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EP0184812A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

High frequency plasma generation apparatus

Assignee: Hitachi Ltd
•
Filing: 1985-12-09
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2005-12-09
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Abstract

Abstract In a high frequency plasma generation apparatus used in a reactive ion etching apparatus, an ion shower apparatus, a sputter apparatus, etc. for fabricating thin films or semiconductor devices for which fine patterning process is required, electrical breakdown is apt to be provoked at the surface of a high frequency coil (8), because the high frequency coil (8) is usually inserted in a plasma. In order to remove this drawback, according to this invention, the high frequency coil (8) is disposed in the plasma production chamber (1) at the neighborhood of the cylindrical side wall (20), and thus a plasma confinment domain (12) is formed inside of this high frequency coil (8) by means of a magnetic field production means (3) which generates a multi-cusp magnetic field so that the plasma confinement domain (12) is separated from the high frequency coil (8). In this way electrical breakdown on the surface of the high frequency coil (8) is prevented and thus the apparatus according to this invention can work stably for a long time.

Inventors

  • 👤 Yasunori Ohno
  • 👤 Tomoe Kurosawa
  • 👤 Tadashi Sato
  • 👤 Youichi Ohshita

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-30 11:51
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/32; H01J37/32009; H01J37/32082; H01J37/321; H01J37/32431; H01J37/32623; H01J37/3266; H01J37/32688; H05; H05H; H05H1/00; H05H1/02; H05H1/10; H05H1/11

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim 142 words
In a high frequency plasma generation apparatus provided with a plasma production chamber (1) formed by sealing hermetically the two extremities of its cylindrical side wall (20), a high frequency coil (8) disposed in said high frequency plasma generation chamber (1), which generates high frequency discharge by introducing gas for producing ions by discharge and at the same time by feeding it with high frequency electric power and a magnetic field generation means (3) producing a multi-cusp magnetic field for confining a plasma in said plasma production chamber (1), said high frequency coil (8) is disposed in said plasma generation chamber (1) at the neighborhood of the cylindrical side wall (20), and thus a plasma confinement domain (12) is formed inside of said high frequency coil (8) by means of said magnetic field production means (3) which generates the multi-cusp magnetic field.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 142 words
In a high frequency plasma generation apparatus provided with a plasma production chamber (1) formed by sealing hermetically the two extremities of its cylindrical side wall (20), a high frequency coil (8) disposed in said high frequency plasma generation chamber (1), which generates high frequency discharge by introducing gas for producing ions by discharge and at the same time by feeding it with high frequency electric power and a magnetic field generation means (3) producing a multi-cusp magnetic field for confining a plasma in said plasma production chamber (1), said high frequency coil (8) is disposed in said plasma generation chamber (1) at the neighborhood of the cylindrical side wall (20), and thus a plasma confinement domain (12) is formed inside of said high frequency coil (8) by means of said magnetic field production means (3) which generates the multi-cusp magnetic field.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 41 words
A high frequency plasma generation apparatus according to Claim 1, in which said high frequency coil (8) is mounted at an end of each of insulating supporters (9), the other end of which is fixed to said cylindrical side wall (20).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 53 words
A high frequency plasma generation apparatus according to Claim 1, in which said magnetic field production means (3) is disposed in said plasma production chamber (1) inside of said high frequency coil (8) and constructed so as to have poles whose polarity varies alternately in the circumferential direction of said side wall (20).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 41 words
A high frequency plasma generation apparatus according to Claim 3, in which said magnetic field production means (3) is provided with magnetic bodies (18) forming magnetic return pathes for said high frequency magnetic field inside of said cylindrical side wall (20).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 24 words
A high frequency plasma generation apparatus according to Claim 3, in which said magnetic field production means (3) is disposed in a cooled case.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 64 words
A high frequency plasma generation apparatus according to Claim 1, in which said magnetic field production means (3) is disposed on the outer surface of said cylindrical side wall (20) and constructed so as to have poles whose polarity varies alternately in the axial direction of said side wall (20) and is unchanged almost continuously in the circumferential direction of said side wall (20).

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