JP2005159182A - Method of processing plasma cvd apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of processing a plasma CVD apparatus which can obtain a high productivity by performing simultaneously cleaning in a reaction chamber and processing a semiconductor substrate by safe process with a low cost without etching in the reaction chamber or without taking a time and effort in handling. <P>SOLUTION: The method of treating the plasma CVD apparatus includes a step of placing a substrate 8 on the substrate placing plate 3 of the plasma CVD apparatus having the substrate placing plate 3 disposed in the reaction chamber 9, an electrode plate 1 disposed in the reaction chamber 9 to be opposed to the substrate placing plate 3, and an RF power source 7 as a power applying means; a step of introducing a nitrogen gas into the reaction chamber 9, generating a nitrogen plasma by applying a power between the substrate placing p late 3 and the electrode plate 1 by the RF power source 7; and a step of removing a deposit adhered in the reaction chamber 9 and an oxide film of the substrate 8 simultaneously by this nitrogen plasma. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing method of a plasma CVD apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate or the like, and a method for processing a reaction chamber of the apparatus or a semiconductor substrate with plasma.

  In manufacturing processes of semiconductor devices, liquid crystal display devices, and the like, a plasma CVD apparatus is used that continuously forms a thin film on a substrate that is sequentially supplied into a reaction chamber equipped with a vacuum exhaust mechanism.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a reaction chamber structure of a plasma CVD apparatus. FIG. 1 shows a parallel plate type plasma CVD apparatus. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an electrode plate to which electric power is applied, and also has a function as a shower plate for flowing gas. A mass flow controller 2 controls the gas flow rate. Reference numeral 3 denotes a substrate mounting plate on which the substrate 8 to be formed is placed. Reference numeral 4 denotes a heater, which is used as a heating means, and is grounded to the substrate mounting plate 3 so that the substrate mounting plate 3 functions as a counter electrode and is connected to the ground. Reference numeral 5 denotes a vacuum pump for making the inside of the reaction chamber 9 vacuum, and 6 is a pressure control valve for controlling the inside of the reaction chamber 9 to a constant pressure. The vacuum pump 5 and the pressure control valve 6 are connected to a line for exhausting the gas introduced into the reaction chamber 9.

The substrate mounting plate 3 on which the substrate 8 is mounted is caused to flow in the reaction chamber 9 from the electrode plate 1 with a reaction gas serving as a raw material for the film whose flow rate is controlled by the mass flow controller 2, and from the RF power source 7 to the electrode plate 1. By applying high frequency power to the substrate 8, glow discharge is generated to excite plasma and decompose the reaction gas, whereby a film such as a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film is formed on the substrate 8.
JP 2003-158123 A JP 2003-7620 A

  However, when the film is formed by the plasma CVD method, it is deposited not only on the substrate 8 as a film formation body but also on the electrode plate 1 and the inner wall of the reaction chamber 9. These deposits are gradually accumulated every time the film formation is repeated in the plasma CVD apparatus, and in particular, the deposits formed on the electrode plate 1 are peeled off from the electrode plate 1 and become particulate when the thickness increases. It falls on the substrate mounting plate 3. Since the substrate 8 is placed on the substrate mounting plate 3, if the deposit falls on the substrate 8 during film formation, the cause of defects and reaction with the active gas during film formation change the film quality. Therefore, there is a problem that the yield decreases.

  In order to prevent these problems, it is necessary to periodically clean and remove unnecessary films deposited on the electrode plate 1 and the inner wall of the reaction chamber 9. For example, there is a method in which the electrode plate 1 is removed from the apparatus and chemically etched with a chemical solution. In this method, production must be interrupted in order to remove the electrode plate 1 from the apparatus, and the replacement frequency is high. However, there is a problem that the operating rate is remarkably lowered and the productivity is lowered.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a method in which an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon is introduced into a chamber as a fluorine-based etching gas and a carrier gas and removed by plasma etching. However, in this method, the plasma etching with the fluorinated gas also etches and damages the inside of the reaction chamber 9 and the substrate mounting plate 3, etc., so that the life of the apparatus is shortened and needs to be frequently replaced. , Productivity decreases. In addition, the gas used for etching is expensive, difficult to handle, and equipment for removing the gas is necessary, resulting in high costs.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a method of forming a protective film against plasma etching on the surface of the substrate mounting plate 3 before cleaning by plasma etching. In this method, the inner wall of the reaction chamber 9 and the substrate mounting plate 3 can be suppressed from being etched by plasma etching using a fluorinated gas, and damage can be suppressed. However, the protective film has a certain thickness. Therefore, it takes time to form a film and the productivity is lowered. In addition, the gas used for etching is expensive, difficult to handle, and equipment for removing the gas is necessary, resulting in high costs.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and the reaction chamber is cleaned and a semiconductor substrate is processed by a safe and low-cost process in which the reaction chamber is not etched or troublesome to handle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing method for a plasma CVD apparatus capable of obtaining the high productivity by performing the above processes simultaneously.

  In order to achieve the above object, a processing method of a plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a substrate placement plate disposed in a reaction chamber, and a reaction chamber disposed in the reaction chamber so as to face the substrate placement plate. Nitrogen gas is introduced into the reaction chamber of a plasma CVD apparatus comprising: an electrode plate disposed; and a power applying unit that generates plasma by applying power between the substrate mounting plate and the electrode plate. At the same time, the power application means applies power between the substrate mounting plate and the electrode plate to generate nitrogen plasma, and deposits adhered in the reaction chamber are removed by the nitrogen plasma. As described above, cleaning is performed by performing plasma discharge in a nitrogen gas atmosphere, so that the reaction chamber is cleaned without damaging the reaction chamber without being damaged by nitrogen plasma that is not highly reactive. The

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma CVD apparatus processing method comprising: a substrate mounting plate disposed in a reaction chamber; and an electrode plate disposed in the reaction chamber so as to face the substrate mounting plate. A semiconductor substrate placed on the substrate placement plate of a plasma CVD apparatus comprising: a power application means for generating plasma by applying power between the substrate placement plate and the electrode plate; Nitrogen gas was introduced into the reaction chamber, and electric power was applied between the substrate mounting plate and the electrode plate by the power application means to generate nitrogen plasma, and the nitrogen plasma adhered to the reaction chamber. It comprises a nitrogen plasma processing step for simultaneously removing the deposit and the oxide film of the semiconductor substrate. Since cleaning is performed by plasma discharge in a nitrogen gas atmosphere, the reaction chamber is cleaned without damaging, and at the same time, the oxide film on the surface of the semiconductor substrate is removed by nitrogen plasma, so that the subsequent steps can be performed efficiently. it can. In addition, since nitrogen plasma is basically not highly reactive, there is an advantage that the semiconductor substrate is hardly damaged when the oxide film (natural oxide film) on the semiconductor substrate is removed.

  A plasma CVD apparatus processing method according to a third aspect of the present invention is the plasma CVD apparatus processing method according to the second aspect, wherein a film forming gas species is introduced into the reaction chamber, and the power application means is provided. To form a plasma by applying power between the substrate mounting plate and the electrode plate, and decomposing and exciting the deposition gas species by the plasma to form a film on the semiconductor substrate. In addition, the film forming step is continuously performed without releasing the air from the nitrogen plasma processing step. Since it did in this way, after the oxide film of a semiconductor substrate is removed by nitrogen plasma, a semiconductor substrate does not touch air | atmosphere. Therefore, a high-quality film can be formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate where no oxide film is present, with the deposit in the reaction chamber being cleaned.

  A plasma CVD apparatus processing method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the plasma CVD apparatus processing method according to the third aspect, wherein in the film formation step, a nitride film is formed on the semiconductor substrate. Thus, the surface of the semiconductor substrate is gently nitrided by nitrogen plasma in advance. If a nitride film is formed thereon, uniform nucleation is performed, and a uniform and high quality film can be formed.

  Furthermore, the processing method of the plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 5 of the present invention is the processing method of the plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the semiconductor substrate is a silicon substrate and the nitride is silicon nitride. Therefore, the oxide film (natural oxide film) on the silicon substrate is removed by nitrogen plasma treatment, and at the same time, the surface is slightly nitrided to form a metamorphic layer in which oxygen is slightly mixed. A high quality silicon nitride film is uniformly formed on the metamorphic layer.

  As described above, according to the processing method of the plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention, cleaning is performed by performing plasma discharge in a nitrogen gas atmosphere. Processing is performed and the reaction chamber is cleaned without damaging the reaction chamber. Thereby, unnecessary deposits grown on the electrode plate or the like by film formation are pulverized by nitrogen plasma treatment, and the deposits in the reaction chamber are pulverized together with nitrogen gas by a vacuum pump. And it can prevent that a deposit falls on the board | substrate mounted on the plate. Further, by using nitrogen gas, the electrode plate and the reaction chamber wall are cleaned without damaging the electrode plate and plate and the reaction chamber wall unlike the fluorine-based etching gas. Compared to fluorine-based etching gas, nitrogen gas is a much safer, cheaper and more stable gas, and there is no need for special handling for nitrogen, safety equipment, or abatement equipment, and it has a negative impact on the environment. Don't give. Therefore, cleaning is performed at low cost and without reducing productivity.

  Further, according to the processing method of the plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention, since the cleaning is performed by performing plasma discharge in a nitrogen gas atmosphere, the reaction chamber is cleaned without being damaged, and at the same time, the surface of the semiconductor substrate is cleaned. Since the oxide film is removed by nitrogen plasma, the subsequent steps can be performed efficiently. In addition, since nitrogen plasma is basically not highly reactive, there is an advantage that the semiconductor substrate is hardly damaged when the oxide film (natural oxide film) on the semiconductor substrate is removed.

  According to the processing method of the plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 3 of the present invention, the semiconductor substrate is not exposed to the atmosphere after the oxide film of the semiconductor substrate is removed by nitrogen plasma. Therefore, a high-quality film can be formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate where no oxide film is present, with the deposit in the reaction chamber being cleaned.

  According to the processing method of the plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention, the surface of the semiconductor substrate is gently nitrided beforehand by nitrogen plasma. If a nitride film is formed thereon, uniform nucleation is performed, and a uniform and high quality film can be formed.

  Furthermore, according to the processing method of the plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 5 of the present invention, the oxide film (natural oxide film) of the silicon substrate is removed by the nitrogen plasma processing, and at the same time, the surface is slightly nitrided, and oxygen is A slightly mixed metamorphic layer is formed. A high quality silicon nitride film is uniformly formed on the metamorphic layer. Therefore, for example, in applications such as a solar cell element using a crystalline silicon substrate, it is very effective when the silicon nitride film is applied to a passivation film or an antireflection film.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the processing method of the plasma CVD apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a basic structure of a reaction chamber of a plasma CVD apparatus according to the present invention.

  This plasma CVD apparatus is a parallel plate type plasma CVD apparatus and has a reaction chamber 9. In the reaction chamber 9, the substrate mounting plate 3 and the electrode plate 1 are installed so as to face the substrate mounting plate 3. An RF power source 7 is provided as power application means for generating plasma by applying electric power between the substrate mounting plate 3 and the electrode plate 1.

  The substrate mounting plate 3 is configured so that a substrate 8 which is a semiconductor substrate can be mounted thereon and processing such as film formation can be performed. The substrate mounting plate 3 is configured so that it can be freely carried into and out of the reaction chamber 9 with the substrate 8 placed thereon, and the reaction chamber 9 has a loading / unloading port for the substrate mounting plate 3. (Not shown) is provided, and the substrate placement plate 3 is carried into and out of the transfer chamber (not shown).

  In the reaction chamber 9, a heater 4 for adjusting the film formation temperature of the substrate mounting plate 3 and the substrate 8 is provided as a heating means. The heater 4 is grounded, and the substrate mounting plate 3 functions as a counter electrode with respect to the electrode plate 1 by grounding with the heater 4 in a state where the substrate mounting plate 3 is carried into the reaction chamber 9.

  A reaction gas whose flow rate is controlled by the mass flow controller 2 is introduced into the reaction chamber 9. For example, a large number of small holes are formed and the electrode plate 1 having a function as a shower plate is rectified to the substrate 8. It flows evenly toward. In the reaction chamber 9, a vacuum pump 5 is disposed as a vacuum exhaust system, and a pressure control valve 6 for controlling the inside of the reaction chamber 9 to a constant pressure is disposed in front of the vacuum pump 5. .

Next, film formation using this plasma CVD apparatus will be described. For example, the substrate 8, which is a semiconductor substrate such as silicon, is inserted into the reaction chamber 9 while being placed on the substrate placing plate 3 and placed on the heater 4. After the reaction chamber 9 is evacuated to a predetermined pressure by the vacuum pump 5 and the temperature of the substrate 8 is increased to the predetermined temperature by the heater 4, the reaction gas, for example, a silicon nitride film is formed via the mass flow controller 2. In the case of film formation, silane gas (SiH ₄ ), ammonia gas (NH ₃ ), and nitrogen gas for diluting the mixed gas are introduced from the electrode plate 1 into the reaction chamber 9. After controlling the inside of the reaction chamber 9 to a predetermined pressure by the pressure control valve 6, a glow discharge is generated between the electrode plate 1 and the substrate mounting plate 3 by applying high frequency power from the RF power source 7 to the electrode plate 1. By exciting the plasma and decomposing the reaction gas, a silicon nitride film is formed on the substrate. At this time, film deposits also adhere to the electrode plate 1, the substrate mounting plate 3, the inner wall of the reaction chamber 9, and the like.

  Next, a nitrogen plasma processing method according to claim 1 of the present invention will be described as a method for removing deposits adhering to the reaction chamber 9.

  The substrate placement plate 3 is inserted into the reaction chamber 9 and placed on the heater 4. At this time, it does not matter whether the substrate 8 is placed on the substrate placing plate 3 or not. After sufficiently evacuating the inside of the reaction chamber 9 using the vacuum pump 5, nitrogen gas is introduced from the electrode plate 1 into the reaction chamber 9 via the mass flow controller 2. After controlling the inside of the reaction chamber 9 to a predetermined pressure by the pressure control valve 6, nitrogen plasma is obtained between the electrode plate 1 and the substrate mounting plate 3 by applying high frequency power from the RF power source 7 to the electrode plate 1. .

  This nitrogen plasma is a so-called non-equilibrium plasma in which the electron temperature is higher than the gas temperature, and the plasma discharge is caused mainly by active species such as nitrogen molecules, nitrogen ions, nitrogen radicals, etc. 1, the substrate mounting plate 3, and the deposit on the inner wall of the reaction chamber 9 are pulverized and exhausted together with nitrogen gas by the vacuum pump 5 to clean the interior of the reaction chamber 9. In particular, since the deposits attached to the electrode plate 1 are removed, the deposits do not fall on the substrate 8 during film formation, so that a decrease in yield can be suppressed.

  Nitrogen plasma treatment is not highly reactive, unlike fluorine-based etching gas, so that the inside of the electrode plate 1 and the reaction chamber 9 is gentle without damaging the electrode plate 1, the substrate mounting plate 3, and the inner wall of the reaction chamber 9. Cleaning process. This is because, unlike an etching gas such as a fluorine-based gas, nitrogen itself has no etching action, so the deposits are not etched by a chemical action, but plasma species such as nitrogen molecules, nitrogen ions, and nitrogen radicals. It is thought that the deposit was made into fine powder by the impact of Compared to fluorine-based etching gas, nitrogen gas is a much safer, cheaper and more stable gas, and there is no need for special handling for nitrogen, safety equipment, or abatement equipment, and it has a negative impact on the environment. Don't give. In addition, in a plasma CVD apparatus for forming a silicon nitride film, it is also used as a carrier gas at the time of film formation, so there is no need to separately introduce incidental equipment for using the gas or remodel the equipment. Therefore, the cleaning process is performed at low cost and without reducing productivity.

  The flow rate of nitrogen gas is preferably in the range of 500 to 4000 ml / min (sccm), and if it is lower than this range, the supply of active species by plasma becomes rate-determining, and the processing speed becomes slow. On the other hand, if it is larger than this range, the rate at which active species due to plasma are exhausted before the deposits in the reaction chamber 9 are processed increases, and the processing speed becomes slow.

  The reaction pressure is preferably in the range of 50 to 150 Pa. When the pressure is lower than this range, the mean free process of the plasma species is extended, the plasma temperature becomes too high, and the reaction chamber 9 is damaged. On the contrary, if it exceeds this range, there is a risk that a uniform plasma will not be obtained.

  The processing conditions of the plasma CVD apparatus vary depending on the apparatus and cannot be specified. For example, the frequency is 200 to 500 kHz, the power is 600 to 1000 W, and the processing time is about 5 to 30 sec. As long as the maximum effect can be obtained for each device.

  Next, the cleaning process of the reaction chamber and the oxide film removing process of the semiconductor substrate according to claim 2 of the present invention will be described.

  The above configuration is different from the above configuration only in that nitrogen plasma treatment is performed in a state where the substrate 8 which is a semiconductor substrate such as silicon is placed on the substrate placing plate 3. In this way, the deposit in the reaction chamber 9 is pulverized by nitrogen plasma and exhausted to the outside by the vacuum pump 5 together with nitrogen gas. At the same time, an oxide film (natural oxide film) on the surface of the substrate 8 is removed. Can be removed.

  As described above, since the cleaning process is performed by performing plasma discharge in a nitrogen gas atmosphere, the cleaning process is performed without damaging the reaction chamber 9, and at the same time, the oxide film on the surface of the substrate 8 which is a semiconductor substrate is removed by the nitrogen plasma. Therefore, the subsequent steps can be performed efficiently. In addition, since nitrogen plasma is basically not highly reactive, there is an advantage that the substrate 8 is hardly damaged even when the oxide film (natural oxide film) of the semiconductor substrate is removed.

  In addition, after removing the oxide film of the substrate 8, the reaction gas necessary for film formation is continuously introduced from the electrode plate 1 by the mass flow controller 2 without opening to the atmosphere, and plasma discharge is performed similarly to the substrate 8. It is desirable to provide a film forming process for forming a film on the substrate. After the oxide film on the substrate 8 is removed by nitrogen plasma, the substrate 8 is not exposed to the atmosphere. Therefore, a high-quality film can be formed on the surface of the substrate 8 where no oxide film exists, with the deposit in the reaction chamber 9 being cleaned. In addition, since the deposit attached to the electrode plate 1 is removed by the nitrogen plasma treatment, it is possible to suppress a decrease in yield due to the falling of the deposit, and to continuously perform the film forming process without opening to the atmosphere. Therefore, productivity can be improved.

  Further, in this film forming process, it is desirable to form a nitride film on the substrate 8. The reason is that the surface of the substrate 8 is gently nitridized by nitrogen plasma treatment in advance, so if a nitride film is formed thereon, uniform nucleation occurs and a uniform and high quality film is formed. Because it can be done. Further, if a silicon substrate is used as the substrate 8 and a silicon nitride film is formed in the film forming step, the oxide film (natural oxide film) on the silicon substrate is removed by nitrogen plasma treatment, and at the same time, Is slightly nitrided, and a metamorphic layer in which oxygen derived from the oxide film is slightly mixed is formed. Such a metamorphic layer is very familiar with silicon nitride and can be uniformly nucleated if silicon nitride is formed thereon, so that a high-quality silicon nitride film is uniformly formed. The Therefore, for example, in applications such as a solar cell element using a crystalline silicon substrate, the silicon nitride film is very effective when applied to a passivation film or an antireflection film.

  It should be noted that the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  The cleaning process by the nitrogen plasma process may be performed before and after the film formation every time, or may be performed in a certain predetermined cycle. By performing this nitrogen plasma treatment, an effect of greatly reducing the replacement frequency and the maintenance frequency of the electrode plate 1 can be obtained, and a decrease in productivity can be suppressed. For example, in the process of actually forming a silicon nitride film of about 400 mm on the substrate 8, cleaning by nitrogen plasma treatment was performed for about 5 seconds before and after the film formation, and the maintenance frequency of deposit removal of the electrode plate 1 was 28%. It was possible to reduce.

  Further, the planar shapes of the reaction chamber 9 and the electrode plate of the plasma CVD apparatus may be square or circular.

  In this embodiment, the parallel plate type plasma CVD apparatus has been described as an example. However, other plasma CVD apparatuses such as an inductively coupled plasma CVD apparatus, a plasma CVD apparatus using microwave plasma, or a predetermined plasma CVD apparatus are used. Even if it is applied to an ECR plasma CVD apparatus that obtains a high plasma density by applying an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) to a microwave by applying a magnetic field having the following conditions, it is easy to obtain the same effect. Inferred. Hereinafter, the configuration that can be grasped from the technical idea of the present invention will be described.

  (1) Nitrogen gas is introduced into the reaction chamber of a plasma CVD apparatus provided with power application means for generating plasma by applying power to the reaction chamber, and power is applied to the reaction chamber by the power application means. A method for processing a plasma CVD apparatus, wherein nitrogen plasma is generated and deposits adhered to the reaction chamber are removed by the nitrogen plasma.

  (2) A semiconductor substrate is placed on the substrate placement plate of a plasma CVD apparatus provided with a substrate placement plate disposed in the reaction chamber and power application means for generating plasma by applying electric power to the reaction chamber. Nitrogen gas is introduced into the reaction chamber, and electric power is applied by the power application means to generate nitrogen plasma in the reaction chamber, and deposits adhered to the reaction chamber by the nitrogen plasma and the semiconductor substrate A processing method for a plasma CVD apparatus, comprising a nitrogen plasma processing step for simultaneously removing an oxide film.

  (3) A semiconductor substrate is placed on the substrate placement plate of a plasma CVD apparatus provided with a substrate placement plate disposed in the reaction chamber and power application means for generating power by applying electric power to the reaction chamber. Nitrogen gas is introduced into the reaction chamber, and electric power is applied by the power application means to generate nitrogen plasma in the reaction chamber, and deposits adhered to the reaction chamber by the nitrogen plasma and the semiconductor substrate A nitrogen plasma treatment step for simultaneously removing the oxide film, and introducing a film forming gas species into the reaction chamber, and applying electric power by the power application means to generate plasma in the reaction chamber; The film forming step includes forming a film on the semiconductor substrate by decomposing and exciting a film forming gas species. Processing method of a plasma CVD device in which continuously performed without the air release from the physical process.

It is the schematic which shows an example of the plasma CVD apparatus concerning this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: Electrode plate 2: Mass flow controller 3: Substrate mounting plate 4: Heater 5: Vacuum pump 6: Pressure control valve 7: RF power supply 8: Substrate 9: Reaction chamber

Claims (5)

A power is applied between the substrate mounting plate disposed in the reaction chamber, the electrode plate disposed in the reaction chamber so as to face the substrate mounting plate, and the substrate mounting plate and the electrode plate. A nitrogen gas is introduced into the reaction chamber of the plasma CVD apparatus, and power is applied between the substrate mounting plate and the electrode plate by the power application unit. Then, nitrogen plasma is generated, and a deposit method adhered to the reaction chamber is removed by the nitrogen plasma. A power is applied between the substrate mounting plate disposed in the reaction chamber, the electrode plate disposed in the reaction chamber so as to face the substrate mounting plate, and the substrate mounting plate and the electrode plate. A semiconductor substrate is placed on the substrate placement plate of a plasma CVD apparatus, and nitrogen gas is introduced into the reaction chamber, and the substrate by the power application means A nitrogen plasma processing step of generating electric power between the mounting plate and the electrode plate to generate nitrogen plasma, and simultaneously removing deposits adhering to the reaction chamber and the oxide film of the semiconductor substrate by the nitrogen plasma. A processing method for a plasma CVD apparatus comprising: A gas for forming a film is introduced into the reaction chamber, and a plasma is generated by applying power between the substrate mounting plate and the electrode plate by the power applying means, and the plasma is used for the film forming. The film forming step of forming a film on the semiconductor substrate by decomposing and exciting gas species is provided, and the film forming step is continuously performed without opening to the atmosphere from the nitrogen plasma processing step. The processing method of the plasma CVD apparatus. The processing method of the plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in the film forming step, a nitride film is formed on the semiconductor substrate. The processing method of the plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the semiconductor substrate is a silicon substrate and the nitride is silicon nitride.

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