JP2008294138A - Substrate treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treatment device capable of suppressing harmful effects to substrate treatment by a back-streaming gas from an exhaust line to a treatment chamber to ensure satisfactory substrate treatment. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate treatment device 1 comprises the treatment chamber 201, an O<SB>3</SB>generation device 300 for generating the O<SB>3</SB>gas, a first gas supply pipe 232a used to supply the O<SB>3</SB>gas generated by the O<SB>3</SB>generation device 300, the exhaust line 302 branched from the first gas supply pipe 232a and used to exhaust the O<SB>3</SB>gas, a valve V2 provided to the first supply line 232a, a check valve 304 provided to the exhaust line 302, a pressure switch 306 for measuring the pressure at an upstream side in the exhaust direction than the check valve 304, a pressure gauge 310 at a downstream side in the exhaust direction than the check valve 304, and a controller 280 for interrupting or halting the substrate treatment when a differential pressure between the detected value of the pressure switch 306 and the detected value of the pressure gauge 310 exceeds the threshold value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a silicon wafer or a glass substrate in order to manufacture a semiconductor device, for example.

  A substrate processing apparatus having a processing chamber for processing a substrate, a supply line for supplying a processing gas to the processing chamber, and an exhaust line branched from the supply line is known. In such a substrate processing apparatus, the processing gas is supplied to the substrate processing chamber at a desired timing by switching between the supply of the processing gas from the supply line to the processing chamber and the exhaust of the processing gas from the exhaust line.

  However, in the substrate processing apparatus shown in the background art, for example, a contaminated processing gas may flow back to the substrate processing chamber from the exhaust line to the processing chamber, which adversely affects the substrate processing performed in the substrate processing chamber. There was a problem that there was a problem.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that suppresses adverse effects due to the backflow of gas from an exhaust line to a processing chamber and realizes good substrate processing.

  The first feature of the present invention is that a substrate is accommodated and a processing chamber for processing the substrate, a generation device for generating a desired processing gas, and a processing gas generated by the generation device in the processing chamber. A supply line used for supplying gas, an exhaust line branched from the supply line and used for exhausting process gas, an on-off valve provided in the supply line, and a reverse provided in the exhaust line A stop valve, an exhaust means for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber, a first pressure gauge that detects a pressure downstream of the check valve in a direction in which the processing gas flows, and a direction in which the processing gas flows, A second pressure gauge that detects a pressure upstream of the check valve, and at least a control unit that controls substrate processing in the processing chamber, wherein the control unit detects the first pressure gauge. Value and detection value of the second pressure gauge When the pressure difference exceeds the threshold, there is a substrate processing apparatus for interrupting or abort the process being executed by the processing chamber. Here, the upstream side of the check valve is a portion downstream of the generation device and not downstream of the check valve. That is, it is a portion including the supply line on the downstream side of the generating apparatus to the processing chamber and the exhaust means.

  The second feature of the present invention is that a substrate is accommodated and a processing chamber for processing the substrate, a generation device for generating a desired processing gas, and the generation device in the processing chamber are generated by the generation device. A supply line used for supplying the processing gas; an exhaust line branched from the supply line and used for exhausting the processing gas; a first on-off valve provided in the supply line; and the exhaust line A second on-off valve provided; an exhaust means for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber; and a control unit that controls at least the first and second on-off valves. The second on-off valve is closed at the same time, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, one of the first and second on-off valves is opened to supply the processing gas to the supply line and the processing gas from the exhaust line. Substrate processing to switch between exhaust Apparatus is in.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the backflow of the gas from an exhaust line to a process chamber can be suppressed, and the substrate processing apparatus which implement | achieves favorable substrate processing can be provided.

(First embodiment)
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 show a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is configured as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that performs processing steps in a semiconductor device (IC) manufacturing method. In the following description, a case where a vertical apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as a processing apparatus) that performs oxidation, diffusion processing, CVD processing, or the like is applied to the substrate as the substrate processing apparatus will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a processing apparatus applied to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the processing apparatus shown in FIG.

  On the front side of the housing 101, a cassette stage 105 is provided as a holder transfer member for transferring the cassette 100 as a substrate storage container to and from an external transfer device (not shown). Is provided with a cassette elevator 115 as a lifting means, and a cassette transfer machine 114 as a conveying means is attached to the cassette elevator 115. Further, a cassette shelf 109 as a mounting means for the cassette 100 is provided on the rear side of the cassette elevator 115, and a spare cassette shelf 110 is also provided above the cassette stage 105. A clean unit 118 is provided above the spare cassette shelf 110 and is configured to distribute clean air inside the casing 101.

  A processing furnace 202 is provided above the rear portion of the housing 101, and a boat 217 as a substrate holding unit that holds the wafers 200 as substrates in a horizontal posture in multiple stages is provided in the processing furnace 202 below the processing furnace 202. A boat elevator 121 is provided as an elevating means for raising and lowering, and a seal cap 219 as a lid is attached to the tip of an elevating member 122 attached to the boat elevator 121 to support the boat 217 vertically. . Between the boat elevator 121 and the cassette shelf 109, a transfer elevator 113 as an elevating means is provided, and a wafer transfer machine 112 as a substrate transfer means is attached to the transfer elevator 113. Next to the boat elevator 121, a furnace port shutter 116 is provided as a shielding member that has an opening / closing mechanism and closes the lower surface of the processing furnace 202.

  The cassette 100 loaded with the wafer 200 is loaded into the cassette stage 105 from an external transfer device (not shown) in an upward posture, and is moved 90 by the cassette stage 105 so that the wafer 200 is in a horizontal posture. ° Rotated. Further, the cassette 100 is moved from the cassette stage 105 to the cassette shelf 109 or the spare cassette shelf 110 by cooperation of the raising / lowering operation of the cassette elevator 115, the transverse operation, the advance / retreat operation of the cassette transfer machine 114, and the rotation operation. Be transported.

  The cassette shelf 109 has a transfer shelf 123 in which the cassette 100 to be transferred by the wafer transfer device 112 is stored. The cassette 100 to which the wafer 200 is transferred is the cassette elevator 115, The cassette is transferred to the transfer shelf 123 by the cassette transfer device 114.

  When the cassette 100 is transferred to the transfer shelf 123, the wafer 100 is lowered from the transfer shelf 123 by the cooperation of the forward / backward movement operation, the rotation operation, and the lifting / lowering operation of the transfer elevator 113. The wafer 200 is transferred to the boat 217.

  When a predetermined number of wafers 200 are transferred to the boat 217, the boat 121 is inserted into the processing furnace 202 by the boat elevator 121, and the processing furnace 202 is airtightly closed by the seal cap 219. In the processing furnace 202 that is airtightly closed, the wafer 200 is heated and a processing gas is supplied to the processing furnace 202 so that the wafer 200 is processed.

  When the processing on the wafer 200 is completed, the wafer 200 is transferred from the boat to the cassette 100 of the transfer shelf 123 by a procedure reverse to the above-described operation, and the cassette 100 is transferred to the cassette transfer machine 114. As a result, the sample is transferred from the transfer shelf 123 to the cassette stage 105 and is carried out of the casing 101 by an external transfer device (not shown). The furnace port shutter 116 closes the lower surface of the processing furnace 202 when the boat 217 is in the lowered state, and prevents outside air from being caught in the processing furnace 202.

  The transport operation of the cassette transfer machine 114 and the like is controlled by the transport control means 124.

Next, the processing furnace 202 described above will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vertical substrate processing furnace suitably used in the present embodiment, showing a processing furnace 202 portion in a vertical cross section, and FIG. 4 is a vertical type suitably used in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the substrate processing furnace of FIG.

  A reaction tube 203 as a reaction vessel for processing a wafer 200 as a substrate is provided inside a heater 207 as a heating device (heating means), and a manifold 209 is airtight at the lower end of the reaction tube 203 by, for example, stainless steel. The lower end opening is hermetically closed through the O-ring 220 by a seal cap 219 as a lid through an O-ring 220 that is a member, and at least a processing chamber 201 is formed by the reaction tube 203, the manifold 209, and the seal cap 219. ing. A boat 217 as a substrate holding member (substrate holding means) is erected on the seal cap 219 via a boat support base 218, and the boat support base 218 serves as a holding body for holding the boat. Then, the boat 217 is inserted into the processing chamber 201. A plurality of wafers 200 to be batch-processed are stacked on the boat 217 in a horizontal posture in multiple stages in the tube axis direction. The heater 207 heats the wafer 200 inserted into the processing chamber 201 to a predetermined temperature.

  Two gas supply pipes (a first gas supply pipe 232a and a second gas supply pipe 232b) are provided as a supply path for supplying a plurality of types of processing gases, here two types of processing gases, to the processing chamber 201. The first gas supply pipe 232a is provided with a liquid mass flow controller 240 that is a flow rate control device (flow rate control means), a vaporizer 242, and a valve V1 that is an on-off valve in order from the upstream direction. Further, a carrier gas supply pipe (not shown) is connected to the first gas supply pipe 232a so that the carrier gas is supplied to the first gas supply pipe 232a via the carrier gas supply pipe. It has become.

  Further, at the tip of the first gas supply pipe 232a, an arc-shaped space between the inner wall of the reaction tube 203 constituting the processing chamber 201 and the wafer 200 is formed on the inner wall above the lower portion of the reaction tube 203. A first nozzle 233a is provided along the stacking direction of the wafer 200, and a first gas supply hole 248a, which is a supply hole for supplying gas, is provided on a side surface of the first nozzle 233a. The first gas supply holes 248a have the same opening area from the lower part to the upper part, and are provided at the same opening pitch.

The second gas supply pipe 232b is provided with an O ₃ generator 300, a mass flow controller MFC1 that is a flow rate control device (flow rate control means), and a valve V2 that is an on-off valve in order from the upstream direction. Further, a carrier gas supply pipe (not shown) is connected to the second gas supply pipe 232b so that the carrier gas is supplied to the second gas supply pipe 232b through the carrier gas supply pipe. It has become.

  In addition, at the tip of the second gas supply pipe 232 b, an arc-shaped space between the inner wall of the reaction tube 203 constituting the processing chamber 201 and the wafer 200 is formed on the inner wall above the lower portion of the reaction tube 203. A second nozzle 233b is provided along the loading direction of the wafer 200, and a second gas supply hole 248b, which is a supply hole for supplying gas, is provided on the side surface of the second nozzle 233b. The second gas supply holes 248b have the same opening area from the lower part to the upper part, and are provided at the same opening pitch.

  For example, when the raw material supplied from the first gas supply pipe 232a is liquid, the first gas supply pipe 232a is illustrated via the liquid mass flow controller 240, the vaporizer 242, and the valve V1, and further via the nozzle 233a. A reaction gas mixed with a carrier gas supplied from a carrier gas supply pipe which is omitted is supplied into the processing chamber 201. For example, when the raw material supplied from the first gas supply pipe 232a is gas, the liquid mass flow controller 240 is replaced with a gas mass flow controller, and the vaporizer 242 becomes unnecessary. The reaction gas mixed with the carrier gas supplied from the carrier gas supply pipe (not shown) is processed from the second gas supply pipe 232b through the mass flow controller MFC1 and the valve V2, and further through the second nozzle 233b. It is supplied into the chamber 201.

An exhaust line 302 is provided at a position between the O ₃ generator of the second gas supply pipe 232b and the mass flow controller MFC1 so as to branch from the second gas supply pipe 232b. Exhaust line 302 is used to evacuate the O ₃ gas generated in the O ₃ generator, for example, the negative pressure generating is provided as a factory facility equipment be connected to a (not shown), the negative pressure O ₃ gas is exhausted through the exhaust line 302 by the negative pressure generated by the generator. In addition, the exhaust line 302 is provided with a check valve 304 that may be referred to as a check valve, a pressure SW 306 and a pressure gauge 308 that are used as a first pressure gauge, in order from the upstream side of the O ₃ gas in the exhaust direction. ing.

The pressure SW 306 is used to detect the pressure downstream of the check valve 304 in the O ₃ gas exhaust direction of the exhaust line 302, and is connected to a controller 280 described later, and outputs the detected pressure to the controller 280. To do. The pressure SW 306 is used, for example, for environment setting or daily inspection of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

Further, the processing chamber 201 is connected to a vacuum pump 246 used as an exhaust means for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber 201 through a valve V3 by a gas exhaust pipe 231 which is an exhaust pipe for exhausting gas, and is evacuated. It has become so. The valve V3 is an open / close valve that can open and close the valve to stop evacuation / evacuation of the processing chamber 201, and further adjust the valve opening to adjust the pressure. The exhaust pipe 231 is provided with a pressure gauge 310 that detects the pressure in the exhaust pipe 231. The pressure gauge 310 is used as a second pressure gauge that detects the pressure downstream of the valve V1 in the exhaust direction of the processing gas (O ₃ gas). The pressure gauge 310 is connected to a controller 280 described later, and outputs the detected pressure to the controller 280.

  A boat 217 for mounting a plurality of wafers 200 in multiple stages at the same interval is provided at the center of the reaction tube 203. The boat 217 can enter and exit the reaction tube 203 by a boat elevator mechanism (not shown). It has become. Further, a boat rotation mechanism 267 for rotating the boat 217 is provided to improve the uniformity of processing, and the boat 217 supported by the boat support 218 is rotated by driving the boat rotation mechanism 267. It is like that.

  The controller 280 as a control unit (control means) includes a liquid mass flow controller 240, a mass flow controller MFC1, valves V1, V2, V3, a heater 207, a vacuum pump 246, a boat rotation mechanism 267, a boat lifting mechanism (not shown), and a pressure SW306. The pressure detected by the pressure SW 306 and the pressure detected by the pressure gauge 310 are input, the flow rate adjustment of the liquid mass flow controller 240 and the mass flow controller MFC1, the opening and closing of the valves V1, V2, and V3, and the pressure adjustment operation The temperature adjustment of the heater 207, the start / stop of the vacuum pump 246, the rotation speed adjustment of the boat rotation mechanism 267, and the raising / lowering operation control of the boat lifting mechanism are performed.

FIG. 5 shows a check valve 304.
As shown in FIG. 5A, the check valve 304 has, for example, a substantially spherical shape and has a valve body 314 that is movably provided in the exhaust line 302. One end of an elastic body 316 such as a coil spring is fixed on the downstream side (pressure SW 306 and pressure gauge 308 side) of the processing gas (O ₃ gas) in the valve body 314 in the exhaust direction. The other end of the elastic body 316 is fixed to the exhaust line 302 on the downstream side in the exhaust direction from the one end.

  The check valve 304 includes a seating member 317 on which the valve body 314 is seated. The seating member 317 is disposed upstream of the valve body 314 in the exhaust line 302 in the exhaust direction of the processing gas, has a through hole through which the processing gas can pass, and the valve body 314. A seating surface 318 on which the valve body 314 is seated is formed on the side of the seat. In the exhaust line 302, the seating surface is formed in a mortar shape in which the upstream side in the direction in which the processing gas is exhausted is formed, and the downstream side, that is, the valve body 314 side is wide. The process gas flow is sealed.

  In the check valve 304, when the processing gas is normally exhausted, as shown in FIG. 5A, the valve body 314 and the seating surface 318 are separated from each other, and the valve body 314 and the seating surface 318 are separated. The processing gas is exhausted from the upstream side to the downstream side. On the other hand, when the vacuum for exhausting the processing gas is weakened and the pressure on the downstream side of the valve body 314 in the exhaust line 302 is increased, the pressure causes the valve body 314 to resist the elasticity of the elastic body 316. Move upstream in the exhaust direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 5C, the valve body 314 is seated on the seating surface 318. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the processing gas from flowing backward from the downstream side of the valve body 314 to the upstream side of the valve body 314, that is, the processing chamber 201 (FIG. 3) side.

  Even when the evacuation for exhausting the processing gas is weakened and the pressure on the downstream side of the valve body 314 of the exhaust line 302 is increased, the pressure on the downstream side of the valve body and the pressure on the upstream side If the difference is not sufficient, the valve element 314 does not move to the position where it sits on the seating surface 318 as shown in FIG. In this case, a backflow of the processing gas occurs between the valve body 314 and the seating surface 318 and from the downstream side of the valve body 314 to the upstream side of the valve body 314, that is, the processing chamber 201 (FIG. 3) side. End up.

Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is performed using HfO using TEMAH and O ₃ , which are one of semiconductor device manufacturing processes, for a film forming process example using the ALD method. _A description will be given based on an example of forming _two films.

  ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) method, which is one of CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) methods, uses reactive gases as at least two kinds of raw materials used for film formation under certain film formation conditions (temperature, time, etc.). This is a method in which one type is alternately supplied onto a substrate, adsorbed onto the substrate in units of one atom, and film formation is performed using a surface reaction. At this time, the film thickness is controlled by the number of cycles for supplying the reactive gas (for example, if the film forming speed is 1 kg / cycle, 20 cycles are performed when a 20 mm film is formed).

In the ALD method, for example, in the case of HfO ₂ film formation, high quality at a low temperature of 180 to 250 ° C. using TEMAH (Hf [NCH ₃ C ₂ H ₅ ] ₄ , tetrakismethylethylaminohafnium) and O ₃ (ozone). Film formation is possible.

  First, as described above, the wafers 200 are loaded into the boat 217 and loaded into the processing chamber 201. After the boat 217 is carried into the processing chamber 201, the following three steps are sequentially executed.

(Step 1)
In order to flow TEMAH through the first gas supply pipe 232a, both the valve V1 of the first gas supply pipe 232a and the valve V3 of the gas exhaust pipe 231 are opened. At this time, a carrier gas such as N ₂ gas may be supplied from a carrier gas supply pipe (not shown) into the first gas supply pipe 232a so that a mixed gas of carrier gas and TEMAH flows. TEMAH is supplied from the upstream side of the first gas supply pipe 232a, adjusted in flow rate by the liquid mass flow controller 240, vaporized by the vaporizer 242, passes through the valve V1, and passes through the first gas supply hole 248a of the first nozzle 233a. From the gas exhaust pipe 231 while being supplied into the processing chamber 201.

  At this time, the inside of the processing chamber 201 is maintained within a predetermined pressure range by appropriately adjusting the valve V3. The supply amount of TEMAH controlled by the liquid mass flow controller 240 is, for example, 0.01 to 0.1 g / min. The time for exposing the wafer 200 to the TEMAH gas is, for example, 30 to 180 seconds. At this time, the temperature of the heater 207 is set so that the temperature of the wafer falls within a range of 180 to 250 ° C., for example. By supplying TEMAH into the processing chamber 201, surface reaction (chemical adsorption) with a surface portion such as a base film on the wafer 200 occurs.

(Step 2)
The valve V1 of the first gas supply pipe 232a is closed, and the supply of TEMAH is stopped. At this time, the valve V3 of the gas exhaust pipe 231 is kept open, and the inside of the processing chamber 201 is exhausted to 20 Pa or less by the vacuum pump 246, and the residual TEMAH gas is removed from the processing chamber 201. At this time, for example, if an inert gas such as N ₂ is supplied into the processing chamber 201, the effect of removing residual TEMAH gas is further enhanced.

(Step 3)
In order to flow O ₃ through the second gas supply pipe 232b, the valve V2 of the second gas supply pipe 232b is opened. At this time, a carrier gas such as N ₂ gas is supplied from a carrier gas supply pipe (not shown) into the first gas supply pipe 232a so that a mixed gas of the carrier gas and the O ₃ gas flows. good. O ₃ gas is generated from O ₂ by the O ₃ generator 300, the flow rate is adjusted by the mass flow controller MFC1, and the valve V2 is passed through the second gas supply hole 248b of the second nozzle 233b into the processing chamber 201. The gas is exhausted from the gas exhaust pipe 231 while being supplied.

At this time, the inside of the processing chamber 201 is maintained within a predetermined pressure range by appropriately adjusting the valve V3. The time for exposing the wafer 200 to O ₃ is, for example, 10 to 120 seconds. The heater 207 is set so that the temperature of the wafer at this time is in the range of 180 to 250 ° C., for example, as in the case of supplying the TEMAH gas in Step 1. By supplying O ₃ , TEMAH chemically adsorbed on the surface of the wafer 200 and O ₃ react with each other, and an HfO ₂ film is formed on the wafer 200.

After the film formation, the valve V2 of the second gas supply pipe 232b is closed, the inside of the processing chamber 201 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 246, and the remaining gas is removed. At this time, when an inert gas such as N ₂ is supplied into the reaction tube 203, the effect of removing the remaining gas after contributing to the film formation of O ₃ from the processing chamber 201 is enhanced.

Further, steps 1 to 3 described above are set as one cycle, and by repeating this cycle a plurality of times, an HfO ₂ film having a predetermined thickness can be formed on the wafer 200.

Through the steps 1 to 3 described above, the O ₃ generator 300 continues to operate. Thus, the flow rate of O ₃ supplied from the O ₃ generator 300 can be stabilized. For this reason, at the timing when TEMAH is supplied to the processing chamber 201 in step 1, the O ₃ gas generated by the O ₃ generator 300 is exhausted using the exhaust line 302. At this time, the removal of O ₃ is performed by, for example, a negative pressure generator (not shown) provided as factory equipment provided downstream of the exhaust line 302 in the O ₃ gas exhaust direction.

In the state where the valve V2 of the second gas supply pipe 232b is opened in Step 2 described above, the exhaust line 302 and the negative pressure generator connected to the exhaust line 302 are processed through the second supply pipe 232b. In communication with the chamber 201. For this reason, O ₃ gas or the like may flow back into the processing chamber 201 from the exhaust line 302 or the negative pressure generator connected to the exhaust line 302 to contaminate the processing chamber 201. When the inside of the processing chamber 201 is contaminated, the quality of the wafer 200 to be processed is degraded. Therefore, in this embodiment, a check valve 304 is provided in the exhaust line 302 to prevent a back flow of gas from the exhaust line 302 side to the processing chamber 201 and to suppress deterioration of the quality of the wafer 200.

  However, as described above, even when the evacuation for exhausting the processing gas is weakened and the pressure on the downstream side of the valve body 314 of the exhaust line 302 becomes higher, the pressure on the downstream side of the valve body If the difference between the pressure and the upstream pressure is not sufficient, the check valve 304 cannot prevent the backflow of gas from the exhaust line 302 side to the processing chamber 201 (see FIG. 5B). Therefore, in this embodiment, the quality of the wafer 200 to be processed is reduced by the control by the controller 280 based on the outputs of the pressure SW 306 and the pressure gauge 310.

For example, before the processing of the wafer 200 or during the processing of the wafer 200, the controller 280 outputs the output from the pressure SW 306, that is, the pressure value downstream of the O ₃ gas in the exhaust direction from the check valve 304 of the exhaust line 302. (Hereinafter, “downstream pressure value”) is input. In addition, an input value on the upstream side, that is, the processing chamber 201 side in the direction in which the processing gas is exhausted from the valve V2 (hereinafter, “upstream pressure value”) is input from the pressure gauge 310 to the controller 280. . Then, the controller 280 calculates a differential pressure between the input upstream pressure value and the downstream pressure value, and determines whether or not this differential pressure is below a predetermined threshold value. The threshold value used for the determination is set in advance to a value at which the downstream pressure is sufficiently lower than the upstream pressure, and normally no back flow of gas into the processing chamber 201 occurs.

  As a result of the determination, if the differential pressure between the upstream pressure value and the downstream pressure value is calculated and it is determined that the differential pressure is below a predetermined threshold value, the controller 280 determines that the substrate processing is performed. If the substrate is being processed by the apparatus 1, the processing of the wafer 200 is interrupted. In addition, if the substrate processing apparatus 1 is before substrate processing, the controller 280 stops the start of new processing. Thereby, it is possible to make it difficult to process the wafer 200 in the processing chamber 201 in a state where the gas flows backward from the exhaust line 302.

  FIG. 6 shows a configuration of a processing furnace 202 used in a comparative example compared with the first embodiment. In the first embodiment described above, the check valve 304, the pressure SW 306, and the pressure gauge 308 are provided in the exhaust line 302. On the other hand, in this comparative example, the check valve 304 is provided in the exhaust line 302, but the check valve 304 and the pressure SW 306 are not provided. For this reason, in this comparative example, the backflow of gas from the exhaust line 302 to the processing chamber 201 side by the check valve 304 is prevented as in the first embodiment, but the controller is based on the output from the pressure SW 306 or the like. The processing of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is not stopped or interrupted in a state in which the backflow of gas to the processing chamber 201 is likely to occur, which is performed by the H.280.

  FIG. 7 shows a schematic configuration of the processing furnace 202 used in the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment described above, the check valve 304, the pressure SW 306, and the pressure gauge 308 are provided in the exhaust line 302. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the exhaust line 302 is provided with a valve V4 used as a second on-off valve. The valve V4 is connected to the controller 280 and is controlled by the controller 280 to open and close.

In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment previously described, or to supply the O ₃ generated by the O ₃ generator 300 to the processing chamber 201, if to exhaust through the exhaust line 302 A switch is made. When supplying O ₃ to the processing chamber 201, the valve V2 used as the first on-off valve is in an open state and the valve V4 is in a closed state. When exhausting the O ₃ gas using the exhaust line 302, the valve V2 is closed and the valve V1 is opened. The controller 280 controls the opening and closing of the valves V2 and V4 to switch between supplying the O ₃ generated by the O ₃ generator 300 to the processing chamber 201 or exhausting the O ₃ through the exhaust line 302. Made,

In the second embodiment, the controller 280, when switching the supply through the second gas supply pipe 232b of _{O 3,} and exhaust through the exhaust line 302 of the _{O 3,} valves V2 and the valve V4 Are closed at the same time, and control is performed so that either one of the valve V2 or the valve V4 is opened after a predetermined time has elapsed. That is, in order to switch from the state in which O ₃ is supplied through the second gas supply pipe 232b to the state in which O ₃ is exhausted through the exhaust line 302, the valve V2 is closed and the valves V2 and V4 are At the same time, the valve V4 is closed, and then the valve V4 is opened after a predetermined time. On the other hand, in order to switch from the state in which O ₃ is exhausted through the exhaust line 302 to the state in which O ₃ is supplied through the second gas supply pipe 232b, the valve V4 is closed and the valves V2 and V4 are At the same time, the valve V2 is closed, and then the valve V2 is opened after a predetermined time.

  By such control by the controller 280, the valve V4 and the valve V2 are simultaneously opened, and there is no timing at which the exhaust line 302 and the downstream side of the valve V4 communicate with the inside of the processing chamber 201. A backflow of gas from 302 to the processing chamber 201 does not occur. On the other hand, when the valve V4 or the valve V2 is closed and at the same time the other is opened, the valve V4 and the valve V2 are opened and closed at the timing when the valve V4 and the valve V2 are opened and closed. Since the inside of the processing chamber 201 may be in a communication state, a backflow of gas from the exhaust line 302 to the processing chamber 201 is likely to occur.

In FIG. 7, a purge gas line 324 used to supply N ₂ that is a purge gas is shown. The upstream side of the purge gas line 324 is connected to a source of N _{2 and} serves as an on-off valve. The downstream side branches into two via the valve V5 used. One of the branches is connected to the first gas supply pipe 232a via the MFC 2 and the valve V6. The other branched part is connected to the second gas supply pipe 232b via the MFC 3 and the valve V7. Note that in the second embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The present invention can be applied to, for example, a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate such as a silicon wafer or a glass substrate in order to manufacture a semiconductor device.

1 is a perspective view showing an entire substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the whole substrate processing apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the reaction furnace used for the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line in FIG. 3 of the reactor used for the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5A shows the configuration and operation of the check valve used in the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which gas flows through the check valve, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view for explaining a state in which gas flows back through the check valve, and FIG. 5C is an explanatory view for explaining a state in which the back flow of gas is prevented by the check valve. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on the comparative example of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the substrate place apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 substrate processing apparatus 200 wafer 201 processing chamber 231 gas exhaust pipe 232a first gas supply pipe 232b second gas supply pipe 280 controller 300 _{O 3} generator 302 exhaust line 304 check valve 306 pressure SW
310 Pressure gauge V2 valve

Claims (1)

A processing chamber for accommodating the substrate and processing the substrate;
A generating device for generating a desired processing gas;
A supply line used for supplying the processing gas generated by the generator into the processing chamber;
An exhaust line that branches off from the supply line and is used to exhaust process gas;
An on-off valve provided in the supply line;
A check valve provided in the exhaust line;
Exhaust means for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber;
A first pressure gauge that detects a pressure downstream of the check valve in a direction in which the processing gas is exhausted;
A second pressure gauge for detecting a pressure upstream of the check valve in a direction in which the processing gas is exhausted;
At least a control unit for controlling the substrate processing in the processing chamber;
Have
The controller is
The substrate processing apparatus which interrupts or cancels the process currently performed in the said process chamber when the differential pressure | voltage of the detected value of a said 1st pressure gauge and the detected value of a said 2nd pressure gauge exceeds a threshold value.

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