JP2010109297A - Tray, vapor phase growth equipment, and vapor phase growth method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tray which prevents a decrease of effective stacking area of a workpiece, whose film thickness uniformity is not damaged by intrusion of an reaction gas to susceptor, and which can decrease a frequency of maintenance of a susceptor, and to provide a vapor phase growth equipment and a vapor phase growth method. <P>SOLUTION: The workpiece 24 is transferred while being mounted, and is located on a susceptor 7. The tray includes a substrate mounting plate 21 which has at least one recess 21c on its surface and holds the workpiece 24 while it is located in the recess 21c, a plate transfer hold member 22 which has a step 22b that holds the surrounding extension 21a of the substrate mounting plate 21 from the lower side when transferring the plate 21, and a cover plate 23 which covers over the periphery of the substrate mounting plate 21 and the crowed out part of periphery of the substrate mounting plate 21 in the plate transfer hold member 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tray on which a plurality of substrates to be processed can be placed and transported, a vapor phase growth apparatus, and a vapor phase growth method.

In recent years, the development and mass production of compound semiconductors are expected in various places, such as lighting fixtures using light emitting diodes that consume less power, and power generation using solar devices as an energy supply means that emits less carbon dioxide. . Conventionally, in the manufacture of light-emitting diodes, semiconductor lasers, space solar power devices and high-speed devices using compound semiconductor materials, organometallic gases such as trimethylgallium (TMG) or trimethylaluminum (TMA), and ammonia (NH ₃ ) Vapor phase growth methods are widely used in which a compound semiconductor crystal is grown by introducing a hydrogen compound gas such as phosphine (PH ₃ ) or arsine (AsH ₃ ) into a growth chamber as a source gas contributing to film formation.

  In the vapor phase growth method, the above-described source gas is introduced into a growth chamber together with a carrier gas, heated, and subjected to a vapor phase reaction on a predetermined substrate to be processed to grow a compound semiconductor crystal on the substrate to be processed. It is. In the production of compound semiconductor crystals using vapor phase epitaxy, it is always about how to secure the maximum yield and production capacity while reducing costs while improving the quality of growing compound semiconductor crystals. Highly demanded.

  FIG. 7 shows a schematic configuration of an example of a conventional vertical shower head type vapor phase growth apparatus used in the vapor phase growth method.

  In this vapor phase growth apparatus 100, a gas pipe 103 for introducing a reaction gas and a carrier gas from a gas supply source 102 to a growth chamber 111 inside the reaction furnace 101 is connected, and the growth inside the reaction furnace 101 is performed. A shower plate 110 having a plurality of gas discharge holes for introducing a reaction gas and a carrier gas into the growth chamber 111 is installed as a gas introduction portion in the upper portion of the chamber 111.

  In addition, a rotating shaft 112 that can be rotated by an actuator (not shown) is installed at the lower center of the growth chamber 111 of the reaction furnace 101, and a susceptor 108 is attached to the tip of the rotating shaft 112 so as to face the shower plate 110. A heater 109 for heating the susceptor 108 is attached to the lower part of the susceptor 108. In addition, a gas exhaust unit 104 for exhausting the gas in the growth chamber 111 inside the reaction furnace 101 to the outside is installed in the lower part of the reaction furnace 101. This gas exhaust unit 104 is connected via a purge line 105 to an exhaust gas treatment device 106 for rendering the exhausted gas harmless.

  In the vertical showerhead type vapor phase growth apparatus 100 configured as described above, when a compound semiconductor crystal is grown, the substrate to be processed 107 is placed on the susceptor 108, and then the susceptor 108 is rotated by the rotation of the rotating shaft 112. Is rotated. Then, the substrate to be processed 107 is heated to a predetermined temperature through the susceptor 108 by the heating of the heater 109, and the reaction gas is supplied from the plurality of gas discharge holes formed in the shower plate 110 to the growth chamber 111 inside the reaction furnace 101. And a carrier gas is introduced.

  In the vertical showerhead type vapor phase growth apparatus 100, since the decrease in the supply amount of the reaction gas with respect to the gas flow direction is small, the reaction gas is almost uniformly applied to the surface of the substrate 107 to be processed installed on the susceptor 108. Can be supplied. Therefore, even when the size is increased, it is expected that the film thickness is uniform.

  However, in such a vertical shower head type vapor phase growth apparatus 100, if a large number of substrates 107 to be processed are increased in size to be processed at a time, the influence of the processing accuracy of the substrate mounting surface in the susceptor 108 increases. As a result, the temperature uniformity of each of the substrates to be processed 107 is deteriorated, and the film thickness of the chip becomes non-uniform. That is, in this case, the degree of contact on the mounting surface of the substrate 107 to be processed affects the temperature uniformity.

  In order to solve this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses means for separately forming a susceptor and a substrate mounting plate (tray) and using them in combination. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the substrate placement plate 202 is detachably accommodated in the accommodation recess 201 provided in the susceptor 200, and the target substrate 203 is placed on the substrate placement plate 202. It is a configuration. In addition, the substrate mounting plate 202 is formed to have a smaller diameter than the housing recess 201 and the upper surface is a spherical recess.

  Thereby, the substrate mounting plate 202 is separated from the susceptor 200, the processing accuracy of the mounting surface of the substrate to be processed 203 is improved, the temperature uniformity of the substrate to be processed 203 is improved, and a defect occurs. However, by exchanging a part of the susceptor 200, the entire susceptor 200 is not discarded, and cost reduction can be expected.

  However, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the large number of substrates to be processed 203 is increased to process at a time, the number of substrates to be processed 203 increases. As a result, there is a problem that it takes time to install and remove the substrate to be processed 203 and the tact time is deteriorated. In addition, since the susceptor 200 is exposed at a plane portion other than the substrate to be processed 203, if the susceptor 200 is contaminated, it is necessary to open the reactor and perform maintenance, resulting in a reduction in operating rate. .

  Therefore, in order to solve this problem, Patent Document 2 discloses that a cover member is covered on an exposed portion of a susceptor on which a plurality of substrates to be processed can be placed to form a film. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the substrate support 310 serving as a susceptor has convex portions 311 on which the substrate 301 to be processed is placed. Is covered with a cover 320 having an opening 321 corresponding to the convex portions 311. This prevents the surface of the substrate support 310 from being exposed outside the substrate 301 to be processed. Accordingly, it is possible to hold a large amount of the substrate to be processed 301 at a time, realize conveyance in a short time, and improve tact time.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, Patent Document 3 includes openings 421 and 422 corresponding to the convex portions 411 formed in the susceptor 410, and the substrate 401 to be processed is provided on the inner peripheral portion. A tray 420 provided with a supporting substrate support shoulder 423 is disclosed. As shown in FIG. 10C, the tray 420 can carry a plurality of substrates to be processed 401 to the processing chamber 402. When a plurality of substrates to be processed 401 are conveyed, the substrate supporting shoulder 423 of the tray 420 can be conveyed by holding the edge of the substrate to be processed 401 as shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, when placing the substrate 401 to be processed on the convex portion 411 of the susceptor 410, first, the tray 420 is moved horizontally so that the substrate 401 is positioned above the convex portion 411 of the susceptor 410 and then the tray 420 is lowered. Move. Here, the height H2 of the convex portion 411 formed on the susceptor 410 is higher than the height H1 of the substrate support shoulder portion 423 of the tray 420. For this reason, when the tray 420 is lowered and brought into contact with the surface 412 of the susceptor 410, the engagement between the substrate support shoulder 423 of the tray 420 and the edge of the substrate 401 is released. 401 is placed on a convex portion 411 formed on the susceptor 410. As a result, the substrate to be processed 401 and the convex portion 411 of the susceptor 410 are brought into close contact with each other, so that heat conduction to the substrate to be processed 401 can be improved. Note that when the substrate 401 to be processed is placed on the convex portion 411 of the susceptor 410, the tray 420 has a function as a cover that covers other than the convex portion 411 of the susceptor 410.

  Further, Patent Document 4 discloses a cover 520 that covers the edge of the substrate 501 to be processed and the susceptor side surface 511 of the susceptor 510 as shown in FIG. As a result, in Patent Document 4, a plurality of substrates to be processed 501 can be reliably fixed.

  Further, in Patent Document 5, as shown in FIG. 12, a cover for covering the exposed surface 621 of the substrate mounting plate 620 is provided by arranging the substrate mounting plate 620 at the opening step 611 of the holding ring 610 that is a plate transporting holding member. A tray 600 having a ring 630 is disclosed. In other words, the tray 600 includes three components: a disk-shaped substrate mounting plate 620, a holding ring 610 that is a plate conveyance holding member, and a cover ring 630. Further, in order to lift the holding ring 610 together with the rectangular channel bottom plate 640 from the susceptor 650, a step 612 is also formed on the outside of the holding ring 610. Further, a skirt 613 is formed at the lower portion of the retaining ring 610. The substrate to be processed 601 is placed inside the opening of the cover ring 630 on the substrate placement plate 620, and the cover ring 630 prevents the substrate to be treated 601 from moving back and forth and right and left on the substrate placement plate 620. It has become.

In this state, the substrate placing plate 620 on which the substrate to be processed 601 and the cover ring 630 are placed, and the holding ring 610 are placed on the rectangular flow path bottom plate 640 and carried into the reaction furnace, and the holding ring 610 is moved to the susceptor 650. Put it on top. When the skirt 613 of the holding ring 610 is fitted to the outside of the susceptor 650, the substrate mounting plate 620 is separated from the holding ring 610. That is, the dimensions of the opening step 611 and the step 612 are determined so that the substrate mounting plate 620 is separated from the holding ring 610. As a result, the lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 620 is held in direct contact with the upper surface of the susceptor 650. Then, by making the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate placement plate 620 have no unevenness, the degree of adhesion between the susceptor 650 and the substrate placement plate 620 is increased, thereby suppressing partial temperature fluctuations of the substrate 601 to be processed. It is like that.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-43722 (published on February 14, 1990) JP 2006-173560 A (released on June 29, 2006) JP 2007-109770 A (published April 26, 2007) JP 06-322533 A (published November 22, 1994) JP 2002-373863 A (published on December 26, 2002)

  As described above, in Patent Document 1 shown in FIG. 8, since the substrate mounting plate 202 is separated from the susceptor 200, the problem that the processing accuracy on the mounting surface of the substrate to be processed is deteriorated due to the increase in size is solved. The Further, when the substrate mounting plate 202 that is a problem of Patent Document 1 becomes dirty, the problem is solved by Patent Documents 2 to 5.

  However, the conventional susceptors and trays described in Patent Documents 2 to 5 have the following problems.

  First, in Patent Document 2 shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the substrate support 310 serving as a susceptor is not soiled by the presence of the cover 320. However, since the substrate mounting plate 202 for each substrate 203 to be processed separated from the susceptor 200 as in Patent Document 1 is not used, the processing accuracy on the surface of the substrate support 310 when the substrate is enlarged due to its configuration is ensured. Is difficult.

  Further, in the tray 420 described in Patent Document 3 shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C, the tray itself also serves as a cover. On the contrary, this indicates that the product easily adheres to the tray 420 and has a problem in maintenance. Moreover, since it is necessary to form the convex part 411 which mounts the to-be-processed substrate 401 in the susceptor 410, it has a problem in terms of the processing accuracy and cost of the surface of the convex part 411.

  Further, Patent Document 4 shown in FIG. 11 has a problem that the effective area of film formation decreases because the edge of the substrate 501 to be processed is covered with the cover 520.

  Further, in the tray 600 described in Patent Document 5 shown in FIG. 12, since the cover ring 630 covers only the periphery of the substrate mounting plate 620, the substrate mounting plate 620 and the holding ring 610, which is a plate conveyance holding member, are arranged. The contact is exposed. For this reason, since the reaction gas enters from the gap formed in the contact and the product adheres to the holding ring 610 or the susceptor 650, there is a problem that maintenance in a short cycle is required and the operating rate is lowered. is doing.

  As described above, in the conventional tray, the reaction gas enters the inside of the tray and the contact surface between the tray and the susceptor, and the reactants adhere to contaminate the inside of the tray and the susceptor. Therefore, there is a problem that the uniformity of the film thickness is lost due to the change of the contact surface state and the deterioration of the thermal uniformity of the surface of the substrate to be processed. Further, when the susceptor is contaminated, it is necessary to open the reaction furnace for maintenance, which causes a problem that the operation rate is lowered. In addition, there is a problem that it is not good to reduce the effective area for film formation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and its purpose is to avoid a reduction in the effective film formation area of the substrate to be processed, and to achieve uniformity in film thickness due to the ingress of reaction gas into the susceptor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tray, a vapor phase growth apparatus, and a vapor phase growth method that can reduce the frequency of maintenance of the susceptor without damage.

  In order to solve the above problems, the tray of the present invention has at least one recess on the surface of the tray that is transported onto the susceptor in a state where the substrate to be processed is placed, and the substrate to be processed is placed in the recess. A plate carrying and holding member comprising a substrate placing plate that is housed in a placing state, and a hole having a holding portion that holds the outer peripheral protruding portion of the substrate placing plate from below when the substrate placing plate is carried. And a cover plate that covers a peripheral portion of the substrate mounting plate and a protruding portion of the plate carrying and holding member from the peripheral portion of the substrate mounting plate from above.

  According to the above invention, the cover plate covers the gap portion between the peripheral portion of the substrate mounting plate and the plate conveyance holding member. For this reason, the cover plate prevents contamination of the inside of the tray and the product of the susceptor in order to reliably prevent the reaction gas from entering from the gap portion between the substrate mounting plate and the plate transport holding member. Further, since the cover plate is configured to cover the protruding portion from the peripheral portion of the substrate mounting plate in the plate transport holding member, the upper surface of the plate transport holding member is not contaminated by the reaction gas. Therefore, the maintenance interval of the susceptor becomes longer, and the operating rate can be improved.

  Moreover, the contact surface state between the susceptor and the substrate mounting plate can be maintained well by preventing the product inside the tray and the susceptor from sticking. Therefore, the thermal uniformity of the substrate surface, that is, the film thickness of the thin film can be kept uniform. Furthermore, since the cover plate does not cover the substrate to be processed, it is possible to maintain the effective film formation area of the substrate to be processed.

  As a result, it is possible to provide a tray that avoids a reduction in the effective film formation area of the substrate to be processed, does not impair the uniformity of the film thickness due to the penetration of the reaction gas into the susceptor, and can reduce the frequency of maintenance of the susceptor. it can.

  In the tray of the present invention, an outer peripheral projecting portion that projects in a bowl shape is formed around the substrate mounting plate, and the holding portion of the plate transport holding member transports the substrate mounting plate. A stepped portion formed by a notch that holds the outer peripheral protruding portion of the substrate mounting plate from below, and the substrate mounting plate is transported onto the susceptor and mounted on the susceptor. When placed, the plate transport holding member is also placed on the susceptor so that the upper surface of the stepped portion of the plate transport holding member does not contact the lower surface of the outer peripheral overhanging portion of the substrate placement plate. The cover plate is preferably placed on the upper surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate placement plate. That is, the height from the bottom surface of the plate transport holding member on the upper surface of the stepped portion of the plate transport holding member is lower than the height from the bottom surface of the substrate mounting plate on the lower surface of the outer peripheral protruding portion of the substrate mounting plate. It is preferable to be formed as follows. Further, the height of the uppermost surface of the plate transport holding member from the bottom surface of the plate transport holding member is the height from the bottom surface of the substrate mounting plate when the cover plate is mounted on the upper surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate mounting plate. It is preferable that the height is lower than the height to the lower surface of the cover plate.

  According to the said invention, when a tray is installed on a susceptor, it is the structure which a board | substrate mounting plate and a plate conveyance holding member do not contact each other. Therefore, the bottom surface of the substrate mounting plate is placed in contact with the susceptor evenly, so that the substrate to be processed can be processed without being affected by warping or tilting of the plate transport holding member due to processing accuracy and thermal expansion. Heat can be evenly transmitted to Therefore, the film thickness can be made uniform by maintaining the temperature uniformity of the substrate to be processed.

  Further, in the tray of the present invention, the cover plate has a peripheral surface so as to cover at least the upper side of the side surface of the plate transport holding member when the substrate mounting plate is transported on the susceptor and placed on the susceptor. It is preferable to have a hanging part that falls from the bottom.

  According to the above invention, the cover plate is configured to cover the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate mounting plate and at least the upper side of the side surface of the plate transport holding member. Therefore, the invasion of the reaction gas from the end of the gap portion between the uppermost surface of the plate conveyance holding member and the lower surface of the cover plate is surely prevented, and contamination due to product fixation of the inside of the tray and the susceptor is prevented. Moreover, since the plate conveyance holding member is covered with the cover plate and the exposed surface is reduced, it can be prevented from being contaminated by the product sticking. Therefore, the maintenance interval of the plate conveyance holding member becomes long, and the operation rate can be improved.

  In the tray of the present invention, a notch is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral overhanging portion of the substrate mounting plate, and the depth of the notch is determined by the substrate mounting plate. When the cover plate is placed on the upper surface of the cutout portion on the outer peripheral surface of the substrate placement plate and conveyed on the susceptor, the upper surface of the substrate placement plate and the cover It is preferable that the plate is formed so that the height with the upper surface of the plate is on the same surface.

  According to the above invention, since the upper surface of the substrate mounting plate and the upper surface of the cover plate are formed so as to be on the same plane, the tray upper surface is formed on a flat surface without a step. . Therefore, the flow of the reactive gas is not disturbed, and the reactive gas concentration distribution on the substrate to be processed becomes uniform, so that the uniformity of the film thickness can be improved.

  In the tray of the present invention, it is preferable that a small-diameter concave portion having a smaller diameter than the concave portion is formed in the concave portion for storing the substrate to be processed on the substrate mounting plate.

  According to the above invention, when the substrate to be processed is placed on the substrate mounting plate, a space is generated between the substrate to be processed and the substrate mounting plate. For this reason, the heat conduction to the substrate to be processed is not a contact surface between the substrate to be processed and the substrate mounting plate, but exclusively space. Therefore, heat can be uniformly transmitted to the substrate to be processed regardless of the roughness of the contact surface between the substrate to be processed and the substrate mounting plate. That is, the temperature uniformity of the substrate to be processed can be maintained without being affected by the processing accuracy of the substrate placement surface in the concave portion of the substrate placement plate. Therefore, the film thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate to be processed can be made more uniform.

  In the tray of the present invention, it is preferable that the substrate mounting plate is provided with a plurality of recesses for storing the substrate to be processed in the mounting state.

  According to the said invention, it is the structure which can mount a some to-be-processed substrate in a substrate mounting plate. Therefore, since a plurality of substrates to be processed can be transported at a time to form a film, the production capacity can be improved.

  In the tray of the present invention, an inclined wall is formed on the inner periphery of the plate conveyance holding member so that the inner diameter increases from the stepped portion formed by the notch toward the upper surface of the plate conveyance holding member. In addition, it is preferable that the plate carrying and holding member holds the outer peripheral protruding portion of the substrate mounting plate from the lower side by the inclined wall when the substrate mounting plate is transferred. That is, it is preferable that the outer diameter of the outer periphery overhanging portion of the substrate mounting plate is formed larger than the lower end inner diameter of the inclined wall of the plate transport holding member.

  According to the said invention, it is the structure which hold | maintains the outer periphery overhang | projection part of a board | substrate mounting plate with the inclined surface of an inclined wall at the time of conveyance. Therefore, the substrate mounting plate can be easily aligned, and can be transported without applying vibration to the substrate mounting plate and the substrate to be processed.

  In order to solve the above problems, the vapor phase growth apparatus of the present invention includes the tray, and the tray on which the substrate to be processed is mounted is transported and arranged on a susceptor in a reaction chamber, and is heated on the substrate to be processed. It is characterized by vapor phase growth by MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition), plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), or optical CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition).

  According to the said invention, since the said tray is provided, it is excellent in maintainability and can implement | achieve the vapor phase growth apparatus which has high production capacity.

  In order to solve the above problems, the vapor phase growth method of the present invention includes the tray, and the tray on which the substrate to be processed is mounted is transported and arranged on a susceptor in a reaction chamber, and heated to the substrate to be processed. It is characterized by vapor phase growth by MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition), plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), or optical CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition).

  According to the above method, since the tray is used, a thin film having a uniform film thickness can be formed on the substrate to be processed with high production capacity.

  In the vapor phase growth method of the present invention, the height of the upper surface of the cover plate is the height of the upper surface of the substrate to be processed placed on the substrate placing plate when the tray is placed on the susceptor. It is preferable to be equal to or lower than.

  According to the above method, a tray is used in which the upper surface of the cover plate is formed at least lower than the upper surface of the substrate to be processed placed on the substrate placement plate. Therefore, the flow of the reaction gas is not disturbed, and the reaction gas concentration distribution on the substrate to be processed becomes uniform, so that a thin film having a more uniform film thickness can be formed.

  In the vapor phase growth method of the present invention, the height of the upper surface of the substrate mounting plate is such that the upper surface of the substrate to be processed mounted on the substrate mounting plate when the tray is mounted on the susceptor. It is preferable that the height is equal to or lower than the height of.

  According to the above method, a tray is used in which the upper surface of the substrate placement plate is formed at least lower than the upper surface of the substrate to be processed placed on the substrate placement plate. Therefore, the flow of the reaction gas is not disturbed, and the reaction gas concentration distribution on the substrate to be processed becomes uniform, so that a thin film having a more uniform film thickness can be formed.

  As described above, the tray of the present invention has at least one recess on the surface, and the substrate mounting plate for storing the substrate to be processed in the mounting state in the recess, and the substrate mounting plate is conveyed. Sometimes a plate transport holding member having a hole having a holding portion for holding the peripheral portion of the substrate mounting plate from below, and the substrate mounting plate in the peripheral portion of the substrate mounting plate and the plate transport holding member The cover plate which covers the protrusion part from the peripheral part of this from the top is provided.

  As described above, the vapor phase growth apparatus according to the present invention includes the tray described above, conveys and arranges the tray on which the substrate to be processed is mounted on a susceptor in a reaction chamber, and heats the MOCVD (Metal) on the substrate to be processed while heating. Vapor growth is performed by organic chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma CVD (chemical vapor deposition) or photo CVD (chemical vapor deposition).

  As described above, the vapor phase growth method of the present invention uses the above-described tray on which a substrate to be processed is mounted, conveys and arranges the tray on a susceptor in a reaction chamber, and heats the MOCVD ( This is a method of vapor phase growth by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma CVD (chemical vapor deposition) or photo CVD (chemical vapor deposition).

  Therefore, a tray and a vapor phase growth apparatus that can avoid a decrease in the effective film formation area of the substrate to be processed, can maintain the uniformity of the film thickness due to the intrusion of the reaction gas into the susceptor, and can reduce the frequency of maintenance of the susceptor. And the effect that a vapor phase growth method can be provided is produced.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 as follows. In the drawings of the present embodiment, the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a vertical shower head type vapor phase growth apparatus which is an example of a substrate processing apparatus provided with a tray in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a vapor phase growth apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a reaction furnace 2 having a growth chamber 3 that is a hollow portion, a shower head 30 having a shower plate 31 on the bottom surface, and a rotatable rotating shaft. 4, a cover plate 8 installed so as to surround the rotary shaft 4, a support base 5 provided at one end of the rotary shaft 4, a heater 6 installed on the support base 5, and the heater 6 And a susceptor 7 installed on the top. Further, on the susceptor 7, a tray 20 on which the substrate to be processed 24 is placed is installed.

  In the vapor phase growth apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the reaction furnace 2 is connected to a load lock chamber 13 installed adjacent to the reactor 2 via a gate valve 10. The load lock chamber 13 is hollow, and a transport mechanism 16 for transporting the tray 20 is installed therein. The transport mechanism 16 holds the periphery of the shaft 17 and the tray 20 attached to the tip thereof, and moves the shaft via a horseshoe-shaped fork 18 for transporting the tray 20 and a motor. And a drive unit (not shown). As a result, the tray 20 on which the substrate 24 to be processed is placed can be installed on the fork 18 and transferred onto the susceptor 7 inside the reaction furnace 2 of the vapor phase growth apparatus 1 to perform the substrate film forming process.

  The shower plate 31 is installed so as to face the susceptor 7. The rotating shaft 4 is rotatable by an actuator (not shown) and the like, and the upper surface of the susceptor 7 is rotated by the rotation of the rotating shaft 4 while maintaining a state parallel to the facing shower plate 31. A gas exhaust part 51 for exhausting the gas in the growth chamber 3 of the reaction furnace 2 to the outside is installed at the lower part of the reaction furnace 2, and the gas exhaust part 51 is exhausted via a purge line 52. Is connected to an exhaust gas treatment device 53 for detoxifying the generated gas.

  Further, a group III gas including a carrier gas is introduced from the group III gas supply source 40 into the gas mixing chamber 33 of the shower head 30 through the mass flow controller 48 and the group III gas pipe 46. Further, a group V gas including a carrier gas is introduced from the group V gas supply source 41 into the gas mixing chamber 33 of the shower head 30 through the mass flow controller 49 and the group V gas pipe 47. Water cooling is supplied to the water cooling supply unit 32 from a water cooling device 35 through a water cooling system pipe 34. In addition, the description regarding the valves attached to piping is abbreviate | omitted. The source gas mixed in the gas mixing chamber 33 is introduced into the growth chamber 3, and at this time, the substrate to be processed 24 is heated by the heater 6 via the susceptor 7 and the tray 20, and is formed on the substrate to be processed 24. Membrane chemical reaction is promoted. Thereby, a thin film is formed on the substrate 24 to be processed.

In the present embodiment, a group III source gas and a group V source gas are used as the source gas. The group III source gas includes trimethylgallium (TMG) and trimethylaluminum (TMA), which contain Ga (gallium) and Al (aluminum), respectively, and the group V source gas includes As (arsenic). Arsine (AsH ₃ ) or the like is used. Further, hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas are used as the respective carrier gases. And these are mixed beforehand and the mixed gas is supplied from the raw material gas inlet.

In addition, as the group III-based gas, an organometallic gas such as trimethylgallium (TMG) containing In (indium) can be often used. In addition, ammonia (NH ₃ ) containing N (nitrogen), phosphine (PH ₃ ) containing P (phosphorus), or the like can be used as the group V gas.

  In the vapor phase growth apparatus 1 configured as described above, in the present embodiment, the tray 20 has a characteristic configuration. Hereinafter, the tray 20 in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view showing a basic configuration when the tray 20 in the present embodiment is installed on the susceptor 7.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the tray 20 includes a substrate placement plate 21, a plate conveyance holding member 22, and a cover plate 23.

  The substrate mounting plate 21 is formed with one recess 21c for accommodating the substrate to be processed 24. The recess 21 c is formed according to the size and shape of the substrate to be processed 24. Moreover, the number of the recessed parts 21c is not specifically limited, A plurality may be formed. As a result, a plurality of substrates to be processed 24 can be placed simultaneously.

  In the tray 20 of the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of thermal uniformity, a small-diameter concave portion 21d having a smaller diameter than the concave portion 21c is further formed on the substrate mounting surface of the concave portion 21c. For this reason, when the to-be-processed substrate 24 is mounted in the recessed part 21c of the substrate mounting plate 21, a space is generated between the processed substrate 24 and the substrate mounting surface of the recessed part 21c. As a result, the heat conduction to the substrate to be processed 24 is not the contact surface between the substrate to be processed 24 and the recess 21c, but the space is exclusively used as a medium to conduct heat to the substrate 24 to be processed. Therefore, heat can be uniformly transmitted to the target substrate 24 regardless of the roughness of the contact surface between the target substrate 24 and the substrate mounting plate 21.

  That is, the temperature uniformity of the substrate to be processed 24 can be maintained without being affected by the processing accuracy of the substrate placement surface in the recess 21c of the substrate placement plate 21. Therefore, the film thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate to be processed 24 can be made more uniform.

  Further, the substrate mounting plate 21 is formed with an outer peripheral overhanging portion 21a that protrudes like a bowl. As shown in FIG. 3A, the outer peripheral overhanging portion 21 a is formed so that the cover plate 23 is in contact with the upper surface of the outer peripheral surface when installed on the susceptor 7. Thereby, the penetration | invasion into the tray 20 of a reactive gas can be prevented.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the height h of the edge portion of the recess 21 c does not become higher than the surface of the substrate 24 to be processed. Thereby, since the flow of the reaction gas on the tray 20 can be prevented from stagnation, the film thickness can be made uniform.

  At the time of installing the susceptor of the tray 20, it is preferable that a cutout portion 21 b that is cut out by the thickness of the cover plate 23 is formed on the upper surface portion of the outer peripheral surface portion of the outer peripheral overhanging portion 21 a that contacts the cover plate 23. . Thereby, the height of the surface of the substrate mounting plate 21 and the cover plate 23 can be made substantially the same. Therefore, the flow of the reaction gas on the tray 20 can be prevented from stagnation, so that the film thickness can be made uniform.

  Thus, from the viewpoint of preventing the reaction gas flow on the tray 20 from being disturbed, the surface of the tray 20 should be planarized so as not to be uneven in the state where the substrate 24 is placed. Is preferred.

  Moreover, the said plate conveyance holding member 22 has the hole 22b which can insert the bottom part of the board | substrate mounting plate 21, as shown to Fig.3 (a). A stepped portion 22a is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the hole 22b, and the outer peripheral protruding portion 21a is formed so that a gap is formed between the outer peripheral protruding portion 21a of the substrate mounting plate 21 and the stepped portion 22a of the cover plate 23. And the height with the step part 22a is prescribed | regulated. That is, the height from the bottom surface of the plate transport holding member 22 on the upper surface of the stepped portion 22 a of the plate transport holding member 22 is the bottom surface of the substrate mounting plate 21 on the lower surface of the outer peripheral protruding portion 21 a of the substrate mounting plate 21. It is formed so as to be lower than the height from. Further, the height of the uppermost surface of the plate conveyance holding member 22 from the bottom surface of the plate conveyance holding member 22 is such that the substrate when the cover plate 23 is placed on the upper surface of the outer peripheral protruding portion 21 a of the substrate placement plate 21. It is formed to be lower than the height from the bottom surface of the mounting plate 21 to the lower surface of the cover plate 23.

  The hole 22b is preferably a through-hole, whereby the substrate mounting plate 21 can be reliably placed directly on the susceptor 7. Therefore, when the tray 20 is installed on the susceptor 7, the substrate placement plate 21 and the plate transport holding member 22 do not come into contact with each other. Therefore, the processing accuracy of the plate transport holding member 22 with respect to the substrate placement plate 21 and It is possible to eliminate the influence of warping and inclination caused by thermal expansion. Therefore, by making the hole 22b a through hole, the roughness of the contact surface between the susceptor 7 and the substrate mounting plate 21 can be prevented from becoming rough.

  In the cover plate 23, a through hole (hereinafter referred to as an opening 23 a) for exposing the film forming surface of the substrate to be processed 24 is formed in a portion corresponding to the outer peripheral portion of the substrate mounting plate 21. Yes. The size of the opening 23a is larger than that of the recess 21c that accommodates the substrate 24 to be processed of the substrate mounting plate 21. Thus, the substrate mounting plate 21 and the plate transport holding member 22 are covered from above while exposing the entire surface of the substrate to be processed 24. As a result, when installed on the susceptor 7, as shown in FIG. 3A, the cover plate 23 is held by the outer peripheral protruding portion 21 a of the substrate mounting plate 21, and the substrate mounting plate 21 and the plate transport A hollow portion generated between the holding member 22 and the holding member 22 is completely covered. Thereby, the invasion of the reaction gas into the tray 20 can be prevented.

  The surface of the cover plate 23 is preferably not higher than the surface of the substrate 24 to be processed. Thereby, since the flow of the reaction gas on the substrate to be processed 24 can be prevented from being disturbed, the film thickness can be made uniform.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the cover plate 23 has a hanging portion 23 b that falls from the periphery so as to cover at least the upper side of the side surface of the plate conveyance holding member 22. This reliably prevents the reaction gas from entering from the end of the gap between the uppermost surface of the plate conveyance holding member 22 and the lower surface of the cover plate 23, and is effective in preventing contamination due to product fixation in the tray 20 and the susceptor. Can be prevented.

  Moreover, since the plate conveyance holding member 22 is covered with the cover plate 23 and the exposed surface is reduced, it can be prevented from being contaminated by the product sticking. Therefore, the maintenance interval of the plate conveyance holding member 22 itself is also increased, and the operating rate can be improved.

  The material of the tray 20 is not particularly limited, and for example, a ceramic material such as alumina, aluminum nitride, zirconia, yttria, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, aluminum coated with anodized, aluminum sprayed with ceramic on the surface, or coated with a resin material. A wide variety of metals such as aluminum can be used.

  FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view showing a basic configuration when the tray 20 in the present embodiment is conveyed. That is, FIG. 3B shows the relationship between the components of the tray 20 held on the fork 18 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the outer peripheral protruding portion 21a of the substrate mounting plate 21 does not come into contact with the cover plate 23 during the transfer, but the lower side of the outer peripheral protruding portion 21a is not in contact with the plate transfer holding member 22. The plate conveyance holding member 22 is formed so as to be in contact with the upper surface of the stepped portion 22a. As a result, the entire substrate mounting plate 21 is conveyed while being held by the plate conveyance holding member 22 from below.

  In the tray 20 of the present embodiment, an inclined wall 22c that rises from the stepped portion 22a of the plate conveyance holding member 22 toward the upper surface of the plate conveyance holding member 22 is formed. The outer diameter of the outer peripheral protruding portion 21 a of the substrate mounting plate 21 is formed larger than the inner diameter of the lower end of the inclined wall 22 c of the plate transport holding member 22.

  Thereby, the outer periphery overhang | projection part 21a of the substrate mounting plate 21 is hold | maintained by the inclination wall 22c at the time of conveyance. Therefore, it is possible to easily align the substrate placement plate 21 and to transport the substrate placement plate 21 and the substrate to be processed 24 without applying vibration.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of the tray 20 in the present embodiment. As is apparent from FIG. 4, the tray 20 is configured such that the cover plate 23 is completely covered in the gap portion between the substrate mounting plate 21 and the plate conveyance holding member 22. Therefore, the cover plate 23 reliably prevents intrusion of the reaction gas from the gap portion between the substrate mounting plate 21 and the plate transport holding member 22, thereby preventing contamination due to product fixation in the tray 20 and the susceptor 7. . Accordingly, the maintenance interval between the susceptor 7 and the plate conveyance holding member 22 is increased, and the operating rate can be improved.

  Tray 20a-20c which is a modification of the tray 20 of this Embodiment is demonstrated using Fig.5 (a)-(c). FIGS. 5A to 5C are plan views showing trays 20a to 20c of modified examples of the tray 20 of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the tray 20a is configured to include a substrate mounting plate 21 provided with a plurality of recesses 21c so that a plurality of substrates to be processed 24 can be accommodated. The plate conveying / holding member 22 and the cover plate 23 can have the same shape as the tray 20. As described above, the recess 21 c of the substrate mounting plate 21 can be formed according to the size, shape, number, etc. of the substrate 24 to be processed. As a result, a plurality of substrates to be processed 24 can be transported at a time to form a film, so that the production capacity can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the tray 20b is configured to include a plurality of substrate placement plates 21. In the tray 20b, the plate conveyance holding member 22 in which the hole 22b is formed according to the size, shape, number, etc. of the bottom surface of the substrate placement plate 21, and the size of the recess 21c of the substrate placement plate 21, It is preferable to include a cover plate 23 in which the openings 23a corresponding to the shape and the number of the openings 23a are formed. Thereby, each substrate mounting plate 21 is directly installed on the susceptor 7. Therefore, since the bottom surface of the substrate mounting plate 21 is installed on the susceptor 7 in uniform contact with each other, without being affected by the warping or tilting of the plate conveyance holding member 22 due to processing accuracy and thermal expansion, Heat can be uniformly transmitted to the substrate 24 to be processed. Therefore, the film thickness can be made uniform by maintaining the temperature uniformity of the substrate 24 to be processed.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the tray 20c is configured to include a plurality of substrate placement plates 21 provided with a plurality of the recesses 21c. The plate conveyance holding member 22 and the cover plate 23 can have the same shape as the tray 20b. Thereby, since a plurality of substrates 24 to be processed can be transported at a time to form a film, the production capacity can be further improved.

  Still another modified example of the tray 20 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view showing a basic configuration when the tray 20 d in another modification is installed on the susceptor 7. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view showing a basic configuration when the tray 20d in another modification is conveyed.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the tray 20 d is different from the tray 20 in that the inclined wall rises from the stepped portion 22 a of the plate conveyance holding member 22 toward the upper surface of the plate conveyance holding member 22 so that the inner diameter increases. 22c is not formed. In this case, at the time of conveyance, as shown in FIG. 6B, the lower side of the outer peripheral protruding portion 21a of the substrate mounting plate 21 is held on the upper surface of the stepped portion 22a. Thereby, the tray 20d can be conveyed in a stable state.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the tray 20 is used in the vertical MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition) vapor phase growth apparatus 1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) or optical CVD (Chemical) is used. It can also be used for the vapor phase growth apparatus 1 for vapor phase growth by Vapor Deposition. Thereby, the vapor phase growth apparatus 1 and the vapor phase growth method having excellent maintainability and high production capacity can be realized.

  Note that MOCVD is a method in which a compound semiconductor crystal is grown to form a thin film. Plasma CVD is a method in which a reactive gas is excited into a plasma state to form a thin film. Photo CVD is a chemical reaction or thermal decomposition. In order to promote this, light is irradiated to form a thin film.

  In the vapor phase growth method, from the viewpoint of preventing the flow of the reaction gas on the tray 20 from stagnation, the surface of the tray 20 is placed on the substrate mounting plate 21 in a state where the substrate 24 to be processed is mounted. In addition, it is preferable that the height of the surface of the cover plate 23 is equal to or lower than the height of the surface of the substrate 24 to be processed. Thereby, the flow of the reaction gas on the tray 20 is not disturbed, and the reaction gas concentration distribution on the substrate to be processed 24 becomes uniform, so that a thin film having a more uniform film thickness can be formed.

  In the present invention, it goes without saying that the shape of the tray and its constituent members, the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus using the tray, and the shape of the constituent members are not limited to the shapes shown in FIGS.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  The tray of the present invention can be suitably used when simultaneously processing a plurality of substrates to be processed in a substrate processing apparatus such as an MOCVD apparatus, a plasma CVD apparatus, and a photo CVD apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates a tray according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a vertical shower head type vapor phase growth apparatus that is an example of a substrate processing apparatus including the tray. It is a figure which shows an example of a typical structure of the load lock chamber of the said vapor phase growth apparatus. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the basic composition when the said tray is installed in a susceptor, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the basic composition when the said tray is conveyed. It is a top view which shows the structure of the said tray. (A), (b), (c) is a top view which shows the structure of the modification in the said tray. (A), (b) is a top view which shows the structure of the other modification in the said tray. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the conventional vertical shower head type vapor phase growth apparatus used for a vapor phase growth method. It is sectional drawing which shows the susceptor provided with the board | substrate mounting plate disclosed by patent document 1. FIG. (A) is an assembly exploded perspective view which shows the cover and board | substrate support tool which comprise the tray disclosed by patent document 2, (b) is a perspective view which shows the said cover and board | substrate support tool integrated. (A) is the elements on larger scale which show the structure at the time of conveyance of the tray and susceptor which were described in patent document 3, (b) is the elements on larger scale which show the structure at the time of installation of the said tray and susceptor, (c ) Is a plan view showing the tray during conveyance. It is sectional drawing which shows the tray disclosed by patent document 4. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a tray disclosed in Patent Document 5. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vapor growth apparatus 2 Reactor 3 Growth chamber 6 Heater 7 Susceptor 8 Cover plate 14 Load lock chamber 16 Conveying mechanism 17 Shaft 18 Fork 20 Tray 20a-20d Tray 21 Substrate mounting plate 21a Outer peripheral part 21b Notch part 21c Concave part 21d Small-diameter concave part 22 Plate conveyance holding member 22a Hole 22b
22c Inclined wall 23 Cover plate 23a Opening 23b Hanging part 24 Substrate 30 Shower head 31 Shower plate 32 Water cooling supply part 33 Gas mixing chamber 40 III group gas supply source 53 Exhaust gas treatment device

Claims (11)

In the tray that conveys the substrate to be processed onto the susceptor,
A substrate mounting plate having at least one recess on the surface, and storing the substrate to be processed in the mounting state in the recess;
A plate transport holding member provided with a hole having a holding portion for holding the peripheral portion of the substrate mounting plate from below when transporting the substrate mounting plate;
A tray, comprising: a cover plate that covers a peripheral portion of the substrate mounting plate and a protruding portion of the plate carrying and holding member from the peripheral portion of the substrate mounting plate from above. A peripheral projecting portion that projects in a bowl shape is formed on the periphery of the substrate mounting plate,
The holding portion of the plate transport holding member is composed of a stepped portion formed by a notch that holds the outer peripheral overhanging portion of the substrate mounting plate from below when transporting the substrate mounting plate.
When the substrate mounting plate is transferred onto the susceptor and mounted on the susceptor, the upper surface of the stepped portion of the plate transfer holding member does not contact the lower surface of the outer peripheral protruding portion of the substrate mounting plate. 2. The tray according to claim 1, wherein the plate conveying and holding member is also placed on the susceptor, and the cover plate is placed on the upper surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate placing plate.   The cover plate has a hanging portion that falls from the periphery so as to cover at least the upper side of the side surface of the plate transport holding member when the substrate placement plate is transported onto the susceptor and placed on the susceptor. The tray according to claim 2, wherein the tray is provided. A cutout portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer periphery overhanging portion of the substrate mounting plate,
The depth of the notch is such that the substrate placing plate is transported onto the susceptor and placed on the susceptor, and the cover plate is placed on the upper surface of the notched portion on the outer peripheral surface of the substrate placing plate. 4. The tray according to claim 2, wherein the tray is formed so that a height of an upper surface of the substrate mounting plate and an upper surface of the cover plate are flush with each other.   The small-diameter concave portion having a smaller diameter than the concave portion is formed in the concave portion for accommodating the substrate to be processed in the mounting state on the substrate mounting plate. Tray as described in.   The tray according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the substrate mounting plate is provided with a plurality of recesses for storing the substrate to be processed in a mounted state. On the inner periphery of the plate conveyance holding member, an inclined wall is formed that rises from the stepped portion formed by the notch so that the inner diameter increases toward the upper surface of the plate conveyance holding member.
The said plate conveyance holding member hold | maintains the outer peripheral overhang | projection part of this board | substrate mounting plate from the lower side in the said inclination wall, when conveying the said board | substrate mounting plate. The tray according to any one of the above. The tray according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The above tray carrying the substrate to be processed is transported and arranged on a susceptor in the reaction chamber, and while being heated, the substrate to be processed is MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition), Plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) or Photo CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) Vapor phase growth apparatus characterized by performing vapor phase growth at   Using the tray according to any one of claims 1 to 7 on which a substrate to be processed is mounted, the tray is transported to a susceptor in a reaction chamber and heated to the substrate to be processed by MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapor). A vapor phase growth method characterized by performing vapor phase growth by Deposition), plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) or photo CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition).   The height of the upper surface of the cover plate is equal to or lower than the height of the upper surface of the substrate to be processed placed on the substrate placing plate when the tray is placed on the susceptor. The vapor phase growth method according to claim 9.   The height of the upper surface of the substrate placement plate is equal to or lower than the height of the upper surface of the substrate to be processed placed on the substrate placement plate when the tray is placed on the susceptor. The vapor phase growth method according to claim 9.

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