Plasma processing apparatus using a partition panel

• US 6,076,483 A
• Filed: 03/26/1998
• Issued: 06/20/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Taki, Masakazu, Nishikawa, Kazuyasu, Shintani, Kenji, Ootera, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Gorgos, Kathryn
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nicolas, Wesley A.
• Application Number:
  US09/048,067
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 118/723 ER, 118/723 MA, 118/723 E, 156/345, 315/111.21
• US Class Current: 118/723.0MA
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/321 the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32623 Mechanical discharge control means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32688 Multi-cusp fields

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus has a plurality of annular permanent magnets arranged concentrically with the same polarity in the circumferential direction at the atmosphere side of a second electrode arranged opposite to a stage on which a specimen is placed. Arrangement is provided so that the magnets located adjacent radially have opposite polarity. Furthermore, permanent magnets are arranged at the outer circumference of a vacuum vessel corresponding to a plasma generation chamber portion. A plasma processing apparatus can be provided that allows formation of uniform plasma over a large area and uniform processing of a specimen of a large diameter.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber having a first electrode on which an object to be processed is mounted in a vacuum vessel;

a plasma generation chamber having a second electrode arranged opposite to said first electrode in said vacuum vessel, wherein a pressure of said plasma generation chamber is higher than a pressure of said processing chamber;

a partition panel provided between said processing chamber and said plasma chamber, and having a hole communicating from said plasma generation chamber to said processing chamber, wherein an outer circumference of said partition panel is attached to an inner wall of said vacuum vessel with no gap therebetween;

a magnetic field generation device provided outside said vacuum vessel for generating a magnetic field within said vacuum vessel,

wherein said magnetic field generation device has a plurality of permanent magnets arranged on an outer circumference of said vacuum vessel at said plasma generation chamber, said permanent magnets having the N pole arranged at the second electrode side and the S pole arranged at the first electrode side.

2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a process gas is supplied intermittently into said plasma generation chamber.

3. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber having a first electrode on which an object to be processed is mounted in a vacuum vessel;

a plasma generation chamber having a second electrode arranged opposite to said first electrode in said vacuum vessel, wherein a pressure of said plasma generation chamber is higher than a pressure of said processing chamber;

a partition panel provided between said processing chamber and said plasma chamber, and having a hole communicating from said plasma generation chamber to said processing chamber, wherein an outer circumference of said partition panel is attached to an inner wall of said vacuum vessel with no gap therebetween; and

a magnetic field generation device provided outside said vacuum vessel for generating a magnetic field within said vacuum vessel, and including a divergent magnetic field coil on an outer circumference of said vacuum vessel at said partition panel.

4. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a process gas is supplied intermittently into said plasma generation chamber.