Electromagnetic-radiation power-supply mechanism for exciting a coaxial waveguide by using first and second poles and a ring-shaped reflection portion

• US 9,072,158 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Ikeda, Taro, Osada, Yuki, Kasai, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, BENNY T
• Application Number:
  US13/551,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20120299671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 315/111.21, 118/723.MW, 118/723.AN, 156/345.36, 156/345.48
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3222 Antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32229 Waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32293 using particular waveforms, e.g. polarised waves
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32311 Circuits specially adapted for controlling the microwave discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/0006 Devices acting selectively as reflecting surface, as diffracting or as refracting device, e.g. frequency filtering or angular spatial filtering devices H01Q15/12, H01Q15/22, H01Q15/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/46 using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy H05H1/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/4622 using waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/463 using antennas or applicators

Abstract

An electromagnetic-radiation power-supply mechanism includes a microwave power introduction port provided on the side of the coaxial waveguide, a power line being connected to the microwave power introduction port; and a power supply antenna for radiating the electromagnetic wave power into the waveguide, the power supply antenna being connected to the power line. The power supply antenna includes an antenna body having a first pole connected to the power line and a second pole connected to an inner conductor of the waveguide; and a ring-shaped reflection portion extending from opposite sides of the antenna body.

Claims

1. An electromagnetic-radiation power-supply mechanism for supplying an electromagnetic wave power to a coaxial waveguide, the mechanism comprising:

a microwave power introduction port provided on a side of the coaxial waveguide, a power line being connected to the microwave power introduction port; and

a power supply antenna for radiating the electromagnetic wave power into the waveguide, the power supply antenna being connected to the power line,

wherein the power supply antenna includes;

an antenna body having a first pole connected to the power line and a second pole connected to an inner conductor of the waveguide; and

a ring-shaped reflection portion extending from opposite sides of the antenna body along an outer side of the inner conductor, and

a first electromagnetic wave that is incident on the antenna body and a second electromagnetic wave reflected by the reflection portion to form a standing wave, and the electromagnetic wave power propagates in the waveguide by chain reactions of an induced electric field and an induced magnetic field caused by the standing wave.

2. The electromagnetic-radiation power-supply mechanism of claim 1, further comprising:

a reflecting plate provided at a side of the waveguide opposite to a propagation direction of the electromagnetic wave power, wherein the electromagnetic wave power supplied from the power supply antenna is reflected by the reflecting plate and propagates in the waveguide.

3. The electromagnetic-radiation power-supply mechanism of claim 2, further comprising:

a wave retardation member, provided between the reflecting plate and the power supply antenna, for shortening an effective wavelength of the electromagnetic wave power which propagates between the reflecting plate and the power supply antenna

4. A microwave introduction mechanism used for a surface wave plasma source for generating a surface wave plasma in a chamber, the mechanism comprising:

a coaxial waveguide;

a power introduction port provided on a side of the coaxial waveguide, a coaxial line being connected to the power introduction port;

a power supply antenna for radiating an electromagnetic wave power into the waveguide, the power supply antenna being connected to an inner conductor of the coaxial line; and

an antenna unit having a microwave radiation antenna for radiating a microwave supplied to the waveguide into the chamber,

wherein the power supply antenna includes;

an antenna body having a first pole connected to the coaxial line and a second pole which contacts an inner conductor of the waveguide; and

a reflection portion formed in a ring shape and extending from opposite sides of the antenna body along an outer side of the inner conductor, and

a first electromagnetic wave that is incident on the antenna main body and a second electromagnetic wave reflected by the reflection portion to form a standing wave, and the electromagnetic wave power propagates in the waveguide by chain reactions of an induced electric field and an induced magnetic field caused by the standing wave.

5. The microwave introduction mechanism of claim 4, further comprising:

a reflecting plate provided at a side of the waveguide opposite to a propagation direction of the electromagnetic wave power, and the electromagnetic wave power supplied from the power supply antenna is reflected by the reflecting plate and propagates in the waveguide.

6. The microwave introduction mechanism of claim 5, further comprising:

a wave retardation member, provided between the reflecting plate and the power supply antenna, for shortening an effective wavelength of the electromagnetic wave power which propagates between the reflecting plate and the power supply antenna.

7. The microwave introduction mechanism of claim 4, further comprising:

an incident wave/reflected wave monitor including a directional coupler provided in the waveguide, for extracting a current of either an incident wave directed to the chamber or a reflected wave which returns by being reflected among microwaves propagating in the waveguide and a detector for detecting the current extracted by the directional coupler.

8. The microwave introduction mechanism of claim 7, wherein the directional coupler includes:

a slit formed at an outer conductor of the coaxial waveguide;

a plate-shaped conductor provided in the slit;

a pair of conductive pins for extracting a current flowing in the plate-shaped conductor; and

a regulator including a conductor which is provided outside the outer conductor to correspond to the plate-shaped conductor in such a way that a distance between the regulator and the plate-shaped conductor is adjustable, and

wherein the slit is formed in such a shape that a portion of the slit facing the regulator is widened to correspond to the regulator.

9. The microwave introduction mechanism of claim 7, further comprising:

a tuner, provided between the power introduction port and the antenna unit, for matching an impedance of a load in the chamber to a characteristic impedance of a microwave power supply installed at the surface wave plasma source,

wherein the tuner includes an annular slag made of a dielectric material, the annular slag being provided between the outer conductor and the inner conductor to be movable along a lengthwise direction of the inner conductor, and

the directional coupler is provided between the power introduction port and the slag and/or between the slag and the antenna unit.