Tokyo Electron Limited

Other

Nagano Japan Radio Co., Ltd.

Yuki Osada

Taro Ikeda

Shigeru Kasai

Hiroyuki Miyashita

Takashi Ogino

Yutaka Fujino

Tomohito Komatsu

Toshiaki Kitamura

Koichi Rokuyama

Nobuhiko Yamamoto

Hikaru Adachi

Jun Nakagomi

Susumu Saito

Satoru Kawakami

Eiki Kamata

Mikio Sato

Mitsutoshi Ashida

Hiroyuki Kobayashi

Kiyoshi Mori

Mitsuya Inoue

Yoshiyuki Harima

Hiroyuki Onoda

Akira Tanihara

Kazuhiro Furuki

Emiko Hara

Fumio Yamada

Akihiro Kubota

Isao Takahashi

There is provided a plasma source comprising a first chamber configured to form a flat first plasma generation space, and having a first wall and a second wall, a gas supply configured to supply gas into the first chamber, an electromagnetic wave supply having a dielectric window that is provided in an opening provided in the first wall to face the first plasma generation space, and configured to supply an electromagnetic wave through the dielectric window into the first chamber. The plasma source comprises a plasma supply configured to supply radicals contained in plasma that is generated from the gas supplied into the first chamber by the electromagnetic wave to an outside of the first chamber, and a plasma ignition source provided in the first chamber to protrude from an inner wall of the second wall facing the dielectric window and to be separated from the dielectric window.

Plasma source and plasma processing apparatus

A plasma processing apparatus includes: a processing container; a resonator configured to resonate electromagnetic waves to be supplied; a slot antenna connected to the resonator; and a transmission window configured to transmit the electromagnetic waves radiated from the slot antenna and supply the electromagnetic waves into the processing container, wherein the resonator includes: an input port including an inner shaft and an outer cylinder; an output port including an inner shaft and an outer cylinder; a power supply fin connecting the inner shaft of the input port and the inner shaft of the output port and provided in the resonator; and a ground fin connected to the outer cylinder of the input port and the outer cylinder of the output port at a same potential and provided to protrude within the resonator so as to be inserted between fins of the power supply fin.

Plasma processing apparatus

A method of controlling plasma includes providing a plasma processing apparatus that includes N microwave introducing radiators disposed in a circumferential direction of a ceiling plate of a processing container so as to introduce microwaves for generating plasma into the processing container, wherein N≥2; and M sensors and configured to monitor at least one of electron density Ne and electron temperature Te of the plasma generated in the processing container, wherein M equals to N or a multiple of N. The method further includes controlling at least one of a power and a phase of the microwaves introduced from the microwave introducing radiators based on at least one of electron density Ne and electron temperature Te of the plasma monitored by the M sensors.

Plasma processing apparatus and control method

A directional coupler includes: a hollow coaxial line including a central conductor forming a main line and an outer conductor surrounding the central conductor and having an opening formed therein; a dielectric substrate covering the opening and provided with film-shaped ground conductors, wherein a film-shaped ground conductor covers a rear surface of the dielectric substrate facing the central conductor via the opening and a film-shaped ground conductor covers a front surface of the dielectric substrate, respectively, and are grounded; and a coupling line provided on the rear surface of the dielectric substrate in a region surrounded by the ground conductor formed on the rear surface and serving as an auxiliary line, wherein the ground conductor formed on the front surface is provided with a conductor-removed portion in which a portion of a conductor film in a region facing the coupling line via the dielectric substrate is removed.

Directional coupler for use in a substrate processing apparatus, where the directional coupler includes a coaxial line coupled to a conductor on a substrate

An electric field sensor includes a probe, a cylindrical probe guide, an insulating member, a preload spring and a connector. The probe serves as an inner conductor of a coaxial transmission path and has a portion forming a monopole antenna at a tip end to be in constant contact with a microwave transmission window by a pressing force of a built-in spring thereof. The probe guide is disposed at an outer side of the probe and serves as an outer conductor of the coaxial transmission path. The insulating member is disposed between the probe and the probe guide. The preload spring preloads the probe guide downward and presses the probe guide so that the tip end of the probe guide comes in constant contact with the planar slot antenna. The connector is connected to the probe and the probe guide to connect coaxial signal cables for extracting signals.

Electric field sensor, surface wave plasma source, and surface wave plasma processing apparatus

A plasma probe device includes an antenna unit installed at an opening formed in a wall of a processing chamber or a mounting table through a sealing member configured to seal between a vacuum space and an atmospheric space, an electrode connected to the antenna unit, and a dielectric support portion made of a dielectric material and configured to support the antenna unit from an outer peripheral side. A surface of the antenna unit which is exposed through the opening and separated from a facing surface of the wall or the mounting table facing the antenna unit by a width is depressed from a surface of the wall or the mounting table where the opening is formed, which faces a plasma generation space.

Plasma probe device and plasma processing apparatus

Provided is a plasma processing apparatus including: a plurality of gas supply nozzles which are provided on a wall surface of a processing container and supply process gas toward the inside of the processing container in a radial direction; N microwave introducing modules of which the number disposed in a circumferential direction of a ceiling plate of the processing container so as to introduce microwaves for generating plasma into the processing container, in which N&#x2265;2; and M sensors provided on the wall surface of the processing container so as to monitor at least any one of electron density Ne and electron temperature Te of the plasma generated in the processing container, in which M equals to N or a multiple of N.

Provided is a plasma processing apparatus including a microwave radiating mechanism configured to radiate microwaves output from a microwave output unit into a processing container. The microwave radiating mechanism includes: an antenna configured to radiate the microwaves; a dielectric member configured to transmit the microwaves radiated from the antenna, and form an electric field for generating surface wave plasma by the microwaves; a sensor provided in the microwave radiating mechanism or adjacent to the microwave radiating mechanism, and configured to monitor electron temperature of the generated plasma; and a controller configured to determine a plasma ignition state based on the electron temperature of the plasma monitored by the sensor.

A plasma processing device processes a substrate by generating plasma using a surface wave formed on a surface of a shower plate by a supplied microwave, which includes a plasma generating antenna equipped with the shower plate for supplying first and second gases into a processing vessel, and a drooping member installed to protrude downward from a lower end surface of the shower plate. An outer surface of the drooping member spreads outward as it goes from a top end to a bottom end thereof. The shower plate includes first and second gas supply holes through which the first and second gases are supplied into the processing vessel, respectively. The first gas supply holes are disposed inward of the outer surface of the drooping member. The second gas supply holes are disposed outward of the outer surface of the drooping member.

Plasma processing device with shower plate having protrusion for suppressing film formation in gas holes of shower plate

A plasma processing apparatus () includes a processing container () and a microwave introduction device () having a plurality of microwave introduction modules (). A microwave is introduced for each of the plurality of microwave introduction modules (), and S-parameters for each of combinations of the plurality of microwave introduction modules () are obtained based on the introduced microwave and a reflected microwave reflected from the processing container () into the plurality of microwave introduction modules ().

Acquisition method for S-parameters in microwave introduction modules, and malfunction detection method

A microwave radiation antenna includes an antenna body having a microwave radiation surface; a processing gas inlet configured to introduce a processing gas into the antenna body; a gas diffusion space configured to diffuse the processing gas in the antenna body; a plurality of gas outlets provided in the antenna body and configured to discharge the processing gas into the chamber; a plurality of slots provided in the antenna body under a state where the slots are separated from the gas diffusion space and the gas outlets; and an annular dielectric member provided in the microwave radiation surface side of the antenna body to cover a slot formation region where the slots are formed. A metal surface wave is formed in the microwave radiation surface by the microwave radiated through the slots and the annular dielectric member and a surface wave plasma is generated by the metal surface wave.

Microwave radiation antenna, microwave plasma source and plasma processing apparatus

A microwave emission mechanism includes: a transmission path through which a microwave is transmitted; and an antenna section that emits into a chamber the microwave transmitted through the transmission path. The antenna section includes an antenna having a slot through which the microwave is emitted, a dielectric member through which the microwave emitted from the antenna is transmitted and a closed circuit in which a surface current and a displacement current flow. A surface wave is formed in a surface of the dielectric member. The closed circuit has at least: an inner wall of the slot; and the surface and an inner portion of the dielectric member. When a wavelength of the microwave is &#x3bb;, a length of the closed circuit is n&#x3bb;&#xb1;&#x3b4;, where n is a positive integer and &#x3b4; is a fine-tuning component including 0.

Microwave emission mechanism, microwave plasma source and surface wave plasma processing apparatus

A tuner () includes a microwave transmission path (), having a coaxial structure, configured to transmit a supplied microwave to a planar slot antenna (); slugs () and (made of a dielectric material and configured to be moved along the microwave transmission path (); a slug driving unit () configured to move the slugs () and () along the microwave transmission path (); and a control unit () configured to perform impedance matching by controlling positions of the slugs such that they are located at a matching position where a reflection coefficient is small, and configured to control, based on a state of the plasma, a matching track through which the slugs () and () reach the matching position.

Tuner, microwave plasma source and impedance matching method

The microwave introducing mechanism includes an antenna unit having a planar antenna radiating a microwave into a chamber; a tuner for performing impedance matching; and a heat dissipation device for dissipating a heat from the antenna unit. The tuner has a tuner main body including a tubular outer conductor and a tubular inner conductor to serve as a part of a microwave transmission line; slugs provided between the outer conductor and the inner conductor to be movable along a longitudinal direction of the inner conductor; and a driving device for moving the slugs. The heat dissipation device has a heat pipe configured to transfer the heat of the antenna unit from its heat input end to its heat dissipation end.

Microwave introducing mechanism, microwave plasma source and microwave plasma processing apparatus

An electromagnetic-radiation power-supply mechanism includes a microwave power introduction port provided on the side of the coaxial waveguide, a power line being connected to the microwave power introduction port; and a power supply antenna for radiating the electromagnetic wave power into the waveguide, the power supply antenna being connected to the power line. The power supply antenna includes an antenna body having a first pole connected to the power line and a second pole connected to an inner conductor of the waveguide; and a ring-shaped reflection portion extending from opposite sides of the antenna body.

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Nirasaki, Japan

Yuki Osada