Plasma processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016177448-A1
Application number	US-201514968346-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 14, 2015
Priority date	Dec 18, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

There is provided a plasma processing apparatus which includes a plasma generating antenna equipped with a shower plate and configured to supply a first gas and a second gas into a processing vessel. The apparatus includes a drooping member installed to protrude downward from a lower end surface of the shower plate. An outer surface of the drooping member spreads outward as it goes from a top end to a bottom end thereof. The shower plate includes a plurality of first and second gas supply holes through which the first and second gases are supplied into the processing vessel, respectively. Each of the first gas supply holes is disposed inward of the outer surface of the drooping member. Each of the second gas supply holes is disposed outward of the outer surface of the drooping member. An orifice portion is formed in the through-hole.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A plasma processing apparatus that processes a substrate by generating plasma using a surface wave formed on a surface of a shower plate by a supplied microwave, the plasma processing apparatus including a plasma generating antenna which is equipped with the shower plate configured to supply a first gas and a second gas into a processing vessel, which comprising:
a drooping member made of a conductor and installed to protrude downward from a lower end surface of the shower plate, wherein an outer surface of the drooping member spreads outward as it goes from a top end to a bottom end thereof, wherein the shower plate includes a plurality of first gas supply holes through which the first gas is supplied into the processing vessel and a plurality of second gas supply holes through which the second gas is supplied into the processing vessel, wherein an upwardly-depressed concave portion is formed in a lower end surface of the drooping member, wherein a through-hole in communication with the concave portion from an upper end surface of the drooping member is formed inside the drooping member, wherein each of the first gas supply holes is disposed inward of the outer surface of the drooping member and is connected to the through-hole, wherein each of the second gas supply holes is disposed outward of the outer surface of the drooping member, wherein an orifice portion having a smaller sectional area than the through-hole is formed in the through-hole, and wherein a potential of the drooping member is a ground potential.

2 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the drooping member is formed in a parabolic shape gradually spreading outward as it goes downward.

3 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first gas is an easy-to-decompose gas by plasma as compared with the second gas.

4 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first gas is a raw material gas, and the second gas is a plasma generation gas.

5 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a microwave radiation hole through which the microwave is radiated into the processing vessel is formed in the shower plate, and
wherein the microwave radiation hole is disposed inward of an outer circumferential end portion of the drooping member as viewed from the top.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Ikeda Taro

Classifications

• H01J37/32449

  Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow · CPC title

• H01J37/32192

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

• C23C16/45563

  Gas nozzles · CPC title

• H01J37/32229

  Waveguides · CPC title

• H01J37/3244

  Gas supply means · CPC title