A radio frequency plasma processing system including a reaction chamber having an approximate chamber symmetry axis, a first plasma powering device, and a plurality of azimuthally disposed broadband electromagnetic sensors located approximately equidistant from the chamber symmetry axis to measure electromagnetic behavior about the reaction chamber during a radio frequency plasma process.

A plasma etch step anisotropically etches a silicon carbide semiconductor substrate through an opening to produce a feature. The plasma etch step generates a plasma from an etchant gas mixture that includes at least one fluorine-containing component and chlorine gas. The etchant gas mixture can further include SiCl.sub.4, an oxygen-containing component, and/or inert gas component.

An electrostatic chuck includes at least one conductor layer; an electrostatic electrode; and a base body in which the electrostatic electrode is embedded, the base body having a first dielectric layer on which the electrostatic electrode is mounted, the base body having a second dielectric layer stacked on the first dielectric layer with covering the electrostatic electrode. The conductor layer is formed on a surface of the first dielectric layer opposite to a surface on which the electrostatic electrode is mounted. The second dielectric layer has a first surface facing the first dielectric layer and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and the second surface is a placement surface on which a suction target is placed. A relative permittivity of the first dielectric layer is lower than a relative permittivity of the second dielectric layer.

An apparatus, a system, and a method for in-situ etching monitoring in a plasma processing chamber are provided. The apparatus includes a continuous wave broadband light source to generate incident light beam, an illumination system configured to illuminate an area on a substrate with an incident light beam being directed at normal incidence to the substrate, a collection system configured to collect a reflected light beam being reflected from the illuminated area on the substrate, and direct the reflected light beam to a detector, and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to process the reflected light beam to suppress background light, determine a property of the substrate or structures formed thereupon based on reference light beam and the reflected light beam that are processed to suppress the background light, and control an etch process based on the determined property.

The present invention has an objective to provide a processing method and an ion beam processing apparatus capable of inhibiting deposition of redeposited films even for fine patterns. In an embodiment of the present invention, ion beam processing is performed such that an etching amount of an ion beam incident in extending directions of pattern trenches formed on a substrate is made larger than the etching amount of the ion beam incident in other directions. This processing enables fine patterns to be processed while inhibiting redeposited films from being deposited on the bottom portions of the trenches of the fine patterns.

In order to execute stable processing by suppressing plasma diffusion and non-stationary discharge generation, there is provided a plasma processing device which includes a processing chamber in which a sample stage is provided for placing a sample thereon, an exhaust unit for evacuating the processing chamber, a magnetic field forming mechanism for forming a magnetic field in the processing chamber, and a power supply unit that supplies radio frequency power for generating plasma to the inside of the processing chamber evacuated by the exhaust unit and has the magnetic field formed by the magnetic field forming mechanism. The processing chamber includes a shielding section which divides an inner part of the processing chamber into a first area at a side for supplying the radio frequency power from the power supply unit and a second area at a side where the sample stage is disposed. The shielding section includes a first shielding plate disposed at the side that faces the first area, in which a first opening is formed, a second shielding plate disposed at the side that faces the second area, in which a second opening is formed at the center, and a third shielding plate disposed between the first and the second shielding plates.

A method of processing a substrate that includes: flowing nitrogen-containing (N-containing) gas, dioxygen (O.sub.2), a noble gas, and a fluorocarbon into the plasma processing chamber, the plasma processing chamber configured to hold a substrate including a dielectric layer as etch target and a patterned hardmask over the target layer; while flowing the gases, generating a fluorine-rich and nitrogen-deficient plasma in the plasma processing chamber, fluorine-rich and nitrogen-deficient plasma being made of more number of fluorine species than nitrogen species; and forming a high aspect ratio feature by exposing the substrate to the fluorine-rich and nitrogen-deficient plasma to etch a recess in the dielectric layer.

An etching method includes etching a material in an etch chamber by alternating normal-flow etch steps and reduced-flow etch steps, where an etchant gas is provided at a normal flow rate into the etch chamber during the normal-flow etch steps, and the etchant gas is provided at a reduced flow rate lower than the normal flow rate into the etch chamber during the reduced-flow etch steps, obtaining optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data during the reduced-flow etch steps, determining an end point for the etching based on the obtained OES data, and ending the etching at the determined end point.

Methods and systems for dry etching are disclosed. The system includes a wafer clamp ring having a central opening through which a substrate may be treated and a plurality of smaller, outer support holes for receiving pins from plunger assemblies. The outer support holes are tapered and change in diameter. The tapered shape reduces horizontal shifting of the wafer clamp ring which can occur as the wafer clamp ring is moved up-and-down during operational use. The reduced shifting increases wafer yield along the edges of the wafer.

A method of processing a substrate that includes: flowing an etch gas, O.sub.2, and an adsorbate precursor into a plasma processing chamber that is configured to hold the substrate including a silicon-containing dielectric layer and a patterned mask layer, the etch gas including hydrogen and fluorine; generating a plasma in the plasma processing chamber while flowing the etch gas, O.sub.2, and the adsorbate precursor, the adsorbate precursor being oxidized to form an adsorbate; and patterning, with the plasma, the silicon-containing dielectric layer on the substrate, where the adsorbate forms a sidewall passivation layer.