Patent ID: 7886689

Claim:
A plasma processing apparatus, in which a process gas is introduced to a processing passage formed between said apparatus and a substrate, at least a part of said processing passage is provided as a discharge space and said substrate is plasma processed therein, wherein said plasma processing apparatus comprises a processing unit disposed at an upper part of said substrate and forming said processing passage between said substrate and said processing unit, said processing unit includes a casing whose bottom part is open, a solid dielectric plate supported by said casing in such a manner as to close said bottom part, and a metallic electrode received in said casing for forming said discharge space, said solid dielectric plate has such strength as being capable of supporting the dead weight of said metallic electrode solely by itself, and said metallic electrode is free at least in a horizontal direction and placed on an upper surface of said solid dielectric plate in a non-fixed state such that the dead weight of said metallic electrode is almost totally applied directly to the solid dielectric plate.