JP2008262968A - Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress deformation and distortion of a gas supply member and stably process a substrate by keeping a shower plate at optional temperature and improving uniformity of in-plane temperature. <P>SOLUTION: The plasma processing apparatus 1 is used to house a substrate W in a processing container 2 and process the substrate W by plasma which is changed from a processing gas. A gas supply member 50 for supplying a processing gas is arranged in the processing container 2, and a heat medium passage 55 is formed inside the gas supply member 50 to distribute a heat medium, and then passage change-over mechanisms 70 and 71 are provided to change over the distribution direction of the heat medium in the heat medium passage 55. The distribution direction of the heat medium is alternately changed over, thus preventing the deflection of temperature at the inlet and outlet sides of the heat medium in the gas supply member 50. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus and method for processing a substrate by generating plasma in a processing container.

  Conventionally, for example, in a film forming process or an etching process, for example, a plasma processing apparatus using a microwave is used. Furthermore, in a plasma processing apparatus using microwaves, a gas supply member called a shower plate is disposed horizontally in the processing container so as to divide the processing container into an upper plasma generation space and a lower processing space. What has is proposed (patent documents 1 and 2).

  The conventional shower plate has a large number of gas supply holes for supplying a processing gas to the processing space side, and a large number of openings for communicating the plasma generation space side and the processing space side. According to the plasma processing apparatus having such a shower plate, damage to the substrate can be reduced under high processing efficiency, and suitable plasma processing can be performed.

  By the way, when performing a plasma CVD process, for example, using a plasma processing apparatus having a shower plate inside the processing container as described above, the shower plate is prevented from being deformed by being heated by the heat of the plasma. In order to prevent the reaction product from adhering, it is desirable to control the temperature of the shower plate itself to a constant temperature. Further, if the temperature of the shower plate is not constant, the temperature of the substrate disposed below the shower plate may change, and stable and uniform processing may not be performed.

  Therefore, conventionally, a coolant such as gas or liquid is circulated inside the shower plate, and the shower plate is cooled by the coolant. In this case, a method is also disclosed in which a mist-like fluid is circulated inside the shower plate to improve the cooling capacity (Patent Document 3).

JP 2006-203246 A JP 2002-299330 A JP-A-2005-197600

  However, in the conventional plasma processing apparatus, the flow direction of the refrigerant circulated inside the shower plate is only one direction. For this reason, although the cooling capacity is increased on the refrigerant inlet side with respect to the shower plate, the cooling capacity is relatively lowered on the refrigerant outlet side, and the temperature distribution of the entire shower plate becomes uneven.

  In particular, when a mist-like refrigerant is used, the particulate liquid dispersed in the gas evaporates on the refrigerant inlet side, whereby cooling is performed only with the gas on the refrigerant outlet side. For this reason, the cooling capacity on the outlet side is considerably lower than that on the inlet side where cooling is performed using evaporation heat, and the temperature distribution of the entire shower plate is further uneven.

  If the in-plane temperature of the shower plate becomes uneven or cannot be maintained at a desired temperature, the thermal stress increases, and the shower plate is deformed or distorted. As a result, it is necessary to frequently replace the shower plate itself, and in some cases, the uniformity of processing may be hindered.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and improves the uniformity of the in-plane temperature of the gas supply member such as the shower plate described above, suppresses the deformation and distortion of the gas supply member, and stabilizes the substrate. The purpose is to be able to process.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a plasma processing apparatus for storing a substrate in a processing container and converting the processing gas into plasma to process the substrate. A gas supply member is disposed, a heat medium flow path for circulating a heat medium is formed inside the gas supply member, and a flow path switching mechanism for changing a flow direction of the heat medium in the heat medium flow path is provided. A featured plasma processing apparatus is provided.

  In this plasma processing apparatus, the gas supply member is disposed so as to divide the inside of the processing container into upper and lower parts, and a mounting table on which the substrate is placed in the processing container is disposed below the gas supply member. May be. The gas supply member may include a plurality of openings penetrating vertically and a processing gas supply hole for supplying a processing gas to the substrate placed on the mounting table. Further, the gas supply member has a shape in which a vertical beam member and a horizontal beam member are arranged in a lattice shape, and the heat medium flow path is provided at least inside the vertical beam member or the horizontal beam member. Also good. Further, a processing gas flow path may be provided at least inside the vertical beam member or the horizontal beam member. The heat medium flow path and the process gas flow path may be arranged so as to overlap each other.

  The heat medium is, for example, a mist fluid in which a particulate liquid is dispersed in a gas. Moreover, the said heat medium is gas, for example.

  According to the present invention, there is also provided a plasma processing method for processing a substrate by storing a substrate in a processing container and converting the processing gas into plasma, wherein a gas supply member for supplying a processing gas disposed in the processing container is provided. The plasma processing is characterized by alternately changing the flow direction of the heat medium in the heat medium flow path when adjusting the temperature of the gas supply member by flowing the heat medium through the heat medium flow path formed inside. A method is provided.

  In this plasma processing method, the flow direction of the heat medium in the heat medium flow path may be alternately changed at a constant time. Alternatively, the inlet temperature and outlet temperature of the heat medium in the heat medium flow path may be measured, and the flow direction of the heat medium may be changed when the inlet temperature and outlet temperature exceed a predetermined temperature difference. Furthermore, the temperature of the gas supply member may be controlled by monitoring the temperature of the gas supply member and adjusting the flow rate of the heating medium. The heat medium is, for example, a mist fluid in which a particulate liquid is dispersed in a gas. Moreover, the said heat medium is gas, for example.

  In the present invention, the temperature deviation generated at the inlet side and the outlet side of the heat medium relative to the gas supply member can be suppressed by alternately changing the flow direction of the heat medium in the heat medium flow path. For this reason, the uniformity of the in-plane temperature of the gas supply member is improved, the occurrence of deformation and distortion of the gas supply member is suppressed, and stable substrate processing can be performed.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a plasma processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view of a shower plate (gas supply member) 50 provided in the plasma apparatus 1, and FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the shower plate (gas supply member) 50. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the heat medium supply mechanism 60. In the following embodiment, an example in which the shower plate 50 is cooled using a mist fluid in which a particulate liquid is dispersed in a gas will be described as an example of the heat medium. Further, in the present specification and the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to constituent elements having substantially the same functional configuration, and redundant description is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the plasma processing apparatus 1 includes a bottomed cylindrical processing container 2 made of, for example, aluminum and having an open top. The inner wall surface of the processing container 2 is covered with a protective film such as alumina. The processing container 2 is electrically grounded.

  A susceptor 3 as a mounting table for mounting, for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) W as a substrate is provided at the bottom of the processing container 2. The susceptor 3 is made of, for example, aluminum, and a heater 5 that generates heat when power is supplied from an external power source 4 is provided therein. Thereby, the wafer W on the susceptor 3 can be heated to a predetermined temperature.

  An exhaust pipe 12 for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing container 2 by an exhaust device 11 such as a vacuum pump is provided at the bottom of the processing container 2.

The upper opening of the processing container 2 is provided with a transmission window 22 made of, for example, a dielectric quartz member through a sealing material 21 such as an O-ring for ensuring airtightness. The transmission window 22 has a substantially disk shape. Instead of the quartz member, other dielectric materials, for example, ceramics such as Al ₂ O ₃ and AlN may be used.

  A planar antenna member, for example, a disc-shaped radial line slot antenna 23 is provided above the transmission window 22. The radial line slot antenna 23 is made of a thin copper plate plated or coated with a conductive material such as Ag, Au, etc., and a large number of slits 24 are formed, for example, in a spiral or concentric pattern. ing.

  On the upper surface of the radial line slot antenna 23, a slow wave plate 25 for shortening the wavelength of the microwave described later is disposed. The slow wave plate 25 is covered with a conductive cover 26. An annular heat medium flow path 27 is provided in the cover 26, and the cover 26 and the transmission window 22 are maintained at a predetermined temperature by the heat medium flowing through the heat medium flow path 27.

  A coaxial waveguide 29 is connected to the center of the cover 26, and the coaxial waveguide 29 is constituted by an inner conductor 29a and an outer tube 29b. The inner conductor 29a is connected to the radial line slot antenna 23 described above. The radial line slot antenna 23 side of the inner conductor 29 a is formed in a conical shape so that microwaves can be efficiently propagated to the radial line slot antenna 23.

  The coaxial waveguide 29 is a rectangular waveguide 32, a mode converter 33, a coaxial waveguide 29, a slow wave plate 25, a radial line, and the microwave generated by the microwave supply device 31, for example, 2.45 GHz. The light is radiated to the transmission window 22 through the slot antenna 23. Then, an electric field is formed on the lower surface of the transmission window 22 by the microwave energy at that time, and the processing gas in the processing container 2 is turned into plasma.

  A shower plate 50 as a gas supply member is horizontally disposed in the processing container 2 so as to divide the processing container 2 into upper and lower parts. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shower plate 50 has a configuration in which a plurality of vertical bars 51 and a plurality of horizontal bars 52 are arranged in a lattice pattern. The material of these vertical beam 51 and horizontal beam 52 is made of aluminum. In addition, a plurality of rectangular openings 53 are vertically formed between the vertical bars 51 and the horizontal bars 52 arranged in a lattice shape, and the inside of the processing container 2 is vertically moved through these openings 53. It is in a distributed state.

  In this embodiment, among the plurality of horizontal bars 52, a heat medium flow path 55 and a process gas flow path 56 are provided inside the three horizontal bars 52. As shown in FIG. 4, the heat medium flow channel 55 and the processing gas flow channel 56 are arranged so as to overlap each other in the horizontal beam 52. As will be described in detail later, the heat medium flow passage 55 has one heat medium flow passage 55a disposed at the center and two heat medium flow passages 55b disposed on both sides. Similarly, the processing gas flow path 56 includes a single processing gas flow path 56 a disposed in the center and two processing gas flow paths 56 b disposed on both sides.

  The heat medium supplied from the heat medium supply mechanism 60 shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a mist fluid in which a particulate liquid is dispersed in a gas as a heat medium for cooling the shower plate 50 is supplied from the heat medium supply mechanism 60 and circulated through the heat medium flow path 55. .

  The heat medium supply mechanism 60 includes a flow rate adjusting unit (regulator) 62 that adjusts a carrier gas supplied from a gas supply source 61 such as a cylinder filled with a carrier gas such as compressed air to a predetermined flow rate, and the flow rate. The carrier whose flow rate has been adjusted by the regulator 62 is mixed with a liquid such as water to form a mist generating unit 63 that generates a mist fluid in which the particulate liquid is dispersed in the gas. is doing. A supply pipe 64 is connected to the mist generating section 63, and a mist-like fluid as a heat medium can be supplied to the heat medium flow passage 55 in the shower plate 50 via the supply pipe 64.

  Further, the heat medium is returned from the heat medium flow path 55 in the shower plate 50 to the heat medium supply mechanism 60 via the return pipe 65. In the heating medium supply mechanism 60, the liquid component in the heating medium returned via the return pipe 65 is separated by the gas-liquid separator 66, and the separated liquid component is returned to the mist generating unit 63 via the storage unit 67. Thus, the liquid component in the heat medium is reused. On the other hand, the gas component separated by the gas-liquid separator 66 is exhausted.

  Between the heat medium supply mechanism 60 and the shower plate 50, two switching valves 70 and 71 as a flow path switching mechanism are interposed. These switching valves 70 and 71 are constituted by, for example, three-way valves. One of the switching valves 70 and 71 is connected to the supply pipe 64 of the heat medium supply mechanism 60 described above. The other switching valve 71 is connected to the return pipe 65 of the heat medium supply mechanism 60 described above.

  Further, the heat medium flow path 55 provided in the shower plate 50 will be described in detail. Two heat medium flow paths are provided on both sides so as to be parallel to the single heat medium flow path 55a disposed in the center. A flow path 55b is disposed. The leading ends of the heat medium flow path 55 a disposed at the center and the two heat medium flow paths 55 b disposed on both sides are connected at the peripheral edge of the shower plate 50. The switching valves 70 and 71 are configured to be selectively connected to the heat medium flow path 55a and the heat medium flow path 55b.

  The switching valves 70 and 71 are simultaneously controlled by the control unit 72, connect the switching valve 70 and the heat medium flow path 55a, connect the switching valve 71 and the heat medium flow path 55b, and the switching valve 70 and the heat medium flow. The passage 55b is connected, and the state is selectively switched to the state in which the switching valve 71 and the heat medium passage 55a are connected. When the switching valve 70 and the heat medium passage 55a are connected by the control of the control unit 72 and the switching valve 71 and the heat medium passage 55b are connected, the control valve 72 is supplied from the supply pipe 64 of the heat medium supply mechanism 60. The heat medium is first flowed to the heat medium flow path 55a disposed in the center, and after being shunted at the peripheral portion of the shower plate 50, is flowed to the two heat medium flow paths 55b disposed on both sides, The state returns to the heat medium supply mechanism 60 via the return pipe 65. On the other hand, when the switching valve 70 and the heat medium flow path 55b are connected and the switching valve 71 and the heat medium flow path 55a are connected, the heat medium supplied from the supply pipe 64 of the heat medium supply mechanism 60 is the first. After flowing in the two heat medium flow paths 55b arranged on both sides and joining at the peripheral edge of the shower plate 50, the flow is made to flow in the heat medium flow path 55a arranged in the center, and further through the return pipe 65 The state is returned to the medium supply mechanism 60. As described above, the flow direction of the heat medium in the heat medium flow passage 55 (55a, 55b) can be changed by the control of the control unit 72.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the processing gas flow path 56 provided in the shower plate 50 is also parallel to the single processing gas flow path 56 a disposed in the center. Two processing gas flow paths 56b are arranged on both sides. A number of processing gas discharge holes 80 are formed on the lower surface of the shower plate 50, and processing gas flow paths 56 a and 56 b formed in the shower plate 50 are connected to the processing gas discharge holes 80. Yes. The processing gas flow paths 56a and 56b communicate with a processing gas supply source 81 that supplies a plasma processing gas. The processing gas supply source 81 stores, for example, fluorine gas or oxygen gas as a plasma processing gas. A plasma processing gas introduced into the shower plate 50 from the processing gas supply source 81 through the processing gas flow path 56 (56a, 56b) is supplied into the processing container 2 from the plurality of processing gas discharge holes 80. .

  Next, the operation of the plasma processing apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.

  For example, when performing a plasma film forming process in the plasma processing apparatus 1, the wafer W is first loaded into the processing container 2 and placed on the susceptor 3 as shown in FIG. 1. And exhaust_gas | exhaustion is performed from the exhaust pipe 12, and the inside of the processing container 2 is pressure-reduced. Further, the processing gas for plasma film formation supplied from the processing gas supply source 81 is supplied into the processing container 2 from the processing gas discharge hole 80. Then, by the operation of the microwave supply device 31, an electric field is generated on the lower surface of the transmission window 22, the processing gas is turned into plasma, and a film forming process is performed on the wafer W by the active species generated at that time.

  Then, after the film forming process is performed for a predetermined time, the operation of the microwave supply device 31 and the supply of the processing gas into the processing container 2 are stopped, and the wafer W is unloaded from the processing container 2 and a series of operations are performed. The plasma film forming process ends.

  During the plasma film formation process, the temperature in the central region of the shower plate 50 rises due to heat generated by the plasma generation. However, in the plasma processing apparatus 1, the heat medium flow path 55 is provided inside the horizontal beam 52 constituting the shower plate 50, and the heat medium supply mechanism 60 supplies the heat medium flow path 55 to the heat medium flow path 55 from the mist fluid. The entire heat transfer medium can be circulated to cool the entire shower plate 50. For this reason, the temperature of the shower plate 50 can be maintained at a desired temperature, the uniformity of the in-plane temperature can be improved, and the deformation and distortion of the shower plate 50 during processing can be suppressed.

  When the heat medium is circulated through the heat medium flow path 55 as described above, the heat medium supplied from the heat medium supply mechanism 60 flows to the heat medium flow path 55a initially arranged in the center under the control of the control unit 72. After being flowed, it flows into the two heat medium flow paths 55b arranged on both sides and returned to the heat medium supply mechanism 60, and first flows into the two heat medium flow paths 55b arranged on both sides. After that, it is alternately switched to a state in which it flows into the heat medium flow path 55a disposed in the center and is returned to the heat medium supply mechanism 60.

  In this way, the flow direction of the heat medium in the heat medium flow path 55 in the shower plate 50 can be changed to directions opposite to each other by the synchronized switching of the switching valves 70 and 71. When the heat medium is circulated in only one direction in the heat medium flow channel 55, temperature deviation occurs between the inlet side and the outlet side of the heat medium. On the other hand, such temperature deviation can be suppressed by reversing the flow direction of the heat medium in the heat medium flow path 55 at an appropriate timing by switching the switching valves 70 and 71. For example, when the heat medium is circulated only in one direction in the heat medium flow path 55, a temperature deviation of about 50 ° C. occurs between the inlet side and the outlet side of the heat medium, whereas the heat medium flow path 55 By reversing the flow direction of the heat medium at an appropriate timing, the temperature deviation can be suppressed to about 20 ° C.

  Note that the change in the flow direction of the heat medium that is switched by the control of the control unit 72 as described above, for example, measures the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of the heat medium with respect to the shower plate 50, and the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature have a predetermined temperature difference. When it exceeds, the distribution direction of the heat medium can be changed. Further, the flow direction of the heat medium in the heat medium flow channel 55 may be alternately changed at a constant time. Further, the timing of the change may be regular or irregular. Furthermore, the temperature of the shower plate 50 may be monitored by adjusting the flow rate of the heat medium by monitoring the temperature of the shower plate 50.

  Note that the mist fluid exemplified as the heat medium can improve the cooling capacity by the latent heat of the particulate liquid dispersed in the gas, and can efficiently cool the shower plate 50. In addition, the mist-like fluid can be flowed into the heat medium passage 55 at a larger flow rate than a liquid such as cooling water. In this plasma processing apparatus 1, a mist-like fluid is used as a heat medium, and the flow direction of the heat medium is alternately changed, so that the entire shower plate 50 is kept uniform at about 200 ° C. even when plasma is applied. Therefore, the problem that the shower plate 50 is distorted by thermal deformation does not occur.

  Therefore, according to the plasma processing apparatus 1, the condition fluctuation during the process is reduced, and the stability is improved as compared with the prior art. That is, for example, when processing a plurality of substrates continuously, there is no difference in processing results even between the first substrate and a subsequent substrate that performs processing after the temperature is stabilized. Further, even when a long process is required for one substrate, the temperature fluctuation of the shower plate 50 is small, and the adsorption and desorption of gas to the shower plate 50 do not fluctuate. Stable processing can be performed in between. In addition, since the temperature response is good as described above, the time to start processing can be shortened compared to the conventional method.

  As mentioned above, although an example of preferable embodiment of this invention was demonstrated, this invention is not limited to the form illustrated here. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be made within the scope of the ideas described in the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood that it belongs.

For example, the embodiment in which the heat medium flow path 55 is provided inside the three horizontal bars 52 arranged in the center among the plurality of horizontal bars 52 has been described. A heat medium passage 55 may be provided inside. Further, the heat medium channel 55 may be provided inside the vertical beam 51, or the heat medium channel 55 may be provided inside both the vertical beam 51 and the horizontal beam 52. Further, the heat medium flow path 55 and the processing gas flow path 56 do not necessarily have to be arranged vertically. For example, the heat medium flow path 55 is provided in one of the vertical beam 51 and the horizontal beam 52 and the processing gas flow channel is provided in the other. A flow path 56 may be provided. Also has been described the form of using the mist fluid as heat transfer medium, as the fluid that can be used as a heat medium in the present invention, air, gases such as N ₂ (gas), water, etc. are also exemplified.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the gas supply member is cooled has been described. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to the case where the temperature of the gas supply member is increased. In the embodiment described above, the plasma processing apparatus using microwaves has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to a plasma processing apparatus using high-frequency voltages. is there. In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the plasma processing apparatus 1 that performs the film forming process. However, the present invention is applicable to a substrate processing other than the film forming process, for example, a plasma processing apparatus that performs an etching process. Applicable. Further, the substrate processed by the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention may be any of a semiconductor wafer, an organic EL substrate, a substrate for FPD (flat panel display), and the like.

  According to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, after the heat medium first flows into the central heat medium flow path, the heat medium flows into the two heat medium flow paths on both sides, and as shown in FIG. First, after flowing into the two heat medium passages on both sides, the shower plate heated by the heater was cooled by alternately switching to the state of flowing through the central heat medium passage. Air was used as the heat medium. The heater power was about 500 W, 1 minute ON / 1 minute OFF. The temperature was measured at three points A, B, and C in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the temperature difference ΔT between the points A, B, and C was about 20 ° C. at the maximum.

  In the comparative example, as shown in FIG. 6, after the heat medium first flows into the central heat medium flow path, the heat medium is fixed to flow in the two heat medium flow paths on both sides, and the flow direction of the heat medium is switched. Did not. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the temperature difference ΔT between the points A, B, and C was about 50 ° C.

  The present invention can be applied to plasma processing in which plasma is generated in a processing container to process a substrate.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of the plasma processing apparatus concerning this Embodiment. It is a top view of the shower plate used with the plasma processing apparatus of FIG. It is a bottom view of the shower plate used with the plasma processing apparatus of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view in the XX cross section in FIG. It is explanatory drawing of a heat-medium supply mechanism. It is an Example explanatory drawing, and after the heat medium first flows through the central heat medium flow path, it shows a state where it flows through two heat medium flow paths on both sides. It is an Example explanatory drawing, and after the heat medium first flows through the two heat medium flow paths on both sides, it shows a state where it flows through the central heat medium flow path. 4 is a graph showing a temperature distribution of a shower plate cooled according to the present invention. It is a graph which shows the temperature distribution of the shower plate cooled by the conventional method.

Explanation of symbols

W Wafer 1 Plasma processing device 2 Processing vessel 3 Susceptor (mounting table)
22 Transmission window 29 Coaxial waveguide 31 Microwave supply device 50 Shower plate (gas supply member)
55 Heat medium flow path 56 Process gas flow path 60 Heat medium supply mechanism 63 Mist generating means 64 Temperature controller 70, 71 Switching valve 72 Control unit 80 Process gas discharge hole

Claims (14)

A plasma processing apparatus for storing a substrate in a processing container and converting the processing gas into plasma to process the substrate,
A gas supply member for supplying a processing gas is disposed in the processing container,
Inside the gas supply member, a heat medium flow path for circulating the heat medium is formed,
A plasma processing apparatus having a flow path switching mechanism for changing a flow direction of the heat medium in the heat medium flow path.   The gas supply member is arranged so as to divide the inside of the processing container into upper and lower sides, and a mounting table on which a substrate is placed in the processing container is arranged below the gas supply member. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The gas supply member is formed with a plurality of openings penetrating vertically and a processing gas supply hole for supplying a processing gas to the substrate placed on the mounting table. 3. The plasma processing apparatus according to 1 or 2.   The gas supply member has a shape in which vertical beam members and horizontal beam members are arranged in a grid pattern, and the heat medium flow path is provided at least inside the vertical beam member or the horizontal beam member. The plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plasma processing apparatus is characterized.   5. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a processing gas flow path is provided at least inside the vertical beam member or the horizontal beam member. 6.   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the heat medium flow path and the process gas flow path are arranged to overlap each other.   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat medium is a mist fluid in which a particulate liquid is dispersed in a gas.   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat medium is a gas. A plasma processing method of storing a substrate in a processing container and processing the substrate by converting the processing gas into plasma,
When adjusting the temperature of the gas supply member by circulating the heat medium through the heat medium flow passage formed inside the gas supply member for supplying the processing gas disposed in the processing container,
A plasma processing method, wherein the flow direction of the heat medium in the heat medium flow path is alternately changed.   The plasma processing method according to claim 9, wherein the flow direction of the heat medium in the heat medium flow path is alternately changed at a constant time.   The inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of the heating medium in the heating medium channel are measured, and when the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature exceed a predetermined temperature difference, the flow direction of the heating medium is changed. 9. The plasma processing method according to 9.   The plasma processing method according to claim 9, wherein the temperature of the gas supply member is monitored to adjust the flow rate of the heat medium.   The plasma processing method according to claim 9, wherein the heat medium is a mist fluid in which a particulate liquid is dispersed in a gas.   The plasma processing method according to claim 9, wherein the heat medium is a gas.

Images