Patent ID: 8148268

Claim:
A method of operating a plasma treatment apparatus which processes a sample of a semiconductor wafer within a treatment chamber arranged within a vacuum vessel, the plasma treatment apparatus comprising a plurality of feeding gas lines through which a plurality of gases respectively pass, a plurality of gas flow rate regulators respectively disposed on the plurality of feeding gas lines, a testing gas flow path coupled to the plurality of feeding gas lines, the testing gas flow path being coupled to the plurality of feeding gas lines which is arranged outside of the treatment chamber and a flow rate tester which is disposed on the testing gas flow path and tests a gas flow rate from at least one of the gas flow rate regulators, the method of operating the plasma treatment apparatus comprising the steps of: arranging the sample to be treated within the treatment chamber which is depressurized; communicating the plurality of feeding gas lines to an inner side of the treatment chamber; feeding at least one of the gases which is fed through a corresponding feeding gas line of the plurality of feeding gas lines, the at least one of the gases being regulated by the gas flow rate regulator disposed on the corresponding feeding gas line; treating the sample arranged within the treatment chamber by a plasma generated therein by using the at least one of the gases; and testing the gas flow rate on the testing gas flow path by the flow rate tester during the step of treating the sample within the treatment chamber, the testing gas flow path being communicated to one of the plurality of gas feeding lines corresponding to a gas which is not used for the step of treating the sample.