JP2012069831A - Substrate processing device and method for manufacturing semiconductor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cold wall type substrate processing device and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device in which a number of substrates which can be processed at one time is increased.SOLUTION: A boat 217 on which a plurality of wafers 200 is loaded is disposed inside a treatment furnace 202, and a plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 formed in a ring shape is supported by a ring boat 312 and arranged in the loading direction of the wafers 200 on the outer peripheral side of the boat 217. The ring-shaped plates 311 are inductively heated by an induction heating device 206, and the wafers 200 are heated from the entire outer peripheral edge by the radiant heat. A gas supply nozzle 232 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the ring-shaped plates 311, and gas discharged from a gas supply port 232a of the gas supply nozzle 232 is supplied to the wafers 200 through gaps between the plurality of adjacent ring-shaped plates 311.

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a manufacturing technique of a semiconductor device.

  In a manufacturing process for manufacturing a semiconductor device, a film forming process of a substrate (wafer) by CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) or the like is performed. Conventionally, a batch type substrate processing apparatus has been used for such a film forming process (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  As a batch type substrate processing apparatus, there is a cold wall type processing apparatus. In a cold wall type processing apparatus, a plurality of substrates are respectively mounted on a susceptor, and are loaded together with the susceptor on a boat in multiple stages. The boat loaded with the substrates in multiple stages is conveyed into the reaction vessel, and the susceptor is induction-heated by an RF (Radio Frequency) coil arranged outside the reaction vessel, so that the substrate is heated to a desired processing temperature. When the substrate is heated to the processing temperature, the reaction gas is supplied into the reaction vessel, and the substrate is subjected to film formation.

JP 2009-141205 A JP 2007-048771 A Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-228991

  However, in a cold wall type substrate processing apparatus using a susceptor, the substrate is loaded in multiple stages on a boat that is a substrate holder while the substrate is mounted on the susceptor, so that the reaction vessel itself is not resisted without using the susceptor. Compared with a hot wall type substrate processing apparatus heated by a heater, the pitch of the substrates loaded on the boat, that is, the boat pitch, is increased by the thickness of the susceptor. Therefore, in the cold wall type substrate processing apparatus, the number of substrates that can be processed at one time is smaller than that in a hot wall type substrate processing apparatus having a reaction vessel of the same size.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a cold wall type substrate processing apparatus and a semiconductor device manufacturing method in which the number of substrates that can be processed at one time is increased.

  The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

  Of the inventions disclosed in the present application, the outline of typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

  That is, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a reaction container that internally processes a substrate, a substrate holder that loads a plurality of the substrates in the extending direction of the reaction container, and the substrate holding in the reaction container. A plurality of ring-shaped derivatives to be arranged on the outer peripheral side of the body in the stacking direction of the substrate and heating the substrate; and a gas supply for supplying gas into the reaction vessel from the outer peripheral side of the plurality of derivatives A substrate processing apparatus comprising: an induction heating apparatus that induction-heats the plurality of derivatives.

  The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a step of transporting a substrate holder on which a plurality of substrates are loaded to a reaction container, and a stacking direction of the substrates on the outer peripheral side of the substrate holder in the reaction container. A plurality of ring-shaped derivatives which are provided side by side and heat the substrate are induction-heated by an induction heating device and gas is supplied into the reaction vessel from the outer peripheral side of the plurality of derivatives to process the substrate And a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device.

  The effects obtained by typical ones of the inventions disclosed in the present application will be briefly described as follows.

  In other words, in the present invention, the boat pitch of a plurality of substrates loaded on the substrate holder is made as small as that of the hot wall type in spite of the cold wall type configuration, and the number of substrates that can be processed at a time is increased. be able to.

1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the state which loaded the wafer in the boat. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the outline of the inside of a processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and a processing furnace periphery. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the internal structure of the processing furnace of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the detail of the ring-shaped plate shown in FIG. (A) is a front view of the ring boat which supported the ring-shaped plate, (b) is the perspective view. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification which used the support | pillar of the ring boat as the division structure. It is a figure which expands and shows the division | segmentation part of the support | pillar in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows arrangement | positioning of the ring-shaped plate with respect to a wafer and a gas supply body. It is sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship of a wafer and a ring-shaped plate. (A) is a figure which shows the temperature distribution of the wafer heated by the susceptor system as a comparative example, (b) is a figure which shows the temperature distribution of the wafer heated by the substrate processing apparatus of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the support structure of a ring boat, Comprising: It is sectional drawing which shows the state before a seal cap is turned on. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification which fixed the ring boat in the reaction container. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a case where temperature distribution adjusting plates are arranged above and below the wafer according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification in which the pitch of the wafer is matched with the pitch of the ring-shaped plate in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 15. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a case where side dummy susceptors are arranged on the upper side of the uppermost wafer loaded on the boat and the lower side of the lowermost wafer according to the third embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the case where it is the 4th Embodiment of this invention and makes a ring-shaped plate a stacking type. It is sectional drawing which shows arrangement | positioning of the ring-shaped plate with respect to the wafer and gas supply body in 4th Embodiment shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the modification which provided the supply side guide groove and the exhaust side guide groove in the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate in 4th Embodiment shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the modification which formed the multistage ring-shaped plate integrally in 4th Embodiment shown in FIG. In the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 18, a modified example in which gas supply holes and gas exhaust holes corresponding to a plurality of stages of wafers are provided in a slit shape on a ring-shaped plate formed to have a thickness corresponding to the plurality of stages of wafers. It is a disassembled perspective view shown.

  In the following embodiments, for the sake of convenience, the description will be divided into a plurality of embodiments. However, unless otherwise specified, they are not irrelevant to each other, and one is a modification of part or all of the other. , Details and supplementary explanations.

  Further, in the following embodiments, when referring to the number of elements (including the number, numerical value, quantity, range, etc.), especially when clearly indicated and when clearly limited to a specific number in principle, etc. Except, it is not limited to the specific number, and may be more or less than the specific number.

  Further, in the following embodiments, the constituent elements (including element steps and the like) are not necessarily indispensable unless otherwise specified and apparently essential in principle. Needless to say.

  Similarly, in the following embodiments, when referring to the shape, positional relationship, etc., of components, etc., unless otherwise specified, and in principle, it is considered that this is not clearly the case, it is substantially the same. Including those that are approximate or similar to the shape. The same applies to the above numerical values and ranges.

  In all the drawings for explaining the embodiments, the same members are denoted by the same reference symbols in principle, and the repeated explanation thereof is omitted. In order to make the drawings easy to understand, even a plan view may be hatched.

[First Embodiment]
In an embodiment for carrying out the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus is configured as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that performs various processing steps included in a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device (IC, solar cell, etc.) as an example. In the following description, a vertical type substrate processing apparatus for performing film formation processing on a substrate by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method, which batches a plurality of substrates at a time. The substrate processing apparatus will be described.

  The technical idea of the present invention may be applied not only to a substrate processing apparatus that performs a film forming process by a CVD method but also to a substrate processing apparatus that performs a film forming process by an epitaxial growth method, an oxidation process, a diffusion process, or the like.

<Configuration of substrate processing apparatus>
First, the substrate processing apparatus 101 in 1st Embodiment is demonstrated, referring drawings. Hereinafter, although each member which comprises the substrate processing apparatus 101 is demonstrated, the side in which the cassette 110 is carried in / out among the side surfaces of the housing | casing 111 is demonstrated as a front. The position of each member in the housing 111 will be described with the direction toward the front as the front and the direction away from the front as the rear.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 101 includes a cassette 110 as a wafer carrier, and a plurality of wafers 200 as substrates made of silicon or the like are stored in the cassette 110. The housing 111 of the substrate processing apparatus 101 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a front maintenance port 103 is opened below the front wall 111a as an opening for maintaining the substrate processing apparatus 101. The front maintenance port 103 can be opened and closed by a front maintenance door 104 provided on the front wall 111 a of the casing 111. A cassette loading / unloading port (substrate container loading / unloading port) 112 is opened on the front maintenance door 104 so as to communicate between the inside and the outside of the casing 111. The cassette loading / unloading port 112 is opened and closed by a front shutter (substrate container loading / unloading port opening / closing). The mechanism) 113 can be opened and closed.

  A cassette stage (substrate container delivery table) 114 is installed inside the casing 111 of the cassette loading / unloading port 112. The cassette 110 is carried in and out of the cassette stage 114 in the housing 111 by an in-process transfer device (not shown). In the cassette stage 114, the cassette 110 is placed by the in-process transfer device so that the wafer 200 in the cassette 110 is in a vertical posture and the wafer loading / unloading port of the cassette 110 faces upward.

  A cassette shelf (substrate container mounting shelf) 105 is installed at a substantially central lower portion in the front-rear direction in the casing 111. The cassette shelf 105 can store a plurality of cassettes 110 in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows, and the wafers 200 in the cassette 110 are arranged so that they can be taken in and out. The cassette shelf 105 is installed on a slide stage (horizontal movement mechanism) 106 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. Further, a buffer shelf (substrate container storage shelf) 107 is installed above the cassette shelf 105, and the cassette 110 is also stored in the buffer shelf 107.

  A cassette transfer device (substrate container transfer 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 transport mechanism (substrate container transport mechanism) 118b. The cassette elevator 118a and the cassette transport The cassette 110 can be transported between the cassette stage 114, the cassette shelf 105, and the buffer shelf 107 by the continuous operation of the mechanism 118b.

  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 200 in a horizontal direction, and a wafer transfer device elevator (substrate transfer) for raising and lowering the wafer transfer device 125a. Device lifting mechanism) 125b. As schematically shown in FIG. 1, the wafer transfer device elevator 125 b is installed on the right side of the housing 111 facing the front. By continuous operation of the wafer transfer device elevator 125b and the wafer transfer device 125a, a tweezer (substrate holder) 125c provided in the wafer transfer device 125a loads (charges) the wafer 200 into a boat 217 as a substrate holder. And it is designed to be removed (discharged).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the boat 217 includes three support columns 217 a. A top plate 217b and a bottom plate 217c (see FIG. 4) for holding each column 217a at a predetermined interval are provided on one end side and the other end side in the axial direction of each column 217a. Each support 217a is provided with a holding portion 217d protruding toward the wafer 200, that is, toward the center axis of the boat 217, and the wafer 200 is mounted on the boat 217 by being held by each holding portion 217d. Yes. A plurality of holding portions 217d are provided at equal intervals along the axial direction on each column 217a. For example, about 50 to 100 wafers 200 are loaded on the boat 217 in a state where the wafers 200 are aligned at predetermined intervals in the axial direction. Is done. That is, a large number of wafers 200 are stacked in multiple stages on the boat 217 at predetermined intervals.

Each column 217a, top plate 217b, bottom plate 217c, and each holding portion 217d forming the boat 217 are each formed of quartz (SiO ₂ ) material as a heat-resistant material. In the illustrated case, the boat 217 is provided with three columns 217a. However, if the wafer 200 can be set from the lateral direction of the boat 217, four or more columns 217a may be provided.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a clean unit 134 having a supply fan and a dustproof filter is provided behind the buffer shelf 107, and clean air is circulated inside the casing 111 by the clean unit 134. Yes. Further, a supply fan and a dust-proof filter are provided so that clean air is supplied to the wafer 200 picked up by the tweezers 125c on the opposite side of the wafer transfer device elevator 125b side, that is, on the left side facing the front of the housing 111. A clean unit (not shown) is installed. The clean air blown from the clean unit flows through the wafer transfer device 125a (wafer 200), and then is sucked into an exhaust device (not shown) and exhausted to the outside of the casing 111.

  A pressure-resistant housing 140 having airtightness capable of maintaining a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure (hereinafter referred to as negative pressure) is installed behind the wafer transfer device (substrate transfer device) 125a. Inside the pressure-resistant housing 140, a load lock chamber (transfer chamber) 141, which is a load lock type standby chamber having a capacity capable of accommodating the boat 217, is formed.

  A wafer loading / unloading port (substrate loading / unloading port) 142 is opened on the front wall 140a of the pressure-resistant housing 140, and the wafer loading / unloading port 142 is opened and closed by a gate valve (substrate loading / unloading port opening / closing mechanism) 143. It has become. A gas supply pipe 144 for supplying an inert gas such as nitrogen gas to the load lock chamber 141 and a gas exhaust pipe (for exhausting the load lock chamber 141 to a negative pressure) on a pair of side walls of the pressure-resistant housing 140 (Not shown) are connected to each other.

  Above the load lock chamber 141, a processing furnace (reaction furnace) 202 is provided as a reaction vessel for processing the wafer 200 inside. The lower end portion of the processing furnace 202 is configured to be opened and closed by a furnace port shutter (furnace port gate valve, furnace port opening / closing mechanism) 147.

  As schematically shown in FIG. 1, a boat elevator (supporting body lifting mechanism) 115 for lifting and lowering the boat 217 is installed in the load lock chamber 141. A seal cap 219 is horizontally installed on an arm (not shown) connected to the boat elevator 115 so that the seal cap 219 supports the boat 217 vertically and can close the lower end portion of the processing furnace 202. It is configured.

<Operation of substrate processing apparatus>
The substrate processing apparatus 101 is generally configured as described above. Hereinafter, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 101, particularly the operation of loading and unloading the wafer 200 into and from the processing furnace 202 will be described. In the following description, the operation of each unit constituting the substrate processing apparatus 101 is controlled by the controller 240.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cassette loading / unloading port 112 is opened by the front shutter 113 before the cassette 110 is supplied to the cassette stage 114. Thereafter, the cassette 110 is loaded into the casing 111 from the cassette loading / unloading port 112 and placed on the cassette stage 114. At this time, the wafer 200 is in a vertical posture, and the wafer loading / unloading port of the cassette 110 is directed upward.

  Next, the cassette 110 is picked up from the cassette stage 114 by the cassette transfer device 118, and then the wafer 200 in the cassette 110 is in a horizontal posture and the wafer loading / unloading port of the cassette 110 faces the rear of the housing 111. Then, it is rotated 90 ° toward the rear of the casing 111. Subsequently, the cassette 110 is automatically transported to the designated position on the cassette shelf 105 or the buffer shelf 107 by the cassette transport device 118 and delivered. That is, after the cassette 110 is temporarily stored in the buffer shelf 107, it is transferred to the cassette shelf 105 by the cassette conveying device 118 or directly conveyed to the cassette shelf 105.

  The slide stage 106 moves the cassette shelf 105 horizontally and positions the cassette 110 to be transferred so as to face the wafer transfer device 125a. The wafer 200 is picked up from the cassette 110 through the wafer loading / unloading port by the tweezer 125c of the wafer transfer device 125a.

  When the wafer loading / unloading port 142 of the load lock chamber 141 whose interior is previously set at atmospheric pressure is opened by the operation of the gate valve 143, the wafer 200 picked up by the tweezer 125c is moved by the operation of the wafer transfer device 125a. It is loaded into the load lock chamber 141 through the loading / unloading port 142 and loaded into the boat 217. The wafer transfer device 125a loaded with the wafer 200 on the boat 217 returns to the cassette 110 and picks up the next wafer 200 by the tweezer 125c. Then, the wafer transfer device 125a sequentially loads the wafers 200 on the boat 217 by repeating this operation. As a result, the wafers 200 are stacked on the boat 217 in multiple stages.

  Next, when a predetermined number of wafers 200 are loaded into the boat 217, the wafer loading / unloading port 142 is closed by the gate valve 143 and the lower end of the processing furnace 202 is opened by the furnace port shutter 147. Subsequently, the boat 217 loaded with the wafer 200 and the seal cap 219 are raised by the operation of the boat elevator 115, and the boat 217 is loaded into the processing furnace 202, and the lower end of the processing furnace 202 is loaded by the seal cap 219. The part is blocked. In the state where the boat 217 is accommodated in the processing furnace 202, the loading direction of each wafer 200 coincides with the extending direction of the processing furnace 202.

  When the boat 217 is loaded into the processing furnace 202, an arbitrary process is performed on each wafer 200 in the processing furnace 202. When the processing of each wafer 200 is completed, the boat elevator 115 operates downward, the lower end of the processing furnace 202 closed by the seal cap 219 is opened, and the boat 217 is pulled out from the processing furnace 202. Thereafter, the processed wafer 200 and the cassette 110 are taken out of the casing 111 by following generally the reverse of the above-described operation.

<Processing furnace configuration>
Next, the processing furnace 202 for forming the substrate processing apparatus 101 will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the outer periphery of the processing furnace 202 is covered with an induction heating device 206. The induction heating device 206 includes an RF (Radio Frequency) coil 206a, a wall body (coil boat) 206b, and a cooling wall 206c. The RF coil 206a is connected to a high frequency power source (not shown), and is configured to be able to apply a high frequency current from the high frequency power source.

  The wall body 206b is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape from a metal such as stainless steel, and the RF coil 206a is installed on the inner wall side (inner peripheral surface) thereof. The RF coil 206a is supported on the wall body 206b by a coil support portion (not shown) supported on the inner wall of the wall body 206b. A predetermined gap (not shown) is provided in the radial direction of the wall body 206b between the RF coil 206a and the wall body 206b by the coil support portion.

  The cooling wall 206c is provided concentrically with the wall body 206b on the outer wall side of the wall body 206b. In the cooling wall 206c, a cooling medium flow path (not shown) is formed in substantially the entire area of the cooling wall 206c so that, for example, cooling water can flow as a cooling medium therein. A cooling medium supply unit that supplies a cooling medium and a cooling medium discharge unit that discharges the cooling medium (both not shown) are connected to the cooling wall 206c. By supplying the cooling medium from the cooling medium supply unit to the cooling medium flow path and discharging the cooling medium from the cooling medium discharge unit, the cooling wall 206c is cooled, and the walls 206b and 206b are cooled by heat conduction. Is done.

  An opening 206d is formed at the center of the upper end of the wall body 206b. A duct (not shown) is connected to the downstream side of the opening 206d, and a radiator 207 as a cooling device and a blower 208 as an exhaust device are connected to the downstream side of the duct.

An outer tube (reaction tube) 205 that forms the processing furnace 202 concentrically with the induction heating device 206 is provided inside the RF coil 206a. The outer tube 205 is made of quartz (SiO ₂ ) material as a heat-resistant material, and has a bottomed cylindrical shape with the upper end closed and the lower end opened.

A manifold 209 is provided below the outer tube 205 so as to be concentric with the outer tube 205. The manifold 209 is made of, for example, quartz (SiO ₂ ) material or stainless steel material, and has a cylindrical shape with an upper end and a lower end opened. The manifold 209 is provided to support the outer tube 205. An O-ring 309 as a seal member is provided between the outer tube 205 and the manifold 209, and the outer tube 205 and the manifold 209 are kept airtight. Since the manifold 209 is supported by a holding body (not shown), the outer tube 205 is installed vertically. Thus, the processing furnace 202 is formed by the outer tube 205 and the manifold 209.

  The manifold 209 is not particularly limited to the case where the manifold 209 is provided separately from the outer tube 205, and the manifold 209 may be integrated with the outer tube 205 and not provided separately.

  A boat 217 loaded with a plurality of wafers 200 is stored in the processing chamber 201 in the outer tube 205. At this time, the central axis of the outer tube 205 and the central axis of the boat 217 are in agreement.

In the outer tube 205, two gas supply nozzles 232 as gas supply bodies are provided in order to supply gas (reactive gas) from the side of each wafer 200 into the processing chamber 201. The gas supply nozzle 232 is formed in a pipe shape from quartz (SiO ₂ ) material, which is a heat-resistant material, and extends along the axial direction of the outer tube 205, that is, along the loading direction of the wafer 200 in the processing furnace 202 and the outer tube. It is arranged along the inner wall of 205 on the outer peripheral side of the boat 217. Further, the gas supply nozzles 232 are parallel to each other, and are arranged so as to be shifted from each other by about 30 degrees in the circumferential direction as shown in FIG. The distal ends of the respective gas supply nozzles 232 face the upper end of the boat 217 accommodated in the processing chamber 201, while the base ends are connected to the inner wall of the manifold 209 by welding or the like. A gas supply pipe 233 is connected to the outer wall side of the manifold 209, and the base end of the gas supply nozzle 232 communicates with the gas supply pipe 233.

  The front end of the gas supply nozzle 232 is closed, and a plurality of gas supply ports 232 a are arranged on the side wall of the gas supply nozzle 232 at the same pitch as the wafers 200 loaded on the boat 217 in the axial direction at equal intervals. Is provided. Each gas supply port 232a is open toward the center of the processing chamber 201, that is, radially inward, as indicated by a broken-line arrow in FIG. 5, and is directed between the wafers 200 arranged in the processing chamber 201. Gas is supplied into the processing furnace 202 from the outer peripheral side of the wafer 200.

  As shown in FIG. 10, each gas supply port 232 a faces a gap between the wafers 200 loaded on the boat 217, that is, between the adjacent wafers 200. Has been distributed efficiently. That is, the gas supply nozzles 232 are provided with a plurality of gas supply ports 232a corresponding to the gap portions between the adjacent wafers 200 at the same pitch as the gap portions.

  The gas supply ports 232a are not limited to a plurality facing the gap portion of the wafer 200, and any gas supply nozzle 232 can be provided at any position as long as gas can be efficiently supplied to the wafer 200 from the outer peripheral side. Any number of gas supply ports 232a may be provided. Further, the number of gas supply nozzles 232 is not limited to two, and an arbitrary number of gas supply nozzles 232 can be provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, a gas exhaust port 231 for exhausting the gas in the processing chamber 201 to the outside of the processing furnace 202 is formed in the manifold 209. The gas exhaust port 231 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the boat 217 on the opposite side of the gas supply nozzle 232 across the center of the wafer 200 of the manifold 209. A gas exhaust pipe 234 made of quartz (SiO ₂ ), which is a heat resistant material, is connected to the outer wall of the manifold 209 by welding or the like, and the gas exhaust port 231 communicates with the gas exhaust pipe 234.

  The gas exhaust pipe 234 may be connected to the outer wall side of the outer tube 205 without being connected to the outer wall side of the manifold 209. Further, the gas supply nozzle 232 and the gas supply pipe 233 may be connected to the inner wall side and the outer wall side of the outer tube 205 without being connected to the inner wall side and the outer wall side of the manifold 209, respectively.

  The gas supply pipe 233 is branched into three on the upstream side, and the first gas passes through the valves 177, 178, 179 and the MFCs (Mass Flow Controllers) 183, 184, 185 as gas flow control devices. The supply source 180, the second gas supply source 181 and the third gas supply source 182 are connected to each other. A gas flow rate control unit 235 of the controller 240 is electrically connected to each MFC 183, 184, 185 and each valve 177, 178, 179, and the flow rate of gas supplied to the processing chamber 201 by the gas flow rate control unit 235. Is controlled at a desired timing so as to have a desired flow rate. The gas supply pipe 233 is further branched on the upstream side, and is connected to an inert gas supply source (both not shown) via a valve and an MFC as an inert gas flow control device.

  A vacuum exhaust device 246 such as a vacuum pump is connected to the downstream side of the gas exhaust pipe 234 via a pressure sensor (not shown) as a pressure detector and an APC (Automatic Pressure Control) valve 242 as a pressure regulator. Yes. A pressure control unit 236 of the controller 240 is electrically connected to the pressure sensor and the APC valve 242. The pressure control unit 236 controls the pressure in the processing chamber 201 to be a desired pressure by adjusting the opening degree of the APC valve 242 based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor.

  A seal cap 219 is provided below the manifold 209 as a furnace port lid for hermetically closing the lower end opening of the manifold 209. The seal cap 219 is formed in a substantially disk shape from a metal material such as stainless steel, for example. An O-ring 301 as a seal member is provided between the upper surface of the seal cap 219 and the lower end of the manifold 209. A rotation shaft 255 of a rotation mechanism 254 passes through the seal cap 219, and a tip (upper end in the drawing) of the rotation shaft 255 is fixed to a bottom plate 217 c of the boat 217. Accordingly, the boat 217 can be rotationally driven by the rotation mechanism 254 and each wafer 200 can be rotated in the processing chamber 201.

  The seal cap 219 is configured to be moved up and down in the vertical direction by an elevating motor 248 as an elevating mechanism provided outside the processing furnace 202, whereby the boat 217 can be carried into and out of the processing chamber 201. It is possible.

  A drive control unit 237 of the controller 240 is electrically connected to the rotation mechanism 254 and the lifting motor 248, and the drive control unit 237 has a desired timing so that the rotation mechanism 254 and the lifting motor 248 perform a desired operation. It comes to control with.

In the lower part of the boat 217, for example, a heat insulating cylinder 216 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape by quartz (SiO ₂ ) material as a heat resistant material is disposed, and the heat insulating cylinder 216 is generated by induction heating by the induction heating device 206. It is configured so that it is difficult for heat to be transmitted to the rotating mechanism 254 side. The heat insulating cylinder 216 may be provided integrally with the lower portion of the boat 217 without being provided separately from the boat 217. Further, instead of the heat insulating cylinder 216 or in addition to the heat insulating cylinder 216, a plurality of heat insulating plates may be provided in the lower part of the boat 217 or the lower part of the heat insulating cylinder 216.

  A plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 serving as derivatives are provided in the outer tube 205 (processing chamber 201) in order to heat the plurality of wafers 200.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the ring-shaped plate 311 is formed in a disk shape having an opening in the axial center, that is, a circular ring shape. The inner diameter of the ring inner opening of the ring-shaped plate 311, that is, the inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface thereof is larger than the outer diameter of the wafer 200, and the thickness is slightly larger than that of the wafer 200. As the material of the ring-shaped plate 311, a conductive material such as carbon or graphite whose surface is coated with silicon carbide (SiC) is used. Thereby, the ring-shaped plate 311 is induction-heated by the induction heating device 206, and the wafer 200 can be heated by the radiant heat.

  The number of ring-shaped plates 311 is the same as the number of wafers 200 loaded in the boat 217. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the loading direction of the wafers 200 is set on the dedicated ring boat 312 at the same pitch as the wafers 200. Are stacked and supported side by side. The ring-shaped plate 311 is arranged concentrically with the wafer 200 on the outer periphery side of the boat 217 loaded with the wafer 200 inside the outer tube 205 (processing chamber 201) together with the ring boat 312.

  As described above, since the plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 arranged on the outer peripheral side of the boat 217 in the processing furnace 202 are induction-heated by the induction heating device 206 to heat each wafer 200, the substrate processing apparatus 101 is cold-loaded. While adopting the wall system, the pitch (boat pitch) of the wafers 200 loaded on the boat 217 can be made as small as that of the hot wall type. As a result, the number of wafers 200 that can be loaded on the boat 217 and stored in the processing furnace 202, that is, the number of wafers 200 that can be processed at a time, is increased, thereby improving the productivity (throughput) of the substrate processing apparatus 101. Can do.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the ring boat 312 has a structure in which three columns 312a are screwed to a ring-shaped top plate 312b and a bottom plate 312c. Each support column 312a is provided with a plurality of holding grooves 312d that open inward in the radial direction and are arranged at equal intervals in the axial direction, and each ring-shaped plate 311 is engaged and held in the holding groove 312d at the outer periphery. Thus, the ring boat 312 is supported at equal intervals in the extending direction of the processing furnace 202. The work of attaching the ring-shaped plate 311 to the ring boat 312 is performed with any one column 312a removed.

  Note that the ring boat 312 is not limited to the illustrated assembly type, and may have a structure in which each support 312a, top plate 312b, and bottom plate 312c are integrally formed. Further, even if the ring boat 312 is an assembly type, it is not limited to a structure in which all the columns 312a can be removed, only one column 312a can be removed, and the other columns 312a can be removed from the top plate 312b, It is good also as a structure formed integrally with the baseplate 312c.

The ring boat 312 is preferably formed of a silicon carbide (SiC) material or a quartz (SiO ₂ ) material. However, the portion outside the region of the RF coil 206a of the column 312a is difficult to be induction-heated by the RF coil 206a. Alternatively, carbon or graphite whose surface is coated with silicon carbide (SiC) may be used.

Further, as a configuration in consideration of heat, as shown as a modified example in FIG. 8, the support 312a of the ring boat 312 is configured in a split structure that can be split into two in the axial direction, and the split support pieces 312a1 and 312a2 are divided. May be formed of different materials. In this case, among the divided column pieces 312a1 and 312a2, the column piece 312a1 closer to the ring-shaped plate 311 has a high temperature of about 1100 ° C. to 1200 ° C. in the ring-shaped plate 311. Thus, it is preferably formed of carbon whose surface is coated with silicon carbide (SiC) material or silicon carbide (SiC). On the other hand, among the divided strut pieces 312a1 and 312a2, the strut piece 312a2 positioned at the lower part does not become a high temperature region, and therefore, a quartz material whose surface is coated with quartz (SiO ₂ ) material or silicon carbide (SiC) You may make it form with carbon. As a structure for connecting the divided strut pieces 312a1 and 312a2, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, a convex portion formed at the tip of the lower strut piece 312a2 is formed at the lower end of the upper strut piece 312a1. A concave / convex structure that engages with the concave portion is used, but a structure that is divided and connected by another structure may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the pitch of the plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 supported by the ring boat 312 is set to be the same as the pitch of the wafers 200 loaded on the boat 217. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, each ring-shaped plate 311 is arranged such that the center position in the thickness direction coincides with the center position in the thickness direction of the wafer 200 facing the inner peripheral side thereof. That is, each ring-shaped plate 311 has a ring inner opening inner diameter set larger than the outer diameter of the wafer 200, so that the wafer 200, that is, the wafer 200 is opposed to the outer peripheral edge of the corresponding wafer 200 on its inner peripheral surface. The boat 217 is disposed outside in the radial direction.

  A predetermined interval is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 and the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 200, and the ring-shaped plate 311 is separated from the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 200 facing this.

  As described above, the ring-shaped plate 311 is formed so that the inner diameter of the inner opening is larger than the outer diameter of the wafer 200, and is arranged to face the outer side in the radial direction of the wafer 200 loaded on the boat 217. Therefore, each wafer 200 can be heated by the ring-shaped plate 311 from the entire outer peripheral side in a non-contact state. Thereby, the entire surface of the wafer 200 can be heated uniformly.

  In addition, since the inner peripheral surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 is separated from the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 200 facing the ring-shaped plate 311, generation of particles due to friction between the ring-shaped plate 311 and the wafer 200 can be suppressed. Furthermore, the arrangement of the ring-shaped plate 311 on the outer peripheral side of the boat 217 can be facilitated. Furthermore, it is possible to enhance the in-plane uniformity of the film thickness formed on the surface of the wafer 200 by promoting the gas flow at the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 200.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the gas supply ports 232 a provided in the gas supply nozzle 232 are opened facing the gap portions between the adjacent wafers 200. Accordingly, the gas discharged from the gas supply port 232a is supplied to the gap portion between the corresponding wafers 200 through the gap portion between the adjacent ring-shaped plates 311.

  As described above, the gas discharged from the gas supply port 232a is supplied to the wafer 200 through the gap portion between the adjacent ring-shaped plates 311. Therefore, the gas supplied from the gas supply port 232a into the processing chamber 201 is cooled. The gas can be quickly heated by the ring-shaped plate 311 heated by induction. That is, the cooled gas supplied into the processing chamber 201 from the gas supply port 232a can be quickly heated before reaching the wafer 200 by the ring-shaped plate 311 heated by induction. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of slip in the wafer 200 during the film forming process.

  As described above, the ring-shaped plate 311 is formed to be thicker than the wafer 200. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the upper surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 is disposed at a position higher than the upper surface of the corresponding wafer 200, and the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 is disposed at a position lower than the lower surface of the wafer 200. That is, the difference D1 between the height position of the upper surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 and the height position of the corresponding upper surface of the wafer 200 is the height position of the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate and the corresponding height position of the lower surface of the wafer 200. It is equivalent to the difference D2.

  As described above, since at least a part of the upper surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 is arranged at a position higher than the upper surface of the wafer 200 facing the ring-shaped plate 311, the gas flow path on the upper surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 is formed on the wafer 200. The gas can be made difficult to collide with the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 200 by shifting upward with respect to the upper surface. Further, since at least a part of the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 is arranged at a position lower than the lower surface of the wafer 200 facing the ring-shaped plate 311, the gas flow path on the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 is formed on the lower surface of the wafer 200. On the other hand, the gas can be prevented from colliding with the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 200 by shifting downward. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the generation of turbulent gas flow at the outer peripheral edge portion of the wafer 200 and to facilitate the flow of gas to the central portion of the wafer 200. Further, the gas can be easily heated by the ring-shaped plate 311 and can be heated uniformly.

In FIG. 12, the pitch between the wafer 200 and the ring-shaped plate 311 loaded on the boat 217 is 6 mm, and the analysis conditions are 6% TSC gas 5 slm, 94% H ₂ gas (introduced only from the center nozzle for simple comparison) ) Shows an analysis result of the temperature distribution of the wafer 200 during the film forming process when the hole diameter of the gas supply port 232a is 1.5 mm, the wall temperature is fixed at 1100 ° C., the inflow gas temperature is 850 ° C., and the pressure is 80000 Pa.

  FIG. 12A shows an analysis result when the wafer 200 is heated under the above analysis conditions by the susceptor method as a comparative example. In this case, the low temperature region expands to the center of the wafer 200 due to the heat conduction of the susceptor, and as a result, a large temperature difference of 108.2 ° C. occurs in the wafer region.

  On the other hand, in the configuration of the present invention using the ring-shaped plate 311, the temperature difference in the temperature distribution on the surface of the wafer 200 is 1.7 ° C. as shown in FIG. Thus, in the present invention, it can be seen that the heating uniformity of the wafer 200 is significantly higher than that of the susceptor method.

  In order to promote or facilitate the flow of gas in the gap between the ring-shaped plates 311, two supply-side guide grooves 311 a and 1 1 serving as gas flow promoting portions are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the ring-shaped plate 311, respectively. An exhaust side guide groove 311b is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the two supply side guide grooves 311a are provided on the gas supply port 232a side of the upper surface and the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311, respectively. The supply-side guide groove 311 a is formed in a groove shape extending from the corresponding gas supply port 232 a toward the center of the wafer 200, and a gap between the adjacent ring-shaped plates 311 between the gas supply port 232 a and the wafer 200. The flow area of the portion is enlarged to facilitate (promote) the gas discharged from the gas supply port 232a toward the wafer 200.

  On the other hand, the exhaust side guide groove 311b is provided on the gas exhaust port 231 side of the upper surface and the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311, respectively. The exhaust side guide groove 311 b is formed in a groove shape extending from the center side of the wafer 200 toward the gas exhaust port 231, and a gap portion between adjacent ring-shaped plates 311 between the wafer 200 and the gas exhaust port 231. The distribution area of the gas is expanded to facilitate (promote) the gas supplied from the gas supply port 232a to the wafer 200 toward the gas exhaust port 231.

  By providing these guide grooves 311a and 311b, a structure in which a plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 are provided between the wafer 200, the gas supply port 232a, and the gas exhaust port 231 can be provided from the gas supply port 232a to the wafer 200. The gas can efficiently flow from the wafer 200 to the gas exhaust port 231. In addition, each groove | channel 311a, 311b provided in the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 is provided in the front and back symmetrical position with respect to each groove | channel 311a, 311b provided in the upper surface.

  Thus, since the two supply side guide grooves 311a and the one exhaust side guide groove 311b are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the ring-shaped plate 311, the gas wafer 200 discharged from the gas supply port 232a is provided. The flow to the surface can be induced and promoted, and the exhaust of the gas supplied to the wafer 200 can be induced and promoted.

  In order to connect the ring boat 312 to the boat 217 and rotate the ring-shaped plate 311 together with the wafer 200 during the processing of the wafers 200, a connection base 313 is provided on the bottom plate 217c of the boat 217. As shown in FIG. 13, the connection base 313 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a ring-shaped support piece at the upper end, and is attached to the boat 217 via a base plate 314 fixed to the bottom plate 217 c of the boat 217 at the lower end portion. It is supported.

  In contrast, the manifold 209 is provided with a support base 315. The support table 315 is formed in a ring plate shape having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the connection table 313, and is fixed to the inner wall of the manifold 209 at the outer periphery.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in the state before the seal cap 219 is turned on, that is, the state before the boat 217 is carried into the processing chamber 201, the bottom plate 312c of the ring boat 312 is disposed on the support base 315, and the support base It is arranged in the processing chamber 201 in a state supported by 315. At this time, the connecting table 313 provided in the boat 217 is separated downward with respect to the bottom plate 312 c of the ring boat 312 and is not connected to the ring boat 312.

  On the other hand, when the boat 217 is raised in order to transfer the wafers 200 to the processing chamber 201, the connecting table 313 moves up in the processing chamber 201 through the inside of the support table 315. A part of the inner diameter side of the bottom plate 312 c of the ring boat 312 protrudes from the inner diameter side of the support base 315, and the connection base 313 listed in the processing chamber 201 protrudes from the support base 315 of the bottom plate 312 c of the ring boat 312. It touches the part. Then, when the boat 217 rises to a position where the seal cap 219 is turned on and the furnace port 161 is closed, the bottom plate 312c of the ring boat 312 is supported by the connecting table 313 and lifted upward from the support table 315, It is arranged in the processing chamber 201 while being connected to the boat 217. Accordingly, when the wafer 200 is processed, the ring boat 312 is connected to the boat 217 by the connecting table 313 and rotates together with the boat 217. That is, when processing the wafer 200, the ring-shaped plate 311 is also driven by the rotation mechanism 254 together with the wafer 200 to rotate in the processing chamber 201. By rotating the ring-shaped plate 311 in the processing chamber 201 during the processing of the wafer 200, the heating by the induction heating of the ring-shaped plate 311 can be made uniform, and the wafer 200 can be heated more uniformly.

  In the present embodiment, the ring boat 312 and the boat 217 are rotated in the processing chamber 201. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the ring boat 312 may not be rotated in the processing chamber 201. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, the connecting plate 313 is not provided on the bottom plate 217 c of the boat 217, and the receiving plate 316 is fixed to the inner wall of the manifold 209, and the metal ring boat receiving plate 316 is fixed to the receiving plate 316. 317 is fixed by a metal fixture 318. As a result, the ring boat 312 is mounted and supported by the ring boat receiver 317 on the bottom plate 312c and is fixed in the processing chamber 201.

An inner tube 320 is disposed inside the outer tube 205. The inner tube 320 is formed of a quartz (SiO ₂ ) material in a bottomed cylindrical shape that is slightly smaller than the outer tube 205, and is supported by a support base 315 fixed to the manifold 209 at the lower end portion thereof. The inner tube 320 is disposed concentrically with the outer tube 205 in the outer tube 205 and covers the plurality of wafers 200 loaded on the boat 217 and the plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 supported by the ring boat 312. On the other hand, the gas supply nozzle 232 is disposed outside the inner tube 320. That is, the inner tube 320 is disposed between the ring-shaped plate 311 and the gas supply nozzle 232.

  As shown in FIG. 5, gas flow holes 320 a are provided at positions facing the gas supply ports 232 a of the gas supply nozzles 232 of the inner tube 320, and the gas discharged from the gas supply ports 232 a It is supplied to the wafer 200 through the hole 320a. The gas flow holes 320 a are each formed in a long hole shape (slit shape) extending along the gas supply nozzle 232, face at least each wafer 200 loaded on the boat 217, and all the gas supply nozzles 232 are provided. The length is set so as to face the gas supply port 232a.

  Thus, since the inner tube 320 is provided inside the outer tube 205, the gas flow in the processing furnace 202 can be regulated by the inner tube 320, and the heat outer tube 205 of the ring-shaped plate 311 can be regulated. Transmission to the outside, that is, heating of the outer tube 205 can be suppressed. Thereby, the deposition of the reaction product on the inner wall of the outer tube 205 due to the gas supplied into the processing furnace 202 can be suppressed.

  Note that the inner tube 320 may not be provided.

  Here, in the present embodiment, all of the plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 are formed of the same material and shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and heat of the upper end side portion and the lower end side portion of the boat 217 is used. The arbitrary ring-shaped plate 311 may be formed of another material having different thermal conductivity and electrical resistance in response to the difference in temperature characteristics of each wafer 200 caused by the problem of escape. As a result, it is possible to uniformly heat all the wafers 200 by adjusting the amount of heat generated by each ring-shaped plate 311 according to the heat escape of the upper end side portion and the lower end side portion of the boat 217.

  The RF coil 206a spirally formed in the induction heating device 206 is divided into a plurality of upper and lower regions (zones). For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower zone is divided into five zones such as an RF coil L, an RF coil CL, an RF coil C, an RF coil CU, and an RF coil U. The RF coil L, RF coil CL, RF coil C, RF coil CU, and RF coil U divided into these five zones are controlled independently.

  In the vicinity of the RF coil 206a forming the induction heating device 206, radiation thermometers 263 as temperature detectors for detecting the temperature in the processing chamber 201 are installed, for example, at four locations. At least one radiation thermometer 263 may be installed, but the temperature controllability can be improved by installing a plurality of radiation thermometers 263.

  A temperature control unit 238 of the controller 240 is electrically connected to the induction heating device 206 and each radiation thermometer 263, and the temperature control unit 238 is based on the temperature information detected by each radiation thermometer 263. The energization state to the induction heating device 206 can be adjusted. In other words, the energization state of the induction heating device 206 is controlled by the temperature control unit 238 so that the temperature in the processing chamber 201 has a desired temperature distribution.

  A temperature controller 238 of the controller 240 is electrically connected to the blower 208. The temperature control unit 238 controls the operation of the blower 208 in accordance with a preset control logic. Specifically, by operating the blower 208, the atmosphere in the gap between the wall body 206b and the outer tube 205 is discharged from the opening 206d. After the atmosphere is discharged from the opening 206 d, the atmosphere is cooled through the radiator 207 and discharged to the equipment on the downstream side of the blower 208. That is, the induction heating device 206 and the outer tube 205 can be cooled by operating the blower 208 based on the control by the temperature control unit 238.

  The cooling medium supply unit and the cooling medium exhaust unit connected to the cooling wall 206c are controlled by the controller 240 at a predetermined timing so that the flow rate of the cooling medium to the cooling wall 206c becomes a desired cooling condition. It is configured. In order to improve the heat dissipation to the outside of the processing furnace 202 and make it easier to cool the outer tube 205, it is preferable to provide the cooling wall 206c. However, the operation of the blower 208 provides a desired cooling condition. In this case, the cooling wall 206c may not be provided.

  In addition to the opening 206d, an emergency pressure release port (not shown) and a pressure release port opening / closing device 206e for opening and closing the pressure release port are provided at the upper end of the wall 206b. For some reason, for example, when hydrogen gas and oxygen gas are mixed in the wall body 206b, and thereby the inside of the wall body 206b becomes abnormally high (in an emergency), the high pressure acts on the wall body 206b. It will be. And a location with comparatively weak intensity | strength, for example, the volt | bolt, screw, panel, etc. which form the wall 206b deform | transforms or is damaged. As described above, in order to minimize the damage to the substrate processing apparatus 101 due to the high pressure acting on the wall body 206b, the pressure release port opening / closing device 206e is used when the inside of the wall body 206b becomes a predetermined pressure or more. The pressure release port is opened to release the internal pressure of the wall body 206b to the outside.

<Configuration around the processing furnace>
Next, the configuration around the processing furnace 202 will be described with reference to FIG. A lower substrate 245 is provided on the outer surface of the load lock chamber 141 as a spare chamber. The lower substrate 245 is provided with a guide shaft 264 that slidably contacts the lifting platform 249 and movably supports the lifting platform 249, and a ball screw 244 that is screwed with the lifting platform 249. An upper substrate 247 is provided at the upper ends of the guide shaft 264 and the ball screw 244 erected on the lower substrate 245. The ball screw 244 is rotationally driven by a lifting motor 248 provided on the upper substrate 247, and the lifting platform 249 is moved up and down by the rotation of the ball screw 244.

  A hollow elevating shaft 250 is installed on the elevating table 249 in the vertical direction, and a connecting portion between the elevating table 249 and the elevating shaft 250 is airtight. The elevating shaft 250 moves up and down together with the elevating table 249. The elevating shaft 250 passes through the top plate 251 forming the load lock chamber 141. The size of the through hole of the top plate 251 through which the elevating shaft 250 passes is set to a sufficient size so that the top plate 251 and the elevating shaft 250 do not come into contact with each other. A bellows 265 is provided between the top plate 251 forming the load lock chamber 141 and the lifting platform 249 so as to cover the periphery of the lifting shaft 250. The bellows 265 is formed of a stretchable hollow stretchable body (for example, an elastic body such as heat-resistant rubber) and holds the load lock chamber 141 in an airtight manner. The bellows 265 has a sufficient amount of expansion and contraction that can correspond to the amount of lifting of the lifting platform 249, and the inner diameter of the bellows 265 is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the lifting shaft 250. Thereby, the bellows 265 does not come into contact with the elevating shaft 250 due to the expansion and contraction of the bellows 265.

  A lifting substrate 252 is fixed horizontally to the lower end of the lifting shaft 250. A drive unit cover 253 is attached to the lower surface of the elevating substrate 252 in an airtight state via a seal member such as an O-ring. The elevating board 252 and the drive unit cover 253 form a drive unit storage case 256, whereby the inside of the drive unit storage case 256 and the atmosphere in the load lock chamber 141 are isolated.

  A rotation mechanism 254 for rotating the boat 217 in the processing furnace 202 is provided inside the drive unit storage case 256, and a peripheral part of the rotation mechanism 254 is cooled by a cooling mechanism 257. The power supply cable 258 is led from the upper end of the lifting shaft 250 through the hollow portion of the lifting shaft 250 to the rotating mechanism 254 and connected thereto. The cooling mechanism 257 and the seal cap 219 are each formed with a cooling flow path 259, and a cooling water pipe 260 for supplying cooling water (not shown) is connected to each cooling flow path 259. Each cooling water pipe 260 passes through the hollow portion of the lifting shaft 250 from the upper end of the lifting shaft 250.

  The ball screw 244 is rotated by rotationally driving the lift motor 248 by the controller 240, whereby the drive unit storage case 256 is lifted and lowered via the lift platform 249 and the lift shaft 250. By raising the drive unit storage case 256, the seal cap 219 provided in an airtight manner on the elevating substrate 252 closes the furnace port 161, which is the opening of the processing furnace 202, so that each wafer 200 can be formed. Become. On the other hand, by lowering the drive unit storage case 256, the boat 217 is lowered together with the seal cap 219, so that each wafer 200 can be carried out to the outside.

  The gas flow rate control unit 235, the pressure control unit 236, the drive control unit 237, and the temperature control unit 238 constitute an operation unit and an input / output unit, and are electrically connected to a main control unit 239 that controls the entire substrate processing apparatus 101. Yes. These gas flow rate control unit 235, pressure control unit 236, drive control unit 237, temperature control unit 238, and main control unit 239 are configured as a controller 240. As described above, the processing furnace 202 of the substrate processing apparatus 101 and the structure around the processing furnace 202 are configured.

<Substrate processing process>
Next, a substrate processing process in a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the substrate processing apparatus 101 will be described. In this embodiment, as one process of a substrate processing process, a method (a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device) for forming a semiconductor film such as silicon (Si) on a substrate such as a wafer by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) reaction will be described. To do. As a semiconductor device manufactured by this method, for example, there is a solar cell. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present method may be applied to manufacturing other semiconductor devices.

  In the following description, the operation of each part constituting the substrate processing apparatus 101 is controlled by the controller 240.

  First, the boat 217 loaded with a plurality of wafers 200 is loaded into the processing chamber 201 (boat loading) by the lifting / lowering operation of the lifting / lowering base 249 and the lifting / lowering shaft 250 by the lifting / lowering motor 248. When the boat 217 is carried into the processing chamber 201, the furnace port 161 of the manifold 209 is closed by the seal cap 219.

  Next, the processing chamber 201 is evacuated by the vacuum evacuation device 246 so as to have a desired pressure. At this time, the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is measured by a pressure sensor, and the APC valve 242 is feedback-controlled based on the measured pressure. For example, a predetermined pressure is selected from pressures ranging from 13.3 MPa to about 0.1 MPa.

  Next, the blower 208 is operated, gas or air flows between the induction heating device 206 and the outer tube 205, and the side wall of the outer tube 205, the gas supply nozzle 232, the gas supply port 232a, and the gas exhaust port 231 are cooled. Is done. Cooling water as a cooling medium flows through the radiator 207 and the cooling wall 206c, and the inside of the induction heating device 206 is cooled through the wall body 206b.

  On the other hand, in order to heat each wafer 200 to a desired temperature, a high-frequency current is applied to each RF coil 206a of the induction heating device 206, and an induced current (eddy current) is generated in each ring-shaped plate 311. That is, by applying a high-frequency current to each RF coil 206a of the induction heating device 206, a plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 arranged in the stacking direction of the wafers 200 on the outer peripheral side of the boat 217 in the processing furnace 202 are induction-heated. The plurality of wafers 200 loaded on the boat 217 are heated by the radiant heat. As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 101 according to the present invention is a cold wall system in which the wafer 200 is heated by the radiant heat of the ring-shaped plate 311 heated by induction heating.

  When induction heating each ring-shaped plate 311, based on the temperature information detected by each radiation thermometer 263, the temperature controller 238 causes the induction heating device 206 to have a desired temperature distribution in the processing chamber 201. The energization to is feedback controlled. At this time, in the blower 208, the temperature of the side wall of the outer tube 205, the gas supply nozzle 232, the gas supply port 232a, and the gas exhaust port 231 is much lower than the temperature at which the film is grown on the wafer 200, for example, 600 ° C. or less. It is controlled by a preset control amount so as to be cooled. Each wafer 200 is heated at a constant temperature among processing temperatures selected from a range of 700 ° C. to 1200 ° C. For example, in the present embodiment, each wafer 200 is heated to 1100 ° C. In addition, each wafer 200 is heated at a constant temperature among the processing temperatures selected from the range of 700 ° C. to 1200 ° C. Even if any processing temperature is selected, the blower 208 is the outer temperature. The temperature of the outer wall of the tube 205 is controlled by a preset control amount so as to be cooled to, for example, 600 ° C. or lower, which is much lower than the temperature of film growth on each wafer 200.

  Subsequently, the boat 217 and the ring boat 312 are rotated by the rotation mechanism 254, and the wafers 200 and the ring-shaped plate 311 are rotated in the processing furnace 202.

Each gas supply source 181, 182, 183 includes a silicon-containing gas as a processing gas, for example, trichlorosilane (SiHCl ₃ ) gas or silicon tetrachloride (SiCl ₄ ), and a boron-containing gas as a doping gas, for example. Diborane (B ₂ H ₆ ) gas and hydrogen (H ₂ ) as a carrier gas are sealed. When the temperature of each wafer 200 is stabilized, the respective gas is supplied from the gas supply sources 181, 182, and 183. After the opening degree of each MFC 183, 184, 185 is adjusted so that the gas has a desired flow rate, each valve 177, 178, 179 is opened, and each processing gas passes through the gas supply pipe 233 and the gas supply nozzle 232. Flow into. Since the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the gas supply nozzle 232 is sufficiently larger than the opening area of the plurality of gas supply ports 232a, the gas supply nozzle 232 has a higher pressure than the processing chamber 201 and a uniform flow rate from each gas supply port 232a. The gas is supplied into the processing chamber 201 at a flow rate. At this time, the gas is supplied into the processing chamber 201 from the outer peripheral side of the plurality of ring-shaped plates 311. The gas supplied into the processing chamber 201 passes between each ring-shaped plate 311 and each wafer 200 and is exhausted from the gas exhaust port 231 to the gas exhaust pipe 234. When the gas passes between the ring-shaped plates 311, the gas is heated by the ring-shaped plates 311 adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, contacts the wafer 200 heated by the ring-shaped plate 311, and is formed on the surface of the wafer 200 by CVD. A silicon (Si) semiconductor film is formed by the reaction.

  When a preset time elapses after the gas is supplied into the processing chamber 201, an inert gas such as nitrogen is supplied into the processing chamber 201 from an inert gas supply source (not shown). As a result, the inside of the processing chamber 201 is replaced with the inert gas, and the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is returned to normal pressure.

  Thereafter, the seal cap 219 is lowered by the elevating motor 248 to open the lower end of the manifold 209, and the processed wafers 200 are loaded on the boat 217 from the lower end of the manifold 209 to the outside of the processing furnace 202, that is, the load. It is carried out (boat unloading) to the lock chamber 141. Then, each processed wafer 200 is taken out from the boat 217 (wafer discharge).

<Typical effects of the first embodiment>
As described above, according to the technical idea described in the first embodiment, at least one of the plurality of effects described below is achieved.

  (1) By forming a plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 for heating the wafers 200 in a ring shape and disposing them on the outer peripheral side of the boat 217, the number of wafers 200 that can be loaded in the extending direction of the processing furnace 202 is reduced. Can do a lot. As a result, the number of wafers 200 that can be processed at a time can be increased, and the productivity (throughput) of the substrate processing apparatus 101 can be increased.

  (2) The cooled gas supplied into the processing chamber 201 from the gas supply port 232a can be quickly heated by passing between the ring-shaped plates 311, and the outer tube 205 can be heated too much. Furthermore, since each wafer 200 can be heated from the entire outer peripheral side by the ring-shaped plate 311, the entire surface of the wafer 200 can be heated uniformly.

  (3) Since the gas can be quickly heated before reaching the wafer 200, the occurrence of slip in the wafer 200 can be suppressed.

  (4) By forming the inner opening inner diameter of the ring-shaped plate 311 larger than the outer diameter of the wafer 200, the number of wafers 200 that can be stacked in the extending direction of the processing furnace 202 can be further increased. Thereby, the number of wafers 200 that can be processed at a time can be increased, and the productivity (throughput) of the substrate processing apparatus 101 can be further increased.

  (5) Since a plurality of wafers 200 can be heated in a non-contact state from the entire outer peripheral edge by a plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 provided in the stacking direction of the wafers 200, the heating temperature uniformity of the wafers 200 can be improved. Can be increased.

  (6) By disposing the ring-shaped plate 311 on the outer side in the radial direction of the wafer 200 loaded on the boat 217 so as to face the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 200, each wafer 200 is more efficiently handled by the corresponding ring-shaped plate 311. It can be heated and its heating controllability can be improved.

  (7) The ring-shaped plate 311 is disposed on the outer side in the radial direction of the wafer 200 loaded on the boat 217 so as to face the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 200, thereby cooling the gas supplied from the gas supply port 232a into the processing chamber 201. The gas can be reliably heated by each ring-shaped plate 311 before reaching the wafer 200.

  (8) By disposing at least a part of the upper surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 at a position higher than the upper surface of the wafer 200 facing the ring-shaped plate 311, the gas flow path is separated from the upper surface of the wafer 200 by a predetermined distance. It is possible to make it difficult for gas to hit the outer periphery. Thus, the occurrence of gas turbulence can be suppressed, the gas can be easily distributed to the central portion of the wafer 200, and the gas can be easily heated by the ring-shaped plate 311.

  (9) By disposing at least a part of the upper surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 at a position higher than the upper surface of the wafer 200 facing the ring-shaped plate 311, the gas is made to flow by the ring-shaped plate 311 before the gas reaches the wafer 200. The flow of gas can be regulated while heating. This makes it difficult for the gas to collide with the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 200, suppresses the occurrence of gas turbulence in the outer peripheral edge portion of the wafer 200, and facilitates heating of the gas with the ring-shaped plate 311. That is, the gas can be heated uniformly.

  (10) The effects of the above (8) and (9) can improve the uniformity of the film thickness formed on the upper surface of the wafer 200 by the film forming process.

  (11) By disposing at least a part of the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 at a position lower than the lower surface of the wafer 200 facing the ring-shaped plate 311, the gas flow path is separated from the lower surface of the wafer 200 by a predetermined distance. It is possible to make it difficult for the gas to collide with the outer peripheral edge. Thus, the occurrence of gas turbulence can be suppressed, the gas can be easily distributed to the central portion of the wafer 200, and the gas can be easily heated by the ring-shaped plate 311.

  (12) By disposing at least a part of the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 at a position lower than the lower surface of the wafer 200 facing the ring-shaped plate 311, the gas is caused to flow by the ring-shaped plate 311 before the gas reaches the wafer 200. The flow of gas can be regulated while heating. This makes it difficult for the gas to collide with the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 200, suppresses the occurrence of gas turbulence in the outer peripheral edge portion of the wafer 200, and facilitates heating of the gas with the ring-shaped plate 311. That is, the gas can be heated uniformly.

  (13) The effects of the above (11) and (12) can improve the uniformity of the film thickness formed on the lower surface of the wafer 200 by the film forming process.

  (14) The gas flow to the upper surface of the wafer 200 can be induced and promoted by the supply-side guide groove 311 a provided in at least a part of the upper surface of the ring-shaped plate 311.

  (15) The gas flow to the lower surface of the wafer 200 can be guided and promoted by the supply side guide groove 311 a provided in at least a part of the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311.

  (16) Since the center position in the thickness direction of the ring-shaped plate 311 coincides with the center position in the thickness direction of the wafer 200, each ring-shaped plate 311 can efficiently heat each wafer 200 under the same conditions.

  (17) The difference D1 between the height position of the upper surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 and the height position of the upper surface of the wafer 200 facing this, the height position of the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 and the wafer 200 facing this. Since the difference D2 from the height position of the lower surface is equal, gas can be supplied to the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer 200 under the same conditions and the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer 200 can be heated under the same conditions. Thereby, it is possible to form films having the same film thickness on both the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer 200 and to equalize the film thickness uniformity.

  (18) Since the inner peripheral surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 is separated from the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 200, generation of particles due to friction or the like can be suppressed. Further, the arrangement of the ring-shaped plate 311 on the outer peripheral side of the boat 217 can be facilitated. Furthermore, the gas flow at the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 200 can be promoted, and the uniformity of the film thickness formed on the wafer 200 can be further enhanced.

  (19) A gas supply nozzle 232 extending in the stacking direction of the wafers 200 and having a gas supply port 232a is provided on the outer peripheral side of the boat 217, and on the gas supply port 232a side of the upper surface or the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 Since the supply-side guide groove 311a that facilitates the flow of gas from the gas supply port 232a toward the wafer 200 is provided, the gas can be supplied from the outer peripheral side of the wafer 200 and the gas flows to the surface of the wafer 200. Can be induced and promoted.

  (20) A gas exhaust port 231 for exhausting gas is provided on the outer peripheral side of the boat 217, and the gas exhaust port 231 side of the upper surface or the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 has a gas from the wafer 200 side toward the gas supply port 232a side. Since the exhaust side guide groove 311b is provided to facilitate the flow of gas, the exhaust of gas can be guided and promoted.

  (21) The inner tube 320 provided in the processing furnace 202 can regulate the gas flow in the processing furnace 202, and the heat of the ring-shaped plate 311 is transferred to the outer tube 205, that is, the outer tube 205 is heated. Can be suppressed. Thereby, the deposition of the reaction product on the inner wall of the outer tube 205 due to the gas supplied into the processing furnace 202 can be suppressed.

  (22) A plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 for heating the wafers 200 are formed in a ring shape and arranged on the outer peripheral side of the boat 217, whereby the number of wafers 200 that can be stacked in the extending direction of the processing furnace 202 is reduced. Can do a lot. Thus, the number of wafers 200 that can be processed at a time is increased, the productivity (throughput) of the substrate processing apparatus 101 is increased, and a semiconductor device can be efficiently manufactured.

  (23) The cooled gas supplied into the processing chamber 201 from the gas supply port 232a can be quickly heated by passing between the ring-shaped plates 311, and the outer tube 205 can be heated too much. In addition, since each wafer 200 can be heated from the entire outer peripheral side by the ring-shaped plate 311, the entire surface of the wafer 200 can be uniformly heated to manufacture a high-quality semiconductor device.

  (24) Since the gas can be heated quickly before reaching the wafer 200, the occurrence of slip in the wafer 200 can be suppressed, and a high-quality semiconductor device can be manufactured.

  In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that two supply side guide grooves 311a and one exhaust side guide groove 311b as gas flow promoting portions are provided on the upper surface and the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311. For example, it may be provided only on the upper surface of the ring-shaped plate 311 or may be provided only on the lower surface. Further, the supply side guide groove 311a may be zero, one, or three or more, and the exhaust side guide groove 311b may be zero or two or more.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The substrate processing apparatus 401 according to the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a temperature distribution adjusting plate material is disposed between adjacent wafers 200. In the second embodiment, members corresponding to those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Only the induction heating of the ring-shaped plate 311 arranged on the outer peripheral side of the boat 217 may cause insufficient heating of the central portion of the wafer 200, causing slip in the wafer 200, and reducing the heating uniformity of the wafer 200. is there.

  Therefore, in the substrate processing apparatus 401 shown as the second embodiment, an auxiliary plate 402 as a temperature distribution adjusting plate is arranged between adjacent wafers 200 in order to uniformly heat the wafers 200. .

  The auxiliary plate 402 is formed of the same material as the ring-shaped plate 311, that is, a conductive material such as carbon or graphite whose surface is covered with silicon carbide (SiC), and serves as a heating element. The auxiliary plate 402 is formed in a disk shape having a smaller diameter than the wafer 200, but the outer diameter may be the same as that of the wafer 200.

  In the case shown in FIG. 15, every other wafer 200 is loaded on the boat 217, that is, loaded on the boat 217 at twice the pitch of the ring-shaped plate 311, and the auxiliary plate 402 is loaded in the empty space. Therefore, the auxiliary plates 402 are arranged at equal intervals with respect to the upper and lower wafers 200 between the adjacent wafers 200.

  During the film forming process of the wafer 200, the auxiliary plate 402 is also induction-heated by the RF coil 206 a together with the ring-shaped plate 311, and the wafer 200 is heated from the outer peripheral side by the ring-shaped plate 311 and also from the central side by the auxiliary plate 402. Heated. As described above, the entire surface of the wafer 200 is uniformly heated by the ring-shaped plate 311 and the auxiliary plate 402.

  In the case shown in FIG. 15, since the number of wafers 200 that can be loaded on the boat 217 is reduced, the wafers 200 are loaded on the boat 217 at the same pitch as the ring-shaped plate 311 as shown in FIG. The auxiliary plate 402 may be arranged with an equal interval from the upper and lower wafers 200 therebetween. In this case, the number of processed wafers 200 is the same as when the auxiliary plate 402 is not provided.

  In the present embodiment, the auxiliary plate 402 is formed of the same material as that of the ring-shaped plate 311, but is not limited thereto, and the material, thickness, resistance value, and the like are not the same as those of the ring-shaped plate 311. Also good. Moreover, you may make it comprise the auxiliary | assistant plate 402 as a heat insulation board with the board | plate material by which the surface was coat | covered with the silicon carbide (SiC) board or silicon carbide (SiC), for example. Furthermore, the heat generation amount of the auxiliary plate 402 may be adjusted to a desired value by changing the material, outer diameter, thickness, resistance value, and the like of the auxiliary plate 402.

<Typical effects of the second embodiment>
Since the auxiliary plate 402 serving as a temperature distribution adjusting plate is disposed between the adjacent wafers 200, the entire surface of the wafer 200 can be uniformly heated by the ring-shaped plate 311 and the auxiliary plate 402. Thereby, the heating uniformity of the wafer 200 can be improved, and the occurrence of slip in the wafer 200 can be suppressed.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The substrate processing apparatus 501 according to the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that side dummy susceptors 502 are provided on the upper end side and the lower end side of the boat 217. Note that in the third embodiment, members corresponding to those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  There is a problem of heat escape in the upper end side portion and the lower end side portion of the boat 217, and the temperature characteristics may be different from the central side portion that is a portion between the upper end side and the lower end side. In view of this, in the substrate processing apparatus 501 shown as the third embodiment, the upper end side and the lower end of the boat 217 have the same thermal characteristics as those of the central portion and the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the boat 217. Side dummy susceptors 502 are provided on the respective sides. These side dummy susceptors 502 are heating elements formed of the same material as the ring-shaped plate 311, that is, a conductive material such as carbon or graphite whose surface is coated with silicon carbide (SiC). The side dummy susceptor 502 is formed in a disk shape slightly larger in diameter than the wafer 200, but the outer diameter and thickness can be arbitrarily set.

  When the wafer 200 is formed, the side dummy susceptor 502 is also induction-heated by the RF coil 206a together with the ring-shaped plate 311. Therefore, heat escape from the upper end side portion and the lower end side portion of the boat 217 is suppressed, the thermal characteristics of the upper end side portion and the lower end side portion of the boat 217 are set to the same thermal characteristics as the central side portion, and the boat 217 is loaded on the boat 217. All the wafers 200 can be heated uniformly to form a film uniformly.

  In this embodiment, the side dummy susceptor 502 is provided on both the upper end side and the lower end side of the boat 217. However, depending on the temperature characteristics on each side, the side dummy susceptor 502 may be provided on either side. A plurality of side dummy susceptors 502 may be provided on the upper end side or the lower end side of the boat 217.

  Further, the side dummy susceptor 502 is formed of the same material as that of the ring-shaped plate 311, but is not limited thereto, and the material, thickness, resistance value, and the like may not be the same as those of the ring-shaped plate 311. For example, you may form with a material with a high electrical resistance value. The calorific value of the side dummy susceptor 502 may be adjusted to a desired value by changing the material, outer diameter, thickness, resistance value, and the like.

<Typical effects of the third embodiment>
Since the side dummy susceptor 502 is provided on at least one of the upper end side and the lower end side of the boat 217, heat escape from the upper end side portion and the lower end side portion of the boat 217 is suppressed, and the boat 217 is loaded on the boat 217. All the wafers 200 can be uniformly heated to form a film uniformly.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a substrate processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The substrate processing apparatus 601 according to the fourth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 are stacked without being spaced apart. Note that in the fourth embodiment, members corresponding to the members described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the ring-shaped plates 311 are supported side by side in the stacking direction of the wafers 200 at a predetermined interval by the ring boat 312. In contrast, in the substrate processing apparatus 601 shown as the fourth embodiment, the ring boat 312 is not used, and a plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 are stacked in the thickness direction without being spaced apart from each other. I am trying to arrange it. In this case, the plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 are stacked in advance on the bottom plate 217 c of the boat 217 or the seal cap 219 before being carried into the processing furnace 202.

  The ring-shaped plate 311 is provided with a supply-side guide groove 311a and an exhaust-side guide groove 311b as gas flow promoting portions only on the upper surface thereof. When the ring-shaped plates 311 are stacked, the gas is supplied by the supply-side guide groove 311a. The supply hole 602 is configured, and the gas exhaust hole 603 is configured by the exhaust side guide groove 311b. That is, as shown in FIG. 19, the gas discharged from the gas supply port 232a is supplied to the wafer 200 through the gas supply hole 602 formed by the supply side guide groove 311a, and is also supplied by the exhaust side guide groove 311b. The gas exhaust hole 231 is guided through the formed gas exhaust hole 603.

  In the case of the stacked type shown in the present embodiment, similarly to the case of being mounted on the ring boat 312, the stacked ring-shaped plate 311 is rotated together with the boat 217 as a configuration that can be connected to the boat 217 by the connecting table 313. Or a fixed structure supported by a cradle 316 in the processing furnace 202.

  In the case shown in FIG. 18, the supply side guide groove 311a and the exhaust side guide groove 311b as gas flow promoting portions are provided on the upper surface of the ring-shaped plate 311. As shown, a supply side guide groove 311a and an exhaust side guide groove 311b as gas flow promoting portions may be provided on the lower surface of the ring-shaped plate 311. Further, a supply side guide groove 311a and an exhaust side guide groove 311b as gas flow promoting portions may be provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the ring-shaped plate 311.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the ring-shaped plate 311 is not limited to the configuration in which the ring-shaped plates 311 are stacked for each slot, but may be configured by stacking a plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 stacked and fixed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 21, a plurality of ring-shaped plates 311 may be integrally formed to have a thickness corresponding to the plurality of stages of wafers 200 and stacked. When the ring-shaped plate 311 is formed to have a thickness corresponding to a plurality of stages of wafers 200, gas supply holes 602 and gas exhaust holes 603 as gas flow promoting portions are formed in the plurality of stages of wafers 200 as shown in FIG. You may make it provide with the slit form of the corresponding length.

  As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say. For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the vertical substrate processing apparatus that performs the film forming process by the CVD method is described as an example. However, the epitaxial apparatus, the ALD apparatus, the oxidation apparatus, the diffusion apparatus, the annealing apparatus, and other substrates are described. The technical idea of the present invention can also be applied to the processing apparatus.

  In the above-described embodiment, the pressure-resistant housing 140 is described as being provided. However, the invention is not limited thereto, and the pressure-resistant housing 140 may not be provided.

  The present invention includes at least the following embodiments.

[Appendix 1]
A reaction vessel for processing the substrate inside;
A substrate holder for stacking a plurality of the substrates in the extending direction of the reaction vessel;
A plurality of ring-shaped derivatives to be provided on the outer peripheral side of the substrate holder in the reaction vessel, arranged in the stacking direction of the substrates, and for heating the substrates;
A gas supply body for supplying gas into the reaction vessel from the outer peripheral side of the plurality of derivatives,
An induction heating device for induction heating the plurality of derivatives;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

[Appendix 2]
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein an inner diameter of the ring inner opening of the plurality of derivatives is formed larger than an outer diameter of the substrate.

[Appendix 3]
The substrate processing apparatus according to supplementary note 1, wherein the plurality of derivatives are respectively disposed on the radially outer sides of the plurality of substrates loaded on the substrate holder so as to face the outer peripheral edge of the substrate.

[Appendix 4]
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 3, wherein the plurality of derivatives are arranged so that at least a part of each upper surface is positioned higher than the upper surface of the substrate facing each other.

[Appendix 5]
The substrate processing apparatus according to supplementary note 3, wherein the plurality of derivatives are disposed such that at least a part of each lower surface is positioned lower than a lower surface of the substrate facing each other.

[Appendix 6]
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 4, wherein the plurality of derivatives are provided with a gas flow facilitating unit that facilitates gas flow from the gas supply side toward the substrate side on at least a part of each upper surface.

[Appendix 7]
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 5, wherein the plurality of derivatives are provided with a gas flow facilitating unit that facilitates gas flow from the gas supply side toward the substrate side on at least a part of each lower surface.

[Appendix 8]
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein a center position in the thickness direction of the derivative is coincident with a center position in the thickness direction of the substrate loaded on the substrate holder facing the derivative.

[Appendix 9]
The difference between the height position of the upper surface of the derivative and the height position of the upper surface of the substrate loaded on the substrate holder facing the derivative, the height position of the lower surface of the derivative and the derivative The substrate processing apparatus according to supplementary note 1, wherein a difference between a height position of a lower surface of the substrate loaded on the substrate holder facing the substrate is equal.

[Appendix 10]
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the derivative is separated from an outer peripheral edge of the substrate loaded on the substrate holder facing the derivative.

[Appendix 11]
The gas supply body extends in the stacking direction of the substrate on the outer peripheral side of the substrate holder in the reaction container and supplies gas to the plurality of substrates stacked on the substrate holder. A gas flow for facilitating the flow of gas from the gas supply port side toward the substrate side on the gas supply port side of at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface thereof. The substrate processing apparatus according to supplementary note 1, wherein the promotion unit is provided.

[Appendix 12]
The gas container further includes a gas exhaust port that is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the substrate holder in the reaction container and exhausts the gas in the reaction container, and the plurality of derivatives are at least one of an upper surface and a lower surface thereof The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a gas flow promoting unit that facilitates gas flow from the substrate side toward the gas exhaust port side on the gas exhaust port side.

[Appendix 13]
The gas supply body extends in the stacking direction of the substrate on the outer peripheral side of the substrate holder in the reaction container and supplies gas to the plurality of substrates stacked on the substrate holder. And an inner tube is provided between the gas supply body and the plurality of derivatives, and a gas flow hole is provided in a portion of the inner tube facing the gas supply port. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to 1.

[Appendix 14]
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein a temperature distribution adjusting plate having the same diameter as the substrate or a smaller diameter than the substrate is disposed between the adjacent substrates.

[Appendix 15]
Transporting a substrate holder loaded with a plurality of substrates to a reaction vessel;
A plurality of ring-shaped derivatives which are provided in a stacking direction in the stacking direction of the substrates on the outer peripheral side of the substrate holder in the reaction vessel are heated by induction with an induction heating device, and the outer periphery of the plurality of derivatives Supplying a gas into the reaction vessel from the side to process the substrate;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising:

  The present invention can be widely used in the manufacturing industry for manufacturing semiconductor devices.

101, 410, 501, 601 Substrate processing apparatus 103 Front maintenance port 104 Front maintenance door 105 Cassette shelf 106 Slide stage 107 Buffer shelf 110 Cassette 111 Housing 111a Front wall 112 Cassette loading / unloading port 113 Front shutter 114 Cassette stage 115 Boat elevator 118 Cassette transfer device 118a Cassette elevator 118b Cassette transfer mechanism 125 Wafer transfer mechanism 125a Wafer transfer device 125b Wafer transfer device elevator 125c Tweezer 134 Clean unit 140 Pressure-resistant housing 140a Front wall 141 Load lock chamber 142 Wafer loading / unloading port 143 Gate valve 144 Gas supply pipe 147 Furnace port shutter 161 Furnace port 177, 178, 179 Valve 180 First gas Source 181 the second gas supply source 182 third gas supply source 183,184,185 MFC
200 wafer (substrate)
201 processing chamber 202 processing furnace (reaction vessel)
205 Outer tube 206 Induction heating device 206a RF coil 206b Wall body 206c Cooling wall 206d Opening portion 206e Pressure release opening / closing device 207 Radiator 208 Blower 209 Manifold 216 Thermal insulation cylinder 217 Boat (substrate holding body)
217a Column 217b Top plate 217c Bottom plate 217d Holding portion 219 Seal cap 231 Gas exhaust port 232 Gas supply nozzle (gas supply body)
232a Gas supply port 233 Gas supply pipe 234 Gas exhaust pipe 235 Gas flow rate control unit 236 Pressure control unit 237 Drive control unit 238 Temperature control unit 239 Main control unit 240 Controller 242 APC valve 244 Ball screw 245 Lower substrate 246 Vacuum exhaust device 247 Top Substrate 248 Lifting motor 249 Lifting table 250 Lifting shaft 251 Top plate 252 Lifting substrate 253 Drive unit cover 254 Rotating mechanism 255 Rotating shaft 256 Drive unit storage case 257 Cooling mechanism 258 Power supply cable 259 Cooling channel 260 Cooling water piping 263 Radiation thermometer 264 Guide shaft 265 Bellows 301,309 O-ring 311 Ring-shaped plate (derivative)
311a Supply side guide groove (gas flow promotion part)
311b Exhaust side guide groove (gas flow promoting part)
312 Ring boat 312a Column 312a1, 312a2 Column 312b Top plate 312c Bottom plate 312d Holding groove 313 Connecting table 314 Base plate 315 Supporting table 316 Receiving table 317 Ring boat receiving 318 Fixing bracket 320 Inner tube 320a Gas distribution hole

Claims (5)

A reaction vessel for processing the substrate inside;
A substrate holder for stacking a plurality of the substrates in the extending direction of the reaction vessel;
A plurality of ring-shaped derivatives to be provided on the outer peripheral side of the substrate holder in the reaction vessel, arranged in the stacking direction of the substrates, and for heating the substrates;
A gas supply body for supplying gas into the reaction vessel from the outer peripheral side of the plurality of derivatives,
An induction heating device for induction heating the plurality of derivatives;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the ring inner opening of the plurality of derivatives is formed larger than an outer diameter of the substrate.   2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of derivatives is disposed on a radially outer side of the plurality of substrates loaded on the substrate holder so as to face an outer peripheral edge of the substrate.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of derivatives are arranged such that at least a part of each upper surface is positioned higher than an upper surface of the substrate facing each other. Transporting a substrate holder loaded with a plurality of substrates to a reaction vessel;
A plurality of ring-shaped derivatives which are provided in a stacking direction in the stacking direction of the substrates on the outer peripheral side of the substrate holder in the reaction vessel are heated by induction with an induction heating device, and the outer periphery of the plurality of derivatives Supplying a gas into the reaction vessel from the side to process the substrate;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: