Abstract: [Object]It is an object to provide a vacuum apparatus capable of evaluating its cleanness precisely by surely monitoring particles including deposits readily detached from the apparatus, and a particle monitoring method and program employed therein, and a window member for particle monitoring. [Constitution of the Invention] A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1000 includes a processing chamber 100 for performing a manufacturing processing on a wafer. A gas supply line for introducing a purge gas is connected to an upper portion of the processing chamber 100, a valve 120 being installed on the gas supply line. A rough pumping line 200 with a valve a is connected to a lower portion of the processing chamber 100. Installed on the rough pumping line 200 are a dry pump 220 for exhausting a gas in the processing chamber 100 and a particle monitoring unit 210 for monitoring particles between the valve a and the dry pump 220.

Abstract: A substrate transfer mechanism for transferring a substrate includes a mounting table on which the substrate is mounted; an arm member connected to the mounting table and moving it. The substrate transfer mechanism further includes a temperature control unit for controlling temperature of the mounting table, wherein the temperature control unit forms a temperature gradient in the mounting table. The temperature control unit includes a detector for detecting temperature in an environment or a chamber in which the substrate transfer mechanism is installed a heater for heating the mounting table and a controller for controlling an operation of the heater based on the temperature in the environment or the chamber detected by the detector.

Abstract: A substrate cleaning apparatus includes a chamber for accommodating a substrate; a mounting table, disposed in the chamber, for mounting thereon the substrate; an electrode disposed in the mounting table, the substrate being attracted and held on the mounting table as a voltage is applied to the electrode; an exhaust unit for exhausting the inside of the chamber; a separating unit for separating the mounting table and the substrate to form a space therebetween; and a gas supply unit for supplying a gas into the space. While the space is formed, voltages of different polarities are alternately applied to the electrode, the gas supply unit supplies a gas into the space and the exhaust unit exhausts the inside of the chamber. The substrate cleaning apparatus further includes a gas introduction unit for introducing a gas into the chamber while the chamber is depressurized and the space is formed.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a first detection unit for detecting a temperature of an inner wall of the vacuum vessel, a second detection unit for detecting a temperature of the processing unit, and a first control unit for controlling a temperature of the gas. The first control unit controls the temperature of the gas based on a temperature gradient between the temperatures of the inner wall and the gas or a temperature gradient between the temperatures of the processing unit and the gas. A method for removing particles from a processing apparatus includes a first detection step for detecting a temperature of an inner wall of the vacuum vessel, a second detection step for detecting a temperature of the processing unit, a first control step for controlling a temperature of the gas, and a gas introduction step for introducing the gas into the inner space of the vacuum vessel.

Abstract: [Problem to be solved] In a plasma processing apparatus for executing a process using plasma, promoting the sharing of an apparatus in executing a plurality of different processes and plasma states amongst apparatuses in executing same processes in a plurality of apparatuses are provided. [Solution] A ring member formed of an insulating material is disposed to surround a to-be-treated substrate in a processing vessel and an electrode is installed in the ring member for adjusting a plasma sheath region. For example, a first DC voltage is applied to the electrode when a first process is performed on the to-be-treated substrate and a second DC voltage is applied to the electrode when a second process is performed on the to-be-treated substrate. In this case, the plasma state can be matched by applying an appropriate DC voltage according to each process or each apparatus executing the same process. Therefore, the sharing of an apparatus can be promoted and the plasma state can be readily adjusted.

Abstract: In order to prevent particles within a unit from sticking to a substrate in a substrate processing process, an ion generator charges the particles. At the same time, a direct current voltage of the same polarity as the charged polarity of the particles is applied from a direct current power source to the substrate. In order to prevent generation of particles when producing gas plasma, a high-frequency voltage is applied to the upper and lower electrodes at multiple stages to produce plasma. In other words, at a first step, a minimum high-frequency voltage at which plasma can be ignited is applied to the upper and lower electrodes, thereby producing a minimum plasma. Thereafter, the applied voltage is increased in stages to produce predetermined plasma.

Abstract: To clean an element in a vacuum chamber by causing particles sticking to the element to scatter, the present invention uses a means for applying a voltage to the element and causing the particles to scatter by utilizing Maxwell's stress, a means for electrically charging the particles and causing the particles to scatter by utilizing the Coulomb force, a means for introducing a gas into the vacuum chamber and causing the particles sticking to the element to scatter by causing a gas shock wave to hit the element, a means for heating the element and causing the particles to scatter by utilizing the thermal stress and thermophoretic force, or a means for causing the particles to scatter by applying mechanical vibrations to the element. The thus scattered particles are removed by carrying them in a gas flow in a relatively high pressure atmosphere.

Abstract: A particle removal apparatus for removing particles from a chamber of a plasma processing apparatus, wherein the chamber is connected to a gas exhaust port and a plasma of a processing gas is generated in the chamber to plasma process a substrate to be processed, includes a particle charging control member for positively charging particles generated within the chamber by positive ions of an ion sheath region formed in a region other than the vicinity of the substrate to be processed, wherein positively charged particles are discharged from the chamber via the gas exhaust port. Therefore, there is no plasma disturbance or metal contamination, and thus can be applied to a practical use.

Abstract: Suppressed are shock waves occurring when opening a gate valve between two vacuum chambers and peeling of particles by a viscous force taking place when a gas is supplied into a vacuum chamber, whereby contamination of a substrate by particles is suppressed. If one vacuum chamber is a substrate processing chamber for performing a vacuum process on the substrate and the other chamber is a transfer chamber having a substrate transfer device therein, the gate valve is opened when inner pressures of both the vacuum chambers are less than 66.5 Pa and a higher one thereof is less than twice a lower one thereof. Preferably, a purge gas for peeling of particles is supplied, before supplying the purge gas for pressure control, into the substrate processing chamber with a flow rate greater than that of the purge gas for pressure control.

Abstract: [Problem to be solved] The present invention is to provide an internal member of a plasma processing vessel which is capable of suppressing peeling off of a thermally sprayed film formed as a top coat layer.

Abstract: A cleaning end point detecting apparatus detects an end point of a cleaning process in which contamination attached to an inner wall of a reaction chamber is removed by introducing a cleaning gas into the chamber to produce a cluster cloud and detached particles. An irradiating unit irradiates a laser beam onto the cluster cloud and the detached particles within the reaction chamber to produce a scattered laser beam. A monitoring unit monitors the scattered laser beam as a two-dimensional image information. A judging unit judges the end point of the cleaning process on the basis of the two-dimensional image information. Preferably, the judging unit judges, as the end point of the cleaning process, a time instant when neither the detached particles nor the cluster cloud are detected on the basis of the two-dimensional image information.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device with plasma generated in a process chamber by impressing radio-frequency power, a level of a radio-frequency power for each step is switched over in response to processing in each step upon applying a plurality of processing steps to a semiconductor substrate while holding the semiconductor substrate, and thereby the plurality of steps are carried out successively.

Abstract: In a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus that processing a substrate by applying a voltage to a gas to create a plasma, positively charged particles are trapped or guided at the instant that the cathode voltage is stopped, by an electrode to which is imparted a negative voltage, so as to prevent particles reaching the substrate.

Abstract: A semiconductor fabrication device includes a processing chamber in which the interior is substantially sealed. An upper processing electrode and a lower processing electrode are provided inside the processing chamber, and a stage made from a material having high thermal conductivity and on which semiconductor substrate is mounted is provided above the lower processing electrode. In this semiconductor fabrication device, for example, processing gas is introduced into the processing chamber, a radio-frequency voltage is applied between the two electrodes to generate plasma, and a process of etching a deposited film on the semiconductor substrate is carried out. While the process is being carried out, the semiconductor substrate is cooled by causing a cooling medium to flow but without allowing the cooling medium to pass through the processing chamber and thus without causing extraneous particles to occur in the processing chamber.

Abstract: In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, when an electrostatic chucking voltage for holding a semiconductor substrate to a stage is applied, a deposited film or foreign matter attached to the stage is subjected to electrostatic stress, causing peeling thereof and the generation of particles. To solve this problem, a vacuum suction path is provided having an aperture within a region above the stage immediately below the semiconductor substrate when the semiconductor substrate is fixed thereunto, and the semiconductor substrate is held onto the stage by suction of air from within the suction path, thereby enabling holding of the semiconductor substrate without the application of an electrostatic chucking voltage, making it possible to suppress the generation of particles caused by an electrostatic stress, thereby reducing the number of generated particles.

Abstract: In a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus that processing a substrate by applying a voltage to a gas to create a plasma, positively charged particles are trapped or guided at the instant that the cathode voltage is stopped, by an electrode to which is imparted a negative voltage, so as to prevent particles reaching the substrate.

Abstract: A method for processing a substrate includes the steps of determining an allowable margin of process condition such that a substrate is processed without forming particles, selecting a process condition of a substrate for a production process such that the process condition falls in the allowable margin in the production process, and carrying out a processing of the substrate in the production process at the selected process condition, wherein the step of determining the allowable margin includes the steps of introducing an optical beam to an atmosphere in which the substrate is processed in the step of determining the allowable margin, and detecting scattering of the optical beam.

Abstract: A plasma etching apparatus includes a processing chamber for etch-processing a substrate, a lower electrode located within the processing chamber for holding the substrate on an upper surface thereof by an electrostatic attraction, and an upper electrode located to face the lower electrode. A purge gas introducing port is provided at a side wall of the processing chamber at a position which is between the upper electrode and the lower electrode in height and which opposes to the evacuation port in a plan view in such a manner that the lower electrode is positioned between the evacuation port and the purge gas introducing port in the plan view.

Abstract: A plasma etching apparatus includes a processing chamber for etch-processing a substrate, a lower electrode located within the processing chamber for holding the substrate on an upper surface thereof by an electrostatic attraction, and an upper electrode located to face the lower electrode. A purge gas introducing port is provided at a side wall of the processing chamber at a position which is between the upper electrode and the lower electrode in height and which opposes to the evacuation port in a plan view in such a manner that the lower electrode is positioned between the evacuation port and the purge gas introducing port in the plan view.

Abstract: In a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus that processing a substrate by applying a voltage to a gas to create a plasma, positively charged particles are trapped or guided at the instant that the cathode voltage is stopped, by an electrode to which is imparted a negative voltage, so as to prevent particles reaching the substrate.