Patent ID: 7833587

Claim:
A method for plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition in which a discharge electrode and a substrate are disposed opposite to each other in a vacuum film formation chamber into which a gas for forming a film containing a substance has been introduced, and high-frequency electric power generated by a high-frequency electric power feeding circuit is fed to a plurality of feeding points provided to the discharge electrode through a plurality of external cables which are disposed outside the vacuum film formation chamber and then through a plurality of internal cables which are disposed inside the vacuum film formation chamber and which correspond with the external cables, respectively, so as to generate plasma between the discharge electrode and the substrate to vapor deposit the substance on the substrate, wherein the discharge electrode is assembled from a plurality of longitudinal electrodes which are parallel to one another, and a pair of transverse electrodes which are parallel to one another, the transverse electrodes being perpendicular to the longitudinal electrodes and located at each end of the longitudinal electrodes, each of the transverse electrodes being provided with the plurality of feeding points; wherein a plurality of high-frequency electric power supplies feed the high-frequency electric power to the plurality of the feeding points through the external cable and the internal cables; wherein phases of the high-frequency electric power at the feeding points are adjusted by changing electrical characteristics of the external cables, the high-frequency electric power being fed to the plurality of feeding points; and wherein the phases of the high-frequency electric power at the feeding points, the high-frequency electric power being fed to the plurality of feeding points, are adjusted by carrying out vapor deposition with change in electrical characteristics of the external cables, carrying out observations of the condition of the substance which has been vapor deposited on the substrate, and changing the electrical characteristics of the external cables on the basis of the observations.