Upper electrode and plasma processing apparatus

• US 8,636,872 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Matsuyama, Shoichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): HINES, ANNE M
• Application Number:
  US13/372,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20120206033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 313/311, 216/71, 156/345.44, 156/345.27, 156/345.47, 118/723.E
• US Class Current: 156/345.47
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32091 the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32541 Shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3255 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32623 Mechanical discharge control means

Abstract

Plasma uniformity can be improved. An upper electrode 105 for use in a parallel plate type plasma processing apparatus includes a base 105a made of a dielectric material; and a conductive layer 110 formed on at least a part of a surface of the base 105a facing a lower electrode 210 provided in the plasma processing apparatus. Further, the conductive layer 110 having a dense and sparse pattern such that the dense and sparse pattern at an outer portion of the surface of the base 105a facing the lower electrode 210 is denser than at an inner portion thereof.

Claims

1. An upper electrode for use in a parallel plate type plasma processing apparatus, the upper electrode comprising:

a base made of a dielectric material; and

a conductive layer formed on at least a part of a surface of the base facing a lower electrode provided in the plasma processing apparatus,

wherein the conductive layer has a dense and sparse pattern such that the dense and sparse pattern at an outer portion of the surface of the base facing the lower electrode is denser than at an inner portion thereof.

2. The upper electrode of claim 1,

wherein the dense and sparse pattern includes one of a comb teeth-shaped pattern protruded from the outer portion of the upper electrode toward the inner portion thereof, a crescent-shaped pattern protruded from the outer portion of the upper electrode toward the inner portion thereof, and an opening pattern arranged from the outer portion of the upper electrode toward the inner portion thereof.

3. The upper electrode of claim 2,

wherein the dense and sparse pattern of the conductive layer is formed by adjusting at least one of a teeth number of the comb teeth-shaped pattern, a teeth length thereof, and a teeth angle thereof.

4. The upper electrode of claim 3,

wherein the dense and sparse pattern includes at least three different lengths of comb teeth, and a distance from a center of the upper electrode to a leading end of a longest comb tooth is set to be, e.g., about 35 mm to about 50 mm, a distance from the center of the upper electrode to a leading end of a middle-length comb tooth is set to be, e.g., about 60 mm to about 90 mm, and a distance from the center of the upper electrode to a leading end of a shortest comb tooth is set to be, e.g., about 100 mm to about 125 mm.

5. The upper electrode of claim 1,

wherein a boundary between the conductive layer and the dense and sparse pattern of the conductive layer is positioned at an inner position than an outer peripheral portion of a wafer mounted on the lower electrode.

6. The upper electrode of claim 5,

wherein a transition portion is formed at the boundary between the conductive layer and the dense and sparse pattern of the conductive layer such that the transition portion is protruded from an inner portion of the upper electrode toward an outer portion thereof and the conductive layer becomes continuously dense from the inner portion of the upper electrode toward the outer portion thereof.

7. The upper electrode of claim 1,

wherein the conductive layer has a ground potential.

8. The upper electrode of claim 1,

wherein the base is made of alumina (Al₂O₃) or aluminum nitride (AlN).

9. The upper electrode of claim 1, further comprising:

a protection layer covering the base and the conductive layer.

10. The upper electrode of claim 1,

wherein a plurality of gas introducing pipes are provided to pass through the base of the upper electrode.

11. A parallel plate type plasma processing apparatus including an upper electrode and a lower electrode arranged to face each other,

wherein the upper electrode comprising:

a base made of a dielectric material; and

a conductive layer formed on at least a part of a surface of the base facing the lower electrode provided in the plasma processing apparatus,

wherein the conductive layer has a dense and sparse pattern formed such that the dense and sparse pattern at an outer portion of the surface of the base facing the lower electrode is denser than at an inner portion thereof.

12. The parallel plate type plasma processing apparatus of claim 11,

wherein the base is made of alumina (Al₂O₃) or aluminum nitride (AlN).