Abstract: A plasma processing method and apparatus are provided for processing the surface of a semiconductor device or the like through the effect of plasma. A pulsed plasma discharge is performed by switching on and off the high frequency electric power for generating the plasma with a specified off period of the plasma generation, to control an inflow amount of positive and negative charges to sparse and dense portions of device patterns and suppress an electric potential on a gate oxide film. Thereby, a highly accurate etching process with no charging damage can be carried out.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus comprising a processing chamber 102 to which is connected an exhaust pump 124 for decompressing the chamber, a gas feeding apparatus 107 for feeding gas into the processing chamber 102, an object 116 to be processed, a wafer electrode 115 for mounting the object 116, an antenna electrode 103 for generating plasma and opposed to the plate electrode 115, a plasma generating high frequency power supply 111 connected to the antenna electrode 103, a first high frequency power supply 119 connected to the wafer electrode 115, and a second high frequency power supply 114 connected to the antenna electrode 103, further comprising a phase control means 122 for controlling the phase difference of high frequencies applied from the first high frequency power supply 119 and the second high frequency power supply 114 and having the same frequency, according to which the phase of the high frequencies from the first and second power supplies are varied by 180°.

Abstract: A plasma processing method for providing plasma processing to an object to be processed disposed within a vacuum processing chamber in which a process gas feeding device feeds process gas into the vacuum processing chamber, a wafer electrode is placed within the vacuum processing chamber for mounting the object to be processed, a wafer bias power generator applies self-bias voltage to the wafer electrode, and a plasma generator generates plasma within the vacuum processing chamber. The plasma processing method flattens either a positive side voltage or a negative side voltage of a voltage waveform of a high frequency voltage generated to the object at an arbitrary voltage.

Abstract: The plasma processing apparatus for providing plasma processing to an object 114 placed inside a processing chamber 104 comprises a vacuum chamber 104, a process gas feeder 105 feeding gas into chamber 104, a wafer electrode 115 disposed within chamber 114 for mounting the object 114, a wafer bias power generator 117 supplying bias voltage to electrode 115, and a plasma generating means 112 for generating plasma within chamber 104, wherein said wafer bias power generator includes a clip circuit for clipping either the positive-side voltage or negative-side voltage to a predetermined voltage.

Abstract: A plasma processing method and apparatus are provided for processing the surface of a semiconductor device or the like through the effect of plasma. A pulsed plasma discharge is performed by switching on and off the high frequency electric power for generating the plasma with a specified off period of the plasma generation, to control an inflow amount of positive and negative charges to sparse and dense portions of device patterns and suppress an electric potential on a gate oxide film. Thereby, a highly accurate etching process with no charging damage can be carried out.

Abstract: A plasma processing method and apparatus are proposed that are suited to process the surface of a sample such as a semiconductor device using plasma. The bias voltages to the plasma generation and sample are respectively independently controlled, the RF voltage waveform as the bias voltage to a substrate electrode on which the sample is placed is flattened at an arbitrary voltage level, thereby controlling the energy distribution of ions incident to the sample to be a desired distribution. Therefore, plasma processing can be carried out with high precision.

Abstract: Processing technique using plasma to process the surface of a sample such as semiconductor device. The phases of RF bias voltages applied to a substrate electrode and an antenna electrode opposed thereto are controlled to be opposite to each other so that either one of the electrodes is forced to always function as ground. Therefore, the current flowing to cross the magnetic field for controlling the plasma is decreased, and the potential distribution difference in the surface of the sample to be processed is reduced, so that the charging damage can be suppressed. Energy of ions incident to the sample to be processed can be controlled to perform high-precision etching. The plasma potential can also be controlled so that the strength of the ion impact to the inner wall of the chamber can be reduced, thereby reducing particles detached from the inner wall of the processing apparatus to improve the throughput.

Abstract: A coaxial passage for supplying microwaves is vertically provided over a dielectric window forming part of a processing chamber, and a conductor plate for transmitting the microwaves is arranged over the dielectric window which is positioned on the outer circumference of the coaxial passage. A microwave transmission passage can be formed between the surface of a plasma so produced as to have a critical electron density n.sub.c, and the conductor plate thereby to transmit microwaves without any reflection along the dielectric window uniformly from the center to the outer circumference.