Plasma processing apparatus

• US 6,783,628 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2001
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Tadahiro Ohmi
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Tadihiro Ohmi
• Inventors: Ohmi, Tadahiro, Hirayama, Masaki, Yamamoto, Naoko, Yamamoto, Tatsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hassanzadeh, Parviz
• Application Number:
  US10/007,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20020123200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 156/345.41, 156/345.42, 156/345.36, 118/723.MW, 118/723.MR, 118/723.ME, 118/723.MA
• US Class Current: 156/345.41
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32192 Microwave generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394, H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32211 Means for coupling power to the plasma

Abstract

A slot antenna plate is placed on a second dielectric for radiating microwave into a chamber interior, the slot antenna plate being provided on a side of the second dielectric that faces the chamber interior. The slot antenna plate is made of conductor and includes slots for passing the microwave there through to the chamber interior. In this way, a plasma processing apparatus is provided generating plasma by microwave, the plasma processing apparatus capable of easily adjusting ion irradiation energy for a material to be processed to achieve uniform plasma processing for the material within the plane of the material.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:

a process chamber for processing by means of plasma;

microwave transmission means for transmitting microwave to said process chamber;

a dielectric for radiating the microwave transmitted by said microwave transmission means into said process chamber; and

a slot antenna plate formed of conductor, placed on a side, facing said process chamber, of said dielectric, and including an opening for passing the microwave therethrough radiated from said dielectric wherein said opening of said slot antenna has a longer side with its length equal to half the space wavelength of the microwave

wherein the microwave propagates perpendicularly to the surface of the dielectric and wherein the slot antenna plate does not support the dielectric.

2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said opening of said slot antenna plate is positioned directly below an antinode of a standing wave of the microwave in a resonator constituted of said microwave transmission means and said dielectric.

3. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said slot antenna plate has its potential adjusted at a ground potential or a positive potential.

4. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said slot antenna plate includes a channel for processing gas.

5. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the length of the longer side of the opening is varied depending on the size of the standing-wave distribution.