JP2009043467A - Plasma treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plasma treatment apparatus which can surely prevent leakage of gas from between an electrode and members for forming gas passages on the upstream side or the downstream side of the electrode. <P>SOLUTION: A passage member 50 is disposed on the upstream side of the electrode 20, and the communicating path 51 of the passage member 50 is connected to a discharge space 1a. The surface of the electrode 20 facing the discharge space 1a is covered with a covering portion 41 of a dielectric member 40. The covering portion 41 is formed with a flange protruded 42 from the end part on the passage member 50 side toward the electrode 20, and a sealing member 61 is disposed between the passage member 50 and the dielectric member 40. A holding portion 73 of a holding member 71 is inserted between the flange 42 and the electrode 20, and screw members 75 are screwed into screw receiving portions 72 through the passage member 50. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for treating a surface of a processing object by converting the processing gas into plasma (including decomposition, excitation, activation, and ionization) and bringing the processing gas into contact with the processing object.

An apparatus that forms a discharge by applying an electric field to an electrode, introduces a processing gas into the discharge space, turns it into plasma, contacts it with an object to be processed, and performs a plasma surface treatment is known. In such an apparatus, the processing gas leaks from between the gas introduction nozzle and the electrode, and the amount of gas supplied to the object to be processed is reduced, abnormal discharge is induced, and the components are corroded and deteriorated. There was sometimes.
Therefore, for example, in the plasma processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a plate having a communication path that connects the gas introduction nozzle and the discharge space is provided between the gas introduction nozzle and the electrode. A gasket is sandwiched between them. This gasket prevents the processing gas from leaking.
In Patent Document 2, the electrode is accommodated in a case-shaped dielectric member. The outer peripheral part of the gas introduction nozzle and the outer wall of the electrode structure are connected by bolts.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-33152 (FIG. 1) JP 2004-128417 A (FIG. 3)

In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when the outer peripheral portion of the gas introduction nozzle and the outer wall of the electrode structure are connected with a bolt, a sufficient sealing pressure can be secured at the peripheral portion of the gasket, but a sufficient seal is provided at the central portion of the gasket. It is not easy to secure the pressure.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to reliably seal between the electrode and a member forming a gas passage on the upstream side or the downstream side, thereby ensuring gas leakage. There is to prevent.

The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is an apparatus for bringing a processing gas into contact with an object to be processed through a discharge space,
An electrode for forming the discharge space;
A passage member having a communication passage connected upstream or downstream of the discharge space;
A dielectric member made of a dielectric having a cover that covers a surface of the electrode that faces the discharge space, and a flange that protrudes from the end of the cover on the side of the passage member toward the electrode;
A sealing material interposed between the passage member and the dielectric member;
A clamping means for engaging the flange and clamping the dielectric member to the passage member;
It is provided with.
Accordingly, the gap between the dielectric member and the passage member can be reliably sealed, and gas leakage can be reliably prevented.

The tightening means may include a screw member screwed into the flange through the passage member.
Accordingly, the dielectric member can be directly fastened to the passage member by the screw member.

The fastening means is
(A) a screw receiving portion disposed on a side opposite to the discharge space from the flange, and a clamping portion protruding from the screw receiving portion toward the discharge space and inserted between the flange and the electrode. A clamping member;
(B) a screw member screwed into the screw receiving portion through the passage member;
May be included.
As a result, the dielectric member can be fastened to the passage member so that the heel is sandwiched between the sandwiching member and the passage member. In addition, the dielectric member can be prevented from being damaged by screwing of the screw member.

There is a pair of the electrodes, a pair of the dielectric members are provided between the electrodes, the discharge space is formed between the dielectric members, and a direction perpendicular to the gas flow direction in the discharge space in these dielectric members It is preferable that the end portions are hermetically bonded with an adhesive.
Thereby, it is possible to prevent gas leakage in a direction orthogonal to the gas flow direction in the discharge space between the pair of dielectric members.

On the discharge space side of the end portion of at least one dielectric member of the pair of dielectric members, a convex portion that is in direct contact with the other dielectric member without using an adhesive is provided. Preferably it is formed.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the adhesive from directly contacting the gas or plasma in the discharge space, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in airtightness due to deterioration of the adhesive.

A spacer is sandwiched between portions of the end portions of the pair of dielectric members that are closer to the discharge space than the bonded portions, and both surfaces of the spacer directly contact each dielectric member without an adhesive. May be.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the adhesive from directly contacting the gas or plasma in the discharge space, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in airtightness due to deterioration of the adhesive. It is preferable to use an insulating material having excellent corrosion resistance for the spacer.

  The electrode may be a parallel plate electrode or a coaxial cylindrical electrode.

The sealing material is preferably an O-ring, and more preferably a rubber O-ring. The rubber may be natural rubber or fluorinated rubber. Thereby, even when the compressive force fluctuates due to thermal expansion of the electrode due to discharge and subsequent cooling, the sealing performance can be stably maintained by the elasticity of the O-ring.
The sealing material may be a gasket or other packing.
An adhesive or an adhesive may be used as the sealing material.
The sealing material may be in a paste form. Examples of the paste-like sealing material include a silicone sealing agent, a butyl rubber sealing agent, and grease. The paste-like sealing material can be easily removed during maintenance, and the apparatus can be easily disassembled.
The material of the sealing material is preferably a material having high corrosion resistance.

The present invention is suitable for plasma processing near atmospheric pressure (substantially normal 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, the seal member can be strongly pressed, and the gas leakage from between the electrode and the passage member can be reliably prevented.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 4, the atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus M includes a plasma generator 1, a chamber 2, and a workpiece transfer means 3. The workpiece transfer means 3 is composed of a manipulator, and a suction hand 3b is provided at the tip of the telescopic arm 3a. The suction hand 3 b can be inserted into the chamber 2 from the opening / closing part 2 a of the chamber 2. A workpiece W such as a semiconductor wafer is placed on the suction hand 3b and sucked.
As the workpiece conveying means 3, a roller conveyor may be used instead of the manipulator.

  A plasma generator 1 is provided on the top plate 2 b of the chamber 2. The processing gas from the processing gas source 4 is converted into plasma by the plasma generator 1, blown into the chamber 2, and brought into contact with the workpiece W on the suction hand 3 b. Thereby, the to-be-processed object W is surface-treated. Thereafter, the workpiece W is unloaded from the chamber 2 by the manipulator 3.

The processing gas is appropriately selected according to the processing content. For example, if the etching of the silicon oxide, a wet mixed gas of CF ₄ and _{O 2} dew point 25 ° C., to obtain a mixed gas of CF _{4, O 2} and _{H 2} O. When this mixed gas is converted into plasma by the plasma generator 1, HF is generated. This HF and silicon oxide react to produce volatile SiF ₄ . Thereby, silicon oxide can be etched. Instead of CF ₄ , other fluorine-based gas such as CHF ₃ may be used. In order to stabilize discharge, the mixed gas may further contain Ar.

In the case of etching of amorphous silicon, two plasma generators 1 may be provided on the top plate 2 b of the chamber 2. Among them, one plasma generator 1 introduces O ₂ diluted with N ₂ into plasma to generate O ₃ . In another plasma generator 1, a gas obtained by adding H ₂ O to CF ₄ (or CHF ₃ ) is introduced into plasma to generate HF. The gas from these two plasma generators 1 is mixed and sprayed on the workpiece W. Then, O ₃ in the mixed gas oxidizes amorphous silicon, and this silicon oxide and HF react. Thereby, amorphous silicon can be etched.

  An exhaust duct 5a extends from the bottom of the chamber 2 and is connected to an exhaust facility 5 including a scrubber and a vacuum pump. The treated gas in the chamber 2 is sucked into the exhaust duct 5 a and exhausted through the exhaust equipment 5.

The detailed structure of the plasma generator 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the plasma generator 1 has an upper gas introduction nozzle 10, a pair of upper and lower electrodes 20, and a lower gas lead-out nozzle 30, before and after being orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 1. Extending in the direction.

  The gas introduction nozzle 10 is made of, for example, a resin such as vinyl chloride, but is not limited to this, and may be made of a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel. A rectification path 11 is formed in the gas introduction nozzle 10. The processing gas of the processing gas source 4 is introduced into the rectification path 11 through the supply path 4a and is made uniform in the front-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1).

  The gas outlet nozzle 30 may be made of a resin such as vinyl chloride or may be made of a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel. As shown in FIG. 4, the distal end portion of the gas outlet nozzle 30 protrudes downward from the top plate 2 b of the chamber 2 and faces the internal space of the chamber 2. A workpiece W is arranged below the gas outlet nozzle 30. The distance from the lower end surface (tip surface) of the gas outlet nozzle 30 to the upper surface (surface) of the workpiece W is, for example, about 5 mm.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pair of electrodes 20, 20 are arranged to face each other on the left and right. The size of the electrode 20 is not particularly limited, and is, for example, 5 cm high, 10 cm long, and 25 mm thick. The material of the electrode 20 is aluminum whose surface is anodized, but is not limited to this, and other metals such as stainless steel may be used.
A cooling path 21 through which cooling water (refrigerant) passes is formed inside the electrode 20.

  One (for example, the right side) electrode 20 is connected to the power source 6, and the other electrode 20 is electrically grounded. By supplying a voltage from the power supply 6, an electric field is applied between the pair of electrodes 20 and 20, thereby generating an atmospheric pressure discharge. The voltage applied by the power source 6 is, for example, a bipolar pulse wave, the frequency is about 30 kHz, the length of the pulse wave is about 5 μsec, the peak-to-peak voltage is about Vpp = 16 kV, and the power is 150 W. It is not what is done.

Between the pair of electrodes 20, 20, a dielectric member 40 that is a pair of two left and right is provided.
As shown in FIG. 2, each dielectric member 40 is made of a dielectric ceramic that is resistant to corrosion, such as alumina, and has a flat cover 41 with the longitudinal direction facing forward and backward and the width direction facing upward and downward. It has an upper collar 42 projecting from the upper end of 41 to the opposite side of the other dielectric member 40, and a lower collar 43 projecting in the same direction as the upper collar 42 from the lower end of the cover 41. As shown in FIG. 1, the cover 41 of the left dielectric member 40 tightly covers the facing surface (surface facing the discharge space) of the left electrode 20. The cover portion 41 of the right dielectric member 40 covers and closely contacts the facing surface (the surface facing the discharge space) of the right electrode 20. The area of the cover 41 is larger than that of the electrode 20 and is, for example, 7 cm high and 13 cm long.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a discharge space defining recess 40 a is provided on the opposing surface of one (for example, the right side) dielectric member 40. The discharge space defining recesses 40 a reach the upper and lower end surfaces of the dielectric member 40, respectively. The inside of the discharge space defining recess 40a is a slit-shaped dielectric member passage 44. A portion corresponding to the space between the electrodes 20 and 20 in the inter-dielectric member passage 44 becomes a discharge space 1 a by applying an electric field between the electrodes 20 and 20. The gas homogenized in the rectification path 11 is converted into plasma in the discharge space 1a through the introduction side communication path 51 described later.

  Convex portions 40 b are formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of one (right side) dielectric member 40. The convex portion 40 b and the other (left side) dielectric member 40 are combined and adhered by an adhesive 45. For example, an epoxy adhesive is used as the adhesive 45. The convex portion 40b defines an end portion in a direction orthogonal to the gas flow direction (vertical direction) in the dielectric member passage 44 (discharge space 1a).

  The pair of dielectric members 40 are bonded to each other with an adhesive 45 and integrated, and then polished so that the top surfaces thereof are flush with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an introduction side passage member 50 is interposed between the gas introduction nozzle 10 and the dielectric member 40. The introduction-side passage member 50 is made of metal such as aluminum or stainless steel having higher rigidity than the gas introduction nozzle 10 made of vinyl chloride, and has a flat plate shape with the longitudinal direction facing forward and backward and the width direction facing left and right. As shown in FIG. 3, a slit-like introduction-side communication passage 51 extending in the front-rear direction (up and down in the figure) is formed in the center portion in the width direction of the introduction-side passage member 50 so as to penetrate in the thickness direction (up and down). Yes. As shown in FIG. 1, the upstream end of the inter-dielectric member passage 44 is connected to the rectifying passage 11 through the introduction-side communication passage 51.

  A sealing recess 52 is formed on the lower surface of the introduction-side passage member 50. As shown in FIG. 3, the sealing recess 52 has an annular shape surrounding the introduction side communication path 51. As shown in FIG. 1, an O-ring 61 (sealing material) is accommodated in the sealing recess 52. The O-ring 61 is sandwiched between the upper bottom surface of the sealing recess 52 and the upper end surface of the dielectric member 40.

  Between the left side portion of the introduction side passage member 50 and the left electrode 20, and between the right side portion of the introduction side passage member 50 and the right electrode 20, an introduction side clamping member 71 is provided. The introduction side clamping member 71 is made of an insulating resin, but may be made of ceramics instead. The introduction-side clamping member 71 includes a screw receiving portion 72 located on the left and right outer sides (the side opposite to the discharge space 1a side) of the upper collar 42 of the dielectric member 40, and a dielectric member 40 from a lower portion of the screw receiving portion 72. And a sandwiching portion 73 protruding toward the cover portion 41, and the cross section is substantially L-shaped. The sandwiching portion 73 is inserted between the flange of the dielectric member 40 and the electrode 20. In the screw receiving portion 72, a helisert 74 is embedded.

A metal screw member 75 passes through the gas introduction nozzle 10 and the introduction side passage member 50 and is screwed into the helicate 74. 1 and 3, reference numeral 53 is an insertion hole formed in the introduction-side passage member 50 for passing the screw member 75. A plurality of screw members 75 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the O-ring 61 so as to surround the outside and the vicinity of the O-ring 61. The introduction side clamping member 71 and the introduction side passage member 50 are fastened by these screw members 75, and the upper collar 42 is hooked on the clamping portion 73 and fastened to the introduction side passage member 50. As a result, the O-ring 61 is compressed and is in close contact with the introduction-side passage member 50 and the upper end surface of the dielectric member 40.
The screw member 75 and the introduction side clamping member 71 constitute a fastening means 70 for fastening the dielectric member 40 and the introduction side passage member 50.

  An outlet side passage member 80 is interposed between the lower end portion of the dielectric member 40 and the gas outlet nozzle 30. The lead-out side passage member 80 is made of a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel like the introduction-side passage member 50, and has a flat plate shape with the longitudinal direction facing forward and backward and the width direction facing left and right. A slit-like lead-side communication passage 81 extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the center in the width direction of the lead-out side passage member 80 so as to penetrate in the thickness direction (up and down). The upper end portion of the outlet side communication passage 81 is connected to the downstream end of the inter-dielectric member passage 44. The lower end portion of the outlet side communication passage 81 is connected to the injection path 31 formed in the gas outlet nozzle 30. The injection path 31 reaches the lower end of the gas outlet nozzle 30 and is opened. The gas converted into plasma in the inter-dielectric member passage 44 is ejected from the ejection path 31 toward the workpiece W below.

  A sealing recess 82 is formed on the upper surface of the outlet side passage member 80. Although not shown in detail, the sealing recess 82 has an annular shape and surrounds the outlet communication path 81. An O-ring 62 (sealing material) is accommodated inside the sealing recess 82. The O-ring 62 is sandwiched between the lower end surface of the dielectric member 40 and the upper bottom surface of the sealing recess 82.

  Between the lower end portion of the left electrode 20 and the left side portion of the outlet side passage member 80 and between the lower end portion of the right electrode 20 and the right side portion of the outlet side passage member 80, the outlet side clamping member 91 is respectively provided. Is provided. The outlet side clamping member 91 is made of an insulator such as resin or ceramics. The lead-out side clamping member 91 includes a screw receiving portion 92 positioned on the left and right outer sides (the side opposite to the discharge space 1a side) from the lower collar 43 of the dielectric member 40, and an upper portion of the screw receiving portion 92. It has the clamping part 93 which protrudes toward the cover part 41, and the cross section is substantially reverse L-shape. The clamping part 93 is inserted between the electrode 20 and the heel. A helisert 94 is embedded in the lower portion of the screw receiving portion.

A metal screw member 95 passes through the gas outlet nozzle 30 and the outlet side passage member 80 and is screwed into the helicate 94. A plurality of screw members 95 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the O-ring 62 so as to surround the outside and the vicinity of the O-ring 62. With these screw members 95, the lead-out side clamping member 91 and the lead-out side passage member 80 are fastened, and the lower collar 43 is hooked on the pinching portion 93 and fastened to the lead-out side passage member 80. As a result, the O-ring 62 is compressed and is in close contact with the lower end surface of the dielectric member 40 and the outlet-side passage member 80.
The screw member 95 and the lead-out side clamping member 91 constitute a fastening means 90 that fastens the dielectric member 40 and the lead-out side passage member 80.

According to the plasma processing apparatus M having the above configuration, the O-ring 61 can be reliably compressed by tightening the screw member 75. As a result, the space between the introduction side passage member 50 and the upper rod 42 can be surely sealed. As a result, the processing gas can be prevented from leaking between the introduction side passage member 50 and the upper rod 42. It can be surely prevented.
Further, by tightening the screw member 95, the O-ring 62 can be reliably compressed and the space between the lower collar 43 and the outlet side passage member 80 can be reliably sealed. Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent the processing gas from leaking along the space between the lower rod 43 and the outlet side passage member 80.
Since the O-rings 61 and 62 have a smaller sealing area than a gasket or the like, the sealing performance can be further improved. In particular, the rubber O-rings 61 and 62 are rich in elasticity, and even when the compressive force fluctuates due to thermal expansion of the electrode 20 due to discharge and subsequent cooling or the like, plastic deformation hardly occurs. Therefore, the sealing performance can be stably maintained.
By providing the flanges 42 and 43 on the dielectric member 40, a sufficient sealing area of the O-rings 61 and 62 can be secured.
Since the planar processing of the upper surfaces of the pair of dielectric members 40, 40 is performed after bonding the dielectric members 40, 40, it is possible to prevent a step from being formed between the upper surfaces of the dielectric members 40, 40. . Thereby, a sealing performance can be improved further.
In addition to insulating the electrode 20 and the passage members 50 and 80 by the sandwiching members 71 and 91 made of an insulator, metal bolts can be used as the screw members 75 and 95, and a strong tightening force can be obtained.
In the plasma generator 1, only the tip of the gas outlet nozzle 30 is arranged inside the chamber 2, and the upper part thereof is arranged outside the chamber 2, so that it is hardly exposed to corrosive gas. . Moreover, since it has sufficient airtightness as described above, gas leakage to the external environment can be prevented.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the drawings for the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiments, and the description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the introduction side clamping member 71 and the outlet side clamping member 91 are not provided. Instead, the upper collar 42 and the lower collar 43 of the dielectric member 40 are largely projected in the opposite direction to the inter-dielectric member passage 44. The protruding end surface of the upper rod 42 and the protruding end surface of the lower rod 43 are flush with the back surface of the electrode 20 (the surface opposite to the discharge space 1a), but may protrude from the back surface of the electrode 20. , You may withdraw.

  A helicate 74 is embedded in the upper collar 42, and a screw member 75 is screwed therein. The dielectric member 40 can be directly fastened to the introduction side passage member 50 by the screw member 75. Therefore, the screw member 75 alone constitutes the fastening means 70 for the dielectric member 40. Since the upper collar 42 is wide, a sufficient sealing area for the O-ring 61 can be secured.

  A helisert 94 is embedded in the lower rod 43, and a screw member 95 is screwed therein. The dielectric member 40 can be directly fastened to the lead-out side passage member 80 by the screw member 95. Therefore, the screw member 95 alone constitutes the fastening means 90 for the dielectric member 40. Since the lower collar 43 is wide, a sufficient sealing area of the O-ring 62 can be ensured.

  FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In the plasma generator 1 of this embodiment, three electrodes 20 are provided side by side. One of the adjacent electrodes 20 is connected to a power source 6 (not shown in FIG. 6), and the other is electrically grounded. Preferably, the center electrode 20 is connected to the power source 6 and the left and right electrodes 20 are grounded. A dielectric member 40 is provided on the surface of each electrode 20 facing the adjacent electrode 20. Between the dielectric members 40 of the left and center electrodes 20 and between the dielectric members 40 of the center and right electrodes 20, there are formed dielectric member passages 44 to be the discharge spaces 1a, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the introduction-side passage member 50 is formed with two introduction-side communication passages 51 that are separated from each other in the left-right direction. These introduction side communication passages 51 are formed in a slit shape extending in the front-rear direction (vertical direction in FIG. 7), and the upper ends thereof are respectively connected to the rectifying passages 11 and are inclined so as to be separated from each other as they go downward. The left dielectric member passage 44 is connected to the lower end portion of the left introduction side communication passage 51, and the right dielectric member passage 44 is connected to the lower end portion of the right introduction side communication passage 51.

  As shown in FIG. 6, two outlet side communication passages 81 are formed in the outlet side passage member 80 so as to be separated from each other on the left and right. The derivation side communication passage 81 has a slit shape extending in the front-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 6), and penetrates the derivation side passage member 80 in the thickness direction (up and down). The left dielectric member passage 44 is connected to the upper end of the left lead-out communication passage 81, and the right dielectric member passage 44 is connected to the upper end of the right lead-out communication passage 81.

The gas lead-out nozzle 30 is formed with two lead-out paths 32 and 32 extending from the left and right lead-out side communication paths 81, respectively. The lead-out passages 32 and 32 are joined close to each other, and the common injection passage 33 extends from the joining portion to reach the lower end surface of the gas lead-out nozzle 30 and is opened.
The processing gas is diverted from the rectifying path 11 to the left and right introduction side communication paths 51, passes through the left and right dielectric member paths 44, and is converted into plasma, and then merges via the left and right outlet side communication paths 81 and the outlet paths. Then, the fuel is injected from the common injection path 33.

A seal structure according to the third embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 6, an O-ring 63 (seal material) is provided between the gas introduction nozzle 10 and the introduction-side passage member 50. The O-ring 63 surrounds the upper ends of the rectification path 11 and the two introduction side communication paths 51.

  A screw member 101 (clamping member) penetrates the gas introduction nozzle 10 up and down and is screwed into the introduction-side passage member 50. A plurality of screw members 101 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the O-ring 63 so as to surround the outside and the vicinity of the O-ring 63. These screw members 101 can compress the O-ring 63 by tightening the gas introduction nozzle 10 and the introduction-side passage member 50. Thereby, between the gas introduction nozzle 10 and the introduction side channel | path member 50 can be sealed reliably, and the gas leak from the connection part of the rectification path 11 and the introduction side communication path 51 can be prevented reliably.

  As shown in FIG. 7, an annular sealing recess 52 is formed around each introduction-side communication passage 51 on the lower surface of the introduction-side passage member 50. An O-ring 61 is accommodated in each sealing recess 52.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the screw member 75 has a head located in the introduction-side passage member 50, and passes through only the introduction-side passage member 50 in the vertical direction and is screwed into the helisert. Therefore, it is not necessary to arrange the screw member 75 so as to avoid the rectifying path 11, and the screw member 75 can also be arranged at a position overlapping the rectifying path 11 in the plan view (a central portion in the width direction of the introduction-side passage member 50). Accordingly, the central portion of the O-ring 61 from the introduction side communication passage 51 can be reliably compressed, and the space between the central portion of the introduction side passage member 50 in the width direction and the central dielectric member 40 can be reliably obtained. Can be sealed.

  Similarly, annular sealing recesses 82 are formed around the respective outlet side communication passages 81 on the upper surface of the outlet side passage member 80. An O-ring 62 is accommodated in each sealing recess 82.

The screw member 95 has a head located in the outlet side passage member 80 and passes through only the outlet side passage member 80 and is screwed into the helicate 94. Therefore, it is not necessary to arrange the screw member 95 so as to avoid the outlet path 32 and the ejection path 33, and the screw member 95 can also be disposed at a position overlapping the outlet path 32 and the ejection path 33 in plan view. Thus, the central portion of the O-ring 62 from the outlet side communication passage 81 can be reliably compressed, and the gap between the central portion in the width direction of the outlet side passage member 80 and the central dielectric member 40 can be reliably sealed. Can do.
In FIG. 8, reference numeral 85 is an insertion hole for the screw member 95 formed in the outlet side passage member 80, and reference numeral 86 is a head accommodation hole for accommodating the head of the screw member 95. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 8, an annular sealing recess 84 that surrounds the two outlet communication passages 81 is formed on the lower surface of the outlet passage member 80. An O-ring 64 is accommodated in the sealing recess 84.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the screw member 102 (clamping member) passes through the gas outlet nozzle 30 and is screwed into the female screw hole 83 of the outlet side passage member 80. A plurality of screw members 102 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the O-ring 64 so as to surround the outside and the vicinity of the O-ring 64. With these screw members 102, the O-ring 64 can be compressed by tightening the outlet side passage member 80 and the gas outlet nozzle 30. Thus, the space between the outlet side passage member 80 and the gas outlet nozzle 30 can be reliably sealed, and gas leakage from the connection portion between the outlet side communication passage 81 and the outlet passage can be reliably prevented.

FIG. 9 shows a modification of the dielectric member 40.
In FIG. 9A, discharge space defining recesses 40a are formed on the opposing surfaces of the dielectric members 40 facing each other. The discharge space defining recesses 40a together form a dielectric member passage 44 to be the discharge space 1a.

In FIG. 9B, convex portions 40 b are formed at both longitudinal ends of one dielectric member 40. A shallow bonding groove 40c is formed at the extreme end of the protrusion 40b (on the side opposite to the discharge space 1a). The two dielectric members 40 are joined together by the adhesive 45 filled in the bonding groove 40c. The adhesive 45 is not provided between the convex portion 40b on the inner side in the longitudinal direction (on the discharge space 1a side) and the other dielectric member 40 from the bonding groove 40c, and both are directly abutted against each other.
Accordingly, the adhesive 45 can be prevented from being directly exposed to the corrosive gas (for example, O ₃ , HF, etc.) in the passage 44 between the dielectric members, the deterioration of the adhesive 45 can be prevented, and the adhesive performance can be maintained for a long time. Can do. As a result, the airtightness between the ends of the pair of dielectric members 40 can be maintained.

  In FIG.9 (c), the opposing surface of any dielectric member 40 is a plane entirely, and the discharge space definition recessed part 40a and the convex part 40b are not provided. A spacer 46 is interposed between the end portions of the dielectric member 40 in the longitudinal direction instead of the convex portion 40b. The spacer 46 maintains the distance between the dielectric members 40 and maintains the thickness of the inter-dielectric member passage 44. The spacer 46 is made of a highly corrosion-resistant resin such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). An adhesive 45 for adhering the two dielectric members 40 is filled in a gap between the dielectric members 40 on the outer side in the longitudinal direction from the spacer 46 (the side opposite to the discharge space 1a side). Also in this case, the corrosive gas in the inter-dielectric member passage 44 hardly reaches the adhesive 45, the deterioration of the adhesive 45 can be prevented, and the airtightness between the end portions of the dielectric member 40 can be maintained.

  In the embodiment so far, the cover 41 of the dielectric member 40 and the upper and lower collars 42 and 43 are integrated, but the upper and lower collars 42 and 43 are different from the cover 41 as shown in FIG. It may be composed of a dielectric ceramic. The upper end portion of the cover portion 41 protrudes above the upper surface of the electrode 20 and abuts against the lower surface of the introduction-side passage member 50. An upper collar 42 is applied to the back surface (the surface opposite to the side defining the inter-dielectric member passage 44) of the upper portion of the cover portion 41, and is bonded with an adhesive 47. The lower end portion of the cover portion 41 protrudes below the lower surface of the electrode 20 and abuts against the upper surface of the outlet side passage member 80. A lower collar 43 is applied to the back surface of the lower side portion of the cover portion 41 (the surface opposite to the side defining the inter-dielectric member passage 44) and is adhered by an adhesive 47. As the adhesive 47, an epoxy adhesive or the like may be used similarly to the adhesive 45.

In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the introduction side clamping member 71 and the outlet side clamping member 91 are not provided, and the screw member 75 is directly screwed into the upper collar 42 as in the embodiment of FIG. It is screwed directly into the lower arm 43.
The width of the upper collar 42 is equal to the width of the electrode 20 and covers the entire upper surface of the electrode 20. Similarly, the width of the lower collar 43 is equal to the width of the electrode 20 and covers the entire lower surface of the electrode 20.
The upper collar 42 and the lower collar 43 covering the upper and lower surfaces of the central electrode 20 are respectively bonded to the cover portions 41 on both sides of the central electrode 20. (The upper collars 42 of the dielectric member 40 on both sides of the central electrode 20 are integrated, and the lower collars 43 are integrated.)

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.
For example, the sealing material is not limited to the O-rings 61 to 64, and may be a gasket, or an adhesive, an adhesive, or a paste.
Either the upstream side sealing material 61 or the downstream side sealing material 62 may be omitted.
The number of electrodes 20 is not limited to two or three, and may be four or more.
Although the electrode structure of the above embodiment is a parallel plate electrode, the present invention can also be applied to a coaxial annular electrode.
The dielectric member 40 should just be provided in the opposing surface (surface which faces discharge space) of at least one electrode.
The lower end portion of the gas introduction nozzle 10 may constitute an introduction-side passage member, and the sealing material 61 may be sandwiched between the lower end portion of the gas introduction nozzle 10 and the upper end portion of the dielectric member 40.
The upper end portion of the gas outlet nozzle 30 may constitute the outlet side passage member, and the sealing material 62 may be sandwiched between the lower end portion of the dielectric member 40 and the upper end portion of the gas outlet nozzle 30.
The fastening means 70 and 90 are not limited to the screw system, but may be a clamp. When there is a possibility of short circuit with the electrode 20, the material of the screw members 75, 95 and the helicates 74, 94 may be made of resin.
The helicates 74 and 94 may be omitted, and female screw holes into which the screw members 75 and 95 are directly screwed into the passage members 50 and 80 and the flanges 42 and 43 may be formed.
The screw members 75 and 95 may be screwed into the electrode 20, and the flanges 42 and 43 of the dielectric member 40 may be sandwiched between the electrode 20 and the passage members 50 and 80. In this case, the electrode 20 also serves as a component of the fastening means 70 and 90. The screw members 75 and 95 screwed into the electrode 20 connected to the power supply 6 are preferably made of resin (insulator).

The embodiments may be combined with each other. For example, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 5, as in the embodiment of FIG. 6, sealing materials such as O-rings 63 and 64 are provided between the nozzles 10 and 30 and the passage members 50 and 80. Also good.
Also in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 5, as in the embodiment of FIG. 6, the screw members 75 and 95 are screwed into the clamping members 71 and 91 through only the passage members 50 and 80, and the nozzles 10 and 30 and the passage member 50. , 80 may be connected by screw members 101 and 102 different from each other.
Also in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 5, like the embodiment of FIG. 10, the flanges 42 and 43 of the dielectric member 40 may be formed of a ceramic plate separate from the cover 41.
The present invention is applicable not only to etching but also to various plasma surface treatments such as ashing, film formation, cleaning, and surface modification.
The present invention is not limited to plasma processing under atmospheric pressure, and can also be applied to plasma processing under low pressure.

  The present invention can be used for manufacturing a semiconductor substrate and a flat panel display (FPD), for example.

It is front sectional drawing of the plasma generator of the plasma processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of a set of dielectric members of the plasma generator. It is a bottom view of the introduction side passage member of the above-mentioned plasma generator. It is a front view which shows schematic structure of the said plasma processing apparatus. It is front sectional drawing of the plasma generator which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front sectional view of the plasma generator concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. It is a bottom view of the introduction side passage member of the plasma generator concerning the 3rd embodiment. It is a bottom view of the outlet side passage member of the plasma generator concerning the 3rd embodiment. (A)-(c) is a top view which shows the modification of a set of dielectric members. It is front sectional drawing of the plasma generator which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

M Atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus W Object to be processed 1 Plasma generator 1a Discharge space 20 Electrode 40 Dielectric member 40b Convex part 40c Adhesive groove 41 Cover part 42 Upper bar 43 Lower bar 45 Adhesive 46 Spacer 50 Introducing side (upstream side) ) Passage member 51 Inlet side (upstream side) communication passage 61 O-ring (seal material)
62 O-ring (seal material)
70 Tightening means 71 Inlet side (upstream side) clamping member 72 Screw receiving part 73 Nipping part 75 Screw member 80 Derived side (downstream side) passage member 81 Derived side (downstream side) communication path 90 Tightening means 91 Derived side ( (Downstream side) clamping member 92 screw receiving portion 93 clamping portion 95 screw member

Claims (7)

An apparatus for bringing a processing gas into contact with an object to be processed through a discharge space,
An electrode for forming the discharge space;
A passage member having a communication passage connected upstream or downstream of the discharge space;
A dielectric member made of a dielectric having a cover that covers a surface of the electrode that faces the discharge space, and a flange that protrudes from the end of the cover on the side of the passage member toward the electrode;
A sealing material interposed between the passage member and the dielectric member;
A clamping means for engaging the flange and clamping the dielectric member to the passage member;
A plasma processing apparatus comprising:   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tightening unit includes a screw member screwed into the flange through the passage member. The fastening means is
(A) a screw receiving portion disposed on a side opposite to the discharge space from the flange, and a clamping portion protruding from the screw receiving portion toward the discharge space and inserted between the flange and the electrode. A clamping member;
(B) a screw member screwed into the screw receiving portion through the passage member;
The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:   The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sealing material is a rubber O-ring.   There is a pair of the electrodes, a pair of the dielectric members are provided between the electrodes, the discharge space is formed between the dielectric members, and a direction perpendicular to the gas flow direction in the discharge space in these dielectric members The plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ends are hermetically bonded with an adhesive.   On the discharge space side of the end portion of at least one dielectric member of the pair of dielectric members, a convex portion that is in direct contact with the other dielectric member without using an adhesive is provided. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plasma processing apparatus is formed.   A spacer is sandwiched between portions of the end portions of the pair of dielectric members that are closer to the discharge space than the bonded portions, and both surfaces of the spacer directly contact each dielectric member without an adhesive. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plasma processing apparatus is provided.

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