Granted Patent B2

US 12,537,167 · App. 18/755,946 · Granted Jan 27, 2026

Inventor: Masaki Hirayama (Fuchu, JP)

Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited

H01J37/321H01J2237/327

Abstract

Claims (24)

1 . A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:

a chamber configured to provide a processing space therein;

a substrate support provided in the processing space;

an excitation electrode provided above the substrate support;

a discharger provided to discharge electromagnetic waves into a plasma generation space below the excitation electrode; and

a resonator provided on the excitation electrode and electromagnetically coupled to the discharger,

wherein the discharger extends around a central axis line of the chamber and the excitation electrode,

wherein the resonator includes:

an inner side portion and an outer side portion extending coaxially with respect to the central axis line; and

a plurality of conductive plates arranged parallel to each other in a vertical direction, which is a direction in which the central axis line extends,

wherein the resonator provides a waveguide path extending between the outer side portion and the inner side portion and including a plurality of layers arranged alternately with the plurality of conductive plates,

wherein each of the plurality of layers is connected to a layer thereabove among the plurality of layers at one of a plurality of folded portions along the inner side portion or the outer side portion;

wherein a lowermost conductive plate among the plurality of conductive plates includes a plurality of slots electromagnetically coupled to the discharger,

wherein the plurality of slots is arranged in a circumferential direction with respect to the central axis line, and

wherein a wall surrounding a lowermost layer among the plurality of layers in the outer side portion extends along sides of a polygon in cross section perpendicular to the central axis line.

2 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a number of the plurality of slots and a number of a plurality of corners of the polygon are equal.

3 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a position of each of the plurality of corners of the polygon and a center position of a corresponding slot in the circumferential direction among the plurality of slots are aligned in a radial direction with respect to the central axis line.

4 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a radial distance between the central axis line and an outer edge of each of the plurality of slots is substantially identical to a radius of an inscribed circle of the polygon.

5 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a radial distance between the central axis line and an outer edge of each of the plurality of slots is substantially identical to a radius of an inscribed circle of the polygon.

6 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wall surrounding the lowermost layer is composed of a plurality of plate-like bodies made of a metal, and

wherein the plurality of plate-like bodies constitutes a plurality of sides of the polygon, respectively.

7 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein an edge of each of the plurality of plate-like bodies vertically extending is connected to an edge of another corresponding plate-like body vertically extending among the plurality of plate-like bodies at a corresponding corner of the polygon.

8 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of plate-like bodies is spaced apart from each other so as to provide gaps at corners of the polygon.

9 . The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a wall surrounding each of the plurality of layers in the outer side portion extends along the sides of the polygon in cross section perpendicular to the central axis line.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (22)