JP2024045348A - Substrate processing equipment, semiconductor device manufacturing method, substrate processing method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To reduce the footprint while ensuring a maintenance area. [Solution] A first supply system is provided so that the outer side of the first processing module opposite the second processing module and the outer side of the first supply system are flat, and a second supply system is provided so that the outer side of the second processing module opposite the first processing module and the outer side of the second supply system are flat, and the first exhaust box and the second exhaust box face each other with a maintenance area formed behind the first processing module and the second processing module interposed therebetween. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a semiconductor device manufacturing method, a substrate processing method, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art In substrate processing in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, for example, a vertical substrate processing apparatus that processes a plurality of substrates at once is used. When maintaining substrate processing equipment, it is necessary to secure a maintenance area around the substrate processing equipment, and in order to secure the maintenance area, the footprint of the substrate processing equipment may become large (for example, patent Reference 1).

JP 2010-283356 A

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a technique that can reduce the footprint while securing a maintenance area.

According to one aspect of the invention,
a first processing module having a first processing container for processing a substrate;
a second processing module having a second processing container disposed adjacent to a side surface of the first processing module and processing a substrate;
a first utility system that includes a first supply system that supplies processing gas into the first processing container and is disposed adjacent to the back of the first processing module;
a second utility system that includes a second supply system that supplies processing gas into the second processing container and is disposed adjacent to the back of the second processing module;
a first exhaust system that exhausts the inside of the first processing container;
a second exhaust system that exhausts the inside of the second processing container;
a first exhaust box that houses at least a portion of the first exhaust system;
a second exhaust box that houses at least a portion of the second exhaust system;
Equipped with
The first supply system is provided so that an outer side surface of the first processing module opposite to the second processing module and an outer side surface of the first supply system are flat; The second supply system is provided so that an outer side surface of the second processing module opposite to the first processing module and an outer side surface of the second supply system are flat;
A technique is provided in which the first exhaust box and the second exhaust box face each other with a maintenance area formed behind the first processing module and the second processing module interposed therebetween.

The present invention makes it possible to reduce the footprint while securing a maintenance area.

1 is a top view illustrating an example of a substrate processing apparatus that can be suitably used in an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus suitably used in an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus suitably used in an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a processing furnace suitably used in an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a processing module suitably used in an embodiment of the present invention.

Below, non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same or corresponding components are given the same or corresponding reference symbols, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. In addition, the side of the storage chamber 9 described later is the front side (front side), and the side of the transfer chambers 6A, 6B described later is the back side (rear side). Furthermore, the side facing the boundary line (adjacent surface) of the processing modules 3A, 3B described later is the inside, and the side away from the boundary line is the outside.

In this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus is configured as a vertical substrate processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as the processing apparatus) 2 that performs a substrate processing process such as heat treatment as one step in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the processing apparatus 2 includes two adjacent processing modules 3A and 3B. The processing module 3A includes a processing furnace 4A and a transfer chamber 6A. The processing module 3B includes a processing furnace 4B and a transfer chamber 6B. The transfer chambers 6A and 6B are disposed below the processing furnaces 4A and 4B, respectively. A transfer chamber 8 equipped with a transfer machine 7 for transferring a wafer W is disposed adjacent to the front side of the transfer chambers 6A and 6B. A storage chamber 9 for storing a pod (FOUP) 5 for storing a plurality of wafers W is connected to the front side of the transfer chamber 8. An I/O port 22 is provided on the front side of the storage chamber 9, and the pod 5 is transferred in and out of the processing apparatus 2 via the I/O port 22.

Gate valves 90A and 90B are installed on the boundary walls (adjacent surfaces) between the transfer chambers 6A and 6B and the transfer chamber 8. Pressure detectors are installed in the transfer chamber 8 and the transfer chambers 6A and 6B, respectively, and the pressure in the transfer chamber 8 is set to be lower than the pressure in the transfer chambers 6A and 6B. In addition, oxygen concentration detectors are installed in the transfer chamber 8 and the transfer chambers 6A and 6B, respectively, and the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 8A and the transfer chambers 6A and 6B is maintained lower than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. A clean unit 62C that supplies clean air to the transfer chamber 8 is installed on the ceiling of the transfer chamber 8, and is configured to circulate, for example, an inert gas as clean air in the transfer chamber 8. By circulating and purging the transfer chamber 8 with an inert gas, the transfer chamber 8 can be made into a clean atmosphere. This configuration makes it possible to prevent particles and the like from the transfer chambers 6A and 6B from entering the transfer chamber 8, and to prevent the formation of a natural oxide film on the wafer W in the transfer chamber 8 and the transfer chambers 6A and 6B.

Because processing module 3A and processing module 3B have the same configuration, the following description will only focus on processing module 3A.

As shown in FIG. 4, the processing furnace 4A includes a cylindrical reaction tube 10A and a heater 12A as a heating means (heating mechanism) installed on the outer periphery of the reaction tube 10A. The reaction tube is made of, for example, quartz or SiC. Inside the reaction tube 10A, a processing chamber 14A is formed for processing a wafer W as a substrate. A temperature detector 16A as a temperature detector is installed in the reaction tube 10A. The temperature detector 16A is installed upright along the inner wall of the reaction tube 10A.

Gases used for substrate processing are supplied into the processing chamber 14A by a gas supply mechanism 34A serving as a gas supply system. The gas supplied by the gas supply mechanism 34A is changed depending on the type of film being formed. Here, the gas supply mechanism 34A includes a source gas supply section, a reactive gas supply section, and an inert gas supply section. The gas supply mechanism 34A is housed in a supply box 72A, which will be described later.

The raw material gas supply unit includes a gas supply pipe 36a, which is provided with, in order from the upstream direction, a mass flow controller (MFC) 38a, which is a flow rate controller (flow rate control unit), and a valve 40a, which is an on-off valve. The gas supply pipe 36a is connected to a nozzle 44a that penetrates the side wall of the manifold 18. The nozzle 44a is erected in the vertical direction inside the reaction tube 10, and has multiple supply holes that open toward the wafers W held in the boat 26. The raw material gas is supplied to the wafers W through the supply holes of the nozzle 44a.

In the same manner, reactive gas is supplied to the wafer W from the reactive gas supply unit via supply pipe 36b, MFC 38b, valve 40b, and nozzle 44b. Inert gas is supplied to the wafer W from the inert gas supply unit via supply pipes 36c, 36d, MFCs 38c, 38d, valves 40c, 40d, and nozzles 44a, 44b.

A cylindrical manifold 18A is connected to the lower end opening of the reaction tube 10A via a sealing member such as an O-ring, and supports the lower end of the reaction tube 10A. The lower end opening of the manifold 18A is opened and closed by a disk-shaped lid 22A. A sealing member such as an O-ring is installed on the upper surface of the lid 22A, which provides an airtight seal between the inside of the reaction tube 10A and the outside air. An insulating section 24A is placed on the lid 22A.

An exhaust pipe 46A is attached to the manifold 18A. The exhaust pipe 46A is connected to a pressure sensor 48A as a pressure detector (pressure detection section) that detects the pressure inside the processing chamber 14A and an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve 40A as a pressure regulator (pressure adjustment section). , a vacuum pump 52A serving as a vacuum evacuation device is connected. With such a configuration, the pressure in the processing chamber 14A can be set to a processing pressure depending on the processing. An exhaust system A is mainly composed of an exhaust pipe 46A, an APC valve 40A, and a pressure sensor 48A. The exhaust system A is housed in an exhaust box 74A, which will be described later.

The processing chamber 14A houses a boat 26A as a substrate holder that vertically supports multiple wafers W, for example 25 to 150 wafers W in a shelf-like manner. The boat 26A is supported above the insulating part 24A by a rotating shaft 28A that penetrates the lid part 22A and the insulating part 24A. The rotating shaft 28A is connected to a rotating mechanism 30A installed below the lid part 22A, and the rotating shaft 28A is configured to be rotatable while hermetically sealing the inside of the reaction tube 10A. The lid part 22 is driven vertically by a boat elevator 32A as a lifting mechanism. As a result, the boat 26A and the lid part 22A are lifted and lowered together, and the boat 26A is loaded and unloaded from the reaction tube 10A.

The transfer of the wafer W to the boat 26A is performed in the transfer chamber 6A. As shown in FIG. 3, a clean unit 60A is installed on one side of the transfer chamber 6A (the outer side of the transfer chamber 6A, the side opposite to the side facing the transfer chamber 6B), and is configured to circulate clean air (e.g., inert gas) in the transfer chamber 6A. The inert gas supplied to the transfer chamber 6A is exhausted from the transfer chamber 6A by an exhaust unit 62A installed on the side facing the clean unit 60A across the boat 26A (the side facing the transfer chamber 6B), and is resupplied from the clean unit 60A to the transfer chamber 6A (circulation purge). The pressure in the transfer chamber 6A is set to be lower than the pressure in the transfer chamber 8. In addition, the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 6A is set to be lower than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the formation of a natural oxide film on the wafer W during the transfer operation of the wafer W.

A controller 100 that controls the rotation mechanism 30A, boat elevator 32A, MFCs 38a-d and valves 40a-d of the gas supply mechanism 34A, and APC valve 50A are connected to the controller 100. The controller 100 is, for example, a microprocessor (computer) equipped with a CPU, and is configured to control the operation of the processing device 2. An input/output device 102 configured as, for example, a touch panel is connected to the controller 100. One controller 100 may be installed in each of the processing modules 3A and 3B, or one controller 100 may be installed in common.

The controller 100 is connected to a storage unit 104 as a storage medium. The storage unit 104 readably stores a control program that controls the operation of the processing device 10 and a program (also called a recipe) for causing each component of the processing device 2 to execute processing according to processing conditions.

The storage unit 104 may be a storage device built into the controller 100 (hard disk or flash memory), or a portable external storage device (magnetic tape, magnetic disk such as a flexible disk or hard disk, CD or DVD, etc.). It may be an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO, or a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory or a memory card. Further, the program may be provided to the computer using communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line. The program is read out from the storage unit 104 according to an instruction from the input/output device 102 as needed, and the processing device 2 executes processing according to the read recipe. Under the control of 100, desired processing is executed. Controller 100 is housed in controller boxes 76A and 76B.

Next, a process for forming a film on a substrate (film formation process) using the above-mentioned processing apparatus 2 will be described. Here _, silicon oxidation _{( SiO 2} ) An example of forming a film will be explained. Note that, in the following description, the operation of each part constituting the processing device 2 is controlled by the controller 100.

(Wafer charge and boat load)
The gate valve 90A is opened, and the wafers W are transferred to the boat 20A. When a plurality of wafers W are loaded into the boat 26A (wafer charge), the gate valve 90A is closed. The boat 26A is carried into the processing chamber 14 (boat load) by the boat elevator 32A, and the lower opening of the reaction tube 10A is air-tightly closed (sealed) by the lid 22A.

(pressure adjustment and temperature adjustment)
The inside of the processing chamber 14A is evacuated (decompressed) by the vacuum pump 52A so that it reaches a predetermined pressure (degree of vacuum). The pressure inside the processing chamber 14A is measured by the pressure sensor 48A, and the APC valve 50A is feedback-controlled based on the measured pressure information. Further, the wafer W in the processing chamber 14A is heated by the heater 12A so that it reaches a predetermined temperature. At this time, the energization of the heater 12A is feedback-controlled based on the temperature information detected by the temperature detection unit 16A so that the processing chamber 14A has a predetermined temperature distribution. Further, rotation of the boat 26A and the wafers W by the rotation mechanism 30A is started.

(Film forming process)
[Raw material gas supply process]
When the temperature within the processing chamber 14A stabilizes at a preset processing temperature, the DCS gas is supplied to the wafer W within the processing chamber 14A. The DCS gas is controlled by the MFC 38a to have a desired flow rate, and is supplied into the processing chamber 14A via the gas supply pipe 36a and the nozzle 44a.

[Raw material gas exhaust process]
Next, the supply of DCS gas is stopped, and the inside of the processing chamber 14A is evacuated to a vacuum by the vacuum pump 52A. At this time, _N2 gas may be supplied as an inert gas from the inert gas supply unit into the processing chamber 14A (inert gas purge).

[Reaction gas supply process]
Next, O ₂ gas is supplied to the wafer W in the processing chamber 14A. The O ₂ gas is controlled to a desired flow rate by the MFC 38b, and is supplied into the processing chamber 14A via the gas supply pipe 36b and the nozzle 44b.

[Reaction gas exhaust process]
Next, the supply of O ₂ gas is stopped, and the inside of the processing chamber 14A is evacuated by the vacuum pump 52A. At this time, N ₂ gas may be supplied into the processing chamber 14A from the inert gas supply section (inert gas purge).

A SiO ₂ film having a predetermined composition and a predetermined thickness can be formed on the wafer W by repeating the cycle of the four steps described above a predetermined number of times (once or more).

(Boat unloading and wafer discharging)
After forming a film of a predetermined thickness, _N2 gas is supplied from the inert gas supply unit, the inside of the processing chamber 14A is replaced with _N2 gas, and the pressure in the processing chamber 14A is returned to normal pressure. Then, the boat elevator 32A lowers the cover 22A, and the boat 26A is unloaded from the reaction tube 10A (boat unloading). Then, the processed wafers W are removed from the boat 26A (wafer discharging).

Thereafter, the wafer W may be stored in the pod 5 and carried out of the processing apparatus 2, or may be transported to the processing furnace 4B, and substrate processing such as annealing may be continuously performed. When processing wafers W in the processing furnace 4B continuously after processing the wafers W in the processing furnace 4A, the gate valves 90A and 90B are opened and the wafers W are directly transferred from the boat 26A to the boat 26B. The subsequent loading and unloading of the wafer W into the processing furnace 4B is performed in the same procedure as the substrate processing in the processing furnace 4A described above. Further, the substrate processing in the processing furnace 4B is performed, for example, in the same procedure as the substrate processing in the above-described processing furnace 4A.

The processing conditions for forming the SiO ₂ film on the wafer W are, for example, as follows:
Processing temperature (wafer temperature): 300°C to 700°C,
Processing pressure (pressure inside the processing chamber) 1 Pa to 4000 Pa,
DCS gas: 100 sccm to 10,000 sccm,
_O2 gas: 100 sccm to 10,000 sccm,
_N2 gas: 100 sccm to 10,000 sccm,
By setting each processing condition to a value within each range, it becomes possible to allow the film formation process to proceed appropriately.

Next, the rear configuration of the processing device 2 will be explained.
For example, if boat 26 is damaged, it will be necessary to replace boat 26. Furthermore, if the reaction tube 10 is damaged or requires cleaning, it is necessary to remove the reaction tube 10. In this manner, when performing maintenance on the transfer chamber 6 or the processing furnace 4, the maintenance is performed from the maintenance area on the back side of the processing apparatus 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, maintenance ports 78A and 78B are formed on the back sides of the transfer chambers 6A and 6B, respectively. The maintenance port 78A is formed on the transfer chamber 6B side of the transfer chamber 6A, and the maintenance port 78B is formed on the transfer chamber 6A side of the transfer chamber 6B. The maintenance ports 78A and 78B are opened and closed by maintenance doors 80A and 80B. The maintenance doors 80A and 80B are configured to be rotatable about hinges 82A and 82B. The hinge 82A is installed on the transfer chamber 6B side of the transfer chamber 6A, and the hinge 82B is installed on the transfer chamber 6A side of the transfer chamber 6B. That is, the hinges 82A and 82B are installed adjacent to each other near inner corner portions located on adjacent surfaces on the back sides of the transfer chambers 6A and 6B. The maintenance areas are formed on the processing module 3B side on the back surface of the processing module 3A and on the processing module 3A side on the back surface of the processing module 3B.

As shown by the imaginary lines, the maintenance doors 80A, 80B are rotated horizontally around hinges 82A, 82B toward the rear of the rear side of the transport chambers 6A, 6B to open the rear maintenance ports 78A, 78B. The maintenance door 80A is configured so that it can be opened up to 180° to the left toward the transport chamber 6A. The maintenance door 80B is configured so that it can be opened up to 180° to the right toward the transport chamber 6B. That is, the maintenance door 80A rotates clockwise toward the transport chamber 6A, and the maintenance door 80B rotates counterclockwise. In other words, the maintenance doors 80A, 80B rotate in opposite directions. The maintenance doors 80A, 80B are configured to be removable, and may be removed for maintenance.

Utility systems 70A and 70B are installed near the rear of the transport chambers 6A and 6B. The utility systems 70A and 70B are arranged opposite each other with a maintenance rear in between. Maintenance of the utility systems 70A and 70B is performed from inside the utility systems 70A and 70B, that is, from the space (maintenance area) between the utility systems 70A and 70B. The utility systems 70A and 70B are composed of exhaust boxes 74A and 74B, supply boxes 72A and 72B, and controller boxes 76A and 76B, in that order from the housing side (transport chambers 6A and 6B side). The maintenance ports of each box of the utility systems 70A and 70B are formed on the inside (maintenance area side). In other words, the maintenance ports of each box of the utility systems 70A and 70B are formed to face each other.

The exhaust box 74A is arranged at an outer corner located on the back side of the transfer chamber 6A on the opposite side to the transfer chamber 6B. The exhaust box 74B is arranged at an outer corner located on the back side of the transfer chamber 6B on the opposite side to the transfer chamber 6A. That is, the exhaust boxes 74A, 74B are installed flatly (smoothly) so that the outer side surfaces of the transfer chambers 6A, 6B and the outer side surfaces of the exhaust boxes 74A, 74B are connected to a plane. The supply box 72A is arranged adjacent to the exhaust box 74A on the side adjacent to the transfer chamber 6A and the opposite side. The supply box 72B is arranged adjacent to the exhaust box 74B on the side adjacent to the transfer chamber 6B and the opposite side.

In a top view, the thickness (width in the short side direction) of the exhaust boxes 74A, 74B is smaller than the thickness of the supply boxes 72A, 72B. In other words, the supply boxes 72A and 72B protrude more toward the maintenance area than the exhaust boxes 74A and 74B. Since a gas accumulation system and a large number of ancillary equipment are arranged in the supply boxes 72A and 72B, the thickness thereof may be larger than that of the exhaust boxes 72A and 72B. Therefore, by installing the exhaust boxes 72A and 72B on the housing side, it is possible to secure a wide maintenance area in front of the maintenance doors 80A and 80B. That is, in a top view, the distance between the exhaust boxes 74A and 74B is greater than the distance between the supply boxes 72A and 72B, so the exhaust box If 74A and 74B are installed on the housing side, a larger maintenance space can be secured.

As shown in FIG. 3, the final valves of the gas supply mechanisms 34A and 34B (valves 40a and 40b located at the bottom of the gas supply system) are located above the exhaust boxes 74A and 74B. Preferably, they are located directly above the exhaust boxes 74A and 74B. With this configuration, even if the supply boxes 72A and 72B are installed away from the housing side, the piping length from the final valves to the inside of the processing chamber can be shortened, thereby improving the quality of the film formation.

As shown in FIG. 5, the processing modules 3A, 3B and the utility systems 70A, 70B are arranged symmetrically with respect to the adjacent surface _S1 of the processing modules 3A, 3B. The reaction tubes 10A and 10B are installed so that the exhaust pipes 46A and 46B each face the corner, that is, the exhaust pipes 46A and 46B face the exhaust boxes 74A and 74B. Further, the piping is arranged so that the length of the piping from the final valve to the nozzle is approximately the same in the processing modules 3A and 3B. Furthermore, as shown by arrows in FIG. 5, the rotation directions of the wafers W are also configured to be opposite to each other in the processing furnaces 4A and 4B.

Next, the maintenance of the processing device 2 will be described.
When the inside of the transfer chamber 6A is circulated and purged with an inert gas, an interlock is set so that the maintenance door 80A cannot be opened. Also, when the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 6A is lower than the oxygen concentration at atmospheric pressure, an interlock is set so that the maintenance door 80A cannot be opened. The same applies to the maintenance door 80B. Furthermore, when the maintenance doors 80A and 80B are open, an interlock is set so that the gate valves 90A and 90B cannot be opened. When the gate valves 90A and 90B are opened with the maintenance doors 80A and 80B open, the entire processing apparatus 2 is put into a maintenance mode, and then a separately installed maintenance switch is turned on, whereby the interlock for the gate valves 90A and 90B can be released and the gate valves 90A and 90B can be opened.

When opening the maintenance door 80A, atmospheric air is flowed into the transfer chamber 6A from the clean unit 62A in order to raise the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 6A to the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere or higher, preferably to the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. let At this time, in order to prevent the pressure in the transfer chamber 6A from becoming higher than the pressure in the transfer chamber 8, the circulation purge in the transfer chamber 6A is canceled and the atmosphere in the transfer chamber 6A is exhausted to the outside of the transfer chamber 6A. At the same time, the rotational speed of the fan of the clean unit 62A is lowered than the rotational speed during circulation purging to control the amount of air flowing into the transfer chamber 6A. By controlling in this way, the pressure in the transfer chamber 6A can be maintained lower than the pressure in the transfer chamber 8 while increasing the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 6A.

When the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 6A becomes equivalent to the oxygen concentration at atmospheric pressure, the interlock is released and the maintenance door 80A can be opened. At this time, even if the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 6A is equivalent to the oxygen concentration at atmospheric pressure, if the pressure in the transfer chamber 6A is higher than the pressure in the transfer chamber 8, the maintenance door 80A is set not to be able to be opened. When the maintenance door 80A is opened, the rotation speed of the fan of the clean unit 62A is made at least higher than the rotation speed during the circulation purge. More preferably, the rotation speed of the fan of the clean unit 62A is made maximum.

Maintenance inside the transfer chamber 9 is performed through a maintenance port 78C formed in the front of the transfer chamber 9, where no pod opener is installed. The maintenance port 78C is configured to be opened and closed by a maintenance door. As described above, when the entire processing device 2 is placed in maintenance mode, the gate valves 90A and 90B can be opened and maintenance can be performed from the gate valves 90A and 90B side. In other words, maintenance inside the transfer chamber 8 can be performed from either the front or rear of the device.

<Effects of this embodiment>
According to this embodiment, one or more of the following effects can be obtained.

(1) By arranging the utility system in the exhaust box and supply box from the housing side, the maintenance area on the rear of the processing device can be made wider. With this configuration, the maintenance port on the rear of the transfer chamber can be made wider, improving maintainability. In addition, by making the maintenance area on the rear of the processing device wider, there is no need to secure maintenance areas on both sides of the device, and the footprint of the device can be reduced.

(2) By installing the utility systems of the left and right processing modules facing each other on both outer side surfaces of the processing device, it becomes possible to use the space at the back of the device as a common maintenance area for the left and right processing modules. For example, in a conventional device, a supply box and an exhaust box are sometimes installed at both ends of the back of the device so as to face each other. When two devices having such a configuration are arranged side by side, one exhaust box and the other supply box will be adjacent to each other at the boundary line between the two devices. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the utility system is not arranged at the boundary between two processing modules, so that a wide maintenance area can be secured.

(3) By installing the final valve of the gas supply system above the exhaust box, the length of piping from the final valve to the processing chamber can be shortened. That is, gas delays and flow rate fluctuations during gas supply can be suppressed, and the quality of film formation can be improved. Since the quality of film formation is usually affected by gas supply conditions such as gas flow rate and gas pressure, it is preferable to install a supply box near the housing in order to stably supply gas into the reaction tube. However, in the present invention, by installing the final valve near the reaction tube, it is possible to arrange the supply box at a position away from the housing without adversely affecting the quality of film formation. Further, by arranging the exhaust box below the exhaust pipe extending from the processing container (reaction tube) and arranging the final valve directly above it, the length of piping to the processing chamber can be shortened. Furthermore, by installing the final valve directly above the exhaust box, maintenance such as replacement of the final valve becomes easy.

(4) By arranging each component line-symmetrically across the boundary between the processing modules, it is possible to suppress variation in the quality of the film formation in the left and right processing modules. In other words, by arranging each component, utility system, gas supply pipe arrangement, and exhaust piping arrangement within the processing module line-symmetrically, it is possible to make the piping length from the supply box to the reaction tube and the piping length from the reaction tube to the exhaust box approximately the same in the left and right processing modules. This allows film formation to be performed under similar conditions in the left and right processing modules, and the quality of the film formation can be made uniform, thereby improving productivity.

(5) By installing the maintenance door on the boundary between the two processing modules and configuring it to rotate toward the other processing module, the maintenance door can be opened 180 degrees and the maintenance opening on the back of the transport chamber can be made wide, improving maintainability.

(6) It is possible to perform maintenance on the other processing module and the transfer chamber while processing substrates in one processing module. This allows maintenance to be performed without stopping the film forming process, thereby increasing the operating rate of the apparatus and improving productivity.

(7) When the maintenance door of one of the processing modules is opened, the pressure in the transfer chamber is maintained lower than the pressure in the transfer chamber, while the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber is increased to the oxygen concentration at atmospheric pressure, thereby suppressing the inflow of atmosphere from the transfer chamber to the transfer chamber. In addition, by increasing the rotation speed of the clean unit fan in the transfer chamber higher than during circulation purging after the maintenance door is opened (after the transfer chamber is opened to the atmosphere), the inflow of atmosphere from the transfer chamber to the transfer chamber can be suppressed. With this configuration, even if the maintenance door of one processing module is opened, the other processing module can continue to operate. In other words, even if maintenance is being performed in the transfer chamber, a clean atmosphere can be maintained in the transfer chamber, and an increase in the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber can be suppressed, so that the stopped processing module can be maintained without adversely affecting the processing module in operation. As a result, since maintenance of the other processing module can be performed while one processing module is operating, there is no need to stop the operation of the entire processing device during maintenance, and productivity can be improved.

The embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which DCS gas is used as the raw material gas, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, in addition to DCS gas, raw material gases include inorganic halosilane raw materials such as HCD (Si ₂ Cl ₆ : hexachlorodisilane) gas, MCS (SiH ₃ Cl : monochlorosilane) gas, and TCS (SiHCl ₃ : trichlorosilane) gas. Does not contain halogen groups such as gas, 3DMAS (Si[N(CH ₃ ) ₂ ] ₃ H: trisdimethylaminosilane) gas, BTBAS (SiH ₂ [NH(C ₄ H ₉ )] ₂ : bistershabutylaminosilane) gas, etc. An inorganic silane raw material gas containing no halogen group, such as amino-based (amine-based) silane raw material gas, MS (SiH ₄ :monosilane) gas, DS (Si ₂ H ₆ :disilane) gas, can be used.

For example, in the above embodiment, an example of forming a SiO ₂ film has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, other than or in addition to these, a nitrogen (N)-containing gas (nitride gas) such as ammonia (NH ₃ ) gas, a carbon (C)-containing gas such as propylene (C ₃ H ₆ ) gas, a boron (B)-containing gas such as boron trichloride (BCl ₃ ) gas, etc. can be used to form a SiN film, a SiON film, a SiOCN film, a SiOC film, a SiCN film, a SiBN film, a SiBCN film, etc. Even when forming these films, they can be formed under the same processing conditions as in the above embodiment, and the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

Further, for example, the present invention provides a method for coating titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W) on the wafer W. ), ie, a metal-based film, can be suitably applied.

Although the above embodiment describes an example in which a film is deposited on the wafer W, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, the present invention can be suitably applied to cases where the wafer W or a film formed on the wafer W is subjected to oxidation treatment, diffusion treatment, annealing treatment, etching treatment, or the like.

Further, the above-described embodiments and modifications can be used in appropriate combinations. The processing conditions at this time can be, for example, the same processing conditions as those of the above-described embodiments and modified examples.

3: Processing module 72: Supply box 74: Exhaust box 76: Controller box

Claims (16)

a first processing module having a first processing vessel for processing a substrate;
a second process module disposed adjacent to a side of the first process module and having a second process vessel for processing a substrate;
a first utility system including a first supply system for supplying a process gas into the first process vessel and disposed adjacent to a rear surface of the first process module;
a second utility system including a second supply system for supplying a process gas into the second process vessel and disposed adjacent to a rear surface of the second process module;
a first exhaust system that exhausts the first processing chamber;
a second exhaust system that exhausts the second processing chamber;
a first exhaust box that houses at least a portion of the first exhaust system;
a second exhaust box that houses at least a portion of the second exhaust system;
Equipped with
the first supply system is provided so that an outer side surface of the first processing module opposite to the second processing module and an outer side surface of the first supply system are flat, and the second supply system is provided so that an outer side surface of the second processing module opposite to the first processing module and an outer side surface of the second supply system are flat,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the first exhaust box and the second exhaust box face each other across a maintenance area formed behind the first processing module and the second processing module. In claim 1,
a first maintenance door provided in the first processing module so as to face the maintenance area and configured to be able to be opened by rotating toward the second processing module;
The substrate processing apparatus further includes a second maintenance door provided in the second processing module so as to face the maintenance area and configured to be opened by rotating toward the first processing module. In claim 1,
The first exhaust box constitutes a part of the first utility system, and the second exhaust box constitutes a part of the second utility system. In claim 1,
The width on the side adjacent to the back of the first processing module of the first utility system is smaller than the width on the side opposite to the side adjacent to the first processing module,
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a width of the second processing module of the second utility system on a side adjacent to a rear surface is smaller than a width on a side opposite to the side adjacent to the second processing module. In claim 1,
The first and second processing vessels are substrate processing apparatuses in which exhaust pipes provided in the first and second processing vessels face the first and second exhaust systems. In claim 5,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the wafer processed in the first processing chamber and the wafer processed in the second processing chamber are rotated in directions opposite to each other. In claim 1,
a controller is provided in the first utility system rearward of the first exhaust system and the first supply system;
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the second utility system is provided with a controller located behind the second exhaust system and the second supply system. In claim 1,
The first processing module and the second processing module are arranged in plane symmetry with respect to adjacent surfaces of the first processing module and the second processing module,
The first utility system and the second utility system are arranged symmetrically with respect to the adjacent surface of the substrate processing apparatus. In claim 1,
a first final valve provided in a pipe between the first processing vessel and the first supply system;
a second final valve provided in a pipe between the second processing vessel and the second supply system;
In the substrate processing apparatus, a piping length from the first final valve to the first processing vessel is equal to a piping length from the second final valve to the second processing vessel. In claim 1,
In the substrate processing apparatus, the maintenance area is integrally formed behind the first processing module and the second processing module. A first utility system disposed adjacent to the back side of the first processing module performs processing on the substrate in the first processing container of the first processing module. While supplying gas from a first supply system that supplies gas, the inside of the first processing container is evacuated by a first exhaust system that is at least partially housed in a first exhaust box, and the substrate is processed. A first treatment step of
With respect to the substrate in the second processing chamber of the second processing module arranged adjacent to the side surface of the first processing module, a second processing module arranged adjacent to the back surface of the second processing module A second exhaust system, at least a part of which is housed in a second exhaust box, supplies gas from a second supply system that supplies processing gas into the second processing container, and which the utility system includes. a second processing step of evacuating the inside of the second processing container and processing the substrate;
has
The first supply system is provided so that an outer side surface of the first processing module opposite to the second processing module and an outer side surface of the first supply system are flat; The second supply system is provided so that an outer side surface of the second processing module opposite to the first processing module and an outer side surface of the second supply system are flat;
In the semiconductor device manufacturing method, the first exhaust box and the second exhaust box face each other with a maintenance area formed behind the first processing module and the second processing module interposed therebetween. In claim 11,
further comprising the step of maintaining the inside of a first transfer chamber disposed below the first processing container,
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device in which the maintenance step and the second treatment step are performed simultaneously. In claim 12,
The method further includes a step of transporting the substrate from the first processing vessel to the second processing vessel through a transfer chamber,
The maintenance step includes:
increasing an oxygen concentration in the first transfer chamber to an oxygen concentration equal to or higher than an oxygen concentration in the atmosphere while maintaining a pressure in the first transfer chamber lower than a pressure in the transfer chamber;
opening a maintenance door formed on a rear surface of the first transfer chamber;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having the above structure. In claim 11,
In the first processing step, the gas is supplied via a first final valve provided in piping between the first processing container and the first supply system,
In the second processing step, the distance of the piping between the second processing container and the second supply system to the second processing container is the same as that between the first processing container and the first final supply system. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein the gas is supplied through a second final valve provided at a position equal to the distance between the second final valve and the second final valve. a step of preparing a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a first utility disposed adjacent to a rear surface of a first processing module and having a first supply system; a second utility disposed adjacent to a rear surface of a second processing module disposed adjacent to a side surface of the first processing module and having a second supply system; and a first exhaust box and a second exhaust box disposed opposite each other across a maintenance area formed behind the first processing module and the second processing module, wherein the first supply system is provided so that an outer side surface of the first processing module opposite the second processing module and an outer side surface of the first supply system are flat, and the second supply system is provided so that an outer side surface of the second processing module opposite the first processing module and an outer side surface of the second supply system are flat;
a first processing step in which the first supply system, which supplies a processing gas into a first processing vessel of the first processing module, supplies gas to a substrate in the first processing vessel while evacuating the first processing vessel by a first exhaust system, at least a portion of which is housed in the first exhaust box, to process the substrate;
a second processing step in which the second supply system, which supplies a processing gas into a second processing vessel of the second processing module, supplies gas to a substrate in the second processing vessel while evacuating the second processing vessel by a second exhaust system, at least a portion of which is housed in the second exhaust box, to process the substrate;
A substrate processing method comprising the steps of: a first utility disposed adjacent to the back side of the first processing module and including a first supply system; and a second utility disposed adjacent to the side surface side of the first processing module; a second utility disposed adjacently and having a second supply system; and a second utility disposed facing each other with a maintenance area formed behind the first processing module and the second processing module interposed therebetween. a first exhaust box and a second exhaust box, wherein the first supply system connects an outer side surface of the first processing module opposite to the second processing module and an outer side surface of the first processing module opposite to the second processing module. The second supply system is provided so that the outer side surface of the second processing module opposite to the first processing module and the outer side surface of the second supply system are flat. In the substrate processing equipment installed so that the
The first supply system that supplies processing gas into the first processing container of the first processing module supplies the gas to the substrate in the first processing container and the first exhaust gas. a first processing step of evacuating the inside of the first processing container with a first exhaust system that is at least partially housed in a box and processing the substrate;
The second supply system that supplies processing gas into the second processing container of the second processing module supplies the gas to the substrate in the second processing container and the second exhaust gas. a second processing step of evacuating the second processing container with a second exhaust system at least partially housed in a box to process the substrate;
A program stored on a computer-readable recording medium that causes the computer to perform the following steps.

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