JP2009206489A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accelerate the supply of gas between adjacent substrates without reducing the number of substrates that is collectively processed. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate processing apparatus includes a processing chamber for storing and processing the substrates horizontally stacked in multiple stages, at least one processing gas supply nozzle that is extended along the inner wall of the processing chamber in the stacking direction of the substrates and supplies processing gas into the processing chamber, a pair of inert gas supply nozzles which are extended along the inner wall of the processing chamber in the stacking direction of the substrates, are provided so as to hold the processing gas supply nozzle from both sides along the circumferential direction of the substrate, and supply inert gas into the processing chamber, and an exhaust line for exhausting air from the processing chamber. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus having a step of processing a substrate.

  Conventionally, a substrate processing step of forming a thin film on a substrate has been performed as one step of a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device such as a DRAM. Such a substrate processing step includes a processing chamber for storing and processing substrates stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture, a processing gas supply nozzle for supplying a processing gas into the processing chamber, and an exhaust line for exhausting the processing chamber. It has been implemented by a substrate processing apparatus. Then, a substrate holder supporting a plurality of substrates is carried into the processing chamber, and gas is passed between the substrates by supplying gas from the processing gas supply nozzle to the processing chamber while exhausting the processing chamber by the exhaust line. Thus, a thin film was formed on the substrate.

  However, in the above-described substrate processing step, it is difficult for gas to flow to the vicinity of the center of each substrate, and there is a difference in the gas supply amount between the vicinity of the outer periphery and the center of each substrate, and the in-plane uniformity of substrate processing is There was a case where it falls. For example, a thin film formed near the outer periphery of the substrate may be thicker than a thin film formed near the center of the substrate.

  In order to promote the supply of gas to the vicinity of the center of each substrate, a method of providing a ring-shaped rectifying plate between the peripheral edge of each substrate supported by the substrate holder and the inner wall of the processing chamber is also conceivable. However, in such a method, the substrate transfer mechanism for transferring the substrate to the substrate holder and the current plate may interfere (contact). If a wide substrate stacking pitch is secured to avoid such interference, the number of substrates that can be collectively processed may be reduced. Further, the substrate holder provided with the ring-shaped rectifying plate is easily damaged due to the complexity of the structure, and is expensive.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of promoting the supply of gas to the vicinity of the center of each substrate without reducing the number of substrates that can be processed collectively.

  One embodiment of the present invention includes a processing chamber for storing and processing substrates stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture, a processing gas supply unit that supplies one or more processing gases into the processing chamber, and a processing chamber that is not in the processing chamber. An inert gas supply unit that supplies an active gas; and an exhaust unit that exhausts the processing chamber. The processing gas supply unit extends in the stacking direction of the substrate along the inner wall of the processing chamber. One or more process gas supply nozzles for supplying a process gas into the process chamber, and the inert gas supply unit extends in the stacking direction of the substrate along the inner wall of the process chamber. The substrate processing apparatus includes a pair of inert gas supply nozzles that are provided so as to sandwich the processing gas supply nozzle from both sides along the circumferential direction of the substrate and supply an inert gas into the processing chamber.

Another aspect of the present invention includes an outer tube, an inner tube that is disposed inside the outer tube, stores at least a lower end of the substrate and is stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture, and an inner tube. A processing gas supply unit that supplies one or more processing gases, an inert gas supply unit that supplies an inert gas into the inner tube, and a side wall of the inner tube that faces the processing gas supply nozzle An exhaust hole provided at a position;
And the processing gas supply unit is provided with one or more processing gas ejection ports that are erected inside the inner tube so as to extend in the stacking direction of the substrates and supply the processing gas. The inner tube has the above processing gas supply nozzle, and the inert gas supply unit extends in the stacking direction of the substrates and sandwiches the processing gas supply nozzle from both sides along the circumferential direction of the substrate. Is a substrate processing apparatus having a pair of inert gas supply nozzles provided with one or more inert gas outlets for supplying the inert gas.

  Still another embodiment of the present invention includes a processing chamber for storing and processing a multi-layered substrate in a horizontal posture, and extending in the stacking direction of the substrate along the inner wall of the processing chamber. One or more process gas supply nozzles for supplying a process gas to the substrate, and a pair of inert gases that extend in the stacking direction of the substrate along the inner wall of the process chamber and supply the inert gas into the process chamber A gas flow of the processing gas supplied from the processing gas supply nozzle, wherein the gas flow of the inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply nozzle is provided with a supply nozzle and an exhaust line for exhausting the processing chamber The substrate processing apparatus is provided with the pair of inert gas supply nozzles so that the flow path is restricted by the flow.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to promote the supply of gas to the vicinity of the center of each substrate without reducing the number of substrates that can be collectively processed.

As described above, in the above-described substrate processing step, it is difficult for gas to flow to the vicinity of the center of each substrate, and there is a difference in the gas supply amount between the vicinity of the periphery of each substrate and the vicinity of the center. In some cases, the uniformity was degraded. For example, an Hf oxide film (HfO film) formed by supplying an amine-based Hf source gas and O ₃ gas onto the substrate, or an amine-based Zr source gas and O ₃ gas are supplied onto the substrate. In the formed Zr oxide film (ZrO film) or the like, the film formed near the outer periphery of the substrate may be thinner than the film formed near the center of the substrate.

  In order to facilitate the supply of gas between adjacent substrates, a method of providing a ring-shaped rectifying plate between the peripheral edge of each substrate supported by the substrate holder and the inner wall of the processing chamber is also conceivable. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate holder provided with such a current plate. By providing a ring-shaped rectifying plate so as to surround the periphery of each substrate, it is possible to attach a film of a part of the processing gas to the rectifying plate and to thin the film formed near the outer periphery of the substrate. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate holder that does not have a current plate.

  However, in such a method, the substrate transfer mechanism for transferring the substrate to the substrate holder and the current plate may interfere (contact). In order to avoid such interference, if a wide substrate stacking pitch is secured, the number of substrates that can be processed at one time is reduced, and the productivity of substrate processing may be reduced. Further, the substrate holder provided with the ring-shaped rectifying plate is easily damaged due to the complexity of the structure, and is expensive.

  Therefore, the inventors have conducted intensive research on a method for promoting the gas supply to the vicinity of the center of each substrate without reducing the number of substrates that can be processed in a lump. As a result, by supplying an inert gas from both sides of the processing gas simultaneously when supplying the processing gas into the processing chamber, the supply of gas to the vicinity of the center of each substrate can be promoted. The knowledge that the amount of gas supply in can be made more uniform was obtained. The present invention is based on such knowledge obtained by the inventors.

<One Embodiment of the Present Invention>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(1) Configuration of Substrate Processing Apparatus First, a configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus 101 that performs a substrate processing process as one process of a semiconductor device manufacturing process will be described. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the substrate processing apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 111. In order to transfer the wafer (substrate) 10 made of silicon or the like into or out of the casing 111, a cassette 110 as a wafer carrier (substrate storage container) that stores a plurality of wafers 10 is used. A cassette stage (substrate storage container delivery table) 114 is provided in front of the inside of the casing 111. The cassette 110 is placed on the cassette stage 114 by an in-process transfer device (not shown), and is carried out of the casing 111 from the cassette stage 114.

  The cassette 110 is placed on the cassette stage 114 such that the wafer 10 in the cassette 110 is in a vertical posture and the wafer loading / unloading port of the cassette 110 faces upward by the in-process transfer device. The cassette stage 114 rotates the cassette 110 90 degrees in the vertical direction toward the rear of the casing 111 to bring the wafer 10 in the cassette 110 into a horizontal posture, and the wafer loading / unloading port of the cassette 110 is placed behind the casing 111. It is configured to be able to face.

  A cassette shelf (substrate storage container mounting shelf) 105 is installed at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction in the housing 111. The cassette shelf 105 is configured to store a plurality of cassettes 110 in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows. The cassette shelf 105 is provided with a transfer shelf 123 in which a cassette 110 to be transferred by a wafer transfer mechanism 125 described later is stored. Further, a preliminary cassette shelf 107 is provided above the cassette stage 114, and is configured to store the cassette 110 in a preliminary manner.

  A cassette transfer device (substrate container transfer device) 118 is provided between the cassette stage 114 and the cassette shelf 105. The cassette transport device 118 includes a cassette elevator (substrate storage container lifting mechanism) 118a that can be moved up and down while holding the cassette 110, and a cassette transport mechanism (substrate storage container transport mechanism) as a transport mechanism that can move horizontally while holding the cassette 110. 118b. The cassette 110 is transported between the cassette stage 114, the cassette shelf 105, the spare cassette shelf 107, and the transfer shelf 123 by the linkage operation of the cassette elevator 118a and the cassette transport mechanism 118b.

  A wafer transfer mechanism (substrate transfer mechanism) 125 is provided behind the cassette shelf 105. The wafer transfer mechanism 125 includes a wafer transfer device (substrate transfer device) 125a capable of rotating or linearly moving the wafer 10 in the horizontal direction, and a wafer transfer device elevator (substrate transfer device) that moves the wafer transfer device 125a up and down. Elevating mechanism) 125b. The wafer transfer device 125a includes a tweezer (substrate transfer jig) 125c that holds the wafer 10 in a horizontal posture. The wafer 10 is picked up from the cassette 110 on the transfer shelf 123 by the linked operation of the wafer transfer device 125a and the wafer transfer device elevator 125b, and loaded into the boat (substrate holder) 11 described later (charging). Or the wafer 10 is unloaded (discharged) from the boat 11 and stored in the cassette 110 on the transfer shelf 123.

A processing furnace 202 is provided above the rear portion of the casing 111. An opening is provided at the lower end of the processing furnace 202. Such an opening is configured to be opened and closed by a furnace port shutter (furnace port opening / closing mechanism) 147. The configuration of the processing furnace 202 will be described later.

  Below the processing furnace 202, a boat elevator (substrate holder lifting mechanism) 115 is provided as a lifting mechanism for moving the boat 11 up and down and transporting the boat 11 into and out of the processing furnace 202. The elevator 128 of the boat elevator 115 is provided with an arm 128 as a connecting tool. On the arm 128, a seal cap 9 is provided in a horizontal posture as a lid that supports the boat 11 vertically and that hermetically closes the lower end of the processing furnace 202 when the boat 11 is lifted by the boat elevator 115. ing.

  The boat 11 includes a plurality of holding members, and a plurality of (for example, about 50 to 150) wafers 10 are aligned in the vertical direction in a horizontal posture and in a state where the centers thereof are aligned in multiple stages. Configured to hold. The detailed configuration of the boat 11 will be described later.

  Above the cassette shelf 105, a clean unit 134a having a supply fan and a dustproof filter is provided. The clean unit 134a is configured to circulate clean air, which is a cleaned atmosphere, inside the casing 111.

  In addition, a clean unit (not shown) provided with a supply fan and a dustproof filter so as to supply clean air to the left end portion of the housing 111 opposite to the wafer transfer device elevator 125b and the boat elevator 115 side. Is installed. Clean air blown out from the clean unit (not shown) is configured to be sucked into an exhaust device (not shown) and exhausted outside the casing 111 after passing through the wafer transfer device 125a and the boat 11. .

(2) Operation of Substrate Processing Apparatus Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  First, the cassette 110 is placed on the cassette stage 114 by an in-process transfer device (not shown) so that the wafer 10 is in a vertical posture and the wafer loading / unloading port of the cassette 110 faces upward. Thereafter, the cassette 110 is rotated 90 ° in the vertical direction toward the rear of the casing 111 by the cassette stage 114. As a result, the wafer 10 in the cassette 110 assumes a horizontal posture, and the wafer loading / unloading port of the cassette 110 faces rearward in the housing 111.

  Next, after the cassette 110 is automatically transported to the designated shelf position of the cassette shelf 105 or the spare cassette shelf 107 by the cassette transporting device 118 and delivered and temporarily stored, the cassette shelf 105 to It is transferred from the spare cassette shelf 107 to the transfer shelf 123 or directly transferred to the transfer shelf 123.

  When the cassette 110 is transferred to the transfer shelf 123, the wafer 10 is picked up from the cassette 110 through the wafer loading / unloading port by the tweezer 125c of the wafer transfer device 125a, and the wafer transfer device 125a and the wafer transfer device elevator 125b are picked up. Is loaded (charged) into the boat 11 behind the transfer chamber 124. The wafer transfer mechanism 125 that has transferred the wafer 10 to the boat 11 returns to the cassette 110 and loads the next wafer 10 into the boat 11.

When a predetermined number of wafers 10 are loaded into the boat 11, the opening at the lower end of the processing furnace 202 closed by the furnace port shutter 147 is opened by the furnace port shutter 147. Subsequently, when the seal cap 9 is raised by the boat elevator 115, the boat 11 holding the wafers 10 to be processed is loaded into the processing furnace 202. After loading, arbitrary processing is performed on the wafer 10 in the processing furnace 202. Such processing will be described later. After the processing, the wafer 10 and the cassette 110 are discharged to the outside of the casing 111 in a procedure reverse to the above procedure.

(3) Configuration of Processing Furnace Next, the configuration of the processing furnace 202 of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the processing furnace of the substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of the processing gas and the inert gas in the processing furnace. The processing furnace 202 according to the present embodiment is configured as a CVD apparatus (batch type vertical hot wall type reduced pressure CVD apparatus) as shown in FIG.

(Process tube)
The processing furnace 202 includes a vertical process tube 1 that is vertically disposed so that a center line is vertical and is fixedly supported by a casing 111. The process tube 1 includes an inner tube 2 and an outer tube 3. The inner tube 2 and the outer tube 3 are each integrally formed into a cylindrical shape by a material having high heat resistance such as quartz (SiO ₂ ) and silicon carbide (SiC).

  The inner tube 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape with the upper end closed and the lower end opened. In the inner tube 2, there is formed a processing chamber 4 for storing and processing the wafers 10 stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture by a boat 11 as a substrate holder. The lower end opening of the inner tube 2 constitutes a furnace port 5 for taking in and out the boat 11 holding the wafer 10 group. Therefore, the inner diameter of the inner tube 2 is set to be larger than the maximum outer diameter of the boat 11 holding the wafer 10 group. The outer tube 3 is similar to the inner tube 2 in a larger size, is formed in a cylindrical shape with the upper end closed and the lower end opened, and is covered with a concentric circle so as to surround the outer side of the inner tube 2. The lower end portion between the inner tube 2 and the outer tube 3 is hermetically sealed by a manifold 6 formed in a circular ring shape. The manifold 6 is detachably attached to the inner tube 2 and the outer tube 3 for maintenance and inspection work and cleaning work on the inner tube 2 and the outer tube 3. Since the manifold 6 is supported by the casing 111, the process tube 1 is installed vertically.

(Exhaust Unit) An exhaust pipe 7 a serving as an exhaust line for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber 4 is connected to a part of the side wall of the manifold 6. An exhaust port 7 for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber 4 is formed at a connection portion between the manifold 6 and the exhaust pipe 7a. The inside of the exhaust pipe 7 a communicates with the inside of the exhaust path 8 formed of a gap formed between the inner tube 2 and the outer tube 3 through the exhaust port 7. The cross-sectional shape of the exhaust passage 8 is a circular ring shape having a constant width. In the exhaust pipe 7a, a pressure sensor 7d, an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve 7b as a pressure adjusting valve, and a vacuum pump 7c as a vacuum exhaust device are provided in order from the upstream. The vacuum pump 7c is configured to be evacuated so that the pressure in the processing chamber 4 becomes a predetermined pressure (degree of vacuum). A pressure controller 236 is electrically connected to the APC valve 7b and the pressure sensor 7d. The pressure control unit 236 is configured to control the opening degree of the APC valve 7b based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 7d so that the pressure in the processing chamber 4 becomes a desired pressure at a desired timing. ing. The exhaust unit according to this embodiment is mainly configured by the exhaust pipe 7a, the exhaust port 7, the exhaust path 8, the pressure sensor 7d, the APC valve 7b, and the vacuum pump 7c.

(Substrate holder)
A seal cap 9 that closes the lower end opening of the manifold 6 is brought into contact with the manifold 6 from the lower side in the vertical direction. The seal cap 9 is formed in a disk shape that is equal to or larger than the outer diameter of the outer tube 3, and is configured to be raised and lowered in a vertical position in a horizontal posture by a boat elevator 115 installed vertically outside the process tube 1. Has been.

On the seal cap 9, a boat 11 as a substrate holder for holding the wafer 10 is vertically supported and supported. The boat 11 includes a pair of end plates 12 and 13 on the upper and lower sides, and a plurality of holding members 14 provided vertically between the end plates 12 and 13. The end plates 12 and 13 and the holding member 14 are made of a heat resistant material such as quartz (SiO ₂ ) or silicon carbide (SiC). Each holding member 14 is provided with a plurality of holding grooves 15 at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction. Each holding member 14 is provided so that the holding grooves 15 face each other. By inserting the circumferential edges of the wafers 10 into the holding grooves 15 of the same step in the plurality of holding members 14, the plurality of wafers 10 are stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture and aligned with each other. It is configured to be retained.

A pair of auxiliary end plates 16 and 17 are supported by a plurality of auxiliary holding members 18 between the boat 11 and the seal cap 9 in the vertical direction. Each auxiliary holding member 18 is provided with a plurality of holding grooves 19. The holding groove 19 is configured so that a plurality of disk-shaped heat insulating plates 216 made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz (SiO ₂ ) or silicon carbide (SiC) are loaded in multiple stages in a horizontal posture. ing. The heat insulating plate 216 is configured to make it difficult for heat from a heater unit 20 described later to be transmitted to the manifold 6 side.

  A rotation mechanism 254 for rotating the boat is provided on the side of the seal cap 9 opposite to the processing chamber 4. A rotating shaft 255 of the rotating mechanism 254 passes through the seal cap 9 and supports the boat 11 from below. The wafer 10 can be rotated in the processing chamber 4 by rotating the rotating shaft 255. The seal cap 9 is configured to be moved up and down in the vertical direction by the boat elevator 115 described above, whereby the boat 11 can be transferred into and out of the processing chamber 4.

  A drive control unit 237 is electrically connected to the rotation mechanism 254 and the boat elevator 115. The drive control unit 237 is configured to control the rotation mechanism 254 and the boat elevator 115 to perform a desired operation at a desired timing.

(Heater unit)
Outside the outer tube 3, a heater unit 20 as a heating mechanism that heats the inside of the process tube 1 uniformly or with a predetermined temperature distribution is provided so as to surround the outer tube 3. The heater unit 20 is vertically installed by being supported by the housing 111 of the substrate processing apparatus 101, and is configured as a resistance heater such as a carbon heater, for example.

In the process tube 1, a temperature sensor (not shown) as a temperature detector is installed. A temperature control unit 238 is electrically connected to the heater unit 20 and the temperature sensor. The temperature controller 238 controls the power supply to the heater unit 20 based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor so that the temperature in the processing chamber 4 has a desired temperature distribution at a desired timing. It is configured.

The heating unit according to this embodiment is mainly configured by the heater unit 20 and a temperature sensor (not shown).

(Processing gas supply unit, inert gas supply unit)
On the side wall of the inner tube 2 (a position on the opposite side to the exhaust hole 25 described later), a channel-shaped auxiliary chamber 21 protrudes from the side wall of the inner tube 2 outward in the radial direction of the inner tube 2 and is vertical. It is formed so as to extend long. The side wall 26 of the preliminary chamber 21 constitutes a part of the side wall of the inner tube 2. Further, the inner wall of the preliminary chamber 21 is configured to form a part of the inner wall of the processing chamber 4. Inside the preliminary chamber 21, a processing gas supply nozzle 22 a that extends in the stacking direction of the wafer 10 along the inner wall of the preliminary chamber 21 (that is, the inner wall of the processing chamber 4) and supplies a processing gas into the processing chamber 4. , 22b are provided. Further, inside the preliminary chamber 21, the processing gas supply nozzle extends in the stacking direction of the wafer 10 along the inner wall of the preliminary chamber 21 (that is, the inner wall of the processing chamber 4) and along the circumferential direction of the wafer 10. A pair of inert gas supply nozzles 22 c and 22 d are provided so as to sandwich 22 a and 22 b from both sides and supply an inert gas into the processing chamber 4.

  The processing gas introduction ports 23a and 23b which are upstream ends of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b, and the inert gas introduction ports 23c and 23d which are upstream ends of the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d, Respectively, the side walls of the manifold 6 penetrate outward in the radial direction of the manifold 6 and project outside the process tube 1.

  Process gas supply pipes 25a and 25b as process gas supply lines are connected to the process gas introduction ports 23a and 23b, respectively.

For example, TEMAH (Hf [NCH ₃ C ₂ H ₅ ] ₄ , tetrakisethylmethylaminohafnium) or TEMAZ (Zr [NCH ₃ C ₂ H ₅ ] ₄ as a liquid source is provided in the processing gas supply pipe 25a in order from the upstream side. , Tetrakisethylmethylaminozirconium), a processing gas supply source 28a for supplying a processing gas such as a gas (TEMAH gas or TEMAZ gas), an MFC (mass flow controller) 27a as a flow control device, and an opening / closing valve 26a. Is provided. As described above, the processing gas sandwiched from both sides by the inert gas is a gas having a thermal decomposition temperature lower than the processing temperature (film formation temperature), for example, a gas obtained by vaporizing TEMAH or TEMAZ (TEMAH gas or TEMAZ gas) or the like is used. A carrier gas supply pipe (not shown) is connected downstream of the open / close valve 26a of the processing gas supply pipe 25a. By supplying N ₂ gas as the carrier gas from the carrier gas supply pipe, the processing gas is diluted to promote the supply of the processing gas into the processing chamber 4 and the diffusion of the processing gas in the processing chamber 4. Is configured to be possible.

The processing gas supply pipe 25b includes, in order from the upstream side, a processing gas supply source 28b for supplying a processing gas such as O ₃ (ozone) gas, an MFC (mass flow controller) 27b as a flow control device, and an open / close valve. 26b is provided. A carrier gas supply pipe (not shown) is connected downstream of the open / close valve 26b of the processing gas supply pipe 25b. By supplying N ₂ gas as the carrier gas from the carrier gas supply pipe, the processing gas is diluted to promote the supply of the processing gas into the processing chamber 4 and the diffusion of the processing gas in the processing chamber 4. Is configured to be possible.

Inert gas supply pipes 25c and 25d serving as inert gas supply lines are connected to the inert gas introduction ports 23c and 23d, respectively. The inert gas supply pipes 25c and 25d are provided with an inert gas supply source 28c and 28d for supplying an inert gas such as N ₂ gas, Ar gas, and He gas in order from the upstream side, and an MFC (flow control device). Mass flow controllers) 27c and 27d and open / close valves 26c and 26d are provided, respectively.

This implementation is mainly performed by the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b, the processing gas supply pipes 25a and 25b, the processing gas supply sources 28a and 28b, the MFCs 27a and 27b, the open / close valves 26a and 26b, and two carrier gas supply pipes (not shown). A processing gas supply unit according to the embodiment is configured. Further, the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d, the inert gas supply pipes 25c and 25d, the inert gas supply sources 28c and 28d, the MFCs 27c and 27d, and the open / close valves 26c and 26d are mainly used for the inert gas according to the present embodiment. A gas supply unit is configured.

  A gas supply / flow rate controller 235 is electrically connected to the MFCs 27a, 27b, 27c, 27d and the on-off valves 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d. The gas supply / flow rate control unit 235 ensures that the type of gas supplied into the processing chamber 4 in each step to be described later becomes a desired gas type at a desired timing, and the flow rate of the supplied gas is set at a desired timing. The MFCs 27a, 27b, 27c, 27d and the open / close valves 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d are adjusted so that the concentration of the processing gas with respect to the inert gas becomes a desired concentration at a desired timing. Configured to control.

A plurality of jet outlets 24a and 24b are provided in the cylindrical portion of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in the processing chamber 4 so as to be arranged in the vertical direction, and the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d in the processing chamber 4 are provided. A plurality of jet outlets 24c and 24d are provided in the cylindrical portion so as to be arranged in the vertical direction.
By providing the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b and the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d in the spare chamber 21, the ejection ports 24a and 24b of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b and the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d are provided. The jet outlets 24 c and 24 d are arranged on the radially outer side of the inner tube 2 with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube 2.

  The number of ejection openings 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d is configured to match the number of wafers 10 held on the boat 11, for example. The height positions of the ejection ports 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d are set so as to face the spaces between the wafers 10 adjacent to each other on the upper and lower sides held by the boat 11, for example. It should be noted that the diameters of the ejection ports 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d may be set to different sizes so that the gas supply amount to each wafer 10 is uniform. One jet port 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d may be provided for each of the plurality of wafers 10 (for example, one for each of several wafers 10).

  At a position on the side wall of the inner tube 2 facing the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b, that is, at a position opposite to the auxiliary chamber 21 by 180 degrees, an exhaust hole 25 that is, for example, a slit-shaped through hole is provided in the vertical direction It is long and narrow. The inside of the processing chamber 4 and the inside of the exhaust path 8 communicate with each other through an exhaust hole 25. Accordingly, the processing gas supplied into the processing chamber 4 from the outlets 24a and 24b of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b, and the processing gas supplied into the processing chamber 4 from the outlets 24a and 24b of the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d. The processing gas flows into the exhaust passage 8 through the exhaust hole 25, then flows into the exhaust pipe 7 a through the exhaust port 7, and is discharged out of the processing furnace 202. The exhaust hole 25 is not limited to being configured as a slit-like through hole, and may be configured by a plurality of holes.

As shown in FIG. 2, the straight line connecting the processing gas supply nozzle 22 a and the exhaust hole 25 and the first straight line connecting the processing gas supply nozzle 22 b and the exhaust hole 25 are respectively near the center of the wafer 10. It is configured to pass. In addition, the direction of the jet nozzles 24a and 24b is set to be substantially parallel to these first straight lines. The second straight line connecting the inert gas supply nozzle 22c and the exhaust hole 25 and the third straight line connecting the inert gas supply nozzle 22c and the exhaust hole 25 are the process gas supply nozzle 22a and the exhaust hole 25, respectively. And a first straight line connecting the processing gas supply nozzle 22b and the exhaust hole 25 are sandwiched from both sides. In addition, the direction of the jet outlets 24c and 24d may be set to the direction opened outside these straight lines, or may be set substantially parallel to these straight lines. That is, the jet outlet 24c may be configured to open in a direction opened outward from the second straight line, or may be configured to open substantially parallel to the second straight line. Further, the direction of the jet outlet 24d may be configured to open in a direction opened outward from the third straight line, or may be configured to open substantially parallel to the third straight line. Good.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, when the processing gas and the inert gas are supplied into the processing chamber 4 at the same time, the processing gas is supplied into the processing chamber 4 from the outlets 24a and 24b of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b. The gas flows 30a and 30b of the processed gas are sandwiched from both sides by the gas flows 30c and 30d of the inert gas supplied into the processing chamber 4 from the outlets 24c and 24d of the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d. The flow path is restricted. For example, when an inert gas is supplied to the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4, the pressure in the region becomes relatively high, and the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4 is increased. Inflow of the processing gas is suppressed. As a result, the supply of the processing gas to the vicinity of the center of each wafer 10 is promoted, and the supply amount of the processing gas in the vicinity of the outer periphery and the vicinity of the center of each wafer 10 is made more uniform. Further, the processing gas is diluted with an inert gas in the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4, and an excessively thick film is suppressed in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the wafer 10.

(controller)
The gas supply / flow rate control unit 235, the pressure control unit 236, the drive control unit 237, and the temperature control unit 238 also constitute an operation unit and an input / output unit, and are electrically connected to the main control unit 239 that controls the entire substrate processing apparatus. It is connected to the. These gas supply / flow rate control unit 235, pressure control unit 236, drive control unit 237, temperature control unit 238, and main control unit 239 are configured as a controller 240.

(4) Substrate Processing Step Next, one step of the semiconductor device (device) manufacturing process performed by the substrate processing apparatus 101 described above will be described. As described above, the processing gas sandwiched from both sides by the inert gas is a gas whose thermal decomposition temperature is lower than the processing temperature (film formation temperature), for example, a gas obtained by vaporizing TEMAH or TEMAZ (TEMAH gas). Or TEMAZ gas) can be used. Hereinafter, an example in which a HfO ₂ film is formed by the ALD method using TEMAH gas and O ₃ gas as processing gases will be described. In the following description, the operation of each part constituting the substrate processing apparatus 101 is controlled by the controller 240.

An ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) method, which is one of CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) methods, uses at least two types of mutually reactive processing gases used for film formation under certain film formation conditions (temperature, time, etc.). In this method, the materials are alternately supplied onto the substrate, adsorbed onto the substrate in units of one atom, and a film is formed 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). For example, when an HfO ₂ film is formed by the ALD method, a low temperature of 180 to 250 ° C. is used using TEMAH (Hf [NCH ₃ C ₂ H ₅ ] ₄ , tetrakisethylmethylaminohafnium) gas and O ₃ (ozone) gas. High quality film formation is possible.

  First, as described above, a group of wafers 10 to be processed is loaded into the boat 11 and loaded into the processing chamber 4. After the boat 11 is carried into the processing chamber 4, the pressure in the processing chamber 4 is in the range of 10 to 1000 Pa, for example 50 Pa, and the temperature in the processing chamber 4 is in the range of 180 to 250 ° C. When the temperature reaches 220 ° C., the following four steps (steps 1 to 4) are set as one cycle and this cycle is repeated a predetermined number of times. In addition, while performing the following steps 1-4, it becomes possible to make the flow volume of the gas supplied to the wafer 10 surface more uniform by rotating the rotation mechanism 254.

(Step 1)
Both the open / close valve 26a of the processing gas supply pipe 25a and the APC valve 7b of the exhaust pipe 7a are opened, and the inside of the processing chamber 4 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 7c, while TEMAH as a processing gas is discharged from the jet port 24a of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a. Gas is supplied into the processing chamber 4. The TEMAH gas is supplied after being diluted with a carrier gas (N ₂ gas) supplied from a carrier gas supply pipe (not shown).

The TEMAH gas is a gas that greatly affects the in-plane uniformity of the substrate processing (in-plane uniformity of the thickness of the HfO ₂ film formed on the surface of the wafer 10). For this reason, in step 1 according to the present embodiment, when supplying the TEMAH gas into the processing chamber 4, the open / close valves 26c and 26d of the inert gas supply pipes 25c and 25d are opened at the same time, and the inert gas supply nozzles 22c, N ₂ gas as an inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 4 from the jet outlets 24c and 24d of 22d. As a result, the TEMAH gas supplied into the processing chamber 4 from the outlet 24a of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a is N ₂ supplied into the processing chamber 4 from the outlets 24c and 24d of the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d. The flow path is restricted by being sandwiched from both sides by the gas. For example, when an inert gas is supplied to the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4, the pressure in the region becomes relatively high, and the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4 is increased. It will be suppressed that the TEMAH gas flows (escapes). As a result, the supply of TEMAH gas to the vicinity of the center of each wafer 10 is promoted, and the supply amount of TEMAH gas near the outer periphery and the vicinity of the center of each wafer 10 is made more uniform. Further, the TEMAH gas is diluted with N ₂ gas in the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4, and an excessively thick film is suppressed in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the wafer 10. As described above, the inert gas (N ₂ gas) supplied from the inert gas supply pipes 25 c and 25 d in Step 1 restricts the flow path of the processing gas and makes the supply amount of the processing gas to the wafer 10 uniform. Functions as an assist gas.

The inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d supply N ₂ gas at a flow rate equal to or higher than the flow rate of the TEMAH gas supplied from the processing gas supply nozzle 22a when supplying the TEMAH gas from the processing gas supply nozzle 22a. It is preferable to make it. That is, the flow rate of N ₂ gas supplied from the ejection port 24c of the inert gas supply nozzles 22c, and the flow rate of N ₂ gas supplied from the ejection port 24d of the inert gas supply nozzle 22d, respectively, the process gas supply nozzle It is preferable that the flow rate is equal to or higher than the flow rate of the TEMAH gas supplied from the jet outlet 24a of 22a. The flow rate of TEMAH gas and the flow rate of N ₂ gas are controlled by MFCs 27a, 27c, and 27d, respectively. As a result, the supply of TEMAH gas to the vicinity of the center of each wafer 10 is further promoted. Further, dilution of the TEMAH gas with the N ₂ gas is further promoted in the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4.

During the execution of Step 1, the pressure in the processing chamber 4 is adjusted within a range of 20 to 900 Pa, for example, 50 Pa. Further, the supply flow rate of the TEMAH gas from the processing gas supply nozzle 22a is adjusted to be within a range of 0.01 to 0.35 g / min, for example, 0.3 g / min. The supply flow rate of N ₂ gas (carrier gas) from a carrier gas supply pipe (not shown) connected to the processing gas supply pipe 25a is in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 g / slm, for example, 1 Adjust to 0 slm. The supply flow rate of N ₂ gas (assist gas) from the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d is adjusted to be within a range of 20 to 30 slm, for example, 30 slm. Further, the temperature in the processing chamber 4 is adjusted to be in the range of 180 to 250 ° C., for example, 220 ° C. The time for exposing the wafer 10 to the TEMAH gas (the execution time of step 1) is in the range of 30 to 180 seconds, for example, 120 seconds.

  By supplying the TEMAH gas into the processing chamber 4, the gas molecules of the TEMAH gas react with the surface portion such as the base film on the wafer 10 (chemical adsorption).

(Step 2)
The open / close valve 26a of the processing gas supply pipe 25a is closed, and the supply of TEMAH gas into the processing chamber 4 is stopped. At this time, the APC valve 7b of the exhaust pipe 7a is kept open, and the inside of the processing chamber 4 is exhausted to, for example, 20 Pa or less by the vacuum pump 7c, and the remaining TEMAH gas is removed from the processing chamber 4. Further, when the opening / closing valves 26c and 26d of the inert gas supply pipes 25c and 25d are opened to supply the N ₂ gas into the processing chamber 4, the effect of removing the remaining TEMAH gas from the processing chamber 4 is further enhanced. In step 2, the N ₂ gas supplied from the inert gas supply pipes 25 c and 25 d functions as a purge gas that promotes discharge of the residual gas in the processing chamber 4.

During execution of step 2, the pressure in the processing chamber 4 is adjusted to be, for example, 20 Pa or less. Further, the supply flow rate of N ₂ gas (purge gas) from the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d is adjusted to be within a range of 0.5 to 20 slm, for example, 12 slm. Further, the temperature in the processing chamber 4 is adjusted to be in the range of 180 to 250 ° C., for example, 220 ° C. Further, the execution time of step 2 is in the range of 30 to 150 seconds, for example, 60 seconds.

(Step 3)
While the APC valve 7b of the exhaust pipe 7a is open, the open / close valve 26b of the processing gas supply pipe 25b is opened, and the inside of the processing chamber 4 is exhausted by the vacuum pump 7c, and the processing gas is supplied from the jet outlet 24b of the processing gas supply nozzle 22b. The O ₃ gas is supplied into the processing chamber 4. The O ₃ gas is supplied after being diluted with a carrier gas (N ₂ gas) supplied from a carrier gas supply pipe (not shown).

The O ₃ gas is a gas that has little influence on the in-plane uniformity of substrate processing (in-plane uniformity of the thickness of the HfO ₂ film formed on the surface of the wafer 10). For this reason, in step 3 according to the present embodiment, N ₂ gas (assist gas) is not supplied from the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d. However, when the processing gas supplied in step 3 is a gas that affects the in-plane uniformity of the substrate processing, in step 3, as in step 1, the inert gas supply nozzles 22c, 22d to N ₂ It is preferable to supply gas (assist gas). Further, even when O ₃ gas is supplied, N ₂ gas (assist gas) may be supplied from the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d.

During the execution of step 3, the pressure in the processing chamber 4 is adjusted within a range of 20 to 900 Pa, for example, 50 Pa. Further, the supply flow rate of the O ₃ gas from the processing gas supply nozzle 22b is adjusted to be within a range of 6 to 20 slm, for example, 17 slm. The supply flow rate of N ₂ gas (carrier gas) from a carrier gas supply pipe (not shown) connected to the processing gas supply pipe 25b is in the range of 0 to 2 slm, for example, 0.5 slm. adjust. Further, the temperature in the processing chamber 4 is adjusted to be in the range of 180 to 250 ° C., for example, 220 ° C. The time for exposing the wafer 10 to the TEMAH gas (the execution time of step 3) is in the range of 10 to 300 seconds, for example, 120 seconds.

By supplying the O ₃ gas into the processing chamber 4, the TEMAH gas chemically adsorbed on the surface of the wafer 10 and the O ₃ gas react with each other to form a HfO ₂ film on the wafer 10.

(Step 4)
The on-off valve 26b of the processing gas supply pipe 25b is closed, and the supply of O ₃ gas into the processing chamber 4 is stopped. At this time, the APC valve 7b of the exhaust pipe 7a is kept open, and the inside of the processing chamber 4 is exhausted to 20 Pa or less by the vacuum pump 7c, and the remaining O ₃ gas is removed from the processing chamber 4. Further, when the open / close valves 26c and 26d of the inert gas supply pipes 25c and 25d are opened to supply the N ₂ gas into the processing chamber 4, the effect of removing the remaining O ₃ gas from the processing chamber 4 is further enhanced. In step 4, the N ₂ gas supplied from the inert gas supply pipes 25 c and 25 d functions as a purge gas that promotes discharge of the residual gas in the processing chamber 4.

During execution of step 4, the pressure in the processing chamber 4 is adjusted to be 20 Pa or less, for example. Further, the supply flow rate of N ₂ gas (purge gas) from the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d is adjusted to be within a range of 0.5 to 20 slm, for example, 12 slm. Further, the temperature in the processing chamber 4 is adjusted to be in the range of 180 to 250 ° C., for example, 220 ° C. Further, the execution time of step 2 is in the range of 30 to 150 seconds, for example, 60 seconds.

Then, steps 1 to 4 described above are defined as one cycle, and this cycle is repeated a plurality of times to form a HfO ₂ film having a predetermined thickness on the wafer 10. Thereafter, the boat 11 holding the processed wafer 10 group is unloaded from the processing chamber 4 and the substrate processing step according to the present embodiment is completed.

(5) Effects according to the present embodiment According to the present embodiment, the following one or more effects are achieved.

According to the present embodiment, the TEMAH gas supplied into the processing chamber 4 from the outlet 24a of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a in the above-described step 1 is supplied from the outlets 24c and 24d of the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d. The flow path is restricted by being sandwiched from both sides by N ₂ gas supplied into the processing chamber 4. For example, when N ₂ gas is supplied to the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4, the pressure in the region becomes relatively high, and the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4 is increased. It is suppressed that TEMAH gas flows in. As a result, the supply of TEMAH gas to the vicinity of the center of each wafer 10 is promoted, and the supply amount of TEMAH gas near the outer periphery and the vicinity of the center of each wafer 10 is made more uniform. Further, the TEMAH gas is diluted with N ₂ gas in the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4, and an excessively thick film is suppressed in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the wafer 10.

In the present embodiment, when the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d supply the TEMAH gas from the processing gas supply nozzle 22a, the N ₂ flow rate is equal to or higher than the flow rate of the TEMAH gas supplied from the processing gas supply nozzle 22a. When the gas is supplied, the supply of TEMAH gas to the vicinity of the center of each wafer 10 is further promoted. Further, the dilution of the TEMAH gas with the N ₂ gas is further promoted in the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4, and the formation of an excessively thick HfO ₂ film near the outer periphery of the wafer 10 is further suppressed. The

Further, according to the present embodiment, the O ₃ gas is a gas that has a small influence on the in-plane uniformity of the thickness of the HfO ₂ film formed on the surface of the wafer 10. N ₂ gas (assist gas) is not supplied from the gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d. However, in step 3, as in step 1, N ₂ gas (assist gas) may be supplied from the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d.

In such a case, the O ₃ gas supplied into the processing chamber 4 from the outlet 24b of the processing gas supply nozzle 22b is supplied to the processing chamber 4 from the outlets 24c and 24d of the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d. The flow path is restricted by being sandwiched by _two gases from both sides. For example, when N ₂ gas is supplied to the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4, the pressure in the region becomes relatively high, and the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4 is increased. O ₃ gas is prevented from flowing in. As a result, the supply of O ₃ gas to the vicinity of the center of each wafer 10 is promoted, and the supply amount of O ₃ gas in the vicinity of the outer periphery and the center of each wafer 10 is made more uniform. In addition, the O ₃ gas is diluted with N ₂ gas in the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4, and an excessively thick film is suppressed in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the wafer 10.

In the present embodiment, when the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d supply the O ₃ gas from the processing gas supply nozzle 22a, the flow rate is equal to or higher than the flow rate of the O ₃ gas supplied from the processing gas supply nozzle 22b. When N ₂ gas is supplied, the supply of O ₃ gas to the vicinity of the center of each wafer 10 is further promoted. Further, dilution of O ₃ gas with N ₂ gas is further promoted in the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4, and an excessively thick HfO ₂ film is further suppressed near the outer periphery of the wafer 10. Is done.

In steps 2 and 4 of the present embodiment, if the N ₂ gas is supplied into the processing chamber 4 by opening the open / close valves 26c and 26d of the inert gas supply pipes 25c and 25d, the remaining TEMAH gas or The effect of removing the O ₃ gas from the processing chamber 4 is further enhanced. As a result, the time required for executing steps 2 and 4 is shortened, and the productivity of substrate processing can be increased.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a ring-shaped rectifying plate between the peripheral edge of each wafer 10 supported by the boat 11 and the inner wall of the processing chamber 4. Therefore, it is not necessary to ensure a wide stacking pitch of the wafers 10, and it is possible to suppress a reduction in the number of substrates that can be processed at once. As a result, the productivity of substrate processing can be improved.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a ring-shaped rectifying plate between the peripheral edge of each wafer 10 supported by the boat 11 and the inner wall of the processing chamber 4. Therefore, the production cost of the boat 11 and the substrate processing cost can be reduced.

<Other Embodiments of the Present Invention>
In the above-described embodiment, one or more process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b for supplying a process gas into the process chamber 4 and the process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b are provided so as to be sandwiched from both sides. A pair of inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d for supplying the active gas was individually provided. Then, the processing gas supplied from the processing gas supply nozzle 22a (for example, TEMAH gas) and the processing gas supplied from the processing gas supply nozzle 22b (for example, O ₃ gas) are supplied from the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d, respectively. It was sandwiched from both sides by active gas.

  However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. That is, when only the in-plane uniformity of the supply amount of any one of the plurality of processing gases supplied from one or more processing gas supply nozzles affects the in-plane uniformity of substrate processing (others) If the in-plane uniformity of the processing gas supply amount does not significantly affect the in-plane uniformity of the substrate processing), only the processing gas that affects the in-plane uniformity of the substrate processing is sandwiched by the inert gas from both sides. The processing gas that does not significantly affect the in-plane uniformity of the substrate processing may not be sandwiched by the inert gas from both sides.

  In this case, at least one of the one or more processing gas supply nozzles (a processing gas supply nozzle that supplies a processing gas that does not significantly affect the in-plane uniformity of the substrate processing) is supplied to another processing gas supply. When supplying a processing gas from a nozzle (a processing gas supply nozzle that supplies a processing gas that affects in-plane uniformity of substrate processing), the flow rate is higher than the flow rate of the processing gas supplied from the other processing gas supply nozzle. It may be configured to supply an inert gas.

For example, while the in-plane uniformity of the TEMAH gas supply amount greatly affects the in-plane uniformity of the substrate processing, the in-plane uniformity of the O ₃ gas supply amount does not significantly affect the in-plane uniformity of the substrate processing. In this case, only the TEMAH gas may be sandwiched by N ₂ gas from both sides, and the O ₃ gas may not be sandwiched by N ₂ gas from both sides. Then, the inert gas supply nozzle 22c and the processing gas supply nozzle 22b are N ₂ gas at a flow rate equal to or higher than the flow rate of the TEMAH gas supplied from the processing gas supply nozzle 22a when supplying the TEMAH gas from the processing gas supply nozzle 22a. May be configured so as to be supplied respectively. If the inert gas supply nozzle 22d is not provided, the structure of the substrate processing apparatus can be simplified, and the substrate processing cost can be reduced.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below together with comparative examples. FIG. 8 is a table showing the substrate processing results according to the example of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a table showing the substrate processing results according to the comparative example.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, an amine-based Zr raw material gas is supplied as a processing gas from the processing gas supply nozzle 22a, and an O ₃ gas is supplied as a processing gas from the processing gas supply nozzle 22b. A film was formed. The in-plane uniformity of the Zr oxide film thickness is greatly influenced by the in-plane uniformity of the supply amount of the amine-based Zr source gas. Therefore, in this embodiment, the amine-based Zr source gas is sandwiched from both sides by N ₂ gas (inert gas). Specifically, when supplying the amine-based Zr source gas from the processing gas supply nozzle 22a in Step 1, N ₂ gas is supplied at a flow rate of 30 slm from the inert gas supply nozzle 22c and the processing gas supply nozzle 22b, respectively. (Note that the allowable range of the supply flow rate of N ₂ gas (inert gas) is, for example, 20 to 30 slm). As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, for the wafer 10 loaded in the upper part of the boat 11, the average film thickness of the Zr oxide film is 33.7 (％) and the in-plane uniformity is ± 3.9 (%). The wafer 10 loaded in the middle part of the boat 11 has an average Zr oxide film thickness of 33.6 (Å) and an in-plane uniformity of ± 3.7 (%), and is loaded in the lower part of the boat 11. With respect to the wafer 10 thus obtained, the average thickness of the Zr oxide film is 33.6 (Å) and the in-plane uniformity is ± 4.1 (%). It was confirmed that it was remarkably improved. Further, the uniformity between the wafers was ± 0.2 (%), and it was confirmed that the uniformity between the substrates in the substrate processing was remarkably improved as compared with the comparative example described later.

In the comparative example shown in FIG. 7, when the amine-based Zr source gas is supplied from the processing gas supply nozzle 22a in Step 1, the N ₂ gas is supplied from the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d and the processing gas supply nozzle 22b. I did not. Other conditions are almost the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, for the wafer 10 loaded in the upper part of the boat 11, the average film thickness of the Zr oxide film is 37.6 (％) and the in-plane uniformity is ± 9.7 (%). The wafer 10 loaded in the middle part of the boat 11 has a Zr oxide film with an average film thickness of 36.7 (Å) and an in-plane uniformity of ± 8.5 (%). As for the wafer 10, the average thickness of the Zr oxide film is 36.5 (．), the in-plane uniformity is ± 7.3 (%), and the uniformity between the wafers is ± 1.4 (%). It was.

<Still another embodiment of the present invention>
It goes without saying that 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.

For example, the inner tube 2 may not be provided with the spare chamber 21. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b and the inert gas supply nozzle 22c.
, 22d may be arranged on the radially inner side of the inner tube 2 relative to the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube 2.

Further, as described above, the number of the ejection ports 24 a, 24 b, 24 c, 24 d is not limited to the case where the number of the wafers 10 is matched. For example, the ejection openings 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d are not limited to being provided at height positions corresponding to each other between the stacked wafers 10 (provided by the number equivalent to the number of wafers 10). One may be provided for 10.

  Further, as described above, the exhaust hole 25 opened in the side wall of the inner tube 2 is not limited to being configured as a slit-like through hole, but includes, for example, a plurality of long holes, circular holes, and polygonal holes. It may be configured. When the exhaust holes 25 are constituted by a plurality of holes, the number of the holes is not limited to the number of wafers 10 and can be increased or decreased. For example, the present invention is not limited to the case where a plurality of holes constituting the exhaust hole 25 are provided at height positions corresponding to each other between the stacked wafers 10 (provided by the number equivalent to the number of wafers 10). One may be provided for 10. Further, when the exhaust hole 25 is configured as a series of long holes (slits), the width thereof may be increased or decreased above and below the inner tube 2. Further, when the exhaust hole 25 is constituted by a plurality of holes, the diameters of the plurality of holes may be increased or decreased above and below the inner tube 2.

  Although the case where the processing is performed on the wafer 10 has been described in the above embodiment, the processing target may be a photomask, a printed wiring board, a liquid crystal panel, a compact disk, a magnetic disk, or the like.

  In the above-described embodiment, the film deposition by the ALD method has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the ALD but can be suitably applied to the film deposition by the CVD method. Furthermore, the substrate processing method according to the present invention can be applied to all substrate processing methods such as an oxide film forming method and a diffusion method.

<Preferred embodiment of the present invention>
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be additionally described.

According to one aspect of the invention,
A processing chamber for storing and processing substrates stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture;
A processing gas supply unit for supplying one or more processing gases into the processing chamber;
An inert gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas into the processing chamber;
An exhaust unit for exhausting the processing chamber,
The processing gas supply unit has one or more processing gas supply nozzles that extend in the stacking direction of the substrates along the inner wall of the processing chamber and supply the processing gas into the processing chamber,
The inert gas supply unit is provided so as to extend in the stacking direction of the substrate along the inner wall of the processing chamber and sandwich the processing gas supply nozzle from both sides along the circumferential direction of the substrate, A substrate processing apparatus having a pair of inert gas supply nozzles for supplying an inert gas into the processing chamber is provided.

  Preferably, the pair of inert gas supply nozzles includes one or more inert gas outlets that supply the inert gas toward the center of the substrate.

According to another aspect of the invention,
A heating unit for heating the atmosphere in the processing chamber;
A control unit for controlling at least the processing gas supply unit, the inert gas supply unit, and the heating unit;
The controller is
The process gas supply unit and the inert gas supply unit are controlled so that the supply flow rate of the inert gas is higher than the supply flow rate of the process gas, and the atmosphere in the process chamber is set to a predetermined process temperature. A substrate processing apparatus for controlling a heating unit is provided.

  Preferably, the thermal decomposition temperature of the processing gas is lower than the processing temperature.

According to yet another aspect of the invention,
Outer tube,
An inner tube that is disposed inside the outer tube and that houses substrates stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture with at least a lower end open;
A processing gas supply unit for supplying one or more processing gases into the inner tube;
An inert gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas into the inner tube;
An exhaust hole provided on a side wall of the inner tube and facing the processing gas supply nozzle,
The processing gas supply unit includes:
One or more process gas supply nozzles provided in the inner tube so as to extend in the stacking direction of the substrate, and having one or more process gas ejection ports for supplying the process gas;
The inert gas supply unit includes:
One or more ones that extend in the stacking direction of the substrates and that stand up in the inner tube so as to sandwich the processing gas supply nozzle from both sides along the circumferential direction of the substrate, and supply the inert gas There is provided a substrate processing apparatus having a pair of inert gas supply nozzles provided with an inert gas outlet.

Preferably, the inner tube is formed with a preliminary chamber projecting radially outward.
The processing gas supply nozzle is provided in the preliminary chamber,
The processing gas ejection port is disposed radially outward from the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube.

Preferably, the inner tube is formed with a preliminary chamber protruding radially outward,
The pair of inert gas supply nozzles are provided in the preliminary chamber,
The inert gas outlet is disposed radially outside the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube.

Further preferably, a first straight line connecting the processing gas supply nozzle and the exhaust hole passes through the vicinity of the center of the substrate.

Further preferably, the processing gas ejection port is configured to open substantially parallel to the first straight line.

Preferably, the second and third straight lines connecting the pair of inert gas supply nozzles and the exhaust holes are configured to sandwich the first straight line from both sides.

Preferably, the inert gas outlet is configured to open substantially parallel to the second and third straight lines.

Preferably, the inert gas outlet is configured to open in a direction opened outward from the second and third straight lines.

Preferably, a heating unit for heating the atmosphere in the processing chamber;
A control unit for controlling at least the heating unit;
The controller is
The heating unit is controlled so that the atmosphere in the processing chamber reaches a predetermined processing temperature.

  Preferably, the thermal decomposition temperature of the processing gas is lower than the processing temperature.

Also preferably, at least the processing gas supply unit, the control unit for controlling the inert gas supply unit,
The controller is
The processing gas supply unit and the inert gas supply unit are controlled so that the supply flow rate of the inert gas is greater than the supply flow rate of the processing gas.

Preferably, a heating unit for heating the atmosphere in the processing chamber;
A control unit for controlling at least the processing gas supply unit, the inert gas supply unit, and the heating unit;
The controller is
The process gas supply unit and the inert gas supply unit are controlled so that the supply flow rate of the inert gas is higher than the supply flow rate of the process gas, and the atmosphere in the process chamber is set to a predetermined process temperature. Control the heating unit.

  Preferably, each of the pair of inert gas supply nozzles has one or more inert gas ejection ports that supply the inert gas toward the center of the substrate.

According to yet another aspect of the invention,
A substrate processing apparatus for repeatedly supplying a surface of a substrate repeatedly a predetermined number of times so that two or more kinds of processing gases are not mixed with each other, and forming a thin film on the surface of the substrate,
A processing chamber for storing and processing the substrates stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture;
A processing gas supply unit for supplying two or more kinds of the processing gases into the processing chamber;
An inert gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas into the processing chamber;
An exhaust unit for exhausting the processing chamber,
The processing gas supply unit has two or more processing gas supply nozzles that extend in the stacking direction of the substrates along the inner wall of the processing chamber and supply the processing gas into the processing chamber,
The inert gas supply unit extends in the stacking direction of the substrate along the inner wall of the processing chamber, and at least one of the two or more processing gas supply nozzles along the circumferential direction of the substrate. There is provided a substrate processing apparatus having a pair of inert gas supply nozzles provided so as to sandwich a processing gas supply nozzle from both sides and supplying an inert gas into the processing chamber.

  Preferably, the at least one processing gas supply nozzle sandwiched from both sides by the pair of inert gas supply nozzles supplies a processing gas that affects in-plane uniformity of the thickness of the thin film.

Preferably, the processing gas supply unit includes:
A first process gas supply nozzle for supplying a first process gas that affects in-plane uniformity of the thickness of the thin film;
A second processing gas supply nozzle for supplying a second processing gas that does not affect the in-plane uniformity of the thickness of the thin film;
The first process gas supply nozzle is sandwiched from both sides by the pair of inert gas supply nozzles along the circumferential direction of the substrate.

Still another aspect of the present invention provides:
A processing chamber for storing and processing substrates stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture;
One or more process gas supply nozzles extending in the stacking direction of the substrates along the inner wall of the process chamber and supplying a process gas into the process chamber;
A pair of inert gas supply nozzles extending in the stacking direction of the substrates along the inner wall of the processing chamber to supply an inert gas into the processing chamber;
An exhaust line for exhausting the processing chamber,
The pair of inert gases such that a flow path of the process gas supplied from the process gas supply nozzle is restricted by a gas flow of the inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply nozzle. There is provided a substrate processing apparatus provided with a supply nozzle.

According to yet another aspect of the invention,
A processing chamber for storing and processing substrates stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture;
One or more process gas supply nozzles extending in the stacking direction of the substrates along the inner wall of the process chamber and supplying a process gas into the process chamber;
A pair of inert gas supply nozzles extending in the stacking direction of the substrates along the inner wall of the processing chamber to supply an inert gas into the processing chamber;
An exhaust line for exhausting the processing chamber,
The pair of inert gas supply nozzles is provided with a substrate processing apparatus that supplies the inert gas to a gap between an inner wall of the processing chamber and the substrate.

According to yet another aspect of the invention,
A processing chamber for storing and processing substrates stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture;
One or more process gas supply nozzles that extend in the stacking direction of the substrates along the inner wall of the process chamber and supply a process gas into the process chamber;
A pair that extends in the stacking direction of the substrate along the inner wall of the processing chamber and that supplies the inert gas into the processing chamber provided to sandwich the processing gas supply nozzle from both along the circumferential direction of the substrate. An inert gas supply nozzle,
There is provided a substrate processing apparatus having an exhaust line for exhausting the processing chamber.

  Preferably, when supplying the processing gas from the processing gas supply nozzle, the inert gas supply nozzle supplies the inert gas at a flow rate equal to or higher than the flow rate of the processing gas supplied from the processing gas supply nozzle.

  Preferably, at least one processing gas supply nozzle among the one or more processing gas supply nozzles is supplied from the other processing gas supply nozzle when supplying the processing gas from the other processing gas supply nozzle. The inert gas is supplied at a flow rate higher than the flow rate of the processing gas.

According to yet another aspect of the invention,
A step of carrying substrates stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture into the processing chamber;
The processing gas is supplied into the processing chamber from one or more processing gas supply nozzles extending in the stacking direction of the substrate along the inner wall of the processing chamber, and the substrate is stacked along the inner wall of the processing chamber. The substrate is processed by supplying an inert gas into the processing chamber from a pair of inert gas supply nozzles extending in the direction and sandwiching the processing gas supply nozzle from both along the circumferential direction of the substrate. And a process of
Unloading the processed substrate from the processing chamber;
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having the above is provided.

  Preferably, in the step of processing the substrate, the flow rate of the inert gas supplied from each nozzle of the pair of inert gas supply nozzles is equal to or higher than the flow rate of the process gas supplied from the process gas supply nozzle.

According to yet another aspect of the invention,
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein two or more kinds of processing gases are alternately supplied to a surface of a substrate repeatedly so as not to mix with each other, and a predetermined thin film is formed on the surface of the substrate,
A step of carrying substrates stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture into the processing chamber;
A first gas supply step of supplying a first processing gas into the processing chamber;
A first exhaust process for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber;
A second gas supply step of supplying a second processing gas into the processing chamber;
A second exhaust process for exhausting the atmosphere in the process chamber, and in at least one of the first gas supply process and the second gas supply process, the first process gas A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided in which an inert gas is supplied so as to sandwich the gas flow of the second gas or the gas flow of the second processing gas from both sides.

It is a vertical sectional view of a processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a horizontal sectional view of the processing furnace of the substrate processing apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the flow of the process gas and inert gas in a process furnace. It is a schematic block diagram of the board | substrate holder provided with the ring-shaped baffle plate. It is a schematic block diagram of the board | substrate holder which does not have a baffle plate. It is a schematic block diagram of the substrate processing apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a table | surface figure which shows the board | substrate process result concerning a comparative example. It is a table | surface figure which shows the substrate processing result concerning the Example of this invention. It is a horizontal sectional view of the processing furnace of the substrate processing apparatus concerning further another embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Inner tube 3 Outer tube 4 Processing chamber 7a Exhaust pipe (exhaust line)
10 Wafer (substrate)
11 Boat (Substrate holder)
20 heater unit 22a processing gas supply nozzle 22b processing gas supply nozzle 22c inert gas supply nozzle 22d inert gas supply nozzle 24a processing gas outlet 24b processing gas outlet 24c inert gas outlet 24d inert gas outlet 25 exhaust hole 101 Substrate processing apparatus 202 Processing furnace 240 Controller (control unit)

Claims (5)

A processing chamber for storing and processing substrates stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture;
A processing gas supply unit for supplying one or more processing gases into the processing chamber;
An inert gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas into the processing chamber;
An exhaust unit for exhausting the processing chamber,
The processing gas supply unit has one or more processing gas supply nozzles that extend in the stacking direction of the substrates along the inner wall of the processing chamber and supply the processing gas into the processing chamber,
The inert gas supply unit is provided so as to extend in the stacking direction of the substrate along the inner wall of the processing chamber and sandwich the processing gas supply nozzle from both sides along the circumferential direction of the substrate, A substrate processing apparatus comprising a pair of inert gas supply nozzles for supplying an inert gas into the processing chamber. A heating unit for heating the atmosphere in the processing chamber;
A control unit for controlling at least the processing gas supply unit, the inert gas supply unit, and the heating unit;
The controller is
The process gas supply unit and the inert gas supply unit are controlled so that the supply flow rate of the inert gas is higher than the supply flow rate of the process gas, and the atmosphere in the process chamber is set to a predetermined process temperature. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit is controlled. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a thermal decomposition temperature of the processing gas is lower than the processing temperature. Outer tube,
An inner tube that is disposed inside the outer tube and that houses substrates stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture with at least a lower end open;
A processing gas supply unit for supplying one or more processing gases into the inner tube;
An inert gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas into the inner tube;
An exhaust hole provided on a side wall of the inner tube and facing the processing gas supply nozzle,
The processing gas supply unit includes:
One or more process gas supply nozzles provided in the inner tube so as to extend in the stacking direction of the substrate, and having one or more process gas ejection ports for supplying the process gas;
The inert gas supply unit includes:
One or more ones that extend in the stacking direction of the substrates and that stand up in the inner tube so as to sandwich the processing gas supply nozzle from both sides along the circumferential direction of the substrate, and supply the inert gas A substrate processing apparatus comprising a pair of inert gas supply nozzles provided with an inert gas outlet. A processing chamber for storing and processing substrates stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture;
One or more process gas supply nozzles extending in the stacking direction of the substrates along the inner wall of the process chamber and supplying a process gas into the process chamber;
A pair of inert gas supply nozzles extending in the stacking direction of the substrates along the inner wall of the processing chamber to supply an inert gas into the processing chamber;
An exhaust line for exhausting the processing chamber,
The pair of inert gases such that a flow path of the process gas supplied from the process gas supply nozzle is restricted by a gas flow of the inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply nozzle. A substrate processing apparatus comprising a supply nozzle.