The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 28, 2004
Filed:
Aug. 28, 2002
Ichiro Sasaki, Ichikawa, JP;
Toshio Masuda, Toride, JP;
Muneo Furuse, Kudamatsu, JP;
Hideyuki Yamamoto, Kudamatsu, JP;
Hitchi High-Technologies Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
The present apparatus comprises a vacuum process chamber that contains an upper electrode having a conductive plate with gas supply holes for supplying a process gas and a lower electrode having a platform on which a sample is to be mounted; process gas supply means for supplying the process gas to the gas supply holes in the upper electrode and exhaust means for exhausting the vacuum process chamber; a high frequency power supply for applying a high frequency power to the upper electrode to generate a plasma between the upper and lower electrodes; a high frequency bias power supply for applying a high frequency power to the upper electrode to generate a direct current bias potential in the upper electrode; and abnormal discharge determination means for determining whether an abnormal discharge has occurred or not based on the direct current bias potential generated in the upper electrode.