Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Izuru Matsuda

Hideo Haraguchi

Tomohiro Okumura

Shigeyuki Yamamoto

Takuya Matsui

Yukihiro Maegawa

Mitsuo Saitoh

Takayuki Kai

Akio Mitsuhashi

Masaki Suzuki

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

A plasma processing apparatus including a vacuum chamber,

Provided is a membrane with bumps whose variations in shape are minimized to a least extent and which are capable of supporting a micro electrical circuit. The membrane with bumps includes: a plurality of bumps, each of which is made up of a probe and an electrode, with the probe having a diameter which becomes smaller from one end toward another end of the probe, and with the electrode having a diameter which is larger than the diameter of the one end of the probe; and an insulating base where the bumps are positioned at predetermined locations so that the bumps are insulated from each other, wherein the probe is positioned, penetrating the insulating base in a thickness direction, and a metal film is placed between the electrode and the insulating base.

Membrane with bumps, method of manufacturing the same, and method of testing electrical circuit

A plasma processing method includes introducing a gas into a vacuum chamber through a hole of a dielectric tube attached to a metal body fixed to the vacuum chamber while exhausting from the vacuum chamber to keep the vacuum chamber within a specified pressure. High-frequency power with a frequency ranging from 100 kHz to 3 GHz is applied to a plasma source provided so as to face a substrate mounted on a substrate electrode in the vacuum chamber to generate plasma in the vacuum chamber to perform plasma processing of the substrate.

Plasma processing method and apparatus thereof

A plasma processing method for generating plasma in a vacuum chamber and processing a substrate placed on a substrate electrode, the plasma being generated by supplying a high-frequency power having a frequency of 50 MHz to 3 GHz to an antenna provided opposite to the substrate electrode while interior of the vacuum chamber is controlled to a specified pressure by supplying a gas into the vacuum chamber and exhausting the interior of the vacuum chamber, the method includes with a dielectric plate being sandwiched between the antenna and the vacuum chamber and both the antenna and the dielectric plate projecting into the vacuum chamber, controlling plasma distribution on the substrate with an annular and recessed slit provided between the antenna and the vacuum chamber, and processing the substrate in a state where the antenna cover is fixed by making both an inner side face of the slit and the antenna covered with an antenna cover, making a bottom face of the slit covered with a slit cover, supporting the antenna cover by the slit cover, and fixing the slit cover to a wall surface of the vacuum chamber.

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

A dry etching apparatus includes a first electrode provided with means for controlling a temperature of a to-be-etched member, a second electrode disposed facing in parallel to the first electrode, a vacuum container housing the first and second electrodes therein, a device for feeding etching gas into the vacuum container, and a device for impressing a high frequency power between the first and second electrodes. A surface of the first electrode to be in touch with both the to-be-etched member and the etching gas and to which the high frequency power is impressed is coated with an insulating film of volume resistivity .rho. within a range: 1.times.10.sup.8 .OMEGA.cm.ltoreq..rho.&lt;1.times.10.sup.9 .OMEGA.cm.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Izuru Matsuda