JP2008269907A - Plasma processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plasma processing apparatus capable of maintaining a thickness of a discharge gap even when a thermal stress is caused by discharge. <P>SOLUTION: A first electrode 21 extending in one direction is connected to a power source 3, and a second electrode 22 electrically grounded is arranged between the electrode 21 and a processing object arrangement portion 2. A surface of the first electrode 21, which faces the electrode 22, is covered with a first dielectric member 31, and a surface of the second electrode 22, which faces the electrode 21, is covered with a second dielectric member 32. A convex part 41 is integrally formed in the intermediate portion of a longitudinal direction of the dielectric member 32 or joined thereto by a joining method. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus, and more particularly to a plasma processing apparatus having an electrode structure in which a ground-side electrode is disposed between an electric field application-side electrode and a workpiece.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a plasma processing apparatus in which a pair of electrodes are arranged to face each other in the vertical direction. The upper electrode is connected to a power source to become a hot electrode. The lower electrode is electrically grounded and serves as a ground electrode. A solid dielectric layer made of an alumina sprayed film is formed on the opposing surfaces of these electrodes. The ground electrode is formed with a slit-like jet outlet. An object to be processed is disposed below the ground electrode.
An electric field is applied between the electrodes to generate an atmospheric pressure glow discharge, and a processing gas is introduced into a plasma. The solid dielectric layer on the opposing surfaces of the electrodes serves to stabilize the discharge. The plasma-ized processing gas is blown downward from the outlet of the ground electrode and blown to the object to be processed. Thereby, the surface treatment of the workpiece is performed.
Since the ground electrode is interposed between the hot electrode and the object to be processed, the electric field from the hot electrode to the object to be processed can be shielded, and an abnormal discharge such as an arc can be prevented from falling on the object to be processed. it can.
JP 2004006211 A

  In some cases, a ceramic plate is used as the solid dielectric layer on the opposing surfaces of the electrodes instead of the sprayed film. However, there is a possibility that the electrode and the ceramic plate are deformed by heat due to discharge and the gap is narrowed. If it does so, it will become difficult to maintain the process gas flow in a gap and the state of discharge constant, and there existed a problem that the uniformity of a process will be impaired by extension.

The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-described problem, and the processing gas is made into plasma in the discharge space and ejected, and contacts the object to be processed disposed in the object disposition portion outside the discharge space. In an apparatus for performing plasma surface treatment,
(A) a first electrode extending in one direction (a direction intersecting the ejection direction) along the workpiece arrangement portion and connected to a power source;
(B) A jet that extends in the same direction as the first electrode and is disposed between the first electrode and the workpiece placement portion and penetrates from the first electrode side to the workpiece placement portion side. A second electrode having an outlet and electrically grounded;
(C) a first dielectric member made of a solid dielectric that extends in the same direction as the first electrode and covers a surface of the first electrode facing the second electrode;
(D) It is made of a solid dielectric that extends in the same direction as the first electrode and covers the surface of the second electrode facing the first electrode, and a gap to be the discharge space is formed between the first dielectric member and the first dielectric member. And a second dielectric member in which an ejection guide hole connecting the gap and the ejection port is formed,
(E) A protrusion that is integrally formed or joined to at least a middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the surface facing the other of either the first or second dielectric member, and is abutted against the other dielectric member And
It is provided with.
As a result, even if thermal stress due to discharge occurs in the first and second electrodes and the first and second dielectric members, the thickness of the gap can be maintained by the convex portions. As a result, processing uniformity can be ensured.

  A plurality of the convex portions may be arranged apart in the longitudinal direction of the first or second dielectric member. Thereby, the thickness of the gap can be reliably maintained while preventing the convex portion from obstructing the flow of the processing gas. In this case, the convex portion may have a small piece shape.

The convex portion may have a strip shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the first or second dielectric member.
Accordingly, not only can the thickness of the gap be reliably maintained, but also the strength of the first or second dielectric member itself can be improved. Therefore, even if the first and second dielectric members are long and thin, they can be prevented from becoming large when being carried or assembled, and moreover, they can be reliably prevented from becoming too fragile and causing damage. Can do.

The said convex part may be arrange | positioned at the one side edge of the transversal direction of the said 1st or 2nd dielectric member.
Thus, the convex portions can be arranged avoiding the electric field between the electrodes, and the generation of particles from the convex portions can be easily prevented.
In the case of a small convex part, it may be arranged on both side edges in the short direction of the first or second dielectric member.
In the case of a strip-shaped convex portion, the processing gas may be introduced into the gap from the edge of the first or second dielectric member opposite to the convex portion.

  The convex portion may be disposed at a central portion in a short direction of the first or second dielectric member. Thereby, the thickness of the gap can be more reliably maintained. When the convex part arrange | positioned in the said center part is a strip | belt shape, the inside of a gap can be divided into two chambers by making this convex part into a partition. The ejection guide hole and the ejection port may be provided for each chamber. The position of the jet outlet of one chamber and the position of the jet outlet of the other chamber may be shifted in the longitudinal direction of the first or second dielectric member.

A cutout portion may be formed at a position corresponding to the convex portion of the surface facing the other one of the first and second electrodes. The notch is preferably a recess formed at a position corresponding to the protrusion on the surface of the first or second electrode facing the other of the one electrodes. This recess is not limited to a non-penetrating recess, and may be a through recess that penetrates from the surface facing the other of the one electrode to the opposite surface. The one electrode may be divided with the penetrating recess as a boundary. That is, the one electrode may be divided at a position corresponding to the convex portion, and a gap may be formed there, and the gap may be the penetrating concave portion (notch portion).
By providing such a notch, the electric field around the convex portion between the first and second electrodes can be weakened, or the electric field can be prevented from being formed around the convex portion. Therefore, electric field concentration can be avoided from occurring in the convex portion, and particles can be prevented from being generated from the convex portion. As a result, the processing quality can be improved.

The present invention is suitable for CVD under almost normal pressure (near atmospheric pressure). Here, almost normal pressure (near atmospheric pressure) refers to a range of 1.013 × 10 ^{4 to} 50.663 × 10 ⁴ Pa. Considering the ease of pressure adjustment and the simplification of the apparatus configuration, 333 × 10 ^{4 to} 10.664 × 10 ⁴ Pa are preferable, and 9.331 × 10 ^{4 to} 10.9797 × 10 ⁴ Pa are more preferable.

  According to the present invention, even if thermal stress due to discharge occurs, the thickness of the gap can be maintained, and the uniformity of processing can be ensured.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus 1 includes a processing head 10 and a workpiece placement unit 2. The workpiece placement unit 2 is composed of a stage and a conveyor, and the workpiece W is placed thereon. The workpiece W is, for example, a glass substrate or a semiconductor substrate.
The workpiece placement unit 2 can scan the workpiece W in the left-right direction. The workpiece W may be fixed in position, and the processing head 10 may be scanned in the left-right direction.

  The processing head 10 is supported by a gantry (not shown) and is located above the processing object placement unit 2, and the processing gas is converted into plasma (including decomposition, excitation, activation, radicalization, and ionization) to be processed. The object arrangement part 2 and, in turn, are ejected downward toward the workpiece W. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the processing head 10 includes a head main body 11 indicated by an imaginary line, first and second electrodes 21 and 22 and first and second dielectric members provided in the head main body 11. 31 and 32, and extends in the front-rear direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. These head inner members 21, 22, 31, 32 are laminated in order of the second electrode 22, the second dielectric member 32, the first dielectric member 31, and the first electrode 21 from the bottom.

The 1st electrode 21 is comprised with metals, such as stainless steel and aluminum, has a square cross section, and is extended in the front-back direction (paper surface orthogonal direction of FIG. 1) so that the to-be-processed object arrangement | positioning part 2 may be followed. The first electrode 21 is connected to the power source 3 via the feeder 3a and serves as an electric field application electrode (hot electrode).
Inside the first electrode 21, a cooling path 21c is formed to extend in the longitudinal direction. A cooling medium from a cooling medium supply means (not shown) is passed through the cooling path 21c. For example, water is used as the cooling medium.

  The second electrode 22 is made of a metal having high heat resistance and corrosion resistance, such as stainless steel, has a flat plate shape thinner than the first electrode 21, and has the same longitudinal direction as the first electrode 21 in the longitudinal direction (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1). The horizontal direction is arranged with the short side direction (width direction) facing left and right. The second electrode 22 is electrically grounded via the ground wire 3b, and serves as a ground electrode (ground electrode) paired with the first electrode 21. By supplying a voltage from the power supply 3 to the first electrode 21, an electric field is applied between the first and second electrodes 21 and 22, and an atmospheric pressure glow discharge is generated. Here, the atmospheric pressure glow discharge is a discharge that is uniform in appearance, in which no arc or streamer is observed.

The second electrode 22 is provided so as to close the bottom of the head body 11 and constitutes a bottom plate of the processing head 10. The second electrode 22 is interposed between the first electrode 21 and the workpiece placement portion 2 and thus the workpiece W. A processing space 14 is defined between the second electrode 22 and the workpiece W.
The upper surface of the second electrode 22 faces the first electrode 21 and serves as a ground-side discharge surface.
The lower surface of the second electrode 22 is a processing surface that faces the workpiece W and that defines the processing space 14.

The second electrode 22 is formed with a number of jet ports 22a penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface in the thickness direction. These jet ports 22a are regularly arranged (for example, a quadrangular lattice or a triangular lattice). Each jet port 22a has a circular shape with a diameter of about 3 mm, for example. The lower end opening of the spout 22 a is continuous with the processing space 14.
The shape of the ejection port 22a is not limited to a perfect circle, but may be a deformed circle such as an ellipse, a polygon, or a slit extending in the longitudinal direction or the lateral direction of the processing head 10.

The first dielectric member 31 is made of ceramic (solid dielectric) such as alumina, and the longitudinal direction is the same as the first electrode 21 in the front-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1), and the short direction (width direction) is the same. It has a flat shape facing left and right. The thickness of the first dielectric member 31 is, for example, about 1 to 2 mm.
The first electrode 21 is placed on the upper surface of the first dielectric member 31. As a result, the first dielectric member 31 covers the lower surface (hot-side discharge surface) of the first electrode 21 and serves as a solid dielectric layer for stabilizing the discharge between the electrodes 21 and 22. Both the length and width of the first dielectric member 31 are larger than those of the first electrode 21, and both end portions in the longitudinal direction and both end portions in the width direction of the first dielectric member 31 protrude horizontally from the first electrode 21. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the second dielectric member 32 is made of ceramic (solid dielectric) such as alumina, and the longitudinal direction is in the front-rear direction (the direction orthogonal to the plane of FIG. 1), and the width direction is left and right. The first dielectric member 31 is arranged parallel to the lower side of the first dielectric member 31. The thickness of the second dielectric member 32 is, for example, about 1 to 2 mm.
The area (length and width) of the second dielectric member 32 is the same as that of the first dielectric member 31, but may be larger or smaller than the first dielectric member 31. The area (length and width) of the second dielectric member 32 is the same as that of the second electrode 22, but may be larger or smaller than the second electrode 22.

  The second dielectric member 32 is placed so as to be overlaid on the second electrode 22 and covers the upper surface (earth-side discharge surface) of the second electrode 22. As a result, the second dielectric member 32 serves as a solid dielectric layer for stabilizing the discharge between the electrodes 21 and 22.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the second dielectric member 32 is formed with a number of ejection guide holes 32a penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface in the thickness direction. These ejection guide holes 32a are regularly arranged (for example, a square lattice shape or a triangular lattice shape). The ejection guide hole 32a is smaller than the ejection port 22a, and has a circular shape with a diameter of about 1 mm, for example. The ejection guide hole 32a is overlapped with the ejection port 22a of the second electrode 22 in a one-to-one relationship.
The shape of the ejection guide hole 32a is not limited to a perfect circle, but may be a deformed circle such as an ellipse, a polygon, or a slit extending in the longitudinal direction or the short direction of the processing head 10. The shape of the ejection guide hole 32a is preferably similar to that of the ejection port 22a. However, unless the second electrode 22 is exposed inside the ejection guide hole 32a in plan view, the ejection guide hole 32a is different from the ejection port 22a. It may have a different shape.

As shown in FIG. 1, a narrow gap 12 is formed between the upper and lower dielectric members 31 and 32. The thickness (dimension in the vertical direction) of the gap 12 is about 1 to 2 mm. The gap 12 is continuous with the ejection guide hole 32 a of the second dielectric member 32.
A gas supply path 4 a extends from the processing gas source 4, and the gas supply path 4 a branches into two and is connected to the openings on both the left and right sides of the gap 12. Although not shown in the drawing, rectification units are provided on both the left and right sides of the processing head 10 to uniformize the processing gas from the gas supply path 4a in the longitudinal direction (in the direction orthogonal to the plane of FIG. 1) and introduce it into the gap 12. Yes.
The processing gas source 4 stores a processing gas corresponding to the processing purpose.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a gap maintaining portion 40 for maintaining the gap 12 is provided between the first and second dielectric members 31 and 32. The gap maintaining unit 40 is configured as follows.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, stepped portions 49 projecting upward are integrally formed at both longitudinal edges of the second dielectric member 32. The protruding height of the step portion 49 from the upper surface of the second dielectric member 32 is equal to the set thickness of the gap 12 and is about 1 to 2 mm. The step portion 49 extends right and left along the longitudinal edge of the second dielectric member 32.
Both ends of the first dielectric member 31 in the longitudinal direction are placed on the upper surface of the stepped portion 49.

  Further, a plurality of convex portions 41 are integrally formed on the upper surface of the second dielectric member 32 so as to protrude upward as gap maintaining portions 40. Each convex portion 41 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped small piece shape without a cube. The first dielectric member 31 is abutted against the upper surface of the convex portion 41.

  The protruding height of the convex portion 41 is equal to the protruding height of the stepped portion 49 and the set thickness of the gap 12, and is about 1 to 2 mm. A plurality of convex portions 41 are arranged at both end edges in the width direction of the second dielectric member 32 so as to be separated in the longitudinal direction of the second dielectric member 32. These convex portions 41 are arranged outside the first electrode 21 in plan view.

The convex portion 41 is preferably arranged at a position shifted in the longitudinal direction of the second dielectric member 32 with respect to the ejection guide hole 32a, but is not limited thereto.
The first dielectric member 31 is placed on the upper surfaces of the convex portions 41.

When the surface treatment is performed in the plasma processing apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, the workpiece W is set on the workpiece arrangement portion 2.
Then, the processing gas from the processing gas source 4 is uniformly introduced into the gap 12 from the left and right sides of the processing head 101 through the gas supply path 4a in the longitudinal direction.
In parallel, a voltage is supplied from the power source 3 to the first electrode 21. As a result, an atmospheric pressure glow discharge is generated between the electrodes 21 and 22, the central portion in the width direction corresponding to the electrode 21 mainly in the gap 12 becomes the discharge space 13, and the processing gas in the discharge space 13 is turned into plasma. (Including decomposition, excitation, activation, radicalization, ionization).

  The plasma-ized processing gas is ejected from the ejection port 22a to the lower processing space through the ejection guide hole 32a and is brought into contact with the workpiece W. As a result, a reaction occurs on the surface of the workpiece W, and a desired surface treatment is performed. Furthermore, the entire workpiece W can be processed by scanning the workpiece placement unit 2 left and right.

According to the plasma processing apparatus 1, even if the first dielectric member 31 is subjected to the weight of the first electrode 21 or thermal stress is generated in the electrodes 21, 22 and the dielectric members 31, 32 due to the discharge-based invention, The gap maintaining portion 40 can reliably maintain the thickness of the gap 12 between the first dielectric member 31 and the second dielectric member 32. In particular, the convex portion 41 disposed in the middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the gap 12 can prevent the middle portions in the longitudinal direction of the dielectric members 31 and 32 from being deformed in a direction approaching each other, thereby further increasing the thickness of the gap 12. It can be reliably maintained. Thereby, the gas flow state and the discharge state in the gap 12 can be kept constant. As a result, the uniformity of processing can be ensured.
Since the convex portion 41 is positioned outside the first electrode 21 in a plan view, the convex portion 41 is positioned away from the electric field between the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22. Thus, the electric field concentration does not occur, and the generation of particles from the convex portion 41 can be avoided. As a result, the processing quality can be improved.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Regarding the configurations described in the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the drawings, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.
In the first embodiment, the convex portion 41 is integrally formed with the dielectric member 32. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the convex portion 41 is composed of a part 42A different from the dielectric member 32, and is dielectrically formed by an adhesive (joining means). It may be bonded (joined) to the member 32. The convex part 41A of another part may be made of the same material (ceramic such as alumina) as the dielectric member 32, may be made of a solid dielectric material different from the dielectric member 32, or made of resin. May be.
The means for joining the convex part 41A of another part to the dielectric member 32 is not limited to the adhesive, but may be welding, or a screw or hook.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the convex portion 41 may be provided on the first dielectric member 31 instead of the second dielectric member 32.
In FIG. 6A, the convex portion 41 is integrally formed with the first dielectric member 31, but as shown in FIG. 5B, the convex portion 41 is composed of parts 41A different from the first dielectric member 31, The dielectric member 31 may be bonded by an adhesive or other bonding means.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a ridge 42 (a ridge-like protrusion) is integrally formed on the upper surface of the second dielectric member 32 instead of the small piece-like protrusion 41 of the first embodiment. ing. The ridge 42 is disposed at one end edge (for example, the left end edge) of the second dielectric member 32 in the width direction, and extends linearly in the longitudinal direction of the second dielectric member 32. Both ends in the longitudinal direction of the ridge 42 are integrally connected to the left end of the stepped portion 49. The protruding height of the ridge 42 is equal to the protruding height of the stepped portion 49 and the set thickness of the gap 12, and is about 1 to 2 mm.

The left end portion of the gap 12 is closed by the ridge 42. The gas supply path 4a from the processing gas source 4 is connected to the opening at the right end of the gap 12 (on the side opposite to the ridges 42) with one route without branching. A rectifying unit (not shown) for making the processing gas uniform in the front-rear longitudinal direction (the direction orthogonal to the plane of FIG. 1) and introducing it into the gap 12 is provided only on the right side of the processing head 10.
The processing gas is introduced into the gap 12 only from the right end of the gap 12.

  According to this embodiment, not only can the thickness of the gap 12 be maintained by the ridges 42, but the strength of the second dielectric member 32 itself can be improved. As a result, even if the second dielectric member 32 is long and thin plate-like, for example, it can be prevented from becoming large when being carried or assembled, and further, it can be reliably prevented from being excessively damaged. can do.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the ridge 43 (strip-shaped ridge) is arranged at the center in the width direction instead of one end edge of the second dielectric member 32, and It extends in the longitudinal direction. Both ends in the longitudinal direction of the ridge 43 are integrally connected to the left and right central portions of the stepped portion 49.
The inside of the gap 12 is divided into two left and right chambers 12 a and 12 b by a ridge 43. The processing gas from the left gas supply path 4a is introduced only into the left chamber 12a. The processing gas from the right gas supply path 4a is introduced only into the right chamber 12b.
The ejection guide holes 32a on the left side of the ridges 43 of the second dielectric member 32 are arranged so as to be shifted in the longitudinal direction of the second dielectric members 32 (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 8) with respect to the ejection guide holes 32a on the right side of the ridges 43. Has been. In accordance with this, the jet port 22a on the left side of the left and right center of the second electrode 22 is arranged so as to be shifted in the longitudinal direction of the second electrode 22 (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 8) with respect to the right jet port 22a.

Also in this embodiment, not only can the thickness of the gap 12 be maintained by the ridges 43, but the second dielectric member 32 can be reinforced. In addition, since the ridges 43 are disposed at the center of the second dielectric member 32, the second dielectric member 32 can be reinforced without biasing left and right. Thereby, the bending deformation of the 2nd dielectric member 32 can be prevented more reliably, and the bending at the time of lifting can be prevented reliably.
In addition, since the left and right ejection guide holes 32a and the ejection ports 22a are displaced with the projection 43 interposed therebetween, further uniform processing can be achieved.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, in the apparatus having the central protrusion 43 of the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9, the recess 21 e (notch portion) is formed in the center portion in the left-right direction of the lower surface (hot-side discharge surface) of the first electrode 21. ) Is formed. The recess 21e extends in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. The recess 21e is arranged so as to overlap the central protrusion 43 in plan view. The width of the recess 21 e in the left-right direction is larger than the width of the central protrusion 43.

  According to this embodiment, even if the ridge 43 is arranged between the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22, the electric field around the ridge 43 can be weakened by the recess 21e, Electric field concentration at corners can be avoided. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of a particle from the protruding item | line 43 can be prevented. As a result, the processing quality can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 11, instead of the concave portion 21e, the first electrode 21 is divided into two divided electrode bodies 21a and 21b as cutout portions for avoiding the protrusions 43, and the divided electrode bodies 21a and 21b are separated from each other. A gap 21f (through recess) may be formed between them. The gap 21f just overlaps the central ridge 43 in plan view. The width of the gap 21 f in the left-right direction is larger than the width of the central ridge 43.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.
For example, the shape of the small convex portion 41 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped without a cube, and may be a hemispherical shape. The small convex portions 41 are not limited to being arranged at the edges of the dielectric members 31 and 32, and may be arranged inside the dielectric members 31 and 32, and are arranged at positions where the electrodes 21 overlap with the planar projection view. May be. When the small convex portion 41 is arranged at a position overlapping the electrode 21 in plan view, the convex portion 41 is located at a position corresponding to the convex portion 41 on the lower surface of the electrode 21 as in the modification of FIG. In order to avoid this, a notch 21e or 21f may be formed.
Instead of the first electrode 21, a cutout portion for avoiding the small piece-shaped protrusion 41 or the protrusion 43 may be formed in the second electrode 22.
The ridges 42 and 43 may not extend over substantially the entire length of the dielectric member 32, and may be divided at one place or a plurality of places in the longitudinal direction.
Furthermore, the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 11 may be combined with each other. For example, similar to the modification of the small convex portion 441 shown in FIG. 4, the ridges 42 and 43 are also composed of parts different from the dielectric member 32, and are joined by an adhesive or other joining means. May be. Similarly to the modification of FIG. 5A, the ridges 42 and 43 may be formed integrally with the first dielectric member 31 instead of the second dielectric member 32, or the modification of FIG. Similarly, the protrusions 42 and 43 of different parts may be bonded to the first dielectric member 31 with an adhesive or other bonding means.
Small pieces or strips of convex portions 41 to 43 may be provided on both the first and second dielectric members 31 and 32. In this case, the convex portions 41 to 43 on the first dielectric member 31 side and the convex portions 41 to 43 on the second dielectric member 32 side may be arranged at different positions from each other and may be abutted against the other dielectric member, They may be arranged at the same position so as to be abutted against each other. (When the latter is disposed at the same position, the convex portions 41 to 43 on the first dielectric member 31 side are abutted against the second dielectric member 32 via the convex portions 41 to 43 on the second dielectric member 32 side. The convex portions 41 to 43 on the second dielectric member 32 side are abutted against the first dielectric member 32 via the convex portions 41 to 43 on the first dielectric member 31 side.)
The step portion 49 is integrally formed with the second dielectric member 32, but is composed of a part different from the second dielectric member 32 and is joined to the second dielectric member 32 by an adhesive or other joining means. It may be.
Instead of the second dielectric member 32, the stepped portion 49 may be integrally formed or joined to the lower surfaces of both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the first dielectric member 31 by a joining means.
The cross-sectional shape of the first electrode 21 is not limited to a quadrangle, and may be a polygon other than a quadrangle, or a thin film, a film, or a sheet.
The first dielectric member 31 may have a case shape that houses the first electrode 21. The case-like first dielectric member 31 only needs to have a bottom portion that covers at least the lower surface (discharge surface) of the first electrode 21 and wall portions that face both side surfaces of the first electrode 21 in the short direction. The upper surface and both ends in the longitudinal direction may be opened.
The posture of the processing head 10 is not limited to the state in which the second electrode 22 faces downward, and the second electrode 22 may be in a state facing upward or sideways, or may be in an oblique state. In accordance with the posture of the processing head 10, the workpiece W may be disposed on the processing head 10 so as to face the second electrode 22, disposed sideways, or disposed obliquely.
The present invention can be applied to various surface treatments such as cleaning, surface modification (hydrophilization, water repellency, etc.), etching, and film formation. The present invention is not limited to plasma processing near atmospheric pressure, and can also be applied to plasma processing under vacuum.

  The present invention is applicable to, for example, surface treatment in a manufacturing process of a glass substrate for a flat panel display or a semiconductor substrate.

It is front sectional drawing which shows the atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the processing head of the atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus. It is a perspective view of the 2nd dielectric member of the above-mentioned processing head. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of the small piece-shaped convex part provided in a 2nd dielectric member. It is front sectional drawing of the 1st, 2nd dielectric member which shows the modification which provided the small piece-shaped convex part in the 1st dielectric member. It is front sectional drawing which shows the modification of the small piece-shaped convex part provided in a 1st dielectric member. It is front sectional drawing which shows the atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the 2nd dielectric member of the said 2nd Embodiment. It is front sectional drawing which shows the atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the 2nd dielectric member of the said 3rd Embodiment. It is front sectional drawing which shows the atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is front sectional drawing of the processing head which concerns on the modification of the said 4th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus 2 To-be-processed object arrangement | positioning part 10 Processing head 12 Gap 13 Discharge space 21 1st electrode 21e Recessed part (notch part)
21f Clearance (notch)
22 Second electrode 22a Spout 31 First dielectric member 32 Second dielectric member 32a Jet guide hole 41 Small convex part 41A Small part convex part 42 of another part Convex strip (striated convex part)
43 Convex strips
W Workpiece

Claims (6)

In an apparatus for performing plasma surface treatment by forming a processing gas into plasma in a discharge space and ejecting the gas, bringing it into contact with an object disposed in an object disposition portion outside the discharge space,
(A) a first electrode extending in one direction along the workpiece arrangement portion and connected to a power source;
(B) A jet that extends in the same direction as the first electrode and is disposed between the first electrode and the workpiece placement portion and penetrates from the first electrode side to the workpiece placement portion side. A second electrode having an outlet and electrically grounded;
(C) a first dielectric member made of a solid dielectric that extends in the same direction as the first electrode and covers a surface of the first electrode facing the second electrode;
(D) It is made of a solid dielectric that extends in the same direction as the first electrode and covers the surface of the second electrode facing the first electrode, and a gap to be the discharge space is formed between the first dielectric member and the first dielectric member. And a second dielectric member in which an ejection guide hole connecting the gap and the ejection port is formed,
(E) A protrusion that is integrally formed or joined to at least a middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the surface facing the other of either the first or second dielectric member, and is abutted against the other dielectric member And
A plasma processing apparatus comprising:   2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the protrusions are arranged apart from each other in a longitudinal direction of the first or second dielectric member.   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion has a strip shape extending in a longitudinal direction of the first or second dielectric member.   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is disposed on one side edge of the first or second dielectric member in a short direction.   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is disposed at a central portion in a short direction of the first or second dielectric member.   The plasma processing according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a notch portion is formed at a position corresponding to the convex portion of the surface facing one of the first and second electrodes. apparatus.

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