A plasma processing apparatus includes a microwave generation unit configured to generate a microwave, a processing vessel configured to introduce the microwave thereinto, and a gas supply mechanism configured to supply a gas into the processing vessel, plasma being generated within the processing vessel so that a plasma processing is performed on a processing target object. The microwave generation unit includes an oscillation circuit configured to oscillate the microwave, a pulse generation circuit configured to oscillate a control wave having a predetermined frequency bandwidth at a predetermined cycle, and a frequency modulation circuit configured to modulate a frequency of the microwave to a modulated wave having the predetermined frequency bandwidth by the control wave and output the modulated wave, and the frequency modulation circuit alternately and repeatedly outputs the modulated wave and a non-modulated microwave at the predetermined cycle.

Methods and apparatus for igniting a process plasma within a plasma chamber are provided. One or more self-resonating devices are positioned within a plasma chamber relative to a plasma generation volume within the plasma chamber. The plasma generation volume is defined by the plasma chamber. Each of the self-resonating devices generates an ignition plasma. The ignition plasmas cause a partial ionization of an ignition gas. The partially ionized ignition gas allows for ignition of a process plasma by applying an electric field to the plasma generation volume.

A resonator system is provided with one or more resonant cavities configured to couple electromagnetic (EM) energy in a desired EM wave mode to plasma by generating resonant microwave energy in a resonant cavity adjacent the plasma. The resonator system can be coupled to a process chamber using one or more interface and isolation assemblies, and each resonant cavity can have a plurality of plasma tuning rods coupled thereto. The plasma tuning rods can be configured to couple the EM-energy from the resonant cavities to the process space within the process chamber.

A plasma processing apparatus for generating plasma from a processing gas using microwaves and performing plasma processing on a substrate is provided. The apparatus includes a processing chamber having a substrate support on which the substrate is placed; a plurality of microwave radiation units arranged at a central portion and an outer peripheral portion of a ceiling wall of the processing chamber and configured to radiate microwaves; and a controller configured to complete microwave radiation from the microwave radiation unit in the central portion upon completion of plasma processing of the substrate and then complete microwave radiation from the microwave radiation units in the outer peripheral portion.

Disclosed herein is a device for measuring a plasma ion density, which includes a transceiver antenna configured to apply and receive a microwave, of which a frequency is varied, to and from plasma, and a frequency analyzer configured to analyze a frequency of the microwave received from the transceiver antenna and measure a cut-off frequency, wherein the frequency of the microwave applied to the plasma is varied in the range of 100 kHz to 500 MHz.

The disclosure relates to microwave cavity plasma reactor (MCPR) apparatus and associated optical measurement system that enable microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (MPACVD) of a component such as diamond while measuring the local surface properties of the component while being grown. Related methods include deposition of the component, measurement of the local surface properties, and/or alteration of operating conditions during deposition in response to the local surface properties. As described in more detail below, the MPCR apparatus includes one or more electrically conductive, optically transparent regions forming part of the external boundary of its microwave chamber, thus permitting external optical interrogation of internal reactor conditions during deposition while providing a desired electrical microwave chamber to maintain selected microwave excitation modes therein.

There is provided a plasma processing apparatus including a microwave output part configured to generate microwaves and to distribute and output the microwaves to a plurality of paths, a microwave transmission part configured to transmit the microwaves outputted from the microwave output part into a process container via a plurality of transmission paths, and a control part configured to control the microwaves. The control part is configured to control the microwaves such that the phases of microwaves become different from each other when the microwaves transmitted via the transmission paths are introduced from a microwave transmitting plate for common use into the process container.

Embodiments of this application discloses a plasma processing method performed in a plasma processing apparatus having a plurality of plasma sources, the plasma processing method comprising: controlling each of the plasma sources so that at least one plasma source of the plurality of plasma sources is in a first state referring an OFF-state or a power state of a first level and the remaining plasma sources are in a second state referring an ON-state or a power state of a second level higher than the power state of the first level; and generating plasma from a processing gas with power output from the plurality of plasma sources, and processing a substrate, wherein said controlling of each of the plasma sources includes repeatedly controlling so that the plasma source of the first state among the plurality of plasma sources is sequentially transitioned.

The plasma processing apparatus has a plasma processing chamber where plasma processing of the sample is performed, and plasma power supply that supplies radio frequency electric power for generating plasma. The radio frequency electric power is time modulated by a pulse wave having a first period and a second period that are repeated periodically. The pulse wave of the first period has first amplitude and the pulse wave of the second period has second amplitude which is a limited value smaller than the first amplitude. The extinction of the plasma, which is generated during the first period having the first amplitude, is maintained during the second period having the second amplitude with a predetermined dissociation.

Plasma is generated in a semiconductor process chamber by a plurality of microwave inputs with slow or fast rotation. Radial uniformity of the plasma is controlled by regulating the power ratio of a center-high mode and an edge-high mode of the plurality of microwave inputs into a microwave cavity. The radial uniformity of the generated plasma in a plasma chamber is attained by adjusting the power ratio for the two modes without inputting time-splitting parameters for each mode.