 a cassette for disposing a substrate;    a transfer chamber for transporting the substrate;    a plurality of plasma processing units for plasma processing the substrate, a first plasma processing unit being connected to the transfer chamber;    a load lock unit connected to the transfer chamber;    a first transfer arm disposed in the transfer chamber for transporting the substrate between the load lock unit and the first plasma processing unit, and    a second transfer arm for transporting the substrate between the cassette and the load lock unit;    wherein the first plasma processing unit comprises: a processing chamber for plasma-processing the substrate having an insulating film; substrate-holding pedestal disposed in the processing chamber for holding the substrate; plasma-generating unit for generating a plasma in the processing chamber; gas supply opening for supplying a process gas comprising at least oxygen gas or nitrogen gas into the processing chamber; and an evacuating device for evacuating the inside of the processing chamber;    wherein the processing chamber supplies the process gas into the processing chamber via the gas supply opening, so as to generate a plasma having an electron temperature of 0.5 eV-2 eV in the processing chamber by the plasma-generating unit, whereby the insulating film of the substrate is exposed to the plasma to modify the insulating film.    
   
   
       11 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 10 , wherein the plasma-generating unit comprises an antenna for generating the plasma by irradiating microwaves into the processing chamber.  
   
   
       12 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 11 , wherein the antenna comprises a plane antenna member having a plurality of slots.  
   
   
       13 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 10 , wherein the process gas further comprises an inert gas, and the inert gas is selected from krypton, argon or helium.  
   
   
       14 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 10 , wherein the plasma processing is conducted at a pressure of 20-5000 mTorr.  
   
   
       15 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 14 , wherein the process plasma processing is conducted at a temperature of room temperature to 700° C.  
   
   
       16 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 12 , wherein the plasma is formed at an output of the plasma-generating unit of 0.5-5 W/cm2.  
   
   
       17 . A plasma processing apparatus according  claim 16 , wherein the plasma has a plasma density of 1×10 10 /cm 3  to 5×10 12 /cm 3 .  
   
   
       18 . A plasma processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the insulating film comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: SiO 2 , silicon oxynitride film (SiON), silicon nitride (SiN), aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 ), hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ), silicates having a composition of ZrSiO or HfSiO, and aluminates having a composition of ZrAlO or HfAlO.  
   
   
       19 . A plasma processing apparatus according to  claim 10 , further comprising a heating unit for heating the substrate having an insulating film.  
   
   
       20 . A plasma processing apparatus according to  claim 10 , further comprising a preheating/precooling unit for preliminarily heating or cooling the substrate having an insulating film.