JP2013030614A - Film formation method and film formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for forming an excellent film on the substrate surface, by transferring a polysilazane film formed on a carrier.SOLUTION: A sheet film F carrying a thin film R coated, on the surface thereof, with a coating liquid containing a polysilazane material is placed in a processing chamber 1, which is then evacuated. While heating the sheet film F to a predetermined temperature by means of a heater 541, a hardening acceleration gas containing oxygen is introduced into the processing chamber 1 thus increasing the viscosity of the thin film R. Thereafter, gas supply is stopped and the processing chamber 1 is evacuated again thus removing the hardening acceleration gas and inhibiting progress of hardening. Under this state, the thin film R on the sheet film F and a substrate W are brought into tight contact and pressurized thus transferring the thin film R to the substrate W.

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming method and a film forming apparatus for forming a polysilazane film on the surface of a substrate.

  For example, as a technique for forming a high-quality protective film on the surface of a substrate such as a silicon semiconductor substrate, a technique has been proposed in which a polysilazane film is formed on the surface of the substrate and is changed to a silicon oxide film by heating, for example. For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a polysilazane film is formed by applying a perhydrogenated silazane polymer solution to the surface of a semiconductor substrate and volatilizing a solvent to form a polysilazane film, and performing an annealing treatment after removing impurities. Is changed into a silicon oxide film.

  In addition, as another technique for forming a thin film on the surface of the substrate, for example, a thin film is formed on the surface of a carrier made of a resin sheet film, and the thin film is transferred to the substrate by bringing it into close contact with the substrate and applying pressure. After that, there is a technique in which only the carrier is peeled off from the laminate in which the thin film is transferred to the substrate. For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, a thin film is formed by applying a thin film material on a sheet film and drying it, and the thin film is transferred to the substrate by pressing it onto the substrate surface.

  Such a film transfer technique is also applicable to forming an air gap by covering a groove (trench) provided on the surface of a semiconductor substrate with a protective film, as described in Patent Document 3, for example. It is conceivable to employ the above-described polysilazane film as a material used for such a film transfer technique.

JP 2010-171231 A (for example, paragraph 0029) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2010-0500183 (for example, FIG. 2) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2009-135172 (for example, FIG. 4)

  However, since the polysilazane film itself has high fluidity near room temperature, when the film is pressed against a substrate provided with a groove, the film material may penetrate into the groove and fill the groove. there were. Moreover, in the technique using the polysilazane film described in Patent Document 1 or the like, the film is changed to a silicon oxide film by heat treatment and cured. Is difficult to transfer to the substrate. Further, when a resin sheet film, for example, is used as the film carrier, the heat treatment conditions are limited.

  As described above, although there is a possibility that a high-quality film can be formed by transferring the polysilazane film formed on the carrier to the surface of the substrate, the technology that makes it possible has been established so far. It was not reached.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. In the technology for forming a polysilazane film on the surface of a substrate, the polysilazane film formed on the carrier is transferred to form a good film on the substrate surface. The purpose is to provide technology that can be used.

  In order to achieve the above object, the film forming method according to the present invention uses a sheet-like support having a coating liquid containing polysilazane or a raw material thereof applied in a film shape, and a curing accelerating gas containing at least one of oxygen and water vapor. The film is heated by heating in an atmosphere to accelerate the curing of the coating liquid on the film surface, and the film is removed by removing the curing accelerating gas from the ambient atmosphere of the film or by lowering the temperature of the film. A curing suppression step for suppressing surface curing, and a transfer step for transferring the film to the substrate by bringing the surface of the film into close contact with the surface of the substrate after the curing suppression step.

  In the invention thus configured, the polysilazane coated on the carrier or the coating liquid film containing the raw material thereof is temporarily cured by heating in a curing accelerating gas atmosphere, particularly a curing accelerating gas. Curing of the surface of the film to be touched is promoted, and then the curing acceleration is stopped. Then, the film is transferred to the substrate in such a state that the viscosity of the film is increased to some extent and the progress of the increase in viscosity is suppressed.

  Since the viscosity of the film surface is very low when the coating solution is applied, for example, the film material penetrates into the trench and maintains the air gap for the substrate on which the trench is formed. It is difficult to transfer the film. On the other hand, the cured film has poor transferability to the substrate and also has poor peelability from the carrier, so that it is difficult to form a good quality film on the substrate.

  On the other hand, in the present invention, after temporarily accelerating the curing of the film, the transfer is performed in a state where the curing of the film is suppressed. For this reason, transfer can be performed while maintaining the viscosity of the film surface at the time of transfer moderately and with good controllability, and a good film can be formed on the substrate surface. For example, the film can be transferred to the substrate while maintaining the air gap by adhering to the substrate on which the trench is formed in a state where the viscosity of the film surface is appropriately increased.

  As a more specific aspect, for example, in the curing acceleration step, after the carrier coated with the coating liquid is accommodated in the chamber and the pressure in the chamber is reduced, the curing accelerating gas is introduced into the chamber while curing suppression is performed. In the process, the inside of the chamber may be decompressed again to exhaust the curing accelerating gas. While the curing of the film can be promoted by introducing a curing accelerating gas into the chamber containing the carrier, the curing can be suppressed by exhausting the gas from the chamber. Thereby, transfer can be performed with the film surface before transfer having a viscosity suitable for transfer. Further, by managing the ambient atmosphere of the film, it is possible to prevent impurities and dust from attaching to the film.

  Here, for example, in the curing acceleration step, the curing of the film may be controlled by adjusting at least one of the composition and pressure of the curing acceleration gas. These are all parameters that affect the degree of progress of the curing of the polysilazane film, and the control thereof is relatively easy. By controlling these, it is possible to appropriately adjust the viscosity of the film surface during transfer and transfer a good film to the substrate.

  Further, for example, in the curing acceleration step, the heating temperature of the carrier can be 180 ° C. or lower. It has been confirmed that the curing of polysilazane proceeds even at such a temperature under a curing accelerating gas atmosphere. Further, by keeping the heating at such a relatively low temperature, it is possible to use, for example, a resin sheet film as the carrier. For this reason, the cost and workability of film formation can be improved.

  Further, for example, a constant tension may be applied to the carrier during a period from the start of film hardening acceleration until the film surface is brought into close contact with the substrate surface. By doing so, wrinkles and damages generated on the film formed on the carrier and transferred to the substrate can be prevented. This is particularly effective when a sheet film-like carrier is used as described above.

  Further, for example, in the transfer step, the transfer may be performed with the lower surface of the substrate being brought into close contact with the surface of the film. For example, when transferring a film to a substrate in which a trench is formed, if the film is transferred so as to cover the substrate with the trench facing upward from above, the film is not completely cured. The air gap may be closed or the cross-sectional area may be reduced. Such a problem is prevented by making the surface of the substrate face down.

  Further, for example, the application of the coating liquid to the carrier and the curing acceleration step may be performed in the same chamber. By carrying out like this, since it can perform under atmosphere control from application | coating of a coating liquid to surface hardening, the quality of the film | membrane transferred to a board | substrate can be maintained favorable. Further, if the process up to the transfer process is performed in the same chamber, the effect is further increased.

  In order to achieve the above object, the film forming apparatus according to the present invention has a sheet-like carrier on which a coating liquid containing polysilazane or a raw material thereof is coated in a film shape, with the surface coated with the coating liquid facing upward. A carrier holding means for holding the carrier in a substantially horizontal state; heating the carrier held by the carrier holding means; and oxygen and water vapor on the coating liquid film applied to the surface of the carrier. A curing promoting means for promoting curing of the coating liquid on the film surface by supplying a curing accelerating gas containing at least one of the coating liquid and the substrate on the surface of the carrier are brought into close contact with each other, and the film is transferred to the substrate After the transfer unit and the curing accelerating unit heat the carrier and supply the curing accelerating gas to the film, stop at least one of the heating and the supply of the curing accelerating gas, After, it is characterized in that a control means for transferring the film on the substrate by the transfer means.

  In the invention configured as above, curing is temporarily accelerated by heating in a curing accelerating gas atmosphere on the film of the coating liquid containing polysilazane or its raw material applied to the carrier. Then, the film is transferred to the substrate in such a state that the viscosity of the film is increased to some extent and the progress of the increase in viscosity is suppressed. For this reason, transfer can be performed while maintaining the viscosity of the film surface at the time of transfer moderately and with good controllability, and a good film can be formed on the substrate surface. For example, the film can be transferred to the substrate while maintaining the air gap by adhering to the substrate on which the trench is formed in a state where the viscosity of the film surface is appropriately increased.

  Here, for example, the control means may control the curing of the film by adjusting at least one of the composition and the pressure of the curing accelerating gas. These are all parameters that affect the degree of progress of the curing of the polysilazane film, and the control thereof is relatively easy. By controlling these, it is possible to appropriately adjust the viscosity of the film surface during transfer and transfer a good film to the substrate.

  In another aspect of the film forming apparatus according to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the coating liquid is applied to a sheet-like carrier on which a coating liquid containing polysilazane or a raw material thereof is applied in a film shape. A carrier holding means for holding the formed surface upward in a substantially horizontal state, and heating the carrier held by the carrier holding means, and against the film of the coating liquid applied to the surface of the carrier Supplying a curing accelerating gas containing at least one of oxygen and water vapor to accelerate curing of the coating liquid on the film surface, and after stopping the supply of the curing accelerating gas from the curing accelerating unit, A removing means for removing the curing accelerating gas from the ambient atmosphere on the surface of the film, and a transfer means for bringing the substrate into close contact with the film on the surface of the carrier and transferring the film to the substrate. There.

  In the invention thus configured, the substrate on which the coating solution film is formed is heated in a curing accelerating gas atmosphere, whereby the curing of the surface of the film that touches the curing accelerating gas is temporarily accelerated. And since the hardening of the further film | membrane is suppressed by removal of hardening acceleration | stimulation gas, a film | membrane and a board | substrate can be closely_contact | adhered in the state in which the film | membrane surface maintained moderate viscosity. For this reason, transfer can be performed while maintaining the viscosity of the film surface at the time of transfer moderately and with good controllability, and a good film can be formed on the substrate surface.

  In this case, for example, a chamber having a processing space for accommodating the carrier and the substrate held by the carrier holding means is provided, and the curing accelerating means supplies the curing accelerating gas into the processing space, while the removing means is the processing space. It can be configured to exhaust the curing accelerating gas. While hardening acceleration | stimulation gas can be supplied to the process space of a chamber and hardening of a film | membrane can be accelerated | stimulated, progress of hardening can be suppressed by exhausting the hardening acceleration | stimulation gas from process space. As described above, the curing acceleration means and the removal means perform atmosphere control in the chamber, whereby the degree of progress of film curing can be appropriately controlled.

  Further, for example, the transfer unit may transfer the film to the substrate in the processing space. By doing so, it is easy to control the atmosphere until the film is transferred to the substrate, and it is possible to form a high-quality film free from impurities and dust.

  In the film forming apparatus according to the present invention, the curing accelerating means may supply heated curing accelerating gas to the film, for example. If it does in this way, since heating will also be performed simultaneously by supplying hardening acceleration | stimulation gas, the structure for heating a support body separately is not required. In addition, the heating temperature can be easily controlled.

  Or you may make it a hardening acceleration | stimulation means provide the lamp | ramp for heating a support body, for example. Curing of polysilazane can be promoted by lamp heating, and a lamp as a heat source can be easily incorporated in the chamber, so that the above-described effects can be obtained with a relatively simple apparatus configuration.

  In addition, the carrier holding means may hold the carrier in a state where a certain tension is applied until the film surface is brought into close contact with the surface of the substrate after the acceleration of the film hardening is started. By doing so, it is possible to prevent wrinkles and cracks from occurring on the film having increased viscosity. As a result, a flexible sheet material, for example, a resinous sheet film can be used as the carrier, and the convenience of the peeling work after the transfer of the film to the substrate can be greatly improved.

  In the present invention, for example, the transfer may be performed by holding the carrier with the film facing upward, and bringing the lower surface of the substrate into close contact with the surface (ie, the upper surface) of the film. While the transfer needs to be performed in a state where the film is not completely cured, a film that maintains such fluidity may fill the trench when it is in close contact with the substrate on which the trench is formed, for example. In particular, when transfer is performed with the substrate facing down and the film facing up, there is a high possibility that the transferred film will hang down due to gravity and fill the trench of the substrate. On the other hand, if the film is transferred onto the lower surface of the substrate, it is possible to avoid the filling of the trench relatively easily because no sag due to gravity occurs, and this makes it possible to form a good air gap.

  According to this invention, the coating liquid containing the material of the polysilazane film is applied to the surface of the support, and the viscosity of the film surface is adjusted by heating in a curing accelerating gas atmosphere. Therefore, an excellent polysilazane film can be formed on the substrate surface.

3 is a flowchart showing an outline of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention. It is a disassembled assembly perspective view which shows the structure of a ring body. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the coating device suitable for implementation of this invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a transfer device suitable for carrying out the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in a transfer apparatus. FIG. 6 is a first diagram schematically showing the operation of the transfer device. It is the 2nd figure showing operation of a transfer device typically. It is a structural example of the processing apparatus which performs an application | coating and hardening acceleration | stimulation process continuously. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the other structural example which performs a hardening acceleration process.

  FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an outline of a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention. In this method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the surface of a semiconductor substrate having a trench (groove) formed on the surface is covered with a silicon oxide film, and a semiconductor device having an air gap surrounded by the wall surface of the trench and the silicon oxide film is manufactured. Is the method. The film forming method according to the present invention is applied to form a polysilazane film on the surface of the semiconductor substrate as a pre-stage for forming the silicon oxide film on the surface of the semiconductor substrate.

In the process of FIG. 1, first, a resin sheet film that functions as a temporary polysilazane film carrier is prepared. Then, a coating liquid containing polysilazane or its raw material is applied to one surface of the sheet film by a spin coating method to form a polysilazane film on the surface of the sheet film (step S101). Polysilazane
- _(SiH 2 -NH) -
Is a polymer material having a basic structure. As the sheet film, a relatively heat resistant and chemically stable resin material such as polyethylene (PE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene), or the like can be preferably used.

  After coating the coating solution, the coating solution is dried. That is, the solvent contained in the coating solution applied to the sheet film is volatilized. Thereby, a thin film containing polysilazane is carried on the surface (upper surface) of the sheet film. Even if most of the solvent is volatilized, the polysilazane film generally has high fluidity at room temperature. Therefore, when the thin film is brought into close contact with the substrate in this state, the film material may enter the trench formed on the substrate surface and the trench may be buried.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the polysilazane thin film formed on the surface of the sheet film by coating is heated in an atmosphere containing oxygen, for example, as a gas (curing accelerating gas) having the property of accelerating its curing, thereby promoting the curing of the film surface. By doing so, it is prevented from being buried in the trench at the time of transfer (step S102; curing acceleration process). As a result, polysilazane changes to siloxane and is chemically stable. However, if the surface is cured too much, the transferability to the substrate is lowered, and therefore it is necessary to appropriately control the degree of curing.

  For that purpose, in addition to establishing the processing conditions for promoting the curing, it is necessary to prevent the excessive curing by performing a treatment for suppressing the curing when the film surface has an appropriate viscosity. Therefore, in this embodiment, after performing the curing acceleration process under predetermined processing conditions, a process for stopping it is performed (step S103). The details of the processing conditions for promoting the curing and the processing for stopping the curing acceleration will be described later.

  In this way, the polysilazane film whose surface viscosity is appropriately controlled is brought into close contact with the substrate surface and pressed to transfer the film to the substrate surface (step S104). Subsequently, only the sheet film is peeled from the laminated body composed of the sheet film, the polysilazane thin film, and the substrate thus integrated (step S105). Thus, a laminate composed of the substrate and the thin film is obtained.

  Although illustration is omitted, by subjecting the laminated body thus obtained to an appropriate heat treatment, a chemical reaction from polysilazane to siloxane proceeds, and finally the thin film changes to a very dense silicon oxide film. The silicon oxide film thus formed functions as an insulating film having excellent mechanical strength and withstand voltage.

  In this production method, a resin sheet film is used as a carrier for temporarily carrying the polysilazane film before being transferred to the substrate. Although such a sheet film is easy to bend and bend, the thin film formed on the surface may be deformed or torn. Therefore, it is preferable to maintain the sheet film in a tensioned state at least during the period from the end of application of the coating liquid to the start of transfer. As will be described below, in this embodiment, the sheet film is supported by a ring body that can be divided into two vertically. This ring body can also be handled by the thin film forming system described in Patent Document 2.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the ring body. This ring body RF is obtained by holding the sheet film F by sandwiching the peripheral portion of the resin sheet film F between the upper ring Rup and the lower ring Rlw. The upper ring Rup and the lower ring Rlw are, for example, circular rings formed of the same diameter with aluminum. Among these, a plate made of four magnetic materials (for example, iron or iron-based alloy) is formed on a part of the upper surface of the upper ring Rup. 91 is attached. The plate 91 is used for attracting and holding the ring body RF by a transport means (not shown) when the ring body RF is transported.

  A plurality of permanent magnets 92 are embedded in the upper ring Rup at positions different from the plate 91, while the same number of permanent magnets 93 are embedded in the lower ring Rlw. The permanent magnet 92 and the permanent magnet 93 are attached to positions facing each other when the upper ring Rup and the lower ring Rlw are overlapped with each other and have polarities that attract each other. For this reason, when the upper ring Rup and the lower ring Rlw are overlapped directly or with the sheet film F interposed therebetween, the upper and lower rings are integrated by the attractive force of the permanent magnet.

  Incisions 94 and 95 for positioning are provided at each of the outer peripheral surfaces of the upper ring Rup and the lower ring Rlw. The upper ring Rup is provided with a plurality of through holes 96, while the lower ring Rlw is also provided with a plurality of through holes 97. The through hole 96 of the upper ring Rup and the through hole 97 of the lower ring Rlw are provided at different positions. When the upper ring Rup and the lower ring Rlw are integrated, the respective through holes may overlap. There is no such thing. By inserting and pressing protrusion pins (not shown) into the through holes 96 and 97 arranged in this way, the upper and lower rings can be separated by overcoming the attractive force of the permanent magnet.

  Next, a specific configuration of an apparatus suitable for carrying out each of the above-described steps will be sequentially described. Each of the above steps can basically be executed by the apparatus configuration described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above or a partially modified version of the apparatus. It has a configuration particularly suitable for performing the process.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a coating apparatus suitable for carrying out the present invention. More specifically, the coating apparatus 100 is an apparatus that can suitably execute step S101 in the above-described manufacturing method (FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 3A, the coating apparatus 100 includes a substantially disc-shaped stage 101 supported by a support shaft 102 that is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis. A stepped portion 101b that is lower than the central portion 101a is provided on the periphery of the upper surface of the stage 101. As shown in FIG. 3B, the lower ring Rlw of the ring body holding the sheet film is fitted into the stepped portion 101b. At this time, the upper surface of the lower ring Rlw and the stage center portion 101a are It becomes the same plane.

  Above the rotation center of the stage 101, there is provided a coating nozzle 103 for discharging a coating liquid containing a polysilazane material that is fed from a coating liquid storage unit (not shown). As shown in FIG. 3B, the stage 101 rotates with the lower ring Rlw attached to the stage 101 and the sheet film F placed thereon, and the polysilazane is applied from the coating nozzle 103 to the upper surface of the sheet film F. Or the coating liquid P containing the material substance is supplied. The coating liquid P is thinly and uniformly spread on the upper surface of the sheet film F by the action of centrifugal force.

  On the other hand, an edge rinse nozzle 104 is provided above the peripheral edge of the stage 101, and the rinse liquid L is supplied toward the peripheral edge of the sheet film F placed on the stage 101. By making the discharge direction of the rinse liquid from the edge rinse nozzle 104 outward in the radial direction when viewed from the rotation center of the stage 101, it is possible to prevent the rinse liquid from adhering to other than the peripheral portion. Thereby, the coating liquid P at the peripheral edge is washed away, and after the application is finished, as shown in FIG. 3C, a thin film R made of polysilazane is formed at the central portion of the sheet film F excluding the peripheral edge. Here, the upper ring Rup is carried in and coupled to the lower ring Rlw, thereby forming a ring body RF in which the sheet film F on which the thin film R is formed is sandwiched between the upper and lower rings Rup and Rlw. Until the transfer of the thin film R to the substrate is completed, the sheet film F is conveyed in the state of the ring body RF.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a transfer apparatus suitable for carrying out the present invention. More specifically, this transfer apparatus is an apparatus that can suitably execute steps S102 to S104 in the above-described manufacturing method (FIG. 1), and FIG. 4 is a view of its internal structure as viewed from the side. In this apparatus, a transfer unit is installed in a processing space formed inside the processing chamber 1, and a thin film is formed on the substrate surface by the transfer unit in a reduced processing space. For convenience of explanation, directions of X, Y, and Z are defined as shown in FIG. The main configuration of this transfer apparatus is the same as that described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-192516 previously disclosed by the applicant of the present application, and in particular, a mechanism for holding the substrate and a structure for pressing the thin film against the substrate. As the mechanism, those described in the publication can be used, and the detailed description of these structures is omitted.

  This transfer unit includes an upper block 3 fixed to an upper plate 11 constituting the processing chamber 1 and a lower block 5 fixed to a bottom plate 19, and a substrate W that is a thin film formation target, and a thin film material The thin film on the sheet film F is transferred to the substrate W by sandwiching the sheet film F as a thin film carrier coated with the upper and lower blocks 3 and 5.

  In the following description, a symbol starting with “3” means that the component constitutes the upper block 3, while a component starting with “5” It shall mean that it constitutes the lower block 5.

  The processing space SP can be evacuated by a vacuum pump 85 connected to the processing chamber 1 through an exhaust pipe 851. The vacuum pump 85 is controlled by a control unit 81 that controls the entire apparatus. The vacuum pump 85 is operated in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 81 and can exhaust and depressurize the processing space SP. Further, the control unit 81 can adjust the exhaust amount from the processing space SP by the vacuum pump 85 and control the pressure (degree of vacuum) in the processing space SP.

  Further, the processing chamber 1 is connected to an oxygen gas supply source 87 and a nitrogen gas supply source 88 through a valve (not shown) whose opening and closing is controlled by a control unit 81. For this reason, oxygen gas and nitrogen gas can be introduced into the processing chamber 1 as necessary. The control unit 81 can control the composition of the atmosphere in the processing chamber 1 and the pressure thereof, and the composition in the processing chamber 1 is controlled to a predetermined pressure within a range from atmospheric pressure to several Pa. Filled with gas.

  In the processing space SP, first and second plates 34 and 54 are accommodated facing each other vertically. The first plate 34 is horizontally fixed and supported by an upper base member 31 fixed to the lower surface of the upper plate 11 constituting the processing chamber 1, and is positioned above the second plate 54. The first plate 34 constitutes a sample stage on which the substrate W is mounted, and the lower surface 342 facing the second plate 54 forms the mounting surface of the substrate W. The lower surface 342 of the first plate 34 is formed in a circular shape.

  The substrate W is mounted on the lower surface 342 of the first plate 34. The first plate 34 includes a heater 341 as a heating means inside. The heater 341 is electrically connected to the heater controller 83, and the heater controller 83 controls the heating of the heater 341 between 25 ° C. and 200 ° C. based on substrate temperature information from the control unit 81. Note that the lower surface 342 of the first plate 34 may be formed of a quartz plate.

  Here, as the substrate W as a thin film formation target, for example, a semiconductor wafer formed in a disk shape with a trench for element isolation formed on the surface can be preferably used, with the trench formation surface facing downward. It is attached to the lower surface 342 of the first plate 34.

  The upper plate 11 constituting the upper surface of the processing chamber 1 is provided with a substrate holding mechanism 300 that can hold or release the substrate W to be processed and can move the substrate W up and down. Is provided. In this substrate holding mechanism 300, a plurality of (in this embodiment, two) lifters 344 are supported so as to be movable up and down and movable in the horizontal direction. A claw member 345 is fixed to the lower end of each lifter 344. The upper surface of the claw member 345 is finished so that it can engage with the peripheral edge of the substrate W, and the substrate W can be placed on the claw member 345. In response to a control command from the control unit 81, the substrate holding mechanism 300 moves the claw member 345 attached to the lifter 344 by a predetermined distance in the vertical direction (Z direction) and the horizontal direction (X direction). As a result, the substrate W is gripped / released and pressed against the first plate 34.

  On the other hand, the second plate 54 is mounted on an elevating unit 52 provided so as to be movable up and down along the moving direction Z (vertical direction), and is disposed below the first plate 34 so as to face each other with its axis line aligned. . The elevating unit 52 has a lower base member 51 attached to the bottom plate 19, and a second plate 54 is fixedly supported on the lower base member 51. The second plate 54 constitutes a transfer plate on which the sheet film F is mounted, and an upper surface 542 facing the first plate 34 forms a mounting surface for the sheet film F. The upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 is formed in a circular shape. The sheet film F is formed in a circular shape larger than the substrate W, and a thin film is formed on the surface (thin film forming surface). Further, the planar size of the upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 is smaller than the planar size of the sheet film F. The upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 is formed of a quartz plate. The second plate 54 has a built-in heater 541 as a heating means. The heater 541 is electrically connected to the heater controller 84, and the heater controller 84 controls the heating of the heater 541 between 25 ° C. and 200 ° C. based on substrate temperature information from the control unit 81.

  The elevating unit 52 has a support shaft 513 that is integrally suspended at the center of the lower surface of the lower base member 51. The support shaft 513 is supported so as to be movable up and down along the movement direction Z, and is configured to be moved up and down by the weighted motor 53. That is, the weighting motor 53 is connected to the lower end of the support shaft 513, and the lifting unit 52 is moved up and down along the movement direction Z by operating the weighting motor 53 in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 81. Can do. The second plate 54 supported on the lower base member 51 moves up and down along the movement direction Z by the lifting and lowering of the lifting unit 52.

  In addition, an upper clamp 35 and a lower clamp 55 that hold the ring body RF by sandwiching a pair of rings Rup and Rlw from above and below are provided around the first and second plates 34 and 54. Each of the upper clamp 35 and the lower clamp 55 is an annular member having substantially the same inner diameter as the pair of rings Rup and Rlw, and these hold the ring body RF in the vertical direction (movement direction Z).

  The sheet film F in the ring body RF held by the upper clamp 35 and the lower clamp 55 is disposed between the first plate 34 and the second plate 54. Specifically, the surface (thin film forming surface) of the sheet film F on which the thin film is formed faces the first plate 34, while the back surface (non-thin film forming surface) side of the sheet film F faces the second plate 54. Further, the ring body RF is sandwiched between the upper and lower clamps.

  Of the two clamps, the lower clamp 55 is supported in a horizontal posture on a clamp receiver 555 composed of a plurality of (three in this embodiment) cylindrical bodies erected on the bottom plate 19. The clamp receivers 555 are arranged radially at equiangular (120 °) intervals around an axis J (hereinafter simply referred to as “center axis”) J that passes through the center of the upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 and extends in the movement direction Z. A concave portion that is recessed toward the inside capable of accommodating the lower end portion (lower ring Rlw) of the ring body RF is formed in the upper peripheral portion (annular portion) of the lower clamp 55. And by accommodating the lower end part of ring body RF in a hollow part, the horizontal movement of ring body RF can be controlled with the surrounding surface part which surrounds the circumference | surroundings of a hollow part.

  Further, on the lower base member 51, a plurality of (three in this embodiment) abutting pins 56 are radially arranged around the central axis J at equiangular (120 °) intervals and along the circumferential direction. It is erected so as to be positioned between the clamp receivers 555. On the other hand, on the lower surface of the lower clamp 55, pin insertion holes 553 into which the tip portions of the abutting pins 56 can be inserted are formed corresponding to the respective abutting pins 56. For this reason, when the elevating unit 52 is driven to rise, the front end portion of the abutting pin 56 is inserted into the pin insertion hole 553 and the step formed between the front end portion and the rear end portion of the abutting pin 56. The surface comes into contact with the lower surface of the lower clamp 55. Thereby, the butting pin 56 and the lower clamp 55 are engaged with each other. When the elevating unit 52 is further driven to rise in this state, the lower clamp 55 is separated from the clamp receiver 555 and is integrally lifted with the abutting pin 56 and the lower clamp 55 engaged. As a result, the second plate 54 and the ring body RF rise while maintaining a certain positional relationship.

  In order to fix the position of the lower clamp 55 in the horizontal direction, a plurality of positioning pins 514 are attached to the lower peripheral edge of the lower clamp 55 so as to extend downward. These positioning pins 514 are inserted into through holes 512 formed in the lower base member 51 along the movement direction Z. A ball spline mechanism or the like is interposed between the positioning pin 514 and the inner wall of the through hole 512, and the positioning pin 514 is supported so as to be movable (up and down) only along the movement direction Z via the ball spline mechanism or the like. The That is, the lower clamp 55 is supported to be movable up and down along the movement direction Z with respect to the lower base member 51 while being restricted from moving in a direction (horizontal direction) orthogonal to the movement direction Z. According to such a configuration, even when the elevating unit 52 (second plate 54) is moved along the movement direction Z, the relative positional relationship between the second plate 54 and the lower clamp 55 is ensured in the horizontal direction. Can be fixed to. Further, the second plate 54 and the lower clamp 55 (and the ring body RF supported by the second plate 54) can be prevented from shifting in the horizontal direction.

  The other clamp, that is, the upper clamp 35 is fixed to the lower ends of a plurality of rods 356 supported so as to be movable up and down. In this embodiment, three rods 356 are provided to extend upward from the upper clamp 35 radially around the central axis J at equal angular intervals (120 °). Each of the plurality of rods 356 is connected to an air cylinder 357 for driving the upper clamp 35 up and down along the movement direction Z. Then, the upper cylinder 35 can be moved up and down along the movement direction Z by the air cylinder 357 operating in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 81. Specifically, the upper clamp 35 is raised so that the ring body RF can be carried in and out of the second plate 54, while the upper clamp 35 is lowered and the ring body RF is clamped and fixed by the lower clamp 55. be able to.

  The air cylinder 357 is disposed on a disk-shaped top plate 312 fixed by a column 311 protruding outside the processing chamber 1, and contaminants such as particles generated from the air cylinder 357 are processed in the processing space. Mixing in the SP can be prevented. The drive mechanism that drives the upper clamp 35 to move up and down is not limited to the air cylinder, and other lift driving actuators other than the air cylinder may be used.

  A pressure regulating valve 358 is interposed between the air cylinder 357 and a compressed air supply source (not shown) for supplying compressed air to the air cylinder 357. The thrust of the rod 356 can be kept constant by adjusting the opening of the pressure regulating valve 358 in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 81. In this embodiment, a load sensor 86 that detects a load pressure that the support shaft 513 receives in the movement direction Z is provided. Based on the load pressure detected by the load sensor 86, the control unit 81 opens the opening of the pressure regulating valve 358. And feedback control is performed so as to keep the thrust of the rod 356 constant. Accordingly, the ring body RF placed on the lower clamp 55 can be pressed by the upper clamp 35 with a constant pressing force. That is, the sheet film F mounted on the ring body RF can be pressed from above with a constant pressing force.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the transfer apparatus. 6 and 7 are diagrams schematically showing the operation of the transfer device. First, a sheet film F having a polysilazane film formed on the surface, actually a ring body RF in which the sheet film F is sandwiched between upper and lower rings Rup and Rlw, and a substrate W to which the film is to be transferred, are processed in a processing chamber 1. It carries in (step S201). At this time, as shown in FIG. 6A, the substrate W is held in close contact with the lower surface 342 of the first plate 34 with the trench formation surface facing downward.

  On the other hand, the ring body RF carried into the processing chamber 1 is sandwiched between the upper clamp 35 and the lower clamp 55. Next, the second plate 54 rises, and as shown in FIG. 6B, the central portion of the sheet film F is pushed upward by the upper surface 542 of the second plate 54, thereby applying tension to the sheet film F. . The positional relationship between the second plate 54 and the lower clamp 55 in the vertical direction (Z direction) is defined by the abutment pin 56, and the tension applied to the sheet film F is constant. In FIGS. 6B and 6C, the upper and lower clamps are not shown in order to make the state of each part easier to see.

  At this time, the polysilazane thin film R carried on the sheet film F is in a state of high fluidity after coating. Therefore, in order to adjust the viscosity of the film R, the above-described curing acceleration process is executed. Specifically, the pressure in the processing chamber 1 is reduced to, for example, about 200 Pa while the sheet film F and the substrate W are accommodated (step S202, FIG. 7A). This decompression facilitates control of the atmosphere in the subsequent processing, and by excluding air from the processing chamber 1 in advance, to reliably manage the degree of curing of the polysilazane film that proceeds by reaction with oxygen. It is. Prior to decompression, nitrogen gas may be introduced into the processing chamber 1 from the nitrogen gas supply source 88 to purge oxygen in the chamber.

  Subsequently, the temperature of the second plate 54 is raised by the heater 541 provided on the second plate 54, and the sheet film F and the thin film R carried thereon are heated (step S203). At this point, since the oxygen concentration in the surrounding atmosphere is low, the curing of the thin film R hardly proceeds.

  When the temperature of the thin film R reaches a predetermined temperature, oxygen is introduced into the processing chamber 1 from the oxygen gas supply source 87 (step S204, FIG. 7B). The pressure in the processing chamber 1 at this time is managed by the control unit 81 and the vacuum pump 85, and can be, for example, about 2000 Pa. By heating the thin film R in an atmosphere containing oxygen in this way, the chemical change of polysilazane to siloxane proceeds, and the curing of the film proceeds. By managing the heating temperature and the amount of oxygen (pressure) in the atmosphere, the degree of progress of curing can be controlled.

  For the purpose of curing polysilazane, heating in an atmosphere containing oxygen is a requirement. In this sense, the atmosphere in the processing chamber 1 is not necessarily pure oxygen. For example, it may be a mixed gas of oxygen and nitrogen supplied from an oxygen gas supply source 87 and a nitrogen gas supply source 88, respectively, or may be air. In these cases, the degree of curing can be controlled by managing the partial pressure of oxygen in the atmosphere. Moreover, you may add the water vapor | steam which has the hardening promotion effect | action with respect to polysilazane like oxygen to these atmospheres.

  After maintaining this state for a predetermined time (step S205), the supply of oxygen from the oxygen gas supply source 87 is stopped, and the inside of the processing chamber 1 is again decompressed (200 Pa or less), so that oxygen is supplied from the processing chamber 1. Eliminate (step S206, FIG. 7C). This suppresses the progress of film curing. In order to suppress the progress of curing, it is conceivable to remove oxygen from the ambient atmosphere or to lower the film temperature. However, a method of removing oxygen is preferable in that curing can be stopped more rapidly. Further, from the viewpoint of ensuring transferability to the substrate, it is desirable to heat the thin film, and from this point as well, a method of removing oxygen is preferable.

  Subsequently, the substrate W is also heated by the heater 341 provided on the first plate 34 (step S207), and in this state, the film R on the sheet film F and the substrate W are brought into close contact with each other and pressed to thereby form the substrate on the substrate. (Step S208). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6C, the weight motor 53 is operated to integrally raise the ring body RF and the second plate 54, so that the film R and the substrate W on the sheet film F are moved. The state of being in close contact and pressurizing so that the load measured by the load sensor 86 becomes a predetermined value is continued for a certain period of time.

  Thereafter, heating by the heaters 341 and 541 is stopped, and after the holding of the substrate W by the claw member 345 is released, the second plate 54 is lowered and separated from the first plate 34 (step S209). At this time, since the holding of the substrate W is released and the thin film R on the sheet film F is transferred to the substrate W, the substrate W remains attached to the upper surface of the sheet film F with the ring body RF. It will go down together.

  Thus, the ring body RF integrated with the substrate W is transferred to a peeling device (not shown) (step S210), and the thin film R is left on the substrate W to peel only the sheet film F. As the peeling device in this case, for example, the device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-239072 previously disclosed by the applicant of the present application can be suitably applied as it is. The description of is omitted.

  Next, processing conditions for the curing acceleration processing will be described. The inventor of this application evaluated the degree of curing of the film by variously changing the processing conditions of such curing acceleration processing. Specifically, a perhydropolysilazane solution that is commercially available for semiconductor applications is used as a coating solution, and after performing curing acceleration treatment under various conditions, the film is transferred to the substrate without the film being embedded in the trench. It was evaluated whether an air gap could be formed. As the curing accelerating gas, air added with water vapor was used.

  As a result, for example, when the film thickness of the polysilazane film is about 100 nm to 150 nm, curing acceleration treatment is performed for about 300 seconds at a film temperature of 175 ° C. and a chamber pressure of 10000 Pa (oxygen partial pressure of about 2000 Pa). When the pressure was 5 kgf and the pressurizing time was 60 seconds, an air gap was formed without the film being embedded in the trench. When the temperature in the curing acceleration treatment was lower than the above, the film was embedded in the trench, and no air gap was formed. In addition, embedding occurs even when the curing acceleration time (exposure time in an oxygen atmosphere) is short. On the other hand, if the treatment time is long, transferability to the substrate is remarkably deteriorated, and the film does not adhere to the substrate. There was a problem that it could not be peeled off.

  For example, when the film thickness of the polysilazane film is about 300 nm to 400 nm, it is necessary for the film to be cured to an appropriate viscosity under such conditions that the curing proceeds more specifically. A time of about 300 seconds to 420 seconds was suitable. As in the above example, embedding occurred when the film temperature was low or the processing time was short, and there was a tendency that transferability was lowered when the processing time was long. If the film temperature is to be higher than 180 ° C., the sheet film itself is deteriorated by heat.

  As described above, in this embodiment, after applying the coating liquid containing the material substance of the polysilazane film to the sheet film, a curing acceleration treatment is performed to accelerate the curing of the film in a controlled environment, and further the acceleration of the curing is performed. The film is transferred to the substrate after the process of stopping is performed to suppress the progress of curing. Specifically, curing of the polysilazane film is promoted by heating the film in a curing accelerating gas atmosphere containing oxygen or water vapor that has a curing accelerating action on polysilazane. At this time, while controlling the progress of curing by managing the processing conditions such as the composition of the atmosphere, pressure, heating temperature, processing time, etc., after the processing is stopped, the acceleration of curing is stopped immediately, and the excessive curing proceeds. To prevent.

  By transferring a film that has been properly cured and increased in viscosity to the substrate, it is possible to transfer a high-quality film to the substrate without burying the trenches formed on the substrate and without impairing the transferability. It is.

  Further, in the curing acceleration processing of this embodiment, after the curing acceleration gas whose composition and pressure are controlled is introduced into the processing chamber for a certain period of time, the atmosphere in the chamber is exhausted to stop the acceleration of the curing. . By evacuating the curing accelerating gas as a method for stopping the acceleration of curing, the progress of the curing can be quickly stopped, and the viscosity of the film can be controlled appropriately.

  In this embodiment, the curing of the polysilazane film and the transfer to the substrate are continuously performed in the same processing chamber 1. By doing so, management of the ambient atmosphere from curing to transfer is facilitated, and the viscosity of the film at the time of transfer can be controlled more accurately. Further, it is possible to prevent impurities from being mixed into the film transferred to the substrate.

  Further, by promoting and curing the film in a state where a certain tension is applied to the sheet film F, a high-quality film free from wrinkles and tears can be formed and transferred to the substrate.

  In addition, by transferring the film with the trench formation surface of the substrate on which the trench is formed facing downward, it is effectively prevented that the film having fluidity hangs down due to the action of gravity and fills the trench.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the upper and lower rings Rup and Rlw, the upper and lower clamps 35 and 55, etc., that hold the sheet film F functioning as the “supporting body” of the present invention are integrated into the “supporting body holding means of the present invention. Is functioning. In addition, the oxygen gas supply source 87, the vacuum pump 85, the heater 541, and the like integrally function as the “curing acceleration unit” of the present invention, and the control unit 81 functions as the “control unit” of the present invention. The vacuum pump 85 also has a function as the “removing means” of the present invention.

  Further, the first plate 34, the second plate 54, a mechanism for driving these, and the like function as a “transfer means” of the present invention as a whole, and the processing chamber 1 functions as a “chamber” of the present invention. Yes.

<First Modification>
In the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the coating liquid containing the polysilazane material is applied to the sheet film F by the coating device, and then the sheet film F is transferred to the transfer device to perform the curing acceleration process and the transfer process in one chamber. Yes. Instead of this, it is also possible to continuously perform the application of the coating liquid and the curing acceleration treatment in one chamber.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration of a processing apparatus that continuously performs coating and curing acceleration processing. As shown in FIG. 8A, the processing apparatus 1000 includes a processing chamber 1100, and support shafts 1102, 1107, and 1108 that are rotatable about a substantially vertical axis are provided therein. A stage 1101 on which a sheet film F can be placed is attached to the support shaft 1102. Further, a swing arm having a coating nozzle 1103 attached to the tip is attached to the support shaft 1107, and a swing arm having an edge rinse nozzle 1104 attached to the tip is attached to the support shaft 1108.

  A lamp unit 1110 including a support shaft 1106 that can move up and down, one or more lamps 1111 and a lamp cover 1112 is disposed above the stage 1101 in the processing chamber 1000. Each lamp 1111 is used as a heat source for heating the coating liquid (polysilazane film) by its radiant heat, and for example, a halogen lamp can be used. The lamp cover 1112 limits the radiation direction of heat and light radiated from the lamp 1111 to the stage 1101 side. These move toward and away from the stage 1101 integrally as the support shaft 1106 moves up and down. Although not shown, a control unit for controlling the operation of each of the above parts is separately provided.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the processing apparatus of FIG. In the initial state, the application nozzle 1103, the edge rinse nozzle 1104, and the lamp unit 1110 are positioned at positions separated from the stage 1101. First, the lower ring Rlw and the sheet film F constituting the ring body RF are carried into the processing chamber 1100 and placed on the stage 1101 (step S301). Next, the stage 1101 starts to rotate (step S302), and the application nozzle 1103 and the edge rinse nozzle 1104 are arranged at predetermined application positions shown in FIG. 8A (step S303). That is, by rotating the support shaft, the coating nozzle 1103 is positioned above the rotation center of the stage 1101 and the edge rinse nozzle 1104 is positioned above the peripheral edge of the stage 1101.

  Then, a coating liquid containing a material substance of the polysilazane film is discharged from the coating nozzle 1103 and applied to the sheet film F, and edge rinse is performed by discharging a rinsing liquid from the edge rinse nozzle 1104 (step S304). A splash guard 1105 is installed around the stage 1101 to prevent scattering of the liquid shaken off from the periphery by the rotation of the stage 1101.

  When the application is completed in this manner, the application nozzle 1103 and the edge rinse nozzle 1104 are retracted from the stage 1101 (step S305), and the lamp unit 1110 is lowered instead, and is positioned immediately above the stage 1101 as shown in FIG. 8B. (Step S306).

  Subsequently, the lamp 1111 is turned on to heat the coating liquid P on the sheet film F (step S307). At this time, similarly to the previous embodiment, the atmosphere in the processing chamber 1100 is appropriately adjusted to promote the curing of the polysilazane film. The viscosity of the cured polysilazane film can be controlled by the lamp irradiation temperature, irradiation time, stage rotation speed, atmosphere in the processing chamber, and the like. If a halogen lamp that rises quickly at the time of lighting is used as the lamp 1111, it is possible to accurately manage the irradiation time.

  After heating the lamp for a predetermined time, the lamp 1111 is turned off and the lamp unit 1110 is retracted upward (step S308) to stop the acceleration of curing. Similarly to the above embodiment, exhaust in the chamber may be combined. Thereafter, the upper ring Rup is carried in and engaged with the lower ring Rlw to form the ring body RF, and the sheet film F on which the polysilazane film is formed is transferred to the transfer device together with the ring body RF (step S309). Although the transfer device shown in FIG. 4 can be used as the transfer device, since the curing acceleration treatment has already been performed, the transfer device can omit the heating of the thin film in the curing acceleration gas atmosphere. .

<Second Modification>
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another configuration example for executing the curing acceleration process. In the curing acceleration process of the above embodiment, by heating the second plate 54, the thin film R is heated via the sheet film F in contact with the surface 542, and the curing acceleration gas is introduced into the processing chamber 1, The curing of the polysilazane film is promoted. Instead, as described below, the curing acceleration treatment can be performed with good controllability by supplying a temperature-adjusted curing acceleration gas to the thin film R. In the following, the same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10A, a gas discharge head 1200 that discharges the temperature-adjusted curing accelerating gas toward the thin film R on the sheet film F above the sheet film F placed on the second plate 54. Are configured to be close to each other. That is, the gas discharge head 1200 is connected to a moving means (not shown) in the chamber, and the gas discharge head 1200 can be moved close to and away from the second plate 54 as necessary. The gas discharge head 1200 has a cavity 1209 inside, and a gas containing at least one of oxygen, air, and water vapor as a curing accelerating gas from an external gas supply source via a gas introduction port 1201 communicating with the cavity 1209. Is introduced into the cavity 1209.

  A plurality of gas supply paths 1202 communicate with the cavity 1209, and the other end of each gas supply path 1202 opens to the lower surface of the gas discharge head 1200 to form a gas discharge port 1204. The gas discharge ports 1204 are distributed and arranged at a substantially constant density on the lower surface of the gas discharge head 1200. A heater 1203 is provided so as to surround each gas supply path 1202. Further, the gas supply path 1202 itself may be constituted by a heating element.

  In such a configuration, the curing accelerating gas supplied from the gas supply source is heated by the heater 1203 while passing through the gas supply path 1202 and supplied to the thin film R as a high-temperature gas. Thereby, hardening of the thin film R can be promoted. Therefore, it is not always necessary to raise the temperature of the second plate 54. Moreover, it is possible to suppress the progress of curing by stopping the gas supply.

  On the other hand, in another example shown in FIG. 10B, for example, a ceramic heater in which the cavity 1309 of the gas discharge head 1300 is greatly opened downward, and a large number of through holes are provided in the inside thereof. A heater 1303 made of the above and a tip member 1304 made of a porous material through which gas can pass are mounted.

  In such a configuration, the curing accelerating gas guided to the cavity 1309 is heated by the heater 1303 and is supplied to the thin film R through the tip member 1304 as a high-temperature gas. Thereby, hardening of the thin film R is accelerated | stimulated. By discharging the gas through such a porous tip member 1304, the curing promoting gas in the cavity 1309 is appropriately and efficiently heated even in an environment where the pressure in the processing chamber is reduced, and the temperature and supply A stable amount of curing accelerating gas can be supplied to the thin film R, and the degree of curing of the thin film R can be controlled appropriately.

  In these modified examples, the gas discharge heads 1200 and 1300 each function as “curing promoting means” of the present invention. It should be noted that any of these methods for promoting the curing of the thin film by supplying a heated curing accelerating gas can be applied in place of the lamp heating in the apparatus shown in FIG.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, a polysilazane film is formed on the resin sheet film F, and the sheet film functions as the “supporting body” of the present invention. However, the supporting body is not limited to such a film shape. . The material is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, a disk-shaped resin plate, a quartz plate, or the like can function as the carrier of the present invention.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment is a manufacturing method and apparatus which implement | achieves an air gap structure by transcribe | transferring a polysilazane film | membrane on the surface of the board | substrate in which the trench was formed, the application object of this invention is not limited to this. For example, the manufacturing method of the present invention can be applied to thin film formation that does not aim to form an air gap.

  In the above embodiment, the sheet film F is held in a tensioned state by sandwiching the sheet film F with the upper and lower rings Rup and Rlw. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a long sheet Tension may be applied to the sheet by stretching the film on a roller or the like.

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for photomask, a glass substrate for liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for plasma display, a substrate for FED (Field Emission Display), a substrate for optical disk, a substrate for magnetic disk, a substrate for magneto-optical disk, etc. The present invention can be suitably applied to a technique in which the entire substrate including the substrate is a processing target and the polysilazane film is transferred to these substrates. In particular, it is suitable for a technique for manufacturing a semiconductor device having an air gap structure by film transfer.

1 Processing chamber (chamber)
34 First plate (transfer means)
35 Upper clamp (supporting body holding means)
54 Second plate (transfer means)
55 Lower clamp (supporting body holding means)
81 Control unit (control means)
85 Vacuum pump (curing acceleration means, removal means)
87 Oxygen gas supply source (hardening acceleration means)
541 Heater (hardening acceleration means)
F ... Sheet film (support)
R ... Thin film Rup ... Upper ring (supporting body holding means)
Rlw ... Lower ring (supporting body holding means)
W ... Board

Claims (16)

A sheet-like carrier on which a coating liquid containing polysilazane or its raw material is applied in a film shape is heated in a curing accelerating gas atmosphere containing at least one of oxygen and water vapor to cure the coating liquid on the film surface. A curing acceleration step to promote;
A curing inhibiting step of suppressing curing of the film surface by removing the curing accelerating gas from the ambient atmosphere of the film or lowering the temperature of the film;
And a transfer step of transferring the film to the substrate by bringing the surface of the film into close contact with the surface of the substrate after the curing suppressing step.   In the curing accelerating step, the carrier applied with the coating liquid is accommodated in a chamber and the inside of the chamber is decompressed, and then the curing accelerating gas is introduced into the chamber. The film forming method according to claim 1, wherein the pressure in the chamber is reduced again to exhaust the curing accelerating gas.   The film forming method according to claim 1, wherein in the curing acceleration step, the curing of the film is controlled by adjusting at least one of a composition and a pressure of the curing acceleration gas.   The film forming method according to claim 1, wherein the heating temperature of the carrier is 180 ° C. or lower in the curing acceleration step.   5. The film forming method according to claim 1, wherein a constant tension is applied to the carrier during a period from the start of curing acceleration of the film until the surface of the film is brought into close contact with the surface of the substrate. .   The film forming method according to claim 1, wherein, in the transfer step, transfer is performed by bringing the surface of the film into close contact with the lower surface of the substrate.   The film forming method according to claim 1, wherein the coating liquid is applied to the carrier and the curing acceleration step is performed in the same chamber. A carrier holding means for holding a sheet-like carrier on which a coating liquid containing polysilazane or its raw material is applied in a film shape, and holding the surface on which the coating liquid is applied in an approximately horizontal state;
While heating the carrier held by the carrier holding means, supplying a curing accelerating gas containing at least one of oxygen and water vapor to the coating liquid film applied to the surface of the carrier, Curing acceleration means for accelerating the curing of the coating liquid on the film surface;
A transfer means for bringing the substrate into close contact with the film on the surface of the carrier and transferring the film to the substrate;
After heating the carrier and supplying the curing accelerating gas to the film by the curing accelerating means, at least one of the heating and the supply of the curing accelerating gas is stopped, and then the transferring means A film forming apparatus comprising: control means for transferring the film to the substrate.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the curing of the film by adjusting at least one of a composition and a pressure of the curing accelerating gas. A carrier holding means for holding a sheet-like carrier on which a coating liquid containing polysilazane or its raw material is applied in a film shape, and holding the surface on which the coating liquid is applied in an approximately horizontal state;
While heating the carrier held by the carrier holding means, supplying a curing accelerating gas containing at least one of oxygen and water vapor to the coating liquid film applied to the surface of the carrier, Curing acceleration means for accelerating the curing of the coating liquid on the film surface;
Removing means for removing the curing accelerating gas from the ambient atmosphere of the film surface after the supply of the curing accelerating gas from the curing accelerating means is stopped;
A film forming apparatus comprising: a transfer unit configured to bring a substrate into close contact with the film on the surface of the carrier and transfer the film to the substrate. A chamber having a processing space for accommodating the carrier and the substrate held by the carrier holding means;
The film forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the curing accelerating unit supplies the curing accelerating gas into the processing space, and the removing unit exhausts the curing accelerating gas from the processing space.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the transfer unit transfers the film to the substrate in the processing space.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the curing accelerating unit supplies the heated curing accelerating gas to the film.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the curing accelerating unit includes a lamp for heating the carrier.   9. The carrier holding means holds the carrier in a state in which a constant tension is applied until the film surface is brought into close contact with the surface of the substrate after the start of curing of the film. 15. The film forming apparatus according to any one of 14 to 14. The film formation according to claim 8, wherein the carrier holding unit holds the carrier with the film facing upward, and the transfer unit causes the lower surface of the substrate to adhere to the surface of the film. apparatus.

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