JP2008019494A - Plasma treatment apparatus and plasma treatment method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plasma treatment apparatus which can greatly inhibit a structure of a film from forming a defect, improve the uniformity of treatment characteristics and reduce the fluctuation of the treatment characteristics among lots, and to provide a plasma treatment method. <P>SOLUTION: The plasma treatment apparatus has a plurality of high-frequency power supply systems for supplying the plurality of high-frequency powers having different frequencies, in a reaction vessel. At least one high-frequency power supply system has a high-frequency power source, a matching circuit, and a filter circuit which is arranged between the high-frequency power source and the matching circuit; and further has a means for detecting an electric power which is supplied from another power supply system and sneaks around to the filter circuit. The plasma treatment method uses the plasma treatment apparatus. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method used for manufacturing a semiconductor device, an electrophotographic photoreceptor, an image input line sensor, a photographing device, a photovoltaic device and the like.

  Conventionally, plasma CVD, plasma etching, and plasma have been used as plasma processing methods for semiconductor devices, electrophotographic photoreceptors, image input line sensors, imaging devices, photovoltaic devices, other various electronic elements, and optical elements. Many surface treatment methods have been known, and an apparatus for that purpose has been put to practical use.

  For example, the plasma CVD method, that is, a method of forming a thin film-like deposited film on a substrate by decomposing a source gas by direct current, high frequency or microwave glow discharge, is currently used for forming a hydrogenated amorphous silicon deposited film for electrophotography, etc. It has been put into practical use, and various devices for it have been proposed.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of an apparatus for forming a hydrogenated amorphous silicon deposited film for electrophotography using high-frequency power in the VHF band. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view, and FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a cutting line A-A ′ in FIG. An exhaust port 209 is formed in the lower part of the reaction vessel 201, and the other end of the exhaust port 209 is connected to an exhaust device (not shown). Six cylindrical substrates 205 on which deposited films are formed are arranged so as to be parallel to each other so as to surround the central portion of the reaction vessel 201. Each cylindrical substrate 205 is held by a rotating shaft 208 and is heated by a heating element 207. By driving a motor (not shown), the rotation shaft 208 is rotated via a gear (not shown) so that the cylindrical base body 205 rotates around the shaft.

  The source gas is supplied into the reaction vessel 201 from the source gas supply means 210.

  High frequency power is supplied from a high frequency power source 214 to a plurality of high frequency electrodes 213 arranged outside the reaction vessel 201 via a matching box 215 in which a matching circuit is housed, and a part of the reaction vessel 201 is formed from the high frequency electrode 213. The light passes through the dielectric wall 203 and is introduced into the reaction vessel 201.

  A high-frequency shield 204 is provided so as to surround the high-frequency electrode 213 and is configured to prevent leakage of power to the outside.

  Formation of a deposited film using such an apparatus can be generally performed by the following procedure.

  First, the cylindrical substrate 205 is installed in the reaction vessel 201, and the inside of the reaction vessel 201 is exhausted through an exhaust port 209 by an exhaust device (not shown). Subsequently, the cylindrical base 205 is heated and controlled to a predetermined temperature by the heating element 207.

  When the cylindrical substrate 205 reaches a predetermined temperature, the source gas is introduced into the reaction vessel 201 via the source gas supply means 210. After confirming that the flow rate of the source gas is the set flow rate and that the pressure in the reaction vessel 201 is stable, the output of the high-frequency power source 214 is set to a predetermined value. Subsequently, the impedance of the matching circuit in the matching box 215 is adjusted.

  As a result, high-frequency power is efficiently supplied into the reaction vessel 201 via the high-frequency electrode 213, glow discharge occurs in the reaction vessel 201, and the source gas is excited and dissociated to form a deposited film on the cylindrical substrate 205. Is done.

  After the formation of the desired film thickness, the supply of the high frequency power is stopped, and then the supply of the source gas is stopped to finish the formation of the deposited film. By repeating the same operation a plurality of times, a desired multilayered light-receiving layer is formed.

  During the formation of the deposited film, the cylindrical substrate 205 is rotated at a predetermined speed by a motor (not shown) via the rotating shaft 208, whereby a uniform deposited film is formed over the entire circumference of the cylindrical substrate surface.

  In this way, a good hydrogenated amorphous silicon deposited film for electrophotography is formed. However, in a plasma processing apparatus using high-frequency power, power unevenness corresponding to the wavelength of the high-frequency power is likely to occur, and particularly when high-frequency power having a frequency in the VHF band is used, this power unevenness is likely to be manifested. It was one of the major barriers to improving characteristics.

  Under such circumstances, a technique using high-frequency power of two different frequencies has been developed, and for example, an apparatus as shown in FIG. 4 can significantly suppress power unevenness and achieve improvement in processing characteristics (for example, (See Patent Document 1). Furthermore, as a result of various improvements in the deposited film forming method using such an apparatus, the processing characteristics have been greatly improved (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  4, FIG. 4 (a) is a schematic cross-sectional view, and FIG. 4 (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line A-A 'of FIG. 4 (a). The high-frequency power source 214 and the superimposed high-frequency power source 216 can output high-frequency powers having different frequencies, and the high-frequency powers output from the high-frequency power source 214 and the superimposed high-frequency power source 216 are combined in the matching box 215. It is supplied to the high frequency electrode 213.

  In the matching box 215, a matching circuit for performing matching adjustment of the high frequency power input from the high frequency power source 214 and a matching circuit for performing matching adjustment of the high frequency power input from the superimposed high frequency power source 216 are provided. Each can be adjusted independently.

  The specific configuration of the matching box 215 is, for example, as shown in FIG. A matching circuit 101 includes a high-frequency high-frequency power matching circuit 102 and a low-frequency high-frequency power matching circuit 103. The high-frequency high-frequency power matching circuit 102 and the low-frequency high-frequency power matching circuit 103 can be independently matched by variable capacitors 104, 105, 106, and 107.

  A high-pass filter 108 is provided on the input side of the high-frequency, high-frequency power matching circuit 102 to suppress the low-frequency high-frequency power from flowing into the high-frequency, high-frequency power supply power source. Similarly, a low-pass filter 109 is provided on the input side of the low-frequency high-frequency power matching circuit 103 so as to prevent high-frequency high-frequency power from flowing into the low-frequency high-frequency power supply power source.

In order to form a deposited film using such an apparatus, high-frequency power is also output from the superimposed high-frequency power source 216 in parallel with the output of high-frequency power from the high-frequency power source 214. The matching adjustment is performed independently for the high-frequency power output from the high-frequency power source 214 and the superimposed high-frequency power source 216. Except for such high-frequency power output and matching adjustment, a deposited film can be formed in the same manner as in the case of using the apparatus shown in FIG.
JP 2002-220670 A JP 2003-268557 A

  Good plasma processing is performed by the conventional processing apparatus and processing method as described above. However, the increase in the demand level in the market is particularly remarkable in recent years, and in order to meet this demand, further improvement is required at present. For example, in the case of an electrophotographic photosensitive member manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method, in order to meet the recent demand for higher image quality, suppression of image defects, improvement in uniformity of potential characteristics, and suppression of lot-to-lot variations in processing characteristics are further enhanced. Need to be realized at the level.

  When an electrophotographic photosensitive member is formed using the above-described apparatus, the reaction vessel 201 can stably stabilize the high-frequency power at a high level in order to suppress image defects, improve the uniformity of potential characteristics, and suppress variations in processing characteristics among lots. Need to be introduced within. In particular, since the apparatus shown in FIG. 4 uses a plurality of high frequency powers having different frequencies, if even one of the plurality of high frequency powers becomes unstable, the ratio of the high frequency powers is shifted. As a result, the uniformity of the deposited film to be formed is impaired, and there may be a deviation in characteristics between lots. Furthermore, since the film structure of the deposited film adhering to the reaction vessel wall varies depending on the location, uneven portions of the film stress occur, and as a result, film peeling easily occurs and contributes to an increase in image defects. It may become.

  Thus, the realization of a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method that can stably introduce high-frequency power into a reaction vessel at a high level has been left as a problem in further improving plasma processing characteristics.

  The present invention aims to solve the above problems. That is, a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method capable of realizing a further improvement in plasma processing characteristics, more specifically, suppression of structural defects, improvement in uniformity of processing characteristics, and suppression of lot-to-lot variations in processing characteristics at a high level. The purpose is to provide.

  As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present inventors firstly confirmed that the effective high-frequency power introduced into the reaction vessel is not always accurately captured in the conventional plasma processing apparatus. I found.

  For example, when forming a deposited film using the matching box shown in FIG. 5 and the hydrogenated amorphous silicon deposited film forming apparatus for electrophotography shown in FIG. 4, a part of the high frequency power is consumed by the high pass filter 108 and the low pass filter 109. It has been found that these power consumptions may reach a level that affects the deposited film characteristics. Furthermore, it has been found that the power consumed by the high-pass filter 108 and the low-pass filter 109 may vary with time during the formation of the deposited film. Since the power consumed by the high-pass filter 108 and the low-pass filter 109 cannot be detected by the conventional apparatus, the effective power that contributes to the formation of the deposited film cannot be accurately controlled. It has been found that this is a barrier to achieving high levels of suppression, improvement in uniformity of potential characteristics, and suppression of variation in processing characteristics among lots.

  As a result of further investigation based on such knowledge, the loss power in the high-frequency power supply system, specifically, the sneak power to the filter is detected, and the sneak power is subtracted from the output power of the high-frequency power source. It was found that the effective power contributing to the formation of the deposited film can be accurately grasped by calculating the measured value. Furthermore, the present invention has found that by controlling the effective power to a desired value, it is possible to achieve a high level of suppression of structural defects, improvement in uniformity of processing characteristics, and suppression of lot-to-lot variations in processing characteristics. It came to complete.

  That is, the present invention provides at least a reaction container for storing an object to be processed, a raw material gas supply means for supplying a raw material gas into the reaction container, and a plurality of high-frequency powers having different frequencies in the reaction container. In the plasma processing apparatus having a plurality of high-frequency power supply system, at least one high-frequency power supply system has a high-frequency power supply and a matching circuit, and a filter circuit provided between the high-frequency power supply and the matching circuit, Further, the present invention is characterized by having means for detecting electric power supplied from another electric power supply system and flowing into the filter circuit.

  In addition, the present invention accommodates an object to be processed in a reaction vessel, and decomposes the raw material gas supplied into the reaction vessel with a plurality of high-frequency powers having different frequencies introduced from a plurality of high-frequency power supply systems. In the plasma processing method for processing a processed object, at least one high-frequency power is supplied from a high-frequency power supply system including a high-frequency power source and a matching circuit, and a filter circuit provided between the high-frequency power source and the matching circuit. The object to be processed is processed while detecting the electric power supplied from another electric power supply system and flowing into the filter circuit.

  According to the present invention as described above, the effective high-frequency power that contributes to plasma processing in the reaction vessel is stabilized. As a result, image defects can be suppressed, potential characteristics can be improved, and processing characteristics can be controlled from lot to lot. It becomes feasible at a high level.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of a matching box according to the present invention. For example, a deposited film that can be used in the present invention by using such a matching box as the matching box 215 of the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. A forming apparatus is configured.

  In FIG. 1, reference numerals 110 and 112 denote first wattmeters, high-frequency power transmitted from the filters 108 and 109 to the matching circuits 102 and 103, and transmission from the matching circuits 102 and 103 to the filters 108 and 109. Each of the high frequency powers that can be measured can be measured. Reference numerals 111 and 113 denote second wattmeters that can measure high-frequency power transmitted from the high-frequency power source toward the filters 108 and 109 and high-frequency power transmitted from the filters 108 and 109 toward the high-frequency power source, respectively. It has become.

  When the high frequency power transmitted from the high frequency power source measured by the second power meter 111 in the direction of the high pass filter 108 is Pf2, and the high frequency power transmitted from the high pass filter 108 in the direction of the high frequency power source is Pr2, Pf2 is a high frequency. The output from the high-frequency power source, Pr2 is the reflected power to the high-frequency high-frequency power source.

  If the high-frequency power measured from the high-pass filter 108 measured by the first wattmeter 110 in the direction of the matching circuit 102 is Pf1, and the high-frequency power transmitted from the matching circuit 102 in the direction of the high-pass filter 108 is Pr1, Pr1 is The total value of the reflected power (Pr2) to the high-frequency and high-frequency power source and the low-frequency and high-frequency power flowing through the matching circuit 101, Pf1 is the output of the high-frequency and high-frequency power source (Pf2) Of these, the total value of the power reflected by the high-pass filter 108 is shown.

Therefore, the low frequency high frequency power Ps that wraps around the high pass filter 108 is
Ps = (Pr1-Pr2)-(Pf1-Pf2) (1 formula)
It is.

Similarly, the high-frequency power transmitted from the high-frequency power source measured by the second wattmeter 113 toward the low-pass filter 109 is Pf2 ′, and the high-frequency power transmitted from the low-pass filter 109 toward the high-frequency power source is Pr2 ′. The high-frequency power transmitted from the low-pass filter 109 measured by the first wattmeter 112 in the direction of the matching circuit 103 is Pf1 ′, and the high-frequency power transmitted from the matching circuit 103 in the direction of the low-pass filter 109 is Pr1 ′. The high frequency high frequency power Ps ′ that wraps around the low pass filter 109 is
Ps ′ = (Pr1′−Pr2 ′) − (Pf1′−Pf2 ′) (Expression 2)
It is.

  For the first wattmeters 110 and 112 and the second wattmeters 111 and 113, for example, a known power measuring device using a directional coupler can be used.

  The first wattmeters 110 and 112, the second wattmeters 111 and 113, and the filters 108 and 109 are not necessarily in the matching box, and may be provided outside the matching box.

  In the present invention, the means for detecting the electric power flowing into the filter circuit may be a means for measuring a voltage and / or current at a predetermined location of the filter circuit. In this case, the relationship between the measured voltage value and / or the measured current value and the sneak power to the filter circuit is investigated in advance, and the filter circuit is calculated from the voltage value and / or current value during the plasma processing. Keep track of the power sneaking into. As a method for examining the relationship between the measured voltage value and / or the measured current value and the sneak power to the filter circuit, for example, it can be performed by using the above-described means using a directional coupler.

  In the present invention, the means for detecting the electric power flowing into the filter circuit may be a means for measuring the temperature at a predetermined location of the filter circuit. In this configuration, the relationship between the temperature at the predetermined location and the wraparound power to the filter circuit is examined in advance so that the wraparound power to the filter circuit can be grasped from the temperature at the predetermined location during the plasma processing. deep. As a method of examining the relationship between the temperature at a predetermined location and the sneak power to the filter circuit, for example, it can be performed by using the above-described means using a directional coupler.

  In the present invention, when using the high frequency power in the VHF band whose frequency of the high frequency power is 50 MHz or more and 250 MHz or less, a particularly remarkable effect can be obtained. In the high frequency power in the VHF band, the wavelength in the plasma is often the same as the dimensions of the device and the substrate, and the power absorption rate in the plasma is not as large as that of the microwave power. Easy to sneak into the high frequency power supply system. For this reason, power loss is likely to occur in the filter, and it is difficult to accurately control effective high-frequency power that contributes to plasma processing. In the present invention, as described above, since the power loss in the filter can be detected, it is possible to accurately control the effective high-frequency power that contributes to the plasma processing, thereby suppressing structural defects and improving the uniformity of potential characteristics. Therefore, it becomes possible to suppress the variation in characteristics between lots at a high level.

  In the present invention, a particularly remarkable effect can be obtained when a plurality of high-frequency powers having different frequencies are supplied to the same electrode. When a plurality of high-frequency powers having different frequencies are supplied to the same electrode, the high-frequency power tends to circulate into other high-frequency power supply systems. For this reason, power loss is likely to occur in the filter, and it is difficult to accurately control effective high-frequency power that contributes to plasma processing. In the present invention, as described above, since the power loss in the filter can be detected, it is possible to accurately control the effective high-frequency power that contributes to the plasma processing, thereby suppressing structural defects and improving the uniformity of potential characteristics. Therefore, it becomes possible to suppress the variation in characteristics between lots at a high level.

  Such plasma treatment according to the present invention is performed, for example, as follows. When an amorphous silicon photoconductor for electrophotography (hereinafter referred to as “a-Si photoconductor”) is formed by the matching box shown in FIG. 1 and the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. A cylindrical substrate 205 is installed in the vessel 201, and the inside of the reaction vessel 201 is exhausted through an exhaust port 209 by an exhaust device (not shown). Subsequently, the cylindrical base 205 is heated and controlled to a predetermined temperature by the heating element 207.

  When the cylindrical substrate 205 reaches a predetermined temperature, the source gas is introduced into the reaction vessel 201 via the source gas supply means 210. After confirming that the flow rate of the source gas is the set flow rate and that the pressure in the reaction vessel 201 is stable, the high frequency power is output from the high frequency power source 214. In addition, high frequency power is also output from the superimposed high frequency power source 216 in parallel. For example, when the frequency of the high frequency power output from the superimposed high frequency power source 216 is lower than the frequency of the high frequency power output from the high frequency power source 214, the high frequency power output in this way is as follows. It is supplied to the high-frequency electrode 213 through a path.

  The high-frequency power output from the high-frequency power source 214 reaches the matching box 215, where it passes through the second wattmeter 111, the high-pass filter 108, and the first wattmeter 110 to reach the high-frequency high-frequency power matching circuit 102. On the other hand, the high-frequency power output from the superimposed high-frequency power source 216 reaches the matching box 215, where it passes through the second wattmeter 113, the low-pass filter 109, and the first wattmeter 112 to the low-frequency high-frequency power matching circuit 103. It reaches. The respective electric powers are combined through the matching circuits 102 and 103 and then supplied to the high-frequency electrode 213.

  When the output values of the high frequency power source 214 and the superimposed high frequency power source 216 are set to predetermined values, matching adjustment is performed. Specifically, matching adjustment is performed on the high frequency power output from the high frequency power source 214 by adjusting the variable capacitors 104 and 105 in the matching box 215, and simultaneously output from the superimposed high frequency power source 216. Matching adjustment is performed by adjusting the variable capacitors 106 and 107 with respect to the high frequency electric power.

  As a result, high-frequency power is efficiently supplied into the reaction vessel 201 via the high-frequency electrode 213, glow discharge occurs in the reaction vessel 201, and the source gas is excited and dissociated to form a deposited film on the cylindrical substrate 205. Be started.

  When the formation of the deposited film is started in this manner, the high-pass filter 108 of the low frequency and high frequency power according to the above (1) using the power values measured by the first wattmeter 110 and the second wattmeter 111. Calculate the sneak power to. Then, the output set value of the low-frequency high-frequency power source, that is, the superimposed high-frequency power source 216 is increased by this sneak power. Similarly, using the power values measured by the first wattmeter 112 and the second wattmeter 113, the sneak power to the low-pass filter 109 of the high-frequency and high-frequency power is calculated by the above-described (Equation 2). Then, the output set value of the high-frequency high-frequency power source, that is, the high-frequency power source 214 is increased by this sneak current. By continuously performing such correction of the power supply output value during the formation of the deposited film, the effective high-frequency power that contributes to the plasma processing is controlled with high accuracy.

  After the formation of the desired film thickness, the supply of the high frequency power is stopped, and then the supply of the source gas is stopped to finish the formation of the deposited film. By repeating the same operation a plurality of times, a desired multilayered light-receiving layer is formed.

  During the formation of the deposited film, the cylindrical substrate 205 is rotated at a predetermined speed by a motor (not shown) via the rotating shaft 208, whereby a uniform deposited film is formed over the entire circumference of the cylindrical substrate surface.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in the plasma processing apparatus having a plurality of high-frequency power supply systems for supplying a plurality of high-frequency power having different frequencies in the reaction vessel, and a plasma processing method using the same, At least one high-frequency power supply system has a high-frequency power supply and a matching circuit, and a filter circuit provided between the high-frequency power supply and the matching circuit, and further includes power supplied from another power supply system, By having a means for detecting the power that wraps around the filter circuit, it is possible to control the effective high-frequency power that contributes to plasma processing with high accuracy, resulting in suppression of structural defects and potential characteristics. It is possible to achieve a high level of improvement in uniformity and suppression of variation in lots of processing characteristics.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example demonstrates this invention in more detail, this invention is not restrict | limited at all by these.

  Using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 4, on the cylindrical aluminum cylinder 205 having a diameter of 80 mm and a length of 358 mm, the oscillation frequency of the high frequency power source 214 is 100 MHz, and the oscillation frequency of the superimposed high frequency power source 216 is 55 MHz. Thus, a total of 30 a-Si photoconductors comprising a charge injection blocking layer, a photoconductive layer, and a surface layer were prepared by the following procedure. The matching box 215 has the configuration shown in FIG.

  First, a cylindrical aluminum cylinder 205 was installed in the reaction vessel 201, and the inside of the reaction vessel 201 was exhausted through an exhaust port 209 by an exhaust device (not shown). Subsequently, the cylindrical aluminum cylinder 205 is rotated at a speed of 3 rpm by a motor (not shown) through the rotating shaft 208, and 500 ml / min (normal) Ar is supplied from the source gas supply means 210 into the reaction vessel 201. The cylindrical aluminum cylinder 205 was heated and controlled at 250 ° C. by the heating element 207 while maintaining the pressure in the reaction vessel 201 at 250 Pa, and the state was maintained for 2 hours.

  Next, the supply of Ar is stopped, and the reaction vessel 201 is evacuated through an exhaust port 209 by an unillustrated exhaust device, and then the raw material used for forming the charge injection blocking layer shown in Table 1 through the raw material gas supply means 210. Gas was introduced. After confirming that the flow rate of the source gas has reached the set flow rate, the conductance of a pressure adjustment valve (not shown) provided between the exhaust port 209 and an exhaust device (not shown) is adjusted to adjust the pressure in the reaction vessel 201. Set to a predetermined pressure. After confirming that the pressure was stable, the outputs of the high frequency power source 214 and the superimposed high frequency power source 216 were set to the values shown in Table 1.

  In this state, matching adjustment was performed by adjusting the variable capacitors 104, 105, 106, and 107 in the matching box 215.

  Thereafter, the sneak power to the high-pass filter 108 and the low-pass filter 109 was obtained using the values indicated by the first wattmeters 110 and 112 and the second wattmeters 111 and 113 in the matching box 215.

  Next, the output value of the superposed high frequency power source 216 is adjusted to be a value obtained by adding the value shown in Table 1 and the sneak power to the high pass filter 108, and at the same time, the output value of the high frequency power source 214 is shown in Table 1 The value was adjusted to a value obtained by adding the calculated value and the sneak power to the low-pass filter 109. That is, the effective power contributing to the formation of the deposited film was controlled so as to have the values shown in Table 1.

  Such matching adjustment and high-frequency power supply output value adjustment were continuously performed throughout the formation of the deposited film.

  In this way, two high-frequency powers having different frequencies were introduced into the reaction vessel 201 through the high-frequency electrode 213 to excite and dissociate the source gas, thereby forming a charge injection blocking layer on the cylindrical aluminum cylinder 205.

  After the formation of the predetermined film thickness, the supply of the high frequency power was stopped, and then the supply of the source gas was stopped to finish the formation of the charge injection blocking layer. By repeating the same operation a plurality of times, a photoconductive layer and a surface layer were sequentially formed.

(Comparative Example 1)
A charge injection blocking layer was formed on a cylindrical aluminum cylinder 205 having a diameter of 80 mm and a length of 358 mm under the conditions shown in Table 1, except that the matching box 215 having the configuration shown in FIG. 5 was used. A total of 30 a-Si photoconductors comprising a photoconductive layer and a surface layer were produced in 5 lots. Note that the deposited film was formed with the outputs of the high-frequency power source 214 and the superimposed high-frequency power source 216 fixed to the values shown in Table 1.

  The a-Si photosensitive member produced in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 in this way was placed in a Canon copier iR6010 (iR is a trademark) modified for this test, and the characteristics of the a-Si photosensitive member Evaluation was performed. The evaluation items were “image density unevenness”, “characteristic variation”, and “image defect”, and each item was evaluated by the following specific evaluation method.

Unevenness of image density First, after adjusting the main charger current so that the dark portion potential at the center position in the photosensitive member axial direction at the developing device position becomes 450V, a blank paper having a reflection density of 0.05 is used for the original, and the photosensitive member at the developing device position is exposed. The amount of image exposure light was adjusted so that the bright portion potential at the center position in the body axis direction was 50V. Next, an A3 size halftone original with a reflection density of 0.3 is placed on the original platen and copied, and the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the reflection density in the entire area of the obtained copy image is obtained. The image density unevenness of the photoreceptor was determined. Such measurement was performed on all formed photoreceptors, and an average value of all the photoreceptors was used as an evaluation result. Therefore, the smaller the value, the better. For the measurement of the reflection density, an image densitometer (Macbeth RD914) was used.

Characteristic Variation First, the main charger current was adjusted so that the dark portion potential at the center position in the photosensitive member axial direction at the developing unit position was 450V. Next, using a blank paper with a reflection density of 0.05 as the original, the image exposure light amount is adjusted so that the light portion potential at the central position in the photosensitive member axial direction at the developing device position is 50 V, and the adjusted image exposure light amount is adjusted to the photosensitive material. The sensitivity of the body. Next, an average value thereof was calculated based on the sensitivities of all the photoconductors in the same lot, and the value was used as the average sensitivity of the lot. The maximum and minimum values are obtained from the average sensitivities of the lots obtained in this manner, and then the value of ((maximum value) / (minimum value) -1) is obtained to obtain the value of “characteristic variation”. did. Therefore, the smaller the numerical value, the smaller the characteristic variation and the better.

Image Defects A3 size solid black document with a reflection density of 1.5 is placed on the platen, and white spots with a diameter of 0.1 mm or more within the same area of the copy image obtained by copying are counted. evaluated. Therefore, the smaller the value, the better. For the measurement of the reflection density, an image densitometer (Macbeth RD914) was used.

  The evaluation results are shown in Table 2. In Table 2, the evaluation results are based on the evaluation result of Comparative Example 1, with ◎ improved to less than 1/4 with respect to the reference, ◎ improved to less than 1/4 to less than 1/2. ~ ○, improved from 1/2 to less than 3/4, ○ improved from 3/4 to less than 7/8, ○ to Δ, 7/8 to less than 9/8, Δ, 9/8 or more Is indicated by x.

  From Table 2, it was confirmed that the a-Si photosensitive member produced in Example 1 was particularly excellent in all of “image density unevenness”, “characteristic variation”, and “image defect”. The effect of was confirmed.

  4 except that twelve cylindrical aluminum cylinders 205 having a diameter of 30 mm and a length of 358 mm can be installed on the same circumference, the oscillation frequency of the high-frequency power source 214 is set to 90 MHz, using a deposited film forming apparatus having the same configuration as in FIG. An a-Si photosensitive member comprising a charge injection blocking layer, a first photoconductive layer, a second photoconductive layer, and a surface layer was produced under the conditions shown in Table 3 with the oscillation frequency of the superimposed high frequency power source 216 set to 60 MHz.

  In this embodiment, first, the high-pass filter 108 in the matching box shown in FIG. 1 has the configuration shown in FIG. 6A, and the low-pass filter 109 has the configuration shown in FIG. 6B. In FIG. 6, 601 and 606 are capacitors, 602, 604 and 605 are coils, and 603 and 607 are ammeters. As the ammeters 603 and 607, current probes (Pearson's current monitor model 6595) were used.

  With such a configuration, while tracing each layer formation procedure in the same procedure as in the first embodiment, the correspondence between the wraparound power measured by the wattmeters 110 and 111 and the current value measured by the ammeter 603 I investigated the relationship. At the same time, the correspondence between the wraparound power to the low-pass filter 109 measured by the wattmeters 112 and 113 and the current value measured by the ammeter 607 was examined.

  In this way, after obtaining the relationship between the measured values of the ammeters 603 and 607 and the sneak power to the filters 108 and 109, the wattmeter is not installed from the configuration shown in FIG. In the same manner as in Example 1, 60 lots of a-Si photoconductors were produced in the same procedure as in Example 1 under the conditions shown in Table 3. However, the high pass filter 108 has the configuration shown in FIG. 6A, and the low pass filter 109 has the configuration shown in FIG. 6B.

  During the production of the a-Si photosensitive member, the sneak power to the high pass filter 108 and the low pass filter 109 is determined based on the measured value of the ammeters 603 and 607 using the correspondence relationship between the current value and the sneak power that have been examined in advance. did. Then, the output value of the superposed high-frequency power source 216 is adjusted to be a value obtained by adding the value shown in Table 3 and the sneak power to the high-pass filter 108. At the same time, the output value of the high-frequency power source 214 is shown in Table 3. The value was adjusted to a value obtained by adding the calculated value and the sneak power to the low-pass filter 109.

(Comparative Example 2)
Except for not installing the ammeters 603 and 607 in the high-pass filter 108 and the low-pass filter 109, in the same manner as in Example 2, on the cylindrical aluminum cylinder 205 having a diameter of 30 mm and a length of 358 mm, charge injection is blocked under the conditions shown in Table 3. A total of 60 a-Si photoconductors comprising a layer, a first photoconductive layer, a second photoconductive layer, and a surface layer were produced. The deposited film was formed with the outputs of the high frequency power source 214 and the superimposed high frequency power source 216 fixed to the values shown in Table 3.

  Thus, the a-Si photosensitive member produced in Example 2 and Comparative Example 2 was placed in a Canon copying machine GP55 remodeled for this test, and the characteristics of the a-Si photosensitive member were evaluated. The evaluation items were three items of “image density unevenness”, “characteristic variation”, and “image defect”, and each item was evaluated by the same specific evaluation method as in Example 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 4. In Table 4, the evaluation results are indicated by the same index as in the comparison between Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 with the evaluation result of Comparative Example 2 as a reference.

  From Table 4, it was confirmed that the a-Si photosensitive member produced in Example 2 was excellent in any of “image density unevenness”, “characteristic variation”, and “image defect”. The effect of was confirmed.

  Using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 4, on the cylindrical aluminum cylinder 205 having a diameter of 80 mm and a length of 358 mm, the oscillation frequency of the high frequency power source 214 is 150 MHz and the oscillation frequency of the superimposed high frequency power source 216 is 60 MHz. Thus, an a-Si photosensitive member comprising a charge injection blocking layer, a first photoconductive layer, a second photoconductive layer, and a surface layer was produced.

  In this embodiment, the high-pass filter 108 in the matching box shown in FIG. 1 has the configuration shown in FIG. 7A, and the low-pass filter 109 has the configuration shown in FIG. 7B. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 703 denotes an optical fiber thermometer (model TM-5855 manufactured by Anritsu Co., Ltd.) for measuring the temperature of the coil 602, and reference numeral 707 denotes an optical fiber thermometer for measuring the temperature of the capacitor 606.

  With such a configuration, while tracing each layer formation procedure in the same procedure as in Example 1, the correspondence between the sneak power to the high-pass filter 108 measured by the power meters 110 and 111 and the temperature measured by the optical fiber thermometer 703 I investigated the relationship. At the same time, the correspondence between the sneak power to the low-pass filter 109 measured by the power meters 112 and 113 and the temperature measured by the optical fiber thermometer 707 was examined.

  In this way, after obtaining the relationship between the measured values of the optical fiber thermometers 703 and 707 and the sneak power to the filter, the matching box is changed from the configuration shown in FIG. 1 to the configuration shown in FIG. In the same procedure as in Example 1, 5 lots of 30 a-Si photosensitive members were produced under the conditions shown in Table 5. However, the high pass filter 108 has the configuration shown in FIG. 7A, and the low pass filter 109 has the configuration shown in FIG. 7B.

  During the production of the a-Si photosensitive member, the sneak power to the high-pass filter 108 and the low-pass filter 109 is determined based on the measured values of the optical fiber thermometers 703 and 707 using the correspondence relationship between the temperature and the sneak power previously examined. did. Then, the output value of the superposed high-frequency power source 216 is adjusted so as to be a value obtained by adding the value shown in Table 5 and the sneak power to the high-pass filter 108. At the same time, the output value of the high-frequency power source 214 is shown in Table 5. The value was adjusted to a value obtained by adding the calculated value and the sneak power to the low-pass filter 109.

(Comparative Example 3)
Charge injection was carried out on the cylindrical aluminum cylinder 205 having a diameter of 80 mm and a length of 358 mm under the conditions shown in Table 5, except that the optical fiber thermometers 703 and 707 were not installed on the high-pass filter 108 and the low-pass filter 109. A total of 30 a-Si photoconductors comprising a blocking layer, a first photoconductive layer, a second photoconductive layer, and a surface layer were produced. The deposited film was formed with the outputs of the high-frequency power source 214 and the superimposed high-frequency power source 216 fixed to the values shown in Table 5.

  The a-Si photoconductors produced in Example 3 and Comparative Example 3 in this way were placed in a Canon copier iR6010 (iR is a trademark) remodeled for this test, and the characteristics of the a-Si photoconductors. Evaluation was performed. The evaluation items were three items of “image density unevenness”, “characteristic variation”, and “image defect”, and each item was evaluated by the same specific evaluation method as in Example 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 6. In Table 6, the evaluation results are shown by the same index as in the comparison between Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 with the evaluation result of Comparative Example 3 as a reference.

  From Table 6, it was confirmed that the a-Si photosensitive member produced in Example 3 was excellent in all of “image density unevenness”, “characteristic variation”, and “image defect”. The effect was confirmed.

  Using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 3, an a-Si photosensitive member comprising a charge transport layer, a charge generation layer, and a surface layer is formed on a cylindrical aluminum cylinder 205 having a diameter of 80 mm and a length of 358 mm under the conditions shown in Table 7. A total of 30 lots were prepared in 5 lots.

  In FIG. 3, 211 is a second high-frequency power source, 212 is a second matching box, and 202 is an internal high-frequency electrode. The matching box 215 has the configuration shown in FIG. 8 (a), and the second matching box 212 has the configuration shown in FIG. 8 (b). The oscillation frequency of the second high frequency power supply 211 was 120 MHz, and the oscillation frequency of the high frequency power supply 214 was 70 MHz.

  The procedure for producing an a-Si photoreceptor using such an apparatus was the same as in Example 1.

(Comparative Example 4)
The apparatus used in the fourth embodiment is the same as the fourth embodiment except that the first wattmeters 110 and 112 and the second wattmeters 111 and 113 are removed from the matching box 215 and the second matching box 212. A total of 30 a-Si photoconductors comprising a charge transport layer, a charge generation layer, and a surface layer were prepared on a cylindrical aluminum cylinder 205 having an apparatus configuration of 80 mm in diameter and 358 mm in length under the conditions shown in Table 7. . Note that the deposited films were formed with the outputs of the high-frequency power source 214 and the second high-frequency power source 211 fixed to the values shown in Table 7.

  Thus, the a-Si photosensitive member produced in Example 4 and Comparative Example 4 was placed in a Canon copier iR6010 (iR is a trademark) modified for this test, and the characteristics of the photosensitive member were evaluated. It was. The evaluation items were three items of “image density unevenness”, “characteristic variation”, and “image defect”, and each item was evaluated by the same specific evaluation method as in Example 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 8. In Table 8, the evaluation results are indicated by the same index as in the comparison between Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 with the evaluation result of Comparative Example 4 as a reference.

  From Table 8, the a-Si photosensitive member produced in Example 4 showed good characteristics in all items, and the effect of the present invention was confirmed.

It is the figure which showed the structure of the matching box which can be used for this invention. It is the figure which showed the structure of the deposited film formation apparatus using the high frequency electric power of VHF band. It is the figure which showed the structure of the deposited film formation apparatus using the high frequency electric power of VHF band. It is the figure which showed the structure of the deposited film formation apparatus which supplies the high frequency electric power of two VHF bands from which a frequency differs to the same electrode. It is the figure which showed an example of the structure of the matching box. It is the figure which showed the structure of the filter in the matching box which can be used for this invention. It is the figure which showed the structure of the filter in the matching box which can be used for this invention. It is the figure which showed the structure of the matching box which can be used for this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 Matching Circuit 102 High Frequency High Frequency Power Matching Circuit 103 Low Frequency High Frequency Power Matching Circuit 104, 105, 106, 107 Variable Capacitor 108 High Pass Filter 109 Low Pass Filter 110, 112 First Wattmeter 111, 113 Second Wattmeter 201 Reaction Container 202 High-frequency electrode 203 Dielectric wall 204 High-frequency shield 205 Cylindrical substrate 207 Heating element 208 Rotating shaft 209 Exhaust port 210 Source gas supply means 211 Second high-frequency power supply 212 Second matching box 213 Second high-frequency electrode 214 High frequency Power source 215 Matching box 216 Superposition high frequency power source 601, 606 Capacitor 602, 604, 605 Coil 603, 607 Ammeter 703, 707 Optical fiber thermometer

Claims (13)

  At least a reaction container for storing an object to be processed, raw material gas supply means for supplying a raw material gas into the reaction container, and a plurality of high frequency power supplies for supplying a plurality of high frequency powers having different frequencies into the reaction container And at least one high-frequency power supply system includes a high-frequency power source and a matching circuit, and a filter circuit provided between the high-frequency power source and the matching circuit, and another power supply A plasma processing apparatus comprising means for detecting electric power supplied from a system and flowing into the filter circuit.   2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for detecting the electric power flowing into the filter circuit includes a means for measuring a voltage and / or current at a predetermined location of the filter circuit. .   2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for detecting electric power flowing into the filter circuit includes means for measuring a temperature at a predetermined location of the filter circuit.   2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein means for detecting electric power flowing into the filter circuit includes a first wattmeter, the filter circuit, and the high-frequency power source provided between the matching circuit and the filter circuit. And a second wattmeter provided between the two and the plasma processing apparatus.   5. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of high-frequency powers having different frequencies have a frequency of 50 MHz to 250 MHz.   6. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of high frequency powers having different frequencies are supplied to the same electrode.   An object to be treated is stored in a reaction vessel, and the material gas supplied into the reaction vessel is decomposed by a plurality of high-frequency powers having different frequencies introduced from a plurality of high-frequency power supply systems to treat the object to be treated. In the plasma processing method, at least one high-frequency power is supplied from a high-frequency power supply system configured by a high-frequency power supply and a matching circuit, and a filter circuit provided between the high-frequency power supply and the matching circuit, and the other power supply system A plasma processing method is characterized in that the object to be processed is processed while detecting the electric power supplied from the electric power and flowing into the filter circuit.   8. The plasma processing method according to claim 7, wherein the power flowing into the filter circuit is detected by measuring a voltage and / or current at a predetermined location of the filter circuit.   8. The plasma processing method according to claim 7, wherein the power flowing into the filter circuit is detected by measuring a temperature at a predetermined location of the filter circuit.   8. The plasma processing method according to claim 7, wherein power flowing into the filter circuit is detected by measuring power between the matching circuit and the filter circuit, and measuring power between the filter circuit and the high-frequency power source. A plasma processing method characterized by the above.   11. The plasma processing method according to claim 7, wherein at least two of the plurality of high frequency powers having different frequencies have a frequency of 50 MHz or more and 250 MHz or less.   12. The plasma processing method according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of high frequency powers having different frequencies are supplied from the same electrode.   13. The plasma processing method according to claim 7, wherein the plasma processing conditions are adjusted according to the detected power.

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