Abstract: There is provided a plasma processing apparatus capable of stably generating plasma by suppressing oscillation of a plasma potential, and capable of preventing contamination caused by sputtering a facing electrode made of metal. A high frequency bias power is applied to an electrode within a mounting table for mounting a target object thereon. An extended protrusion 60 is formed at an inner peripheral surface of a cover member 27. The extended protrusion 60 is formed toward a plasma generation space S and serves as a facing electrode facing an electrode 7 within a mounting table 5 with the plasma generation space S therebetween. A ratio of a surface area of the facing electrode with respect to that of an electrode for bias (facing electrode surface area/bias electrode area) is in a range of from about 1 to about 5.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and a method of holding a device. The apparatus includes a wafer chuck having first and second holes that extend therethrough, and a pressure control structure that can independently and selectively vary a fluid pressure in each of the first and second holes between pressures above and below an ambient pressure. The method includes providing a wafer chuck having first and second holes that extend therethrough, and independently and selectively varying a fluid pressure in each of the first and second holes between pressures above and below an ambient pressure.

Abstract: The invention provides a plurality of plasma tuning rod subsystems. The plasma tuning rod subsystems can comprise one or more microwave cavities configured to couple electromagnetic (EM) energy in a desired EM wave mode to a plasma by generating resonant microwave energy in one or more plasma tuning rods within and/or adjacent to the plasma. One or more microwave cavity assemblies can be coupled to a process chamber, and can comprise one or more tuning spaces/cavities. Each tuning space/cavity can have one or more plasma tuning rods coupled thereto. Some of the plasma tuning rods can be configured to couple the EM energy from one or more of the resonant cavities to the process space within the process chamber and thereby create uniform plasma within the process space.

Abstract: A gas injection unit allows uniform cooling thereof via smooth flow of coolant and can be easily manufactured. The gas injection unit for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus includes, inter alia: a gas distribution housing; a cooling housing positioned between the gas distribution housing and a processing chamber where a deposition process is performed, and formed with a coolant inlet through which coolant is introduced, and a coolant outlet through which the coolant is discharged; a processing gas pipe of which one end is opened to the gas distribution housing and the other end is opened to the processing chamber, the processing gas pipe penetrating the cooling housing; and a first wall part positioned inside the cooling housing such that an inside of the cooling housing is partitioned into a central path and a peripheral path, and formed with a penetration hole such that the central path communicates with the peripheral path.

Abstract: A plasma deposition apparatus includes a waveguide conduit having a plurality of slots therein. The waveguide conduit is coupled to a microwave source for transmitting microwaves from the microwave source through the plurality of slots. One or more pipes have an outlet end positioned at each of the plurality of slots for transporting material from one or more material sources to the plurality of slots. The apparatus also includes a plasma chamber in communication with the waveguide tube through the plurality of slots. The plasma chamber receives through said plurality of slots microwaves from the waveguide tube and material to be melted or evaporated from the one or more pipes. The plasma chamber includes a plurality of magnets disposed in an outer wall of the plasma chamber for forming a magnetic field in the plasma chamber. The plasma chamber further includes one or more outlet openings for discharging plasma containing material to be deposited on a substrate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for etching a substrate using a spatially modified plasma is provided herein. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a process chamber having a plasma stabilizer disposed above a substrate support pedestal. A substrate is placed upon the pedestal. A process gas is introduced into the process chamber and a plasma is formed from the process gas. The substrate is etched with a plasma having an ion density to radical density ratio defined by the plasma stabilizer.

Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus that can easily grasp the relationship of a defect substrate between plural batches. A substrate processing apparatus 10 includes: a display unit 16; a storage unit that accumulates and stores production information of the substrate for each batch, the production information being produced when the substrate is processed; a selection receiving unit that receives the selection of plural batches stored in the storage unit; and a display control unit that controls such that substrate information is displayed on the display part, the substrate information being information relating to a state in which the substrates are held the substrate holding part in the plural batches received by the selection receiving unit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for mass production of graphene and carbon tubes is presented. A carbon-containing gas (CCG) inside a set of thin gaps formed by an array of flat plates, or small multiple bores in a cylindrical shell, is maintained under free molecular conditions at all times. A train of intermittent light pulses of a tunable high power laser beam compatible with the CCG's major absorption bands is sent through the CCG inside the gaps, or bores, to cause dissociation of the carbon atoms from the CCG molecules in said molecules' one mean free path of flight and deposition of said atoms onto the adjacent solid surfaces (plate or bore walls) during each pulse, and after a pre-determined number of pulses to form a one-atom-thick layer of hexagonal lattice of carbon atoms. Said carbon atom layers on the flat plate surfaces are graphene, those on the shell bore walls carbon tubes. Large quantity and size, and predicted high quality of products are special features of this method.

Abstract: A linear-type microwave-excited plasma source mainly comprises a reacting chamber, a rectangular waveguide and a linear biased slot in between. A linear quartz plate with an o-ring embedded in the biased slot is required so as to keep the reaction chamber in low pressure condition. Plasma will be excited in the reacting chamber by microwave powers radiating from the biased slot. A linear-type movable dielectric material can be disposed in the waveguide to control the radiation intensity of microwave, such that the length of the linear-type plasma source is able be extended without increasing input microwave powers and thus large-area low-cost plasma-processing applications can be implemented.

Abstract: A microwave plasma reactor (10) comprises a reactor chamber, a microwave resonant cavity (14) located within the reactor chamber, a waveguide (16) for conveying microwave radiation to the resonant cavity, the waveguide having a convergent tapered portion, means for forming an electromagnetic standing wave within the resonant cavity from the microwave radiation for initiating and sustaining a plasma within the resonant cavity, the resonant cavity having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, and conduit means extending from the gas outlet for containing a plasma conveyed from the resonant cavity with a gas flowing from the gas inlet to the gas outlet.

Abstract: A shower head is provided, in a processing chamber in which a substrate is processed, to face a mounting table for mounting the substrate thereon. The shower head includes: a facing surface that faces the mounting table to supply a gas to the substrate in a form of shower through a plurality of gas injection holes formed on the facing surface; an opposing surface provided opposite to the facing surface; a plurality of gas exhaust holes extending between the facing surface and the opposing surface to perform gas exhaust from the facing surface toward the opposing surface; and a plurality of electrodes provided on the opposing surface, an ion-confining voltage being applied to the electrodes.

Abstract: Provided is a plasma processing apparatus featuring highly improved plasma ignition property and ignition stability by defining a positional relationship between a dielectric and the slots. A plasma processing apparatus 11 includes a processing chamber 12 having a top opening; a dielectric 15 which has inclined surfaces 16a and 16b on a bottom surface thereof so that a thickness dimension is successively varied, and is disposed so as to close the top opening of the processing chamber 12; and an antenna 24disposed on a top surface of the dielectric 15, for supplying microwave to the dielectric 15, thereby generating plasma at the bottom surface of the dielectric 15. Further, the antenna 24 is provided with a plurality of slots 25positioned uprightly above the inclined surfaces 16a and 16b.

Abstract: To generate plasma inside a tube of a small opening diameter and perform plasma processing inside the tube. A plasma processing device 2 is formed by a chamber (4) and a microwave generation device (6). A microwave is introduced into the chamber via a quartz tube (16). A tube holder (18) is arranged inside the quartz tube (16). Two holes are formed in the side surface of the tube holder (18). A tube (20) of a small opening diameter is fixed to the end of the tube holder (18).

Abstract: A substrate support useful for a plasma processing apparatus includes a metallic heat transfer member and an overlying electrostatic chuck having a substrate support surface. The heat transfer member includes one or more passage through which a liquid is circulated to heat and/or cool the heat transfer member. The heat transfer member has a low thermal mass and can be rapidly heated and/or cooled to a desired temperature by the liquid, so as to rapidly change the substrate temperature during plasma processing.

Abstract: Provided is a thin film production apparatus that enables cost reduction and improvement of deposition efficiency by employing a common component. In a thin film production apparatus according to the present invention, a volume of a reaction space is optimized by determining the volume of the reaction space with an inner block disposed inside a vacuum tank, that is, by merely altering a size of an inner diameter of the inner block without altering a size of the vacuum tank. Accordingly, film formation on plural kinds of substrates having different sizes becomes possible using the common vacuum tank. Further, increase of the number of apparatus structural components to be prepared for each size of the substrate to be processed can be minimized, whereby the cost of the components can be reduced, and, while simplifying assembling operation, product inspection operation, and adjusting operation, excellent deposition efficiency and stable film formation can be realized.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a vacuum evacuable processing chamber; a first electrode for supporting a substrate to be processed in the processing chamber; a processing gas supply unit for supplying a processing gas into a processing space; a plasma excitation unit for generating a plasma by exciting the processing gas in the processing chamber; a first radio frequency power supply unit for supplying a first radio frequency power to the first electrode to attract ions in the plasma to the substrate; and a first radio frequency power amplitude modulation unit for modulating an amplitude of the first radio frequency power at a predetermined interval. The plasma processing apparatus further includes a first radio frequency power frequency modulation unit for modulating a frequency of the first radio frequency power in substantially synchronously with the amplitude modulation of the first radio frequency power.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes: a processing chamber produced from a metal; a susceptor configured to mount a substrate; an electromagnetic wave source that supplies an electromagnetic wave; one or more dielectric member provided at an inner wall of the processing chamber, and configured to transmit the electromagnetic wave into an inside of the processing chamber; one or more metal electrode, wherein each metal electrode is installed on a bottom surface of each dielectric member such that a part of the each dielectric member is exposed to the inside of the processing chamber; and a surface wave propagating section which is a metal surface facing the susceptor, the surface wave propagating section being installed adjacent to the dielectric member and being exposed to the inside of the processing chamber. The surface wave propagating section and a bottom surface of the metal electrode are positioned on the same plane.

Abstract: A vertical heat treatment apparatus enabling the insertion of a temperature sensor in the reaction tube without disassembling the apparatus is disclosed. The vertical heat treatment apparatus includes a reaction tube; a heating section; a wafer holding section; a supporting section movably provided in the vertical direction so as to seal the reaction tube while the wafer holding section is in the reaction tube; a temperature sensor insertion section provided in the supporting section and having a through hole for guiding a temperature sensor so that the temperature sensor can be inserted into the reaction tube; and a cap section for opening and closing the through hole of the temperature sensor insertion section while the wafer holding section is on the supporting section.

Abstract: This invention includes a first filter (27) connected between a susceptor (21) and ground and having a variable impedance, a sensor (28) for detecting an electrical signal based on the state of a plasma (P) generated in a process chamber (11), and a control means (36) for controlling the impedance of the first filter (27) on the basis of a detection result output from the sensor (28). Thus, a preferable plasma distribution to match the object of the plasma process can be realized.

Abstract: There is provided a plasma processing apparatus capable of performing a plasma process while surely supplying a gas. The plasma processing apparatus includes an outer gas supply member having gas supply openings for supplying a plasma processing gas and a jacket configured to support the outer gas supply member within a processing chamber and serving as a gas supply member supporting device. The jacket includes three supporting members installed so as to connect the outer gas supply member and a sidewall and arranged at a certain distance in a direction in which the outer gas supply member extends and mounts fixed to the sidewall so as to mount the supporting members therein. The supporting members include a first supporting member fixed to a first mount and a second supporting member movably supported in a second mount.