Plasma processing method and apparatus

• US 6,158,383 A
• Filed: 04/02/1999
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Seiichi, Tamura, Hitoshi, Furuse, Muneo, Otsubo, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): PADGETT, MARIANNE L
• Application Number:
  US09/283,987
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 427/575, 427/562, 216/69, 216/70, 118/723 AN, 118/723 ME
• US Class Current: 118/723.0AN
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/511 using microwave discharges
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32192 Microwave generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394, H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32247 Resonators
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32284 Means for controlling or selecting resonance mode

Abstract

In a plasma processing method and apparatus, microwaves are radiated from a slot antenna set at the bottom of a resonator, a plasma is generated using the microwave and a sample is processed by the plasma. A plasma having a ring-form is generated by the microwaves radiated from the slot antennas, which are disposed at an angle which is neither in parallel to nor perpendicular to a surface current flowing on a slot antenna plate. Thereby, the sample is uniformly processed.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:

a microwave source;

a microwave waveguide for transmitting microwaves radiated from said microwave source;

a ring-shaped cavity resonator for resonating the microwaves transmitted by said microwave waveguide;

a processing chamber including a sample stand for placing thereon a substrate to be treated; and

microwave electromagnetic field radiating means for radiating a microwave electromagnetic field from said ring-shaped cavity resonator through a microwave introduction window into said precessing chamber, to generate a ring-shaped plasma in a region opposed to said substrate.

2. A plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said microwave electromagnetic field is synthesized from both TE_0n and TM_0m modes, where n and m are each positive integers of at least 1.

3. A plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2, where n and m are each 1.

4. A plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ring-shaped cavity resonator from which the microwave electromagnetic field is irradiated includes a slot antenna plate forming a bottom of said ring-shaped cavity resonator, said slot antenna plate having a plurality of slot antenna holes therein, each of said slot antenna holes being elongated and extending at an angle which is not parallel with and not perpendicular to a surface current flowing on said slot antenna plate.

5. A plasma processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said slot antenna plate is a circular plate and said slot antenna holes are arranged in a ring-shaped pattern therein.

6. A plasma processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the microwave electromagnetic field is radiated radially and circumferentially from said slot antenna plate.

7. A plasma processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein microwaves are irradiated from said slot antenna plate which are mixed both in TE_0n and TM_0m modes, where n and m are each positive integers of at least 1, and an intersecting angle between the extension direction of each of said slot antennas and the surface current flowing on said slot antenna plate is selected in accordance with a desired ratio between the mode TE_0n and the mode TM_0m.

8. A plasma processing apparatus according to claim 7, where n and m are each 1.