JP3686664B1 - Electrode structure of plasma processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure the uniformity of surface treatment by reducing the amount of deflection due to the Coulomb force of an electrode in a plasma processing apparatus for a large-area workpiece.
An electrode structure 30X of a plasma processing apparatus includes a pair of electrode rows 31X and 32X that extend in the left-right direction and face each other in the front-rear direction. Each electrode row is composed of a plurality of electrode members 31A to 32C arranged on the left and right, and the electrode members of one electrode row and the other electrode row arranged at substantially the same position in the left-right direction are mutually connected. The inter-column partial gap 33p is formed between the opposing surfaces having opposite polarities. Each inter-column partial gap 33p is provided with gas guiding means 51 for guiding a gas flow passing through a portion near the adjacent inter-column partial gap to the adjacent side.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a so-called remote-type plasma processing apparatus that converts a processing gas into plasma between electrodes and performs surface treatment of the object to be processed, and particularly relates to a plasma processing apparatus suitable for processing a large-area object to be processed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes a so-called remote type plasma processing apparatus in which a processing gas is converted into plasma in a discharge space between electrodes and blown out and applied to an object to be processed which is sent by a conveying means. The electrode of the device has a structure in which two flat electrode plates are arranged opposite to each other in parallel. Usually, these electrode plates have a length equal to or greater than the width of the object to be processed (direction perpendicular to the conveying direction). Therefore, the discharge space between these electrode plates and the plasma outlet connected to the discharge space are also longer than the width of the workpiece. Thereby, the processing gas plasmified between the electrodes can be uniformly blown from the entire length of the blowout port, and the whole width of the workpiece can be plasma-treated at a time. As a result, the processing efficiency can be improved.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-143795 (first page, FIG. 4)

In recent years, objects to be processed such as glass substrates for liquid crystals have been increased in size, and for example, one having a side of 1.5 m to several m has appeared. In order to cope with such an object having a wide and large area, it is necessary to lengthen the electrode plate of the plasma processing apparatus.
However, the longer the electrode plate, the more difficult it is to ensure dimensional accuracy, as well as the Coulomb force acting between the two electrode plates, and the heat between the metal body constituting the electrode and the solid dielectric on the surface. It becomes easy to bend by the difference in expansion coefficient or thermal stress due to the temperature difference inside the electrode. For this reason, the thickness of the discharge space is likely to be non-uniform, and the uniformity of the surface treatment tends to be impaired. In order to counter the Coulomb force, it is conceivable to increase the rigidity by making the electrode plate thicker, but this increases the weight of the electrode, which not only imposes a burden on the electrode support structure that supports this, but also increases material costs and processing costs. It will rise. In addition, it is necessary to increase the capacity of the power source in order to secure the power supply per unit area of the electrode plate.
Therefore, it is conceivable to divide the electrode into a plurality of electrode members in the longitudinal direction. In that case, sufficient plasma is obtained at the boundary between adjacent electrode members, and plasma processing at a position corresponding to the boundary is ensured. It is necessary to prevent processing unevenness.

The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus that performs plasma processing by introducing a processing gas from an introduction port into a discharge space to be converted into plasma, blowing out the gas from a blowing port, and hitting the object to be processed. This apparatus includes an electrode structure that forms the discharge space.
The electrode structure includes a first electrode array composed of a plurality of electrode members arranged in a direction crossing a direction from the introduction port to the outlet port, and a plurality of other electrode arrays arranged in parallel with the first electrode array. A second electrode array made of electrode members is included.
Of the electrode members of the first electrode row and the electrode members of the second electrode row, those arranged at the first position in the arrangement direction have opposite polarities to each other and a part of the discharge space between each other. The first inter-column partial gap is formed. Further, among the electrode members of the first electrode row and the electrode members of the second electrode row, those arranged at the second position adjacent to the first position have opposite polarities to each other. In addition, a second inter-column partial gap that is another part of the discharge space is formed.
Furthermore, the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention guides a processing gas flow passing through a portion closer to the second position (adjacent portion) in the partial gap between the first rows toward the boundary with the second position or in the second position direction. Gas guiding means is provided.

  Thereby, substantially the entire width of the object to be processed can be processed at a time, and good processing efficiency can be secured, and the length of each electrode member can be shortened to about a fraction of the width of the object to be processed. Alternatively, regardless of the width dimension of the object to be processed, the individual electrode members can be made to have a certain short length and the number of lines can be adjusted to correspond to the width of the object to be processed. This not only facilitates ensuring dimensional accuracy, but also reduces the amount of deflection of the electrode member due to Coulomb force or the like. In addition, in the object to be processed, plasma can be sufficiently blown to a portion corresponding to the boundary between the adjacent inter-column partial gaps, and processing unevenness can be prevented. As a result, the uniformity of the surface treatment can be sufficiently ensured in combination with the above-described deflection suppressing effect. There is no need to increase the thickness of the electrode member, it is possible to reduce the burden on the support structure by avoiding an increase in weight, and to suppress an increase in material costs and the like.

It is more desirable to provide not only the first inter-part partial gap but also gas guiding means for guiding the processing gas flow passing through the side part near the adjacent inter-part partial gap in each inter-part partial gap to the adjacent side.
The length of the electrode members of the first and second electrode arrays is preferably shorter than the dimension of the object to be processed.
The length of each of the first and second electrode arrays is desirably a size corresponding to the size of the object to be processed as a whole.
The inter-column gap is formed by arranging a plurality of inter-column partial gaps in one row, and constitutes substantially all or most of the discharge space.
It is preferable that the object to be processed is relatively moved so as to intersect the extending direction of the first and second electrode rows (the arrangement direction of the electrode members of these electrode rows). That is, the plasma processing apparatus includes a discharge processing unit including the electrode structure, and a moving unit that moves the object to be processed relative to the discharge processing unit in a direction crossing the inter-column gap of the electrode structure. Is desirable.

  A gas guide member having a gas guide surface that inclines in the second position direction toward the outlet is provided as the gas guide means inside the portion closer to the second position of the first row partial gap. It is also possible (see FIG. 4). Thus, the adjacent gas flow can be reliably guided in the adjacent direction along the gas guide surface. In this case, it is desirable that a gas return surface inclined in a direction opposite to the gas guide surface is formed on the outlet side of the gas guide member from the gas guide surface (see FIG. 5). As a result, a part of the processing gas traveling in the adjacent direction can be caused to flow from the gas guiding member to the blowing port side, and plasma can be sprayed to a portion corresponding to the gas guiding member in the object to be processed. It can be surely prevented.

The plasma processing apparatus may further include an introduction port forming part that forms the introduction port, and the gas guiding unit may be provided on the introduction port forming part (the processing gas introduction side from the electrode structure).
For example, the introduction port of the introduction port forming portion has a branch port to a portion closer to the second position of the first inter-column partial gap, and the branch port is inclined in the second position direction, thereby You may comprise the gas guidance | induction means (refer FIG. 8). As a result, the processing gas can be reliably guided to the boundary between the inter-row partial gaps.

  A rectifying plate inclined toward the second position is accommodated as the gas guiding means at a position corresponding to a portion closer to the second position of the partial gap between the first rows in the introduction port of the introduction port forming portion. It is also possible (see FIG. 12). As a result, the processing gas can be reliably guided to the boundary between the inter-row partial gaps.

  The gas guiding means may include a closing portion that closes an end portion on the introduction port side at a boundary between the first inter-row partial gap and the second inter-row partial gap and opens the blow-out port side therefrom. (See FIG. 14). As a result, the processing gas can be made to flow into the boundary between the inter-column partial gaps after being converted into plasma in the inter-column partial gaps.

  The introduction port of the introduction port forming portion extends in a slit shape extending in the arrangement direction and extends from the first inter-row partial gap to the second inter-row partial gap. The blocking portion may be accommodated at a position corresponding to the boundary with the second inter-column partial gap (see FIG. 14).

  The electrode structure includes a first position electrode member and a second position electrode member in the first electrode array, and a first position electrode member and a second position electrode member in the second electrode array, respectively. A spacer having a pair of interposed portions sandwiched between and a connecting portion that connects these interposed portions is provided, and the connecting portion is provided as the closing portion by being offset from the end portion on the inlet side of the boundary. (See FIG. 17). The processing gas flows from the connecting portion at the boundary to a portion on the outlet side through a partial gap between rows.

The plasma processing apparatus further includes a blow-out port forming portion that forms the blow-out port, and the gas guiding means is provided in the blow-out port forming portion (the blow side from the electrode structure), and the first column partial gap The processing gas exiting from the portion closer to the second position may be guided in the second position direction (see FIG. 20).
In this case, even if the gas guiding means has a gas guiding surface inclined in the second direction and is disposed at a position corresponding to a portion closer to the second position of the partial gap between the first rows in the outlet. Good (see FIG. 20). Thereby, the plasma-ized processing gas can be reliably applied to a portion corresponding to the boundary between the inter-row partial gaps in the object to be processed.

The gas guiding means is disposed at a position corresponding to a boundary between the partial gap between the first rows and the partial gap between the second rows in the blowout port of the blowout port forming portion, and is offset toward the electrode structure side. It may include a closing portion that closes the end on the outlet side (see FIG. 25). As a result, the processing gas that has flown through the boundary between the inter-column partial gaps can flow into the partial inter-column gap and be converted to plasma, and the processing gas that has been plasmaized in the inter-column partial gap is blocked. It is possible to wrap around the outlet on the downstream side of the part.
The blow-out ports of the blow-out port forming part are formed in a slit shape so as to straddle the partial gaps between the first rows and the partial gaps between the second rows, and the processing gas emitted from the partial gaps between the first rows is adjacent to The gas guiding means may be configured by allowing diffusion in the direction (direction of the second position) (see FIG. 26).

  The blowing port forming portion has a perforated plate, and the perforated plate disperses the processing gas from the first row partial gaps, and consequently diffuses and blows out in the second position direction. A plate may be provided as the gas guiding means (see FIG. 22). As a result, the processing gas can be surely made uniform and blown out, and processing unevenness can be reliably prevented.

  The opening width of the portion corresponding to the boundary between the first inter-row partial gap and the second inter-row partial gap at the outlet of the blow-out opening forming portion is larger than the portion corresponding to the first inter-row partial gap. The portion having a large opening width may be provided as the gas guiding means (see FIG. 26). As a result, the flow resistance of the portion corresponding to the boundary between the first and second row partial gaps in the outlet can be made smaller than the flow resistance of the portion corresponding to the first row partial gap. The processing gas that has been converted into plasma in the interspaces can flow to a portion corresponding to the boundary.

In the first electrode row, the polarities of the electrode member at the first position and the electrode member at the second position are opposite to each other, and a gap in the row is formed between the electrode members,
In the first electrode row, the polarities of the electrode member at the first position and the electrode member at the second position are opposite to each other, and a gap in the row is formed between the electrode members,
The introduction port of the introduction port forming portion includes an inter-row introduction port straddling the first inter-row partial gap and the second inter-row partial gap, and an intra-row introduction port directly connected to the intra-row gap. (See FIG. 31).

The polarity includes an electric field application electrode and a ground electrode. Of these, it is desirable that the electrode members constituting the electric field applying electrode are connected to different power sources (see FIG. 2). Accordingly, the power supplied per unit area of each electrode member can be sufficiently increased without using a large-capacity power source, the processing gas can be sufficiently converted into plasma, and the processing capability can be increased. In addition, since power is supplied to another electrode member for each power source, it is not necessary to synchronize the power sources.
The electrode members constituting the electric field applying electrode may be connected to a common (single) power source (see FIG. 33).
Adjacent inter-column partial gaps may be communicated directly or via a communication space (see FIGS. 2 and 36), or may be separated by a partition wall.

A solid dielectric is provided on the opposing surface of the electrode member of at least one of the electrode members facing each other at substantially the same position in the first electrode row and the second electrode row. The solid dielectric may be composed of a sprayed film such as alumina, or may be composed of a plate such as ceramic, and this plate may be attached to the surface of the electrode member. An electrode member may be housed in a container such as ceramic, and the container such as ceramic may function as a solid dielectric layer.
The electrode members of the first electrode row and the electrode members of the second electrode row may be displaced in the arrangement direction (see FIG. 32). In this case, the electrode members whose majority of the lengths are opposed to each other correspond to those arranged to face each other at “substantially the same position in the arrangement direction”.
An interval between adjacent electrode members in each electrode row is appropriately set according to processing conditions and the like.

  The polarities of the electrode members adjacent to each other in the arrangement direction are preferably opposite to each other (alternately), and between the electrode members adjacent to each other in the arrangement direction in the first electrode row and / or the second electrode row. It is more desirable to form in-row gaps (see FIG. 2). Thereby, this gap in the row can also be another part of the discharge space, and in the object to be processed, the portion corresponding to the boundary between the adjacent electrode members can be reliably surface-treated, Processing uniformity can be further enhanced. In addition, when an inter-column gap as another part of the discharge space is formed between the electrode members adjacent in the arrangement direction, a solid dielectric is also formed on at least one end face of these adjacent electrode members. Is provided. Furthermore, if the electrode members constituting the electric field applying electrode out of the electric field applying electrode and the ground electrode are connected to different power sources, the power supply per unit area can be sufficiently increased and the processing performance can be increased. In other words, even if the power supplies are not synchronized, there is no possibility of arcing because the electric field application electrodes are not directly adjacent to each other.

  It is desirable that the downstream end of the inter-row gap is opened so that the processing gas can be blown out without passing through the inter-row gap (see FIG. 26). As a result, the processing gas that has been converted into plasma in the in-row gap can be blown directly out of the in-row gap and applied to the object to be processed.

Instead of the above-described alternating polarity arrangement structure (FIG. 2, etc.), the electrode members adjacent in the arrangement direction may have the same polarity (see FIG. 34).
In this case, the electrode members constituting the electric field application electrode out of the electric field application electrode and the ground electrode may be connected to different power sources (see FIG. 34). As a result, the power supplied per unit area can be sufficiently increased, and the processing capability can be increased.
In addition, it is desirable that an insulating partition be interposed between the electrode members of the electric field applying electrodes adjacent to each other in the arrangement direction (see FIG. 34). Thus, even if the power supplies are not synchronized, it is possible to prevent an arc from occurring between adjacent electrode members. An insulating partition may be interposed between the electrode members of the ground electrodes adjacent to each other in the arrangement direction.

The plasma treatment of the present invention is preferably performed under a pressure close to atmospheric pressure (substantially normal pressure). The vicinity of atmospheric pressure refers to a range of 1.013 × 10 ^{4 to} 50.663 × 10 ⁴ Pa, and 1.333 × 10 ^{4 to} 10.664 considering the ease of pressure adjustment and the simplification of the apparatus configuration. × 10 ⁴ Pa (100 to 800 Torr) is preferable, and 9.331 × 10 ^{4 to} 10.9797 × 10 ⁴ Pa (700 to 780 Torr) is more preferable.
In the present invention, the processing is preferably performed by generating plasma by causing glow discharge under atmospheric pressure glow discharge, that is, under a pressure near atmospheric pressure.

  According to the present invention, the length of each electrode member can be shortened to about a fraction of the width of the workpiece. Alternatively, regardless of the width dimension of the object to be processed, the individual electrode members can be made to have a certain short length and the number of lines can be adjusted to correspond to the width of the object to be processed. This not only facilitates ensuring dimensional accuracy, but also reduces the amount of deflection of the electrode member due to Coulomb force or the like. In addition, in the object to be processed, plasma can be sufficiently blown to a portion corresponding to the boundary between the adjacent inter-column partial gaps, and processing unevenness can be prevented. As a result, the uniformity of the surface treatment can be sufficiently ensured in combination with the above-described deflection suppressing effect. There is no need to increase the thickness of the electrode member, it is possible to reduce the burden on the support structure by avoiding an increase in weight, and to suppress an increase in material costs and the like.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 to 4 show a remote atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The workpiece W of this apparatus is, for example, a large glass substrate for liquid crystal, and the dimension in the width direction (the horizontal direction in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the direction perpendicular to the paper in FIG. 1) is about 1.5 m. is there. The workpiece W may be heated, cooled, or kept at room temperature.

As shown in FIG. 1, the plasma processing apparatus includes a nozzle head 1, a processing gas source 2, three (plural) power supplies 3 </ b> A, 3 </ b> B, 3 </ b> C, and a transport unit 4.
The nozzle head 1 is supported by a support means (not shown) so that the blowing direction is directed downward.
The processing gas source 2 stores processing gas corresponding to the processing purpose.
The power supplies 3A, 3B, and 3C output the same pulse voltage. It is desirable that the rise time and / or fall time of this pulse is 10 μs or less, the electric field strength in the inter-column partial gap 33p is 10 to 1000 kV / cm, and the frequency is 0.5 kHz or more.
In place of the pulse wave, a continuous wave power source such as a high frequency may be used.
The transport means 4 is composed of, for example, a roller conveyor, and transports the glass substrate W to be processed in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1) and passes it below the nozzle head 1. The glass substrate W is sprayed with a processing gas that has been converted to plasma by the nozzle head 1 so that the plasma surface treatment is performed under a substantially normal pressure. Of course, the glass substrate W may be fixed and the nozzle head 1 may move. The conveying means 4 may be constituted by other conveying means such as a belt conveyer or a conveying means sandwiching a work with upper and lower rollers.

The nozzle head 1 of the remote atmospheric plasma processing apparatus will be described in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the nozzle head 1 includes an upper processing gas introduction unit 20 and a lower discharge processing unit 30, and the transport direction of the glass substrate W (up and down in FIGS. 2 and 3). Extending in the left-right direction perpendicular to the direction).

  The processing gas introduction unit 20 includes a pipe unit 25 including two pipes 21 and 22 extending in the left and right (in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 1), and left and right elongated chambers 23 and 24 provided above and below the pipe unit 25. doing. In the pipe unit 25, a number of spot-like holes 25a penetrating from the pipes 21 and 22 to the upper chamber 23 are formed at short intervals along the longitudinal direction. A processing gas source 2 is connected to the left end of one pipe 21 (front of the paper in FIG. 1) and the right end of the other pipe 22 (back of the paper in FIG. 1) via a gas supply path 2a. The processing gas from the processing gas source 2 flows into the upper chamber 23 through each spot hole 25a while flowing in the pipes 21 and 22 in opposite directions. After that, it enters the lower chamber 24 through slit-like gaps 20 a on both sides of the pipe unit 25. As a result, the processing gas is made uniform at all positions in the left-right longitudinal direction of the processing gas introduction unit 20 and introduced into the discharge processing unit 30.

  The discharge processing unit 30 includes a frame 40, an electrode holder 48 accommodated in the frame 40, an electrode unit (electrode structure) 30 </ b> X provided inside the holder 48, and a lower plate 49. The frame 40 includes an upper plate 41 and a side plate 42 each made of a rigid metal. The holder 48 includes a pair of inverted L-shaped members made of an insulating material such as ceramic or resin.

The upper plate 41 of the frame 40 is formed with a slit-like through-hole 41a that extends to the left and right (in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 1) and that extends to the chamber 24. Between the upper sides of the pair of inverted L-shaped cross-section members of the holder 48, a slit-like gap 48a is formed which extends to the left and right while continuing to the through hole 41a. The through-hole 41a and the gap 48a constitute a slit-like process gas introduction port 43a that extends to the left and right. An introduction port forming portion 43 is configured by the upper plate 41 of the frame 40 and the upper sides of the pair of inverted L-shaped cross-section members of the holder 48.
The lower plate 49 made of an insulating material has a slit-like outlet 49a extending in the left-right direction, and constitutes an outlet-forming part.
The inlet forming part 43 having the processing gas inlet 43a and the lower plate 49 having the outlet 49a are arranged so as to sandwich the electrode unit 30X from above and below.
The frame 40 and the holder 48 having the introduction port forming part 43 and the lower plate 49 having the blowout port 49a constitute a “processing gas distribution structure”.

Next, the electrode unit 30X will be described in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electrode unit 30 </ b> X includes a pair of electrode rows 31 </ b> X and 32 </ b> X that face each other in the front-rear direction. Each of the electrode rows 31X and 32X extends to the left and right. The first electrode row 31X on the front side is composed of three (n pieces) electrode members 31A, 31B, and 31C arranged on the left and right. The rear second electrode row 32X is composed of three (n) electrode members 32A, 32B, and 32C that are arranged on the left and right so as to be parallel to the first electrode row 31X. Between the electrode rows 31X and 32X, a slit-like inter-row gap 33s that forms a straight line on the left and right is formed.

Each of the electrode members 31A to 32C is composed of a single metal such as copper or aluminum, an alloy such as stainless steel or brass, or a conductive material such as an intermetallic compound. Each of the electrode members 31A to 32C has a long and thin elongated flat plate shape. The length in the left-right direction is about one third (1 / n) of the width dimension of the workpiece W in the left-right direction. The length of the entire electrode array composed of the three electrode members, and hence the length of the inter-column gap 33s, is slightly larger than the width dimension of the workpiece W.
Each of the electrode members 31A to 32C has a length of, for example, fifty centimeters, and an effective processing width of about 1.5 m is formed in the entire electrode unit 30X by arranging three electrode members in the longitudinal direction.
Note that the lengths of the electrode members do not have to be the same, but it is desirable that the electrode members facing each other have the same length.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each electrode member 31 </ b> A to 32 </ b> C is coated with a solid dielectric layer 34 made of a sprayed film such as alumina in order to prevent arc discharge. (In the drawings subsequent to FIG. 3, the illustration of the solid dielectric layer 34 is omitted as appropriate, and is illustrated as necessary.)
The solid dielectric layer 34 covers the entire facing surface of the electrode member facing the other electrode row, the entire facing end surface of the left and right electrode members, and the entire top and bottom surfaces, and from the facing end surface and the upper and lower end surfaces to the back surface. It extends to. The thickness of the solid dielectric layer 34 is preferably about 0.01 to 4 mm. As the solid dielectric, in addition to alumina, a plate-like material such as ceramics or resin, a sheet-like material, or a film-like material may be used to cover the outer peripheral surface of the electrode member. The width of the solid dielectric layer 34 on the back surface is preferably 1 mm or more, and more preferably 3 mm or more. 1 and 2, the thickness of the solid dielectric layer 34 is exaggerated.
The corners of the electrode members 31A to 32C are rounded to prevent arcing. The radius of curvature of R is preferably 1 to 10 mm, and more preferably 2 to 6 mm.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electrode members 31A and 32A, 31B and 32B, 31C and 32C arranged at the same left and right positions in the two electrode rows 31X and 32X face each other in the front-rear direction.
That is, the electrode member 31A and the electrode member 32A arranged at the left position of the electrode unit 30X face each other in the front-rear direction. Between the electrode members 31A and 32A, an inter-column partial gap 33p that is the left portion of the inter-column gap 33s is formed. The electrode member 31B and the electrode member 32B arranged in the center position face each other in the front-rear direction, and an inter-row partial gap 33p that is a central portion of the inter-row gap 33s is formed between the electrode members 31B and 32B. Yes. The electrode member 31C and the electrode member 32C arranged at the right position face each other in the front-rear direction, and an inter-row partial gap 33p that is a right portion of the inter-row gap 33s is formed between the electrode members 31C and 32C. Yes. The thickness (distance between the front and rear counter electrode members) of the inter-row partial gaps 33p is preferably about 1 mm to 3 mm, and more preferably about 1 mm to 2 mm.

A communication space 33r is formed by the corners of the four electrode members 31A, 31B, 32A, 32B at the boundary between the left inter-column partial gap 33p and the central inter-column partial gap 33p. The left inter-row partial gap 33p and the central inter-row partial gap 33p are connected in a straight line through the communication space 33r. Similarly, a communication space 33r that connects the inter-column partial gaps 33p and 33p is formed by four electrode members 31B, 31C, 32B, and 32C at the boundary between the central inter-column partial gap 33p and the right inter-column partial gap 33p. Has been.
The three inter-column partial gaps 33p on the left side, the central part, and the right side, and the two communication spaces 33r that connect these, constitute the inter-column gap 33s.
As shown in FIG. 1, the full length of the upper end opening of the inter-row gap 33s is connected to the gas introduction port 43a, and the full length of the lower end opening is connected to the blowout port 49a.
Note that the lower plate, that is, the blowing port forming member 49 is omitted, and the lower end opening itself of the inter-row gap 33s constitutes the blowing port, and the processing gas is blown directly from the lower end opening of the inter-row gap 33s. May be.

As shown in FIG. 2, an in-row gap 33q is formed between the adjacent electrode members 31A and 31B on the left side and the center in the first electrode row 31X. This in-row gap 33q is connected to the left communication space 33r. An in-row gap 33q is formed between the central portion and the right electrode members 31B and 31C, and the in-row gap 33q is connected to the right communication space 33r.
Similarly, in-row gaps 33q are respectively formed between adjacent electrode members 32A, 32B, 32C in the second electrode row 32X, and the in-row gaps 33q are connected to the corresponding communication spaces 33r.
The in-row gap 33q formation surface of each electrode member 31A to 32C is perpendicular to the inter-row partial gap 33p formation surface. The intra-row gap 33q is orthogonal to the inter-row gap 33s. The thickness of the in-row gap 33q is preferably about 1 to 3 mm.

  In each inter-row gap 33q, a small spacer 36 is provided to maintain a distance between adjacent electrode members. The spacer 36 is made of an insulating and plasma-resistant material such as ceramic. The spacers 36 are arranged closer to the back surface of the electrode member (closer to the opposite side of the other electrode row), thereby securing the in-row gap 33q as a space. The depth of the in-row gap 33q as a space (subtracting the width of the spacer 36) is, for example, about 5 mm. The thickness of the in-row gap 33q (distance between the left and right adjacent electrode members) may be substantially the same as the in-row gap 33q or the inter-row partial gap 33p, and may be larger by, for example, about 1 mm to 3 mm. .

As shown in FIG. 2, the electrode unit 30X has an alternating polarity arrangement structure. That is, one of the front and rear electrode members facing each other serves as an electric field application electrode, and the other serves as a grounding electrode, which have opposite polarities. In addition, the electrode members adjacent to the left and right are opposite in polarity.
More specifically, at the left side of the electrode unit 30X, the front electrode member 31A is connected to the pulse power source 3A via the feeder 3a, and the rear electrode member 32A is grounded via the ground line 3e. . Thereby, in the inter-column partial gap 33p on the left side of the electrode unit 30X, a pulse electric field is formed by a pulse voltage from the power source 3A to the electrode member 31A, and glow discharge occurs.
In the central portion of the electrode unit 30X, the electrode member 31B is grounded via the ground line 3e, and the electrode member 32B is connected to the pulse power source 3B via the feeder line 3b. Due to the pulse voltage from the power source 3B, a pulse electric field is formed in the central inter-column partial gap 33p so that glow discharge occurs.
On the right side of the electrode unit 30X, the electrode member 31C is connected to the pulse power source 3C via the feeder line 3c, and the electrode member 32C is grounded via the ground line 3e. Due to the pulse voltage from the power source 3C, a pulse electric field is formed in the inter-column partial gap 33p on the right side so that glow discharge occurs.
As a result, the three inter-column partial gaps 33p of the electrode unit 30X each become a part of the discharge space, and as a result, substantially the entire inter-column gap 33s becomes the discharge space.

Further, a pulse electric field is similarly formed in the four in-column gaps 33q of the electrode unit 30X by the voltages from the power supplies 3A, 3B, 3C, and glow discharge occurs. Thereby, the in-row gap 33q is also a part of the discharge space of the electrode unit 30X. The inter-column partial gaps 33q connect the cuts in the left central inter-column partial gap 33p and the cuts in the middle and right inter-column partial gaps 33p, so that the discharge space has a substantially full length in the left-right direction of the electrode unit 30X. Is continuous.
The three electrode members 31A, 32B, 31C constituting the electric field applying electrode are connected to different power sources 3A, 3B, 3C.
If the left side portion of the electrode unit 30X is the “first position” and the left inter-column partial gap 33p is the “first inter-column partial gap”, the central portion becomes the “second position next to the first position” The inter-column partial gap 33p is the “second inter-column partial gap”.
When the central portion of the electrode unit 30X is defined as the “first position” and the central inter-column partial gap 33p is defined as the “first inter-column partial gap”, the left side or the right side is “the second position next to the first position”. Thus, the left or right inter-row partial gap 33p becomes the “second inter-row partial gap”.
Assuming that the right side of the electrode unit 30X is the “first position” and the right inter-column partial gap 33p is the “first inter-column partial gap”, the central portion becomes the “second position next to the first position” The inter-column partial gap 33p is the “second inter-column partial gap”.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, gas guide members 51 constituting “gas guide means” are accommodated in the inter-row partial gaps 33p. The gas guiding member 51 is disposed at a position near the adjacent inter-row partial gap in each first inter-row partial gap 33p. That is, the gas guide member 51 is disposed on the right side of the left inter-column partial gap 33p. In the central inter-column partial gap 33p, the gas guiding members 51 are arranged on both the left and right sides, respectively. In the right inter-column partial gap 33p, the gas guiding member 51 is disposed on the left side.

  The gas guiding member 51 is made of an insulating and plasma-resistant material such as ceramic and has an upward wedge shape (a thin vertically long triangular shape). That is, the gas guiding member 51 includes a vertical surface, a gas guiding surface 51a that is inclined downward (toward the second position) so as to form a sharp acute angle with the vertical surface, and a lower end of the two surfaces. And a bottom surface to be tied. The left and right width of the bottom surface of the gas guiding member 51 is preferably 5 mm or less.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (omitted in FIG. 2 and subsequent drawings), each discharge member 30 of the nozzle head 1 is hooked on the side plate 42 of the frame 40 via a resin bolt collar 603 and each electrode member 31A. A pull bolt (pull screw member) 601 that is screwed into 32C and pulls the electrode member forward and backward and a push bolt (push screw member) 602 that pushes the electrode member forward and backward through the holder 48 are spaced apart from each other Is provided. These bolts 601 and 602 can adjust the front-rear positions of the electrode members 31A to 32C and the thickness of the inter-row gap 33s. These push-pull bolts 601 and 602 also function as a blocking means against bending due to the Coulomb force of the electrode members 31A to 32C. Each electrode member 31A to 32C is preferably provided with two or more sets of push-pull bolts 601 and 602.

The operation of the remote atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus M1 configured as described above will be described.
A pulse voltage is supplied from the power sources 3A, 3B, and 3C to the electrode members 31A, 32B, and 31C of the electric field application electrode, respectively. As a result, a pulse electric field is formed in each inter-column partial gap 33p, and glow discharge occurs.
In parallel with this, the processing gas is uniformly introduced into the inter-column gap 33s from the introduction port 43a via the gas uniform introduction portion 20. As shown by the arrows in FIG. 4, the gas flow f0 passing through the portion other than the adjacent portion (the portion closer to the second position) in the inter-column partial gap 33p at each first position in this processing gas is straight as it is. It flows downward and is converted into plasma (excitation and activation) in this flow process. And it blows off from the blower outlet 49a, and as shown in FIG. 3, it sprays on area | region R1 corresponding to parts other than the vicinity of the partial discharge space 33p in the upper surface of the glass substrate W. As shown in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the surface treatment can be performed by applying plasma to the region R1 corresponding to each inter-column partial gap 33p on the upper surface of the glass substrate W.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the gas flow f <b> 1 passing through the adjacent portion in the inter-column partial gap 33 p at each first position is guided in the adjacent direction along the gas guiding surface 51 a of the gas guiding member 51. In this process, it becomes plasma. The gasified gas flow f1 is blown out from a portion of the blowout port 49a immediately below the communication space 33r through the communication space 33r.
A part of the processing gas from the introduction port 43a is introduced into the communication space 33r and enters the in-row gap 33q therefrom. Also in the intra-row gap 33q, since the pulse electric field is formed and the glow discharge occurs, the processing gas is turned into plasma. The processing gas converted into plasma in the in-row gap 33q is blown out from a portion corresponding to the communication space 33r of the blowout port 49a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, plasma can be reliably blown to the region R2 corresponding to the communication space 33r in the glass substrate W, and the region R2 can also be reliably subjected to plasma treatment. As a result, processing unevenness can be prevented more reliably, and the uniformity of the surface treatment can be further improved.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, out of the gas flow f <b> 0 in the inter-column partial gap 33 p at each first position, a part f <b> 2 of the gas flow that flows directly along the vertical surface of the gas guiding member 51 is gas induction. It goes around to the lower side of the member 51. And it blows out from the position corresponding to the gas induction | guidance | derivation member 51 of the blowing outlet 49a below. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, plasma can also be sprayed onto a region R <b> 3 corresponding to the gas guiding member 51 in the glass substrate W.
As a result, it is possible to perform the plasma surface treatment on the entire left and right widths of the large-sized glass substrate W at a time, and evenly and uniformly.
At the same time, the entire surface of the glass substrate W can be processed by moving the glass substrate W back and forth by the transport means 4.

  As the whole electrode unit 30X, even if it is the length corresponding to the width dimension of the glass substrate W, each electrode member 31A-32C has only the length of about 1/3 (a fraction). Dimensional accuracy can be easily secured. In addition, the Coulomb force is strongly applied by the applied electric field, or the thermal stress is caused by the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the metal body constituting the electrode members 31A to 32C and the solid dielectric 34 on the surface, the temperature difference inside the electrode member, or the like. Even if it occurs, the amount of deflection can be prevented from becoming large. Thereby, the width of the inter-column partial gap 33p can be kept constant. Therefore, the flow of the processing gas in the inter-column partial gap 33p can be maintained uniformly, and as a result, the uniformity of the surface treatment can be reliably obtained. Further, it is not necessary to make the electrode member thicker in order to increase rigidity, avoiding an increase in weight, reducing the burden on the support structure, and suppressing an increase in material costs and the like.

Short electrode member 31A. Since the power supplies 3A, 3B, and 3C are provided for 32B and 31C, the input power per unit area can be sufficiently increased even if the capacity of each of the power supplies 3A, 3B, and 3C is small. As a result, the processing gas can be sufficiently converted into plasma, and a high processing capacity can be secured. Moreover, since these power supplies 3A, 3B, 3C are connected to different electrode members, there is no need to synchronize them. Furthermore, since the polarities are staggered and the electric field application poles are not adjacent to the left and right, even if the power supplies 3A, 3B, 3C are not synchronized with each other, an abnormal electric field is formed between the adjacent electrode members. There is no risk of occurrence.
According to the experiments by the inventors, in the empty discharge process for electrode heating or the like performed before processing, the processing gas is guided to the communication space 33r or the in-row gap 33q by the gas guiding means, so I was able to save time.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the drawings to simplify the description of the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiments.
FIG. 5 shows a modification of the gas guiding member. The gas guiding member 52 has a gas guiding surface 52a inclined downward from the apex angle toward the adjacent side (the direction of the second position), and a side opposite to the adjacent side downward from the lower end of the gas guiding surface 52a. And a gas return surface 52b which is inclined toward the surface.
According to the gas guiding member 52, a part f3 of the gas flow f1 guided in the adjacent direction along the gas guiding surface 52a can be reliably returned to the opposite side along the gas returning surface 52b. It is possible to reliably wrap around the lower side of the member 52. Thereby, the plasma processing can be reliably performed in the region R3 immediately below the gas guiding member, and the processing uniformity can be further improved.

  The gas guiding member is not limited to the shape shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and may be various as long as the gas flow near the second position of the first inter-column partial gap 33 p can be guided to the adjacent second position. The shape can be adopted. For example, a cross-sectional shape close to an equilateral triangle may be used like a gas guide member 53 shown in FIG. 6, and a flat plate shape inclined in the adjacent direction downward may be used like a gas guide member 54 shown in FIG. 7. In these members 53 and 54, the slopes inclined downward in the adjacent direction (the direction of the second position) constitute gas guiding surfaces 53a and 54a.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the gas guiding means for guiding the gas flow in the adjacent direction is provided in the gas introduction port forming portion 43 on the upper side (processing gas introduction side) from the electrode unit 30 </ b> X. More specifically, the introduction port of the processing gas introduction port forming portion 43 is configured by a large number of thin branch ports 43b and 43c arranged and formed at short intervals on the left and right instead of the left and right elongated slits 48a of the first embodiment. Has been. Of these branch ports 43b and 43c, the branch port 43c corresponding to the middle of the inter-column partial gap 33p is opened straight downward. On the other hand, the branch port 43b corresponding to the adjacent side portion (part close to the second position) of each first inter-column partial gap 33p is inclined in the adjacent direction (the second position direction). The inclined branch port 43b constitutes a “gas guiding unit”.

Of the processing gas, the gas flow f0 that has passed through the vertical branch port 43c is converted into plasma while flowing straight down in the inter-column partial gap 33p, and then blown onto the glass substrate W.
On the other hand, the gas flow f1 passing through the inclined branch port 43b flows obliquely downward in the adjacent direction (the direction of the second position) while being converted into plasma in the inter-column partial gap 33p. And it blows out below the communication space 33r. Thereby, the plasma surface treatment in the region R2 corresponding to the communication space of the glass substrate W can be reliably ensured, and the processing uniformity can be improved.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, a gas introduction pipe 43P is provided above the electrode unit 30X (only 33B is shown) as a processing gas introduction port forming part. The gas introduction pipe 43P extends along the first inter-row partial gap 33p and is curved so that portions corresponding to both sides in the left-right longitudinal direction of the first inter-row partial gap 33p are warped upward. At the lower side of the gas introduction pipe 43P, a large number of small branch openings 43d and 43e are provided at short intervals along the longitudinal direction of the pipe 43P as treatment gas introduction openings to the first inter-column partial gap 33p. Is formed. A branch port 43e corresponding to the middle of the first inter-column partial gap 33p is opened substantially directly below. On the other hand, the branch port 43e closer to both ends has a greater inclination in the adjacent direction (the direction of the second position). The branch port 43d corresponding to both ends, that is, the adjacent side portion (part closer to the second position) of the first inter-column partial gap 33p has the largest inclination in the adjacent direction. This branch port 43d constitutes "gas guiding means".

  A processing gas is introduced into one end of the introduction pipe 43P. The processing gas flows in the introduction pipe 43P and gradually leaks from the branch ports 43d and 43e to the lower first row partial gap 33p. Among them, the gas flow f1 'exiting from the branch port 43d flows obliquely downward in the first inter-row partial gap 33p in the adjacent direction (the direction of the second position). Thereby, the plasma surface treatment in the communication space corresponding region R2 of the glass substrate W can be ensured, and the uniformity of the treatment can be improved.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the opposing end surfaces of the electrode members 31 </ b> A to 32 </ b> C (only 31 </ b> A and 31 </ b> B are illustrated) on the left and right adjacent electrode members are cut obliquely, and the upper portion of the opposing end surface is the adjacent electrode member It is far away from, and approaches the next electrode member as it goes down. Therefore, the communication space 33r and the in-row gap 33q become narrower as going downward.
As shown by the arrows in the figure, the processing gas is introduced into the inter-column partial gap 33p at substantially the same angle as the inclination of the end face. As a result, the passage distance of the process gas in the inter-row partial gap can be increased, and the plasma can be sufficiently formed.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, three (a plurality) insulating resin rectifying members 60 are provided as gas guiding means in the introduction port 43 a of the processing gas introduction port forming portion 43. Here, the introduction port 43a has a slit shape extending over the entire length of the inter-row gap 33s, that is, the three inter-row partial gaps 33p. As shown in FIG. 13, each rectifying member 60 integrally includes a base plate 61 and a plurality of rectifying plates 62 and 63 provided on one surface of the base plate 61. The base plate 61 has an elongated thin plate shape having a length corresponding to each inter-row partial gap 33p. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the three straightening members 60 are formed in the slit-like through holes so that the base plate 61 is directed to one inner surface of the slit-like through hole 41a of the frame upper plate 41. 41a is housed in a line on the left and right. The rectifying member 60 has a one-to-one correspondence with the inter-column partial gap 33p. The boundary between adjacent rectifying members 60 corresponds to the communication space 33r.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the rectifying plates 62 and 63 are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the base plate 61. The rectifying plates 62 and 63 partition the slit-shaped through hole 41a. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 11, the rectifying plates 62 and 63 are abutted against the inner surface of the slit-like through hole 41a opposite to the base plate 61, whereby the rectifying member 60 is placed in the through hole 41a. It is firmly fixed. As shown in FIG. 12, the rectifying plate 62 arranged near the communication space 33r is inclined so as to approach the adjacent rectifying member 60 downward. Other rectifying plates 63 are substantially vertical.

As indicated by reference numeral f0 in FIG. 12, most of the processing gas guided to the introduction port 43a flows straight downward. The flow is hardly disturbed by the rectifying plate 63. On the other hand, as indicated by reference numeral f <b> 1, the flow of the processing gas is inclined by the rectifying plate 62 near the place where the rectifying plate 62 is disposed. The slanted flow f1 passes through the adjacent portion (the portion closer to the second position) of the first inter-column partial gap 33p, and is converted into plasma and approaches the communication space 33r and thus the adjacent second inter-column partial gap 33p. . As a result, plasma can be blown to the lower side of the communication space 33r, the plasma surface treatment in the region R2 corresponding to the communication space of the glass substrate W can be ensured, and processing uniformity can be improved. .
The rectifying member 60 may be provided only above the vicinity of the communication space 33r. Of the rectifying plates 62 and 63, the rectifying plate 63 may be omitted and only the rectifying plate 62 may be provided.
11 and 12, the rectifying member 60 is provided in the through hole 41 a of the upper plate 41 of the frame 40, but it may be provided in the gap 48 a of the holder 48.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a closing member (blocking portion) 70 made of an insulating resin is fitted into the introduction port 43 a of the processing gas introduction port forming portion 43. The blocking member 70 is disposed in a portion corresponding to the communication space 33r in the introduction port 43a (a boundary between the first inter-row partial gap and the second inter-row partial gap) so as to straddle the adjacent two inter-row partial gaps 33p. Has been. The closing member 70 closes the end of the communication space 33r on the introduction port 43a side. The communication space 33r on the outlet side from the closing member 70 is opened, and communicates with the introduction port 43a via the adjacent inter-row partial gap 33p.

  As indicated by reference numeral f1 in FIG. 14, the processing gas passing through the portion closer to the communication space 33r of the first inter-row partial gap 33p (and thus closer to the second inter-row partial gap 33p) is converted into plasma there, and then closed. 70 enters the communication space 33r so as to wrap around the lower side. As a result, plasma can be blown to the lower side of the communication space 33r, the plasma surface treatment in the region R2 corresponding to the communication space of the glass substrate W can be ensured, and processing uniformity can be improved. .

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the spacer 36 in FIG. 2 is modified so as to be provided as “gas guiding means”. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 18, a gate-shaped spacer 80 made of an insulating resin is interposed between the electrode members adjacent to the left and right of the electrode structure 30X. That is, the gate spacers 80 are sandwiched between the left electrode members 31A and 32A and the central electrode members 31B and 32B, and between the central electrode members 31B and 32B and the right electrode members 31C and 32C, respectively. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the spacer 80 has a pair of leg portions 81 and a connecting portion 82 that connects the upper end portions of the leg portions 81, and has a gate-shaped flat plate shape. The outer contour of the portal spacer 80 matches the contour of the side cross section of the entire electrode unit 30X. As shown in FIG. 18, one of the pair of leg portions 81 is sandwiched between adjacent first electrode members of the first electrode row 31X, and the other leg portion 81 is adjacent to the second electrode row 32X. It is sandwiched between two electrode members. These leg portions 81 are “intervening portions between adjacent electrode members”.

  The leg portion 81 of the spacer 80 is disposed nearer to the back surface of the electrode member (closer to the opposite side of the other electrode row), thereby securing the in-row gap 33q as a space. The leg portion 81 may have the same width as the electrode members 31A to 32C, and the in-row gap 33q may be completely filled.

  As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the connecting portion 82 is arranged so as to be offset toward the upper side of the in-row gap 33q and the communication space 33r, that is, the introduction port 43a side. The end of the communication space 33r on the introduction port 43a side is closed by the connecting portion 82. The communication space 33r on the outlet side from the connecting portion 82 is opened and communicates with the introduction port 43a through the adjacent inter-row partial gap 33p. The connecting portion 82 is provided as a “blocking portion that closes the end portion on the inlet side of the boundary between the first inter-row partial gap and the second inter-row partial gap and opens the outlet side from the end portion”.

  As shown by reference numeral f <b> 1 in FIG. 16, the processing gas is converted into plasma through the inter-row partial gap 33 p on both sides of the connecting portion 82, and then enters the communication space 33 r below the connecting portion 82. Thereby, the plasma surface treatment can be reliably ensured in the region R2 corresponding to the communication space of the glass substrate W, and the uniformity of the treatment can be improved. Further, by making the polarities of adjacent electrode members different in each electrode row 31X, 32X, the in-row gap 33p can also be made a part of the discharge space, and the processing gas is also turned into plasma there. Can do. As a result, the plasma surface treatment in the communication space corresponding region R2 of the glass substrate W can be ensured more reliably, and the uniformity of the treatment can be further enhanced.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, the “gas guiding means” is provided on the lower side (outlet side) than the electrode unit 30 </ b> X. In other words, the left and right elongated slit-like outlets 49a of the lower plate 49 are provided with gas induction as gas induction means at positions corresponding to the adjacent side portions (parts closer to the second position) of the first inter-column partial gaps 33p. A portion 49B is provided. The gas guiding portion 49B is integrated with the lower plate 49. The gas guiding portion 49B has a triangular cross section having a gas guiding surface 49c that is inclined downward (toward the second position) downward, and is spanned between the front and rear edge surfaces of the outlet 49a.

  As shown in FIG. 20, out of the processing gas that has been converted to plasma in the first inter-column partial gap 33p, the gas flow f1 ″ that has exited from the adjacent side portion (the portion closer to the second position) flows into the gas guiding portion 49B. The gas is guided in the adjacent direction (the direction of the second position) by the gas guiding surface 49c, whereby the plasma surface treatment in the communication space corresponding region R2 of the glass substrate W can be secured, and the uniformity of the treatment can be improved.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, a perforated plate 90 having a large number of small holes 90 a is fitted as gas guiding means inside a slit-like outlet 49 a of the lower plate 49. The perforated plate 90 is slightly separated below the electrode unit 30X, and is disposed so as to be offset toward the lower side of the blowout port 49a.

  The processing gas from the inter-row gap 33s is diffused and made uniform in the space 49g above the perforated plate 90 of the outlet 49a. Therefore, as indicated by reference numeral f1 in FIG. 22, a part of the processing gas converted into plasma in the inter-column partial gap 33p is diffused also to the lower side of the communication space 33r. And it blows off uniformly from many small holes 90a. Thereby, the uniformity of processing can be improved.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 23, 24, and 25, the lower plate 49 serving as the outlet forming portion of the discharge processing unit 30 is configured by two upper and lower plate portions 49 </ b> U and 49 </ b> L. In the upper plate portion 49U, three slit-shaped upper air outlets 49d corresponding to the inter-row partial gaps 33p are formed in a row. The left upper air outlet 49d and the center upper air outlet 49d are separated by a bridge portion 49E. Similarly, the upper upper outlet 49d and the upper upper outlet 49d at the center are separated by another bridge portion 49E.

Each upper air outlet 49d is directly connected to the upper inter-row partial gap 33p. The width of the upper outlet 49d is larger than the width of the inter-row partial gap 33p.
The lower plate portion 49L is formed with a lower air outlet 49f having a length substantially the same as the entire length of the inter-row gap 33s. The width of the lower air outlet 49f is smaller than the width of the upper air outlet 49d, and is substantially equal to the width of the inter-column partial gap 33p.

The bridge portion 49E is disposed directly below the communication space 33r. The bridge portion 49E closes the lower end of the communication space 33r. Thereby, the bridge part 49E comprises "the obstruction | occlusion part which plugs up the edge part by the side of the blower outlet of the boundary of the adjacent inter-part gaps of a blower outlet". A lower air outlet 49f is disposed below the bridge portion 49E. In other words, the bridge portion 49E is disposed so as to be offset toward the upper side in the entire outlet including the upper and lower outlets 49d and 49f. The communication space 33r communicates with the air outlets 49d and 49f only through the adjacent inter-row partial gaps 33p.
The plate portions 49U and 49L may be integrated with each other, and the blowout port forming member may be configured by stacking three or more plate portions instead of two.

  As shown by reference numeral f1 in FIG. 25, the processing gas descending in the communication space 33r is prevented from going directly from the communication space 33r to the outlet by the bridge portion 49E, and the adjacent inter-column partial gap 33p is surely formed. After being converted into plasma, it flows into the outlet 49d. And it goes around in the lower blower outlet 49f below the bridge part 49E, and blows it out below. Thereby, the plasma surface treatment in the region R2 corresponding to the communication space can be ensured, and the uniformity of the treatment can be improved.

  26 and 27 show a modification of the blowout port 49a formed in the lower plate 49 of the plasma processing apparatus. The lower plate 49 is formed with an inter-row outlet 49h that extends to the left and right and two short in-row outlets 49i that extend in the front-rear direction so as to intersect two intermediate positions of the inter-row outlet 49h. . The inter-row outlet 49h continues to the entire length of the lower end of the inter-row gap 33s. One of the two in-row outlets 49i is disposed just at the boundary between the left electrode members 31A and 32A and the central electrode members 31B and 32B, and the in-row gap 33q between these electrode members and the communication space 33r. It is connected to the lower end. The other in-row outlet 49i is arranged just at the boundary between the central electrode members 31B and 32B and the right electrode members 31C and 32C, and is formed in the in-row gap 33q between these electrode members and the lower end of the communication space 33r. It is lined up. As a result, the outlet of the lower plate 49 has a larger opening width at the portion corresponding to the boundary between the adjacent inter-row partial gaps 33p than the portion corresponding to each inter-row partial gap 33p, and the flow resistance is reduced. ing.

  The processing gas that has been converted to plasma by the in-row gap 33q is blown out from the in-row outlet 49i that is continuous immediately below the in-row gap 33q. Further, the processing gas that has come out from the adjacent side portion (site near the second position) of each first inter-part partial gap 33p is blown out while flowing toward the in-row outlet 49i having a small flow resistance. Thereby, the uniformity of processing can be improved. The in-row outlet 49i of the outlet 49a (a large opening outlet corresponding to the boundary between the first and second inter-part partial gaps 33p) constitutes "gas guiding means".

  Even in a configuration in which the entire intra-column gap 33q is filled with an insulating spacer so that the processing gas passes through only the inter-column gap 33s, or as in the embodiment (FIGS. 34, 35, etc.) described later, the intra-column gap 33q The in-row outlets 49i are also effective in a configuration in which the polarities of electrode members adjacent to each other are the same and no discharge occurs in the in-row gap 33q. That is, the processing gas converted into plasma in the inter-row partial gaps 33p attempts to flow into the in-row outlet 49i having a large opening and low flow resistance, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the processing gas.

Note that the length of the in-row outlet 49i may be appropriately extended or shortened, and does not need to be matched with the in-row gap 33q.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 28, the in-row outlet 49i may be provided only on one side of the inter-row outlet 49h (for example, the second electrode row 32X side).
The in-row outlet 49i may be combined with the gas guiding portion 49B in FIG.
The lower plate, that is, the blowout port forming member 49 may be omitted, and the lower end openings themselves of the in-row gap 33q and the inter-row gap 33s may constitute a blowout port, and the processing gas may be blown directly from there.

  The shape of the outlet portion of the large opening corresponding to the boundary between the first and second partial gaps 33p is not limited to the slit shape like the in-row outlet 49i. For example, the opening 49j shown in FIG. 29 (a) may be a rhombus, or the opening 49k shown in FIG. 29 (b) may be a triangle protruding to one side of the inter-row outlets 49h. In addition, various shapes such as a circle may be used.

  30 and 31 show a modification of the gas introduction means, that is, the introduction port forming portion 43. FIG. The introduction port forming portion 43 is formed with a treatment gas introduction port 43a that is connected to the lower chamber 24 of the treatment gas introduction portion 20 (not shown). The processing gas introduction port 43a has an inter-row introduction port (leading inlet) 43h extending in the left and right direction, and a cut-in-row introduction port (sub-introduction) formed on both side surfaces in the middle of the inter-row introduction port 43h. Mouth) 43i is included.

The lower end portion of the inter-row introduction port 43h is directly connected to the entire length of the inter-row gap 33s.
The in-row introduction port 43i is formed between the adjacent electrode members 31A, 31B and 31B, 31C of the first electrode row 31X, and between the adjacent electrode members 32A, 32B and 32B, 32C of the second electrode row 32X. It arrange | positions at a boundary respectively and is connected with the upper end part of the gap | interval 33q between the electrode members directly in the row | line | column.

  The processing gas uniformized by the processing gas introduction unit 20 is introduced into the inter-column partial gaps 33p from the inter-row introduction ports 43h, and is directly introduced into the intra-row gaps 33q from the intra-row introduction ports 43i. As a result, the process gas directly introduced into the in-row gap 33q can be obtained without causing the plasma-ized processing gas in each of the first inter-row partial gaps 33p to drift toward the boundary with the second inter-row partial gap 33p. The gas can be turned into plasma, and the amount of plasma at the boundary between the first and second partial gaps 33p can be reliably ensured. As a result, the uniformity of processing can be improved.

  Note that the length of the in-row introduction port 43i may be appropriately extended or shortened, and does not need to be matched with the in-row gap 33q. Further, the in-row introduction port 43i may be provided only on one of the front and rear sides of the inter-row introduction port 43h.

  In the present invention, the electrode members 31A and 32A, 31B and 32B, and 31C and 32C of the two electrode rows 31X and 32X do not need to face each other in the front-rear direction and are substantially opposed at the same position. That's fine. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 32, the electrode members 31A to 31C of the first electrode row 31X and the electrode members 32A to 32C of the second electrode row 32X are arranged slightly shifted from side to side.

  32 may be applied to the electrode structure having the staggered polarity arrangement shown in FIG. 2 or the like, or may be applied to the electrode structure having the same polarity for each column in FIGS. 34 and 35 described later. According to an experiment conducted by the inventors, not only in the case of the same polarity structure for each row, but also in the case of a staggered polarity structure, the entire region in the width direction of the workpiece W is processed even if there is a slight shift between the two rows. I was able to.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 33, the electrode members 31A, 32B, and 31C constituting the electric field applying pole are replaced with the separate power sources 3A, 3B, and 3C of the above-described embodiment, and the common (single) power source 3 is used. It is connected to the. Therefore, the plasma electric fields formed in the inter-column partial gaps 33p can be reliably synchronized with each other. In this embodiment, the same gas guiding member 51 as that in the first embodiment is provided. However, instead of this, other forms of gas guiding means may be applied.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 34, the polarity arrangement of the electrode units 30X is arranged in the same polarity for each of the electrode rows 31X and 32X, instead of the staggered configuration of the above-described embodiment.
That is, the electrode members 31A, 31B, and 31C of the first electrode array 31X are all connected to the power sources 3A, 3B, and 3C, thereby forming electric field application poles. On the other hand, the electrode members 32A, 32B, 32C of the second electrode row 32X are all ground electrodes. Even in this polar arrangement, glow discharge occurs in the inter-column partial gap 33p, and the processing gas can be turned into plasma.

  The in-row gaps 33q are completely filled with partition walls 35 made of an insulating and plasma-resistant material such as ceramic, and the electrode members adjacent to the left and right are insulated from each other. Thereby, even if the power supplies 3A, 3B, and 3C are not synchronized, it is possible to prevent an arc from being generated between the electrode members adjacent to the left and right.

Note that the partition wall 35 may be provided at least between the electrode members 31A to 31C of the electric field application electrode, and may not be provided between the electrode members 31A to 31C of the ground electrode. The electrode members 32A to 32C of the ground electrode may be attached to each other.
A gas guide member 51 similar to that of the first embodiment (FIG. 4) is provided as a “gas guide means” at a portion closer to the second position of each first row partial gap 33p. Instead, the “gas guiding means” of the embodiment shown in other drawings may be applied.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 35, the common (single) power source 3 is connected to the electrode members 31 </ b> A to 31 </ b> C of the electric field applying electrode in the electrode unit 30 </ b> X having the same polarity for each column in the mode of FIG. 34.
The in-row gap 33q of the embodiment of FIG. 35 is completely filled with the insulating partition wall 35 as in the embodiment of FIG. 34, but the applied voltages to the electrode members 31A to 31C are reliably synchronized. Therefore, the partition wall 35 may be omitted and the in-row gap 33q may be opened. Alternatively, the electrode members 31A to 31C of the electric field applying electrode as well as the electrode members 32A to 32C of the ground electrode may be attached to each other to eliminate the in-row gap 33q.

As shown in FIG. 36, in the electrode unit 30X having a staggered polarity arrangement similar to that in the first embodiment (FIG. 2), the electrode members adjacent to the left and right of the electrode rows 31X and 32X are brought into contact with each other, and the in-row gap 33q May be eliminated. More specifically, a solid dielectric layer 34e is coated on the side end surface of each electrode member, and the solid dielectric layers 34e, 34e on the side end surfaces of adjacent electrode members are in contact with and in close contact with each other. . The solid dielectric layers 34e and 34e on the side end surfaces serve as insulating layers between adjacent electrode members. The width of the communication space 33r between the adjacent inter-column partial gaps 33p is just the sum of the thicknesses of the two solid dielectric layers 34e and 34e.
Also in the embodiment of FIG. 36, by providing the gas guiding member 51 at a position near the second position of each first inter-part partial gap 33p, plasma is blown also directly below the communication space 33r, that is, the solid dielectric layers 34e and 34e. The uniformity of processing can be improved. Of course, instead of the gas guiding member 51, other forms of gas guiding means may be applied.

Note that the solid dielectric layer 34e may be provided only on one side end surface of the two electrode members abutted against each other, and the side end surface of the metal main body of the other electrode member may be exposed. Of course, in this case, the solid dielectric layer 34e on the side end surface of the one electrode member needs to be able to insulate the two electrode members by itself.
In the embodiment of FIG. 36, the partition wall 35 similar to that of FIG. 34 may be interposed between adjacent electrode members.
In the aspect of FIG. 36, the power sources 3A, 3B, and 3C are provided separately for the electrode members 31A, 32B, and 31C as in the first embodiment, but instead of these separate power sources 31A, 32B, and 31C, A single power supply 3 may be used as in the embodiment of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 37, in the electrode unit 30 </ b> X having the same polarity arrangement for each column as in the embodiment of FIG. 34, the electrode members adjacent to each other in the electrode rows 31 </ b> X and 32 </ b> X may be brought into contact with each other. The side end face of each electrode member of this embodiment is not coated with the solid dielectric layer 34e, and the metal body is exposed. Thereby, the side end surfaces of the metal main bodies of the electrode members adjacent to the left and right are directly abutted. The communication space 33r has almost no size, and the adjacent inter-row partial gaps 33p are connected almost directly. In the embodiment of FIG. 37 as well, gas guiding means such as the gas guiding member 51 can be applied. The three power supplies 3A, 3B, 3C are preferably synchronized with each other. When not synchronized, it is desirable to provide a solid dielectric layer 34e as an insulating layer at least on the side end surfaces of the electrode members 31A to 31C of the electrode array 31X on the electric field application side, as in the case of FIG. Instead of the separate power supplies 31A, 32B, 31C, a single power supply 3 similar to the embodiment of FIG. 35 may be used.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the electrode structure, the adjacent inter-column partial gaps 33p may be separated by embedding a partition wall such as an insulating resin in the communication space 33r between the adjacent inter-column partial gaps 33p.
A plurality of electrode units 30X may be arranged in the front and rear.
By adjusting the dimension and arrangement position of the spacer 36 (FIG. 2) between the electrode members adjacent to each other in the electrode rows 31X and 32X, the size of the in-row gap 33q as a processing gas passage can be adjusted. You may decide to adjust suitably.
The width of the inter-column gap 33q and the width of the inter-column partial gap 33p are set as appropriate. The width of the inter-column gap 33q may be larger, smaller, or equal to the inter-column partial gap 33p.
Gas introducing means or gas introducing means in the gas inlet formation part 43 shown in FIGS. 8 to 15 and FIGS. 30 to 31, gas guiding means in the discharge space 33 s shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, and FIGS. The main parts of the embodiments may be combined with each other, for example, the gas guiding means in the outlet formation part 49 such as 29 may be combined with each other.
The processing gas introduction unit 20 may be omitted, and the processing gas may be directly introduced from the processing gas source to the discharge processing unit 30. You may comprise so that the pressure control valve which prevents the pressure change of process gas may be provided in the middle.
The present invention can be applied to various plasma surface treatments such as cleaning, film formation, etching, surface modification (hydrophilic treatment and water repellency treatment), ashing and the like, and is not limited to glow discharge, corona discharge, creeping discharge, The present invention can also be applied to plasma surface treatment by arc discharge or the like, and can be applied not only to a substantially normal pressure but also to plasma surface treatment under reduced pressure.

It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the remote type atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a plane sectional view of the electrode structure of the above-mentioned remote type atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus which meets the II-II line of FIG. It is the top view which projected the electrode structure on the glass substrate which is a to-be-processed object of the said remote type atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus. It is front sectional drawing of the electrode structure which follows the IV-IV line of FIG. It is a front view which shows the modification of a gas induction member. It is a front view which shows the modification of a gas induction member. It is front sectional drawing which shows the modification of a gas guidance member. It is a front view which shows embodiment which provided the gas guidance means in the process gas inlet formation part. It is a front view which shows other embodiment of the gas guidance means provided in the process gas inlet formation part. It is a top view which shows embodiment which made the end surface of the electrode member slanting according to the diagonal flow of process gas. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows other embodiment of the gas guidance means provided in the process gas introduction port formation part, and follows the XI-XI line of FIG. It is front sectional drawing which follows the XII-XII line | wire of FIG. It is a perspective view of the baffle member as a gas guidance means of FIG. It is front sectional drawing which shows embodiment which provided the obstruction | occlusion member of the boundary between row | line | column partial gaps as a gas guidance | induction means in the process gas inlet formation part. FIG. 15 is a plan sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 14. It is front sectional drawing which shows embodiment which provided the gate-shaped spacer used as a gas guidance means between electrodes. It is the figure which looked at the said gate-shaped spacer from the front. FIG. 17 is a plan sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 16. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows embodiment which provided the gas guidance means in the blowing outlet formation part. FIG. 20 is a front cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 19. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows embodiment which provided the perforated panel as the gas induction means in the blowing outlet. It is front sectional drawing of embodiment of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows embodiment which provided the obstruction | occlusion part of the boundary between row | line | column partial clearance gaps as a gas guidance means in the blowing outlet formation part. It is a side view which follows the XXIV-XXIV line of FIG. It is a front view which follows the XXV-XXV line of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows embodiment which opened the downstream end of the gap | interval in a row | line | column through the blowing outlet in a row | line. It is a top view of the blower outlet formation member (lower board) of embodiment of FIG. It is a top view which shows the modification of the said blowing outlet. It is a top view which shows the other modification of the said blowing outlet. It is a top view which shows the other modification of the said blowing outlet. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows embodiment which provided the in-row introduction port in the process gas introduction part. It is a top view of the process gas introduction part of FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an embodiment in which electrode members facing each other in the first and second electrode rows are slightly shifted. It is a top view which shows embodiment using a common (single) power supply. It is a top view which shows embodiment which arranged the same polarity for every electrode row | line | column. It is a top view which shows embodiment using the same polarity for every electrode row | line | column and using a common (single) power supply. It is plane sectional drawing of embodiment which butted the end surfaces of the electrode member which adjoins each electrode row | line | column, and eliminated the space | gap in a row | line | column. FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional plan view of an embodiment in which the same polarity is provided for each electrode row in FIG. 36.

Explanation of symbols

W Object 2 Process gas source 3A, 3B, 3C Power source 3 Common (single) power source 30 Discharge treatment unit 30X Electrode unit (electrode structure)
31X 1st electrode row | line | column 31A, 31B, 31C Electrode member 32X 2nd electrode row | line | column 32A, 32B, 32C Electrode member 33s Gap between rows 33p Partial gap between rows 33r Communication space 33q Gap in row 43 Inlet opening formation part 43a Process gas inlet 43b Branch opening (gas guiding means) corresponding to a portion near the second position of the partial gap between the first rows
43d Branch opening (gas guiding means) corresponding to a portion closer to the second position of the partial gap between the first rows
43h Inter-row entrance (lead entrance)
43i In-row inlet (sub-inlet)
49 Lower plate (Blowout port forming part)
49a Slit-like outlet 49B Gas guiding part (gas guiding means)
49c Gas guide surface 49d Upper stage outlet 49E Bridge part (blocking part which covers the edge part on the outlet side of the boundary between adjacent gaps between adjacent outlets)
49f Lower air outlet 49g Space above the perforated plate of the air outlet 49h Inter air outlet 49i In-row air outlet (large air outlet, gas guiding means)
49j Diamond opening (large opening width outlet, gas guiding means)
49k triangular opening (large opening width outlet, gas guiding means)
49m Inter-row outlet 49n Inclined outlet 50U Lower plate upper plate portion 49L Lower plate lower plate portion 51 Gas guiding member (gas guiding means)
51a Gas guide surface 52 Gas guide member (gas guide means)
52a Gas guide surface 52b Gas return surface 53 Gas guide member (gas guide means)
54 Gas guiding member (gas guiding means)
53a, 54a Gas guiding surface 60 Rectifying member 62 as gas guiding means Rectifying plate 70 disposed near the communication space Closing member (closing portion)
80 Gate type spacer 81 Leg part (interposition part between adjacent electrode members)
82 Connecting part (blocking part)
90 Perforated plate 90a as gas guiding means Many small holes

Claims (15)

A processing apparatus that conducts plasma processing by introducing a processing gas from an introduction port into a discharge space of approximately atmospheric pressure, turning it into a plasma, blowing it out from a blowing port, and hitting the object to be processed,
A first electrode array comprising a plurality of electrode members each extending in aligned Rutotomoni this arrangement direction in a direction crossing the direction toward the mouth blown from the inlet, arranged in parallel with the first electrode array Rutotomoni this A second electrode array comprising a plurality of other electrode members each extending in the arrangement direction , and an electrode structure comprising:
Transport means for relatively moving the objects to be processed so as to intersect the alignment direction ,
Of the electrode members of the first electrode row and the electrode members of the second electrode row, those arranged at the first position in the arrangement direction have opposite polarities to each other and a part of the discharge space between each other. Are formed in the second row adjacent to the first position, and the other portions having the opposite polarities to each other and the other part of the discharge space between each other. Forming a partial gap between the second rows,
The partial gap between the first rows communicates with the partial gap between the second rows in a line along the extending direction,
Further, the processing gas flow passing through the portion closer to the second position in the first inter-row partial gap does not affect the processing gas flow inside the portion closer to the second position in the first inter-row partial gap. A plasma processing apparatus comprising gas guiding means for guiding the boundary to the second position or the second position direction. A processing apparatus that conducts plasma processing by introducing a processing gas from an introduction port into a discharge space to be converted into plasma and blowing it out from a blow-out port, and hitting an object to be processed,
A first electrode array composed of a plurality of electrode members arranged in a direction intersecting with the direction from the introduction port to the outlet port, and a first electrode array composed of a plurality of other electrode members arranged in parallel with the first electrode array. An electrode structure including two electrode rows;
Of the electrode members of the first electrode row and the electrode members of the second electrode row, those arranged at the first position in the arrangement direction have opposite polarities to each other and a part of the discharge space between each other. Are formed in the second row adjacent to the first position, and the other portions having the opposite polarities to each other and the other part of the discharge space between each other. Forming a partial gap between the second rows,
Furthermore, it comprises a gas guiding means for guiding the processing gas flow passing through the portion near the second position in the partial gap between the first rows toward the boundary with the second position or toward the second position,
The plasma is characterized in that a gas guiding member having a gas guiding surface inclined in the second position direction is provided as the gas guiding means inside a portion near the second position of the partial gap between the first rows. Processing equipment.   3. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a gas return surface that is inclined in a direction opposite to the gas induction surface is formed closer to the outlet side than the gas induction surface of the gas induction member. An introduction port forming part for forming the introduction port;
The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas guiding unit is provided in the introduction port forming unit.   The introduction port of the introduction port forming part has a branch port to a portion near the second position of the first row partial gap, and the branch port is inclined toward the second position, whereby the gas induction The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 4, comprising means.   A rectifying plate inclined toward the second position is accommodated as the gas guiding means at a position corresponding to the second position of the partial gap between the first rows in the inlet of the inlet forming portion. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 4.   The gas guiding means includes a closing portion that closes an end portion on the introduction port side at a boundary between the partial gap between the first rows and the partial gap between the second rows and opens the outlet side therefrom. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1. An introduction port forming part for forming the introduction port;
The introduction port of the introduction port forming portion extends in a slit shape extending in the arrangement direction and extends from the first inter-row partial gap to the second inter-row partial gap. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the blocking portion is accommodated at a position corresponding to a boundary with the second gap between the rows.   The electrode structure includes a first position electrode member and a second position electrode member in the first electrode array, and a first position electrode member and a second position electrode member in the second electrode array, respectively. A spacer having a pair of interposed portions sandwiched between and a connecting portion that connects these interposed portions is provided, and the connecting portion is provided as the closing portion by being offset from the end portion on the inlet side of the boundary. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: Further comprising a blowout port forming portion for forming the blowout port,
2. The gas guide according to claim 1, wherein the gas guiding means is provided in the outlet forming portion and guides a processing gas emitted from a portion closer to the second position of the partial gap between the first rows in the second position direction. The plasma processing apparatus as described.   The gas guiding means has a gas guiding surface inclined in the second direction, and is disposed at a position corresponding to a portion closer to the second position of the partial gap between the first rows in the outlet of the outlet forming portion. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 10.   The gas guiding means is disposed at a position corresponding to a boundary between the first inter-row partial gap and the second inter-row partial gap in the outlet of the outlet forming portion, and is offset toward the electrode structure side, The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a closing portion that closes an end portion of the air outlet side. A processing apparatus that conducts plasma processing by introducing a processing gas from an introduction port into a discharge space of approximately atmospheric pressure, turning it into a plasma, blowing it out from a blowing port, and hitting the object to be processed,
A first electrode array composed of a plurality of electrode members arranged in a direction intersecting with the direction from the introduction port to the blowout port, and arranged in parallel with the first electrode array and the alignment direction. A second electrode array comprising a plurality of other electrode members each extending to
Transport means for relatively moving the objects to be processed so as to intersect the alignment direction,
Of the electrode members of the first electrode row and the electrode members of the second electrode row, those arranged at the first position in the arrangement direction have opposite polarities to each other and a part of the discharge space between each other. Are formed in the second row adjacent to the first position, and the other portions having the opposite polarities to each other and the other part of the discharge space between each other. Forming a partial gap between the second rows, and the polarities of the electrode members adjacent in the arrangement direction are opposite to each other,
The outlet is continuous in a slit shape so as to straddle the partial gap between the first rows and the partial gap between the second rows,
A plasma processing apparatus, wherein a perforated plate having a large number of small holes is fitted in the outlet.   The opening width of the portion corresponding to the boundary between the first inter-row partial gap and the second inter-row partial gap at the outlet of the blow-out opening forming portion is larger than the portion corresponding to the first inter-row partial gap. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a portion having a large opening width is provided as the gas guiding means. A processing apparatus that conducts plasma processing by introducing a processing gas from an introduction port into a discharge space to be converted into plasma and blowing it out from a blow-out port, and hitting an object to be processed,
A first electrode array composed of a plurality of electrode members arranged in a direction intersecting with the direction from the introduction port to the outlet port, and a first electrode array composed of a plurality of other electrode members arranged in parallel with the first electrode array. An electrode structure including two electrode rows;
Of the electrode members of the first electrode row and the electrode members of the second electrode row, those arranged at the first position in the arrangement direction have opposite polarities to each other and a part of the discharge space between each other. Forming a partial gap between the first rows and being arranged at a second position adjacent to the first position, and having a polarity opposite to each other, and another portion of the discharge space between each other And the polarities of the electrode member at the first position and the electrode member at the second position in the first electrode row are opposite to each other and the gap in the row is between these electrode members. Is formed, and further comprises an introduction port forming part for forming the introduction port,
The introduction port of the introduction port forming portion includes an inter-row introduction port straddling the first inter-row partial gap and the second inter-row partial gap, and an intra-row introduction port directly connected to the intra-row gap. A plasma processing apparatus.

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