Shower plate sintered integrally with gas release hole member and method for manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9767994-B2
Application number	US-201414542793-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2014
Priority date	Oct 23, 2006
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A shower plate is disposed in a processing chamber in a plasma processing apparatus, and plasma excitation gas is released into the processing chamber so as to generate plasma. A ceramic member having a plurality of gas release holes having a diameter of 20 μm to 70 μm, and/or a porous gas-communicating body having pores having a maximum diameter of not more than 75 μm communicating in the gas-communicating direction are sintered and bonded integrally with the inside of each of a plurality of vertical holes which act as release paths for the plasma excitation gas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a shower plate which is to be disposed in a plasma processing apparatus and to discharge a plasma excitation gas so as to generate plasma in the plasma processing apparatus, the method comprising:
providing a first ceramic member having a plurality of vertical holes, wherein the plurality of vertical holes are to be release paths for the plasma excitation gas;
fitting each of a plurality of second ceramic members and each of a plurality of porous gas-communicating bodies into each of the vertical holes, wherein each of the second ceramic members has a plurality of gas release holes and each of the porous gas-communicating bodies has pores which communicate in a gas-communicating direction; and
sintering the first ceramic member, and the second ceramic members and the porous gas-communicating bodies which are fitted into the vertical holes of the first ceramic member.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first ceramic member is a green body formed by molding material powder of a shower plate and by processing the vertical holes, a debinded body of the green body, or a pre-sintered body of the green body, and
the each of the second ceramic members is:
a powder molding body processed in a predetermined shape by molding material powder of a shower plate, a debinded body of the powder molding body, a pre-sintered body of the powder molding body or a sintered body of the powder molding body, and/or
a powder molding body processed in a predetermined shape by molding material powder of a porous gas-communicating body, a debinded body of the powder molding body, a pre-sintered body of the powder molding body or a sintered body of the powder molding body.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein an aspect ratio of length to hole diameter of each of the gas release holes is equal to or greater than 20.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein each of the gas release holes has a diameter of 20 μm to 70 μm.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein each of the gas release holes has a diameter of 20 μm to 70 μm.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein an aspect ratio of length to hole diameter of each of the gas release holes is equal to or greater than 20.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein each of the gas release holes has a diameter of 20 μm to 70 μm.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the gas release holes has a diameter of 20 μm to 70 μm.

9. A method of manufacturing a shower plate which is to be disposed in a plasma processing apparatus and to discharge a plasma excitation gas so as to generate plasma in the plasma processing apparatus, the method comprising:
providing a first ceramic member having a plurality of vertical holes, wherein the plurality of vertical holes are to be release paths for the plasma excitation gas;
fitting each of a plurality of first porous gas-communicating bodies and each of a plurality of second porous gas-communicating bodies into each of the vertical holes, wherein each of the first porous gas-communicating bodies and each of the second porous gas-communicating bodies have pores which communicate in a gas-communicating direction, and average pore diameter and porosity of the first porous gas-communicating bodies are different to average pore diameter and porosity of the second porous gas-communicating bodies; and
sintering the first ceramic member, and the first porous gas-communicating bodies and the second porous gas-communicating bodies which are fitted into the vertical holes of the first ceramic member.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first ceramic member is a green body formed by molding material powder of a shower plate and by processing the vertical holes, a debinded body of the green body, or a pre-sintered body of the green body, and
the each of the first porous gas-communicating bodies and the each of the second porous gas-communicating bodies are porous ceramic sintered bodies.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd
• Nat Univ Corp Tohoku Univ

Inventors

• Okesaku Masahiro
• Ohmi Tadahiro
• Goto Tetsuya
• Matsuoka Takaaki
• Nozawa Toshihisa
• Inokuchi Atsutoshi
• Ishibashi Kiyotaka

Classifications

• H01J37/32192

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

• C23C16/45565 Primary

  Shower nozzles · CPC title

• H01J37/3255

  Material · CPC title

• H01J37/32477

  characterised by the means for protecting vessels or internal parts, e.g. coatings · CPC title

• H01J37/32449

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