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US-20260128256-A1 - PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS

US20260128256A1US 20260128256 A1US20260128256 A1US 20260128256A1US-20260128256-A1

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus includes: a chamber which provides a processing space in an interior of the chamber; a substrate support provided in the processing space; an excitation electrode provided above the substrate support; an emitter provided to emit an electromagnetic wave to a plasma generation space below the excitation electrode; and a resonator provided above the excitation electrode and electromagnetically coupled to the emitter. The resonator includes a conductor part constituting a waveguide. The conductor part is formed with first and second conductors. The first conductor is provided in a first portion extending from a first end of the waveguide to a position corresponding to a quarter of a wavelength in the waveguide of the electromagnetic wave inside the resonator, and the second conductor is provided in a second portion other than the first portion. The first conductor is lower in thermal conductivity than the second conductor.

Inventors

  • Masaki Hirayama

Assignees

  • TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251231
Priority Date
20230707

Claims (16)

  1. 1 . A plasma processing apparatus, comprising: a chamber which provides a processing space in an interior of the chamber; a substrate support provided in the processing space; an excitation electrode provided above the substrate support; an emitter provided to emit an electromagnetic wave to a plasma generation space below the excitation electrode; and a resonator provided above the excitation electrode and electromagnetically coupled to the emitter, wherein the resonator includes a conductor part constituting a waveguide, wherein the conductor part is formed with a first conductor and a second conductor, the first conductor being provided in a first portion which extends from a first end of the waveguide to a position corresponding to a quarter of a wavelength in the waveguide of the electromagnetic wave inside the resonator, and the second conductor being provided in a second portion other than the first portion, and wherein a thermal conductivity of the first conductor is lower than a thermal conductivity of the second conductor.
  2. 2 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide has a structure in which a plurality of folded portions is provided, and wherein the first portion extends along one of the plurality of folded portions.
  3. 3 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the emitter extends around a central axis of the chamber and the excitation electrode, wherein the conductor part includes an inner portion and an outer portion extending coaxially with respect to the central axis, and a plurality of conductor plates arranged parallel to one another along a vertical direction in which the central axis extends, wherein the waveguide includes a plurality of layers extending between the outer portion and the inner portion and arranged alternately with the plurality of conductor plates, and wherein each layer of the plurality of layers of the waveguide is connected to an upperlying layer located above the respective layer among the plurality of layers and one of the plurality of folded portions arranged along the inner portion or the outer portion.
  4. 4 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first portion is included in the outer portion.
  5. 5 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first end is an outer peripheral end of an uppermost layer among the plurality of layers, wherein the waveguide further includes a second end which is an outer peripheral end of a lowermost layer among the plurality of layers, and wherein the plasma generation space is provided below the excitation electrode and inside the processing space.
  6. 6 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first portion is included in the inner portion.
  7. 7 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising: an additional electrode interposed between the excitation electrode and the processing space and configured to provide a plurality of holes connecting the plasma generation space and the processing space, wherein the emitter is provided between the excitation electrode and the additional electrode.
  8. 8 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a thickness of a wall constituting the inner portion is smaller than a thickness of a wall constituting the outer portion.
  9. 9 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein a thickness of a wall constituting the inner portion is smaller than a thickness of a wall constituting the outer portion.
  10. 10 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the excitation electrode includes a heating mechanism.
  11. 11 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the excitation electrode includes a heating mechanism.
  12. 12 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the heating mechanism is an electric heater.
  13. 13 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a fan configured to form a flow of gas through the waveguide between a surface of the excitation electrode and an exterior of the resonator.
  14. 14 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising: a fan configured to create a flow of gas through the waveguide between a surface of the excitation electrode and an exterior of the resonator.
  15. 15 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first conductor includes stainless steel or brass, and wherein the second conductor includes aluminum or copper.
  16. 16 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first conductor includes stainless steel or brass, and wherein the second conductor includes aluminum or copper.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The application is a Bypass Continuation Application of PCT International Application No. PCT/JP2024/023002, filed on June 25, 2024 and designating the United States, the international application being based upon and claiming the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-112342, filed on July 7, 2023, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a plasma processing apparatus. BACKGROUND A plasma processing apparatus is used in processing a substrate. There is known one type of plasma processing apparatus that excites a gas using a radio-frequency wave such as a VHF wave or a UHF wave. The plasma processing apparatus known in the related art includes a processing container, a stage, an upper electrode, an introduction portion, and a waveguide portion. The stage is provided within the processing container. The upper electrode is provided above the stage via a space within the processing container. The introduction portion is an introduction section for a radio-frequency wave. The introduction portion is provided at a lateral end of the space and extends circumferentially around a central axis of the processing container. The waveguide portion is configured to supply a radio-frequency wave to the introduction portion. The waveguide portion includes a resonator configured to provide a waveguide. The waveguide of the resonator extends circumferentially around the central axis, extends in the extension direction of the central axis, and is connected to the introduction portion. Prior Art Document Patent Document Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2020-092031 SUMMARY According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a plasma processing apparatus includes: a chamber which provides a processing space in an interior of the chamber; a substrate support provided in the processing space; an excitation electrode provided above the substrate support; an emitter provided to emit an electromagnetic wave to a plasma generation space below the excitation electrode; and a resonator provided above the excitation electrode and electromagnetically coupled to the emitter, wherein the resonator includes a conductor part constituting a waveguide, the conductor part is formed with a first conductor and a second conductor, the first conductor being provided in a first portion which extends from a first end of the waveguide to a position corresponding to a quarter of a wavelength in the waveguide of the electromagnetic wave inside the resonator, and the second conductor being provided in a second portion other than the first portion, and a thermal conductivity of the first conductor is lower than a thermal conductivity of the second conductor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to one exemplary embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 6. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X in FIG. 6. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION 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. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, systems, and components have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the various embodiments. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to one exemplary embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along li