Abstract: A plasma processing method for processing a sample by reducing a pressure within a processing chamber, including mounting the sample on a sample holder disposed in the processing chamber, and processing using a plasma generated in the processing chamber above the sample holder while supplying a gas for heat transfer to a space between a surface of the sample holder having the sample mounted thereon and a rear surface of the sample. The sample holder has a plurality of substantially ring-shaped depressed portions at the surface where the sample is mounted. A pressure in a space between the depressed portions arranged at a central portion of the sample holder with respect to outer circumferential portion and the sample is set to be lower than a pressure in a space between the depressed portions at the outer circumferential portion and the sample.

Abstract: An inexpensive and reliable vacuum processing apparatus is provided. The vacuum processing apparatus comprises a sealed gate located between two vacuum vessels for allowing them to communicate with each other and a sample subjected to processing to be transferred from one of the vacuum vessels to the other therethrough; and a gate valve located on a path of the gate, the gate valve including a first and second valve body facing a first and second opening, respectively, and a shaft to which the valve bodies are coupled at one end thereof, the gate valve selectively opening and closing each of the openings. The gate valve includes an axial drive section coupled to the other end of the shaft for moving the shaft in the axial direction thereof, and a rotary drive section located between the one end and the other end of the shaft for rotating the shaft about a predetermined pivot crossing the axis of the shaft.

Abstract: In a wafer processing apparatus, wafers are sequentially placed one by one on a ceramic plate of a wafer stage within a vacuum chamber. The pressure of a heat-conductive gas introduced at this time between the wafer and the ceramic plate is adjusted to control the temperature of the wafer, and the wafer is processed by use of plasma. In this case, the user can select any one of a process for regulating the pressure of the heat-conductive gas each time the wafers are sequentially placed on the wafer stage, a process for optimizing aging conditions, and a process for optimizing heater conditions so that the wafer temperature variation within lot can be reduced by performing the selected process. The selected process is performed on the basis of its conditions that are computed to determine by a control-purpose computer of the processing apparatus.

Abstract: A temperature control type sample-holding electrode using a heater capable of enhancing the performance of controlling the electrode temperature and ensuring the uniformity of static adsorption force over the entire surface, the sample-holding electrode being provided in a processing chamber with a sample being disposed thereon, including a dielectric film having a sample-placing surface and a thin electrode film disposed so as to oppose to the sample-placing surface by way of the dielectric film and comprising a layer of a substantially identical height serving both as a static adsorption electrode and a heater electrode, and provided with power source device capable of simultaneously supplying an AC power for heater and DC power for static adsorption to the thin electrode film.

Abstract: A vacuum processing method includes mounting a sample to be processed on a sample mounting surface on a sample holder placed in a vacuum container whose inside can be depressurized, feeding a processing gas and electric field to a space above the sample holder inside of the vacuum container to generate plasma, and etching films of a plurality of layers laid over the surface of the sample into a predetermined shape. A heat conducting gas is fed between the sample mounting surface and the backside of the sample, and at the same time, the pressure of the heat conducting gas is changed stepwise in accordance with the progress of the processing of the films of a plurality of layers of the sample.

Abstract: In the plasma processing apparatus including a processing chamber for plasma-processing a processed substrate, plasma generating unit that generates plasma in the processing chamber, and a wafer stage which is mounted in the processing chamber and has an electrostatic chuck for holding the processed substrate, a current detector that detects a current value of leakage current flowing in a circuit formed of a power supply for electrostatic attraction, an electrostatic chuck, a substrate, plasma, a grounded line, and a controlling unit which sets an attraction condition to the current value and controls the applied voltage so that the leakage current reaches the set current value are included.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck which is built in a heater and can change, at a high speed, the temperature distribution of a wafer being processed by a plasma is provided at low cost. Also, there is provided a processing method which realizes uniform etching by suppressing CD variations in the plane of the wafer even when etching conditions change. The electrostatic chuck includes a base material in which multiple coolant grooves are formed, a high resistance layer which is formed on the base material, multiple heaters which are formed by thermally spraying conductors within the high resistance layer, multiple electrostatic chuck electrodes which are formed similarly by thermally spraying conductors within the high resistance layer, and temperature measuring means, and adjusts outputs of the heaters on the basis of temperature information of the temperature measuring means.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber disposed within a vacuum vessel for forming therein a plasma, a sample table disposed beneath the processing chamber for mounting on its upper surface a workpiece to be processed, an electrode disposed within the sample table for allowing application of high frequency power for adjustment of a surface potential of the workpiece, a passage disposed within the sample table for causing a refrigerant to flow therein, and a control device for adjusting a temperature of the refrigerant flowing in the passage. The workpiece is processed using a plasma created within the processing chamber under application of the high frequency power. Before application of the high frequency power, the control device starts to adjust the temperature of the refrigerant based on information of the high frequency power so that it has a predetermined value.

Abstract: Provided is a vacuum processing apparatus or processing method which, when films of a plurality of layers are etched into a predetermined shape, eliminates a deficiency in shape formed by sample processing, increases the aspect ratio of the processed shape, and provides a more precise shape.

Abstract: A wafer processing apparatus capable of obtaining a uniform CD distribution within a wafer is provided. The wafer processing apparatus comprises at least two separate circuits of temperature regulating means provided in a wafer stage, a plurality of cooling gas pressure regulating means for feeding cooling gas between the semiconductor wafer and the wafer stage, means for regulating heater input power, and a control computer. The control computer receives input of line width dimensions resulting from processes in an arbitrary plurality of temperature conditions obtained by changing at least one of the conditions of the temperature of the temperature regulating agent, the cooling gas pressure, and the input power of the heater. The line width dimensions are used to calculate, and control, at least one of the temperature of the temperature regulating agent, the cooling gas pressure, and the input power of the heater for obtaining an arbitrary etching line width dimension.

Abstract: A vacuum processing apparatus which includes a means for transferring substrates from a loader, with a transferring device, to a double lock chamber; and, then to a selected vacuum processing chamber. The substrates are returned to a substrate, by the vacuum loader, into their original position in the substrate table. The surfaces of the substrates are maintained in a horizontal position during processing.

Abstract: An inexpensive and reliable vacuum processing apparatus is provided. The vacuum processing apparatus comprises a sealed gate located between two vacuum vessels for allowing them to communicate with each other and a sample subjected to processing to be transferred from one of the vacuum vessels to the other therethrough; and a gate valve located on a path of the gate, the gate valve including a first and second valve body facing a first and second opening, respectively, and a shaft to which the valve bodies are coupled at one end thereof, the gate valve selectively opening and closing each of the openings. The gate valve includes an axial drive section coupled to the other end of the shaft for moving the shaft in the axial direction thereof, and a rotary drive section located between the one end and the other end of the shaft for rotating the shaft about a predetermined pivot crossing the axis of the shaft.

Abstract: In a wafer processing apparatus, wafers are sequentially placed one by one on a ceramic plate of a wafer stage within a vacuum chamber. The pressure of a heat-conductive gas introduced at this time between the wafer and the ceramic plate is adjusted to control the temperature of the wafer, and the wafer is processed by use of plasma. In this case, the user can select any one of a process for regulating the pressure of the heat-conductive gas each time the wafers are sequentially placed on the wafer stage, a process for optimizing aging conditions, and a process for optimizing heater conditions so that the wafer temperature variation within lot can be reduced by performing the selected process. The selected process is performed on the basis of its conditions that are computed to determine by a control-purpose computer of the processing apparatus.

Abstract: This invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus having vacuum processing chambers the insides of which must be dry cleaned, and to a method of operating such an apparatus. When the vacuum processing chambers are dry-cleaned, dummy substrates are transferred into the vacuum processing chamber by substrates conveyor means from dummy substrate storage means which is disposed in the air atmosphere together with storage means for storing substrates to be processed, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is dry-cleaned by generating a plasma. The dummy substrate is returned to the dummy substrate storage means after dry cleaning is completed. Accordingly, any specific mechanism for only the cleaning purpose is not necessary and the construction of the apparatus can be made simple.

Abstract: This invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus having vacuum processing chambers the insides of which must be dry cleaned, and to a method of operating such an apparatus. When the vacuum processing chambers are dry-cleaned, dummy substrates are transferred into the vacuum processing chamber by substrates conveyor means from dummy substrate storage means which is disposed in the air atmosphere together with storage means for storing substrates to be processed, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is dry-cleaned by generating a plasma. The dummy substrate is returned to the dummy substrate storage means after dry cleaning is completed. Accordingly, any specific mechanism for only the cleaning purpose is not necessary and the construction of the apparatus can be made simple.

Abstract: A plasma processing method for processing a sample by reducing a pressure within a processing chamber, including mounting the sample on a sample holder disposed in the processing chamber, and processing using a plasma generated in the processing chamber above the sample holder while supplying a gas for heat transfer to a space between a surface of the sample holder having the sample mounted thereon and a rear surface of the sample. The sample holder has a plurality of substantially ring-shaped depressed portions at the surface where the sample is mounted. A pressure in a space between the depressed portions arranged at a central portion of the sample holder with respect to outer circumferential portion and the sample is set to be lower than a pressure in a space between the depressed portions at the outer circumferential portion and the sample.

Abstract: This invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus having vacuum processing chambers the insides of which must be dry cleaned, and to a method of operating such an apparatus. When the vacuum processing chambers are dry-cleaned, dummy substrates are transferred into the vacuum processing chamber by substrates conveyor means from dummy substrate storage means which is disposed in the air atmosphere together with storage means for storing substrates to be processed, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is dry-cleaned by generating a plasma. The dummy substrate is returned to the dummy substrate storage means after dry cleaning is completed. Accordingly, any specific mechanism for only the cleaning purpose is not necessary and the construction of the apparatus can be made simple.

Abstract: This invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus having vacuum processing chambers the insides of which must be dry cleaned, and to a method of operating such an apparatus. When the vacuum processing chambers are dry-cleaned, dummy substrates are transferred into the vacuum processing chamber by substrates conveyor means from dummy substrate storage means which is disposed in the air atmosphere together with storage means for storing substrates to be processed, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is dry-cleaned by generating a plasma. The dummy substrate is returned to the dummy substrate storage means after dry cleaning is completed. Accordingly, any specific mechanism for only the cleaning purpose is not necessary and the construction of the apparatus can be made simple.

Abstract: This invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus having vacuum processing chambers the insides of which must be dry cleaned, and to a method of operating such an apparatus. When the vacuum processing chambers are dirty-cleaned, dummy substrates are transferred into the vacuum processing chamber by substrates conveyor means from dummy substrate storage means which is disposed in the air atmosphere together with storage means for storing substrates to be processed, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is dry-cleaned by generating a plasma. The dummy substrate is returned to the dummy substrate storage means after dry cleaning is completed. Accordingly, any specific mechanism for only the cleaning purpose is not necessary and the construction of the apparatus can be made simple.