JP5242520B2 - Plasma generating method and plasma processing apparatus for plasma processing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a plasma generation method and a plasma processing apparatus for a plasma processing apparatus.

  A reactive gas is excited by microwaves to generate plasma, and the generated plasma is exposed to a processing substrate such as a semiconductor substrate to perform dry etching, surface modification, ashing, etc. on the processing substrate. A plasma processing apparatus is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

  In this type of plasma processing apparatus, for example, in an ashing processing apparatus that ashes (ashes) a resist film formed on a processing substrate using plasma of a reactive gas, a plasma generation chamber is provided in an upper portion of the chamber. A stage on which the processing substrate is placed is provided on the lower side. And the plasma produced | generated in the plasma production chamber is guide | induced to the stage provided below. The processing substrate placed on the stage is ashed by being exposed to the plasma derived from the plasma generation chamber.

JP 2005-122939 A

  By the way, in this kind of plasma processing apparatus, the microwave transmission window made of a dielectric provided in the plasma generation chamber generates heat due to the transmission of the microwave. For this reason, a cooling means is provided to cool the microwave transmitting window that generates heat while plasma is generated and ashed in the plasma generating chamber, thereby preventing thermal damage to the microwave transmitting window.

  However, in order to eliminate the long processing time due to the increase in the size of the processing substrate and to shorten the processing time, the output of microwaves is increasing. As a result, the temperature of the microwave transmission window increased more and more, and the temperature increase of the microwave transmission window could not be reduced only by cooling by the cooling means.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent plasma from rising in the temperature of the microwave transmission window and preventing damage to the microwave transmission window. A production method and a plasma processing apparatus are provided.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, plasma processing is performed in which a plasma forming gas and a microwave are introduced into a plasma generation chamber, and the plasma generated in the plasma generation chamber is exposed to a processing substrate disposed in the chamber. A plasma generation method for an apparatus, wherein a plurality of microwave transmission windows that transmit microwaves oscillated from a single microwave oscillator are provided in the plasma generation chamber, and each of the microwave transmission windows is used alternately. The microwave is introduced into the plasma generation chamber to generate the plasma, and the chamber is formed with a plurality of exhaust ports, and the microwave is introduced into the plasma generation chamber from any of the plurality of microwave transmission windows. When closing the exhaust port formed at a position close to the microwave transmission window, and far from the microwave transmission window Opening the exhaust port formed in the.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when plasma is generated in the plasma generation chamber, microwaves can be introduced into the plasma generation chamber using different microwave transmission windows from time to time. The wave transmission window suppresses a temperature rise due to microwave transmission and prevents heat damage.

Further, according to the invention of claim 1 can be one microwave transmission window even become inactive for cooling hot, using other microwave transparent window Microwave Since the use of the oscillator is not stopped, one microwave oscillator can be used effectively.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma processing in which a plasma forming gas and a microwave are introduced into a plasma generating chamber, and the plasma generated in the plasma generating chamber is exposed to a processing substrate disposed in the chamber to perform plasma processing. One microwave oscillator that oscillates the microwave, and a plurality of microwave introduction windows that are provided in the plasma generation chamber and introduce the microwave into the plasma generation chamber. A plurality of waveguides respectively connected to microwave transmission windows and propagating the microwaves to the corresponding microwave transmission windows, and any one of the waveguides are alternately selected, and switching means for the microwave transmission window using alternately to introduce the microwave into said plasma generation chamber, each of the plurality of exhaust ports formed in the chamber One associated with, when the respective exhaust port comprises a plurality of on-off valve for opening and closing, and introducing the microwave into said plasma generating chamber from any of said plurality of microwave transmission window, the The exhaust port formed at a position close to the microwave transmission window is closed by the on-off valve corresponding to the exhaust port, and the exhaust port formed at a position far from the microwave transmission window is used as the exhaust port. Opening is performed by the corresponding on-off valve .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when plasma is generated in the plasma generation chamber, microwaves can be introduced into the plasma generation chamber using different microwave transmission windows from time to time. The wave transmission window suppresses a temperature rise due to microwave transmission and prevents heat damage.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma processing in which a plasma forming gas and a microwave are introduced into a plasma generating chamber, and the plasma generated in the plasma generating chamber is exposed to a processing substrate disposed in the chamber for plasma processing. an apparatus comprising: one microwave oscillator which oscillates the microwaves, is provided in the plasma generating chamber, a plurality of microwave introduction window for introducing the microwave into said plasma generation chamber, from the microwave oscillator A main waveguide that propagates microwaves, a plurality of branch waveguides that branch from the tip of the main waveguide, and that propagate the microwaves to the corresponding microwave transmission windows, and from the main waveguide, and switching means for selectively supplying to said each branch waveguide provided with the micro-wave for each of the microwave transmission window formed in the chamber Associated one for each of the number of exhaust ports, when a plurality of on-off valve for opening and closing each exhaust port, comprises a, for the branch waveguide by said switching means is selected, the branch guide The exhaust port formed at a position near the microwave transmission window corresponding to the wave tube is closed by the open / close valve corresponding to the exhaust port, and the exhaust gas formed at a position far from the microwave transmission window The opening is opened by the on-off valve corresponding to the exhaust port .

According to the invention described in claim 3, a plurality of microwave introduction window flop plasma generating chamber, a branch waveguide provided corresponding to the plurality of microwave transmission window, propagated through the main waveguide Micro The switching means selects a different branch waveguide from time to time, and introduces the wave into the plasma generation chamber via the selected branch waveguide. Therefore, from time to time, microwaves can be introduced into the plasma generation chamber using different microwave transmission windows, so that each microwave transmission window can suppress a temperature rise due to microwave transmission and cause damage due to heat. To be prevented.

The invention according to claim 4 is the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the plasma generation chamber of each plasma processing apparatus is provided with a plurality of plasma generation chambers, One corresponding microwave transmission window is provided.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, microwaves can be introduced into different plasma generation chambers using different microwave transmission windows from time to time. Temperature rise due to wave transmission is suppressed and damage due to heat is prevented in advance.

According to the present invention, to prevent the temperature increase of the microwave transmitting window, Ru can prevent damage to the microwave transmitting window.

The schematic sectional drawing of a plasma ashing apparatus. The top view which shows the attachment state of the branching waveguide of a plasma ashing apparatus. The cross-sectional view which shows the arrangement state of the stage of a plasma ashing apparatus. Sectional drawing which shows the state which looked at the diffusion plate of the plasma ashing apparatus from the downward direction. The schematic sectional drawing of the plasma ashing apparatus which shows another example of this invention. The top view which shows the attachment state of the branching waveguide of the plasma ashing apparatus of another example similarly. Sectional drawing which shows the state which looked at the diffuser plate of the plasma ashing device of another example from the bottom.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a plasma processing apparatus of the present invention is embodied in a plasma ashing apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a plasma ashing apparatus 10 as a plasma processing apparatus. The chamber 11 of the plasma ashing apparatus 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is made of aluminum (Al). A stage 12 is disposed and fixed to the bottom plate 11 a of the chamber 11. The stage 12 has a semiconductor substrate W as a processing substrate placed on the upper surface thereof.

  A plasma generation chamber S is formed on the top plate 11 b that forms the chamber 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the casing 13 of the plasma generation chamber S has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a plasma forming gas is introduced from a gas introduction port (not shown) formed on the side surface thereof.

  The casing 13 of the plasma generation chamber S includes a first through hole 14 and a second penetration that penetrate the outside and inside of the casing 13 at a plurality of locations (two locations in the present embodiment) of the top plate 13a of the casing 13. A hole 15 is formed. In the first through hole 14 and the second through hole 15, a first microwave transmission window 16 and a second microwave transmission window 17 made of a disk-shaped dielectric material are respectively connected to the corresponding first through hole 14 and the second through hole 15. The two through holes 15 are arranged so as to be closed. Further, at the positions where the bottom plate 13b of the housing 13 and the top plate 11b of the chamber 11 are connected and fixed to the first through hole 14 and the second through hole 15, respectively, the first lead-out path 18 and the first lead-out path 18 and the second through-hole 15, respectively. Two lead-out paths 19 are formed through.

  A first branch waveguide 21 and a second branch waveguide 22 are connected and fixed to the top plate 13 a of the housing 13. The first branch waveguide 21 has an opening 21 a formed at a position corresponding to the first microwave transmission window 16, and the opening 21 a is disposed so as to enclose the first microwave transmission window 16. . The second branch waveguide 22 has an opening 22 a formed at a position corresponding to the second microwave transmission window 17, and the opening 22 a is disposed so as to enclose the second microwave transmission window 17. ing.

  The base ends of the first branch waveguide 21 and the second branch waveguide 22 are branched from the main waveguide 23. A microwave oscillator 24 is provided at the proximal end of the main waveguide 23, and the microwave oscillated from the microwave oscillator 24 is propagated to the distal branch portion. A distributor 25 is provided at the tip branch portion of the main waveguide 23.

  The distributor 25 is switching means for propagating the microwave from the microwave oscillator 24 propagated through the main waveguide 23 to one of the first branch waveguide 21 and the second branch waveguide 22. Thus, electrical switching control is performed. When the distributor 25 is controlled to be switched to the first branching waveguide 21 side, the microwave from the microwave oscillator 24 propagates to the first microwave transmission window 16 through the first branching waveguide 21. In addition, the first microwave transmission window 16 is transmitted and introduced into the plasma generation chamber S. When the distributor 25 is controlled to be switched to the second branch waveguide 22 side, the microwave from the microwave oscillator 24 propagates to the second microwave transmission window 17 through the second branch waveguide 22. Then, the light is transmitted through the second microwave transmission window 17 and introduced into the plasma generation chamber S.

  By the microwave introduced into the plasma generation chamber S, the plasma forming gas introduced into the plasma generation chamber S is excited and becomes plasma. The plasma generated in the plasma generation chamber S is led out toward the semiconductor substrate W placed on the lower stage 12 through the first lead-out path 18 and the second lead-out path 19.

An isolator 26 and a matching unit 27 are provided on the main waveguide 23 between the microwave oscillator 24 and the distributor 25.
A diffusion plate 30 is arranged at a position below the top plate 11 b of the chamber 11 and facing the first lead-out path 18 and the second lead-out path 19. The diffuser plate 30 is made of aluminum (Al), and is connected and fixed to the top plate 11b via a spacing member 31. As shown in FIG. 4, the diffusion plate 30 has a large number of conduction holes 32 arranged at equal intervals, and disperses the plasma led out from the first lead-out path 18 and the second lead-out path 19 to disperse the plasma from each conduction hole 32. In this way, the plasma is uniformly exposed to the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate W. Then, the resist film formed on the semiconductor substrate W placed on the stage 12 is ashed with plasma.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of first exhaust ports 35 is formed on the right rear side, and a pair of second exhaust ports 36 is formed on the left front side, which is the bottom plate 11 a of the chamber 11. The first exhaust port 35 and the second exhaust port 36 are exhaust ports for exhausting the gas in the chamber 11, and are respectively connected to an intake pump (not shown) via an on-off valve (not shown) on the downstream side. .

  Then, the distributor 25 is controlled to be switched to the first branching waveguide 21 side, and the microwave from the microwave oscillator 24 is introduced into the plasma generation chamber S through the first microwave transmission window 16 to generate plasma. When plasma is generated in the chamber S, a not-shown on-off valve is controlled to open a pair of first exhaust ports 35 located far from the first lead-out path 18, and a pair located near the first lead-out path 18. The second exhaust port 36 is closed.

  This is because the plasma generated by the microwave transmitted through the first microwave transmission window 16 is generated in the plasma generation chamber S in the vicinity of the first microwave transmission window 16. Compared with the second lead-out path 19 located far from the first microwave transmission window 16, more plasma is diffused from the first lead-out path 18 located on the left side near the first microwave transmission window 16. Tend to be derived.

  Therefore, a large amount of plasma led out from the first lead-out path 18 toward the diffusion plate 30 and plasma led out from each conduction hole 32 to the first lead-out path 18 side of the diffusion plate 30 are moved toward the first exhaust port 35 side. The first exhaust port 35 on the second outlet path 19 side is opened so as to be attracted, sucked by a suction pump, and the plasma or the like derived from the first outlet path 18 is attracted to the first exhaust port 35 side. Yes. As a result, the plasma derived from the first derivation path 18 and the second derivation path 19 and derived from the respective conduction holes 32 of the diffusion plate 30 is uniformly dispersed and uniformly exposed to the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate W.

  On the contrary, the distributor 25 is controlled to be switched to the second branch waveguide 22 side, and the microwave from the microwave oscillator 24 is introduced into the plasma generation chamber S through the second microwave transmission window 17, When plasma is generated in the generation chamber S, an on-off valve (not shown) is controlled to open a pair of second exhaust ports 36 far from the second lead-out path 19 and close to the second lead-out path 19. The pair of first exhaust ports 35 are closed.

  This is because the plasma generated by the microwave transmitted through the second microwave transmission window 17 generates a lot of plasma in the vicinity of the second microwave transmission window 17 in the plasma generation chamber S. Compared with the first lead-out path 18 located far from the second microwave transmission window 17, more plasma is diffused from the second lead-out path 19 at the right rear position near the second microwave transmission window 17. Tend to be derived.

  Therefore, a lot of plasma led out from the second lead-out path 19 toward the diffusion plate 30 and plasma led out from each conduction hole 32 to the second lead-out path 19 side of the diffusion plate 30 are transferred to the second exhaust port 36. The second exhaust port 36 on the first lead-out path 18 side is opened so as to be drawn to the side, sucked by a suction pump, and the plasma or the like led out from the second lead-out path 19 is drawn to the second exhaust port 36 side. I have to. As a result, the plasma derived from the first derivation path 18 and the second derivation path 19 and derived from the respective conduction holes 32 of the diffusion plate 30 is uniformly dispersed and uniformly exposed to the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate W.

Next, the operation of the plasma ashing apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described.
Now, the semiconductor substrate W is placed on the stage 12. Further, the distributor 25 is controlled to be switched to the first branch waveguide 21 side, and the microwave from the microwave oscillator 24 passes through the main waveguide 23, the first branch waveguide 21, and the first microwave transmission window 16. Thus, it is introduced into the plasma generation chamber S. Further, the first exhaust port 35 is opened and the second exhaust port 36 is closed.

  From this state, the microwave oscillator 24 is oscillated to introduce a microwave into the plasma generation chamber S, and a plasma forming gas is introduced into the plasma generation chamber S to generate plasma in the plasma generation chamber S. The plasma generated in the plasma generation chamber S is led out downward or toward the diffusion plate 30 via the first lead-out path 18 and the second lead-out path 19. The diffusing plate 30 distributes the plasma derived from the first derivation path 18 and the second derivation path 19 through a large number of conduction holes 32 and uniformly exposes it to the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate W, thereby causing the diffusion of the semiconductor substrate W. Plasma treatment (ashing) is performed on the resist film on the surface.

  At this time, since the microwave from the first branch waveguide 21 is transmitted through the first microwave transmission window 16 and introduced into the plasma generation chamber S, heat is generated by the microwave and the temperature rises. On the other hand, the second microwave transmission window 17 does not generate heat because the microwave from the second branch waveguide 22 is not propagated.

  Eventually, when the first microwave transmission window 16 reaches a predetermined temperature, the distributor 25 is switched to the second branch waveguide 22 side, and the microwave from the microwave oscillator 24 is transferred to the main waveguide 23, The plasma generation chamber S is introduced through the second branch waveguide 22 and the second microwave transmission window 17. At this time, the second exhaust port 36 is opened and the first exhaust port 35 is closed.

  As a result, plasma is continuously generated in the plasma generation chamber S, and the generated plasma is guided downward or toward the diffusion plate 30 via the first lead-out path 18 and the second lead-out path 19. Then, plasma is uniformly exposed to the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate W through the diffusion plate 30 to continue the plasma processing (ashing) of the semiconductor substrate W.

  At this time, since the microwave microwave from the first branch waveguide 21 is not propagated through the first microwave transmission window 16, the heat generation stops, the heat is dissipated, and the temperature is lowered. On the other hand, since the microwave from the second branch waveguide 22 is transmitted through the second microwave transmission window 17 and introduced into the plasma generation chamber S, heat is generated by the microwave and the temperature rises.

  Similarly, when the second microwave transmission window 17 reaches a predetermined temperature, the distributor 25 is controlled to be switched to the first branch waveguide 21 side so that the microwave from the microwave oscillator 24 is guided into the main waveguide. It is introduced into the plasma generation chamber S through the tube 23, the first branch waveguide 21 and the first microwave transmission window 16. At this time, the first exhaust port 35 is opened and the second exhaust port 36 is closed.

  Accordingly, similarly, plasma is generated in the plasma generation chamber S, and the generated plasma is led downward or toward the diffusion plate 30 via the first lead-out path 18 and the second lead-out path 19. Then, plasma is uniformly exposed to the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate W through the diffusion plate 30 to continue the plasma processing (ashing) of the semiconductor substrate W.

  Then, since the microwave microwave from the second branch waveguide 22 is not propagated through the second microwave transmission window 17, the heat generation stops, the heat is dissipated, and the temperature is lowered. On the other hand, since the microwave from the first branch waveguide 21 is transmitted through the first microwave transmission window 16 and introduced into the plasma generation chamber S, heat is generated by the microwave and the temperature rises.

  Thereafter, the same operation is repeated until the ashing is completed, and the plasma processing (ashing) of the semiconductor substrate W is performed while suppressing the temperature rise of the first microwave transmission window 16 and the second microwave transmission window 17.

  The distributor 25 is switched by providing a temperature sensor that detects the temperatures of the first microwave transmission window 16 and the second microwave transmission window 17, and the temperature sensor detects the temperature. When the temperature sensor detects an allowable predetermined temperature that does not damage the microwave transmission windows 16 and 17, the switch 25 is operated to switch and control the distributor 25. At this time, when the operator visually recognizes the temperature by the temperature sensor and manually switches the distributor 25, or when the temperature sensor detects a predetermined temperature using a microcomputer, the distributor is electrically 25 may be switched and controlled. Alternatively, the distributor 25 may be switched and controlled electrically according to the time calculated from the temperature rise data acquired in advance.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) According to the present embodiment, the first microwave transmission window 16 and the second microwave transmission window 17 that transmit microwaves are provided in the plasma generation chamber S, and the microwave transmission windows 16 and 17 are alternately arranged. The plasma was generated by introducing a microwave into the plasma generation chamber S.

  Therefore, when plasma is generated in the plasma generation chamber S, microwaves can be introduced into the plasma generation chamber S by alternately using the first microwave transmission window 16 and the second microwave transmission window 17. The microwave transmission windows 16 and 17 are prevented from increasing in temperature due to microwave transmission and are prevented from being damaged by heat.

  (2) According to the present embodiment, the plasma ashing apparatus 10 uses microwaves oscillated from one microwave oscillator 24. Therefore, even if one of the first microwave transmission window 16 and the second microwave transmission window 17 becomes high temperature and enters a dormant state for cooling, the other microwave transmission window is used. Since one microwave oscillator 24 is not suspended, one microwave oscillator 24 can be used effectively.

  (3) According to the present embodiment, two plasma transmission windows 16 and a second microwave transmission window 17 are provided in one plasma generation chamber S (housing 13). The first branch waveguide 21 and the second branch waveguide 22 provided at the tip of the main waveguide 23 that propagates the microwave from the microwave oscillator 24 are connected to the first microwave transmission window 16 and the second branch. The microwave transmission window 17 is connected. The distributor 25 can propagate the microwave from the microwave oscillator 24 to one of the first branch waveguide 21 and the second branch waveguide 22.

  Therefore, every time the temperature of the first microwave transmission window 16 or the second microwave transmission window 17 reaches a predetermined temperature due to the transmission of microwaves, the first microwave transmission window 16 and the second microwave transmission window 16 and Plasma processing (ashing) can be performed without abnormally heating the second microwave transmission window 17. As a result, the first microwave transmission window 16 and the second microwave transmission window 17 can be prevented from being damaged due to temperature rise.

  (4) According to this embodiment, since the temperature rise of the first microwave transmission window 16 and the second microwave transmission window 17 can be suppressed, the first microwave transmission window 16 and the second microwave transmission window 17. The cooling means for cooling the battery can be omitted or cooled with less energy.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In the above embodiment, one plasma generation chamber S is provided for the chamber 11, but a plurality of plasma generation chambers may be provided for the chamber 11. As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the housing 13 that forms the plasma generation chamber S is configured by a first divided housing 41 and a second divided housing 42 that are divided into two diagonally. The first divided window 41 is provided with the first microwave transmitting window 16, and the second divided casing 42 is provided with the second microwave transmitting window 17. That is, the two plasma generation chambers S1 and S2 are provided, and the plasma is led out from the generation chambers S1 and S2 into the chamber 11 through the respective lead-out paths 18 and 19.

Then, the distributor 25 may be switched and the plasma may be generated by alternately using the generation chambers S1 and S2.
In the above embodiment, the first microwave transmission window 16 and the second microwave transmission window 17 are provided in the casing 13 of the plasma generation chamber S. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be provided as described above. In this case, as the number increases, the switching timing of the distributor 25 can be advanced, and the temperature increase of each microwave transmission window can be suppressed to a lower level.

  In the above embodiment, the second branch waveguide 22 is connected to the plasma generation chamber S of the chamber 11 shared with the first branch waveguide 21. This may be performed by connecting the second branch waveguide 22 to a microwave transmission window provided in a plasma generation chamber of a chamber different from the first branch waveguide 21. In this case, while the microwave transmission window of the plasma generation chamber provided in one chamber is cooled, the microwave is introduced into the plasma generation chamber provided in the other chamber to generate plasma, so that one chamber The plasma treatment can be effectively performed in the other chamber while it is paused for cooling.

  In the above embodiment, one microwave oscillator 24 is used. However, different microwave oscillators are connected to the first microwave transmission window 16 and the second microwave transmission window 17, respectively, so that different microwaves are alternately used. A wave oscillator may be oscillated to suppress the temperature rise of the first microwave transmission window 16 and the second microwave transmission window 17.

  In the above embodiment, the plasma ashing apparatus 10 is embodied. However, the plasma ashing apparatus 10 is applied to a plasma processing apparatus that performs dry etching on a semiconductor substrate using plasma or a plasma processing apparatus that performs surface modification. Also good.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Plasma ashing apparatus, 11 ... Chamber, 12 ... Stage, 13 ... Housing | casing, 14,15 ... Opening part, 16 ... 1st microwave transmission window, 17 ... 2nd microwave transmission window, 18 ... 1st lead-out path , 19 ... second lead-out path, 21 ... first branch waveguide, 22 ... second branch waveguide, 23 ... main waveguide, 24 ... microwave oscillator, 25 ... distributor, 26 ... isolator, 27 ... matching 30 ... diffusion plate, 35 ... first exhaust port, 36 ... second exhaust port, 41 ... first divided housing, 42 ... second divided housing, S, S1, S2 ... plasma generation chamber, W ... semiconductor substrate.

Claims (4)

A plasma generation method of a plasma processing apparatus, wherein a plasma forming gas and a microwave are introduced into a plasma generating chamber, and the plasma generated in the plasma generating chamber is exposed to a processing substrate disposed in the chamber to perform plasma processing,
A plurality of microwave transmission windows that transmit microwaves oscillated from one microwave oscillator are provided in the plasma generation chamber, and the microwaves are introduced into the plasma generation chamber by using each of the microwave transmission windows alternately. And generating the plasma ,
A plurality of exhaust ports are formed in the chamber, and are formed at positions close to the microwave transmission window when the microwave is introduced from one of the plurality of microwave transmission windows into the plasma generation chamber. A plasma generation method for a plasma processing apparatus, wherein the exhaust port is closed and the exhaust port formed at a position far from the microwave transmission window is opened . A plasma processing apparatus for introducing a plasma forming gas and a microwave into a plasma generating chamber, and performing plasma processing by exposing the plasma generated in the plasma generating chamber to a processing substrate disposed in the chamber,
One microwave oscillator for oscillating the microwave;
A plurality of microwave transmission windows provided in the plasma generation chamber for introducing the microwaves into the plasma generation chamber;
A plurality of waveguides respectively connected to the corresponding microwave transmission windows and propagating the microwaves to the corresponding microwave transmission windows;
Switching means for alternately selecting any one of the waveguides and introducing the microwaves into the plasma generation chamber using the microwave transmission windows alternately ;
A plurality of on-off valves that are associated with each of the plurality of exhaust ports formed in the chamber, and that open and close each of the exhaust ports ,
When the microwave is introduced into the plasma generation chamber from any one of the plurality of microwave transmission windows, the exhaust valve formed at a position close to the microwave transmission window corresponds to the exhaust valve. And the exhaust port formed at a position far from the microwave transmitting window is opened by the on-off valve corresponding to the exhaust port . A plasma processing apparatus for introducing a plasma forming gas and a microwave into a plasma generating chamber, and performing plasma processing by exposing the plasma generated in the plasma generating chamber to a processing substrate disposed in the chamber,
One microwave oscillator for oscillating the microwave;
A plurality of microwave transmission windows provided in the plasma generation chamber for introducing the microwaves into the plasma generation chamber;
A main waveguide for propagating microwaves from the microwave oscillator;
A plurality of branching waveguides branched from the tip of the main waveguide and propagating the microwaves to the corresponding microwave transmission windows;
Switching means for selectively supplying the microwave from the main waveguide to each branch waveguide provided for each microwave transmission window ;
A plurality of on-off valves that are associated with each of the plurality of exhaust ports formed in the chamber, and that open and close each of the exhaust ports ,
When the branching waveguide is selected by the switching means, the exhaust port formed at a position near the microwave transmission window corresponding to the branching waveguide is changed by the opening / closing valve corresponding to the exhaust port. A plasma processing apparatus , wherein the exhaust port is closed and formed at a position far from the microwave transmission window by the opening / closing valve corresponding to the exhaust port . In the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 ,
The plasma generation chamber of each of the plasma processing apparatuses is provided with a plurality of plasma generation chambers, and each of the plasma generation chambers is provided with one corresponding microwave transmission window. apparatus.

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