PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20110259523A1
• Filed: 11/02/2009
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tohoku University National Universities Corporation, Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tohoku University National Universities Corporation, Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Hirayama, Masaki
• Application Number:
  US13/133,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20110259523A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/345.35
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32192 Microwave generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394, H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32238 Windows
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/46 using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy H05H1/26 takes precedence

Abstract

A microwave plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber; a microwave source that outputs a microwave; a dielectric plate that radiates the microwave output from the microwave source to the inside of the processing chamber; and a metal electrode provided on the side of a plasma-facing surface of the dielectric plate so as to be adjacent to the dielectric plate. Here, a part of the dielectric plate is exposed to the inside of the processing chamber at an outside of the metal electrode. Further, a cell area is defined as a virtual area that divides the ceiling surface of the processing chamber and is formed by two straight lines parallel to one diagonal line of the metal electrode and two straight lines parallel to the other diagonal line of the metal electrode and the cell area is a minimum rectangular area including the metal electrode and the dielectric plate.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber configured to excite therein a gas and perform a plasma process on a processing target object;

an electromagnetic wave source installed outside the processing chamber and configured to output an electromagnetic wave;

a dielectric plate provided adjacent to a ceiling surface within the processing chamber and configured to radiate the electromagnetic wave output from the electromagnetic wave source to the inside of the processing chamber; and

a rhombus-shaped metal electrode provided on the side of a plasma-facing surface of the dielectric plate so as to be adjacent to the dielectric plate,

wherein a part of the dielectric plate is exposed to the inside of the processing chamber at an outside of the metal electrode, and

a cell area is defined as a virtual area that divides the ceiling surface of the processing chamber and is formed by two straight lines parallel to one diagonal line of the metal electrode and two straight lines parallel to the other diagonal line of the metal electrode and the cell area is a minimum rectangular area including the metal electrode and the dielectric plate, and shapes of the metal electrode and the dielectric plate are designed such that a ratio of a length of a long side of the cell area to a length of a short side thereof is equal or less than about 1.2.

2. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shapes of the metal electrode and the dielectric plate are designed such that the ratio of the length of the long side of the cell area to the length of the short side thereof is equal or less than about 1.1.

17. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dielectric plate is exposed in a substantially strip shape to the inside of the processing chamber at the outside of the metal electrode.

18. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the number of the dielectric plate and the number of the metal electrode are plural, the dielectric plates are sandwiched between the metal electrodes and the ceiling surface of the processing chamber, and the metal electrodes are regularly arranged on the ceiling surface such that vertexes of adjacent metal electrodes are positioned closest to each other.

3. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber configured to excite therein a gas and perform a plasma process on a processing target object;

an electromagnetic wave source installed outside the processing chamber and configured to output an electromagnetic wave;

a dielectric plate provided adjacent to a ceiling surface within the processing chamber and configured to radiate the electromagnetic wave output from the electromagnetic wave source to the inside of the processing chamber;

a metal electrode provided on the side of a plasma-facing surface of the dielectric plate so as to be adjacent to the dielectric plate; and

a metal cover having the same shape as or a similar shape to the metal electrode and provided on an area of the ceiling surface of the processing chamber where the dielectric plate is not provided,

wherein a part of the dielectric plate is exposed to the inside of the processing chamber at an outside of the metal electrode, and

a filling dielectric member is provided in a groove between the metal electrode and the metal cover.

5. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein a side cover is provided around the metal electrode, and

the filling dielectric member is provided in a groove between the metal electrode and the side cover.

6. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the filling dielectric member is buried in the groove, or is used to planarize the groove, or is protruded from the groove.

7. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the filling dielectric member is provided so as to surround the outside of the metal electrode and has protruded portions from the groove.

8. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the filling dielectric member is protruded from the groove in the vicinity of a center of each side of the metal electrode.

9. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the protruded portion of the filling dielectric member in the vicinity of a center of each side of the metal electrode is higher than the protruded portion in the vicinity of a vertex of the metal electrode.

10. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the protruded portions of the filling dielectric member are arranged to have point symmetry with respect to a center of the metal electrode.

11. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the filling dielectric member is made of the same material as that of the dielectric plate.

4. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber configured to excite therein a gas and perform a plasma process on a processing target object;

an electromagnetic wave source provided outside the processing chamber and configured to output an electromagnetic wave;

a dielectric plate provided adjacent to a ceiling surface within the processing chamber and configured to radiate the electromagnetic wave output from the electromagnetic wave source to the inside of the processing chamber;

a metal electrode provided on the side of a plasma-facing surface of the dielectric plate so as to be adjacent to the dielectric plate; and

a protrusion having the same shape as or a similar shape to the metal electrode and provided on an area of the ceiling surface of the processing chamber where the dielectric plate is not provided,

wherein a part of the dielectric plate is exposed to the inside of the processing chamber at an outside of the metal electrode, and

a filling dielectric member is provided in a groove between the metal electrode and the protrusion.

12. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber configured to excite therein a gas and perform a plasma process on a processing target object;

an electromagnetic wave source installed outside the processing chamber and configured to output an electromagnetic wave;

a dielectric plate provided adjacent to a ceiling surface within the processing chamber and configured to radiate the electromagnetic wave output from the electromagnetic wave source to the inside of the processing chamber; and

a metal electrode provided on the side of a plasma-facing surface of the dielectric plate so as to be adjacent to the dielectric plate,

wherein a part of the dielectric plate is exposed to the inside of the processing chamber at an outside of the metal electrode,

the metal electrode is fixed to the ceiling surface within the processing chamber by a plurality of first screws and a plurality of second screws different from the first screws,

the plurality of first screws are configured to fix the metal electrode at positions having point symmetry with respect to a center of the metal electrode, and

the plurality of second screws are arranged at positions having point symmetry with respect to the center of the metal electrode and are configured to fix the metal electrode at positions different from the positions of the plurality of first screws.

13. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein diameters of the plurality of first screws are smaller than diameters of the plurality of second screws.

14. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the number of the plurality of first screws is four and the four first screws are located on diagonal lines of the metal electrode.

15. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the number of the plurality of second screws is four and the four second screws are located at positions closer to the center of the metal electrode than the four first screws.

16. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein if the metal electrode is of a regular quadrilateral shape, each of the four second screws is installed at a position equi-spaced from two adjacent first screws among the four first screws.