KR101720373B1 - Plasma treatment apparatus, plasma generation apparatus, antenna structure and plasma generation method - Google Patents

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus capable of simplifying the configuration of the apparatus and preventing deterioration of plasma generation efficiency is provided.
The plasma processing apparatus 10 includes a chamber 11, a mount table 12 disposed inside the chamber 11 to mount the substrate S thereon and a mount table 12 disposed outside the chamber 11, And a window member 14 made of a conductive material and interposed between the mounting table 12 and the ICP antenna 13. The window member 14 is disposed between the mounting table 12 and the ICP antenna 13. The ICP antenna 13 is connected to the high frequency power source 26, The plurality of split pieces 27 are insulated from each other and are connected by a conductor 29 or a conductor 30 attached with a capacitor to form a closed circuit 31. In this case,

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus, a plasma generating apparatus, an antenna structure, and a plasma generating method,

The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus, a plasma generating apparatus, an antenna structure, and a plasma generating method for generating a plasma using an ICP (Inductive Coupling Plasma) antenna.

In the plasma processing apparatus having the chamber and the ICP (Inductive Coupling Plasma) antenna disposed outside the chamber, the ceiling portion of the chamber facing the ICP antenna is constituted by a dielectric window made of a dielectric, for example, quartz. In this plasma processing apparatus, a high-frequency current flows through an ICP antenna connected to a high-frequency power source, and the high-frequency current generates a magnetic flux line to the ICP antenna. The generated magnetic force lines penetrate the dielectric window to generate a magnetic field along the ICP antenna in the chamber. When the magnetic field changes in time, an induced electric field is generated, and electrons accelerated by the induced electric field collide with molecules or atoms of the process gas introduced into the chamber, and a plasma is generated. Since the induced electric field occurs along the ICP antenna, plasma also occurs in the chamber along the ICP antenna.

In order to distinguish the inside of the chamber, which is a decompression environment, from the outside of a chamber, which is an atmospheric pressure environment, a dielectric window needs to be thick enough to withstand a pressure difference. Further, since it is expected that the size of a substrate, for example, a FPD (Flat Panel Display) accommodated in a chamber and subjected to a plasma treatment, will advance in the future, it is necessary to harden a dielectric window opposed to the substrate, It is necessary to secure the rigidity at the time of curing, so that it is necessary to make the dielectric window thicker.

However, as the dielectric window is thicker, the weight of the dielectric window is increased and the cost is increased, it has been proposed that the ceiling portion of the chamber is constituted by a conductor window made of a conductor having a high rigidity and a low cost, for example, a metal. Since the metal shields the magnetic force lines in the conductive window, a slit penetrating the conductive window is provided, and the magnetic force lines are transmitted through the slit. However, since there is a limit to the number and size of the slits to be installed, the transmission efficiency of magnetic lines of force is lowered in the conductive window, and as a result, the plasma generation efficiency in the chamber is lowered.

On the other hand, it has been proposed to provide a floating coil with a capacitor in the vicinity of the ICP antenna as the outside of the chamber (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this floating coil, an induced current flows due to electromagnetic induction by a magnetic line of force generated by an ICP antenna, and the induced current generates a magnetic flux line in the floating coil. The generated magnetic flux penetrates through the dielectric window to generate a magnetic field along the floating coil . That is, not only a magnetic field along the ICP antenna but also a magnetic field along the floating coil is generated in the chamber, so that the floating coil plays the role of the auxiliary antenna, and the induction field generated in the chamber becomes strong. As a result, Can be prevented.

(Prior art document)

(Patent Literature)

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-119659

Even in the case of the ICP antenna facing the conductor window, it is considered to reinforce the induction field by applying the technique of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, but since it is necessary to provide the floating coil in addition to the ICP antenna, there is a problem.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a plasma processing apparatus, a plasma generating apparatus, an antenna structure, and a plasma generating method that can simplify the structure of the apparatus and prevent deterioration of plasma generation efficiency.

In order to achieve the above object, a plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 is a plasma processing apparatus comprising a processing chamber for containing a substrate, a mounting table disposed inside the processing chamber for mounting the substrate thereon, And an inductively coupled antenna which is arranged to be connected to a high frequency power source, characterized in that the plasma processing apparatus comprises a wall portion of the treatment chamber facing the inductively coupled antenna, And the window member is divided into a plurality of divided pieces, and the plurality of divided pieces do not come into direct contact with each other so as not to electrically conduct each other, and at least some of the divided pieces are connected by a lead, , And the closed circuit is formed in the lead wire connecting each of the divided pieces It characterized by having a single condenser.

The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, the capacitance of the condenser is adjusted so that the reactance of the closed circuit becomes negative.

The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, the conductors are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the inductively coupled antenna.

The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 4 is characterized in that, in the plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, each of the conductors has the capacitor.

The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 5 is characterized in that, in the plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the conductor is offset from the inductively coupled antenna.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the plasma processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the capacitor is a capacitance variable capacitor, and the capacitance and density distribution of the plasma in the processing chamber, The electrostatic capacity of the capacitor is adjusted.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the plasma processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the positions of the conductors are adjusted in accordance with the distribution of the plasma in the processing chamber.

A plasma processing apparatus according to an eighth aspect is characterized in that in the plasma processing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, a plurality of the closed circuits are formed in the window member.

In order to attain the above object, a plasma generating apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is a plasma generating apparatus for generating plasma in a reduced pressure chamber, comprising: an inductively coupled antenna disposed outside the vacuum chamber and connected to a high frequency power source; And a window member made of a conductor and interposed between the plasma in the vacuum chamber and the window member, wherein the window member is divided into a plurality of divided pieces, and the plurality of divided pieces are not in direct contact with each other so as not to electrically conduct each other, At least some of the divided pieces are connected by a lead to form a closed circuit, and the closed circuit has at least one capacitor in the lead connecting the divided pieces.

The plasma generating apparatus described in claim 10 is characterized in that, in the plasma generating apparatus according to claim 9, the capacitance of the condenser is adjusted such that the reactance of the closed circuit becomes negative.

The plasma generation device according to claim 11 is characterized in that, in the plasma generation device according to claim 9 or 10, the conductors are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the inductively coupled antenna.

In order to achieve the above object, an antenna structure according to claim 12 is an antenna structure including an inductively coupled antenna connected to a high-frequency power supply, the antenna structure comprising: And the window member is divided into a plurality of divided pieces, and the plurality of divided pieces are not in direct contact with each other so as not to be electrically conductive, and at least some of the divided pieces are connected by a lead wire And the closed circuit has at least one capacitor in the conductor connecting each of the divided pieces.

An antenna structure according to claim 13 is characterized in that, in the antenna structure according to claim 12, the capacitance of the capacitor is adjusted so that the reactance of the closed circuit becomes negative.

The antenna structure according to Claim 14 is characterized in that, in the antenna structure according to Claim 12 or 13, the conductors are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the inductively coupled antenna.

In order to achieve the above object, a plasma generating method according to claim 15 comprises an inductively coupled antenna connected to a high frequency power source, and a window member made of a conductor interposed between the inductively coupled antenna and the plasma, Wherein at least one of the plurality of divided pieces is connected to at least one of the plurality of divided pieces by a conductor having a capacitor to form a closed circuit, And the capacitance of the capacitor is adjusted so that the reactance of the closed circuit becomes negative.

The plasma generation method according to claim 16 is the plasma generation method according to claim 15, wherein the capacitor is a capacitance variable capacitor, and the capacitance of the capacitor is adjusted according to at least one of the density and the density distribution of the plasma in the treatment chamber .

According to the present invention, the window member made of a conductor, which is opposed to the inductively coupled antenna connected to the high frequency power source, is divided into a plurality of divided pieces, at least some of the divided pieces are connected by a lead to form a closed circuit, Since at least one capacitor in the conductor connecting the split pieces has the capacitor, the closed circuit has a capacitor and opposes the inductively coupled antenna. As a result, the magnetic field generated from the inductively coupled antenna generates an induced current in the closed circuit by electromagnetic induction, the induced current generates a magnetic field in the closed circuit, and a magnetic field generated in the closed circuit induces an induced electric field, The capacitance of the condenser is changed and the reactance of the closed circuit is adjusted to control the induction current generated in the closed circuit so that the decrease in plasma generation efficiency can be prevented without adding a new auxiliary antenna. In other words, it is possible to simplify the structure of the apparatus and to prevent the lowering of the plasma generation efficiency.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the window member and the ICP antenna in Fig. 1 taken along the decolored arrows in Fig. 1. Fig.
3 is a diagram for explaining the induced current generated in the closed circuit in Fig.
4 is a graph showing the relationship between the electrostatic capacity and the induced current of the wire capacitor.
5 is a plan view showing a first modification of the window member in Fig.
Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a second modification of the window member in Fig. 1. Fig.
7 is a plan view showing a third modification of the window member in Fig.
Fig. 8 is a plan view showing a fourth modified example of the window member in Fig. 1. Fig.
Fig. 9 is a plan view showing a fifth modified example of the window member in Fig. 1. Fig.
10 is a plan view showing a sixth modification of the window member in Fig.
11 is a plan view showing a seventh modification of the window member in Fig.
12 is a plan view showing a eighth modification of the window member in Fig.
13 is a plan view showing a ninth modification of the window member in Fig.
14 is a plan view showing a tenth modification of the window member in Fig.
15 is a plan view showing a modification 11 of the window member in Fig.
16 is a plan view showing a twelfth modification of the window member in Fig.
17 is a plan view showing a thirteenth modification of the window member in Fig.
18 is a plan view showing a fourteenth modification of the window member in Fig.
19 is a plan view showing a fifteenth modification of the window member in Fig.
20 is a plan view showing a sixteenth modification of the window member in Fig.
21 is a plan view showing a seventeenth modification of the window member in Fig.
22 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the plasma processing apparatus 10 includes a chamber 11 (processing chamber, decompression chamber) for accommodating, for example, a glass substrate S (hereinafter simply referred to as "substrate" (12) disposed on the bottom of the chamber (11) for mounting the substrate (S) on the surface thereof and an ICP antenna (12) arranged to face the mount table (12) inside the chamber (11) And a window member 14 constituting a ceiling portion of the chamber 11 and interposed between the mount table 12 and the ICP antenna 13.

The chamber 11 is approximately in the shape of a housing and is sized to accommodate, for example, a tenth generation substrate S having a size of 2880 mm x 3130 mm. The chamber 11 has an exhaust device 15 which evacuates the chamber 11 to make the inside of the chamber 11 a reduced-pressure environment. On the other hand, the outside of the chamber 11 is an atmospheric pressure environment, and the window member 14 distinguishes the inside and the outside of the chamber 11. The window member 14 is made of a conductor, for example, a metal such as aluminum or a semiconductor, for example, silicon. The window member 14 is constituted by a plurality of divided pieces and has a size that is capable of covering at least the entire surface of the substrate S mounted on the table 12 at least as a whole.

The mounting table 12 has a rectangular parallelepiped susceptor 16 which is made of a conductive member and functions as a base and an electrostatic chuck 17 formed on the surface of the susceptor 16. [ The susceptor 16 is connected to the high frequency power source 20 via the power feed rod 18 and the matching device 19. The RF power supply 20 supplies a relatively low RF power, for example, a RF power of 13.56 MHz or less to the susceptor 16, and generates a bias potential in the susceptor 16. [ Thereby, the ions in the plasma generated in the processing space PS between the mount table 12 and the window member 14 enter the substrate S mounted on the mount table 12.

The electrostatic chuck 17 is made of a dielectric member having an electrode plate 21 therein, and a DC power source 22 is connected to the electrode plate 21. The electrostatic chuck 17 electrostatically attracts the substrate S to the mount table 12 by an electrostatic force resulting from the DC voltage applied from the DC power supply 22. [

A processing gas inlet port 23 is provided in the bridge section 12 for supporting the window member 14 and introduces a process gas supplied from the process gas supply device 24 into the chamber 11.

The ICP antenna 13 is formed of an annular conductive wire or a conductive plate disposed along the surface of the window member 14 and is connected to the high frequency power source 26 through the matching device 25. In the present specification and claims, the conductor and the conductor plate are collectively referred to as a conductor.

In the plasma processing apparatus 10, a high-frequency current flows through the ICP antenna 13, and the high-frequency current generates a magnetic force line in the ICP antenna 13. When the window member 14 is formed as a conductor as in the present embodiment, the generated magnetic force lines pass through the window member 14 when the window member is formed of a dielectric material, Or the gap between the divided pieces, and constitutes a magnetic field in the chamber 11. [ When the magnetic field changes in time, an induced electric field is generated, and electrons accelerated by the induced electric field collide with molecules or atoms of the process gas introduced into the chamber 11, and a plasma is generated.

The ions in the generated plasma are introduced into the substrate S by the bias potential of the susceptor 16, and the radicals in the plasma move to reach the substrate S, and the substrate S is subjected to plasma treatment, Chemical etching treatment is performed.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the window member and the ICP antenna in Fig. 1 taken along the decolored arrows in Fig. 1. Fig.

2, the window member 14 is divided into a plurality of divided pieces, for example, four triangular divided pieces 27, and between the divided pieces 27, an insulating material 28 ). Therefore, the four split pieces 27 are not in direct contact with each other so as not to be electrically conducted to each other.

On the other hand, the adjacent divided pieces 27 are connected to each other by one conductive wire 29 or one conductive wire 30 with a capacitor. In the window member 14, three conductive wires 29, And a closed circuit 31 composed of the lead wire 30 and the four split pieces 27 is formed. Since the ICP antenna 13 is disposed along the surface of the window member 14, the ICP antenna 13 and the closed circuit 31 are close to each other. In this embodiment, the closed circuit 31, . As a capacitor (hereinafter referred to as " lead capacitor ") in the conductor 30 with a capacitor, a capacitance variable capacitor or a capacitance fixed capacitor is used. In this embodiment, the ICP antenna 13, the insulating material 28, the three conductive wires 29, the conductive wire 30 with one condenser, and the window member 14 constitute the antenna structure.

Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the induced current generated in the closed circuit in Fig. 2; Fig.

3, when the high-frequency current 32 flows through the ICP antenna 13, the high-frequency current 32 generates a magnetic line 33 passing through the annular portion 13a formed by the ICP antenna 13 . The magnetic line of force 33 passing through the annular portion 13a of the ICP antenna 13 also passes through the annular portion 31a formed by the closed circuit 31 do. At this time, the induction current 34 flows in the closed circuit 31 by the electromagnetic induction of the magnetic force line 33. [ The induction current 34 generates a magnetic force line (hereinafter referred to as a "negative magnetic force line") (not shown) passing through the annular portion 31a.

In the present embodiment, the magnetic lines of force 33 pass through the gaps of the adjacent divided pieces 27 among the plurality of divided pieces 27 constituting the window member 14, so that a magnetic field (hereinafter referred to as " Since the magnetic flux lines 33 are distributed so as to represent closed loops along the flow path of the current in the ICP antenna 13, the main magnetic field lines are formed in the annular portion 13a of the ICP antenna 13, Lt; / RTI > The negative magnetic flux lines generated by the closed circuit 31 of the window member 14 constitute a magnetic field (hereinafter referred to as a "subsidiary magnetic field") in the processing space PS, The subsidiary magnetic flux is generated in the annular portion 31a of the closed circuit 31 because the magnetic flux is distributed to represent a closed loop along the flow path of the closed circuit 31. [

Here, if the main system and the subsidiary system are opposite to each other in the processing space PS, since they cancel each other out, the induced electric field generated in the processing space PS is weakened by the magnetic field, and the plasma generation efficiency is lowered.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the direction in which the induction current 34 flows is the same as the direction in which the high-frequency current 32 flows in order to orient the main system and the sub system in the same direction. As described in the above-described Patent Document 1, the induced current 34 flowing through the closed circuit 31 is expressed by the following approximate expression (1).

Where I _IND is the induction current 34, M is the mutual inductance between the ICP antenna 13 and the closed circuit 31,? Is the angular frequency, I _RF is the high frequency current 32, L _S is the closed circuit 31, C _S is the capacitance of the lead capacitor, and L _S -1 / C _S ω is the reactance of the closed circuit 31.

(Positive or negative) of I _IND (induced current 34) is equal to the sign of I _RF (high-frequency current 32) when the reactance of the closed circuit 31 is negative from the approximate expression (1) Since the direction in which the induction current 34 flows is the same as the direction in which the high frequency current 32 flows, in this embodiment, the capacitance CS of the lead capacitor is adjusted so that the reactance of the closed circuit 31 becomes negative . When the conductor capacitor is a capacitance-fixed capacitor, the capacitance is adjusted by changing the conductor capacitor.

As described above, by setting the reactance of the closed circuit 31 to be negative, the direction in which the induction current 34 flows is the same as the direction in which the high-frequency current 32 flows, so that the main system and the subsidiary system are arranged in the same direction , And the induced electric field generated in the processing space PS can be strengthened. As a result, even if the magnetic force lines 33 can pass only the gaps of the adjacent divided pieces 27 among the plurality of divided pieces 27 constituting the window member 14, the generation efficiency of the plasma decreases .

That is, according to the plasma processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified without adding an antenna such as a floating coil as in the above-described Patent Document 1, It is possible to prevent degradation.

In order to efficiently generate the induced current 34, it is preferable to reduce the absolute value of the reactance of the closed circuit 31 from the approximate expression (1), and it is preferable to increase the capacitance of the lead-wire capacitor.

4 is a graph showing the relationship between the electrostatic capacity and the induced current of the wire capacitor.

The inventors of the present invention set the pressure in the chamber 11 of the plasma processing apparatus 10 to 10 mTorr by the exhaust device 15 and set the mixed gas of the Ar gas and the O ₂ gas as the process gas at the flow rates of 300 sccm and 30 sccm The high frequency power of 13.56 MHz is supplied from the high frequency power supply 26 to the ICP antenna 13 at a power of 1,000 W to supply the high frequency power of 13.56 MHz to the ICP antenna 13 in the closed circuit 31 The capacitance of the lead wire capacitor was increased, and as shown in the graph of Fig. 4, it was confirmed that the induction current 34 was accelerated. It is also confirmed that the high frequency current 32 decreases as the induced current 34 increases.

The reduction of the high-frequency current 32 is considered to be because the proportion consumed by the generation of the induction current 34 among the supplied high-frequency powers is increased and the ratio consumed for generation of the high-frequency current 32 is reduced.

It was also confirmed that the degree of increase of the induced current 34 was larger than the degree of decrease of the high-frequency current 32. [ In other words, when the same high-frequency power is supplied to the ICP antenna 13, the high-frequency current 32 when the high-frequency current 32 is supplied only to the ICP antenna 13 without passing the induction current 34 through the closed circuit 31 The sum of the high frequency current 32 and the induction current 34 when the induction current 34 is supplied to the closed circuit 31 as well as the high frequency current 32 is supplied to the ICP antenna 13, . This is considered to be because the reactance of the closed circuit 31 is lowered to a width larger than the reactance of the ICP antenna 13 when the capacitance of the conductor capacitor is changed, and as a result, the efficiency of generating the induced current 34 is increased.

The inventors of the present invention have found that when the high frequency power of 13.56 MHz supplied from the high frequency power supply 26 to the ICP antenna 13 is maintained at 1000 W and the induction current 34 is not supplied to the closed circuit 31 And the case in which the induction current 34 of 30 A was passed through the closed circuit 31 by increasing the electrostatic capacity of the conductive condenser was compared with the result that the electron density of the plasma in the processing space PS was increased by about 40%. This is because the sum of the high-frequency current 32 and the induction current 34 is made to flow through the closed circuit 31 by switching the sum of the high-frequency current 32 and the induction current 34 when the induction current 34 is not supplied to the closed circuit 31 , And as a result, it was thought that a stronger magnetic field could be generated in the chamber 11.

That is, according to the plasma processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, even when high-frequency power of the same size is supplied to the ICP antenna 13, the closed circuit 31 is used in addition to the ICP antenna 13, The plasma generation efficiency can be improved.

Since the generation efficiency of the induction current 34 is high, in order to further improve the generation efficiency of the plasma when the same high-frequency power is supplied to the ICP antenna 13, the reactance of the closed circuit 31 is negative It is preferable to increase the capacitance of the conductive condenser and decrease the absolute value of the reactance of the closed circuit 31 to increase the induced current 34. [ In order to increase the density of the plasma in the chamber 11 when controlling the plasma density, the induced current 34 is increased by increasing the capacitance of the lead condenser and lowering the absolute value of the reactance of the closed circuit 31 When the density of the plasma in the chamber 11 is to be reduced, it is necessary to reduce the electrostatic capacity of the lead condenser and increase the reactance of the closed circuit 31 The induction current 34 is reduced to lower the generation efficiency of the plasma, thereby reducing the density of the plasma.

Since the subsidiary system is generated in the annular portion 31a of the closed circuit 31 and induces an induced electric field in the subsidiary system, the distribution of the plasma in the chamber 11 can be controlled by adjusting the position of the closed circuit 31 have. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, each conductor 29 and the conductor 30 with a capacitor are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the ICP antenna 13, and the closed circuit 31 is disposed at the center of the ICP antenna 13 It is possible to generate the plasma by the complementary system symmetrically with respect to the center of the ICP antenna 13. [ 2, the ICP antenna 13 is arranged asymmetrically with respect to the center of the ICP antenna 13 because only one conductor 30 is attached to the ICP antenna 13. However, as will be described later, The conductor 29 at the opposed positions with the center therebetween is also symmetrically disposed by replacing the conductor with the conductor, thereby making it possible to produce a plasma with better symmetry.

In addition, the main system is generated in the annular portion 13a of the ICP antenna 13, and the main system generates the induced electric field. Therefore, from the viewpoint of uniformization of the plasma processing performed on the substrate S, It is preferable that the center of the ICP antenna 13 is aligned with the center of the chamber 11 so that not only the plasma due to the ferromagnetic system but also the plasma generated by the main system are generated symmetrically with respect to the center of the chamber 11 .

The position of the closed circuit 31 may be adjusted according to the distribution of the plasma in the chamber 11. For example, in the case where the plasma density in the central portion in the chamber 11 is low, The conductor 29 or the conductor 30 with the capacitor is disposed close to the center of the ICP antenna 13 and the closed circuit 31 is formed near the center of the ICP antenna 13 (first modification). This makes it possible to intensively generate plasma by the subsidiary system at the center of the ICP antenna 13, that is, at the center of the chamber 11, and in particular, to improve the distribution of the plasma in the chamber 11. [

The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

For example, from the viewpoint of generating a large amount of plasma in the chamber 11, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, each conductor 29 and the conductor 30 with a capacitor are connected to the ICP antenna 13 And the closed circuit 31 is offset from the ICP antenna 13. [ As a result, it is possible to generate a plasma due to the ferromagnetic system at a position away from the plasma by the main system. Here, the offset refers to a positional relationship that does not overlap with respect to the direction perpendicular to the plane parallel to the closed circuit 31 or the ICP antenna 13. [

The window member 14 is not limited to the case where the window member 14 is also divided into four divided pieces 27. The window member 14 is divided into at least two divided pieces 27 to be insulated from each other, And the closed circuit 31 may be formed by the attached lead wire 30. For example, as shown in Fig. 6 or 7, the window member 14 may be divided into twelve divided pieces 27. As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the window member 14 may be divided into sixteen It may be divided into the split pieces 27. [

6, each of the closed circuits 31 may have a plurality of conductors 30 with capacitors (second modified example), for example, as shown in Fig. 7 And the divided pieces 27 may be all connected to the closed circuit 31 by the conductor 30 with a capacitor (third modified example). Thereby, the symmetry of the closed circuit 31 is increased, and thus the symmetry of the distribution of the plasma generated by the rich system in the chamber 11 can be further improved.

In addition, for example, even when the window member 14 is divided into the same 16 split pieces 27, each of the split pieces 27 may be composed of a triangular split piece shown in Fig. 8 Yes) and a rectangular divided piece shown in Fig. 9 (fifth modified example).

Further, in the window member 14, a plurality of closed circuits 31 may be formed. In particular, in the case where a plurality of ICP antennas 13 are disposed, it is preferable that each of the closed circuits 31 is disposed in close proximity to and corresponding to each of the ICP antennas 13. As a result, the induction current 34 can be efficiently generated in the corresponding closed circuit 31 by the high-frequency current 32 flowing through each ICP antenna 13. 6, the ICP antennas 13 may be concentrically arranged, or may be arranged in parallel as shown in Fig. 10 (Sixth Modification). At this time, by individually adjusting the reactances of the respective closed circuits 31, the intensities of the subsidiary systems generated along the respective closed circuits 31 are individually adjusted, whereby the density of the plasma locally in the chamber 11 As a result, the density distribution of the plasma can be finely controlled.

In the case where a plurality of closed circuits 31 are formed in the window member 14, the closed circuits 31 need not correspond to the respective ICP antennas 13, and for example, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12 Four closed circuits 31 may be arranged for one ICP antenna 13 (seventh modified example), and four closed circuits 31 for four ICP antennas 13 may be arranged (Eighth modification). 13, eight closed circuits 31 may be provided for one ICP antenna 13 (ninth modified example), and one ICP antenna 13 may be provided as shown in Fig. 14 Sixteen closed circuits 31 may be arranged with respect to each other (tenth modified example).

In addition, the present invention may be applied to a plasma processing apparatus that performs plasma processing on a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer. In this case, the window member 14 has a disk shape, but as shown in Figs. 15 and 16, And is divided into a plurality of split pieces 27, and a closed circuit 31 is provided corresponding to each ICP antenna 13. [ In this case also, each of the divided pieces 27 may be connected to the lead 29 or the lead 30 with a capacitor (Fig. 15, modification 11) in each closed circuit 31, 27) may be connected only to the conductor 30 with a capacitor (Fig. 16, twelfth modification).

17, a part of the window member 14 is divided into a plurality of split pieces 27, and each ICP antenna (not shown) A closed circuit 31 is provided in correspondence with the first embodiment 13 (the thirteenth modification).

18, the adjacent two divided pieces 27 may include not only a single lead 29 or a lead 30 with a capacitor but also a plurality of lead 29 or a lead 30 with a capacitor, (14th modification). Thereby, a plurality of closed circuits 31 can be easily formed.

19, the insulating material 28 between the adjacent two split pieces 27 is used as a dielectric, and the electrostatic capacity of the portion 28a of the insulating material 28 is adjusted, A portion 28a of the insulating material 28 and the portion 28a of the insulating material 28 may constitute a capacitor (modification 15), and as shown in Fig. 20, The capacitor 28 may be formed of a thinner portion 28b and a portion 28b of the two split pieces 27 and the insulating material 28 (Variation 16). Thereby, the closed circuit 31 can be formed without using the conductor 30 with a capacitor, and in particular, the number of parts can be reduced.

The conductive wires 29 and the conductive wires 30 with capacitors may not be disposed symmetrically with respect to the center of the ICP antenna 13. [ For example, as shown in Fig. 21, a conductor 30 with a capacitor or a part of the conductor 29 is disposed near the center of the ICP antenna 13, and the remaining conductor 29 is connected to the ICP antenna 13) (the seventeenth modification). Thus, the closed circuit 31 can be localized with respect to the center of the ICP antenna 13, that is, the chamber 11. As a result, for example, when the plasma generated by the main system is localized in the chamber 11 due to the structure or the like in the chamber 11, the plasma is generated in the closed circuit The plasma can be uniformly distributed in the chamber 11 by localizing the plasma 31.

Further, since the present invention improves plasma generation efficiency, the present invention can be applied not only to the plasma processing apparatus 10 that performs plasma processing on the substrate S in the inside, but also to a plasma generation apparatus as a plasma source of plasma used for various purposes have. For example, as shown in Fig. 22, the plasma generating apparatus 35 to which the present invention is applied includes a plasma processing apparatus 10 of Fig. 1, a stage 12, So that the plasma can be used as a remote plasma apparatus for extracting the plasma from the chamber 11 and supplying it to another location.

10: plasma processing apparatus 11: chamber
12: Mounting base 13: ICP antenna
14: Window member 26: High frequency power source
27: Split 28: Insulation material
29: lead 30: conductor with capacitor
31: closed circuit 34: induced current

Claims (16)

A plasma processing apparatus comprising: a processing chamber for accommodating a substrate; a mounting table disposed inside the processing chamber for mounting the substrate thereon; and an inductively coupled antenna disposed outside the processing chamber so as to face the mounting table and connected to a high- In this case,
Further comprising a window member formed of a conductor and constituting a wall portion of the treatment chamber facing the inductively coupled antenna and interposed between the mount table and the inductively coupled antenna,
The window member is divided into a plurality of divided pieces,
Wherein the plurality of divided pieces are not in direct contact with each other so as not to be electrically conducted to each other,
At least some of said split pieces are connected by a lead to form a closed circuit,
The closed circuit includes at least one capacitor in the lead wire connecting each of the divided pieces
And the plasma processing apparatus.
The method according to claim 1,
And the capacitance of the capacitor is adjusted so that the reactance of the closed circuit becomes negative. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the conductors are disposed symmetrically with respect to a center of the inductively coupled antenna.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
And each of the conductors has the capacitor.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the conductor is offset from the inductively coupled antenna.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the capacitor is a capacitance variable capacitor and the capacitance of the capacitor is adjusted according to at least one of a density and a density distribution of the plasma in the processing chamber. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the position of the conductor is adjusted according to the distribution of the plasma in the processing chamber.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
And a plurality of said closed circuits are formed in said window member.
A plasma generating apparatus for generating plasma in a reduced-
An induction coupling antenna disposed outside the decompression chamber and connected to a high frequency power source; and a window member made of a conductor interposed between the inductively coupled antenna and the plasma in the reduced pressure chamber,
The window member is divided into a plurality of divided pieces,
Wherein the plurality of divided pieces are not in direct contact with each other so as not to be electrically conducted to each other,
At least some of said split pieces are connected by a lead to form a closed circuit,
The closed circuit includes at least one capacitor in the lead wire connecting each of the divided pieces
And a plasma generating device for generating plasma.
10. The method of claim 9,
And the capacitance of the capacitor is adjusted so that the reactance of the closed circuit becomes negative.
11. The method according to claim 9 or 10,
And the conductors are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center of the inductively coupled antenna.
An antenna structure comprising an inductively coupled antenna connected to a high frequency power source,
And a window member made of a conductor interposed between the inductively coupled antenna and the plasma generated by the inductively coupled antenna,
The window member is divided into a plurality of divided pieces,
Wherein the plurality of divided pieces are not in direct contact with each other so as not to be electrically conducted to each other,
At least some of said split pieces are connected by a lead to form a closed circuit,
The closed circuit includes at least one capacitor in the lead wire connecting each of the divided pieces
The antenna structure comprising:
13. The method of claim 12,
And the capacitance of the capacitor is adjusted such that the reactance of the closed circuit becomes negative.
The method according to claim 12 or 13,
Wherein the conductors are disposed symmetrically with respect to a center of the inductively coupled antenna.
An inductively coupled antenna connected to the high frequency power source; and a window member made of a conductor interposed between the inductively coupled antenna and the plasma in the process chamber, wherein the window member is divided into a plurality of divided pieces, A method for generating plasma using an antenna structure,
At least some of the divided pieces are connected to at least one of the divided pieces by a conductor having a capacitor to form a closed circuit,
The capacitance of the capacitor is adjusted so that the reactance of the closed circuit becomes negative
Wherein the plasma is generated by plasma.
16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the capacitor is a capacitance variable capacitor and the capacitance of the capacitor is adjusted according to at least one of a density and a density distribution of the plasma in the processing chamber.

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