Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Differential fluid etching apparatus – With microwave gas energizing means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-20
2002-12-24
Utech, Benjamin L. (Department: 1765)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Differential fluid etching apparatus
With microwave gas energizing means
C156S345340, C156S345410
Reexamination Certificate
active
06497783
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus for applying plasma processing to an article to be processed (hereinafter, simply referred to as “article” as occasion demands) using microwaves, and more particularly to a microwave applicator having an annular (or circular) waveguide, a plasma processing apparatus provided therewith, a microwave applicator having a multiple annular waveguide, and a plasma processing apparatus provided therewith.
2. Related Background Art
As plasma processing apparatuses that use microwaves as an excitation source for plasma generation, there have been known the plasma polymerizing apparatus, the CVD apparatus, the surface modifying apparatus, the etching apparatus, the ashing apparatus, and the cleaning apparatus and the like.
The CVD using such a so-called microwave plasma processing apparatus is carried out, for example, as follows. A gas is introduced into a plasma generation chamber and/or a film formation chamber of a microwave plasma CVD apparatus, and a microwave energy is simultaneously applied to generate a plasma in the plasma generation chamber to excite and/or decompose the gas, thereby forming a deposited film on an article to be processed disposed in the plasma generation chamber or film formation chamber. Further, a similar method can be used to carry out plasma polymerization of an organic substance or surface modification such as oxidation, nitridation or fluorination.
Furthermore, the etching using a microwave plasma etching apparatus is carried out, for example, as follows. An etchant gas is introduced into a processing chamber of the apparatus, and a microwave energy is simultaneously applied to excite and/or decompose the etchant gas to generate a plasma in the processing chamber, thereby etching the surface of an article to be processed disposed in the processing chamber.
In addition, the ashing using a microwave plasma ashing apparatus is carried out, for example, as follows. An ashing gas is introduced into a processing chamber in the apparatus, and a microwave energy is simultaneously applied to excite and/or decompose the ashing gas in order to generate a plasma in the processing chamber, thereby ashing the surface of an article to be processed, namely a photoresist disposed in the processing chamber. As with the ashing, it is possible to effect cleaning for removing unwanted matter deposited on a to-be-processed surface of an article to be processed.
In the microwave plasma processing apparatus, since microwaves are used as a gas excitation source, electrons can be accelerated by an electric field having a high frequency, thereby efficiently ionizing and excite gas molecules. Thus, the microwave plasma processing apparatus is advantageous in that the efficiency of ionization, excitation, and decomposition of a gas is high, so that a high density plasma can relatively easily be formed, thereby enabling fast processing at a low temperature to provide high quality. In addition, since the microwaves have a property of penetrating a dielectric member, the plasma processing apparatus can be constituted as a electrodeless discharge type, whereby highly clean plasma processing can be carried out.
To increase the processing speed of the microwave plasma processing apparatus, plasma processing apparatuses using electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) have been put to practical use. The ECR is a phenomenon in which when the magnetic flux density is 87.5 mT, the electron cyclotron frequency for electrons rotating around the magnetic line of force is brought into conformity with the general frequency of the microwaves of 2.45 GHz, whereby the electrons resonantly absorb microwaves to be accelerated, thereby generating a high density plasma. As to such an ECR plasma processing apparatus, the following four typical configurations for a microwave introducing means and a magnetic-field generating means are known.
In a first configuration (i), microwaves propagated via a waveguide are introduced into a cylindrical plasma generation chamber from a surface opposed to an article to be processed through a transmissive window, and a divergent magnetic field coaxial with the central axis of the plasma generation chamber is introduced via an electromagnetic coil provided at the periphery of the plasma generation chamber. In a second configuration (ii), microwaves transmitted via a waveguide are introduced into a bell-shaped plasma generation chamber from a surface opposed to an article to be processed, and a magnetic field coaxial with the central axis of the plasma generation chamber is introduced via an electromagnetic coil provided at the periphery of the plasma generation chamber. In a third configuration (iii), microwaves are introduced into a plasma generation chamber from its periphery via a coil that is a kind of a cylindrical slot antenna, and a magnetic field coaxial with the central axis of the plasma generation chamber is introduced via an electromagnetic coil provided at the periphery of the plasma generation chamber. In a fourth configuration (iv), microwaves transmitted via a waveguide are introduced into a cylindrical plasma generation chamber from a surface opposed to an article to be processed via a planar slot antenna, and a loop-like magnetic field parallel to the antenna plane is introduced via a permanent magnet provided on the rear surface of the planar antenna (planar slot antenna method).
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,086 discloses a plasma processing apparatus using a radial line slot antenna (RLSA).
In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-290995, U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,177, and EP 0564359 disclose a plasma processing apparatus using an annular waveguide with terminals.
Separately, as an example of a microwave plasma processing apparatus, there has recently been proposed an apparatus using an annular waveguide in which a plurality of slots are formed on an inner side surface thereof as a device for uniform and efficient introduction of microwaves (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-345982; U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,699).
This microwave plasma processing apparatus is shown in
FIG. 29 and a
microwave supply means thereof is shown in FIG.
28
.
Reference numeral
501
designates a plasma generation chamber;
502
is a dielectric window that separates the plasma generation chamber
501
from the atmosphere;
503
is a slotted endless annular waveguide with a cylindrical external shape for supplying microwaves to the plasma generation chamber
501
;
505
is a plasma-generating gas supply means;
511
is a processing chamber connected to the plasma generation chamber
501
;
512
is an article to be processed;
513
is a support for the article
512
;
514
is a heater for heating the article
512
;
515
is a processing gas supply means;
516
is an exhaust port;
521
is a block that distributes microwaves to the right and left; and
522
is a slot provided in a curved surface
523
. In addition,
524
is a diaphragm and
525
is a microwave introducing port.
The generation of a plasma and the processing are carried out as follows.
The inside of the plasma generation chamber
501
and the processing chamber
511
is evacuated via an exhaust system (not shown). Subsequently, a plasma generating gas is introduced into the plasma generation chamber
501
at a predetermined flow rate via the gas supply port
505
.
Then, a conductance valve (not shown) provided in the exhaust system (not shown) is adjusted to retain the inside of the plasma generation chamber
501
at a predetermined pressure. A desired power is supplied to the inside of the plasma generation chamber
501
from a microwave power source (not shown) via the annular waveguide
503
.
On this occasion, the microwaves introduced into the annular waveguide
503
are distributed to the right and left by the distributing block
521
and propagate through the waveguide at a guide wavelength longer than a free-space wavelength. The microwaves are supplied from the slots
522
provided at
Matsuo Manabu
Oda Hirohisa
Suzuki Nobumasa
Utech Benjamin L.
Vinh Lan
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