Patent ID: 7913646

Claim:
A vacuum processing apparatus comprising: a processing chamber disposed inside a vacuum reactor and having plasma formed therein; a sample stage arranged at a lower portion within the processing chamber and having a sample to be processed placed on an upper plane thereof; a gas introduction mechanism positioned at an upper portion of the processing chamber and having introduction holes for introducing processing gas into the processing chamber; a means for carrying a dummy sample onto the sample stage within the vacuum reactor and placing the dummy sample on the sample stage; an electrostatic chuck means for fixing the sample to be processed on the sample stage; a means for introducing a thermal conductance gas between the sample stage and the sample to be processed for controlling the temperature of the sample to be processed; a means for introducing a dust removal gas between the sample stage and the dummy sample; and a means for switching between introducing thermal conductance gas and introducing dust removal gas; wherein a supply port for supplying the dust removal gas of the means for introducing the dust removal gas is also a supply port for supplying the thermal conductance gas of the means for introducing the thermal conductance gas.