Patent ID: 7815767

Claim:
A plasma processing apparatus comprising: a vacuum chamber accommodating therein a substrate to be processed, allowing an inner space of the vacuum chamber to be maintained at a vacuum level; a first electrode fixedly disposed at a location in the vacuum chamber; a second electrode installed in the vacuum chamber and facing the first electrode, the second electrode being vertically movable so as to vary a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode; a driving mechanism for vertically moving the second electrode, the driving mechanism being installed outside the vacuum chamber; a bellows unit for airtightly sealing an opening, the bellows unit having an upper bellows portion, a lower bellows portion, and a ring member connected to the driving mechanism, wherein the opening, through which the second electrode is driven by the driving mechanism via the ring member, is provided at the vacuum chamber, and the ring member is disposed between the upper bellows portion and the lower bellows portion, the bellows unit being connected to the first electrode; an electrode supporting member for supporting the second electrode and connecting the ring member to the second electrode, the entire electrode supporting member being installed in the inner space of the vacuum chamber; and a high frequency power source generating plasma by supplying a high frequency power between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the upper bellows portion and the lower bellows portion are oppositely extended and contracted in accordance with a vertical movement of the ring member while maintaining a constant total length of the bellows unit, and wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are a lower electrode and an upper electrode, respectively.