JP2010077489A - Substrate treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treatment apparatus which has reduced the frequency of maintenance. <P>SOLUTION: This substrate treatment apparatus includes: a space for producing plasma; a first-gas-supplying part which supplies a first gas to the space for producing the plasma; a plasma-producing part which converts the first gas supplied to the space for producing the plasma into the plasma and produces a radical of the first gas which has been converted into the plasma; an extracting part which extracts a radical component of the first gas that has been converted into the plasma in the space for producing the plasma; a second-gas-supplying part for supplying a second gas which is different from the first gas; and a treatment chamber which treats a substrate by making the radical extracted from the extracting part react with the second gas supplied from the second-gas-supplying part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, particularly suitable for a plasma CVD apparatus.

Conventionally, as a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device such as an IC or LSI, a substrate is subjected to a predetermined plasma CVD process, for example, a film forming process, using a plasma CVD apparatus.
FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of a conventional plasma CVD apparatus that performs such a CVD process. The reaction tube 101 is provided with a gas introduction unit 102 for introducing a material gas. A baffle plate 103 for allowing the introduced gas to flow along the inner wall of the reaction tube 101 is provided on the downstream side of the gas introduction unit 102. A coil 104 is provided on the outer periphery of the reaction tube 101 to cause discharge in the gas and generate plasma. A high frequency power source 105 for supplying high frequency power to the coil 104 is connected. A processing vessel 106 for depositing a desired film on the substrate 108 is provided below the reaction tube 101. A susceptor 107 on which a substrate 108 is mounted is provided in the processing container 106. A baffle ring 109 for making the gas flow uniform is provided below the susceptor 107. A shield 110 is provided on the outer periphery of the coil 104 to keep high-frequency power in the apparatus and prevent it from leaking outside.

  Film formation is performed in the following steps. A plurality of mixed material gases are introduced into the reaction tube 101 from the gas introduction unit 102. High frequency power is supplied to the coil 104 from the high frequency power source 105 to induce discharge in the gas in the reaction tube 101 to form plasma. The material gas is radicalized or ionized by plasma discharge, and a CVD reaction occurs in the gas phase. The reaction product contacts the substrate 108 heated by the radiant heat from the susceptor 107 and is deposited on the substrate 108 to form a desired film.

  As described above, in the conventional plasma CVD apparatus, a plurality of material gases are mixed and introduced into the reaction tube before reaching the gas introduction part (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This is because in the case of a plasma CVD process, the material gas used for the reaction does not cause a reaction only by mixing, but decomposes only after obtaining energy from the plasma to cause a gas phase reaction. Therefore, the material gas is usually mixed before introducing the processing chamber.

In addition, when performing predetermined heat processing with respect to a board | substrate using not a plasma CVD apparatus but a thermal CVD apparatus, it mixes after introduce | transducing a several material gas into a process chamber (for example, refer patent document 1, 2). ). This is because in the case of the thermal CVD process, the material gas used for the reaction is decomposed only by mixing to cause a gas phase reaction.
JP 2002-180250 A

  However, in a conventional substrate processing apparatus using plasma in which a plurality of gases are mixed before introduction of the processing chamber, a reaction has already occurred in the plasma generation chamber, which is a plasma generation space where plasma is generated, and a reaction product is formed. Therefore, the reaction product adheres to the wall of the plasma generation chamber. Therefore, there has been a problem that the frequency of cleaning and maintenance of the film deposited in the processing chamber (hereinafter also referred to as maintenance frequency) increases.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of solving the above-described problems of the prior art and suppressing the maintenance frequency.

  According to a first main aspect of the present invention, the plasma generation chamber includes a plasma generation chamber, a processing chamber adjacent to the plasma generation chamber, and a shower plate that partitions the plasma generation chamber and the processing chamber. The chamber includes a low-reactive gas supply means for supplying a low-reactivity gas to the plasma generation chamber, and a plasma source for generating radicals of the low-reactivity gas, and the processing chamber includes a substrate. A substrate holding table for holding the substrate, a highly reactive gas supply means for supplying a gas having a higher reactivity than the gas having a low reactivity to the processing chamber, and an exhaust means for exhausting the processing chamber. The shower plate has a first through hole for introducing the radical of the low reactivity gas generated in the plasma generation chamber into the processing chamber, and the high reactivity from the highly reactive gas supply means. Gas Cal and is provided a substrate processing apparatus and a second through hole for introducing into the processing chamber separately.

  According to the present invention, maintenance frequency can be suppressed.

Various exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Throughout the drawings, like parts are given like numbers.
As described above, when a plurality of gases are mixed in advance and then introduced into the plasma generation space, a gas phase reaction occurs in the plasma generation space and a reaction product is formed. The adhesion area increases, and maintenance work such as cleaning increases.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, after the first gas is converted into plasma in the plasma generation space to form radicals, the radicals of the first gas and the second gas are individually introduced into the processing chamber. First, the radical and the second gas are mixed in the processing chamber. Thus, by mixing the radical and the second gas for the first time in the processing chamber, it is possible to reduce the adhesion area of the reaction product in the plasma generation space, and to reduce maintenance work such as cleaning.

  A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plasma generation space, a first gas supply unit, a plasma generation unit, an extraction unit, a second gas supply unit, and a processing chamber.

  In the plasma generation space, plasma is generated using the gas supplied to the plasma generation space. The first gas supply unit supplies the first gas to the plasma generation space. The plasma generation unit generates a radical of the first gas by exciting the first gas supplied to the plasma generation space. The extraction unit is provided between the plasma generation space and the processing chamber, extracts the radical component of the first gas generated in the plasma generation space, and supplies the extracted gas to the processing chamber. Here, extracting the radical component means that only the radical component is extracted from the ion, electron, and radical components generated in the plasma generation space. The second gas supply unit supplies a second gas different from the first gas. The first gas is activated by plasma, and the second gas is not activated by plasma but is activated according to substrate processing conditions. The processing chamber processes the substrate by reacting the radical of the first gas extracted from the extraction unit with the second gas supplied from the second gas supply unit. Examples of the substrate include a semiconductor substrate, an LCD substrate, and a glass substrate.

When the first gas is supplied from the first gas supply unit to the plasma generation space, the first gas is plasma-excited by the plasma generation unit to generate radicals. The radical component of the first gas generated in the plasma generation space is extracted from the extraction unit and supplied to the processing chamber. A second gas different from the first gas is supplied to the processing chamber. In the processing chamber, the radicals of the first gas extracted from the extraction unit and the second gas supplied from the second gas supply unit are mixed and reacted for the first time, and the substrate is processed. In this way, the first gas radical and the second gas are mixed and reacted for the first time in the processing chamber, thereby reducing the adhesion area of the reaction product in the plasma generation space and reducing maintenance work such as cleaning. It can be reduced.

  Here, the extraction unit is not limited to a specific one as long as the radical component of the first gas is extracted from the plasma generation space and supplied to the processing chamber. For example, the extraction unit is connected to the first through hole for introducing the radical component of the first gas to be extracted into the processing chamber, and the second gas supply unit to introduce the second gas into the processing chamber. It is also possible to have a through hole. Depending on the embodiment, the extraction unit may be a shower plate that blows out radicals or gases in a shower shape toward the substrate to be processed. Further, the location where the first radical and the second gas are mixed for the first time is preferably a location close to the substrate, and more preferably directly under the extraction section.

  FIG. 1 shows details of a plasma processing unit 410 used in the substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Here, a film forming process for depositing a desired film as the substrate process will be described.

  The plasma processing unit 410 is a high-frequency electrodeless discharge type plasma processing unit that performs plasma CVD processing on a semiconductor substrate or a semiconductor element. As shown in FIG. 1, the plasma processing unit 410 includes a plasma source 430 as a plasma generation unit, a reaction vessel 431, a processing vessel 464, a high frequency power source 444, and a frequency matching unit 446 that controls the oscillation frequency of the high frequency power source 444. ing. For example, the plasma source 430 is disposed on an upper portion of a horizontal base plate 448 as a gantry, and a processing vessel 464 is disposed on a lower portion of the base plate 448.

  The plasma source 430 includes a resonance coil 432 wound around the outer periphery of the reaction vessel 431 and an outer shield 452 disposed on the outer periphery of the resonance coil 432 and electrically grounded. The resonance coil 432 is a coil for causing discharge in the gas inside the reaction vessel 431 to generate plasma. The resonance coil 432 is formed of an insulating material in a flat plate shape and is supported by a plurality of supports that are vertically provided on the upper end surface of the base plate 448. The outer shield 452 is provided to shield leakage of electromagnetic waves to the outside of the resonance coil 432 and to form a capacitance component necessary for configuring a resonance circuit between the resonance coil 432 and the outer shield 452. The outer shield 452 is generally formed in a cylindrical shape using a conductive material such as aluminum alloy, copper, or copper alloy.

  The high frequency power supply 444 supplies high frequency power to the plasma source 430 (particularly the resonance coil 432). An RF sensor 468 is installed on the output side of the high frequency power supply 444 and monitors traveling waves, reflected waves, and the like. The reflected wave power monitored by the RF sensor 468 is input to the frequency matching unit 446. The frequency matching unit 446 controls the frequency so that the reflected wave is minimized.

  The controller 470 does not simply control the high frequency power supply 444 but controls the entire plasma processing unit 410. A display 472 that is a display unit is connected to the controller 470. The display 472 displays, for example, data detected by various detection units provided in the plasma CVD apparatus, such as a monitoring result of reflected waves by the RF sensor 468.

The reaction vessel 431 is configured to be depressurized and is supplied with a first reaction gas for plasma, and forms a plasma generation chamber 420 as a plasma generation space therein. The reaction vessel 431 is provided with a low-reactive gas supply unit as a first gas supply unit that supplies the first reaction gas. The first reaction gas is a material gas having low reactivity. The plasma generation chamber 420 formed inside the reaction vessel 431 generates radicals of a material gas having low reactivity.

The processing container 464 is configured to be depressurized and is supplied with radicals of a first reactive gas for plasma and a second reactive gas for film formation, and forms a processing chamber 445 therein. The processing container 464 is provided with a highly reactive gas supply unit as a second gas supply unit that supplies the second reaction gas. The second reaction gas is a material gas having a higher reactivity than the first reaction gas. A processing chamber 445 formed inside the processing container 464 accommodates a wafer 600 such as a semiconductor substrate and deposits a desired film. The processing container 464 is usually made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy (for example, alumina Al ₂ O ₃ ).

The reaction vessel 431 described above is a so-called chamber that is generally formed in a cylindrical shape from high-purity quartz glass or ceramics. The reaction vessel 431 is usually arranged so that its axis is vertical, and the upper and lower ends are hermetically sealed by the top plate 454 and the processing vessel 464. The top plate 454 is usually made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy (for example, alumina Al ₂ O ₃ ). In the processing container 464 below the reaction container 431, a susceptor 459 is provided as a substrate holding table supported by a plurality of (for example, four) support columns 461. The susceptor 459 places the wafer 600 thereon. The susceptor 459 includes a susceptor table 411 and a heater 463 as a substrate heating unit that heats the wafer 600 on the susceptor 459.
In the present embodiment, a plurality of gases are mixed on the susceptor 459. However, in order to reduce the adhesion area of the reaction product, a portion where the plurality of gases are mixed is placed on the susceptor 459. A location close to the wafer 600, for example, directly below a shower plate 322 described later, is preferable.

  An exhaust plate 465 is disposed below the susceptor 459. The exhaust plate 465 is supported by the bottom plate 469 via the guide shaft 467, and the bottom plate 469 is airtightly provided on the lower surface of the processing chamber 445. An elevating board 471 is provided to move up and down with a guide shaft 467 as a guide. The lift board 471 supports at least three lifter pins 413.

  The lifter pin 413 passes through the susceptor 459. A wafer support portion 414 that supports the wafer 600 is provided on the top of the lifter pins 413.

  Wafer support 414 extends in the center direction of susceptor 459. The wafer 600 can be placed on the susceptor table 411 or lifted from the susceptor table 411 by raising and lowering the lifter pins 413.

  An elevating shaft 473 of an elevating drive unit (not shown) is connected to the elevating substrate 471 via the bottom plate 469. As the elevating drive unit moves the elevating shaft 473 up and down, the wafer support unit 414 moves up and down via the elevating substrate 471 and the lifter pins 413.

  A baffle ring 458 is provided between the susceptor 459 and the exhaust plate 465. The baffle ring 458 serves as an exhaust resistance between the processing chamber 445 and the exhaust system. A first exhaust chamber 474 is formed by the baffle ring 458, the susceptor 459, and the exhaust plate 465. The cylindrical baffle ring 458 is provided with a large number of air holes uniformly. Therefore, the first exhaust chamber 474 is partitioned from the processing chamber 445 and communicates with the processing chamber 445 through the vent holes.

An exhaust communication hole 475 is provided in the exhaust plate 465. The first exhaust chamber and the second exhaust chamber 476 communicate with each other through the exhaust communication hole 475. An exhaust pipe 480 communicates with the second exhaust chamber 476, and an exhaust device 479 is provided in the exhaust pipe 480. Exhaust means for exhausting the processing chamber 445 from the exhaust pipe 480 and the exhaust device 479 is configured.

  A first gas supply pipe 455 that extends from the first gas supply unit and supplies a required plasma reaction gas is attached to the first gas inlet 433 on the top plate 454 at the top of the reaction vessel 431. ing. The first gas supply unit has a function of controlling the gas flow rate, and specifically includes a mass flow controller 477 and an on-off valve 478 which are flow rate control units. The amount of gas supply is controlled by controlling the mass flow controller 477 and the on-off valve 478. The first gas introduction port 433, the first gas supply pipe 455, the first gas supply unit, and the like constitute the low reactive gas supply unit.

  Further, a baffle plate 460 made of quartz is provided in the reaction vessel 431 in a substantially disc shape for allowing the reaction gas to flow along the inner wall of the reaction vessel 431. The baffle plate 460 allows the gas introduced from the first gas inlet 433 to flow along the inner wall of the reaction vessel 431. The baffle plate 460 is supported on the top plate 454 by a plurality of support columns 462. A first gas supply pipe 455 attached to the first gas introduction port 433 and guided into the plasma generation chamber 420 passes through the baffle plate 460.

  A shower plate 322 as an extraction unit is provided between the plasma generation chamber 420 and the processing chamber 445 adjacent to the plasma generation chamber 420. The shower plate 322 partitions the plasma generation chamber 420 and the processing chamber 445. The shower plate 322 connects the plasma generation chamber 420 and the processing chamber 445 as a first gas through hole, and the second gas supply pipe 311 and the processing chamber 445 as a second gas. And a highly reactive gas ejection hole 316 as a second through hole for supplying a highly reactive material gas.

  A second gas supply pipe 311 extending from the second gas supply unit and supplying a required reaction gas for film formation is attached to the second gas introduction port 310 on the base plate 448 below the reaction vessel 431. ing. The second gas supply unit has a function of controlling the gas flow rate, and specifically includes a mass flow controller 313 and an on-off valve 312 which are flow rate control units. By controlling the mass flow controller 313 and the on-off valve 312, the gas supply amount is controlled. The highly reactive gas supply unit is configured by the second gas introduction port 310, the second gas supply pipe 311 and the second gas supply unit.

  The radical ejection holes 315 extract radicals of a material gas having low reactivity from the plasma generation chamber 420 and supply them to the processing chamber 445. The highly reactive gas ejection holes 316 supply a highly reactive material gas introduced from the highly reactive gas supply means to the processing chamber 445.

  Note that the pressure in the processing chamber 445 is adjusted by adjusting the supply amount and the exhaust amount by the mass flow controllers 313 and 477 and the exhaust device 479.

  FIG. 2 shows the detailed structure of the shower plate 322 described above. The shower plate 322 has a function of separating the plasma generation chamber 420 and the processing chamber 445, a function of passing a radical component of a material gas having low reactivity from the plasma generation chamber 420 to the processing chamber 445, and a processing from the second gas introduction port 310. And a function of introducing a highly reactive material gas into the chamber 445.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the shower plate 322 has a plurality of ejection holes, and individually separates radicals and gases (sometimes referred to simply as gas) in a shower shape toward the wafer 600 to be processed. To blow out. As shown in FIG. 2B, the plurality of ejection holes include a plurality of radical ejection holes 315 for ejecting a radical component of a low-reactivity gas generated in the plasma generation chamber 420 into the processing chamber 445, and a second gas. A plurality of highly reactive gas ejection holes 316 are connected to the supply pipe 311 and eject a highly reactive gas into the processing chamber 445.

  The plate-shaped shower plate 322 is formed in a hollow shape. The plurality of radical ejection holes 315 are formed through the hollow shower plate 322 in the thickness direction. The hollow portion of the shower plate 322 becomes a common buffer chamber 317 for the plurality of highly reactive gas ejection holes 316. The plurality of highly reactive gas ejection holes 316 communicate with the buffer chamber 317. The buffer chamber 317 communicates with the second gas introduction port 310.

  The radical component of the low-reactivity gas 202 generated in the plasma generation chamber 420 passes through the radical ejection holes 315 of the shower plate 322 and is injected into the processing chamber 445. On the other hand, the highly reactive gas 201 is introduced from the second gas inlet 310 into the buffer chamber 317 inside the shower plate 322, passes through the highly reactive gas ejection hole 316, and is injected into the processing chamber 445.

  The shower plate 322 described above can be configured, for example, by joining a container 331, a bottom plate 332, and a plurality of hollow pins 333 as shown in FIG. The container 331 is formed of a shallow cylindrical container having a closed top and an open bottom, and a plurality of holes 334 are uniformly provided in the upper part at predetermined intervals. The bottom plate 332 is composed of a plate-like member that closes the bottom of the container 331, and a plurality of holes 335 are formed at locations corresponding to the holes 334, and the plurality of highly reactive gas ejection holes 316 do not overlap the holes 335. As shown in FIG. The hollow pin 333 has a radical ejection hole 315 in its inner hole. Holes 334 and 335 provided in the upper part of the container 331 and the bottom plate 332 are combined to form an insertion hole, and a hollow pin 333 is inserted into the insertion hole and coupled to the upper part of the container 331 and the bottom plate 332. As a result, a shower plate 322 having a buffer chamber 317 inside is formed. It is preferable to select a non-conductive material for the shower plate material. For example, it may be made of quartz.

Next, a method for forming a film using the above-described plasma processing unit will be described.
(Conveying process)
A tweezer (not shown) on which the wafer 600 is mounted enters the processing chamber 445. The lifter pin 413 rises. Tweezers transfers the wafer 600 at room temperature onto the raised lifter pins 413. The lifter pins 413 are lowered to place the wafer 600 on the susceptor 459.

(Plasma generation process)
The wafer 600 at room temperature is heated to the film formation temperature by the heater 463. A gas with low reactivity is supplied from the first gas inlet 433 to the plasma generation chamber 420 to adjust the gas atmosphere pressure. A gas having low reactivity is, for example, a rare gas He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn, or N ₂ that does not adhere to the inner wall surface of the reaction vessel 431 even when decomposed in the plasma generation chamber 420. Use gas. After the gas supply, the high frequency power supply 444 supplies power to the resonance coil 432.

  At this time, the RF sensor 468 monitors the reflected wave from the resonance coil 432 and transmits the level of the monitored reflected wave to the frequency matching unit 446. The frequency matching unit 446 adjusts the transmission frequency of the high frequency power supply 444 so that the reflected wave power is minimized.

(Film formation process)
A high frequency current is supplied to the resonance coil 432 from the high frequency power supply 444 to induce discharge in the gas in the reaction vessel 431 to generate plasma. A gas containing radicals and ionized molecules generated by the discharge passes through the radical ejection holes 315 of the shower plate 322 and is ejected into the processing chamber 445.
On the other hand, highly reactive gas is supplied from the second gas inlet 310 to the shower plate 322, passes through the shower plate 322, and is injected into the processing chamber 445 through the highly reactive gas ejection hole 316. The highly reactive gas is, for example, CH ₄ when forming a carbon film on the wafer 600. In this way, the two kinds of material gases are mixed for the first time inside the processing chamber 445 to cause a gas phase reaction.

  The reaction product generated by the gas phase reaction is brought into contact with the wafer 600 mounted on the heated susceptor 459 to realize a desired film formation.

(Unloading process)
The wafer 600 is taken out of the processing chamber by operating the lifter pins 413 and the tweezers in the reverse order of the transfer process.

The processing conditions in the plasma processing unit of the present embodiment are, for example, carbon film formation, wafer temperature: room temperature to 400 ° C., gas type: Ar, flow rate: 5000 to 30000 sccm, gas type: CH _4. The flow rate is 100 to 1000 sccm, and the processing pressure is 50 to 500 Pa.

Here, an example of the film forming reaction will be described. Ar is used as a gas having low reactivity, and CH ₄ is used as a gas having high reactivity. Ar is ionized and radicalized by plasma discharge. These gases pass through the shower plate 322 through radical ejection holes 315 and 316 and are introduced into the processing chamber 445. At this time, CH ₄ is introduced into the processing chamber 445 without being affected by the plasma discharge. The reaction proceeds as follows.
(1) Discharge region of plasma generation chamber:
Ar ⁺ (positive ion), e ⁻ (electron), and Ar ^* (radical) are generated according to the following reaction formula.
Ar + plasma discharge → Ar ⁺ + e ⁻ , Ar ^*
(2) Shower plate:
Most of Ar ⁺ and e ⁻ are deactivated by the non-conductive shower plate, and only Ar ^* (radical) passes through the shower plate.
(3) Processing chamber 306:
From the following reaction formula, C (carbon) is generated and deposited on the wafer.
Ar ^* + CH ₄ → Ar + C ↓ + 2H ₂

The reason for selecting a non-conductive material for the shower plate is to prevent the C (carbon) film formation from being disturbed. If the shower plate is conductive, most of e ⁻ is deactivated by the shower plate. Since an ion sheath is generated on the upper surface of the shower plate, Ar ⁺ is accelerated by the electric field formed thereby, and is ejected from the radical ejection holes to reach the wafer. In this case, the film formation of C (carbon) is hindered by the influence of the sputtering effect by Ar ions, and a homogeneous film is not formed. Therefore, the shower plate is made non-conductive to prevent the ion sheath from being generated.

According to embodiments of the present invention, one or more of the following effects are provided.
(1) Maintenance frequency can be reduced by optimizing the mixing method of mixing the material gas introduced into the apparatus for the first time in the processing chamber or at a location close to the substrate.
(2) When a plurality of gases are mixed before the introduction of the treatment chamber, a gas phase reaction has already occurred in the plasma generation chamber where plasma is generated, and a reaction product is formed. Although it adheres to the inner wall surface etc. of a production | generation chamber, according to this Embodiment, since several gas is mixed only after it introduce | transduces in a process chamber, a gaseous-phase reaction takes place only in a process chamber, and a plasma production chamber In this case, since no mixing occurs, the area where the gas is deposited in the apparatus chamber is reduced. Therefore, the frequency of cleaning and maintenance of the film deposited on the inner wall surface of the reaction vessel can be suppressed. In addition, it is possible to prevent a reduction in apparatus operation rate due to cleaning and maintenance, an increase in the cost of replacement parts, and the like, and resource waste can be reduced.
(3) In particular, when the rare gas or N ₂ gas described above is used as the plasma material gas, the reaction product does not adhere to the inner wall surface of the reaction vessel even if these gases are decomposed in the plasma generation chamber. As a result, the adhesion area of gas in the apparatus chamber is further reduced. Therefore, the maintenance frequency can be further suppressed, and the waste of resources can be further reduced.
(4) Further, when a plurality of gases are mixed before the introduction of the processing chamber, the gas is consumed in the plasma generation chamber on the upstream side of the processing chamber. Since no mixing is performed in the generation chamber, the amount of gas consumed can be reduced.
(5) Moreover, the adhesion area of the gas in an apparatus chamber can further be reduced as the location which mixes several gas is directly under the shower plate which is a location close | similar to a board | substrate.
(6) When the shower plate is made of a non-conductive member, only Ar ^* (radical) generated by the plasma passes through the shower plate, and Ar ⁺ and e ⁻ are generated by the non-conductive shower plate. Most of them are deactivated. Therefore, interference with C (carbon) film formation can be reduced.

Preferred forms of the present invention will be additionally described.
In a first preferred embodiment, a plasma generation space, a first gas supply unit that supplies a first gas to the plasma generation space, and a first gas supplied to the plasma generation space are converted into plasma, and converted into plasma. A plasma generation unit that generates radicals of the first gas generated, an extraction unit that extracts a radical component of the first gas that has been converted into plasma in the plasma generation space, and a second that is different from the first gas And a processing chamber for processing the substrate by reacting the radical extracted from the extraction unit with the second gas supplied from the second gas supply unit. Substrate processing apparatus.

According to one aspect of this case, the extraction unit also serves as the second gas supply unit. The extraction unit also serving as the second gas supply unit is connected to the first through hole for ejecting the radical component of the first gas to be extracted and the second gas supply unit, and ejects the second gas. It is preferable to have two through holes. Moreover, it is preferable that an extraction part is nonelectroconductive. The first gas is preferably a rare gas. Further, the second gas can be CH ₄ .

  A second preferred embodiment includes a plasma generation chamber, a processing chamber adjacent to the plasma generation chamber, and a shower plate that partitions the plasma generation chamber and the processing chamber, and the plasma generation chamber includes the plasma generation chamber. A low-reactive gas supply means for supplying a low-reactive gas to the chamber; and a plasma source for generating radicals of the low-reactive gas, wherein the processing chamber holds a substrate. And a highly reactive gas supply means for supplying a gas having a higher reactivity than the gas having a low reactivity to the processing chamber, and an exhaust means for exhausting the processing chamber, the shower plate includes: The first through-hole for introducing the low-reactivity gas radical generated in the plasma generation chamber into the processing chamber, and the high-reactivity gas from the high-reactivity gas supply means are the radicals. Individual A substrate processing apparatus and a second through hole for introducing into the processing chamber.

According to the first aspect of this case, the gas having low reactivity may be one or several kinds of gases selected from the rare gases of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, and Rn, and N ₂ gas. It is. Moreover, it is preferable that the shower plate is comprised with the nonelectroconductive material.

It is sectional drawing which shows the plasma processing unit used for the substrate processing apparatus of one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the shower plate of one embodiment of this invention. It is a specific block diagram of the shower plate of one embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the plasma processing unit used for the conventional substrate processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

310 Second gas inlet (highly reactive gas supply means)
315 Radical ejection hole 316 High reactive gas ejection hole 322 Shower plate 410 Plasma processing unit (substrate processing apparatus)
420 Plasma generation chamber (plasma generation space)
430 Plasma source (plasma source)
431 Reaction vessel 432 Resonant coil 433 First gas inlet (low-reactive gas supply means)
445 Processing chamber 444 High frequency power supply 450 Resonant coil 452 Outer shield 459 Susceptor (substrate holder)
480 Exhaust pipe (exhaust means)
600 wafer (substrate)

Claims (1)

A plasma generation chamber, a processing chamber adjacent to the plasma generation chamber, and a shower plate that partitions the plasma generation chamber and the processing chamber,
The plasma generation chamber includes a low-reactivity gas supply means for supplying a low-reactivity gas to the plasma generation chamber, and a plasma source for generating radicals of the low-reactivity gas,
The processing chamber exhausts the processing chamber, a substrate holding table for holding the substrate, a highly reactive gas supply means for supplying a gas having a higher reactivity than the gas having a low reactivity to the processing chamber, and the processing chamber. Exhaust means,
The shower plate includes a first through hole for introducing radicals of the low-reactivity gas generated in the plasma generation chamber into the processing chamber, and the high-reactivity gas from the high-reactivity gas supply unit. A substrate processing apparatus having a second through hole that introduces the radical separately from the radical into the processing chamber.

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