JP2006005315A - Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plasma processing apparatus that can prevent the reduction of processing gas concentration in a part to be processed of a workpiece that is subject to plasma processing, and to provide a plasma processing method. <P>SOLUTION: The plasma processing apparatus 1 is provided with gas supply tubes 4 and 5 having openings 23 and 24 for jetting a processing gas G1 toward the workpiece W, an upper electrode 2 and a lower electrode 3 to activate the processing gas G1 and generate an electric field for plasma production, and air curtain generation parts 15 and 16 wherein a gas GS for blocking of spreading is jetted out to enclose a processing space S by an air curtain AS so that the processing gas G1 can be prevented from spreading. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method using the same.

Conventionally, a parallel plate type plasma processing apparatus as shown in FIG. 4 is known as a plasma processing apparatus for plasma processing the surface of an object to be processed under atmospheric pressure (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In FIG. 4, for convenience of explanation, the upper side in FIG. 4 is referred to as “upper” and the lower side is referred to as “lower”.
A plasma processing apparatus 40 shown in FIG. 4 has a roller conveyor (roller) 41 that conveys the object to be processed W in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and an upper part and a lower part across (via) the object to be processed W that is conveyed. An upper electrode 42 and a lower electrode 43 are provided.

  In this plasma processing apparatus 40, processing gas is introduced between the upper electrode 42 and the lower electrode 43 (hereinafter referred to as “processing space S”) from gas introduction pipes 44 a and 44 b provided through the upper electrode 42 and the lower electrode 43. The processing gas is activated by the high-frequency electric field E introduced and generated in the processing space S. The activated processing gas (hereinafter referred to as “activated gas”) becomes plasma, contacts the surface of the workpiece W passing through the processing space S, and performs plasma processing on the surface.

  In the plasma processing apparatus 40, the surplus activated gas that diffuses from the processing space S to the outside and the by-products generated by the plasma processing are disposed so as to surround each of the upper electrode 42 and the lower electrode 43 in a double manner. , 45b. Here, the outer gas exhaust pipe 45b is arranged away from the processing space S in order to reliably prevent excessive activated gas and the like from diffusing outside.

However, since the outer gas exhaust pipe 45b is disposed away from the processing space S as described above, a gas flow (air flow) from the processing space S to the outside is generated during the plasma processing. Since this gas flow acts so as to involve the processing gas in the processing space S, there is a problem that the concentration of the processing gas in the processing space S is reduced.
Further, due to the decrease in concentration, the discharge between the electrodes becomes unstable, and there is a risk that unevenness occurs in the portion of the workpiece W to be plasma-treated.
Further, in order to avoid a decrease in concentration, for example, it is necessary to supply a large amount of processing gas to the processing space S. For this reason, there was a problem that the consumption (use amount) of processing gas increased.

JP 7-2111645 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method capable of preventing a decrease in the concentration of a processing gas in a processing target portion to be processed in a processing target.

Such an object is achieved by the present invention described below.
A plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a processing gas ejection portion having an opening for ejecting a processing gas toward an object to be processed, and a pair of electrodes that generate an electric field so that plasma is generated by activating the processing gas. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:
A gas diffusion part for preventing diffusion of plasma is provided by blowing a gas for preventing diffusion to surround a portion of the object to be processed, which is to be plasma-treated, with an air flow, and to prevent the plasma from diffusing. .
Thereby, the fall of the density | concentration of the process gas of the to-be-processed part to which the plasma process in a to-be-processed object can be prevented.

The plasma processing apparatus of the present invention preferably includes a diffusion preventing gas recovery means for recovering the jetted diffusion preventing gas.
Thereby, the diffusion preventing gas can be reliably recovered.
The plasma processing apparatus of the present invention preferably includes a processing gas recovery means for recovering the ejected processing gas.
Thereby, process gas can be collect | recovered reliably.

In the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the recovered processing gas is reused for plasma processing.
Thereby, the consumption (use amount) of process gas can be reduced.
In the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the ejected amount of the ejected processing gas is larger than the suction amount of the recovered processing gas.
As a result, a decrease in the concentration of the collected processing gas can be prevented, and thus the efficiency of processing gas reuse can be increased.

In the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to include a heating means for heating the diffusion preventing gas.
Thereby, the plasma process with respect to a to-be-processed object is accelerated | stimulated.
In the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention, the diffusion preventing gas is preferably an inert gas.
Thereby, a high purity plasma process can be performed to a to-be-processed object.

In the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the pair of electrodes are disposed to face each other with the object to be processed interposed therebetween.
Thereby, one side or both sides of the object to be processed can be plasma-processed.
In the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the surfaces of the pair of electrodes facing each other are provided with openings of the processing gas ejection portions, respectively.
As a result, the processing gas can be reliably supplied to the portion of the object to be processed that is subjected to plasma processing.

The plasma processing method of the present invention is a method of plasma processing the object to be processed using the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention,
Installing the object to be treated;
Next, in a state where the diffusion preventing gas is ejected from the diffusion preventing gas ejection portion, the processing gas is ejected from the opening of the processing gas ejection portion toward the object to be processed, and the gap between the pair of electrodes An electric field is generated to generate plasma, and the object to be processed is processed by the generated plasma.
Thereby, the fall of the density | concentration of the process gas of the to-be-processed part to which the plasma process in a to-be-processed object can be prevented.

The plasma processing method of the present invention includes a processing gas ejection portion having an opening for ejecting a processing gas toward an object to be processed, and a pair of electrodes for generating an electric field so that plasma is generated by activating the processing gas. When the object to be processed is plasma-treated by passing the object to be processed in the vicinity of
The object to be processed is processed in a state in which the diffusion preventing gas is ejected to prevent the plasma from diffusing.
Thereby, the fall of the density | concentration of the process gas of the to-be-processed part to which the plasma process in a to-be-processed object can be prevented.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the plasma processing apparatus and the plasma processing method of the present invention will be described.
<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of a plasma processing apparatus of the present invention. In the following description, the upper side in FIG. 1 is referred to as “upper”, the lower side is referred to as “lower”, the vertical direction in FIG. 1 is referred to as “vertical direction”, and the left-right direction is referred to as “horizontal direction”.

First, the plasma processing apparatus 1 of this invention is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 1, the plasma processing apparatus 1 includes gas supply pipes (processing gas ejection portions) 4 and 5 that supply (ejection) a processing gas G1 toward the workpiece W, and a pair of electrodes that generate an electric field. (Upper electrode 2 and lower electrode 3), air curtain generating portions (diffusion prevention gas ejection portions) 15 and 16 that generate an air curtain, and a roller conveyor 10 that conveys the workpiece W.
First, the processing gas G1 will be described.
The treatment gas G1, but are not limited to, for _{example, O 2, CF 4, N} 2, argon, and a gas such as CH _4.

Hereinafter, the configuration of each part of the plasma processing apparatus 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the upper electrode 2 and the lower electrode 3 are disposed in parallel to face each other via a workpiece W (for example, a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon wafer). Thereby, the upper surface, the lower surface or both surfaces of the workpiece W can be plasma-processed.
The upper electrode 2 is connected to a high frequency power source 7 through a conducting wire 6. Further, the lower electrode 3 is grounded via a conducting wire 8. When plasma processing is performed on the workpiece W, the high-frequency power source 7 is activated and a high-frequency voltage is applied between both electrodes. At this time, a high-frequency electric field E is generated between both electrodes (processing space S). By this high frequency electric field E, the processing gas G1 supplied to the space between the upper electrode 2 and the lower electrode 3 (hereinafter referred to as “processing space S”) is activated (for example, excited, ionized, etc.), and plasma is generated. Arise. Hereinafter, the activated processing gas G1 may be referred to as “activated gas”.

In addition, the frequency of the high frequency power supply 7 is not particularly limited, but usually it is preferably used at several kHz to 50 MHz.
Further, an opening 23 of the gas supply pipe 4 and an opening 24 of the gas supply pipe 5 through which the processing gas G1 is ejected toward the processing space S are respectively provided at substantially the centers of the mutually facing surfaces of the upper electrode 2 and the lower electrode 3. Is provided. As described above, since the openings 23 and 24 face the processing space S, the processing gas G1 can be reliably supplied to the processing space S.

Further, the upper electrode 2 and the lower electrode 3 are arranged at positions separated from the workpiece W by a predetermined distance (lengths indicated by h1 and h2 in FIG. 1), respectively. These distances h1 and h2 are appropriately set in consideration of the output of the high-frequency power source 7, the type of plasma treatment applied to the workpiece W, and the like, but preferably about 0.5 to 2 mm. Thereby, the high frequency electric field E can be reliably generated between both electrodes.
In addition, as a material of the upper electrode 2 and the lower electrode 3, a highly conductive material (for example, aluminum, copper, stainless steel, titanium, tungsten, etc.) is used.

  Further, from the viewpoint of preventing the occurrence of arc discharge in the high-frequency electric field E, it is preferable to cover the surface of the upper electrode 2 with a dielectric such as alumina, quartz, or silicon nitride. If the thickness of this dielectric is too thick, a high voltage may be required for plasma generation. If it is too thin, dielectric breakdown may occur when voltage is applied, and arc discharge may occur. Preferably there is.

The roller conveyor 10 includes a plurality of conveying rollers 9 arranged in the horizontal direction. The roller conveyor 10 operates to convey the workpiece W in the direction of the white arrow in FIG.
The roller conveyor 10 may include not only the transport roller 9 that transports the workpiece W in the horizontal direction but also a transport roller that transports the workpiece W in the depth direction in FIG. Thereby, the to-be-processed object W can be freely moved to a horizontal direction and a depth direction. Therefore, regardless of the position of the region where the plasma treatment is desired to be performed on the surfaces W1 and W2 of the workpiece W (the portion to be treated (hereinafter referred to as “plasma treatment desired region”)), It can be located in the electric field E.

Further, since the roller conveyor 10 can move the workpiece W even during the plasma processing, the size of the intersection region between the high-frequency electric field E and the surfaces W1 and W2 is the size of the desired plasma processing region. Even if it is smaller than this, it is possible to perform the plasma processing on the entire surface of the desired plasma processing region by moving the workpiece W by the operation of the roller conveyor 10.
The plasma processing apparatus 1 includes gas discharge pipes 12 and 13 that discharge (recover) the processing gas G1 supplied to the processing space S. The gas discharge pipes 12 and 13 are disposed on the outer circumferences of the upper electrode 2 and the lower electrode 3, respectively, and have suction ports (recovery ports) 11 that open into the processing space S. The suction port 11 is provided inside an air curtain AS described later.

These gas discharge pipes 12 and 13 communicate with an exhaust pump 25. When the exhaust pump 25 is operated, the gas discharge pipes 12 and 13 suck the processing gas G1 in the processing space S from the suction port 11.
The gas discharge pipes 12 and 13 are connected to an air tank (processing gas purification processing device) 26 via an exhaust pump 25. The processing gas G1 sucked from the suction port 11 (gas discharge pipes 12, 13) is accumulated (recovered) in the air tank 26.

As described above, the gas discharge pipes 12 and 13, the exhaust pump 25, and the air tank 26 function as a processing gas recovery unit that recovers the processing gas G <b> 1 ejected into the processing space S. Thereby, the processing gas G1 can be reliably recovered with a simple configuration.
The recovered processing gas G1 is again ejected from the gas supply pipe 4 and activated by the high-frequency electric field E. That is, the recovered processing gas G1 is reused for plasma processing. Thereby, the consumption (use amount) of the process gas G1 can be reduced.

  By the way, when the amount of the processing gas G1 sucked from the gas exhaust pipe 12 (gas exhaust pipe 13) is larger than the amount of the processing gas G1 supplied from the gas supply pipe 4 (gas supply pipe 5), the gas exhaust pipe 12 is used. The processing gas G1 that is sucked includes a gas other than the processing gas G1. Thereby, the density | concentration of the collect | recovered process gas G1 falls and the efficiency of reuse of the process gas G1 deteriorates.

  Therefore, the plasma processing apparatus 1 is preferably set so that the amount of the processing gas G1 supplied from the gas supply pipe 4 is larger than the amount of the processing gas G1 sucked from the gas exhaust pipe 12. In addition, by extending the air curtain generators 15 and 16 in the horizontal direction, the gas discharge pipes 12 and 13 are separated from the outside, thereby preventing the gas in the atmosphere from being caught, and the collected processing gas. A decrease in the concentration of G1 can be prevented, and thus the efficiency of reusing the processing gas G1 can be increased.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air curtain generators 15 and 16 are arranged outside the gas discharge pipes 12 and 13, respectively, and a plurality of ejection holes 14 that eject the diffusion preventing gas GS toward the object to be processed W. have.
The air curtain generating units 15 and 16 eject the diffusion preventing gas GS toward the object to be processed W, thereby ejecting the processing space S (the desired plasma processing region of the object to be processed W). It acts so as to be surrounded by the gas GS, that is, the air curtain (airflow) AS. The air curtain AS makes it difficult for the processing gas G1 to flow outside and stays in the processing space S. Therefore, the gas flow rate (concentration dependence) required for discharge can be reduced.

As a result, it is possible to prevent the concentration of the processing gas G1 in the processing space S from being lowered, and thus the discharge between the upper electrode 2 and the lower electrode 3 can be stabilized. Can be applied.
The air curtain generating units 15 and 16 on the carry-in side (left side in FIG. 1) are provided with a heater (heating means) 27 for heating the diffusion preventing gas GS. The diffusion preventing gas GS is heated (heated up) by passing through the heater 27 and is ejected toward the workpiece W.

  By spraying the heated diffusion preventing gas GS to the object to be processed W being conveyed, the object to be processed W is heated before being carried into the processing space S. In this manner, the plasma processing is promoted by heating the workpiece W. For example, when the object to be processed W is heated to 150 ° C., the ashing process of the resist is usually several times faster than when the ashing rate is not heated.

Further, the diffusion preventing gas GS is not particularly limited, but for example, an inert gas such as N ₂ gas is preferable. For example, when the diffusion preventing gas GS is air, H and O ₂ are combined with the activation gas and various types of by-products are generated when the plasma process is an etching process or a CVD process. Such a by-product adheres to the surfaces W1 and W2 of the workpiece W and contaminates the surfaces. Therefore, when the diffusion preventing gas GS is an inert gas, the generation of by-products as described above is prevented, and the workpiece W can be subjected to high-purity plasma treatment.

Next, a method (process) for plasma processing the workpiece W using the plasma processing apparatus 1 will be described.
First, the roller conveyor 10 is operated to convey the workpiece W into the processing space S. Here, the target object W is installed so that the plasma processing desired region of the target object W is located in the processing space S.

Next, the diffusion preventing gas GS is ejected from the ejection holes 14 of the air curtain generating units 15 and 16 to generate the air curtain AS around the processing space S. Hereinafter, the state in which the air curtain AS is generated is referred to as an “air curtain generation state”.
In the air curtain generation state, the high-frequency power source 7 is operated while supplying the processing gas G1 from the opening 23 of the gas supply pipe 4 and the opening 24 of the gas supply pipe 5 to the processing space S, and a voltage is applied between both electrodes. Apply. At this time, an electric field is generated between both electrodes. Thereby, the processing gas G1 in the processing space S is activated and plasma is generated. Thereafter, the workpiece W is subjected to plasma processing.
After the plasma processing is finished, the operation of the high-frequency power source 7 is stopped, and then the supply of the processing gas G1 is stopped.

Next, the ejection of the diffusion preventing gas GS is stopped.
Next, the roller conveyor 10 is actuated again to convey (unload) the workpiece W.
By performing such a process, when the plasma processing is performed, the air curtain AS prevents the processing gas G1 from diffusing in the processing space S. As a result, it is possible to prevent the concentration of the processing gas G1 in the processing space S from being lowered, and thus the discharge between the upper electrode 2 and the lower electrode 3 can be stabilized. It can be applied uniformly.

Further, in the plasma processing apparatus 1, the processing gas G1 existing in the processing space S can be normally sucked at a high recovery rate by the gas discharge pipes 12 and 13, and as a result, the processing gas G1 by the processing gas purification processing apparatus can be sucked. The efficiency of reuse can be increased.
In the conventional plasma processing apparatus, the gas discharge pipe is arranged outside (position) away from the processing space S. However, in the plasma processing apparatus 1, double gas is recovered by collecting 100% processing gas. Since a discharge pipe is not required, the manufacturing cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a second embodiment of the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention. In the following description, the upper side in FIG. 2 is called “upper”, the lower side is called “lower”, the vertical direction in FIG. 2 is called “vertical direction”, and the left-right direction is called “horizontal direction”.
Hereinafter, the plasma processing apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment described above, and description of similar matters will be omitted. The present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the configuration of the air curtain generating unit is different.

As shown in FIG. 2, the air curtain generators 15 and 16 of the plasma processing apparatus 18 are provided with a plurality of recovery holes 20 that recover (absorb) the diffusion preventing gas GS ejected from the ejection holes 14. ing. Each collection hole 20 is formed adjacent to each ejection hole 14.
Each recovery hole 20 communicates with (is connected to) the exhaust pump 28. By the operation of the exhaust pump 28, the diffusion preventing gas GS is sucked from the recovery hole 20. The recovery hole 20 is connected to an air tank 29 via an exhaust pump 28. The diffusion preventing gas GS sucked from the recovery hole 20 is accumulated (recovered) in the air tank 29.

As described above, the recovery hole 20, the exhaust pump 28, and the air tank 29 function as a diffusion preventing gas recovery means for recovering the diffusion preventing gas GS. Thereby, the diffusion preventing gas GS can be reliably recovered with a simple configuration.
Further, in the plasma processing apparatus 18 (air curtain generators 15 and 16), the amount of the diffusion preventing gas GS ejected from the ejection hole 14 and the amount of the diffusion preventing gas GS recovered from the recovery hole 20 are adjusted. Thus, the pressure in the space S1 between the air curtain generating unit 15 and the object to be processed W can be made smaller than the pressure in the space S2 between the air curtain generating unit 16 and the object to be processed W. Thereby, the suction force which attracts | sucks the to-be-processed object W toward upper direction generate | occur | produces, and the to-be-processed object W can be floated.

  Further, in the air curtain generators 15 and 16, since the ejection hole 14 and the recovery hole 20 are provided adjacent to each other, the ejection hole 14 is directed toward the recovery hole 20 in each of the space S1 and the space S2. The flow of the diffusion preventing gas GS can be generated. By controlling the direction of this flow (airflow), the workpiece W can be moved (conveyed) in the horizontal direction. Thereby, providing the roller conveyor 10 as mentioned in the first embodiment can be omitted.

As described above, the air curtain generation units 15 and 16 of the plasma processing apparatus 18 have a function as a transport unit that transports the workpiece W.
Further, in the plasma processing apparatus 18, since the space S1 is depressurized as described above, the mean free path of gas molecules of the processing gas G1 becomes long, and glow discharge can be easily generated in the processing space S. Thereby, discharge ignition power and discharge maintenance power can be reduced.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the third embodiment of the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention. In the following description, the upper side in FIG. 3 is referred to as “upper”, the lower side is referred to as “lower”, the vertical direction in FIG. 3 is referred to as “vertical direction”, and the left-right direction is referred to as “horizontal direction”.
Hereinafter, the plasma processing apparatus of the third embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the second embodiment described above, and the description of the same matters will be omitted. The present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the plasma processing apparatus is configured to perform plasma processing on the lower surface of the object to be processed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the plasma processing apparatus 30 is provided with a gas supply pipe 5 only below the workpiece W. Thereby, the lower surface of the to-be-processed object W can be plasma-processed.
In the plasma processing apparatus 30, the air curtain generation unit 16 is installed only on the lower side of the workpiece W. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the processing gas G1 in the lower processing space S from diffusing with respect to the workpiece W, and to prevent the concentration of the processing gas G1 from decreasing.

Further, by setting the amount of the diffusion preventing gas GS ejected from the ejection hole 14 to be larger than the amount of the diffusion preventing gas GS recovered from the recovery hole 20, the workpiece W can be floated and conveyed. .
Further, the plasma processing apparatus 30 is not limited to being configured to perform plasma processing on the lower surface of the workpiece W, and may be configured to perform plasma processing on the upper surface of the workpiece W. At this time, the workpiece W is sucked by setting the amount of the diffusion preventing gas GS ejected from the upper ejection hole 14 to be smaller than the amount of the diffusion preventing gas GS recovered from the upper recovery hole 20. Make it rise.

Although the plasma processing apparatus and the plasma processing method of the present invention have been described based on the illustrated embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these. Each unit constituting the plasma processing apparatus can be replaced with any component that can exhibit the same function. Moreover, arbitrary components may be added.
For example, you may provide the roller conveyor in the plasma processing apparatus of 1st Embodiment in the plasma processing apparatus of 2nd Embodiment.
Further, the plasma processing apparatus is not limited to the so-called parallel plate type shown in the above embodiments, and may be, for example, a so-called remote type.
Moreover, it does not specifically limit as a plasma process performed to a to-be-processed object, For example, an ashing process, an etching process, a hydrophilic process, a water-repellent process etc. are mentioned.

It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of 1st Embodiment of the plasma processing apparatus of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of 2nd Embodiment of the plasma processing apparatus of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of 3rd Embodiment of the plasma processing apparatus of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the conventional parallel plate type atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 18, 30, 40 ... Plasma processing apparatus 2, 42 ... Upper electrode 3, 43 ... Lower electrode 4, 5 ... Gas supply pipe 6, 8 ... Conductor 7 ... High frequency power supply 9 ... Conveying roller 10, 41 ... Roller conveyor 11 ... Suction port 12, 13 ... Gas discharge pipe 14 ... Ejection hole 15, 16 ... Air curtain generator 20 ... Recovery hole 23, 24 ... Opening 25, 28 ... Exhaust pumps 26, 29 ... Air tank 27 ... Heaters 44a, 44b ... Gas introduction pipes 45a, 45b ... Gas exhaust pipes AS ... Air curtain E ... High frequency electric field h1, h2 ... Distance S ... Processing space S1 , S2 ... Space W ... Object W1, W2 ... Surface G1 ... Process gas GS ... Diffusion prevention gas

Claims (11)

A plasma processing apparatus comprising a processing gas ejection part having an opening for ejecting a processing gas toward an object to be processed, and a pair of electrodes for generating an electric field so as to generate plasma by activating the processing gas. And
A gas diffusion part for preventing diffusion of plasma is provided by blowing a gas for preventing diffusion to surround a portion of the object to be processed, which is to be plasma-treated, with an air flow, and to prevent the plasma from diffusing. Plasma processing equipment.   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a diffusion preventing gas recovery unit that recovers the jetted diffusion preventing gas.   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a processing gas recovery unit that recovers the ejected processing gas.   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the recovered processing gas is reused for plasma processing.   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein an amount of the ejected processing gas is larger than an amount of the collected processing gas sucked.   6. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heating unit that heats the diffusion preventing gas.   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diffusion preventing gas is an inert gas.   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of electrodes are disposed to face each other with the object to be processed interposed therebetween.   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein openings of the processing gas ejection portion are provided on surfaces of the pair of electrodes facing each other. A method for plasma processing the object to be processed using the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1,
Installing the object to be treated;
Next, in a state where the diffusion preventing gas is ejected from the diffusion preventing gas ejection portion, the processing gas is ejected from the opening of the processing gas ejection portion toward the object to be processed, and the gap between the pair of electrodes A plasma processing method comprising: generating an electric field to generate plasma, and processing the object to be processed with the generated plasma. The vicinity of the object to be processed is disposed between a processing gas ejection portion having an opening for ejecting a processing gas toward the object to be processed and a pair of electrodes that generate an electric field so that plasma is generated by activating the processing gas. When passing and processing the object to be plasma,
A plasma processing method, wherein the object to be processed is processed in a state in which a diffusion preventing gas is jetted to prevent plasma from diffusing.

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