Plasma processing apparatus

Abstract

In a plasma processing apparatus including an electrode 6 provided within a processing chamber 1, an induction coil 10 and a ring-shaped electrically conductive cover 11 in contact with the induction coil both provided through an insulating material 9 in an upper portion of the processing chamber 1, and a high-frequency power supply 13 to supply power to the induction coil 10, an induced current is generated in the ring-shaped conductor 11 by the induction coil 10 and a plasma is subjected to induction heating by the induced current flowing through the conductor 11. An induction field generated by the induction coil 10 is shielded so that the induction field does not leak to a region in which a plasma is generated. The current which performs the induction heating of the plasma is the current flowing through the ring-shaped conductor 11, and because unlike a usual coil this conductor has no end, complete circumferential uniformity of a plasma is realized.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.