Abstract: A method of vacuum treatment is performed using a vacuum treatment system (1) comprising a vacuum treatment unit (31) for treating a wafer (W) placed on a wafer stage (10) and a controller (51) for controlling the vacuum treatment unit (31). A sensor wafer (11) of substantially the same shape and size as a wafer (W), which includes a detector element (11d) for detecting data about the state of a vacuum treatment and a data processing element (11p) for processing the detected data, is placed on the wafer stage (10) and treated in a vacuum by the vacuum treatment unit (31). While the sensor wafer (11) is subjected to a vacuum treatment, data on the state of the vacuum treatment is detected and processed. Based on the processed data, the controller (51) controls the vacuum treatment unit (31) to treat the wafer (W).

Abstract: An object to be etched is loaded in a low-pressure vapor phase processing chamber, and then an etching gas obtained by adding a small amount of additive gas of oxygen or additive gas at least containing oxygen to a reaction gas used for etching is fed to the low-pressure vapor phase processing chamber so as to suppress a reaction between the wall of the low-pressure vapor phase processing chamber and the reaction gas. In this state, the object to be etched is dry-etched with the etching gas.

Abstract: An apparatus for etching a WSi film on a wafer by using a plasma of a gas containing a halogen element includes a vacuum process chamber in which upper and lower counter electrodes are provided. An electrostatic chuck is provided on a table at the center of a susceptor or the lower electrode. The wafer is held on the electrostatic chuck. A focus ring surrounding the wafer in a complementary manner is placed on a flange of the susceptor. The temperature of the wafer surface is set to be lower than that of the surface of the focus ring while the plasma is being generated. The focus ring comprises an inner part of amorphous carbon and an outer part of tungsten. While the plasma is being generated, a halide of tungsten generated from the outer part is diffused on the wafer surface, thereby correcting a distribution of the amount of the halide of tungsten on the wafer surface. Thus, the uniformity within the wafer surface of the etching rate and etching anisotropy is enhanced.