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EP-4471823-B1 - PLASMA TREATMENT APPARATUS

EP4471823B1EP 4471823 B1EP4471823 B1EP 4471823B1EP-4471823-B1

Inventors

  • WATANABE, MASANORI
  • SUZUKI, YASUO

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20231009

Claims (8)

  1. A plasma treatment apparatus (100), comprising: a plasma treatment chamber (C1, C2, C3) in which a treated base material is accommodated; a conveyance part (10) configured to convey the treated base material (X) into the plasma treatment chamber (C1, C2, C3); an inductive coupling linear antenna (20) configured to generate plasma; a bias electrode (30) configured to apply a bias voltage to the plasma; and a heating part (23) configured to heat the treated base material, wherein a cross section of the bias electrode cut perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction has a dome-shaped or U-shaped box shape, characterized in that the inductive coupling linear antenna (20) and the heating part (23) are disposed substantially in parallel in the bias electrode (30) in the longitudinal direction of the bias electrode (30).
  2. The plasma treatment apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the inductive coupling linear antenna (20) is constituted by a quartz tube (21) passing through sidewalls (111) facing each other of the plasma treatment chamber and an inductive coupling linear antenna conductor (22) inserted into the quartz tube (21).
  3. The plasma treatment apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein one or a plurality of the inductive coupling linear antennas (20) substantially perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the treated base material (X) are attached substantially in parallel.
  4. The plasma treatment apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein thermal emissivity of an outer surface of the dome-shaped or U-shaped bias electrode (30) is less than 0.3.
  5. The plasma treatment apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein a material of the bias electrode (30) is aluminum or an aluminum alloy.
  6. The plasma treatment apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the bias electrode (30) is coated with an insulation film.
  7. The plasma treatment apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the bias electrode (30) is connectable to a pulse power supply (50) configured to generate at least one of a positive pulse voltage and a negative pulse voltage.
  8. The plasma treatment apparatus (100) according to claim 1, which is an in-line type plasma treatment apparatus in which a plurality of the plasma treatment chambers (C1, C2, C3) are connected, wherein front and rear sides of the plasma treatment chamber are connectable via a differential exhaust chamber connected to a differential exhaust system.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the priority benefit of Japan application serial no. 2023-091634, filed on June 2, 2023. BACKGROUND Technical Field The disclosure relates to a plasma treatment apparatus capable of continuously performing a plurality of plasma treatment processes. Related Art Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 5747231) discloses a plasma treatment apparatus having a plate-shaped high frequency antenna conductor attached to cover an opening portion formed in a wall surface of a vacuum container with airtightness, and configured to feed high frequency electric power to one end portion of the antenna conductor in a longitudinal direction, directly ground the other end portion to flow high frequency current thereto, generate plasma using an induced electromagnetic field generated in the vicinity of the antenna conductor, and perform plasma treatment on a substrate to be treated using the plasma. In addition, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-149287) discloses a plasma treatment apparatus in which two main and subsidiary antenna conductors are provided. Plasma treatment processes of a substrate material by a plasma treatment apparatus include a plurality of plasma treatment processes such as a cleaning process of a substrate surface, an ion implantation process, a forming process of a diamond-like carbon (hereinafter, also referred to as DLC) film, and the like. In these processes, it is necessary to perform plasma treatment while a treated base material is irradiated with ions as negative potential for plasma potential of discharge plasma. In the plasma treatment apparatus disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, ion irradiation is performed by applying a negative DC voltage or a negative pulse voltage for plasma potential to the treated base material. However, for example, in the plasma treatment apparatus having a plurality of plasma treatment processes by a roll-to-roll method, since the base material and the conveyance system as a whole have the same negative potential, for example, if the treatment conditions for each plasma treatment chamber are changed, the configuration of the device becomes complicated, expensive, and impractical. CN 114 765 103 A discloses an in-line plasma processing apparatus for treating a plurality of substrates, said substrates being transported by a conveying mechanism and conveying belt through a plurality of plasma processing chambers. These chambers are connected to each other, and different exhaust chambers are disposed between adjacent processing chambers. The processing chambers may be maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum without the need to install gate valves between them. JP 2016 072258 A discloses a plasma etching apparatus wherein a grounded substrate is transported under an ICP source by a transport mechanism. The ICP source comprises inductively coupled antennae for generating a plasma in the vacuum chamber, a partition that defines a plasma processing space, and an acceleration unit former of first and second bias electrodes, which are arranged on the upstream and downstream sides of the processing space along the transport direction. The two electrodes are effectively disposed around the plasma generation region, and are biased so as to extract ions or electrons and so as to accelerate these charged particles towards the grounded substrate. Heat generated radiates towards the substrate through the processing space. US 2022/0336188 A1 discloses a treatment system, which comprises a process chamber for dynamic or static treatment of at least one substrate. An inductively coupled plasma source comprises at least one inductor extending along the longitudinal direction of the ICP source, a gas supply device for one or a plurality of process gases, and a gas directing arrangement disposed in the process chamber, said gas directing arrangement extending along the longitudinal direction of the ICP source and partially surrounding the at least one inductor. SUMMARY The invention is defined by the claims. An embodiment of the disclosure provides a plasma treatment apparatus including: a plasma treatment chamber (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a treatment chamber) in which a treated base material is accommodated; a conveyance part which conveys the treated base material into the plasma treatment chamber; an inductive coupling linear antenna (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a linear antenna) configured to generate plasma; a bias electrode which applies a bias voltage to the plasma; and a heating part which heats the treated base material. A cross section of the bias electrode cut perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction has a dome-shaped or U-shaped box shape, and the inductive coupling linear antenna and the heating part are disposed substantially in parallel in the bias electrode in the longitudinal direction of the bias electrode. Accordingly, the plasma potential