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AssigneesShoji Miyake, Akinori Ebe, Japan Science and Technology Agency
InventorsShoji Miyake, Akinori Ebe, Tatsuo Shoji, Yuichi Setsuhara
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The present invention aims to provide a plasma generator capable of creating a spatially uniform distribution of high-density plasma. This object is achieved by the following construction. Multiple antennas are located on the sidewall of a vacuum chamber, and a RF power source is connected to three or four antennas in parallel via a plate-shaped conductor. The length of the conductor of each antenna is shorter than the quarter wavelength of the induction electromagnetic wave generated within the vacuum chamber. Setting the length of the conductor of the antenna in such a manner prevents the occurrence of a standing wave and thereby maintains the uniformity of the plasma within the vacuum chamber. In addition, the plate-shaped conductor improves the heat-releasing efficiency, which also contributes to the suppression of the impedance.
A plasma generator, comprising:
A plasma generator comprising:
A plasma generator comprising:
A plasma control method using a plasma generator having multiple RF antennas located within a vacuum chamber comprising four sidewalls, said antennas being arranged on each of the four sidewalls of the vacuum chamber and surrounding the vacuum chamber, and roughly parallel to a stage on which a base plate is to be placed, and having a plate-shaped conductor connected to the multiple RF antennas in parallel and arranged outside the vacuum chamber, wherein a state of plasma is controlled by regulating a distance between a connection point at which the power source supplying the power to the RF antennas is connected to the plate-shaped conductor and each connection point at which each RF antenna is connected to the plate-shaped conductor.
A plasma control method using a plasma generator having multiple RF antennas located within a vacuum chamber, said antennas being arranged on one or both of a sidewall and a ceiling wall of the vacuum chamber and roughly parallel to a stage on which a base plate is to be placed, wherein an aspect ratio of an RF antenna located at a position corresponding to a target range of the stage is set to a larger value than that of an other RF antenna so as to increase a plasma density or an electron energy at the target area.
A plasma control method using a plasma generator having multiple RF antennas located within a vacuum chamber, said antennas being arranged on one or both of a sidewall and a ceiling wall of the vacuum chamber and roughly parallel to a stage on which a base plate is to be placed, a measurement unit for measuring a voltage or current of each RF antenna arranged in proximity to an RF antenna that has a projected portion projecting to an outside of the vacuum chamber, the measurement unit includes a pick-up coil for detecting a current of the RF antenna within its proximity and a capacitor, wherein the pick-up coil and the capacitor are located close to the projected portion, wherein an impedance element that has a variable impedance value for regulating a current or a voltage of each RF antenna is connected to each of the RF antennas and a controller is used for setting the variable impedance value on the basis of the voltage or current measured with the measurement unit, and a plasma density distribution within the vacuum chamber is controlled by regulating the impedance value of each impedance element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.