Hitachi-High-Technologies Corporation

Kunihiko Koroyasu

Tomoyuki Tamura

Muneo Furuse

Mitsuru Suehiro

Hiroshi Kanekiyo

The following plasma processing apparatus can suppress the production of contaminants from the plasma processing chamber of the apparatus and an article in the plasma processing chamber which are allowed to act as ground electrodes: a plasma processing apparatus in which a workpiece is processed by creating a plasma in the processing chamber, and one or more surfaces made of a grounded metal electric conductor which come into contact with the plasma in the plasma processing chamber are coated with a plasma-resistant polymeric material having a relationship between relative dielectric constant k&#x2208; and thickness t (&#x3bc;m) of t/k&#x2208;&#x3c;300, or a protecting layer formed of a plasma-resistant and water-absorbing resin material is adhered and fixed to the outer surface of an article in the processing chamber by its swelling and then shrinkage.

Plasma processing apparatus, protecting layer therefor and installation of protecting layer

A plasma etching method and apparatus in which a processing gas is supplied from a shower plate arranged on an electrode opposed to an electrode for generating a plasma or a sample toward the sample center, and the gas is transformed into a plasma thereby to etch the sample. RF power is applied between a sample stage and the electrode to apply the energy to charged particles in the plasma to thereby etch the sample. In the process, apart from the incidence of the charged particles to the sample, the charged particles enter also the shower plate of the electrode by application of the RF power. The charged particles entering the processing gas supply holes of the shower plate are neutralized to prevent abnormal discharge on the shower plate and consequently suppress the generation of foreign matter.

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Kudamatsu, Japan

Kunihiko Koroyasu