Abstract: Charge-up damages to a substrate are reduced in a manufacturing process using plasma, and the reliability of a semiconductor device is improved. By forming an insulating film on the back of a substrate before a step of forming a first wiring layer, even if a plasma CVD method, a sputtering method, or a dry-etching method is used in a wiring-forming step executed later, then it is possible to suppress electric charges which are generated on the substrate and which flow to the ground potential through the substrate, and to prevent damages to the substrate due to charge-up.

Abstract: Charge-up damages to a substrate are reduced in a manufacturing process using plasma, and the reliability of a semiconductor device is improved.

Abstract: To realize etching with a high selection ratio and a high accuracy in fabrication of an LSI, the composition of dissociated species of a reaction gas is accurately controlled when dry-etching a thin film on a semiconductor substrate by causing an inert gas excited to a metastable state in a plasma and a flon gas to interact with each other and selectively obtaining desired dissociated species.

Abstract: To realize etching with a high selection ratio and a high accuracy in fabrication of an LSI, the composition of dissociated species of a reaction gas is accurately controlled when dry-etching a thin film on a semiconductor substrate by causing an inert gas excited to a metastable state in a plasma and a flon gas to interact with each other and selectively obtaining desired dissociated species.

Abstract: To realize etching with a high selection ratio and a high accuracy in fabrication of an LSI, the composition of dissociated species of a reaction gas is accurately controlled when dry-etching a thin film on a semiconductor substrate by causing an inert gas excited to a metastable state in a plasma and a flon gas to interact with each other and selectively obtaining desired dissociated species.

Abstract: To realize etching with a high selection ratio and a high accuracy in fabrication of an LSI, the composition of dissociated species of a reaction gas is accurately controlled when dry-etching a thin film on a semiconductor substrate by causing an inert gas excited to a metastable state in a plasma and a flon gas to interact with each other, and selectively obtaining desired dissociated species.

Abstract: Etching of an article is carried out by maintaining the article at a temperature at which the vapor pressure of etching gas molecules becomes equal to or higher than the pressure of etching gas and the vapor pressure of neutral radicals contained in a plasma becomes equal to or lower than the pressure of an etching gas. An etching pattern with a substantially vertical side profile and extremely small in dimensional shift from the mask can be formed at high precision.

Abstract: A dry etching method is disclosed, in which the pressure of etching gas in a reaction chamber, the bias voltage applied to article to be etched, and the temperature of the article to be etched object are set so that the etching rate for the article to be etched is greater than 0.2 .mu.m/min, a ratio of the length of side etching in the article to be etched to the depth of etching therein is less than 1/100, and a ratio of the etching rate for the article to be etched to the etching rate for a mask formed thereon is greater than 10. Thus, the dry etching method can satisfy three requirements (that is, a high etching rate, a high selection ratio and marked anisotropy in etching) at the same time, although conventional dry etching methods can satisfy only two of three requirements.

Abstract: A microwave penetrating window and a cavity which are substantially equal in diameter to a plasma generating chamber are successively connected to the plasma generating chamber and microwaves are introduced via the cavity into the plasma generating chamber. A processing gas in the plasma generating chamber is converted into a plasma by means of the microwaves introduced into the plasma generating chamber and the microwaves in specific modes are resonated in between a microwave reflective interface with the plasma generated in the plasma generating chamber and the reflective edge face of the cavity. The microwaves in the specific modes are thus formed in the cavity and the energy of the microwaves in the specific modes is increased by resonance. The boosted energy is added to the plasma and the plasma is densified accordingly. Moreover, a plasma excellent in uniformity and stability can be generated by resonating the microwaves in the specific modes in the presence of a uniform electromagnetic field.

Abstract: Etching of an article is carried out by maintaining the article at a temperature at which the vapor pressure of etching gas molecules becomes equal to or higher than the pressure of etching gas and the vapor pressure of neutral radicals contained in a plasma becomes equal to or lower than the pressure of an etching gas. An etching pattern with a substantially vertical side profile and extremely small in dimensional shift from the mask can be formed at high precision.

Abstract: A dry etching method is disclosed, in which the pressure of etching gas in a reaction chamber, the bias voltage applied to article to be etched, and the temperature of the article to be etched object are set so that the etching rate for the article to be etched is greater than 0.2 .mu.m/min, a ratio of the length of side etching in the article to be etched to the depth of etching therein is less than 1/100, and a ratio of the etching rate for the article to be etched to the etching rate for a mask formed thereon is greater than 10. Thus, the dry etching method can satisfy three requirements (that is, a high etching rate, a high selection ratio and marked anisotropy in etching) at the same time, although conventional dry etching methods can satisfy only two of three requirements.

Abstract: A plurality of resist membranes are formed on a membrane of goods to be etched. The top resist is patterned by light beam, laser beam, X-rays, or electron beams. The wafer is transferred to a first unit into which discharging gas is introduced and plasma is generated in order to dry-etch the multilayer resists. The multilayer is transferred to a second unit in vacuum environment. In the second unit, the membrane of the wafer is dry-etched in a predetermined depth. The wafer then is transferred to a third unit in vacuum atmosphere so as to remove part of the resist depending a mask pattern and treat the resist by plasma.

Abstract: An article to be etched is contacted with a plasma of a mixed gas containing an etching gas and a film forming gas or a surface modification gas at a low temperature to effect the dry etching of the article, whereby the selectivity of etching can be made very high and the inclination angle of the side wall of pattern can be controlled at a desired level.

Abstract: A first etching for large side etching is conducted while maintaining the temperature of an article to be etched at a first temperature, and a second etching for small side etching is then conducted while maintaining the article to be etched at a second temperature lower than the first temperature. This enables the formation of various patterns in which the upper part of the sidewall is inclined at an angle smaller than that of the lower part of the sidewall.

Abstract: A dry etching method including the steps of introducing etching and deposition gases alternately into a reaction chamber at predetermined time intervals, etching the exposed surface of an article to be etched and applying deposition to the surface film thereof alternately by making plasma generated by applying power to the etching and deposition gases introduced into the reaction chamber come in contact with the article to be etched in the reaction chamber in order to etch the surface, is characterized in that the power is applied after the passage of predetermined time from the start of the introduction of the deposition gas and before the etching gas is introduced and cut off when the introduction of the etching gas is suspended.

Abstract: A deep trench is formed by carrying out etching by using an etching gas free of carbon and silicon, which contains at least one member selected from the group consisting of fluorine, chlorine and bromine, while maintaining an article to be etched at such a temperature that the reaction probability between silicon and fluorine, chlorine or bromine contained in the etching gas is less than 1/10 of the reaction probability at 20.degree. C. According to this method, a deep trench having a very narrow width and a large aspect ratio, which cannot be formed according to the conventional method, can be formed very promptly with much reduced side etching.

Abstract: An ion beam is allowed to hit the surface of a target and the resulting forward scattered particle beam is then allowed to hit the surface of a workpiece, thereby etching or modifying the surface of the workpiece or depositing a film on the surface of the workpiece. By bombardment of ions with the target, electric charges possessed by the ion beam are lost, and only the thus neutralized forward scattered particle beam is allowed to hit the surface of the workpiece, and thus the said surface treatment can be carried out without any electrically charging trouble.

Abstract: A plasma which is formed by the contact between a microwave and a reaction gas is brought into contact with an article to be etched which is AC-biased, thereby effecting etching of an exposed region of the article. The etching is carried out in a state wherein the self-bias formed between the plasma and the article is minimized, whereby it is possible to effect etching which provides high selectivity and which enables a substantially vertical side wall to be formed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for microwave plasma processing characterized by providing a plasma processing period of time having no radio-frequency voltage applied to the sample stage. Particularly, if the present invention is used for the shaping by etching of the conductive material layer provided on an underlying insulation material, effects such as shortening of processing time and improvement of etching accuracy can be obtained in the case that the radio-frequency voltage is applied only for the period of time for removing the surface oxide film of the portion to be etched, or in the case that the radio-frequency voltage is further applied until nearly the time to initiate over-etching, and, the latter case is also effective for making the side wall of the portion to be etched vertical.

Abstract: To realize etching with a high selection ratio and a high accuracy in fabrication of an LSI, the composition of dissociated species of a reaction gas is accurately controlled when dry-etching a thin film on a semiconductor substrate by causing an inert gas excited to a metastable state in a plasma and a flon gas to interact with each other and selectively obtaining desired dissociated species.