Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method

摘要

Provided are a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method, by which plasma damage is reduced during processing. At the time of performing desired plasma processing to a substrate (5), a process chamber (2) is supplied with an inert gas for carrying in and out the substrate (5), pressure fluctuation in the process chamber (2) is adjusted to be within a prescribed range, and plasma (20) of the inert gas supplied in the process chamber (2) is generated. The density of the plasma (20) in the transfer area of the substrate (5) is reduced by controlling plasma power to be in a prescribed range, and the substrate (5) is carried in and out to and from a supporting table (4).

主权项

1. A plasma processing apparatus comprising:
a process container for housing a supporting table for placing a substrate; pressure adjusting means for adjusting a pressure inside the process container within a predetermined range; transferring means for transferring the substrate onto and from the supporting table, the transferring means including a hand unit for placing the substrate on the upper surface thereof and a driving unit for supporting and moving the hand unit which is connected to the driving unit only via an insulating member made of an insulative material placed between the hand unit and the driving unit to make the hand unit always ungrounded, the hand unit being made with a larger size than an outside diameter of the substrate; gas supplying means for supplying an inert gas to the process container; and plasma generating means for generating plasma from the inert gas supplied to the process container to have a plasma density in a transfer area for the substrate so that a mean free path between molecules of the gas is not more than 3% of a length in height direction of a plasma generation area above the substrate by controlling the plasma power in a plasma generation area above the substrate within a range from 2 kW to 4 kW inclusive, the transferring means transferring the substrate onto and from the supporting table through the area of the plasma having said plasma density.