Abstract: An electron beam excited plasma system in which an electron beam is extracted from a discharge plasma and accelerated, the accelerated electrons are applied to a etching gas to convert the etching gas into plasma, and the resulting gas plasma is caused to act on a wafer.

Abstract: A plasma etching apparatus provided with a processing chamber adjustable to be highly decompressed. A pair of parallel electrodes are arranged in the processing chamber and semiconductor wafers are placed on the electrodes. High frequency voltage is applied between the paired parallel electrodes to generate electric field of high frequency, perpendicular to the process face of the wafer, in the processing chamber. Etching gas is introduced into the processing chamber and made plasma in it. An electron supply chamber provided with an electron generating filament therein is connected to the processing chamber. Electrons generated in the electron supply chamber are induced into the processing chamber by induction magnetic field and help the etching gas be made plasma.