US 7,071,442 B2Granted

Plasma processing apparatus

AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited

InventorsNobuo Ishii, Kibatsu Shinohara

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing container 53, a mounting table 61 arranged in the processing container 53 to support a wafer W, a sealing plate 55 opposed to the wafer W supported by the mounting table 61, an annular antenna 73 arranged on the sealing plate 55 and consisting of an annular waveguide to introduce a microwave into the processing container 53 through the sealing plate 55, the annular antenna 73 being arranged so that a plane containing an annular waveguide path defined by the annular waveguide is generally parallel with the sealing plate 55, a directional coupler 79 arranged on the periphery of the annular antenna 73, a propagation waveguide 81 connected to the directional coupler 79 and a microwave oscillator 83 connected to the propagation waveguide 81. “Accordingly, it is possible to form an uniform microwave in the antenna, so that an uniform plasma can be produced in the processing container”.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:

a processing container in form of a cylinder with a bottom;
a supporting unit disposed in the processing container to support an object to be processed;
a high-frequency wave generator for supplying a high-frequency wave;
a propagation waveguide having a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to the high-frequency wave generator;
a circularly-polarized wave converter arranged between the first end and the second end of the propagation waveguide to rotate the high-frequency wave propagated in the propagation waveguide about an axis of the propagation waveguide;
a plurality of branched waveguides connected to the second end of the propagation waveguide;
and
an annular waveguide to which the branched waveguides are connected at different angular positions about the axis of the propagation waveguide, the annular waveguide having a plurality of slots, through each of which a high-frequency traveling wave traveling circumferentially in the annular waveguide is supplied to the processing chamber.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/009,086Filed 13 Dec 2004 · continuation
Priority: JP 2000-31381113 Oct 2000
Published: US 2005/0173382 A111 Aug 2005
Granted: 4 Jul 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

H01J 37/32229
Means for coupling power to the plasma: waveguides
H01J 37/32192
Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources: microwave generated discharge
H01J 37/32293
Microwave generated discharge: using particular waveforms, e.g. polarised waves
H01J
Electric discharge tubes or discharge lamps

Family

Application09/975,067Parent of this continuation · filed 12 Oct 2001
US 2005/0173382 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 Aug 2005
US 6,847,003 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2002/0050486 A1Published application
US 7,071,442 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.