ETCHING METHOD AND ETCHING SYSTEM

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an etching method which can properly determine the end point in etching a substrate and to provide an etching system. SOLUTION: When etching a substrate 100 is started, the micropattern part 100a of the substrate 100 is irradiated with light from a light source 2. A light detector 5 receives diffracted light and produces a detection signal in response to its condensedness. The information processing part 94a of a control unit 94 performs an image processing based on the detection signal to obtain a pattern of the diffracted light from the micropattern part 100a. The arithmetic part 94b of the control unit 94 compares the pattern shape of the diffracted light from the micropattern part 100a with the pattern shape of a diffracted light in the optimal etching state prestored in the memory unit 91 and judges their agreement or disagreement. When they agree with each other, the time when the judgement is performed is adopted as the end point of the etching. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI