Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for plasma processing apparatus

US6034346A · kind A · utility

13Cited by
11References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 17, 1996
Grant dateMar 7, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 17, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J37/32678
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An electromagnetically coupled plasma processing apparatus is arranged so that a microwave sent through a coaxial waveguide is enlarged by a parallel disk waveguide before being radiated from an enlarged coaxial portion. The electromagnetically coupled plasma processing apparatus has a loop antenna for passing a high-frequency wave, a cavity resonator for surrounding the loop antenna, and a slit in double-layer structure in a position where the cavity resonator faces a plasma. The plasma on the surface of a wafer can be processed uniformly with various desirable effects including: (1) preventing foreign matter from being produced and abnormal discharge because of electrostatic coupling; (2) improving the ignitability and stability of a plasma; (3) lowering the antenna voltage; and (4) effecting uniform processing by providing an opposed grounding electrode.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.