Patent ID: 8580077

Claim:
A plasma processing apparatus for generating a plasma of a processing gas by applying a high frequency power to an electrode provided in a processing chamber and processing a target substrate using the plasma, the plasma processing apparatus comprising: an optical data detection unit that is configured to detect optical data when plasma-processing the target substrate, wherein the optical data includes at least optical spectrum data of light reflected from the target substrate; a data storage unit that is configured to store and stores plural end point detection methods, each of the end point detection methods configured to detect a plasma processing end point, wherein the different end point detection methods are used for different types of target substrates having different types of films thereon; wherein the data storage unit is configured to store and stores therein previously obtained representative data representing a correlation between known types of test substrates and optical spectrum reflectance data of light reflected from the known types of test substrates and obtained while performing the plasma processing on the known types of test substrates, wherein the previously obtained representative data enables identification of a type of the target substrate, and wherein the known types of test substrates have different types of films thereon; a control unit that is programmed to: determine the type of the target substrate from among multiple types of target substrates based on optical data detected by the optical data detection unit when initiating the plasma processing on the target substrate and based on a correlation between the previously obtained representative data relating to optical spectrum reflectance data of light reflected from the known types of test substrates and the optical spectrum data of light reflected from the target substrate being processed and detected by the optical data detection unit, the optical spectrum data of the target substrate being detected when initiating the plasma processing on the target substrate select an end point detection method from the plural end point detection methods stored in the data storage unit based on the determined type of the target substrate; and wherein as processing of the target substrate progresses, optical spectrum data is reflected from the target substrate being processed and is detected by the optical data detection unit, and wherein said control unit is further configured to determine an end point based on the optical spectrum data obtained as the processing progresses using the selected end point detection method.