Patent ID: 6139678
Filing Date: 2000-10-31
Classification: C23C,H01J,H01L

Abstract:
An apparatus for processing an article with plasma, the apparatus comprising:a plasma source for generating the plasma; anda system for moving the article and the plasma relative to each other, wherein the system comprises a rotational mechanism for rotating the article around a first axis and at the same time rotating the first axis around a second axis;wherein a plasma footprint (a plasma cross section along which an article surface to be processed with the plasma intersects the plasma) is elongated such that the plasma footprint's dimension along a first line through the plasma footprint is longer than the plasma footprint's dimension along a second line through the plasma footprint, the second line being perpendicular to the first line; andwherein the article and the plasma are to move relative to each other so that:when the first axis is closer to the plasma and the article moves through the plasma, the plasma processes article points closer to the first axis and does not process article points farther from the first axis, and when the first axis is farther from the plasma and the article moves through the plasma, the plasma processes article points farther from the first axis but not article points closer to the first axis;when the first axis is closer to the plasma and the article moves through the plasma, an angle between (1) the second (shorter dimension) line and (2) a line interconnecting the first axis and the article, is closer to 90.degree. than when the fist axis is farther from the plasma and the article moves through the plasma, and as a result article points closer to the first axis move shorter distances through the plasma than article points farther from the first axis.