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AssigneeNone recorded
InventorsHitoshi Murayama, Shigenori Ueda, Shinji Tsuchida, Makoto Aoki, Tomohito Ozawa
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In a plasma processing method for processing an object which is placed in a reactor container, by decomposing a raw material gas in the reactor container using a high frequency power outputted from a high power supply and introduced into the reactor container via a matching device and an electrode, the adjustment of impedance by the matching device during plasma processing is controlled within a predetermined impedance variable range, and the impedance variable range is changed as plasma processing proceeds. Another plasma processing method employing a plurality of power supply systems having high frequency power supplies and matching devices capable of changing impedances and controlling the adjustment of impedance by at least one of the matching devices during plasma processing within a predetermined impedance variable range. A plasma processing apparatus using a plurality of power supply systems having matching circuits capable of changing impedances and control systems for controlling the impedances of the matching circuits, and the control system is capable of storing a variable range setting value for limiting an impedance variable range.
A plasma processing method comprising introducing a high frequency power outputted from a high frequency power supply into a reactor container via a matching device and an electrode, decomposing a raw material gas introduced into said reactor container by means of the high frequency power and processing an object to be processed which is placed in the reactor container,
A plasma processing method comprising introducing high frequency powers into a reactor container via electrodes from a plurality of power supply systems having high frequency power supplies and matching devices capable of changing impedances, decomposing a raw material gas introduced into said reactor container by means of said high frequency powers, and plasma processing a substrate to be processed which is placed in said reactor container,
A plasma processing apparatus comprising a reactor container for plasma processing a substrate to be processed, raw material gas supplying means for supplying a raw material gas to said reactor container, and a plurality of power supply systems for supplying high frequency powers to said reactor container,
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Plasma diagnostics: monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources: radio frequency generated…
Frequency modulation: plural frequencies
Circuits specially adapted for controlling the RF discharge: matching circuits
Term end not estimated
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma processing method and a plasma processing apparatus using the high frequency power for use in formation of a deposition film and etching in a semiconductor device, an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a line sensor for image input, a photographing device, a photovoltaic device or the like, or for use in cleaning and the like in a plasma processing apparatus after formation of a deposition film.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 1 shows an outline of a configuration in a matching device (matching box) capable of being used in the plasma processing method of the present invention;
FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams showing an example of an apparatus (plasma processing apparatus) for producing light-receiving members for electrophotography based on a VHF plasma CVD method using the VHF band;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the apparatus (plasma processing apparatus) for producing light-receiving members for electrophotography based on the plasma CVD method using the RF band;
According to the present invention, the adjustment of impedance by a matching device is carried out properly and stably, thus making it possible to achieve the improvement of plasma processing characteristics, the improvement of reproducibility of plasma processing characteristics and the reduction in costs for plasma processing.
The present invention will be described in detail below.
According to the present invention, since the adjustment of impedance by the matching device is carried out within a predetermined impedance variable range, the adjustment of impedance of the matching circuit is carried out only within the impedance variable range even if the load impedance is significantly changed due to abnormal discharge or the like, and therefore there is no significant deviation from the normal impedance, thus making it possible to prevent problems such that the abnormal discharge is promoted, and that it takes much time for the impedance to return to a proper value after the abnormal discharge occurs. In addition, the present invention is characterized in that this impedance variable range is changed as the plasma processing proceeds. This is to deal with the situation in which conditions in the reactor container, for example conditions of wall surfaces in the early stage of plasma processing differ from those after the plasma processing somewhat proceeds, and consequently the load impedance is changed as the plasma processing proceeds. When the adjustment of impedance is carried out within the same impedance variable range throughout plasma processing, the impedance variable range should be set to be wide for dealing with the situation in which the load impedance is changed as the plasma processing proceeds. As a result, the adjustment of impedance may not be achieved properly and stably. Therefore, the present invention is characterized in that the adjustment of impedance by the matching device is carried out within a predetermined impedance variable range, and the impedance variable range is changed as the plasma processing proceeds, and this feature allows the stability of plasma to be further improved, thus making it possible to achieve the improvement of plasma processing characteristics, the improvement of reproducibility of plasma processing characteristics and the reduction in costs for plasma processing.