JP2011029441A - Device and method for treating substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for treating a substrate uniformly bringing gas into contact with entire principal surfaces of a plurality of substrates located in a treatment chamber to improve film formation uniformity. <P>SOLUTION: The horizontal angle of a treating gas introduction nozzle 22a installed in an inner tube 2 and introducing a treating gas large in a supply amount is varied in synchronization with the rotary operation of a boat mounted with a plurality of substrates. The horizontal angle of a treating gas introduction nozzle 22b installed in the inner tube 2 for introducing the treating gas small in a supply amount is fixed by being directed to the vicinity of the center of the substrates. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing technique, for example, a semiconductor integrated circuit device (hereinafter referred to as an IC).
Effective in depositing (depositing) an oxide film, a polysilicon film, a silicon nitride film, etc. on a semiconductor substrate (for example, a semiconductor wafer) on which a semiconductor integrated circuit is fabricated in the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of Related to a substrate processing technology.

  In the manufacture of ICs, a batch type vertical hot wall reduced pressure CVD apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a CVD apparatus) is used to deposit a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) film such as an oxide film, a polysilicon film, or a silicon nitride film on a wafer. Widely used. As a conventional CVD apparatus of this type, for example, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-209668, an inner tube and an outer tube surrounding the inner tube and a process tube installed in a vertical shape, A boat (substrate holder) that holds a single wafer and carries it into the inner tube, a gas introduction nozzle that introduces a source gas into the inner tube, an exhaust port that exhausts and decompresses the inside of the process tube, and a process tube And a heater unit that heats the inside of the process tube. The gas introduction nozzle has a plurality of jet outlets corresponding to each wafer held in the boat. Some have exhaust holes.

The boat includes one end plate on each of upper and lower sides and a plurality of boat support columns that join the upper and lower end plates to each other. The boat support column is provided with a plurality of grooves, each of which holds one wafer, and the boat support column functions as a wafer holding member.
In the above-described CVD apparatus, a plurality of wafers are loaded into the inner tube (boat loading) in a state where the plurality of wafers are stacked and held in a multilevel manner on the boat. Thereafter, the source gas is introduced into the inner tube by the gas introduction nozzle, and the inside of the process tube is heated by the heater unit, whereby the CVD film is deposited on the wafer. At that time, the raw material gas ejected horizontally from the plurality of ejection ports of the gas introduction nozzle flows between the wafers held in multiple stages on the boat and contacts the surface of the wafer, and is opened in the inner tube. The air is exhausted from the exhaust hole.

JP 2005-209668 A

However, in the CVD apparatus as described above, the film formation uniformity (thickness and film quality uniformity) within the wafer surface is not sufficient unless the boat is rotated, and the film formation uniformity within the wafer surface is improved. When the boat is rotated to cause the wafer holding member (boat support) to hold the wafer, the supply of the source gas to the periphery of the wafer holding member is hindered. As a result, the periphery of the wafer holding member The deposited film becomes thinner than other portions, and there is a problem that it is not easy to improve the film formation uniformity within the wafer surface. Further, since the source gas is ejected toward the center of the wafer, for example, the film thickness of the thin film formed near the outer periphery of the wafer becomes thinner than the film thickness of the thin film formed near the center of the wafer. There is a problem that the film formation uniformity is not sufficient.
An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus in which a processing gas is uniformly brought into contact over the entire main surface (surface on which a semiconductor integrated circuit is formed) of a plurality of substrates (including a wafer) in a processing chamber. There is.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes:
A substrate holder for laminating and holding a plurality of substrates;
A processing chamber for processing the substrate held by the substrate holder;
A gas supply part extending in the stacking direction of the substrates in the processing chamber and supplying a processing gas to the substrates;
An angle varying device that varies the angle of the gas supply unit in a direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder;
A rotating device for rotating the substrate holder;
And a control unit that controls to synchronize an angle variation operation of the gas supply unit and a rotation operation of the substrate holder.

  In the present invention, it is possible to control the angle variation operation of the gas supply unit for supplying the processing gas to the substrate and the rotation operation of the substrate holder so that the influence of the wafer holding member on the formed thin film is reduced. In addition, the supply of the processing gas to the vicinity of the wafer periphery can be promoted, and the film formation uniformity within the wafer surface, particularly the film thickness uniformity can be improved.

1 is a vertical sectional view of a processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a process tube of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of an angle fluctuation | variation of the process gas supply nozzle 22a in 1st Example. It is a figure which shows the example of an angle fluctuation | variation of the process gas supply nozzle 22a in 1st Example. It is a figure which shows the example of an angle fluctuation | variation of the process gas supply nozzle 22a in 1st Example. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the angle fluctuation | variation apparatus which fluctuates the angle of a gas supply part. 1 is a perspective view of a substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the example of an angle fluctuation | variation of the process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in 2nd Example. It is a figure which shows the example of an angle fluctuation | variation of the process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in 2nd Example. It is a figure which shows the example of an angle fluctuation | variation of the process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in 3rd Example. It is a figure which shows the example of an angle fluctuation | variation of the process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in 4th Example. It is a figure which shows the example of an angle fluctuation | variation of the process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in 6th Example. It is a figure which shows the example of an angle fluctuation | variation of the process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in 5th Example and 6th Example. It is a figure which shows the example of an angle fluctuation | variation of the process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in 5th Example. It is a figure which shows the example of an angle fluctuation | variation of the process gas supply nozzle 22a in 7th Example.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Configuration of substrate processing equipment)
In the embodiment for carrying out the present invention, a configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus that performs a substrate processing step as one step of a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device (IC) will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, a case where the substrate processing apparatus is applied to a vertical substrate processing apparatus that performs CVD processing will be described. However, a vertical substrate processing apparatus that performs ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) processing, oxidation, diffusion processing, and the like. It can also be applied to.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 5, a substrate processing apparatus 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 111, and a wafer carrier for transporting a wafer 10 that is a substrate made of silicon or the like into or out of the housing 111. The cassette 110 is used as the (substrate container).

A cassette stage (substrate container delivery table) 114 is installed on the front front side of the housing 111. The cassette 110 is configured to be loaded and placed on the cassette stage 114 by an in-process transfer device (not shown) outside the casing 111, and to be unloaded from the cassette stage 114 to the outside of the casing 111. ing.
A cassette shelf (substrate container mounting shelf) 105 is installed at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction in the casing 111. The cassette shelf 105 is configured to store a plurality of cassettes 110 in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows. A transfer shelf 123 is provided as a part of the cassette shelf 105, and a cassette 110 to be transferred by a wafer transfer mechanism 125 described later is stored in the transfer shelf 123.
A cassette carrying device (substrate container carrying device) 118 is installed between the cassette stage 114 and the cassette shelf 105. The cassette transport device 118 includes a cassette elevator (substrate container lifting mechanism) 118a that can be moved up and down while holding the cassette 110, and a cassette horizontal transport mechanism (substrate container horizontal transport mechanism) that can operate horizontally while holding the cassette 110. 118b. The cassette transport device 118 can transport the cassette 110 between the cassette stage 114, the cassette shelf 105, and the transfer shelf 123 by the linkage operation of the cassette elevator 118 a and the cassette horizontal transport mechanism 118 b.

  A wafer transfer mechanism (substrate transfer mechanism) 125 is installed behind the cassette shelf 105. The wafer transfer mechanism 125 includes a wafer transfer device (substrate transfer device) 125a capable of rotating or linearly moving the wafer 10 in the horizontal direction, and a wafer transfer device elevator (substrate transfer device) for raising and lowering the wafer transfer device 125a. Mounting device lifting mechanism) 125b. The wafer transfer device 125a includes a tweezer (substrate transfer holder) 125c that holds the wafer 10 in a horizontal posture. The wafer 10 is picked up from the cassette 110 on the transfer shelf 123 by the linked operation of the wafer transfer device 125a and the wafer transfer device elevator 125b, and loaded into the boat (substrate holder) 11 described later (charging). Or the wafer 10 can be detached from the boat 11 (discharged) and stored in the cassette 110 on the transfer shelf 123.

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

Below the processing furnace 202, a boat elevator (substrate holder lifting mechanism) 115 is installed as a mechanism for moving the boat 11 up and down and transporting the boat 11 into and out of the processing furnace 202. The boat elevator 115 is provided with an arm 128 as a lifting platform. On the arm 128, the seal cap 9 is installed in a horizontal posture. The seal cap 9 supports the boat 11 vertically and functions as a lid that hermetically closes the lower end of the processing furnace 202 when the boat 11 is lifted by the boat elevator 115.
The boat 11 includes a plurality of wafer holding members 14, and a plurality of (for example, about 50 to 150) wafers 10 are aligned in the vertical direction in a horizontal posture and with their centers aligned. Thus, it is configured to be stacked and held in multiple stages. The detailed configuration of the boat 11 will be described later.

(Overview of substrate processing equipment operation)
Next, an outline of the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 101 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The substrate processing apparatus 101 is controlled by a controller 240 described later. First, the cassette 110 is placed on the cassette stage 114 by an in-process transfer device (not shown).
The cassette 110 on the cassette stage 114 is automatically transported to a designated position on the cassette shelf 105 by the cassette transport device 118, delivered, temporarily stored, and then again stored by the cassette transport device 118. It is transported from the storage position of the cassette shelf 105 to the transfer shelf 123. Alternatively, the cassette 110 on the cassette stage 114 is directly transferred to the transfer shelf 123 by the cassette transfer device 118.

  When the cassette 110 is transferred to the transfer shelf 123, the wafer 10 is picked up from the wafer loading / unloading port of the cassette 110 by the tweezer 125c of the wafer transfer device 125a, and the wafer transfer device 125a, the wafer transfer device elevator 125b, and the like. The boat 11 is loaded (charged) by the linkage operation. The wafer transfer device 125a that delivered the wafer 10 to the boat 11 returns to the cassette 110 side, picks up the next wafer 10 from the cassette 110, and loads it into the boat 11.

  When a predetermined number of wafers 10 are loaded into the boat 11, the furnace port shutter 147 that has closed the lower end of the processing furnace 202 is opened, and the opening at the lower end of the processing furnace 202 is opened. Subsequently, when the seal cap 9 on which the boat 11 is placed is raised by the boat elevator 115, the boat 11 holding the processing target wafer 10 group is loaded into the processing furnace 202 (boat loading). After boat loading, the lower end opening of the processing furnace 202 is closed by the seal cap 9, and arbitrary processing is performed on the wafer 10 in the processing furnace 202. Such processing will be described later.

  After the processing, the wafer 10 and the cassette 110 are discharged to the outside of the casing 111 in a procedure reverse to the above procedure. That is, the seal cap 9 on which the boat 11 is placed is lowered by the boat elevator 115, and the wafer 10 on the boat 11 is picked up by the wafer transfer mechanism 125 and transferred to the cassette 110 on the transfer shelf 123. The cassette 110 on the transfer shelf 123 is temporarily stored in the cassette shelf 105 by the cassette transport device 118 and then transported to the cassette stage 114 or directly by the cassette transport device 118. It is conveyed to. The cassette 110 on the cassette stage 114 is paid out to the outside of the housing 111 by the in-process transfer device.

(Processing furnace configuration)
Next, the configuration of the processing furnace 202 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the example of the present embodiment, the processing furnace 202 is configured as a processing chamber for batch type vertical hot wall type low pressure CVD.

(Process tube)
The processing furnace 202 includes a vertical process tube 1 inside thereof. The process tube 1 has a substantially cylindrical shape in which the upper end is closed and the lower end is opened, and the process tube 1 is arranged vertically so that the opened lower end faces downward and the center line in the cylinder direction is vertical. And fixedly supported by the casing 111. The process tube 1 includes an inner tube (inner tube) 2 and an outer tube (outer tube) 3. In this example, the inner tube 2 and the outer tube 3 are both integrally formed into a substantially cylindrical shape by a material having high heat resistance such as quartz (SiO 2) and silicon carbide (SiC).
The inner tube 2 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with the upper end closed and the lower end opened. In the inner tube 2, a processing chamber 4 is formed in which a plurality of wafers 10 stacked in multiple stages in a horizontal posture are accommodated and processed by a boat 11 as a substrate holder. The lower end opening of the inner tube 2 constitutes a furnace port 5 for taking in and out the boat 11 holding the wafer 10 group. Therefore, the inner diameter of the inner tube 2 is set to be larger than the maximum outer diameter of the boat 11 that holds the group of wafers 10.
The outer tube 3 is larger than the inner tube 2 and has a substantially similar shape to the inner tube 2, is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with the upper end closed and the lower end opened, and is concentric so as to surround the outer side of the inner tube 2. It is covered in a shape.
The lower ends of the inner tube 2 and the outer tube 3 are hermetically sealed by a manifold 6 whose horizontal cross section has a substantially circular ring shape. The inner tube 2 and the outer tube 3 are detachably attached to the manifold 6 for maintenance and inspection work and cleaning work. Since the manifold 6 is supported by the casing 111, the process tube 1 is installed vertically on the casing 111.

(Exhaust line)
An exhaust pipe 7 a serving as an exhaust line for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber 4 is connected to a part of the side wall of the manifold 6. An exhaust port 7 for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber 4 is formed at a connection portion between the manifold 6 and the exhaust pipe 7a. The inside of the exhaust pipe 7 a communicates with the inside of the exhaust path 8 formed of a gap formed between the inner tube 2 and the outer tube 3 through the exhaust port 7. The horizontal cross-sectional shape of the exhaust passage 8 is a circular ring shape having a substantially constant width. In the exhaust pipe 7a, a pressure sensor 7d, an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve 7b as a pressure adjusting valve, and a vacuum pump 7c as a vacuum exhaust device are provided in order from the upstream. The vacuum pump 7c is configured to be evacuated so that the pressure in the processing chamber 4 becomes a predetermined pressure (degree of vacuum). The APC valve 7b and the pressure sensor 7d are electrically connected to the pressure control unit 235. The pressure control unit 235 is configured to control the opening degree of the APC valve 7b based on the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor 7d so that the pressure in the processing chamber 4 becomes a desired pressure at a desired timing. Has been.

(Substrate holder)
A seal cap 9 that closes the lower end opening of the manifold 6 is brought into contact with the manifold 6 from the lower side in the vertical direction. The seal cap 9 is formed in a disk shape having an outer diameter equal to or greater than the outer diameter of the outer tube 3, and the disk shape is maintained in a horizontal posture by a boat elevator 115 installed vertically outside the process tube 1. In such a state, it is configured to be raised and lowered in the vertical direction.
On the seal cap 9, a boat 11 as a substrate holder for holding the wafer 10 is vertically supported. The boat 11 includes a pair of upper and lower end plates 12 and 13, and a plurality of, in this example, three wafer holding members 14 provided vertically between both end plates 12 and 13. The end plates 12 and 13 and the wafer holding member 14 are made of a material having high heat resistance such as quartz (SiO 2) or silicon carbide (SiC).
Each wafer holding member 14 is provided with a plurality of holding grooves 15 cut in the horizontal direction at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction. Each wafer holding member 14 is provided such that the holding grooves 15 face each other and the vertical positions (vertical positions) of the holding grooves 15 of each wafer holding member 14 coincide. The peripheral edges of the wafers 10 are respectively inserted into the holding grooves 15 at the same step in the plurality of wafer holding members 14, so that the plurality of wafers 10 are in a horizontal posture and the wafer centers are aligned with each other. It is configured to be stacked and held in multiple stages.

  Further, between the boat 11 and the seal cap 9, a pair of auxiliary end plates 16 and 17 are supported by a plurality of auxiliary holding members 18 in the vertical direction. Each auxiliary holding member 18 is provided with a plurality of holding grooves 19 carved in the horizontal direction. In the holding groove 19, for example, a plurality of disk-shaped heat insulating plates (not shown) made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz (SiO 2) or silicon carbide (SiC) are stacked and held in a horizontal posture in multiple stages. It is configured to be. The heat insulating plate prevents heat from the heater unit 20 described later from being transmitted to the manifold 6 side.

A boat rotation mechanism 254 that rotates the boat 11 is provided below the seal cap 9 (on the side opposite to the processing chamber 4). The boat rotation shaft 255 of the boat rotation mechanism 254 passes through the seal cap 9 and supports the boat 11 from below. The wafer 10 can be rotated in the processing chamber 4 by rotating the boat rotation shaft 255. The seal cap 9 is configured to be moved up and down in the vertical direction by the above-described boat elevator 115, so that the boat 11 can be transferred into and out of the processing chamber 4.
The boat rotation mechanism 254 and the boat elevator 115 are electrically connected to the drive control unit 237. The drive control unit 237 controls the boat rotation mechanism 254 and the boat elevator 115 to perform a desired operation at a desired timing.

(Heater unit)
Outside the outer tube 3, a heater unit 20 as a heating mechanism that heats the inside of the process tube 1 uniformly or with a predetermined temperature distribution is provided so as to surround the outer tube 3. The heater unit 20 is in a vertically installed state by being supported by the casing 111 of the substrate processing apparatus 101, and is configured by a resistance heater such as a carbon heater, for example.
In the process tube 1, a temperature sensor (not shown) as a temperature detector is installed. The heater unit 20 and the temperature sensor are electrically connected to the temperature control unit 238. The temperature controller 238 controls the energization amount to the heater unit 20 based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor so that the temperature in the processing chamber 4 has a desired temperature distribution at a desired timing.

(Processing gas supply system)
The processing gas supply system will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, a channel (passage) -shaped auxiliary chamber 21 is provided on the side wall of the inner tube 2 on the opposite side of the exhaust port 7 from the side of the inner tube 2. It is formed so as to protrude in the direction and extend in the vertical direction. The position of the preliminary chamber 21 is not limited to the position 180 degrees opposite to the exhaust port 7 on the side wall of the inner tube 2. The inner wall of the preliminary chamber 21 constitutes a part of the side wall of the inner tube 2. Further, the inner wall of the preliminary chamber 21 constitutes a part of the side wall of the processing chamber 4. Inside the preliminary chamber 21, processing is performed in the processing chamber 4 so as to extend in the vertical direction along the inner wall of the preliminary chamber 21 (that is, the inner wall of the processing chamber 4) and in the stacking direction of the wafers 10. Processing gas supply nozzles 22 a and 22 b for supplying gas and inert gas supply nozzles 22 c and 22 d for supplying an inert gas into the processing chamber 4 are provided.

  A horizontal sectional view of the process tube 1 is shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the process tube of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above the substrate processing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 2, the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b are installed in the preliminary chamber 21 so as to be sandwiched between the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d. The processing gas supply nozzle 22a supplies a processing gas a having a higher flow rate among the two types of processing gases, and the processing gas supply nozzle 22b supplies a processing gas b having a lower flow rate. The processing gas supply nozzle 22a can change the horizontal direction of the gas outlet 24a by changing the horizontal angle (direction) of the nozzle 22a. The processing gas supply nozzle 22b and the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d have a fixed horizontal angle (orientation) of each nozzle and are not changed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the processing gas supply nozzle 22 b whose angle is fixed is configured to face, for example, the vicinity of the center of the wafer 10. For the processing gas supply nozzle 22 a whose angle can be changed, the gas ejection direction is, for example, the first direction toward the vicinity of the center of the wafer 10 and the direction of the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4. The angle can be varied between two directions with the directed second direction. In FIG. 2, the wafer 10 rotates clockwise as viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 2, when the wafer holding member 14a approaches the processing gas supply nozzle 22b by the rotation operation of the boat 11, the direction of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a (the direction of the ejection port 24a) is changed as shown in FIG. The angle of the nozzle 22a is changed so as to be in the direction of the solid line arrow, that is, the second direction of the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4. In this case, since the processing gas a does not pass near the center of the wafer 10, the processing gas b passing near the center of the wafer 10 is less affected by the gas flow of the processing gas a, and the periphery of the wafer holding member 14a. For example, it becomes easy to flow into the back side (wafer side) of the wafer holding member 14a, and the deposited film around the wafer holding member 14 can be prevented from being thinner than other portions. Further, as compared with the case where both the processing gas a and the processing gas b are ejected toward the vicinity of the center of the wafer 10, the processing reaction at the periphery of the wafer 10 can be promoted, and the thin film formed near the outer periphery of the wafer 10 Can be suppressed from being thinner than the thickness of the thin film formed near the center of the wafer 10.
Thereafter, when the wafer holding member 14a passes through the vicinity of the processing gas supply nozzle 22b, the direction of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a (the direction of the ejection port 24a) is the direction indicated by the broken arrow in FIG. The angle of the nozzle 22a is changed so as to be in the first direction.
The inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d are configured to sandwich the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b from both sides. In FIG. 2, the direction of the jet outlets 24 c and 24 d is set to open outward from the jet outlets 24 a and 24 b, but if the jet outlets 24 a and 24 b are outside the jet outlets 24 a and 24 b, It may be set substantially parallel to the direction of 24b. In this way, it is possible to prevent the processing gases a and b from being excessively dissipated to the periphery of the wafer 10, and to flow a necessary amount of the processing gases a and b also near the center of the wafer 10.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the processing gases a and b are sandwiched from both sides by the gas flows of the inert gases c and d supplied into the processing chamber 4 from the ejection ports 24 c and 24 d of the inert gas supply nozzles 22 c and 22 d, The processing gas a is supplied from the jet outlet 24a of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a to the gap between the peripheral edge of each wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4, and the processing gas b is supplied from the jet outlet 24b of the processing gas supply nozzle 22b. Therefore, when the wafers 10 are supplied to the vicinity of the center of each wafer 10, the supply amounts of the processing gases a and b near the outer periphery of each wafer 10 are further increased. The supply amounts of the inert gases c and d on both sides are preferably equal to or greater than the supply amounts of the processing gases a and b, respectively. In this way, it is possible to prevent the processing gases a and b from being excessively dissipated to the periphery of the wafer 10, and to reliably flow a necessary amount near the center of the wafer 10.

3a, FIG. 3b, and FIG. 3b for an example in which the direction of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a varies between the direction of the broken line arrow (first direction) and the direction of the solid line arrow (second direction) in FIG. This will be described using 3c. FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 3c are diagrams showing examples of angle fluctuations of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a in the first embodiment.
The boat 11 has at least three wafer holding members (boat support columns) 14, and has a wafer transfer area for loading and unloading the wafers 10 into and from the boat 11. The wafer transfer area is an area between the wafer holding member 14a and the wafer holding member 14c in FIG. 3a. Since there is no wafer holding member 14 in this wafer transfer region, even if the processing gas is supplied from the processing gas supply nozzle 22a toward the center of the wafer, the wafer holding member 14 does not become an obstacle. Therefore, when there is a line segment connecting the central portion of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a capable of changing the angle and the central portion of the wafer in the wafer transfer region, the direction of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a is directed toward the central portion of the wafer. It is set as the angle of the 1st direction which supplies gas (FIG. 3a, FIG. 3c). On the other hand, when there is a line segment connecting the central portion of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a and the central portion of the wafer in a region other than the wafer transfer region, the direction of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a is directed toward the peripheral edge of the wafer. It is set as the angle of the 2nd direction to supply (FIG. 3b). The region other than the wafer transfer region is a region between the wafer holding members 14a and 14b and a region between the wafer holding members 14b and 14c in FIG. 3a.
The timing of switching the angle of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a is performed as follows, for example. As shown in FIG. 3B, when the wafer holding member 14a on the left side of the wafer transfer area passes through a line segment connecting the central portion of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a and the wafer central portion during the boat clockwise rotation, the processing gas supply nozzle The angle 22a is changed to the direction of the peripheral edge of the wafer (second direction). Next, as shown in FIG. 3c, when the wafer holding member 14c on the right side of the wafer transfer region passes through a line segment connecting the central portion of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a and the central portion of the wafer, the angle of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a In the direction of the wafer center (first direction).

A processing gas supply nozzle 22a capable of changing the angle in the horizontal direction and a structure related thereto will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an angle changing device that changes the angle of a gas nozzle as a gas supply unit. In the example of FIG. 4, the processing gas a passes through the lower flange portion 6 a of the manifold 6 and the seal cap 9 in the vertical direction from the processing gas introduction port portion 23 a to the lower introduction port 29 a. Next, the route reaches the processing gas supply nozzle 22a installed on the rotation base 42 via the movable pipe 30a.
More specifically, the processing gas introduction port portion 23 a is installed on the upper surface of the lower flange portion 6 a of the manifold 6. The path of the processing gas a passes through the lower flange portion 6a of the manifold 6 and the seal cap 9 in the vertical direction from top to bottom. At this time, the path of the processing gas a penetrates between the two port seals 41 arranged between the lower flange portion 6a of the manifold 6 and the seal cap 9 and arranged concentrically in a double manner. Thus, airtightness is maintained. Alternatively, a seal portion different from the port seal 41 is installed between the lower flange portion 6a of the manifold 6 and the seal cap 9, and the airtightness of the process gas a path is maintained using the seal portion. May be.

On the other hand, the processing gas supply nozzle 22a in the inner tube 2 vertically penetrates the seal cap 9 from the top to the bottom, and further, a lower supply port 44 fixed to the lower side of the seal cap 9 is provided from the top to the bottom. It penetrates vertically into the rotation base 42, changes its direction 90 degrees horizontally in the rotation base 42, and opens on the side surface of the rotation base 42. The lower supply port 44 is provided with a rotation seal 45 so as to surround the process gas supply nozzle 22a (two are provided in the example of FIG. 4), and one process gas supply nozzle 22a and one lower supply port 44 are provided. The rotary seal 45 described above forms an airtight structure.
The lower introduction port 29a provided on the lower side of the seal cap 9 and the processing gas supply nozzle 22a opened on the side surface of the rotation base 42 are connected by a movable pipe 30a. The rotation base 42 is held by the lower supply port 44 and the bearing 43, and can be rotated within a certain angle range by the rotation mechanism 46 together with the processing gas supply nozzle 22 a installed on the rotation base 42.

  For the processing gas supply nozzle 22b and the inert gas supply nozzles 22c, 22d whose angles are fixed, as shown in FIG. 1, the gas inlet ports 23b, 23c, 23d, which are upstream ends of the nozzles 22, Each of them penetrates the side wall of the manifold 6 radially outward of the manifold 6 and protrudes outside the process tube 1. Note that the processing gas supply nozzle 22a and the processing gas introduction port portion 23a shown in FIG. 1 conceptually indicate that they pass through the manifold 6, and are specifically realized by the structure shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, processing gas supply pipes 25a and 25b as processing gas supply lines are connected to the processing gas introduction ports 23a and 23b, respectively. In the processing gas supply pipe 25a, for example, a processing gas supply source 28a for supplying a processing gas such as N 2 O (nitrous oxide), an MFC (mass flow controller) 27a as a flow control device, and an opening / closing valve 26a are sequentially provided from the upstream. Each is provided. Further, in order from the upstream, for example, a processing gas supply source 28b for supplying a processing gas such as DCS: SiH2Cl2 (dichlorosilane), an MFC (mass flow controller) 27b as a flow control device, and an open / close state are provided in the processing gas supply pipe 25b. Each valve 26b is provided.
Further, inert gas supply pipes 25c and 25d serving as inert gas supply lines are connected to the inert gas introduction ports 23c and 23d, respectively. The inert gas supply pipes 25c and 25d are respectively provided with an inert gas supply source 28c and 28d for supplying an inert gas such as N2 (nitrogen), and an MFC (mass flow controller) 27c as a flow rate control device. 27d and open / close valves 26c, 26d.

  The MFCs 27a, 27b, 27c, 27d and the opening / closing valves 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d are electrically connected to the gas supply / flow rate control unit 235. The gas supply / flow rate control unit 235 is configured so that the type of gas supplied into the processing chamber 4 becomes a desired gas type at a desired timing, and the flow rate of the supplied gas is set to a desired flow rate at a desired timing. The MFCs 27a, 27b, 27c, and 27d and the on-off valves 26a, 26b, 26c, and 26d are controlled so that

  As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of outlets 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d are vertically provided in the cylindrical portions of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b and the inert gas supply nozzles 22c and 22d in the processing chamber 4. It is provided so that it may arrange in. For example, the number of the ejection ports 24 a, 24 b, 24 c, and 24 d is formed so as to match the number of wafers 10 held in the boat 11. The height positions of the ejection ports 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d are set so as to face the space between the wafers 10 adjacent to each other on the upper and lower sides held by the boat 11, for example. It should be noted that the diameters of the ejection ports 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d may be set to different sizes in the vertical direction so that the gas supply amount to each wafer 10 is uniform.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an exhaust hole 25, which is a slit-shaped through hole, is provided on the side wall of the inner tube 2 and on the opposite side of the auxiliary chamber 21, that is, on the exhaust port 7 side. It is elongated in the vertical direction. The exhaust hole 25 is opened so that the width of the hole (slit) increases as the distance from the exhaust port 7 increases, that is, the exhaust resistance decreases. The inside of the processing chamber 4 and the inside of the exhaust passage 8 communicate with each other through the exhaust hole 25. Therefore, the processing gas supplied into the processing chamber 4 from the ejection ports 24 a and 24 b of the processing gas supply nozzles 22 a and 22 b flows into the exhaust passage 8 through the exhaust hole 25 and then exhausts through the exhaust port 7. It flows in the pipe 7a and is configured to be discharged out of the processing furnace 202.

(controller)
The gas supply / flow rate control unit 235, the pressure control unit 236, the drive control unit 237, and the temperature control unit 238 are electrically connected to a main control unit 239 that controls the entire substrate processing apparatus 101. The controller 240 is configured by a unit, an operation unit (not shown), an input / output unit and the like. The main control unit 239 controls the temperature based on the recipe indicating the control sequence of the film forming process on the time axis with respect to the gas supply / flow rate control unit 235, the pressure control unit 236, the drive control unit 237, and the temperature control unit 238. Command pressure control, flow control and machine drive control. Each control unit including the main control unit 239 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory as a hardware configuration.

(Substrate processing method)
Next, the substrate processing method according to the present invention will be described by taking a film forming process in an IC manufacturing method as an example. First, in the wafer charging step, the wafer 10 is loaded into the boat 11. Specifically, a plurality of locations on the circumferential edge of the wafer 10 are inserted so as to engage with the holding grooves 15 of the plurality of wafer holding members 14, and the peripheral portions of the plurality of locations on the wafer 10 are inserted into the holding grooves 15. The wafer 10 is engaged and charged (charged) so as to support its own weight. The plurality of wafers 10 are stacked and aligned in multiple stages in parallel with each other in the charging state of the boat 11 with their centers aligned.

Next, in the boat loading step, the boat 11 on which the plurality of wafers 10 are stacked and held is loaded into the processing chamber 4 (boat loading). Specifically, the boat 11 loaded with the wafers 10 is lifted in the vertical direction by the boat elevator 115 and is carried into the processing chamber 4 in the inner tube 2, and as shown in FIG. It is kept in. In this state, the seal cap 9 is in a state where the lower end of the processing chamber 4 is sealed.
Subsequently, in the depressurization step, the inside of the process tube 1 is depressurized to a predetermined degree of vacuum (for example, 200 Pa) by the vacuum pump 7c through the exhaust port 7, and in the temperature raising step, the process is performed by the heater unit 20 in the process. The inside of the tube 1 is heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, 400 ° C.).

  Next, in the film forming step, when the boat 11 is rotated and predetermined source gases a and b are respectively supplied to the inlet portions 23a and 23b of the gas introduction nozzles 22a and 22b, the source gases a and b are The gas flows through the gas introduction nozzles 22a and 22b, respectively, and is introduced into the processing chamber 4 in the inner tube 2 from the plurality of jet nozzles 24a and 24b. For example, when a silicon oxide film is formed, nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is introduced into the processing chamber 4 as the source gas a, and dichlorosilane (DCS) is introduced into the processing chamber 4 as the source gas b. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, nitrogen gases c and d as inert gases are supplied into the processing chamber 4 by gas introduction nozzles 22c and 22d for supplying nitrogen gas. At this time, if the sizes of the plurality of outlets 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d respectively opened in the gas introduction nozzles 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d are gradually increased as the distance from the position of the exhaust port 7 increases, the size is further increased. The source gases a and b and the nitrogen gases c and d can be easily ejected from the respective ejection ports 24a, 24b, 24c and 24d evenly. Further, the source gas gases a and b and the nitrogen gases c and d are substantially the same even if the size of the jet ports 24a, 24b, 24c and 24d is gradually increased every few as the distance from the exhaust port 7 increases. , It becomes easy to eject evenly from the respective outlets 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d.

In the example of FIG. 2, the processing gas supply nozzle 22 b that supplies the processing gas b with a smaller supply amount is such that the jet outlet 24 b faces the vicinity of the center of the wafer 10. Further, in the processing gas supply nozzle 22a for supplying the processing gas a having a larger supply amount, when the wafer holding member 14a is not approaching the processing gas supply nozzle 22b, the ejection port 24a is oriented in the center direction of the wafer 10 (broken arrow). ) And the wafer holding member 14a approaches the processing gas supply nozzle 22b, the jet outlet 24a is in the direction of the gap between the peripheral edge of the wafer 10 and the processing chamber 4 (solid arrow). It is oriented in a certain second direction, and the angle is changed every predetermined period.
As described above, when the wafer holding member 14a approaches the processing gas supply nozzle 22b, the processing gas a having a larger supply amount does not pass through the vicinity of the center of the wafer 10. A small amount of the processing gas b is not easily affected by the gas flow of the processing gas a, easily flows into the periphery of the wafer holding member 14a, for example, the back side (wafer side) of the wafer holding member 14a, and deposits around the wafer holding member 14a. It can suppress that a film | membrane becomes thinner than another part. Further, as compared with the case where both the processing gas a and the processing gas b pass near the center of the wafer 10, the processing reaction at the periphery of the wafer 10 can be promoted, and the film thickness of the thin film formed near the outer periphery of the wafer can be increased. Further, it is possible to prevent the film from being thinner than the thin film formed near the center of the wafer.

The raw material gases a and b introduced into the processing chamber 4 flow out from the exhaust slit 25 formed in the direction perpendicular to the side wall of the inner tube 2 to the exhaust path 8 between the inner tube 2 and the outer tube 3. 6, the gas introduction nozzles 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, and 22 d and the exhaust slit 25 are located at positions that are 180 degrees apart from each other across the wafer 10. Therefore, the raw material gases a and b and the nitrogen gases c and d ejected from the ejection ports 24a, 24b, 24c and 24d easily flow horizontally in the processing chamber 4 toward the exhaust slit 25 on the opposite side. Moreover, it becomes easy to flow in parallel to each wafer 10. In the present embodiment, each of the plurality of jet outlets 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d is arranged toward the space between the wafer 10 and the wafer 10 that are adjacent to each other in the upper and lower directions. The raw material gases a and b respectively ejected from the gas flow into the spaces between the wafers 10 adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, and are more likely to flow in parallel. Further, since the gas is exhausted from the exhaust slit 25 which is elongated in the vertical direction and is opened so that the slit opening becomes wider as the distance from the exhaust port 7 is increased, the atmosphere between the upper and lower wafers 10 stacked horizontally on the boat 11 is formed. From the upper part to the lower part of the boat 11, the exhaust is exhausted from the exhaust slit 25 with almost equal force. Accordingly, the raw material gases a and b ejected from the ejection ports 24a and 24b of the gas introduction nozzles 22a and 22b can be made less susceptible to the direct influence of the exhaust force of the exhaust port 7, and a smooth flow can be maintained. The source gases a and b can pass through the wafer 10 in a uniform state, and the reaction state of the CVD reaction, that is, the film formation state can be made more uniform in the wafer 10 and between the wafers 10.
In this way, a CVD film is formed on the surface of the wafer 10 by the CVD reaction of the source gases a and b flowing in parallel in the space between the wafers 10 and 10 adjacent to each other while being in contact with the surface of the wafer 10. Accumulates. For example, when dichlorosilane and nitrous oxide are introduced, a silicon oxide film is deposited on the wafer 10.

Note that the present invention changes the angle of at least one process gas supply nozzle at the time of forming film switching in an example of continuous film formation such as an ONO forming film (Si oxide film, Si nitride film, Si oxide film). Thus, the present invention can also be applied to control so as to shift the process gas merging timing.
For example, when an SiN film is formed on the same wafer and then an SiO film is continuously formed on the SiN film, since the irregularities in the wafer surface are relatively uniform when the SiN film is formed, NH3 gas as a processing gas is supplied. Both the nozzle and the N 2 O gas supply nozzle supply gas toward the center of the wafer.
Thereafter, when forming the SiO film, the DCS gas supply nozzle supplies gas toward the wafer center, the N2O gas supply nozzle supplies gas toward the peripheral edge of the wafer, and the DCS gas and N2O gas merge timing. Is delayed from the merging timing of the NH3 gas and N2O gas at the time of forming the SiN film, and is passed over the wafer 10 as a more activated gas by the thermal energy of the heater unit 20, thereby forming the film around the wafer 10 Facilitate.
In this case, an NH3 gas supply nozzle may be used as the DCS gas supply nozzle. Further, the angle of the DCS gas supply nozzle may be changed.

  After the desired CVD film (for example, silicon oxide film) is deposited as described above, the supply of the source gas is stopped, and the inside of the process tube 1 is returned to the atmospheric pressure by the inert gas. In the loading step, the lower end of the processing chamber 4 is opened by lowering the seal cap 9, and a group of processed wafers 10 held in the boat 11 is carried out of the processing chamber 4 to the outside of the process tube 1 (boat Unloaded)

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment in which the angles of the plurality of processing gas supply nozzles are changed every predetermined period will be described with reference to FIGS. 6a and 6b. 6a and 6b are diagrams showing examples of angle fluctuations of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in the second embodiment.
Even when only one process gas supply nozzle that can be swiveled is used as in the first embodiment, by changing the timing at which a plurality of process gases are merged, the film thickness at the peripheral edge of the wafer can be increased compared to the center of the wafer. Although it can be controlled to be thicker, in the second embodiment, the fixed nozzle 22b in the first embodiment is also moved, that is, the processing gas supply nozzle 22a is swung in the same direction, thereby contributing to a plurality of reactions. Uniformity within the wafer surface can be achieved by shifting the position where the process gas merges from the wafer center to the wafer periphery for a predetermined period (shifting in a direction perpendicular to the line connecting the process gas nozzle center and the wafer center). Can be improved.

  The timing for switching the angle is preferably as follows, for example, as in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3b, when the wafer holding member 14a on the left side of the wafer transfer region passes through a line segment connecting the central portion of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a and the central portion of the wafer during the boat clockwise rotation, as shown in FIG. 6a. As described above, the angles of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b are changed to the direction of the wafer peripheral portion (second direction). Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, when the wafer holding member 14c on the right side of the wafer transfer region passes through a line segment connecting the center of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a and the wafer center, as shown in FIG. 6B, The angles of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b are changed to the direction of the wafer center (first direction).

  In addition, as a modification of the angle switching timing, for example, it can be as follows. As shown in FIG. 6a, during the boat clockwise rotation, at least one of the wafer holding members 14, for example 14a, is located at the center of the processing gas supply nozzle 22a at the leftmost of the plurality of processing gas supply nozzles and the wafer center. The angle of all of the plurality of process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b is changed from the wafer center direction (first direction) to the wafer peripheral direction (second line) when the line is connected to the line segment (two-dot chain line in FIG. 6a). In other words, the wafer holding member 14 is prevented from obstructing the flow of the processing gas, and the gas flow onto the wafer is promoted. Next, as shown in FIG. 6b, at least one of the wafer holding members 14, for example, 14a is a straight line connecting the center of the processing gas supply nozzle 22b on the rightmost side among the plurality of processing gas supply nozzles and the center of the wafer. When passing (the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6b), the angles of all of the plurality of processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b are returned to the wafer center direction (first direction).

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment, which is a modification of the above-described second embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an angle variation of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b are angled at predetermined intervals between the wafer center direction (first direction) and the direction inward of the wafer center direction (third direction). And the merging timing of the two processing gases is changed. Thereby, an effect substantially similar to the second embodiment can be obtained.

(Fourth embodiment)
A fourth embodiment, which is a modification of the above-described second embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the angle variation of the process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the processing gas supply nozzle 22a changes its angle at predetermined intervals between the wafer center direction (first direction) and the wafer peripheral direction (fourth direction). 22b changes the angle for every predetermined period between the wafer center direction (first direction) and the wafer peripheral direction (fifth direction), and changes the merging timing of the two processing gases. The fourth direction is substantially parallel to the direction of the inert gas supply nozzle 22c and is between the second direction and the wafer center direction (first direction) in the first embodiment. The fifth direction is substantially parallel to the direction of the inert gas supply nozzle 22d. Thereby, substantially the same effect as the second embodiment can be obtained.
In the third and fourth embodiments, it is preferable to stop the supply of the inert gases 22c and 22d. Thereby, there is an effect that the processing gas flows around in the peripheral direction of the wafer and changes the timing.

(5th Example)
In the fifth embodiment, the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b are basically directed toward the wafer center direction (first direction) during processing, but in order to suppress the film thickness reduction around the wafer holding member 14, In order to positively supply the processing gas around the holding member 14, the angles of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b are changed for a predetermined period in the peripheral direction (second direction) of the wafer holding member 14.
A preferred example will be described with reference to FIGS. 9b and 9c. FIGS. 9b and 9c are diagrams showing examples of angle fluctuations of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in the fifth embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 9b, the distance between the jet outlet 24b and one wafer holding member 14a is greater than the distance between the jet outlet 24b of one process gas supply nozzle 22b and the wafer center due to boat rotation. When the positional relationship becomes shorter, the angle of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b, which is directed toward the wafer center direction (first direction), is set to the wafer peripheral portion and the one wafer holding member 14a. In the direction facing the inside (second direction). Next, as shown in FIG. 9c, when the main flow of the gas ejected from the processing gas supply nozzle 22b is blocked by the one wafer holding member 14a before reaching the peripheral edge of the wafer. Then, the angles of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b are returned to the wafer center direction (first direction) so as to eject toward the wafer center direction (first direction).
By changing the angles of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in this way, the processing gas can be efficiently and effectively introduced to the peripheral edge of the wafer in the vicinity of the wafer holding member 14, and the film thickness in-plane uniformity can be obtained. Can be improved.

(Sixth embodiment)
The sixth embodiment is the same as the fifth embodiment, but the timing for changing the angles of the process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b is different from that of the fifth embodiment.
A sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9a and 9b. FIGS. 9a and 9b are diagrams showing examples of angle fluctuations of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in the sixth embodiment.
In the sixth embodiment, the line segment connecting one wafer holding member 14a and the wafer center portion by the boat rotation is acute with respect to the line segment connecting the center portion of one process gas supply nozzle 22a and the wafer center portion. When the positional relationship becomes (FIG. 9a), the angle of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b directed toward the wafer center direction (first direction) is set to the wafer peripheral portion and the one wafer holding position. The direction is changed to the direction facing the inside of the member 14a (second direction). Next, when the main flow of the processing gas ejected from the one processing gas supply nozzle 22a is in a positional relationship where it is blocked by the one wafer holding member 14a before reaching the peripheral edge of the wafer (FIG. In 9b), the angles of the process gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b are returned to the wafer center direction (first direction) so as to eject toward the wafer center direction (first direction).
In this way, by changing the angles of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b every predetermined period, the processing gas can be efficiently and effectively circulated to the peripheral edge of the wafer around the wafer holding member 14, and the film thickness can be increased. In-plane uniformity can be improved.

(Seventh embodiment)
In the seventh embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the processing gas is mixed in the processing gas supply nozzle 22a and supplied by one processing gas supply nozzle, and the processing gas supplied to the wafer 10 is processed. The angle of the gas supply nozzle 22a is switched at predetermined intervals between the wafer center direction (first direction) and the wafer peripheral direction (second direction).
In this case, it is preferable to stop the supply of the inert gas from the inert gas supply nozzles 22 c and 22 d in order to change the processing timing on the wafer 10 so that the processing gas flows in the circumferential direction of the wafer 10.

Preferably, the control related to the predetermined period of changing the angles of the processing gas supply nozzles 22a and 22b in the first to seventh embodiments described above is based on the actual measurement result and the appropriate rotation timing of the boat rotating device and the processing. The turning timing of the gas supply nozzle is stored in the memory of the main control unit 239, and when actually processing the substrate, it is preferable to control based on the storage of the memory. Thereby, controllability and reproducibility can be improved.
Further, the second direction in the first, second, fifth, sixth and seventh embodiments may be the same direction or different directions.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
As the processing gas, in addition to the above embodiment, O2 is used for the processing gas a, TEOS is used for the processing gas b, NH3 is used for the processing gas a, and TEOS (tetraethoxysilane) is used for the processing gas b. It is also possible to use NH3 for a, DCS for the processing gas b, NH3 for the processing gas a, and HCD (hexachlorodisilane) for the processing gas b.
The inert gas is not limited to nitrogen gas, but may be an inert gas other than nitrogen gas such as argon gas or helium gas.
In the heater unit, not only a heating element is disposed around the outer tube in the side wall direction, but the heating element may be provided in the ceiling direction, or further below the boat.

  It is desirable that the inner wall of the inner tube directly facing the wafer is configured so that its horizontal cross section has a constant size in the vertical direction of the inner tube. When configured to have a constant size, the flow of the source gas is constant in the vertical direction, so that the film formation uniformity between the wafer surfaces is improved.

The number of ejection openings established in the gas introduction nozzle is preferably matched with the number of wafers to be processed, but is not limited thereto, and can be increased or decreased according to the number of wafers to be processed. For example, the jet nozzles are not limited to be disposed between the wafers adjacent to each other at the top and bottom, but may be disposed every two or three wafers.
The gas introduction nozzle is not limited to be laid in the spare chamber bulged in the inner tube, but may be laid along the inner periphery of the side wall of the processing chamber. At this time, it is better to provide no spare chamber and to configure the side wall of the processing chamber to have a certain size.

In the above embodiment, the case where the processing is performed on the wafer has been described, but the processing target may be a photomask, a printed wiring board, a liquid crystal panel, a compact disk, a magnetic disk, or the like.
In the above-described embodiment, the deposition of the silicon oxide film has been described. However, the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention can be applied to all methods for forming a CVD film such as a doped polysilicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to all thermal treatment processes in a semiconductor device manufacturing method such as an oxide film forming process and a diffusion process.
In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a batch type vertical hot wall type apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the batch type horizontal hot wall type apparatus, oxide film forming apparatus, diffusion apparatus, and other heat treatments are used. The present invention can be applied to general substrate processing apparatuses such as an apparatus (furnace).

Based on the above description of the present specification, at least the following invention can be grasped. That is, the first invention is a substrate holder for stacking and holding a plurality of substrates, a processing chamber for processing the substrates held by the substrate holder, and extending in the stacking direction of the substrates in the processing chamber, A gas supply unit for supplying a processing gas to the substrate, an angle changing device for changing the angle of the gas supply unit in a direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder, and a rotation for rotating the substrate holder A substrate processing apparatus comprising: an apparatus; and a control unit that controls to synchronize an angle variation operation of the gas supply unit and a rotation operation of the substrate holder.
When the substrate processing apparatus is configured in this manner, the supply of the processing gas to the vicinity of the substrate periphery can be promoted, and the film formation uniformity within the substrate surface can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus of the first aspect, the substrate holder includes a holding member that extends in the stacking direction of the substrates and holds the substrate, and the control unit includes the holding member And a substrate processing apparatus that controls to change the angle of the gas supply unit when the holding member and the processing gas jet port of the gas supply unit reach a predetermined distance.
When the substrate processing apparatus is configured as described above, when the holding member rotates and moves close to the gas supply unit in the film forming process, the influence of the holding member is reduced and the film forming uniformity within the substrate surface is improved. It becomes possible.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a loading step of loading a substrate holder in which a plurality of substrates are stacked and held into a processing chamber, and in the stacking direction of the substrates in the processing chamber while rotating the substrate holder in the processing chamber. And a processing step of processing the substrate by supplying a processing gas from the extending gas supply unit to the substrate held by the substrate holder, wherein the processing step is synchronized with a rotation operation of the substrate holder. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein the angle of the gas supply unit is varied in a direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder.
By configuring the substrate processing step in this manner, the influence of the holding member in the film forming step can be reduced, and the supply of the processing gas to the vicinity of the substrate can be promoted, and the film forming uniformity within the substrate surface is improved. It becomes possible to make it.

In a fourth aspect based on the first aspect, the substrate holder has a plurality of holding members extending in the stacking direction of the substrates and holding the substrates at a predetermined interval, and the control The substrate processing apparatus is configured to change an angle of the gas supply unit when the specific holding member rotates and moves between the gas supply unit and the substrate held by the holding member.
When the substrate processing apparatus is configured as described above, when the holding member rotates and moves close to the gas supply unit in the film forming process, the influence of the holding member is reduced and the film forming uniformity within the substrate surface is improved. It becomes possible.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a loading step of loading a substrate holder in which a plurality of substrates are stacked and held by a holding member into a processing chamber, and the substrate in the processing chamber while rotating the substrate holder in the processing chamber. And a processing step of processing the substrate by supplying a processing gas from a gas supply section extending in the stacking direction to the substrate held by the substrate holder. In the processing step, the holding member includes A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: performing a step of changing an angle of the gas supply unit when the gas supply unit rotates and moves between the substrate held by the holding member.
When the substrate processing step is configured in this way, the influence of the holding member is reduced and the film formation uniformity within the substrate surface is improved when the holding member rotates near the gas supply unit in the film forming step. It becomes possible.

  1 Process tube, 2 Inner tube, 3 Outer tube, 4 Processing chamber, 5 Furnace port, 6 Manifold, 7 Exhaust port, 7a Exhaust tube, 7b APC valve, 7c Vacuum pump, 7d Pressure sensor, 8 Exhaust channel, 9 Seal cap DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Wafer (substrate), 11 Boat, 12, 13 End plate, 14 Holding member, 15 Holding groove, 16, 17 Auxiliary end plate, 18 Auxiliary holding member, 19 Holding groove, 20 Heater unit, 21 Spare chamber, 22 Gas Inlet nozzle, 23 inlet portion, 24 jet outlet (gas inlet), 25 exhaust slit (exhaust hole), 26 open / close valve, 27 MFC, 28 gas supply source, 29 lower introduction port, 30 movable piping, 41 port seal, 42 Rotating base, 43 Bearing, 44 Lower supply port, 45 Rotating seal, 46 Rotating mechanism, 101 Substrate processing apparatus, 105 cassette Shelf, 107 Reserve cassette shelf, 110 Cassette, 111 Housing, 114 Cassette stage, 115 Boat elevator, 118 Cassette transfer device, 123 Transfer shelf, 125 Wafer transfer mechanism, 147 Furnace shutter, 202 Processing furnace, 235 Gas supply -Flow control part, 236 Pressure control part, 237 Drive control part, 238 Temperature control part, 239 Main control part, 240 controller.

Claims (3)

A substrate holder for laminating and holding a plurality of substrates;
A processing chamber for processing the substrate held by the substrate holder;
A gas supply part extending in the stacking direction of the substrates in the processing chamber and supplying a processing gas to the substrates;
An angle varying device that varies the angle of the gas supply unit in a direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder;
A rotating device for rotating the substrate holder;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls to synchronize an angle variation operation of the gas supply unit and a rotation operation of the substrate holder. The substrate holder includes a holding member that extends in the stacking direction of the substrates and holds the substrate,
The control unit controls the angle of the gas supply unit to vary when the holding member rotates and a predetermined distance is formed between the holding member and the processing gas outlet of the gas supply unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1. A carrying-in process of carrying a substrate holder in which a plurality of substrates are stacked and held into the processing chamber;
While rotating the substrate holder in the processing chamber, a processing gas is supplied from a gas supply unit extending in the stacking direction of the substrates in the processing chamber to the substrate held by the substrate holder to A processing step for processing,
In the processing step, the angle of the gas supply unit is changed in a direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder in synchronization with the rotation operation of the substrate holder. .

Images