Plasma processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12412732-B2
Application number	US-202318515129-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2023
Priority date	Dec 1, 2022
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus comprises a processing chamber accommodating a substrate, and defining a processing space by an upper wall, a side wall, and a lower wall, a microwave generator configured to generate a microwave for generating plasma, a plurality of microwave radiators provided above the upper wall, and configured to radiate the microwave toward the processing chamber, a plurality of microwave transmission windows provided at positions corresponding to the plurality of microwave radiators in the upper wall, and formed of a dielectric, and a plurality of resonator array structures disposed on lower surfaces of the plurality of microwave transmission windows, respectively. The resonator array structures are formed by arranging a plurality of resonators that are capable of resonance with a magnetic field component of the microwave and are smaller in size than a wavelength of the microwave.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:
a processing chamber accommodating a substrate, and defining a processing space by an upper wall, a side wall, and a lower wall;
a microwave generator configured to generate a microwave for generating plasma;
a plurality of microwave radiators provided above the upper wall, and configured to radiate the microwave toward the processing chamber;
a plurality of microwave transmission windows provided at positions corresponding to the plurality of microwave radiators in the upper wall, and formed of a dielectric; and
a plurality of resonator array structures disposed on lower surfaces of the plurality of microwave transmission windows, respectively, and formed by arranging a plurality of resonators that are capable of resonance with a magnetic field component of the microwave and are smaller in size than a wavelength of the microwave.

2. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of resonator array structures is individually formed.

3. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of resonator array structures are integrally formed.

4. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, in the resonator array structure, a portion of cells surrounded by the plurality of resonators extends to an outside of the microwave transmission window.

5. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the cells are formed in a grid shape.

6. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the resonator array structure is formed such that cells surrounded by the plurality of resonators are formed to be inside the microwave transmission window.

7. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the cells are formed in a grid shape.

8. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, in the resonator array structure, a resonant frequency of an outermost resonator of the plurality of resonators is a frequency that does not resonate with the microwave.

9. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the resonator has a size less than 1/10 of the wavelength of the microwave.

10. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a gas nozzle formed on the upper wall to introduce a gas for generating the plasma into the processing chamber,
wherein, in the resonator array structure, a resonant frequency of a resonator on a gas nozzle side is a frequency that does not resonate with the microwave.

11. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the resonator array structure comprises a through hole in a resonator adjacent to another cell in a cell surrounded by the plurality of resonators.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Kaneko Kazushi
• Kawakami Satoru
• Kamata Eiki

Classifications

• H01J37/32238

  Windows · CPC title

• H01J37/32192

  Microwave generated discharge (H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394, H01J37/32403 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01J37/32247 Primary

  Resonators · CPC title