Plasma treatment apparatus with improved uniformity of treatment and method for improving uniformity of plasma treatment

摘要

A plasma treatment apparatus with improved uniformity of treatment consists of a sealed housing that can be evacuated for the supply of a working gas and that contains a group of plasma-excitation elements in the form of RF or MW antennas, which generate plasma in a confined space within the housing. The surface of the object, e.g., a semiconductor substrate, is treated by this plasma. Depending on the type of the working gas and parameters of the process, the treatment may consist of cleaning, etching, coating, activation, etc. A distinguishing feature of the invention consists in that the plasma-excitation RF or MW antennas are oscillated by means of an oscillation device so that the local non-uniformities of treatment are “smoothened”. The RF and MW antennas can be interchangeable and can be oscillated from the same oscillation drive. In one embodiments of the invention, the MW antennas are provided with annular magnets that generate electron-cyclotron resonance conditions for increase in density of plasma generated in the sealed housing of the apparatus.