Ion generation apparatus and thin film forming apparatus and ion source utilizing the ion generation apparatus

A thin film forming apparatus, comprising:

• a vacuum chamber including a vacuum waveguide having a microwave introduction window at one end thereof, said microwave introduction window being connected to a microwave waveguide, a cylindrical plasma generation chamber having a diameter and a length sufficient to define a microwave cavity resonator for causing the resonance of a microwave to be introduced, an end portion of said plasma generation chamber and a specimen chamber having a substrate holder disposed therein, all of which are connected with each other in the order named, and further having a gas introduction inlet;
• a tubular target disposed along an inner wall of said plasma generation chamber and supplied with a negative voltage;
• and
• at least one pair of magnetic field producing means disposed so as to surround said vacuum waveguide and said end portion of said plasma generation chamber so that a mirror field is produced in such a way that the strength of the magnetic field in said plasma generation chamber has a minimum in the neighborhood of the center of said plasma generation chamber.

An ion source, comprising:

• a vacuum chamber including a vacuum waveguide having a microwave introduction window at one end thereof, said microwave introduction window being connected to a microwave waveguide, a cylindrical plasma generation chamber having a diameter and a length sufficient to define a microwave cavity resonator for causing the resonance of a microwave to be introduced, an end portion of said plasma generation chamber and a specimen chamber having a substrate holder disposed therein, all of which are connected to each other in the order named, and further having a gas introduction inlet;
• a tubular target disposed along an inner wall of said plasma generation chamber and supplied with a negative voltage;
• at least one pair of magnetic field producing means disposed so as to surround said vacuum waveguide and said end portion of said plasma chamber so that a mirror field is produced in such a way that the strength of the magnetic field in said plasma chamber has a minimum in the neighborhood of the center of said plasma generation chamber;
• and
• an ion extraction mechanism which is disposed at said end portion of said plasma generation chamber to selectively extract ions which are obtained by sputtering of said target and are ionized within plasma.

An ion generation apparatus, comprising:

• a vacuum chamber which includes
• a plasma generation chamber having a first end and a second end and having an axis which runs through the ends, the second end of the plasma generation chamber having an aperture through which the axis extends, and
• means for introducing microwave energy at a predetermined frequency into the plasma generation chamber, the plasma generation chamber being dimensioned to provide a microwave cavity resonator for microwaves having the predetermined frequency;
• a tubular target having a first and a second end and having a passage between the first and second ends, the target being mounted in the plasma generation chamber so that the first end of the target is disposed adjacent the first end of the plasma generation chamber, the second end of the target is disposed adjacent the second end of the plasma generation chamber, and the axis of the plasma generation chamber extends through the passage, the target being supplied with a negative voltage;
• a first annular magnet mounted at the first end of the plasma generation chamber so as to be coaxial with respect to the axis of the plasma generation chamber;
• and
• a second annular magnet mounted at the second end of the plasma generation chamber so as to be coaxial with respect to the axis of the plasma generation chamber,
• wherein the first and second magnets produce a magnetic field within the passage of the tubular target, the strength of the magnetic field within the passage of the tubular target having a minimum value at a position between the ends of the tubular target.