Plasma processing apparatus

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus includes a high-frequency electric field generating mechanism, having a pair of opposing electrodes arranged in a reaction vessel, for generating a high-frequency electric field between the electrodes, and a magnetic field generating mechanism constituted by a magnetic field generating coil arranged outside the reaction vessel to generate a magnetic field which does not spatially overlap the high-frequency electric field generated by the high-frequency electric field generating mechanism. When a reaction gas is supplied into the reaction vessel, and a high-frequency power is supplied to the magnetic field generating coil, a plasma is produced by a magnetic field formed in the form of a solenoid. Since the magnetic field does not spatially overlap the high-frequency electric field generated by the high-frequency electric field generating mechanism, a plasma density and ion energy can be independently controlled during dry etching for a wafer, and the influence of a magnetic field on the wafer can be prevented.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.