Abstract: An Electron-Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) Plasma Reactor with Multiple Exciters is disclosed. The exciters relate to a mechanism that converts the radiation energy to the electron's kinetic energy. With using a suitable antenna distributes the RF energy to distinguished exciter individually, each exciter has its own magnetic coil to build high magnetic field to resonance the electron of the operation gas, ionize the gas and generate high speed electrons. All of the high-speeded electrons can be guided by magnetic flux and accumulated to the remained part of the reaction chamber. There is an auxiliary magnet to cause energized electron moving in a helix path. The helix path makes more chance of the collision between the electron and the process gas. When collision occurs, the electron's kinetic energy activates the process gas and high-density plasma or radicals generated. The auxiliary magnetic field is also used for controlling the uniformity of plasma near the wafer pedestal area.

Abstract: A plasma confinement arrangement for controlling the volume of a plasma while processing a substrate inside a process chamber includes a chamber within which a plasma is both ignited and sustained for processing. The chamber is defined at least in part by a wall and further includes a plasma confinement arrangement. The plasma confinement arrangement includes a magnetic array disposed inside of the chamber. The magnetic array has a plurality of magnetic elements that are disposed around a plasma region within the process chamber.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing container whose interior has a mount table, a glass plate for covering an upper opening of the processing container, a microwave supplier, a coaxial waveguide having its end connected with the microwave supplier to have an inner conductor and an outer conductor, a radial waveguide box connected to the other end of the outer conductor of the coaxial waveguide to expand from the other end of the outer conductor outward in the radial direction and extend downward, a disc-shaped antenna member for covering a lower opening of the radial waveguide box having its central part connected with the other end of the inner conductor, and a metallic reflector on the opposite side of the antenna member's part connected with the inner conductor.

Abstract: This surface processing apparatus has a reactor in which plasma is generated and a substrate whose surface is to be processed by the plasma is arranged, and a magnet plate for creating a point-cusp magnetic field distributed in an inner space of the reactor, in which the plasma is generated. The magnet plate has a plurality of magnets. These magnets are arranged by a honeycomb lattice structure in a circular plane facing in parallel a surface of the substrate. One magnetic pole end face of each of magnets is arranged at a position of each of the lattice points forming hexagonal shapes on the circular plane. The polarities of the magnetic pole end faces of two adjoining magnets are arranged to become opposite alternately. The magnet plate may be provided with a plurality of magnets arranged by a lattice structure forming a square and the magnetic force (coercive force) of some of the magnets arranged at the outermost region is reduced.

Abstract: A technique of dry etching the surface of a wafer by using a dry etching apparatus in which the distance between a wafer and a surface facing the wafer is set to the half or less of the diameter of the wafer is disclosed. Even in the case of using, especially, a wafer having a large diameter, the incident amount of etching reaction by-products in the peripheral portion of the wafer and that in the center portion of the wafer are uniformed. Thus, a uniform etching process over the whole surface of the wafer can be realized.

Abstract: In the plasma processing apparatus for generating plasma in a processing chamber and processing a wafer by mutual action of electromagnetic waves radiated from a UHF band antenna installed in the processing chamber and a magnetic field formed by a magnetic field generator installed around the processing chamber, a hollow tube having one end in communication with an opening in the side wall of the processing chamber and another end, outside the processing chamber, which has a measuring window of plasma optical emission. By setting the lines of force of the magnetic field formed by the magnetic field generator so as to form an angle relative to the hollow tube, entry of plasma into the hollow tube can be prevented, and adhesion of deposits onto the measuring window can be suppressed, whereby the transmission factor of the measuring window can be kept constant over a long period of use.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for plasma treatment of tubing surfaces. In one aspect, the invention provides a method for treating a tubing surface which calls for generating a gaseous plasma within a spatially localized region of space by electron cyclotron resonance (ECR), and exposing the surface to this plasma for a selected time period to treat the surface. Subsequent to the plasma treatment, the treated surface can be optionally coated with a selected compound, such as a bioactive material, e.g., anti-biotic or anti-coagulants.

Abstract: A discharge plasma processing device comprising a chamber with an evacuation system, a magnetic field generation system and an electric field application system with which the feature of operation is first to form a magnetic neutral line in the vacuum chamber and second to produce a plasma along the magnetic neutral line by controlling the shape of the line, its position related to an object to be processed and the plasma parameters is presented as useful device for many kinds of plasma processing like as sputtering, etching and plasma enhanced CVD as freely programmed, for instance extremely in uniform on the surface of the object.

Abstract: A plasma etching system using a ground electrode made of silicon carbide and a cover made of a dielectric material not containing aluminum, where the cover is laid over the substrate electrode, thereby preventing aluminum from being produced out of these parts and reducing device damage. Namely, a plasma etching system has a substrate electrode mounted in a vacuum process chamber, a ground electrode and a plasma generating source, and uses plasma to provide etching of substrates mounted on said substrate electrode. The plasma etching system is characterized in that the ground electrode is made of carbon or silicon carbide, and the dielectric material containing a Si compound covers the surface portion of the substrate electrode facing inside the substrate installation portion of the vacuum process chamber, except for the substrate installation portion.

Abstract: The present invention aims to decrease reflected waves in a vacuum chamber to suppress standing waves, thereby easily controlling a plasma density so that uniform treatment can be performed. An electromagnetic wave absorber 6 composed of a resistor such as carbon, a dielectric having a large dielectric loss, such as water, or a magnetic material such as ferrite-based ceramic, or a combination of these, is provided on an inner wall surface of a first vacuum chamber 21. Microwaves introduced from a waveguide 25 into the first vacuum chamber 21 via a transmissive window 23 are absorbed to the electromagnetic wave absorber 6 to suppress reflected waves, whereby a plasma density distribution with a nearly planned pattern is easily formed at an ECR point.