Ceiling plate and plasma process apparatus

Abstract

A ceiling plate provided at a ceiling portion of a process chamber that may be evacuated to a vacuum is disclosed. The ceiling plate allows microwaves emitted from a slot of a planar antenna member provided along with the ceiling plate to pass through the ceiling plate into the process chamber, and includes plural protrusion portions arranged along a circle in a surface of the ceiling plate so as to form plural radially disposed virtual convex portions in a place between the concave portions, the surface facing toward an inside of the process chamber. A thickness of places where the concave portions are formed in the ceiling plate and another thickness of other places where the concave portions are not formed in the ceiling plate are determined so that the number of propagation modes of microwaves is different.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A ceiling plate provided at a ceiling portion of a process chamber that may be evacuated to a vacuum, wherein the ceiling plate allows microwaves emitted from a plurality of slots of a planar antenna member provided along with the ceiling plate to pass through the ceiling plate into the process chamber, the ceiling plate comprising:
 plural concave portions arranged along a circle in a surface of the ceiling plate so as to form plural radially disposed virtual convex portions in a place between the concave portions, the surface facing toward an inside of the process chamber,   wherein a thickness of places where the concave portions are formed in the ceiling plate and another thickness of other places where the concave portions are not formed in the ceiling plate are determined so that the number of propagation modes of microwaves is different in the places where the concave portions are formed from the number of propagation modes in the other places where the concave portions are not formed, and   wherein a plurality of pairs of the slots are concentrically arranged in the planar antenna member, and the number of the virtual convex portions of the ceiling plate is equal to the number of the pairs of the slots arranged along an inner circle among the plurality of pairs of the slots arranged concentrically.   
     
     
         2 . The ceiling plate of  claim 1 ,
 wherein at least innermost concave portions among the plural concave portions are arranged along one circle with the center thereof at a central part of the ceiling plate.   
     
     
         3 . The ceiling plate of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the plural concave portions are provided and arranged along double or more concentric circles at a distance on the respective circles.   
     
     
         4 . The ceiling plate of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the plural concave portions have a predetermined top view shape.   
     
     
         5 . A ceiling plate for a plasma apparatus, the ceiling plate allowing microwaves emitted from a plurality of slots of a planar antenna member provided along with the ceiling plate to pass through the ceiling plate into a process chamber, the ceiling plate comprising:
 plural concave portions formed in a surface thereof to be arranged along double or more concentric circles with the center thereof at a central part of the ceiling plate, the surface facing toward an inside of the process chamber,   wherein a thickness of places where the concave portions are formed in the ceiling plate and another thickness of other places where the concave portions are not formed in the ceiling plate are determined so that the number of propagation modes of microwaves is different in the places where the concave portions are formed from the number of propagation modes in the other places where the concave portions are not formed.   
     
     
         6 . The ceiling plate of  claim 5 ,
 wherein the plural concave portions have a predetermined top view shape.   
     
     
         7 . A plasma process apparatus comprising:
 a process chamber that is open at a ceiling portion and may be evacuated to a vacuum;   a microwave generation portion that generates microwaves for generating plasma;   a planar antenna member having plural slots that introduce the microwaves from the microwave generation portion to the process chamber, the planar antenna member being provided at the opening at the ceiling portion; and   a ceiling plate that allows the microwaves emitted from the planar antenna member to pass through the ceiling plate into the process chamber, the ceiling portion being hermetically provided at the opening at the ceiling portion, wherein plural concave portions arranged along a circle are provided on a surface of the ceiling plate so as to form plural radially disposed virtual convex portions in a place between the concave portions, the surface facing toward the inside of the process chamber,   wherein a thickness of places where the concave portions are formed in the ceiling plate and another thickness of other places where the concave portions are not formed in the ceiling plate are determined so that the number of propagation modes of microwaves is different in the places where the concave portions are formed from the number of propagation modes in the other places where the concave portions are not formed, and   wherein a plurality of pairs of the slots are concentrically arranged in the planar antenna member, and the number of the virtual convex portions of the ceiling plate is equal to the number of the pair of the slots arranged along an inner circle among the plurality of pairs of the slots arranged concentrically.   
     
     
         8 . The plasma process apparatus of  claim 7 ,
 wherein at least innermost concave portions among the plural concave portions are arranged along one circle with the center thereof at a central part of the ceiling plate.   
     
     
         9 . The plasma process apparatus of  claim 8 ,
 wherein innermost concave portions are formed corresponding to positions offset from the slots of the planar antenna member.   
     
     
         10 . The plasma process apparatus of  claim 7 ,
 wherein the plural concave portions have a predetermined top view shape.   
     
     
         11 . A plasma process apparatus comprising:
 a process chamber that is open at a ceiling portion and may be evacuated to a vacuum;   a microwave generation portion that generates microwaves for generating plasma;   a planar antenna member having plural slots that introduce the microwaves from the microwave generation portion to the process chamber, the planar antenna member being provided at the opening at the ceiling portion; and   a ceiling plate that allows the microwaves emitted from the planar antenna member to pass through the ceiling plate into the process chamber, the ceiling portion being hermetically provided at the opening at the ceiling portion,   wherein plural concave portions are formed in a surface of the ceiling plate to be arranged along double or more concentric circles with the center thereof at a central part of the ceiling plate, the surface facing toward the inside of the process chamber, and   wherein a thickness of places where the concave portions are formed in the ceiling plate and another thickness of other places where the concave portions are not formed in the ceiling plate are determined so that the number of propagation modes of microwaves is different in the places where the concave portions are formed from the number of propagation modes in the other places where the concave portions are not formed.   
     
     
         12 . The plasma process apparatus of  claim 11 ,
 wherein the plural concave portions have a predetermined top view shape.