Vacuum processing apparatus and vacuum processing method

Abstract

The invention provides a vacuum processing apparatus having a function for removing particles on the surface of the sample stage in order to improve the yield of the sample being processed. The vacuum processing apparatus comprises a processing chamber 104 disposed in a vacuum reactor and having plasma formed in the interior thereof, a sample stage 113 placed below the processing chamber 104 and having a sample 102 to be processed placed on the upper plane thereof for processing, and a gas introducing mechanism placed at an upper portion of the processing chamber 104 and having introduction holes for introducing processing gas into the processing chamber, wherein the sample stage 113 comprises grooves 117 and a gas supply port 119 for introducing thermal conductance gas 118 between the sample stage and the sample 102 to be processed, and a mechanism for introducing dust removal gas 120 through the gas supply port 119 between the sample stage 113 and the sample 102 to be processed or a dummy sample 202 having substantially the same shape as the sample to be processed placed on the sample stage 113 within the vacuum reactor, by which particles 201 attached to the sample stage 113 are removed via hydrodynamic force by the dust removal gas 120.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.