JP2006179846A - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To radiate electron beam in a substrate surface almost constantly for a process of high in-plane uniformity, by providing a flat electron beam generating means consisting of a metal plate in which a carbon nanotube layer is provided on a surface layer part. <P>SOLUTION: The inside of a process vessel 2 formed airtight is provided with a placement stage 3 for holding a substrate, for example a wafer W, and a flat electron beam generating means 4 consisting of a metal plate 41 provided with a carbon nanotube layer 42 on the surface layer of a surface facing the placement stage 3, to face the placement stage 3. When a negative DC voltage is applied to the metal plate 41 while the process vessel 2 is evacuated, the electrons occur in high density from the carbon nanotube layer 42. Since the carbon nanotube layer 42 is flat, the electron beams are irradiated in the wafer W surface at high uniformity, for processing with high in-plane uniformity. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs processing by irradiating a substrate with an electron beam.

  In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, a SiOC film is formed as a low dielectric constant interlayer insulating film on the barrier film of the multilayer wiring structure by a plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method, and the adhesion between the SiOC film and the barrier film is further improved. There is a step of performing a curing process to cure the SiOC film. As an apparatus for performing a curing process, a UV curing apparatus using ultraviolet rays (UV) and a plasma curing apparatus that performs a curing process using plasma are known. The inventors pay attention to an EB curing device using an electron beam (EB).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the EB curing apparatus is provided with a mounting table 11 for holding the substrate 10 in the processing container 1 and opposed to the mounting table 11 on the upper side of the mounting table 11 in the processing container 1. As described above, an electron beam generation source 12 made of a plurality of tungsten filaments is provided, and a transmission window 13 is provided for partitioning the processing container 1 up and down. The transmission window 13 is provided to prevent tungsten from adhering to the substrate 10 by transmitting the electron beam generated from the tungsten filament and not transmitting the tungsten generated together with the electron beam. The transmission window 13 is made of, for example, ceramic such as aluminum nitride (AlN). However, in order to transmit the electron beam, the transmission window 13 must be formed in a thin film of about several tens of μm, for example. However, since it cannot be held in the apparatus at such a thin thickness, for example, a transmission hole 14 is formed in an aluminum nitride plate 15 having a thickness of about several millimeters, and a thin film 15a is laminated on the lower surface of the plate 15 to constitute the transmission window 13. I am doing so.

  In such an apparatus, when a voltage is applied to the tungsten filament, thermoelectrons are generated, and the thermoelectrons are directed downward through the thin film 15a in the transmission window 13 and are irradiated onto the substrate 10 on the mounting table 11. It has become. At this time, as described above, tungsten generated together with electrons cannot pass through the structure portion 15b (the portion other than the transmission hole 14) of the plate 15 and adheres thereto.

  However, in such an EB curing device, the structure portion 15b of the transmission window 13 does not transmit electrons, so the electron beam generated from the tungsten filament is blocked by the structure 15b portion, and the amount of electrons irradiated to the substrate 10 However, there is a problem that the in-plane uniformity of the curing process is poor. Further, since electrons emitted from the tungsten filament are thermoelectrons, when a voltage is applied to the filament, the filament itself is heated, and the processing vessel 1 and the substrate 10 are also heated by the heat. There is also a problem that the structure becomes complicated.

  Further, when the tungsten filament itself is heated, the filament is consumed, the filament breakage occurs, or tungsten generated from the tungsten filament adheres to the thin film 15a of the transmission hole 14, thereby gradually decreasing the electron transmittance. There is also a problem of end.

  The inventor has also studied an exposure apparatus using an electron beam, but there is a similar problem.

  Here, a curing device using an electron beam is described in paragraph 0052 of Patent Document 1, but an electron beam generation source is not mentioned, and the above-described problems cannot be solved.

JP 2004-261801 A

  The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and its purpose is to irradiate the electron beam almost uniformly over the substrate surface by using the carbon nanotube layer as an electron beam generating means. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing processing with high in-plane uniformity. Another object of the present invention is to suppress charge-up damage on the substrate surface due to etching by providing an electron beam generating means using a carbon nanotube layer in an etching apparatus.

Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is
An airtight processing container,
A mounting table for holding a substrate provided in the processing container;
A planar electron beam generating means comprising a metal plate provided inside the processing container so as to face the mounting table, and having a carbon nanotube layer on the surface layer portion of the surface facing the mounting table;
Vacuum evacuation means for evacuating the inside of the processing container,
Electrons are generated from the carbon nanotube layer of the electron beam generating means, and the substrate is irradiated with this electron beam for processing.

  Here, a large number of electron beams from the electron beam generating means are transmitted between the mounting table inside the processing container and the electron beam generating means so as to face the mounting table and partition the processing container vertically. You may comprise so that the electron transmissive window provided with the electron transmissive hole of this may be provided. The area of the electron transmission region near the periphery of the electron transmission window is preferably larger than the area of the electron transmission region near the center of the electron transmission window. The treatment performed by irradiating the substrate with an electron beam can be a modification treatment after an insulating film is formed on the substrate, for example.

Further, the etching apparatus of the present invention is provided in an airtight processing container and serves as one electrode, and is provided so as to face the mounting table and also serves as the other electrode. And a gas supply unit having a large number of gas supply holes for supplying a processing gas into the processing container, and applying a high-frequency voltage between the electrodes to activate the processing gas. In an etching apparatus that performs an etching process on the substrate surface using the generated plasma,
A carbon nanotube layer is provided on a surface layer portion of the surface of the gas supply portion facing the mounting table, and is used to irradiate the substrate with an electron beam when performing an etching process.

Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is
An airtight processing container,
A mounting table provided inside the processing container and also serving as an electrode for holding a substrate;
Provided inside the processing container so as to face the mounting table, and provided with a metal plate having a carbon nanotube layer on the surface layer portion facing the mounting table, and facing the surface of the carbon nanotube layer. An electron beam generating means comprising: an extraction electrode having an electron beam transmission region;
A first power source for applying a first voltage between the metal plate and the mounting table;
A second power source for applying a second voltage lower than the first voltage between the metal plate and the extraction electrode;
A switch unit for supplying and disconnecting an applied voltage from the second power source;
Vacuum evacuation means for evacuating the inside of the processing vessel,
An electron beam generated from the carbon nanotube layer of the electron beam generating means is cut off by turning off the voltage applied from the second power source by the switch unit. The extraction electrode may have a structure in which the extraction electrode is laminated on a metal plate via a plate-like insulating member having a large number of holes.

  According to the present invention, since a planar electron beam generating means made of a metal plate having a carbon nanotube layer on the surface layer portion is used, there is no possibility that contaminants such as tungsten are scattered, so that an electron transmission window is provided. Since it does not have to be used, the electron beam can be irradiated to the substrate surface with high uniformity, and processing with high in-plane uniformity can be performed. Further, since the electron beam isotropically radiates from the planar carbon nanotube layer, even when an electron transmission window is provided, for example, as can be seen from the explanatory diagram of FIG. The uniformity of the irradiation amount is high, and therefore processing with high in-plane uniformity can be performed.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for performing etching by generating a plasma by applying a high frequency voltage between a mounting table and a counter electrode (the other electrode), using a technique using a carbon nanotube layer as an electron beam generating means. Therefore, it is possible to irradiate the substrate with an electron beam from the surface layer portion of the counter electrode (in the case of a filament, such a configuration cannot be adopted because there is a problem of contamination). Can be neutralized, and charge-up damage on the substrate surface can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, for example, several tens of volts to several tens of volts between the extraction electrode and the metal plate in a state where a first voltage (high voltage) of, for example, several thousand volts is applied between the metal plate and the mounting table. Since the second voltage (low voltage) of about 100 V is applied and this second voltage is turned on and off by the switch unit, the electron beam is turned on and off, so that the electron beam is turned on and off at high speed. For example, it is suitable when performing an exposure process.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment when the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to an electron beam curing apparatus which is a reforming apparatus will be described. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an electron beam curing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 2 denotes a hermetically formed processing vessel made of a conductive member such as aluminum, and a mounting table 3 for holding a substrate, for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) W substantially horizontally. Is provided. The mounting table 3 includes a columnar support portion 31 made of a conductive member such as aluminum. A mounting plate 32 on which the wafer W is placed is provided on the upper end surface of the support portion 31. The mounting plate 32 is formed as a dielectric plate made of a dielectric material such as ceramics such as aluminum nitride, and a foil-like electrode 33 is provided therein. One end of a power supply path 34 is connected to the electrode 33, the other end of the power supply path 34 is connected to a DC power source 35 for electrostatic chuck, and a switch 36 is provided in the middle thereof. Thus, the electrode 33 and the upper dielectric portion constitute an electrostatic chuck for electrostatically attracting the wafer W. The support 31 of the mounting table 3 is connected to the ground.

  The mounting table 3 includes, for example, three lifting pins 37 for transferring the wafer W to and from a transfer means (not shown). The lifting pins 37 are lift mechanisms provided outside the processing container 2. 38 is configured to be movable up and down between a delivery position where the tip is located above the mounting table 3 and a standby position where the tip is located inside the mounting table 3. In the figure, 39 is a bellows.

  An electron beam generating means 4 is provided above the mounting table 3 of the processing container 2 so as to face the mounting table 3. The electron beam generating means 4 is separated from the processing container 2 by an insulating member 40. It is in a state where it is sufficiently floated electrically. This electron beam generating means 4 is provided with a carbon nanotube layer 42 on the surface layer portion of the lower surface (surface facing the mounting table 3) of a circular metal plate 41 such as aluminum or copper, and the plane of the electron beam generating means 4. The target size is set, for example, substantially the same as or larger than the wafer W on the surface of the mounting table 3. Specifically, the diameter of the electron beam generating means 4 is set to be about 40 mm larger than the diameter of the wafer W.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, such an electron beam generating means 4 dissolves carbon nanotubes made of a hollow carbon body having a diameter of about 0.8 nm and a length of about 1 μm in a solvent such as ethanol. The solution is formed by spraying the one surface of the metal plate 41 and then heating to evaporate and remove the solvent. When formed by such a method, the carbon nanotube layer 42 is formed on one surface of the metal plate 41 with unevenness as shown in FIG.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a DC power source 43 as a voltage supply unit for applying a negative potential to the metal plate 41 is connected to the electron beam generating means 4 via a switch 44. When a negative DC voltage is applied to the metal plate 41, the metal plate 41 acts as an electrode, the electric field concentrates on the pointed portion of the carbon nanotube layer 42, and electrons are emitted from this portion.

  Further, an electron transmission window 5 is provided between the mounting table 3 of the processing container 2 and the electron beam generating means 4 so as to divide the processing container 2 vertically. The electron transmission window 5 includes a large number of electron transmission regions 51, and the periphery of the electron transmission region 51 is configured as a structure portion 52. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the electron transmission window 5 is formed of silicon nitride (SiN) having a thickness of about several millimeters, and a circular plate having a plurality of hole portions 53 a for the electron transmission regions 51. 53 and the circular plate 53 are configured to have substantially the same size as the plane, and are formed by laminating an electron transmission material having a thickness of about several tens of μm, for example, a thin film 54 formed of silicon nitride. As a result, the electron transmission window 5 in which the periphery of the electron transmission region 51 is surrounded by the structure portion 52 is formed. FIG. 4 shows a part of the hole 53a for convenience of illustration.

  Here, in this example, the size of the electron transmission region 51 is not constant. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the area of the electron transmission region 51 near the periphery of the electron transmission window 5 is the same as that of the electron transmission region 51 near the center. It is preferable to make it larger than the area. In this case, for example, the opening (electron transmission region 51) may be set to gradually increase from the central region toward the peripheral region. The size of the opening is determined by performing simulations and experiments on the amount of irradiated electrons so that the amount of electrons irradiated onto the wafer W from the electron beam generating means 4 is uniform within the surface of the wafer W.

  In the processing container 2, exhaust passages 22 and 23 are connected to, for example, an upper side space and a lower side space partitioned by an electron transmission window 5, and the other end sides of the exhaust passages 22 and 23 are respectively pressurized. It is connected to a vacuum pump 26 such as a turbo molecular pump or a dry pump through adjusting sections 24 and 25, so that the upper space and the lower space are each maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum. In the lower space of the processing chamber 2, a wafer W loading / unloading port 21 that can be opened and closed by a gate valve 27 is formed.

  In such an electron beam curing apparatus, the control unit C1 turns on / off the switch 44 of the DC power source 43 of the electron beam generating means 4, the pressure adjusting units 24 and 25, the lifting mechanism 38 of the lifting pins 37, and the DC for the chuck. On / off of the switch 36 of the power supply 35 and opening / closing of the gate valve 27 are controlled.

  Next, the operation of the above electron beam curing apparatus will be described. First, the gate valve 27 is opened, and the wafer W is loaded into the processing container 2 by a transfer means (not shown), and placed on the mounting table 3 in cooperation with the lift pins 37. Next, the switch 36 is turned on and a DC voltage is applied to the electrode 33, whereby the wafer W is electrostatically attracted to the surface of the mounting plate 32. Here, in the previous process, a low dielectric constant SiOC film having a thickness of, for example, about 0.5 μm is formed by plasma CVD as an interlayer insulating film on a barrier film, for example, a SiN film, for example, of a multilayer wiring structure. It is a thing.

On the other hand, the gate valve 27 is closed, the inside of the processing container 2 is made airtight, and the vacuum pump 26 is evacuated through the pressure adjusting units 24 and 25, so that the upper space and the lower space of the processing container 2 are respectively in the same vacuum. For example, it is maintained at about 1 × 10 ⁻³ Pa. In this example, the state where the pressure in the processing container 2 is set to about 1 × 10 ⁻³ Pa corresponds to the state where the processing container 2 is evacuated.

  Subsequently, the switch 44 of the DC power supply 43 is turned on, and a negative DC voltage of, for example, 100 V is applied to the metal plate 41 of the electron beam generating means 4 to generate electrons from the carbon nanotube layer 42. In this case, since the carbon nanotube has a very high electron emission capability, high-density electrons are emitted from the carbon nanotube layer 42. Since the atmosphere in the processing container 2 is vacuum, this electron beam is isotropically emitted from the carbon nanotube layer 42 and passes through the electron transmission region 51 of the electron transmission window 5. Then, the lower space in the vacuum atmosphere is emitted toward the wafer W, and the surface of the wafer W is irradiated.

  Here, the irradiation amount of the electron beam at one point of the wafer W is the sum of the irradiation amounts from all the regions of the electron beam source that can be seen from the point. Since the nanotube layer 42 is used, the area of the carbon nanotube layer 42 that can be seen from each point of the wafer W is uniform. Therefore, as a result, the irradiation amount of the electron beam at each point on the wafer W side is uniform. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, when looking up from directly below the electron transmission region 51 of the electron transmission window 5, the carbon nanotube layer 42 as an electron beam source can be seen, but a conventional tungsten filament is used as an electron generation source. 6B, when viewed in cross section, an isotropic electron beam is radiated from the strip-shaped filament 300 which is a point electron source, but when viewed from the region A, the filament 300 is I can't see through. That is, in this example as well, the electron beam traveling obliquely downward through the electron transmission region 51 reaches not only the electron transmission region 51 but also the lower side of the structure portion 52. Focusing on A, since the electron beam from the filament 300 is blocked by the structure 52, the electron beam is not directly irradiated, and therefore the amount of electron beam irradiation is smaller than in other regions. As a result, a region where the electron irradiation amount is large and a region where the electron irradiation amount is small is formed in the surface of the wafer W, and the electron beam irradiation amount becomes non-uniform in the wafer W surface, which is reflected in the in-plane uniformity of processing. .

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the electron beam is irradiated onto the wafer W with high uniformity, and as shown in FIG. 7, the electron beam penetrates to the inside of the SiOC film 100 formed on the surface of the wafer W. The SiOC film 100 reaches the interface of the SiN film 200 that is the base film (barrier film), and the SiOC film 100 is modified from the vicinity of the interface with the SiN film 200 to the surface, thereby improving the adhesion between the SiOC film 100 and the SiN film 200. At the same time, the SiOC film 100 is cured.

  Here, at the stage where the SiOC film 100 is formed by plasma CVD, there is no correlation with the SiN film 200, and therefore the adhesion between the two is low. However, when curing treatment is performed by irradiating electrons, Reaches the bottom of the SiOC film 100, the interface between the SiOC film 100 and the SiN film 200 is modified, and a bond is formed between the SiOC film 100 and the SiN film 200 in the vicinity of the interface, so that the adhesion between the two is improved. Is estimated to be increased.

  Further, inside the SiOC film 100, each bond of the SiOC film 100 is cut by electrons of the electron beam, and the cut molecules are joined to form a polymer, whereby the SiOC film 100 is cured. Here, since the electron beam reaches the bottom of the SiOC film 100, the SiOC film 100 is modified from the bottom to the surface, and not only the film surface but also the entire film can be cured from the bottom to the surface.

  After the reforming process is performed for about 30 seconds, the application of the DC voltage from the DC power supply 43 is stopped to stop the generation of the electron beam, and the application of the DC voltage for the chuck is stopped to start the wafer from the suction state. Release W. On the other hand, the inside of the processing container 2 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure by the pressure adjusting units 24 and 25, the gate valve 27 is opened, and the processed wafer W is moved outside the apparatus by the cooperative operation with the lifting pins 37 by a transfer means (not shown). Take it out.

  As described above, the gate valve 27 is opened and closed, the support pin 37 is moved up and down, the switch 36 of the DC power source 35 for chuck is turned on and off, the pressure adjusters 24 and 25, and the switch 44 of the DC power source 43 of the electron beam generating means 4 is turned on. -About OFF, it is controlled by the control part C1, and the above-mentioned series of processes are performed.

  According to the above-described embodiment, since the planar electron beam generating means 4 configured by forming the carbon nanotube layer 42 on the surface layer of the metal plate 41 is used, a conventional tungsten filament is used as the electron generating source. Compared to the case, the wafer W can be irradiated with an electron beam with high uniformity, and a highly uniform modification process within the wafer W surface can be performed.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the size of the electron transmission region 51 of the electron transmission window 5 is set so as to gradually increase from the central region of the electron transmission window 5 toward the peripheral region. Can be made uniform in the surface of the wafer W, and a modification process with high in-plane uniformity can be performed. That is, the electron beam is emitted from the electron beam generating means 4 isotropically. Therefore, when the size of the electron transmission region 51 is constant, the amount of electrons irradiated to the wafer W is the central region of the wafer W. In many cases, however, it decreases in the peripheral region. For this reason, by setting the size of the opening of the electron transmission region 51 small in the central region where the irradiation amount is large and setting it large in the peripheral region where the irradiation amount is small, the electron beam irradiation amount can be made more uniform in the wafer W plane. can do.

  Furthermore, since the carbon nanotubes have a very high electron emission capability, high-density electrons can be emitted by applying a voltage of, for example, about 5000 V. Therefore, the SiOC film can be sufficiently modified with a small input power. Therefore, an efficient reforming process can be performed.

  Further, since the electrons generated from the carbon nanotube layer 42 are low-temperature electrons, there is little possibility that the wafer W to be irradiated with the electrons and the electron transmission window 5 will be heated. It is not necessary to provide a simple cooling structure, and a simple configuration can be achieved. Furthermore, since electrons are emitted from the carbon, there is no concern about metal contamination, and there is no possibility that the electron transmittance of the electron transmission window 5 will decrease. Since there is no concern about metal contamination, the electron beam reforming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 may be configured without the electron transmission window 5. In this case, the electron beam is irradiated onto the wafer W with higher uniformity. be able to. That is, in the present invention, a configuration in which the electron transmission window 5 is not used can be adopted, and even if the electron transmission window 5 is used, the electron beam can be irradiated onto the wafer W with high uniformity as described above. Even in this case, it is possible to perform processing with high in-plane uniformity on the substrate.

  Next, an example in which the present invention is applied to an etching apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 6 denotes an airtight processing vessel made of a conductive member, in which 61 is an exhaust passage, 62 is a vacuum pump, 60 is a wafer W loading / unloading port, and 63 is a gate valve. An upper electrode 64 serving also as a gas shower head, which is a gas supply unit for introducing a predetermined processing gas, for example, an etching gas, is provided inside the processing container 6. The upper electrode 64 is made of, for example, a conductive material such as aluminum. A number of gas diffusion holes 64 a are formed on the lower surface side of the upper electrode 64, and the carbon nanotube layer 65 is formed on the surface layer portion of the lower surface of the upper electrode 64. Is formed. A processing gas supply source 66 is connected to the upper electrode 64 via a processing gas supply path 66a. In the figure, reference numeral 67 denotes an insulating member. The upper electrode 64 is connected through a matching circuit 68 to a high frequency power source 69 for generating plasma.

  In the figure, reference numeral 71 denotes a mounting table provided so as to face the upper electrode 65. The mounting table 71 includes a support portion 72 made of a conductive member, a dielectric plate 73 provided on the support portion 72, and It has. The dielectric plate 73 is provided with a foil-like lower electrode 74 and a heater 75 as heating means. The lower electrode 74 is connected to a high frequency power source 77 for bias through a matching circuit 76 and is connected to a DC power source 78 for electrostatic chuck through a switch 78a. The heater 75 is connected to a heater power supply unit 79.

  In such an etching apparatus, the control unit C2 turns on / off the high frequency power source 69 for plasma generation of the upper electrode 64, on / off of the vacuum pump 62, and on / off of the high frequency power source 77 for bias for the lower electrode 74. OFF, ON / OFF of switch 78a of DC power supply 78 for chuck, ON / OFF of heater power supply unit 79, gas supply system such as processing gas supply unit 66, and opening / closing of gate valve 63 are controlled. Yes.

  In such an etching apparatus, first, the gate valve 63 is opened, the wafer W is loaded into the processing container 6 via the loading / unloading port 60, and heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater 75 via a support pin (not shown). A wafer W is placed on the dielectric plate 73. Next, the switch 78 a is turned on to apply a DC voltage to the lower electrode 74, thereby electrostatically attracting the wafer W to the surface of the mounting table 71.

  Then, the gate valve 63 is closed to bring the processing vessel 6 into an airtight state, and an etching gas, for example, a halogen-based gas is injected toward the surface of the wafer W through the gas diffusion hole 64a at a predetermined flow rate, while the processing is performed by the vacuum pump 62. The inside of the container 6 is evacuated to maintain the inside of the processing container 6 at a predetermined degree of vacuum.

  Subsequently, when a high frequency voltage for generating plasma of 100 MHz, for example, is applied from the high frequency power source 69 to the upper electrode 64, a high frequency voltage (high frequency power) is applied between the upper electrode 64 and the wafer W on the mounting table 71, and an etching gas. Is converted into plasma, and plasma active species are generated. Further, a bias voltage of 13.56 MHz, for example, is applied to the lower electrode 74 from the high-frequency power source 77, so that the plasma active species is incident on the surface of the wafer W with high perpendicularity. The silicon oxide film is etched.

  At this time, since a positive potential and a negative potential are alternately applied to the upper electrode 64 from the high-frequency power source 69, the carbon nanotube layer 65 provided on the lower surface of the upper electrode 64 when the negative potential is applied. Electrons are emitted, and the electron beam generated thereby is irradiated onto the wafer W on the mounting table 71. Thus, a predetermined etching process is performed while irradiating the etching target on the surface of the wafer W with the electron beam. .

  Thereafter, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the application of the high-frequency voltage to the upper electrode 64 and the lower electrode 74 and the supply of the etching gas are stopped, and the pressure in the processing vessel 6 is returned to the predetermined pressure by the pressure adjusting units 24 and 25. Thereafter, the gate valve 63 is opened, and the wafer W is unloaded from the loading / unloading port 60 to the outside of the apparatus.

  As described above, the gate valve 63 is opened and closed, the plasma generating high-frequency power source 69 is turned on / off, the vacuum pump 62 is evacuated, the pressure control units 24 and 25 are pressure-controlled, the bias high-frequency power source 77 is turned on / off, The on / off of the switch 78a of the direct current power supply 78, the on / off of the heater power supply unit 79, and the gas supply system are controlled by the control unit C2, and the series of processes described above are executed.

  In such a configuration, when performing the etching process, electrons are generated from the carbon nanotube layer 65 to irradiate the wafer W. At this time, electrons are generated from the planar carbon nanotube layer 65. The etching process can be performed while the electron beam is uniformly irradiated over the surface of the wafer W.

  Here, the surface of the etched wafer may have positive charges on the wafer surface due to adsorption of positive ions in the plasma, which may cause damage such as device destruction due to charge-up. If it does, the said positive charge will be neutralized by an electron and generation | occurrence | production of the said damage can be suppressed.

  When the present invention is applied to the reforming apparatus as described above, it can be applied not only to the modification of the SiOC film but also to the modification treatment of an insulating film made of a coating film, an organic film or the like. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to various processes in which the wafer W is irradiated with an electron beam in addition to the above-described modification process and etching process. Since it can irradiate with high uniformity over this, the in-plane uniformity of processing can be improved. Furthermore, the substrate to be processed in the present invention may be a glass substrate used for an FPD (Flat Panel Display), a mask or the like in addition to the semiconductor wafer W.

  Next, an example in which the present invention is applied to an exposure apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. In the above-described embodiment, for example, a high voltage line of 5000 V is turned on / off, so that it is actually difficult to turn on / off at high speed. On the other hand, the present inventor is considering applying an electron beam to an exposure apparatus. However, since the exposure time on the substrate surface is extremely short, for example, on the order of μs, the on / off switching of the electron beam is performed. Must be done at high speed. Therefore, the following embodiment is configured to cope with such high-speed switching. FIG. 9 shows the overall configuration of the exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. The mounting table for the substrate (wafer W in this example) and the vacuum exhaust system as the processing container and the lower electrode are the same as those in the previous embodiment. Since it is substantially the same as a form, it shows with the same code | symbol and abbreviate | omits description. Hereinafter, the electron beam generating means 9 and the voltage supply system, which are the main parts of this embodiment, will be described.

  The electron beam generating means 9 is provided on the upper side of the mounting table 3 of the processing container 2 so as to face the mounting table 3, and is electrically floating with respect to the processing container 3 by the insulating member 90. It is said that. As shown in detail in FIG. 10, the electron beam generating means 9 has a carbon nanotube layer 92 formed in an uneven state on the surface layer portion of the lower surface of a circular metal plate 91 such as aluminum or copper. The extraction electrode 94 is laminated on the lower surface side (front surface side) of the layer 92 via an insulating plate which is, for example, a plate-like insulating member 93. The insulating member 93 and the extraction electrode 94 are formed in a circular shape having the same size as the metal plate 91, the thickness of the insulating member 93 is 0.1 mm, for example, and the thickness of the extraction electrode 94 is 0, for example. .1 mm. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the insulating member 93 and the extraction electrode 94 are provided with a plurality of holes 95 and 96 which are electron beam transmitting regions, and the diameters r of the holes 95 and 96 are as follows. In any case, the distance is, for example, 10 μm, and the distance d between the hole 95 and the hole 96 is, for example, 10 μm. Note that the hole 95 formed in the insulating member 93 and the hole 95 formed in the extraction electrode 94 include holes 95 and 96 when the insulation member 93 and the extraction electrode 94 are overlapped with each other. Are overlapped with each other, and the carbon nanotube layer 92 faces the hole portions 95 and 96. The planar size of the electron beam generating means 9 is the same as that described in the above-described embodiment.

  The metal plate 91 of the electron beam generating means 9 is connected to the negative side of the first DC power source 110 having a first voltage of 4000 V, for example, and the switch portion is connected to the positive side of the first DC power source 110. The mounting table 3 and the metal plate 91 form a lower electrode and an upper electrode, respectively. The lead electrode 94 is connected to the positive electrode side of the second DC power supply 113 having a voltage of 50V to 100V, for example, via a switch 112. The power supply line connecting the switch unit 111 and the mounting table 3 is connected to the ground.

  In the exposure apparatus described above, the control unit 114 turns on / off the main switch unit 111 of the first DC power supply 110, on / off of the switch unit 112 of the second DC power supply 113, the pressure adjustment unit 25, the electrostatic chuck. ON / OFF of the switch 36 of the direct current power source 35, opening / closing of the gate valve 27, raising / lowering of the support pin 37, and the like are controlled.

  Next, the operation of the above exposure apparatus will be described. Now, it is assumed that the wafer W is loaded into the processing container 2 and placed on the mounting table 3. In this example, the main switch unit 111 is in an on state in advance, and a voltage of 4000 V, for example, is applied between the metal plate 91 (upper electrode) and the mounting table 3 (lower electrode). At this time, the switch unit 112 of the DC power supply 113 for the extraction electrode is in an off state. Subsequently, the switch unit 112 of the DC power supply 113 is turned on, and a DC voltage of, for example, 50 V to 100 V is applied between the extraction electrode 94 and the metal plate 91 by the DC power supply 113.

  FIG. 11A schematically shows the relationship between the voltage between the metal plate 91 and the mounting table 3 and the current flowing between these electrodes in order to facilitate understanding of the operation of this embodiment. This is an example of the characteristics. In this example, a current starts to flow when the voltage between the electrodes exceeds about 4000V, and a current (electron beam) having a predetermined magnitude flows when the voltage reaches 5000V. FIG. 11B shows a state in which a current flows when a voltage is applied between the metal plate 91 and the extraction electrode 94 in a state where 4000 V immediately before the current starts flowing between the metal plate 91 and the mounting table 3. The current starts to flow between the metal plate 91 and the mounting table 3 around the extraction voltage 94 of 50V, and the current (electron beam) that is planned to reach 100V is shown in FIG. Flowing. Therefore, as in this example, the first DC power supply 110 of 4000 V and the second DC power supply 113 of 100 V are used, and the switch unit 112 for supplying / disconnecting the extraction voltage 94 is turned on to turn on the electrons from the carbon nanotube layer 92. The electrons are directed to the surface of the wafer W through the hole portion 95 formed in the insulating member 93 and the hole portion 96 formed in the extraction electrode 94. Thus, a predetermined exposure process is performed on the wafer W.

  According to this embodiment, the voltage between the extraction electrode 94 and the metal plate 91 is turned on / off by the switch unit 112 to supply and disconnect the electron beam. Since the interval is a low voltage of about 50V to 100V, the switch unit 112 can be configured by using a semiconductor element such as a transistor. Therefore, the electron beam can be turned on and off at a high speed. The electron beam irradiation time can be realized.

  In this example, the above-described electron transmission window 5 is not used, but the electron transmission window 5 may be used. Further, the embodiment of FIG. 9 may be applied to an apparatus other than the exposure apparatus, such as an EB curing apparatus. Furthermore, a space may be provided between the extraction electrode 94 and the metal plate 91 without using the insulating member 93, and a mesh body may be used as the extraction electrode 94.

It is a longitudinal section showing an example of the reforming device concerning the present invention. It is process drawing which shows the structural example of the electron beam generation means used for the said modification | reformation apparatus. It is a side surface which shows the effect | action of the said electron beam generation means. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the electron permeable window used for the said modification | reformation apparatus. It is a top view which shows an example of the electron permeable window used for the said modification | reformation apparatus. It is a side view for demonstrating the effect | action of the said reformer. It is sectional drawing which shows the insulating film in which the modification | reformation process is performed in the said modification | reformation apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the etching apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the exposure apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the electron beam generation means provided in the said exposure apparatus. It is a characteristic view which shows the relationship of an electric current-voltage. It is sectional drawing which shows the conventional modifier.

Explanation of symbols

W Semiconductor wafers 2 and 6 Processing vessels 26 and 62 Vacuum pumps 3 and 71 Mounting table 4 Electron beam generating means 41 Metal plates 42 and 65 Carbon nanotube layer 43 DC power supply 5 Electron transmission window 51 Electron transmission hole 64 Upper electrode 90 Insulating member 91 Metal plate 92 Carbon nanotube layer 93 Insulating member 94 Extraction electrodes 95 and 96 Hole 110 First DC power supply 111 Switch unit 112 Switch unit 113 Second DC power supply

Claims (7)

An airtight processing container,
A mounting table for holding a substrate provided in the processing container;
A planar electron beam generating means comprising a metal plate provided inside the processing container so as to face the mounting table, and having a carbon nanotube layer on the surface layer portion of the surface facing the mounting table;
Vacuum evacuation means for evacuating the inside of the processing container,
A substrate processing apparatus for performing processing by generating electrons from the carbon nanotube layer of the electron beam generating means and irradiating the substrate with the electron beam.   A large number of electrons that transmit the electron beam from the electron beam generating means so as to face the mounting table and partition the processing container vertically between the mounting table inside the processing container and the electron beam generating means. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an electron transmission window having a transmission region.   3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the area of the electron transmission region near the periphery of the electron transmission window is larger than the area of the electron transmission region near the center of the electron transmission window.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the process performed by irradiating the substrate with an electron beam is a modification process after an insulating film is formed on the substrate. A mounting table provided in an airtight processing container, which also serves as one electrode, and a substrate for holding the substrate, and is provided so as to face the mounting table, which also serves as the other electrode, and in the processing container. A gas supply unit having a large number of gas supply holes for supplying a gas, applying a high-frequency voltage between the electrodes to activate the processing gas, and using the obtained plasma, the substrate In the substrate processing apparatus that performs the etching process on the surface,
A substrate processing apparatus, comprising a carbon nanotube layer provided on a surface layer portion of the surface of the gas supply unit facing the mounting table, for irradiating the substrate with an electron beam when performing an etching process. An airtight processing container,
A mounting table provided inside the processing container and also serving as an electrode for holding a substrate;
Provided inside the processing container so as to face the mounting table, and provided with a metal plate having a carbon nanotube layer on the surface layer portion facing the mounting table, and facing the surface of the carbon nanotube layer. An electron beam generating means comprising: an extraction electrode having an electron beam transmission region;
A first power source for applying a first voltage between the metal plate and the mounting table;
A second power source for applying a second voltage lower than the first voltage between the metal plate and the extraction electrode;
A switch unit for supplying and disconnecting an applied voltage from the second power source;
Vacuum evacuation means for evacuating the inside of the processing vessel,
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein an electron beam generated from a carbon nanotube layer of an electron beam generating means is turned off by turning on and off an applied voltage from a second power source by the switch unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the extraction electrode is laminated on a metal plate via a plate-like insulating member having a large number of holes.

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