MICROWAVE PLASMA SOURCE, MICROWAVE PLASMA PROCESSING DEVICE, AND PLASMA PROCESSING METHOD

• Main Author: IWAO TOSHIHIKO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 09.08.2018
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; PLASMA TECHNIQUE; PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OFNEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMICBEAMS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for controlling plasma density distribution with high accuracy when generating microwave plasma with a slot antenna.SOLUTION: A microwave plasma source 20 comprises: a microwave oscillator 40 which oscillates microwaves and is arranged to be able to change the oscillating frequency of the microwaves; an antenna part 30 having a waveguide 39, 38, 37 for propagating microwaves oscillated by the microwave oscillator 40, a slot antenna 31 for radiating microwaves having propagated through the waveguide into a chamber 1, and a microwave-permeable plate 28 made of a dielectric which allows microwaves radiated from the slot antenna to transmit therethrough; temperature detectors 51, 52 for detecting temperatures at a plurality of points of the antenna part 30 outside the chamber when plasma is generated in the chamber 1; and a frequency controller 50 for controlling the oscillating frequency of the microwave oscillator 40 based on detection signals of the temperature detectors so that a plasma density distribution makes a desired distribution.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】スロットアンテナを用いてマイクロ波プラズマを生成する場合に、高精度のプラズマ密度分布制御を行うことができる技術を提供する。【解決手段】マイクロ波プラズマ源２０は、マイクロ波を発振するとともに、マイクロ波の発振周波数が可変のマイクロ波発振器４０と、マイクロ波発振器４０で発振されたマイクロ波を伝播する導波路３９，３８，３７と、導波路を伝播したマイクロ波をチャンバー１内に放射するスロットアンテナ３１、およびスロットアンテナから放射されたマイクロ波を透過する誘電体からなるマイクロ波透過板２８を有するアンテナ部３０と、チャンバー１内にプラズマが生成されているときに、アンテナ部３０のチャンバー外における複数の位置の温度を検出する温度検出器５１，５２と、温度検出器の検出信号に基づいて、プラズマ密度分布が所望の分布になるように、マイクロ波発振器４０の発振周波数を制御する周波数制御器５０とを有する。【選択図】図１