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AssigneeHitachi Kokusai Electric Inc.
InventorsTomohiko Takeda, Ken Sugihara, Katsuyoshi Hamano, Teruo Yoshino, Nobuo Ishimaru
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To effectively prevent a micro arc causing damage to an apparatus and a substrate, by detecting a generation of the micro arc. A substrate processing apparatus is constituted so as to generate a plasma P, by applying a high frequency power to an electrode 210 provided in a processing chamber 200 from a high frequency power supply part 100 through a matching unit 300. A directional coupler 121 is provided between a high frequency power source 111 and the matching unit 300, so that a reflected wave reflected from the electrode 210 and a traveling wave advancing toward the electrode 210 are coupled to a detector 122. The detector 122 outputs a detection signal, when a level of a reflected wave Pr and a differential level thereof exceed each set value. In order to place an initial period of discharge out of a detection period, a delay traveling wave, which is a delayed traveling wave, is also outputted. A controller 130 determines the generation of a harmful micro arc, when coincidence of three detection signals outputted from the detector 122 is obtained, supplies an RF cut signal to a CPU 116, and temporarily stops or temporarily decreases a high frequency power from the high frequency power source 111.
A substrate processing apparatus, which has a high frequency power supply part with a controllable high frequency power source, applies a high frequency power from the high frequency power source to a discharge electrode provided in a processing chamber through a matching unit, and generates a plasma in the processing chamber, comprising:
A substrate processing method for processing a substrate by inserting a substrate in a processing chamber, exhausting an atmosphere out of the processing chamber while introducing the gas thereinto, applying the high frequency power to the discharge electrode from the high frequency power source through a matching unit, and thereby generating a plasma in the processing chamber, wherein an application of the high frequency power is controlled to make it possible to:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.