JP2001023974A - Apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices that can effectively prevent the re-liquefaction of a gas flowing through a gas supply pipe at a low cost and can also increase safety. SOLUTION: This apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices comprises a liquefied gas tank 20 for storing a liquefied gas, a reaction processing unit 22 for performing a semiconductor reaction process, using a reaction gas prepared by gasifying the liquefied gas, a gas supply pipe 24 for introducing the reaction gas from the tank 20 to the unit 22, and a gas flow rate controller 26 for controlling the flow rate of the reaction gas passing through the pipe 24. When the pipe 24 is arranged so as to ramp downward from the tank 20 to the controller 26, its ramp angle ϕ with respect to the horizontal line is set to 30 deg.C or less.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device such as an LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit). The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus having a gas supply pipe used to supply a semiconductor reaction processing apparatus through a semiconductor device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, an etching gas used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices such as LSI and VLSI (ultra large integrated circuit) includes thin film formation by CVD (chemical vapor deposition),
In addition, liquefied gas used in dry etching equipment or the like at the time of pattern creation is used. As such a liquefied gas, for example, SiH ₂ Cl ₂ or the like is used for forming an insulating film, NH ₃ or the like is used for forming a nitride film, and WF ₆ or the like is used for forming a W metal film. The etching gas uses BCl ₃ , Cl ₂ , CHCl ₃ or the like.

As a conventional semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, for example, there is one as shown in FIG. The apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 includes a liquefied gas cylinder 50 for accumulating liquefied gas, and a reaction processing apparatus 5 for performing a reaction process on a semiconductor.
2. It has a gas supply pipe 54 connecting the liquefied gas cylinder 50 and the reaction processing device 52, and a gas flow controller (MFC) 56 attached in the middle of the gas supply pipe 54.

In such a conventional semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, a gas supply pipe 54 between a liquefied gas cylinder 50 and a gas flow controller 56 is attached along a wall or a ceiling to support the middle thereof. I have.

[0005]

However, in the layout of the gas supply pipe 54 of such a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, the temperature change of the reaction gas flowing in the gas supply pipe 54, the thickness of the gas supply pipe 54, Depending on the length, bending state, etc., the reaction gas that has been vaporized in the gas flow controller 56 or the gas supply pipe 50 during use of the reaction gas may be reliquefied. There is a problem that the controller 56 cannot control the gas flow rate.

That is, as shown in FIG.
No. 4 has a bent portion along the wall, but since the bending angles θ11 to θ18 at the bent portion are all right angles (90 °), a change in the flow velocity of the gas occurs at the bent portion, and the portion having a high flow velocity Then, the temperature decreases based on the Joule-Thomson effect and the like. As a result, when the temperature of the reaction gas becomes lower than the boiling point, the reaction gas is reliquefied. When the reaction gas is reliquefied, the gas flow controller 56 cannot control the gas flow rate.

In particular, as shown in FIG.
4 is arranged along the wall, the pipe length becomes long, and the bending angle θ11 bent at such a right angle (90 °)
The number of bends having .about..theta.18 is inevitably increased, and the possibility of reliquefaction of the reaction gas becomes extremely high, and the possibility that the gas flow rate controller 56 cannot control the gas flow rate increases.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-232295 discloses a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus proposed to prevent such a reaction gas from being reliquefied, in which a gas supply pipe is partially covered with a heat insulating material. The structure is shown in FIG.

In the figure, a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus includes a reaction processing apparatus 60, a liquefied gas cylinder 62, a gas supply pipe 64,
Valves 66, 68, 70, 72, gas flow controller 74, vacuum pump 76, heat insulator 78, electric heater 8
0, a temperature control circuit 82, and a temperature sensor 84.

In the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus having such a configuration, the heat insulating material 78 and the electric heater 80 are provided so that even if the gas supply pipe 64 has a right angle (90 °) bent portion, The purpose is to prevent the temperature of the gas supply pipe 64 from partially lowering, thereby suppressing temperature unevenness and effectively preventing gas reliquefaction.

However, the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device having the gas supply pipes 64 having the layout shown in FIG. 6 requires the temperature control for controlling the operation of attaching the heat insulating material 78 to the gas supply pipes 64 and the heating by the electric heater 80. Circuit 82
Further, since the temperature sensor 84 is required, the cost of the entire apparatus is increased, and the steady operation cost is also increased. Further, the use of the electric heater 80 has a problem in terms of safety.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus that can effectively prevent re-liquefaction of gas flowing in a gas supply pipe at low cost and can enhance safety. The task is to provide.

[0013]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention has the following configuration.

(1) A liquefied gas cylinder storing a liquefied gas, a reaction processing apparatus for performing a reaction process on a semiconductor using a reaction gas obtained by vaporizing the liquefied gas, and: A gas supply pipe for guiding to a reaction processing device, and a gas flow controller for controlling a flow rate of the reaction gas passing through the gas supply pipe, wherein a bending angle of a bent portion of the gas supply pipe is set to 120 ° or more. .

(2) A liquefied gas cylinder storing a liquefied gas, a reaction processing apparatus for performing a reaction process on a semiconductor using a reaction gas obtained by vaporizing the liquefied gas, and a reaction device for discharging the vaporized reaction gas from the liquefied gas cylinder. A gas supply pipe for leading to a reaction processing device, and a gas flow rate controller for controlling a flow rate of the reaction gas passing through the gas supply pipe are provided, and a radius of curvature of a bent portion of the gas supply pipe is set to 150 mm or more.

(3) A liquefied gas cylinder storing a liquefied gas, a reaction processing apparatus for performing a reaction process on a semiconductor using a reaction gas obtained by vaporizing the liquefied gas, and a reaction device for discharging the vaporized reaction gas from the liquefied gas cylinder. A gas supply pipe for leading to a reaction processing apparatus, and a gas flow controller for controlling a flow rate of the reaction gas passing through the gas supply pipe, wherein the gas supply pipe from the liquefied gas cylinder to the reaction processing apparatus has a downward slope. In the case of, the slope angle with respect to the horizontal shall be 30 ° or less.

(4) A liquefied gas cylinder storing a liquefied gas, a reaction processing device for performing a reaction process on a semiconductor using a reaction gas obtained by vaporizing the liquefied gas, and a reaction device for discharging the vaporized reaction gas from the liquefied gas cylinder. A gas supply pipe for guiding to the reaction processing apparatus, and a gas flow controller for controlling a flow rate of the reaction gas passing through the gas supply pipe, and a gas inlet of the reaction processing apparatus rather than a gas outlet of the liquefied gas cylinder. In the case where is located at a higher position, the middle of the gas supply pipe is formed in a loop shape.

According to the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device having the configuration (1), the bending angle of the bent portion of the gas supply pipe is set to 120 °.
With the above, the change in the flow velocity at the bent portion can be effectively reduced, and the temperature of the gas can be reliably prevented from lowering due to the change in the flow velocity, and the re-liquefaction of the gas can be reliably prevented. it can.

According to the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device having the configuration (2), the radius of curvature of the bent portion of the gas supply pipe is set to 150 m.
m or more, it is possible to effectively reduce the change in the flow velocity at the bent portion, to reliably prevent the temperature of the gas from decreasing due to the change in the flow velocity, and to reliably prevent the reliquefaction of the gas. Can be.

According to the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device having the structure (3), when the gas supply pipe from the liquefied gas cylinder to the reaction processing apparatus has a downward slope, the inclination angle with respect to the horizontal is set to 30 ° or less. The change in the flow velocity at the bent portion can be effectively reduced, the temperature of the gas can be reliably prevented from lowering due to the change in the flow velocity, and the re-liquefaction of the gas can be reliably prevented.

According to the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device having the structure of the above (4), when the gas inlet of the reaction processing device is higher than the gas outlet of the liquefied gas cylinder, a loop is formed in the gas supply pipe. By forming in a shape, it is possible to effectively reduce the change in the flow velocity at the bent portion, and to reliably prevent the gas temperature drop due to the change in the flow velocity,
Reliquefaction of gas can be reliably prevented.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3
FIG. 1 is a diagram referred to for describing a first embodiment of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

First, a configuration of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a liquefied gas cylinder 10 for accumulating liquefied gas, and a reaction processing apparatus 1 for performing a reaction process on a semiconductor.
2. It has a gas supply pipe 14 for connecting the liquefied gas cylinder 10 and the reaction processing device 12, and a gas flow controller (MFC) 16 attached in the middle of the gas supply pipe 14.

The liquefied gas cylinder 10 and the gas flow controller 16 are provided in the same manner as the conventional gas supply pipe of the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus.
The gas supply pipe 14 is mounted along a wall or a ceiling to support the gas supply pipe 14 in the middle. The gas supply pipe 14 has a plurality of bent portions, and the bent angles θ1 to θ9 at these bent portions are set to 120 ° or more.

As described above, by setting the bending angles θ1 to θ9 of the bent portion of the gas supply pipe 14 to 120 ° or more, the change in the gas flow rate at the bent portion can be effectively reduced, and the gas flow rate can be reduced. The temperature of the gas can be reliably prevented from lowering due to the change in the temperature, and the reliquefaction of the gas can be reliably prevented. The gas flow controller 16 can accurately control the amount of gas supplied to the reaction processing device 12. Can be.

Next, a configuration of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Also in the present embodiment, a gas flow controller (MFS) is provided in a gas supply pipe 24 for supplying gas from the liquefied gas cylinder 20 to the reaction processing device 22.
26 is attached. However, in the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the gas supply pipe 24 is not provided along the wall surface.

That is, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the gas supply pipe 24 is vertically raised from the liquefied gas cylinder 20 to form a pipe rising section 24a, and then the radius of curvature is 150 mm or more. Bent part 24 bent at R
b, and after forming a main pipe portion 24c extending downwardly toward the gas flow controller 26,
A bending angle θ10 of 120 ° or more at the downstream side of the main pipe portion 32
Is connected to the gas flow controller 26 via a bent portion 24d which is bent at the position (1). Here, the downward slope angle φ of the main pipe portion 24c is set to 30 ° or less with respect to the horizontal.

By adopting such a configuration, the gas supply pipe 24 does not have a bent portion at 90 ° and a small radius of curvature as in the conventional case, and the gas supply pipe 24 is provided in comparison with the case where the gas supply pipe 24 is provided along the wall. 24 can be shortened and the number of bent portions can be reduced.
It is possible to effectively reduce the change in the gas flow velocity in b and 24d, and it is possible to reliably prevent the gas temperature from dropping due to the change in the gas flow velocity. For this reason, reliquefaction of the gas can be reliably prevented, and the reaction processing device 22
The amount of gas supplied to the apparatus can be accurately controlled by the gas flow controller 26.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the main piping portion 24c
By setting the descending slope angle φ to 30 ° or less, the length of the gas supply pipe 24 can be shortened, a smooth gas flow can be ensured, the liquid pool can be eliminated, and the temperature of the gas decreases. Therefore, gas re-liquefaction can be prevented from this aspect as well.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the liquefied gas cylinder 20 and the gas flow controller 2
6 are located closer to each other than on the first embodiment and on the same floor 36.
Accordingly, the length of the gas supply pipe 24 can be reduced as much as possible, and the arrangement on the same floor surface 36 can eliminate the temperature change. can do.

FIG. 4 is a diagram referred to for describing a third embodiment of the present invention. This third embodiment can be used when the gas inlet of the gas flow controller is higher than the gas outlet 30a of the liquefied gas cylinder 30, and the gas supply pipe 34 is formed in a loop shape. Things. Thus, the gas supply pipe 3
By forming a loop in the middle of 4, it is possible to effectively reduce the change in the flow velocity at the bent portion, to reliably prevent the gas temperature from dropping due to the change in the flow velocity, and to re-liquefy the gas. It can be reliably prevented.

As described above, according to the above embodiment, the bending angle of the bent portion of the gas supply pipe is set to 120 ° or more, and the radius of curvature of the bent portion of the gas supply pipe is set to 150 m.
m, or when the gas supply pipe from the liquefied gas cylinder to the reaction processing chamber has a downward slope, the slope angle with respect to the horizontal is set to 30 ° or less, or the gas of the reaction processing apparatus is more distant than the gas outlet of the liquefied gas cylinder. When the inlet is at a higher position, by forming a loop in the middle of the gas supply pipe, it is possible to effectively reduce the change in the flow velocity at the bent portion, and to reduce the temperature of the gas due to the change in the flow velocity. And the reliquefaction of the gas can be reliably prevented.

Further, since the reliquefaction of the reaction gas can be effectively prevented as described above, there is no need to use a pipe heater or the like, and the reliquefaction of the gas can be prevented at low cost, and it is also advantageous from the viewpoint of safety. It is. Furthermore, it is not necessary to evacuate the gas supply pipe during the reliquefaction of the reaction gas, and the flow rate of the reaction gas does not become unstable immediately before the liquefaction. This also leads to a reduction in the downtime of the manufacturing equipment.

In the above embodiment, the gas flow controller is provided on the downstream side of the gas supply pipe. However, the gas flow controller can be provided on the upstream side of the gas supply pipe or at an intermediate portion thereof.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various other modifications may be made based on the technical concept of the present invention. Can be changed.

[0036]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
According to the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, by setting the bending angle of the bent portion of the gas supply pipe to 120 ° or more,
The change in the flow velocity at the bent portion can be effectively reduced, the temperature of the gas can be reliably prevented from lowering due to the change in the flow velocity, and the re-liquefaction of the gas can be reliably prevented.

According to the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the curvature radius of the bent portion of the gas supply pipe is set to 150 mm or more, so that the change in the flow velocity at the bent portion can be effectively reduced. Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent the temperature of the gas from decreasing due to the change in the flow velocity, and to surely prevent the reliquefaction of the gas.

According to the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 3 of the present invention, when the gas supply pipe from the liquefied gas cylinder to the reaction processing apparatus has a downward slope, the inclination angle with respect to the horizontal is set to 30 ° or less. Thus, the change in the flow velocity at the bent portion can be effectively reduced, the temperature of the gas can be reliably prevented from lowering due to the change in the flow velocity, and the re-liquefaction of the gas can be reliably prevented.

Further, according to the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 4 of the present invention, when the gas inlet of the reaction processing apparatus is higher than the gas outlet of the liquefied gas cylinder, the gas supply pipe is connected. By forming a loop in the middle, it is possible to effectively reduce the change in the flow velocity at the bent portion, reliably prevent the gas temperature from dropping due to the change in the flow velocity, and reliably re-liquefy the gas. Can be prevented.

Therefore, according to the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the reliquefaction of the reaction gas can be effectively prevented by utilizing the law of nature by devising the bent state and the connected state of the gas supply pipe. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a pipe heater or the like, and it is possible to prevent the reliquefaction of the reaction gas at low cost, and it is advantageous from the viewpoint of safety.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a layout of a gas supply pipe used in a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a layout of a gas supply pipe used in a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of a main part of the gas supply pipe of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a gas supply pipe for explaining a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a layout of a gas supply pipe in a conventional semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing another conventional semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Liquefied gas cylinder, 12 ... Reaction processing apparatus, 14 ... Gas supply pipe, 16 ... Gas flow controller, 20 ... Liquefied gas cylinder, 22 ... Reaction processing apparatus, 24 ... Gas supply pipe, 24a ... Pipe starting part, 24b ... Bending Part, 24c
... Main piping section, 24d ... Bend, 26 ... Gas flow controller, 30 ... Liquefied gas cylinder, 30a ... Outlet, 34 ...
Gas supply piping, 36: floor surface, 50: liquefied gas cylinder, 5
2 reaction processing apparatus, 54 gas supply pipe, 56 gas flow controller, 60 reaction processing apparatus, 62 gas cylinder, 64 gas supply pipe, 66, 68, 70, 72
Valve 74 74 Gas flow controller 76 Vacuum pump 78 Insulation material 80 Electric heater 82 Temperature control circuit 84 Temperature sensor θ1 to θ18 Bending angle φ Downhill angle

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A liquefied gas cylinder storing a liquefied gas, a reaction processing device for performing a reaction process on a semiconductor using a reaction gas obtained by vaporizing the liquefied gas, and the reaction of the vaporized reaction gas from the liquefied gas cylinder. A gas supply pipe for guiding to a processing device; and a gas flow controller for controlling a flow rate of the reaction gas passing through the gas supply pipe, wherein a bending angle of a bent portion of the gas supply pipe is set to 120 ° or more. Characteristic semiconductor device manufacturing equipment. 2. A liquefied gas cylinder storing a liquefied gas, a reaction processing device for performing a reaction process on a semiconductor using a reaction gas obtained by vaporizing the liquefied gas, and the reaction of the vaporized reaction gas from the liquefied gas cylinder. A gas supply pipe for leading to a processing device; and a gas flow controller for controlling a flow rate of the reaction gas passing through the gas supply pipe, wherein a radius of curvature of a bent portion of the gas supply pipe is set to 150 mm or more. Semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus. 3. A liquefied gas cylinder storing a liquefied gas; a reaction processing device for performing a reaction process on a semiconductor using a reaction gas obtained by vaporizing the liquefied gas; A gas supply pipe for leading to a processing apparatus; and a gas flow controller for controlling a flow rate of the reaction gas passing through the gas supply pipe, wherein the gas supply pipe from the liquefied gas cylinder to the reaction processing apparatus has a downward slope. In some cases, the inclination angle with respect to the horizontal is 30 ° or less. 4. A liquefied gas cylinder storing a liquefied gas, a reaction processing device for performing a reaction process on a semiconductor using a reaction gas obtained by vaporizing the liquefied gas, and a reaction device for reacting the vaporized reaction gas from the liquefied gas cylinder. A gas supply pipe for guiding to a processing apparatus, and a gas flow controller for controlling a flow rate of the reaction gas passing through the gas supply pipe, wherein a gas inlet of the reaction processing apparatus is provided at a gas inlet of the reaction processing apparatus rather than a gas outlet of the liquefied gas cylinder. An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein a halfway of the gas supply pipe is formed in a loop shape when the gas supply pipe is at a higher position.