Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9378929-B2
Application number	US-201514603246-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2015
Priority date	Mar 1, 2012
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus is offered which has evacuable vacuum vessel, processing chamber disposed inside the vacuum vessel and having inside space in which plasma for processing sample to be processed is generated and in which the sample is placed, unit for supplying gas for plasma generation into processing chamber, vacuum evacuation unit for evacuating inside of processing chamber, helical resonator configured of helical resonance coil disposed outside the vacuum vessel and electrically grounded shield disposed outside the coil, RF power supply of variable frequency for supplying RF electric power in given range to the resonance coil, and frequency matching device capable of adjusting frequency of the RF power supply so as to minimize reflected RF power. The resonance coil has electrical length that is set to integral multiple of one wavelength at given frequency. The helical resonance coil has feeding point connected to ground potential using variable capacitive device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:
an evacuable vacuum vessel;
a processing chamber disposed inside the vacuum vessel and having an interior configured to receive a sample to be processed and contain a plasma generated therein for processing;
a gas supply unit to supply process gas for plasma generation to the processing chamber;
a vacuum evacuation unit to evacuate the interior of the processing chamber to a depressurized condition;
an antenna including a coil having opposing ends and being helically disposed outside of the vacuum vessel and a shield disposed outside of the coil, the shield being electrically connected to at least one of the opposing ends of the coil and electrically grounded;
an RF power supply having a variable frequency to supply RF electric power within a predetermined frequency range, the RF power supply being electrically connected to the coil at an RF power supply position disposed between the opposing ends of the coil;

and
a frequency matching device to adjust at least one of the frequency of the RF power supply or a capacitance between the RF power supply position of the antenna and the ground to reduce or minimize reflected RF electric power;
wherein the coil has an electrical length corresponding to an integral multiple of a wavelength of the predetermined frequency; and
wherein the frequency matching device is configured to adjust the frequency of the RF electric power to generate the plasma inside the processing chamber while maintaining the capacitance between the RF power supply position of the antenna and the ground at a predetermined value.

2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the frequency matching device includes a variable capacitive device disposed between the RF power supply position of the antenna and the ground and a stationary inductive device electrically connected in parallel to the variable capacitive device.

3. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the frequency matching device is configured to adjust a capacitance of the variable capacitive device to reduce or minimize reflected RF electric power.

4. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the frequency matching device is configured to adjust a capacitance of the variable capacitive device to reduce or minimize reflected RF electric power.

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Maeda Kenji
• Yoshioka Ken
• Kawasaki Hiromichi
• Shimomura Takahiro

Classifications

• H10P95/00

  Generic processes or apparatus for manufacture or treatments not covered by the other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• H10P72/0421

  for drying etching · CPC title

• H10P72/0408

  for drying · CPC title

• H10P72/0406

  for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/0402

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title