Patent ID: 7849814

Claim:
A plasma generating device provided with a plasma generating chamber and a high-frequency antenna arranged in said plasma generating chamber for generating inductively coupled plasma by applying a high-frequency power to a gas in said plasma generating chamber from said high-frequency antenna, wherein said high-frequency antenna extends from the outside of said plasma generating chamber into said plasma generating chamber, and has portions diverging in an electrically parallel fashion in said plasma generating chamber, a termination of each of said diverging portions is directly connected to an inner wall of said plasma generating chamber, and said plasma generating chamber bears a potential set to a ground potential, wherein said high-frequency antenna has a portion located inside the plasma generating chamber and surrounded by a shield member made of an electrically conductive material with an empty space between the portion of the antenna and the shield member, wherein said high-frequency antenna has a three-dimensional structure and is formed of a first portion extending from the outside of said plasma generating chamber through a wall of said plasma generating chamber into said plasma generating chamber, and a plurality of second portions diverging and extending radially from an end of said first portion inside the plasma generating chamber and further extending and returning toward said plasma generating chamber wall through which said first portion extends, and a termination of each of said second portions is directly connected to the inner wall of the plasma generating chamber, and wherein the plurality of second portions do not extend to the outside of the plasma generating chamber.