JP4255747B2 - Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method for performing a predetermined plasma process such as an etching process or a film forming process by applying plasma to a substrate to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device. About.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in the field of manufacturing semiconductor devices, plasma is generated in a vacuum chamber, and this plasma is applied to a substrate to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, thereby performing predetermined processing, for example, A plasma processing apparatus that performs an etching process, a film forming process, and the like is used.
[0003]
In such a plasma processing apparatus, for example, a so-called parallel plate type plasma processing apparatus, a mounting table for mounting a semiconductor wafer or the like is provided in the vacuum chamber, and the vacuum chamber is opposed to the mounting table. A shower head is provided on the ceiling, and a pair of parallel plate electrodes is constituted by the mounting table and the shower head.
[0004]
Then, a predetermined processing gas is introduced from the shower head into the vacuum chamber and evacuated from the bottom of the vacuum chamber, whereby a processing gas atmosphere having a predetermined degree of vacuum is created in the vacuum chamber. A processing gas plasma is generated by supplying high-frequency power of a predetermined frequency between the head and the semiconductor wafer, and the plasma is applied to the semiconductor wafer to perform processing such as etching of the semiconductor wafer.
[0005]
In the plasma processing apparatus as described above, there is known an apparatus in which an exhaust ring formed in an annular plate shape and formed with an exhaust passage formed of a large number of through holes is provided around the mounting table (for example, , See Patent Document 1). Such an exhaust ring exhausts air uniformly from the periphery of the mounting table to form a uniform flow of processing gas around the semiconductor wafer, and plasma from the processing space (the space between the mounting table and the shower head). It works to prevent leaks.
[0006]
Further, in the parallel plate electrode type plasma processing apparatus, it is known that the space in which plasma is formed between the parallel plate electrodes, that is, the volume and shape of the processing space change the state of the plasma to be formed. . Therefore, a partition plate or the like is provided between the parallel plate electrodes, and the volume of the processing space is changed by moving the partition plate or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 2), in order to confine plasma between the parallel plate electrodes. It is also known to provide a plasma confinement ring (see, for example, Patent Document 3), and to provide a cylindrical ground electrode or the like for preventing plasma diffusion between parallel plate electrodes (for example, see FIG. 3). , See Patent Document 1).
[0007]
However, when various structures are provided between the parallel plate electrodes, the diameter of the vacuum chamber that accommodates the structures increases, and as a result, a so-called footprint increases. In addition, if a plasma confinement ring is provided between parallel plate electrodes and a fixed structure is used to make it the same potential as the peripheral parts, it is difficult to attach and detach this plasma confinement ring, so the plasma control state is fixed. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to control the plasma state according to the processing to be executed.
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-264515 (pages 8-9, 17-18, FIGS. 1, 2, 37, 38).
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-168028 (page 3, FIG. 1-4).
[Patent Document 3]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-22797 (page 8, FIG. 11).
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, conventionally, various structures are provided between the parallel plate electrodes to control the plasma state, but the problem is that the vacuum chamber becomes larger in diameter and the footprint increases, There is a problem that it is difficult to control the state of plasma according to the processing to be performed.
[0010]
The present invention has been made in response to such a conventional situation, and does not increase the footprint due to the increase in the diameter of the vacuum chamber, and easily controls the plasma state according to the processing to be performed. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method that can easily cope with various types of plasma processing.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
That is, the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 includes a vacuum chamber that accommodates a substrate to be processed, a fixed mounting table that is disposed in the vacuum chamber and on which the substrate to be processed is mounted, and an interior of the vacuum chamber. In addition, a plasma generating mechanism for generating plasma for performing a predetermined process on the substrate to be processed, an exhaust ring disposed so as to surround the mounting table and having an exhaust path formed therein, and the exhaust path via the exhaust path A vacuum evacuation mechanism that evacuates the inside of the vacuum chamber, and a relative height between the exhaust ring and a mounting surface of a fixed mounting table on which the substrate to be processed is mounted. And a mechanism for changing the position of the exhaust ring below the mounting surface .
[0012]
A plasma processing apparatus according to a second aspect is the plasma processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the mechanism for changing the position of the exhaust ring is configured to move the exhaust ring up and down.
[0013]
The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a vacuum chamber that accommodates a substrate to be processed, a mounting table that is disposed in the vacuum chamber and on which the substrate to be processed is mounted, and the processing target is disposed in the vacuum chamber. A plasma generating mechanism for generating plasma for performing a predetermined process on the substrate; an exhaust ring disposed so as to surround the periphery of the mounting table; and an exhaust path formed therein; and an interior of the vacuum chamber via the exhaust path A vacuum exhaust mechanism that evacuates the first exhaust ring, and the exhaust ring is disposed away from the first exhaust ring and the mounting surface of the mounting table before the first exhaust ring. And an opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes the exhaust passage is provided in the exhaust passage that communicates with the second exhaust ring.
[0014]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma processing method, comprising: a vacuum chamber that accommodates a substrate to be processed; a fixed mounting table that is disposed in the vacuum chamber and on which the substrate to be processed is mounted; A plasma generating mechanism that generates plasma for performing a predetermined process on the substrate to be processed; an exhaust ring that is disposed so as to surround the periphery of the mounting table and in which an exhaust path is formed; and A plasma processing method using a plasma processing apparatus including an evacuation mechanism for evacuating the inside of a vacuum chamber, the mounting surface of a fixed mounting table on which the exhaust ring and the substrate to be processed are mounted to change the relative height of the, by changing the position of the exhaust ring below the placement surface, characterized by controlling the state of the plasma processing for the substrate to be treated To.
[0015]
The plasma processing method according to claim 5 is the plasma processing method according to claim 4, wherein the state of the plasma processing on the substrate to be processed is controlled by moving the exhaust ring up and down.
[0016]
The plasma processing method according to claim 6 is the plasma processing method according to claim 5, wherein when the laminated film made of at least two kinds of different materials formed on the substrate to be processed is etched, the exhaust ring The position is set high when the etched film is an organic film, and when the etched film is an oxide film or a nitride film, the position is set lower than in the case of the organic film, and the plasma etching process is performed. And
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The details of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
FIG. 1 schematically shows an outline of a configuration of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a parallel plate type plasma etching apparatus for performing a plasma etching process on a semiconductor wafer. In FIG. A cylindrical vacuum chamber is shown which is made of, for example, aluminum and can be hermetically closed.
[0019]
A mounting table 2 for mounting the semiconductor wafer W is provided in the vacuum chamber 1, and the mounting table 2 also serves as a lower electrode. Further, a shower head 3 constituting an upper electrode is provided on the ceiling portion in the vacuum chamber 1, and a pair of parallel plate electrodes is constituted by the mounting table 2 and the shower head 3. Yes.
[0020]
The shower head 3 is provided with a gap 4 for gas diffusion and a plurality of pores 5 so as to be positioned below the gap 4 for gas diffusion. A predetermined processing gas supplied from the processing gas supply system 6 is diffused in the gas diffusion gap 4 and supplied from the pores 5 toward the semiconductor wafer W in a shower shape. In the present embodiment, the shower head 3 is at a ground potential, but a high frequency power source may be connected to the shower head 3 so that high frequency power is applied to both the mounting table 2 and the shower head 3.
[0021]
On the other hand, two high-frequency power supplies 9 and 10 are connected to the mounting table 2 via two matching units 7 and 8, and the mounting table 2 has two predetermined frequencies (for example, 100 MHz and 3.2 MHz). The high frequency power can be superimposed and supplied. In addition, it is good also as a structure which supplies only the high frequency electric power of 1 type of frequency by making only one high frequency power supply which supplies high frequency power to the mounting base 2. FIG.
[0022]
An electrostatic chuck 11 for attracting and holding the semiconductor wafer W is provided on the mounting surface of the semiconductor wafer W of the mounting table 2. The electrostatic chuck 11 has a configuration in which an electrostatic chuck electrode 11b is disposed in an insulating layer 11a, and a DC power source 12 is connected to the electrostatic chuck electrode 11b. Further, a focus ring 13 is provided on the upper surface of the mounting table 2 so as to surround the periphery of the semiconductor wafer W.
[0023]
The mounting table 2 is formed with a refrigerant flow path for refrigerant circulation (not shown), and the temperature of the mounting table 2 can be controlled to a predetermined temperature. Further, a gas supply mechanism (not shown) for supplying a cooling gas, for example, helium gas, is provided between the mounting table 2 and the back surface of the semiconductor wafer W. Heat exchange is promoted, and the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W is controlled to a predetermined temperature. The supply pressure of this helium gas can be set separately for the central portion and the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer W. In addition, refrigerant flow passages for refrigerant circulation (not shown) are also formed in the side walls of the shower head 3 and the vacuum chamber 1 so that the temperature of the side walls of the shower head 3 and the vacuum chamber 1 can be controlled to a predetermined temperature. It is configured.
[0024]
An exhaust port 14 is provided at the bottom of the vacuum chamber 1, and an exhaust system 15 including a vacuum pump is connected to the exhaust port 14.
[0025]
In addition, an exhaust ring 16 formed in an annular shape is provided around the mounting table 2 so as to be substantially parallel to the mounting surface of the semiconductor wafer W. The exhaust ring 16 is formed with an exhaust path 17 made up of a number of circular holes and the like, and is evacuated by the exhaust system 15 through the exhaust path 17 so as to be uniform around the mounting table 2. A flow of process gas is formed. In addition, the exhaust ring 16 is electrically connected to the ground potential, and plasma formed in the processing space between the mounting table 2 and the shower head 3 leaks into the space below the exhaust ring 16. Acts to prevent.
[0026]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the exhaust ring 16 is connected to a drive mechanism 18 and is configured to be movable up and down. The state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 shows a state where the exhaust ring 16 is raised to the highest position, and the state shown in FIG. 3 shows a state where the exhaust ring 16 is lowered to the lowest position. Yes. Further, the exhaust ring 16 is configured to be able to be stopped at an arbitrary position between the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the position shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a vacuum seal mechanism 18 a is provided in the movable portion of the drive mechanism 18 so as to hermetically seal the inside and the outside of the vacuum chamber 1.
[0027]
Further, on the outer peripheral side of the exhaust ring 16, a side wall constituting member 19 is provided so as to form a cylindrical side wall so as to extend in the vertical direction over the movable range of the exhaust ring 16. The outer peripheral edge of the ring 16 and the side wall constituting member 19 are kept close to each other so that no plasma leaks or the like occur from here. 14 and 15, which will be described later, an exhaust path may be provided in the side wall constituting member 19 to improve the conductance when the exhaust ring 16 is lowered. The lower end portion of the side wall constituting member 19 extends in substantially parallel to the mounting surface of the semiconductor wafer W in the direction of the mounting table 2 to form a lower end surface, and the lower end surface includes a number of circular holes and the like. An exhaust path is formed. The lower end surface is not always necessary.
[0028]
The exhaust ring 16 may be made of any material as long as it is conductive. For example, stainless steel or aluminum having an alumite film or sprayed film formed on the surface can be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a grounding conductor 40 such as a bellows made of a conductive material such as stainless steel or aluminum is provided between the exhaust ring 16 and a member to be grounded. Is preferably maintained at the ground potential.
[0029]
Further, a magnetic field forming mechanism 20 is provided around the vacuum chamber 1 so that a desired magnetic field can be formed in the processing space in the vacuum chamber 1. The magnetic field forming mechanism 20 is provided with a rotating mechanism 21, and the magnetic field in the vacuum chamber 1 can be rotated by rotating the magnetic field forming mechanism 20 around the vacuum chamber 1.
[0030]
Next, an etching process in the plasma etching apparatus configured as described above will be described.
[0031]
First, a gate valve (not shown) provided at a loading / unloading port (not shown) is opened, and a semiconductor wafer W is loaded into the vacuum chamber 1 by a transfer mechanism or the like and placed on the mounting table 2. Thereafter, the semiconductor wafer W mounted on the mounting table 2 is attracted and held by applying a predetermined DC voltage from the DC power source 12 to the electrostatic chuck electrode 11 b of the electrostatic chuck 11.
[0032]
Next, after the transfer mechanism is retracted out of the vacuum chamber 1, the gate valve is closed, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 1 is evacuated by a vacuum pump or the like of the vacuum system 15. After the inside of the vacuum chamber 1 reaches a predetermined degree of vacuum, a processing gas for a predetermined etching process is supplied from the processing gas supply system 6 into the vacuum chamber 1 via the gas diffusion gap 4 and the pore 5. For example, it introduce | transduces with the flow volume of 100-1000 sccm, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 1 is hold | maintained to predetermined pressure, for example, about 1.33-133 Pa (10-1000 mTorr).
[0033]
In this state, high frequency power of a predetermined frequency (for example, 100 MHz and 3.2 MHz) is supplied from the high frequency power supplies 9 and 10 to the mounting table 2.
[0034]
As described above, a high frequency electric field is formed in the processing space between the shower head 3 and the mounting table 2 by applying high frequency power to the mounting table 2. In addition, a predetermined magnetic field is formed in the processing space by the magnetic field forming mechanism 20. As a result, a predetermined plasma is generated from the processing gas supplied to the processing space, and a predetermined film on the semiconductor wafer W is etched by the plasma.
[0035]
At this time, the plasma state can be controlled to an optimum state by setting the position of the exhaust ring 16 to a predetermined position by the drive mechanism 18 in advance according to the processing to be performed. Plasma etching treatment can be performed.
[0036]
Then, when a predetermined etching process is executed, the supply of high-frequency power from the high-frequency power supplies 9 and 10 is stopped, the etching process is stopped, and the semiconductor wafer W is removed from the vacuum chamber by a procedure opposite to the above-described procedure. 1 Take out.
[0037]
The graphs in FIGS. 5 to 7 show the relationship between the position of the exhaust ring 16 and the state of processing when the oxide film is subjected to plasma etching. In these graphs, the vertical axis represents the etching rate, and the horizontal axis represents the wafer. The distance from the center (position on the wafer) is shown. Processing conditions are
Process gas: C ₄ F ₆ / Ar / O ₂
Processing pressure: 6.65 Pa (50 mTorr)
It is. 5-7, when FIG. 5 sets the height of the exhaust ring 16 to −30 mm (30 mm lower position) than the height of the mounting surface of the semiconductor wafer W of the mounting table 2, FIG. In the case of 70 mm (70 mm lower position), FIG. 7 shows the case of −110 mm (110 mm lower position).
[0038]
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, when the oxide film is subjected to plasma etching, the lower the height of the exhaust ring 16, the lower the etching rate, but the in-plane uniformity of the etching rate is improved. The average value and uniformity ((maximum value−minimum value) / (2 × average value)) of the etching rate in each figure are 306.3 nm ± 13.4% in the case of −30 mm, and 294. in the case of −60 mm. In the case of 0 nm ± 5.5% and −110 mm, it was 292.8 nm ± 3.7%.
[0039]
8 to 10 show the relationship between the position of the exhaust ring 16 and the processing state when the nitride film is plasma-etched. In these graphs, the vertical axis represents the etching rate, and the horizontal axis represents the wafer. The distance from the center (position on the wafer) is shown. Processing conditions are
Process gas: CF ₄ / Ar / O ₂
Processing pressure: 6.65 Pa (50 mTorr)
It is. 8 to 10, when FIG. 8 shows that the height of the exhaust ring 16 is −30 mm (30 mm lower position) than the height of the mounting surface of the semiconductor wafer W of the mounting table 2, FIG. 9 is − In the case of 70 mm (70 mm lower position), FIG. 10 shows the case of −110 mm (110 mm lower position).
[0040]
As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, when the nitride film is subjected to plasma etching, the lower the height of the exhaust ring 16, the lower the etching rate, but the in-plane uniformity of the etching rate is improved. The average value and uniformity ((maximum value−minimum value) / (2 × average value)) of the etching rate in each figure are 210.6 nm ± 21.8% in the case of −30 mm, and 178. In the case of 6 nm ± 9.4% and −110 mm, it was 161.5 nm ± 5.5%.
[0041]
FIGS. 11 to 13 show the relationship between the position of the exhaust ring 16 and the state of processing when the organic film is plasma-etched. In these graphs, the vertical axis represents the etching rate, and the horizontal axis represents the wafer. The distance from the center (position on the wafer) is shown. Processing conditions are
Processing gas: NH ₃
Processing pressure: 3.99 Pa (30 mTorr)
It is. 11 to 13, FIG. 11 shows that when the height of the exhaust ring 16 is −30 mm (30 mm lower position) than the height of the mounting surface of the semiconductor wafer W of the mounting table 2, FIG. In the case of 70 mm (70 mm lower position), FIG. 13 shows the case of −110 mm (110 mm lower position).
[0042]
As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, when the organic film is plasma-etched, the etching rate is increased and the in-plane uniformity of the etching rate is improved when the height of the exhaust ring 16 is increased. . The average value and uniformity ((maximum value−minimum value) / (2 × average value)) of the etching rate in each figure are 401.3 nm ± 20.9% in the case of −30 mm, and 265. In the case of 3 nm ± 34.4% and −110 mm, it was 219.4 nm ± 37.9%.
[0043]
As can be seen from the above results, in this embodiment, for example, when the organic film is subjected to plasma etching, the height of the exhaust ring 16 is increased in advance, while the oxide film or nitride film is subjected to plasma etching. In this case, by setting the height of the exhaust ring 16 low in advance, each processing can be performed in a good state with higher in-plane uniformity.
[0044]
In the plasma etching process described above, the diameter of the processing space formed in the vacuum chamber 1, that is, the inner diameter of the vacuum chamber 1 is 480 mm, and the distance between the electrodes (the mounting surface of the mounting table 2 and the lower surface of the shower head 3 is Is 40 mm. The total volume of the processing space is obtained by adding the volume of the space from the mounting surface of the mounting table 2 to the upper surface of the exhaust ring 16 to the volume of the space having a diameter of 480 mm and a thickness of 40 mm. Accordingly, the total volume of the processing space is 8.8 l when the height of the exhaust ring 16 is −30 mm, 10.6 l when the height of the exhaust ring 16 is −60 mm, and the height of the exhaust ring 16 is When it is −110 mm, it becomes 12.5 l. The ratio of the anode to cathode area (anode cathode ratio) A / C is 2.99 when the height of the exhaust ring 16 is −30 mm, and 3 when the height of the exhaust ring 16 is −60 mm. When the height of the exhaust ring 16 is −110 mm, 4.89 is obtained.
[0045]
When the height of the exhaust ring 16 is changed, it is considered that the volume of the processing space and the anode / cathode ratio as described above are changed, and the shape of the plasma is also changed. Therefore, these factors are related to each other. Thus, it is estimated that the plasma processing state changes as described above.
[0046]
If the plasma state is controlled by changing the height of the exhaust ring 16 as described above, control such as increasing the volume of the processing space is performed even if the diameter of the vacuum chamber 1 is set small. Therefore, the footprint is not increased.
[0047]
FIGS. 14 and 15 show the main configuration of another embodiment. In this embodiment, a first exhaust ring 16 a is provided as an exhaust ring closer to the mounting surface of the mounting table 2. The second exhaust ring 16b is provided at a position farther from the mounting surface of the mounting table 2 than the first exhaust ring 16a, that is, at a lower position. An opening / closing mechanism 31 for opening / closing the exhaust passage 30 leading to the second exhaust ring 16b is provided.
[0048]
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, when the opening / closing mechanism 31 is closed, substantially only the first exhaust ring 16a functions as an exhaust ring. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, when the opening / closing mechanism 31 is opened by operating the drive mechanism 34, the second exhaust ring 16 b acts as an exhaust ring through the exhaust passage 30. The space between the second exhaust ring 16b also acts as a processing space. Therefore, by opening / closing the opening / closing mechanism 31, the exhaust ring 16 of the embodiment described above is substantially in the same state as the raised state and the lowered state. Even with such a configuration, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.
[0049]
In this embodiment, the exhaust passage 33 is also formed in the side wall portion of the support member 32 that supports the second exhaust ring 16b, so that the conductance can be improved.
[0050]
In the above embodiment, the case where the exhaust ring 16 is substantially parallel to the mounting surface of the semiconductor wafer W has been described. It may have a stepped shape.
[0051]
In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a plasma etching apparatus for etching a semiconductor wafer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this case. For example, a substrate other than a semiconductor wafer may be processed, and processing other than etching, for example, a film forming processing apparatus such as CVD can be applied.
[0052]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the plasma processing apparatus and the plasma processing method of the present invention, the footprint is not increased due to the increase in the diameter of the vacuum chamber, and the plasma state can be easily changed according to the processing to be performed. It can be controlled and can easily cope with various plasma treatments.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a main part of the plasma processing apparatus of FIG. 1;
3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a main part of the plasma processing apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a main part of a plasma processing apparatus provided with a grounding conductor.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an etching rate of an oxide film in each part of the wafer.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an etching rate of an oxide film in each part of the wafer.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an etching rate of an oxide film in each part of the wafer.
FIG. 8 is a view showing an etching rate of a nitride film in each part of the wafer.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an etching rate of a nitride film in each part of the wafer.
FIG. 10 is a view showing an etching rate of a nitride film in each part of the wafer.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the etching rate of the organic film in each part of the wafer.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the etching rate of the organic film in each part of the wafer.
FIG. 13 is a view showing an etching rate of an organic film in each part of the wafer.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a main part of a plasma processing apparatus according to another embodiment.
15 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a main part of the plasma processing apparatus of FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
W ... semiconductor wafer, 1 ... vacuum chamber, 2 ... mounting table, 3 ... shower head, 9, 10 ... high frequency power supply, 14 ... exhaust port, 15 ... exhaust system, 16 ... exhaust ring, 17 ... exhaust passage, 18 ... drive mechanism.

Claims (6)

A vacuum chamber for accommodating a substrate to be processed;
A fixed mounting table disposed in the vacuum chamber and on which the substrate to be processed is mounted;
A plasma generating mechanism for generating plasma for performing a predetermined process on the substrate to be processed in the vacuum chamber;
An exhaust ring arranged around the mounting table and having an exhaust path formed therein;
An evacuation mechanism that evacuates the vacuum chamber through the exhaust path;
The position of the exhaust ring is changed below the mounting surface so as to change the relative height between the exhaust ring and the mounting surface of the fixed mounting table on which the substrate to be processed is mounted. And a plasma processing apparatus. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The plasma processing apparatus, wherein the mechanism for changing the position of the exhaust ring is configured to move the exhaust ring up and down. A vacuum chamber for accommodating a substrate to be processed;
A mounting table disposed in the vacuum chamber and on which the substrate to be processed is mounted;
A plasma generating mechanism for generating plasma for performing a predetermined process on the substrate to be processed in the vacuum chamber;
An exhaust ring arranged around the mounting table and having an exhaust path formed therein;
A plasma processing apparatus comprising a vacuum exhaust mechanism for evacuating the vacuum chamber through the exhaust path,
The exhaust ring is composed of a first exhaust ring and a second exhaust ring that is spaced apart from the mounting surface of the mounting table before the first exhaust ring, and the second exhaust ring A plasma processing apparatus, wherein an open / close mechanism for opening and closing the exhaust passage is provided in the exhaust passage communicating with the exhaust passage. A vacuum chamber for accommodating a substrate to be processed;
A fixed mounting table disposed in the vacuum chamber and on which the substrate to be processed is mounted;
A plasma generating mechanism for generating plasma for performing a predetermined process on the substrate to be processed in the vacuum chamber;
An exhaust ring arranged around the mounting table and having an exhaust path formed therein;
An evacuation mechanism that evacuates the vacuum chamber through the exhaust path;
A plasma processing method using a plasma processing apparatus comprising:
The position of the exhaust ring is changed below the mounting surface so as to change the relative height between the exhaust ring and the mounting surface of the fixed mounting table on which the substrate to be processed is mounted. Thus, a plasma processing method for controlling a state of plasma processing on the substrate to be processed. The plasma processing method according to claim 4,
A plasma processing method, wherein the exhaust ring is moved up and down to control the state of plasma processing on the substrate to be processed. The plasma processing method according to claim 5,
When etching a laminated film made of at least two different materials formed on the substrate to be processed, the position of the exhaust ring is set high when the etched film is an organic film, and the etched film When plasma is an oxide film or a nitride film, the plasma etching method is performed by performing plasma etching processing with a lower setting than that of the organic film .

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