Patent ID: 8778205

Claim:
A method for processing a workpiece, comprising: measuring using Scatterometry a dimension of a surface structure of the workpiece in a depth direction and a dimension of the surface structure of the workpiece in a horizontal direction before an etching processing; setting a processing condition at the time of the etching processing based on the measured dimensions of the surface structure and correlation data so that the surface structure of the workpiece after the etching processing has at least one desired dimension; and thereafter, performing the etching processing for the workpiece under the set processing condition, wherein setting the processing condition at the time of the etching processsing includes: calculating an elimination amount in a depth direction based on the measured dimension of the surface structure in the depth direction and desired dimension in the depth direction; calculating an elimination amount in a horizontal direction based on the measured dimension of the surface structure in the horizontal direction and a desired dimension in the horizontal direction; determining an etching processing time based on the elimination amount in the depth direction and the correlation data which correlates elimination amounts in the depth direction and etch processing times so that a dimension in a depth direction in the surface structure after the etching processing is the desired dimension in the depth direction; and determining a supply flow rate of an etching gas based on the elimination amount in the horizontal direction and the correlation data which correlates elimination amounts in the horizontal direction, etch processing times, and supply flow rates so that a dimension in a horizontal direction in the surface structure after the etching processing is the desired dimension in the horizontal direction; and wherein setting the processing condition further includes setting the processing condition based on the determination of the etching processing time and the supply flow rate.