JP2000306853A - Substrate processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processor which an supply a stable rate of gas into a chamber, not only when a high flow rate of gas is controlledly supplied but also even when a low flow rate of gas is controlledly supplied. SOLUTION: A mass flow controller 52 for high flow rate is provided in a supply pipe 50 for a first gas inlet on the way, a mass flow controller 62 for low flow rate for controlling the flow rate of processing gas received from a flow rate control valve into a prescribed small rate, to supply it to a chamber 11 is interposed in a supply pipe 60 for a second gas inlet having a control valve therein, and the small rate of processing gas accurately controlled is supplied into the chamber 11 from a second gas inlet 18 provided in the chamber 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for introducing an active or inactive processing gas into a chamber, such as a lamp annealing apparatus or a CVD apparatus, to perform annealing, oxynitriding, film formation, etc. on the substrate. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs processing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a substrate processing step, processing may be performed by supplying a processing gas to a substrate. For example, a light irradiation type heat treatment apparatus (lamp annealing) is one of those which performs such processing.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a light irradiation type heat treatment apparatus which is an example of a conventional substrate processing apparatus. This light irradiation type heat treatment apparatus includes a chamber 110 for accommodating a substrate and performing light irradiation heat treatment. Chamber 110
Is provided with a support portion 115 for supporting the substrate. A plurality of lamps 116 for irradiating light are provided above the chamber 110.

Further, a gate valve 120 is provided on one side of the chamber 110. The gate valve 120 can be in contact with the chamber 110 and can be separated therefrom. When the gate valve 120 is separated from the chamber 110, the inside of the chamber 110 is opened, and a loading / unloading robot (not shown) loads a substrate into or out of the chamber 110. On the other hand, the gate valve 120 is
When it is in contact with the furnace port of No. 0 (the state of FIG. 3), the chamber 110 is closed, and the inside becomes a closed space. On the other side of the chamber 110, one gas inlet 121 for introducing various gases described later into the chamber 110 is formed. Further, at a position below the furnace port side of the chamber 110, an exhaust port 122 connected to an exhaust source (not shown) is formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, this apparatus comprises a nitrogen gas supply pipe 130 for supplying nitrogen gas to the chamber 110 and an oxygen gas supply pipe 140 for supplying oxygen gas to the chamber 110. Supply piping 130, 14
0 is connected to the common pipe 150.
The nitrogen gas pipe 130 has a filter 131 for removing particles from the nitrogen gas supplied from a nitrogen gas supply source (not shown), and a valve for opening the valve to introduce the nitrogen gas supplied from the nitrogen gas supply source into the apparatus. A manual valve 132; a check valve 133 for preventing backflow of nitrogen gas; a regulator 134 for reducing the gas supply pressure from the nitrogen gas supply source to a predetermined supply pressure suitable for flow rate control; A large flow mass flow controller 135 configured to control the supply flow rate and supply the supplied nitrogen gas at a predetermined flow rate, and controls supply and non-supply of the nitrogen gas to the chamber 110 side. The air valve 136 is interposed in this order. On the other hand, the oxygen gas supply pipe 140 has a filter 141 that removes particles from oxygen gas supplied from an oxygen gas supply source (not shown), and an oxygen gas supplied from the oxygen gas supply source by opening a valve. A manual valve 142 for guiding, a check valve 143 for preventing back flow of oxygen gas, and a regulator 144 for reducing the gas supply pressure from the oxygen gas supply source to a predetermined supply pressure suitable for flow rate control
A mass flow controller 145 for controlling the supply flow rate of the oxygen gas at a large flow rate, supplying the supplied oxygen gas at a predetermined flow rate, and supplying the oxygen gas to the chamber 110 side of the oxygen gas. And an air valve 146 for controlling the supply and non-supply of the air in this order. Common piping 1
The filter 50 is provided with a filter for removing particles from the supplied nitrogen gas or oxygen gas, and a manual valve 152 for opening the valve and guiding the purified nitrogen gas or oxygen gas to the chamber 110 through the filter. .

In such a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate is processed as follows. First, the gate valve 12
0 is opened and the substrate W is loaded into the chamber 110 by a loading / unloading robot (not shown). When the loading of the substrate into the chamber 110 is completed, the gate valve 120 is closed and the chamber 1 is closed.
Let 10 be a closed space. For example, when the substrate is processed by introducing oxygen gas into the chamber 110, the manual valve 132 and the air valve 136 interposed in the nitrogen gas supply pipe 130 are closed while the oxygen gas is interposed in the oxygen gas supply pipe 140. Manual valve 142, air valve 146, and common pipe 1
The manual valves 152 interposed at 50 are respectively opened to introduce oxygen gas into the chamber 110. At that time, the chamber 11
In order to quickly introduce oxygen gas into the chamber 0 and replace the atmosphere in the chamber with oxygen gas, the mass flow controller 1
Numeral 45 controls the flow rate of oxygen gas so that a large flow rate of oxygen gas is supplied into the chamber. When the inside of the chamber 110 is replaced with the oxygen gas, the mass flow controller 145 controls the flow rate of the oxygen gas to a small flow rate and supplies the oxygen gas to the chamber 110 for the heat treatment of the substrate W. Then, a small amount of oxygen gas is supplied into the chamber 110 while exhausting a predetermined amount from the exhaust port 122 of the chamber 110 to process the substrate W.

When a substrate is processed by introducing a nitrogen gas into the chamber 110, for example, the manual valve 142 and the air valve 1 interposed in the oxygen gas supply pipe 140 are used.
While closing 46, the manual valve 132, the air valve 136 and the common pipe 150 interposed in the nitrogen gas supply pipe 130
The manual valves 152 interposed in the chamber 11 are opened respectively.
Nitrogen gas is introduced into the chamber. At this time, the gate valve 120 is opened and the substrate W is transferred to the chamber by a loading / unloading robot (not shown) while blowing out a large flow rate of nitrogen gas from the furnace port of the chamber 110 under the control of the mass flow controller 135 so as to prevent outside air from being caught in the chamber. It is carried into 110. When the transfer of the substrate into the chamber 110 is completed, the gate valve 120 is closed to make the chamber 110 a closed space, and in order to quickly replace the atmosphere in the chamber 110 with the nitrogen gas, the mass flow controller 135 uses the large flow rate of the nitrogen gas as it is. The flow rate of the nitrogen gas is controlled so as to be supplied into the chamber 110. When the inside of the chamber 110 is replaced with the nitrogen gas, the mass flow controller 145 controls the flow rate of the nitrogen gas to a small flow rate and supplies the nitrogen gas to the chamber 110 for the heat treatment of the substrate W. Then, a small amount of nitrogen gas is supplied into the chamber 110 while exhausting a predetermined amount from the exhaust port 122 of the chamber 110 to process the substrate W.

[0008]

As described above, when introducing a gas into the chamber, it is necessary to control the flow rate of the gas for processing the substrate supplied to the chamber from a large flow rate to a small flow rate. However, in the above-described conventional substrate processing apparatus, the gas flow rate is increased by using a mass flow controller 145 and a mass flow controller 135 for a large flow rate capable of controlling a flow rate of a large flow rate of an oxygen gas or a large flow rate of a nitrogen gas. Since the control is performed from the flow rate to the small flow rate range, there is a disadvantage that the power supply becomes unstable particularly when the supply is performed at a small flow rate. If the control of the gas flow rate becomes unstable on the small flow rate side, a constant gas flow to the substrate W cannot be formed when the substrate W is being processed in the chamber 110, and the uniform processing of the substrate W is not performed. There was a disadvantage that it could not be performed.

In the above-described conventional substrate processing apparatus,
Since the gas controlled at a large flow rate and the gas controlled at a small flow rate are introduced from one gas inlet, the role of the gas controlled at a large flow rate and the role of the gas controlled at a small flow rate Therefore, there is also a disadvantage that the gas cannot be supplied into the chamber.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of such a conventional substrate processing apparatus, and is not limited to a case where a gas is supplied to a chamber at a controlled high flow rate and a small flow rate. Even when supplying at a controlled flow rate, a gas with a stable flow rate can be supplied into the chamber, a uniform gas flow can be formed on the substrate, and uniform processing can be performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of supplying a gas controlled to a low flow rate and a gas controlled to a small flow rate into a chamber according to its role.

[0011]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention In order to solve the above problems, a substrate processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined processing by supplying a processing gas to a substrate. A first gas introduction port into which the processing gas is introduced, and a second gas introduction port, and a chamber for forming a space for performing the processing on the substrate; First flow rate control means capable of controlling the flow rate to supply the first gas inlet of the chamber, and controlling the flow rate of the processing gas to a predetermined small flow rate and supplying the processing gas to the second gas inlet of the chamber; And a second flow control means.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the first invention, a processing gas controlled to a predetermined large flow rate by the first flow rate control means can be supplied to the first gas inlet provided in the chamber. Further, the processing gas controlled to a predetermined small flow rate by the second flow rate control means can be supplied to the second gas inlet provided in the chamber. Thus, according to the substrate processing apparatus of the first invention, the first flow rate control means capable of controlling and supplying the processing gas at a large flow rate, and the second flow rate control capable of controlling and supplying the processing gas at a small flow rate With the means
A stable flow rate of gas can be supplied into the chamber even when the processing gas is supplied to the chamber not only at a controlled high flow rate but also at a low flow rate. A uniform gas flow can be formed to perform uniform processing.

Further, according to the substrate processing apparatus of the first invention, the first gas introduction port for introducing the processing gas into the chamber and the second gas introduction port are provided, and the first gas introduction port of the chamber is provided.
A processing gas controlled to a large flow rate by the first flow control means is supplied to the gas inlet of the chamber, and a processing gas controlled to a small flow rate by the second flow control means is supplied to the second gas introduction port of the chamber. Therefore, the processing gas can be supplied into the chamber according to its role.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes:
In the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first invention, an upper space into which a processing gas is introduced from a second gas inlet and a substrate are disposed in the chamber, and the processing is performed from the first gas inlet. It is provided with a partition plate in which a plurality of through holes are formed to partition into a lower space into which gas is introduced.

In this case, the processing gas controlled to a large flow rate by the first flow rate control means is introduced from the first inlet into a lower space in the chamber partitioned by the partition plate, and the second flow rate control means. The processing gas controlled to a small flow rate more stably is introduced from the second inlet into the upper space in the chamber partitioned by the partition plate. Then, the processing gas introduced from the second inlet passes through a plurality of through holes formed in the partition plate and flows down uniformly over the entire surface of the substrate arranged in the lower space in the chamber. This makes it possible to perform a predetermined uniform process with the process gas on the entire surface of the substrate.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the first supply pipe for supplying the first gas and the first supply pipe are provided. A first gas flow control means for controlling the flow rate of the first gas to a predetermined flow rate and supplying a second gas of a type different from the first gas; A second gas flow rate control means interposed in the supply pipe and controlling the flow rate of the second gas to a predetermined flow rate and supplying the first gas supplied from the first supply pipe and the second supply pipe; A first gas mixing pipe that joins the second gas and supplies the first gas mixing pipe to the first flow control unit; a first gas and a second gas that are respectively supplied from the first supply pipe and the second supply pipe. And a second gas mixing pipe for supplying the gas to the second flow control means. A mixed gas of the first gas and the second gas is introduced from the first gas inlet and the second gas inlet into the chamber as a processing gas.

In this case, the first gas is controlled to a predetermined flow rate by the first gas flow rate control means and supplied from the first supply pipe, and the second gas is controlled to the predetermined flow rate by the second gas flow rate control means. It is supplied from the second supply pipe. The first supply pipe supplied from the first supply pipe and the second supply pipe
The gas and the second gas join and mix in the first gas mixing pipe, and are supplied to the first flow control means. The first flow rate control means controls the mixed gas to a large flow rate and supplies the mixed gas to a first gas inlet provided in the chamber, and the mixed gas is introduced into the chamber from the first gas inlet as a processing gas. You. On the other hand, the first gas and the second gas supplied from the first supply pipe and the second supply pipe are merged and mixed in the second gas mixing pipe, and supplied to the second flow control means. Second
Flow rate control means stably controls the mixed gas to a small flow rate and supplies the mixed gas to a second gas inlet provided in the chamber, and the mixed gas is introduced into the chamber from the second gas inlet as a processing gas. Is done. Thus, the substrate can be processed by supplying the mixed gas adjusted to a desired mixing ratio as a processing gas into the chamber.

In the substrate processing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the third aspect, of the total flow rate of the mixed gas supplied to the chamber, a predetermined flow rate is provided in the chamber. The second flow control means is controlled so as to be supplied to the first gas introduction port, and a mixed gas having a remaining flow rate obtained by subtracting a predetermined flow rate from the total flow rate of the mixed gas is provided in the first gas introduction port provided in the chamber. 1st as supplied to mouth
And a control means for controlling the flow rate control means.

In this case, the control means controls the second gas inlet so that a predetermined flow rate of the total flow rate of the mixed gas supplied to the chamber is supplied to the second gas inlet provided in the chamber.
Is controlled so that the mixed gas of the remaining flow rate obtained by subtracting the predetermined flow rate from the total flow rate of the mixed gas supplied to the chamber is supplied to the first gas inlet provided in the chamber. Is controlled by the first gas flow control means and the second gas flow control means, so that the second flow control means is controlled to an accurate flow rate by the second gas inlet. The processing gas can be supplied, and the substrate can be uniformly and accurately processed.

[0020]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 10 is a light irradiation type heat treatment apparatus that heats a substrate W by light irradiation. Substrate processing device 10
Has a chamber 11 that forms a processing space for performing a light irradiation heat treatment on the substrate W. The upper surface of the chamber 11 is formed using a material having a property of transmitting light (quartz or the like), and a plurality of lamps 16 as a heating source is disposed above the material.
Is provided. The substrate W carried into the chamber 11 is annealed using light from a plurality of lamps 16,
Heat treatment such as D (Chemical Vapor Deposition) is performed.

An opening 12 for carrying in / out the substrate W is formed on a side surface of the chamber 11, and a gate valve 13 for opening and closing the opening 12 is provided. When the gate valve 13 is separated from the opening 12, the chamber 11 is opened, and a loading / unloading robot (not shown) loads the substrate W into the chamber 11 through the opening 12,
Alternatively, the substrate W is unloaded from the chamber 11. On the other hand, when the gate valve 13 is in contact with the opening 12 (the state in FIG. 1), the opening 12 is closed and the inside of the chamber 11 is sealed. Further, an exhaust port 9 connected to an exhaust source (not shown) is formed at a lower position near the opening 12 of the chamber 11.

When a substrate is carried into the chamber 11,
The carrying-in / out robot holding the substrate W enters the chamber 11 through the opening 12, and the substrate W is received by being pushed up by the plurality of pins 14 in the chamber 11. Then, after the loading / unloading robot exits from the chamber 11, the pins 14 descend and the substrate W is placed on the support 15. When the substrate W is carried out, the operation opposite to the operation of carrying in the substrate W is performed.

The chamber 11 is provided with a first gas inlet 17 into which a processing gas is introduced and a second gas inlet 18 respectively. Further, a second gas inlet 18 is provided in the upper portion of the chamber 11.
A partition plate 21 is provided for partitioning into an upper space 19 into which a processing gas is introduced from below, and a lower space 20 into which a substrate W is arranged and into which a processing gas is introduced from a first gas inlet. A plurality of through holes 22 are formed in the partition plate 21, and when the processing gas is introduced into the chamber from the second gas inlet 18, the processing gas passes through the plurality of through holes 22. It flows down toward the upper surface of the substrate W arranged in the lower space of the chamber 11.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus includes a nitrogen gas supply pipe 30 for supplying a nitrogen gas as a processing gas, and an oxygen gas supply pipe for supplying an oxygen gas as a processing gas. 40 and nitrogen gas supply pipe 3
Nitrogen gas or oxygen gas supply pipe 40 supplied from 0
Gas supply port supply pipe 50 for supplying oxygen gas supplied from the gas supply port to first gas inlet port 17 provided in chamber 11, and nitrogen gas or oxygen gas supply supplied from nitrogen gas supply pipe 30. A second gas inlet supply pipe for supplying oxygen gas supplied from the pipe to the second gas inlet provided in the chamber;

The nitrogen gas supply pipe 30 is provided with a filter 31 for removing particles from the nitrogen gas supplied from a nitrogen gas supply source (not shown), and a valve opened to supply the nitrogen gas supplied from the nitrogen gas supply source into the apparatus. Valve 32, a check valve 33 for preventing backflow of nitrogen gas, a regulator 34 for reducing the gas supply pressure from the nitrogen gas supply source to a predetermined supply pressure suitable for flow rate control, and the chamber 11 An air valve 36 for controlling the supply and non-supply of the nitrogen gas to the side is interposed in this order.

On the other hand, the oxygen gas supply pipe 40 is provided with a filter 41 for removing particles from oxygen gas supplied from an oxygen gas supply source (not shown) and an oxygen gas supplied from the oxygen gas supply source by opening a valve. A manual valve 42 for guiding into the apparatus and a check valve 43 for preventing backflow of oxygen gas
And a regulator 44 for reducing the gas supply pressure from the oxygen gas supply source to a predetermined supply pressure suitable for flow rate control, and an air valve 45 for controlling supply and non-supply of oxygen gas to the chamber 11 side in this order. Intervened.

Also, the first gas inlet supply pipe 50
One end has a nitrogen gas supply pipe 30 and an oxygen gas supply pipe 4
0 and the other end is connected to the chamber 11
The first gas introduction port 17 is connected to the flow path. The first gas inlet supply pipe 50 is provided with an air valve 51 for controlling the supply and non-supply of the nitrogen gas or the oxygen gas to the chamber 11 side and a flow rate control valve at an intermediate position. The flow rate of the supplied nitrogen gas or oxygen gas is controlled to a predetermined large flow rate (for example, 40 l / min) and the chamber 11
And a large flow rate mass flow controller 52 for supplying a large flow rate of nitrogen gas or oxygen gas to the lower space 20 in the chamber 11 through the first gas inlet 17 provided in the chamber 11 It has become. In addition,
The mass flow controller 52 for large flow rate is a mass flow controller capable of controlling the flow rate with high accuracy on the large flow rate side, and when the precision is not so required, it is also possible to supply the gas at a small flow rate. .

On the other hand, the second gas inlet supply pipe 60
One end has a nitrogen gas supply pipe 30 and an oxygen gas supply pipe 4
0 and the other end is connected to the chamber 11
The second gas inlet 18 is connected to the flow path. The supply pipe 60 for the second gas inlet is provided with an air valve 61 for controlling the supply and non-supply of the nitrogen gas or the oxygen gas to the chamber 11 side and a flow control valve at an intermediate position. The flow rate of the supplied nitrogen gas or oxygen gas is controlled to a predetermined small flow rate (for example, 10 l / min) to control the chamber 11.
And a small flow rate mass flow controller 62 for supplying a small flow rate of nitrogen gas or oxygen gas whose flow rate is accurately controlled through the second gas inlet port 18 provided in the chamber 11. It can be supplied to the upper space 19. The small flow rate mass flow controller 62 is a mass flow controller capable of controlling the flow rate accurately on the small flow rate side. For example, the second gas flow controller 62 is used to prevent the particles from winding up when the pin 14 is raised. It is also possible to control so that the gas is supplied to the inlet 18 temporarily at a flow rate larger than the steady state.

The air valves 36, 45, 51, 61,
The large flow mass flow controller 52 and the small flow mass flow controller 62 are electrically connected to the CPU 70, respectively, and the operation panel 71 is electrically connected to the CPU 70. From the operation panel 71, predetermined processing conditions such as the type of processing gas to be used for processing and the flow rate of processing gas to be supplied to the chamber 11 are input.
0 is stored in the memory. Then, when a processing start is input from the operation panel 71, the CPU 70 reads the processing conditions stored in the memory, and transmits a control signal to the air valves 36, 45, 51, and 61 to open and close the valves. Or a mass flow controller 52 for large flow,
The control signal is transmitted to the small flow rate mass flow controller 62 to adjust the opening / closing degree of the built-in flow rate control valve.

In such a substrate processing apparatus, the processing of the substrate W is performed as follows. First, gate valve 1
2, the substrate W is loaded into the chamber 11 by a loading / unloading robot (not shown). When the mounting of the substrate W on the support portion 15 is completed and the loading of the substrate into the chamber 11 is completed, the gate valve 12 is opened. Close the chamber 11 as a closed space. For example, when the substrate is processed by introducing oxygen gas into the chamber 11, the manual valve 32 and the air valve 36 interposed in the nitrogen gas supply pipe 30 are kept closed, while the CPU 70 The air valves 45, 51 and 61 are opened by the control signal of (1). Then, the manual valve 42 interposed in the oxygen gas supply pipe 40 is opened to introduce oxygen gas into the apparatus. The oxygen gas flows through the oxygen gas supply pipe 40 through the filter 41, the manual valve 42, and the check valve 4.
3. Flow through regulator 44 and air valve 45,
Flows into the gas supply port supply pipe 50 and the second gas supply port supply pipe 60. First gas inlet supply pipe 5
The oxygen gas flowing into the 0 and the second gas inlet supply pipes 60 is supplied to the large flow mass flow controller 52 and the small flow mass flow controller 62 via the air valves 51 and 61, respectively. Mass flow controller 52 for large flow rate
Then, according to a control signal from the CPU 70, the flow rate is controlled by adjusting the opening / closing degree of the built-in flow control valve so that the oxygen gas has a predetermined large flow rate (for example, 40 l / min), and the first gas supply port is supplied. Oxygen gas is supplied to the first gas inlet 17 provided in the chamber 11 through the pipe 50. Also,
The mass flow controller 62 for small flow rate controls the flow rate by adjusting the opening / closing degree of a built-in flow rate control valve so that the oxygen gas has a predetermined small flow rate (for example, 10 l / min) according to a control signal from the CPU 70. Supply piping 6 for gas inlet 2
Oxygen gas is supplied to the second gas inlet 18 provided in the chamber 11 through 0. When the atmosphere in the chamber 11 is replaced with an oxygen gas atmosphere by the oxygen gas introduced from the first gas introduction port 17 and the second gas introduction port 18 of the chamber 11, the flow control valve of the large flow mass flow controller 52 The opening degree is narrowed, and a small amount of oxygen gas is mainly supplied into the chamber 11 from the second gas inlet 18 while introducing a small amount of oxygen gas into the chamber 11 from the first gas inlet 17. The substrate W is processed while a predetermined amount of air is exhausted from the exhaust port 9 while being heated by the lamp 16. Alternatively, close the air valve 51,
The processing of the substrate W may be performed by supplying a small amount of oxygen gas into the chamber 11 only from the second gas inlet 18.

At this time, the oxygen gas stably controlled to a predetermined small flow rate by the small flow rate mass flow controller 62 is supplied to the second gas inlet 18, and the oxygen gas introduced into the chamber 11 is Upper space 19 in chamber 11
Through the plurality of through holes 22 formed in the partition plate 21, the processing is performed by uniformly flowing down the entire upper surface of the substrate W in the lower space 20.

For example, when processing the substrate W by introducing nitrogen gas into the chamber 11, the manual valve 42 and the air valve 45 interposed in the oxygen gas supply pipe 40 are kept closed. On the other hand, the air valves 36, 51, and 61 are opened according to a control signal from the CPU 70. Then, the manual valve 32 interposed in the nitrogen gas supply pipe 30 is opened to introduce nitrogen gas into the apparatus. Nitrogen gas passes through a filter 31, a manual valve 32, a check valve 33, a regulator 34, an air valve 36 in a nitrogen gas supply pipe 30.
Through the first supply pipe 50 for the gas inlet and the second
Flows into the supply pipe 60 for gas inlet. First gas inlet supply pipe 50 and second gas inlet supply pipe 6
The nitrogen gas that has flowed into 0 is supplied to a large flow mass flow controller 52 and a small flow mass flow controller 62 via air valves 51 and 61, respectively. The mass flow controller 52 for large flow rate controls the flow rate by adjusting the opening / closing degree of a built-in flow rate regulating valve so that the nitrogen gas has a predetermined large flow rate (for example, 40 l / min) according to a control signal from the CPU 70. Nitrogen gas is supplied to the first gas inlet 17 provided in the chamber 11 through the first gas inlet supply pipe 50. In the mass flow controller 62 for small flow rate, the flow rate is controlled by adjusting the opening / closing degree of a built-in flow rate regulating valve so that the nitrogen gas has a predetermined small flow rate (for example, 10 l / min) according to a control signal from the CPU 70. The nitrogen gas is supplied to the second gas inlet 18 provided in the chamber 11 through the second gas inlet supply pipe 60. First gas inlet 17 and second gas inlet 18 of chamber 11
The gate valve 13 is opened and the substrate W is carried into the chamber 11 by a carrying-in / out robot (not shown) while blowing out the nitrogen gas introduced from the furnace 11 through the furnace port of the chamber 11.
When the mounting of the substrate on the substrate supporting unit 15 is completed, the chamber 1
When the transfer of the substrate into the chamber 1 is completed, the gate valve 13 is closed to make the chamber 11 a closed space, and the introduction of the nitrogen gas from the first gas inlet 17 and the second gas inlet 18 is continued as it is, thereby quickly. Replace the atmosphere in the chamber with nitrogen gas. When the atmosphere in the chamber 11 is replaced with a nitrogen gas atmosphere, the mass flow controller
The opening degree of the flow control valve 2 is narrowed down and the first gas inlet 1
A small amount of nitrogen gas is supplied from the second gas inlet 18 into the chamber 11 while introducing a small amount of nitrogen gas into the chamber 11 from the lamp 7.
The substrate W is processed in the same manner as in the case of supplying oxygen while taking a predetermined amount of exhaust gas from the exhaust port 9 while heating. Alternatively, the processing of the substrate W may be performed by closing the air valve 51 and supplying a small flow rate of nitrogen gas into the chamber 11 only from the second gas inlet 18.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the first embodiment, a processing gas such as oxygen gas or nitrogen gas controlled to a predetermined large flow rate by the large flow rate mass flow controller 52 is provided in the chamber 11. 1 gas inlet 17
And the processing gas controlled to a predetermined small flow rate by the small flow mass flow controller 62 can be supplied to the second gas inlet 18 provided in the chamber 11. As described above, since the mass flow controller 52 for large flow capable of controlling and supplying the processing gas at a large flow rate and the mass flow controller 62 for small flow capable of controlling and supplying the processing gas at a small flow rate are provided, the processing gas is supplied to the chamber. A stable flow rate of gas can be supplied into the chamber 11 even when the flow rate is controlled to a large flow rate as well as when the flow rate is controlled to a small flow rate. And a uniform processing can be performed.

Further, according to the substrate processing apparatus of the first embodiment, the first processing gas is introduced into the chamber 11.
A gas inlet 17 and a second gas inlet 18 are provided, and a processing gas controlled to a large flow rate by the large flow mass flow controller 52 is supplied to the first gas inlet 17 of the chamber 11. Second gas inlet 18 of chamber 11
The processing gas controlled to a small flow rate by the small flow mass flow controller 62 is supplied to the inside of the chamber 11 according to its role.

In the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, the interior 11 of the chamber is provided with an upper space 19 into which a processing gas is introduced from a second gas inlet 18 and a substrate disposed therein. It is provided with a partition plate 21 having a plurality of through holes 22 formed therein for partitioning into a lower space 20 into which a processing gas is introduced from the first gas inlet 17. The processing gas controlled to a small flow rate stably by the mass flow controller 62 is introduced into the upper space 19 in the chamber 11 partitioned by the partition plate 21 from the second inlet 18 and formed on the partition plate 21. The lower space 2 in the chamber 11 passing through the plurality of through holes 22
It flows down uniformly over the entire surface of the substrate W arranged at zero. This makes it possible to perform uniform processing with the processing gas on the entire surface of the substrate W.

In the first embodiment, the chamber 11 corresponds to the chamber, the large flow mass flow controller 52 corresponds to the first flow control means, and the small flow mass flow controller 62 corresponds to the second flow control means. Corresponds to flow control means,
The partition plate 21 corresponds to a partition plate.

Next, a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

The substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment comprises:
A mass flow controller 80 that is interposed in the nitrogen gas supply pipe 30 and controls the flow rate of the nitrogen gas to a predetermined flow rate and supplies the nitrogen gas.
And a mass flow controller 90 interposed in the oxygen gas supply pipe 40 for controlling the flow rate of the oxygen gas to a predetermined flow rate and supplying the nitrogen gas and the oxygen gas adjusted to the predetermined flow rates by these mass flow controllers. A point that a mixed gas of gases is supplied to the chamber 11 as a processing gas;
Based on the control of the CPU 70, the flow control valve incorporated in the large flow mass flow controller 52 is opened or fully opened, and the flow is controlled by the small flow mass flow controller 62, and the second gas introduction into the chamber 11 is performed. The first point is that the flow rate of the mixed gas other than the flow rate supplied to the port is supplied to the first gas introduction port of the chamber 11 through the large flow rate mass flow controller 52.
It is different from the substrate processing apparatus of the embodiment. The mass flow controller 80 and the mass flow controller 90 are also CPU
70, and through the operation panel 71, the mixing ratio of the nitrogen gas and the oxygen gas and the first gas inlet 17
The flow rate of the mixed gas of the nitrogen gas and the oxygen gas to be supplied to the chamber 11 through the second gas inlet 18 is set in advance.

In the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, the processing of the substrate is performed as follows.
In the following description, for convenience of explanation, for example, the mixing ratio of nitrogen gas and oxygen gas is 1: 1, and when replacing the inside of the chamber 11 with the mixed gas, a total of 50 l
/ Min as a processing gas using a mixed gas having a flow rate of
In the case where the substrate is supplied to the chamber 1 and the substrate is processed in the chamber 11, a case where a mixed gas having a total flow rate of 20 l / min is supplied as a processing gas to the chamber 11 is described as an example.

When the transfer of the substrate into the chamber 11 is completed,
When the chamber 11 is closed, the air valves 36, 4
5, 51 and 61 are controlled to be open. Then, the nitrogen gas is supplied to the mass flow controller 80 through the nitrogen gas supply pipe 30, and the oxygen gas is supplied to the mass flow controller 90 through the oxygen gas supply pipe 40. In the mass flow controller 80 and the mass flow controller 90, in order to supply a gas for replacing the inside of the chamber 11 with a mixed gas of a nitrogen gas and an oxygen gas, the gas mixing ratio and the flow rate set in advance by the control of the CPU 70 are adjusted. A predetermined flow rate of nitrogen gas and oxygen gas is supplied based on the flow rate. That is, in this embodiment, nitrogen gas and oxygen gas at a flow rate of 25 l / min are supplied from the mass flow controller 80 and the mass flow controller 90, respectively. Then, the supplied nitrogen gas and oxygen gas are supplied to the first gas introduction supply pipe 5.
The zero and second gas introduction supply pipes 60 are merged and supplied to the large flow mass flow controller 52 and the small flow mass flow controller 62 as a mixed gas obtained by mixing nitrogen gas and oxygen gas. At this time, the CPU 70 causes the small flow rate mass flow controller 62 to change the flow rate of the mixed gas to a predetermined small flow rate (for example, 10 l / mi) of the total flow rate.
n), the mass flow controller 52 for large flow rate is controlled so as to supply the gas to the second gas inlet provided in the chamber 11 so that the built-in flow rate control valve is opened greatly or It is controlled to be fully open. Therefore, the flow rate of the mixed gas other than the flow rate controlled by the small flow rate mass flow controller 62 and supplied to the second gas inlet of the chamber 11 is changed through the large flow rate flow controller 52 to the first gas in the chamber 11. The gas is supplied to the inlet and the gas in the chamber 11 is replaced.

When processing the substrate in the chamber 11, the mass flow controller 80 and the mass flow controller 90 control the flow rates of the nitrogen gas and the oxygen gas to 10 l / min, respectively. Supplied. The supplied nitrogen gas and oxygen gas are merged at the first gas introduction supply pipe 50 and the second gas introduction supply pipe 60, and a large flow rate mass is obtained as a mixed gas obtained by mixing nitrogen gas and oxygen gas. It is supplied to the flow controller 52 and the mass flow controller 62 for small flow rate. At this time, CP
The U70 controls the small flow rate mass flow controller 62 to control the flow rate of the mixed gas to a predetermined small flow rate (for example, 10 l / min) of the total flow rate and supply the mixed gas to the second gas inlet of the chamber 11. The large flow rate mass flow controller 52 is controlled so that the built-in flow rate control valve is opened widely or fully open, so that the flow rate is controlled by the small flow rate mass flow controller 62 and the chamber 11 is controlled. The flow rate of the mixed gas other than the flow rate supplied to the second gas inlet 18 is supplied to the first gas inlet 17 of the chamber 11 through the large flow mass flow controller 52. At this time, even if a slight error occurs in the flow rate of the gas supplied from the mass flow controller 80 or the mass flow controller 90, the small flow rate mass flow controller 62 is not affected by the error. From 62, the mixed gas precisely controlled to a predetermined small flow rate is supplied to the second gas inlet 18 of the chamber 11, and the processing gas having a predetermined flow rate is stably supplied to the substrate W. On the other hand, the remaining mixed gas is
The flow rate error of the gas generated by the mass flow controller 80 or the mass flow controller 90 can be supplied to the large flow rate without affecting the small flow rate mass flow controller 62. Is absorbed on the side of the mass flow controller 52.

As described above, according to the substrate processing apparatus of the second embodiment, the processing of the substrate can be performed by supplying the mixed gas adjusted to the desired mixing ratio as the processing gas into the chamber 11. .

As described above, according to the substrate processing apparatus of the second embodiment, of the total flow rate of the mixed gas supplied to the chamber 11 by the CPU, While controlling the small flow mass flow controller 62 so as to be supplied to the gas inlet 18 of
A mixed gas having a remaining flow rate obtained by subtracting a predetermined flow rate supplied to the second gas inlet port 18 provided in the chamber 11 from the total flow rate of the mixed gas into the first gas inlet port 17 provided in the chamber 11 is supplied to the first gas inlet port 17 provided in the chamber 11. Mass flow controller 5 as supplied
2 is controlled to control the mass flow controller 80,
The chamber 1 is not affected by the mass flow controller 90.
A processing gas controlled at an accurate flow rate can be supplied to the first second gas introduction port 18, and the substrate can be processed with high accuracy.

In the second embodiment, nitrogen gas corresponds to the first gas, oxygen gas corresponds to the second gas,
The first supply pipe corresponds to a nitrogen gas supply pipe, the second supply pipe corresponds to an oxygen gas supply pipe, the first gas flow control means corresponds to the mass flow controller 80, and the second gas flow control means corresponds to It corresponds to the mass flow controller 90, and the first
The gas mixing pipe corresponds to the first gas inlet supply pipe 50, the second gas mixing pipe corresponds to the second gas inlet supply pipe 60, and the CPU corresponds to the control means.

In each of the above embodiments, the processing gas is supplied to the substrate as a processing gas such as nitrogen gas, oxygen gas, or a mixture thereof. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to various apparatuses for processing a substrate by supplying a gas, a helium gas, an ammonia gas, or the like to a chamber while controlling a flow rate of the gas.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an example of a conventional substrate processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Substrate processing apparatus 11 Chamber 21 Partition plate 30 Nitrogen gas supply pipe 40 Oxygen gas supply pipe 50 First gas inlet supply pipe 52 Large flow rate mass flow controller 60 Second gas supply port supply pipe 62 For small flow rate Mass flow controller 70 CPU 80 Mass flow controller 90 Mass flow controller

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined processing by supplying a processing gas to a substrate, comprising: a first gas inlet into which the processing gas is introduced; and a second gas inlet. A chamber for forming a space for performing the processing on the substrate; and a first controllable flow rate of the processing gas at a predetermined large flow rate and supply to a first gas inlet of the chamber through a pipe.
A flow control means for controlling the flow rate of the processing gas to a predetermined small flow rate and supplying the processing gas to a second gas inlet of the chamber through a pipe.
And a flow rate control means. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chamber is provided with an upper space into which the processing gas is introduced from the second gas introduction port, and a substrate disposed therein.
A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a partition plate formed with a plurality of through-holes for partitioning the processing gas from a gas introduction port into a lower space into which the processing gas is introduced. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first supply pipe for supplying a first gas, and a flow rate of the first gas interposed between the first supply pipe and the first supply pipe. A first gas flow rate control means for controlling and supplying a predetermined flow rate; a second supply pipe for supplying a second gas different in type from the first gas; and a second supply pipe interposed between the second supply pipe and the second supply pipe. A second gas flow control means for supplying a gas by controlling the flow rate of the gas to a predetermined flow rate; a first gas and a second gas supplied from the first supply pipe and the second supply pipe, respectively; A first gas mixing pipe to be supplied to the first flow control means, and a first gas and a second gas supplied from the first supply pipe and the second supply pipe, respectively, to be merged. And a second gas mixing pipe for supplying to said second flow control means. The first gas inlet and the second gas inlet are provided in the chamber.
A mixed gas of the first gas and the second gas is introduced as the processing gas from the gas inlet of the substrate processing apparatus. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a predetermined flow rate of a total flow rate of the mixed gas supplied to the chamber is supplied to a second gas inlet provided in the chamber. Controlling the second flow rate control means, and a mixed gas of a remaining flow rate obtained by subtracting the predetermined flow rate from the total flow rate of the mixed gas is supplied to a first gas inlet provided in the chamber. A substrate processing apparatus comprising a control means for controlling the first flow rate control means as described above.