JP2006092813A - Surface treating device and surface treatment method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a surface treating device and a surface treatment method, capable of applying uniform surface treatment in a short time, while preventing a treatment head from touching an object to be treated, even if the object to be treated is warped and curved. <P>SOLUTION: The plasma treatment device M, performing surface treatment, by making gas discharged from a nozzle head 1 as a treatment head contact a surface of a work W as an object to be treated, has rollers 29, 29 as flattening means which turn the work W into a flattened state, and turns the treatment gas supplied from a treatment gas source 2 into a plasma, by making the treatment gas pass between electrodes 23, 24 on which a pulse-formed voltage is impressed by a power source 4, and the rollers are made to contact the flattened surface of the work. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for processing the surface of an object to be processed by a plasma processing apparatus, a thermal CVD apparatus, or the like, and in particular, an object to be processed that is likely to be warped like a multilayer substrate such as a printed wiring board is made uniform. The present invention relates to a surface treatment apparatus capable of treatment and a surface treatment method.

Conventionally, this type of surface treatment apparatus includes a gas flow path for sending a predetermined gas toward the surface of a material to be treated, and a gas discharge under atmospheric pressure or a pressure in the vicinity of the gas in the gas flow path. Is a surface treatment apparatus that includes a pair of power supply electrodes and a ground electrode for generating excited active species of gas, thereby ejecting a gas containing excited active species onto the surface of the material to be processed. The gas flow path is formed so that two dielectric plates face each other at a predetermined interval, and the gas supplied to the gap is ejected from one side of the dielectric plate to the surface of the workpiece. Each electrode is disposed opposite to the outer side of the dielectric plate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-9-92493 (see paragraph [0009])

  By the way, in the surface treatment apparatus having the above structure, for example, when cleaning the surface of a printed wiring board, in the case of a multilayer printed wiring board, warping may occur due to heating when stacking and integrating, Since the distance to the wiring board changes, uniform processing cannot be performed. In particular, when the size of the printed wiring board is a large size of about 300 × 500 mm, the protrusion amount due to warpage with respect to the flat plate becomes large. In general, when processing an object to be processed having a large size, the object to be processed is moved and processed. However, when processing an object to be processed that has a large protrusion due to warpage, If the working distance is set to be small, there is a possibility that the object to be processed comes into contact with the processing head. Further, since the object to be processed is warped, the gas flow is disturbed, and there is a possibility that the processing is not performed uniformly. In particular, when the amount of warp varies for each workpiece, uniform processing is difficult and difficult to adjust. If the working distance is set to be large for the purpose of preventing contact, the processing reaction becomes slow and there is a problem that extra processing time is required.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and the object thereof is a case where the object to be processed is curved in a curved manner, and the object to be processed is set even if the working distance is set small. It is an object of the present invention to provide a surface processing apparatus and a surface processing method that can perform processing without contact with the processing head, perform surface processing uniformly and in a short time.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus for performing a surface treatment by bringing a treatment gas blown from a treatment head into contact with the surface of the object to be treated. A flattening means for flattening is provided. As the surface treatment, various surface treatments such as thermal CVD treatment, ozone ashing treatment, and HF vapor etching treatment can be performed in addition to surface modification treatment by plasma treatment, etching treatment, cleaning treatment, and the like.

The surface treatment apparatus of the present invention configured as described above blows out the processing gas blown from the processing head onto the surface of the workpiece to be flattened, so that the processing gas uniformly contacts the surface of the workpiece. Thus, the surface treatment can be performed uniformly, and the quality of the surface treatment can be improved. Further, since the working distance can be set small by bringing the processing head closer to the object to be processed, the processing reaction can be accelerated and the processing time can be shortened. Here, in order to make the object to be processed flat, the object to be processed may be pressed against a flat reference surface.

  As another aspect of the surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention, the surface treatment apparatus is characterized in that the surface treatment is performed by moving at least one of the treatment head and the workpiece. According to this configuration, since the workpiece having a large surface area is maintained in a flat state, the workpiece and the processing head do not come into contact with each other even when at least one of the processing head and the workpiece is moved. In addition, since the gas flow is not disturbed, the working distance can be reduced, and the surface treatment can be made uniform and quick.

  Further, as a preferred specific aspect of the surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention, the flattening means is a roller that is rotatably supported on the treatment head side and presses the surface of the object to be treated. . The roller is preferably spherical, cylindrical, or drum-shaped, and is preferably installed such that the rotation axis and the sliding direction are orthogonal to each other, and a contact layer such as soft rubber is formed on the surface. According to this configuration, since the surface of the object to be processed is pressed with the roller and processed in a flat state, the surface treatment can be made uniform and the surface treatment can be performed quickly. Even when at least one of the workpiece and the processing head is moved, uniform and quick surface treatment can be performed.

  Furthermore, as another preferable specific aspect of the surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention, the flattening means holds the object to be processed in a flat state via a support base. In particular, when the object to be processed is a quadrilateral substrate, a container-like support base into which the quadrilateral is fitted or a support base having a stepped portion with which two sides of the quadrilateral are engaged is used. What presses an upper surface with a nail | claw, a hook, a spring, etc. is preferable. According to this configuration, since the upper surface of the object to be processed is pressed and flattened and then the surface treatment is performed in that state, a uniform surface treatment can be performed.

  A surface treatment method according to the present invention is a method of performing a surface treatment by blowing a treatment gas from a treatment head and bringing it into contact with the surface of the object to be treated. It is characterized by contact. Since the surface treatment method configured in this way corrects the object to be processed and brings the treatment gas into contact with the surface treatment, uniform surface treatment is possible. In addition, since the object to be processed is corrected to a flat state, the working distance can be reduced, and the surface treatment can be efficiently performed with a small amount of processing gas in a short processing time.

  According to the surface treatment apparatus and the surface treatment method of the present invention, even when the workpiece is curved due to warp or the like, the surface treatment can be performed uniformly, and the treatment quality can be improved. In addition, the working distance that is the distance between the object to be processed and the processing head can be reduced, and the processing time can be shortened. When processing by moving the processing head and the object to be processed relative to each other, even if the working distance is set to a small value, they can be prevented from coming into contact, the processing can be made uniform, and the processing time can be shortened. it can.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a main part of a plasma processing apparatus as a surface processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the main part of the plasma processing apparatus of FIG.

1 and 2, the surface treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment is a plasma treatment apparatus M, which includes a nozzle head 1 that blows discharge plasma onto a workpiece W that is an object to be treated. Is provided with a processing gas introduction section 10 and a discharge processing section 20. In addition, the plasma processing apparatus M includes a transport unit 3 that moves the workpiece W, and a power source 4 that applies a voltage to the opposing electrode of the discharge processing unit 20. A processing gas introduction unit 10 is provided above the discharge processing unit 20. Is located, and the carrier 3a of the conveying means 3 is positioned below the discharge processing unit 20, and the workpiece W, which is the object to be processed, is conveyed between the lower surface of the discharge processing unit 20 and the conveying means 3. ing. The power source 4 applies a pulsed voltage to the electrodes inside the discharge processing unit 20 described later. Hereinafter, each component will be described in detail.

  The processing gas introduction unit 10 is a part that sends processing gas into the discharge space of the discharge processing unit 20 when performing plasma processing. The processing gas introduction unit 10 has a container shape, and the processing gas is supplied from the processing gas source 2 to the inside through the pipe 2a. Two pipes 11 to be introduced are provided. These two pipes extend in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface, and have a width larger than the entire width of the workpiece W in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction WA of the workpiece W. The two pipes 11 are supported at predetermined intervals by upper and lower plate-like support members 12 and 13 to form a unit, and chambers 14 and 15 are formed above and below the support members.

  The upper support member 12 has a large number of through-holes 16 penetrating in the vertical direction at short intervals. The through-holes penetrate the pipe 11 so that the inside of the pipe communicates with the upper chamber 14. Yes. A slit 17 that opens to the outside is formed on the bottom surface of the processing gas introduction part 10, and this slit is formed so as to expand upward and communicates with the lower chamber 15. Accordingly, the processing gas introduced from the processing gas source 2 enters the two pipes 11, enters the upper chamber 14 through the through hole 16, enters the lower chamber 15 through the gap 18 connecting the upper and lower chambers, and moves downward. It is configured to be blown out from the slit 17. With this configuration, the blowing of the processing gas is set to be uniform at all positions in the longitudinal direction of the slit 17. The slit 17 also has a width larger than the entire width of the workpiece W.

  The discharge processing unit 20 has electrodes 23 and 24 built in a case-like main body 21 with a holder 22 made of an insulating material such as ceramic or polytetrafluoroethylene interposed therebetween. The electrodes 23 and 24 are arranged in parallel through a central gap 25 having a predetermined width along a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction WA of the workpiece W. The width of the center gap 25 is preferably about 1 to 3 mm. When a voltage is applied to the electrodes 23 and 24, the central gap 25 becomes a discharge space.

  The electrodes 23 and 24 are made of a single metal such as copper or aluminum, an alloy such as stainless steel or brass, an intermetallic compound, or the like. At least the electrode facing surface of each electrode is covered with a coating layer of solid dielectric 26 such as alumina in order to prevent arc discharge, and the thickness of the coating layer is preferably about 0.01 to 4 mm. As the solid dielectric, in addition to alumina, a plate-like material such as ceramics or resin, a sheet-like material, or a film-like material may be used to cover the outer peripheral surface of the electrode. The lengths of the electrodes 23 and 24 are set longer than the processing width of the workpiece. The electrodes 23 and 24 are rounded as shown in FIG. 1 in order to prevent arc discharge at least at the corner portion of the center gap 25.

  A slit 27 is formed in the lateral direction on the upper surface of the case-shaped main body portion 21, and this slit coincides with the slit 17 on the lower surface of the processing gas introduction portion 10. Accordingly, the processing gas that has exited from the slit 17 of the processing gas introduction unit 10 enters the inside of the main body 21 through the slit 27 of the main body 21 and moves downward through the central gap 25 between the electrode surfaces of the electrodes 23 and 24. The air outlet 28a of the partition plate 28 on the bottom surface of the main body 21 is blown out.

Rollers 29, 29... That press the workpiece W are rotatably supported on the partition plate 28 on the nozzle head side. The rollers 29 and 29 having a predetermined length are arranged at a predetermined interval, and the lower protruding portion is in contact with the workpiece W and rotates as the workpiece moves. These rollers 29, 29... Constitute a flattening means for making the workpiece W flat. If the roller is formed of a soft material such as rubber, it is preferable that the work W is not easily scratched. The roller is preferably supported by a bearing or the like so as to be easily rotated. Further, the roller may be configured to include pressing means such as a spring for pressing the work. When it is preferable that the processing area is the central part of the workpiece and the roller does not touch the processing area, it is preferable that the end portion or the like outside the processing area is pressed by the roller.

  A push bolt 30 and a pull bolt 31 for moving the electrodes 23 and 24 in the horizontal direction are mounted on the side surface of the main body 21. By rotating the push bolt 30 clockwise, the holder 22 is pushed to advance the electrode and narrow the center gap 25. In addition, by loosening the push bolt 30 and rotating the pull bolt 31 clockwise, the electrode can be retracted and the center gap 25 can be widened, and the center gap 25 can be made straight. It is preferable that the width of the center gap 25 is constant. By making the width constant, the discharge state between the electrodes 23 and 24 can be stabilized, and uniform plasma processing can be performed. The push bolt 30 and the pull bolt 31 have a function of adjusting the center gap 25 as described above and a function of preventing each electrode from being bent due to Coulomb force or thermal expansion when a voltage is applied.

  The conveyance means 3 is a structure which moves the conveyance stand 3a with a linear motion mechanism etc., for example, conveys the workpiece | work W, such as a printed wiring board which is a to-be-processed object, and conveys it below the discharge process part 20, By conveying the workpiece W at a constant conveyance speed, the plasma processing of the workpiece W can be performed uniformly. Although the transport means 3 is configured to transport the workpiece W, it may be configured to transport the nozzle head 1 that fixes the workpiece W and blows discharge plasma. The conveying means may be constituted by other conveying means such as a belt conveyer, a roller conveyer, or a conveyer that conveys a work with upper and lower rollers.

  The power supply 4 applies pulsed voltages having different polarities to the electrodes 23 and 24 in the discharge processing unit 20, applies a pulsed voltage to one electrode 23, and grounds the other electrode 24 opposite to the ground 4a. Thus, a discharge is generated in the central gap 25 between the electrodes. The pulse voltage preferably has a rise time and a fall time of 10 μs or less, an electric field strength of 10 to 1000 kV / cm, and a frequency of 0.5 kHz or more.

  When the electric field strength is less than 10 kV / cm, it takes too much time for processing, and when it exceeds 1000 kV / cm, arc discharge tends to occur. If it is less than 0.5 kHz, the plasma density is low and the processing takes too much time. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but the upper limit is also possible in a high frequency band such as 13.56 MHz that is commonly used and 500 MHz that is used experimentally. In consideration of ease of matching with the load and handleability, 500 kHz or less is preferable. By applying such a pulse voltage to the electrodes 23 and 24 from the power source 4, the processing speed can be greatly improved.

  The duration of one pulse in the pulse voltage is preferably 200 μs or less. If it exceeds 200 μs, it tends to shift to arc discharge. Here, one pulse duration means a continuous ON time of one pulse in a pulsed voltage composed of repetition of ON and OFF. The pulse off time in the pulse voltage is preferably 0.5 to 1000 μs, and more preferably 0.5 to 500 μs. When it exceeds 1000 μs, it becomes easy to shift to arc discharge.

The voltage applied to the electrodes 23 and 24 is not limited to the pulse voltage, and may be a continuous wave voltage. As the pulse voltage waveform, an appropriate waveform such as a square wave type, a modulation type, or a combination of the above waveforms can be used in addition to the impulse type. Further, the voltage waveform may be a so-called one-wave waveform in which a voltage is applied to either the positive or negative polarity side, in addition to the voltage application repeating positive and negative. A bipolar waveform may also be used. Of course, an AC waveform that is a general sine wave may be used.

In the plasma processing apparatus M, it is preferable that the processing is performed under a pressure near atmospheric pressure. The pressure near atmospheric pressure is 100 to 800 Torr (about 1.333 × 10 ^{4 to} 10.664 ×
The pressure is 10 ⁴ Pa). In practice, it is easy to adjust the pressure, and the apparatus used for the discharge plasma treatment is simple. 700 to 780 Torr (about 9.331 × 10 ^{4 to} 10.9797)
A pressure of × 10 ⁴ Pa) is preferred. In addition, when the discharge plasma is brought into contact with the surface of the material to be treated by plasma treatment and activated, the material to be treated may be heated, cooled, or kept at room temperature. Good.

  The operation of the plasma processing apparatus M configured as described above will be described. The processing gas supplied from the processing gas source 2 in the processing gas introduction part 10 of the nozzle head 1 enters the upper chamber 14 from the pipe 11 through the through hole 16, enters the lower chamber 15 through the gap 18, The workpiece W is made uniform in the width direction of the workpiece W and enters the main body portion 21 of the discharge processing portion 20 through the slit 27 from the lower chamber 15 through the gas introduction path formed by the slit 17.

  In the discharge processing unit 20, the processing gas is uniformly introduced into the central gap 25 between the electrodes 23 and 24. When a pulse voltage is applied from the power source 4 to the electrodes 23 and 24, the central gap 25 becomes a discharge space, glow discharge is generated, the processing gas is turned into plasma and activated, and the workpiece W is blown from the outlet 28a. The surface treatment such as cleaning can be performed by being sprayed and contacting the workpiece surface.

  The plasma-ized processing gas is blown out over the entire width of the wide workpiece W through the central gap 25 and the glow discharge state is stable, so that the surface of the workpiece W is uniformly cleaned. The workpiece W is conveyed by the conveying means 3 at a predetermined speed, and the sprayed area of the plasma-ized processing gas gradually moves as the workpiece W moves, so that a wide area of the workpiece W can be uniformly plasma-processed. it can. Although the cleaning process has been described as the surface treatment, a surface modification process such as a hydrophilic process or a water repellent process can also be performed uniformly.

  The work W is transported to the nozzle head 1 by the transport means 3 so that a wide processing area of the work W can be uniformly surface-treated. When the workpiece W is moved during processing, even if the workpiece is curved due to warping, the workpiece W is pressed in the direction of the conveyance table 3a by the rollers 29 and 29 installed before and after the conveyance direction, and as a result, the conveyance table 3a. Therefore, the warpage is corrected and the workpiece W becomes flat, and the surface treatment can be performed uniformly. Further, since the workpiece W is held in a flat state, the working distance that is the interval between the workpiece and the nozzle head can be reduced, and the processing time can be shortened, so that the processing time can be shortened. The workpiece W is directly placed on the transport table 3a, but may be placed on a support table having a horizontal reference surface.

  The processing gas used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a gas that generates plasma by applying an electric field, and various gases can be used depending on the processing purpose. According to the plasma processing apparatus M of the present invention, glow discharge plasma can be generated regardless of the kind of gas existing in the plasma generation space, and the airtightness is low enough to prevent free flow of the open system or gas. System processing is possible. According to the atmospheric pressure discharge plasma processing apparatus using the pulse electric field, it is possible to cause discharge at atmospheric pressure between the electrodes without depending on the gas type at all, and the electrode structure and the discharge procedure can be simplified. High-speed processing can be realized.

A water-repellent surface can be obtained by using a fluorine-containing compound gas such as CF ₄ , C ₂ F ₆ , CClF ₃ , or SF ₆ as the processing gas. By using oxygen element-containing compounds such as O ₂ , O ₃ , water and air, nitrogen element-containing compounds such as N ₂ and NH ₃ , and sulfur element-containing compounds such as SO ₂ and SO ₃ as processing gases, A hydrophilic surface such as a carbonyl group, a hydroxyl group, and an amino group can be formed on the surface to increase the surface energy and obtain a hydrophilic surface. Alternatively, the hydrophilic polymer film can be coated with a polymerizable monomer having a hydrophilic group such as acrylic acid or methacrylic acid.

Furthermore, metal oxide thin films such as SiO ₂ , TiO ₂ and SnO ₂ can be formed by using a processing gas such as metal metal-hydrogen compounds, metal-halogen compounds, metal alcoholates such as Si, Ti, and Sn, Electrical and optical functions can be imparted to the substrate surface. Etching and dicing using halogen-based gas, resist processing and organic contamination removal using oxygen-based gas, and surface cleaning and surface modification using inert gas such as argon and nitrogen It can also be done. From the viewpoint of economy and safety, it is desirable to perform the treatment in an atmosphere diluted with a diluent gas listed below, rather than the atmosphere alone. Examples of the diluent gas include rare gases such as helium, neon, argon, and xenon, nitrogen gas, and the like. These may be used alone or in admixture of two or more.

  Another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first support base, which is a flattening means, and a perspective view of a modification thereof as another embodiment of the surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the second support base. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the third support base. In addition, these embodiments are characterized in that the workpiece W, which is an object to be processed, is held in a flat state via a support, and is transported by a transport means to be subjected to surface treatment. . Other substantially equivalent configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 3, the workpiece W of this embodiment has a rectangular planar shape, and a support base 35 that holds the workpiece in a flat state is composed of a flat plate 36 serving as a base and a plurality of clips 37. The flat plate 36 is formed of a ceramic or the like having rigidity, has a rectangular shape that is substantially the same as the workpiece, and has a flat reference surface on the upper surface. The clip 37 is formed of stainless steel or a spring material. The upper and lower end portions of the plate material are bent to sandwich the flat plate 36 and the work W, specifically, the end portion to press the work, and the upper surface (reference surface) of the flat plate 36. The workpiece W is warped and flattened.

  In this way, by holding the work in a flat state by the support table 35 that is a flattening means, and placing, transporting, or fixing the flat plate 36 on the transport table 3a, the processing gas blown from the nozzle head 1 is transferred to the work table. It is possible to perform uniform surface treatment by uniformly contacting the surface. Since the working distance can be set small, the processing time can be shortened. In addition, if the part where the clip of the flat plate 36 is pinched is made a step in advance, the fixing to the transport table 3a becomes easy. In addition, the clip may be formed with an insulating coating, and a cushion material may be attached to the upper and lower ends. The position of the clip may be selected as appropriate so that the work is not damaged or does not interfere with the processing. When the work or nozzle head is transported, it is preferably provided on two opposing sides parallel to the work transport direction (see FIG. 3b).

  A support base 40 shown in FIG. 4 has a container shape in which a concave portion 41 into which a rectangular work W is depressed is formed, and a plurality of presser claws 42 are rotatably supported on an outer peripheral edge portion. The presser claws are supported on the edges of the four sides as many as the length of the presser claws. When the presser claws 42 are parallel to the edges, the presser claws 42 do not protrude onto the recesses 41, and the presser claws 42 are rotated, for example, 90 degrees When it is made to protrude, it protrudes on the recessed part 41, and it is comprised so that the workpiece | work W may be pressed on the horizontal reference plane which is the bottom face of the recessed part 41. FIG. The depth of the recess 41 is formed to be substantially the same as the thickness of the work W to be held.

  The support base 40 is also fixed on the transport base 3a transported by the transport means 3 by a clamping means (not shown). When the workpiece W is fitted in the recess 41 of the support base 40 and the presser claw 42 is rotated and positioned on the workpiece W, even if the workpiece W is curved due to warping, the outer peripheral portion thereof is lowered downward by the presser claw 42. Since it is pressed, the workpiece is in a flat state. By processing by blowing the processing gas from the nozzle head 1 with the workpiece in a flat state, the surface treatment is performed uniformly, and even if the working distance is small, the contact between the workpiece W and the processing head is prevented during the conveyance. Is done.

  The support base 45 shown in FIG. 5 supports and supports two sides in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular workpiece W, and the support base 45 has a concave groove 46 slightly larger than the width of the work W. ing. The depth of the concave groove is set to be larger than the thickness of the work to be held, and two pairs of protrusions 47 facing each other are formed on the opposing vertical surfaces of the concave groove. These protrusions are set so that the distance between the bottom surface of the concave groove 46 and the lower surface facing the groove 46 is equal to the thickness of the workpiece, and are inclined surfaces in which the front and rear sides rise. The number of protrusions is not limited to two pairs, and may be increased. When there are two pairs of protrusions, it is preferable that the protrusions are installed at the entrance and exit of the groove 46. Moreover, you may comprise so that a workpiece | work may be pressed by attaching a spring material to the lower surface of a protrusion.

  In the support base 45 configured as described above, when the workpiece W is flattened and held, the workpiece W is inserted between the bottom surface of the protrusion 47 and the bottom surface of the concave groove from the direction of the opening of the concave groove 46 to form the concave groove. By pushing in the 46 direction, the workpiece W is pressed by the two pairs of protrusions 47, and is held and fixed in a flat state in close contact with the horizontal reference surface which is the bottom surface of the support groove 45, specifically the concave groove. Since the workpiece W is pressed against the outer peripheral portion in the longitudinal direction by two or more pairs of protrusions 47, the workpiece W is held flat on the support base 45 even when the workpiece is curved. When the workpiece W held on the support 45 is surface-treated with the plasma processing apparatus M, various surface treatments are uniformly performed, and the working distance can be reduced, so that the processing time can be shortened. Further, the surface treatment can be performed with a small amount of processing gas.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention described in the claims. Design changes can be made. For example, an example of cleaning the surface of an object to be processed has been shown as plasma processing, but it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to various processes such as film formation, etching, surface modification, and ashing. The discharge between the electrodes facing each other is not limited to glow discharge, but may be discharge such as corona discharge or arc discharge, and is applicable not only to treatment in the vicinity of atmospheric pressure but also to surface treatment under reduced pressure.

  Although the roller which presses a to-be-processed object showed the example provided in each 1 row in the conveyance direction front and back side of the blowing port of a process gas, you may comprise so that many rows may be provided. Although a configuration including a processing gas introduction unit that introduces a processing gas into the discharge processing unit has been shown, it may be configured to be introduced directly from the processing gas source into the discharge processing unit, and a change in the pressure of the processing gas is prevented in the middle. You may comprise so that a pressure control valve may be provided. The processing gas is blown to the object to be processed through the blowout port, but may be blown directly from the center gap.

  As an application example of the present invention, an etching process can be performed using HF vapor or the like as a processing gas blown from the processing head. Moreover, it is not restricted to a plasma processing apparatus, It can apply also to the use of thin film formation by attaching a thermal CVD head. Further, in the present invention, surface treatment such as hydrophilic treatment or water repellent treatment can be performed.

Sectional drawing which shows the principal part structure of a plasma processing apparatus as one Embodiment of the surface treatment apparatus which concerns on this invention. The bottom view which shows the principal part of FIG. (A) is a perspective view of a 1st support stand as a planarization means used with other embodiment of the surface treatment apparatus which concerns on this invention, (b) is a perspective view which shows the modification. The perspective view of the 2nd support stand. The perspective view of a 3rd support stand.

Explanation of symbols

  1: nozzle head (processing head), 2: processing gas source, 3: transport means, 3a: transport table, 4: power supply, 23, 24: electrode, 29: roller (flattening means), 10: processing gas introduction section , 20: Discharge treatment part, 35, 40, 45: Support base (flattening means), 36: Flat plate, 37: Clip, 41: Recess, 42: Pressing claw, 46: Concave groove, 47: Protrusion, M: Plasma Processing equipment (surface treatment equipment), W: Workpiece (object to be treated)

Claims (5)

An apparatus for performing a surface treatment by bringing a treatment gas blown from a treatment head into contact with the surface of an object to be treated,
The surface treatment apparatus includes a flattening means for flattening an object to be processed.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface treatment apparatus performs surface treatment by moving at least one of the treatment head and an object to be treated.   The surface processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flattening unit is a roller that is rotatably supported on the processing head side and presses the surface of the object to be processed.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flattening unit holds the workpiece in a flat state via a support base. A method of performing a surface treatment by blowing a processing gas from a processing head and bringing it into contact with the surface of an object to be processed,
A surface treatment method comprising bringing the treatment gas into contact after the object to be treated is in a flat state.

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