SHOWER PLATE SINTERED INTEGRALLY WITH GAS RELEASE HOLE MEMBER AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20100178775A1
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National University Corporation Chiba University, Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: National University Corporation Chiba University, Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Matsuoka, Takaaki, Inokuchi, Atsutoshi, Ohmi, Tadahiro, Nozawa, Toshihisa, Goto, Tetsuya, Ishibashi, Kiyotaka, Okesaku, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,915,999 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/726
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45568 Porous nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32192 Microwave generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394, H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32449 Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32477 characterised by the means for protecting vessels or internal parts, e.g. coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3255 Material

Abstract

A shower plate is disposed in a processing chamber in a plasma processing apparatus, and plasma excitation gas is released into the processing chamber so as to generate plasma. A ceramic member having a plurality of gas release holes having a diameter of 20 μm to 70 μm, and/or a porous gas-communicating body having pores having a maximum diameter of not more than 75 μm communicating in the gas-communicating direction are sintered and bonded integrally with the inside of each of a plurality of vertical holes which act as release paths for the plasma excitation gas.

Claims

1. A shower plate disposed in a plasma processing apparatus and releasing plasma excitation gas into the plasma processing apparatus so as to generate plasma,

wherein a ceramic member and/or a porous gas-communicating body are formed in the inside of each of a plurality of vertical holes as release paths for plasma excitation gas,

the ceramic member has a plurality of gas release holes having a diameter of 20 μ

m to 70 μ

m,

the porous gas-communicating body has pores having a maximum diameter of not more than 75 μ

m, the pores communicating in a gas-communicating direction, and

the ceramic member and/or the porous gas-communicating body are sintered and bonded integrally with the shower plate.

2. The shower plate of claim 1, wherein the shower plate is formed of a ceramic member, and the ceramic member and the porous gas-communicating body are formed of a ceramic material having a dielectric loss between 5×

10<sup>−

3</sup> and 1×

10<sup>−

5</sup>.

3. The shower plate of claim 1, wherein an aspect ratio of lengths to hole diameters of the gas release holes of the ceramic member is equal to or greater than 20.

4. The shower plate of claim 1, wherein a gas-communicating path formed by the communicating pores of the porous gas-communicating body has a narrow path having a pore diameter equal to or less than 10 μ

m.

5. A method of manufacturing the shower plate of claim 1, the method comprising:

fitting a powder molding body processed in a predetermined shape by molding material powder of a ceramic member, a debinded body of the powder molding body, a pre-sintered body of the powder molding body or a sintered body of the powder molding body, and/or a powder molding body processed in a predetermined shape by molding material powder of a porous gas-communicating body, a debinded body of the powder molding body, a pre-sintered body of the powder molding body or a sintered body of the powder molding body into vertical holes of a green body formed by molding material powder of the shower plate and by processing the vertical holes; and

simultaneously sintering the green body and the bodies fitted into the vertical holes of the green body.

6. A method of manufacturing the shower plate of claim 1, the method comprising:

fitting a powder molding body processed in a predetermined shape by molding material powder of a ceramic member, a debinded body of the powder molding body, a pre-sintered body of the powder molding body or a sintered body of the powder molding body, and/or a powder molding body processed in a predetermined shape by molding material powder of a porous gas-communicating body, a debinded body of the powder molding body, a pre-sintered body of the powder molding body or a sintered body of the powder molding body into vertical holes of a debinded body of a green body formed by molding material powder of the shower plate and by processing the vertical holes; and

simultaneously sintering the debinded body of the green body and the bodies fitted into the vertical holes of the debinded body of the green body.

7. A method of manufacturing the shower plate of claim 1, the method comprising:

fitting a powder molding body processed in a predetermined shape by molding material powder of a ceramic member, a debinded body of the powder molding body, a pre-sintered body of the powder molding body or a sintered body of the powder molding body, and/or a powder molding body processed in a predetermined shape by molding material powder of a porous gas-communicating body, a debinded body of the of the powder molding body, a pre-sintered body of the powder molding body or a sintered body of the powder molding body into vertical holes of a pre-sintered body of a green body formed by molding material powder of the shower plate and by processing the vertical holes; and

simultaneously sintering the pre-sintered body of the green body and the bodies fitted into the vertical holes of the pre-sintered body of the green body.

8. A plasma processing apparatus including the shower plate of claim 1.

9. A plasma processing method comprising:

supplying plasma excitation gas to a plasma processing apparatus by using the shower plate of claim 1;

generating plasma by exciting the supplied plasma excitation gas by microwaves; and

performing oxidizing, nitriding, oxynitriding, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), etching, or irradiating plasma with regard to a substrate by using the plasma.

10. A method of manufacturing an electronic device comprising an operation of processing a substrate using the plasma processing method of claim 9.