Patent ID: 7717061

Claim:
A processing apparatus comprising: a plasma excitation device that excites a first gas to be supplied; a processing vessel; a switching mechanism which includes a cylinder, a rotation valve rotatably provided in the cylinder, and a motor mechanism that rotates the rotation valve; and a bypass line connected to the switching mechanism cylinder, wherein the cylinder is provided with a first passageway supplied with an excited first gas from the excitation device, a second passageway supplied with a second gas, and a third passageway for supplying the excited first or the second gas into the processing vessel, wherein the rotation valve has an annular passageway, formed of a groove-shape and circumferentially formed around almost an entire periphery of the rotation valve except for a portion thereof, for connecting the first passageway to the bypass line; and a central passageway disposed below the annular passageway, having a horizontal passageway extending from a peripheral opening in a side surface of the rotation valve to a center portion of the rotation valve and a connected vertical passageway extending downwards from the center portion to the third passageway along an axis of the rotation valve, for connecting the first or the second passageway to the third passageway, wherein the portion and the horizontal passageway are formed so as to be vertically aligned with each other at the same angular position when viewed from above along the axis of the rotation valve, and wherein the switching mechanism continuously rotates in one direction to switch a flow path of the excited first gas into the processing vessel, when the first passageway is aligned with the peripheral opening of the horizontal passageway and not with the annular passageway, or into the bypass line, when the first passageway is aligned with the annular passageway and not with the peripheral opening, and to supply the second gas into the processing vessel, when second passageway is aligned with the peripheral opening of the horizontal passageway, thereby alternately supplying the excited first gas and the second gas through the third passageway into the processing vessel.