Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a heat treatment method of performing a single crystallization of amorphous silicon formed on a substrate to be processed by irradiating the substrate with a microwave. The heat treatment method includes: irradiating the substrate with a microwave to increase a temperature of the substrate to a first temperature such that the amorphous silicon formed on the substrate becomes a single crystal at an interface between the substrate and the amorphous silicon and a nucleation does not occur in a region except the interface; irradiating the substrate with a microwave to heat the substrate at the first temperature for a predetermined period; irradiating the substrate with the microwave to increase the first temperature to a second temperature, which is higher than the first temperature; and irradiating the substrate with the microwave to heat the substrate at the second temperature.

Abstract: A microwave processing method for processing an object in a processing chamber is probided by using microwaves. The method includes loading the object into the processing chamber in a state where a pressure in the processing chamber is higher than that of an outside environment; discharging O2 gas from the processing chamber by introducing N2 gas into the processing chamber; performing heat treatment on the object by introducing microwaves into the processing chamber from which the O2 gas has been discharged; and cooling the object in a state where the pressure in the chamber is higher than that of the outside environment.

Abstract: A method for cleaning a microwave processing apparatus including a processing chamber for accommodating therein an object to be processed, a microwave introducing unit for introducing microwaves into the chamber, and a gas introducing unit for introducing a gas into the processing chamber is provided. The method includes loading an object for cleaning into the processing chamber, introducing a gas into the processing chamber, introducing microwaves into the processing chamber, and unloading the object from the processing chamber.

Abstract: In a method for processing an object by heating the object, microwaves are irradiated to the object. In the microwave irradiation, the object is forcedly cooled.

Abstract: A method of forming a silicon oxide film on silicon exposed on a surface of a workpiece includes mounting the workpiece on a mounting table in a processing chamber; generating plasma of a process gas containing oxygen by supplying the process gas into the processing chamber; applying a bias to the workpiece by supplying high-frequency power to the mounting table; and forming the silicon oxide film by applying the plasma to the biased workpiece and oxidizing the silicon. A ratio of oxygen in the process gas is set to be in the range of 0.1% to 10%. A pressure in the processing chamber is set to be in the range of 1.3 Pa to 266.6 Pa upon forming the silicon oxide film. An output of the high-frequency power is set to be in the range of 0.14 W/cm2 to 2.13 W/cm2 per unit area of the workpiece.

Abstract: A silicon oxide film is formed in a processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus by performing oxidation process, by using plasma to a processing object having a patterned irregularity, wherein the plasma is generated while high-frequency power is supplied to a mount table under the conditions that the oxygen content in a process gas is not less than 0.5% and less than 10% and the process pressure is 1.3 to 665 Pa.

Abstract: A silicon oxide film forming method includes forming a silicon oxide film by allowing a plasma of a processing gas to react on a silicon exposed on a surface of a target object to be processed in a processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus. The processing gas includes an ozone-containing gas having a volume ratio of O3 to a total volume of O2 and O3, ranging 50% or more.

Abstract: An object to be processed which has silicon on its surface is loaded in a processing chamber. A plasma of a processing gas containing oxygen gas and nitrogen gas is generated in the processing chamber. The silicon on the surface of the object to be processed is oxidized by the plasma, thereby forming a silicon oxide film.

Abstract: A plasma nitriding method includes placing, in a processing chamber, a target object having a structure including a first portion containing a metal and a second portion containing silicon to expose surfaces of the first and the second portion; and performing a plasma process on the target object to selectively nitride the surface of the first portion such that a metal nitride film is selectively formed on the surface of the first portion. Further, the first portion contains tungsten, and a nitrogen-containing plasma is generated by supplying a nitrogen-containing gas into the processing chamber and setting an internal pressure of the processing chamber in a range from 133 Pa to 1333 Pa. The surface of the first portion is selectively nitrided without nitriding the surface of the second portion by the nitrogen-containing plasma such that a tungsten nitride film is formed on the surface of the first portion.

Abstract: A plasma processing method performs a plasma oxidation on a substrate, on which a trench is formed after an oxide film is formed, by using a plasma processing apparatus for plasma-processing an object by using microwave plasma. In the plasma processing method, the substrate is mounted on a mounting table to which an ion attraction high frequency voltage is applied, and the plasma oxidation is performed while applying the ion attraction high frequency voltage to the substrate. Further, a process gas used in the plasma oxidation is a mixture of a rare gas having smaller atomic weight than that of argon gas, and oxygen gas, and the plasma processing is performed at a pressure of 6.7 to 133 Pa in a depressurized chamber.

Abstract: A method for forming a germanium oxide film between a germanium substrate and an insulating film includes producing atomic oxygen on a surface of the insulating film formed on a surface of the germanium substrate by generating a plasma of a processing gas containing oxygen atom-containing gas. The method further includes forming a germanium oxide film by reacting germanium with the atomic oxygen which has reached the germanium substrate after penetrating the insulating film by irradiating the plasma on the surface of the insulating film.

Abstract: A selective oxidation treatment method in which plasma of a hydrogen gas and an oxygen containing gas is allowed to act on an object to be treated, and in which silicon and a metallic material are exposed in the surface, within a treatment container of a plasma treatment apparatus comprises: after the supply of the hydrogen gas from a hydrogen gas supply source is initiated by using a first inert gas, which passes through a first supply path, as a carrier gas, initiating the supply of the oxygen containing gas from an oxygen containing gas supply source by using a second inert gas, which passes through a second supply path, as a carrier gas before the plasma is ignited; igniting the plasma of a treatment gas including the oxygen containing gas and the hydrogen gas within the treatment container; and selectively oxidizing the silicon by the plasma.

Abstract: A pattern forming method includes preparing a target object including silicon with an initial pattern formed thereon and having a first line width; performing a plasma oxidation process on the silicon surface inside a process chamber of a plasma processing apparatus and thereby forming a silicon oxide film on a surface of the initial pattern; and removing the silicon oxide film. The pattern forming method is arranged to repeatedly perform formation of the silicon oxide film and removal of the silicon oxide film so as to form an objective pattern having a second line width finer than the first line width on the target object.

Abstract: A selective oxidation process is performed on a gate electrode in a plasma processing apparatus 100. A wafer W with the gate electrode formed thereon is placed on a susceptor 2 within a chamber 1. Ar gas, H2 gas, and O2 gas are supplied from an Ar gas supply source 17, an H2 gas supply source 18, and an O2 gas supply source 19 in a gas supply system 16 through a gas feed member 15 into the chamber 1. At this time, a flow rate ratio H2/O2 of H2 gas relative to O2 gas is set to be 1.5 or more and 20 or less, preferably to be 4 or more, and more preferably to be 8 or more. Further, the pressure inside the chamber is set to be 3 to 700 Pa, such as 6.7 Pa (50 mTorr).

Abstract: A plasma oxidizing method in which a plasma is produced in a processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus under a processing condition that the proportion of oxygen in the processing gas is 20% or more and the processing pressure is 400 to 1333 Pa, and silicon exposed from the surface of an object to be processed is oxidized by the plasma to form a silicon oxide film.

Abstract: In order to form an insulating film, which constitutes a flat interface with silicon, by CVD, a surface of silicon is oxidized to form a silicon oxide film using a plasma treatment apparatus in which microwaves are introduced into a chamber through a flat antenna having a plurality of holes. A silicon oxide film is formed as an insulating film on the silicon oxide film by CVD. Further, in the plasma treatment apparatus, a treating gas containing a noble gas and oxygen is introduced into the chamber, and, further, microwaves are introduced into the chamber through the flat antenna. Plasma is generated under a pressure in the range of not less than 6.7 Pa and not more than 533 Pa to modify the insulating film with the plasma.

Abstract: To form a good quality silicon oxide film provided with both a superior Qbd characteristic and Rd characteristic, a wafer W is loaded into a plasma treatment apparatus where the surface of a silicon layer 501 of the wafer W is treated by plasma oxidation to form on the silicon layer 501 to a film thickness T1 a silicon oxide film 503. Next, the wafer W on which the silicon oxide film 503 is formed is transferred to a thermal oxidation treatment apparatus where the silicon oxide film 503 is treated by thermal oxidation to thereby form a silicon oxide film 505 having a target film thickness T2.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for forming a silicon oxide film, which has excellent insulating properties and higher quality that can enhance a yield in manufacture of semiconductor devices, while keeping advantageous points in a plasma oxidation process. In this method, plasma is generated under a first process condition that a ratio of oxygen in a processing gas is 1% or less and pressure is within a range of 0.133 to 133 Pa, so as to form the silicon oxide film, by oxidizing silicon on a surface of an object to be processed including silicon as a main component, by using the plasma (first oxidation step). Following the first oxidation step, the plasma is generated under a second process condition that the ratio of oxygen in the processing gas is 20% or more and the pressure is within a range of 400 to 1333 Pa, so as to form an additional silicon oxide film, by further oxidizing the surface of the object to be processed, by using the plasma (second oxidation step).

Abstract: A plasma oxidation process is performed to form a silicon oxide film on the surface of a target object by use of plasma with an O(1D2) radical density of 1×1012 [cm?3] or more generated from a process gas containing oxygen inside a process chamber of a plasma processing apparatus. During the plasma oxidation process, the O(1D2) radical density in the plasma is measured by a VUV monochromator 63, and a correction is made to the plasma process conditions.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus (100) includes: a plasma generation means for generating a plasma in a processing chamber (1); a measurement section (60) for measuring an integrated value of the particle number of an active species contained in the plasma and moving toward a processing object (wafer W); and a control section (50) for controlling the apparatus in such a manner as to terminate plasma processing when the measured integrated value has reached a set value. The measurement section (60) measures the particle number of the active species by emitting a predetermined laser light from a light source section (61) toward the plasma, and receiving the laser light in a detection section (63) provided with a VUV monochromator.