Patent · US Expired

Anisotropic etching method and apparatus

US5766498A · kind A · utility

16Cited by
7References
23Claims
0Family size

Assignees

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 29, 1996
Grant dateJun 16, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 29, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J2237/3345
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A parallel-plate plasma etching apparatus includes a susceptor electrode and a shower electrode which are arranged in a process chamber. A semiconductor wafer is placed on the susceptor electrode. A shower region defined by a plurality of process gas supply holes is formed in the shower electrode. The shower electrode is cooled by a cooling block and causes an effective electrode portion of the shower electrode to have a temperature gradient such that a temperature at the central portion of the effective electrode portion is lower than a temperature at the peripheral portion of the effective electrode portion. The diameter of the shower region is selected to be smaller than the diameter of the wafer by 5 to 25% such that degradation of planar uniformity of a degree of etching anisotropy on the wafer caused by the temperature gradient of the effective electrode portion is compensated for. The diameter of the effective electrode portion is selected to be larger than the size of a wafer by 5 to 35% such that a taper angle of a side wall to be etched formed by etching is set to be 85.degree. to 90.degree..

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.