Decrease in particles by substituting conductive magnesium-oxide based ceramics for conventional electrode materials used in process chamber of plasma etching

The corrosion of ceramic chamber parts causes particles in plasma etching process, so that the production yield and the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) at LSI mass production line are decreased. We have developed magnesium oxide (MgO)-based ceramics whose corrosion resistance in reactive plasma is higher than conventional ceramic materials. In this study, we have prepared a shower-head-type electrode by using MgO-based ceramics, and demonstrated that the number of particles generated from the electrode is much lower than that generated from a conventional electrode made from aluminium oxide. The MgO-based ceramics contributes to improvement of the production yield and the OEE.