Hollow-anode glow discharge apparatus

Chemically-dominated substrate surface processing apparatus, comprising:

• a reaction vessel;
• at least first and second spaced-apart electrodes mounted in the reaction vessel and defining a substrate surface processing medium forming region between the first and second spaced-apart electrodes;
• a substrate holder for holding a substrate proximate one of said electrodes;
• a gas injector for injecting reactants into the reaction vessel;
• a source of electrical excitation;
• coupling means connected between the source of electrical excitation and said at least first and second spaced-apart electrodes to induce a hollow-anode glow discharge in one of said electrodes;
• said one of said electrodes having at least one hole thereinthrough in which said hollow-anode glow discharge occurs;
• said one of said at least first and second electrodes having a preselected non-planar profile that departs from planarity in a manner selected to provide substantial uniformity of substrate surface processing over the entire surface of the substrate.

Low-pressure substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

• a reaction vessel;
• at least first and second spaced-apart electrodes mounted in the reaction vessel and defining a substrate surface processing medium forming region between the first and second spaced-apart electrodes;
• a substrate holder for releasably holding a substrate proximate one of said first and second spaced-apart electrodes;
• a gas injector for injecting substrate surface processing reactants into the reaction vessel;
• a source of electrical excitation;
• coupling means connected between the source of electrical excitation and the first and second spaced-apart electrodes for inducing a hollow-anode glow discharge in one of said at least first and second electrodes;
• pressure control means for selectively establishing a preselected pressure;
• said one of said electrodes having at least one hole thereinthrough in which said hollow-anode glow discharge occurs, where each of the at least one holes has a preselected width selected to be larger than four and nine tenths (4.9) mm.

Low-pressure, selected-energy ion-dominated and/or chemically-dominated substrate surface processing apparatus, comprising:

• a reaction vessel;
• a high energy source providing high-energy ions;
• first and second electrodes spaced apart from each other and the high-energy source and mounted in the reaction vessel defining a first processing medium forming region between the high-energy source and one of the first and second spaced-apart electrodes and defining a second substrate surface processing medium forming region between said first and second spaced-apart electrodes;
• a holder for releasably holding a substrate proximate one of said first and second spaced-apart electrodes;
• a source of electrical excitation;
• coupling means connected between the source of electrical excitation and said first and second spaced-apart electrodes for inducing a hollow-anode glow discharge in one of the first and second electrodes and for selecting ions of particular energy from the first processing medium forming region to be moved to the second processing medium forming region;
• said one of the first and second electrodes having at least one hole thereinthrough in which the hollow-anode glow discharge occurs and through which the high-energy ions produced by the high-energy source in the first substrate processing medium forming region communicate with the second substrate surface processing medium forming region and synergistically enhance the hollow-anode glow discharge in said one of the electrodes by providing a larger percentage of ions of the particular energy selected in the second substrate surface processing medium forming region than would otherwise be present therein absent the high-energy-density source.