Plasma reactor apparatus and process for the plasma etching of a workpiece in such a reactor apparatus.

摘要

A plasma reactor apparatus providing improved uniformity of etching and having a totally active reaction volume is comprised of two electrically separated electrodes (12, 14) which bound a reaction volume (18). The topmost electrode (12) functions as both a gas distribution manifold for uniformly injecting reactant gases into the reaction volume and as an exhaust manifold for uniformly withdrawing reaction products from the reaction volume. The two electrodes (12,14) are so configured that the plasma reaction takes place only between the electrodes, there is no inactive space surrounding the electrodes to fill with plasma. The uppermost plate (12) has a larger electrode area which effectively imposes a dc offset to the RF field which enhances the uniformity of the etching and decreases the undesirable spread of undercut etching.