JP2004165640A - Single-wafer processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a single-wafer processing apparatus, capable of enhancing the uniformity of the processing within the wafer surface by keeping the uniformity of the temperature distribution high within the surface of a loading table. <P>SOLUTION: The single-wafer processing apparatus carries out a prescribed processing, by loading the object W on a thin-plate loading table 58 inside a processing chamber 36, by making the lift pins 70 ascend and descend, and heating the loading table with a heater lamp 108 underneath the loading table, to indirectly heat the object, wherein the lift pins are arranged to support the peripheral edges of the object; while pin insertion parts 60, for passing the ascending and descending lift pins, are formed in the loading table at positions corresponding to the edges. In this way, adverse effects on the distribution characteristics of the heated temperature of the loading table by the light of the heater lamp radiating through the pin insertion parts are greatly suppressed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

  The present invention relates to a single-wafer processing apparatus that performs a predetermined process on an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer.

Generally, in order to manufacture a semiconductor integrated circuit, various processes such as a film forming process, an etching process, a heat treatment, a reforming process, and a crystallization process are repeatedly performed on an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer to obtain a desired integrated circuit. Is formed. When performing various kinds of processing as described above, a processing gas required in accordance with the type of the processing, for example, a film forming gas in the case of a film forming process, an ozone gas or the like in the case of a reforming process, In the case of the crystallization treatment, an inert gas such as N ₂ gas or an O ₂ gas is introduced into the processing vessel.
For example, in the case of a single-wafer processing apparatus in which heat treatment is performed on semiconductor wafers one by one (see Patent Literature 1), a thin mounting table is installed in a vacuum-treated processing container. While a semiconductor wafer is mounted on the upper surface, a predetermined processing gas is flowed while heating the semiconductor wafer from below with a heating lamp, and various heat treatments are performed on the wafer.

  By the way, the mounting table is provided with a push-up pin which can be moved up and down in order to transfer the wafer carried into the processing container onto the mounting table, as is well known. By doing so, the wafer can be mounted on the mounting table, or conversely, the wafer on the mounting table can be pushed upward. The wafer on the mounting table is fixed by pressing its peripheral edge against the mounting table with a ring-shaped clamp member so that the wafer does not shift during processing.

This point will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 21 is a configuration diagram showing a general single-wafer processing apparatus, and FIG. 22 is a plan view mainly showing a mounting table. As shown in FIG. 21, for example, a mounting table 4 on which a semiconductor wafer W is mounted is provided in a processing chamber 2 which can be evacuated, and a shower head 6 is provided on the opposite side to a predetermined position. Is supplied. A heating lamp 8 is provided below the mounting table 4 and on the bottom side of the processing container 2 via a transmission window 10 as a heating means to heat the wafer W.

Immediately below the mounting table 4, a plurality of, for example, three lift pins 12 (only two are illustrated in the illustrated example) which can be moved up and down integrally by an actuator (not shown) are provided. Is inserted into a pin hole 14 provided in the mounting table 4 so that the wafer W can be lifted or lowered.
A rod member 16 is provided integrally with the lift pin 12 and located outside the mounting table 4. The rod member 16 is vertically movable by a resilient member such as a spring housed in a resilient member housing cylinder 18 made of quartz. A circular ring-shaped clamp member 20 made of ceramics such as aluminum nitride (AlN) with little metal contamination and little thermal expansion and contraction is attached to the upper end of the rod member 16. The peripheral portion contacts the upper surface of the peripheral portion of the wafer W to press and fix the wafer W to the mounting table 4 side.

A cylindrical reflecting member 22 whose inner wall surface is formed as a reflecting surface is provided on the lower side of the mounting table 4 so as to rise from the bottom of the processing container 2 and diverges to the side. Irradiation light from the heating lamp 8 is reflected toward the back surface of the mounting table 4. A cutout portion 24 for allowing the rod member 16 and the lifter pin 12 to move up and down is partially formed at the upper end of the reflection member 22.
A cylindrical support 26 is provided upright on the outer side of the reflection member 22. At the upper end of the support 26, an attachment formed in the same circular ring shape via an auxiliary ring 28 is provided. A member 30 (see FIG. 22) is provided. A plurality of, in the illustrated example, four support protrusions 30A projecting in the center direction are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the attachment member 30, and the back surface of the peripheral portion of the mounting table 4 is attached to the support protrusion 30A. It comes into contact with and supports this. The attachment member 30 has an insertion hole 32 through which the rod member 16 and the elastic member housing cylinder 18 are inserted. A temperature measuring hole (not shown) is provided at the outer peripheral end of the mounting table 4 toward the inside of the mounting table 4, and a thermocouple or an optical fiber rod is inserted into the temperature measuring hole. Temperature control is performed by detecting the temperature of the central portion and the peripheral portion of the mounting table 4.

JP-A-2002-134596 (page 3-4, FIG. 1)

By the way, as the miniaturization, thinning, and integration of semiconductor integrated circuits further advance, it is required to further improve the in-plane uniformity of the processing. It is required to further improve the in-plane uniformity.
However, in the conventional device example, since the pin hole 14 for inserting the lift pin 12 is formed substantially inside the peripheral edge of the mounting table 4, the temperature distribution in this portion is adversely affected. There was a problem. That is, the mounting table 4 is made of, for example, aluminum nitride, and its back surface is made substantially black, so that the irradiation light from the heating lamp 8 can be efficiently absorbed, while the pin having a diameter of about 10 mm is used. In the portion of the hole 14, the irradiation light 8 directly penetrates and penetrates the wafer W having a large infrared transmittance, so that the heating temperature distribution characteristic tends to be adversely affected.

In general, three resilient member accommodating cylinders 18 that support the clamp member 20 are generally provided in a total of three, but the resilient member accommodating cylinders 18 directly receive irradiation light from the heating lamp 8. Due to such a structure, a portion of the resilient member housing cylinder 18 that is not directly irradiated with the irradiation light as a shadow of the resilient member housing cylinder 18 is generated on the back surface side of the attachment member 30 or the like. The heating temperature distribution characteristics tended to be adversely affected.
Further, as shown in FIG. 22, the mounting table 4 partially contacts the support protrusion 30A formed on the attachment member 30 made of, for example, quartz, and overlaps with only the support protrusion 30A in the vertical direction. As a result, the temperature distribution becomes unbalanced, and the heating temperature distribution characteristics of the mounting table 4 tend to be more adversely affected than this point.

In addition, a thermocouple or an optical fiber rod is inserted into the temperature measuring hole of the mounting table 4 to detect the temperature of the mounting table 4. However, a processing gas, for example, a film forming gas enters the temperature measuring hole. Then, depending on the kind of the film forming gas, the following problems occur. That is, when a thermocouple is used for temperature measurement, the corrosive film forming gas reacts with the thermocouple and the material constituting the inside of the mounting table, and the thermocouple is pulled out from the temperature measurement hole. And the temperature measurement becomes unstable.
Further, when an optical fiber rod is used for temperature measurement, a deposit having a predetermined refractive index adheres to the tip or the outer peripheral portion of the rod. The problem is that the amount of incident light decreases, some leaks out, or conversely, disturbance light enters the optical fiber from the outside, making accurate temperature measurement impossible. there were.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above problems and effectively solving the problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a single-wafer processing apparatus capable of maintaining high in-plane uniformity of temperature distribution on a mounting table and improving in-plane uniformity of processing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet-fed type capable of reliably preventing a processing gas from entering a temperature measurement hole into which a thermocouple or an optical fiber rod is inserted and detecting an accurate mounting table temperature. An object of the present invention is to provide a processing device.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an object to be processed is placed by raising and lowering a lift pin on a thin plate-like mounting table provided in a processing container, and the mounting table is heated by a heating lamp arranged below the processing table. In a single-wafer processing apparatus in which a predetermined process is performed by indirectly heating the object to be processed, the lift pins are arranged so as to be able to support an edge portion around the object to be processed, and A single-wafer processing apparatus, characterized in that a pin insertion portion for passing the lift pin that moves up and down is formed in a portion corresponding to the edge portion of the mounting table.
As described above, the lift pins are arranged so as to be able to support the edge portion, which is the peripheral end portion of the workpiece, and the mounting table is formed with an insertion portion through which the lift pins pass at a portion corresponding to the edge portion. Therefore, it is possible to greatly suppress the adverse effect of the irradiation light from the heating lamp passing through the pin insertion portion on the distribution characteristic of the heating temperature of the mounting table. Can be improved.

In this case, for example, as defined in claim 2, the edge portion is within a range of 5 mm or less from the outer peripheral end surface of the object to be processed.
Further, for example, as defined in claim 3, the pin insertion portion is formed by a notch formed in a peripheral portion of the mounting table.
Further, for example, as defined in claim 4, the pin insertion portion is constituted by a through hole formed in a peripheral portion of the mounting table.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a ring-shaped attachment member is provided in the processing container, and a thin disk-shaped mounting table is supported by an inner peripheral portion of the attachment member, and the object to be processed is mounted on the mounting table. In the single-wafer processing apparatus in which the object to be processed is indirectly heated by a heating lamp disposed below the mounting table to perform a predetermined process, the attachment member has an inner peripheral portion thereof. A single-wafer processing apparatus characterized in that the mounting table is configured to be supported such that the mounting table and the peripheral edge of the mounting table overlap with each other in a predetermined width in the vertical direction along the circumferential direction.
As described above, the ring-shaped attachment member is configured to support the mounting table in a state where the inner peripheral edge thereof and the peripheral edge of the mounting table entirely overlap in the vertical direction along the circumferential direction. In contrast to the conventional processing apparatus in which a part directly irradiated by the irradiation light and a part not irradiated (corresponding to the part of the support projection) at the peripheral edge of the mounting table, the adverse effect on the heating temperature distribution characteristic of the mounting table is reduced. It is possible to greatly reduce the amount. As a result, it is possible to improve the uniformity of the in-plane processing of the object to be processed.

In this case, for example, as defined in claim 6, a plurality of spacer members are appropriately arranged along the circumferential direction between the upper surface of the inner peripheral portion of the attachment member and the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the mounting table. ing.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, an object to be processed is placed by lifting and lowering a lift pin on a thin plate-shaped mounting table provided in a processing container, and is brought into contact with a peripheral portion of an upper surface of the object to be resiliently moved. A clamp member is provided for pressing and holding the object to be processed toward the mounting table side by an elastic force generated by a mechanism unit, and the processing object is indirectly heated by heating the mounting table with a heating lamp arranged below the mounting table. In a single-wafer processing apparatus which performs predetermined processing by heating the same, a cylindrical body is provided below the outside of the mounting table to reflect irradiation light from the heating lamp toward the mounting table. A reflection member having a predetermined thickness formed in a shape is provided, and a member accommodating space for accommodating the elastic mechanism for applying elastic force to the clamp member is formed above the reflective member. The feature is that Single is a leaf type of processing apparatus.

  In this manner, for example, a notch-shaped member accommodating space is provided above the cylindrically shaped reflecting member that reflects the irradiation light from the heating lamp toward the back surface of the mounting table, and in this member accommodating space, Since the resilient mechanism for applying the resilient force to the clamp member is accommodated, unlike the conventional processing apparatus in which irradiation light from a heating lamp is directly applied to the resilient mechanism, the mounting table is heated. It is possible to greatly suppress the adverse effect on the temperature distribution characteristics. As a result, it is possible to improve the uniformity of the in-plane processing of the object to be processed.

In this case, for example, as set forth in claim 8, the resilient mechanism unit includes a resilient member housing tube made of quartz, a resilient member housed in the resilient member housing tube, A shaft member connected to the clamp member and having a lower end engaged with the elastic member.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a characteristic configuration included in the processing apparatus according to the fifth or sixth aspect, and A single-wafer processing apparatus comprising two or more characteristic configurations selected from among three characteristic configurations including a characteristic configuration included in the processing apparatus described in item 7 or 8. It is.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gas supply means for supplying a processing gas to a processing space in a processing container, a ring-shaped attachment member provided in the processing container, and a thin disk formed by an inner peripheral portion of the attachment member. A backside gas supply means for supporting an outer peripheral end portion of the mounting table and supplying a backside gas below the mounting table is provided, and an object to be processed is mounted on the mounting table and below the mounting table. In a single-wafer processing apparatus in which the object to be processed is indirectly heated by a heating lamp arranged so as to perform a predetermined process, a side surface of an outer peripheral end of the mounting table, Forming a temperature measurement hole toward the inside, inserting a temperature measurement detector from the attachment member side toward the temperature measurement hole, and forming an outer peripheral end of the mounting table and the temperature measurement hole; hole At least one of the inner peripheral edges of the attachment member facing the device is provided with a gas flow promoting notch for promoting the flow of backside gas toward the processing space above the mounting table. A single-wafer processing apparatus.

  As described above, a gas flow promoting notch is provided in the outer peripheral end of the mounting table formed with the temperature measurement hole for inserting the temperature measurement detector and the attachment member facing the temperature measurement hole, and the gas is supplied below the mounting table. Since the back side gas is positively flown to the upper processing space side through the gas flow promoting notch, it is possible to reliably prevent the processing gas from entering the temperature measurement hole, As a result, it is possible to prevent deposits from adhering to the surface of the temperature measurement detector and to reliably prevent corrosion from occurring in the temperature measurement hole.

In this case, a temperature measurement unit is connected to the temperature measurement detector, for example.
Further, for example, as defined in claim 12, the two temperature measuring detectors are provided, and the tip of one of the temperature measuring detectors is located at a substantially central portion of the mounting table, and the other is. The tip of the temperature measuring detector is located substantially around the mounting table.
In addition, for example, the temperature measuring detector is an optical fiber rod.
In addition, for example, the temperature measuring detector is a thermocouple.

According to the single-wafer processing apparatus of the present invention, the following excellent operational effects can be exhibited.
According to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, the lift pins are arranged so as to be able to support an edge portion which is a peripheral end portion of the object to be processed, and the lift pins are passed through a portion corresponding to the edge portion on the mounting table. Since the insertion portion is formed, it is possible to greatly suppress the adverse effect of the irradiation light from the heating lamp passing through the pin insertion portion on the distribution characteristic of the heating temperature of the mounting table. The uniformity of the in-plane treatment of the body can be improved.

  According to the inventions according to claims 5 and 6, the ring-shaped attachment member has a mounting table in such a state that the inner peripheral portion and the peripheral portion of the mounting table entirely overlap in the vertical direction along the circumferential direction. In this case, unlike the conventional processing apparatus in which the irradiation light is directly applied to the periphery of the mounting table and a non-irradiated portion (corresponding to the support projection) is generated, the mounting table is heated. An adverse effect on the temperature distribution characteristics can be significantly suppressed. As a result, the uniformity of the in-plane processing of the object can be improved.

According to the seventh and eighth aspects of the present invention, for example, a notch-shaped member accommodating space is provided above a cylindrical reflecting member that reflects irradiation light from the heating lamp toward the back surface of the mounting table. In this member accommodating space, a resilient mechanism for applying a resilient force to the clamp member is accommodated, so that the irradiation light from the heating lamp directly hits the resilient mechanism. Unlike this, the adverse effect on the distribution characteristics of the heating temperature of the mounting table can be significantly suppressed. As a result, the uniformity of the in-plane processing of the object can be improved.
According to the ninth aspect of the invention, the above-described effects can be further promoted.

  According to the invention according to claims 10 to 14, a gas flow promoting notch is provided in an outer peripheral end portion of a mounting table formed with a temperature measurement hole for inserting a temperature measurement detector and an attachment member facing the temperature measurement hole. Since the backside gas supplied below the mounting table is made to flow positively to the upper processing space side through the gas flow promoting notch, it is possible to prevent the processing gas from entering the temperature measurement hole. As a result, it is possible to prevent deposits from adhering to the surface of the temperature measurement detector and to reliably prevent corrosion from occurring in the temperature measurement hole.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a single-wafer processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a single-wafer processing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a mounting state of a mounting table and an attachment member, and FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a mounting table. 4 is a plan view mainly showing an attachment member, FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing a supporting state of the mounting table, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a lift pin and a resilient mechanism, and FIG. 7 shows operations of the lift pin and the clamp member. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the reflecting member, and FIG. 9 is a plan view for explaining the positional relationship between the reflecting member and the resilient mechanism.

  First, in the present embodiment, a description will be given of a single-wafer type film forming apparatus capable of rapidly raising the temperature using a heating lamp as the processing apparatus 34 as an example. The processing apparatus 34 has a processing container 36 formed of, for example, aluminum or the like into a cylindrical shape or a box shape. On the ceiling of the processing container 36, a shower head 38 as a gas supply unit for introducing a processing gas such as a film forming gas or a cleaning gas into the processing container 36 is provided via a sealing member 39 such as an O-ring. It is provided. More specifically, the shower head section 38 has a head body 40 formed into a circular box shape from, for example, aluminum or the like. A large number of gas ejection holes 42 for releasing the exhausted gas are evenly arranged in the plane, and the gas is supplied to the processing space S below this so as to discharge the gas evenly over the wafer surface. Has become. The shower head section 38 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may have various structures depending on the type of the processing gas to be used. A ring-shaped gas flow stabilizing member 44 made of, for example, quartz is disposed on the ceiling of the processing vessel 36 on the side of the shower head 38 to stabilize the gas flow.

Further, a gate valve G that is opened and closed when a wafer W is loaded or unloaded into the processing container 36 is provided on a side wall of the processing container 36. For example, a load lock chamber or a transfer chamber ( (Not shown).
An exhaust port 46 is formed around the bottom of the processing container 36, and an exhaust path 48 provided with a vacuum pump or the like (not shown) is connected to the exhaust port 46 so that the inside of the processing container 36 is formed. It can be evacuated.

  A cylindrical support column 50 is provided upright from the bottom of the processing container 36, and a rectifying plate 52 for regulating a downward gas flow is provided on the outer peripheral side of the upper end of the support column 50. Have been. On the inner peripheral side of the upper end of the support column 50, an annular auxiliary ring 54 made of, for example, aluminum supports an attachment member 56 formed of, for example, quartz in the same annular shape (ring shape). It is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting table 58 is supported by the inner peripheral portion of the attachment member 56. More specifically, the mounting table 58 is formed of a ceramic, for example, aluminum nitride into a thin disk shape having a thickness of, for example, about 3.5 mm. Can be placed on the semiconductor wafer W. The back surface of the mounting table 58 is blackened so as to enhance absorption of irradiation light. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the mounting table 58 is disposed substantially uniformly along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral end portion corresponding to the peripheral edge portion of the semiconductor wafer W, and will be described later. A plurality of, in the illustrated example, three pin insertion portions 60 for passing lift pins are formed. Here, each pin insertion portion 60 is formed as a rectangular cutout that is open outward.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an engagement step 62 having a predetermined width W1 is formed in a ring shape along the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral edge of the attachment member 56. The mounting table 58 is held by placing the entire periphery of the wafer W in a state of being vertically overlapped. Thereby, thermal imbalance at the peripheral portion of the wafer W is suppressed. A plurality of, in the illustrated example, six spacer members 64 (see also FIGS. 4 and 5) are arranged on the upper surface of the engaging step 62 at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction. The lower surface of the peripheral portion of the mounting table 58 is brought into direct contact with the spacer member 64 to support it. The spacer member 64 is made of, for example, quartz, and has a thickness of, for example, about 0.5 mm.

Further, in the engaging step 62, three notches 66 for passing lift pins, which will be described later, are formed at positions corresponding to the pin insertion portions 60 formed on the mounting table 58. The mounting table 58 is supported such that the positions of the insertion portion 60 and the notch 66 match (see FIG. 2).
The attachment member 56 is formed with three rod insertion holes 68 along the circumferential direction thereof, corresponding to the positions of the notches 66, for inserting a rod member or the like that supports a clamp member described later. ing.
Further, a plurality of, for example, three L-shaped lift pins 70 are provided so as to be erected upward (see FIG. 6) diagonally below the mounting table 58 in the outer direction (see FIG. 6). By moving the lift pin 70 up and down, the wafer W can be lifted or lowered through the three notch-shaped insertion portions 60 provided on the mounting table 58 and the notch 66 provided on the attachment member 56. ing.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the lift pins 70 are arranged so as to be able to support the peripheral edge portion of the wafer W. Specifically, the diameter D1 of the lift pin 70 is, for example, about 5 mm, while the width W2 of the pin insertion portion 60 of the mounting table 58 is, for example, about 4 mm. The wafer W is supported by a part of the upper end of the lift pin 70, and the overlap width W3 between the edge of the wafer W and the upper end of the lift pin 70 at this time is set to, for example, about 3 mm. Since the transfer position accuracy of the wafer W is about ± 0.2 mm, the position of the wafer W can be sufficiently controlled even with the above dimensions. Further, the overlap width W3 may be enlarged up to about 5 mm from the outer peripheral end face of the wafer W. Thereby, the thermal influence on the wafer W caused by the irradiation light from the heating lamp, which will be described later, passing through the pin insertion section 60 is suppressed as much as possible.

  Further, a clamp member 72 for holding the wafer W so as not to shift the position of the wafer W mounted thereon is provided obliquely above the mounting table 58 outside. More specifically, the clamp member 72 has a diameter one size larger than the diameter of the wafer W, and is formed in a ring shape with a reduced thickness. The clamp member 72 is formed of a material that has a very low risk of metal contamination on the wafer W, has excellent heat resistance, and has a small amount of thermal expansion and contraction, for example, a ceramic such as aluminum nitride. The lower surface of the inner peripheral edge of the clamp member 72 contacts the upper surface of the peripheral edge of the wafer W and presses the wafer W downward, thereby pressing the wafer W against the mounting table 58 (see FIG. 7).

  The ring-shaped clamp member 72 is provided with a resilient mechanism 74 for applying a resilient force when the wafer is pressed (see FIG. 7). The resilient mechanism 74 accommodates a shaft member 76 having an upper end connected to the clamp member 72, a resilient member 78 engaged with a lower end of the shaft member 76, and the resilient member 78. For example, it is mainly constituted by an elastic member housing cylinder 80 made of quartz. Specifically, three shaft members 76 are provided at substantially equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the clamp member 72, and the upper end of each shaft member 76 is attached to the clamp member 72 as shown in FIG. It is attached via a C-ring 82.

  As described above, the resilient member housing cylinder 80 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a stopper projection 84 that protrudes upward is formed on an outer part thereof. The base of the shaft member 76 is accommodated in the elastic member accommodating cylinder 80. The shaft member 76 is made of a metal material such as a Ni alloy, for example, and a core rod 86 having a small diameter extends downward. The core rod 86 extends downward through an opening of a stopper 88 having a reduced inner diameter in the resilient member housing cylinder 80. The resilient member 78 such as a coil spring is mounted on the core rod 86 in a slightly compressed state, and a stopper member 90 and a C-ring 92 are attached to the lower end thereof. Thus, the shaft member 76 is always urged downward.

  The lift pin 70 is attached and fixed to the inside of the lower portion of the resilient member housing cylinder 80 toward the center of the container, and both are integrally formed. An arm member 94 made of, for example, quartz is attached and fixed to the outside of the lower part of the resilient member housing cylinder 80 in a horizontal outward direction. Each of the arm members 94 is connected to a holding plate 96 made of a ceramic such as aluminum oxide and formed in a circular ring shape (see FIG. 6). And is cantilevered and fixedly joined to the upper end of one elevating rod 98 extending to the upper side. The lower end of the elevating rod 98 is connected to an actuator (not shown) via an extendable bellows 100 (see FIG. 1) for maintaining an airtight state in the processing container 36.

  Further, a transmission window 102 made of a heat ray transmitting material such as quartz is provided airtightly through a sealing member 104 such as an O-ring at the bottom of the processing container directly below the mounting table 58. A box-shaped lamp chamber 106 is provided so as to surround 102. In the lamp chamber 106, a plurality of heating lamps 108 as heating means are mounted on a turntable 110 also serving as a reflecting mirror, and the turntable 110 is rotatable. Therefore, the irradiation light (heat ray) emitted from the heating lamp 108 can be transmitted through the transmission window 102 to irradiate the lower surface of the mounting table 58 to heat it.

  A reflecting member 112 formed of, for example, aluminum into a cylindrical shape is provided at the bottom of the processing container 36 and inside the support column 50. The diameter of the reflecting member 112 is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W, and the inner surface 112A is mirror-finished, so that the irradiation light that hits the mirror surface is reflected obliquely downward to the back side of the mounting table 58. It is possible to do. The reflection member 112 is set to a predetermined thickness, for example, a thickness of about W4 = 15 mm (see FIG. 8), and its upper end extends to a position immediately below the attachment member 56. In the upper part of the reflecting member 112, a plurality of member accommodating spaces 114 formed by, for example, rectangular cutouts are provided at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction, three in the example shown in FIG. Have been. The resilient member housing cylinder 80 is almost completely housed in the member housing space 114 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the height of the member accommodating space 114 is set to a height that allows the upward / downward movement of the resilient member accommodating cylinder 80.

  Accordingly, the irradiation light emitted from the heating lamp 108 directly hits the back surface of the mounting table 58 without being blocked by the resilient member housing cylinder 80. An adverse thermal effect on the wafer W is suppressed as much as possible. A backside gas supply unit 115 for introducing, for example, Ar gas as a backside gas is provided below the mounting table 58 below the reflection member 112. More specifically, the backside gas supply means 115 has a gas introduction path 116 communicated with a space below the mounting table 58, and connects the gas introduction path 116 to a gas source (not shown). , Ar gas can be supplied while controlling the flow rate.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
First, an unprocessed semiconductor wafer W stored in the load lock lock chamber or the transfer chamber is loaded into the processing chamber 36 through the opened gate valve G, and the wafer W is lifted up with the lift pins 70 pushed up. Is transferred to the lift pin 70 side. Then, the lift pins 70 are lowered by lowering the elevating rods 98 to lower the wafer W, and the wafer W is mounted on the mounting table 58 and the peripheral edge of the wafer W is further lowered by further lowering the elevating rods 98. The inner end of the clamp member 72 is pressed and fixed.

When the wafer W is mounted and fixed on the mounting table 58 in this way, the inside of the processing container 36 is sealed, and the heating lamp 108 in the lamp chamber 106 is turned on while evacuating the processing container 36 to vacuum. While rotating, it emits irradiation light that is thermal energy. The emitted irradiation light passes through the transmission window 102 and then irradiates the back surface of the mounting table 58 to heat it. Since the mounting table 58 is very thin, about 3.5 mm, as described above, the mounting table 58 is quickly heated. Therefore, the wafer W mounted thereon can be quickly heated to a predetermined temperature.
If the wafer W has reached the process temperature, for example, if a tungsten film is to be formed, for example, a WF ₆ gas, an H ₂ gas, or the like, which is a film forming gas, is used as a process gas from the shower head 38 through the process space S in the process chamber 36. To perform a film forming process of a tungsten film or the like for a predetermined time. During this film forming process, for example, Ar gas is supplied as a backside gas to the space below the mounting table 58 via the gas introduction passage 116 of the backside gas supply means 115 while controlling the flow rate, and is supplied into this space. This prevents unnecessary gas from being deposited on the rear surface (lower surface) of the mounting table 58 and the upper surface of the transmission window 102 due to intrusion of the processing gas. When the film forming process is completed, the process opposite to the above-described operation is performed, and the processed wafer W is carried out of the processing container 36.

In such a situation, first, the irradiation light from the heating lamp 108 is transmitted directly through the transmission window 102 and then directly applied to the black-treated rear surface of the mounting table 58 to heat it. At the same time, the irradiation light that has passed through the pin insertion portion 60 of the mounting table 58 tends to irradiate the back surface of the wafer W and pass through it. This is because the light transmittance of the wafer W is much higher than that of the mounting table 58.
However, in the present embodiment, as a first characteristic configuration, the pin insertion portion 60 is provided so as to correspond to the edge portion of the wafer W as shown in FIGS. Unlike the case where the pin hole 14 is provided considerably inside the outer peripheral end surface of the mounting table 4 as in the conventional device, the irradiation light from below passes through the pin insertion portion 60 and directly irradiates the back surface of the wafer W. Even if this is done, it is possible to greatly suppress the adverse thermal effect of this portion on the wafer W. In other words, even if the temperature of a portion of only a few millimeters at the edge of the wafer W is low, it is possible to suppress the adverse effect on the heating temperature distribution of the entire wafer. Thereby, the uniformity of the in-plane processing of the wafer W can be improved.

Further, when the irradiation light from the heating lamp 108 irradiates the back surface of the mounting table 58, the mounting table 4 is partially supported by the support protrusion 30A in the case of the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. There are places where the temperature is high and places where the temperature is low along the direction of the peripheral edge of the wafer W, which adversely affects the heating temperature distribution of the wafer W.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as a second characteristic configuration, the periphery of the mounting table 58 is vertically aligned with the inner periphery of the attachment member over the entire periphery. Therefore, the temperature is uniformly distributed along the periphery of the mounting table 58, and adverse effects on the heating temperature distribution characteristics of the mounting table 58 can be suppressed. As a result, the uniformity of the in-plane processing of the wafer W can be improved.

Furthermore, when the irradiation light from the heating lamp 108 irradiates the back surface of the mounting table 58, in the case of the conventional device shown in FIG. As a result, a shadow of the resilient member housing cylinder 18 is generated, which causes a temperature drop at a portion where the shadow is projected, which adversely affects the heating temperature distribution of the wafer W.
On the other hand, in this embodiment, as a third characteristic configuration, as shown in FIGS. 1, 8 and 9, a resilient member accommodating cylinder 80 is formed in a notch shape formed on the upper part of a cylindrical reflecting member 112. Is provided so as to be accommodated in the member accommodating space 114, so that the shadow of the resilient member accommodating cylinder 80 is not projected on the mounting table 58 side. The adverse effects can be suppressed. As a result, the uniformity of the in-plane processing of the wafer W can be improved.

Here, each of the three characteristic configurations described above and combinations thereof were evaluated, and the evaluation results will be described.
FIG. 10 is a graph showing the uniformity of processing at a wafer peripheral portion when a semiconductor wafer is processed using a processing apparatus employing the first characteristic configuration of the present invention and a conventional apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 12 is a graph showing the uniformity of processing at the peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer when a semiconductor wafer is processed using a processing apparatus employing the second characteristic configuration and a conventional apparatus. FIG. 12 employs a third characteristic configuration of the present invention. And FIG. 13 are graphs showing the uniformity of processing at the peripheral portion of a wafer when a semiconductor wafer is processed using the processing apparatus and the conventional apparatus, and FIG. 7 is a graph showing the uniformity of processing at a wafer peripheral portion when a semiconductor wafer is processed by using FIG.

Here, the specific resistance (Rs) is used as a reference for evaluating the in-plane uniformity of the processing, and the in-plane uniformity of the processing in the case of the conventional apparatus is represented by a curve Y in each drawing. Further, the pin holes 14 or the pin insertion portions 60 are provided at positions of 90 degrees, 210 degrees, and 330 degrees along the circumferential direction of the wafer W.
As shown in FIG. 10, in the case of the conventional apparatus, the specific resistance becomes extremely large at 90 degrees, 210 degrees, and 330 degrees at which the pin holes 14 are provided, and shows a peak. The properties also show a very poor value of ± 5.72%. On the other hand, in the case of the first characteristic configuration of the present invention (the lift pins 70 are arranged at the edge of the wafer), the peak values of the specific resistance in the pin insertion portions 60 are considerably reduced as shown by the curve X1. In addition, the bottom part is considerably raised, and the in-plane uniformity of the processing is ± 4.33%, which is 1.39% better than that of the conventional apparatus. did.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, in the case of the second characteristic configuration of the present invention (the entire periphery of the mounting table 58 overlaps with the attachment member), as shown by the curve X2, the pin insertion portion 60 The peak values of the specific resistance of each of the samples were significantly reduced, and the in-plane uniformity of the treatment was ± 4.45%, which was 1.27% better than that of the conventional apparatus.
Further, as shown in FIG. 12, in the case of the third characteristic configuration of the present invention (the resilient member accommodating cylinder 80 is accommodated in the member accommodating space 114 of the reflecting member 112), as shown by the curve X3, the pin Although the peak value of the specific resistance in the insertion portion 60 does not decrease so much, the value of the bottom portion is considerably increased, and the in-plane uniformity of the processing is ± 4.87%, which is lower than that of the conventional apparatus. .85% improvement.

In FIG. 13, a curve Z1 shows a graph when the second and third characteristic configurations of the present invention are combined, and a curve Z2 shows a combination of all the first to third characteristic configurations of the present invention. The graph of the case (corresponding to FIG. 1) is shown.
As shown in the figure, the peak values of both the curves Z1 and Z2 are suppressed compared to the case of the conventional device, and the bottom value is considerably raised. In the case of the curve Z1, the in-plane uniformity of the processing is ± 3.79%, which is improved by 1.93%. In the case of the curve Z2, the in-plane uniformity of the processing is ± 2.87. %, Which was found to be improved by 2.85%.
Thus, it has been found that the in-plane uniformity of the wafer processing can be significantly improved by adopting all the first to third characteristic configurations of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the diameter of the mounting table 58 is substantially the same as the diameter of the wafer W has been described as an example, but the case where the diameter of the mounting table 58 is considerably larger than the diameter of the wafer W is described. As shown in FIG. 14, the pin insertion portion 60 is not formed in a notch, but is formed as a through hole in the peripheral portion of the mounting table 58. In this case, as a matter of course, in the case shown in FIG. 3 and the case shown in FIG. 14, the distance from the center of the mounting table 58 to the pin insertion portion 60 is set to be the same.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the processing apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 16 is a plan view showing the mounting state of a mounting table, an attachment member and a temperature measuring detector in another embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 18 is a plan view showing a mounting state of the attachment member and the temperature measuring detector in the embodiment, and FIG. 18 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing a temperature measuring hole into which the temperature measuring detector is inserted. The same components as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
Although not shown in FIG. 1, in a normal processing apparatus, in order to detect the temperature of the mounting table and perform this temperature control, a temperature measurement extending horizontally from the side surface of the outer peripheral end of the mounting table is performed. A hole is formed, and a thermocouple or an optical fiber rod is inserted into the temperature measuring hole to detect the temperature. However, in this case, the backside gas is supplied below the mounting table to make the lower part of the mounting table a slightly more positive pressure than the processing space above it, but the outer peripheral end of the mounting table and the attachment member Since the gap formed between the inner peripheral portion and the inner peripheral portion is small, the processing gas on the processing space side tends to diffuse back into the gap portion. Into the temperature measurement hole formed by opening the side surface of the hole, thereby causing the formation and corrosion of an unnecessary deposited film inside the hole. Therefore, another embodiment described below has a configuration in which the processing gas does not enter the temperature measurement hole.

As shown in FIG. 15, this processing device 120 is configured exactly the same as the processing device 34 shown in FIG. 1 except for the points described below. Description is omitted.
Two temperature measurement holes 122 and 124 (see FIGS. 16 and 18) are provided on the side surface of the outer peripheral end of the thin disk-shaped mounting table 58 of the processing apparatus 120 toward the inside of the mounting table 58. ing. One of the temperature measurement holes 122 has a shorter length, and its tip is located slightly inside the outer end of the mounting table 58. On the other hand, the other temperature measuring hole 124 has a long length extending in the horizontal direction, and its tip is located substantially at the center of the mounting table 58. The temperature measurement detectors 126 and 128 are inserted into the respective temperature measurement holes 122 and 124 so as to extend horizontally from the side of the ring-shaped attachment member 56 located outside thereof to the ends thereof. Thus, the temperature of the central portion of the mounting table 58 and the temperature of the peripheral portion thereof can be measured.

  In FIG. 15, only one temperature measuring detector 126 is shown, and the other temperature measuring detector 128 is omitted. Each of the temperature measuring detectors 126 and 128 is connected to a temperature measuring unit 130, where the temperature is actually detected. The temperature detected by the temperature measurement unit 130 is input to a temperature control unit 132 including, for example, a microcomputer, and the power supplied to the heating lamp 108 is controlled based on the temperature. Temperature control will be performed.

  Here, as the temperature measuring detectors 126 and 128, rods of optical fibers and thermocouples are used. When an optical fiber rod is used as the temperature measurement detectors 126 and 128, a specific wavelength that has entered the rod, for example, infrared light, is transmitted to the temperature measurement unit 130 via the optical fiber, Here, photoelectric conversion is performed by a phototransistor or the like. The number of temperature measuring detectors to be provided is not limited to two, and the mounting table is divided into a plurality of concentric regions by using more temperature measuring detectors, and the temperature is set for each of the sections. Fine temperature control may be performed by measurement.

  The mounting table 58 is provided on at least one of the outer peripheral end of the mounting table 58 in which the temperature measurement holes 122 and 124 are formed and the inner peripheral edge of the attachment member 56 facing the temperature measurement holes 122 and 124. There is provided a gas flow promoting notch for promoting the flow of the backside gas toward the processing space S above the lower side. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, a small substantially rectangular gas flow promoting notch is formed on the inner peripheral portion of the attachment member 56 facing the temperature measurement holes 122 and 124 or facing the holes. 136 and 138 are formed respectively. Accordingly, the gap between the upper processing space S and the space below the mounting table 58 in the openings of the temperature measurement holes 122 and 124 is widened, and the upward flow of the backside gas can be promoted. It becomes possible. In this case, the size of the gas flow promoting notches 136 and 138 is very small, for example, about 3 mm × 6 mm in length and width, and the thickness of the thin film deposited on the surface of the wafer W is uniform in the plane. Sex is not adversely affected.

The diameter of each of the temperature measuring detectors 126 and 128 is about 1 mm, whereas the inner diameter of each of the temperature measuring holes 122 and 124 is about 1.1 to 1.5 mm. The thickness of the mounting table 58 is about 3.5 mm as described above. The material of the mounting table 58 is not particularly limited, but for example, ceramic (such as AlN) or amorphous carbon is used.
With the above-described configuration, when a film formation process is performed on the wafer W, the processing gas for film formation supplied to the processing space S above the mounting table 58 is diffused and diffused into each of the temperature measurement holes. Attempts to penetrate into 122 and 124. However, in the present embodiment, since the gas flow promoting notches 136 and 138 are formed in the attachment member 56 corresponding to the openings of the temperature measurement holes 122 and 124, the broken arrows 140 in FIG. 142, the backside gas supplied below the mounting table 58 is urged to flow to the upper processing space S via the gas flow promoting notches 136 and 138. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the processing gas from diffusing and flowing toward the space below the mounting table 58, and it is also possible to prevent the processing gas from diffusing into the temperature measurement holes 122 and 124. Can be prevented.

For this reason, it is possible to prevent unnecessary thin films from being deposited on the surfaces of the temperature measurement detectors 126 and 128 inserted into the respective temperature measurement holes 122 and 124, and as a result, the temperature measurement detectors 126 and 128 can be prevented from accumulating. It is possible to prevent the detection temperature from becoming inaccurate and to detect an accurate temperature, and to prevent corrosion when the temperature measuring detectors 126 and 128 are thermocouples.
In the above embodiment, the gas flow promoting notches 136 and 138 are provided on the inner peripheral edge of the attachment member 56. However, as described above, the gas flow promoting notches 136 and 138 may be provided on the outer peripheral edge of the mounting table 58 instead of the inner peripheral edge. , Or both. 19 and 20 show the case where the gas flow promoting notches are provided on both sides. FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a modification of the mounting table, and FIG. 20 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an outer peripheral end of the mounting table, an attachment member for supporting the same, and a supporting portion.

Here, corresponding to the respective gas flow promoting notches 136 and 138 (138 not shown) formed in the attachment member 56, a small rectangular gas flow promoting notch 144 having a substantially rectangular shape is provided on the outer peripheral end of the mounting table 58. 146 are provided. According to this, it is possible to increase the opening area of the gap through which the backside gas flows, as long as the in-plane uniformity of the thickness of the thin film formed on the surface of the wafer W is not deteriorated.
In the present embodiment, a film forming process has been described as an example of a process, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to an annealing process, an oxidation diffusion process, a plasma process, and the like.
In the above embodiment, the semiconductor wafer is described as an example of the object to be processed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a glass substrate, an LCD substrate, and the like.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of a single wafer processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a mounting state of a mounting table and an attachment member. It is a top view which shows a mounting table. It is a top view which mainly has an attachment member. It is a partial expanded sectional view showing the support state of a mounting stand. It is a perspective view which shows a lift pin and an elastic mechanism part. FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory diagram for explaining operations of a lift pin and a clamp member. It is a perspective view which shows a reflection member. FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining a positional relationship between a reflection member and a resilient mechanism. 5 is a graph showing the uniformity of processing at a wafer peripheral portion when a semiconductor wafer is processed using a processing apparatus employing the first characteristic configuration of the present invention and a conventional apparatus. 9 is a graph showing the uniformity of processing at a wafer peripheral portion when a semiconductor wafer is processed using a processing apparatus employing the second characteristic configuration of the present invention and a conventional apparatus. 11 is a graph showing the uniformity of processing at a wafer peripheral edge when processing a semiconductor wafer using a processing apparatus employing the third characteristic configuration of the present invention and a conventional apparatus. 6 is a graph showing the uniformity of processing at a wafer peripheral portion when a semiconductor wafer is processed using a processing apparatus employing a combination of the features of the present invention and a conventional apparatus. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a position where the pin insertion portion is formed when the diameter of the mounting table is considerably larger than the diameter of the object to be processed. It is sectional drawing which shows the other Example of the processing apparatus of this invention. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a mounting state of a mounting table, an attachment member, and a temperature measuring detector in another embodiment. It is a top view showing the attachment state of the attachment member and the detector for temperature measurement in other examples. It is a partial expanded sectional view showing the temperature measurement hole in which the detector for temperature measurement was inserted. It is a top view which shows the modification of a mounting table. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an outer peripheral end of a mounting table, an attachment member that supports the outer peripheral end, and a supporting portion. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a general single-wafer processing apparatus. It is a top view mainly showing the part of a mounting table.

Explanation of reference numerals

34 Processing Device 36 Processing Container 38 Shower Head 56 Attachment Member 58 Placement Table 60 Pin Insertion Portion 64 Spacer Member 66 Notch 70 Lift Pin 72 Clamp Member 74 Resilient Mechanism 76 Shaft Member 78 Resilient Member 80 Resilient Member Housing 102 Transmission window 108 Heat lamp 112 Reflecting member 114 Member accommodating space 136, 138 Gas flow promoting notch W Semiconductor wafer (workpiece)

Claims (14)

The object to be processed is placed by raising and lowering the lift pins on the thin plate-shaped mounting table provided in the processing container, and the processing object is indirectly heated by heating the mounting table by a heating lamp arranged below the mounting table. In a single-wafer processing apparatus that is heated to perform predetermined processing,
The lift pins are arranged so as to be able to support an edge part around the object to be processed, and a pin insertion part for passing the lift pins to go up and down is formed on a portion corresponding to the edge part on the mounting table. A single-wafer processing apparatus.   The single-wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the edge portion is within a range of 5 mm or less from an outer peripheral end surface of the object.   The single-wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pin insertion portion is formed by a notch formed in a peripheral portion of the mounting table.   The single-wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pin insertion portion is configured by a through hole formed in a peripheral portion of the mounting table. A ring-shaped attachment member is provided in the processing container, a thin disk-shaped mounting table is supported by an inner peripheral portion of the attachment member, and the object to be processed is mounted on the mounting table and below the mounting table. In a single-wafer processing apparatus configured to indirectly heat the object to be processed by a disposed heating lamp and perform a predetermined process,
The attachment member is configured to support the mounting table in such a state that an inner peripheral portion thereof and a peripheral portion of the mounting table overlap with each other in a predetermined width in a vertical direction along a circumferential direction thereof. Single-wafer processing equipment.   6. The sheet according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of spacer members are appropriately arranged along a circumferential direction between an upper surface of an inner peripheral portion of the attachment member and a lower surface of a peripheral portion of the mounting table. Leaf type processing equipment. The object to be processed is placed by raising and lowering the lift pins on a thin plate-shaped mounting table provided in the processing container, and is brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the object to be processed by the elastic force generated by the resilient mechanism. A clamp member for pressing and holding the object to be processed toward the mounting table side is provided, and the processing object is indirectly heated by heating the mounting table by a heating lamp arranged below the predetermined table to perform predetermined processing. In a single-wafer processing apparatus,
Below the outside of the mounting table, provided a reflecting member having a predetermined thickness formed in a cylindrical shape to reflect the irradiation light from the heating lamp toward the mounting table,
A single-wafer processing apparatus, wherein a member accommodating space for accommodating the elastic mechanism for applying elastic force to the clamp member is formed above the reflecting member. The resilient mechanism,
An elastic member housing cylinder made of quartz,
A resilient member housed in the resilient member housing cylinder;
The single-wafer processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein an upper end portion is constituted by a shaft member connected to the clamp member and a lower end portion is engaged with the resilient member. A characteristic configuration included in the processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A characteristic configuration included in the processing device according to claim 5 or 6,
9. A single-wafer processing comprising two or more characteristic configurations selected from among three characteristic configurations including a characteristic configuration included in the processing apparatus according to claim 7 or 8. apparatus. Gas supply means for supplying a processing gas to a processing space in a processing container is provided, a ring-shaped attachment member is provided in the processing container, and an outer peripheral end of a thin disk-shaped mounting table is provided by an inner peripheral portion of the attachment member. And a backside gas supply means for supplying a backside gas below the mounting table. The object to be processed is placed on the mounting table, and the heating object is disposed below the mounting table by a heating lamp. In a single-wafer processing apparatus in which a processing body is indirectly heated to perform a predetermined processing,
A temperature measurement hole is formed on the side surface of the outer peripheral end of the mounting table from the side surface toward the inside of the mounting table,
Insert the detector for temperature measurement from the attachment member side toward the temperature measurement hole,
At least one of the outer peripheral end of the mounting table formed with the temperature measurement hole and the inner peripheral edge of the attachment member facing the temperature measurement hole, and is directed toward the processing space above the mounting table. A single-wafer processing apparatus characterized in that a gas flow promoting notch for promoting backside gas flow is provided.   The single-wafer processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a temperature measurement unit is connected to the temperature measurement detector.   The two temperature measurement detectors are provided, and the tip of one temperature measurement detector is located substantially at the center of the mounting table, and the tip of the other temperature measurement detector is located at the front. The single-wafer processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the single-wafer processing apparatus is positioned substantially at a periphery of the table.   13. The single-wafer processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the temperature measuring detector is an optical fiber rod. The single-wafer processing apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the temperature measuring detector is a thermocouple.

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