Active gas generation apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12354845-B2
Application number	US-202118270235-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2021
Priority date	Dec 8, 2021
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

One direction discharge structure in an active gas generation apparatus satisfies arrangement conditions (a) to (c). The condition (a) is a condition that a region where a corresponding metal electrode and a corresponding metal electrode are overlapped with each other in a plan view serves as a corresponding discharge space in a corresponding gap region. The condition (b) is a condition that the corresponding gap region and a plurality of gas supply holes provided in a corresponding gas supply region are overlapped with each other in a plan view. The condition (c) is a condition that the plurality of gas supply holes provided in the corresponding gas supply region and a plurality of gas ejection holes provided below the corresponding gap region sandwich the corresponding discharge space in a plan view, and are disposed to face each other on a one-to-one basis along a Y direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An active gas generation apparatus generating active gas obtained by activating material gas supplied to a discharge space, comprising:
a first electrode constituting part; and
a second electrode constituting part provided on a lower side of the first electrode constituting part, wherein
the first electrode constituting part includes a first electrode dielectric film and a plurality of first metal electrodes formed on an upper surface of the first electrode dielectric film,
the second electrode constituting part includes a second electrode dielectric film and a plurality of second metal electrodes formed on a lower surface of the second electrode dielectric film,
alternating voltage is applied to the plurality of first metal electrodes, and the plurality of second metal electrodes are set to have reference potential,
the first electrode dielectric film includes a plurality of gas supply regions disposed along a first direction, the plurality of gas supply regions include a plurality of gas supply holes at regular intervals along a second direction, and the second direction intersects with the first direction,
the plurality of first metal electrodes are disposed along the first direction, and each of the plurality of first metal electrodes is formed to extend in the second direction,
the second electrode dielectric film includes a plurality of discharge area formation regions disposed along the first direction, each of the plurality of discharge area formation regions includes a concave region concaved from a surface of the second electrode dielectric film, and is provided to extend in the second direction, a plurality of gas ejection holes are provided on a lower side of each of the plurality of discharge area formation regions, and the plurality of gas ejection holes are provided at regular intervals along the second direction,
the plurality of second metal electrodes are disposed along the first direction, and each of the plurality of second metal electrodes is formed to extend in the second direction,
the discharge space includes a plurality of discharge spaces,
the plurality of first metal electrodes, the plurality of gas supply regions, the plurality of second metal electrodes, the plurality of discharge area formation regions, and the plurality of discharge spaces correspond to each other on a one-to-one basis,
a first metal electrode, a second metal electrode, a gas supply region, a discharge area formation region, and a discharge space corresponding to each other in the plurality of first metal electrodes, the plurality of second metal electrodes, the plurality of gas supply regions, the plurality of discharge area formation regions, and the plurality of discharge spaces are defined as a first corresponding metal electrode, a second corresponding metal electrode, a corresponding gas supply region, a corresponding discharge area formation region, and a corresponding discharge space, respectively,
the first corresponding metal electrode, the second corresponding metal electrode, the corresponding gas supply region, the corresponding discharge area formation region, and the corresponding discharge space constitute one direction discharge structure along the second direction, and
the one direction discharge structure satisfies arrangement conditions (a) to (c):
(a) a region where the first corresponding metal electrode and the second corresponding metal electrode are overlapped with each other in a plan view constitutes the corresponding discharge space in the corresponding discharge area formation region;
(b) the corresponding discharge area formation region and the plurality of gas supply holes provided in the corresponding gas supply region are overlapped with each other in a plan view; and
(c) the plurality of gas supply holes provided in the corresponding gas supply region and the plurality of gas ejection holes provided below the corresponding discharge area formation region sandwich the corresponding discharge space in a plan view, and are disposed to face each other on a one-to-one basis along the first direction.

2. The active gas generation apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a mounting part in which a processing target substrate is mounted on a lower side of the second electrode dielectric film, wherein
the plurality of gas ejection holes provided on a lower side of each of the plurality of discharge area formation regions include a pair of end portion gas ejection holes located on both ends in the second direction, and the pair of end portion gas ejection holes are not overlapped with the processing target substrate in a plan view, but are disposed on an outer side of a surface of the processing target substrate in each of the plurality of discharge area formation regions.

3. The active gas generation apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a plurality of auxiliary conductive films formed on the upper surface of the first electrode dielectric film, wherein the plurality of auxiliary conductive films are provided independently from the plurality of first metal electrodes, and are set to have the reference potential,
the plurality of auxiliary conductive films correspond to the plurality of discharge area formation regions on a one-to-one basis, and
the plurality of auxiliary conductive films are overlapped with the plurality of gas ejection holes provided in a corresponding discharge area formation region in the plurality of discharge area formation region in a plan view, respectively.

4. The active gas generation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the plurality of discharge area formation regions are a plurality of gap regions in which the concave region in each of the plurality of discharge area formation regions is continuously formed in the second direction, and
each of the plurality of gap regions has
a refining structure of leading a flow of the active gas to the pair of end portion gas ejection holes.

5. The active gas generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of discharge area formation regions are a plurality of divisional gap region groups each including a plurality of divisional gap regions, each of the plurality of divisional gap regions includes a partial concave region concaved from a surface of the second electrode dielectric film, and the partial concave region includes a plurality of partial concave regions included in the plurality of divisional gap regions,
the plurality of divisional gap regions are provided separately from each other, and one divisional gap region in the plurality of divisional gap regions constitutes one unit discharge structure, and
the one unit discharge structure satisfies arrangement conditions (d) to (f):
(d) one unit gas ejection hole is provided on a lower side of the one divisional gap region, and the one unit gas ejection hole is one of the plurality of gas ejection holes provided on a lower side of the corresponding discharge area formation region;
(e) one unit gas supply hole is provided to be overlapped with the one divisional gap region in a plan view, and the one unit gas supply hole is one of the plurality of gas supply holes provided in the corresponding gas supply region; and
(f) the one unit supply hole and the one unit gas ejection hole sandwich the corresponding discharge space in a plan view, and are disposed to face each other along the first direction.

6. The active gas generation apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
each of the plurality of divisional gap regions has
a refining structure of leading a flow of the active gas to the one unit gas ejection hole.

7. The active gas generation apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising
a plurality of auxiliary conductive f

Assignees

• Toshiba Mitsubishi Electric Industrial Systems Corp
• Tmeic Corp

Inventors

• Watanabe Kensuke
• Arita Ren

Classifications

• H01J2237/327

  Arrangements for generating the plasma · CPC title

• H01J37/3255

  Material · CPC title

• H01J37/3244 Primary

  Gas supply means · CPC title

• H01J37/32348 Primary

  Dielectric barrier discharge · CPC title

• C23C16/509

  using internal electrodes · CPC title