JP2007113041A - Substrate treating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treating apparatus for suppressing the change in the internal pressure of a treating chamber. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate treating apparatus 10 forms a thin film on a substrate 18 by repeating the cycle a plurality of time, in which one cycle consists of a step of feeding a raw material gas to a treating chamber 102 with the substrate 18 accommodated therein, a step of purging the treating chamber 102, a step of feeding oxygen to the treating chamber 102, and a step of purging the treating chamber 102 again. The substrate treating apparatus is provided with a gas feed pipe 142 for adjustment which adjusts the total amount of the gas to be fed to the treating chamber 102 to be substantially constant through each step. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, such as a CVD apparatus.

  This type of substrate processing apparatus has a processing chamber containing a substrate, a process of supplying a reactive gas such as a source gas or an oxygen-containing gas into the processing chamber, and the reactive gas from the processing chamber. A substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate by repeating the removing step is known.

  However, in the conventional technique, a high-speed valve composed of an APC valve or the like and a pressure detector such as a capacitance manometer for detecting the internal pressure of the processing chamber are provided in the processing chamber, and the high-speed valve is set according to the internal pressure detected by the pressure detector By controlling the amount of gas discharged from the chamber, even if the internal pressure of the processing chamber is kept within a certain range, the operating speed of the high-speed valve cannot follow the pressure change in the processing chamber, and the internal pressure of the processing chamber remains constant. There was a problem that the internal pressure of the processing chamber could not be controlled well, such as being unable to maintain the range.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus that solves the above-described problems and can satisfactorily suppress pressure fluctuations in a processing chamber.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is characterized in that at least two types of reactive gases are alternately supplied into a processing chamber containing a substrate, and the supply step is interposed between Before supplying a reactive gas different from the reactive gas supplied to the substrate, a step of removing a residue of the previously supplied reactive gas from the processing chamber is repeated a plurality of times to form a desired thin film on the substrate. In the substrate processing apparatus having a gas supply line for flow rate adjustment for making the total amount of gas supplied into the processing chamber substantially constant during the process.

  According to the present invention, since the total gas amount supplied to the processing chamber is substantially constant throughout the process by the gas supply line for flow rate adjustment, the pressure fluctuation in the processing chamber caused by the total gas amount changing. Is less likely to occur, and the pressure fluctuation in the processing chamber can be satisfactorily suppressed.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an entire substrate processing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 10 uses a FOUP (front opening unified pod) as a carrier for transporting a substrate.
In the following description, the front, rear, left and right are based on FIG. 1, and the front of the paper shown in FIG.

The substrate processing apparatus 10 has a first transfer chamber 12 slightly in the center and on the rear side. The first transfer chamber 12 is configured by being surrounded by a first casing 14 having a hexagonal shape in plan view, and has a load lock chamber structure that can withstand a pressure (negative pressure) less than atmospheric pressure such as a vacuum state. The first housing 14 is formed in a box shape with both upper and lower ends closed. A first transfer machine 16 is disposed in the first transfer chamber 12. The substrate transfer machine 16 transfers the substrate 18 under a negative pressure, and is moved up and down by the first elevator 20.

The two side walls located on the front side of the six side walls of the first housing 14 are connected to the carry-in spare chamber 22 and the carry-out spare chamber 24 via gate valves 26 and 28, respectively. Each has a load lock chamber structure that can withstand negative pressure. Substrate platforms 30 and 32 are respectively installed in the spare chambers 22 and 24, respectively.

A second transfer chamber 34 that can withstand substantially atmospheric pressure is connected to the front sides of the preliminary chambers 22 and 24 via gate valves 36 and 38. A second transfer machine 40 for transferring the substrate 18 is installed in the second transfer chamber 34. The second transfer device 40 is configured to be moved up and down by a second elevator installed in the second transfer chamber 34 and is configured to be reciprocated in the left-right direction by a linear actuator. . An orientation flat aligning device 46 is installed on the left side of the second transfer chamber 34.

In the second casing 50 constituting the second transfer chamber 34, a substrate loading / unloading port 52 for loading / unloading the substrate 18 to / from the second transfer chamber 34 and the substrate loading / unloading port 52 are closed. And a pod opener 56 are provided. A pod mounting table 60 on which the pod 58 is mounted is provided on the front side of the second transfer chamber 34. The pod opener 56 is provided with a cap opening / closing mechanism, and the cap opening / closing mechanism opens / closes the cap of the pod placed on the pod mounting table 60 and the above-described lid so that the substrate stored in the pod 58 can be taken in and out. To do. The pod 58 is supplied to and discharged from the pod mounting table 60 by an in-process transfer device (RGV) (not shown).

The first processing furnace 64 and the second processing furnace 66 are respectively connected to the two side walls located on the rear side of the six side walls of the first casing 14 through gate valves 68 and 70, respectively. Are connected. Each of the first processing furnace 64 and the second processing furnace 64 is, for example, a cold wall type. In addition, a first cooling unit 72 and a second cooling unit 74 are connected to the remaining two opposite side walls of the six side walls of the first housing 14, respectively. The processed substrate 18 is configured to be cooled. Details of the first processing furnace 64 will be described later.

Next, processing steps when the above-described substrate processing apparatus 10 is used will be described.

In a state where 25 unprocessed substrates 18 are stored in the pod 58, the unprocessed substrate 18 is transferred to the substrate processing apparatus 10 that performs the processing process by the in-process transfer apparatus. The pod 58 thus transported is delivered from the in-process transport device and placed on the pod placement table 60. The cap of the pod 58 and the lid for opening and closing the substrate loading / unloading port 52 are removed by the cap opening / closing mechanism, and the substrate entrance / exit of the pod 58 is opened.

When the pod 58 is opened by the pod opener 56, the second substrate transfer machine 40 installed in the second transfer chamber 34 picks up the substrate 18 from the pod 58 and carries it into the carry-in preliminary chamber 22, where 18 is transferred to the substrate table 30. During this transfer operation, the gate valve 26 on the first transfer chamber 12 side is closed, and the first transfer chamber 12 is maintained at a negative pressure. When the transfer of the substrate 18 to the substrate table 30 is completed, the gate valve 36 is closed, and the carry-in preliminary chamber 22 is exhausted to a negative pressure by an exhaust device (not shown).

When the carry-in preliminary chamber 22 is depressurized to a preset pressure value, the gate valves 26 and 68 are opened, and the carry-in preliminary chamber 22, the first transfer chamber 12, and the first processing furnace 64 are communicated. . Subsequently, the first substrate transfer machine 16 in the first transfer chamber 12 picks up the substrate 18 from the substrate placing table 30 and carries it into the first processing furnace 64. Then, a processing gas is supplied into the first processing furnace 64 and a desired processing is performed on the substrate 18.

When the processing is completed in the first processing furnace 64, the processed substrate 18 is carried out to the first transfer chamber 12 by the first substrate transfer machine 16 in the first transfer chamber 12.

Then, the first substrate transfer device 16 carries the substrate 18 unloaded from the first processing furnace 64 into the first cooling unit 72 and cools the processed substrate 18.

When the substrate 18 is transferred to the first cooling unit 72, the first substrate transfer machine 16 uses the substrate 18 prepared in advance in the substrate holder 30 of the carry-in preliminary chamber 22 as the first processing furnace 64. The substrate is transferred by the operation, a processing gas is supplied into the first processing furnace 64, and a desired processing is performed on the substrate 18.

When a preset cooling period elapses in the first cooling unit 72, the cooled substrate 18 is carried out from the first cooling unit 72 to the first transfer chamber 12 by the first substrate transfer device 16.

After that, the gate valve 28 is opened, and the first substrate transfer machine 16 transports the substrate 18 unloaded from the first cooling unit 72 to the unloading spare chamber 24, transfers it to the substrate table 32, and then unloads it. The reserve chamber 24 is closed by a gate valve 28.

When the carry-out preliminary chamber 24 is closed by the gate valve 28, the inside of the carry-out preliminary chamber 24 is returned to approximately atmospheric pressure by the inert gas. When the inside of the unloading preliminary chamber 24 is returned to substantially atmospheric pressure, the gate valve 38 is opened, a lid for closing the substrate loading / unloading port 52 corresponding to the unloading preliminary chamber 24 of the second transfer chamber 34, The cap of the empty pod 58 placed on the table 60 is opened by the pod opener 56. Subsequently, the second substrate transfer machine 40 in the second transfer chamber 34 picks up the substrate 18 from the substrate table 32 and carries it out to the second transfer chamber 34, and the substrate 18 in the second transfer chamber 34 is moved. The substrate is loaded into the pod 58 through the substrate loading / unloading port 52. When the storage of the 25 processed substrates 18 in the pod 58 is completed, the cap and lid of the pod 58 are closed by the pod opener 56. The pod 58 closed in this manner is transported from the top of the pod mounting table 60 to the next process by the in-process transport device.

By repeating the above operation, the substrate 18 is sequentially processed. The above operation has been described by taking the case where the first processing furnace 64 and the first cooling unit 72 are used as an example, but also when the second processing furnace 66 and the second cooling unit 74 are used. A similar operation is performed.

In the above-described substrate processing apparatus, the spare chamber 22 is used for carrying in and the spare chamber 24 is used for carrying out, but conversely, the spare chamber 24 may be used for carrying in and the spare chamber 22 may be used for carrying out. Moreover, the 1st processing furnace 64 and the 2nd processing furnace 66 may each perform the same process, and may perform another process. When performing another process in the first process furnace 64 and the second process furnace 66, for example, after performing a process on the substrate 18 in the first process furnace 64, another process is performed in the second process furnace 66. Processing may be performed. In the case where another processing is performed in the second processing furnace 66 after the processing on the substrate 18 is performed in the first processing furnace 64, the first cooling unit 72 (or the second cooling unit 74) is installed. You may make it go through.

  2 to 5 show an example of the first processing furnace 64 described above. The processing furnace 64 is a CVD furnace for forming a thin film made of ruthenium (Ru) on the substrate 18. As shown in FIG. 2, the processing furnace 64 is provided with a heater susceptor 104 provided with a heater in a processing chamber 102, and the substrate 18 placed on the heater susceptor 104 is heated by the heater susceptor 104. The substrate 18 placed on the heater susceptor 104 is, for example, a semiconductor silicon wafer, a glass substrate, or the like.

  A substrate rotating unit 106 is provided outside the processing chamber 102, and the substrate susceptor 104 in the processing chamber 102 is rotated by the substrate rotating unit 106 so that the substrate 18 on the heater susceptor 104 can be rotated. The reason why the substrate 18 is rotated is to quickly and uniformly perform processing on the substrate 18 in a film forming process described later.

  A shower head 110 having a large number of holes 108 is provided above the heater susceptor 104 in the processing chamber 102. The shower head 110 is connected to a raw material supply pipe 120 for supplying raw material and a remote plasma unit connection pipe 122 communicating with a remote plasma unit 164 described later, and has passed through the raw material and the remote plasma unit 164. Gas can be jetted from the shower head 110 into the processing chamber 102 in the form of a shower.

  Further, an internal pressure adjusting pipe 124 for adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 102 is connected to the processing chamber 102, and the flow rate of gas discharged from the processing chamber 102 by the pump 159 is controlled via the internal pressure adjusting pipe 124. Thus, the internal pressure of the processing chamber 102 is controlled.

  The processing chamber 102 is connected to the above-described second transfer chamber 12 used as a transfer chamber, and the substrate 18 to be processed is transferred from the second transfer chamber 12, and the processed substrate 18 is transferred to the processing chamber 102. It is discharged into the transfer chamber 12.

  Further, in the processing chamber 102, a first wraparound prevention gas supply pipe 126 for supplying a wraparound prevention purge gas for preventing the raw material gas or the like from flowing into the transfer chamber 12 and the second wraparound prevention gas. A gas supply pipe 128 is connected.

  Outside the processing chamber 102, a raw material supply unit 150 which is a supply source of a liquid raw material used as a film forming material, and a heat exchanger used as a preheating means for preheating the liquid raw material supplied from the raw material supply unit 150, etc. 152 and a vaporizer 154 for vaporizing the liquid material preheated by the heat exchanger 152 are provided. The raw material supply unit 150, the heat exchanger 152, and the vaporizer 154 are connected to the above-described raw material supply pipe 120 provided with the valve V7. The raw material supply pipe 120 is connected to a raw material gas exhaust pipe 130 having a valve V6. When the valve V6 is opened while the valve V6 is closed in the process of forming a thin film on the substrate 18, the raw material is supplied from the raw material supply unit 150 to the heat exchanger 152 and preheated by the raw material supply unit 150. After being supplied to the vaporizer 154 and vaporized by the vaporizer 154, the vapor passes through the valve V7 and is supplied to the shower head 110. On the other hand, when the valve V6 is opened with the valve V7 closed, the raw material vaporized by the vaporizer 154 is not supplied to the shower head 110 but passes through the valve V6 and passes through the raw material gas exhaust pipe 130. Discharged. As the liquid raw material supplied from the raw material supply unit 150, bisethylcyclopentadienyl ruthenium (Ru (EtCp) 2) is used, but other raw materials such as Ru (DER) and RuDO3 are used instead. Also good. The raw material supply unit 150 supplies argon (Ar) used as a carrier gas together with the liquid raw material.

In addition to the processing chamber 102, a capacitance manometer 156 used as an internal pressure detecting means for detecting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 102 and an APC valve 158 used as an internal pressure adjusting means for controlling the internal pressure in the processing chamber 102 are provided. ing. The capacitance manometer 156 and the APC valve 158 are attached to the internal pressure adjusting pipe 124 described above, and the opening / closing of the APC valve 158 is feedback-controlled according to the internal pressure of the processing chamber 102 detected by the capacitance manometer 156, The internal pressure is kept substantially constant.

Further, a first wraparound prevention gas supply unit 160 and a second wraparound prevention gas supply unit 162 are provided outside the processing chamber 102, and the first wraparound prevention gas supply unit 160 is the first wraparound prevention gas supply unit 160. The first wraparound prevention gas supply unit 126 is connected to the first wraparound prevention gas supply pipe 126, and the second wraparound prevention gas supply unit 162 is connected to the second wraparound prevention gas supply pipe 128. Nitrogen gas (N 2) is used as a purge gas for preventing wraparound, and nitrogen gas is supplied to the processing chamber 102 through each step of forming a thin film on the substrate 18, whereby the processing chamber 102 supplies the second transfer chamber. It is possible to prevent the raw material gas or the like from entering 12.

  In addition, a remote plasma unit 164 used as a reactant activation means for activating a gas with plasma is provided outside the processing chamber 102. The remote plasma unit 164 is connected to the shower head 110 by a remote plasma unit connection pipe 122.

  On the upstream side of the remote plasma unit 164, an oxygen-containing gas supply pipe 132, a purge gas supply pipe 134, and a carrier gas supply pipe 136 are provided.

The oxygen-containing gas supply pipe 132 includes a valve V2, and is connected to an oxygen-containing gas supply unit 168 that is a supply source of oxygen (O2) used as an oxygen-containing gas, and an oxygen-containing gas exhaust pipe 138 that includes a valve V3. ing. When the valve V2 is opened while the valve V3 is closed in the step of forming a thin film on the substrate 18, oxygen is supplied to the remote plasma unit 164. On the other hand, when the valve V3 is opened with the valve V2 being opened, the oxygen-containing gas is discharged out of the apparatus via the oxygen-containing gas exhaust pipe 138.

The purge gas supply pipe 134 includes a valve V5, and is connected to a purge gas supply unit 170 that is a purge gas supply source for keeping the inside of the pipe clean, and a purge gas exhaust pipe 140 that includes a valve V4. When the valve V5 is opened with the V4 closed in the thin film formation process, the purge gas is supplied to the remote plasma unit 164. On the other hand, when the valve V4 is opened with the valve V5 closed, the purge gas is discharged out of the apparatus through the purge gas exhaust pipe 140. Nitrogen (N2), which is an inert gas, is used as the purge gas, but argon (Ar) may be used instead of nitrogen.

The carrier gas supply pipe 136 includes a valve V1 and is connected to a carrier gas supply unit 172 which is a carrier gas supply means for generating plasma in the remote plasma unit 164. When the valve V1 is opened in the thin film formation process, the carrier gas is supplied to the remote plasma unit 164. Argon (Ar) is used as the carrier gas.

  In addition, an adjustment gas supply unit 174 that supplies an adjustment gas for adjusting the flow rate of the total gas supplied to the process chamber 102 is provided outside the process chamber 102. The adjustment gas supply unit 174 is connected to the adjustment gas supply pipe 142. The adjustment gas supply pipe 142 is connected to the shower head 110 via the valve V8 and the raw material supply pipe 120, and the valve It is connected to the adjusting gas exhaust pipe 144 having V9. When the valve V8 is opened while the valve V9 is closed in the process of forming a thin film on the substrate 18, the adjustment gas is supplied from the adjustment gas supply unit 174 to the adjustment gas supply pipe 142, the valve V8, and the raw material supply pipe 120. Is supplied to the shower head 110 via On the other hand, when the valve V9 is opened while the valve V8 is closed, the adjustment gas is discharged out of the apparatus through the adjustment gas exhaust pipe 144. Nitrogen (N2) is used as the adjustment gas.

  Next, a process of forming a ruthenium film on the substrate 18 using the processing furnace 64 having the above-described configuration will be described.

  First, as a temperature raising step, the substrate 18 is carried into the processing chamber 102, the substrate 18 is placed on the heater susceptor 104 in the processing chamber 102, and the heater susceptor 104 has the substrate 18 rotated by the substrate rotating unit. Electric power is supplied to the heater to uniformly heat the substrate 18.

  After the temperature raising step, the first supply step for supplying the source gas used as the first reactive gas to the processing chamber 102 is entered. As shown in FIG. 3, in the first supply process, the valve V1, the valve V3, the valve V5, the valve V7, and the valve V9 are in an open state, and the valve V2, the valve V4, the valve V6, and the valve V9 is in a closed state. The raw material supply unit 150, the heat exchanger 152, the vaporizer 154, the oxygen-containing gas supply unit 168, the adjustment gas supply unit 174, the purge gas supply unit 170, the carrier gas supply unit 172, and the first wraparound prevention gas supply unit 160 and the second wraparound prevention gas supply unit 162 are controlled to be in an operating state at least at the time of entering the first supply process.

In this operating state, the flow rate of the mixed gas of ruthenium supplied from the raw material supply unit 150, preheated by the heat exchanger 152, and vaporized by the vaporizer 154 and argon used as the carrier gas is 300 sccm, The flow rate of oxygen supplied from the oxygen-containing gas supply unit 168 is 300 sccm, the flow rate of nitrogen supplied from the adjustment gas supply unit 174 is 300 sccm, and the flow rate of nitrogen supplied from the purge gas supply unit 170 is 300 sccm. Yes, the flow rate of argon supplied from the carrier gas supply unit 172 is 200 sccm, the amount of nitrogen supplied from the first wraparound prevention gas supply unit 160 is 200 sccm, and the second wraparound prevention gas supply unit. Supplied from 162 The amount of iodine is 200sccm.

  In the first supply process, since the vaporizer 154 and the shower head 110 are in communication with each other via the valve V7, a mixed gas of 300 sccm of source gas and carrier gas is guided to the shower head 110, Via a large number of holes 108, the substrate 18 on the heater susceptor 104 is supplied as a shower. Then, by supplying the mixed gas onto the substrate 18, a film made of ruthenium is formed on the substrate 18. Further, since the purge gas supply unit 170 and the remote plasma unit 164 are in communication with each other via the valve V5, 300 sccm of nitrogen used as the purge gas passes through the valve V5 and the remote plasma unit 164 from the purge gas supply unit 170. To the processing chamber 102. Further, since the carrier gas supply unit 172 and the remote plasma unit 164 are in communication with each other via the valve V1, 200 sccm of argon used as a carrier gas for generating plasma is transferred from the carrier gas supply unit 172 to the processing chamber 102. Supplied. However, the remote plasma unit 164 is not operated in the first supply process. For this reason, although argon is supplied, plasma is not generated.

  In the first supply step, since the oxygen-containing gas supply unit 168 and the oxygen-containing gas exhaust pipe 138 are in communication with each other via the valve V3, 300 sccm of oxygen from the oxygen-containing gas supply unit 168 is oxygen The contained gas exhaust pipe 138 is exhausted. Further, since the adjustment gas supply unit 174 and the exhaust pipe are in communication with each other through the valve V9, 300 sccm of nitrogen from the adjustment gas supply unit 174 is exhausted through the adjustment gas exhaust pipe 144. . In this way, in the first supply process, the nitrogen of 200 sccm from the first wraparound prevention gas supply unit 160 and the nitrogen of 200 sccm from the second wraparound prevention gas supply unit 162 are added, for a total of 1200 sccm. The gas is supplied to the processing chamber 102.

  When the first supply process is completed, the purge process is started. In the purge step, the inside of the processing chamber 102 is purged with an inert gas to remove residual gas. When entering the purge process from the first supply process, the valve V6 and the valve V8 which are in the closed state are opened at the same time, and the valve V7 and the valve V9 which are in the opened state at the same time are closed. With the above operation, in the purge process, as shown in FIG. 4, the valve V1, the valve V3, the valve V5, the valve V6, and the valve V8 are opened, and the valve V2, the valve V4, the valve V7, And the valve V9 is closed. Therefore, 300 sccm of nitrogen from the adjustment gas supply unit 174 that is in communication with the processing chamber 102 via the valve V8 is 300 to 300 sccm of purge gas supply unit 170 that is in communication with the processing chamber 102 via the valve V5. Nitrogen and 200 sccm of argon are respectively supplied to the processing chamber 102 from the carrier gas supply unit 172 in communication with the processing chamber 102 through the valve V1. However, the remote plasma unit 164 is not operated in this purge process. For this reason, although argon is supplied, plasma is not generated. As described above, in the first supply process, the adjustment gas supply unit 174, the purge gas supply unit 170, and the carrier gas supply unit 172 are in an operating state. The processing chamber 102 is purged.

  In the purge step, the vaporizer 154 and the exhaust pipe are in communication with each other via the valve V6, so that a mixed gas of 300 sccm of the source gas and the carrier gas is discharged through the source gas exhaust pipe 130. . Further, since the oxygen-containing gas supply unit 168 and the oxygen-containing gas exhaust pipe 138 are in communication with each other via the valve V3, 300 sccm oxygen is discharged through the oxygen-containing gas exhaust pipe 138. Thus, in the purge step, the first supply step includes adding 200 sccm of nitrogen from the first wraparound prevention gas supply unit 160 and 200 sccm of nitrogen from the second wraparound prevention gas supply unit 162. Similarly, a total of 1200 sccm of gas is supplied to the processing chamber 102.

  After the purge process is completed, a second supply process for supplying an oxygen-containing gas used as the second reactive gas to the processing chamber 102 is entered. When entering the second reactive gas supply process from the purge process, the closed valve V2 and the valve V4 are opened at the same time, and simultaneously the opened valves V3 and V5 are closed. It is done. By the above operation, in the second reactive material supply step, as shown in FIG. 5, the valve V1, the valve V2, the valve V4, the valve V6, and the valve V8 are opened, and the valve V3, The valve V5, the valve V7, and the valve V9 are closed. In addition, when entering the second supply step, the remote plasma unit 164 is put into an operating state.

For this reason, in the second reactive gas supply step, 200 sccm of argon is supplied from the carrier gas supply unit 172 to the remote plasma unit 164 through the first valve V1, and the remote plasma unit 164 generates argon plasma. Then, 300 sccm of oxygen is supplied from the oxygen-containing gas supply unit 168 to the remote plasma unit 164 generating the argon plasma through the valve V2, and this oxygen is activated to generate oxygen radicals. This activated oxygen is supplied from the remote plasma unit 164 to the processing chamber 102, and carbon (C) or the like attached to the surface of the ruthenium film formed on the substrate 18 in the first reactive gas supply process described above. Remove impurities. In the second reactive gas supply step, the adjustment gas supply unit 174 and the processing chamber 102 are in communication with each other via the valve V8, so that 300 sccm of nitrogen from the adjustment gas supply unit 174 is treated. Supplied to the chamber 102.

On the other hand, in the second reactive gas supply step, since the vaporizer 154 and the source gas exhaust pipe 130 are in communication with each other via the valve V6, the mixed gas of the source gas and the carrier gas is used as the source gas exhaust pipe. 130 is exhausted. Further, since the purge gas supply unit 170 and the purge gas exhaust pipe 140 are in communication with each other via the valve V4, the nitrogen from the purge gas supply unit 170 is exhausted from the purge gas exhaust pipe 140. Thus, in the second reactive gas supply step, 200 sccm of nitrogen from the first wraparound prevention gas supply unit 160 and 200 sccm of nitrogen from the second wraparound prevention gas supply unit 162 are added, As in the first supply process and the purge process, a total of 1200 sccm of gas is supplied to the processing chamber 102.

  After the end of the second supply process, the purge process is started again. When entering the purge process, the closed valve V3 and the valve V5 are opened simultaneously, and at the same time, the opened valve V2 and the valve V4 are closed. With the above operation, as shown in FIG. 4, the valve V2, the valve V4, the valve V7, and the valve V9 are closed while the valve V1, the valve V3, the valve V5, the valve V6, and the valve V8 are opened. It becomes the state. In this state, as described above, the adjustment gas supply unit 174 to 300 sccm of nitrogen, the purge gas supply unit 170 to 300 sccm of nitrogen, and the carrier gas supply unit 172 to 200 sccm of argon, respectively. To be supplied. Further, the mixed gas of the source gas of 300 sccm and the carrier gas is exhausted through the source gas exhaust pipe 130, and the oxygen of 300 sccm is exhausted through the oxygen-containing gas exhaust pipe 138. Thus, in the purge step, the first reactive gas is added by adding 200 sccm of nitrogen from the first wraparound prevention gas supply unit 160 and 200 sccm of nitrogen from the second wraparound prevention gas supply unit 162. Similar to the supply process and the second reactive gas supply process, a total of 1200 sccm of gas is supplied to the processing chamber 102.

  In the processing furnace 64, the first supply process described above → the purge process → the second supply process → the purge process is performed as one cycle, and this cycle is repeated a plurality of times, so that ruthenium is applied to the substrate 18 by repeating this cycle a plurality of times. A thin film is formed. When this cycle is completed a predetermined number of times and a thin film is formed on the substrate 18, the substrate 18 is taken out from the processing furnace 64. As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 10 provided with the processing furnace 64 supplies the process gas 102 containing the substrate 18 to each other with the source gas and oxygen-containing gas used as at least two kinds of reactive gases. And before supplying the reactive gas different from the previously supplied reactive gas, which is a raw material gas or an oxygen-containing gas, between the supply steps, the previously supplied reactive gas is removed from the processing chamber 102. The ruthenium thin film, which is a desired thin film, is formed on the substrate 18 by repeating the process of removing from a plurality of times. Then, the substrate processing apparatus 10 is configured to make the total gas amount supplied to the processing chamber 102 substantially constant during each of the first supply process, the purge process, the second supply process, and the purge process. An adjustment gas supply pipe 142 used as a gas supply line for flow rate adjustment is provided. For this reason, the total flow rate of the gas supplied to the processing chamber 102 is maintained at about 1200 sccm throughout each process, so that the feedback control of the APC valve 158 can follow the pressure change in the processing chamber 102 satisfactorily. The internal pressure of the chamber 102 is kept substantially constant.

  In FIG. 6, the processing furnace 200 which concerns on the comparative example compared with the processing furnace 64 used for the substrate processing apparatus 10 which concerns on embodiment of this invention is shown. Compared with the processing furnace 64 described above, the processing furnace 200 includes an adjustment gas supply pipe 142, an adjustment gas supply unit 174, an adjustment gas exhaust pipe 144, a valve V8, and a valve V9. Does not have. Therefore, similarly to the processing furnace 64, the total flow rate of the gas supplied to the processing chamber 102 is kept constant when performing the processing of the first supply process → the purge process → the second supply process → the purge process. I can't beat it.

That is, in the first supply process in which each valve is opened and closed in FIG. 7, the total flow rate of the gas supplied to the processing chamber 102 is a mixed gas of the source gas and the carrier gas supplied from the vaporizer 154. 300 sccm, 200 sccm of argon supplied from the carrier gas supply unit 172, 200 sccm of nitrogen supplied from the first wraparound prevention gas supply unit 160, and 200 sccm of nitrogen supplied from the second wraparound prevention gas supply unit 162 And 900 sccm in total. Further, in the purge process in which each valve is opened and closed in FIG. 8, the total flow rate of the gas supplied to the processing chamber 102 is 300 sccm of nitrogen supplied from the purge gas supply unit 170 and the carrier gas supply unit 172. The total of 900 sccm of argon, 200 sccm of nitrogen supplied from the first wraparound prevention gas supply unit 160, and 200 sccm of nitrogen supplied from the second wraparound prevention gas supply unit 162 is 900 sccm. On the other hand, in the second supply process in which each valve is opened and closed in FIG. 9, the total gas amount supplied to the processing chamber 102 is 300 sccm of oxygen supplied from the oxygen-containing gas supply unit 168 and purge gas. 300 sccm of nitrogen supplied from the supply unit 170, 200 sccm of argon supplied from the carrier gas supply unit 172, 200 sccm of nitrogen supplied from the first wraparound prevention gas supply unit 160, and a second wraparound prevention gas supply A total of 1200 sccm of nitrogen supplied from the unit 162 is 200 sccm.

  As described above, in the processing furnace 200, the total flow rate supplied to the processing chamber 102 is not constant in each process. Therefore, even if the internal pressure of the processing chamber 102 is feedback controlled by the APC valve 158, the operation speed of the APC valve 158 is high. The pressure change in the processing chamber cannot be followed, and the pressure change in the processing chamber becomes larger than that in the processing furnace 64. In the processing furnace 200, the same portions as those of the processing furnace 64 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 10A shows the internal pressure of the processing chamber 102 when the processing cycle of the first supply process → the purge process → the second supply process → the purge process is repeated in the processing furnace 200 according to the comparative example. A grab is shown in which the change in FIG. 4 is shown together with the amount of raw material supplied to the processing chamber 102 and the opening of the APC valve 158. As shown in this graph, in the processing furnace 200, the internal pressure of the processing chamber 102 changes in a wide range of 65 ± 10 Pa through each process. On the other hand, FIG. 10B shows the processing of the first supply process → the purge process → the second supply process → the purge process in the processing furnace 64 used in the substrate processing apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. A grab showing the change in the internal pressure of the processing chamber 102 when the cycle is repeated together with the amount of raw material supplied to the processing chamber 102 and the opening degree of the APC valve 158 is shown. As shown in this graph, in the processing furnace 64, the change in the internal pressure of the processing chamber 102 remains within a narrow range of 65 ± 3 Pa and within 5% throughout each process.

As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the total gas amount supplied to the processing chamber 102 is set to each of the first supply process → the purge process → the second supply process → the purge process. By providing the adjustment gas supply pipe 142 that is substantially constant during the process, the pressure change in the processing chamber 102 can be significantly suppressed through each process.

  As described above, the present invention can be used for a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, such as a CVD apparatus.

1 is a plan sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the processing furnace used for the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the 1st explanatory view showing the opening-and-closing state of the valve of the processing furnace used for the substrate processing apparatus concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is the 2nd explanatory view showing the opening-and-closing state of the valve of the processing furnace used for the substrate processing apparatus concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is the 3rd explanatory view showing the opening-and-closing state of the valve of the processing furnace used for the substrate processing apparatus concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the processing furnace used for the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on a comparative example. It is the 1st explanatory view showing the opening and closing state of each valve of the processing furnace used for the substrate processing apparatus concerning a comparative example. It is the 1st explanatory view showing the opening and closing state of each valve of the processing furnace used for the substrate processing apparatus concerning a comparative example. It is the 1st explanatory view showing the opening and closing state of each valve of the processing furnace used for the substrate processing apparatus concerning a comparative example. FIG. (A) is a graph showing a change in the internal pressure of the processing furnace used in the substrate processing apparatus according to the comparative example, and FIG. (B) is a graph showing the internal pressure of the processing furnace used in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph which shows a change.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Substrate processing apparatus 18 Substrate 64 Processing furnace 102 Processing chamber 104 Heater susceptor 106 Substrate rotation unit 142 Adjustment gas supply pipe 144 Adjustment gas exhaust pipe 174 Adjustment gas supply unit

Claims (1)

Supplying at least two kinds of reactive gases alternately into a processing chamber containing a substrate;
Removing the residual portion of the reactive gas previously supplied before supplying the reactive gas different from the previously supplied reactive gas from the processing chamber, which is interposed between the supplying steps;
Is a substrate processing apparatus that generates a desired thin film on the substrate by repeating a plurality of times,
A substrate processing apparatus comprising a gas supply line for adjusting a flow rate so that a total gas amount supplied into the processing chamber is substantially constant during the process.

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