Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Hideo Haraguchi

Izuru Matsuda

Tomohiro Okumura

Shigeyuki Yamamoto

Takuya Matsui

Ichiro Nakayama

Masaki Suzuki

Toshimichi Ishida

Akio Mitsuhashi

Yoshihiro Yanagi

Shozo Watanabe

The interior of a vacuum chamber is maintained at a specified pressure by introducing a specified gas into the vacuum chamber having a plasma trap provided therein. Simultaneously, therewith, evacuation of the chamber is performed by a pump as an evacuating device, and a high-frequency power of 100 MHz is supplied to a counter electrode by counter-electrode use high-frequency power supply. Thus, uniform plasma is generated within the vacuum chamber, where plasma processing such as etching, deposition, and surface reforming can be carried out uniformly with a substrate placed on a substrate electrode.

Plasma processing method and apparatus

The interior of a vacuum chamber is maintained at a specified pressure by introducing a specified gas into the vacuum chamber having a plasma trap provided therein. Simultaneously, therewith, evacuation of the chamber is performed by a pump as an evacuating device, and a high-frequency power of 100 MHz is supplied to a counter electrode by counter electrode use high-frequency power supply. Thus, uniform plasma is generated within the vacuum chamber, where plasma processing such as etching, deposition, and surface reforming can be carried out uniformly with a substrate placed on a substrate electrode.

A plasma processing apparatus includes a vacuum chamber for evacuating gas therefrom, for introducing reaction gas therein, and for generating plasma therein through high frequency power application. A substrate hold stage is set in the vacuum chamber, with the substrate hold stage including a set face having a recessed part, wherein a rear face of a substrate to be subjected to plasma processing is held on the set face.

Apparatus and method for plasma processing

A substrate detection sensor is operatively connected to a door moving mechanism for opening/closing a front door with respect to a sealed container accommodating therein a plurality of substrates. The substrate detection sensor enters the sealed container and detects the substrates successively as it is lowered integrally with the front door, and retracts from the sealed container when all of the substrates have been detected.

Substrate detecting method and device

It is the object of the invention to provide a substrate dechucking device and a substrate dechucking method for safely dechucking from a substrate holder a substrate which is being held in the substrate holder. The substrate dechucking device dechucks from the substrate holder a substrate which is being held in the substrate holder in a state where the substrate is electrically charged and bears residual suction force, said device comprising a lifter for lifting a substrate, said lifter being capable of protruding and retracting from the substrate holder, a drive source for generating a driving force to cause the lifter to protrude and retract, and a pair of magnetic coupling portions being disposed to face to each other, one of the pair of magnetic coupling portions being provided in a movable member which is moved by the drive source, the other of the pair of magnetic coupling portions being mounted to the lifter, thereby transmitting the driving force of the drive source to the lifter via the magnetic coupling portions.

Substrate dechucking device and substrate dechucking method

Objects of the present invention are to prolong the life of a sealing portion by using bellows and to prevent the generation of dust and the effect thereof. A support member for positioning is extended to the outside through an opening of a vacuum vessel and bellows connected to the circumference of the opening with a play such that positioning movement can be performed without being in contact with the opening and the bellows, and the support member is received by roller bearings in a bulkhead portion connected to a free end of the bellows and closing the bellows of a bearing support. Necessary rotation is given to the support member from outside via inside and outside magnetic couplings facing each other on the inside and outside of the bulkhead portion, and movement in the X direction perpendicular to the axis is given to the support member from outside by moving the bearing support in the direction perpendicular to the axis with respect to the vacuum vessel. Thereby, a disk-shaped object is positioned without necessitating a sliding portion located in the vacuum vessel, thereby achieving the above objects.

Method and apparatus for positioning a disk-shaped object

An upper arm,and a lower arm,of a parallel link system that perform extension and retraction action in the same direction without mutual interference are arranged within a vacuum enclosure,. Three magnetic couplings are arranged coaxially at three levels, through which extension/retraction action and swivel action of upper and lower arms are effected. Using a cam box having three output shafts driven by a single input shaft to which an arm drive motor is connected, extension/retraction drive and Z axis drive of upper and lower arms are performed, while swiveling action of upper and lower arms is driven by a swivel motor.

Wafer handling apparatus

Data related to an attractive force between a substrate holder,and a substrate,is detected when pushing up and releasing the substrate,from the substrate holder,, and when the attractive force is detected to be greater than a predetermined value, the push-up operation is regulated by a controller

Substrate handling method and apparatus, and attractive force inspection method and apparatus used therewith

In processing the surface of a substrate,that is held with its under-surface in contact with a substrate holder,in a vacuum chamber,, the temperature of substrate,is controlled by supplying a heat-conductive gas between the substrate,and substrate holder,. Supply and evacuation of the heat-conductive gas are effected rapidly at high flow rate from both supply line,and evacuation line,using bypass lines,, while pressure regulation is effected with a low flow rate.

Substrate temperature control method and device

Plasma is generated in a vacuum chamber (,) by supplying high frequency power to a spiral antenna (,) from an antenna-use high frequency power source (,) and by supplying high frequency power to an electrode (,) by an electrode-use high frequency power source (,) in a state where evacuating a vacuum chamber (,) while introducing a specified gas into the vacuum chamber, thereby controlling the vacuum chamber at a predetermined pressure. Plasma processing such as etching is performed on a substrate (,) located on the electrode (,), the interior of the vacuum chamber is heated to 80&deg; C. or higher, wherein a resistance-heating heater (,) constituted of a heating element shielded from electromagnetic waves by a conductive sheath and a pressure-weld type thermocouple (,) provided on a dielectric body (,) are connected to a temperature adjuster (,). A insulating material (,) is arranged between the heater (,) and the antenna (,), and an inner chamber (,) including a belt heater (,) is also arranged.

Method and device for plasma treatment

A plasma processing method and apparatus, wherein evaluation is effected while a suitable gas is introduced into a vacuum vessel, and then a high frequency voltage is applied by a high frequency discharge coil power source to a spiral discharge coil while the interior of the vacuum vessel is kept under adequate pressure, whereby a high frequency magnetic field is generated within the vacuum vessel through a dielectric plate so that electrons are accelerated by an induction field due to the high frequency magnetic field to generate plasma within the vacuum vessel for processing a substrate, characterized in that the dielectric plate is heated by a planar heater to 80.degree. C. or more, whereby the thickness of a thin film to be deposited on the dielectric plate is substantially reduced thereby to inhibit dust generation and thus substantially reduce the frequency of maintenance required for the dielectric plate. The apparatus includes a ceramic plate formed with a discharge coil fixing groove and mounted on the dielectric plate, and the planar spiral discharge coil is mounted on the ceramic plate.

A vacuum processing apparatus includes a reaction chamber, a non-reaction chamber which is a load-lock chamber or a double load-lock chamber. A double arm is accommodated in the non-reaction chamber, and includes a first arm and a second arm for taking out a processed wafer from the reaction chamber and supplying an unprocessed wafer to the reaction chamber. Wafer elevating mechanisms are provided in the reaction chamber and the non-reaction chamber. The double arm and the wafer elevating mechanisms are driven by a single drive source. Also, a selective engagement mechanism is provided at the reaction chamber and at the non-reaction chamber for selectively engaging the driving source with any one of the wafer elevating mechanisms at the reaction chamber and the non-reaction chamber to drive the double arm and the wafer elevating mechanism at the selected chamber.

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Toyonaka, Japan

Hideo Haraguchi