JP4995579B2 - Substrate processing apparatus and semiconductor device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus for maintaining the life of a seal member or the like, and for improving high-temperature processing capability by increasing the heating temperature of a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: An MMT processing furnace 100 includes a processing chamber 201 with a light transmission window part 278 at least on the upper face, a cylindrical electrode 215 arranged in the outer periphery of the processing chamber 201, a cylindrical magnet 216 arranged in the outer periphery of the cylindrical electrode 215, and a lamp heating device 280 arranged outside the processing chamber 201 corresponding to the light transmission window part 278. At least part of the light transmission window part 278 is provided with an opaque member 290 for reducing the transmissivity of the rays of light to be emitted from the lamp heating device 280, and a resin member 286 is formed at the upper part of the opaque member 290. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a semiconductor device manufacturing method for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate.

  As a processing furnace of this type of substrate processing apparatus, for example, a modified magnetron type plasma processing furnace (MMT) that generates plasma by using an electric field and a magnetic field and processes the substrate using this plasma is known. Yes. This MMT apparatus has a heater as a heating source in a susceptor that holds a substrate, and the temperature limit when the substrate is heated by this heater is 400 to 700 under a pressure of 1 to 200 Pa under the processing chamber. It is about ℃. However, in order to form a thick film, the substrate temperature needs to be 750 ° C. or higher. Therefore, an MMT apparatus is known in which a second heat source (light source) is provided outside the processing chamber and the substrate temperature can be heated to 750 ° C. or higher (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-276998 A

  However, in the MMT apparatus using the second heat source (light source), there is a risk that the peripheral portion of the processing chamber is heated to shorten the life of the sealing member that hermetically seals the processing chamber.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a semiconductor device manufacturing method capable of solving the above-described conventional problems and increasing the heating temperature of the substrate to improve the high-temperature processing capability.

A feature of the present invention is that a processing chamber provided with a light transmissive window at least on an upper surface, a discharge electrode for generating plasma in the processing chamber, and an outer side of the processing chamber corresponding to the light transmissive window. A lamp heating device disposed; a support member that supports the lamp heating device; a breakage prevention member that is provided between the light transmissive window portion and the support member and prevents breakage of the light transmissive window portion; A sealing member that hermetically seals the processing chamber, and is a position that shields radiant heat emitted from the lamp heating device to the sealing member, and is disposed at an outer edge portion of the light transmissive window portion. The substrate processing apparatus is provided with a transmittance reducing unit that reduces the transmittance of light emitted from the lamp heating device , and the transmittance reducing unit is configured not to be exposed to the processing chamber .
A processing chamber provided with a light transmissive window at least on the upper surface; a discharge electrode for generating plasma in the processing chamber; and a lamp heating device disposed outside the processing chamber corresponding to the light transmissive window. A support member that supports the lamp heating device, a breakage prevention member that is provided between the light transmissive window portion and the support member and prevents breakage of the light transmissive window portion, and the processing chamber is hermetically sealed. A sealing member that seals, and is a position that shields radiant heat emitted from the lamp heating device to the sealing member, and an outer edge portion of the light transmissive window is provided from the lamp heating device. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using a substrate processing apparatus is provided, wherein a transmittance reduction unit for reducing the transmittance of irradiated light is provided, and the transmittance reduction unit is configured not to be exposed to the processing chamber. And said processing In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a step of heating the transported substrate by the lamp heating device, and a step of performing a plasma process on the substrate in the processing chamber.

  Preferably, the transmittance reducing portion is formed on at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the light transmissive window portion.

  Preferably, a sealing member that hermetically seals the processing chamber and a shielding member that shields radiant heat from the lamp heating device against the sealing member.

  Preferably, a cooling means for cooling the peripheral portion of the seal member is provided.

  According to the present invention, since at least a part of the light transmissive window portion has the transmittance reduction portion that reduces the transmittance of the light irradiated from the lamp heating device, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise around the seal member. Thus, the heating temperature of the substrate can be raised to improve the high temperature processing capability.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The plasma processing furnace of the present invention is a substrate processing furnace (hereinafter referred to as an MMT apparatus) for plasma processing a substrate such as a wafer using a modified magnetron type plasma source that can generate high-density plasma by an electric field and a magnetic field. Called). In this MMT apparatus, a substrate is installed in a processing chamber that ensures airtightness, a reaction gas is introduced into the processing chamber via a shower head, the processing chamber is maintained at a certain pressure, and high-frequency power is supplied to the discharge electrode. As a result, an electric field and a magnetic field are formed, causing magnetron discharge. Since the electrons emitted from the discharge electrode continue to circulate while continuing the cycloid motion while drifting, the lifetime becomes longer and the ionization rate is increased, so that high-density plasma can be generated. In this way, the substrate can be subjected to various plasma treatments such as diffusion treatment such as oxidation or nitridation by exciting and decomposing the reaction gas, or forming a thin film on the substrate surface, or etching the substrate surface.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of an MMT apparatus 100 as a substrate processing apparatus. The MMT apparatus 100 includes a processing container 203, which is formed by a dome-shaped upper container 210 that is a first container and a bowl-shaped lower container 211 that is a second container. 210 is placed on the lower container 211. The upper container 210 is made of a nonmetallic material such as aluminum oxide or quartz, and the lower container 211 is made of aluminum, for example. Further, a light transmissive window 278 described later is disposed on the upper surface of the processing vessel 203, and a lamp heating device (light source) 280 is provided outside the reaction vessel 203 corresponding to the light transmissive window 278. Further, by configuring the susceptor 217, which is a heater-integrated substrate holder (substrate holding means), which will be described later, with a non-metallic material such as aluminum nitride, ceramics, or quartz, metal contamination taken into the film during processing is reduced. is doing.

  The shower head 236 is provided in the upper part of the processing chamber (reaction chamber) 201, and has a ring-shaped frame 233, a light transmissive window 278, a gas inlet 234, a buffer chamber 237, and an opening 238. , A shielding plate 240 and a gas outlet 239 are provided. The buffer chamber 237 is provided as a dispersion space for dispersing the gas introduced from the gas introduction port 234.

  A gas supply pipe 232 for supplying gas is connected to the gas inlet 234. The gas supply pipe 232 is connected via a valve 243a as an on-off valve and a mass flow controller 241 as a flow rate controller (flow rate control means). It is connected to the gas cylinder of the reaction gas 230 not shown in the figure. A reaction gas 230 is supplied from the shower head 236 to the processing chamber 201, and a gas is exhausted to the side wall of the lower container 211 so that the gas after the substrate processing flows from the periphery of the susceptor 217 toward the bottom of the processing chamber 201. An exhaust port 235 is provided. A gas exhaust pipe 231 for exhausting gas is connected to the gas exhaust port 235. The gas exhaust pipe 231 is connected to a vacuum pump 246 which is an exhaust device via an APC 242 which is a pressure regulator and a valve 243b which is an on-off valve. It is connected.

  As a discharge mechanism (discharge electrode) that excites the supplied reaction gas 230, a cylindrical electrode 215 that is a first electrode formed in a cylindrical shape, for example, a cylindrical shape, is provided. The cylindrical electrode 215 is installed on the outer periphery of the processing vessel 203 (upper vessel 210) and surrounds the plasma generation region 224 in the processing chamber 201. The cylindrical electrode 215 is connected to a high frequency power source 273 that applies high frequency power via a matching unit 272 that performs impedance matching.

  Moreover, the cylindrical magnet 216 which is a cylinder, for example, the magnetic field formation mechanism (magnetic field formation means) formed in the shape of a cylinder is a cylindrical permanent magnet. The cylindrical magnet 216 is disposed near the upper and lower ends of the outer surface of the cylindrical electrode 215. The upper and lower cylindrical magnets 216 and 216 have magnetic poles at both ends (inner and outer peripheral ends) along the radial direction of the processing chamber 201, and the magnetic poles of the upper and lower cylindrical magnets 216 and 216 are set in opposite directions. Has been. Therefore, the magnetic poles in the inner peripheral portion are different from each other, and thereby magnetic field lines are formed in the cylindrical axis direction along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical electrode 215.

  A susceptor 217 is disposed in the center of the bottom side of the processing chamber 201 as a substrate holder (substrate holding means) for holding the wafer 200 as a substrate. The susceptor 217 is formed of a non-metallic material such as aluminum nitride, ceramics, or quartz, for example, and a heater (not shown) as a heating mechanism (heating means) is integrally embedded therein to heat the wafer 200. It can be done. The heater is configured to heat the wafer 200 to about 500 ° C. by applying electric power.

  The susceptor 217 is also equipped with a second electrode that is an electrode for changing the impedance, and the second electrode is grounded via the impedance variable mechanism 274. The impedance variable mechanism 274 is composed of a coil and a variable capacitor, and the potential of the wafer 200 can be controlled via the electrode and the susceptor 217 by controlling the number of coil patterns and the capacitance value of the variable capacitor. .

  A processing furnace 202 for processing the wafer 200 by magnetron discharge with a magnetron plasma source includes at least a processing chamber 201, a processing vessel 203, a susceptor 217, a cylindrical electrode 215, a cylindrical magnet 216, a shower head 236, and an exhaust port. The wafer 200 can be plasma-processed in the processing chamber 201.

  Around the cylindrical electrode 215 and the cylindrical magnet 216, an electric field and magnetic field formed by the cylindrical electrode 215 and the cylindrical magnet 216 are arranged so as not to adversely affect the external environment and other processing furnaces. And a shielding plate 223 that effectively shields the magnetic field.

  The susceptor 217 is insulated from the lower container 211 and is provided with a susceptor elevating mechanism (elevating means) 268 for elevating and lowering the susceptor 217. The susceptor 217 is provided with through holes 217a, and at the bottom of the lower container 211, wafer push-up pins 266 for pushing up the wafer 200 are provided in at least three places. Then, when the susceptor 217 is lowered by the susceptor raising / lowering mechanism 268, the through hole 217 a and the wafer up pin are arranged such that the wafer push-up pin 266 penetrates the through-hole 217 a in a non-contact state with the susceptor 217. 266 is arranged.

  Further, a gate valve 244 serving as a gate valve is provided on the side wall of the lower container 211. When the gate valve 244 is open, the wafer 200 is loaded into or unloaded from the processing chamber 201 by a transfer mechanism (transfer means) not shown in the drawing. The process chamber 201 can be hermetically closed when closed.

  Further, the controller 121 as a control unit (control means) includes the APC 242, the valve 243b, and the vacuum pump 246 through the signal line A, the susceptor lifting mechanism 268 through the signal line B, the gate valve 244 through the signal line C, and the signal line D. The matching device 272, the high-frequency power source 273, the mass flow controller 241 and the valve 243a are controlled through the signal line E, and the heater and the impedance variable mechanism 274 embedded in the susceptor are controlled through the signal line (not shown).

  Next, using the processing furnace having the above-described configuration, a predetermined plasma process is performed on the surface of the wafer 200 or the surface of the base film formed on the wafer 200 as one step of the semiconductor device manufacturing process. A method will be described. In the following description, the operation of each unit constituting the MMT apparatus 100 is controlled by the control unit 121.

  The wafer 200 is loaded into the processing chamber 201 by a transfer mechanism (not shown) that transfers the wafer from the outside of the processing chamber 201 constituting the processing furnace 202, and is transferred onto the susceptor 217. The details of this transport operation are as follows. The susceptor 217 is lowered to the substrate transfer position, and the tip of the wafer push-up pin 266 passes through the through hole 217a of the susceptor 217. At this time, the push-up pin 266 is protruded by a predetermined height from the surface of the susceptor 217. Next, the gate valve 244 provided in the lower container 211 is opened, and the wafer 200 is placed on the tip of the wafer push-up pin 266 by a transfer mechanism (not shown). When the transfer mechanism is retracted out of the processing chamber 201, the gate valve 244 is closed. When the susceptor 217 is raised by the susceptor lifting mechanism 268, the wafer 200 can be placed on the upper surface of the susceptor 217, and further raised to a position where the wafer 200 is processed.

  The heater and lamp superheater embedded in the susceptor 217 are preheated, and heat the loaded wafer 200 to a predetermined wafer processing temperature within a range of room temperature to 700 ° C. The pressure of the processing chamber 201 is maintained at a predetermined pressure within the range of 1 to 200 Pa using the vacuum pump 246 and the APC 242.

  When the temperature of the wafer 200 reaches the processing temperature and stabilizes, the upper surface (processing surface) of the wafer 200 disposed in the processing chamber 201 from the gas introduction port 234 through the gas ejection hole 239 of the shielding plate 240. Introduce towards. The gas flow rate at this time is a predetermined flow rate (for example, 0 to 500 sccm). At the same time, high frequency power is applied to the cylindrical electrode 215 from the high frequency power supply 273 via the matching unit 272. The power to be applied is a predetermined output value within the range of 150 to 200W. At this time, the impedance variable mechanism 274 is controlled in advance so as to have a desired impedance value.

  Magnetron discharge is generated under the influence of the magnetic field of the cylindrical magnets 216 and 216, charges are trapped in the upper space of the wafer 200, and high-density plasma is generated in the plasma generation region 224. Then, the surface of the wafer 200 on the susceptor 217 is subjected to plasma processing by the generated high density plasma. The wafer 200 that has been subjected to the plasma processing is transferred outside the processing chamber 201 using a transfer mechanism (not shown) in the reverse order of substrate loading.

Next, the peripheral structure of the lamp heating device 280 will be described with reference to FIG.
The lamp heating device 280 is disposed on the support member 282 placed on the frame body 233, and has at least one (four in the present embodiment) heating lamp. The first seal member 284a hermetically seals the buffer chamber 237 between the upper surface of the frame 233 and the lower surface of the light transmissive window 203, and the second seal member 284b includes the processing container 203 (the upper container 210). ) It is disposed between the upper surface and the lower surface of the frame body 233 and hermetically seals the inside of the processing chamber 201. The resin member 286 is disposed between the light transmissive window portion 278 and the support member 282, prevents contact between the light transmissive window portion 278 and the support member 282, and the light transmissive window portion 278. It is used as a breakage prevention member that prevents breakage. The light transmissive window portion 278 is formed in a columnar shape and is supported by the frame body 233 via the second seal member 284b. The light transmissive window 278 is made of a transmissive member that transmits light and heat emitted from the lamp heating device 280.

  The support member 282 includes a light shielding plate 282 a that shields light emitted from the lamp heating device 280. The light shielding plate 282a is used as a shielding member that shields light irradiated from the lamp heating device 280 and shields (absorbs) radiant heat (thermal energy) emitted from the lamp heating device 280. That is, the light shielding plate 282a is provided at a position where the second seal member 284 is shielded from the light emitted from the lamp heating device 280. Therefore, the radiant heat emitted from the lamp heating device 280 is absorbed by the light shielding plate 282a, and the high temperature of the second seal member 284 is suppressed.

  A cooling path 288 as a cooling means is provided in the frame 233. By circulating a coolant (for example, water) through the cooling path 288, the ambient temperature around the first seal member 284a and the second seal member 284b is lowered.

  Next, an MMT apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The light transmissive window portion 278 in the present embodiment has a larger outer diameter than the light transmissive window portion in the first embodiment. In addition, the frame body 233 in the present embodiment includes a first frame body 233a, a second frame body 233b, and a third frame body 233c. The third frame 233c is supported by the processing container 203 via the second seal member 284b and has a second cooling path 288b. The second frame 233b is supported by the third frame 233c and is disposed so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the light transmissive window portion 278. The first frame 233a is supported by the second frame 233b, and has a first cooling path 288a. The lower surface of the first frame 233a is in contact with a resin member 286 as an anti-damage material placed on the outer edge of the upper surface of the light transmissive window 278. By circulating a cooling liquid (for example, water) through the first cooling furnace 288a, the environmental temperature around the resin member 286 is lowered, and the cooling liquid is circulated through the second cooling path 288b, thereby the first seal. The ambient temperature around the member 284a and the second seal member 284b is lowered.

As described above, the first seal member 284a is disposed away from the lamp heating device 280 by increasing the outer diameter of the light transmissive window 278. More specifically, the distance (L2 in FIG. 3A) from the lamp heating device 280 to the first seal member 284a in the present embodiment is the first seal from the lamp heating device 280 in the first embodiment. It is longer than the distance to the member 284a (L1 in FIG. 2A). Thereby, the increase in the environmental temperature around the first seal member 284a was suppressed. More specifically, the temperature around the sealing member of the MMT apparatus that does not have the lamp heating apparatus as the second heating source was about 124 ° C., whereas the temperature at the same location of the MMT apparatus 100 in the present embodiment. Was about 132 ° C., and the temperature increase rate could be suppressed to about 6%.
In the description of the second embodiment of the present invention, the same parts as those in the first embodiment of the present invention are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  Next, an MMT apparatus 100 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In the light transmissive window portion 278 in this embodiment, a concave portion 278a is formed on the outer edge portion of the lower surface of the light transmissive window portion 278, and an opaque member 290 is fitted in the concave portion 278a. The opaque member 290 is made of a member (for example, ground glass) that reduces the transmittance of light emitted from the lamp heating device 280, and is used as a transmittance reducing unit. The opaque member 290 blocks the light emitted from the lamp heating device 280 with respect to the first seal member 284a and the second seal member 284b, that is, shields the radiant heat (heat energy) emitted from the lamp heating device 280. It is provided in the position to do. Therefore, the radiant heat emitted from the lamp heating device 280 to the first seal member 284a and the second seal member 284b is shielded by the opaque member 290, and the high temperature of the first seal member 284a and the second seal member 284b. Is suppressed.
In the description of the third embodiment of the present invention, the same parts as those of the second embodiment of the present invention are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the MMT apparatus 100 in the 4th Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated based on FIG.

In the light transmissive window portion 278 in the present embodiment, a concave portion 278b is formed on the outer edge portion of the upper surface of the light transmissive window portion 278, and an opaque member 290 is fitted in the concave portion 278b. The opaque member 290 is provided at a position that shields radiant heat (heat energy) emitted from the lamp heating device 280 with respect to the first seal member 284a and the second seal member 284b. Therefore, the radiant heat emitted from the lamp heating device 280 to the first seal member 284a and the second seal member 284b is shielded by the opaque member 290, and the high temperature of the first seal member 284a and the second seal member 284b. Is suppressed. In this embodiment, since the opaque member 290 of the light transmissive window 278 is not exposed to the processing chamber 201 (buffer chamber 237), particles generated when the opaque member 278 is scraped by plasma are suppressed. be able to.
In the description of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the same parts as those of the third embodiment of the present invention are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof is omitted.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a conductor wafer or a glass substrate that needs to increase the heating temperature of the substrate to improve the high-temperature processing capability.

It is a longitudinal section showing a processing furnace used for a substrate processing apparatus concerning an embodiment of the present invention. The peripheral structure of the lamp heating apparatus of the processing furnace which concerns on 1st Embodiment is shown, (a) is a fragmentary sectional view, (b) is the elements on larger scale of the light transmissive window part. The peripheral structure of the lamp heating apparatus of the processing furnace which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is shown, (a) is a fragmentary sectional view, (b) is the elements on larger scale of the light transmissive window part. The peripheral structure of the lamp heating apparatus of the processing furnace which concerns on 3rd Embodiment is shown, (a) is a fragmentary sectional view, (b) is the elements on larger scale of the light transmissive window part. The peripheral structure of the lamp heating apparatus of the processing furnace which concerns on 4th Embodiment is shown, (a) is a fragmentary sectional view, (b) is the elements on larger scale of the light transmissive window part.

Explanation of symbols

100 MMT processing furnace 200 Wafer 201 Processing chamber 215 Tubular electrode 216 Tubular magnet 278 Light transmissive window portion 280 Lamp heating device 282a Light shielding plate 286 Resin member 288 Cooling path 290 Opaque member

Claims (2)

A treatment chamber provided with a light transmissive window at least on the upper surface;
A discharge electrode for generating plasma in the processing chamber ;
A lamp heating device disposed outside the processing chamber corresponding to the light transmissive window,
A support member for supporting the lamp heating device;
A breakage preventing member provided between the light transmissive window portion and the support member to prevent breakage of the light transmissive window portion;
A sealing member for hermetically sealing the processing chamber;
Have
It is a position that shields radiant heat emitted from the lamp heating device to the sealing member, and reduces the transmittance of light emitted from the lamp heating device at the outer edge of the light transmissive window. A transmittance reduction unit is provided,
Further, the transmittance reducing unit is configured to prevent exposure to the processing chamber . A treatment chamber provided with a light transmissive window at least on the upper surface;
A discharge electrode for generating plasma in the processing chamber;
A lamp heating device disposed outside the processing chamber corresponding to the light transmissive window,
A support member for supporting the lamp heating device;
A breakage preventing member provided between the light transmissive window portion and the support member to prevent breakage of the light transmissive window portion;
A sealing member for hermetically sealing the processing chamber;
Have
It is a position that shields radiant heat emitted from the lamp heating device to the sealing member, and reduces the transmittance of light emitted from the lamp heating device at the outer edge of the light transmissive window. A transmittance reduction unit is provided,
Further, the transmittance reduction unit is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using a substrate processing apparatus configured not to be exposed to the processing chamber,
Heating the substrate transported to the processing chamber by the lamp heating device;
Applying plasma treatment to the substrate in the processing chamber;
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having

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