Emd Corporation

Japan Science and Technology Agency

Other

Nissin Electric Co., Ltd.

Japan Science and Technology Corporation

Tokyo Electron Limited

Yuichi Setsuhara

Eiichi Nishimura

Akinori Ebe

Tatsuo Shoji

Shoji Miyake

Kenji Kato

Kiyoshi Ogata

Eiji Takahashi

Takashi Mikami

Tsukasa Hayashi

Akira Watanabe

Hiroshige Deguchi

Shigeaki Kishida

Atsushi Tomyo

Shinichiro Ishihara

Kiyoshi Kubota

Eiji Ino

Hitoshi Yoneda

Masayoshi Kamai

Hajime Ashida

Jeon Geon Han

The present invention aims at providing a radio-frequency antenna unit capable of generating a high-density discharge plasma in a vacuum chamber. The radio-frequency antenna unit according to the present invention includes: a radio-frequency antenna through which a radio-frequency electric current can flow; a protective tube made of an insulator provided around the portion of the radio-frequency antenna that is in the vacuum chamber; and a buffer area provided between the radio-frequency antenna and the protective tube. The 'buffer area' refers to an area where an acceleration of electrons is suppressed, and it can be formed, for example, with a vacuum or an insulator. Such a configuration can suppress an occurrence of an electric discharge between the antenna and the protective tube, enabling the generation of a high-density discharge plasma in the vacuum chamber.

Radio-frequency antenna unit and plasma processing apparatus

The present invention aims at providing a plasma processing apparatus for performing a plasma processing on a planar substrate body to be processed, the apparatus being capable of generating the plasma with good uniformity and efficiently using the plasma, and having a high productivity. That is, the plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention includes: a vacuum chamber; one or plural antenna supporters (plasma generator supporters) projecting into the internal space of the vacuum chamber; radio-frequency antennas (plasma generators) attached to each antenna supporter; and a pair of substrate body holders provided across the antenna supporter in the vacuum chamber, for holding a planar substrate body to be processed.

Plasma processing apparatus

A thin-film forming sputtering system capable of a sputtering process at a high rate. A thin-film forming sputtering system includes: a vacuum container; a target holder located inside the vacuum container; a target holder located inside the vacuum container; a substrate holder opposed to the target holder; a power source for applying a voltage between the target holder and the substrate holder; a magnetron-sputtering magnet provided behind the target holder, for generating a magnetic field having a component parallel to a target; and radio-frequency antennae for generating radio-frequency inductively-coupled plasma within a space in the vicinity of the target where the magnetic field generated by the magnetron-sputtering magnet has a strength equal to or higher than a predetermined level. The radio-frequency inductively-coupled plasma generated by the radio-frequency antennae promotes the supply of electrons into the aforementioned magnetic field, so that the sputtering process can be performed at a high rate.

Thin-film forming sputtering system

The present invention aims to provide a plasma generator capable of creating a spatially uniform distribution of high-density plasma. This object is achieved by the following construction. Multiple antennas are located on the sidewall of a vacuum chamber, and a RF power source is connected to three or four antennas in parallel via a plate-shaped conductor. The length of the conductor of each antenna is shorter than the quarter wavelength of the induction electromagnetic wave generated within the vacuum chamber. Setting the length of the conductor of the antenna in such a manner prevents the occurrence of a standing wave and thereby maintains the uniformity of the plasma within the vacuum chamber. In addition, the plate-shaped conductor improves the heat-releasing efficiency, which also contributes to the suppression of the impedance.

Plasma generator, plasma control method and method of producing substrate

There are provided a method and an apparatus which form silicon dots having substantially uniform particle diameters and exhibiting a substantially uniform density distribution directly on a substrate at a low temperature. A hydrogen gas (or a hydrogen gas and a silane-containing gas) is supplied into a vacuum chamber () provided with a silicon sputter target (e.g., target), or the hydrogen gas and the silane-containing gas are supplied into the chamber () without arranging the silicon sputter target therein, a high-frequency power is applied to the gas(es) so that plasma is generated such that a ratio (Si(288 nm)/H&#x3b2;) between an emission intensity Si(288 nm) of silicon atoms at a wavelength of 288 nm and an emission intensity H&#x3b2; of hydrogen atoms at a wavelength of 484 nm in plasma emission is 10.0 or lower, and preferably 3.0 or lower, or 0.5 or lower, and silicon dots (SiD) having particle diameters of 20 nm or lower, or 10 nm or lower are formed directly on the substrate (S) at a low temperature of 500 deg. C. or lower in the plasma (and with chemical sputtering if a silicon sputter target is present).

Silicon dot forming method and silicon dot forming apparatus

Plasma producing method and apparatus wherein a plurality of high-frequency antennas are arranged in a plasma producing chamber, and a high-frequency power supplied from a high-frequency power supply device (including a power source, a phase controller and the like) is applied to a gas in the chamber from the antennas to produce inductively coupled plasma. At least some of the plurality of high-frequency antennas are arranged in a fashion of such parallel arrangement that the antennas successively neighbor to each other and each of the antennas is opposed to the neighboring antenna. The high-frequency power supply device controls a phase of a high-frequency voltage applied to each antenna, and thereby controls an electron temperature of the inductively coupled plasma.

Plasma producing method and apparatus as well as plasma processing apparatus

The present invention aims to provide a plasma generator capable of creating a spatially uniform distribution of high-density plasma. This object is achieved by the following construction. Multiple antennasare located on the sidewall of a vacuum chamber, and a RF power source is connected to three or four antennasin parallel via a plate-shaped conductor. The length of the conductor of each antennais shorter than the quarter wavelength of the induction electromagnetic wave generated within the vacuum chamber. Setting the length of the conductor of the antenna in such a manner prevents the occurrence of a standing wave and thereby maintains the uniformity of the plasma within the vacuum chamber. In addition, the plate-shaped conductorimproves the heat-releasing efficiency, which also contributes to the suppression of the impedance.

Plasma generator, plasma control method, and method of producing substrate

A high frequency power supplying device and a plasma generation device using the same includes: two or more inductive antennas; high frequency power sources, respectively supplying power to the antennas; and a vacuum chamber on which the antennas are provided so as to generate a plasma by inductive coupling with high frequency power, wherein each of the high frequency power sources is positioned close to a corresponding antenna. On this account, it is possible to reduce unevenness in high frequency voltages generated in the antennas. Thus, even when a diameter and a volume of the plasma generation section are made larger, it is possible to generate much more uniform plasma, thereby stabilizing (i) thin film formation processes based on the plasma and (ii) plasma ion implantation processes.

High frequency power supply device and plasma generator

The whole antenna conductor is housed in the interior of a vacuum container of a plasma generator thereby to eliminate the need for an insulating partition or a top plate so that the whole induction field radiated from the antenna can be effectively utilized. Furthermore, the occurrence of abnormal discharge is suppressed to stabilize a high-density plasma by reducing the inductance of the antenna and covering the antenna conductor with an insulator.

Plasma generator

Growing community of inventors

Suita, Japan

Yuichi Setsuhara