Plasma processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10370763-B2
Application number	US-201615131409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2016
Priority date	Apr 18, 2016
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed is a plasma processing apparatus that processes a processing target substrate using microwave plasma within a processing container. The plasma processing apparatus includes a placing table provided in the processing container, and configured to place the processing target substrate thereon; and an antenna provided above the placing table to face the placing table, and including a dielectric plate, the antenna being configured to radiate microwaves into the processing container through the dielectric plate to generate plasma of a processing gas supplied into the processing container. The dielectric plate includes a flat plate portion provided on a bottom surface of the antenna, and formed in a flat shape at least on a surface facing the placing table; and a rib formed on a surface of the flat plate portion that is opposite to the surface facing the placing table.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A plasma processing apparatus that processes a processing target substrate using microwave plasma comprising:
a processing container including a lower member which surrounds a processing space for processing the substrate and a removable upper member,
wherein the removable upper member serves as a cover of the lower member;
a placing table provided in the processing container, and configured to place the processing target substrate thereon; and
an antenna provided above the placing table to face the placing table, and including a dielectric plate, the antenna being configured to radiate microwaves into the processing container through the dielectric plate to generate plasma of a processing gas supplied into the processing container,
wherein the dielectric plate includes:
a flat plate portion provided on a bottom surface of the antenna, and formed in a flat shape at least on a surface facing the placing table; and
a rib formed along a peripheral edge of a surface of the flat plate portion that is opposite to the surface facing the placing table to protrude upwardly from the flat plate portion, the antenna being supported on the upper member of the processing container by the flat plate portion and the rib, and
the antenna further includes a conductor plate that is provided on the surface of the flat plate portion that is opposite to the surface facing the placing table while being surrounded by the rib and configured to propagate the microwaves.

2. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the rib is provided in the flat plate portion over the whole peripheral edge of the surface of the flat plate portion that is opposite to the surface facing the placing table.

3. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, assuming that a wavelength of the microwaves in the dielectric plate is λ, a thickness of the flat plate portion is within a range of λ/8 to 3λ/8.

4. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a height of the rib from the flat plate portion is within a range of twice to four times the thickness of the flat plate portion.

5. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the rib is within a range of one to 1.5 times the thickness of the flat plate portion.

6. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flat plate portion is subjected to a predetermined coating on the surface facing the placing table.

7. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a distance between a bottom surface of the flat plate portion and the processing target substrate placed on the placing table is within a range of three times to four times the thickness of the flat plate portion.

8. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric plate is made of alumina, quartz, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, or yttrium oxide.

9. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the placing table is provided to be rotatable around an axis such that the processing target substrate is moved around the axis,
the processing container is divided into a plurality of regions in a circumferential direction where the processing substrate is moved around the axis by the rotation of the placing table, and
the antenna radiates the microwaves into the processing container through the dielectric plate, in one of the plurality of regions, to generate plasma of a processing gas supplied into the processing container.

10. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the antenna has an equilateral triangular shape in cross-section when viewed in a direction along the axis.

11. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the flat plate portion facing the placing table is coated with Al 2 O 3 , Y 2 O 3 , or YF 2 .

12. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein when the dielectric plate is made of alumina, a thickness of the flat plate portion is within a range of about 5 mm to about 15 mm with respect to the microwaves.

13. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the antenna further includes a slow-wave plate that is provided on a top surface of the conductor plate while being surrounded by the rib and configured to propagate the microwaves.

14. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the antenna further includes a cooling plate that is provided on a top surface of the slow-wave plate while being surrounded by the rib and configured to cool the antenna.

Assignees

• Hirano Takahiro
• Iwao Toshihiko
• Kato Takaaki
• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Hirano Takahiro
• Iwao Toshihiko
• Kato Takaaki

Classifications

• C23C16/45538

  Plasma being used continuously during the ALD cycle · CPC title

• H01J37/32238

  Windows · CPC title

• C23C16/45551

  for relative movement of the substrate and the gas injectors or half-reaction reactor compartments · CPC title

• C23C16/511 Primary

  using microwave discharges · CPC title

• H01J37/3222

  Antennas · CPC title