Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus, comprising: a reaction chamber; a plurality of discharge portions each made up of a pair of a first electrode and a second electrode disposed inside the reaction chamber so as to oppose to each other and to cause a plasma discharge under an atmosphere of a reactant gas; and a dummy electrode, wherein a plurality of the first electrodes are connected to a power supply portion, a plurality of the second electrodes are grounded, and the dummy electrode is disposed so as to oppose to an outer surface side of an external first electrode in terms of a parallel direction out of the plurality of the first electrodes which are disposed in the parallel direction, and is grounded.

Abstract: A vacuum chamber has an opening. A door is to close the opening. A first rail extends in a first direction with a space between the first rail and the opening when viewed in a planar view. Further, the first rail supports the door to be movable in the first direction. Further, the first rail has a portion facing the opening in a second direction crossing the first direction when viewed in a planar view. Furthermore, the first rail has a first movable portion movable in the second direction.

Abstract: The invention relates to a generation facility management system using natural energy, and an object of the invention is to promote introduction of a generation facility by giving a consideration for generated and consumed power.

Abstract: In a vacuum treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, a control means performs, when treatment in a vacuum vessel using a flammable gas (step S2) ends, a step of closing a first valve and performing evacuation (step S3), a step of closing a second valve (step S4) after the evacuation, and a step of opening a fifth valve to supply an inert gas in a third vessel to a first supply line (step S5), and, when treatment in the vacuum vessel using a combustion-supporting gas (step S8) ends, a step of closing a third valve and performing evacuation (step S9), a step of closing a fourth valve (step S10) after the evacuation, and a step of opening a sixth valve to supply an inert gas in a fourth vessel to a second supply line (step S11).

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus, comprising: a reaction chamber; a gas inlet portion that introduces a reactant gas into the reaction chamber; an exhaust portion that exhausts the reactant gas from said reaction chamber; at least three discharge portions respectively made up of first electrode and second electrode pairs, a first electrode and a second electrode constituting each one of the first electrode and second electrode pairs being disposed to oppose to each other inside said reaction chamber, so as to cause a plasma discharge in the reactant gas; a support portion that supports and parallels the first electrode and second electrode pairs in one of a horizontal manner and a vertical manner; and a power supply portion that supplies power to all of said discharge portions, wherein said power supply portion includes a high frequency generator and an amplifier that amplifies high frequency power from the high frequency generator to be supplied to the first electrodes, and a first electrode of one discharge

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus including a sealable chamber that is sealable, a gas supply section that supplies a reactive material gas into the chamber, and a plurality of cathode and anode electrode pairs provided within the chamber, connected to an external power supply, and producing plasma discharges through the material gas, respectively, wherein the plurality of cathode and anode electrode pairs are provided at a distance from one another at which the plasma discharges are prevented from interfering with one another.

Abstract: A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising: a plurality of vacuum chambers corresponding to a plurality of processing sections necessary for manufacturing a semiconductor device; an exhaust device connected to each vacuum chamber; a plate shaped guide plate arranged at the bottom of each vacuum chamber and having a plurality of gas emission holes; and a gas supply source for supplying gas to the gas emission holes, wherein the plurality of vacuum chambers are adjacent to each other by way of a shutter, one of the two adjacent vacuum chambers includes a tray mounted on the guide plate for mounting a substrate to be performed with a predetermined process, a conveying function section having a conveying arm for moving the tray from one vacuum chamber to the other vacuum chamber along the guide plate, and a controlling function section, the controlling function section performing the control so as to open the shutter to communicate the two adjacent vacuum chambers, emit gas from the gas emission holes of

Abstract: To provide a plasma processing apparatus having relatively a reduced manufacturing cost, and excellent in a heating efficiency and a cooling efficiency. An anode electrode 7 has provided therein tubular heating sections 31, . . . 31 for heating an object (including a tray 5 and a substrate 6) to be plasma-processed. The tubular heating sections 31, . . . 31 include seven tubular heaters (here, a sheath heater) 31, . . . 31 that are U-shaped in plan configuration, and are arranged to be adjacent to each other in parallel. Tubular cooling sections 32, . . . 32 for cooling the anode electrode 7 are also provided in the anode electrode 7. The cooling sections 32, . . . 32 include seven cooling pipes (here, a cooling nitrogen gas-passing pipe) 32, . . . 32 that are U-shaped in plan configuration, are arranged to be adjacent to each other in parallel along the outer side of the corresponding tubular heater 31, . . .

Abstract: The invention provides a plasma processing apparatus that can uniformly supply a gas between a cathode electrode and an anode electrode, even when areas of both electrodes are increased, and that can reduce thicknesses of both electrodes. Two sets of an anode electrode 4 and a cathode electrode 12 are arranged in a chamber 15 of a plasma processing apparatus 100 so as to be opposite to each other. The cathode electrode 12 has a shower plate 2, a back plate 3, and a hollow room 17. The shower plate 2 is provided with first gas-ejection holes 18 for ejecting a gas, which is introduced into the hollow room 17, to a portion between both electrodes 4 and 12. A gas introducing port 31 for introducing a gas from an outside is provided at an electrode end face at a lower face inner-wall 19 of the hollow room 17 opposite to the shower plate 2) of the back plate 3.

Abstract: In a chamber of a plasma processing apparatus, a cathode electrode and an anode electrode are disposed at a distance from each other. The cathode electrode is supplied with electric power from an electric power supply portion. The anode electrode is electrically grounded and a substrate is placed thereon. The anode electrode contains a heater. In an upper wall portion of the chamber, an exhaust port is provided and connected to a vacuum pump through an exhaust pipe. In a lower wall portion of a wall surface of the chamber, a gas introduction port is provided. A gas supply portion is provided outside the chamber.

Abstract: While a workpiece is vacuum-processed in a first processing chamber, a workpiece to be processed next is heated at a loading unit of a second processing chamber. The vacuum-processed workpiece is unloaded to an unloading unit of the second processing chamber. The loading unit and the unloading unit move in the arrangement direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the workpiece by a transport mechanism. The workpiece supported by the loading unit is loaded into the first processing chamber. While the workpiece is vacuum-processed, a new workpiece is supported by the loading unit. The workpiece supported by the unloading unit is removed from the second processing chamber, and the new workpiece is preheated.

Abstract: A present method of manufacturing a silicon-based thin-film photoelectric conversion device is characterized in that a double pin structure stack body is formed by successively forming, in an identical plasma CVD film deposition chamber, a first p-type semiconductor layer, an i-type amorphous silicon-based photoelectric conversion layer, a first n-type semiconductor layer, a second p-type semiconductor layer, an i-type microcrystalline silicon-based photoelectric conversion layer, and a second n-type semiconductor layer on a transparent conductive film formed on a substrate, and the first p-type semiconductor layer, the i-type amorphous silicon-based photoelectric conversion layer and the first n-type semiconductor layer are formed under such conditions that a film deposition pressure in the plasma CVD film deposition chamber is not lower than 200 Pa and not higher than 3000 Pa and power density per unit electrode area is not lower than 0.01 W/cm2 and not higher than 0.3 W/cm2.

Abstract: A semiconductor device manufacturing unit is provided, wherein a cathode and an anode can be placed in a simple structure; wherein excellent film deposition and film thickness distribution can be gained; and wherein no cooling devices are required to be provided. A chamber 11 is formed so that the inside thereof can be controlled at a vacuum of an arbitrary degree. Anode supports 6 for supporting an anode 4 are placed at the bottom of the internal structure 8. The anode 4 is made of a material having a high electrical conductivity and a high heat resistance. The temperature of the anode 4 is controlled by a heater 24 so as to be in a range of from room temperature to 600° C. A cathode 2 is placed on a cathode support 5 so as to face the anode 4. The cathode support 5 is attached to an internal structure 8 made of a frame in a rectangular prism form provided within the chamber 11.

Abstract: A substrate transfer apparatus comprising: a plurality of floating-transfer guide plates adjacent to each other with a space therebetween, each of the guide plates having a substrate-placing surface on which a substrate is to be placed, and a plurality of floating-gas ejecting holes for floating the substrate with use of a gas; a gas supplying source for supplying the floating gas to the respective guide plates; and an arm for transferring the floated substrate from the guide plate, from which the substrate is to be transferred, to the adjacent guide plate to which the substrate is to be transferred, wherein the substrate-placing surface of the guide plate to which the substrate is to be transferred is situated lower than the substrate-placing surface of the guide plate from which the substrate is to be transferred.

Abstract: A substrate transfer apparatus comprising: a plurality of floating-transfer guide plates adjacent to each other, each of guide plates having a plurality of floating gas ejecting holes; a gas supplying source; a tray to mount a substrate to be transferred, and that is floated by the floating gas; and a transfer arm for transferring the floated tray from the guide plate to the adjacent other guide plate, wherein the tray includes both side edges, and a contact/engagement portion formed at the respective both side edges for the transfer arm, each of the transfer arms including a base portion that can horizontally reciprocate along a rail provided so as to be parallel to the transfer direction, a guide portion provided to the base portion, that can horizontally reciprocate in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction, and an arm portion provided to the guide portion, that can horizontally reciprocate in the direction parallel to the transfer direction.

Abstract: Provided are a semiconductor layer manufacturing method and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus capable of forming a high quality semiconductor layer even by a single chamber system, with a shortened process time required for reducing a concentration of impurities that exist in a reaction chamber before forming the semiconductor layer. A semiconductor device manufactured using such a method and apparatus is also provided.

Abstract: A substrate transfer apparatus comprising: a plurality of floating-transfer guide plates adjacent to each other with a space, each of guide plate having a plurality of floating gas ejecting holes; a gas supplying source for supplying a floating gas to the guide plates; a tray that is placed on one of the guide plates in order to mount a substrate to be transferred, and that is floated by the floating gas; and a transfer arm for transferring the floated tray to the adjacent other guide plate from the guide plate, wherein the tray includes a main body portion having both side edges parallel to a transfer direction of the tray, and an outward projecting portion that is formed so as to partially project outwardly from at least one of both side edges of the main body portion, and wherein the transfer arm is in contact and engaged with the outward projecting portion when the tray is transferred by the transfer arm.

Abstract: There is provided a plasma processing device capable of forming a film in a favorable manner irrespective of deflection generated in an anode electrode and a cathode electrode in the case where an area of the electrodes is increased. A plasma processing device 100 includes a chamber 15, a gas introducing portion 28, an exhaust unit 29, and a high-frequency power supply unit 30. In the chamber 15, there are provided an anode electrode (first electrode) 4 having a flat-plate shape, a cathode electrode (second electrode) 12 having a flat-plate shape, and first supporting members 6 and second supporting members 5 for slidably supporting the two electrodes 4 and 12 in parallel with each other. The cathode electrode 12 is provided so as to face the anode electrode 4. The anode electrode 4 and the cathode electrode 12 are not fixed with screws or the like but are merely placed on the first supporting members 6 and the second supporting members 5.

Abstract: A plasma CVD apparatus comprises an anode electrode and a cathode electrode, and is for forming a thin film on a substrate by performing plasma discharge between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, comprising: a substrate holder disposed between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode; and one conductive member disposed between the substrate holder and one electrode of either the anode electrode or the cathode electrode, wherein the substrate holder supports the substrate, the one conductive member is provided between the one electrode and the substrate holder so as to substantially cover an entire space between the one electrode and the substrate holder, and the one conductive member is electrically connected to the one electrode and the substrate holder.

Abstract: A diluent gas that is more likely to be decomposed than an etching gas is used to generate a plasma. The etching gas is thereafter introduced into a plasma processing reaction chamber and the flow rate is adjusted so that the flow rate of the etching gas is increased while simultaneously the flow rate of the diluent gas is decreased by an amount substantially equal to the increase of the flow rate of the etching gas. Thus, a variation of the pressure in the plasma processing reaction chamber is reduced. Further, the gas flow rate is set to a predetermined value to satisfy desired conditions while keeping the generated plasma.