JP2009059845A - Substrate treatment equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an MMT apparatus capable of suppressing a temperature increase of a treatment container peripheral part. <P>SOLUTION: An MMT (Modified Magnetron Typed) apparatus comprises a treatment container 11 having a treatment chamber 14 formed by an lower side container 12 and an upper side container 13, a susceptor 21 installed within the treatment chamber 14 for holding a wafer 1, a heater 41 for heating the wafer 1 on the susceptor 21, a shower head 26 for supplying reactive gas to the wafer 1, a cylindrical electrode 15 for exciting the reactive gas, and a cylindrical magnet 19 for generating a magnetic field. A heat shielding part 42 is installed on an outer surface of the upper side container 13. Heat rays such as infrared rays and far-infrared rays generated by irradiation from the heater and wafer can be shielded by the heat shielding part to suppress the temperature increase of the cylindrical electrode and the cylindrical magnet. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus.
For example, in a method of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device (hereinafter referred to as an IC) including semiconductor elements, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) on which an IC is fabricated is subjected to diffusion treatment such as oxidation or nitridation or a thin film is formed. The present invention relates to an MMT (Modified Magnetron Typed) apparatus that performs various plasma processes such as etching and etching.

  In an IC manufacturing method, a modified magnetron type plasma source (Modified Magnetron type plasma source capable of generating high-density plasma by an electric field and a magnetic field when a wafer is subjected to diffusion treatment such as oxidation or nitridation, thin film formation or etching. In some cases, an MMT apparatus for plasma processing a wafer using Typed Plasma Source) is used.

A conventional MMT apparatus of this type has a processing vessel formed of quartz (SiO ₂ ), a susceptor installed in the processing vessel to hold a wafer, and built in the susceptor to heat the wafer to about 500 ° C. A heater, a shower head for supplying a reactive gas toward the wafer in a shower form, a cylindrical electrode as a discharge means for exciting the reactive gas, and a cylindrical magnet as a magnetic field forming means are provided.
The wafer placed on the susceptor is heated to about 500 ° C. by a heater, and the reaction gas is supplied to the wafer in a shower shape by a shower head while maintaining the inside of the processing container at a predetermined pressure. A high frequency power is supplied to the electrodes to form an electric field, and a magnetron discharge is generated by applying a magnetic field with a cylindrical magnet, whereby a desired plasma treatment is performed on the wafer.
At this time, high-density plasma can be generated in order to increase the ionization generation rate by extending the life by continuing the cycloid motion while electrons emitted from the cylindrical electrode drift. For example, see Patent Document 1.
JP 2001-196354 A

However, in the conventional MMT apparatus, since the processing container is made of quartz, at the processing temperature, a cylindrical electrode or a cylindrical magnet arranged around the processing container by convection heating, radiation heating, light heating, or the like. Etc. will be in a high temperature state.
Since the cylindrical electrode, the cylindrical magnet, and the like sometimes reach nearly 140 ° C., for example, a member having a low heat-resistant temperature such as a cylindrical magnet or an O-ring cannot withstand.

  The objective of this invention is providing the substrate processing apparatus which can suppress the temperature rise of a process container periphery part.

Typical means for solving the above-described problems are as follows.
(1) a processing container formed of a heat-permeable material;
A substrate holder provided with a heating mechanism for heating the substrate provided in the processing container;
A plasma forming unit disposed outside the processing vessel to generate plasma;
A heat shield formed of a material that does not allow heat to escape to a portion of the processing container that does not contact the space for processing the substrate;
A substrate processing apparatus.
(2) The substrate processing apparatus according to (1), wherein the heat shielding portion is formed of a material containing aluminum (Al) atoms.
(3) The substrate processing apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the portion of the processing container where the heat shielding portion is formed is made of quartz.
(4) The plasma forming part includes a cylindrical electrode and a cylindrical magnet, and the heat shielding part is formed inside the cylindrical electrode and the cylindrical magnet. The substrate processing apparatus according to (2) or (3).

  According to the above (1), since the heat shielding part can prevent the irradiation of heat to the peripheral part of the processing container, the temperature rise in the peripheral part of the processing container can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the present embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is configured as an MMT apparatus as shown in FIG.
The MMT apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a processing container 11. The processing container 11 is formed by a lower container 12 and an upper container 13 and forms a processing chamber 14.
The lower container 12 is formed in a bowl shape using aluminum, and the upper container 13 is formed in a dome shape using quartz. The upper container 13 is placed on the lower container 12.

A cylindrical electrode 15 is installed on the outer periphery of the upper vessel 13 of the processing vessel 11 as discharge means for exciting the reaction gas. The cylindrical electrode 15 surrounds the plasma generation region 16 in the processing chamber 14. The cylindrical electrode 15 is formed in a cylindrical shape, for example, a cylindrical shape.
A high-frequency power source 17 that applies high-frequency power is connected to the cylindrical electrode 15 via a matching unit 18 that performs impedance matching.

On the outer surface of the cylindrical electrode 15, a pair of cylindrical magnets 19 as magnetic field forming means are installed in the vicinity of the upper and lower ends of the cylindrical electrode 15.
The cylindrical magnet 19 is configured by a cylindrical, for example, cylindrical permanent magnet.
The upper and lower cylindrical magnets 19, 19 have magnetic poles at both ends (inner peripheral end and outer peripheral end) along the radial direction of the processing chamber 14, and the magnetic poles of the upper and lower cylindrical magnets 19, 19 are set in opposite directions. Has been.
Therefore, the magnetic poles in the inner peripheral portion are different from each other, and thereby magnetic field lines are formed in the cylindrical axial direction along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical electrode 15.

A shielding plate 20 is provided around the cylindrical electrode 15 and the cylindrical magnet 19 to shield an electric field and a magnetic field formed by the cylindrical electrode 15 and the cylindrical magnet 19.
The shielding plate 20 prevents the electric field or magnetic field formed by the cylindrical electrode 15 and the cylindrical magnet 19 from adversely affecting the external environment and other apparatuses such as a substrate processing apparatus.

A susceptor 21 serving as a substrate holder (substrate holding means) for holding the wafer 1, which is a substrate, is disposed in the center of the bottom side of the processing chamber 14, and a heating mechanism (heating means) is provided inside the susceptor 21. The heater 41 is embedded. That is, the susceptor 21 is configured to hold and heat the wafer 1.
The heater 41 is configured to heat the wafer 1 to about 500 ° C. when electric power is applied.
The susceptor 21 is made of, for example, a nonmetallic material such as quartz, aluminum nitride, or ceramics. By forming the susceptor 21 with such a non-metallic material, metal contamination taken into the film during processing can be reduced.

Furthermore, an impedance electrode (not shown) for changing the impedance is provided inside the susceptor 21, and the impedance electrode is grounded via the impedance variable mechanism 22.
The impedance variable mechanism 22 includes a coil and a variable capacitor. The potential of the wafer 1 can be controlled via the impedance electrode and the susceptor 21 by controlling the number of coil patterns and the capacitance value of the variable capacitor. It is like that.

The susceptor 21 is insulated from the lower container 12 and is provided with a susceptor elevating mechanism (elevating means) 23 for elevating and lowering the susceptor 21.
Through holes 21 a are provided in the susceptor 21, and wafer push-up pins 24 for pushing up the wafer 1 are provided on at least three places on the bottom surface of the lower container 12.
The through hole 21 a and the wafer push-up pin 24 are in such a positional relationship that when the susceptor 21 is lowered by the susceptor elevating mechanism 23, the wafer push-up pin 24 penetrates the through hole 21 a in a non-contact state with the susceptor 21. It is arranged to become.

A gate valve 25 serving as a gate valve is provided on the side wall of the lower container 12.
When the gate valve 25 is open, the wafer 1 can be loaded into or unloaded from the processing chamber 14 by a transfer mechanism (transfer means) (not shown), and when the gate valve 25 is closed, the processing chamber 14 is opened. It can be closed airtight.

  A shower head 26 is provided in the upper part of the processing chamber 14. The shower head 26 includes a cap-shaped lid 27, a gas inlet 28, a buffer chamber 29, an opening 30, a shielding plate 31, and a gas outlet 32. The buffer chamber 29 constitutes a dispersion space for dispersing the gas introduced from the gas introduction port 28.

  A gas supply pipe 33 for supplying gas is connected to the gas introduction port 28, and the gas supply pipe 33 is reacted via a valve 34 that is an on-off valve and a mass flow controller 35 that is a flow rate controller (flow rate control means). Connected to a gas cylinder (not shown).

A gas exhaust port 36 for exhausting gas is provided on the side wall of the lower container 12, and a gas exhaust pipe 37 for exhausting gas is connected to the gas exhaust port 36. The gas exhaust pipe 37 is connected to a vacuum pump 40 which is an exhaust device via an APC 38 which is a pressure regulator and a valve 39 which is an on-off valve.
The gas exhaust port 36 is set so that the reaction gas supplied from the shower head 26 to the processing chamber 14 flows from the periphery of the susceptor 21 toward the bottom of the processing chamber 14 after the substrate processing.

A heat shielding part 42 is entirely formed on the outer surface of the upper container 13 of the processing container 11. The heat shielding part 42 is formed of aluminum trioxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ) as a material that does not allow the heat of the heater 41 (heat rays such as infrared rays and far infrared rays) to escape to the outside. The heat shielding portion 42 can be easily formed by applying aluminum trioxide ceramic to the outer surface of the upper container 13.

The MMT apparatus 10 includes a controller 50 as a control unit (control means).
The controller 50 is configured to control the APC 38, the valve 39, and the vacuum pump 40 through the signal line A.
The controller 50 is configured to control the susceptor elevating mechanism 23 through the signal line B.
The controller 50 is configured to control the gate valve 25 through the signal line C.
The controller 50 is configured to control the matching unit 18 and the high-frequency power source 17 through the signal line D.
The controller 50 is configured to control the valve 34 and the mass flow controller 35 through the signal line E.
Further, the controller 50 is configured to control the heater 41 and the impedance variable mechanism 22 embedded in the susceptor through a signal line (not shown).

Next, using the MMT apparatus 10 according to the above-described configuration, a predetermined plasma process is performed on the wafer surface or the surface of the base film formed on the wafer as one step of the semiconductor device (semiconductor device) manufacturing process. A method will be described.
In the following description, the operation of each part constituting the MMT apparatus 10 is controlled by the controller 50.

The wafer 1 is loaded into the processing chamber 14 by a transfer mechanism (not shown) that transfers the wafer from the outside of the processing chamber 14 and is transferred onto the susceptor 21.
The details of this transport operation are as follows.
When the susceptor 21 is lowered to the wafer transfer position, the tip of the wafer push-up pin 24 passes through the through hole 21a of the susceptor 21. As a result, the push-up pin 24 is protruded by a predetermined height from the surface of the susceptor 21.
Next, the gate valve 25 provided in the lower container 12 is opened, and the wafer 1 is transferred to the tip of the wafer push-up pin 24 by a transfer mechanism (not shown).
When the transfer mechanism is retracted out of the processing chamber 14, the gate valve 25 is closed.
When the susceptor 21 is raised by the susceptor elevating mechanism 23, the wafer 1 is transferred onto the upper surface of the susceptor 21.
Thereafter, the susceptor 21 is raised to a position where the wafer 1 is processed by the susceptor elevating mechanism 23.

The heater 41 built in the susceptor 21 is preheated, and heats the wafer 1 transferred to the susceptor 21 to a predetermined temperature within a range of room temperature (25 ° C.) to 500 ° C.
The pressure in the processing chamber 14 is maintained at a predetermined pressure within a range of 0.1 to 100 Pa by the vacuum pump 40 and the APC 38.

  When the temperature of the wafer 1 reaches a predetermined processing temperature (for example, 400 ° C.) and is stabilized, a predetermined reaction gas G is disposed in the processing chamber 14 from the gas inlet 28 through the gas outlet 32 of the shielding plate 31. It is introduced toward the upper surface (processing surface) of the wafer 1.

On the other hand, high frequency power is applied from the high frequency power supply 17 to the cylindrical electrode 15 via the matching unit 18. As the applied power, a predetermined output value within a range of 150 to 200 W is input. At this time, the impedance variable mechanism 22 is controlled in advance to have a desired impedance value.
A magnetron discharge is generated under the influence of the magnetic field of the cylindrical magnets 19, 19, charges are trapped in the upper space of the wafer 1, and high-density plasma is generated in the plasma generation region 16.
The reactive gas G introduced into the processing chamber 14 is separated in the plasma generation region 16 to generate activated particles, and the wafer 1 is subjected to predetermined plasma processing.

  When a preset processing time elapses, the valve 34 is closed, supply of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas from the gas outlet 32 is stopped, and application of high-frequency power to the cylindrical electrode 15 is stopped.

  Next, after the pressure in the processing chamber 14 is made the same as that of a vacuum transfer chamber (not shown), which is a chamber where the transfer mechanism is installed, the processed wafer 1 is processed in the reverse order of the above-described wafer loading. 14 is conveyed outside.

By the way, a part of the heat (heat rays) of the heater 41 that heats the wafer 1 by radiation and heat conduction passes through the wall of the upper container 13 made of quartz and escapes outside the processing chamber 14. The temperature of the cylindrical electrode 15 and the cylindrical magnet 19 disposed in the vicinity of the outer surface of the side wall 13 will rise.
When the cylindrical electrode 15 and the cylindrical magnet 19 are, for example, 140 ° C. or higher, these performances are deteriorated, and the O-ring and the like provided in the peripheral portion are deteriorated.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, by forming the heat shielding portion 42 on the outer surface of the upper container 13, heat rays such as infrared rays and far infrared rays that are irradiated from the heater 41 and the wafer 1 and are transmitted through the upper container 13. Is shielded from passing outside the processing chamber 14, and heat rays such as infrared rays and far infrared rays are prevented from increasing the temperature of the cylindrical electrode 15 and the cylindrical magnet 19.

According to the embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) By forming a heat shielding portion on the outer surface of the upper container, heat rays such as infrared rays and far infrared rays irradiated from the heater and the wafer are shielded by the heat shielding portion, and thereby a cylindrical electrode and a cylindrical magnet As a result, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the cylindrical electrode and the cylindrical magnet from deteriorating, and the O-ring and the like provided in the peripheral portion from being deteriorated. .

(2) By applying aluminum trioxide ceramic to the outer surface of the upper container and forming a heat shield on the outer surface of the upper container, the heat shield can be easily formed on the outer surface of the upper container. Therefore, an increase in the manufacturing cost of the MMT device can be suppressed.

  FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing an MMT apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The present embodiment is different from the above embodiment in that a lamp heating unit 44 is installed on the lid 27 of the shower head 26 via a light transmissive window 43, and the lamp heating unit 44 is used for the heater 41 for the wafer 1. It is the point comprised so that heating may be assisted.
According to the present embodiment, since the heat shielding part 42 can also shield the heat of the lamp heating unit 44, the temperature of the cylindrical electrode or the cylindrical magnet increases even with the assistance of the lamp heating unit 44. Can be prevented.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

The heat shielding part is not limited to being formed on the entire outer surface of the upper container, but may be partially formed in a peripheral part of the processing container that prevents heat transmission, for example, a place corresponding to a cylindrical electrode or a cylindrical magnet. .
In the case where the heat shielding part is limited to a necessary part, an increase in the cost of the MMT device can be suppressed.

It is front sectional drawing which shows the MMT apparatus which is one embodiment of this invention. It is front sectional drawing which shows the MMT apparatus which is other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... wafer,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... MMT apparatus (substrate processing apparatus), 11 ... Processing container, 12 ... Lower container, 13 ... Upper container, 14 ... Processing chamber,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 ... Cylindrical electrode (discharge means), 16 ... Plasma production | generation area, 17 ... High frequency power supply, 18 ... Matching device, 19 ... Cylindrical magnet (magnetic field formation means), 20 ... Shielding plate,
21 ... Susceptor, 21a ... Through hole, 22 ... Impedance variable mechanism, 23 ... Susceptor raising / lowering mechanism, 24 ... Wafer push-up pin, 25 ... Gate valve,
26 ... Shower head, 27 ... Cap-shaped lid, 28 ... Gas inlet, 29 ... Buffer chamber, 30 ... Opening, 31 ... Shield plate, 32 ... Gas outlet, 33 ... Gas supply pipe, 34 ... Valve, 35 ... mass flow controller,
36 ... Gas exhaust port, 37 ... Gas exhaust pipe, 38 ... APC, 39 ... Valve, 40 ... Vacuum pump,
41 ... heater, 42 ... heat shielding part, 43 ... light transmissive window part, 44 ... lamp heating unit,
50 ... Controller.

Claims (1)

A processing vessel formed of a heat-permeable material;
A substrate holder provided with a heating mechanism for heating the substrate provided in the processing container;
A plasma forming unit disposed outside the processing vessel to generate plasma;
A heat shield formed of a material that does not allow heat to escape to a portion of the processing container that does not contact the space for processing the substrate;
A substrate processing apparatus.

Images