Plasma source and plasma processing apparatus

Abstract

To miniaturize a plasma source.SOLUTION: The present invention provides a plasma source having: a housing for defining a plasma generation chamber; a gas introduction port that is provided to the housing, and is for introducing a gas; a power supply part that is provided to the housing, and supplies a high-frequency power; a supply port that is provided to the housing, and is for supplying an active species of the plasma generated from the gas in the plasma generation chamber; a dielectric plate that is provided to the housing, transmits a high-frequency from the power supply part to the plasma generation chamber, and includes an open part at a center; a slot that is formed between the power supply part and the dielectric plate, and to which the high-frequency is transmitted; and a gas supply path that is formed to the housing, of which one end is connected to the gas introduction port, and which supplies the gas to the open part from the other end. The gas supply path and the slot are separated in the housing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to plasma sources and plasma processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a plasma processing apparatus equipped with a remote plasma unit. The remote plasma unit is an inductively coupled plasma source and defines a plasma generation space above the plasma processing apparatus. The remote plasma unit has a coil surrounding the plasma generation space, and a high-frequency power source that supplies high-frequency power is connected to the coil.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 2 provides a helical coil-coupled remote plasma generator using a helical coil of a slow wave structure. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-49529 A [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2006-516806 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique that allows for miniaturization of a plasma source. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a plasma source comprising: a housing defining a plasma generation chamber; a gas inlet provided in the housing for introducing a gas; a power supply unit provided in the housing for supplying high-frequency power; a supply port provided in the housing for supplying active species of plasma generated from the gas in the plasma generation chamber; a dielectric plate provided in the housing for transmitting high-frequency waves from the power supply unit to the plasma generation chamber and having an opening in the center; a slot formed between the power supply unit and the dielectric plate and through which the high-frequency waves propagate; and a gas supply path formed in the housing, one end of which is connected to the gas inlet and the other end of which supplies gas to the opening, wherein the gas supply path and the slot are separated within the housing, and the slot has a missing portion where the slot is not formed in a top view, and the gas supply path is formed in the missing portion. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect, the plasma source can be made smaller. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a plasma source according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing an example of a housing. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the electric field intensity of a microwave. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions may be omitted.

[0010] [Plasma processing equipment] A plasma processing apparatus 10 having a plasma source (remote plasma source) according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the plasma processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0011] A plasma processing apparatus 10 shown in Fig. 1 has a plasma source 2 and a processing chamber 3. Note that, since the plasma source 2 is smaller than the processing chamber 3, the plasma source 2 and the processing chamber 3 are depicted in Fig. 1 without being scaled. The plasma source 2 has a housing 40. The housing 40 has a cylindrical shape with a hollow portion, is made of a metal (conductor) such as aluminum, and defines a plasma generation chamber U.

[0012] The plasma source 2 and the processing chamber 3 are connected by a connection part 60. The plasma source 2, the connection part 60, and the processing chamber 3 have an axis ax as a center line. The axis ax is an axis line extending in a vertical direction. In this embodiment, the processing chamber 3 has a cylindrical shape and is open at its top. The processing chamber 3 defines a plasma processing chamber V.

[0013] Microwave (high frequency, electromagnetic wave) power and gas are supplied into the housing 40, and plasma is generated from the gas by the electric field of the microwave power. Active species of the generated plasma are supplied to a plasma processing chamber V in the processing chamber 3 via the connection part 60. The active species sent from the plasma source 2 to the plasma processing chamber V may be dissociated again by high frequency power applied into the processing chamber 3, and used to process the substrate W.

[0014] The processing chamber 3 provides a sidewall and a bottom. The processing chamber 3 is made of a metal such as aluminum. The processing chamber 3 is grounded. The sidewall of the processing chamber 3 provides a passage 12p. The substrate W passes through the passage 12p when being transferred between the inside and outside of the processing chamber 3. The passage 12p can be opened and closed by a gate valve 12v. The gate valve 12v is provided along the sidewall of the processing chamber 3.

[0015] The processing chamber 3 has a top wall 38. The top wall 38 is made of a metal such as aluminum. The top wall 38 closes an upper opening of the processing chamber 3. The top wall 38, together with the processing chamber 3, is grounded.

[0016] The bottom of the processing chamber 3 provides an exhaust port 35. The exhaust port 35 is connected to an exhaust system 36. The exhaust system 36 includes a pressure controller including an automatic pressure control valve and a vacuum pump such as a turbomolecular pump.

[0017] The processing chamber 3 further includes a mounting table 30. The mounting table 30 is provided in the processing chamber 3. The mounting table 30 is configured to support a substrate W mounted thereon. The substrate W is mounted on the mounting table 30 in a horizontal state. The mounting table 30 is supported by a support member 31. The support member 31 extends upward from the bottom of the processing chamber 3. The mounting table 30 and the support member 31 may be formed of a dielectric material such as aluminum nitride.

[0018] The processing chamber 3 has a showerhead 37. The showerhead 37 is made of a metal such as aluminum. The showerhead 37 has a disk shape and a hollow structure. The showerhead 37 shares an axis ax as its center line. The showerhead 37 is provided above the mounting table 30 and below a ceiling wall 38.

[0019] The showerhead 37 provides a diffusion chamber 37a therein. The showerhead 37 has a plurality of gas holes 39 penetrating from the diffusion chamber 37a downward in the thickness direction of the showerhead 37. The plurality of gas holes 39 open to the lower surface of the showerhead 37.

[0020] The mounting table 30 is provided below the shower head 37. The activated species of plasma generated in the plasma generation chamber U passes through a plurality of gas holes 39 from a diffusion chamber 37a in the shower head 37 provided in the processing chamber 3 via a connecting part 60, and is introduced into the plasma processing chamber V between the shower head 37 and the mounting table 30. The mounting table 30 also functions as a lower electrode, and the shower head 37 also functions as an upper electrode. The shower head 37 does not have to be provided in the processing chamber 3. In that case, the activated species of plasma generated in the plasma generation chamber U is directly supplied to the plasma processing chamber V via the connecting part 60.

[0021] The periphery of the shower head 37 is covered with a dielectric member 34a such as aluminum oxide. The periphery of the mounting table 30 is covered with a dielectric member 34b such as aluminum oxide. When high-frequency power is not applied to the shower head 37, the dielectric member 34a does not need to be disposed. However, it is preferable to dispose the dielectric member 34a in order to determine the area of ​​the shower head 37 that functions as a counter electrode for the mounting table 30. It is also preferable to dispose the dielectric member 34a in order to equalize the ratio of anodes and cathodes of the electrodes.

[0022] A high frequency power supply 33 is connected to the mounting table 30 via a matching device 32. The matching device 32 has an impedance matching circuit. The impedance matching circuit is configured to match the impedance on the load (plasma) side to the output impedance of the high frequency power supply 33. The frequency of the high frequency power supplied from the high frequency power supply 33 is lower than the frequencies of the VHF waves and microwaves supplied to the plasma source 2, and is a frequency of 60 MHz or less. The frequency of the high frequency power may be 13.56 MHz. The high frequency power supply 33 may be connected to a shower head 37 and supply high frequency power to the shower head 37.

[0023] (Plasma source) The plasma source 2 is disposed on the processing chamber 3 via a connection part 60. The configuration of the plasma source 2 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the plasma source 2 according to an embodiment, and is an enlarged view of the plasma source 2 in Figure 1.

[0024] The plasma source 2 has a housing 40 and an electromagnetic wave supply unit 4. The housing 40 has an upper plate 41. The electromagnetic wave supply unit 4 is disposed on the upper plate 41, which is a conductor. The electromagnetic wave supply unit 4 supplies microwaves into the housing 40. In this embodiment, the electromagnetic wave supply unit 4 supplies microwave power of 860 MHz as an example of high-frequency (electromagnetic wave) power.

[0025] The electromagnetic wave supply unit 4 has a microwave output unit 17 and a resonator 18. The microwave output unit 17 outputs microwaves. The resonator 18 supplies the microwaves output from the microwave output unit 17 into the housing 40 via an alumina ring member 25 that is fitted into a hollowed-out portion of an upper plate 41 of the housing 40, and a conductive power supply unit 20 (the ring member 25 and the power supply unit 20 may be collectively referred to as the "power supply unit"). The power supply unit 20 is provided in the housing 40, and supplies high-frequency power into the housing 40.

[0026] The microwave output unit 17 has a microwave oscillator. The microwave oscillator may be a magnetron type or a solid-state type. The frequency of the microwave generated by the microwave oscillator is, for example, 300 MHz to 300 GHz. As an example, the microwave output unit 17 outputs a microwave of 860 MHz by a magnetron type microwave oscillator. The microwave output unit 17 may be an oscillator that oscillates a high frequency (electromagnetic wave) in the UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band.

[0027] The waveguide 19 has a coaxial structure including an outer conductor 19a and an inner conductor 19b, and the space between the outer conductor 19a and the inner conductor 19b is filled with a dielectric material such as PTFE (Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene). The resonator 18 is connected to the microwave output unit 17 via the waveguide 19.

[0028] The resonator 18 has a function of matching the impedance of the load (plasma) in the housing 40 to the output impedance of the microwave output unit 17. Note that a mode conversion mechanism is omitted between the microwave output unit 17 and the power supply unit 20 because the resonator 18 has that function. The waveguide 19 guides the microwaves output from the microwave output unit 17 to the resonator 18.

[0029] A part of the outer conductor 19a is the housing of the resonator 18, and is at ground potential together with the grounded processing chamber 3. The outer conductor 19a is cylindrical, and an input port P1 is formed on a side surface 19a1 of the resonator 18. An output port P2 is formed on the end of the outer conductor 19a near the side where the input port P1 is formed, and the other end 19a2 is formed in a disk shape so as to close the cylinder. A rod-shaped portion 22 is held in the center of the end 19a2 for moving the ground fin 21 up and down in Figs. 1 and 2.

[0030] The ground fin 21 is made of a conductor such as aluminum or copper. The ground fin 21 has a plurality of fins 23 and a rod-shaped portion 22. The plurality of fins 23 are, for example, in the shape of concentric cylinders and columns. The plurality of fins 23 are comb-shaped in the cross section shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

[0031] A plurality of fins 24 are provided inside the housing of the resonator 18. The plurality of fins 24 are a triple cylindrical multipole antenna. The plurality of fins 24 are comb-shaped in the cross section shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

[0032] The inner conductor 19b is connected to the side surface of the fin 24. An alumina ring member 25 and a conductor power supply portion 20 are disposed near the output port P2. That is, the inner conductor 19b of the input port P1, the inner conductor 19b of the output port P2, and the fin 24 form a power supply line 26 that is insulated from the housing of the resonator 18.

[0033] The tips of the fins 24 are covered with a dielectric material such as PTFE. The ground fins 21 are slidable, and do not come into contact with the fins 24 even when the ground fins 21 are inserted deepest toward the fins 24. The fins 23 of the ground fins 21 are moved along the dielectric material such as PTFE when the insertion amount into the fins 24 is changed. In this way, the frequency (resonance frequency) passing through the resonator 18 can be changed by changing the insertion amount of the ground fins 21 to change the dimensions of the resonance space. This allows impedance matching to be performed by the resonator 18. The ground fins 21 are connected to a drive unit such as a motor (not shown) and may be automatically adjusted by the drive unit or may be semi-fixed by a screw.

[0034] From the above, the resonator 18 is a comb-shaped resonator having opposing fins 23, 24 with comb-shaped cross sections. The electromagnetic wave supply unit 4 may have a comb-shaped resonator, and supply the electromagnetic wave into the housing 40 via the comb-shaped resonator. By providing the electromagnetic wave supply unit 4 with a comb-shaped resonator, the plasma source 2 can be made more compact. However, the resonator 18 is not limited to a comb-shaped resonator.

[0035] Inside the housing 40, there is a disk-shaped (ring-shaped) quartz member 15 below the upper plate 41. The quartz member 15 has an opening in the center, and a conductive power supply unit 20 is formed in the opening. A resonator 18 is provided on the power supply unit 20. The microwaves propagated through the resonator 18 pass through the ring member 25 and the power supply unit 20, penetrate the inside of the quartz member 15, and propagate through the slot 42 below the quartz member 15. The quartz member 15 does not necessarily have to be provided. In this case, the portion around the power supply unit 20 where the quartz member 15 exists becomes a space.

[0036] 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing an example of the housing 40 when the resonator 18, the upper plate 41, and the quartz member 15 arranged on the upper part of the housing 40 are removed. In the housing 40, a ring-shaped dielectric plate 43 that transmits microwaves to the plasma generation chamber U is provided directly above the plasma generation chamber U. The dielectric plate 43 is made of, for example, alumina (Al2O3) or aluminum nitride (AlN). The center of the dielectric plate 43 has an opening 43a centered on the axis ax. The outer shape of the dielectric plate 43 is not limited to a circular shape, and may be a rectangular shape. The opening 43a is not limited to a circular shape, and may be a polygon such as a square.

[0037] The slot 42 is formed between the power supply unit 20 and the dielectric plate 43, and microwaves propagate through the slot 42. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the horizontal width of the dielectric plate 43 is approximately the same as the horizontal width of the quartz member 15, and is wider than the horizontal space of the plasma generation chamber U. The slot 42 is formed between the dielectric plate 43 and the quartz member 15, and is formed inside the outermost periphery of the dielectric plate 43 and the outermost periphery of the quartz member 15. FIG. 4 is a top view of the housing 40 shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the slot 42 is formed in the circumferential direction, and has a missing portion 40c where the slot 42 is not formed in the top view. In this embodiment, the slot 42 is formed in a C-shape in the top view. Note that the C-shaped end of the slot 42 may have a predetermined angle with respect to the gas supply path 44, as shown in FIG. 4, or may be horizontal to the gas supply path 44.

[0038] The housing 40 is provided with a gas inlet 49 for introducing gas. The gas inlet 49 is formed in a side wall of the housing 40. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the gas supply path 44 is formed in the cutout portion 40c of the housing 40, and one end of the gas supply path 44 is connected to the gas inlet 49 and the other end faces the opening 43a. That is, the gas supply path 44 has a horizontal path 44b extending horizontally from the gas inlet 49 and a vertical path 44c extending vertically toward the opening 43a along the axis ax of the housing 40. The horizontal path 44b and the vertical path 44c are part of the housing 40.

[0039] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, microwaves are output from the microwave output section 17, pass through the quartz member 15 via the resonator 18, the ring member 25 and the power supply section 20, propagate through the slot 42, pass through the dielectric plate 43 and are radiated into the plasma generation chamber U.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, gas is introduced through gas inlet 49, flows through horizontal path 44b of gas supply path 44, turns 90° in the center of housing 40, flows through vertical path 44c toward opening 43a along axis ax, and is supplied to plasma generation chamber U through opening 43a.

[0041] In the plasma generation chamber U, plasma is generated from the supplied gas by the electric field of the radiated microwave. A supply port 40b is provided in the center of the bottom 40a of the housing 40 for supplying active species of the plasma generated from the gas in the plasma generation chamber U. The supply port 40b communicates with the internal space of the connection part 60. The active species in the plasma generated in the plasma generation chamber U are supplied from the supply port 40b through the connection part 60 to the plasma processing chamber V in the processing chamber 3.

[0042] In this configuration, the gas supply path 44 and the slot 42 are configured to be separated within the housing 40. When the microwaves propagating through the slot 42 are radiated to the dielectric plate 43, the electric field is concentrated at the opening 43a in the center of the dielectric plate 43. The opening 43a is in direct contact with the gas supplied from the gas supply path 44. Therefore, by flowing the gas through the opening 43a where the electric field is strong, a large amount of radicals are generated near the opening 43a. This makes it possible to generate high-density plasma with low power consumption.

[0043] At the opening 43a where the plasma becomes stronger, damage to the vertical path 44c, which is a part of the housing 40, is likely to occur. Therefore, the gas supply path 44 near the opening 43a is covered with a ceramic protective member 46. The protective member 46 is annular, and the inner diameter of the protective member 46 is slightly larger than the diameter of the gas supply path 44. For example, the protective member 46 is made of aluminum nitride (AlN) or alumina (Al2O3). Aluminum nitride is a material that is difficult to crack, resistant to thermal shock, and does not easily produce oxide particles. For this reason, it is more preferable that the protective member 46 is made of aluminum nitride. The protective member 46 is a consumable part and is replaced regularly or irregularly.

[0044] As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the opening 43a has an annular step 43a1 at the corner of the upper part of the inner surface. The protective member 46 is disposed in a recess 43b at the upper part of the opening 43a of the dielectric plate 43. An end 46a of the protective member 46 fits into the step 43a1. This causes the inner surface of the opening 43a and the inner surface of the protective member 46 to be formed on the same plane. In other words, the dielectric plate 43 has a shape in which the inner surface of the opening 43a protrudes up to the line of the gas supply path 44, and the inner surface of the protective member 46 and the inner surface of the opening 43a form the same surface (the inner surface of a cylinder as a whole).

[0045] If the end 46a of the protective member 46 does not fit into the step 43a1, the plasma present in the opening 43a will come into contact with the housing 40 in the recess 43b of the dielectric plate 43. Since the housing 40 is made of metal, the contact of the plasma with the metal will cause abnormal discharge near the opening 43a and generate particles. In contrast, by fitting the end 46a of the protective member 46 into the step 43a1, the plasma is prevented from coming into contact with the housing 40, thereby preventing abnormal discharge and generation of particles.

[0046] If the end of the protective member 46 penetrates the opening 43a, a vertical gap will be generated between the protective member 46 and the dielectric plate 43, and particles will fall through the gap into the plasma generation chamber U. To prevent this, the inner surface of the opening 43a and the inner surface of the protective member 46 are formed on the same plane at the opening 43a, and the end of the protective member 46 does not penetrate the opening 43a. This makes it possible to prevent particles from falling through the gap into the plasma generation chamber U.

[0047] A sealing member 47 such as an O-ring is provided between the housing 40 and the dielectric plate 43 in the recess 43b of the dielectric plate 43. A sealing member 48 such as an O-ring is provided between the housing 40 and the dielectric plate 43 at the lower outer periphery of the plasma generation chamber U. This makes it possible to maintain airtightness inside the plasma generation chamber U.

[0048] The following describes the dimensions of the slot 42. As shown in Fig. 4, the length L of the slot 42 in the circumferential direction can be expressed by formula (1).

[0049] L=n×λ / 2(mm)±λ / 16(mm)...Formula (1) Here, λ is the wavelength of the microwave propagating through the slot 42, and n is an integer of 1 or more.

[0050] By designing the circumferential length L of the slot 42 to be approximately an integer multiple of λ / 2 as shown in equation (1), it is possible to radiate microwaves from the slot 42 by taking advantage of the wave properties of the microwaves.

[0051] If the radial width W of the slot 42 is narrower than 5 mm, abnormal discharge is likely to occur within the slot 42. Also, if the radial width W of the slot 42 is wider than 15 mm, the electric field of the microwaves propagating within the slot 42 will be weakened, reducing the ignition ability, stability, and generation efficiency of the plasma. Therefore, the radial width W of the slot 42 is set within the range of 10 (mm) ± 5 (mm).

[0052] If the thickness H of the slot 42 shown in Fig. 3 is too thick, it becomes difficult for the microwave to be transmitted. For example, if the microwave exhibits wave properties within the slot 42, the microwave will be attenuated. Therefore, the thickness H of the slot 42 is made smaller than λ / 2. This allows the microwave to propagate to the dielectric plate 43 without being attenuated within the slot 42.

[0053] The thickness H of the slot 42 is preferably λ / 8 or less, and more preferably λ / 16 or less. Furthermore, the thickness of the slot 42 may be less than λ / 16 as long as it is greater than the vertical width of the gas supply path. If the thickness of the slot 42 is λ / 8 or less, microwaves can be reliably propagated in the slot 42 without attenuation.

[0054] According to this, by setting the circumferential length L of slot 42 to n×λ / 2 (mm)±λ / 16 (mm), microwaves can be radiated into slot 42, while by making the thickness of slot 42 smaller than λ / 2, the microwaves can be propagated without attenuation.

[0055] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the electric field intensity of microwaves propagating through the resonator 18 and the inside of the housing 40. The microwaves are supplied from the resonator 18 to the ring member 25 and the power supply unit 20, pass through the quartz member 15, and propagate through the slot 42. The microwaves propagating through the slot 42 are radiated to the dielectric plate 43. The dielectric plate 43 transmits the microwaves to the plasma generation chamber U. In such microwave transmission, the electric field E of the microwaves is concentrated at an opening 43a formed in the center of the dielectric plate 43 shown in A of FIG. 5.

[0056] The opening 43a is in direct contact with the gas supplied from the gas supply path 44. As a result, by flowing the gas through the opening 43a where the electric field is strong, a large amount of radicals are generated near the opening 43a. This makes it possible to generate high density plasma with low power consumption while miniaturizing the plasma source 2.

[0057] The activated species in the plasma generated in the plasma generation chamber U are supplied from the supply port 40 b through the connection part 60 to the plasma processing chamber V in the processing chamber 3 .

[0058] [effect] Conventionally used plasma sources using ICP plasma as remote sources have the problem that the frequency of the high-frequency power used is lower than that of microwaves, making the device structurally large and unable to meet the demand for miniaturization. If the dimensions of the plasma source itself are large, the plasma source cannot be installed in the required space, resulting in limitations in the application of the plasma source. In addition, the manufacturing cost of the plasma source is high.

[0059] Furthermore, when supplying high-density radicals to a narrow space or pipe, a large-volume plasma source is inefficient and requires the input of a large amount of power. This is because the generated radicals are likely to disappear on the way to the space or pipe. For this reason, there is a demand for a small, efficient plasma source that can narrow the plasma generation space and release the generated radicals from the plasma source to the process space (plasma processing chamber) as quickly as possible.

[0060] In contrast, the plasma source used in the remote source of the plasma processing apparatus according to this embodiment can be miniaturized because the microwave wavelength is short. Also, the gas supply path 44 can be miniaturized because it is formed in the missing portion 40c where the slot 42 is not formed. Furthermore, by installing a ring-shaped dielectric plate 43 having an opening 43a in the housing 40, the electric field of the microwave radiated to the dielectric plate 43 can be concentrated at the opening 43a. Then, by flowing a gas such as a reducing gas or an etching gas into the opening 43a where the electric field is concentrated, radicals can be generated efficiently.

[0061] The slot 42 may be empty or may be filled with a dielectric material such as quartz. By filling the slot 42 with a dielectric material, the wavelength λ of the microwaves propagating through the slot 42 can be shortened. In this case, as long as the circumferential length L of the slot 42 shown in formula (1) can be ensured, the slot 42 is not limited to being formed in a C-shape when viewed from above. For example, the slot 42 may be formed in a plurality of arc shapes in the circumferential direction when viewed from above and have a plurality of cutouts, whereby a plurality of gas supply paths can be formed in each of the plurality of cutouts, separated from the slot 42.

[0062] Also, an antenna including a matching device may be used instead of the resonator 18. The antenna has a matching device that matches impedance. The antenna constitutes a coaxial tube made of a metal material. The outer conductor of the coaxial tube is cylindrical, and the inner conductor is rod-shaped or cylindrical. The space between the inner peripheral surface of the outer conductor and the outer peripheral surface of the inner conductor serves as a microwave transmission path. A plurality of ring-shaped dielectrics are arranged in the microwave transmission path, and the dielectrics slide within the microwave transmission path when driven by a motor. This allows the matching device to perform impedance matching.

[0063] As described above, according to the plasma source and plasma processing apparatus of the present embodiment, the plasma source can be made smaller in size.

[0064] The plasma source and plasma processing apparatus according to the disclosed embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The embodiments can be modified and improved in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The matters described in the above embodiments can be configured in other ways without any contradiction, and can be combined without any contradiction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] U Plasma Generation Chamber V Plasma treatment chamber 2. Plasma Source 3 Processing chamber 4 Electromagnetic wave supply section 10 Plasma treatment device 15 Quartz components 18 resonator 20 Power supply unit 40 Case 40b Supply port 42 Slots 43 Dielectric plate 43a opening 44 Gas supply line 46 Protective materials 49 Gas inlet

Claims

1. a housing defining a plasma generation chamber; a gas inlet port provided in the housing for introducing a gas; a power supply unit provided in the housing and supplying high frequency power; a supply port provided in the housing for supplying active species of plasma generated from the gas in the plasma generation chamber; a dielectric plate provided in the housing, which transmits high frequency waves from the power supply unit to the plasma generation chamber and has an opening at its center; a slot formed between the power supply portion and the dielectric plate, through which the high frequency wave propagates; a gas supply path provided in the housing, one end of the gas supply path being connected to the gas inlet and the other end of the gas supply path being configured to supply gas to the opening; The gas supply path and the slot are separated within the housing, The slot has a missing portion where the slot is not formed when viewed from above, and the gas supply path is formed in the missing portion.

2. The opening is in direct contact with the gas.

10. The plasma source of claim 1.

3. The gas supply path in the vicinity of the opening is covered with a ceramic protective member. A plasma source according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The opening has a step at a corner, The end of the protective member is fitted into the step, so that the inner surface of the opening and the inner surface of the protective member are formed on the same plane. The plasma source of claim 3.

5. The slot is formed in a C-shape when viewed from above. A plasma source according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The length of the slot in the circumferential direction is n×λ / 2 (mm)±λ / 16 (mm), where λ is the wavelength of the high frequency wave propagating through the slot, and n is an integer of 1 or more.

6. The plasma source of claim 5.

7. The radial width of the slot is 10 (mm) ± 5 (mm).

6. The plasma source of claim 5.

8. The thickness of the slot is less than λ / 2, where λ is the wavelength of the radio frequency wave propagating through the slot.

6. The plasma source of claim 5.

9. The thickness of the slot is λ / 8 or less.

9. The plasma source of claim 8.

10. The power supply unit is provided with a resonator. A plasma source according to claim 1 or 2.

11. The resonator is a comb resonator. The plasma source of claim 10.

12. The gas inlet is formed in a side wall of the housing, The gas supply path extends horizontally within the housing from the gas inlet and vertically toward the opening along an axis of the housing. A plasma source according to claim 1 or 2.

13. A plasma processing apparatus comprising the plasma source according to claim 1.

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