Plasma treatment device

Abstract

The disclosed plasma treatment device comprises a chamber, a substrate support unit, a high-frequency power supply, a power consumption member, a power transmission coil, a power reception coil, a rectification / smoothing unit, a power storage unit, and a ground frame. The high-frequency power supply generates high-frequency power for generating plasma in the chamber. The power consumption member is disposed in the chamber and is connected to the power storage unit. The power reception coil can receive power from the power transmission coil by means of electromagnetic induction coupling, and is connected to the power storage unit via the rectification / smoothing unit. The ground frame is grounded and surrounds the substrate support unit together with the chamber. The power transmission coil is disposed outside the ground frame, and the power reception coil is disposed in a space outside the chamber and inside the ground frame together with the rectification / smoothing unit and the power storage unit.

Description

Plasma processing equipment

[0001] An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a plasma processing apparatus.

[0002] A plasma processing apparatus is used in plasma processing. The plasma processing apparatus includes a chamber and a substrate support (mounting table) disposed within the chamber. The substrate support has a base (lower electrode) and an electrostatic chuck for holding the substrate. A temperature adjustment element (e.g., a heater) for adjusting the temperature of the substrate is provided within the electrostatic chuck. A filter is also provided between the temperature adjustment element and a power supply for the temperature adjustment element to attenuate or block high-frequency noise entering lines such as power supply lines and / or signal lines from high-frequency electrodes and / or other electrical components within the chamber. One such plasma processing apparatus is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-222994.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-173027

[0004] An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a technique for suppressing propagation of high-frequency noise from a power receiving coil in a plasma processing apparatus.

[0005] In one exemplary embodiment, a plasma processing apparatus is provided. The plasma processing apparatus includes a plasma processing chamber, a substrate support, a high-frequency power supply, an electrode or antenna, a power consuming member, a power transmitting coil, a power receiving coil, a rectifying and smoothing unit, a power storage unit, and a ground frame. The substrate support is disposed within the plasma processing chamber. The high-frequency power supply is configured to generate high-frequency power. The electrode or antenna is electrically connected to the high-frequency power supply to receive the high-frequency power for generating plasma from a gas in the plasma processing chamber. The power consuming member is disposed within the plasma processing chamber or within the substrate support. The power receiving coil is capable of receiving power from the power transmitting coil via electromagnetic inductive coupling. The rectifying and smoothing unit is configured to convert power from the power receiving coil into direct current power. The power storage unit is electrically connected between the rectifying and smoothing unit and the power consuming member. The ground frame is grounded and surrounds the substrate support together with the plasma processing chamber. The ground frame provides a space outside the plasma processing chamber to accommodate the rectifying and smoothing unit and the power storage unit. The power transmitting coil is disposed outside the ground frame. The receiving coil is disposed within the space of the ground frame.

[0006] According to one exemplary embodiment, a technique for suppressing propagation of high frequency noise from a power receiving coil in a plasma processing apparatus is provided.

[0007] 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a plasma processing system; FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a capacitively coupled plasma processing apparatus; FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a plasma processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a plasma processing apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a power transmitting unit according to an exemplary embodiment; FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a power transmitting coil unit and a power receiving coil unit according to an exemplary embodiment; FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a power transmitting coil unit and a power receiving coil unit according to an exemplary embodiment; FIG. 9 is a graph showing impedance characteristics of a power receiving coil unit according to an exemplary embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an RF filter according to an exemplary embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a rectifying and smoothing unit according to an exemplary embodiment; FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an RF filter according to an exemplary embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a communication unit of a power transmitting unit and a communication unit of the rectifying and smoothing unit according to an exemplary embodiment; FIG. 14 is a diagram schematically showing a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; 23 is a diagram showing a communication unit of a power transmitting unit and a communication unit of a rectifying and smoothing unit according to another exemplary embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram schematically showing a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram schematically showing a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram schematically showing a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. Each of (a) and (b) of FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a power storage unit according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a voltage-controlled converter according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a constant voltage control unit according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a constant voltage control unit according to another exemplary embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram schematically showing a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a power transmitting coil unit and a power receiving coil unit that can be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment.FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a power transmitting coil unit and a power receiving coil unit that can be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a power receiving coil unit that can be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a power transmitting coil unit and a power receiving coil unit that can be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a power transmitting coil unit and a power receiving coil unit that can be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a power transmitting coil unit and a power receiving coil unit that can be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of an example of a power transmitting coil unit and a power receiving coil unit; FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of at least one table; FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of at least one table; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a power transmitting coil unit and a power receiving coil unit that can be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a power transmitting coil section and a power receiving coil section that can be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a power transmitting coil section and a power receiving coil section in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a power transmitting coil section and a power receiving coil section in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic view of a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an immittance converter in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a power transmitting section that can be employed in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments; and FIG. 7 is a diagram explaining adjustment of the duty of the transmission voltage of the power transmitting section that can be employed in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments.FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a power transmitting unit and an AC / DC converter that may be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to various exemplary embodiments; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a power receiving coil unit that may be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to various exemplary embodiments; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a power receiving coil unit and a rectifying and smoothing unit that may be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to various exemplary embodiments; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an integrated configuration related to power supply that may be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to various exemplary embodiments; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an integrated configuration related to power supply that may be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to various exemplary embodiments; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an integrated configuration related to power supply that may be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to various exemplary embodiments;

[0008] Various exemplary embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, in which the same or equivalent parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a plasma processing system. In one embodiment, the plasma processing system includes a plasma processing apparatus 1 and a control unit 2. The plasma processing system is an example of a substrate processing system, and the plasma processing apparatus 1 is an example of a substrate processing apparatus. The plasma processing apparatus 1 includes a plasma processing chamber 10, a substrate support 11, and a plasma generation unit 12. The plasma processing chamber 10 has a plasma processing space. The plasma processing chamber 10 also has at least one gas supply port for supplying at least one processing gas to the plasma processing space and at least one gas exhaust port for exhausting gas from the plasma processing space. The gas supply port is connected to a gas supply unit 20 (described later), and the gas exhaust port is connected to an exhaust system 40 (described later). The substrate support 11 is disposed in the plasma processing space and has a substrate support surface for supporting a substrate.

[0010] The plasma generating unit 12 is configured to generate plasma from at least one processing gas supplied into the plasma processing space. The plasma formed in the plasma processing space may be capacitively coupled plasma (CCP), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma (ECR plasma), helicon wave plasma (HWP), or surface wave plasma (SWP). Various types of plasma generators may be used, including alternating current (AC) plasma generators and direct current (DC) plasma generators. In one embodiment, the AC signal (AC power) used in the AC plasma generator has a frequency in the range of 100 kHz to 10 GHz. Thus, AC signals include radio frequency (RF) signals and microwave signals. In one embodiment, the RF signal has a frequency in the range of 100 kHz to 150 MHz.

[0011] The control unit 2 processes computer-executable instructions that cause the plasma processing apparatus 1 to perform various processes described in this disclosure. The control unit 2 may be configured to control each element of the plasma processing apparatus 1 to perform various processes described herein. In one embodiment, part or all of the control unit 2 may be included in the plasma processing apparatus 1. The control unit 2 may include a processing unit 2a1, a storage unit 2a2, and a communication interface 2a3. The control unit 2 may be implemented by, for example, a computer 2a. The processing unit 2a1 may be configured to read a program from the storage unit 2a2 and execute the read program to perform various control operations. This program may be stored in the storage unit 2a2 in advance or may be acquired via a medium when needed. The acquired program is stored in the storage unit 2a2 and read from the storage unit 2a2 by the processing unit 2a1 for execution. The medium may be various storage media readable by the computer 2a or a communication line connected to the communication interface 2a3. The processing unit 2a1 may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage unit 2a2 may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a combination thereof. The communication interface 2a3 may communicate with the plasma processing apparatus 1 via a communication line such as a local area network (LAN).

[0012] The following describes a configuration example of a capacitively coupled plasma processing apparatus as an example of the plasma processing apparatus 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a capacitively coupled plasma processing apparatus.

[0013] The capacitively coupled plasma processing apparatus 1 includes a plasma processing chamber 10, a gas supply 20, a power supply 30, and an exhaust system 40. The plasma processing apparatus 1 also includes a substrate support 11 and a gas inlet. The gas inlet is configured to introduce at least one process gas into the plasma processing chamber 10. The gas inlet includes a showerhead 13. The substrate support 11 is disposed within the plasma processing chamber 10. The showerhead 13 is disposed above the substrate support 11. In one embodiment, the showerhead 13 forms at least a portion of the ceiling of the plasma processing chamber 10. The plasma processing chamber 10 has a plasma processing space 10s defined by the showerhead 13, a sidewall 10a of the plasma processing chamber 10, and the substrate support 11. The plasma processing chamber 10 is grounded. The showerhead 13 and the substrate support 11 are electrically insulated from the housing of the plasma processing chamber 10.

[0014] The substrate support 11 includes a main body 111 and a ring assembly 112. The main body 111 has a central region 111a for supporting a substrate W and an annular region 111b for supporting the ring assembly 112. A wafer is an example of a substrate W. The annular region 111b of the main body 111 surrounds the central region 111a of the main body 111 in a plan view. The substrate W is disposed on the central region 111a of the main body 111, and the ring assembly 112 is disposed on the annular region 111b of the main body 111 so as to surround the substrate W on the central region 111a of the main body 111. Therefore, the central region 111a is also called a substrate support surface for supporting the substrate W, and the annular region 111b is also called a ring support surface for supporting the ring assembly 112.

[0015] In one embodiment, the main body 111 includes a base 1110 and an electrostatic chuck 1111. The base 1110 includes a conductive member. The conductive member of the base 1110 can function as a lower electrode. The electrostatic chuck 1111 is disposed on the base 1110. The electrostatic chuck 1111 includes a ceramic member 1111a and an electrostatic electrode (also referred to as an attraction electrode, chucking electrode, or clamping electrode) 1111b disposed within the ceramic member 1111a. The ceramic member 1111a has a central region 111a. In one embodiment, the ceramic member 1111a also has an annular region 111b. Note that the annular region 111b may also be provided by another member surrounding the electrostatic chuck 1111, such as an annular electrostatic chuck or an annular insulating member. In this case, the ring assembly 112 may be disposed on the annular electrostatic chuck or the annular insulating member, or may be disposed on both the electrostatic chuck 1111 and the annular insulating member. Furthermore, at least one RF / DC electrode coupled to an RF power supply 31 and / or a DC power supply 32, which will be described later, may be disposed within the ceramic member 1111a. In this case, the at least one RF / DC electrode functions as a lower electrode. When a bias RF signal and / or a DC signal, which will be described later, is supplied to the at least one RF / DC electrode, the RF / DC electrode is also called a bias electrode. Note that the conductive member of the base 1110 and the at least one RF / DC electrode may function as multiple lower electrodes. Furthermore, the electrostatic electrode 1111b may function as a lower electrode. Therefore, the substrate support 11 includes at least one lower electrode.

[0016] The ring assembly 112 includes one or more annular members. In one embodiment, the one or more annular members include one or more edge rings and at least one cover ring. The edge rings are formed of a conductive or insulating material, and the cover rings are formed of an insulating material.

[0017] The substrate support 11 may also include a temperature adjustment module configured to adjust at least one of the electrostatic chuck 1111, the ring assembly 112, and the substrate to a target temperature. The temperature adjustment module may include a heater, a heat transfer medium, a flow passage 1110a, or a combination thereof. A heat transfer fluid such as brine or a gas flows through the flow passage 1110a. In one embodiment, the flow passage 1110a is formed in the base 1110, and one or more heaters are disposed in the ceramic member 1111a of the electrostatic chuck 1111. The substrate support 11 may also include a heat transfer gas supply configured to supply a heat transfer gas to a gap between the backside of the substrate W and the central region 111a.

[0018] The showerhead 13 is configured to introduce at least one process gas from the gas supply unit 20 into the plasma processing space 10s. The showerhead 13 has at least one gas supply port 13a, at least one gas diffusion chamber 13b, and multiple gas inlets 13c. The process gas supplied to the gas supply port 13a passes through the gas diffusion chamber 13b and is introduced into the plasma processing space 10s from the multiple gas inlets 13c. The showerhead 13 also includes at least one upper electrode. In addition to the showerhead 13, the gas inlet may also include one or more side gas injectors (SGIs) attached to one or more openings formed in the sidewall 10a.

[0019] The gas supply unit 20 may include at least one gas source 21 and at least one flow controller 22. In one embodiment, the gas supply unit 20 is configured to supply at least one process gas from a corresponding gas source 21 to the showerhead 13 via a corresponding flow controller 22. Each flow controller 22 may include, for example, a mass flow controller or a pressure-controlled flow controller. Additionally, the gas supply unit 20 may include at least one flow modulation device that modulates or pulses the flow rate of the at least one process gas.

[0020] The power supply 30 includes an RF power supply 31 coupled to the plasma processing chamber 10 via at least one impedance matching circuit. The RF power supply 31 is configured to supply at least one RF signal (RF power) to at least one lower electrode and / or at least one upper electrode. This generates a plasma from at least one processing gas supplied to the plasma processing space 10s. Therefore, the RF power supply 31 can function as at least a part of the plasma generation unit 12. Furthermore, by supplying a bias RF signal to the at least one lower electrode, a bias potential is generated on the substrate W, thereby attracting ion components in the formed plasma to the substrate W.

[0021] In one embodiment, the RF power supply 31 includes a first RF generating unit 31a and a second RF generating unit 31b. The first RF generating unit 31a is coupled to at least one lower electrode and / or at least one upper electrode via at least one impedance matching circuit and is configured to generate a source RF signal (source RF power) for plasma generation. In one embodiment, the source RF signal has a frequency in the range of 10 MHz to 150 MHz. In one embodiment, the first RF generating unit 31a may be configured to generate multiple source RF signals having different frequencies. The generated one or more source RF signals are supplied to at least one lower electrode and / or at least one upper electrode.

[0022] The second RF generator 31b is coupled to at least one lower electrode via at least one impedance matching circuit and is configured to generate a bias RF signal (bias RF power). The frequency of the bias RF signal may be the same as or different from the frequency of the source RF signal. In one embodiment, the bias RF signal has a frequency lower than the frequency of the source RF signal. In one embodiment, the bias RF signal has a frequency in the range of 100 kHz to 60 MHz. In one embodiment, the second RF generator 31b may be configured to generate multiple bias RF signals having different frequencies. The generated one or more bias RF signals are supplied to at least one lower electrode. In various embodiments, at least one of the source RF signal and the bias RF signal may be pulsed.

[0023] The power supply 30 may also include a DC power supply 32 coupled to the plasma processing chamber 10. The DC power supply 32 includes a first DC generator 32a and a second DC generator 32b. In one embodiment, the first DC generator 32a is connected to the at least one lower electrode and configured to generate a first DC signal. The generated first DC signal is applied to the at least one lower electrode. In one embodiment, the second DC generator 32b is connected to the at least one upper electrode and configured to generate a second DC signal. The generated second DC signal is applied to the at least one upper electrode.

[0024] In various embodiments, the first and second DC signals may be pulsed. In this case, a sequence of voltage pulses is applied to at least one lower electrode and / or at least one upper electrode. The voltage pulses may have a rectangular, trapezoidal, triangular, or combination thereof pulse waveform. In one embodiment, a waveform generator for generating the sequence of voltage pulses from the DC signal is connected between the first DC generator 32a and at least one lower electrode. Thus, the first DC generator 32a and the waveform generator constitute a voltage pulse generator. When the second DC generator 32b and the waveform generator constitute a voltage pulse generator, the voltage pulse generator is connected to at least one upper electrode. The voltage pulses may have either positive or negative polarity. Furthermore, the sequence of voltage pulses may include one or more positive voltage pulses and one or more negative voltage pulses within one period. The first and second DC generating units 32a and 32b may be provided in addition to the RF power supply 31, or the first DC generating unit 32a may be provided instead of the second RF generating unit 31b.

[0025] The exhaust system 40 may be connected to, for example, a gas exhaust port 10e provided at the bottom of the plasma processing chamber 10. The exhaust system 40 may include a pressure regulating valve and a vacuum pump. The pressure in the plasma processing space 10s is regulated by the pressure regulating valve. The vacuum pump may include a turbomolecular pump, a dry pump, or a combination thereof.

[0026] In the capacitively coupled plasma processing apparatus 1, the upper electrode is disposed such that a plasma processing space is located between the upper electrode and the substrate support 11. A high-frequency power supply such as the first RF generating unit 31a is electrically connected to the upper electrode or a lower electrode in the substrate support 11. When the plasma processing apparatus 1 is an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus, an antenna is disposed such that a plasma processing space is located between the antenna and the substrate support 11. A high-frequency power supply such as the first RF generating unit 31a is electrically connected to the antenna. When the plasma processing apparatus 1 is a plasma processing apparatus that generates plasma using surface waves such as microwaves, an antenna is disposed such that a plasma processing space is located between the antenna and the substrate support 11. A high-frequency power supply such as the first RF generating unit 31a is electrically connected to the antenna via a waveguide.

[0027] Plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments will be described below. Each of the plasma processing apparatuses described below is configured to supply power to at least one power consuming member in a chamber 10 by wireless power supply (electromagnetic inductive coupling), and may have the same configuration as the plasma processing apparatus 1.

[0028] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a plasma processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. The plasma processing apparatus 100A shown in Fig. 3 includes at least one high-frequency power supply 300, a power receiving coil unit 140, a power storage unit 160, and at least one power consuming member 240 (see Figs. 25 and 26). The plasma processing apparatus 100A may further include a power transmitting unit 120, a power transmitting coil unit 130, a rectifying / smoothing unit 150, a constant voltage control unit 180 (an example of a voltage control unit), a ground frame 110, and a matching unit 301.

[0029] At least one high frequency power supply 300 includes a first RF generating unit 31 a and / or a second RF generating unit 31 b. At least one high frequency power supply 300 is electrically connected to the substrate support 11 via a matching unit 301. The matching unit 301 includes at least one impedance matching circuit.

[0030] The ground frame 110 includes the chamber 10 and is electrically grounded. The ground frame 110 electrically separates an internal space 110h (RF-Hot space) from an external space 110a (atmospheric space). The ground frame 110 surrounds the substrate support 11 disposed within the space 110h. In the plasma processing apparatus 100A, the rectifier / smoothing unit 150, the power storage unit 160, and the constant voltage control unit 180 are disposed within the space 110h. In addition, in the plasma processing apparatus 100A, the power transmission unit 120, the power transmission coil unit 130, and the power receiving coil unit 140 are disposed within the space 110a. The space 110h includes a reduced pressure space (vacuum space) and a non-reduced pressure space (non-vacuum space). The reduced pressure space is the space within the chamber 10, and the non-reduced pressure space is the space outside the chamber 10. The substrate support 11 and the substrate W are disposed within the reduced pressure space. The rectifying and smoothing unit 150, the power storage unit 160, and the constant voltage control unit 180 are arranged in the non-reduced pressure space.

[0031] The devices arranged in the space 110a, i.e., the power transmitting unit 120, the power transmitting coil unit 130, and the power receiving coil unit 140, are covered by a metal housing made of a metal such as aluminum, and the metal housing is grounded. This suppresses leakage of high-frequency noise caused by high-frequency power such as the first RF signal (source RF signal) and / or the second RF signal (bias RF signal). An insulation distance is provided between the metal housing and each power supply line. In the following description, high-frequency power such as the first RF signal and / or the second RF signal propagating toward the power transmitting unit 120 may be referred to as high-frequency noise, common-mode noise, or conductive noise.

[0032] The power transmitting unit 120 is electrically connected between an AC power source 400 (e.g., a commercial AC power source) and the power transmitting coil unit 130. The power transmitting unit 120 receives the frequency of AC power from the AC power source 400 and converts the frequency of the AC power into a transmission frequency, thereby generating AC power having the transmission frequency, i.e., transmission AC power.

[0033] The power transmitting coil section 130 includes a power transmitting coil 131 (see FIG. 9 ), which will be described later. The power transmitting coil 131 is electrically connected to the power transmitting section 120. The power transmitting coil 131 receives transmitted AC power from the power transmitting section 120 and wirelessly transmits the transmitted AC power to the power receiving coil 141.

[0034] The power receiving coil unit 140 includes a power receiving coil 141 (see FIG. 9 ), which will be described later. The power receiving coil 141 is electromagnetically inductively coupled to the power transmitting coil 131. Electromagnetic inductive coupling includes magnetic field coupling and electric field coupling. Magnetic field coupling also includes magnetic field resonance (also referred to as magnetic resonance). The distance between the power receiving coil 141 and the power transmitting coil 131 is set so as to suppress common mode noise (conductive noise). The distance between the power receiving coil 141 and the power transmitting coil 131 is set to a distance that allows power to be fed. The distance between the power receiving coil 141 and the power transmitting coil 131 is set so that the attenuation of high-frequency power (i.e., high-frequency noise) between the power receiving coil 141 and the power transmitting coil 131 is equal to or less than a threshold, and so that the power receiving coil 141 can receive power from the power transmitting coil 131. The attenuation threshold is set to a value that sufficiently prevents damage or malfunction of the power transmitting unit 120. The attenuation threshold is, for example, −20 dB. The transmitted AC power received by the power receiving coil section 140 is output to the rectifying and smoothing section 150 .

[0035] The rectifying and smoothing unit 150 is electrically connected between the power receiving coil unit 140 and the power storage unit 160. The rectifying and smoothing unit 150 generates DC power by full-wave rectifying and smoothing the AC power transmitted from the power receiving coil unit 140. The DC power generated by the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 is stored in the power storage unit 160. The power storage unit 160 is electrically connected between the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 and the constant voltage control unit 180. Note that the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 may generate DC power by half-wave rectifying and smoothing the AC power transmitted from the power receiving coil unit 140.

[0036] The rectifying and smoothing unit 150 and the power transmitting unit 120 are electrically connected to each other via a signal line 1250. The rectifying and smoothing unit 150 transmits an instruction signal to the power transmitting unit 120 via the signal line 1250. The instruction signal is a signal for instructing the power transmitting unit 120 to supply or stop supplying transmission AC power. The instruction signal may include a status signal, an abnormality detection signal, and a cooling control signal for the power transmitting coil unit 130 and the power receiving coil unit 140. The status signal is a value of the voltage, current, power magnitude, and / or phase detected by the voltage detector 155v (see FIG. 14 ) and the current detector 155i (see FIG. 14 ) of the rectifying and smoothing unit 150. The abnormality detection signal is a signal for notifying the power transmitting unit 120 of the occurrence of a failure and / or temperature abnormality in the rectifying and smoothing unit 150. The cooling control signal controls the cooling mechanisms provided in the power transmitting coil unit 130 and the power receiving coil unit 140. The cooling control signal controls the rotation speed of a cooling mechanism such as a fan or blower in the case of air cooling, or controls the flow rate and / or temperature of the coolant in the case of liquid cooling.

[0037] The constant voltage control unit 180 applies a voltage to at least the power consuming member 240 using the power stored in the power storage unit 160. The constant voltage control unit 180 can control the application of a voltage to at least the power consuming member 240 and the stopping of the application.

[0038] In the plasma processing apparatus 100A, the power receiving coil 141 functions as a filter for high-frequency noise caused by high-frequency power such as the first RF signal and / or the second RF signal, thereby suppressing propagation of the high-frequency noise to a power supply outside the plasma processing apparatus.

[0039] Please refer to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment. The plasma processing apparatus 100B shown in Fig. 4 will be described below from the viewpoint of its differences from the plasma processing apparatus 100A.

[0040] The plasma processing apparatus 100B further includes a voltage-controlled converter 170. The voltage-controlled converter 170 is a DC-DC converter and is connected between the power storage unit 160 and the constant voltage control unit 180. The voltage-controlled converter 170 can be configured to input a constant output voltage to the constant voltage control unit 180 even when a voltage fluctuation occurs in the power storage unit 160. Note that the voltage fluctuation in the power storage unit 160 can occur as a voltage drop corresponding to the stored power when the power storage unit 160 is configured as an electric double layer, for example.

[0041] Please refer to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. The plasma processing apparatus 100C shown in Fig. 5 will be described below from the viewpoint of its differences from the plasma processing apparatus 100B.

[0042] The plasma processing apparatus 100C further includes an RF filter 190. The RF filter 190 is connected between the rectifying / smoothing unit 150 and the power transmitting unit 120. The RF filter 190 constitutes a part of the signal line 1250. The RF filter 190 has a characteristic of suppressing the propagation of high-frequency power (high-frequency noise) through the signal line 1250. That is, the RF filter 190 includes a low-pass filter that has a high impedance with respect to high-frequency noise (conductive noise) but has a characteristic of passing a relatively low-frequency instruction signal.

[0043] In the plasma processing apparatus 100C, the power storage unit 160, the voltage-controlled converter 170, and the constant-voltage control unit 180 are integrated with one another. That is, the power storage unit 160, the voltage-controlled converter 170, and the constant-voltage control unit 180 are all disposed in a single metal housing or formed on a single circuit board. This shortens the length of each of the pair of power supply lines (positive and negative lines) connecting the power storage unit 160 and the voltage-controlled converter 170. Furthermore, the lengths of the pair of power supply lines connecting the power storage unit 160 and the voltage-controlled converter 170 can be made equal. Furthermore, the lengths of the pair of power supply lines (positive and negative lines) connecting the voltage-controlled converter 170 and the constant-voltage control unit 180 can be made equal. This reduces device malfunction and damage caused by normal mode noise (the potential difference between the positive and negative lines). If another metal body that shields the electromagnetic field is provided around the housing inside the chamber 10, the single housing does not have to be made of metal.

[0044] Please refer to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. The plasma processing apparatus 100D shown in Fig. 6 will be described below from the viewpoint of differences from the plasma processing apparatus 100C.

[0045] The plasma processing apparatus 100D does not include an RF filter 190. In the plasma processing apparatus 100D, the rectifying / smoothing unit 150 includes a communication unit 151, which is a wireless unit. The communication unit 151 is arranged in a non-reduced pressure space. The power transmitting unit 120 also includes a communication unit 121, which is a wireless unit. The communication unit 121 is arranged in the space 110a. The above-mentioned instruction signal is transmitted between the rectifying / smoothing unit 150 and the power transmitting unit 120 using the communication unit 151 and the communication unit 121. Details of the communication unit 121 and the communication unit 151 will be described later.

[0046] Please refer to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. Hereinafter, a plasma processing apparatus 100E shown in Fig. 7 will be described in terms of its differences from the plasma processing apparatus 100D.

[0047] The plasma processing apparatus 100E further includes an RF filter 200. The RF filter 200 is connected between the power receiving coil section 140 and the rectifying and smoothing section 150. The RF filter 200 has a characteristic of reducing or blocking high frequency noise propagating from the power receiving coil section 140 to the power transmitting coil 131 and the power transmitting section 120. Details of the RF filter 200 will be described later.

[0048] Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit for wireless power supply in the plasma processing apparatus according to various exemplary embodiments will be described in detail.

[0049] [Configuration of power transmission unit]

[0050] 8 is a diagram illustrating a power transmission unit according to an exemplary embodiment. As described above, the power transmission unit 120 receives the frequency of AC power from the AC power source 400 and converts the frequency of the AC power to a transmission frequency, thereby generating transmission AC power having the transmission frequency.

[0051] In one embodiment, the power transmission unit 120 includes a control unit 122, a rectification and smoothing unit 123, and an inverter 124. The control unit 122 is configured from a processor such as a CPU or a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0052] The rectifying and smoothing unit 123 includes a rectifying circuit and a smoothing circuit. The rectifying circuit includes, for example, a diode bridge. The smoothing circuit includes, for example, a line capacitor. The rectifying and smoothing unit 123 generates DC power by full-wave rectifying and smoothing the AC power from the AC power supply 400. Note that the rectifying and smoothing unit 123 may also generate DC power by half-wave rectifying and smoothing the AC power from the AC power supply 400.

[0053] The inverter 124 generates transmission AC power having a transmission frequency from the DC power output by the rectifying and smoothing unit 123. The inverter 124 is, for example, a full-bridge inverter and includes a plurality of triacs or a plurality of switching elements (e.g., FETs). The inverter 124 generates transmission AC power by ON / OFF control of the plurality of triacs or the plurality of switching elements by the control unit 122. The transmission AC power output from the inverter 124 is output to the power transmitting coil unit 130.

[0054] The power transmitting unit 120 may further include a voltage detector 125v, a current detector 125i, a voltage detector 126v, and a current detector 126i. The voltage detector 125v detects a voltage value between a pair of power supply lines connecting the rectifying and smoothing unit 123 and the inverter 124. The current detector 125i detects a current value between the rectifying and smoothing unit 123 and the inverter 124. The voltage detector 126v detects a voltage value between a pair of power supply lines connecting the inverter 124 and the power transmitting coil unit 130. The current detector 126i detects a current value between the inverter 124 and the power transmitting coil unit 130. The voltage value detected by the voltage detector 125v, the current value detected by the current detector 125i, the voltage value detected by the voltage detector 126v, and the current value detected by the current detector 126i are notified to the control unit 122.

[0055] The power transmitting unit 120 includes the above-described communication unit 121. The communication unit 121 includes a driver 121d, a transmitter 121tx, and a receiver 121rx. The transmitter 121tx is a transmitter of a wireless signal or a transmitter of an optical signal. The receiver 121rx is a receiver of a wireless signal or a receiver of an optical signal. The communication unit 121 drives the transmitter 121tx using the driver 121d to output a signal from the control unit 122 as a wireless signal or an optical signal from the transmitter 121tx. The signal output from the transmitter 121tx is received by the communication unit 151 (see FIG. 14 ), which will be described later. Furthermore, the communication unit 121 receives a signal such as the above-described instruction signal from the communication unit 151 using the receiver 121rx and inputs the received signal to the control unit 122 via the driver 121d. The control unit 122 switches between outputting and stopping the transmitted AC power by controlling the inverter 124 in accordance with the instruction signal received from the communication unit 151 via the communication unit 121, the voltage value detected by the voltage detector 125v, the current value detected by the current detector 125i, the voltage value detected by the voltage detector 126v, and the current value detected by the current detector 126i.

[0056] [Power transmitting coil section and power receiving coil section]

[0057] Please refer to FIGS. 9 to 11. Each of FIGS. 9 to 11 is a diagram illustrating a power transmitting coil unit and a power receiving coil unit according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the power transmitting coil unit 130 may include a resonant capacitor 132a and a resonant capacitor 132b in addition to the power transmitting coil 131. The resonant capacitor 132a is connected between one end of the power transmitting coil 131 and one of a pair of power feed lines connecting the power transmitting unit 120 and the power transmitting coil unit 130. The resonant capacitor 132b is connected between the other end of the power transmitting coil 131 and the other of the pair of power feed lines. The power transmitting coil 131, the resonant capacitor 132a, and the resonant capacitor 132b form a resonant circuit with respect to the transmission frequency. That is, the power transmitting coil 131, the resonant capacitor 132a, and the resonant capacitor 132b have a resonant frequency that substantially matches the transmission frequency. Note that the power transmitting coil unit 130 does not necessarily include either the resonant capacitor 132a or the resonant capacitor 132b.

[0058] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , the power transmitting coil unit 130 may further include a metal housing 130g. The metal housing 130g has an open end and is grounded. The power transmitting coil 131 is disposed within the metal housing 130g with an insulating distance maintained. The power transmitting coil unit 130 may further include a heat sink 134, a ferrite material 135, and a thermally conductive sheet 136. The heat sink 134 is disposed within the metal housing 130g and supported by the metal housing 130g. The ferrite material 135 is disposed on the heat sink 134. The thermally conductive sheet 136 is disposed on the ferrite material 135. The power transmitting coil 131 is disposed on the thermally conductive sheet 136 and faces the power receiving coil 141 via the open end of the metal housing 130g. As shown in FIG. 11 , a resonant capacitor 132a and a resonant capacitor 132b may also be housed within the metal housing 130g.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 9 , the power receiving coil section 140 includes a power receiving coil 141. The power receiving coil 141 is electromagnetically inductively coupled to the power transmitting coil 131. The power receiving coil section 140 may include a resonant capacitor 142a and a resonant capacitor 142b in addition to the power receiving coil 141. The resonant capacitor 142a is connected between one of a pair of power feed lines extending from the power receiving coil section 140 and one end of the power receiving coil 141. The resonant capacitor 142b is connected between the other of the pair of power feed lines and the other end of the power receiving coil 141. The power receiving coil 141, the resonant capacitor 142a, and the resonant capacitor 142b form a resonant circuit with respect to the transmission frequency. That is, the power receiving coil 141, the resonant capacitor 142a, and the resonant capacitor 142b have a resonant frequency that approximately matches the transmission frequency. Note that the power receiving coil section 140 does not necessarily include either the resonant capacitor 142a or the resonant capacitor 142b.

[0060] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , the power receiving coil unit 140 may further include a metal housing 140g. The metal housing 140g has an open end and is grounded. The power receiving coil 141 is disposed within the metal housing 140g while ensuring an insulating distance. The power receiving coil unit 140 may further include a spacer 143, a heat sink 144, a ferrite material 145, and a thermally conductive sheet 146. The spacer 143 is disposed within the metal housing 140g and supported by the metal housing 140g. The spacer 143 will be described later. The heat sink 144 is disposed on the spacer 143. The ferrite material 145 is disposed on the heat sink 144. The thermally conductive sheet 146 is disposed on the ferrite material 145. The power receiving coil 141 is disposed on the thermally conductive sheet 146 and faces the power transmitting coil 131 via the open end of the metal housing 140g. As shown in FIG. 11, a resonant capacitor 142a and a resonant capacitor 142b may be further housed within the metal housing 140g.

[0061] The spacer 143 is made of a dielectric material and is provided between the power receiving coil 141 and the metal housing 140g (ground). The spacer 143 provides a stray capacitance between the power receiving coil 141 and the ground.

[0062] [Impedance characteristics of receiving coil]

[0063] Please refer to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a graph showing the impedance characteristics of the receiving coil section according to one exemplary embodiment. Fig. 12 shows the impedance characteristics of the receiving coil section 140 depending on the thickness of the spacer 143. The thickness of the spacer 143 corresponds to the distance between the heat sink 144 and the metal housing 140g. As shown in Fig. 12, the receiving coil section 140 has a frequency f Ｈ and frequency f ＬThe power receiving coil section 140 can adjust the impedance of each of the first and second RF signals. Therefore, the power receiving coil section 140 can provide high impedance at each of the two frequencies of high frequency power used in the plasma processing apparatus, such as the first RF signal and the second RF signal. Furthermore, since high impedance can be obtained in the power receiving coil section 140, high frequency power loss can be suppressed and a high processing rate (e.g., etching rate) can be achieved.

[0064] [RF filter 200]

[0065] Please refer to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an RF filter according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, an RF filter 200 is connected between the receiving coil section 140 and the rectifying and smoothing section 150. The RF filter 200 includes an inductor 201a, an inductor 201b, a terminating capacitor 202a, and a terminating capacitor 202b. One end of the inductor 201a is connected to the resonant capacitor 142a, and the other end of the inductor 201a is connected to the rectifying and smoothing section 150. One end of the inductor 201b is connected to the resonant capacitor 142b, and the other end of the inductor 201b is connected to the rectifying and smoothing section 150. The terminating capacitor 202a is connected between one end of the inductor 201a and ground. The terminating capacitor 202b is connected between one end of the inductor 201b and ground. The inductor 201a and the terminating capacitor 202a form a low-pass filter. The inductor 201b and the terminating capacitor 202b also form a low-pass filter. The RF filter 200 provides high impedance at each of the two frequencies of the RF power used in the plasma processing apparatus, i.e., the first RF signal and the second RF signal, thereby suppressing the loss of the RF power and achieving a high processing rate (e.g., etching rate).

[0066] [Rectification and smoothing section]

[0067] Please refer to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a rectifying and smoothing unit according to one exemplary embodiment. In one embodiment, the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 includes a control unit 152, a rectifying circuit 153, and a smoothing circuit 154. The rectifying circuit 153 is connected between the power receiving coil unit 140 and the smoothing circuit 154. The smoothing circuit 154 is connected between the rectifying circuit 153 and the power storage unit 160. The control unit 152 is configured by a processor such as a CPU or a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). Note that the control unit 152 may be the same as or different from the control unit 122.

[0068] The rectifier circuit 153 outputs power generated by full-wave rectification of the AC power from the power receiving coil section 140. The rectifier circuit 153 is, for example, a diode bridge. Note that the rectifier circuit 153 may also output power generated by half-wave rectification of the AC power from the power receiving coil section 140.

[0069] The smoothing circuit 154 generates DC power by smoothing the power from the rectifying circuit 153. The smoothing circuit 154 may include an inductor 1541a, a capacitor 1542a, and a capacitor 1542b. One end of the inductor 1541a is connected to one of a pair of inputs of the smoothing circuit 154. The other end of the inductor 1541a is connected to the positive output (V ＯＵＴ＋ The positive output of the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 is connected to one end of each of one or more capacitors of the power storage unit 160 via a positive line 160p (see (a) and (b) of FIG. 23 ) of a pair of power supply lines described later.

[0070] One end of the capacitor 1542a is connected to one of the pair of inputs of the smoothing circuit 154 and one end of the inductor 1541a. The other end of the capacitor 1542a is connected to the other of the pair of outputs of the smoothing circuit 154 and the negative output (V ＯＵＴ－). The negative output of the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 is connected to the other end of each of one or more capacitors of the power storage unit 160 via a negative line 160m (see (a) and (b) of Figure 23) of a pair of power supply lines described later. One end of the capacitor 1542b is connected to the other end of the inductor 1541a. The other end of the capacitor 1542b is connected to the other of the pair of outputs of the smoothing circuit 154 and the negative output (V ＯＵＴ－ ) is connected.

[0071] The rectifying and smoothing unit 150 may further include a voltage detector 155v and a current detector 155i. The voltage detector 155v detects a voltage value between the positive output and the negative output of the rectifying and smoothing unit 150. The current detector 155i detects a current value between the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 and the power storage unit 160. The voltage value detected by the voltage detector 155v and the current value detected by the current detector 155i are notified to the control unit 152. The control unit 152 generates the above-mentioned instruction signal according to the power stored in the power storage unit 160. For example, when the power stored in the power storage unit 160 is equal to or less than a first threshold, the control unit 152 generates an instruction signal to instruct the power transmitting unit 120 to supply power, i.e., to output transmitted AC power. The first threshold is, for example, the power consumption of a load such as the power consuming member 240. Alternatively, the second threshold may be a value obtained by multiplying the power consumption of a load such as power consuming member 240 by a certain value (for example, a value in the range of 1 to 3) in consideration of a margin of error. On the other hand, when the power stored in power storage unit 160 is greater than the second threshold, control unit 152 generates an instruction signal to instruct power transmission unit 120 to stop power supply, i.e., to stop output of transmitted AC power. The second threshold is a value that does not exceed the limit storage power of power storage unit 160. The second threshold is, for example, a value obtained by multiplying the limit storage power of power storage unit 160 by a certain value (for example, a value equal to or less than 1).

[0072] [Correction based on Rule 91, 14.05.2025] The rectifying and smoothing unit 150 includes the above-mentioned communication unit 151. The communication unit 151 includes a driver 151d, a transmitter 151tx, and a receiver 151rx. The transmitter 151tx is a transmitter of a wireless signal or a transmitter of an optical signal. The receiver 151rx is a receiver of a wireless signal or a receiver of an optical signal. The communication unit 151 drives the transmitter 151tx using the driver 151d to output a signal from the control unit 122, such as an instruction signal, as a wireless signal or an optical signal from the transmitter 151tx. The signal output from the transmitter 151tx is received by the communication unit 121 of the power transmitting unit 120. The communication unit 151 also receives a signal from the communication unit 121 using the receiver 151rx and inputs the received signal to the control unit 152 via the driver 151d.

[0073] [RF filter 190]

[0074] Please refer to FIG. 15 . FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an RF filter 190 according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15 , the signal line 1250 may include a first signal line electrically connecting the signal output (Tx) of the power transmitting unit 120 and the signal input (Rx) of the rectifying and smoothing unit 150, and a second signal line electrically connecting the signal input (Rx) of the power transmitting unit 120 and the signal output (Tx) of the rectifying and smoothing unit 150. The signal line 1250 may include a signal line connecting the first reference voltage terminal (VCC) of the power transmitting unit 120 and the first reference voltage terminal (VCC) of the rectifying and smoothing unit 150, and a signal line connecting the second reference voltage terminal (GND) of the power transmitting unit 120 and the second reference voltage terminal (GND) of the rectifying and smoothing unit 150. The signal line 1250 may be a shielded cable covered with a shield at ground potential. In this case, the multiple signal lines constituting the signal line 1250 may be individually covered with a shield or may be collectively covered with a shield. The RF filter 190 provides a low-pass filter for each of the multiple signal lines constituting the signal line 1250. The low-pass filter may be an LC filter including an inductor and a capacitor. The inductor of the low-pass filter forms part of the corresponding signal line. The capacitor is connected between one end of the inductor connected to the power transmitting unit 120 and ground. The RF filter 190 makes it possible to suppress the propagation of high-frequency power (high-frequency noise) via the signal line 1250 between the rectifying / smoothing unit 150 and the power transmitting unit 120.

[0075] [Communication unit of the power transmission unit and communication unit of the rectification and smoothing unit]

[0076] Please refer to FIGS. 16 to 18. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a communication unit of the power transmitting unit and a communication unit of the rectifying / smoothing unit according to one exemplary embodiment. FIGS. 17 and 18 are each a diagram schematically illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 16, 17, and 18, the communication units 121 and 151 may be configured to transmit signals, such as the instruction signals, between them via wireless communication. The communication via wireless communication may be optical communication. When the communication units 121 and 151 transmit signals between them via wireless communication, the communication units 121 and 151 may be located in any position as long as there is no shielding between them. According to the example shown in these figures, the RF filter 190 is not required. Note that in various exemplary embodiments, including the example shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the signal line 1250 may be a shielded cable covered with a shield at ground potential. In this case, the multiple signal lines that make up signal line 1250 may be individually covered with a shield, or may be collectively covered with a shield.

[0077] Please refer to FIGS. 19 to 22. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a communication unit of the power transmitting unit and a communication unit of the rectifying / smoothing unit according to another exemplary embodiment. FIGS. 20 to 22 are each a schematic diagram of a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 19 to 22, the communication units 121 and 151 may be configured to transmit signals (optical signals) such as the instruction signals described above between them via an optical fiber 1260, i.e., via optical fiber communication. When the communication units 121 and 151 transmit signals between them via the optical fiber 1260, the communication units 121 and 151 may be located at any position as long as the bending radius of the optical fiber 1260 is within the allowable range. In the examples shown in these figures, the RF filter 190 is not required.

[0078] [Power storage unit]

[0079] Please refer to Fig. 23(a) and Fig. 23(b). Each of Fig. 23(a) and Fig. 23(b) is a diagram showing a power storage unit according to one exemplary embodiment. As shown in Fig. 23(a), the power storage unit 160 includes a capacitor 161. The capacitor 161 is connected between a pair of power supply lines, that is, a positive line 160p and a negative line 160m. The positive line 160p is connected to the positive output (V ＯＵＴ＋ ) toward the load. The negative line 160m extends from the negative output (V ＯＵＴ－ ) to the load. The capacitor 161 may be a polarized capacitor. The capacitor 161 may be an electric double layer or a lithium ion battery.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 23(b), the power storage unit 160 may include multiple capacitors 161. The multiple capacitors 161 are connected in series between a positive line 160p and a negative line 160m. The multiple capacitors 161 may have the same capacitance or different capacitances. Each of the multiple capacitors 161 may be a polarized capacitor. Each of the multiple capacitors 161 may be an electric double layer or a lithium-ion battery. The power storage unit 160 must be used under conditions where the sum of its input voltage and the line potential difference due to normal mode noise is lower than the allowable input voltage. When the power storage unit 160 includes multiple capacitors 161 connected in series, the allowable input voltage of the power storage unit 160 increases. Therefore, according to the example shown in FIG. 23(b), the noise resistance of the power storage unit 160 is improved.

[0081] [Voltage Control Converter]

[0082] Please refer to FIG. 24. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a voltage-controlled converter according to one exemplary embodiment. The voltage-controlled converter 170 is a DC-DC converter. The voltage-controlled converter 170 is connected between the power storage unit 160 and the constant voltage control unit 180. The positive input (V ＩＮ＋ ) is connected to the positive line 160p.ＩＮ－ ) is connected to the negative line 160m. ＯＵＴ＋ ) is the positive input (V ＩＮ＋ ) connected to the negative output (V ＯＵＴ－ ) is the negative input (V ＩＮ－ ) is connected.

[0083] The voltage-controlled converter 170 may include a control unit 172, a low-pass filter 173, a transformer 174, and a capacitor 175. The low-pass filter 173 may include an inductor 1731a, a capacitor 1732a, and a capacitor 1732b. One end of the inductor 1731a is connected to the positive input (V ＩＮ＋ The other end of the inductor 1731a is connected to one end of the primary coil of the transformer 174. One end of the capacitor 1732a is connected to one end of the inductor 1731a and the positive input (V ＩＮ＋ The other end of the capacitor 1732a is connected to the negative input (V ＩＮ－ ) of the voltage-controlled converter 170. One end of the capacitor 1732b is connected to the other end of the inductor 1731a. The other end of the capacitor 1732b is connected to the negative input (V ＩＮ－ ) is connected.

[0084] The transformer 174 includes a primary coil 1741, a secondary coil 1742, and a switch 1743. The other end of the primary coil 1741 is connected to the negative input (V ＩＮ－ One end of the secondary coil 1742 is connected to one end of the capacitor 175 and the positive output (V ＯＵＴ＋ The other end of the secondary coil 1742 is connected to the other end of the capacitor 175 and the negative output (V ＯＵＴ－ ) is connected.

[0085] A driver 1744 is connected to the switch 1743. The driver 1744 opens and closes the switch 1743. When the switch 1743 is closed, that is, when the other end of the primary coil 1741 and the negative input (V ＩＮ－ ) is in a conducting state, the other end of the primary coil 1741 is connected to the negative input (V ＩＮ－ ), and DC power from the voltage control converter 170 is supplied to the constant voltage control unit 180. On the other hand, when the switch 1743 is open, that is, when the other end of the primary coil 1741 and the negative input (V ＩＮ－ ) is in a non-conducting state, the other end of the primary coil 1741 and the negative input (V ＩＮ－ ) is disconnected, and the supply of DC power from the voltage control converter 170 to the constant voltage control unit 180 is cut off.

[0086] The voltage-controlled converter 170 may further include a voltage detector 176v and a current detector 176i. The voltage detector 176v detects the voltage value across both ends of the secondary coil 1742 or the voltage value between the positive output and negative output of the voltage-controlled converter 170. The current detector 176i measures the current value between the other end of the secondary coil 1742 and the negative output of the voltage-controlled converter 170. The voltage value detected by the voltage detector 176v and the current value detected by the current detector 176i are notified to the control unit 172. Note that the control unit 172 may be the same as or different from at least one of the control unit 122 and the control unit 152.

[0087] When the voltage value detected by voltage detector 176v is equal to or greater than a threshold value, control unit 172 controls driver 1744 to cut off the supply of DC power from voltage-controlled converter 170 to constant voltage control unit 180. The voltage value between the positive output and negative output of voltage-controlled converter 170 is the sum of the output voltage value of voltage-controlled converter 170 and the line potential difference due to normal mode noise. In this embodiment, it is possible to prevent damage to the load of voltage-controlled converter 170 due to overvoltage caused by the line potential difference due to normal mode noise.

[0088] [Constant voltage control section]

[0089] 25 and 26 are diagrams illustrating a constant voltage control unit 180 according to some exemplary embodiments. The constant voltage control unit 180 is connected between the power storage unit 160 and at least one power consuming member 240, and is configured to control application of a voltage (application of a DC voltage) to the at least one power consuming member 240 and its stopping.

[0090] The constant voltage control unit 180 includes a control unit 182 and at least one switch 183. The positive input (V ＩＮ＋ ) is connected to the power consuming member 240 via the switch 183. The negative input (V ＩＮ－ ) is connected to the power consuming member 240. The switch 183 is controlled by the control unit 182. When the switch 183 is closed, a DC voltage from the constant voltage control unit 180 is applied to the power consuming member 240. When the switch 183 is open, the application of the DC voltage from the constant voltage control unit 180 to the power consuming member 240 is stopped. Note that the control unit 182 may be the same as or different from at least one of the control units 122, 152, and 172.

[0091] 25 and 26, the plasma processing apparatus includes a plurality of power consuming members 240. The constant voltage control unit 180 includes a control unit 182 and a plurality of switches 183. The positive input (V ＩＮ＋ ) is connected to a plurality of power consuming components 240 via a plurality of switches 183. The negative input (V ＩＮ－ ) is connected to a plurality of power consuming components 240 .

[0092] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 , the power consumption members 240 may include a plurality of heaters (resistance heating elements). The heaters may be provided within the substrate support 11. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 25 , a plurality of resistors 260 are disposed near the heaters, respectively. Each of the resistors 260 has a resistance value that changes with temperature. Each of the resistors 260 is, for example, a thermistor. Each of the resistors 260 is connected in series with a reference resistor (not shown). The constant voltage control unit 180 includes a plurality of measuring units 184. Each of the measuring units 184 applies a reference voltage to a series connection between a corresponding resistor of the resistors 260 and the reference resistor, and detects a voltage value across the resistor. Each of the measuring units 184 notifies the control unit 182 of the detected voltage value. The control unit 182 identifies the temperature of the area where the corresponding heater is located from the notified voltage value, and controls the application of DC voltage to the corresponding heater so that the temperature of the area approaches the target temperature. Note that optical fiber thermometers may be provided instead of the multiple resistors 260. In this case, wiring between the multiple resistors 260 and the multiple measuring units 184 is not required, and the influence of high-frequency conductive noise on the power consuming member 240 can be eliminated.

[0093] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 26 , the constant voltage control unit 180 includes a voltage detector 185v and multiple current detectors 185i. The voltage detector 185v detects the voltage value applied to each of the multiple heaters. The multiple current detectors 185i measure the value of the current supplied to a corresponding one of the multiple heaters, i.e., the current value. The multiple measurement units 184 determine the resistance value of a corresponding one of the multiple heaters from the current value detected by the corresponding one of the multiple current detectors 185i and the voltage value detected by the voltage detector 185v. The control unit 182 determines the temperature of each of the multiple regions in which the multiple heaters are located, based on the detected resistance value of each of the multiple heaters. The control unit 182 controls the application of DC voltage to each of the multiple heaters so as to bring the temperature of each of the multiple regions closer to a target temperature.

[0094] [Receiving coil in RF-Hot space]

[0095] Please refer to Fig. 27. Fig. 27 is a diagram schematically illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. The plasma processing apparatus 100G shown in Fig. 27 will be described below from the viewpoint of differences from the plasma processing apparatus 100E shown in Fig. 7.

[0096] As described above, the space 110h includes the space within the chamber 10 (plasma processing space 10s) and the space 110u, which is a non-reduced pressure space. As shown in Fig. 27 , in the plasma processing apparatus 100G, the power receiving coil 141 is disposed in the space 110u together with the rectifying / smoothing unit 150 and the power storage unit 160. Meanwhile, the power transmitting coil 131 is disposed in the space 110a.

[0097] In the plasma processing apparatus 100G, a high impedance circuit is provided for the frequency of the high frequency power due to the stray capacitance caused by the space between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141. This reduces leakage of high frequency power and improves the utilization efficiency of the high frequency power. Therefore, if the process performed in the plasma processing apparatus 100G is etching, a high etching rate can be obtained.

[0098] [Correction based on Rule 91, 14.05.2025] In one embodiment, the power receiving coil 141 is disposed along the ground plane of the ground frame 110. In one embodiment, the power receiving coil 141 is disposed within the space 110u, separated from the ground frame 110 by at least the insulation distance. In the plasma processing apparatus 100G, the potential of the power receiving coil 141 is approximate to the potential of the high-frequency power within the space 110h or the space 110u, thereby reducing the influence of common-mode noise, i.e., conductive noise. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 27 , the power receiving coil 141 and the rectifying / smoothing unit 150 may be directly connected without a filter such as the RF filter 200.

[0099] 28 is a diagram schematically illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 28 , in a plasma processing apparatus 100G, an RF filter 200 (high-frequency filter) may be connected between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power transmitting unit 120 to cut high-frequency noise caused by high-frequency power. This further reduces conductive noise from the power transmitting coil 131 to the power transmitting unit 120.

[0100] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 29 to 35, several embodiments of the power transmitting coil section 130 and the power receiving coil section 140 that can be employed in the plasma processing apparatus 100G will be described.

[0101] 29 to 35, the power transmitting coil section 130 is disposed in the space 110a, and the power receiving coil section 140 is disposed in the space 110u. The power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 face each other via an opening in the ground frame 110.

[0102] 29 , the power transmitting coil unit 130 has a metal housing 130g. The metal housing 130g is grounded and defines a shielded space 130s. The power transmitting coil 131 is housed in the shielded space 130s. The metal housing 130g extends on the rear side of the power transmitting coil 131 relative to the power receiving coil 141 and surrounds the outer periphery of the power transmitting coil 131.

[0103] The metal housing 130g includes a rear wall 130gb and a side wall 130gs. The rear wall 130gb and the side wall 130gs define a shielded space 130s. The rear wall 130gb has a generally flat plate shape and extends behind the power transmitting coil 131 relative to the power receiving coil 141. The side wall 130gs has a tubular shape, such as a rectangular or cylindrical shape, and extends from the rear wall 130gb toward the ground frame 110. The side wall 130gs surrounds the outer periphery of the power transmitting coil 131. An opening is provided at the end of the side wall 130gs. The end of the side wall 130gs is fixed to the ground frame 110 so that the opening faces the opening of the ground frame 110. The opening at the end of the side wall 130gs is closed by the ground frame 110 and an insulating plate 34i (described later).

[0104] A spacer 133, a base plate 138, a rear portion 1351 of the ferrite material 135, and a heat conduction sheet 136 are arranged in this order within the shielded space 130s and between the rear wall 130gb and the power transmission coil 131.

[0105] The spacer 133 is fixed to the rear wall 130gb and supports a base plate 138. The base plate 138 is, for example, a glass epoxy board. The base plate 138 supports the ferrite material 135. The ferrite material 135 includes a rear portion 1351 that extends on the rear side of the power transmitting coil 131. The rear portion 1351 has a substantially flat plate shape. The thermally conductive sheet 136 is disposed between the rear portion 1351 of the ferrite material 135 and the power transmitting coil 131.

[0106] The ferrite material 135 may further include a sidewall portion 1352. The sidewall portion 1352 has a tubular shape, such as a rectangular or cylindrical shape, and extends from the back surface portion 1351 toward the insulating plate 34i. The sidewall portion 1352 surrounds the outer periphery of the power transmitting coil 131 within the shielded space 130s. A thermally conductive sheet 137 may be disposed between the sidewall portion 1352 and the power transmitting coil 131 so as to surround the outer periphery of the power transmitting coil 131. Note that the back surface portion 1351 and the sidewall portion 1352 may be formed of a single member, or the back surface portion 1351 and the sidewall portion 1352 may each be formed of separate members.

[0107] The power transmitting coil section 130 may further include a cooling mechanism 130f (first cooling mechanism). The cooling mechanism 130f may be a fan or a blower. The fan may be a blower fan or an exhaust fan. The cooling mechanism 130f is disposed outside the metal housing 130g and along the metal housing 130g. In the example shown in FIG. 29 , the cooling mechanism 130f is disposed along the rear wall 130gb of the metal housing 130g. The rear wall 130gb and the side wall 130gs of the metal housing 130g may provide multiple ventilation holes. Furthermore, the base plate 138, the rear portion 1351 of the ferrite material 135, the heat conduction sheet 136, and the power transmitting coil 131 may provide gas flow paths passing therethrough. Furthermore, the side wall portion 1352 of the ferrite material 135 and the heat conduction sheet 137 may provide multiple ventilation holes. The cooling mechanism 130f, the vent holes, and the gas flow path form a gas flow that passes from the outside of the metal housing 130g (the space 110a) through the shielded space 130s to the outside of the metal housing 130g, thereby cooling the power transmission coil 131 and the ferrite material 135.

[0108] 29 , the power receiving coil unit 140 has a housing 140c (insulating housing) made of an insulating material. The housing 140c defines a space 140s. The power receiving coil 141 is housed in the space 140s. The housing 140c extends on the rear side of the power receiving coil 141 relative to the power transmitting coil 131 and surrounds the outer periphery of the power receiving coil 141.

[0109] The housing 140c includes a rear wall 140cb and a side wall 140cs. The rear wall 140cb and the side wall 140cs define a space 140s. The rear wall 140cb has a generally flat plate shape and extends behind the power receiving coil 141 relative to the power transmitting coil 131. The side wall 140cs has a tubular shape, such as a rectangular or cylindrical shape, and extends from the rear wall 140cb toward the ground frame 110. The side wall 140cs surrounds the outer periphery of the power receiving coil 141. An opening is provided at the tip of the side wall 140cs. The tip of the side wall 140cs is fixed to the ground frame 110 so that the opening faces the opening at the tip of the side wall 130gs. The opening at the tip of the side wall 140cs is closed by an insulating plate 34i. The insulating plate 34i is made of a resin such as PEEK (polyether ether ketone) or PPS (polyphenylene sulfide).

[0110] In the space 140s and between the rear wall 140cb and the power receiving coil 141, a spacer 143, a base plate 148, a rear portion 1451 of the ferrite material 145, and a heat conduction sheet 146 are arranged in this order.

[0111] The spacer 143 is fixed to the rear wall 140cb and supports a base plate 148. The base plate 148 is, for example, a glass epoxy board. The base plate 148 supports a ferrite material 145. The ferrite material 145 includes a rear portion 1451 that extends on the rear side of the power receiving coil 141. The rear portion 1451 has a substantially flat plate shape. The thermal conduction sheet 146 is disposed between the rear portion 1451 of the ferrite material 145 and the power receiving coil 141.

[0112] The ferrite material 145 may further include a sidewall portion 1452. The sidewall portion 1452 has a tubular shape, such as a rectangular or cylindrical shape, and extends from the back surface portion 1451 toward the insulating plate 34i. The sidewall portion 1452 surrounds the outer periphery of the power receiving coil 141 within the space 140s. A thermally conductive sheet 147 may be disposed between the sidewall portion 1452 and the power receiving coil 141 so as to surround the outer periphery of the power receiving coil 141. Note that the back surface portion 1451 and the sidewall portion 1452 may be formed of a single member, or the back surface portion 1451 and the sidewall portion 1452 may each be formed of a separate member.

[0113] The power receiving coil unit 140 may further include a cooling mechanism 140f (second cooling mechanism). The cooling mechanism 140f may be a fan or a blower. The fan may be a blower fan or an exhaust fan. The cooling mechanism 140f is arranged outside the housing 140c and along the housing 140c. In the example shown in FIG. 29 , the cooling mechanism 140f is arranged along the rear wall 140cb of the housing 140c. The rear wall 140cb and the side wall 140cs of the housing 140c may have multiple vent holes. The cooling mechanism 140f and these vent holes form a gas flow from the outside of the housing 140c through the space 140s to the outside of the housing 140c. This cools the power receiving coil 141 and the ferrite material 145.

[0114] In the plasma processing apparatus 100G, the metal housing 130g prevents high-frequency noise from leaking to the outside, and the metal housing 130g and the housing 140c prevent foreign matter from entering the power transmitting coil section 130 and the power receiving coil section 140.

[0115] Furthermore, the ferrite material 135 and the ferrite material 145 suppress leakage of magnetic flux. Therefore, high power supply efficiency between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 can be obtained without increasing the number of turns of each of the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141. Therefore, the resistance value of each of the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 can be reduced. Furthermore, each of the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 can be made smaller.

[0116] Furthermore, since the ferrite material 135 and the ferrite material 145 each have a sidewall portion, they have a relatively large volume. Therefore, even if the ferrite material 135 and the ferrite material 145 generate heat due to conductive noise, the temperature rise is small. Furthermore, since the ferrite material 135 and the ferrite material 145 each have a relatively large volume, they have a relatively large inductance. The relatively large inductance of the ferrite material 135 and the ferrite material 145 and the small resistance values ​​of the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 result in a high Q value of the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141. Therefore, high power transmission efficiency between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 is ensured.

[0117] Each of the ferrite materials 135 and 145 may be made of manganese-zinc ferrite, nickel-zinc ferrite, or a nanocrystalline soft magnetic material. In this case, when the transmission frequency is 1 MHz or less, a high magnetic permeability can be achieved to achieve a high magnetic flux confinement effect at the transmission frequency, and conductive noise can be efficiently converted into heat.

[0118] In the embodiment of Fig. 30, the power transmitting coil section 130 is separated from the ground frame 110 and the power receiving coil section 140. In the power transmitting coil section 130, an opening at the tip of a side wall 130gs of a metal casing 130g is closed by an insulating plate 130i. The insulating plate 130i is made of the same material as the insulating plate 34i. Other configurations of the embodiment of Fig. 30 are the same as the corresponding configurations of the embodiment of Fig. 29.

[0119] The embodiment of FIG. 31 is a modified example of the power receiving coil section 140 that can be employed in the embodiments of FIGS. 29 and 30 . In the embodiment of FIG. 31 , a cooling mechanism 140f is not provided in the space 110u. In the embodiment of FIG. 31 , a gas inlet 110i and a gas outlet 110e are formed in the ground frame 110. Each of the inlet 110i and the outlet 110e connects the space 110u to the outside of the ground frame 110 (space 110a). In the embodiment of FIG. 31 , a blower 34f provided outside the ground frame 110 creates a gas flow that passes from the outside of the ground frame 110 through the inlet 110i, the space 110u, the space 140s, and the outlet 110e to the outside of the ground frame 110. This cools the power receiving coil 141, the ferrite material 145, and the rectifying / smoothing section 150.

[0120] 32 , a tip of a side wall 130gs of a metal housing 130g is connected to a tip of a side wall 140cs of a housing 140c, integrating the power transmitting coil section 130 and the power receiving coil section 140. In the embodiment of FIG. 32 , the metal housing 130g and the housing 140c form a single, closed space 340s.

[0121] In the embodiment of FIG. 32 , a ferrite material 345 is used instead of the ferrite material 135 and the ferrite material 145. The ferrite material 345 is provided in the space 340s. The ferrite material 345 includes a rear portion 3451, a rear portion 3452, and a sidewall portion 3453. The ferrite material 345 may be formed from a manganese-zinc ferrite, a nickel-zinc ferrite, or a nanocrystalline soft magnetic material. In this case, when the transmission frequency is 1 MHz or less, a high magnetic permeability can be achieved to achieve a high magnetic flux confinement effect at the transmission frequency, and conductive noise can be efficiently converted into heat.

[0122] A spacer 133, a base plate 138, a rear portion 3451 of the ferrite material 345, and a heat conduction sheet 136 are arranged in this order within the space 340s between the rear wall 130gb and the power transmitting coil 131. Furthermore, a spacer 143, a base plate 148, a rear portion 3452 of the ferrite material 345, and a heat conduction sheet 146 are arranged in this order within the space 340s between the rear wall 140cb and the power receiving coil 141.

[0123] The back surface portion 3451 has a generally flat plate shape and extends within the space 340s on the back surface side of the power transmitting coil 131. The back surface portion 3452 has a generally flat plate shape and extends within the space 340s on the back surface side of the power receiving coil 141. The side wall portion 3453 has a tubular shape such as a rectangular tube or a cylindrical shape and extends from the back surface portion 3451 to the back surface portion 3452. The side wall portion 3453 surrounds the outer peripheries of the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 within the space 340s. A thermally conductive sheet 347 may be disposed between the side wall portion 3453 and each of the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 so as to surround the outer peripheries of the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141. In addition, a single member may constitute the rear portion 3451, the rear portion 3452, and the side wall portion 3453, or separate members may constitute the rear portion 3451, the rear portion 3452, and the side wall portion 3453, respectively.

[0124] In the embodiment of Fig. 32 , a cooling mechanism 140f is not used. In the embodiment of Fig. 32 , a gas flow path is formed that penetrates the base plate 138, the back surface 3451 of the ferrite material 345, the thermally conductive sheet 136, the power transmitting coil 131, the power receiving coil 141, the thermally conductive sheet 146, the back surface 3452 of the ferrite material 345, and the base plate 148. In the embodiment of Fig. 32 , the cooling mechanism 130f, the multiple air vents in the metal casing 130g, and the gas flow path form a gas flow that runs from the outside of the metal casing 130g (space 110a) through the space 340s to the outside of the metal casing 130g. This cools the power transmitting coil 131, the power receiving coil 141, and the ferrite material 345.

[0125] The other configurations of the embodiment of FIG. 32 are the same as the corresponding configurations of the embodiment of FIG.

[0126] The embodiment of FIG. 33 employs an inner ferrite material 348. Other configurations of the embodiment of FIG. 33 are similar to those of the corresponding embodiment of FIG. 32. The inner ferrite material 348 has a columnar shape and extends from a rear surface portion 3451 of the ferrite material 345 to a rear surface portion 3452 of the ferrite material 345, passing through the inner regions of the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141. The inner ferrite material 348 may be separate from the ferrite material 345, or may be integrated with one or both of the rear surface portion 3451 and the rear surface portion 3452. The inner ferrite material 348 further improves the efficiency of power transmission between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141.

[0127] In the embodiment of FIG. 34 , a power transmitting coil assembly including a base plate 138, a back surface 3451, a thermally conductive sheet 136, and a power transmitting coil 131 can move toward and away from the power receiving coil 141 inside a side wall 3453 of a ferrite material 345. Therefore, the embodiment of FIG. 34 employs a drive system 340d for moving the power transmitting coil assembly. The drive system 340d includes at least one actuator. The at least one actuator may be a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or the like. The drive system 340d may include multiple actuators. In the embodiment of FIG. 34 , the side wall 3453 is configured to surround the outer periphery of the power transmitting coil assembly. The drive system 340d is provided below the back wall 130gb in the space 110a and is coupled to the power transmitting coil assembly (e.g., the base plate 138) via one or more support rods. Other configurations of the embodiment of FIG. 34 are similar to those of the embodiment of FIG. 32 . 34 , the distance between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 is variable. Therefore, it is possible to change the impedance with respect to the frequency of the high-frequency power between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141. It is also possible to change the level of power transmitted from the power transmitting coil 131 to the power receiving coil 141.

[0128] The embodiment of Fig. 35 employs an inner ferrite material 348, similar to the embodiment of Fig. 33. The inner ferrite material 348 has a columnar shape and extends from a rear surface portion 3451 of the ferrite material 345 to a rear surface portion 3452 of the ferrite material 345, passing through the inner region of the power transmitting coil 131 and the inner region of the power receiving coil 141. Other configurations of the embodiment of Fig. 35 are similar to the corresponding configurations of the embodiment of Fig. 34.

[0129] [Power supply without using the power storage unit]

[0130] Please refer to Fig. 36. Fig. 36 is a diagram schematically illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. The plasma processing apparatus 100H shown in Fig. 36 will be described below from the perspective of differences from the plasma processing apparatus 100G shown in Fig. 27. As shown in Fig. 36, the plasma processing apparatus 100H does not include the RF filter 200, but may include the RF filter 200 as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 28.

[0131] [Correction based on Rule 91 14.05.2025] As shown in Fig. 36, plasma processing apparatus 100H does not include power storage unit 160. In plasma processing apparatus 100H, rectifier / smoothing unit 150 is connected to constant voltage control unit 180 without passing through power storage unit 160 and voltage controlled converter 170. That is, in plasma processing apparatus 100H, power generated by rectifier / smoothing unit 150 is supplied from constant voltage control unit 180 to at least one power consuming member 240 without passing through power storage unit 160 and voltage controlled converter 170.

[0132] [Correction based on Rule 91 14.05.2025] As described above, the constant voltage control unit 180 controls application and stopping of voltage to each of the plurality of power consuming members 240. Therefore, in the plasma processing apparatus 100H, the load receiving power from the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 via the constant voltage control unit 180 fluctuates. That is, the load resistance value R Ｌ The load resistance R Ｌ To supply power according to the input impedance Z of the power transmitting unit 120 to the load, the control unit 122 of the power transmitting unit 120 ｉｎAs a result, the control unit 122 detects the load fluctuation and calculates the input impedance Z ｉｎ or load resistance value R Ｌ The required power level is determined based on the power consumption and the power output from the power transmitting unit 120 is adjusted accordingly.

[0133] [Correction based on Rule 91 14.05.2025] Now, reference is made to Figure 37. Figure 37 shows the state when the power transmitted from the power transmitting unit 120 is at resonance at the transmission frequency and the input voltage V ｉｎ and input current I ｉｎ 37 is a diagram showing an example of an equivalent circuit of the power transmitting coil section and the power receiving coil section in a state where the phase difference between the power transmitting coil section and the power receiving coil section is zero (power factor 100%). １ a power transmission coil 131 having a load resistance value R １ The load resistance and capacitance C of the power transmitting coil 131 １ The resonant capacitor of the power transmitting coil section 130 having the mutual inductance L ｍ The three inductors between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 have a self-inductance L ２ a receiving coil 141 having a load resistance value R ２ The load resistance of the receiving coil 141 and the capacitance C ２ In the equivalent circuit of FIG. 37, the resonant capacitor of the power receiving coil section 140 has Z ｉｎ is the input impedance of the power transmitting unit 120, and V ｉｎ is the input voltage from the power transmitting unit 120 to the power transmitting coil unit 130, and I ｉｎ is the input current from the power transmitting unit 120 to the power transmitting coil unit 130. According to the equivalent circuit of FIG. 37, the input impedance Z ｉｎ is defined by the following formula (1): ｉｎ =V ｉｎ / I ｉｎ =R １ +(2πfL ｍ ) ２ / (R ２ +R Ｌ ) (1) In equation (1), f is the transmission frequency of the power transmitted from the power transmitting unit 120.

[0134] The control unit 122 calculates the input voltage V from the voltage measured by the voltage detector 126v. ｉｎ is calculated from the current measured by the current detector 126i. ｉｎ The control unit 122 calculates the effective value of the input voltage V ｉｎ and input current I ｉｎ Based on this, the input impedance Z ｉｎ The control unit 122 calculates the input impedance Z based on the equation (1). ｉｎ From the load resistance value R Ｌ may be further determined.

[0135] The control unit 122 calculates the input impedance Z ｉｎ or load resistance value R Ｌ The control unit 122 calculates the required power level according to the parameter value, which is the output voltage V of the power transmitting unit 120, as a parameter specifying the required power level of the output power from the power transmitting unit 120. ｏｕｔ The wave height V Ｐ , output voltage V ｏｕｔ and the output current I ｏｕｔ The amplitude of I Ａ At least one table may be stored in a storage device 122m (see FIG. 40 ), such as a memory device connected to the control unit 122. The storage device 122m may be a part of the power transmitting unit 120.

[0136] 38 and 39 are diagrams showing examples of at least one of the tables. When the distance (gap length) between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 is fixed, the control unit 122 can use a single table stored in the storage device 122m. As shown in FIG. 38, the table includes the input impedance Z ｉｎ Corresponding to the peak value V Ｐ , duty ratio Duty, and amplitude I Ａ The control unit 122 stores the input impedance Z ｉｎ By referring to the table shown in FIG. 38 using ｉｎThe required power level according to the peak value V Ｐ , duty ratio Duty, and amplitude I Ａ The control unit 122 can specify the output voltage V ｏｕｔ The wave height V Ｐ and a duty ratio Duty, and an output current I ｏｕｔ The amplitude of I Ａ The power transmitting unit 120 controls each unit of the power transmitting unit 120 so as to output an output power having the following characteristics.

[0137] Alternatively, the transmission frequency f, the mutual inductance Lm, and the load resistance R １ , and the load resistance value R ２ are stored in the storage device 122m, the control unit 122 receives the transmission frequency f, the mutual inductance Lm, and the load resistance value R １ , load resistance value R ２ , and input impedance Z ｉｎ Based on this, the load resistance value R Ｌ The storage device 122m may store 2πf instead of the transmission frequency f. The storage device 122m may also store the mutual inductance L ｍ Instead, the self-inductance L of the power transmission coil 131 １ , the self-inductance L of the receiving coil 141 ２ , and the coupling coefficient k between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 may be stored, and the control unit 122 may store the self-inductance L １ , self-inductance L ２ , and the mutual inductance L from the coupling coefficient k ｍ Alternatively, the storage device 122m may store the transmission frequency f and the mutual inductance L ｍ Instead of 2πfL ｍ or (2πfL ｍ ) ２ may be stored.

[0138] As shown in FIG. 39, the table also includes the load resistance value R Ｌ Corresponding to the peak value V Ｐ , duty ratio Duty, and amplitude I Ａ The control unit 122 stores the load resistance value R ＬBy referring to the table shown in FIG. 39 using the value as a key, the load resistance value R Ｌ The required power level according to the peak value V Ｐ , duty ratio Duty, and amplitude I Ａ The control unit 122 can specify the output voltage V ｏｕｔ The wave height V Ｐ and a duty ratio Duty, and an output current I ｏｕｔ The amplitude of I Ａ The power transmitting unit 120 controls each unit of the power transmitting unit 120 so as to output an output power having the following characteristics.

[0139] Note that, when the distance (gap length) between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 is variable as described below, the storage device 122m stores a plurality of tables similar to the tables shown in Fig. 38 or 39. The plurality of tables are prepared for each of a plurality of settable distances between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141. The control unit 122 can select a table to use depending on the current distance between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141.

[0140] As described above, according to the plasma processing apparatus 100H, the load resistance value R Ｌ That is, according to the plasma processing apparatus 100H, it is possible to supply power by electromagnetic induction coupling without using a power storage unit, depending on the load resistance value R Ｌ This makes it possible to supply power according to fluctuations in load (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "load fluctuations") by electromagnetic induction coupling without using a power storage unit.

[0141] The control unit 122 has an input impedance Z ｉｎ By calculating the load resistance value R ＬSince the load fluctuation can be identified, it is not necessary to issue a power change instruction from the constant voltage control unit 180 via the communication units 151 and 121. However, since the load fluctuation is caused by the constant voltage control unit 180, a power change instruction may be notified in advance to the control unit 122 via the communication units 151 and 121 before the load fluctuation occurs. Furthermore, this load fluctuation may be caused by the constant voltage control unit 180 at a timing synchronized with the output power having the transmission frequency f output from the power receiving coil unit 140. Specifically, a synchronization signal synchronized with the output power having the transmission frequency f from the power receiving coil unit 140 may be generated by the rectifying / smoothing unit 150, and the constant voltage control unit 180 may cause the load fluctuation at a timing synchronized with the output power using this synchronization signal. Note that the load fluctuation may be set not to occur simultaneously with a change in the distance between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141.

[0142] Hereinafter, reference will be made to FIG. 40 together with FIG. 36. FIG. 40 is a diagram schematically illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 36 and 40, the plasma processing apparatus 100H may include an excess power dissipation circuit 500. The excess power dissipation circuit 500 may include a line capacitor 501, an excess power dissipation load 502, and a switching element 503.

[0143] The line capacitor 501 can be connected via a switching element 503 between a pair of power supply lines, i.e., a positive line and a negative line, which mutually connect the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 and the constant voltage control unit 180. Specifically, one end of the line capacitor 501 is connected to the switching element 503, and the other end of the line capacitor 501 is connected to the negative line.

[0144] The excess power consumption load 502 is a load for consuming the power stored in the line capacitor 501. The excess power consumption load 502 can consume power by converting the power into heat. The excess power consumption load 502 may be provided with a cooling mechanism such as a fan for cooling it. The excess power consumption load 502 can be selectively connected to the line capacitor 501 via a switching element 503. One end of the excess power consumption load 502 is connected to the switching element 503, and the other end of the excess power consumption load 502 is connected to the negative line.

[0145] When the switching element 503 is in the ON state, it disconnects the line capacitor 501 from the excess power consumption load 502 and connects one end of the line capacitor 501 to the positive line. When the switching element 503 is in the OFF state, it disconnects the one end of the line capacitor 501 from the positive line and connects one end of the line capacitor 501 to one end of the excess power consumption load 502. A semiconductor switching element may be used as the switching element 503 in view of its high-speed response.

[0146] The state of the switching element 503 can be controlled by, for example, the control unit 182 of the constant voltage control unit 180. When a load fluctuation occurs, the control unit 182 of the constant voltage control unit 180 controls the load resistance value R Ｌ When the power level transmitted from the power transmitting unit 120 is lowered, the control unit 182 sets the state of the switching element 503 to ON. Ｌ After the power level is changed to the power level according to the above, the state of the switching element 503 is set to OFF.

[0147] According to the excess power consumption circuit 500, after a load fluctuation occurs and before the power level is changed, power is temporarily stored in the line capacitor 501. This prevents a large current from flowing into the constant voltage control unit 180 and the power consuming member 240, thereby preventing damage to the constant voltage control unit 180 and the power consuming member 240. Furthermore, according to the excess power consumption circuit 500, the power stored in the line capacitor 501 is consumed by the excess power consuming load 502.

[0148] Reference will now be made to FIG. 41 . FIG. 41 is a diagram showing a power transmitting coil section and a power receiving coil section that can be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. The power transmitting coil section 130 and the power receiving coil section 140 shown in FIG. 41 can be employed in the plasma processing apparatus 100H. The power transmitting coil section 130 and the power receiving coil section 140 shown in FIG. 41 may also be employed in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments other than the plasma processing apparatus 100H. The configuration shown in FIG. 41 will be described below from the perspective of differences from the configuration shown in FIG. 29 .

[0149] 41 , the ferrite material 135 may further include an inner ferrite portion 1354. Like the side wall portion 1352, which is the outer ferrite portion, the inner ferrite portion 1354 has a generally cylindrical shape and is disposed inside the side wall portion 1352 generally coaxially with the side wall portion 1352. The inner ferrite portion 1354 passes inside the power transmitting coil 131 and extends toward the insulating plate 34i.

[0150] The ferrite material 145 may further include an inner ferrite portion 1454. The inner ferrite portion 1454 has a generally cylindrical shape, similar to the side wall portion 1452, which is the outer ferrite portion, and is disposed inside the side wall portion 1452 and generally coaxially with the side wall portion 1452. The inner ferrite portion 1454 passes inside the power receiving coil 141 and extends toward the insulating plate 34i.

[0151] Similar to the various exemplary embodiments described above, the radio frequency power supply 300 may be electrically coupled to the substrate support 11 via a radio frequency power supply line 302. The radio frequency power supply line 302 extends from the substrate support 11 through the space 110u to the space 110a, connects to the matching unit 301, and is electrically coupled to the radio frequency power supply 300 via the matching unit 301. In the space 110a, the radio frequency power supply line 302 passes through a ground pipe 304 and is surrounded by the ground pipe 304. The ground pipe 304 is a cylindrical conductor and is electrically grounded. The ground pipe 304 may be electrically connected to the ground frame 110. The ground pipe 304 may extend from the ground frame 110 to the matching unit 301.

[0152] In the plasma processing apparatus 100H, the ground pipe 304 extends through the inside of the power transmitting coil 131 and the inside of the power receiving coil 141. The ground pipe 304 may be spaced apart from the inner ferrite portions 1354 and 1454 and may pass through the inner ferrite portions 1354 and 1454. The ground pipe 304 and the inner ferrite portions 1354 and 1454 may be spaced apart from each other by an insulation distance or more.

[0153] In the plasma processing apparatus 100H, the high-frequency power supply line 302 and the ground pipe 304 extend through the inside of the power transmitting coil 131 and the inside of the power receiving coil 141 in the space 110a. This makes it possible to reduce the space required for the high-frequency power supply line 302 outside the chamber 10. Therefore, the plasma processing apparatus 100H provides a high degree of freedom in the layout of other components in the space 110a. Furthermore, since a large amount of space is available in the space 110a, the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 can each be made large. As a result, high power can be transmitted.

[0154] Furthermore, the ferrite materials 135 and 145 suppress leakage of magnetic flux, thereby achieving high power transmission efficiency between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141.

[0155] In the plasma processing apparatus 100H, the power receiving coil section 140 may have the configuration shown in Fig. 31. In this case, the inner ferrite section 1454 and the ground pipe 304 may extend through the inside of the power receiving coil 141, similar to the configuration shown in Fig. 41.

[0156] Reference will now be made to FIG. 42 . FIG. 42 is a diagram showing a power transmitting coil section and a power receiving coil section that can be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. The power transmitting coil section 130 and the power receiving coil section 140 shown in FIG. 42 can be employed in the plasma processing apparatus 100H. The power transmitting coil section 130 and the power receiving coil section 140 shown in FIG. 42 may also be employed in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments other than the plasma processing apparatus 100H. The configuration shown in FIG. 42 will be described below from the perspective of differences from the configuration shown in FIG. 32 .

[0157] 42 , the ferrite material 345 may further include an inner ferrite portion 3454. The inner ferrite portion 3454 has a generally cylindrical shape, similar to the side wall portion 3453 that is the outer ferrite portion, and is disposed inside the side wall portion 3453 and generally coaxially with the side wall portion 3453. The inner ferrite portion 3454 extends through the inside of the power transmitting coil 131 and the inside of the power receiving coil 141.

[0158] 41 , the plasma processing apparatus 100H in the configuration shown in Fig. 42 includes a high-frequency power supply line 302 and a ground pipe 304, and the high-frequency power supply 300 is electrically coupled to the substrate support 11 via the high-frequency power supply line 302 extending through the ground pipe 304. In the configuration shown in Fig. 42 , the ground pipe 304 extends through the inside of the power transmitting coil 131 and the inside of the power receiving coil 141, as in the configuration shown in Fig. 41 . The ground pipe 304 may be spaced apart from the inner ferrite portion 3454 and pass through the inner ferrite portion 3454. The ground pipe 304 and the inner ferrite portion 3454 may be spaced apart from each other by an insulation distance or more.

[0159] Reference is made to FIGS. 43 and 44 . FIG. 43 is a schematic diagram illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. FIG. 44 is a diagram illustrating a power transmitting coil section and a power receiving coil section that can be employed in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. The plasma processing apparatus 100Hb shown in FIG. 43 has the configuration of the power transmitting coil section 130 and the power receiving coil section 140 shown in FIG. 44 . Note that the power transmitting coil section 130 and the power receiving coil section 140 shown in FIG. 44 may be employed in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments other than the plasma processing apparatus 100Hb. Below, the plasma processing apparatus 100Hb shown in FIG. 43 will be described in terms of differences from the plasma processing apparatus 100H shown in FIG. 36 . Furthermore, the configuration shown in FIG. 44 will be described in terms of differences from the configuration shown in FIG. 34 .

[0160] The plasma processing apparatus 100Hb, similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 34 , is capable of changing the distance (gap length) between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141. The plasma processing apparatus 100Hb further includes a drive system 340d and a sensor 340m. The drive system 340d is configured to move the power transmitting coil 131 to change the distance between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141, i.e., the length of the gap between the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141. The drive system 340d includes at least one actuator. The at least one actuator is configured with a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or the like. The drive system 340d may include multiple actuators. The drive system 340d may detect the parallelism of the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 using a sensor 340m and control the at least one actuator to maintain the power transmitting coil 131 and the power receiving coil 141 parallel to each other based on the detection result of the sensor 340m.

[0161] As shown in Fig. 44 , the plasma processing apparatus 100Hb further includes a high-frequency power supply line 302 and a ground pipe 304. In the configuration shown in Fig. 44 , similar to the configuration shown in Fig. 42 , the high-frequency power supply 300 is electrically coupled to the substrate support 11 via the high-frequency power supply line 302 extending through the ground pipe 304. In the configuration shown in Fig. 44 , similar to the configuration shown in Fig. 42 , the ground pipe 304 extends through the inside of the power transmitting coil 131 and the inside of the power receiving coil 141. The ground pipe 304 may be spaced apart from the inner ferrite portion 3454 and pass through the inner ferrite portion 3454. The ground pipe 304 and the inner ferrite portion 3454 may be separated from each other by an insulation distance or more.

[0162] 45 and 46 are views showing a power transmitting coil section and a power receiving coil section in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment.

[0163] 45 , in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments, the power transmitting coil section 130 may include two or more power transmitting coils 131 connected in series. Furthermore, the power receiving coil section 140 may include two or more power receiving coils 141 connected in series. The two or more power transmitting coils 131 are electromagnetically coupled to the two or more power receiving coils 141.

[0164] 46 , in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments, the power transmitting coil section 130 may include two power transmitting coils 131 connected in parallel. Furthermore, the power receiving coil section 140 may include two power receiving coils 141 connected in parallel. A first power transmitting coil of the two power transmitting coils 131 is electromagnetically coupled to a first power receiving coil of the two power receiving coils 141. A second power transmitting coil of the two power transmitting coils 131 is electromagnetically coupled to a second power receiving coil of the two power receiving coils 141.

[0165] One end of the first power transmitting coil is connected to the power transmitting unit 120 via one of the two resonant capacitors 132a and node 130Na. The other end of the first power transmitting coil is connected to the power transmitting unit 120 via one of the two resonant capacitors 132b and node 130Nb. One end of the second power transmitting coil is connected to the power transmitting unit 120 via the other of the two resonant capacitors 132a and node 130Na. The other end of the second power transmitting coil is connected to the power transmitting unit 120 via the other of the two resonant capacitors 132b and node 130Nb.

[0166] One end of the first power receiving coil is connected to the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 via one of the two resonant capacitors 142a and node 140Na. The other end of the first power receiving coil is connected to the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 via one of the two resonant capacitors 142b and node 140Nb. One end of the second power receiving coil is connected to the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 via the other of the two resonant capacitors 142a and node 140Na. The other end of the second power receiving coil is connected to the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 via the other of the two resonant capacitors 142b and node 140Nb.

[0167] Note that a single resonant capacitor 132a may be connected between the node 130Na and the power transmitting unit 120. Also, a single resonant capacitor 132b may be connected between the node 130Nb and the power transmitting unit 120. In this case, one end of the first power transmitting coil is connected to the power transmitting unit 120 via the node 130Na and the single resonant capacitor 132a, and the other end of the first power transmitting coil is connected to the power transmitting unit 120 via the node 130Nb and the single resonant capacitor 132b. Also, one end of the second power transmitting coil is connected to the power transmitting unit 120 via the node 130Na and the single resonant capacitor 132a, and the other end of the second power transmitting coil is connected to the power transmitting unit 120 via the node 130Nb and the single resonant capacitor 132b.

[0168] Alternatively, a single resonant capacitor 142a may be connected between node 140Na and rectifying and smoothing unit 150. Alternatively, a single resonant capacitor 142b may be connected between node 140Nb and rectifying and smoothing unit 150. In this case, one end of the first power receiving coil is connected to rectifying and smoothing unit 150 via node 140Na and the single resonant capacitor 142a, and the other end of the first power receiving coil is connected to rectifying and smoothing unit 150 via node 140Nb and the single resonant capacitor 142b. Alternatively, one end of the second power receiving coil is connected to rectifying and smoothing unit 150 via node 140Na and the single resonant capacitor 142a, and the other end of the second power receiving coil is connected to rectifying and smoothing unit 150 via node 140Nb and the single resonant capacitor 142b.

[0169] [Plasma Processing Apparatus Equipped with Immittance Converter]

[0170] Please refer to Figures 47 to 49. Figures 47 and 48 are diagrams schematically showing a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. Figure 49 is a diagram showing an immittance converter in a plasma processing apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment. Below, the plasma processing apparatus 100Hc shown in Figure 47 will be described from the perspective of differences from the plasma processing apparatus 100H shown in Figure 36. Also, below, the plasma processing apparatus 100Hd shown in Figure 48 will be described from the perspective of differences from the plasma processing apparatus 100Hb shown in Figure 43.

[0171] Each of the plasma processing apparatuses 100Hc and 100Hd further includes an immittance converter 520. The immittance converter 520 includes an immittance conversion circuit connected between the power transmitting section 120 and the power transmitting coil section 130. As shown in FIG. 49 , the immittance conversion circuit of the immittance converter 520 includes an inductor 521, a capacitor 522, and an inductor 523.

[0172] A pair of power supply lines of an immittance conversion circuit connecting the power transmitting unit 120 and the power transmitting coil unit 130 to each other may include the same components and have the same line length in order to suppress the phase difference and potential difference of conducted noise between them. Therefore, the pair of power supply lines each include an inductor 521 and an inductor 523. That is, the inductor 521 is connected between the power transmitting unit 120 and one end of the power transmitting coil 131. The inductor 523 is connected between the power transmitting unit 120 and the other end of the power transmitting coil 131. A resonant capacitor 132a may be connected between the inductor 521 and one end of the power transmitting coil 131. Furthermore, a resonant capacitor 132b may be connected between the inductor 523 and the other end of the power transmitting coil 131. Each of the inductors 521 and 523 may be a coil formed by windings using litz wire in order to suppress a decrease in power supply efficiency. Each of the inductors 521 and 523 can be selected to have a withstand voltage against the sum of the transmission voltage and conductive noise, and to have an allowable current equal to or greater than the transmission current. Note that the inductor 523 may be omitted. In this case, the other end of the power transmitting coil 131 (or the resonant capacitor 132b) is connected to the power transmitting unit 120 without the inductor 523.

[0173] The capacitor 522 is connected between a node on the power supply line connecting the inductor 521 and one end of the transmitting coil 131 (or the resonant capacitor 132a) to each other and a node on the power supply line connecting the inductor 523 and the other end of the transmitting coil 131 (or the resonant capacitor 132b) to each other. The capacitor 522 may be composed of one or more capacitors. The capacitor 522 may have a capacitance selected to form a resonant circuit together with the transmitting coil section 130. Each of the one or more capacitors constituting the capacitor 522 may be a film capacitor or a ceramic capacitor (e.g., a multilayer ceramic capacitor) that does not have polarity. Furthermore, each of the one or more capacitors constituting the capacitor 522 may be selected to have a withstand voltage against the sum of the transmission voltage and conducted noise, and an allowable current equal to or greater than the transmission current.

[0174] The immittance converter 520, together with the power transmitting unit 120, provides a constant current source, so that a constant current is supplied to the power transmitting coil 131 and a constant voltage is supplied to the load. Therefore, the immittance converter 520 can perform constant voltage control on the load while responding to a wide range of load fluctuations, even in a configuration that does not include the power storage unit 160.

[0175] Reference is now made to FIG. 50 , which illustrates a power transmission unit that can be employed in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments. As illustrated in FIG. 50 , the rectifying / smoothing unit 123 of the power transmission unit 120 includes a rectifying circuit that is a diode bridge and a smoothing circuit that includes a smoothing capacitor 123c. The current detector 126i may also include a current transformer 126ct and a transmission current monitoring unit 126d. The transmission current monitoring unit 126d is configured to monitor the transmission current by monitoring the current output from the current transformer 126ct.

[0176] In one embodiment, the smoothing capacitor 123c may have a large capacitance to reduce ripple in the transmission voltage and thus the transmission power, for example, the smoothing capacitor 123c may have a capacitance of 0.1 mF or more, 0.5 mF or more, or 1 mF or more.

[0177] Hereinafter, reference will be made to FIG. 51 together with FIG. 50. FIG. 51 is a diagram illustrating adjustment of the duty of the transmission voltage of the power transmission unit that can be employed in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments. In FIG. 51, the waveform of the transmission voltage that can be transmitted from the power transmission unit 120 is shown by a solid line, a dashed line, and a dashed-dotted line. In FIG. 51, the period P ＴＦ is the period of the transmission voltage having a time length that is the reciprocal of the transmission frequency, and Duty indicates the duty of the transmission voltage.

[0178] In one embodiment, even if the output voltage of the rectifying and smoothing unit 123 contains ripples, the control unit 122 of the power transmitting unit 120 may control the inverter 124 to adjust the duty of the transmission voltage so as to reduce the ripples in the transmission power output from the power transmitting unit 120. Specifically, the control unit 122 sets the duty of the transmission voltage (see the dashed line in FIG. 51 ) at the peak of the ripple in accordance with the voltage detected by the voltage detector 125v to a value smaller than the duty of the transmission voltage for the intermediate value of the ripple (see the solid line in FIG. 51 ). Furthermore, the control unit 122 sets the duty of the transmission voltage (see the dashed line in FIG. 51 ) at the trough of the ripple in accordance with the voltage detected by the voltage detector 125v to a value larger than the duty of the transmission voltage for the intermediate value of the ripple.

[0179] Reference is now made to FIG. 52 . FIG. 52 is a diagram illustrating a power transmission unit and an AC / DC converter that can be employed in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 52 , the power transmission unit 120 does not include a rectifier / smoothing unit 123, but does include a smoothing capacitor 123c that constitutes the smoothing circuit described above. That is, the power transmission unit 120 does not include the rectifier circuit (e.g., a diode bridge). Also, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 52 , an AC / DC converter 540 is connected between the AC power supply 400 and the power transmission unit 120. The AC / DC converter 540 may be a power supply or the like equipped with a PFC (Power Factor Correction) circuit. The PFC circuit can suppress a decrease in power supply efficiency. The AC / DC converter 540 reduces ripples in the output voltage and output power from the AC / DC converter 540, thereby reducing ripples in the transmission voltage output from the power transmission unit 120 and the transmission power. Furthermore, since the power transmitting unit 120 does not include a smoothing circuit, the power transmitting unit 120 can be made smaller.

[0180] FIG. 53 is a diagram illustrating a power receiving coil unit 140 that can be employed in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments. In the example illustrated in FIG. 53 , the power receiving coil unit 140 includes power receiving coils 141 a and 141 b. One end of the power receiving coil 141 a and one end of the power receiving coil 141 b are connected to the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 via a resonant capacitor 142 a. The other end of the power receiving coil 141 a and the other end of the power receiving coil 141 b are connected to the rectifying and smoothing unit 150 via a resonant capacitor 142 b. As in the example illustrated in FIG. 53 , two or more power receiving coils may be connected in parallel in the power receiving coil unit 140. This increases the allowable current of the power receiving coils in the power receiving coil unit 140.

[0181] Reference will now be made to Figures 54 and 55. Each of Figures 54 and 55 is a diagram showing the configuration of a receiving coil section and a rectifying / smoothing section that can be employed in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments. In the embodiment of Figure 54, the receiving coil section 140 includes a single receiving coil 141. In the embodiment of Figure 55, the receiving coil section 140 includes multiple receiving coils connected in parallel, for example, receiving coil 141a and receiving coil 141b connected in parallel.

[0182] 54 and 55, the rectifying / smoothing unit 150 includes a rectifying circuit 153a and a rectifying circuit 153b similar to the rectifying circuit 153, and includes a smoothing circuit 154a and a smoothing circuit 154b similar to the smoothing circuit 154. The rectifying circuit 153a is connected to the smoothing circuit 154a, and the rectifying circuit 153b is connected to the smoothing circuit 154b. In the rectifying / smoothing unit 150 of the embodiment of each of FIGS. 54 and 55, the rectifying circuit 153b and the smoothing circuit 154b are connected in parallel to the rectifying circuit 153a and the smoothing circuit 154a.

[0183] In the embodiment of Fig. 54, one end of the power receiving coil 141 is connected to the rectifier circuits 153a and 153b via a resonant capacitor 142a. The other end of the power receiving coil 141 is connected to the rectifier circuits 153a and 153b via a resonant capacitor 142b. In the embodiment of Fig. 55, one end of the power receiving coil 141a and one end of the power receiving coil 141b are connected to the rectifier circuits 153a and 153b via a resonant capacitor 142a. The other end of the power receiving coil 141a and the other end of the power receiving coil 141b are connected to the rectifier circuits 153a and 153b via a resonant capacitor 142b.

[0184] In each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 54 and 55 , the smoothing circuit 154a and the smoothing circuit 154b each include an inductor 1541a, an inductor 1541b, a capacitor 1542a, and a capacitor 1542b. The inductor 1541a is connected between one of the pair of inputs of the smoothing circuit (154a or 154b) and one of the pair of outputs of the smoothing circuit. The inductor 1541b is connected between the other of the pair of inputs of the smoothing circuit (154a or 154b) and the other of the pair of outputs of the smoothing circuit. By providing an inductor in each of the pair of power supply lines of the smoothing circuit 154a and the smoothing circuit 154b, the phase difference and potential difference of the conducted noise between the pair of power supply lines are suppressed. Note that the smoothing circuit 154 shown in FIG. 14 may also further include an inductor 1541b, similar to the smoothing circuit 154a and the smoothing circuit 154b.

[0185] In each of the embodiments in Figures 54 and 55, one end of the capacitor 1542a is connected to one of a pair of inputs of the smoothing circuit (154a or 154b) and one end of the inductor 1541a. The other end of the capacitor 1542a is connected to the other of the pair of inputs of the smoothing circuit (154a or 154b) and one end of the inductor 1541b. One end of the capacitor 1542b is connected to one of a pair of outputs of the smoothing circuit (154a or 154b) and the other end of the inductor 1541a. The other end of the capacitor 1542b is connected to the other of the pair of outputs of the smoothing circuit (154a or 154b) and the other end of the inductor 1541b.

[0186] According to each of the embodiments shown in Figures 54 and 55, the allowable current is increased by paralleling units including rectifier circuits and parallel circuits. The inductances of inductors 1541a and 1541b may be equal to or different from each other. The capacitances of capacitors 1542a and 1542b in smoothing circuits 154a, 1542a and 1542b in smoothing circuits 154b may be equal to or different from each other. Each of smoothing circuits 154a and 154b may not include inductor 1541b. Alternatively, smoothing circuit 154a may not include inductor 1541b, and smoothing circuit 154b may not include inductor 1541a.

[0187] [Integrated configuration related to power supply]

[0188] 56 to 60 are diagrams illustrating integrated configurations related to power supply that can be employed in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments. Each of the configurations in Fig. 56 to 60 is employed in a plasma processing apparatus including an immittance converter 520 and an AC / DC converter 540.

[0189] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 56, the power transmitting coil section 130 accommodates a power transmitting coil 131, a resonant capacitor 132a, and a resonant capacitor 132b in a metal housing 130g.

[0190] The embodiment shown in Fig. 57 differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 56 in that the resonant capacitors 132a and 132b of the power transmitting coil section 130 are integrated with the immittance converter 520. The resonant capacitors 132a and 132b may be arranged in a single housing together with the immittance conversion circuit of the immittance converter 520. According to the embodiment in Fig. 57, the power transmitting coil section 130 can be made smaller.

[0191] The embodiment shown in Fig. 58 differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 56 in that the immittance converter 520 and the power transmitting unit 120 are integrated. The immittance converter 520 and the power transmitting unit 120 may be arranged in a single housing 520g. In this embodiment, the wiring between the inverter of the power transmitting unit 120 and the immittance converter 520 can be shortened. Therefore, the power supply efficiency can be improved.

[0192] The embodiment shown in Fig. 59 differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 56 in that the resonant capacitors 132a and 132b of the power transmitting coil section 130, the immittance converter 520, and the power transmitting section 120 are integrated together. The resonant capacitors 132a and 132b of the power transmitting coil section 130, the immittance converter 520, and the power transmitting section 120 may be arranged in a single housing 520g. This embodiment enables the power transmitting coil section 130 to be miniaturized. Furthermore, this embodiment allows the wiring between the inverter of the power transmitting section 120 and the immittance converter 520 to be shortened. Therefore, power supply efficiency can be improved.

[0193] The embodiment shown in FIG. 60 differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 56 in that the resonant capacitors 132a and 132b of the power transmitting coil section 130, the immittance converter 520, the power transmitting section 120, and the AC / DC converter 540 are integrated together. The resonant capacitors 132a and 132b of the power transmitting coil section 130, the immittance converter 520, the power transmitting section 120, and the AC / DC converter 540 may be arranged in a single housing 520g. This embodiment allows for a reduction in the size of the power transmitting coil section 130. Furthermore, this embodiment allows for shorter wiring between the inverter of the power transmitting section 120 and the immittance converter 520. Therefore, power supply efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, this embodiment provides greater flexibility in the layout between the AC power supply 400 and the AC / DC converter 540.

[0194] 61 to 63 are diagrams illustrating integrated configurations related to power supply that can be employed in plasma processing apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments. Each of the configurations in Fig. 61 to 63 is employed in a plasma processing apparatus including an immittance converter 520 and an AC / DC converter 540.

[0195] 61 , the power transmitting coil section 130 and the immittance converter 520 are integrated into one unit. The power transmitting coil section 130 and the immittance converter 520 may be disposed in a single housing 520g (e.g., a metal housing) or a metal housing 130g. According to this embodiment, it is possible to shorten the wiring between the immittance converter 520 and the power transmitting coil 131. Therefore, power supply efficiency can be improved.

[0196] 62 , the power transmitting coil section 130, the immittance converter 520, and the power transmitting section 120 are integrated into one unit. The power transmitting coil section 130, the immittance converter 520, and the power transmitting section 120 may be arranged in a single housing 520g (e.g., a metal housing) or a metal housing 130g. According to this embodiment, it is possible to shorten the wiring between the inverter of the power transmitting section 120 and the power transmitting coil 131. Therefore, power supply efficiency can be improved.

[0197] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 63, the power transmitting coil section 130, the immittance converter 520, the power transmitting section 120, and the AC / DC converter 540 are integrated into one unit. The power transmitting coil section 130, the immittance converter 520, the power transmitting section 120, and the AC / DC converter 540 may be arranged in a single housing 520g (e.g., a metal housing) or a metal housing 130g. According to this embodiment, it is possible to shorten the wiring between the AC / DC converter 540 and the power transmitting coil 131. This can improve power supply efficiency. In addition, the degree of freedom in the layout between the AC power supply 400 and the AC / DC converter 540 is increased.

[0198] Although various exemplary embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and various additions, omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made. Furthermore, elements in different embodiments may be combined to form other embodiments.

[0199] Various exemplary embodiments included in the present disclosure are now described in [E1] to [E11] below.

[0200] a power receiving coil capable of receiving power from the power transmitting coil through electromagnetic induction coupling; a rectifying and smoothing unit configured to convert power from the power receiving coil into direct current power; a power storage unit electrically connected between the rectifying and smoothing unit and the power consuming member; and a ground frame that is grounded and surrounds the substrate support together with the plasma processing chamber, the ground frame providing a space outside the plasma processing chamber to accommodate the rectifying and smoothing unit and the power storage unit, wherein the power transmitting coil is disposed outside the ground frame and the power receiving coil is disposed within the space of the ground frame.

[0201] [E2] The plasma processing apparatus according to E1, wherein the power receiving coil is disposed at a distance equal to or greater than an insulation distance from the ground frame.

[0202] [E3] The plasma processing apparatus according to E1 or E2, wherein the power receiving coil is directly connected to the rectifying and smoothing unit.

[0203] [Correction based on Rule 91 14.05.2025] [E4] The plasma processing apparatus according to any one of E1 to E3, further comprising: a power transmission unit that supplies AC power to the power transmission coil; and a high-frequency filter connected between the power transmission coil and the power transmission unit and configured to cut high-frequency noise caused by the high-frequency power.

[0204] [E5] The plasma processing apparatus according to any one of E1 to E4, further comprising a drive system configured to move the power transmitting coil to change the distance between the power receiving coil and the power transmitting coil.

[0205] [E6] The plasma processing apparatus according to any one of E1 to E5, further comprising at least one ferrite material extending on the rear side of the receiving coil relative to the transmitting coil, surrounding the outer periphery of the receiving coil, and extending on the rear side of the transmitting coil relative to the receiving coil, surrounding the outer periphery of the transmitting coil.

[0206] [E7] The plasma processing apparatus according to E6, further comprising a metal casing that is grounded, surrounds the power transmission coil outside the ground frame, and has an opening between the power transmission coil and the power receiving coil, wherein the power transmission coil is surrounded by the at least one ferrite material within a space surrounded by the metal casing.

[0207] [E8] The plasma processing apparatus according to E7, further comprising an insulating housing formed from an insulating material, surrounding the receiving coil within the space, and having an opening between the transmitting coil and the receiving coil.

[0208] [E9] The plasma processing apparatus according to E8, further comprising at least one insulating plate formed from an insulating material and closing the opening of the metal housing and the opening of the insulating housing.

[0209] [E10] The plasma processing apparatus according to E9, further comprising: a first cooling mechanism configured to cool the power transmitting coil; and a second cooling mechanism configured to cool the power receiving coil.

[0210] [E11] The plasma processing apparatus according to E8, wherein the metal housing and the insulating housing are connected to form a single space that houses the power transmitting coil and the power receiving coil therein, and the plasma processing apparatus further comprises a cooling mechanism that is arranged outside the ground frame and outside the metal housing and configured to cool the power transmitting coil and the power receiving coil.

[0211] From the foregoing, it will be understood that various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the appended claims.

[0212] 1,100G, 100H... plasma processing apparatus, 10... chamber, 11... substrate support portion, 110... ground frame, 120... power transmission portion, 130... power transmission coil portion, 131... power transmission coil, 140... power receiving coil portion, 141... power receiving coil, 150... rectification / smoothing portion, 160... power storage portion, 170... voltage control converter, 180... constant voltage control portion, 240... power consumption member, 300... high frequency power supply.

Claims

a power receiving coil capable of receiving power from the power transmitting coil through electromagnetic induction coupling; a rectifying and smoothing unit configured to convert power from the power receiving coil into direct current power; a power storage unit electrically connected between the rectifying and smoothing unit and the power consuming member; and a ground frame that is grounded and surrounds the substrate support together with the plasma processing chamber, the ground frame providing a space outside the plasma processing chamber to accommodate the rectifying and smoothing unit and the power storage unit, wherein the power transmitting coil is located outside the ground frame and the power receiving coil is located within the space of the ground frame.

2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power receiving coil is disposed at a distance equal to or greater than an insulation distance from the ground frame.

3. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the power receiving coil is directly connected to the rectifying and smoothing section.

4. [Correction based on Rule 91 14.05.2025] The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a power transmission unit that supplies AC power to the power transmission coil; and a high-frequency filter connected between the power transmission coil and the power transmission unit and configured to cut high-frequency noise caused by the high-frequency power.

5. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a drive system configured to move the power transmitting coil to change the distance between the power receiving coil and the power transmitting coil.

6. A plasma processing apparatus as described in claim 1 or 2, further comprising at least one ferrite material extending on the rear side of the receiving coil relative to the transmitting coil and surrounding the outer periphery of the receiving coil, and extending on the rear side of the transmitting coil relative to the receiving coil and surrounding the outer periphery of the transmitting coil.

7. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a metal casing that is grounded, surrounds the power transmission coil outside the ground frame, and has an opening between the power transmission coil and the power receiving coil, wherein the power transmission coil is surrounded by the at least one ferrite material within a space surrounded by the metal casing.

8. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an insulating housing formed from an insulating material, surrounding the receiving coil within the space, and having an opening between the transmitting coil and the receiving coil.

9. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 8, further comprising at least one insulating plate formed from an insulating material and closing said opening in said metal housing and said opening in said insulating housing.

10. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: a first cooling mechanism configured to cool the power transmitting coil; and a second cooling mechanism configured to cool the power receiving coil.

11. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the metal housing and the insulating housing are connected to form a single space that houses the power transmitting coil and the power receiving coil therein, and the plasma processing apparatus further comprises a cooling mechanism that is disposed outside the ground frame and outside the metal housing and configured to cool the power transmitting coil and the power receiving coil.

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