POWER COMBINER AND MICROWAVE INTRODUCTION MECHANISM

• US 20110018651A1
• Filed: 03/09/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Kasai, Shigeru, Ikeda, Taro
• Application Number:
  US12/922,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20110018651A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 333/118
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32192 Microwave generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394, H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3222 Antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/12 Coupling devices having more than two ports H01P5/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/46 using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy H05H1/26 takes precedence

Abstract

A power combiner 100 comprises a tubular main container 1, a plurality of power introduction ports 2 provided on the lateral surface of the main container 1 and introducing power as electromagnetic waves, a plurality of feeding antennas 6 provided, respectively, on plurality of power introduction ports 2, a combiner part 10 performing spatial combining of electromagnetic waves radiated from the plurality of feeding antennas 6 into main container 1, and an output port 11 for outputting electromagnetic waves combined at combiner part 10. Each feeding antenna 6 consists of an antenna main body 23 having a first pole 21 to which electromagnetic waves are supplied from a power introduction port 2 and a second pole 22 for radiating the electromagnetic waves thus supplied, and a reflection part 24 so provided as to project sideways from antenna main body 23 and reflecting electromagnetic waves.

Claims

1. A power combiner comprising:

a main container having a tubular shape;

a plurality of power introduction ports provided on the lateral surface of the main container and configured to introduce the power as an electromagnetic wave;

a plurality of feeding antennas provided on each of the plurality of power introduction ports and each configured to radiate the supplied electromagnetic wave into the main container;

a combiner part configured to perform a spatial combining of electromagnetic waves radiated from the plurality of feeding antennas into the main container, and

an output port configured to output the electromagnetic waves combined at the combiner part,

wherein each of the plurality of feeding antennas comprises;

an antenna main body having a first pole to which the electromagnetic wave is supplied from the power introduction port and a second pole that radiates the supplied electromagnetic wave; and

a reflection part provided so as to protrude along the side direction of the antenna main body and configured to reflect the electromagnetic wave, and

wherein each of the plurality feeding antennas is configured to form a standing wave with an incident wave on the antenna main body and a reflected wave on the reflection part, and

wherein the electromagnetic wave of the standing wave radiated from each of the plurality of feeding antennas is combined in the combiner part.

2. The power combiner according to claim 1, wherein the main container further comprises an inner conductor having a tubular or columnar shape and provided so as to have the same axle with the main container, and the second pole of the antenna main body is in contact with the inner conductor.

3. The power combiner according to claim 1, wherein the reflection part is provided so as to protrude along both sides of the antenna main body.

4. The power combiner according to claim 1, wherein the reflection part is provided at a position which is ¼

wavelength away or within a range of −

10% and +100% of ¼

wavelength away from the first pole of the antenna main body.

5. The power combiner according to claim 1, wherein the length of the refection part is ½

of wavelength or within a range of −

10% and +50% of the ½

of wavelength.

6. The power combiner according to claim 1, wherein the reflection part is formed with a circular arc shape.

7. The power combiner according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of feeding antennas is formed on a printed board and forms a micro-strip line.

8. The power combiner according to claim 1, further comprising a dielectric member provided such that each of the plurality of feeding antennas is interposed therebetween.

9. The power combiner according to claim 8, wherein the thickness of the dielectric member is an effective length of ½

wavelength or an effective length within a range of −

20% and +20% of the effective length of ½

wavelength.

10. A microwave introduction apparatus being utilized for a microwave plasma source for forming a microwave plasma in a chamber, comprising:

a main container having a tubular shape;

a plurality of microwave power introduction ports provided on the lateral surface of the main container and introducing microwave power as a microwave of an electromagnetic wave;

a plurality of feeding antennas provided in each of the plurality of microwave power introduction ports and each configured to radiate the supplied microwave into the main container;

a combiner part configured to perform a spatial combining of microwaves radiated from the plurality of feeding antennas into the main container, and

an antenna part including a microwave radiation antenna configured to radiate the microwaves combined in the combiner part into the chamber,

wherein each of the plurality of feeding antennas comprises;

an antenna main body having a first pole to which the microwaves are supplied from the microwave power introduction port and a second pole configured to radiate the microwaves; and

a reflection part provided so as to protrude in the side direction from the antenna main body and reflecting microwaves, and

wherein each of the plurality of feeding antennas is configured to form a standing wave with an incident microwave on the antenna main body and a reflected microwave on the reflection part, and

wherein the microwave of the standing wave radiated from each of the plurality of feeding antennas is combined in the combiner part.

11. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the main container further comprises an inner conductor having a tubular or columnar shape and provided so as to have the same axle with the main container, and the second pole of the antenna main body is in contact with the inner conductor.

12. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the reflection part is provided so as to protrude along both sides from the antenna main body.

13. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the reflection part is provided at a position which is ¼

wavelength away from the first pole of the antenna main body or within a range of −

10% and +100% of the ¼

wavelength away from the first pole of the antenna main body.

14. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the length of the refection part is ½

of wavelength or within a range of −

10% and +50% of the ½

of the wavelength.

15. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the reflection part forms a circular arc shape.

16. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the feeding antenna is formed on a printed board and forms a micro-strip line.

17. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a dielectric member provided such that the feeding antenna is interposed therebetween.

18. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the thickness of the dielectric member is an effective length of ½

wavelength or an effective length within a range of −

20% and +20% of the effective length of ½

wavelength.

19. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a tuner for adjusting impedance in a microwave transmission path and provided in between the combiner part of the main container and the microwave radiation antenna.

20. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the tuner and the antenna function as a resonator.

21. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the tuner is a slug tuner comprising two dielectric slug.

22. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the microwave radiation antenna has a planar shape, and is provided with a plurality of slots.

23. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of slots has an arc shape.

24. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the antenna part has a ceiling plate formed of a dielectric material through which the microwave radiated from the antenna is transmitted and a wave retardation member for shortening wavelength of the microwave reaching the antenna, the wave retardation member being provided at an opposite side of the ceiling plate with respect to the antenna.

25. The microwave introduction apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the phase of a microwave is adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the wave retardation member.