US5665167A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Plasma treatment apparatus having a workpiece-side electrode grounding circuit
Assignee: Tokyo Electron Ltd
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Filing: 1994-02-14
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Granted: 1997-09-09
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Expires: 2014-02-14
Abstract
Abstract A static chuck and a workpiece push-up pin are disposed on a susceptor which is one of opposed electrodes generating plasma. The push-up pin and the susceptor are electrically connected. A grounding circuit which discharges electric charges remaining on the susceptor is disposed in parallel with an RF power supply circuit which supplies RF power to the susceptor. Thus, electric charges remaining in the power supply circuit can be discharged and an abnormal discharging between the push-up pin and the susceptor can be prevented.
Inventors
- 👤 Yoichi Deguchi
- 👤 Satoru Kawakami
- 👤 Shiro Koyama
- 👤 Kenji Ishikawa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 09:26
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/32; H01J37/32009; H01J37/32082; H10; H10P; H10P50/00; C; C23; C23C; C23C14/00; C23C14/22; C23C14/50; C23C16/00; C23C16/44; C23C16/458; C23C16/4582; C23C16/4583; C23C16/4586; H10P72/00; H10P72/70; H10P72/72; H10P72/722; H01J2237/00; H01J2237/004; H01J2237/0041; H01J2237/0044
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
81 words
A plasma treatment apparatus, comprising: a chamber; plasma generating means for generating plasma in said chamber; a workpiece-side electrode disposed in said chamber, for holding a workpiece; a pin straightly penetrating said workpiece-side electrode, after a treatment is completed, said pin being in contact with said workpiece so as to detach said workpiece from said workpiece-side electrode; and a conductive rubber member disposed at the distal end of said pin, said conductive rubber member having a lower hardness than said workpiece.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
81 words
A plasma treatment apparatus, comprising: a chamber; plasma generating means for generating plasma in said chamber; a workpiece-side electrode disposed in said chamber, for holding a workpiece; a pin straightly penetrating said workpiece-side electrode, after a treatment is completed, said pin being in contact with said workpiece so as to detach said workpiece from said workpiece-side electrode; and a conductive rubber member disposed at the distal end of said pin, said conductive rubber member having a lower hardness than said workpiece.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
The plasma treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said conductive rubber member is made of silicon rubber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
101 words
A plasma treatment apparatus, comprising: a chamber; plasma generating means for generating plasma in said chamber; a workpiece-side electrode, disposed in said chamber, for holding a workpiece; a conductive pin straightly penetrating said workpiece-side electrode, after a treatment is completed, said pin being in contact with said workpiece so as to detach said workpiece from said workpiece-side electrode; a connecting circuit electrically connecting said pin to said workpiece-side electrode; a grounding circuit electrically connected to said workpiece-side electrode; and a conductive rubber member fixed to an end of said pin, said conductive rubber member having a lower hardness than said workpiece.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
101 words
A plasma treatment apparatus, comprising: a chamber; plasma generating means for generating plasma in said chamber; a workpiece-side electrode, disposed in said chamber, for holding a workpiece; a conductive pin straightly penetrating said workpiece-side electrode, after a treatment is completed, said pin being in contact with said workpiece so as to detach said workpiece from said workpiece-side electrode; a connecting circuit electrically connecting said pin to said workpiece-side electrode; a grounding circuit electrically connected to said workpiece-side electrode; and a conductive rubber member fixed to an end of said pin, said conductive rubber member having a lower hardness than said workpiece.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
The plasma treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein: said conductive rubber member is made of silicon rubber.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The plasma treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising: a switch disposed between said workpiece-side electrode and said grounding circuit.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
42 words
The plasma treatment as set forth in claim 3, further comprising: a power supply circuit connected to said workpiece-side electrode, wherein the impedance of said grounding circuit is at least 10 times as high as the impedance of said power supply circuit.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
The plasma treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising: a static chuck disposed on said workpiece-side electrode, for electrically attracting and holding said workpiece.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The plasma treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising: a mechanical chuck disposed on said workpiece-side electrode, for mechanically holding said workpiece.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
The plasma treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein: said plasma generating means has opposed electrodes, and said workpiece-side electrode is one of said opposed electrodes.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The plasma treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising: magnetic field generating means disposed outside said chamber, for generating a rotating magnetic field.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
The plasma treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein: said plasma generating means is a transformer coupled plasma type having a transformer coupled plasma type coil.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
27 words
The plasma treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein: said plasma generating means is an inductively coupled type having a inductively coupled plasma type coil.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
124 words
A plasma treatment method for discharging electric charges remaining in a workpiece by using a plasma treatment apparatus comprising: providing a chamber; generating plasma in said chamber by a plasma generating means; holding a workpiece with a workpiece-side electrode disposed in said chamber; and penetrating straightly said workpiece-side electrode with a conductive pin, after a treatment is completed, said conductive pin being in contact with said workpiece so as to detach said workpiece from said workpiece-side electrode, wherein said conductive pin is electrically connected to said workpiece-side electrode, wherein said workpiece-side electrode is connected to a grounding circuit, and wherein a conductive rubber member is disposed at a forward end of said pin, said conductive rubber member having a lower hardness than said workpiece.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
124 words
A plasma treatment method for discharging electric charges remaining in a workpiece by using a plasma treatment apparatus comprising: providing a chamber; generating plasma in said chamber by a plasma generating means; holding a workpiece with a workpiece-side electrode disposed in said chamber; and penetrating straightly said workpiece-side electrode with a conductive pin, after a treatment is completed, said conductive pin being in contact with said workpiece so as to detach said workpiece from said workpiece-side electrode, wherein said conductive pin is electrically connected to said workpiece-side electrode, wherein said workpiece-side electrode is connected to a grounding circuit, and wherein a conductive rubber member is disposed at a forward end of said pin, said conductive rubber member having a lower hardness than said workpiece.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-09-08 | 2001-03-10 | 2001-09-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-09-08 | 2005-03-10 | 2005-09-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-09-08 | 2009-03-10 | 2009-09-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |