Plasma processing method and apparatus

A plasma processing method comprising:

• supplying electric power to a high frequency electrode;
• making another electrode have a ground potential while supplying gas to a plasma source for processing an object to be processed at a pressure in a range of 10000 Pa to approximately three atmospheres;
• processing a part of the object to be processed with a plasma, while supplying electric power to the high frequency electrode, wherein an area defined by an entire surface of the high frequency or the grounded electrode, which is arranged in a position opposite to the plasma source via the object to be processed, is smaller than an area defined by the perimeter of a surface of the plasma source superposed on the object to be processed, and the longest linear dimension of the surface of the high frequency or grounded electrode, which is arranged in the position opposite to the plasma source via the object to be processed, is shorter than the longest linear dimension within the area defined by the perimeter of the surface of the plasma source that is superposed on the object to be processed such that the area of the high frequency or grounded electrode that opposes the plasma source is smaller than the area defined by the perimeter of the surface of the plasma source that is superposed on the object,
• wherein the high frequency or grounded electrode, which is arranged in the position opposite to the plasma source via the object to be processed, includes a plurality of electrodes which are movable relative to the object to be processed;
• and
• moving the high frequency or grounded electrode, which is arranged in the position opposite to the plasma source via the object to be processed, toward or away from the object and controlling the electric potential of less than all of the plurality of electrodes to generate plasma on the object in a desired configuration.