Patent ID: 8307781
Filing Date: 2012-11-13
Classification: C23C

Abstract:
1. A surface wave excitation plasma CVD system comprising: a plasma processing chamber; a microwave waveguide having a bottom plate with a slot antenna that guides a microwave generated by a microwave generator to the bottom plate; the bottom plate and the slot antenna disposed at an upper central area on the plasma processing chamber, the upper central area being central relative to a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the microwave propagates in the microwave waveguide; a dielectric member provided entirely within the plasma processing chamber and in contact with the bottom plate at a central area on one side, the dielectric member having a surface facing the plasma processing chamber on the other side, wherein the dielectric member is configured to be wider than the bottom plate of the microwave waveguide in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the microwave propagates in the microwave guide, and the slot antenna is configured to generate a surface wave on the dielectric member upon receiving the microwave through the slot antenna such that the surface wave propagates toward an outer periphery of the dielectric member from the slot antenna, the surface wave exciting a gas in the plasma processing chamber to generate a surface wave excitation plasma with which a film is deposited upon a substrate; a material gas feeding device which feeds a material gas for forming the film into the plasma processing chamber from a material gas feed aperture, the material gas feeding device feeding the material gas at least in a direction approximately perpendicular to a horizontal surface of the substrate, wherein the material gas feed aperture is provided closer to the substrate than a process gas feed aperture, the material gas feeding device includes a variation device which is configured to vary a first vertical distance between the material gas feed aperture and the substrate, and the substrate is movable such that a second vertical distance between the surface of the dielectric member facing the plasma processing chamber and the substrate is varied; a process gas feeding device which feeds a process gas which causes chemical reactions to occur to the material gas upon activation by the surface wave excitation plasma into the plasma processing chamber from the process gas feed aperture which is provided as separated from the gas feed aperture of the material gas feeding device; and a gas flow diffusion member that is provided in association with the material gas feed aperture and that diffuses the material gas fed into a plasma region in the plasma processing chamber from the material gas feed aperture, so that the material gas fed toward the substrate from the material gas aperture is diffused in a direction substantially parallel to the horizontal surface of the substrate, wherein the variation device is configured to be capable of positioning the material gas feed aperture in the plasma region of the plasma processing chamber into which the process gas is fed and the surface wave excitation plasma is generated in the vicinity of the surface of the dielectric member on the side of the processing chamber.