JP2013197207A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus that forms an oxide film with excellent film quality at low temperature.SOLUTION: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing chamber 201; a first heat source 207 that heats a substrate 200 in the processing chamber 201 to a first temperature; a preliminary reaction chamber 301; a second heat source 302 that heats the interior of the preliminary reaction chamber 301 to a second temperature that is equal to or higher than the first temperature; an oxygen-containing gas feed system 232a that feeds oxygen-containing gas into the preliminary reaction chamber 301; a hydrogen-containing gas feed system 232b that feeds hydrogen-containing gas into the preliminary reaction chamber 301; a connecting section 330 that connects the preliminary reaction chamber 301 and the processing chamber 201; a first exhaust system 231 that evacuates the interior of the processing chamber 201; a second exhaust system 320 that is connected to the connecting section 330 and exhausts gas fed from the preliminary reaction chamber 301 without feeding the gas into the processing chamber 201; and pressure regulating sections 242 and 245 that regulate pressures inside the processing chamber 201 and the preliminary reaction chamber 301 in such a manner that the pressures are less than atmospheric pressure.

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus used when manufacturing a semiconductor device such as an IC from a semiconductor wafer such as silicon.

As a technique for forming an oxide film on a semiconductor wafer such as silicon, a SiO ₂ film (HTO (High Temperature Oxide) using DCS (dichlorosilane, SiH ₂ Cl ₂ ) and N ₂ O by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method is used. ) Film), SiO ₂ film (TEOS film) using O ₃ (O ₂ ) and TEOS (tetraethoxysilane, Si (OC ₂ H ₅ ) ₄ ), etc. There are various technologies such as dry oxidation, halogen oxidation, wet oxidation with water vapor, and oxidation using atomic oxygen, and they are used in various processes and applications in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

Among such techniques, the method of introducing oxygen gas and hydrogen gas from each independent gas supply system into a reaction chamber in a reduced-pressure atmosphere is an oxidation treatment method in which the reaction with the silicon substrate proceeds before moisture is formed. Therefore, the growth rate at the initial stage of oxidation is high, and the difference in the growth rate between different plane orientations of the silicon substrate or on Si ₃ N ₄ is reduced. As a result, the difference in film thickness can be remarkably reduced, and isotropic oxidation is possible. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

International Publication WO2005 / 020309 Pamphlet

  A thermal oxide film on a silicon substrate formed by using the oxidation method described in Patent Document 1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as isotropic oxidation) has excellent interface characteristics and is excellent in various oxide film characteristics. This oxidation method is widely adopted as one of key processes for devices that require high reliability such as a tunnel oxide film forming process of flash memory.

  However, when it is necessary to lower the various processing temperatures with the progress of microfabrication in recent years, it has become an unavoidable problem that the quality of the oxide film is lowered along with the lowering of the processing temperature.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of forming an oxide film having excellent film quality at a low temperature.

According to one aspect of the invention,
A processing chamber for accommodating the substrate;
A first heating source for heating the substrate in the processing chamber to a first temperature;
A reaction preparatory chamber for reacting multiple types of gases;
A second heating source for heating the preliminary reaction chamber to a second temperature equal to or higher than the first temperature;
An oxygen-containing gas supply system for supplying an oxygen-containing gas into the reaction preparatory chamber;
A hydrogen-containing gas supply system for supplying a hydrogen-containing gas into the reaction preparatory chamber;
A connection for connecting the reaction preparatory chamber and the processing chamber;
A first exhaust system for evacuating the processing chamber;
A second exhaust system that is connected to the connecting portion and exhausts the gas supplied from the reaction preparatory chamber without supplying it to the processing chamber;
A pressure adjusting unit that adjusts the pressure in the processing chamber and the reaction preparatory chamber to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure;
A substrate processing apparatus is provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the substrate processing apparatus which can form the oxide film excellent in film quality at low temperature is provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between the film formation temperature and the wet etching rate. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between the oxidizing power and the film forming temperature of a plurality of low temperature oxide film forming techniques. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the amount of atomic oxygen generated in the processing chamber and the temperature in the processing chamber. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the amount of atomic oxygen when preheating is not performed in the reaction preparatory chamber. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vertical processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus suitably used in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a vertical section of the processing furnace. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vertical processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus suitably used in a first modification of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a processing furnace part in a vertical cross-sectional view. FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vertical processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus suitably used in a second modification of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a processing furnace part in a vertical cross-sectional view. FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vertical processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus suitably used in a third modification of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a processing furnace part in a vertical sectional view. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vertical processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus suitably used in a fourth modification of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a processing furnace part in a vertical cross-sectional view. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vertical processing furnace of a base processing apparatus suitably used in a fifth modification of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 (a) is a longitudinal sectional view of the processing furnace part. FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the processing furnace part in a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a single wafer processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus suitably used in a sixth modification of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is a view showing a processing furnace part in a longitudinal sectional view. . FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram of a single wafer processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus suitably used in a seventh modification of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is a view showing a processing furnace part in a longitudinal sectional view. . FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a controller of the substrate processing apparatus suitably used in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

  First, a preliminary experiment conducted by the present inventors will be described. The present inventors investigated the relationship between the film formation temperature and the film quality. The result is shown in FIG. As an index of film quality, a wet etching rate (WER) meaning hydrofluoric acid resistance was used. The concentration of hydrofluoric acid used was 0.5%. In the oxide film and thermal oxide film formed by three types of CVD methods, it can be seen that the oxide film formed at a low temperature has a higher wet etching rate, and is an oxide film that is not dense and has poor film quality. .

Although it is necessary to lower the film formation temperature, there is a problem that the film quality deteriorates when the film is formed at a low temperature. One possible countermeasure is to form an oxide film at a low temperature using plasma excitation. However, plasma damage may remain in the film, and charge-up will occur, affecting the device. there is a possibility. Although a method called O ₃ oxidation is also conceivable, since O ₃ is easily decomposed into O ₂ , operability and controllability are difficult.

  Referring to FIG. 1 again, the wet etching rate of the oxide film formed using atomic oxygen is equal to that of the thermal oxide film at 900 ° C., and hardly changes even when the film formation temperature is lowered. Recognize.

FIG. 2 shows the oxidizing power of a plurality of low-temperature oxide film forming techniques. The oxidizing power was measured using the thickness of the oxide film formed when oxidized for 5 minutes. The horizontal axis is the film forming temperature, and the vertical axis is the film thickness. When the film forming temperature is 300 ° C., the oxidizing power is strong in the order of O ₂ plasma> O ₃ > atomic oxygen (O). However, when the temperature is higher than that, the oxidizing power by atomic oxygen rises to 400 ° C. When it exceeds, the oxidizing power by atomic oxygen becomes larger than the oxidizing power by O _{3, and} it can be seen that the oxidation by atomic oxygen has the strongest oxidizing power at a film forming temperature of 450 ° C.

  Atomic oxygen is generated when a hydrogen-containing gas and an oxygen-containing gas pass through a heating unit heated to a temperature above a certain temperature and under a pressure (reduced pressure) below atmospheric pressure. By introducing the atomic oxygen thus generated into the processing chamber, it can be expected that a silicon oxide film having excellent film quality can be formed at a low temperature.

  The relationship between the generation amount of atomic oxygen (O), which is a reactive species generated when oxygen gas and hydrogen gas are introduced into a processing chamber under a heated reduced-pressure atmosphere, and the processing chamber temperature is represented by CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics). : Computational fluid dynamics) analysis. FIG. 3 shows the CFD analysis result. The horizontal axis in FIG. 3 indicates the distance from the Inlet (gas supply port) (synonymous with the gas residence time), and the vertical axis indicates the molar fraction of atomic oxygen (O).

  From FIG. 3, when the temperature in the processing chamber is high, the reaction rate is fast, and the maximum amount of atomic oxygen generated is obtained in a short time. On the other hand, as the temperature in the processing chamber decreases, the reaction rate becomes slower, the amount of atomic oxygen generated is small near the processing chamber inlet (Inlet), and the reaction proceeds downstream in the gas flow direction, generating atomic oxygen. There is a delay in the time when the amount is maximum. In addition, the maximum amount of atomic oxygen that can be obtained depends on the temperature in the processing chamber, and the maximum amount of atomic oxygen that can be obtained in the low-temperature treatment is relatively reduced. Since the oxidizing power depends on the amount of atomic oxygen generated, the growth rate of the silicon oxide film is relatively slow in low temperature processing in which the maximum amount of atomic oxygen generated is relatively reduced.

  For these reasons, a pre-reaction chamber having a second heating source is placed in front of a reaction chamber (processing chamber) having a first heating source for heating the substrate to the first temperature, and the pressure is lower than atmospheric pressure. The oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas are introduced into the reaction preparatory chamber heated to the second temperature higher than the first temperature by the second heating source, and the atomic state as the reactive species By generating oxygen, supply atomic oxygen at a concentration equivalent to atomic oxygen, which is a reactive species obtained when high-temperature processing is performed, to a reaction chamber containing a substrate, which is an object that requires low-temperature processing. It is possible to do it. In addition, even if the processing temperature is lowered, the film quality and silicon oxide film characteristics equivalent to those of the silicon oxide film at the time of high temperature processing can be obtained, and the film forming speed can be improved even in the low temperature processing. Conceivable.

An example is shown. As a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus having a processing chamber having a first heating source for heating the substrate to a first temperature, and a reaction preparatory chamber having a second heating source, which is installed in the front stage of the processing chamber. In the case where the oxidation process is performed on the wafer, the O ₂ gas and the H ₂ gas are preheated and reacted under reduced pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber to generate reactive species, and the reactive species are generated under the depressurized processing chamber. when supplied to the (hereinafter, the case of there preheating), when supplying O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas into the process chamber directly under a reduced pressure without preheating (hereinafter, the case of no preheating) The amount of atomic oxygen (O) that is a reactive species in the processing chamber was determined by CFD analysis. The temperature and pressure in the preliminary reaction chamber are 900 ° C. and 60 Pa, respectively, and the temperature and pressure in the processing chamber are 600 ° C. and 60 Pa, respectively. FIG. 4 shows the CFD analysis result. The diagram on the left side of FIG. 4 shows the amount of atomic oxygen (O) generated in the reaction preparatory chamber with preheating, and the diagram on the right side of FIG. 4 shows the case with preheating and without preheating. The amount of atomic oxygen (O) generated in the processing chamber is shown. The horizontal axis of the diagram on the left side of FIG. 4 indicates the distance (synonymous with gas residence time) from Inlet (gas supply port into the reaction preparatory chamber), and the vertical axis indicates the molar fraction of atomic oxygen (O). Is shown. In addition, the horizontal axis of the right side of FIG. 4 indicates the distance (synonymous with the gas residence time) from the Inlet (gas supply port into the processing chamber), and the vertical axis indicates the molar amount of atomic oxygen (O). Shows the rate.

   FIG. 4 shows that the absolute amount of atomic oxygen (O) introduced into the processing chamber is increased in the case with preheating as compared with the case without preheating. It is considered possible to gain power.

The inventors of the present invention provide a substrate processing including a processing chamber having a first heating source for heating a substrate to a first temperature, and a reaction preparatory chamber having a second heating source, which is installed in the front stage of the processing chamber. In the case where O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas are preheated and reacted under reduced pressure to react with each other by using an apparatus to generate a reactive species, and this reactive species is supplied into a processing chamber under reduced pressure (hereinafter, referred to as “reacted species”). In the case of preheating), it has been found that atomic oxygen (O), which is a reactive species, may not be supplied into the processing chamber, and as a result of investigating the cause, the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber and the pressure in the processing chamber are predetermined. It was found that it is preferable to be within the range. The present invention is based on the above findings found by the present inventors.

  Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vertical processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus suitably used in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a vertical section of the processing furnace. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the processing furnace 202 has a first heater 207 as a first heating source (first heating means). The first heater 207 has a cylindrical shape and is vertically installed by being supported by a heater base (not shown) as a holding plate. The first heater 207 is a resistance heating type heater (heat source by resistance heating), and is configured to heat a wafer 200 in a processing chamber 201 described later to a first temperature.

  Inside the first heater 207, a process tube 203 as a reaction tube is disposed concentrically with the first heater 207. The process tube 203 is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz (SiO 2) or silicon carbide (SiC), and has a cylindrical shape with the upper end closed and the lower end opened. A process chamber (reaction chamber) 201 is formed in the cylindrical hollow portion of the process tube 203, and is configured so that wafers 200 as substrates can be accommodated in a horizontal posture and in a multi-stage aligned state in a vertical direction by a boat 217 described later. ing. A reaction vessel (processing vessel) is formed by the process tube 203.

  In the process tube 203, a first nozzle 233 a as a first gas introduction part is provided so as to penetrate the side wall below the process tube 203. The first nozzle 233a is placed in an arcuate space between the inner wall of the process tube 203 constituting the processing chamber 201 and the wafer 200 along the upper direction from the lower part of the inner wall of the process tube 203, in the loading direction of the wafer 200. It is provided to rise upward. A gas supply hole 248a that is a supply hole for supplying a gas is provided on a side surface of the first nozzle 233a. The gas supply holes 248a have the same opening area from the lower part to the upper part, and are provided at the same opening pitch. A reaction gas supply pipe 232f is connected to the first nozzle 233a.

  In addition, a second nozzle 233b as a second gas introduction unit is provided on the ceiling of the process tube 203, that is, the ceiling wall. A reaction gas supply pipe 232e is connected to the second nozzle 233b. The second nozzle 233b is provided along the top from the lower part of the outer wall of the process tube 203 and communicates with the inside of the processing chamber 201 at the top. A gas supply hole 248b, which is a supply hole for supplying gas, is provided at the tip (downstream end) of the second nozzle 233b. The gas supply hole 248 b is opened downward in the stacking direction of the wafer 200 in the processing chamber 201.

  The reaction gas supply pipes 232e and 232f are provided with valves 243e and 243f, which are on-off valves, respectively. The reaction gas supply pipes 232e and 232f are connected to the reaction gas supply pipe 232 on the upstream side. That is, the reaction gas supply pipe 232 is configured to branch into the reaction gas supply pipes 232e and 232f on the downstream side thereof. A reaction preliminary container 300 constituting a reaction preliminary chamber 301 described later is connected to the upstream side of the reaction gas supply pipe 232. In addition, in the vicinity of the reaction preliminary chamber 301 of the reaction gas supply pipe 232, there is a pressure as a pressure detector (pressure detection unit) that detects the internal pressure, that is, the pressure on the secondary side (downstream side) of the reaction preliminary chamber 301. A sensor 245c is provided. A bypass exhaust pipe 320 is connected to the reaction gas supply pipe 232. One end of the bypass exhaust pipe 320 is connected to a reaction gas supply pipe 232 between the pressure sensor 245c and a branch point branched to the reaction gas supply pipes 232e and 232f, and the other end of the bypass exhaust pipe 320 is an APC valve described later. It is connected to an exhaust pipe 231 described later on the downstream side of 242. The bypass exhaust pipe 320 is provided with a valve 321. A reactive gas supply system is mainly configured by the reactive gas supply pipes 232, 232e, 232f and valves 243e, 243f. Further, the reaction gas supply pipes 232, 232e, 232f and the nozzles 233a, 233b connect the reaction preparatory chamber 301 and the processing chamber 201, and constitute a piping portion 330 (communication portion) as a connection portion for communicating both chambers. In addition, a flow path for flowing gas from the reaction preliminary chamber 301 into the processing chamber 201 is formed by the piping unit 330. A bypass exhaust system as a second exhaust system different from the first exhaust system described later is mainly configured by the bypass exhaust pipe 320 and the valve 321. By the bypass exhaust pipe 320, the gas supplied from the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is exhausted so as to bypass the processing chamber 201 without being supplied to the processing chamber 201. The bypass exhaust pipe 320 is connected to the exhaust pipe 231 on the downstream side of the APC valve 242, and thus the length of the bypass exhaust pipe 320 is long. However, in order to shorten the length of the bypass exhaust pipe 320, A pump (not shown) different from the pump 246 that exhausts the exhaust pipe 231 may be connected to the bypass exhaust pipe 320.

  Further, a first gas supply pipe 232a and a second gas supply pipe 232b are connected to the reaction preliminary container 300, and the reaction preliminary chamber 301 is different from the first gas supply pipe 232a and the second gas supply pipe 232b. Two types of gas can be supplied.

  The first gas supply pipe 232a is provided with a mass flow controller 241a as a flow rate controller (flow rate control means) and a valve 243a as an on-off valve in order from the upstream direction. A first inert gas supply pipe 232c that supplies an inert gas is connected to the downstream side of the valve 243a of the first gas supply pipe 232a. The first inert gas supply pipe 232c is provided with a mass flow controller 241c, which is a flow rate controller (flow rate control means), and a valve 243c, which is an on-off valve, in order from the upstream direction. A reaction preparatory chamber 301 is connected to the distal end (downstream end) of the first gas supply pipe 232a. In addition, in the vicinity of the reaction preliminary chamber 301 downstream of the connection portion of the first gas supply pipe 232a with the first inert gas supply pipe 232c, the internal pressure, that is, the primary side (upstream of the reaction preliminary chamber 301). The pressure sensor 245a is provided as a pressure detector (pressure detector) for detecting the pressure on the side). The first gas supply system is mainly configured by the first gas supply pipe 232a, the mass flow controller 241a, and the valve 243a. The first inert gas supply pipe 232c, the mass flow controller 241c, and the valve 243c are mainly used for the first inert gas. A gas supply system is configured.

  The second gas supply pipe 232b is provided with a mass flow controller 241b as a flow rate controller (flow rate control means) and a valve 243b as an on-off valve in order from the upstream direction. Further, a second inert gas supply pipe 232d for supplying an inert gas is connected to the downstream side of the valve 243b of the second gas supply pipe 232b. The second inert gas supply pipe 232d is provided with a mass flow controller 241d as a flow rate controller (flow rate control means) and a valve 243d as an on-off valve in order from the upstream direction. The preliminary reaction chamber 301 is connected to the distal end (downstream end) of the second gas supply pipe 232b. In addition, in the vicinity of the reaction preliminary chamber 301 on the downstream side of the connection portion of the second gas supply pipe 232b with the second inert gas supply pipe 232d, the internal pressure, that is, the primary side of the reaction preliminary chamber 301 (upstream) A pressure sensor 245b is provided as a pressure detector (pressure detector) for detecting the pressure on the side. A second gas supply system is mainly configured by the second gas supply pipe 232b, the mass flow controller 241b, and the valve 243b, and the second inert gas supply pipe 232d, the mass flow controller 241d, and the valve 243d are mainly used to configure the second gas supply system. An active gas supply system is configured.

From the first gas supply pipe 232a, for example, oxygen (O ₂ ) gas is supplied as an oxidizing gas, that is, an oxygen-containing gas, into the reaction preparatory chamber 301 via the mass flow controller 241a and the valve 243a. That is, the first gas supply system is configured as an oxidizing gas supply system (oxygen-containing gas supply system). At the same time, the inert gas may be supplied from the first inert gas supply pipe 232c into the first gas supply pipe 232a via the mass flow controller 241c and the valve 243c.

From the second gas supply pipe 232b, for example, hydrogen (H ₂ ) gas as a reducing gas, that is, a hydrogen-containing gas is supplied into the reaction preparatory chamber 301 via the mass flow controller 241b and the valve 243b. That is, the second gas supply system is configured as a reducing gas supply system (hydrogen-containing gas supply system). At the same time, the inert gas may be supplied from the second inert gas supply pipe 232d into the second gas supply pipe 232b via the mass flow controller 241d and the valve 243d.

The preliminary reaction container 300 is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz (SiO ₂ ) or silicon carbide (SiC), and has a cylindrical shape. A reaction preparatory chamber 301 is formed in the hollow cylindrical portion of the reaction preparatory container 300, and the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is configured to react an oxygen-containing gas and a hydrogen-containing gas inside. The reaction preparatory container 300 is provided with a plurality of, here, two inlets and one outlet. The first gas supply pipe 232 a and the second gas supply pipe 232 b described above are connected to each inlet of the reaction preliminary container 300, and oxygen-containing gas and hydrogen-containing gas are supplied into the reaction preliminary chamber 301. Is configured to be possible. The reaction gas supply pipe 232 described above is connected to the outlet of the reaction preparatory container 300, and atomic oxygen (O) generated by reacting the oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 or the like. It is configured such that the reactive species containing oxygen can be supplied into the reactive gas supply pipe 232. A second heater 302 as a second heating source (second heating means) is provided around the reaction preliminary container 300 so as to cover the cylindrical side surface of the reaction preliminary container 300. The second heater 302 has a cylindrical shape, and is provided concentrically with the reaction preliminary container 300 that is also cylindrical. The second heater 302 is configured to heat the reaction preliminary chamber 301 to a second temperature higher than the first temperature. Note that the second heater 302 is configured to be controllable independently of the first heater 207. Further, a heat insulating member 303 is provided around the second heater 302 and the reaction preliminary container 300.

  As described above, pressure sensors 245a, 245b, and 245c are provided in the vicinity of the preliminary reaction chamber 301 of the first gas supply pipe 232a, the second gas supply pipe 232b, and the reaction gas supply pipe 232, respectively. As described above, the pressure sensors 245a and 245b are configured to detect the pressure on the primary side (upstream side) of the preliminary reaction chamber 301, that is, the pressure on the inlet side of the preliminary reaction chamber 301, and the pressure sensor 245c. Is configured to detect the pressure on the secondary side (downstream side) of the preliminary reaction chamber 301, that is, the pressure on the outlet side of the preliminary reaction chamber 301.

  During processing on the wafer 200, the pressure sensors 245a, 245b, and 245c monitor the pressure on the primary side of the reaction preliminary chamber 301 and the pressure on the secondary side of the reaction preliminary chamber 301. It is monitored whether the pressure is maintained at a predetermined pressure below atmospheric pressure. At this time, the pressure sensor 245c causes the pressure in the reaction gas supply pipe 232 and the pressure in the piping section 330 between the reaction preliminary chamber 301 and the processing chamber 201 when the valves 243e and 243f are open to be less than atmospheric pressure. It is monitored whether it is maintained at a predetermined pressure.

  In order to monitor whether or not the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is maintained at a predetermined pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, the pressure on at least the secondary side of the reaction preparatory chamber 301 may be monitored. It is not always necessary to monitor the pressure. In this case, the pressure sensors 245a and 245b on the primary side of the preliminary reaction chamber 301 may be omitted. However, monitoring both the primary pressure and the secondary pressure in the preliminary reaction chamber 301 ensures that the pressure in the preliminary reaction chamber 301 is maintained at a predetermined pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. It is possible to monitor whether or not the reaction occurs, and it is possible to generate a more appropriate amount of reactive species, and it is possible to further increase safety.

  An exhaust pipe 231 for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber 201 is provided below the process tube 203. An exhaust port is formed at a connection portion between the process tube 203 and the exhaust pipe 231. A vacuum pump 246 serving as a vacuum exhaust device is connected to the exhaust pipe 231 via a pressure sensor 245 serving as a pressure detector and an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve 242 serving as a pressure regulator. Note that the APC valve 242 can perform evacuation and evacuation stop in the processing chamber 201 by opening and closing the valve while the vacuum pump 246 is activated, and further, with the vacuum pump 246 activated. The valve is configured to adjust the pressure in the processing chamber 201 by adjusting the valve opening. With these configurations, the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure (by adjusting the opening degree of the APC valve 242 based on pressure information detected by the pressure sensor 245 while operating the vacuum pump 246. The degree of vacuum) can be evacuated. A main exhaust system as a first exhaust system is mainly configured by the exhaust pipe 231, the pressure sensor 245, and the APC valve 242. Note that the vacuum pump 246 may be included in the first exhaust system.

  During the processing on the wafer 200, the opening degree of the APC valve 242 is adjusted based on the pressure information detected by the pressure sensor 245 so that the pressure in the processing chamber 201 becomes a predetermined pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure. Adjusted (controlled). At this time, the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is also adjusted to be a predetermined pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. Moreover, it is preferable that the pressure in the piping part 330 between the reaction preparatory chamber 301 and the processing chamber 201 is also adjusted to be a predetermined pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure.

  However, the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 or the pressure in the piping unit 330 may not be a predetermined pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. When the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 exceeds a predetermined pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, an appropriate amount of reactive species (atomic oxygen) cannot be generated in the reaction preparatory chamber 301, If the pressure exceeds a predetermined pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, the generated reactive species may be deactivated in the piping unit 330, so that sufficient atomic oxygen may not be supplied into the processing chamber 201. The cause of this is largely due to the pressure loss depending on the length of the piping section 330 and its inner diameter. To solve this problem, it is necessary to shorten the length of the piping section 330 and increase the inner diameter. It is difficult because of physical arrangement. Therefore, by using the bypass exhaust pipe 320, the reaction preliminary chamber 301 and the reaction gas supply can be exhausted so that the reaction preliminary chamber 301 and the reaction gas supply pipe 232 which is a part of the piping section 330 on the downstream side can be exhausted. The tube 232 is set to a pressure not higher than a predetermined pressure below atmospheric pressure.

  At this time, as described above, the pressure sensors 245a, 245b, and 245c monitor the primary side pressure and the secondary side pressure of the reaction preliminary chamber 301, and the pressure in the reaction preliminary chamber 301 and the piping 330 Is maintained at a predetermined pressure below atmospheric pressure.

Here, when the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is maintained at a predetermined pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, that is, a pressure of 3999 Pa or lower, preferably 2666 Pa or lower, at a predetermined temperature, for example, 450 ° C. or higher, O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas react to generate reactive species such as atomic oxygen (O). In particular, when the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is maintained at a pressure of 1333 Pa or lower, the O ₂ gas and the H ₂ gas react appropriately at a predetermined temperature, for example, 450 ° C. or higher, and the H ₂ Without generating O, it becomes possible to generate an appropriate amount of H ₂ O-free reactive species such as atomic oxygen (O). The generation efficiency of reactive species such as atomic oxygen (O) is highest when the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is 1333 Pa or less at the same temperature, and the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is 2666 Pa or less. In the case where the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is 3999 Pa or less, the next highest is the case. If the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is less than atmospheric pressure, the generation efficiency is low, but reactive species such as atomic oxygen (O) can be generated. That is, the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is less than atmospheric pressure, preferably 3999 Pa or less, more preferably 2666 Pa or less, and further preferably 1333 Pa or less. Before the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 exceeds these pressures or exceeds these pressures, the supply of reactive species such as atomic oxygen (O) into the processing chamber 201 is stopped. Further, the reactive species such as atomic oxygen (O) are supplied into the processing chamber 201 while the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is under these pressures. When the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is 3999 Pa or less, even when heat of 450 ° C. or higher is applied, for example, the reaction probability between O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas is relatively low, which is necessary for the chain reaction. Since heat quantity is not supplied by reaction heat and pressure fluctuation due to local volume expansion is absorbed, it is possible to remove from the explosion range of the mixed gas of O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas.

Conversely, when the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 exceeds 3999 Pa, for example, when heat of 450 ° C. or higher is applied, the reaction between the O ₂ gas and the H ₂ gas proceeds excessively, and a relatively large amount of H ₂ O is generated. As a result, the generation amount of reactive species such as atomic oxygen (O) is reduced, and it becomes impossible to appropriately perform the treatment mainly using the reactive species as a reaction. Furthermore, at this temperature and pressure, there is a risk of explosion depending on the H ₂ / O ₂ ratio.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is maintained at a predetermined pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, that is, a pressure of 3999 Pa (30 Torr) or less, the H ₂ gas into the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is used. When the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is not maintained at a pressure of 3999 Pa or lower, that is, when it exceeds 3999 Pa, the supply of H ₂ gas into the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is impossible. . In addition,

For example, when the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 exceeds 3999 Pa, if the valve 243 b is closed, it cannot be opened and the H2 gas cannot be supplied into the reaction preparatory chamber 301. To. At this time, if the valve 243a is in a closed state, the valve 243a may not be opened, and the O ₂ gas may not be supplied into the reaction preparatory chamber 301. When the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 exceeds 3999 Pa and the valve 243b is already open, this is closed and the supply of H ₂ gas into the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is stopped. Then, the processing on the wafer 200 is stopped. At this time, if the valve 243a is already open, the valve 243a may be closed and the supply of O ₂ gas into the reaction preparatory chamber 301 may be stopped. However, in this case, since the by H 2 _/ O ₂ ratio is also contemplated that fall explosion range, O ₂ gas supply stopping and such delays than the supply stop of the H ₂ gas, the timing of the stop of the supply of O ₂ gas Is preferably adjusted appropriately.

On the other hand, when the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is maintained at a pressure of 3999 Pa or less, the valve 243b can be kept open and the H ₂ gas can be supplied into the reaction preparatory chamber 301. Keep it in good condition. Similarly, the valve 243a is kept in an open state and the supply of O ₂ gas into the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is maintained in a possible state.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, during the processing on the wafer 200, the pressure in the reaction preliminary chamber 301 is monitored using the pressure sensors 245a, 245b, and 245c, so that the pressure in the reaction preliminary chamber 301 is atmospheric pressure. The pressure sensors 245a, 245b, and 245c are used as an interlock trigger so that the H2 gas can be supplied into the preliminary reaction chamber 301 only when the pressure is less than a predetermined pressure. This interlock control is performed by a controller 280 described later.

  It should be noted that the pressure information detected by the pressure sensors 245a, 245b, and 245c may be taken into consideration when performing feedback control of the APC valve 242 based on the pressure information detected by the pressure sensor 245 during processing on the wafer 200. . That is, the APC valve 242 is feedback-controlled based on pressure information detected by the pressure sensors 245, 245a, 245b, and 245c during processing on the wafer 200, and the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is set to a predetermined pressure less than atmospheric pressure. In addition, the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 and the pressure in the piping unit 330 may be controlled to be a predetermined pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure. A pressure control unit (pressure adjustment unit) is mainly configured by the pressure sensors 245, 245a, 245b, 245c, and the APC valve.

  Below the process tube 203, a seal cap 219 is provided as a furnace port lid capable of airtightly closing the lower end opening of the process tube 203. The seal cap 219 is configured to contact the lower end of the process tube 203 from the lower side in the vertical direction. The seal cap 219 is made of a metal such as stainless steel and has a disk shape. An O-ring 220 b is provided on the upper surface of the seal cap 219 as a seal member that comes into contact with the lower end of the process tube 203. On the opposite side of the seal cap 219 from the processing chamber 201, a rotation mechanism 267 for rotating a boat 217 as a substrate holder described later is installed. A rotation shaft 255 of the rotation mechanism 267 passes through the seal cap 219 and is connected to the boat 217. The rotation mechanism 267 is configured to rotate the wafer 200 by rotating the boat 217. The seal cap 219 is configured to be lifted and lowered in the vertical direction by a boat elevator 115 as a lifting mechanism that is vertically installed outside the process tube 203. The boat elevator 115 is configured so that the boat 217 can be carried in and out of the processing chamber 201 by moving the seal cap 219 up and down. That is, the boat elevator 115 is configured as a transfer device (transfer mechanism) that transfers the boat 217, that is, the wafer 200 into and out of the processing chamber 201.

  A boat 217 as a substrate holder is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide, and holds a plurality of wafers 200 in a horizontal posture and aligned in a state where the centers are aligned with each other in multiple stages. Is configured to do. Note that a heat insulating member 218 made of a heat resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide is provided at the lower part of the boat 217 so that heat from the first heater 207 is not easily transmitted to the seal cap 219 side. Has been. The heat insulating member 218 may be constituted by a plurality of heat insulating plates made of a heat resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide, and a heat insulating plate holder that supports the heat insulating plates in a horizontal posture in multiple stages.

  A temperature sensor 263 as a temperature detector is installed in the process tube 203, and the process chamber 201 is adjusted by adjusting the power supply to the first heater 207 based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 263. The temperature inside is a desired temperature distribution. Similar to the first nozzle 233a, the temperature sensor 263 is provided along the inner wall of the process tube 203. Further, a temperature sensor 263a as a temperature detector is also installed in the reaction preparatory chamber 301, and by adjusting the power supply to the second heater 302 based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 263a, The temperature in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is configured to be a desired temperature.

  During processing on the wafer 200, the state of energization to the first heater 207 is adjusted based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 263, and the wafer 200 in the processing chamber 201 and the processing chamber 201 has the first temperature. And a second temperature higher than the first temperature in the preliminary reaction chamber 301 is adjusted based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 263a. It is controlled to become.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the controller 280, which is a control unit (control means), includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 280a, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 280b, a storage device 280c, and an I / O port 280d. It is configured as a computer. The RAM 280b, the storage device 280c, and the I / O port 280d are configured to exchange data with the CPU 280a via the internal bus 280e. For example, an input / output device 281 configured as a touch panel or the like is connected to the controller 280.

  The storage device 280c is configured by, for example, a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or the like. In the storage device 280c, a control program for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, a process recipe describing the procedure and conditions of the substrate processing, and the like are stored in a readable manner. The process recipe is a combination of the above-described series of wafer processing steps (each step) executed by the controller 280 to obtain a predetermined result, and functions as a program. Hereinafter, the process recipe, the control program, and the like are collectively referred to as simply a program. When the term “program” is used in this specification, it may include only a process recipe alone, may include only a control program alone, or may include both. The RAM 280b is configured as a memory area (work area) in which a program, data, and the like read by the CPU 280a are temporarily stored.

  The I / O port 280d includes the mass flow controllers 241a, 241b, 241c, 241d, valves 243a, 243b, 243c, 243d, 243e, 243f, 321, pressure sensors 245, 245a, 245b, 245c, APC valve 242, first Heater 207, second heater 302, temperature sensors 263, 263a, vacuum pump 246, rotating mechanism 267, boat elevator 115, and the like.

  The CPU 280a is configured to read and execute a control program from the storage device 280c, and to read a process recipe from the storage device 280c in response to an operation command input from the input / output device 281 or the like. Then, the CPU 280a adjusts the gas flow rate by the mass flow controllers 241a, 241b, 241c, 241d, the opening / closing operation of the valves 243a, 243b, 243c, 243d, 243e, 243f, 321 and the pressure sensor in accordance with the contents of the read process recipe. 245, 245a, 245b, 245c pressure monitoring, APC valve 242 opening / closing operation and APC valve 242 pressure adjustment based on pressure sensor 245, pressure sensors 245a, 245b, 245c based interlock operation, temperature sensor 263 based first Temperature adjustment of the second heater 302 based on the temperature sensor 263a, start and stop of the vacuum pump 246, rotation and rotation speed adjustment of the boat 217 by the rotation mechanism 267, baud It is configured to control the lifting operation and the like of the boat 217 by the elevator 115.

  The controller 280 is not limited to being configured as a dedicated computer, and may be configured as a general-purpose computer. For example, an external storage device 283 storing the above-described program (for example, a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk such as a flexible disk or a hard disk, an optical disk such as a CD or DVD, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO, a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory or a memory card) ) And installing the program in a general-purpose computer using the external storage device 283, the controller 280 according to this embodiment can be configured. Note that the means for supplying the program to the computer is not limited to supplying the program via the external storage device 283. For example, the program may be supplied without using the external storage device 283 by using communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line. Note that the storage device 280c and the external storage device 283 are configured as computer-readable recording media. Hereinafter, these are collectively referred to simply as a recording medium. Note that in this specification, the term recording medium may include only the storage device 280c alone, only the external storage device 283 alone, or both.

  The present invention can also be realized by changing the process recipe of an existing substrate processing apparatus (system), for example. When changing a process recipe, the process recipe according to the present invention is installed in an existing substrate processing apparatus via a telecommunication line or a recording medium recording the process recipe, or input / output of the existing substrate processing apparatus It is also possible to operate the apparatus and change the process recipe itself to the process recipe according to the present invention.

  Next, an example of a method for performing a process such as an oxidation process on the wafer 200 as one process of a semiconductor device (device) manufacturing process using the processing furnace of the substrate processing apparatus described above will be described. In the following description, the operation of each part constituting the substrate processing apparatus is controlled by the controller 280.

  When a plurality of wafers 200 are loaded into the boat 217 (wafer charge), as shown in FIG. 5, the boat 217 holding the plurality of wafers 200 is lifted by the boat elevator 115 and processed in the processing chamber 201. It is carried in (boat loading). In this state, the seal cap 219 seals the lower end of the process tube 203 via the O-ring 220b.

  Subsequently, the inside of the processing chamber 201 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 246 so as to have a desired pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure. At this time, the valves 243e and 243f of the reaction gas supply pipes 232e and 232f are closed, the valve 321 of the bypass exhaust pipe 320 is opened, and the reaction preliminary chamber 301 and a part of the piping section 330 on the downstream side thereof. The reaction gas supply pipe 232 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 246 via the bypass exhaust pipe 320 so that the reaction preparatory chamber 301 and the reaction gas supply pipe 232 have a pressure less than a predetermined pressure less than atmospheric pressure. To. At this time, the inside of the piping section 330 (the reaction gas supply pipes 232, 232e, 232f and the nozzles 233a, 233b) on the downstream side of the valves 243e, 243f also passes through the processing chamber 201 so as to have a desired pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure. The vacuum pump 246 is evacuated. At this time, the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is measured by the pressure sensor 245, and the APC valve 242 is feedback-controlled based on the measured pressure information (pressure adjustment).

At this time, the pressure sensor 245a, 245b, 245c monitors the primary side pressure and the secondary side pressure of the reaction preparatory chamber 301, and the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 and the pressure in the reaction gas supply pipe 232 are large. Whether it is maintained at a predetermined pressure below atmospheric pressure is monitored (pressure monitoring). Here, when the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is maintained at a predetermined pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, that is, for example, a pressure of 3999 Pa (30 Torr) or lower, supply of H ₂ gas into the reaction preparatory chamber 301 When the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is not maintained at a pressure of 3999 Pa or less, that is, for example, when it exceeds 3999 Pa, it is impossible to supply H ₂ gas into the reaction preparatory chamber 301 Interlock control is performed. It should be noted that interlock control may be similarly performed for the supply of O ₂ gas into the reaction preparatory chamber 301. This pressure adjustment and pressure monitoring are continuously performed at least until the processing on the wafer 200 is completed.

  Further, the inside of the processing chamber 201 and the wafer 200 in the processing chamber 201 are heated by the first heater 207 so as to be at the first temperature. At this time, the power supply to the first heater 207 is feedback-controlled based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 263 so that the inside of the processing chamber 201 has a desired temperature distribution (temperature adjustment). Further, at this time, the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is heated by the second heater 302 so as to be at a second temperature higher than the first temperature. At this time, the current supply to the second heater 302 is feedback-controlled based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 263a so that the reaction preliminary chamber 301 has a desired temperature. The heating of the processing chamber 201 and the wafer 200 by the first heater 207 and the heating of the reaction preparatory chamber 301 by the second heater 302 are continuously performed at least until the processing on the wafer 200 is completed. .

  Subsequently, the wafer 200 is rotated by rotating the boat 217 by the rotation mechanism 267. The rotation of the wafer 200 by the rotation of the boat 217 is continuously performed at least until the processing on the wafer 200 is completed.

Next, a reactive species (atomic oxygen) is supplied into the processing chamber 201 and the wafer 200 is oxidized by the following procedure.
(1) With the valves 243e and 243f of the reaction gas supply pipes 232e and 232f closed, the valve 243a of the first gas supply pipe 232a is opened, and O ₂ gas is allowed to flow through the first gas supply pipe 232a. The O ₂ gas flows from the first gas supply pipe 232a and the flow rate is adjusted by the mass flow controller 241a. The O ₂ gas whose flow rate has been adjusted is supplied into the pre-reaction chamber 301 in a reduced pressure state heated to the second temperature. At the same time, the valve 243b of the second gas supply pipe 232b is opened, and H ₂ gas is caused to flow through the second gas supply pipe 232b. The H ₂ gas flows from the second gas supply pipe 232b and the flow rate is adjusted by the mass flow controller 241b. The H ₂ gas whose flow rate has been adjusted is supplied into the pre-reaction chamber 301 in a reduced pressure state heated to the second temperature. Note that the O ₂ gas and the H ₂ gas are mixed in the reduced-pressure reaction preliminary chamber 301 heated to the second temperature (O ₂ gas + H ₂ gas supply), and as a result, the reactive species in the reaction preliminary chamber 301 (Atomic oxygen) is generated.

At this time, the valve 243c of the first inert gas supply pipe 232c may be opened to supply N ₂ gas as the inert gas from the first inert gas supply pipe 232c. The flow rate of the N ₂ gas is adjusted by the mass flow controller 241c, and the N ₂ gas is supplied into the first gas supply pipe 232a. In this case, a mixed gas of O ₂ gas and N ₂ gas is supplied from the first gas supply pipe 232a. At this time, the valve 243d of the second inert gas supply pipe 232d may be opened to supply N ₂ gas as an inert gas from the second inert gas supply pipe 232d. The flow rate of the N ₂ gas is adjusted by the mass flow controller 241d, and the N ₂ gas is supplied into the second gas supply pipe 232b. In this case, a mixed gas of H ₂ gas and N ₂ gas is supplied from the second gas supply pipe 232b. As the inert gas, a rare gas such as Ar, He, Ne, or Xe may be used in addition to the N ₂ gas.

  (2) The valves 243e and 243f of the reaction gas supply pipes 232e and 232f are closed and the valve 321 of the bypass exhaust pipe 320 is open, and the reaction species (atomic oxygen) generated in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 are set for a certain period of time. Exhaust through the bypass exhaust pipe 320. As a result, the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 and the pressure in the reaction gas supply pipe 232 are maintained at a predetermined pressure lower than atmospheric pressure.

  (3) The valve 321 of the bypass exhaust pipe 320 is closed, the valves 243e and 243f of the reaction gas supply pipes 232e and 232f are opened, and the reaction species (atomic oxygen) generated in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 are reacted with the reaction gas supply pipe 232. , 232e and 232f and the nozzles 233a and 233b to supply the gas into the processing chamber 201.

(4) After a certain period of time, the valve 243a of the first gas supply pipe 232a is closed, the valve 243b of the second gas supply pipe 232b is closed, and if the valve 243c of the first inert gas supply pipe 232c is open, it is opened. If the valve 243d of the second inert gas supply pipe 232d is opened, it remains open. If it is closed, the valve 243e of the reaction gas supply pipes 232e and 232f is opened. , 243f are closed, the valve 321 of the bypass exhaust pipe 320 is opened, and purged with N ₂ gas as an inert gas.

  (5) Hereinafter, the steps (1) to (4) are repeated as many times as necessary (n times).

  Note that, instead of the step (4), the step (2) may be performed without stopping the supply of the hydrogen-containing gas and the oxygen-containing gas. In this case, step (2) and step (3) are repeated as many times as necessary.

  Thereby, the pressure in the piping part 330 and the reaction preliminary chamber 301 when supplying the reactive species (atomic oxygen) can be maintained at a pressure equal to or lower than a predetermined pressure, and the atomic oxygen generated in an effective pressure range. Can be intermittently (intermittently) supplied into the processing chamber 201, and a sufficient amount of reactive species (atomic oxygen) can be contributed to the film formation. It is known that the time of the step (3) × the number of repetitions (n times) and the time for forming a desired film thickness are substantially equal, and the number of repetitions for obtaining an oxide film with a desired film thickness Calculation is possible. The thickness of the oxide film formed can be controlled by controlling the number of repetitions.

At this time, particularly in the step (3), the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is maintained at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, for example, 1 to 3999 Pa, preferably 1 to 2666 Pa, more preferably 1 to 1333 Pa. Thus, the opening degree of the APC valve 242, the flow rate of O ₂ gas and the flow rate of H ₂ gas, the time of the step (3), and the like are adjusted. Further, the pressure in the piping section 330 between the reaction preparatory chamber 301 and the processing chamber 201 is also maintained at a pressure less than atmospheric pressure, for example, 1 to 3999 Pa, preferably 1 to 2666 Pa, more preferably 1 to 1333 Pa. To do. The supply flow rate of the O ₂ gas controlled by the mass flow controller 241a is, for example, a flow rate in the range of 100 to 10000 sccm (0.1 to 10 slm). The supply flow rate of the H ₂ gas controlled by the mass flow controller 241b is set to a flow rate in the range of, for example, 100 to 10,000 sccm (0.1 to 10 slm). At this time, the H ₂ gas concentration (H ₂ / (O ₂ + H ₂ )) is preferably a concentration in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 (5 to 50%), for example. In other words, conditions such as O ₂ gas ratio becomes H ₂ gas ratio or more, preferably, O ₂ gas ratio becomes large such conditions than the H ₂ gas ratio, i.e., preferably set to the oxygen-rich conditions. Also, when supplying _{N 2} gas, the supply flow rate of _{N 2} gas controlled mass flow controller 241c, at 241d is, for example, the flow rate in the range of 200~1000sccm (0.2~1slm). The temperature of the second heater 302 is such that the temperature in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is a second temperature, for example, 400 to 1200 ° C, preferably 450 to 1100 ° C, more preferably 600 to 1000 ° C. Set as follows.

By supplying O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas into the reaction preparatory chamber 301 under the above-described conditions, the O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas are thermally activated by non-plasma in a heated reduced pressure atmosphere to react. As a result, reactive species (oxidized species) containing oxygen such as atomic oxygen (O) are generated (reactive species generation). The reaction species generated in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 are combined with unreacted O ₂ gas, H ₂ gas, and the like through the reaction gas supply pipes 232, 232e, 232f and the nozzles 233b, 233a. Supplied from one end side (upper end side) of the wafer arrangement area in 201 and a plurality of areas on the side of the wafer arrangement area corresponding to the wafer arrangement area. Reactive species, unreacted O ₂ gas, H ₂ gas, and the like supplied into the processing chamber 201 flow down in the processing chamber 201 and pass through an exhaust port provided on the other end side (lower end side) of the wafer arrangement region. Through the exhaust pipe 231 (reactive species supply).

  At this time, the APC valve 242 is appropriately adjusted to maintain the pressure in the processing chamber 201 at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, for example, in a range of 1 to 1333 Pa. The temperature of the first heater 207 is set so that the temperature in the processing chamber 201 and the wafer 200 is a first temperature, for example, room temperature to 900 ° C., preferably in the range of 200 to 600 ° C. Note that the first temperature is lower than the second temperature.

By supplying reaction species such as atomic oxygen (O) generated in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 and unreacted O ₂ gas or H ₂ gas into the processing chamber 201 under such conditions, By the action of the reactive species, the wafer 200 is oxidized and a silicon oxide film (SiO ₂ film) as an oxide film is formed on the surface of the wafer 200. Note that at least part of the unreacted O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas supplied into the processing chamber 201 is thermally activated and reacted in the processing chamber 201 under a heated reduced-pressure atmosphere, and the processing chamber Similarly, a reactive species such as atomic oxygen (O) is generated in 201. This reactive species generated in the processing chamber 201 also contributes to the oxidation process for the wafer 200.

As the oxygen-containing gas, that is, the oxidizing gas, ozone (O ₃ ) gas, nitrogen monoxide (NO) gas, nitrous oxide (N ₂ O) gas, or the like may be used in addition to oxygen (O ₂ ) gas. . As a hydrogen-containing gas, that is, a reducing gas, deuterium (D ₂ ) gas, ammonia (NH ₃ ) gas, methane (CH ₄ ) gas, or the like may be used in addition to hydrogen (H ₂ ) gas. That is, as the oxygen-containing gas, at least one gas selected from the group consisting of O ₂ gas, O ₃ gas, NO gas, and N ₂ O gas can be used, and as the hydrogen-containing gas, H ₂ gas, At least one gas selected from the group consisting of D ₂ gas, NH ₃ gas, and methane CH ₄ gas can be used.

When the silicon oxide film having a predetermined thickness is formed, the valves 243a and 243b are closed, the supply of O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas into the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is stopped, and the reaction species into the processing chamber 201 are stopped. Stop supplying. Further, the valves 243c and 243d are opened, and N ₂ gas as an inert gas is supplied from the first inert gas supply pipe 232c and the second inert gas supply pipe 232d through the reaction preliminary chamber 301 into the processing chamber 201. And exhausted from the exhaust pipe 231. The N ₂ gas acts as a purge gas, whereby the reaction preliminary chamber 301 and the processing chamber 201 are purged with an inert gas, and the gas remaining in the reaction preliminary chamber 301 and the processing chamber 201 is removed (purge). ). Thereafter, the atmosphere in the processing chamber 201 is replaced with an inert gas, and the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is returned to normal pressure (return to atmospheric pressure).

  Thereafter, the seal cap 219 is lowered by the boat elevator 115 to open the lower end of the process tube 203, and the processed wafer 200 is held by the boat 217 from the lower end of the process tube 203 to the outside of the process tube 203. Unloaded (boat unload). Thereafter, the processed wafer 200 is taken out from the boat 217 (wafer discharge). In this way, a series of processes for performing the oxidation process on the wafer 200 is completed.

According to the present embodiment, the temperature in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 (second temperature) is set higher than the temperature of the wafer 200 (first temperature) in the processing chamber 201, and therefore, O ₂ gas and H _{2 are used.} The generated amount of reactive species such as atomic oxygen obtained by reacting with the gas is directly put into the processing chamber 201 containing the wafer 200 set at the first temperature which is relatively low, and O ₂ gas and H It can be made larger than the amount of reactive species generated when _two gases are supplied. Moreover, whereby the reaction in the case of supplying the feed to the reactive species of the wafer 200, in the first process chamber 201 accommodating the wafer 200 which is set to a temperature, and a direct O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas The amount supplied to the seed wafer 200 can be increased. That is, when the temperature of the wafer 200 is maintained at the first temperature which is relatively low, the O ₂ gas and the H ₂ gas are supplied directly into the processing chamber 201 containing the wafer 200 maintained at the same temperature. As a result, the concentration of the reactive species in the processing chamber 201 can be increased, and a large amount of reactive species can be given to the wafer 200.

Further, according to this embodiment, since the temperature higher than the temperature of the reaction preliminary chamber 301 the temperature of the wafer 200 (second temperature) of the processing chamber 201 (first temperature), and O ₂ gas The generated amount of reactive species such as atomic oxygen obtained by reacting with the H ₂ gas is directly added to the O ₂ gas in the processing chamber 201 containing the wafer 200 set at the second temperature which is a relatively high temperature. And H ₂ gas can be made to be equivalent to the generation amount of the reactive species obtained. Moreover, whereby the reaction in the case of supplying the feed to the reactive species of the wafer 200, in the second processing chamber 201 accommodating the wafer 200 which is set to a temperature, and a direct O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas The amount supplied to the seed wafer 200 can be made equal. That is, in a state in which the temperature of the wafer 200 is maintained at the first temperature that is relatively low, the O ₂ gas and H are directly introduced into the processing chamber 201 containing the wafer 200 that is maintained at the second temperature that is relatively high. It is possible to supply the wafer 200 with the same amount of reactive species as when _two gases are supplied.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the low temperature processing is performed on the wafer 200, it is obtained when the high temperature processing is performed on the wafer 200 in a state where the wafer temperature is kept at a temperature lower than the restriction temperature in various processes. It is possible to supply the reactive species having the same concentration as the reactive species to be supplied to the wafer 200. Thereby, in the low temperature treatment, the film quality can be improved in the same manner as in the high temperature treatment, and the film formation rate can be improved in the same manner as in the high temperature treatment.

  Further, in this embodiment, the valves 243e and 243f of the reaction gas supply pipes 232e and 232f are closed and the valve 321 of the bypass exhaust pipe 320 is opened so that the reactive species (atomic oxygen) generated in the reaction preliminary chamber 301 is constant. Exhaust through the time bypass exhaust pipe 320 to maintain the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 and the pressure in the reaction gas supply pipe 232 at a predetermined pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and the valve 321 of the bypass exhaust pipe 320 Is closed, the valves 243e and 243f of the reaction gas supply pipes 232e and 232f are opened, and the reaction species (atomic oxygen) generated in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 are moved into the reaction gas supply pipes 232, 232e and 232f and the nozzles 233a and 233b. And the process of supplying the wafer 200 into the processing chamber 201 is repeated. Force as well, the pressure in the pipe portion 330 between the pressure and reaction prechamber 301 of the reaction preliminary chamber 301 and the processing chamber 201 is also maintained at a pressure below atmospheric pressure. Thereby, it becomes possible to introduce into the processing chamber 201 while suppressing the deactivation of the reactive species such as atomic oxygen (O) generated in the reaction preliminary chamber 301.

Note that the energy of the reactive species is Si—N, Si—Cl, Si— contained in a silicon-containing material such as a wafer 200 (single crystal silicon), a polysilicon film, or a silicon nitride film that is an object of oxidation treatment. Since it is higher than the bond energy of H and Si—C, the energy of this reactive species is given to the silicon-containing material to be oxidized, so that Si—N, Si—Cl, Si—H contained in the silicon-containing material is obtained. , The Si-C bond is broken. N, H, Cl, and C from which the bond with Si has been removed are removed from the film and discharged as N ₂ , H ₂ , Cl ₂ , HCl, CO _{2, and the} like. Further, the remaining Si bonds due to the disconnection of N, H, Cl, and C are combined with O contained in the reactive species to form Si—O bonds. In this way, the silicon-containing material is oxidized to form a silicon oxide film. That is, according to the oxidation treatment of this embodiment, a high-quality silicon oxide film having extremely low nitrogen, hydrogen, chlorine, and carbon concentrations in the film can be obtained.

(Application to annealing treatment for the purpose of modifying various insulating films)
In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the oxidation process is performed on the wafer has been described. However, the present invention is also applicable to the case where the annealing process is performed for the purpose of modifying the quality of various insulating films formed on the wafer. can do. By this modification treatment, impurities in various insulating films can be removed, and the impurity concentration in the film can be greatly reduced. The modification treatment for various insulating films is mainly performed for reactive species such as atomic oxygen (O) obtained by the reaction of O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas in a reaction preparatory chamber in a heated reduced-pressure atmosphere. Done by action.

For example, in the present invention, a silicon oxide film (SiO ₂ film) formed on a wafer by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method, a MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Deposition) method, or an ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) method. It can also be applied to the modification of the silicon oxide film by performing the annealing treatment. By this modification treatment, impurities in the silicon oxide film can be removed, and the impurity concentration in the film can be greatly reduced. In this case as well, it is possible to supply reactive species with the same concentration as the reactive species obtained when high-temperature processing is performed to the silicon oxide film while maintaining the wafer temperature at a low temperature that is below the restriction temperature in various processes. It becomes. Thereby, in the low temperature treatment, the film quality of the silicon oxide film can be improved similarly to the high temperature treatment.

Further, for example, the present invention performs annealing treatment on a high dielectric constant insulating film (High-k film) formed on a wafer by a CVD method, an MOCVD method, or an ALD method. The present invention can also be applied when reforming. By this modification treatment, impurities in the high dielectric constant insulating film can be removed, and the impurity concentration in the film can be greatly reduced. In this case as well, the reactive species having the same concentration as the reactive species obtained in the high temperature processing is supplied to the high dielectric constant insulating film while maintaining the wafer temperature at a low temperature that is lower than the restriction temperature in various processes. Is possible. Thereby, in the low temperature treatment, the film quality of the high dielectric constant insulating film can be improved as in the high temperature treatment. Note that examples of the high dielectric constant insulating film include metal oxide films containing metal elements such as zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), titanium (Ti), and aluminum (Al). Specifically, metal oxides such as a zirconium oxide film (ZrO ₂ film), a hafnium oxide film (HfO ₂ film), a titanium oxide film (TiO ₂ film), and an aluminum oxide film (Al ₂ O ₃ film) are exemplified. Is done.

  Thus, the present invention includes not only a semiconductor oxide film containing a semiconductor element such as silicon (Si) but also a metal element such as zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), titanium (Ti), and aluminum (Al). The present invention can also be applied in the case of performing an annealing process for the purpose of modifying various insulating films such as a metal oxide film.

As the processing conditions in the annealing treatment for various insulating films, the temperature in the pre-reaction chamber is 400 to 1200 ° C., preferably 450 to 1100 ° C., more preferably 600 to 1000 ° C., the pre-reaction chamber pressure is 1 to 3999 Pa, preferably 1-2666 Pa, more preferably 1-1333 Pa, O ₂ gas supply flow rate: 100-10000 sccm (0.1-10 slm), H ₂ gas supply flow rate: 100-10000 sccm (0.1-10 slm), N ₂ gas supply flow rate : 200 to 1000 sccm (0.2 to 1 slm), H ₂ gas concentration (H ₂ / (O ₂ + H ₂ )): 0.05 to 0.5 (5 to 50%), wafer temperature: room temperature to 900 ° C. Preferably, 200-600 degreeC and the process chamber pressure: 1-1333Pa are illustrated.

In the annealing process for various insulating films, as described above, various insulating film modification processes are performed mainly by the action of reactive species such as atomic oxygen (O) generated in the reaction preparatory chamber. . By this modification treatment, impurities in the various insulating films are removed. According to this modification treatment, a significant effect of removing impurities in the film can be obtained at a lower temperature than O ₂ annealing and N ₂ annealing performed as a usual modification treatment. In addition, while maintaining the wafer temperature at a temperature lower than the restriction temperature in various processes, it is possible to supply reactive species having the same concentration as the reactive species obtained when performing high temperature processing to various insulating films. As a result, the quality of various insulating films can be improved in the low-temperature treatment as in the high-temperature treatment.

The energy of this reactive species is the bond energy of Si—N, Si—Cl, Si—H, Si—C contained in various insulating films, MN, M—Cl, MH. Since the energy of the reactive species is given to the various insulating films to be annealed, the Si—N, Si—Cl, Si—H, and Si contained in the various insulating films are provided. The -C bond, MN, M-Cl, MH, and MC bond are disconnected. M represents a metal element. N, H, Cl, and C from which the bond with Si and M is cut off are removed from the film and discharged as N ₂ , H ₂ , Cl ₂ , HCl, CO _{2, and the} like. In addition, the remaining Si or M bond due to the disconnection with N, H, Cl, or C is combined with O contained in the reactive species to form a Si—O bond or a M—O bond. At this time, various insulating films are densified. In this way, various insulating films are reformed. That is, according to this annealing treatment, a high-quality insulating film having extremely low concentrations of nitrogen, hydrogen, chlorine, and carbon in the film can be obtained.

  When attention is paid to the impurity removal effect of various insulating films by annealing treatment, when the present invention is applied to the modification of the silicon oxide film, the H concentration and the Cl concentration can be reduced among the impurities in the film. When the present invention was applied to the modification of the metal oxide film, it was confirmed that H concentration, Cl concentration, C concentration and N concentration can be reduced among the impurities in the film.

(First modification)
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the first gas supply pipe 232a that supplies the O ₂ gas to the reaction preliminary chamber container 300 and the second gas supply pipe 232b that supplies the H ₂ gas are connected to each other, so An example in which O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas are separately supplied into the chamber 301 has been described. However, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, the first gas supply pipe 232a for supplying the O ₂ gas and the second gas supply pipe 232b for supplying the H ₂ gas are merged, and this merged pipe is used as a reaction spare. It may be connected to the chamber container 300 so that O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas are mixed in the merging pipe in advance, and then this mixed gas is supplied into the reaction preliminary chamber 301 (first modification). ). In the case of this first modification, the reaction preliminary container 300 is provided with one inlet and one outlet. The above-described junction pipe is connected to the inlet of the reaction preliminary container 300, and the mixed gas of O ₂ gas and H ₂ gas can be supplied into the reaction preliminary chamber 301. In the case of the first modification, only one inlet of the reaction preliminary chamber container 300 may be provided (the number of inlets can be reduced), and the configuration of the reaction preliminary container 300 can be simplified. Further, it is sufficient to provide one pressure sensor for detecting the pressure on the primary side (upstream side) of the reaction preliminary chamber 301 (the number of pressure sensors can be reduced), and the pressure control can be simplified. Become. Also in this first modified example, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained. In FIG. 6, elements that are substantially the same as those described in FIG. 5 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

(Second modification)
In the above-described embodiment and the first modification, the reactive species generated in the reaction preliminary chamber 301 are supplied into the processing chamber 201 through both the first nozzle 233a and the second nozzle 233b. explained. However, in the present invention, the reactive species generated in the reaction preliminary chamber 301 may be supplied into the processing chamber 201 via at least one of the first nozzle 233a and the second nozzle 233b. . For example, when the reaction species generated in the reaction preparatory chamber 301 is supplied into the processing chamber 201 only through the first nozzle 233a, the valve 243e of the reaction gas supply pipe 232e is closed, and the reaction gas supply pipe 232f The valve 243f is opened. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the second nozzle 233b, the reaction gas supply pipe 232e, and the valve 243e may be omitted (second modification). In the case of the second modification, the configuration of the gas introduction unit can be simplified. The second modification is a further modification of the first modification. In the second modified example, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment and the first modified example can be obtained. In FIG. 7, elements that are substantially the same as those described in FIGS. 5 and 6 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

(Third Modification)
In the second modification described above, the example in which the reactive species generated in the reaction preliminary chamber 301 is supplied into the processing chamber 201 only through the first nozzle 233 a has been described. The generated reactive species may be supplied into the processing chamber 201 only through the second nozzle 233b. In this case, in the above-described embodiment, the valve 243f of the reaction gas supply pipe 232f is closed and the valve 243e of the reaction gas supply pipe 232e is opened. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the first nozzle 233a, the reaction gas supply pipe 232f, and the valve 243f may be omitted (third modification). Also in the case of the third modification, the configuration of the gas introduction unit can be simplified. The third modification is a further modification of the first modification. Also in the third modified example, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment and the first modified example can be obtained. In FIG. 8, elements that are substantially the same as those described in FIGS. 5 and 6 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

(Fourth modification)
Further, in the above-described embodiment and the first modification, the reaction species generated in the reaction preliminary chamber 301 are transferred to one end side (upper end side) of the wafer arrangement region in the processing chamber 201, that is, the upper portion of the processing chamber 201 ( An example in which reactive species are supplied into the processing chamber 201 via the gas supply hole 248b of the second nozzle 233b when supplying from the ceiling) has been described. However, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 9, the reactive species supplied from the upper part (ceiling part) of the processing chamber 201 is supplied into the processing chamber 201 through the gas supply holes 248b and the shower plate 248c. (4th modification). The shower plate 248c of the fourth modification is provided with a plurality of vent holes so that the reaction species, O ₂ gas, and H ₂ gas can be uniformly dispersed before being supplied into the processing chamber 201. It is configured. In the case of the fourth modified example, it becomes possible to supply the reaction species, O ₂ gas, and H ₂ gas into the processing chamber 201 more uniformly. Note that the fourth example is a further modification of the first modification. In the fourth modified example, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment and the first modified example can be obtained. In FIG. 9, elements that are substantially the same as those described in FIGS. 5 and 6 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

(5th modification)
Further, in the above-described embodiment and the first modification, when the reaction species generated in the reaction preliminary chamber 301 are supplied from the region on the side of the wafer arrangement region corresponding to the wafer arrangement region in the processing chamber 201, the reaction is performed. The example in which the seed is supplied into the processing chamber 201 through the gas supply hole 248a of the first nozzle 233a has been described. However, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 10, the reactive species supplied from the region on the side of the wafer arrangement region may be supplied via the buffer chamber formed by the buffer tube 233a ′ (fifth). Modification). The buffer tube 233a ′ of the fifth modification is provided in an arc-shaped space between the inner wall of the process tube 203 and the wafer 200 in a portion extending from the lower part to the upper part of the inner wall of the process tube 203 along the stacking direction of the wafer 200. It has been. A gas supply hole 248a ′ for supplying gas is provided in the central portion of the wall adjacent to the wafer 200 of the buffer tube 233a ′. The gas supply hole 248 a ′ is opened to face the center of the process tube 203. A plurality of the gas supply holes 248a ′ are provided from the lower part to the upper part of the process tube 203, each having the same opening area, and further provided at the same opening pitch. In the case of the fifth modification, since the volume in the buffer tube 233a ′ is larger than the volume in the first nozzle 233a, the pressure increase in the buffer tube 233a ′ can be suppressed, and the buffer tube 233a ′ It is possible to further suppress the deactivation of the reactive species. The fifth modification is a further modification of the first modification. In the fifth modified example, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment and the first modified example can be obtained. 10, elements that are substantially the same as those described in FIGS. 5 and 6 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

(Sixth Modification)
Moreover, although the above-mentioned embodiment demonstrated the substrate processing apparatus which has a batch type hot wall type processing furnace, this invention has not only the substrate processing apparatus concerning this embodiment but a single wafer type processing furnace. The present invention can also be suitably applied to a substrate processing apparatus or a substrate processing apparatus having a cold wall type processing furnace. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the first heating source is not a resistance heater but a lamp heater, and the wafer is heated by light irradiation to the wafer by the lamp, that is, energy by light absorption of the wafer. The present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus having a cold wall type processing furnace (sixth modification). A processing furnace 402 of the sixth modification includes a lamp 404 as a first heating source, a processing container 403 that forms a processing chamber 401, a quartz window 406 that transmits light from the lamp 404, and one wafer 200. And a support base 405 provided with a susceptor 407 that supports in a horizontal posture.

  According to the sixth modification, by using the reaction preparatory chamber 301 heated to a high temperature, the generation amount of reactive species such as atomic oxygen (O) can be increased, and the concentration of the reactive species can be significantly increased. Even in the case of using a cold wall chamber that heats the wafer by light irradiation, it is possible to improve the film quality in the low temperature processing as in the high temperature processing, and the film forming speed is improved in the same manner as in the high temperature processing. It is also possible to make it. In the case of using a cold wall type chamber that heats the wafer by light irradiation, conventionally, the lower limit of the heating temperature of the wafer is considered to be about 900 ° C. However, according to the present invention, the low temperature treatment of 900 ° C. or less is performed. The film quality can be improved in the same manner as in the oxidation treatment or annealing treatment performed at a temperature of 900 ° C. or higher, and the film formation rate can be improved. The sixth modification is a modification of the processing furnace of the first modification. In the sixth modified example, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment and the first modified example can be obtained. In FIG. 11, elements that are substantially the same as those described in FIGS. 5 and 6 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

(Seventh Modification)
Further, in the sixth modified example, the example in which the present invention is applied to the substrate processing apparatus having the lamp heating type single-wafer cold wall type processing furnace in which the wafer is directly heated by the lamp heater has been described. Can be suitably applied to a substrate processing apparatus having a susceptor heating type single-wafer cold wall type processing furnace that indirectly heats a wafer via a susceptor. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the first heating source is a resistance heater, a susceptor is heated by the resistance heater, and the wafer is heated by heat transfer from the heated susceptor. The present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus having a processing furnace (seventh modification). A processing furnace 402 according to a seventh modification includes a processing container 403 that forms a processing chamber 401, a support base 405 that includes a susceptor 407 that supports a single wafer 200 in a horizontal position, and a first support provided on the support base 405. A resistance heater 408 as a heating source for the gas and a shower head 409 for supplying gas into the processing chamber 401 in a shower shape. Note that the reaction gas supply pipe 232 is directly connected to the ceiling portion of the processing container 403 without providing the shower head 409 so that gas is supplied into the processing chamber 401 from one place on the ceiling portion of the processing container 403. Also good. In the seventh modification, the susceptor 407 is heated by the resistance heater 408, and the wafer 200 is heated by heat transfer from the heated susceptor 407. Note that a lamp heater may be used instead of the resistance heater 408, the susceptor 407 may be heated by the lamp heater, and the wafer 200 may be heated by heat transfer from the heated susceptor 407.

  According to the seventh modification, by using the reaction preparatory chamber 301 heated to a high temperature, the generation amount of reactive species such as atomic oxygen (O) can be increased, and the concentration of the reactive species can be significantly increased. Even in the case of using a cold wall type chamber in which the wafer 200 is heated by heat transfer from the susceptor 407 heated by the heater, it becomes possible to improve the film quality in the low temperature processing as in the high temperature processing. It is also possible to improve the film formation rate as in the high temperature treatment. The seventh modified example is obtained by modifying the processing furnace of the first modified example and the sixth modified example. Also in the seventh modified example, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment and the first modified example can be obtained. In FIG. 12, elements that are substantially the same as those described in FIGS. 5, 6, and 11 are assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment and each modification of this invention were described concretely, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and each modification, The above-mentioned embodiment and each modification are combined suitably. It can also be applied to forms.

  In the above-described embodiment and each modification, the second temperature is set higher than the first temperature (second temperature> first temperature). However, the second temperature is the first temperature. It is also possible to make it equal to the temperature of 1 (second temperature = first temperature). That is, it is possible to make the temperature in the reaction preparatory chamber equal to the temperature in the processing chamber.

  For example, in this case, the temperature in the reaction preparatory chamber and the temperature in the processing chamber are both set to the first temperature, and the reaction between the oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas in the reaction preparatory chamber under reduced pressure heated to the first temperature. And the reaction can proceed in a processing chamber under reduced pressure heated to a first temperature, and the concentration of atomic oxygen obtained at that temperature can be maximized. . In this case, the reaction between the oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas is not started in the processing chamber, but in the reaction preliminary chamber, and the reaction preliminary chamber has a reaction delay time between the oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas. It plays a role as a buffer to be adjusted.

  Thus, even if the second temperature is made equal to the first temperature, it is possible to improve the reaction delay between the oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas in the low temperature region. That is, not only the second temperature is higher than the first temperature (second temperature> first temperature), but also the second temperature is made equal to the first temperature (second temperature = In other words, by setting the second temperature to be equal to or higher than the first temperature (second temperature ≧ first temperature), the oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas in the low temperature region It becomes possible to improve the reaction delay.

(Preferred embodiment of the present invention)
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be additionally described.

(Appendix 1)
According to one aspect of the invention,
A processing chamber for accommodating the substrate;
A first heating source for heating the substrate in the processing chamber to a first temperature;
A reaction preparatory chamber for reacting multiple types of gases;
A second heating source for heating the preliminary reaction chamber to a second temperature equal to or higher than the first temperature;
An oxygen-containing gas supply system for supplying an oxygen-containing gas into the reaction preparatory chamber;
A hydrogen-containing gas supply system for supplying a hydrogen-containing gas into the reaction preparatory chamber;
A connection for connecting the reaction preparatory chamber and the processing chamber;
A first exhaust system for evacuating the processing chamber;
A second exhaust system that is connected to the connecting portion and exhausts the gas supplied from the reaction preparatory chamber without supplying it to the processing chamber;
A pressure adjusting unit that adjusts the pressure in the processing chamber and the reaction preparatory chamber to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure;
A substrate processing apparatus is provided.

(Appendix 2)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 1, preferably,
The oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas are supplied into the reaction preparatory chamber heated to the second temperature under a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and both gases are reacted in the reaction preparatory chamber, thereby reacting species. Generating and exhausting the reactive species through the second exhaust system;
A process of supplying the reactive species generated in the preliminary reaction chamber into the processing chamber containing a substrate under a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure and heated to the first temperature;
In order to perform processing on the substrate by alternately performing
The apparatus further includes a controller that controls the first heating source, the second heating source, the oxygen-containing gas supply system, the hydrogen-containing gas supply system, the second exhaust system, and the pressure adjustment unit.

(Appendix 3)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 1, preferably,
The oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas are supplied into the reaction preparatory chamber that is under a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure and heated to the second temperature, and both gases are reacted in the reaction preparatory chamber to react with each other. The reaction species is exhausted through the second exhaust system, and the processing chamber containing the substrate is evacuated through the first exhaust system to reduce the pressure in the processing chamber. Processing to a pressure below atmospheric pressure;
A process of supplying the reactive species generated in the preliminary reaction chamber into the processing chamber containing a substrate under a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure and heated to the first temperature;
In order to perform processing on the substrate by alternately performing
Control for controlling the first heating source, the second heating source, the oxygen-containing gas supply system, the hydrogen-containing gas supply system, the first exhaust system, the second exhaust system, and the pressure regulator. It further has a part.

(Appendix 4)
The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, preferably, a first pressure detector that detects a pressure in the processing chamber, and a second pressure detector that detects a pressure in the preliminary reaction chamber. And further.

(Appendix 5)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 4, wherein the control unit preferably further supplies the reactive species into the processing chamber while the pressure in the preliminary reaction chamber is under a predetermined pressure. An oxygen-containing gas supply system and the hydrogen-containing gas supply system are configured to be controlled.

(Appendix 6)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 4 or 5, preferably, the control unit further supplies the reactive species into the processing chamber before or after the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber exceeds a predetermined pressure. The oxygen-containing gas supply system and the hydrogen-containing gas supply system or the second exhaust system are controlled so as to stop when the pressure exceeds.

(Appendix 7)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 5 or 6, wherein the predetermined pressure is preferably 3999 Pa or less.

(Appendix 8)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 5 or 6, wherein the predetermined pressure is preferably 2666 Pa or less.

(Appendix 9)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 5 or 6, wherein the predetermined pressure is preferably a pressure of 1333 Pa or less.

(Appendix 10)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 4, preferably, the control unit further includes:
When processing the substrate,
When the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber is maintained at a predetermined pressure, the hydrogen-containing gas can be supplied into the reaction preparatory chamber;
When the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber exceeds the predetermined pressure, the hydrogen-containing gas supply system is controlled so that the supply of the hydrogen-containing gas into the reaction preparatory chamber is impossible. The

(Appendix 11)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 10, wherein the predetermined pressure is preferably a pressure of 3999 Pa or less.

(Appendix 12)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 4, preferably, the control unit further includes:
When processing the substrate,
When the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber is maintained at a predetermined pressure, the hydrogen-containing gas and the oxygen-containing gas can be supplied into the reaction preparatory chamber,
When the pressure in the preliminary reaction chamber exceeds the predetermined pressure, the hydrogen-containing gas supply system and the hydrogen-containing gas supply system and the oxygen-containing gas cannot be supplied to the preliminary reaction chamber. The oxygen-containing gas supply system is configured to be controlled.

(Appendix 13)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 12, wherein the predetermined pressure is preferably 3999 Pa or less.

(Appendix 14)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 4, preferably, when the control unit further performs processing on the substrate, the pressure adjusting unit and the pressure adjusting unit so that the pressure in the connection unit is less than atmospheric pressure. The second exhaust system is configured to be controlled.

(Appendix 15)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 4, wherein the control unit preferably further adjusts the pressure so that the pressure in the preliminary reaction chamber becomes a pressure of 1 Pa or more and 3999 Pa or less when processing the substrate. And the second exhaust system are configured to be controlled.

(Appendix 16)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 4, wherein the control unit preferably further adjusts the pressure so that the pressure in the preliminary reaction chamber becomes 1 Pa or more and 2666 Pa or less when processing the substrate. And the second exhaust system are configured to be controlled.

(Appendix 17)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 4, preferably, the control unit further adjusts the pressure so that the pressure in the reaction preparatory chamber becomes a pressure of 1 Pa or more and 1333 a or less when processing the substrate. And the second exhaust system are configured to be controlled.

(Appendix 18)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein the control unit preferably further sets the first temperature to room temperature to 900 ° C. and the second temperature to 400 ° C. to 1200 ° C. And configured to control the second heat source.

(Appendix 19)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein the control unit preferably further sets the first temperature to 200 to 600 ° C. and the second temperature to 600 to 1000 ° C. And configured to control the second heat source.

(Appendix 20)
The substrate processing apparatus according to attachment 1, wherein the first heating source is preferably a resistance heater.

(Appendix 21)
The substrate processing apparatus according to attachment 1, wherein the first heating source is preferably a lamp heater.

(Appendix 22)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein the process is preferably an oxidation process on the substrate.

(Appendix 23)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein the process is preferably an annealing process for an insulating film formed on the substrate.

(Appendix 24)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein the process is preferably a modification process for an insulating film formed on the substrate.

(Appendix 25)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein the oxygen-containing gas is preferably at least one gas selected from the group consisting of oxygen gas, ozone gas, nitrogen monoxide gas, and nitrous oxide gas, and the hydrogen-containing gas The gas is at least one gas selected from the group consisting of hydrogen gas, deuterium gas, ammonia gas, and methane gas.

(Appendix 26)
The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein the oxygen-containing gas is preferably oxygen gas and the hydrogen-containing gas is hydrogen gas.

(Appendix 27)
According to another aspect of the invention,
Reaction is performed by supplying an oxygen-containing gas and a hydrogen-containing gas into a reaction preparatory chamber heated to a second temperature equal to or higher than the first temperature under a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and reacting both gases in the reaction preparatory chamber. Generating seeds and evacuating the reactive species without supplying them into the processing chamber containing the substrate;
Supplying the reactive species generated in the reaction preparatory chamber into the processing chamber containing the substrate heated to the first temperature under a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure;
Alternately performing steps for processing the substrate;
A substrate processing method is provided.

(Appendix 28)
According to yet another aspect of the invention,
Reaction is performed by supplying an oxygen-containing gas and a hydrogen-containing gas into a reaction preparatory chamber heated to a second temperature equal to or higher than the first temperature under a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and reacting both gases in the reaction preparatory chamber. Generating seeds and evacuating the reactive species without supplying them into the processing chamber containing the substrate;
Supplying the reactive species generated in the reaction preparatory chamber into the processing chamber containing the substrate heated to the first temperature under a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure;
Alternately performing steps for processing the substrate;
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having the above is provided.

(Appendix 29)
According to yet another aspect of the invention,
Reaction is performed by supplying an oxygen-containing gas and a hydrogen-containing gas into a reaction preparatory chamber heated to a second temperature equal to or higher than the first temperature under a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and reacting both gases in the reaction preparatory chamber. Generating a seed and evacuating the reactive species without supplying it into the processing chamber containing the substrate;
Supplying the reaction species generated in the reaction preparatory chamber into the processing chamber containing the substrate heated to the first temperature under a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure;
By alternately performing a process on the substrate,
A program for causing a computer to execute is provided.

(Appendix 30)
According to yet another aspect of the invention,
Reaction is performed by supplying an oxygen-containing gas and a hydrogen-containing gas into a reaction preparatory chamber heated to a second temperature equal to or higher than the first temperature under a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and reacting both gases in the reaction preparatory chamber. Generating a seed and evacuating the reactive species without supplying it into the processing chamber containing the substrate;
Supplying the reaction species generated in the reaction preparatory chamber into the processing chamber containing the substrate heated to the first temperature under a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure;
By alternately performing a process on the substrate,
A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute is recorded is provided.

  While various typical embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is limited only by the following claims.

200 Wafer 201 Processing chamber 202 Processing furnace 203 Process tube (reaction tube)
207 First heater 231 Exhaust pipe 232 Reaction gas supply pipe 232a First gas supply pipe 232b Second gas supply pipe 232c First inert gas supply pipe 232d Second inert gas supply pipe 232e Reaction gas supply pipe 232f Reaction gas supply Pipe 233a First nozzle 233b Second nozzle 241a Mass flow controller 241b Mass flow controller 241c Mass flow controller 241d Mass flow controller 242 APC valve 245 Pressure sensor 245a Pressure sensor 245b Pressure sensor 245c Pressure sensor 246 Vacuum pump 263 Temperature sensor 263a Temperature sensor 280 Controller 300 Preliminary reaction Container 301 Reaction preliminary chamber 302 Second heater 320 Bypass exhaust pipe 330 Piping section

Claims (1)

A processing chamber for accommodating the substrate;
A first heating source for heating the substrate in the processing chamber to a first temperature;
A reaction preparatory chamber for reacting multiple types of gases;
A second heating source for heating the preliminary reaction chamber to a second temperature equal to or higher than the first temperature;
An oxygen-containing gas supply system for supplying an oxygen-containing gas into the reaction preparatory chamber;
A hydrogen-containing gas supply system for supplying a hydrogen-containing gas into the reaction preparatory chamber;
A connection for connecting the reaction preparatory chamber and the processing chamber;
A first exhaust system for evacuating the processing chamber;
A second exhaust system that is connected to the connecting portion and exhausts the gas supplied from the reaction preparatory chamber without supplying it to the processing chamber;
A pressure adjusting unit that adjusts the pressure in the processing chamber and the reaction preparatory chamber to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure;
A substrate processing apparatus.