Plasma process apparatus with low particle contamination and method of operating the same

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a plasma process apparatus with low particle contamination and a method of operating the same, wherein the plasma process apparatus comprises a chamber body and a liner, wherein a dielectric window is provided above the liner; the chamber body, the liner, and the dielectric window enclose a reaction space; a base for placing a wafer is provided at a bottom portion inside the reaction space; a vacuum pump device for pumping a gas out of the reaction space and maintaining a low pressure therein is provided below the base; a shutter for shuttering between an opening on a chamber body sidewall and an opening on a liner sidewall is provided inside the chamber body, for blocking contamination particles in the gas from flowing from a transfer module to the reaction space; a groove is provided at a lower portion of the liner, wherein a flowing space enclosed by a liner outer wall below the shutter and a chamber body inner wall is in communication with an inner space of the liner via the groove to form a gas flow path, such that the contamination particles entering the flowing space are pumped away by the vacuum pump device via the gas flow path. The present disclosure may not only keep the current wafer free from being contaminated, but also may reduce contamination for a next wafer transfer; besides, it enables introduction of clean air to make the contamination particles carried out of the reaction space with a more significant effect and a higher efficiency.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.