JP2002053967A - Vacuum treating apparatus and vacuum treating method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To generate uniform glow discharge on plural substrates 7 and to perform a plasma vacuum treatment with uniform characteristics. SOLUTION: The inside of a shield space formed by an earth shield 19 is provided with a cathode electrode 1 connected to a high frequency power source 20 and plural reaction vessels 6 in which at least a part is formed of dielectrics. When high frequency electric power is fed to the cathode electrode 1, glow discharge is respectively independently generated on the insides of the plural reaction chambers 6. At this time, since glow discharge regions are separated, the interference of the waves of high frequency electric power generated on substrates 7 among the substrates 7 in the plural reaction vessels 6 can be suppressed, so that uniform glow discharge is generated, and plasma vacuum treatment with uniform characteristics can be performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plasma etching process on a substrate and a deposited film, particularly an amorphous film used for a semiconductor device, a light receiving member for electrophotography, a line sensor for image input, an imaging device, a photovoltaic device, and the like. The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus that performs processing such as layer formation using plasma.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, a so-called RF plasma process, in which plasma is generated by high frequency in an RF band to perform vacuum processing such as formation of a deposited film and etching, has been widely used. In this RF plasma process, a high frequency of 13.56 MHz is generally used. The RF plasma process is
It has the advantage of relatively easy control of discharge conditions and excellent film quality, but low gas decomposition efficiency,
There is a drawback that the etching rate and the deposition film formation rate are relatively low.

On the other hand, in recent years, a VHF plasma process using an ultrashort wave in a so-called VHF band, which has a higher frequency than the RF band, has attracted attention. The VHF plasma process is expected to be used as a vacuum processing method that can increase the deposition rate and the etching rate, particularly in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-243062 (hereinafter referred to as "Document 1") discloses an example of an apparatus for forming a deposited film using ultrashort waves in a VHF band. In this document 1, the tip of the electrode (the end opposite to the feeding point) is used in order to prevent the occurrence of standing waves on the electrode to induce unevenness (non-uniformity) in the characteristics of the deposited film. A method for adjusting the phase of the reflected wave at the same time is disclosed, and as an application example thereof, an example of an apparatus for simultaneously forming a deposited film on a plurality of substrates is disclosed. In Document 1, the use of such an apparatus is intended to make the characteristics of vacuum processing by the VHF plasma process uniform and to improve the productivity.

[0005]

In recent years, devices using various semiconductor devices have been improved in overall performance, and accordingly, demands for higher quality devices have been increasing. Is coming.

In particular, there is a demand for amorphous silicon (a-Si) photoreceptors in the field of electrophotography to have uniform characteristics over a larger area than other devices. In addition, in recent years, according to a change in the use of an electrophotographic apparatus, unevenness in characteristics of a photoconductor, particularly unevenness in light sensitivity, has attracted attention. The light sensitivity unevenness becomes apparent as density unevenness of a formed image particularly in a halftone image, a so-called halftone image. Light sensitivity unevenness is caused not only by the unevenness of the characteristics of the deposited film but also by the unevenness of the thickness of the deposited film. With respect to such unevenness, by using the technology disclosed in Document 1, it was possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of unevenness even in a VHF plasma CVD method having relatively high production efficiency.

However, regarding the electrophotographic apparatus,
There have been demands for improvement in copy speed, reduction in size of the electrophotographic apparatus main body, cost reduction, and the like. In response to this, attempts have been made to reduce the diameter of the photoreceptor itself and rapidly improve the process cycle. Under such circumstances, light sensitivity unevenness is more likely to occur than before.

Under these circumstances, it has been found that even when the technique disclosed in Reference 1 is used, the characteristic unevenness cannot always be sufficiently suppressed. For example, even if the capacitors at both ends of the electrodes are adjusted in order to prevent the generation of standing waves on the electrodes as disclosed in Document 1, the effect of ensuring sufficient uniformity of the characteristics is always obtained depending on the conditions. May not be possible. In particular, such a tendency becomes remarkable in an apparatus in which a plurality of substrates are provided in a discharge space.
It has also been found that the higher the VHF frequency, the more difficult it is to suppress the occurrence of unevenness.

[0009] Against this background, in recent years, improvement of a deposited film forming apparatus has been awaited in order to prevent the occurrence of characteristic unevenness and to supply a low-cost device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a vacuum process which is capable of performing a plasma process with less unevenness and uniform characteristics and which has excellent discharge uniformity and productivity. An object of the present invention is to provide a processing device.

Another object of the present invention is to produce a device with less characteristic unevenness and excellent uniformity.
It is to provide a vacuum processing method by a plasma process.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has a vacuum processing apparatus constructed as follows.

That is, the vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
A reaction container to which a conductive substrate can be mounted, a pressure inside can be maintained, a gas supply pipe for introducing a processing gas for the substrate into the inside, and a high-frequency power source are connected. High-frequency power supplied from a high-frequency power source and radiated from the cathode electrode, comprising at least one cathode electrode, a shield that covers a space containing the reaction vessel and the cathode electrode, and forms a shield space inside by electromagnetic shielding. A vacuum processing apparatus for decomposing the substrate processing gas and generating a glow discharge in the reaction vessel to perform plasma processing on the substrate, wherein the reaction vessel is at least partially formed of a dielectric, A plurality of cathode electrodes are arranged in the space, and the cathode electrode is arranged in the shielded space and outside the reaction vessel.

According to this configuration, the glow discharge region for generating the glow discharge can be formed inside the plurality of reaction vessels and independently for each of the plurality of reaction vessels.
Thereby, the high-frequency power wave generated on the substrate surface is transmitted through the glow discharge region, and the high-frequency power waves on the substrate surface arranged in the plurality of reaction vessels can be prevented from interfering with each other. By matching, the high-frequency power becomes non-uniform, the generated plasma becomes non-uniform, and the non-uniform substrate processing can be suppressed.

In a vacuum processing apparatus in which a glow discharge region is not separated, when a relatively high frequency, in particular, a high frequency power of 50 MHz or more is supplied to perform a vacuum process, a high frequency power wave generated on a plurality of substrate surfaces is reduced. Vacuum processing tends to be non-uniform due to interference. Therefore, the present invention can be suitably applied to a vacuum processing apparatus using high-frequency power having a frequency of 50 MHz or more. Further, in practice, it is difficult to generate glow discharge using high-frequency power having a frequency exceeding 450 MHz in the configuration of the present invention.
It is preferable to use high-frequency power having the following frequencies.

If a phase adjustment circuit for adjusting the phase of the reflected power is connected to the tip of the cathode electrode opposite to the feeding point,
The generation of a standing wave due to the interference between the incident wave and the reflected wave can be suppressed, the occurrence of plasma generation unevenness due to the generation of the standing wave can be prevented, and the vacuum processing can be performed more uniformly.

The dielectric material forming at least a part of the reaction vessel transmits the radiated power from the cathode electrode disposed outside the reaction vessel, and can reduce the radiated power without excessively increasing the temperature. It is desirable to be formed from a material that can transmit light, to have characteristics such as a small dielectric loss tangent and a high thermal conductivity, and to be inexpensive. Therefore, it is particularly preferable that at least a part of the dielectric is formed of any of alumina, aluminum nitride, and mullite.

In the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention, it is desirable that the cathode electrode is arranged to extend substantially along the center line of the shield space, and that a plurality of reaction vessels are arranged on a circle centered on the cathode electrode. . With such an arrangement, the high-frequency power radiated from the cathode electrode to the surroundings,
Since it is used for plasma generation in a reaction vessel arranged around, it can be efficiently supplied to plasma.
In addition, since each reaction vessel is located at substantially the same distance from the cathode electrode, variation in discharge between each reaction vessel can be reduced.

Further, the reaction vessel is disposed on a circle having a center at or near the center of the shield space, and the cathode electrode is placed on a circle having a center at or near the center of the shield space. A configuration in which the same number as the number, a half number, or an integer multiple number may be provided. With this configuration, the relative positions of the respective cathode electrodes with respect to the respective reaction vessels can be made substantially equivalent, and variations in discharge between the respective reaction vessels can be reduced.

Further, a plurality of shield spaces in which at least one cathode electrode and a plurality of reaction vessels are respectively arranged may be provided close to each other to form a single vacuum processing apparatus.
In this way, the high-frequency power supply means and the exhaust means used in each shield space can be shared by a plurality of shield spaces, and the plasma processing of a large number of substrates is performed simultaneously by a vacuum processing apparatus having a relatively simple configuration. can do.

According to the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention, an electrophotographic photosensitive member that needs to be formed so as to have uniform characteristics over a large area is formed by depositing an amorphous silicon layer on a cylindrical substrate. It is particularly suitably applicable to the device. That is, by applying the present invention to such an apparatus, a deposited film with small characteristic unevenness can be formed over a large area.

The vacuum processing method according to the present invention comprises a step of disposing a conductive substrate in a reaction vessel which is disposed in a shielded space which is electromagnetically shielded and whose inside can be kept under reduced pressure.
Bringing the inside of the reaction vessel into a desired reduced pressure state, introducing a substrate processing gas into the reaction vessel, supplying high-frequency power to at least one cathode electrode arranged in the shielded space, and radiating from the cathode electrode The high-frequency power is used to decompose the substrate processing gas to generate glow discharge,
Performing a plasma treatment on the substrate, wherein a plurality of reaction vessels at least partially formed of a dielectric material are arranged in a shielded space, and a cathode electrode is provided in the shielded space and outside the reaction vessel. In the plasma processing step, glow discharge regions that generate glow discharge are independently formed inside the plurality of reaction vessels, and the substrates are independently processed in the glow discharge regions separated from each other. It is characterized by the following.

In the vacuum processing method of the present invention, high-frequency power having a frequency of 50 MHz to 450 MHz can be suitably used for glow discharge.

Further, the vacuum processing method of the present invention can be used in a state where the cathode electrode has a phase adjustment circuit for adjusting the phase of the reflected power connected to the end opposite to the feeding point.

In the vacuum processing method of the present invention, if the plasma processing step is performed in a state in which one substrate is disposed in one reaction vessel, a high-frequency power wave generated on the surface of the substrate is generated.
It is possible to suppress interference between the substrates transmitted through the glow discharge region. Alternatively, a plurality of bases may be electrically connected to each other so that high-frequency power is propagated without causing a mismatch, and may be arranged in one base. In this case, the plurality of bases can be regarded as one body when the high-frequency propagation path is viewed as a circuit, and therefore, there is no interference of high-frequency power between the plurality of bases.

The vacuum processing method of the present invention can be suitably applied as a method for forming an electrophotographic photosensitive member by using a cylindrical substrate as a base and depositing an amorphous silicon layer on the base.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below, together with the circumstances leading to the completion of the present invention.

In the plasma CVD method, various causes can be cited as causes of unevenness. In the case of the plasma CVD method using high-frequency power, the most difficult to suppress unevenness is a high-frequency generated in the apparatus. Power bias. It is presumed that the bias of the high-frequency power occurs because a standing wave is generated at the cathode electrode due to interference between the incident wave and the reflected wave. Such standing waves tend to occur more easily as the frequency of the high-frequency power is higher and the area of the cathode electrode is larger.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a vacuum processing apparatus according to a comparative example of the present invention in which a plurality of substrates are provided in one discharge space. FIG. 8 (a) is a side sectional view, and FIG. 8
(B) is a plan sectional view. This apparatus has a reaction vessel 56 having a cylindrical side wall made of a dielectric and a circular lid 53. The inside of the reaction vessel 56 can be exhausted through an exhaust pipe 65 connected to the opening of the bottom plate 68 to be kept in a vacuum. In the reaction vessel 56, a rotation shaft 59 that penetrates the bottom plate 68 through a rotation bearing (not shown), is connected to a motor 62 via a gear 60, and is rotatable is provided on a concentric circle of a side wall of the reaction vessel 56. Four are arranged. A cylindrical base 57 is mounted on each rotating shaft 59 via a dummy holder 58 and a dummy 52. A heater 55 is arranged inside the base body 57. Near the inside of the side wall of the reaction vessel 56, a plurality of gas pipes 54 for introducing a substrate processing gas supplied through a gas supply pipe 72 into the reaction vessel 56 are provided.

Outside the reaction vessel 56, four rod-shaped cathode electrodes 51 for generating plasma are arranged on a concentric circle on the side wall of the reaction vessel 56. The cathode electrode 51 is
It is connected to a matching box 71 and a high frequency power supply 70 via a branch plate 75 and a connection terminal 79. A capacitor 80 for adjusting the phase of the reflected wave is provided at the tip of each cathode electrode 51 (on the side opposite to the connection point with the branch plate 75).
Is connected. The outermost wall of the device formed to cover the cathode electrode 51 is an earth shield 69.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 8 uses a dielectric on the side wall of the reaction vessel 56 and arranges the cathode 51 outside the reaction vessel 56.
Since the area of the member in contact with the plasma-processed substrate processing gas is reduced by the area of the cathode electrode 51 as compared with the case where the substrate processing gas is installed inside, the utilization efficiency of the substrate processing gas is relatively high. Further, since the electrode area of the cathode electrode 51 can be reduced, the effect of the standing wave generated on the cathode electrode 51 is relatively small. However, the effect of the standing wave may appear depending on the formation conditions of the deposited film, and the cathode electrode 5
At first, the phase of the high-frequency wave is changed at the tip to eliminate the effect of the standing wave.

However, according to the findings of the present inventors,
It has been found that high-frequency power waves are generated not only on the cathode electrode 51 but also on the substrate 57, which may cause characteristic unevenness. Usually, it is considered that the phase of the high-frequency power wave generated on the base body 57 changes to some extent according to the phase of the high-frequency wave radiated from the cathode electrode 51. That is, by changing the phase of the reflected wave at the tip of the cathode electrode 51, the wave of the high-frequency power on the base 57 can be changed as a result. As a result, as described above, by changing the phase of the reflected wave at the tip of the cathode electrode 51 to reduce the effect of the standing wave, relatively uniform vacuum processing conditions with less unevenness can be obtained.

Nevertheless, in an apparatus such as the apparatus shown in FIG. 8 in which a plurality of bases 57 are provided in one discharge space, even if the phase of the reflected wave at the tip of the cathode electrode 51 is changed, the base 57 In some cases, the influence of unevenness due to the high-frequency power wave cannot always be adjusted. This is the substrate 57
It is considered that the high-frequency power waves generated above interfere with each other between the adjacent substrates 57.

If the phase of the high-frequency power at the tip of the cathode electrode 51 is changed, it is considered that the state of the wave of the high-frequency power generated on the base 57 also changes. It is presumed that the high-frequency power waves that have propagated with each other cause interference and cause unevenness in a new location. The path through which the high-frequency power waves propagate between the adjacent substrates 57 may be a path through which the high-frequency power is radiated into the plasma from the substrate 57 and propagated, or a sheath region generated on the surface of the substrate 57 or other members. It is presumed that there is a propagation path, and it is considered that the high-frequency power propagated through such a path causes interference between the adjacent base bodies 57.

In particular, when a high frequency of 50 MHz or more is used, the above-described unevenness tends to be remarkably generated. This is presumed to be because the influence of the inductance increases as the frequency increases, and the base 57 itself acts as a kind of antenna, so that a stronger high frequency is generated on the base 57.

On the other hand, it was also found that the influence can be reduced by increasing the applied high frequency power, increasing the power density per discharge space volume, and compensating for the drop in power supply to the discharge space due to unevenness. However, when the applied high-frequency power is increased, a wave of stronger high-frequency power is generated on the base body 57, and in some cases, the effect of suppressing unevenness is not so much obtained.

The present invention has been made based on the above findings, and the gist of the present invention is that at least a part is formed of a dielectric material in one shielded space, and the inside is kept under reduced pressure. A plurality of possible reaction vessels are arranged, at least a base and a processing gas supply device for the base are installed inside each reaction vessel, and radiation is emitted from at least one electrode installed inside the shield and outside the reaction vessel. Providing a vacuum processing apparatus and a vacuum processing method, wherein a substrate processing gas is decomposed by high-frequency power to generate glow discharges separated from each other in a plurality of reaction vessels to process the substrate. It is.

That is, according to the present invention, since the plasma discharge space is separated for each reaction vessel, it is essentially impossible that the high frequency between the adjacent substrates propagates in the plasma or the sheath region and interferes. Absent. In addition, since the cathode electrode is located outside the reactor and does not come into contact with the plasma, even if an abnormal discharge occurs in any of the reactors, the impedance changes with other reactors. Has a small effect on glow discharge in other reaction vessels.

Hereinafter, the specific structure and operation of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a deposited film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG.
(B) has shown the plane cross section, respectively. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a bar-shaped cathode electrode 1 extending downward from the center of the ceiling is provided in a cylindrical earth shield 19 which forms an outer casing of the apparatus and prevents leakage of high-frequency power. The cathode electrode 1 is connected to a high frequency power supply 20 via a matching box 21.

Around the cathode electrode 1, a reaction vessel 6 having a cylindrical side wall made of a dielectric and a circular lid 3 is arranged so that the center is located on a concentric circle of a cylindrical earth shield 19. (Four in the example of FIG. 1). The reaction vessel 6 is installed on a bottom plate 18 via a sealing member (not shown), and the lid 3 is similarly installed on the upper end via a sealing member (not shown) to form a discharge space 23. I have. The bottom plate 18 is provided with an exhaust port 11 at a position corresponding to each vacuum vessel 6, and is connected to an exhaust chamber 16 and an exhaust pipe 15. The exhaust pipe 15 is connected to an exhaust device (not shown) via a valve (not shown) so that the inside of the reaction vessel 6 can be maintained at a desired reduced pressure.

The exhaust port 11 is shielded by a shield mesh 17. As a result, generation of plasma in the exhaust chamber 16 is prevented, and connection of plasma in each reaction vessel 6 via the exhaust chamber 16 is prevented. Depending on the shape of the exhaust port 11 and the exhaust chamber 16 and the conditions for forming the deposited film, plasma may not be generated in the shield exhaust chamber 16 even if the exhaust port 11 is not shielded. In this case, the shield mesh 17 is omitted. No problem. Further, the exhaust pipe 15 may be provided directly for each reaction vessel 6 without passing through the exhaust chamber 16.

A rotating shaft 9 is installed at or near the center of each reaction vessel 6, and a cylindrical base 7 is installed on the rotating shaft 9 via a dummy holder 8 and a dummy 2. The rotating shaft 9 penetrates the bottom plate 18 via a rotating shaft seal (not shown), and is connected to a motor 12 via a gear 10 outside the reaction vessel 6 so as to be rotatable. Due to the arrangement of the equipment,
Alternatively, if the unevenness in the circumferential direction of the base 7 can be ignored due to the characteristics of the device to be manufactured, these rotating mechanisms can be omitted.
Further, the heater 5 is provided so as to be included in the base 7,
The substrate 7 can be heated to a desired temperature.

In each reaction vessel 6, a gas supply pipe 22 is provided.
Is provided, and a substrate processing gas from a supply device (not shown) is introduced into each gas pipe 4 via a gas supply pipe 22 and supplied into all the reaction vessels 6. It has become.

In the present invention, at least a part of the reaction vessel 6 is formed of a dielectric, and the cathode electrode 1 is provided outside the reaction vessel 6. The high frequency power passes through the dielectric portion of the reaction vessel 6 from the cathode electrode 1 to generate a glow discharge in the reaction vessel 6. In the present invention, since the cathode electrode 1 does not directly come into contact with the plasma, even if an abnormal discharge occurs in some of the reaction vessels 6,
The change in impedance between the reaction vessels 6 and 7 is small, so that the influence on other reaction vessels 6 can be prevented. Further, as compared with the case where the cathode electrode 1 is installed in the reaction vessel 6, the number of members other than the substrate 7 to be treated that comes into contact with the plasma is reduced, so that the utilization efficiency of the processing gas can be improved.

In the present invention, it is sufficient that at least a part of the reaction vessel 6 is formed of a dielectric material. For example, a dielectric window may be provided in a part of the reaction vessel 6 formed of a conductor. Alternatively, the reaction vessel 6 itself may be configured as a dielectric cylinder as in the example shown in FIG. The dielectric at this time may be anything as long as it can transmit high-frequency power and can hold a vacuum. For example, glass such as quartz glass and Pyrex (registered trademark) glass, fluororesins such as polytetrafluoroethylene, resins such as polycarbonate and polyimide, alumina, zirconia, mullite, cordierite, sialon, boron nitride, and boron nitride In addition to ceramic materials such as aluminum, mixtures thereof can be used. Among these, ceramic materials are excellent in heat resistance, adhesion of deposited films, plasma resistance, and the like, and can be suitably used. Among them, alumina and aluminum nitride having excellent electrical characteristics such as dielectric loss tangent, and mullite which is inexpensive and has relatively good characteristics are most suitable.

The material of the cathode electrode 1 can be any material as long as high-frequency power can be propagated on the surface. In addition to metals such as iron, copper, aluminum, nickel, platinum, titanium and chromium, stainless steel and Inconel Alloys can also be used. In addition, a material obtained by coating the above-mentioned metal on the surface of the above-described dielectric material and performing a conductive treatment can also be used.

In the present invention, if necessary, the cathode electrode 1
May be provided with a means for adjusting the phase of the reflected wave at the tip (opposite side of the feeding point). As the phase adjusting means, a capacitor, a coil, and the like can be provided, and an LC circuit can be configured using both of them. Also, the stray capacitance at the tip of the cathode electrode 1 functions to adjust the phase,
In some cases, the occurrence of unevenness can be prevented, in which case the capacitor or the like can be omitted and the open end can be obtained. By adjusting the phase of the reflected wave at the tip of the cathode electrode 1 by these means, it is possible to obtain uniform characteristics without unevenness over a wider range.

Earth shield 19 and shield mesh 1
The same metal, alloy, or dielectric material as the cathode electrode 1 can be used for the shield member 7. An EMI shield member may be used for a portion where the shield members are in contact with each other or with another member, with particular consideration given to shielding properties.

The high-frequency power supply 2 used in the present invention
The frequency of 0 may be any. As the frequency is higher, the energy transmitted to the processing gas increases, so that the decomposition efficiency of the processing gas can be improved. Also, the higher the frequency, the more discharge is possible in a high vacuum space. For this reason, when the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention is used as a CVD apparatus or the like, it is possible to suppress the generation of by-products such as polysilane. In addition, as described above, the unevenness generally increases as the frequency increases, but the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention can favorably suppress the unevenness even when the frequency is high. That is, the present invention can be suitably applied to a vacuum processing apparatus that generates plasma by supplying power of a relatively high frequency, and can more remarkably obtain an effect of suppressing plasma generation unevenness. In the case where the frequency of the supplied power is 50 MHz or more, where the occurrence of unevenness has been particularly remarkable in the past, the unevenness suppression by the apparatus of the present invention is very effective.

However, using the apparatus of the present invention,
If the frequency of the high-frequency power exceeds 450 MHz, the influence of the stray capacitance and inductance becomes extremely large, so that matching may not be achieved depending on conditions, and it may be difficult to maintain discharge. For the above reasons, in the present invention, the frequency of the high-frequency power is 50 MHz.
It is most preferable that the frequency be in the range of z to 450 MHz.

Further, the apparatus configuration shown in FIG. 1 may be taken as one unit, and a plurality of units may be connected to one power supply. 2 and 3 are schematic views showing a device in which the device of FIG. 1 is used as one unit and two units are connected to one high-frequency power supply 20 and one exhaust device, and FIG. FIG. 3 shows plan sectional views, respectively. In the apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, exhaust gas from each reaction vessel 6 passes through the exhaust port 11 and is collected in the exhaust chamber 16 for each unit.
After the exhausts of the two units have joined, they are connected to the exhaust pipe 15.

The high frequency power is supplied to the matching box 2
1 is distributed to the cathode electrode 1 of each unit by the branch plate 25 via the connection terminal 29. The branch portion including the connection terminal 29 and the branch plate 25 is shielded by the shield box 24. An insulator 26 is provided at a portion where the cathode electrode 1 is introduced into the earth shield 19.

In the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention, one base 7 is basically installed in each reaction vessel 6. A plurality of substrates 7 can be installed in each reaction vessel 6 as long as they are electrically connected to each other so as not to raise.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side sectional view of a vacuum processing apparatus in which a plurality of (two in the example of FIG. 4) substrates 7 are installed in one reaction vessel 6. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 4, two cylindrical substrates 7 are stacked and installed in the axial direction, and the two substrates 7 are in contact with each other so as to be electrically connected to each other. In this case, since no mismatch occurs when the high-frequency power propagates between the stacked bases 7, the two bases 7 are integrated when the high-frequency propagation path is viewed as a circuit. Can be considered. Therefore, interference of high-frequency power does not occur between the stacked substrates 7, and the effect of the present invention for preventing plasma generation unevenness due to interference of high-frequency power between a plurality of substrates 7 is impaired. I will not be told.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus according to the present invention has a structure in which one cathode electrode 1 is arranged at or near the center of the shield, and the reaction vessel 6 is arranged on a circle centered on the cathode. Then, the configuration is simple, and the high-frequency power radiated to the surroundings from the cathode electrode 1 is used for plasma generation in the reaction vessel 6 arranged in the vicinity, so that the high-frequency power is efficiently supplied to the plasma. Are located at substantially the same distance from the cathode electrode 1, it is possible to obtain effects such as less variation in discharge between the respective reaction vessels 6. However, the device form in the present invention is
A single earth shield 19 includes a plurality of reaction vessels 6 at least partially formed of a dielectric material and the cathode electrode 1 installed outside the reaction vessel 6, so that a discharge space is provided for each reaction vessel 6. Any form can be used as long as it can be separated from each other. Therefore, a plurality of cathode electrodes 1 may be provided in one shield, and the supplied power may be branched from one matching box 21 and supplied.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention provided with a plurality of cathode electrodes 1. FIG. 5A is a side sectional view of the vacuum processing apparatus, and FIG. 5B is a plan sectional view. The device shown in FIG.
The four cathode electrodes 1 are provided near the cylindrical side wall 9 and on the concentric circle of the side wall. Each of the cathode electrodes 1 is connected to a branch plate 25, and the branch plate 25 is connected to a connection terminal 29,
The high frequency power supply 20 is connected via a matching box 21. In the apparatus having such a configuration, it is desirable that the number of the cathode electrodes 1 be equal to, or half, or an integral multiple of the number of the reaction vessels 6.

In each of the apparatuses of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, one unit is provided with four reaction vessels. However, in an actual apparatus, a uniform discharge is formed in each reaction vessel. Any number of reaction vessels can be used as long as the arrangement is possible.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

(Embodiment 1) Using the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG.
Change the capacitance (electrode tip open = floating capacitance, 10 pF,
(50 pF, 100 pF), and the change in characteristic unevenness was confirmed. In this embodiment, one of the cylindrical conductive substrates 7 is provided with a Corning # 7059 glass substrate (trade name).
A layer in which a plurality of gap electrodes for evaluating electrical characteristics are formed along the axial direction of the substrate 7 by depositing Cr with a thickness of 0 μm, and a deposition layer made of a-Si is formed on the glass substrate 7, A sample for characteristic evaluation was prepared. The deposition layer was formed according to the following procedure.

First, the lid 3 is opened, and the base 7 and the dummies 2, 8, which have been degreased and washed in advance, are set on the rotating shafts 9 in the respective reaction vessels 6, and the lid 3 is closed. Next, the inside of the reaction vessel 6 is evacuated by operating an exhaust device (not shown) to reduce the pressure inside the reaction vessel 6 to 0.1 Pa or less. Next, an inert gas such as Ar is introduced into the reaction vessel 6 from the gas pipe 4 at a desired flow rate, and an exhaust valve (not shown) installed in the exhaust pipe 15 is operated while observing a pressure gauge (not shown). Then, the pressure in the reaction vessel 6 is adjusted to a desired pressure. Then, the base 7 is heated to a desired temperature of 50 ° C. to 500 ° C. by the heater 5. When the base 7 reaches a desired temperature,
The introduction of the inert gas was stopped, and the pressure in the reaction vessel 6 was reduced to 0.
Evacuation is performed until the pressure becomes 1 Pa or less.

Next, a substrate processing gas such as silane is introduced from the gas pipe 4, and the exhaust valve provided in the exhaust pipe 15 is operated while watching the pressure gauge again, so that the pressure in the reaction vessel 6 becomes a desired pressure. Adjust so that When the pressure is stabilized, the output of the high-frequency power supply 20 is set to a desired power amount, and the matching box 21 is adjusted to generate a glow discharge in the discharge space 23 in each reaction vessel 6. As a result, the substrate processing gas is decomposed, and a
A deposition layer made of -Si is formed. At this time, by rotating the base 7 by driving the motor 12, the base 7
A deposited film can be formed uniformly over the entire circumference. When the deposited layer having the desired thickness is formed, the supply of the high-frequency power and the substrate processing gas is stopped, the glow discharge is stopped, and the gas is exhausted again until the inside of the reaction vessel 6 becomes 0.1 Pa or less.

With the above, the formation of the a-Si layer on the base 7 is completed. When a plurality of layers are sequentially formed, the above-described procedure is performed by using the processing gas necessary for forming each layer. What is necessary is just to repeat using it.

Table 1 shows the conditions for forming the a-Si deposition layer.

[0065]

[Table 1]

In this embodiment, a cylinder made of alumina ceramics was used for the reaction vessel 6. The frequency of the high frequency power was 105 MHz.

The light conductivity (σp) and dark conductivity (σd) of the sample thus formed were measured, and σp / σ
d was calculated, and the unevenness in the axial direction of the base 7 was evaluated. In addition,
σp was measured in a state where a He-Ne laser (wavelength 632.8 nm) having an intensity of 1 mW / cm ² was irradiated.

FIG. 6 shows the results of the determination of σp / σd. FIG.
FIG. 6A shows a case where the tip of the cathode electrode 1 is opened.
6B shows a case where a capacitor having a capacitance of 10 pF is provided at the tip of the cathode electrode 1, FIG. 6C shows a case where the capacitance of the capacitor is 50 pF, and FIG. 6D shows a case where the capacitance of the capacitor is 100 pF. Is shown. FIG.
/ Σd is shown as a relative value, with the value at the measurement point having the largest value among the measurement points in each case being 1. The position of each measurement point in the axial direction is the base 7 (length 358 m).
The upper end of m) is set to 0 mm, and the distance from the upper end to the measurement point is shown.

According to the results shown in FIG. 6, when the tip of the cathode electrode 1 is opened, a portion (unevenness) where the characteristic is deteriorated is seen near a position 55 mm from the upper end of the base 7. Then, when the condenser is installed at the tip and the capacitance is increased, the unevenness moves downward while changing the size. Under the conditions of the present example, as shown in FIG. 6B, when a 10 pF capacitor was installed at the tip of the cathode electrode 1, it was possible to obtain film characteristics with almost no unevenness.

(Comparative Example 1) As a comparative example with respect to Example 1, using the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 8, a capacitor was installed at the tip of each cathode electrode 1, and the capacitance was changed (electrode tip open = floating). Capacity: 10pF, 50pF, 100p
F) Then, a sample for measuring electrical characteristics was prepared in the same procedure as in Example 1 under the conditions shown in Table 1, and the unevenness of the sample in the axial direction of the substrate 57 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. In this comparative example, an alumina cylinder was used for the reaction vessel 56.

FIG. 7 shows the measurement results of Comparative Example 1. FIG.
FIG. 7A shows a case where the tip of the cathode electrode 51 is opened.
(B) When a capacitor 80 having a capacitance of 10 pF is provided at the tip of the cathode electrode 1, FIG. 7 (c) shows a case where the capacitance of the capacitor 80 is 50 pF, and FIG.
The case where the capacitance of 0 is 100 pF is shown. FIG. 7 shows σp / σd as a relative value with the value at the measurement point having the largest value among the measurement points in each case being 1.

In the results shown in FIG. 7, when the tip of the cathode electrode 51 is opened, unevenness is observed around 180 mm. This unevenness tends to move downward by installing a capacitor at the tip of the cathode electrode 51 and increasing the capacitance. However, it can be seen that, apart from the unevenness seen around 180 mm, another unevenness appears around 130 mm. This is considered to be unevenness caused by waves of high-frequency power generated on the surface of the base body 57 interfering with each other between the adjacent base bodies 57. Even if the capacitance of the capacitor at the tip of the cathode electrode 51 is increased, the position does not change much. This unevenness tends to be greatest when the capacitance of the capacitor is set to 50 pF, and becomes smaller when the capacitance is set to 100 pF. However, when the capacitance is set to 100 pF, the standing wave generated in the cathode electrode 51 near the upper end of the base body 57. It can be seen that another unevenness, which is considered to be caused by, appears. in this way,
In Comparative Example 1, even if the capacitance of the capacitor 80 was adjusted, slightly larger characteristic unevenness remained than in Example 1, and it was found that the configuration of Example 1 provided more uniform characteristics. Was.

Example 2 Using the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, samples for measuring electrical characteristics were prepared in the same procedure as in Example 1 under the conditions shown in Table 2. In this example, a quartz cylinder was used for the reaction vessel 1.

[0074]

[Table 2]

In this embodiment, the frequency of the high-frequency power is set to 10
MHz to 500 MHz, and when the tip of the cathode electrode 1 is opened, a capacitor is installed.
A sample was prepared in the case where the value was changed between 0 pF and 100 pF, and the unevenness in the axial direction of the base 7 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. In this embodiment, the frequency of the high frequency power is set to 10 MHz, 13.56 MHz, 20 MHz.
When the internal pressure in the reaction vessel 6 was 2 Pa, it was difficult to maintain the glow discharge under the condition of 2 Pa.
A sample was prepared as Pa.

Table 3 shows the results.

[0077]

[Table 3]

Table 3 shows that the evaluation of unevenness is as follows: .largecircle. = Measured at each measurement point of .sigma.p / .sigma. When the largest value among the measured values at each measurement point of .sigma.p / .sigma.d is set to 1. The ratio of the smallest value of σp / σd to the smallest value of σp / σd when the largest value of σp / σd is 1 is 0.75. Less than 0.5 or more Δ: When the largest value of σp / σd is set to 1, the ratio of the smallest value of σp / σd is less than 0.5 and 0.1 or more. When the larger value is 1, the ratio of the smallest value of σp / σd is less than 0.1.

From the results shown in Table 3, it can be seen that when the frequency of the high frequency power is 50 MHz or more, unevenness is likely to occur. However, in this case, in this embodiment, by changing the capacitance of the capacitor at the tip of the cathode electrode 1,
It was found that the state of unevenness greatly changed, and that characteristics could be made substantially uniform at any frequency by adjusting the capacitance to an appropriate value.

(Comparative Example 2) As a comparative example of Example 2, using the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 8, a sample for measuring electrical characteristics was prepared in the same procedure as in Example 1 under the conditions shown in Table 2. Created. In this comparative example, a quartz cylinder was used as the reaction vessel 56, and the frequency of the high-frequency power was set to 10 MHz as in the second embodiment.
In the case where the frequency was changed between z and 500 MHz, and when the tip of the cathode electrode 51 was opened, a capacitor 80 was installed and the frequency was changed between 10 pF and 100 pF, and a sample was prepared. 57 were evaluated for unevenness in the axial direction. Note that also in this comparative example, the frequency of the high-frequency power was 10 MHz, 13.56 MHz,
When the frequency was set to 0 MHz, it was difficult to maintain the glow discharge under the condition of 2 Pa. Therefore, a sample was prepared at an internal pressure of 10 Pa.

Table 4 shows the results.

[0082]

[Table 4]

From the results shown in Table 4, it was found that, as in the case of Example 2, when the frequency of the high-frequency power was 50 MHz or more, unevenness was likely to occur. In the case of the comparative example 2, when the frequency was 50 MHz or more, even when the capacity of the installed capacitor 80 was changed, the characteristics were slightly more uneven than in the example 2. This is presumably because, as in the case of the first embodiment, the high-frequency power waves generated on the bases 57 interfere with each other between the adjacent bases 57.

As can be seen from the results of Example 2 and Comparative Example 2, when the frequency of the high-frequency power is 50 MHz or more, unevenness is likely to occur. In Example 2, a capacitor having an appropriate capacitance was installed at the tip of the cathode electrode 1. Thus, it was found that the unevenness can be suppressed to be smaller than that of Comparative Example 2. That is, it has been found that the effect of the present invention appears more remarkably when the substrate processing is performed using high-frequency power of a relatively high frequency.

Example 3 Using the apparatus used in Example 1, the distance between adjacent substrates 7 and the relationship between high-frequency power and unevenness are shown in Table 5 in the same procedure as in Example 1. Under these conditions, a sample for measuring electrical characteristics was prepared.

[0086]

[Table 5]

In this embodiment, the frequency of the high-frequency power is set to 10
Fixed to 5MHz, high frequency power from 100W to 3000
The value was changed in the range of W, and the presence or absence of unevenness was examined in the same manner as in Example 1. In this embodiment, a quartz cylinder is used for the reaction vessel 6, and the capacity of the capacitor at the tip of the cathode electrode 1 is set to 5
It was set to 0 pF (the capacitance condition with the largest unevenness in Example 1). About the sample created in this way,
Evaluation of unevenness in the axial direction was performed in the same manner as in Example 1. The results will be described later together with the results of Comparative Example 3.

(Comparative Example 3) As a comparative example of Example 3, a sample for measuring electrical characteristics was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 by using the apparatus used in Comparative Example 1 under the conditions shown in Table 5. In this comparative example, similarly to the third embodiment, the reaction vessel 56
Is a quartz cylinder, and the distance between the substrates 57 is 120 mm.
The frequency of the high-frequency power was fixed at 105 MHz, and the high-frequency power was changed in a range of 100 W to 3000 W to prepare a sample. In this comparative example, the capacitance of the capacitor 80 at the tip of the cathode electrode 51 was set to 10 pF (Comparative Example 1).
In which the most unevenness was observed). The samples thus formed were evaluated for unevenness in the axial direction in the same manner as in Example 1.

The results of Example 3 and Comparative Example 3 are shown in Table 6.

[0090]

[Table 6]

From the results shown in Table 6, in Example 3, when the high-frequency power was set to 1000 W or more,
It can be seen that the occurrence of unevenness can be suppressed. It is considered that this is because a partial power drop caused by unevenness is compensated. Thus, the high-frequency power is 1000
In the case of W or more, characteristics having the same uniformity were obtained irrespective of the state of the tip of the cathode electrode 1.

On the other hand, in Comparative Example 3, no remarkable correlation was found between the high-frequency power and the magnitude of the unevenness. This is because, when the applied high frequency power is increased, a stronger high frequency power wave is generated on the base body 57,
It is considered that interference between the adjacent substrates 57 is likely to occur.

As described above, in the vacuum processing apparatus and the vacuum processing method according to the present invention, regardless of the capacity of the tip of the cathode electrode 1, the non-uniformity is substantially prevented by increasing the high frequency power. There are many cases that can be done. That is, it is not necessary to adjust the capacitance at the electrode tip, which has conventionally been required for each processing condition, and the latitude of the vacuum processing conditions can be increased as compared with the conventional apparatus.

Example 4 Using the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, an aluminum cylinder having a diameter of 80 mm was used as the base 7, and the procedure shown in Example 1 was applied to the conditions shown in Table 7 for electrophotography. An a-Si photoreceptor was formed.

[0095]

[Table 7]

In this example, a cylinder made of mullite was used as the reaction vessel 6. Photoconductors were formed when the tip of the cathode electrode 1 was opened and when a capacitor was installed at the tip and the capacitance was changed in the range of 10 to 100 pF.

The photoreceptor thus prepared was installed in an electrophotographic apparatus (NP-6750 (trade name) manufactured by Canon Inc. modified for experiments) and evaluated for charging ability, charging ability unevenness, and halftone image density unevenness. . At this time, the process speed was 380 mm / sec, and the pre-exposure was 4 lux · sec.
(Wavelength 700 nm) and a charging current of 1000 μA, the dark area potential on the surface of the photoreceptor was measured with a surface voltmeter (Model 344 manufactured by TREK) set at the developing device position of the electrophotographic apparatus, and the charging ability was evaluated from the measured value. did. At that time, the charging ability at a plurality of points separated by 25 mm in the axial direction of the photoreceptor was measured, and the charging ability unevenness was evaluated. In addition, the charging ability and the charging ability unevenness were also evaluated when the image exposure was stopped to form a black copy image on the entire surface.

The charging ability was evaluated according to the following criteria.

・ ・ ・: Good ○: Slightly inferior to ◎, but no effect on image formation ×: Poor charging ability, affecting image formation The evaluation was performed according to the following criteria.

A: Substantially no unevenness is observed. O: Unevenness is observed, but correction is possible by adjustment of the electrophotographic apparatus. Δ: Unevenness is observed even after correction by the adjustment of the electrophotographic apparatus. However, there is no effect on image formation. ×: Unevenness is recognized even when corrected by adjustment of the electrophotographic apparatus, and the image formation is affected. Was evaluated at the highest position.

The halftone image unevenness is caused by placing an A3 grid paper (manufactured by KOKUYO Co., Ltd.) on an original platen and changing the aperture of an exposure device of an electrophotographic apparatus to change the exposure amount of the image from an extent that the grid is barely recognized to a white background. Is adjusted so that an image in the range up to the point at which fogging starts is obtained.
Evaluation was performed by outputting 0 copy images. In the evaluation, these images were observed from a position 40 cm apart, and the difference in density was evaluated based on the following criteria.

◎: No unevenness was observed in any of the images. ・ ・ ・: Unevenness was observed in some of the images, but all were slight and had no problem in image recognition. Unevenness is observed, but all are slight and there is no problem in image recognition. × ・ ・ ・ Especially unevenness is observed in all images. If there is unevenness in charging ability, the unevenness is corrected by adjusting the electrophotographic apparatus. After that, the halftone image was evaluated. The evaluation was performed using the photoconductor having the lowest characteristic among the photoconductors formed at the same time.

Table 8 shows the evaluation results of Example 4.

[0104]

[Table 8]

As shown in the results in Table 8, the cathode electrode 1
Very good results could be obtained by setting the capacitance of the capacitor at the tip of 10pF to 10 pF. In other cases, unevenness was also observed, but the results were slight and good.

(Comparative Example 4) As a comparative example with respect to Example 4, the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 was used to open the tip of each cathode electrode 51, and a capacitor 80 was installed at the tip. The capacity is 10-100p
With respect to the case where F was changed in the range of F, an a-Si photosensitive member for electrophotography was formed in the same manner as in Example 1, and the charging ability, charging ability unevenness, and halftone image unevenness were evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. .

The results of Comparative Example 4 are shown in Table 9.

[0108]

[Table 9]

From the results shown in Table 9, it can be seen that in this comparative example, all the photoconductors had characteristics with greater unevenness as compared with Example 4, and the structure of Example 4 can reduce the unevenness.

Example 5 Using the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, an aluminum cylinder having a diameter of 80 mm was used as the base 7, and the procedure shown in Example 1 was applied to the conditions shown in Table 10 for electrophotography. An a-Si photoreceptor was formed.

[0111]

[Table 10]

In this embodiment, as the reaction vessel 6, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), quartz, alumina, aluminum nitride, and mullite were used. At the tip of the cathode electrode 1, a condition under which unevenness does not substantially occur was determined in advance by an experiment, and a 50 pF capacitor was provided.

The photosensitive member thus produced was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 4. Further, the temperature of the outer surface of the reaction vessel 6 was measured, and the maximum temperature reached during the formation of the photoreceptor was compared.

The results of Example 5 are shown in Table 11.

[0115]

[Table 11]

As shown in the evaluation results of Table 11, in the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention, good photosensitive member characteristics were obtained when any of the dielectric materials was used. Regarding the temperature of the reaction vessel 6, PTFE resulted in the highest temperature rise. This seems to be due to the low thermal conductivity. Similarly, the temperature rise of quartz was relatively large. Conversely, aluminum nitride has the lowest dielectric loss tangent and the lowest thermal rise because of its high thermal conductivity. Alumina also has a relatively small dielectric loss tangent, so that the temperature rise is relatively small. Mullite has a slightly higher temperature rise than aluminum nitride and alumina, but has the advantage of reducing manufacturing costs by half or less. Further, regardless of the material, the temperature was within a range where there was no practical problem. As described above, in the present invention, it was found that alumina, aluminum nitride, and mullite can be suitably used as the material of the reaction vessel 6. As described above, alumina and aluminum nitride are excellent as the properties of the dielectric material, and mullite is suitable in terms of cost. I just need.

(Embodiment 6) Using the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention in which two units shown in FIGS. An a-Si photosensitive member for electrophotography was formed under the conditions shown in Table 12 by the above procedure.

[0118]

[Table 12]

In Table 12, the values of the gas flow rate and the high frequency power indicate the total value of the entire apparatus (for 2 units). The reaction vessel 6 was an aluminum nitride cylinder. As for the capacity of the capacitor installed at the tip of the cathode electrode 1, a condition under which non-uniformity substantially does not occur was obtained by an experiment in advance.
Irrespective of the capacitance at the tip of the cathode electrode 1, no unevenness appeared, so the photoconductor was formed with the tip open.

The photosensitive member thus produced was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 4. The evaluation results will be described later together with the evaluation results of Examples 7 and 8.

Example 7 An aluminum cylinder having a diameter of 80 mm was used as the base 7 using the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention in which two bases 7 were installed in each reaction vessel 6 shown in FIG.
According to the procedure shown in Example 1, an a-Si photosensitive member for electrophotography was formed under the conditions shown in Table 13.

[0122]

[Table 13]

In this example, a mullite cylinder was used for the reaction vessel 6. At the tip of the cathode electrode 1, a condition under which unevenness does not substantially occur was determined in advance by an experiment, and a 50 pF capacitor was provided.

The photosensitive member thus produced was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 4. The evaluation results will be described later together with the evaluation results of Examples 6 and 8.

(Embodiment 8) Using the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 in which two substrates 7 were installed in each reaction vessel 6, an aluminum cylinder having a diameter of 80 mm was used as the substrate 7.
According to the procedure shown in Example 1, an a-Si photosensitive member for electrophotography was formed under the conditions shown in Table 14.

[0126]

[Table 14]

In this example, an alumina cylinder was used for the reaction vessel 6. The capacity of the capacitor installed at the tip of the cathode electrode 1 is determined in advance by experiments.
A condition under which unevenness does not substantially occur was determined. Under the conditions shown in Table 14, no unevenness appeared at any point in the capacity of the tip of the cathode electrode 1. Therefore, the photosensitive member was formed with the tip open. Was.

The photosensitive member thus produced was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 4.

The results of Examples 6 to 8 are summarized in Table 15.

[0130]

[Table 15]

As is evident from the results shown in Table 15, good results can be obtained with any of the vacuum processing apparatuses of the present invention.

[0132]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Effectively suppresses high frequency power interference between adjacent substrates,
In a plasma process in a vacuum processing apparatus, plasma with no unevenness and excellent uniformity can be obtained.
Therefore, with respect to the device, particularly the electrophotographic photoreceptor, it is possible to form a copy image with less unevenness,
A photoreceptor excellent in uniformity can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 (a) is a side sectional view, and FIG. 1 (b) is a plan sectional view.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view showing a vacuum processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan sectional view of the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross section of a vacuum processing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a vacuum processing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 5 (a) is a side sectional view, and FIG. 5 (b) is a plan sectional view.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing unevenness of σp / σd in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing unevenness of σp / σd in Comparative Example 1.

8 is a schematic view of a vacuum processing apparatus of a comparative example with respect to the present invention, FIG. 8 (a) is a side sectional view, and FIG. 8 (b) is a plan sectional view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,51 Cathode electrode 2,52 Dummy 3,53 Lid 4,54 Gas pipe 5,55 Heater 6,56 Reaction vessel 7,57 Base 8,58 Dummy holder 9,59 Rotation axis 10,60 Gear 11 Exhaust port 12, 62 Motor 15, 65 Exhaust pipe 16 Exhaust chamber 17 Shield mesh 18, 68 Bottom plate 19, 69 Earth shield 20, 70 High frequency power supply 21, 71 Matching box 22, 72 Gas supply pipe 23, 73 Discharge space 24 Shield box 25, 75 Branch Plate 26 Insulator 27 Exhaust manifold 29, 79 Connection terminal 80 Capacitor

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Toshiyasu Shirasuna 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Takashi Otsuka 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon F term in reference (reference) 4K030 AA06 BA30 CA02 CA14 FA03 JA18 KA05 LA17

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A conductive base can be mounted inside,
A reaction vessel connected to a gas supply pipe capable of holding the inside in a reduced pressure state and introducing a processing gas for the substrate into the inside, at least one cathode electrode connected to a high-frequency power supply, and the reaction vessel. A shield that covers a space containing the cathode electrode and forms a shield space inside by electromagnetically shielding, and by high-frequency power supplied from the high-frequency power supply and radiated from the cathode electrode,
A vacuum processing apparatus for decomposing the substrate processing gas and generating a glow discharge in the reaction vessel to perform plasma processing on the substrate, wherein the reaction vessel is formed at least in part of a dielectric. , Are arranged in the shield space,
A vacuum processing apparatus in which the cathode electrode is arranged in the shield space and outside the reaction vessel. 2. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the high-frequency power is 50 MHz or more and 450 MHz or less. 3. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a phase adjustment circuit connected to a tip of the cathode electrode on a side opposite to a power supply point, for adjusting a phase of reflected power. 4. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the dielectric is formed of any one of alumina, aluminum nitride, and mullite. 5. The cathode electrode is disposed so as to extend substantially along a center line of the shield space,
The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of reaction vessels are arranged on a circle centered on the cathode electrode. 6. The plurality of reaction vessels are arranged on a circle having a center at or near the center of the shield space, and the cathode electrode has a center having a center at or near the center of the shield space. The vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a number equal to, or a half of, or an integral multiple of the number of the reaction vessels is arranged above. 7. The vacuum according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said shield spaces in which at least one said cathode electrode and a plurality of said reaction vessels are respectively arranged are provided close to each other. Processing equipment. 8. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the substrate has a cylindrical shape, and is used for forming an electrophotographic photosensitive member by depositing an amorphous silicon layer on the substrate. The vacuum processing apparatus as described in the above. 9. A step of arranging a conductive substrate in a reaction vessel disposed in a shielded space shielded by electromagnetic radiation and capable of holding the inside in a reduced pressure state, and setting the inside of the reaction vessel to a desired reduced pressure state And introducing a substrate processing gas into the reaction vessel, supplying high-frequency power to at least one cathode electrode arranged in the shielded space, and applying the high-frequency power radiated from the cathode electrode to the at least one cathode electrode. Performing a plasma treatment on the substrate by decomposing the substrate processing gas to generate a glow discharge, wherein the reaction vessel, at least a part of which is formed of a dielectric, is placed in the shield space. In the shield space,
And, the cathode electrode is arranged outside the reaction vessel, and in the plasma processing step, glow discharge regions that generate a glow discharge are independently formed inside the plurality of reaction vessels, and are separated from each other. A vacuum processing method of independently processing the substrate in the glow discharge region. 10. The high frequency power frequency is 50 MHz.
The vacuum processing method according to claim 9, wherein the frequency is not less than 450 MHz. 11. The vacuum processing method according to claim 9, wherein the cathode electrode is used in a state where a phase adjustment circuit for adjusting the phase of the reflected power is connected to a tip opposite to a feeding point thereof. . 12. The vacuum processing method according to claim 9, wherein the plasma processing step is performed in a state where one substrate is disposed in one reaction vessel. 13. The plasma processing step may be performed in a state where a plurality of the substrates electrically connected to each other are arranged in one reaction vessel so that the high-frequency power is transmitted without causing a mismatch. Perform, claim 9 to claim 12
The vacuum processing method according to any one of the above. 14. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 9, wherein the substrate has a cylindrical shape, and an amorphous silicon layer is deposited on the substrate to form an electrophotographic photosensitive member. Vacuum processing method.