Disclosed is a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor includes a resonating cavity configured to receive microwaves. A microwave transparent window is disposed in the resonating cavity, intermediate a top and bottom of the resonating cavity, separating the resonating cavity into an upper zone and a plasma zone. The resonating cavity is configured to propagate microwaves from the upper zone through the microwave transparent window into the plasma zone. A noise cancelling antenna is disposed in a non-weight bearing manner through an opening in the microwave transparent window. Also disclosed is a method that includes (a) providing the above-described CVD reactor; (b) feeding a carbon bearing reactive gas into the plasma zone; and (c) concurrent with step (b), feeding microwaves into the resonant cavity thereby forming in the plasma zone a plasma that causes a diamond film to form in the plasma zone.

The disclosure relates to microwave cavity plasma reactor (MCPR) apparatus and associated tuning and process control methods that enable the microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (MPACVD) of a component such as diamond. Related methods enable the control of the microwave discharge position, size and shape, and enable efficient matching of the incident microwave power into the reactor prior to and during component deposition. Pre-deposition tuning processes provide a well matched reactor exhibiting a high plasma reactor coupling efficiency over a wide range of operating conditions, thus allowing operational input parameters to be modified during deposition while simultaneously maintaining the reactor in a well-matched state. Additional processes are directed to realtime process control during deposition, in particular based on identified independent process variables which can effectively control desired dependent process variables during deposition while still maintaining a well-matched power coupling reactor state.

A method for manufacturing an insulating film laminated structure includes a step of forming a first high-k film on a semiconductor substrate, a step of processing the semiconductor substrate in a processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus by using a plasma to form an oxide film on an interface between the semiconductor substrate and the first high-k film, and a step of forming a second high-k film on the first high-k film. A plasma oxidation process is performed by using a plasma of an oxygen-containing gas at a processing temperature of the semiconductor substrate in a range from 20 C. to 145 C. while setting a power density of a total power of microwaves to be within a range from 0.035 kW/m.sup.2 to 3.5 kW/m.sup.2 with respect to a total area of a conductive member facing an inner space of the processing chamber and microwave transmitting windows.

Disclosed is a method for presetting a tuner that matches a power required for plasma emission in a plasma processing apparatus. The method includes: obtaining a relationship of a time lapse from power supply, an emission intensity of plasma, and a setting position of the tuner by emitting plasma; differentiating the emission intensity by time to calculate a time when an increase rate of the emission intensity becomes maximum; and setting the setting position of the tuner at a time, which is obtained by subtracting a time required from the setting of the tuner until the setting is reflected on the emission intensity from the time when the increase rate of the emission intensity becomes maximum, as a preset position.

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments, a process kit shield used in a substrate processing chamber may include a shield body having an inner surface and an outer surface, a process kit shield impedance match device coupled between the shield body and ground, wherein the process kit shield impedance match device is configured to adjust a bias voltage of the process kit shield, a cavity formed on the outer surface of the shield body, and one or more magnets disposed within the cavity.

A plasma processing apparatus comprising: a processing chamber; an electromagnetic wave generator; a resonating structure formed by arranging resonators that are capable of resonating with a magnetic field component of electromagnetic waves; a measurement part configured to measure, for each frequency, a power of the electromagnetic waves traveling from the electromagnetic wave generator to the resonating structure and a power of transmitted waves, reflected waves, or scattered waves of the electromagnetic waves in the resonating structure; and a controller that performs measuring the power of the electromagnetic waves and the power of the transmitted waves, the reflected waves, or the scattered waves with the measurement part, and calculating a resonance frequency of the resonating structure based on frequency distribution of characteristic values of the resonating structure, calculated from the power of the electromagnetic waves and the power of the transmitted waves, the reflected waves, or the scattered waves.

Embodiments disclosed herein include a method for field adjusting calibrating factors of a plurality of RF impedance matches for control of a plurality of plasma chambers. In an embodiment, the method comprises collecting and storing in a memory data from operation of the plurality of RF impedance matches, and finding a tune space for each of the plurality of RF impedance matches from the collected data. In an embodiment, the method further comprises finding adjustments to account for variability in each of the plurality of RF impedance matches, finding adjustments to variable tuning elements of the plurality of RF impedance matches to account for time varying and process related load impedances, and the method further comprises obtaining operating windows for the variable tuning elements in the plurality of RF impedance matches.

Provided is a plasma processing apparatus including: a circular waveguide connected with a vacuum vessel, and through which a circularly polarized wave of an electric field for plasma formation propagates; a processing chamber which is arranged below the circular waveguide, and in which plasma is formed; a circularly polarized wave generator, which is arranged in the waveguide; a circularly polarized wave adjuster which is connected with the circular waveguide below the circularly polarized wave generator; a circularly polarized wave detector which is below the circularly polarized wave adjuster; and a controller which adjusts an operation of the circularly polarized wave adjuster according to an output from the circularly polarized wave detector, in which the circularly polarized wave adjuster adjusts a length of a protrusion of a dielectric stub into the circular waveguide based on a signal from the controller.

In some aspects, the embodiments described herein relate to a method for tuning a frequency of microwave power delivered to a chamber, including striking a plasma in the chamber. Embodiments may further comprise scanning the frequency from a first frequency to a second frequency, where a set point frequency in a range from the first frequency to the second frequency has a lowest reflected power. In an embodiment, the method further includes setting the frequency of the microwave power delivered to the chamber to the set point frequency. The method may further include changing the set point frequency when a measure of reflected power exceeds a threshold.

A large area microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition, LA MPCVD reactor apparatus and method for large area microwave chemical vapour deposition, comprising a reactor chamber adapted to provide a plasma region in an interior of the reactor chamber by electromagnetic energy at a first frequency, and a CRLH waveguide section adapted to operate with an infinite wavelength at the first frequency and having in a wall a coupler means arranged to couple electromagnetic energy from an interior of the CRLH waveguide section to the interior of the reactor chamber.