Toshiba Mitsubishi-electric Industrial Systems Corporation

Tmeic Corporation

Smk Corporation

Tohoku University

Kensuke Watanabe

Shinichi Nishimura

Ren Arita

Yoichiro Tabata

Yoshihito Yamada

Yasuo Yoshiura

Akinobu Teramoto

Tomoyuki Suwa

Yoshinobu Shiba

A housing in an active gas generator according to the present disclosure includes a peripheral stepped region formed along an outer periphery of a central bottom region, the peripheral stepped region being higher in formed height than the central bottom region. A high-voltage-electrode dielectric film on the peripheral stepped region forms a gas separation structure for separating a gas stream into a feeding space and an active gas generating space including a discharge space. A vacuum pump disposed outside the housing sets the feeding space under vacuum.

Active gas generator

An object of the present disclosure is to obtain an active gas generation apparatus capable of supplying a highly concentrated active gas from a gas ejection port to a processing space at a subsequent stage. Then, in the active gas generation apparatus () of the present disclosure, in a main dielectric space being a space in which an electrode dielectric film () and an electrode dielectric film () face each other, a region where electrode conductive films () and () overlap each other in a plan view is defined as a main discharge space (). In an auxiliary dielectric space being a space where the electrode dielectric filmand a shield dielectric filmface each other, a region including a dielectric through hole () and a cover through hole () is defined as an auxiliary discharge space (). The auxiliary discharge space () includes a part of a buffer space () above the shield dielectric film (), and a path leading from the auxiliary discharge space () to the gas ejection port () is defined as an active gas flow path.

Active gas generation apparatus

An electrical connector includes: a case including an accommodation part that accommodates a receptacle, a front wall part, a restriction part, and an engagement part that retain the receptacle in the accommodation part, a contact part that makes contact with a mounting surface, and a communication hole that is extended upward from the accommodation part and open to outside at its upper end and vertically movably retains a slider; the receptacle that includes a terminal prat located at the same height as the contact part or below the contact part and is movable upward; and the slider that can press down the receptacle retained in the accommodation part by the front wall part, the restriction part, and the engagement part.

Electrical connector, method for manufacturing electrical connector, and method for mounting electrical connector

One direction discharge structure in an active gas generation apparatus satisfies arrangement conditions (a) to (c). The condition (a) is a condition that a region where a corresponding metal electrode and a corresponding metal electrode are overlapped with each other in a plan view serves as a corresponding discharge space in a corresponding gap region. The condition (b) is a condition that the corresponding gap region and a plurality of gas supply holes provided in a corresponding gas supply region are overlapped with each other in a plan view. The condition (c) is a condition that the plurality of gas supply holes provided in the corresponding gas supply region and a plurality of gas ejection holes provided below the corresponding gap region sandwich the corresponding discharge space in a plan view, and are disposed to face each other on a one-to-one basis along a Y direction.

Provided in an active gas generation apparatus according to the present disclosure is a gas separation structure of separating a gas flow between an in-housing space and a discharge space by a cooling plate, an electrode holding member, and a high voltage apply electrode part. The active gas generation apparatus further includes an auxiliary metal electrode provided on an upper surface of an electrode dielectric film in the high voltage apply electrode part. The auxiliary metal electrode is provided to overlap with part of an active gas transmission path in a plan view, and set to ground potential.

In the present disclosure, in a high-voltage side electrode component, the electrode main dielectric film is provided on the lower surface of the electrode conductive film, and the electrode additional dielectric film is disposed below the electrode main dielectric film at an upper main/additional inter-dielectric distance. The electrode main dielectric film includes the whole electrode conductive film in a plan view, and has a formation area larger than the electrode conductive film. The electrode additional dielectric film includes the electrode conductive film in a plan view and has a formation area slightly larger than the electrode conductive film and smaller than the electrode main dielectric film. The ground side electrode component has the same features as the above-mentioned features of the high-voltage side electrode component.

An electric connector is provided which enables a cost increase to be reduced and enables strength to be improved. The electric connector for connecting a cable to a counterpart connector includes: a connection part that is connected to an electrically conductive part of the cable, that is connected to an electrically conductive member of the counterpart connector, and that is electrically conductive; a holding member that holds the cable and the connection part; a case that covers the holding member; and a cover that covers a part of the case. The case includes an engaging arm part that is engaged with the holding member and that is elastically deformable. The cover includes regulating parts that cover the engaging arm part and regulate elastic deformation of the engaging arm part in a direction in which engagement of the engaging arm part with the holding member is released.

Electric connector

An active gas generation apparatus according to the present disclosure includes: a base flange having a central bottom surface region and a peripheral protruding part; a cooling plate provided on the peripheral protruding part of the base flange; an insulating plate provided between the cooling plate and the high voltage apply electrode part; and an electrode holding member provided on a lower surface of the cooling plate to support the high voltage apply electrode part from a lower side. Provided is a gas separation structure of separating a gas flow between an in-housing space and a discharge space by the cooling plate, the electrode holding member, and the high voltage apply electrode part.

In the present invention, a high-voltage side electrode constituent part includes a dielectric electrode and metal electrodes formed on the upper surface of the dielectric electrode. The dielectric electrode has a structure in which a film thickness is continuously changed along an X direction. That is, the film thickness of the right end of the dielectric electrode is set to a thickness dA; and the film thickness of the left end is set to a thickness dB(>dA), and is continuously increased from the right end to the left end along the X direction.

Activated gas generation apparatus

In an active gas generation apparatus of the present invention, an auxiliary conductive film provided on a first electrode dielectric film is provided to overlap part of an active gas flow path in plan view, and the auxiliary conductive film is set to the ground potential. An active gas auxiliary member provided on a second electrode dielectric film is provided to fill part of the active gas flow path between a discharge space and a gas ejection hole in a dielectric space between the first and second electrode dielectric films in order to limit to an active gas flow gap.

In the present invention, an electrode pair having a discharge space therein is constituted by a combination of a high-voltage application electrode unit and a ground potential electrode unit. The high-voltage application electrode unit has, as the main components, an electrode dielectric film and a metal electrode formed on the upper surface of the electrode dielectric film. An auxiliary conductive film is formed in an annular shape so as to surround the metal electrode without overlapping the metal electrode in plan view. A metal electrode pressing member: has an annular shape in plan view; is provided to contact part of the upper surface of the auxiliary conductive film; and is fixed to a metal base flange. A ground potential is applied to the base flange.

Active gas generating apparatus

In the present invention, a high-voltage side electrode component further includes a conductive film disposed on an upper surface of a dielectric electrode independently of a metal electrode. The conductive film is disposed between at least one gas ejection port and the metal electrode in plan view, and the conductive film is set to ground potential.

An electric discharge generator and power supply device of electric discharge generator includes a radical gas generation apparatus, a process chamber apparatus, and an n-phase inverter power supply device. The radical gas generation apparatus is located adjacent to the process chamber apparatus. The radical gas generation apparatus includes a plurality of (n) discharge cells. The n-phase inverter power supply device includes a power supply circuit configuration offering a means to control output of n-phase alternating current voltages and variably controls, according to positions of the plurality of discharge cells, the alternating current voltages of different phases.

Electric discharge generator and power supply device of electric discharge generator

A gas ejector of a gas supply apparatus includes a nozzle portion. The opening of a first-stage restricting cylinder constituting the nozzle portion has a circular cross-sectional shape with a diameter r. A second-stage restricting cylinder is continuously formed with the first-stage restricting cylinder along a Z direction. The opening of the second-stage restricting cylinder has a circular cross-sectional shape with a diameter r, and supplies a source gas supplied from the first-stage restricting cylinder to a low-vacuum processing chamber below. At this time, the diameter ris set to satisfy 'r&#x3e;r

Gas supply apparatus

In the present invention, a gas passing groove, a high-voltage electrode groove and a ground electrode groove formed in an electrode unit base are each spiral in plan view. A high-voltage electrode is embedded in the high-voltage electrode grove, and a ground electrode is embedded in the ground electrode groove. The high-voltage electrode and the ground electrode are arranged on sides of opposite side surfaces of the gas passing groove in the electrode unit base to oppose each other with a portion of the electrode unit base and the gas passing groove therebetween, and are spiral in plan view along with the gas passing groove.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Kensuke Watanabe