Patent ID: 8092640

Claim:
A plasma processing apparatus, comprising: a sealable chamber; a gas supply source of reactive material gas, placed outside the chamber; a gas introduction pipe connected to the gas supply source, for introducing the material gas into the chamber; a plurality of sets of cathode-anode bodies configured to form a plurality of discharge spaces which perform plasma discharge of the material gas in the chamber; and a gas supply section comprising the plurality of cathodes of the cathode-anode bodies in which each cathode is provided with a plurality of through holes for supplying the material gas to an object to be plasma-processed, wherein the gas introduction pipe includes a gas branch section arranged in the chamber, a main pipe for connecting the gas supply source to the gas branch section, and a plurality of branch pipes connected from the main pipe to the cathode-anode bodies via the gas branch section and each of the discharge spaces, the gas branch section includes a plurality of internal flow passages arranged to communicate the main pipe with the plurality of branch pipes, the plurality of internal flow passages are substantially equivalent in length with each other, each internal flow passage is a passage within the gas branch section between an end of the main pipe and an end of one of the plurality of branch pipes, the gas supply section is arranged opposite to the gas branch section connected by the branch pipes, each cathode of the cathode-anode bodies is placed opposite to a corresponding anode so that a corresponding discharge space is formed therebetween, and the branch pipes are made of flexible material, are connected with cathodes of the cathode-anode bodies, and are configured so that lengths between the gas branch section and the cathodes are equivalent to each other, and flow conductances of the branch pipes are substantially equivalent to each other.