JP3149264U - Plasma processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plasma processing apparatus capable of expanding a uniform processing range of plasma processing at any time. SOLUTION: A processing chamber 10 for performing plasma processing on a substrate 20 by a plasma reaction, a grounded first electrode 12 disposed inside the processing chamber 10 and mounting a substrate 20 on an upper surface, and plasma for generating plasma A second electrode having a first main surface facing the upper surface of the first electrode 12 across the space 26 and having a second main surface connected to the high frequency power supply 24 on the opposite side of the first main surface on the plasma space 26 side. 14 and an electrode plate 16 electrically connected to the first main surface and having a surface facing the plasma space 26 larger than the first main surface and detachable from the first main surface. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus that performs processing using plasma generated between electrodes.

A plasma processing apparatus having an external electrode includes a grounded first electrode on which a substrate is placed in a processing chamber, and a second electrode having a high-frequency power source connected to the back surface exposed to the outside of the processing chamber. The surfaces of the first electrode and the second electrode are arranged to face each other. Usually, the first electrode has a larger surface area than the second electrode. A detachable electrode plate is provided on the surface of the second electrode. The electrode plate has the same surface area as the first electrode and is provided so as to cover the surface of the first electrode.
High frequency power is supplied from the back surface of the second electrode, and plasma is generated between the first electrode and the second electrode. The substrate is subjected to plasma treatment by the generated plasma.

  The uniform processing range in which the plasma processing can be performed uniformly depends on the surface area of the second electrode. In order to extend the uniform processing range, it is necessary to enlarge the dimension of the second electrode. The external electrode is an electrode that has a pressure partition element in combination with a processing chamber serving as a vacuum vessel, and is difficult to remove from the processing chamber. For this reason, the design change of a processing chamber etc. is needed with expansion of a 2nd electrode. As a result, there arises a problem that it takes a lot of cost and time to design, manufacture and verify a new plasma processing apparatus.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a plasma processing apparatus capable of expanding the uniform processing range of plasma processing as needed even in a plasma processing apparatus having an external electrode.

    According to an aspect of the present invention, (a) a processing chamber for performing plasma processing on a substrate, (b) a grounded first electrode disposed inside the processing chamber and placing the substrate on the upper surface, ) A first main surface facing the upper surface of the first electrode across a plasma space for generating plasma necessary for plasma processing, and a second main surface connected to a high-frequency power source on the opposite side of the first main surface And (d) an electrode plate electrically connected to the first main surface and having a surface area facing the plasma space larger than that of the first main surface and detachable from the first main surface. A plasma processing apparatus is provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if it is a plasma processing apparatus provided with an external type electrode, it becomes possible to provide the plasma processing apparatus which can extend the uniform processing range of plasma processing at any time.

It is a figure which shows an example of the plasma processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the conventional plasma processing apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between the thickness and the planar dimensions, the ratio of the thickness of each layer, and the like are different from the actual ones. Therefore, specific thicknesses and dimensions should be determined in consideration of the following description. Moreover, it is a matter of course that portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios are included between the drawings.

  Further, the embodiments of the present invention shown below exemplify apparatuses and methods for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the technical idea of the present invention is based on the material and shape of components. The structure, arrangement, etc. are not specified below. The technical idea of the present invention can be variously modified within the technical scope described in the claims.

  A plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a processing chamber 10, a first electrode 12, and a second electrode 14, as shown in FIG. In the plasma processing apparatus, plasma processing such as film formation and etching is performed. The plasma processing chamber 10 is a vacuum chamber that performs plasma processing on the substrate 20 by plasma reaction. The substrate 20 to be subjected to plasma processing is placed on the first electrode 12. In FIG. 1, the substrate 20 is directly placed on the surface of the first electrode 12. However, the substrate 20 may be placed on a plate made of a conductor or an insulator provided on the first electrode 12.

  The first electrode 12 is connected to ground. The second electrode 14 faces the first electrode 12 with a plasma space 26 for generating plasma interposed therebetween. The second electrode 14 is attached to the housing of the processing chamber 10 via a spacer 22.

  The second electrode 14 has a first main surface facing the upper surface of the first electrode 12 and a second main surface opposite to the first main surface across the plasma space 26. An electrode plate 16 having a larger surface area facing the plasma space 26 than the first main surface of the second electrode 14 is connected to the first main surface of the second electrode 14. The electrode plate 16 is electrically connected to the second electrode 14 by a bolt, a clamp, or the like. The second main surface of the second electrode 14 is exposed to the outside of the processing chamber 10 and connected to the high frequency power supply 24.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the second electrode 14 is an external electrode and acts as a pressure partition together with the housing of the processing chamber 10, so that it is difficult to remove the second electrode 14 from the processing chamber. . The plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment includes an electrode plate 16 that is mechanically detachable from the second electrode 14 for maintenance after the plasma processing.

  In a normal plasma film forming apparatus, as shown in FIG. 2, the second electrode 14 and the electrode plate 16a have the same surface area. A uniform processing range D in which plasma processing can be performed uniformly by plasma is obtained inside the plasma space 26 depending on the surface area of the electrode plate 16 facing the first electrode 12. If the substrate 20 has a large area and exceeds the uniform processing range D, uniform plasma processing becomes impossible. In order to extend the uniform processing range D, it is necessary to enlarge the second electrode. In the case of the second electrode which is an external type electrode, as the second electrode is enlarged, a new work such as design, manufacture or verification of the plasma processing apparatus is required, and much cost and time must be spent.

  On the other hand, in the plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment, the electrode plate 16 having a larger surface area than the first main surface of the second electrode 14 is disposed on the first main surface of the second electrode 14. As a result, the uniform processing range D can be expanded, and the large area substrate 20 can be uniformly plasma processed. The electrode plate 16 is detachable, and even when a substrate having a larger area is processed, it can be easily handled by replacing the electrode plate. As described above, according to the embodiment, even if the second electrode that is an external electrode is provided, it is not necessary to change the design of the plasma processing apparatus accompanying the expansion of the second electrode, and the uniform processing range of the plasma processing can be reduced. It can be expanded arbitrarily at any time.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, it should not be understood that the descriptions and drawings constituting a part of this disclosure limit the present invention. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples and operational techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is determined only by the specific matters relating to the scope of claims reasonable from the above description.

  The present invention can be applied to a plasma processing apparatus used for semiconductor manufacturing, liquid crystal panel manufacturing, solar cell manufacturing, and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Processing chamber 12 ... 1st electrode 14 ... 2nd electrode 16, 16a ... Electrode plate 20 ... Substrate 22 ... Spacer 24 ... High frequency power supply 26 ... Plasma space

Claims (1)

A processing chamber for performing plasma processing on the substrate;
A grounded first electrode disposed in the processing chamber and mounting the substrate on an upper surface;
A first main surface facing the upper surface of the first electrode across a plasma space for generating plasma necessary for the plasma processing, and a second main surface connected to a high-frequency power source on the opposite side of the first main surface A second electrode having
An electrode plate electrically connected to the first main surface and having an area of a surface facing the plasma space larger than the first main surface and detachable from the first main surface. Processing equipment.

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