Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus comprises a grounded housing, a thin RF plate electrode, an opposite electrode facing the RF plate electrode, and a RF power source for applying a radio frequency to either the RF plate electrode or the opposite electrode to produce plasma between the two electrodes. If the radio frequency applied to the electrode is f (MHz), the parasitic capacity C (pF) between the grounded portion of the housing and a conductive portion through which the radio frequency propagates is less than 1210*f−0.9. The thickness of the RF plate electrode is 1 mm to 6 mm, and it is supported by a heat sink. The heat sink has a coolant passage in the proximity to the RF plate electrode. The heat sink also has a groove or a cavity in addition to the coolant passage, thereby reducing the value of the dielectric constant of the heat sink as a whole.

Abstract: A plasma generating apparatus includes a container defining a hermetic process room. The container is connected to an exhaust for exhausting an interior of the process room and setting the interior of the process room to a vacuum, and a supply for supplying a process gas into the process room. First and second coils are wound on the outer surface of the container and disposed coaxially in order to generate in the process room an electric field for converting the process gas into a plasma. The first and second coils are connected to first and second RF power supplies for respectively applying first and second RF powers. The first and second RF powers respectively have first and second frequencies. The first and second frequencies are both 2 MHz or more, and a difference between them is set to fall in a range of from 1 kHz to 2 MHz. Hence, mutual interference of the first and second RF powers generates a synthesized wave having a periodically changing amplitude.

Abstract: In a conductive plasma process chamber, a susceptor, which serves as an electrode and on which a target substrate is placed, is arranged. During a plasma process, the process chamber is supplied with a process gas while being exhausted, so that the chamber is kept at a constant vacuum pressure. A RF power of 13.56 MHz from an RF power supply is amplified and applied to the susceptor through a directional coupler and a matching circuit. A reflection wave of the RF power reflected by the susceptor is extracted by the directional coupler and is subjected to envelope wave detection by a wave detector, to generate a wave detection signal. The wave detection signal is compared with a reference voltage in a comparator, to determine presence or absence of an occurrence of abnormal discharge. When abnormal discharge occurs, the RF power is cut off for a predetermined period of time and the abnormal discharge is damped.

Abstract: A dry-etching method comprising the steps of forming carbon film on a substrate to be etched, forming a resist pattern on said carbon thin film, selectively etching said carbon film using said resist pattern as a mask by a plasma of a gas mixture of a gas containing fluorine atoms and a gas containing oxygen atoms which are mixed at an atomic ratio of fluorine to oxygen of 198:1 to 1:2 so as to form a carbon film pattern, and selectively etching said substrate to be etched using said carbon film pattern as a mask or said resist pattern and said carbon film pattern as masks.

Abstract: A dry-etching method comprising the steps of forming carbon film on a substrate to be etched, forming a resist pattern on said carbon thin film, selectively etching said carbon film using said resist pattern as a mask by a plasma of a gas mixture of a gas containing fluorine atoms and a gas containing oxygen atoms which are mixed at an atomic ratio of fluorine to oxygen of 198:1 to 1:2 so as to form a carbon film pattern, and selectively etching said substrate to be etched using said carbon film pattern as a mask or said resist pattern and said carbon film pattern as masks.