Patent ID: 6446572
Filing Date: 2002-09-10
Classification: C23C,H01J

Abstract:
An apparatus for processing a substrate with a plasma, the apparatus comprising:a vacuum chamber having a chamber wall defining a processing space therein and having a central longitudinal axis; a substrate support disposed in the processing space for supporting a substrate; a process gas supply in fluid communication with the vacuum chamber, said gas supply for selectively providing a process gas into said processing space; a plasma generating assembly operable for exciting the process gas in the processing space to generate a plasma; and an enclosure disposed within said vacuum chamber, wherein said enclosure is configured to define at least one cavity operable for containing a portion of the plasma which is sustained by capacitively-coupled energy from the plasma generating assembly, and the enclosure including at least one outlet configured for fluid communication with said processing space, so that the capacitively-coupled plasma within each cavity and each outlet can enter into the processing space.