Plasma processing apparatus

• US 9,807,862 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Iizuka, Hachishiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Yuechuan
• Application Number:
  US13/794,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20130264014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,694 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/321 the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3211 Antennas, e.g. particular shapes of coils
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32119 Windows
• 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 1/4652 using inductive coupling means, e.g. coils

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus includes an ICP antenna, provided outside a processing chamber opposite to a mounting table, for supplying a high frequency power supply into the processing chamber, and a window member made of a conductor, disposed between the mounting table and the ICP antenna, forming a part of a wall of the processing chamber. The window member includes transmission units for transmitting the high frequency power in a thickness direction of the window member. Each of transmission units has a slit, which extends through the window member in the thickness direction and is configured such that its width is changeable.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber configured to accommodate a substrate;

a mounting table provided in the processing chamber and configured to mount thereon the substrate;

an applied antenna provided outside the processing chamber opposite to the mounting table and configured to supply a high frequency power or a microwave into the processing chamber for a generation of plasma in the processing chamber;

a window member made of an electrical conductor, which forms a part of a wall of the processing chamber and is disposed between the mounting table and the applied antenna; and

a cover plate covering a bottom surface of the window member which faces an inside of the processing chamber,

wherein the window member includes transmission units, and each transmission unit includes a slit extending into the window member in a thickness direction thereof and a width adjustment mechanism configured to adjust a width of the slit,

wherein the width adjustment mechanism includes a through hole extending through the window member in the thickness direction thereof and an insertion member made of an electrical conductor and inserted into the through hole,

wherein the insertion member is a cylindrical member and is in contact with the cover plate,

wherein each transmission unit is configured to transmit the high frequency power or the microwave in the thickness direction of the window member through the slit, and

wherein the slit is formed as a gap between the through hole and the insertion member and the width of the slit is configured to be adjusted by changing the size of the insertion member, so that an amount of the high frequency power or the microwave transmitted through the slit is adjusted and a uniformity of the plasma is adjusted thereby.

2. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the applied antenna has a ring-shaped coil connected to a high frequency power supply and the transmission units are disposed along the ring-shaped coil.

3. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a sealing member is provided in the slit, and the sealing member is configured to airtightly isolate the inside of the processing chamber from an outside of the processing chamber, and wherein the high frequency power or the microwave is supplied into the processing chamber through the sealing member.

4. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the through hole is a cylindrical hole;

the sealing member is an O-ring; and

a ring-shaped dielectric member is provided in the slit between the O-ring and the inside of the processing chamber to protect the sealing member from the plasma.

5. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein an annular dielectric member is provided in the slit between the sealing member and the applied antenna and a total thickness of the ring-shaped dielectric member, the sealing member and the annular dielectric member in the thickness direction of the window member is smaller than a thickness of the window member in the thickness direction of the window member.

6. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a high frequency power supply is connected to the mounting table;

the cover plate serves as an electrode plate made of a conductor or a semiconductor; and

the mounting table and the electrode plate constitute parallel plate electrodes.

7. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cover plate has a plurality of different slits extending therethrough in a thickness direction of the cover plate.

8. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein positions of slits of the transmission units formed in the window member are arranged not to be aligned with positions of the different slits formed in the cover plate.

9. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the applied antenna is disposed directly above the window member with an empty space therebetween.

10. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the slits of the transmission units can be varied to have different sizes.

11. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more processing gas diffusion spaces are formed inside the window member and one or more processing gas supply holes are formed on the bottom surface of the window member and communicating with the one or more of the processing gas diffusion spaces, wherein each transmission unit is separated from each processing gas diffusion space and processing gas supply hole.

12. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing gas diffusion spaces are formed in concentric circular patterns along the window member.

13. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein transmission units are divided into an inner transmission unit group, an intermediate transmission unit group, and an outer transmission unit group, and the inner transmission unit group, the intermediate transmission unit group, and the outer transmission unit group are arranged in concentric circular patterns with the gas diffusion spaces along the window member.