JP2008227201A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an unnecessary space from being formed in a furnace opening, to prevent a gas from being entrained, and to prevent a foreign material from mixing, in a substrate processing apparatus of a boat exchange type. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate processing apparatus is equipped with: a treatment room for accommodating and processing a substrate; an opening 4 for carrying the substrate in the treatment room and for taking out the substrate from the treatment room; closure means 5 for locking out the opening 4; a substrate holder 7 which holds the substrate in the treatment room and is mounted in the closure means 5; and attachment and detachment means for attaching and detaching the substrate holder 7 taken out from the treatment room to the closure means 5, wherein a mixing prevention member 15 for narrowing an inner diameter of the opening 4 is provided in the opening 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs processing such as thin film formation, impurity diffusion, and etching on a substrate surface such as a silicon wafer, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus that uses two or more substrate holders. is there.

  As the substrate processing apparatus, there are a single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus that processes substrates one by one, and a batch type substrate processing apparatus that processes a required number of sheets at a time. (Hereinafter referred to as wafers) are loaded into the substrate holder (hereinafter referred to as boat) in multiple stages in a horizontal posture, the boat is loaded into the processing chamber by the substrate holder lifting means (hereinafter referred to as boat elevator), and the wafer is held in the boat. In the processing chamber, the wafer is heated and a processing gas is introduced to perform a required processing.

  In addition, using a plurality of boats, using the time during which wafers are processed by one boat, the processed wafers are discharged to the other boat, and unprocessed wafers are loaded to improve throughput. There is a substrate processing apparatus.

  The boat exchange type substrate processing apparatus includes a boat exchange apparatus, and the boat exchange apparatus is loaded with unprocessed wafers by a pair of independently rotating arms and loaded with a boat (hereinafter referred to as a process boat) and processed wafers. A new boat (hereinafter, treated boat) is exchanged.

  FIG. 9 shows an outline of a vertical processing furnace. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 1 denotes a metal inlet flange, 2 denotes a quartz reaction tube installed in an airtight manner on the inlet flange 1, and the inlet An exhaust pipe 3 is connected to the flange 1. FIG. 10 shows a vertical processing furnace that does not include the inlet flange 1, and the exhaust pipe 3 is provided below the reaction pipe 2. In FIGS. 9 and 10, the heating device is omitted. Hereinafter, the vertical processing furnace including the inlet flange 1 will be described.

  The lower end opening of the inlet flange 1 forms a furnace port 4, which is hermetically closed by a seal cap 5 that is raised and lowered by a boat elevator (not shown), and the inlet flange 1 and the reaction tube 2. The processing chamber 6 is defined by the seal cap 5.

  A boat 7 is placed on the seal cap 5 by a boat exchange device (not shown), and a boat receiving shaft 8 is provided on the seal cap 5, and the boat receiving shaft 8 is connected to the boat. 7 is placed via a boat cradle 9.

  FIG. 11A shows the relationship between the furnace opening and the boat exchange device. FIG. 11B shows a state where the seal cap 5 is lowered, and the boat 7 is placed on the seal cap 5 via the arm 11 of the boat exchange device. The boat 7 is moved to above the seal cap 5 while being held by the arm 11, and further, the arm 11 is lowered so that the boat 7 is connected to the boat support shaft via the boat support 9. 8 is supported. Thereafter, the transfer of the boat 11 to the seal cap 5 is completed as the arm 11 moves backward.

  In order to transfer the boat 7 to and from the seal cap 5 by the arm 11, a space is required below the boat 7 for the arm 11 to enter, move up and down, and retract. A space 12 having a height H is formed between the lower surface of the boat 7 and the seal cap 5 even in the state of being accommodated in the processing chamber 6.

  If the space 12 is formed at the furnace opening, gas may be entrained and foreign matter may be mixed in, which may cause particles and may cause contamination of the wafer by the foreign matter.

  For this reason, in a substrate processing apparatus that is not a boat exchangeable type, an anti-mixing member 13 that occupies the space 12 is provided as shown in FIG. 12, or the boat receiving shaft 8 is shortened as shown in FIG. Measures such as doing are taken. However, as described above, the boat exchange-type substrate processing apparatus requires a space for the arm 11 to enter, move up and down, retreat, and provide the mixing prevention member 13 or shorten the boat receiving shaft 8. Then, there arises a problem that the arm 11 interferes with the mixing prevention member 13, the boat cradle 9 and the like.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention prevents the formation of useless space in the furnace port portion even in a boat exchange-type substrate processing apparatus, and attempts to prevent entrainment of gas and contamination of foreign matter. It is.

  The present invention includes a processing chamber for storing and processing a substrate, an opening for carrying the substrate into and out of the processing chamber, a closing means for closing the opening, and holding the substrate in the processing chamber, A substrate holder placed on the closing means; and an attachment / detachment means for attaching / detaching the substrate holder carried out of the processing chamber to / from the closing means, wherein the opening is mixed to narrow the inner diameter of the opening. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus provided with a prevention member.

  According to the present invention, a processing chamber for storing and processing a substrate, an opening for carrying the substrate into and out of the processing chamber, a closing means for closing the opening, and holding the substrate in the processing chamber. A substrate holder placed on the closing means, and an attaching / detaching means for attaching / detaching the substrate holder carried out of the processing chamber to / from the closing means, wherein the opening has an inner diameter of the opening. Since a narrowing prevention member is provided, the gap below the substrate holder is reduced in a state where the substrate holder is inserted into the processing chamber, and it is excellent that gas entrainment and contamination of foreign substances are suppressed. Demonstrate the effect.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, a substrate processing apparatus in which the present invention is implemented will be described with reference to FIGS.

  1 to 5, the same components as those shown in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The substrate processing apparatus 21 includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing 22. A clean unit 23 is installed in the rear part of the left side wall of the housing 22 (the left and right front and rear are based on FIG. 2). The clean unit 23 supplies clean air to the inside of the housing 22. It has become. A heat treatment stage 24 is provided substantially at the center of the rear part in the inside of the housing 22, and a standby stage 25 for temporarily placing and waiting for an empty boat before and after the left side of the heat treatment stage 24 and the processed boat A cooling stage 26 is provided for temporarily placing and cooling.

  A substrate transfer stage 27 is set in the approximate center of the front part inside the housing 22, and a pod stage 28 is provided in front of the substrate transfer stage 27. A notch aligning device 29 is installed on the left side of the substrate transfer stage 27. Hereinafter, the configuration of each stage will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an upper tube-shaped reaction tube 2 made of quartz glass and having a lower end opened is concentrically and vertically on the inlet flange 1. It is installed airtight. The reaction tube 2 and the inlet flange 1 form a processing chamber 6 for storing and processing wafers, and the lower end opening of the inlet flange 1 constitutes a furnace port 4 in which the boat 7 is loaded and unloaded.

  A mixing prevention member 15 (see FIG. 7) is fitted into a portion of the inlet flange 1 that is in contact with the furnace port 4. The anti-mixing member 15 narrows the gap with the boat cradle 9 to prevent gas entrainment and foreign matter from entering, which will be described later.

  The inner diameter of the reaction tube 2 is set to be larger than the maximum outer diameter of the wafer and boat to be accommodated, and a gas introduction tube 31 and the like described later are provided between the inner wall surface of the reaction tube 2 and the wafer and boat. Arranged.

  An exhaust pipe 3 is connected to the side wall of the inlet flange 1 so as to communicate with the processing chamber 6. The other end of the exhaust pipe 3 is a vacuum for evacuating the processing chamber 6 to a predetermined degree of vacuum. It is connected to an exhaust device (not shown).

  The gas introduction pipe 31 is provided in the processing chamber 6 so as to penetrate the side wall of the inlet flange 1. The gas introduction pipe 31 is connected to a gas supply device (not shown) for supplying a gas such as a raw material gas or nitrogen gas so that a processing gas is introduced into the processing chamber 6 through the gas introduction pipe 31. It has become.

  A heating device 32 is concentrically disposed outside the reaction tube 2 so as to surround the reaction tube 2, and the heating device 32 is supported vertically by the housing 22. The heating device 32 is configured to uniformly heat the processing chamber 6 over the whole by a heating unit control device (not shown).

  Immediately below the reaction tube 2, a seal cap 5 is disposed concentrically as a closing means for sealingly closing the furnace port 4 in airtight contact with the lower surface of the inlet flange 1. The boat elevator 33 moves up and down in the vertical direction. The seal cap 5 is configured to place the boat 7 vertically on a center line via a boat receiving shaft 8.

  Two boats 7 are alternately mounted on and supported by the seal cap 5, and are attached to and detached from the reaction tube 2 by the boat elevator 33.

  The boat 7 is made of quartz, and holds the wafers 34 in a horizontal posture at multiple pitches at a required pitch in the vertical direction. A heat insulating cap portion 35 is formed in the lower portion of the boat 7, and the heat insulating cap portion 35 is placed on the seal cap 5 via the boat receiving shaft 8, and the boat receiving shaft 8 is the heat insulating cap portion. Between the lower surface of 35 and the seal cap 5, a space 12 in which an arm of a boat exchange device 36 to be described later is inserted and lifted is formed.

  Between the standby stage 25 and the cooling stage 26, the boat exchange device 36 for transferring the boat 7 between the heat treatment stage 24, the standby stage 25 and the cooling stage 26 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the boat changing device 36 includes a boat attaching / detaching means. The boat attaching / detaching means is a first arm 37 and a second arm 38 which are formed in an arc shape so as not to interfere with the boat receiving shaft 8, and the first arm 37 and the second arm 38 are rotated first. The unit 39 and the second rotating unit 40 can reciprocate by about 90 degrees in a horizontal plane, and can be moved up and down by the first lifting drive unit 42 and the second lifting drive unit 43.

  The first arm 37 and the second arm 38 are engaged with the heat insulating cap portion 35 from below while being inserted outside the boat receiving shaft 8 by the cooperation of rotation and elevation, whereby the boat 7 The whole is supported vertically.

  The standby stage 25 is provided with a standby table 44 that vertically supports the boat 7, and the first arm 37 holds the boat 7 between the standby table 44 and the seal cap 5 of the heat treatment stage 24. It is configured to transfer (see FIG. 2). A cooling table 45 is installed on the cooling stage 26, and the second arm 38 is configured to transfer the boat 7 between the cooling table 45 and the seal cap 5 of the heat treatment stage 24. .

  An exhaust fan 46 is provided at the right corner of the housing 22 so as to face the clean unit 23, and a clean air flow 47 is formed from the clean unit 23 toward the exhaust fan 46. ing.

  The substrate transfer stage 27 includes a substrate transfer device 49, and the substrate transfer device 49 transfers a wafer 34 between the pod 50 of the pod stage 28 and the boat 7 of the standby stage 25. It is configured to do.

  The substrate transfer device 49 includes a plurality of tweezers 48 (five in the present embodiment) for supporting the wafer 34 from below, and the tweezers 48 are driven by an advancing / retreating drive unit, a rotation drive unit, and a lift drive unit. The substrate transfer device 49 is supported so as to be able to advance, retreat, rotate, and move up and down.

  On the pod stage 28, a FOUP (front opening unified pod, hereinafter referred to as a pod 50) as a carrier (substrate transfer container) for transferring the wafer 34 is placed one by one.

  The pod 50 is formed in a substantially cubic box shape with one surface opened, and a door 51 is detachably attached to the opening. By cleaning the wafer 34 in the pod 50 and transporting it in a sealed state, the cleanliness of the wafer 34 can be maintained even if particles or the like are present in the surrounding atmosphere.

  The pod stage 28 is provided with a door opening / closing device (not shown) for opening and closing the door 51 of the pod 50.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control system 52 of the substrate processing apparatus.

  Each of the control systems 52 shown in FIG. 6 includes a main controller 58 constructed by a computer and a plurality of sub-controllers. As sub-controllers, a temperature control sub-controller 53 that controls the temperature of the processing chamber 6, a pressure control sub-controller 54 that controls the pressure of the processing chamber 6, and a gas flow rate of source gas, carrier gas, purge gas, etc. A gas control sub-controller 55 that controls various machines such as elevators, boat changers, and substrate transfer machines is constructed. These sub-controllers are connected to the main controller 58 in the control network 57. Connected by.

  The main controller 58 is connected to a console (control console) 59 as a display means and an input means, and a storage device 60 for storing recipes and the like. The console 59 includes a display, a keyboard, and a mouse. The console 59 is configured to display recipe contents (item names, numerical values of control parameters, etc.) on the display, and to transmit an operator's command using the keyboard and mouse. ing.

  Hereinafter, substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus will be described.

  A pod 50 containing a plurality of wafers 34 is supplied to the pod stage 28, the first boat 7 A is transferred to the standby table 44 by the boat exchange device 36, and the wafer 34 is transferred from the pod 50 of the pod stage 28. The substrate is transferred to the first boat 7A by the substrate transfer device 49.

  When the designated number of wafers 34 are loaded into the first boat 7A in the standby stage 25, the first boat 7A is moved from the standby stage 25 to the heat treatment by the first arm 37 of the boat exchange device 36. It is transferred to the stage 24 and transferred onto the seal cap 5. After the transfer, the first arm 37 returns to the standby stage 25.

  The first boat 7 </ b> A is lifted by the boat elevator 33 and charged into the processing chamber 6. When the first boat 7A reaches the upper limit, the seal cap 5 comes into close contact with the lower surface of the inlet flange 1 and closes the furnace port 4 in an airtight manner.

  When the processing chamber 6 is closed, the processing chamber 6 is evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum by the exhaust device through the exhaust pipe 3, and a predetermined processing temperature (for example, 800 to 1000 ° C.) by the heating device 32. ) Uniformly. When the temperature of the processing chamber 6 is stabilized, a processing gas is supplied to the processing chamber 6 through the gas introduction pipe 31 at a predetermined flow rate, and a predetermined film forming process is performed.

  During the film forming process on the first boat 7A, the second boat 7B is transferred onto the standby table 44 by the boat exchange device 36, and the wafer 34 of the pod 50 is transferred to the second boat 7B. It is loaded by the transfer machine 49.

  When the film forming process in the reaction tube 2 is completed, the first boat 7A is pulled out by the boat elevator 33. The first boat 7A (including the held wafer group 34) immediately after the processing is in a high temperature state.

  Subsequently, the processed first boat 7A in a high temperature state is immediately transferred to the cooling stage 26 by the second arm 38 of the boat exchange device 36. The second arm 38 is inserted into the outside of the boat receiving shaft 8 of the processed first boat 7A and engaged with the engaging portion of the heat insulating cap portion 35 from below, so that the processed first boat 7A is processed. The first boat 7A that has been treated is transferred from the top of the seal cap 5 of the heat treatment stage 24 onto the cooling table 45 of the cooling stage 26 by placing it about 90 degrees while being vertically supported. To do.

  The cooling stage 26 is in the clean air flow 47 blown from the clean unit 23, and the first boat 7 </ b> A in a high temperature state is cooled very effectively by the clean air flow 47.

  The first boat 7A cooled to, for example, 150 ° C. or less on the cooling table 45 is transferred to the standby stage 25 via the heat treatment stage 24 by the boat exchange device 36. That is, the first boat 7A is transferred from the cooling stage 26 to the heat treatment stage 24 by the second arm 38 of the boat changer 36, and then the first arm 37 is moved to the first boat of the heat treatment stage 24. 7A is transferred to the standby table 44.

  When the first boat 7A is returned to the standby table 44, the substrate transfer device 49 delivers the processed wafer 34 from the first boat 7A of the standby table 44 to the pod 50 of the pod stage 28.

  When all processed wafers 34 are returned to the pod 50, unprocessed wafers 34 to be processed next are transferred to the first boat 7 </ b> A on the standby table 44 by the substrate transfer device 49. go.

  Thereafter, the above-described operation is alternately repeated between the first boat 7A and the second boat 7B, whereby a large number of wafers 34 are batch processed by the substrate processing apparatus.

  Next, the furnace port portion 14 in which the present invention is implemented will be described with reference to FIG.

  7A, the same components as those shown in FIG. 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  A mixing prevention member 15 is fitted into the inner surface of the inlet flange 1.

  The mixing prevention member 15 has a short cylindrical shape, and the inner diameter forms a gap G that allows the boat 7 to be loaded and unloaded without hindrance from the maximum diameter portion such as the boat cradle 9 or the bottom plate 7a of the boat 7. Shall be. Further, the upper and outer peripheral portions of the mixing prevention member 15 are small diameter portions 15a that form a space 16 between the inner surface of the inlet flange 1 so as not to block the flow path of the exhaust pipe 3, An increase in exhaust resistance due to the provision of the mixing prevention member 15 is suppressed.

  The mixing prevention member 15 may be detachable from the inlet flange 1. Further, since the mixing preventing member 15 is provided on the inner surface of the inlet flange 1 so as not to interfere with the boat cradle 9 or the like, it can be applied to an existing processing furnace.

  FIG. 7B shows the relationship between the first arm 37 and the second arm 38 (hereinafter referred to as the first arm 37).

  The first arm 37 enters between the boat cradle 9 and the seal cap 5 when the seal cap 5 is detached from the inlet flange 1 and is lowered, and the mixing prevention member 15 is provided. Thus, there is no problem in the transfer operation of the boat 7 with respect to the seal cap 5.

  The axial length (height) of the mixing prevention member 15 may be a height excluding the small diameter portion 15a, that is, a height that does not reach the opening of the exhaust pipe 3.

  By providing the mixing prevention member 15, the gap between the boat cradle 9 and the boat 7 is narrowed, and gas entrainment and foreign matter mixing are suppressed.

  FIG. 8 shows another embodiment. FIG. 8A shows a state in which the boat 7 is inserted into the processing chamber 6, and FIG. 8B shows a state in which the boat 7 is lowered. In another embodiment, the shape of the inlet flange 1 is changed, and the anti-mixing member 15 is formed integrally with the inlet flange 1. That is, the contamination preventing member 15 is formed with a thickness near the furnace port 4 of the inlet flange 1. As in the case shown in FIG. 7, the mixing prevention member 15 is formed by narrowing the opening of the furnace port 4 and reducing the inner diameter to reduce the gap between the boat cradle 9 and the boat 7.

  The other embodiment shown in FIG. 8 can also be applied to an existing processing furnace by exchanging the inlet flange 1.

  Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to the reaction tube 2 that does not include the inlet flange 1 shown in FIG.

(Appendix)
The present invention includes the following embodiments.

  (Appendix 1) A processing chamber for forming a space for processing a substrate, a closing means for airtightly closing an opening for loading and unloading the substrate provided in the processing chamber, holding the substrate in the processing chamber, A substrate holding means placed on the closing means; and an attaching / detaching means for attaching / detaching the substrate holding means carried out of the processing chamber to / from the closing means, wherein the substrate holding means is connected to the closing means. It is placed on the closing means in a state where a gap for inserting the attaching / detaching means is formed therebetween, and the inner wall on the opening side of the processing chamber is provided with a portion protruding inward. Substrate processing equipment.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a substrate processing apparatus in which the present invention is implemented. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic elevational sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. It is the elevation cross-section schematic diagram of the state which lowered | hung the boat of this substrate processing apparatus. It is a perspective view of the boat exchange apparatus of this substrate processing apparatus. It is a block diagram of a control system of the substrate processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing of the furnace opening part of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention, (A) shows the state in which the boat was inserted, (B) shows the state in which the boat was lowered | hung. It is sectional drawing of the other furnace opening part of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention, (A) shows the state in which the boat was inserted, (B) shows the state in which the boat was lowered | hung. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of a vertical processing furnace. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows another example of a vertical processing furnace. It is sectional drawing of the furnace port part of the conventional substrate processing apparatus, (A) shows the state in which the boat was inserted, (B) shows the state in which the boat was lowered | hung. It is sectional drawing of the furnace port part of the other conventional substrate processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing of the furnace opening part of the conventional further another substrate processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inlet flange 2 Reaction tube 4 Furnace port 5 Seal cap 6 Processing chamber 7 Boat 8 Boat receiving shaft 9 Boat cradle 12 Space 15 Mixing prevention member 22 Case 33 Boat elevator 34 Wafer 36 Boat exchange device 37 1st arm 38 2nd Arm 49 Substrate transfer machine

Claims (1)

  A processing chamber for storing and processing the substrate, an opening for carrying the substrate into and out of the processing chamber, a closing means for closing the opening, a substrate held in the processing chamber, and mounted on the closing means And a detachable means for attaching and detaching the substrate holder carried out of the processing chamber with respect to the closing means, and a mixture preventing member for narrowing the inner diameter of the opening is provided in the opening. A substrate processing apparatus.

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