A control method of a plasma processing apparatus including a first electrode and a second electrode includes supplying a bias power to the first electrode, and supplying a negative DC voltage to the second electrode. The negative DC voltage periodically repeats a first state that takes a first voltage value and a second state that takes a second voltage value having an absolute value smaller than the first voltage value. The control method further includes a first control process of applying the first state of the negative DC voltage in a partial time period within each cycle of a signal synchronized with a cycle of a radio frequency of the bias power, or in a partial time period within each cycle of a periodically varying parameter measured in a transmission path of the bias power, and applying the second state continuously with the first state.

Disclosed are plasma etching apparatuses, plasma etching methods, and semiconductor device fabrication methods. The plasma etching apparatus comprises a chamber, an electrostatic chuck in a lower portion of the chamber, a radio-frequency power supply that has a connection with the electrostatic chuck and provides the electrostatic chuck with a radio-frequency power to generate a plasma in the chamber, and a controller that has a connection with the radio-frequency power supply and controls the radio-frequency power.

Disclosed are a gas showerhead, a method of manufacturing the same, and a plasma apparatus provided with the gas showerhead. The gas showerhead comprises a back plate and a gas distribution plate, the gas distribution plate including a plurality of annular gas distribution regions with the center of the gas distribution plate as their center; on each annular gas distribution region are provided a plurality of gas through-holes penetrating through the gas inlet face and the gas outlet face, the gas through-holes at least including a plurality of first gas through-holes inclined at a certain angle, and the gas through-holes further include a plurality of second gas through-holes, the second gas through-holes being parallel to the central axis or having a radial inclination direction different from the first gas through-holes; and in the same annular gas distribution region, gas flowing out of the first gas through-holes and gas flowing out of the second gas through-holes are kept away from each other.

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a chamber; a substrate support disposed in the chamber; a plasma generator configured to form a plasma in the chamber; and a controller configured to perform a process including: placing a substrate on the substrate support, the substrate including a first film, a second film and a third film, the first film containing a silicon, the second film having a second aperture, the first film being disposed between the second film and the third film; cooling the substrate to −30° C. or less; etching the first film through the second aperture with a plasma formed from a first process gas containing a fluorocarbon gas, to form a first aperture of a tapered shape in the first film such that a width of the first aperture gradually decreases toward a bottom of the first aperture; and etching the third film through the first aperture.

Disclosed are plasma etching apparatuses, plasma etching methods, and semiconductor device fabrication methods. The plasma etching apparatus comprises a chamber, an electrostatic chuck in a lower portion of the chamber, a radio-frequency power supply that has a connection with the electrostatic chuck and provides the electrostatic chuck with a radio-frequency power to generate a plasma in the chamber, and a controller that has a connection with the radio-frequency power supply and controls the radio-frequency power.

In cycle etching in which a depo process and an etching process are repeated, a depo film thickness over a pattern is controlled precisely, and etching is executed to have a desired shape stably for a long time. There are included the depo process (S1) of introducing a reactive gas having a deposit property to a processing chamber and forming a deposit layer over the surface of a pattern to be etched of a substrate to be etched, the etching process (S2) of removing a reaction product of the deposit layer and the surface of the pattern to be etched, and a monitoring process (S3) of irradiating light to the pattern to be etched at the time of the depo process of cycle etching for executing two processes alternately and working a fine pattern and monitoring a change amount of the film thickness of the deposit layer by change of a coherent light having a specific wavelength reflected by the pattern to be etched, the depo process being for forming the deposit layer, in which a processing condition of processes for forming the deposit layer of the next cycle and onward of cycle etching is determined so that an indicator of the depo film thickness calculated from the change amount of the film thickness of the deposit layer monitored falls in a predetermined range compared to reference data.

A control method of a plasma processing apparatus including a first electrode and a second electrode includes supplying a bias power to the first electrode, and supplying a negative DC voltage to the second electrode. The negative DC voltage periodically repeats a first state that takes a first voltage value and a second state that takes a second voltage value having an absolute value smaller than the first voltage value. The control method further includes a first control process of applying the first state of the negative DC voltage in a partial time period within each cycle of a signal synchronized with a cycle of a radio frequency of the bias power, or in a partial time period within each cycle of a periodically varying parameter measured in a transmission path of the bias power, and applying the second state continuously with the first state.

Exemplary methods for etching a variety of metal-containing materials may include flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate positioned within the semiconductor processing chamber may include a trench formed between two vertical columns and a metal-containing material arranged within a plurality of recesses defined by the two vertical columns. The plurality of recesses may include a first recess and a second recess adjacent to the first recess. The metal-containing material arranged within the first recess and the metal-containing material arranged within the second recess may be connected by the metal-containing material lining a portion of sidewalls of the trench. The methods may further include oxidizing the metal-containing material with the oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may also include flowing a halide precursor into the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may further include laterally etching the oxidized metal-containing material lining the portion of the sidewalls of the trench.

Exemplary methods for laterally etching tungsten may include flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate positioned within the semiconductor processing chamber may include a trench formed between two vertical columns and tungsten slabs arranged within a plurality of recesses defined by at least one of the two vertical columns. At least two of the tungsten slabs may be connected by tungsten lining a portion of sidewalls of the trench. The methods may further include oxidizing the tungsten connecting the at least two of the tungsten slabs with the oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may include flowing a halide precursor into the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may also include laterally etching the oxidized tungsten from the sidewalls of the trench.

Methods of processing a semiconductor device structure comprise cooling an electrostatic chuck (ESC) for the semiconductor device structure, which comprises tiers of alternating materials including at least one dielectric material, to a temperature of 30 C. or less, forming an opening in the semiconductor device structure with a plasma of a gas comprising a hydrogen-based gas and a fluorine-based gas in which the hydrogen-based gas comprises between about 10 vol % and 90 vol %. Other methods of processing a semiconductor device structure comprise cooling an ESC for the semiconductor device structure to a temperature of 30 C. or less, applying a low frequency radio frequency (RF) having a non-sinusoidal waveform to the ESC, and forming an opening in the semiconductor device structure with a generated plasma. A processing system includes an ESC, a coolant system, and a low frequency RF power source generating a non-sinusoidal waveform comprising a combination of multiple sinusoidal waveforms.