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AssigneeDAIHEN Corporation
InventorsAkira Ishii, Syoichiro Minomo, Michio Taniguchi, Masato Sugiyo
Estimating the term…
In a plasma processing apparatus including a plasma chamber having a strip-shaped rectangular window having a longitudinal length formed in a side wall of the plasma chamber, an object to be processed is provided within the plasma chamber so as to be close to the window. The plasma processing apparatus includes a coupling rectangular waveguide having a strip-shaped rectangular slit formed in an E-plane thereof so as to extend in a direction of an axis thereof, wherein the coupling rectangular waveguide is provided so that the direction of the axis of the coupling rectangular waveguide is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the window of the plasma chamber. A coupling member made of a material for propagating a microwave is mounted between the slit of the coupling rectangular waveguide and the window of the plasma chamber, and electromagnetically couples the slit with the window in an airtight state. Further, a microwave generating unit is connected to the coupling rectangular waveguide to generate and supply a microwave into the coupling rectangular waveguide, thereby propagating the microwave through the slit of the coupling rectangular waveguide, the coupling member and the window of the plasma chamber into the plasma chamber.
A plasma processing apparatus comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
Means for coupling power to the plasma: waveguides
Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources: microwave generated discharge
Means for coupling power to the plasma: windows
Microwave generated discharge: means for controlling power transmitted to the plasma
Term ended 12 Feb 2013 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus for generating a uniform strip-shaped plasma, and more particularly, to a plasma processing apparatus for performing a plasma process such as a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, an ashing process, a sputtering process, an etching process or the like by projecting a generated plasma onto an object to be processed, wherein the plasma is generated by supplying a microwave within a plasma chamber in which a predetermined processing gas is contained at a predetermined pressure.
2. Description of the Related Art
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become clear from the following description taken in conjunction with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings throughout which like parts are designated by like reference numerals, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing the whole composition of a plasma processing apparatus of a first preferred embodiment according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view partially including a cross sectional view of a coupling rectangular waveguide 16 for coupling with a plasma chamber 18 and peripheral components thereof shown in FIG. 1;
The preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.
FIGS. 1 to 4 show a plasma processing apparatus of a first preferred embodiment according to the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, the plasma processing apparatus comprises a microwave generator 11 for generating a microwave, an output end of which is connected through an isolator 12, a directional coupler 13, an automatic impedance matching unit 14 and a corner rectangular waveguide 15 to one end of a rectangular waveguide 16 (referred to as a coupling rectangular waveguide hereinafter) for electromagnetically coupling with a plasma chamber 18. Another end of the coupling rectangular waveguide 16 is connected with a dummy load 17 for absorbing an extra remaining energy of the microwave. The dummy load 17 has not only an introduction port 17a through which a cooling water is flowed into the dummy load 17 but also an exhaust port 17b through which the exhaust cooling water is flowed therefrom. In the dummy load 17, the extra remaining energy of the microwave is absorbed by the cooling water flowed through the introduction port 17a thereinto, and then the cooling water heated by the microwave is flowed out therefrom through the exhaust port 17b.