JP2009041095A - Film forming apparatus and cleaning method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a film forming apparatus capable of effectively cleaning a film forming chamber even when a substrate size increases and a cleaning method thereof. <P>SOLUTION: The film forming apparatus 10 is equipped with the film forming chamber 2 in which a substrate 20 is disposed, a substrate supporting section 15 installed inside the film forming chamber 2 and capable of loading the substrate 20, a shower plate 5 disposed opposite to the substrate supporting section 15 and having a plurality of small holes 6 to guide film forming gas into the film forming chamber 2, and a cleaning gas supply means for supplying activated cleaning gas to the film forming chamber 2 to remove deposits inside the film forming chamber 2. The cleaning gas supply means is equipped with a cleaning gas supply pipe 37 installed along the inside of the film forming chamber 2. In the cleaning method, the cleaning gas supply means supplies the cleaning gas from a plurality of gas exhaust nozzles 39 formed in the cleaning gas supply pipe 37 to a space between the shower plate 5 and the substrate supporting section 15, and supplies inert gas from the shower plate 5 toward the inside of the film forming chamber 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a cleaning method thereof.

  For example, in a film forming apparatus such as a CVD apparatus (plasma CVD apparatus) that forms a film on a substrate surface such as glass, a film forming process for supplying a film forming gas for forming a film on the substrate into the film forming chamber is repeatedly performed. The film also adheres to and deposits on portions other than the substrate to be deposited (a substrate support portion on which the substrate is placed, an inner wall of the deposition chamber, etc.). In the plasma CVD apparatus, a shower plate (counter electrode) is provided so as to be parallel to the electrode (substrate support part) on which the substrate is installed, and a film is deposited also on the shower plate. The deposition rate on the shower plate is substantially the same as the deposition rate of the substrate. That is, when 200 nm film deposition is sequentially performed on one substrate, a film of about 4000 nm is deposited on the shower plate by the film forming process of 20 substrates.

  Since this shower plate is also an electrode for applying high frequency power, it is made of a metal material such as aluminum. The shower plate repeats plasma treatment and evacuation in the film forming chamber, so it is difficult to keep the temperature constant, and the thermal expansion and contraction is slightly repeated. Further, ions and the like collide with the shower plate from the plasma. For these reasons, the film deposited on the shower plate may eventually peel off and fall onto the substrate surface. In a liquid crystal display manufacturing process or the like, deposits attached to the substrate lead to abnormalities such as pixel defects. For this reason, a cleaning process for removing the attached film is performed separately from the film forming process.

  As a method for introducing the cleaning gas into the film formation chamber, there are a method for introducing it from the shower plate in the same manner as a normal film formation gas and a method for introducing it from the side surface of the film formation chamber without using the shower plate. When the cleaning gas is introduced from the shower plate side, the back surface of the shower plate (the side opposite to the surface facing the substrate support portion) is also exposed to fluorine radicals contained in the cleaning gas. Aluminum or an anodized film of aluminum is formed on the surface of the shower plate, but there is a problem that a reaction of generating aluminum fluoride occurs due to fluorine radicals, which becomes particles. Further, since the radical itself deactivates due to the reaction of aluminum or an anodic oxide film with fluorine radicals, there is a problem that the amount of radicals that can be introduced into the film formation chamber where deposits are to be removed is reduced and cleaning efficiency is poor.

Furthermore, with the recent increase in size of substrates, the substrate support portion and film formation chamber that support the substrate have increased in size, and it has been necessary to more efficiently clean the film formation chamber. In order to solve these problems, there are gas introduction ports for the cleaning gas communicated directly into the film forming chamber without using the shower plate, and these gas introduction ports are respectively directed to the four corners of the substrate support portion. It has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-213551

  By the way, in the film-forming apparatus shown in the above-mentioned patent document 1, the flow of the cleaning gas is not uniform on the surface of the substrate support portion, so that a blind spot may be formed, and the deposit removal speed of the portion where the flow of the cleaning gas is slow There was a problem that was significantly slowed down. Furthermore, as the time for introducing the cleaning gas is longer, not only the running cost is increased, but also the load on the vacuum pump and the exhaust gas treatment facility is increased.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and provides a film forming apparatus and a cleaning method thereof that can efficiently clean the film forming chamber even if the substrate is enlarged.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a film formation chamber in which a substrate is disposed, a substrate support portion that is disposed in the film formation chamber and on which the substrate can be placed, and is disposed to face the substrate support portion. A shower plate having a plurality of small holes for introducing a film forming gas into the film forming chamber, and a cleaning for supplying an activated cleaning gas to the film forming chamber to remove deposits in the film forming chamber. In the cleaning method for a film forming apparatus, the cleaning gas supply means includes a cleaning gas supply pipe extending in the film forming chamber, and a plurality of cleaning gas supply pipes formed in the cleaning gas supply pipe. The cleaning gas is supplied from the gas ejection hole between the shower plate and the substrate support, and an inert gas is supplied from the shower plate toward the film formation chamber. It is characterized in.

  With this configuration, the cleaning gas containing radicals can be supplied directly into the film forming chamber, and the entire surface of the shower plate can be cleaned almost uniformly from the plurality of gas ejection holes formed in the cleaning gas supply pipe. Since gas can be supplied, cleaning can be performed efficiently. In addition, by supplying an inert gas from the shower plate to the film formation chamber, it is possible to suppress the cleaning gas from flowing into the back surface of the shower plate (inside the shower plate), so that radicals are on the back surface of the shower plate. It is possible to suppress the generation of particles by reacting with.

  The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that the cleaning gas is introduced toward the entire length of at least one side of the substrate support portion having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view.

  With this configuration, the cleaning gas can be supplied evenly and substantially evenly into the film formation chamber, so that the film formation chamber can be efficiently cleaned.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film formation chamber in which a substrate is disposed, a substrate support portion that is disposed in the film formation chamber and has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view and on which the substrate can be placed, and the substrate support portion. A shower plate having a plurality of small holes for introducing a deposition gas into the deposition chamber and an activated cleaning gas for removing deposits in the deposition chamber are provided. And a cleaning gas supply means for supplying the film into the film chamber.The cleaning gas supply means includes a cleaning gas supply pipe extending into the film formation chamber, and the cleaning gas supply pipe includes: A plurality of gas ejection holes for ejecting the cleaning gas are formed between the shower plate and the substrate support portion.

  With such a configuration, the cleaning gas of approximately the same amount is supplied from the gas ejection hole of the cleaning gas supply pipe to the entire surface of the shower plate substantially uniformly, so that the film forming chamber can be efficiently cleaned. Can do.

  The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that the cleaning gas supply means includes a pair of cleaning gas supply pipes arranged to face each other with the shower plate interposed therebetween.

  With this configuration, the cleaning gas is supplied from both sides of the shower plate, so that the cleaning efficiency in the deposition chamber can be further improved.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the cleaning gas supply pipe extends so as to face at least one side of the substrate support portion having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and the gas ejection hole is formed of the substrate support portion. And a plurality of them are formed at substantially equal intervals.

  With this configuration, the cleaning gas is supplied substantially evenly into the film formation chamber, so that the film formation chamber can be reliably cleaned.

  The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that the cleaning gas supply pipe is constituted by an alumina pipe disposed in a recess formed in a side wall of the film forming chamber.

  With this configuration, since the cleaning gas supply pipe can be disposed in the immediate vicinity of the cooling pipe generally disposed in the side wall of the film forming chamber, the cleaning gas supply pipe can be kept at a low temperature. Accordingly, radical deactivation can be suppressed in the cleaning gas supply pipe, and a cleaning gas containing radicals can be efficiently supplied into the film formation chamber. Moreover, since it comprised with the pipe | tube made from an alumina, it becomes possible to suppress reaction with cleaning gas, and can improve the durability of a cleaning gas supply pipe | tube.

  The invention described in claim 7 is characterized in that the cleaning gas supply pipe is constituted by an alumina pipe attached on a side wall surface of the film forming chamber.

  With this configuration, it is possible to easily attach the cleaning gas supply pipe, and it is possible to realize a film forming apparatus that can be efficiently cleaned with a simple configuration. Moreover, since it comprised with the pipe | tube made from an alumina, it becomes possible to suppress reaction with cleaning gas, and can improve the durability of a cleaning gas supply pipe | tube.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the cleaning gas supply pipe is composed of an aluminum square pipe disposed in a recess formed in a side wall of the film forming chamber and having an inner surface provided with a fluororesin lining. It is characterized by.

  With this configuration, since the cleaning gas supply pipe can be disposed in the immediate vicinity of the cooling pipe generally disposed in the side wall of the film forming chamber, the cleaning gas supply pipe can be kept at a low temperature. Therefore, radical deactivation can be suppressed in the cleaning gas supply pipe, and the cleaning gas can be supplied efficiently. In addition, since the inner surface is composed of an aluminum square pipe lined with a fluororesin, it is possible to suppress the reaction with the cleaning gas, to more reliably suppress the deactivation of fluorine radicals, and to supply the cleaning gas supply pipe It is possible to improve the durability.

  According to the present invention, the cleaning gas containing radicals can be supplied directly into the film forming chamber, and the cleaning gas can be supplied substantially evenly over the surface of the shower plate and the surface of the substrate support portion. There is an effect that can be cleaned well. Moreover, since it can suppress that cleaning gas flows in into the back surface (shower plate) of a shower plate, it can suppress that a radical reacts with the back surface of a shower plate, and a particle | grain generate | occur | produces.

(First embodiment)
(Deposition system)
Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a film forming apparatus in the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, a film forming apparatus 10 that performs plasma CVD has a vacuum chamber 2 configured as a film forming chamber. The vacuum chamber 2 is grounded. A support column 25 is disposed below the vacuum chamber 2 so as to pass through the bottom 11 of the vacuum chamber 2, and the tip of the support column 25 (inside the vacuum chamber 2) is connected to the bottom surface 12 of the plate-like heater base 3. Has been. An electrode flange 4 is attached to the upper portion of the vacuum chamber 2 via an insulating flange 13. Further, an exhaust pipe 27 is connected to the bottom 11 of the vacuum chamber 2, and a vacuum pump 28 is provided at the tip thereof so that the inside of the vacuum chamber 2 can be evacuated or evacuated. It is configured.

  The support column 25 is connected to an elevating mechanism (not shown) provided outside the vacuum chamber 2 and is configured to be movable in the vertical direction. That is, the heater base 3 and the heater 15 connected to the tip of the column 25 can be moved up and down. With this configuration, the substrate 20 can be easily taken in and out. A bellows 26 is provided outside the vacuum chamber 2 so as to cover the periphery of the support column 25.

  The heater base 3 is a plate-like member having a rectangular surface in plan view, and the heater 15 is placed on the upper surface thereof. The heater base 3 is formed of a nickel-based alloy such as Inconel (registered trademark). The heater base 3 only needs to have rigidity, corrosion resistance, and heat resistance. The heater base 3 and the vacuum chamber 2 are connected by a ground plate (not shown), and the heater base 3 and the heater 15 are configured to function as ground electrodes.

  The heater 15 is a plate-like member having a rectangular shape in plan view and having a flat surface like the heater base 3, and the substrate 20 is placed on the upper surface thereof. The heater 15 is made of, for example, an aluminum alloy. Since the heater 15 functions as a ground electrode, a conductive material is employed. When the board | substrate 20 is arrange | positioned on the heater 15, the board | substrate 20 and the shower plate 5 mentioned later are comprised so that it may mutually adjoin and may be located in parallel. When the film forming gas is ejected from the gas jet port 6 formed in the shower plate 5 in a state where the substrate 20 is disposed on the heater 15, the film forming gas is sprayed onto the surface of the substrate 20.

  The heater 15 includes a heater wire 16 therein, and is configured to be temperature adjustable. The heater wire 16 protrudes from the bottom surface 17 of the substantially central portion in the plan view of the heater 15, and passes through the inside of the through hole 18 and the column 25 formed in the substantially central portion of the heater base 3 in the plan view. 2 to the outside. The heater wire 16 is connected to a power source (not shown) outside the vacuum chamber 2 so that the temperature is adjusted. The heater base 3 and the heater 15 constitute a substrate support portion.

  The electrode flange 4 is formed in a lid shape so as to close the vacuum chamber 2, and is arranged so that the peripheral edge thereof is in contact with the insulating flange 13. A shower plate 5 is provided on the electrode flange 4 on the side facing the inside of the vacuum chamber 2. Therefore, a space 24 is formed between the shower plate 5 and the electrode flange 4.

A gas introduction pipe 7 is connected to the electrode flange 4 and is configured to supply a source gas (for example, SiH ₄ ) to the space 24 from a film forming gas supply unit 21 provided outside the vacuum chamber 2. Yes. Moreover, when supplying source gas, it is comprised so that the carrier gas which consists of argon gas or nitrogen gas may be supplied collectively. This carrier gas is also supplied from the film forming gas supply unit 21 to the space 24. Further, the shower plate 5 is provided with a number of gas jets 6, and the film forming gas introduced into the space 24 is configured to be jetted substantially uniformly into the vacuum chamber 2 from the gas jets 6. ing.

  The electrode flange 4 and the shower plate 5 are both made of a conductive material such as aluminum. An anodized film may be formed on the surface of aluminum. Further, the electrode flange 4 is connected to an RF power source (high frequency power source) 9 provided outside the vacuum chamber 2.

A cleaning gas introduction pipe 8 is connected to the side wall 31 of the vacuum chamber 2. The cleaning gas introduction pipe 8 is provided with a fluorine gas supply unit 22 and a radical source 23. The fluorine gas supplied from the fluorine gas supply unit 22 is activated by the radical source 23, and the fluorine radicals generated thereby are converted into a vacuum chamber. 2 is configured so as to be supplied to the film forming space. The fluorine gas supply unit 22 is not limited to the fluorine gas, and a gas containing fluorine such as NF ₃ may be supplied. Further, a gas containing fluorine may be supplied together with the carrier gas.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the film forming apparatus in the present embodiment (cross section AA in FIG. 1), FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the film forming apparatus in the present embodiment, and FIG. It is a front view.
As shown in FIG. 2, a deposition preventing plate 35 is attached to the inner wall surface 32 of the vacuum chamber 2. The deposition preventing plate 35 is made of alumina, for example, and is provided at a location where it may be exposed to plasma in the film forming process. Further, cleaning gas introduction pipes 8 are connected to two opposite sides on the long side of the vacuum chamber 2. The substrate 20 is configured so that it can be taken in and out from the short side of the vacuum chamber 2.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning gas introduction pipe 8 penetrates the side wall 31 of the vacuum chamber 2 and is connected to a gas supply pipe 37 provided in a recess 36 formed in the side wall 31. The gas supply pipe 37 is made of, for example, an alumina pipe material, and extends over substantially the entire length of two opposing sides on the long side of the vacuum chamber 2. A gas ejection hole 39 is formed in the gas supply pipe 37 so as to face the inside of the vacuum chamber 2. A plurality of gas ejection holes 39 are formed at substantially equal intervals over substantially the entire length of the gas supply pipe 37 (see FIG. 4). The gas ejection holes 39 determine the inner diameter of the gas supply pipe 37, the diameter of the gas ejection holes 39, and the pitch so that the gas flow can be performed almost uniformly from each hole in consideration of the gas flow rate and pressure conditions.

  Further, a through hole 41 is formed in the deposition preventing plate 35 corresponding to the position where the gas ejection hole 39 is formed, and the cleaning gas ejected from the gas ejection hole 39 passes through the through hole 41 and enters the vacuum chamber 2. It is comprised so that it may be supplied. Instead of forming the through hole 41 in the deposition preventing plate 35, the deposition preventing plate 35 may be divided and arranged on the upper side and the lower side across the flow path through which the cleaning gas passes. .

  A cooling pipe 42 for cooling the vacuum chamber 2 is embedded in the side wall 31 of the vacuum chamber 2. The cooling chamber 42 is controlled so as to prevent the vacuum chamber 2 from becoming high temperature by flowing low temperature water.

  The gas supply pipe 37 is disposed slightly above the surface of the heater 15 in a front view, and the cleaning gas ejected from the gas ejection holes 39 is reliably supplied between the shower plate 5 and the surface 15 a of the heater 15. It is configured to be.

  Further, a gap d is formed between the inner surface 35 a of the deposition preventing plate 35 and the side surface 3 a of the heater base 3. With this configuration, when the substrate 20 is placed on the heater 15, the heater base 3 can be raised and lowered smoothly. Further, when cleaning the inside of the vacuum chamber 2, it is possible to secure an exhaust route for exhausting the cleaning gas from the exhaust pipe 27 provided at the bottom 11 of the vacuum chamber 2. Therefore, the size of the gap d needs to be determined in consideration of the ejection speed of the cleaning gas and the exhaust air volume (exhaust speed) in the vacuum chamber 2.

(Film formation process)
Next, an operation when a film is formed on the substrate 20 using the film forming apparatus 10 will be described.
Returning to FIG. 1, in order to form a thin film on the surface of the substrate 20 using the film forming apparatus 10 having the above configuration, first, the vacuum chamber 2 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 28. The substrate 20 is carried into the vacuum chamber 2 and placed on the heater 15 with the inside of the vacuum chamber 2 maintained in a reduced pressure state. Here, before placing the substrate 20, the heater 15 (heater base 3) is positioned below the vacuum chamber 2. That is, the space between the heater 15 and the shower plate 5 is wide, and the substrate 20 is held in a state where it can be easily placed on the heater 15.

  And after the board | substrate 20 was mounted on the heater 15, the raising / lowering apparatus was started and the support | pillar 25 was pushed up upwards, the board | substrate 20 mounted on the heater 15 also moved upwards according to it, The distance from the shower plate 5 is kept at an appropriate distance for film formation. Thereafter, a film forming gas (raw material gas) is introduced from the gas introduction pipe 7 into the space portion 24, and the film forming gas is ejected into the vacuum chamber 2 from the gas outlet 6 of the shower plate 5.

  With the vacuum chamber 2 connected to the ground potential, the RF power source 9 is activated to apply a high frequency voltage to the electrode flange 4. That is, the heater 15 electrically connected to the vacuum chamber 2 functions as a ground electrode, and a high-frequency voltage is applied between the electrode flange 4 and the heater 15 to generate a discharge, so that the surface of the shower plate 5 and the substrate 20 Plasma is generated between the two. The deposition gas is decomposed in the plasma generated in this way, and a vapor phase growth reaction occurs on the surface of the substrate 20, whereby a thin film is formed on the surface of the substrate 20.

  The substrate 20 is heated to a predetermined temperature (200 to 450 ° C.) by the heater 15 in advance. When the activated film forming gas reaches the surface of the substrate 20, the film forming gas reacts by the heating, and the substrate 20 is heated. The reaction product is deposited on the surface.

(Cleaning process)
Next, an operation when the inside of the film forming apparatus 10 is cleaned will be described.
When the substrate 20 is formed in the above-described film formation step, the film 51 is deposited on the portion other than the substrate surface as shown in FIG. 5, and therefore the inside of the vacuum chamber 2 needs to be periodically removed to remove the film. There is. Specifically, the film 51 is deposited on the surface of the shower plate 5, the surface of the deposition preventing plate 35, and the surfaces exposed when the heater base 3 and the heater 15 are formed. In order to clean the inside of the vacuum chamber 2 of the film forming apparatus 10, first, fluorine gas is supplied from the fluorine gas supply unit 22 to the radical source 23, and fluorine radicals are generated by the radical source 23. This fluorine radical is guided from the cleaning gas introduction pipe 8 to the gas supply pipe 37, and the cleaning gas (fluorine radical) is supplied into the vacuum chamber 2 through the gas ejection hole 39 of the gas supply pipe 37.

At this time, a carrier gas composed of argon gas or nitrogen gas is supplied in a small amount from the film forming gas supply unit 21 into the space 24 shown in FIG. 1, and enters the vacuum chamber 2 from the gas outlet 6 of the shower plate 5. Erupt. Thereby, since it can suppress that cleaning gas flows in into the back surface (shower plate inside) of a shower plate, it can control that a fluorine radical reacts with the back surface of a shower plate, and generates particles.
When supplying the cleaning gas, the vacuum pump 28 is activated to exhaust the gas in the vacuum chamber 2. Accordingly, the cleaning gas can be reliably exhausted while being uniformly supplied into the film forming chamber, so that the cleaning can be reliably performed.
Further, cold water flows through the cooling pipe 42, and the gas supply pipe 37 is adjusted so as not to reach a high temperature. As a result, radical deactivation can be suppressed in the gas supply pipe 37, and a cleaning gas containing radicals can be efficiently supplied into the vacuum chamber 2.
Then, the cleaning gas supplied into the vacuum chamber 2 is chemically reacted with the attached film, and the film is removed. By exhausting the gas, the cleaning in the vacuum chamber 2 is completed.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of the cleaning gas in the film forming apparatus of this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 6, since the gas ejection holes 39 are formed over substantially the entire length facing the long side of the heater 15 (heater base 3), the cleaning gas is substantially evenly distributed on the surface 15a of the heater 15. It can be supplied and cleaning can be performed efficiently. Further, the cleaning gas (including the gas chemically reacted with the attached film) passes through the gap d and is reliably exhausted by the vacuum pump 28.

  According to the present embodiment, the vacuum chamber 2 in which the substrate 20 is disposed, the heater 15 (heater base 3) disposed in the vacuum chamber 2 on which the substrate 20 can be placed, and disposed opposite the heater 15. The shower plate 5 having a number of gas jets 6 for introducing the film forming gas into the vacuum chamber 2 and the cleaning gas activated to remove the deposits in the vacuum chamber 2 are contained in the vacuum chamber 2. The cleaning gas supply means includes a gas supply pipe 37 extending into the vacuum chamber 2 and is formed in the gas supply pipe 37. The cleaning gas is supplied between the shower plate 5 and the heater 15 from the plurality of gas ejection holes 39, and the vacuum chamber 2 is supplied from the shower plate 5. And configured to supply an inert gas toward the.

Since it comprised in this way, the cleaning gas containing a radical can be directly supplied in the vacuum chamber 2, and since cleaning gas can be supplied substantially uniformly with respect to the surface of the shower plate 5 and the surface of the heater 15, The inside of the vacuum chamber 2 can be cleaned efficiently. Moreover, since it can suppress that cleaning gas flows in into the back surface (inside space 24) of the shower plate 5, it can suppress that a fluorine radical reacts with the back surface of the shower plate 5, and generate | occur | produces a particle.
Furthermore, since approximately the same amount of cleaning gas is supplied between the shower plate 5 and the heater 15 from the gas ejection holes 39 of the gas supply pipe 37, the inside of the vacuum chamber 2 can be efficiently cleaned.

Further, the cleaning gas is introduced toward the entire length of at least one side of the heater 15 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view.
Since it comprised in this way, cleaning gas can be supplied evenly and substantially uniformly in the vacuum chamber 2, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 2 can be cleaned efficiently.

In addition, the cleaning gas supply means includes a pair of gas supply pipes 37 arranged to face each other with the shower plate 5 interposed therebetween.
Since it comprised in this way, cleaning gas is supplied from both sides on both sides of the shower plate 5, and the cleaning efficiency in the vacuum chamber 2 can be improved further.

Further, the gas supply pipe 37 was extended so as to face one side of the heater 15 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and a plurality of gas ejection holes 39 were formed at substantially equal intervals facing the heater 15.
Since it comprised in this way, cleaning gas is supplied into the vacuum chamber 2 substantially equally, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 2 can be cleaned reliably.

  Further, the gas supply pipe 37 is composed of an alumina pipe disposed in a recess 36 formed in the side wall 31 of the vacuum chamber 2.

  Since it comprised in this way, the gas supply pipe 37 can be arrange | positioned in the immediate vicinity of the cooling pipe 42 generally arrange | positioned in the side wall 31 of the vacuum chamber 2, and the gas supply pipe 37 can be maintained at low temperature. Accordingly, radical deactivation in the gas supply pipe 37 can be suppressed, and a cleaning gas containing radicals can be efficiently supplied into the vacuum chamber 2. Moreover, since it comprised with the pipe | tube made from an alumina, it becomes possible to suppress reaction with cleaning gas and the durability of the gas supply pipe | tube 37 can be improved.

(Example)
An embodiment in which the inside of the vacuum chamber 2 is cleaned using the film forming apparatus 10 described above will be shown.
The vacuum chamber 2 employed in the present embodiment has a size of about 1 m × 1 m in plan view. The gas supply pipe 37 has an inner diameter of 25 mm, a gas ejection hole 39 having a diameter of 2 mm, a depth (pipe thickness) of 1 mm, and 30 gas ejection holes 39 formed at a pitch of 30 mm. . The gas supply pipes 37 were installed on two opposite sides of the vacuum chamber 2.
A cleaning gas having a component ratio of NF3: Ar = 1: 1 was adopted and supplied at 4 slm. The shower plate 5 was supplied with 1 slm of Ar gas to prevent fluorine radicals.
Then, the cleaning time was measured in a state where a 2000 nm silicon nitride film was deposited in the vacuum chamber 2. As a result, all the deposits could be removed in about 3 minutes.

(Comparative example)
For comparison with the above embodiment, a comparative example in which the inside of the vacuum chamber 2 is cleaned using a conventional film forming apparatus will be shown.
As shown in FIG. 7, the vacuum chamber 2 employed in this comparative example has a size of about 1 m × 1 m in plan view. In addition, the cleaning gas introduction pipe 8 is connected to the side wall of the vacuum chamber 2 so that the cleaning gas is directly supplied into the vacuum chamber 2 from the connected portion. Two cleaning gas introduction pipes 8 are connected to the same side wall of the vacuum chamber 2.
In the film forming apparatus configured as described above, the cleaning time was measured under the same conditions as described above. As a result, the deposits were removed immediately on the cleaning gas passage, but the removal speed of the blind spot portion D was slow, and it took about 5 minutes until all the deposits were removed.

  As a result, it was confirmed that the cleaning time can be shortened in the example because the cleaning gas can be supplied more uniformly than in the comparative example.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the location where the gas supply pipe is installed, and the other components are substantially the same. Therefore, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of the film forming apparatus in the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8, the cleaning gas introduction pipe 8 passes through the side wall 31 of the vacuum chamber 2, and the gas supply is attached so as to be almost half embedded in the deposition preventing plate 35 provided on the inner surface 32 of the side wall 31. Connected to the tube 37. The gas supply pipe 37 is made of, for example, an alumina pipe material, extends over substantially the entire length of two opposing sides on the long side of the vacuum chamber 2, and has a gas ejection hole 39 similar to that of the first embodiment. Is formed.

  According to the present embodiment, the gas supply pipe 37 is composed of an alumina pipe attached on the inner surface 32 of the side wall 31 of the vacuum chamber 2.

  Since it comprised in this way, the gas supply pipe | tube 37 can be attached easily and the film-forming apparatus 10 which can be cleaned efficiently with a simple structure is realizable. Specifically, since the gas supply pipe 37 is embedded in approximately half of the deposition preventing plate 35, it can be easily attached only by fitting the gas supply pipe 37 into the deposition preventing plate 35. Moreover, since it comprised with the pipe | tube made from an alumina, it becomes possible to suppress reaction with cleaning gas and the durability of the gas supply pipe | tube 37 can be improved.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the configuration of the gas supply pipe, and the other configurations are substantially the same. Therefore, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view of the film forming apparatus in the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 9, the cleaning gas introduction pipe 8 penetrates the side wall 31 of the vacuum chamber 2 and is connected to a gas supply pipe 37 provided in a recess 36 formed in the side wall 31. The gas supply pipe 37 is made of, for example, an aluminum square pipe material whose inner surface is lined with fluororesin, and extends over substantially the entire length of two opposing sides on the long side of the vacuum chamber 2. The same gas ejection holes 39 are formed.

  According to this embodiment, the inner surface of the gas supply pipe 37 disposed in the recess 36 formed in the side wall 31 of the vacuum chamber 2 is constituted by a square pipe made of aluminum with a fluororesin lining.

Since it comprised in this way, since the gas supply pipe 37 can be arrange | positioned in the immediate vicinity of the cooling pipe 42 generally arrange | positioned in the side wall 31 of the vacuum chamber 2, the gas supply pipe 37 can be maintained at low temperature. Therefore, radical deactivation can be suppressed in the gas supply pipe 37, and the cleaning gas can be supplied efficiently. In addition, since the inner surface is composed of an aluminum square pipe lined with a fluororesin, it is possible to suppress the reaction with the cleaning gas, to more reliably suppress the deactivation of fluorine radicals, and to supply the gas supply pipe 37. It is possible to improve the durability.
Further, since the gas supply pipe 37 is a square pipe and attached to the recess 36 formed on the side wall 31 of the vacuum chamber 2, the surface of the gas supply pipe 37 can be brought into close contact with the surface of the recess 36, and the cooling efficiency by the cooling pipe 42 is improved. Can be improved.

It should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes those in which various modifications are made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention. That is, the specific materials, configurations, and the like given in the embodiment are merely examples, and can be changed as appropriate.
For example, in this embodiment, the case where the gas supply pipes are provided on the two long sides of the vacuum chamber has been described, but the gas supply pipes may be provided only on one side.
In the present embodiment, the gas supply pipe is provided on the long side of the vacuum chamber. However, the gas supply pipe may be provided on the short side.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a rectangular vacuum chamber that performs a film forming process on a rectangular substrate has been described as an example, but a circular or polygonal vacuum that performs a film forming process on a circular substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is described. It is also possible to apply the present invention to a chamber.

It is a schematic block diagram of the film-forming apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale of the film-forming apparatus in 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the gas supply pipe in the embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the adhesion state of the film | membrane in embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the flow of the gas at the time of the cleaning in embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view of the conventional film-forming apparatus. It is the elements on larger scale of the film-forming apparatus in 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is the elements on larger scale of the film-forming apparatus in 3rd embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  2 ... Vacuum chamber (film formation chamber) 3 ... Heater base (substrate support part) 5 ... Shower plate 6 ... Gas outlet (small hole) 8 ... Cleaning gas introduction pipe 10 ... Film formation apparatus 15 ... Heater (substrate support part) DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Substrate 23 ... Radical source (radical production | generation part) 31 ... Side wall 32 ... Inner wall surface (side wall surface) 36 ... Recessed part 37 ... Gas supply pipe (cleaning gas introduction pipe) 39 ... Gas ejection hole

Claims (8)

A film forming chamber in which a substrate is disposed;
A substrate support portion disposed in the film forming chamber and on which the substrate can be placed;
A shower plate disposed opposite to the substrate support and having a plurality of small holes for introducing a film forming gas into the film forming chamber;
In a cleaning method for a film forming apparatus, comprising: a cleaning gas supply unit that supplies a cleaning gas activated to remove deposits in the film forming chamber into the film forming chamber;
The cleaning gas supply means includes a cleaning gas supply pipe extending in the film forming chamber,
While supplying the cleaning gas between the shower plate and the substrate support from a plurality of gas ejection holes formed in the cleaning gas supply pipe,
A cleaning method of a film forming apparatus, wherein an inert gas is supplied from the shower plate toward the film forming chamber.   The method of cleaning a film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning gas is introduced toward the entire length of at least one side of the substrate support portion having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. A film forming chamber in which a substrate is disposed;
A substrate support portion having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view and disposed in the film forming chamber and on which the substrate can be placed;
A shower plate disposed opposite to the substrate support and having a plurality of small holes for introducing a film forming gas into the film forming chamber;
A film forming apparatus comprising: a cleaning gas supply unit configured to supply a cleaning gas activated to remove deposits in the film forming chamber into the film forming chamber;
The cleaning gas supply means includes a cleaning gas supply pipe extending in the film forming chamber,
The film forming apparatus, wherein the cleaning gas supply pipe has a plurality of gas ejection holes for ejecting the cleaning gas between the shower plate and the substrate support.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cleaning gas supply unit includes a pair of cleaning gas supply pipes arranged to face each other across the shower plate. The cleaning gas supply pipe extends so as to face at least one side of the substrate support portion having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view,
5. The film forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of the gas ejection holes are formed at substantially equal intervals toward the substrate support portion.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cleaning gas supply pipe is configured by an alumina pipe disposed in a recess formed in a side wall of the film forming chamber. .   The film forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cleaning gas supply pipe is constituted by an alumina pipe attached on a side wall surface of the film forming chamber.   6. The cleaning gas supply pipe is formed of an aluminum square pipe disposed in a recess formed on a side wall of the film forming chamber and having an inner surface provided with a fluororesin lining. The film-forming apparatus in any one of.

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