Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus has a process container, a carriage housed in the process container and having a surface for carrying an object to be processed, and a slot antenna disposed to oppose the carrying surface of the carriage and having a radiation plane formed with a plurality of slots so as to radiate electromagnetic fields to the inside of the process container through the plurality of slots. The slot antenna radiates the electromagnetic fields in a direction oblique to the normal direction of the radiation plane.

Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma processing apparatus, comprising a processing chamber in which an object to be processed is arranged, a processing gas introducing pipe for introducing a processing gas into the processing chamber, an antenna arranged in that region on the outer surface of the processing chamber which is positioned to correspond to the object to be processed, an insulator being interposed between the antenna and the processing chamber, and a high frequency power being supplied to the antenna so as to form an induction electric field near the object to be processed, and a paramagnetic member arranged to overlap at least partially with the antenna.

Abstract: In the plasma processor, the microwaves generated from a microwave generator (86) are led to a plane antenna (62), which in turn introduces exponentially attenuating microwaves into a container (22) that processes an object (W) in plasma. Microwave absorption device (96) provided in the circumference of the plane antenna (62) absorbs microwaves propagating from the center of the plane antenna (62) and suppresses the reflection. As a result, the microwaves reflected in the circumference of the plane antenna (62) and returned to the center are decreased to some degree, and the electromagnetic field distribution of the microwave becomes uniform.

Abstract: In a plasma treatment system, the increase of the electric field of a treatment space facing the central portion of a flat antenna member is relieved, and the ununiformity of the density of plasma in a plasma forming region is relieved. Microwave generated by a microwave generator 50 are supplied from a waveguide 52 to a flat antenna member 44. The flat antenna member 44 has a plurality of slots 60. The space between adjacent two of the slots 60 is longer than the guide wavelength of microwaves in the waveguide 52, and the length of each of the slots 60 is shorter than half of the guide wavelength. The slots 60 are arranged in a region other than the central portion of the flat antenna member 44 so as not to be axisymmetric.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus has a vacuum vessel, a high-frequency power generator that generates a high-frequency wave, a waveguide for propagating the high-frequency wave generated by the high-frequency power generator into the vacuum vessel to produce a plasma by ionizing a processing gas supplied into the vacuum vessel and to process a semiconductor wafer supported on a support table in the vacuum vessel. A reflection coefficient measuring unit 5 is combined with a waveguide 35 to take data on a ratio &Ggr;0 of advancing wave from the high-frequency power generator 4 and reflected wave from the plasma and phase &thgr; of reflection coefficient. Factors dominating the electron density of the plasma including the output power of the microwave power generator are controlled on the basis of the measured data, whereby the electron density is controlled and stable processing is ensured.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing container 53 whose interior has a mount table 10, a glass plate 8 for covering an upper opening of the processing container 53, a microwave supplier 50, a coaxial waveguide 52 having its end connected with the microwave supplier 50 to have an inner conductor 52B and an outer conductor 52A, a radial waveguide box 54 connected to the other end of the outer conductor 52A of the coaxial waveguide 52 and formed to expand from the other end of the outer conductor 52A outward in the radial direction and subsequently extend downward, a disc-shaped antenna member 60 for covering a lower opening of the radial waveguide box 54, the antenna member 60 having its central part connected with the other end of the inner conductor 52B, and a metallic reflector 64 arranged on the opposite side of the antenna member's part connected with the inner conductor 52B, for reflecting an electric field reflected by an inner wall of the processing container 4.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing container 53, a mounting table 61 for supporting a semiconductor wafer W arranged in the processing container 53, an endless-and-annular antenna 73 attached to a sealing plate 55 opposing the wafer W to introduce a microwave into the container 53 through the plate 55, a propagation waveguide 81 connected to the annular antenna 73 to supply the microwave to the antenna 73, and a microwave supplier 83 connected to the propagation waveguide 81 to supply the microwave to the waveguide 81. In arrangement, the annular antenna 73 is arranged so that its part along the sealing plate 55 accords with an antinode of a standing wave of the microwave, producing an uniform plasma in the processing container 53.

Abstract: A plasma processing system includes a processing vessel for housing therein an object to be processed. In the upper portion of the processing vessel, a substantially disk-shaped electrode plate having a facing surface facing the object is provided. A radio-frequency wave supply unit supplies radio-frequency waves having a flattened waveform which forms substantially a sinusoidal wave whose crest and trough portions are substantially horizontally flattened. The radio-frequency waves supplied from the supply unit are propagated in diametrically opposite directions on the facing surface of the electrode to form standing waves. Similar to the supplied radio-frequency waves, the standing waves also have a waveform which forms substantially a sinusoidal wave whose crest and trough portions are substantially horizontally flattened.

Abstract: On the top wall of a processing vessel 1 of a plasma processing system, a transmission window 10 capable of transmitting microwaves is provided. On the top of the transmission window 10, a microwave antenna 2 is mounted. Microwaves are supplied from a microwave supply source 3 to the antenna 2 through a connecting waveguide 4. The antenna 2 has two ring-shaped antenna waveguides 5a and 5b which are substantially concentrically arranged. Each of the antenna waveguides 5a and 5b comprises a rectangular waveguide having a bottom wall in which a plurality of slots 6a and 6b are formed at intervals, and the proximal end portion of each of the antenna waveguides 5a and 5b is connected to the connecting waveguide 4. The proximal end portions 7a and 7b of the antenna waveguides 5a and 5b are provided with control gates 9a and 9b for varying the size of apertures, respectively.

Abstract: A method for achieving a highly uniform plasma density on a substrate by shaping an induced electric field including the steps of positioning the substrate in a processing chamber. supplying a high frequency power to a spiral antenna generating an induced electric field in the processing chamber, generating a plasma in the processing chamber, and shaping the electric field with respect to the substrate to achieve a uniform distribution of plasma on the substrate being processed.

Abstract: In a plasma processing system, microwaves generated by a microwave generator (86) are guided to a plane antenna (62) to introduce the microwaves, which are attenuated exponentially, into a processing vessel (22) in which an object to be processed (W) is subjected to a plasma process. A microwave absorbing means (96) is disposed in a peripheral portion of the plane antenna (62) to absorb the microwaves propagating from a central portion of the plane antenna and to control the amount of reflected microwave. Thus the amount of the microwaves reflected toward the central portion of the plane antenna (62) by a peripheral portion of the plane antenna (62) is reduced to some extent so that electromagnetic field intensity is distributed uniformly.

Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma processing apparatus, comprising a processing chamber in which an object to be processed is arranged, a processing gas introducing pipe for introducing a processing gas into the processing chamber, an antenna arranged in that region on the outer surface of the processing chamber which is positioned to correspond to the object to be processed, an insulator being interposed between the antenna and the processing chamber, and a high frequency power being supplied to the antenna so as to form an induction electric field near the object to be processed, and a paramagnetic member arranged to overlap at least partially with the antenna.

Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma processing apparatus, comprising a processing chamber in which an object to be processed is arranged, a processing gas introducing pipe for introducing a processing gas into the processing chamber, an antenna arranged in that region on the outer surface of the processing chamber which is positioned to correspond to the object to be processed, an insulator being interposed between the antenna and the processing chamber, and a high frequency power being supplied to the antenna so as to form an induction electric field near the object to be processed, and a paramagnetic member arranged to overlap at least partially with the antenna.

Abstract: An electron density at an ECR point, which is spaced from a substrate to be treated and which faces the substrate, is set to be higher than or equal to 0.46 nc (nc: an upper limit side cut-off density of an X wave) and lower than nc. Thus, a high chevron distribution of electron density is formed in end portions of a magnetic field forming region, and a distribution of electron density having a lower peak value than those in the end portions is formed in a central portion of the magnetic field forming region. In this case, the periphery of a magnetic field crosses the inner wall of a vacuum chamber once between the ECR point and the substrate, and a space of one fourth or more of the wavelength of the X wave is formed between the periphery of the magnetic field and the inner wall of the vacuum chamber as the magnetic field runs downstream. Thus, it is possible to achieve an inplane uniform treatment when carrying out a treatment, such as a thin film deposition or etching, with ECR plasmas for a wafer.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes an air-tight chamber consisting of a conductive material, which is grounded, a susceptor provided in the air-tight chamber, for supporting a wafer to be processed, and an RF antenna constituted by a flat coil which is provided in the air-tight chamber to oppose, at a predetermined gap, the wafer which is mounted on the susceptor. A process gas is supplied into the chamber, and an RF power is applied to the RF antenna to generate a plasma between the antenna and the wafer, thereby processing the wafer with the plasma.

Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma processing apparatus, comprising a processing chamber in which an object to be processed is arranged, a processing gas introducing pipe for introducing a processing gas into the processing chamber, an antenna arranged in that region on the outer surface of the processing chamber which is positioned to correspond to the object to be processed, an insulator being interposed between the antenna and the processing chamber, and a high frequency power being supplied to the antenna so as to form an induction electric field near the object to be processed, and a paramagnetic member arranged to overlap at least partially with the antenna.

Abstract: An ECR type plasma processing apparatus including an airtight processing chamber and a work table for supporting a semiconductor wafer thereon disposed in the processing chamber. The interior of the processing chamber is exhausted to a vacuum by an exhaust system and an active gas such as CF.sub.4 gas and an inert gas such as Ar gas are supplied into the processing chamber through nozzles. Further, a magnet is disposed around the processing chamber to generate a magnetic field perpendicular to the upper surface of the wafer and a microwave transmitting window is disposed in the ceiling of the processing chamber. Also, a microwave generated by a microwave generator is introduced into the transmitting window through a rectangular waveguide, a mode converter, and a tapered waveguide. The microwave is transmitted through the rectangular waveguide in the TE.sub.10 mode, is converted into a hybrid wave of two mode waves, i.e., a TM.sub.01 -mode wave and a TE.sub.

Abstract: A susceptor structure of the present invention comprising a susceptor main body having a mount surface mounting a processing object thereon, an upper side layer formed by sintering a first inorganic nonmetallic material having thermal conductivity, a lower side layer formed by sintering a second inorganic nonmetallic material having thermal conductivity lower than the first inorganic nonmetallic material, and an intermediate layer formed between the upper and lower side layers to be sintered to be combined with these layers such that the first and second inorganic nonmetallic materials are sintered in a mixing state of the first and second inorganic nonmetallic materials as its component ratio is transited, a cooling section for supporting the susceptor main body from the lower side to cool the susceptor main body, an electrostatic chuck, buried in the susception main body, for absorbing the processing object on the mount surface by Coulomb force, and heater, buried in the susception main body, for heating th

Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma processing apparatus, comprising a processing chamber in which an object to be processed is arranged, a processing gas introducing pipe for introducing a processing gas into the processing chamber, an antenna arranged in that region on the outer surface of the processing chamber which is positioned to correspond to the object to be processed, an insulator being interposed between the antenna and the processing chamber, and a high frequency power being supplied to the antenna so as to form an induction electric field near the object to be processed, and a paramagnetic member arranged to overlap at least partially with the antenna.

Abstract: A plasma processing method of performing plasma processing such as plasma film formation processing on a target object arranged in a processing vessel is disclosed. This method includes the first step of introducing an inert gas into the processing vessel, the second step of generating a plasma of the inert gas in the processing vessel, the third step of introducing a processing gas for processing the target object into the processing vessel, and the fourth step of generating a plasma of the processing gas in the processing vessel to process the target object.