Patent ID: 7723218

Claim:
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprising: holding a substrate on a substrate holder opposite to an electrode in a reaction chamber, wherein the substrate holder has a plane on which the substrate is located, and the plane is parallel to a surface of the electrode; introducing a reactive gas into the reaction chamber; supplying an electric power to the electrode to produce a plasma of the reactive gas in said space; forming a film on the substrate by plasma CVD using the plasma of the reactive gas; introducing a cleaning gas into the reaction chamber after the formation of the film; and cleaning an inside of the reaction chamber by applying an electric power to the cleaning gas, wherein at least one insulator is located in the reaction chamber so as to surround the space between the electrode and substrate holder, wherein a distance between the substrate holder and the electrode is larger during the cleaning than during the formation of the film, and wherein the insulator becomes a stopper for the substrate holder when the substrate holder is moved toward the electrode.