Plasma processing device and plasma processing method

Abstract

To provide a plasma processing device for processing the surface of a tool using plasma, which has an inexpensive configuration and can efficiently suppress the temperature rise of the tool during plasma processing even when the tool is heavy, such as a hob, and can perform film removal processing and film formation processing uniformly.SOLUTION: A plasma processing device for plasma processing the surface of a workpiece, which is a tool, using plasma, includes a vacuum vessel forming a vacuum chamber, a stage installed within the vacuum chamber, an insulating vessel arranged on the stage and forming a processing chamber for accommodating the workpiece, and an antenna arranged around the insulating vessel within the vacuum chamber and for generating plasma within the processing chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method for processing the surface of a tool using plasma. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been so-called coated tools, in which a coating treatment (coating treatment) is applied to the surface of a substrate made of tool steel or cemented carbide to impart additional properties such as wear resistance and heat resistance to the original properties of the substrate. With use, the coating formed on the surface of such tools wears and peels off, reaching the end of their service life. While such used tools have traditionally been discarded without being reused, in recent years, they have been recycled by thoroughly removing (de-coating) the coating from the surface of used tools and then coating them again.

[0003] A known example of an apparatus for removing coatings from tool surfaces using plasma is the plasma processing apparatus shown in Patent Document 1. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, this plasma processing apparatus is configured to place a number of drills, which are the workpieces, on a disk-shaped stage installed in a vacuum chamber, introduce argon gas into the vacuum chamber, generate inductively coupled plasma within the vacuum chamber using an antenna installed outside the vacuum chamber, and apply a bias voltage to the stage, causing positive ions in the plasma to be incident on the coatings on the drill surfaces, thereby removing the coatings. In this plasma processing apparatus, the stage rotates around its own axis, and multiple small stages arranged circumferentially within the stage also rotate around their own axes, so that the coatings on the multiple drills placed on the stage can be removed uniformly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-004296 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when using the plasma processing apparatus described in the aforementioned Patent Document 1 to simultaneously plasma-treat a large number of heavy tools, such as hobs, the stage structure must be made stronger and more complex than when plasma-treating lightweight drills, which increases the cost of the apparatus and the likelihood of malfunctions. Furthermore, since the volume of the workpiece is larger than that of a drill, it is difficult to cool the tools that have accumulated heat during plasma processing. In the above-mentioned apparatus, it is difficult to employ a cooling structure, such as water cooling, for the stage with a complex rotation mechanism, and cooling by heat dissipation or the like cannot be expected. These issues apply not only to apparatuses that use plasma to remove coatings from tools, but also to apparatuses that use a similar mechanism to deposit coatings on tools.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and its main objective is to provide a plasma processing apparatus that uses plasma to process the surface of a tool, and that can efficiently suppress the temperature rise of the tool during plasma processing, even for heavy tools such as hobs, with an inexpensive configuration, and that can perform film removal processing and film formation processing uniformly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] That is, the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention uses plasma to perform plasma processing on the surface of a workpiece, which is a tool, and is characterized by comprising a vacuum container forming a vacuum chamber, a stage installed within the vacuum chamber, an insulating container placed on the stage and forming a processing chamber for accommodating the workpiece, and an antenna placed around the insulating container within the vacuum chamber and for generating plasma within the processing chamber.

[0008] In this way, a small processing chamber isolated by an insulating container is formed above a stage in a vacuum chamber, and tools are placed in the processing chamber while plasma is generated to perform plasma processing.This allows the ratio of the number of antennas generating plasma to the number of tools to be processed to be increased, making it possible to perform uniform plasma processing on the objects to be processed without having to rotate the stage. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a rotation mechanism on the stage, the structure can be simplified, and a cooling structure such as water cooling can be formed within the stage, making it possible to efficiently suppress the temperature rise of the tool during plasma processing.

[0009] Furthermore, the plasma processing apparatus is configured to plasma process the surfaces of multiple workpieces at once, and preferably includes multiple insulating containers and multiple antennas arranged around each of the multiple insulating containers. In this way, the ratio of the number of antennas to the number of insulating containers and tools can be increased, and the plasma processing can be performed more uniformly on the object to be processed.

[0010] In the plasma processing apparatus, it is preferable that the plurality of insulating containers are individually provided for the plurality of objects to be processed. In this way, the ratio of the number of antennas to the number of tools can be further increased, and the plasma processing can be performed on the workpiece more uniformly.

[0011] Furthermore, it is preferable that the plasma processing apparatus includes a gas supply mechanism that supplies a plasma generating gas into the insulating container, and that the gas supply mechanism includes a gas source and a gas pipe whose upstream end is connected to the gas source so that the plasma generating gas flows through it and whose downstream end opens into the insulating container. In this way, plasma can be generated only within the processing chamber without generating plasma within the vacuum chamber, and the plasma intensity within the processing chamber can be increased.

[0012] In addition, it is preferable that the plasma processing apparatus has a cooling passage formed in the stage through which a cooling fluid flows. In this way, the stage can be cooled by the cooling fluid, thereby cooling the workpiece placed on the stage.

[0013] Furthermore, it is preferable that the plasma processing apparatus has an insulating container that opens downward, the object to be processed is attached in contact with the stage, and the insulating container is placed on the stage so as to cover the object to be processed. In this way, the workpiece is attached in contact with the stage that is cooled by the cooling fluid, so that heat can be efficiently removed from the workpiece.

[0014] Furthermore, it is preferable that the insulating container of the plasma processing apparatus has a shape that opens downward, the stage has a communication hole that connects the processing chamber and the vacuum chamber, and the vacuum chamber and the processing chamber are evacuated by a common vacuum exhaust device. In this way, the vacuum chamber and the processing chamber can be evacuated at once by one vacuum pumping device, and therefore the device configuration can be simplified.

[0015] Furthermore, it is preferable that the plasma processing apparatus further comprises an opening adjustment plate, the stage of which is plate-shaped, the communicating holes of which are formed so as to penetrate the stage in the thickness direction, the opening adjustment plate being arranged on the back side of the stage, and having through holes formed at positions corresponding to the communicating holes of the stage, and the opening of the communicating holes formed in the stage is adjusted by moving the opening adjustment plate relative to the stage. In this way, by adjusting the overlap between the communication hole of the stage and the through hole of the opening adjustment plate, for example by rotating the opening adjustment plate, it is possible to adjust the opening of the communication hole and thereby adjust the pressure inside the processing chamber.

[0016] Furthermore, in the plasma processing apparatus, it is preferable that the stage has a circular shape when viewed in a plane, and the opening of the communicating hole of the stage is adjusted by rotating the opening adjustment plate around the center of the stage as the rotation axis. In this way, the pressure inside the processing chamber can be easily adjusted by simply rotating the opening adjustment plate.

[0017] In a specific embodiment of the plasma processing apparatus, the antenna is disposed so as to surround the side circumferential surface of the insulating container. With this arrangement, the antennas are arranged so as to surround the processing chamber, thereby making it possible to make the plasma distribution within the processing chamber uniform and reducing unevenness in the plasma processing of the tool.

[0018] Furthermore, in the plasma processing apparatus, it is preferable that the processing chamber formed by the insulating container is divided into a plasma generation chamber around which the antenna is arranged to generate plasma, and a plasma processing chamber that contains the object to be processed and performs plasma processing on the object to be processed. In this way, by dividing the processing chamber into a plasma generation chamber and a plasma processing chamber, it is possible to prevent, for example, the coating of the tool removed by plasma processing from adhering to the wall surface of the plasma generation chamber and causing contamination. As a result, compared to when plasma generation and plasma processing are performed together in the same space within the processing chamber, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the intensity of the generated plasma and to perform plasma processing stably.

[0019] In this case, it is preferable that the antenna is disposed so as to surround only the plasma generation chamber without surrounding the plasma processing chamber, and the object to be processed is accommodated in the plasma processing chamber. In this way, by preventing the plasma generating space and the plasma processing space from overlapping, it is possible to further suppress a decrease in the intensity of the generated plasma, and to perform plasma processing more stably.

[0020] The plasma processing method of the present invention is a method for plasma processing the surface of a workpiece, which is a tool placed on a stage installed in a vacuum chamber formed by a vacuum container, using plasma, and is characterized in that an insulating container forming a processing chamber that contains the workpiece is placed on the stage, and plasma is generated in the processing chamber by an antenna arranged around the insulating container in the vacuum chamber, thereby plasma processing the surface of the workpiece.

[0021] Such a plasma processing method can achieve the same effects as the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention configured in this manner, in a plasma processing apparatus that uses plasma to process the surface of a tool, even if the tool is heavy, such as a hob, it is possible to efficiently suppress the temperature rise of the tool during plasma processing with an inexpensive configuration, and to perform film removal processing and film formation processing uniformly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a top view schematically showing the configuration of the plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a top view schematically showing the configuration of a stage in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an opening degree adjusting mechanism according to the embodiment; [Figure 5] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an opening degree adjusting mechanism according to the embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a plasma processing apparatus according to another embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a conventional plasma processing apparatus. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a top view schematically showing the configuration of a conventional plasma processing apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] A plasma processing apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0025] <Device configuration> The plasma processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment removes a hard coating formed on the surface of a tool T by plasma processing using inductively coupled plasma.

[0026] 1 and 2, the plasma processing apparatus 100 includes a vacuum vessel 1 forming a vacuum chamber 1s, an antenna 2 provided in the vacuum chamber 1s, a high-frequency power supply 3 for applying high-frequency waves to the antenna 2, a gas supply mechanism 4 for supplying plasma generating gas to the vacuum chamber 1s, a stage 5 installed in the vacuum chamber 1s, and a bias power supply 6 for applying a bias voltage to the stage 5. In the plasma processing apparatus 100 having such a configuration, a number of tools T as workpieces are placed on the stage 5, and by supplying plasma generating gas to the vacuum chamber 1s and applying a high-frequency current to the antenna 2, an inductive electric field is generated within the vacuum chamber 1s, generating inductively coupled plasma. Then, by applying a bias voltage to the stage 5 by the bias power supply 6, positive ions in the plasma are incident on the coatings on the surfaces of the tools T, thereby enabling the surfaces of a number of tools T to be simultaneously delaminated.

[0027] The tool T to be processed by the plasma processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment is a so-called coated tool, which is a tool having a film (also called a coating film) formed on the surface of a substrate made of tool steel or cemented carbide, and specifically, a hob. Note that the tool T to be processed is not limited to a hob, and may be another tool such as a drill.

[0028] The vacuum vessel 1 is a metal vessel. The vacuum vessel 1 is electrically grounded, and the vacuum chamber 1s inside the vacuum vessel 1 is evacuated by a vacuum pumping device V.

[0029] The gas supply mechanism 4 includes a gas source (not shown) and a gas pipe 41 connected to the gas source and equipped with a flow rate regulator (not shown), and supplies a plasma generating gas with a regulated flow rate into the vacuum vessel 1 through the gas pipe 41. The gas pipe 41 penetrates the side wall (here, the top wall) of the vacuum vessel 1, and its downstream end 41a opens into the vacuum chamber 1s. The gap between the gas pipe 41 and the bottom wall is sealed with an insulating sealing member.

[0030] The plasma generating gas is, for example, a rare gas such as argon gas, a halogen gas, or a mixture thereof, and may be appropriately changed depending on the material of the coating to be removed.

[0031] One end of the antenna 2, the power supply end, is connected to the high frequency power supply 3 via a matching box 31 equipped with a matching circuit, and the other end, the termination end, is grounded via the matching box 31. Both ends of the antenna 2 penetrate the side walls of the vacuum vessel 1. An insulating member is provided at the penetration portion of the antenna 2 in the vacuum vessel 1, and this penetration portion is vacuum sealed by, for example, packing.

[0032] The material of the antenna 2 is, for example, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, an alloy thereof, stainless steel, etc. The antenna 2 may be hollow and a refrigerant such as cooling water may be passed through it to cool the antenna 2.

[0033] The high frequency power supply 3 can supply a high frequency current to the antenna 2 via a matching circuit. The frequency of the high frequency is, for example, a common 13.56 MHz, but is not limited to this and may be changed as appropriate.

[0034] 2 and 3, the stage 5 is made of metal and has a substantially circular disk shape, and includes a circular tool placement surface 51 on which a plurality of tools T are placed and held. The tool placement surface 51 is provided with a plurality of (eight in this example) holding portions 52 arranged concentrically and at equal intervals, each holding a tool T in an upright state with its rotation axis aligned vertically.

[0035] A metal shaft 5s is connected to the axial center of the underside of the stage 5. This shaft 5s passes through the bottom wall of the vacuum vessel 1. The space between the shaft 5s and the bottom wall is sealed by an insulating sealing member.

[0036] The bias power supply 6 is connected to the shaft 5s and applies a bias voltage to the stage 5 via the shaft 5s. The bias voltage may be, for example, but is not limited to, a negative DC voltage. This bias voltage controls the energy of positive ions in the plasma when they strike the coating on the surface of the tool T, thereby controlling the rate at which the coating is removed.

[0037] Thus, the plasma processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment is provided with an insulating container 7 that is disposed on a stage 5 and forms a processing chamber 7s on the stage 5 for accommodating a tool T as an object to be processed, and the antenna 2 is disposed around the insulating container 7, and an inductively coupled plasma is generated in the processing chamber 7s formed by the insulating container 7. That is, in the plasma processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, a smaller processing chamber 7s is formed across a space within the vacuum chamber 1s formed by the vacuum container 1.

[0038] The insulating container 7 of this embodiment is hollow and opens downward, with an opening formed at the bottom. The insulating container 7 is placed on the tool mounting surface 51 with the openings facing each other, and the inner wall surface of the insulating container 7 and the tool mounting surface 51 form a processing chamber 7s having a substantially circular cross section. That is, a tool T is attached to the tool mounting surface 51 of the stage 5 in contact with the tool T via a holder 52, and the insulating container 7 is placed on the tool mounting surface 51 so as to cover the tool T. It is preferable that the gap between the bottom of the placed insulating container 7 and the tool mounting surface 51 of the stage 5 be hermetically sealed with a sealing member, but this is not limited thereto.

[0039] The insulating container 7 is made of a material, partly or entirely, that is insulating and allows the high-frequency magnetic field generated by the antenna 2 to pass through into the processing chamber 7s, and is made of, for example, ceramics such as alumina, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, etc., inorganic materials such as quartz glass, non-alkali glass, etc.

[0040] The gas pipe 41 of the gas supply mechanism 4 described above penetrates the side wall (here, the upper wall) of the insulating container 7, and its downstream end 41a opens into the processing chamber 7s, and the plasma generating gas supplied from the gas source is directly introduced into the processing chamber 7s.

[0041] Furthermore, in the region R of the tool mounting surface 51 covered by the insulating container 7 (i.e., the region R forming the processing chamber 7s), a communication hole 5h is formed that penetrates the stage 5 in the thickness direction and connects the processing chamber 7s to the vacuum chamber 1s. That is, one end of this communication hole 5h opens to the processing chamber 7s, and the other end opens to the vacuum chamber 1s. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of communication holes 5h are formed in the region R, and more specifically, they are formed concentrically at equal intervals around the holding portion 52. In this way, the vacuum chamber 1s and the processing chamber 7s communicate with each other through the communication hole 5h, and the vacuum chamber 1s and the processing chamber 7s are evacuated by a common vacuum exhaust device V.

[0042] The antenna 2 is arranged so as to surround the side peripheral surface of the insulating container 7. More specifically, the antenna 2 is arranged so as to surround the side peripheral surface of the tool T standing on the tool placing surface 51 from the upper end to the lower end via the insulating container 7.

[0043] In this embodiment, a plurality of insulating containers 7 are arranged concentrically at equal intervals on the stage 5, and each insulating container 7 is individually arranged for each of the plurality of tools T. In other words, one insulating container 7 is arranged for one tool T.

[0044] The plasma processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes a plurality of antennas 2, each of which is individually disposed around a respective one of a plurality of insulating containers 7. Some or all of the plurality of antennas 2 may be connected to a common high-frequency power supply 3, or all of the antennas 2 may be connected to different high-frequency power supplies 3.

[0045] With this configuration, when a high frequency is applied to each antenna 2 from the high frequency power supply 3, the high frequency magnetic field generated from each antenna 2 is supplied to the processing chamber 7s through the side wall of each insulating container 7. This generates an inductive electric field in each processing chamber 7s, generating inductively coupled plasma, and removing film from the tool T placed in each processing chamber 7s.

[0046] Furthermore, the plasma processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment is provided with a cooling mechanism 8 that cools the tool T, which is the workpiece. The cooling mechanism 8 cools the tool mounting surface 51 of the stage 5, thereby cooling the tool T that is placed in contact with the tool mounting surface 51.

[0047] Specifically, the cooling mechanism 8 includes a cooling passage 81 formed in the stage 5, and a fluid distribution mechanism (not shown), such as a chiller, that circulates a cooling fluid, such as water, through the cooling passage 81. By causing the cooling fluid to flow through the cooling passage 81 using the fluid distribution mechanism, the temperature of the entire stage 5 is reduced, and the entire tool mounting surface 51 becomes a cooled surface. As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling passage 81 is formed inside the stage 5 in a direction parallel to the tool mounting surface 51. Note that this cooling passage 81 is also formed inside the shaft 5s, allowing the cooling fluid to circulate inside and outside the vacuum chamber 1s.

[0048] Furthermore, the plasma processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment is provided with an aperture adjustment mechanism 9 that adjusts the aperture of the communication hole 5h formed in the stage 5. This aperture adjustment mechanism 9 is arranged in contact with the flat back surface of the stage 5 and includes an aperture adjustment plate 91 that is rotatable about the center (center of gravity) of the stage 5, and an actuator 92 that rotates the aperture adjustment plate 91. The operation of this aperture adjustment mechanism 9 is controlled by a control unit (not shown).

[0049] The aperture adjustment plate 91 has an annular shape surrounding the shaft 5s, and has through holes (referred to as adjustment holes 91h) formed therein that penetrate the plate in its thickness direction. The aperture adjustment plate 91 has a plurality of adjustment holes 91h formed therein, and the plurality of adjustment holes 91h are formed so as to have the same arrangement pattern (hole arrangement) as the plurality of communication holes 5h formed in the stage 5. That is, in a certain aspect, the positions of the plurality of communication holes 5h formed in the stage 5 and the positions of the plurality of adjustment holes 91h formed in the aperture adjustment plate 91 are configured to coincide with each other.

[0050] The actuator 92 includes a drive wheel that comes into contact with the side surface of the opening adjustment plate 91, and a motor (not shown) that rotates the drive wheel. By rotating the motor forward or backward to rotate the drive wheel, the opening adjustment plate 91 rotates forward or backward around the center of the stage 5 as the rotation axis.

[0051] Specifically, the aperture adjustment plate 91 is rotationally driven by an actuator 92, and is rotatably movable between (a) a fully open position, (b) an intermediate position, and (c) a fully closed position, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. (a) The fully open position is a position where all of the communication holes 5h formed in the stage 5 and all of the adjustment holes 91h formed in the aperture adjustment plate 91 are aligned. (b) The intermediate position is a position where some areas of the communication holes 5h formed in the stage 5 face the adjustment holes 91h formed in the aperture adjustment plate 91, and the remaining areas are blocked by the plate surface of the aperture adjustment plate 91. (c) The fully closed position is a position where all of the communication holes 5h formed in the stage 5 are blocked by the plate surface of the aperture adjustment plate 91.

[0052] <Effects of this embodiment> According to the plasma processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment configured as described above, a small processing chamber 7s isolated by an insulating container 7 is formed above the stage 5 in the vacuum chamber 1s, and a tool T is housed in the processing chamber 7s, and plasma is generated to perform plasma processing.This allows the ratio of the number of antennas 2 generating plasma to the number of tools T to be processed to be increased, and therefore, plasma processing can be performed uniformly on the workpieces to be processed without rotating the stage 5. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a rotation mechanism on the stage 5, the structure can be simplified, and a cooling structure such as water cooling can be formed within the stage 5, for example, making it possible to efficiently suppress the temperature rise of the tool T during plasma processing.

[0053] <Other Modified Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, although the plasma processing apparatus 100 in the above embodiment functions as a film removal apparatus that removes a coating from the tool T using plasma, the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the plasma processing apparatus 100 may function as a film formation apparatus that forms a coating on the surface of the tool T using plasma. In this case, for example, a sputtering target may be provided inside the insulating container 7, and a bias voltage may be applied to the sputtering target.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the stage 5 has a circular shape, but this is not limiting. In other embodiments, the stage 5 may have a shape other than a circle, such as a rectangular shape. In other embodiments, the insulating container 7 and the tool T do not have to be arranged concentrically on the stage 5, and they do not have to be arranged at equal intervals. In another embodiment, a plurality of tools T may be housed in a single insulating container 7 for plasma processing.

[0055] Furthermore, the communication hole 5h formed in the stage 5 does not have to be formed so as to penetrate through in the thickness direction, as long as one end opens to the processing chamber 7s and the other end opens to the vacuum chamber 1s. For example, the other end of the communication hole 5h may be formed so as to open to the side peripheral surface of the stage 5.

[0056] In another embodiment, the antenna 2 does not have to be provided individually for each of the multiple insulating containers 7. For example, one antenna 2 may be provided for the multiple insulating containers 7. In another embodiment, the antenna 2 may be provided inside the insulating container 7, rather than outside the insulating container 7.

[0057] In still another embodiment, the plasma processing apparatus 100 does not necessarily have to include the cooling mechanism 8 and the opening degree adjusting mechanism 9.

[0058] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the antenna 2 is disposed around the side surface of the tool placed on the tool mounting surface 51 from top to bottom via the insulating container 7, and plasma generation and plasma processing (film removal or deposition) are simultaneously performed in the processing chamber 7s. However, this is not limited to this. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the processing chamber 7s formed by the insulating container 7 may be divided into a plasma generation chamber 7s1 where plasma is generated and a plasma processing chamber 7s2 where plasma processing is performed. In this case, the plasma generation chamber 7s1 and the plasma processing chamber 7s2 are adjacent and spatially connected, and it is preferable that the plasma generation chamber 7s1 is formed upstream of the plasma processing chamber 7s2. That is, it is preferable that the downstream end 41a of the gas pipe 41 of the gas supply mechanism 4 opens into the plasma generation chamber 7s1, and that the end of the communication hole 5h formed in the stage 5 opens into the plasma processing chamber 7s2. It is also preferable that the plasma generation chamber 7s1 and the plasma processing chamber 7s2 are partially separated by the inner wall of the insulating container 7. The antenna 2 is preferably disposed so as to surround only the plasma generation chamber 7s1 without surrounding the plasma processing chamber 7s2, and the tool T is preferably housed within the plasma processing chamber 7s2.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the plasma processing is performed using inductively coupled plasma, but this is not limiting. In other embodiments, the plasma processing may be performed using plasma generated by other methods, such as capacitively coupled plasma. That is, in other embodiments, the plasma source does not have to be configured using the antenna 2 and the high-frequency power supply 3.

[0060] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 100 Plasma treatment device 1...vacuum container 1s...vacuum chamber 2 Antenna 5 Stages 7. Insulated container 7s Processing chamber T...Tools

Claims

1. A plasma treatment is performed on the surface of a tool, which is a workpiece, using plasma, a vacuum vessel forming a vacuum chamber; a stage installed in the vacuum chamber; an insulating container disposed on the stage and forming a processing chamber for accommodating the object to be processed; an antenna disposed around the insulating container in the vacuum chamber to generate plasma in the processing chamber.

2. The surfaces of a plurality of objects to be treated are simultaneously plasma-treated, A plurality of the insulating containers; The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of the antennas disposed around the respective insulating containers.

3. 3. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of insulating containers are provided individually for the plurality of objects to be processed.

4. a gas supply mechanism for supplying a plasma generating gas into the insulating container; The gas supply mechanism a gas source; 2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a gas pipe having an upstream end connected to the gas source through which the plasma generating gas flows and a downstream end opening into the insulating container.

5. 2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cooling passage through which a cooling fluid flows is formed in the stage.

6. The insulating container has a shape that opens downward, 6. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the object to be processed is attached in contact with the stage, and the insulating container is placed on the stage so as to cover the object to be processed.

7. The insulating container has a shape that opens downward, a communication hole that communicates the processing chamber with the vacuum chamber is formed in the stage, 2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum chamber and the processing chamber are evacuated by a common vacuum exhaust device.

8. the stage is plate-shaped, and the communication hole is formed in the stage so as to penetrate in a thickness direction; an aperture adjustment plate disposed on the rear side of the stage and having a through hole formed at a position corresponding to the through hole of the stage; 8. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the opening of the communication hole formed in the stage is adjusted by moving the opening adjustment plate relatively to the stage.

9. The stage has a circular shape in a plan view, 9. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the aperture of the communication hole of the stage is adjusted by rotating the aperture adjusting plate around the center of the stage as a rotation axis.

10. 2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is disposed so as to surround the side periphery of the insulating container.

11. The processing chamber formed by the insulating container is a plasma generation chamber around which the antenna is disposed to generate plasma; 2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plasma processing chamber is separated into a chamber for accommodating the object to be processed and a chamber for performing plasma processing on the object to be processed.

12. the antenna is disposed so as to surround only the plasma generation chamber without surrounding the plasma processing chamber, The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the object to be processed is accommodated in the plasma processing chamber.

13. A method for plasma processing a surface of a workpiece, which is a tool placed on a stage installed in a vacuum chamber formed by a vacuum vessel, using plasma, the method comprising: an insulating container forming a processing chamber for accommodating the object to be processed is placed on the stage; A plasma processing method in which plasma is generated in the processing chamber by an antenna disposed around the insulating container in the vacuum chamber, and the surface of the object to be processed is plasma-processed.

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