Plasma processing apparatus for high or ultra-high vacuum operation

摘要

In an apparatus for carrying out plasma deposition (especially CVD) and/or etching processes in a vacuum chamber connected to a high vacuum or ultra-high vacuum (HV/UHV) pump, the novelty is that (a) the plasma source (e.g. the h.f. electrode and plasma shield) is located on a plate capable of vacuum-tight movement along the axis of and wrt. the substrate table; (b) a hollow cylindrical component, with a flat end face facing the plate, is fitted around the substrate table, around the reaction space between the substrate table and the h.f. electrode and around the h.f. electrode within the vacuum chamber; (c) a temporary process space is separated off from the rest of the vacuum chamber by moving the plate towards the substrate table until it seats on the end face of the component; (d) a pressure of a few millitorrs to a few torrs is maintained in this temporary process space by means of a gas inlet and a process gas pump; and (e) the HV/UHV pump remains effective for the rest of the vacuum chamber volume.