Claims
- 1. A plasma processing apparatus for plasma processing substrates having first and second surfaces as said substrates pass along a path therein, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) a plasma reactor chamber;
- (b) a plurality of pairs of first and second hollow electrodes positioned within said plasma reactor chamber, each of said pairs of electrodes including a front wall oriented substantially parallel to said path having said substrates pass therealong such that the front wall of the first electrode of each of said pairs of electrodes is adapted for facing said first surface of each of said substrates and the front wall of the second electrode of each of said pairs of electrodes is adapted for facing said second surface of each of said substrates, each of said first and second hollow electrodes including a pair of substantially flat side walls each having a plurality of tapered apertures therein;
- (c) first means comprising a first radio frequency power source adapted for applying electrical power to the first electrode of each of said pairs of electrodes;
- (d) second means comprising a second radio frequency power source adapted for applying electrical power to the second electrode of each of said pairs of electrodes, said first means adapted for applying electrical power being out of phase with respect to said second means adapted for applying electrical power;
- (e) means for continuously introducing into said plasma reactor chamber a gas for being converted into a plasma upon application of said electrical power by said first and second means for applying said power, said means directing said gas through said apertures such that said gas emerges from said apertures and is uniformly distributed across the respective surface of said substrate that said electrode faces;
- (f) means for continuously evacuating said plasma reactor chamber;
- (g) drive means for continuously advancing each of said substrates seriatim along said path within said reactor chamber between said pairs of first and second hollow electrodes; and
- (h) vacuum lock means for maintaining a substantially controlled atmosphere as each substrate is inserted into and removed from said reactor chamber and as each substrate is passed through said reactor chamber.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plasma reactor chamber is comprised of at least two sections, each of said sections comprising vacuum lock means for maintaining a substantially controlled atmosphere when each of said substrates in inserted into and removed from the section.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2, including means to advance said substrates between said sections substantially linearly.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 2, including means to advance said substrates between said sections substantially circularly.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
- i) means for independently adjusting the distance of each of said electrodes from said path having said substrates pass therealong.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said radio frequency power sources are adapted to operate about 180.degree. degrees out of phase with one another.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said radio frequency power sources is adapted to operate at a low frequency.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said tapered apertures possesses a smaller diameter on the interior of said flat side wall than the diameter of said aperture in the exterior of said wall.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 1, including means adapted for electrically grounding each of said substrates.
Parent Case Info
This patent application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 199,838, filed May 27, 1988, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 894,240, filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office Aug. 4, 1986, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 692,144, filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office Jan. 17, 1985, abandoned Apr. 21, 1987.
US Referenced Citations (16)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
59-070766 |
Apr 1984 |
JPX |
59-157281 |
Sep 1984 |
JPX |
WO8301075 |
Mar 1983 |
WOX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Brian Chapman, Glow Discharge Processes, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1980, pp. 153-156, 215-236. |
Continuations (3)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
199838 |
May 1988 |
|
Parent |
894240 |
Aug 1986 |
|
Parent |
692144 |
Jan 1985 |
|