The subject of the invention is a method and device for reducing contamination in a plasma reactor, especially contamination by lubricants, particularly for plasma processing of materials. The method is based on the fact that the contaminated gas pumped out of at least one reduced pressure vacuum chamber in the form of a plasma lamp (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3) is purified in at least one purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.E), in which a glow discharge is initiated between the anodes of the purifying plasma lamp (A01, A02) and the cathodes of the purifying plasma lamp (K.sub.01, K.sub.02), favorably particles of lubricants are cracked and partially polymerized, while processed heavy particles of lubricants are collected in a buffer tank (ZB) and then discharged outside the pumping system. The device contains at least one reduced pressure vacuum chamber in the form of a plasma lamp (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3), it is connected to at least one purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.E) with a buffer tank (ZB) connected to a vacuum pump (PP). The vacuum tube connecting the plasma lamps (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3) with the purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.E)) is equipped with a dosing valve (V) for the gaseous admixture medium (MD) to plasma lamps (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3), from which radiation (R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3) is directed to the processed material (OM).

The present invention improves the in-plane uniformity of film formation via a plasma treatment. It is provided a plasma treatment device constituted so that process gas introduced between an electrode plate and a shower plate is exhausted toward a counter electrode through a plurality of small holes formed in the shower plate, the plasma treatment device comprising a diffuser plate having a plurality of small holes, the diffuser plate being arranged substantially parallel with the shower plate, wherein the process gas is introduced between the electrode plate and the diffuser plate, passes through the plural small holes of the diffuser plate, reaches the shower plate and flows out from the plural small holes of the shower plate toward the electrode plate, and wherein within the small holes formed in the diffuser plate and the small holes formed in the shower plate, the small holes formed in a plate which exists more downstream along a flowing direction of the process gas are made in smaller diameters and an aperture ratio of each plate is made smaller in a plate which exists more upstream along the flowing direction of the process gas.

A plasma processing apparatus includes a plasma processing chamber, a substrate support, a source RF generator, and a bias RF generator. The substrate support is disposed within the plasma processing chamber. The source RF generator is configured to generate a source RF signal. The source RF signal includes source cycles, and each of the source cycles includes a source ON state and a source OFF state. The source ON state has at least two source power levels. The bias RF generator is coupled to the substrate support and configured to generate a bias RF signal. The bias RF signal includes bias cycles corresponding to the source cycles, respectively. Each of the bias cycles includes a bias ON state and a bias OFF state. The bias ON state has at least two bias power levels.

Provided are a nitriding apparatus and a method of nitriding, which are capable of suppressing generation of a compound layer by accurately measuring temperature of an object to be treated by nitriding. A nitriding apparatus includes a chamber, a gas supplying unit, a support, a plasma source, a heater, a thermocouple wire including a temperature measuring section, an accommodating member, a power supply for an object to be treated, and a treatment condition control unit. The accommodating member internally accommodates the thermocouple wire to cover the temperature measuring section, while being insulated from the thermocouple wire. The power supply for an object to be treated applies a predetermined voltage to an object to be treated and the housing member so that the object to be treated and the accommodating member are set to an identical potential on the negative side.

According to one aspect, a visualization device may include an image sensor, a lens for focusing light onto the image sensor, a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a lateral wall surface extending between the first end and the second end, and a coating on the lateral wall surface. The coating may include at least one of an electrically-insulating layer and a light-blocking layer, and may be deposited on the lateral wall surface using, for example, physical vapor deposition (PVD).

The present disclosure describes methods and systems for radical-activated etching of a metal oxide. The system includes a chamber, a wafer holder configured to hold a wafer with a metal oxide disposed thereon, a first gas line fluidly connected to the chamber and configured to deliver a gas to the chamber, a plasma generator configured to generate a plasma from the gas, a grid system between the plasma generator and the wafer holder and configured to increase a kinetic energy of ions from the plasma, a neutralizer between the grid system and the wafer holder and configured to generate electrons and neutralize the ions to generate radicals, and a second gas line fluidly connected to the chamber and configured to deliver a precursor across the wafer. The radicals facilitate etching of the metal oxide by the precursor.

In a vacuum treatment recipient, a plasma is generated between a first plasma electrode and a second plasma electrode so as to perform a vacuum plasma treatment of a substrate. To minimize at least one of the two plasma electrodes to be buried by a deposition of material resulting from the treatment process, that electrode is provided with a surface pattern of areas which do not contribute to the plasma electrode effect and of areas which are plasma electrode effective. The current path between the two electrodes is concentrated on the distinct areas which are plasma electrode effective, leading to an ongoing sputter- cleaning of these areas.

The present disclosure relates to a field of dry etching technology. The present disclosure provides an ultra-large area scanning reactive ion etching machine and an etching method thereof. The ultra-large area scanning reactive ion etching machine includes: an injection chamber (101), an etching reaction chamber (102), a transition chamber (103), and an etching ion generation chamber (104). By moving a sample holder (111) among the injection chamber (100), the etching reaction chamber (102) and the transition chamber (103) in a scanning direction, a scanning etching is performed on a sample (100) placed on the sample holder (111), which may realize a large-area, uniform and efficient etching.

An apparatus for the vacuum treatment of substrates in a vacuum chamber includes a substrate support device with a pylon which can be rotated about a longitudinal axis and has holding means for substrates and a plasma discharge device assigned to the pylon. The plasma discharge device includes more than two plate-shaped electrodes having excitation areas, the excitation areas of which are all oriented in the direction of the pylon and a power supply device for the excitation of a plasma discharge, by at least one electrical voltage applied to at least two of the electrodes, is provided, the excited plasma acting at least on parts of the pylon and on substrates that can be arranged on them. A process performs the vacuum coating by the apparatus.

The disclosure pertains to a capacitively coupled plasma source in which VHF power is applied through an impedance-matching coaxial resonator having a symmetrical power distribution.