JP6684943B2 - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing a substrate.

  In manufacturing a semiconductor device, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) which is a substrate is repeatedly subjected to various processes such as an etching process and a film forming process to manufacture a desired device.

  Conventionally, as such substrate processing, a single-wafer processing apparatus that processes substrates one by one is often used. Further, such a processing apparatus is required to improve the throughput, and a processing apparatus which processes two or more substrates at a time while maintaining a single-wafer type platform has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). 2).

  In the substrate processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, one substrate mounting table is provided in the chamber, and one shower-shaped gas dispersion plate is provided above the substrate mounting table so as to face the substrate mounting table. A plurality of (two) substrates are placed, the inside of the chamber is kept vacuum, and a processing gas is supplied from the gas dispersion plate to perform a predetermined processing on the substrates.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-520649 JP, 2012-015285, A

  By the way, in substrate processing such as etching processing, it is difficult to ensure processing uniformity as the size of the substrate increases, and the demand for processing uniformity is increasing more and more. It is becoming difficult to obtain the desired processing uniformity with the technique of No. 2. That is, in the techniques of Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, non-uniformity of temperature and non-uniformity of gas supply occur due to interference of a plurality of substrates and the like, and it is difficult to obtain sufficient process uniformity. Furthermore, even in a normal single-wafer processing apparatus, there are cases where sufficient processing uniformity cannot be ensured.

  The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of ensuring further processing uniformity when a substrate is mounted on a mounting table and processed with a processing gas.

  In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus in which a substrate is processed with a processing gas in a vacuum atmosphere, the chamber including a sidewall, the chamber being held in the vacuum atmosphere, and containing the substrate. A substrate mounting table configured to mount the substrate in the chamber, a gas introducing member configured to introduce a gas containing a processing gas into the chamber, and surrounded by the side wall, A partition member including a cylindrical portion provided so as to correspond to the substrate mounting table and configured to be movable up and down between an upper position and a lower position in the chamber, and an elevating mechanism for elevating the partition member. When the partition member is in the lower position, the space in the tubular portion and the space between the side wall of the chamber and the partition member communicate with each other, and the partition member is in the upper position. The tubular portion surrounds the substrate mounting table and defines a processing space therein, and the processing space in the tubular portion and a space between the side wall of the chamber and the partition member are airtight to each other. Provided is a substrate processing apparatus characterized by being divided into

  According to the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of ensuring further processing uniformity when a substrate is mounted on a mounting table and processed with a processing gas.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the processing system provided with the COR processing apparatus which is the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional view showing a COR processing device concerning one embodiment of the present invention, and is a figure showing the state where a partition member was raised. It is sectional drawing which shows the COR processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the state which lowered the partition member. It is a perspective view which shows a partition member. It is a side view of the partition member which showed the flange part in section. It is sectional drawing which shows the drive shaft installation part and guide shaft installation part of a COR processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the joining part of the upper shaft and lower shaft of a guide shaft. It is a figure which shows the result of having evaluated the number of particles which adhered to the wafer at the time of changing a condition when a partition member was driven and forming a gas flow. It is a figure which shows the result of having compared the process distribution when the COR process is performed by the conventional apparatus which does not provide a partition member, and the process distribution when the partition member is provided and the COR process is performed in the state of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the COR processing apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Treatment system equipped with COR treatment device>
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a processing system including a COR processing apparatus that performs a chemical oxide removal (COR) processing, which is a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The processing system 1 includes a loading / unloading section 2 for loading and unloading a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a wafer) W as a substrate to be processed, and two load lock chambers (L) provided adjacent to the loading / unloading section 2. / L) 3, a PHT processing device 4 provided adjacent to each load lock chamber 3 for performing a PHT (Post Heat Treatment) process on the wafer W, and adjacent to each PHT processing device 4. The COR processing device 5 is provided to perform the COR processing on the wafer W. The load lock chamber 3, the PHT processing device 4, and the COR processing device 5 are arranged side by side in a straight line in this order. The PHT processing apparatus 4 and the COR processing apparatus 5 process two wafers W at a time.

  The loading / unloading section 2 has a transfer chamber (L / M) 12 in which a first wafer transfer mechanism 11 for transferring the wafer W is provided. The first wafer transfer mechanism 11 has two transfer arms 11a and 11b that hold the wafer W substantially horizontally. A mounting table 13 is provided on a side portion in the longitudinal direction of the transfer chamber 12, and to the mounting table 13, for example, three carriers C capable of accommodating a plurality of wafers W side by side can be connected. . Further, an orienter 14 is installed adjacent to the transfer chamber 12 to rotate the wafer W to optically determine the amount of eccentricity and perform alignment.

  In the loading / unloading section 2, the wafer W is held by the transfer arms 11a and 11b, is moved straight in a substantially horizontal plane by the drive of the first wafer transfer mechanism 11, and is moved up and down to be transferred to a desired position. . The carrier arms 11a and 11b advance and retreat to and from the carrier C, the orienter 14, and the load lock chamber 3 on the mounting table 13, respectively.

  Each load lock chamber 3 is connected to the transfer chamber 12 with a gate valve 16 interposed between the load lock chamber 3 and the transfer chamber 12. A second wafer transfer mechanism 17 for transferring the wafer W is provided in each load lock chamber 3. Further, the load lock chamber 3 is configured to be able to be evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum.

  The second wafer transfer mechanism 17 has an articulated arm structure and has a pick that holds the wafer W substantially horizontally. In the second wafer transfer mechanism 17, the pick is located in the load lock chamber 3 in a state where the multi-joint arm is contracted, and the multi-joint arm is extended to reach the PHT processing apparatus 4 for further extension. As a result, it is possible to reach the COR processing apparatus 5, and the wafer W can be transferred between the load lock chamber 3, the PHT processing apparatus 4, and the COR processing apparatus 5.

The PHT processing apparatus 4 has a chamber 20 capable of being evacuated, and a substrate mounting table 23 on which two wafers W to be processed are mounted in a horizontal state, and a heater is mounted on the substrate mounting table 23. A PHT process is performed in which the wafer W, which is embedded and is subjected to the COR process by the heater, is heated to vaporize (sublimate) a reaction product, which will be described later, generated by the COR process. During the PHT process, an inert gas such as N ₂ gas is introduced into the chamber 20. A gate valve 22 is provided on the load lock chamber 3 side of the chamber 20, and a gate valve 54 is provided on the COR processing device 5 side of the chamber 20.

The COR processing apparatus 5 according to the present embodiment performs the COR processing on the oxide film on the surface of the wafer W with the HF gas and the NH ₃ gas in the chamber 40, and the detailed configuration thereof will be described later.

  The control unit 6 has a process controller 91 including a microprocessor (computer) that controls each component of the processing system 1. The process controller 91 is connected with a keyboard through which an operator inputs commands to manage the processing system 1 and the like, and a user interface 92 having a display for visualizing and displaying the operating status of the processing system 1. . Further, the process controller 91 includes a control program for realizing various processes executed in the processing system 1, for example, supply of a process gas in a COR processing device 5 described later and exhaust in a chamber by controlling the process controller. A storage unit 93 that stores a processing recipe, which is a control program for causing each component of the processing system 1 to execute a predetermined processing according to processing conditions, and various databases is connected. The recipe is stored in an appropriate storage medium (not shown) in the storage unit 93. Then, if necessary, by calling an arbitrary recipe from the storage unit 93 and causing the process controller 91 to execute it, desired processing in the processing system 1 is performed under the control of the process controller 91.

Next, the processing operation of the processing system 1 will be described.
First, the wafer W having a silicon oxide film on the surface of the substrate to be processed is housed in the carrier C and transferred to the processing system 1. In the processing system 1, one wafer W is loaded from the carrier C of the loading / unloading section 2 by one of the transfer arms 11a and 11b of the first wafer transfer mechanism 11 with the gate valve 16 on the atmosphere side opened. To the pick of the second wafer transfer mechanism 17 in the load lock chamber 3.

  After that, the atmosphere side gate valve 16 is closed to evacuate the load lock chamber 3 to vacuum, and then the gate valve 54 is opened to extend the pick to the COR processing apparatus 5 and transfer the wafer W to the COR processing apparatus 5.

  After that, the pick is returned to the load lock chamber 3, the gate valve 54 is closed, and the COR processing is performed in the COR processing device 5 as described later.

  After the COR processing is completed, the gate valves 22 and 54 are opened, the processed wafer W is received by the pick of the second wafer transfer mechanism 17, and is placed on the mounting table 23 in the chamber 20 of the PHT processing apparatus 4. Then, the pick is retracted to the load lock chamber 3, the gate valves 22 and 54 are closed, and the wafer W is heated in the chamber 20 of the PHT processing apparatus 4 to perform the PHT processing. As a result, the reaction product generated by the COR treatment is heated, vaporized, and removed.

  After the heat treatment in the PHT processing apparatus 4 is completed, the gate valve 22 is opened, and the wafer W after the etching processing on the mounting table 23 is evacuated to the load lock chamber 3 by the pick of the second wafer transfer mechanism 17, and the first wafer transfer is performed. It is returned to the carrier C by one of the transfer arms 11 a and 11 b of the mechanism 11. This completes the processing of one wafer. Such a series of processes is repeated for the number of wafers W accommodated in the carrier C.

<Structure of COR processing device>
Next, a COR processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.
2 and 3 are cross-sectional views showing a COR processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a state in which a partition member is raised, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which the partition member is lowered. .

As shown in these drawings, the COR processing apparatus 5 includes a chamber 40 having a hermetically sealed structure. Further, the COR processing apparatus 5 has two chambers for placing wafers W as substrates to be processed in a horizontal state one by one. One substrate mounting table 41, two gas introduction members 42 for introducing the processing gas into the chamber 40 so as to face the upper sides of the substrate mounting tables 41, and the periphery of the lower portions of the two substrate mounting tables 41. To form a partition wall defining a sealed processing space S in a region including the wafer W between each of the two inner walls 43 provided in each of the inner walls 43 and each of the substrate mounting tables 41 and the corresponding gas introduction member 42. Of the partition member 44 capable of moving up and down, a lift mechanism 45 for moving the partition member 44 up and down, a gas supply mechanism 46 for supplying HF gas, NH ₃ gas and the like, and the chamber 40 is exhausted. An exhaust mechanism 47 is provided.

  The chamber 40 is made of, for example, aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and includes a chamber body 51 and a lid 52. The chamber body 51 has a side wall portion 51a and a bottom portion 51b, and an upper portion thereof is an opening, and this opening is closed by a lid portion 52. The side wall portion 51a and the lid portion 52 are sealed by the seal member 51c, and the airtightness inside the chamber 40 is ensured. The above-described two gas introduction members 42 are fitted inside the lid portion 52. The side wall portion 51a of the chamber body 51 is provided with a loading / unloading port (not shown) for transporting the wafer W to / from the chamber of the PHT processing apparatus 4, and the loading / unloading port is the gate valve 54 described above. Can be opened and closed.

  The substrate mounting table 41 has a substantially columnar shape, and includes a mounting plate 61 having a mounting surface for the wafer W and a base block 62 fixed to the bottom portion 51b of the chamber body 51 and supporting the mounting plate. . A temperature controller 63 for controlling the temperature of the wafer W is provided inside the mounting plate 61. The temperature controller 63 includes, for example, a pipe in which a temperature adjusting medium (for example, water) circulates, and heat exchange is performed with the temperature adjusting medium flowing in such a pipe, whereby the wafer W Temperature control is performed. Further, the substrate mounting table 41 is provided with a plurality of lifting pins (not shown) used when the wafer W is transferred so as to be capable of projecting and retracting with respect to the mounting surface of the wafer.

  The inner wall 43 has a cylindrical shape, is provided around the base block 62 of the substrate mounting table 41 with a space, and forms an annular exhaust space 68 between the inner wall 43 and the base block 62. A flange 67 is formed on the upper portion of the inner wall 43. A slit (not shown) is formed in the inner wall 43, and the exhaust gas reaching the annular exhaust space 68 from the processing space S is uniformly discharged to the outer space of the inner wall 43 through the slit of the inner wall 43. The gas is exhausted by the exhaust mechanism 47 described later.

The gas supply mechanism 46 supplies HF gas, NH ₃ gas, and dilution gas such as Ar gas and N ₂ gas to the gas introduction member 42, and supplies each gas with a supply source, a supply pipe, a valve, and a mass flow controller. Etc. have a flow controller.

The gas introduction member 42 is for introducing the gas supplied from the gas supply mechanism 46 into the chamber 40, has a gas diffusion space 64 inside, and has a cylindrical overall shape. A gas introduction hole 65 connected to the upper wall of the chamber 40 is formed on the upper surface of the gas introduction member 42, and a large number of gas ejection holes 66 connected to the gas diffusion space 64 are formed on the bottom surface. Then, the gas such as HF gas or NH ₃ gas supplied from the gas supply mechanism 46 reaches the gas diffusion space 64 through the gas introduction hole 65, is diffused in the gas diffusion space 64, and is uniformly showered from the gas discharge hole 66. Are ejected in a shape. That is, the gas introduction member 42 functions as a gas dispersion head (shower head) that disperses and discharges the gas. The gas introducing member 42 may be a post-mix type that discharges the HF gas and the NH ₃ gas through separate flow paths.

  The partition wall member 44 is for collectively forming partition walls that define two processing spaces corresponding to the two substrate mounting tables 41, and for forming each processing space as shown in the perspective view of FIG. Two cylindrical parts (cylindrical parts) 71 and a flange part 72 provided in a flange shape on the upper part of the cylindrical part 71. An inner flange portion 73 is formed on the bottom of the cylindrical portion 71 (see FIG. 2).

  The partition member 44 is provided with two seal members 74 on the upper surface of the flange portion 72 corresponding to each processing space S. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a seal member 75 is provided on the lower surface of the flange 67 of the inner wall 43. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, in a state where the partition wall member 44 is raised, the seal member 74 abuts on the upper surface of the gas introduction member 42, so that the partition wall member 44 and the gas introduction member 42 are brought into close contact with each other to form a seal. The member 75 comes into contact with the upper surface of the inner flange portion 73 of the partition member 44, and the partition member 44 and the inner wall 43 are in close contact with each other to form a processing space S that is a substantially sealed space.

  As the seal members 74 and 75, a lip seal having a main body and a lip protruding obliquely from the main body can be preferably used. Since the lip portion of the lip seal constitutes the seal portion, by using the seal members 74 and 75 as the lip seal, the partition member 44 and the gas introduction member 42, and the partition member 44 and the inner wall 43 do not come into direct contact with each other and the clearance is cleared. It is possible to seal while maintaining. Therefore, it is possible to prevent generation of particles due to contact between the partition member 44 and the gas introduction member 42 and between the partition member 44 and the inner wall 43. Further, since the lip seal adjusts the clearance at the lip portion, the degree of freedom in clearance adjustment is high. In order to prevent contact between the partition member 44 and the gas introduction member 42 and between the partition member 44 and the inner wall 43 and to obtain a desired sealing property, the clearance between them is in the range of 1.6 to 3.6 mm. It is preferable to seal as follows.

  Further, as will be described later, the pressure difference between the inside of the chamber 40 in the vacuum state and the outside of the chamber 40, which is the atmospheric space, is used to raise the partition member 44, and the driving force is small. Is required to be capable of uniformly sealing with the reaction force as small as possible. On the other hand, in the lip seal, the reaction force in the sealed state is substantially close to 0, and therefore, even if the driving force is small as described above, sufficient sealing is possible.

  However, the lip seal is suitable for sealing in an environment where the pressure difference between vacuum and vacuum or the atmosphere is small, and when the lip seal is used as the seal members 74 and 75, the partition member 44 is used. It is necessary that the pressure difference between the inside and outside is small, and it is preferable that the pressure difference between these is 300 Torr or less.

  Since the lip seal needs to face the direction where the pressure is high, when the lip seal is applied to the seal member 74, the lip part faces the processing space S side where the pressure is higher, that is, the inside. Use a lip seal. When applying a lip seal to the seal member 75, a lip seal having a lip portion facing the processing space S side where the pressure is higher, that is, the outside is used.

  Although the seal member 75 is provided on the lower surface of the flange 67 of the inner wall 43, it may be provided on the upper surface of the inner flange portion 73 of the partition member 44.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the flange portion 72 of the partition wall member 44 has a main body portion 72 a having a groove portion 76 that circulates, and a heater 77 is provided inside the groove portion 76 so as to circulate along the groove portion 76. ing. The lid 72b is welded to the upper portion of the main body 72a, and the groove 76 is a sealed space. The heater 77 is connected to a heater power source (not shown) outside the chamber 40, and by supplying power to the heater 77, the heater 77 generates heat, and the heat is rapidly diffused from the upper portion to the lower portion of the partition member 44, and the treatment is performed. The inside of the space S can be heated to, for example, 30 to 150 ° C., and the inside of the processing space S can be maintained in a highly uniform temperature state. As will be described later, the groove portion 76 is connected to the atmosphere via the guide shaft of the elevating mechanism 45 and serves as an atmosphere space. Therefore, excessive temperature rise is unlikely to occur, and the controllability of the heater 77 is good.

  An elevating mechanism 45 that elevates and lowers the partition member 44 is disposed outside the chamber 40, and an actuator 81 that can move the partition member 44 up and down, and extends from the actuator 81 to enter the chamber 40, and the tip end is the flange of the partition member 44. It has a drive shaft 82 attached to the portion 72, and a plurality of hollow guide shafts 83 whose tip is attached to the partition member 44 and whose other end extends outside the chamber 40. If there are two guide shafts 83, the drive shafts 82 and the drive shafts 82 are triaxially supported and can be stably supported, and the partition member 44 can be stably moved up and down. If the number of guide shafts 83 is more than two, for example, four, the partition member 44 can be raised more uniformly, but if the number of guide shafts 83 is increased, cost and maintainability are deteriorated. Therefore, the number of guide shafts 83 may be determined in consideration of such a point.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the drive shaft 82 is composed of an upper shaft 82a and a lower shaft 82b, and one end of an expandable bellows 84 is attached to the lower end of the upper shaft 82a. The lower shaft 82b is attached to the upper shaft 82a so as to be continuous with the upper shaft 82a outside the chamber 40, and is configured as a spline shaft of a ball spline. The bellows 84 is provided around the upper shaft 82a of the drive shaft 82, and the other end is attached to the bottom of the chamber 40. As a result, when the drive shaft 82 moves up and down, the bellows 84 expands and contracts correspondingly and the vacuum state in the chamber 40 is maintained. A case 85 for housing the drive shaft 82 is attached to the bottom of the chamber 40 so as to cover the outside of the bellows 84. A ball spline sleeve 86 is attached to the inside of the portion of the case 85 corresponding to the lower shaft 82b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the guide shaft 83 is composed of an upper shaft 83a and a lower shaft 83b, and one end of an expandable bellows 87 is attached to the lower end of the upper shaft 83a. The lower shaft 83b is attached to the upper shaft 83a so as to be continuous with the upper shaft 83a outside the chamber 40, and is guided by the guide bush 89. The bellows 87 is provided around the upper shaft 83a of the guide shaft 83, and the other end is attached to the bottom of the chamber 40. As a result, when the guide shaft 83 moves up and down, the bellows 87 expands and contracts correspondingly and the vacuum state in the chamber 40 is maintained. A case 88 for accommodating the guide shaft 83 is attached to the bottom of the chamber 40 so as to cover the outside of the bellows 87. A guide bush 89 is attached to the inside of the portion of the case 88 corresponding to the lower shaft 83b.

  Since the lower end of the guide shaft 83 is provided in the atmospheric pressure space outside the chamber 40, in the state where the inside of the chamber 40 is kept in vacuum, the cross-sectional area of the guide shaft 83 becomes smaller due to these pressure differences. The pushing force acts in proportion. The guide shaft 83 has a spring reaction force of the bellows 87 and a downward acting force such as the weight of the guide shaft 83. However, by appropriately setting the inner diameter of the guide shaft 83, the pushing force is increased. can do. Thereby, the partition member 44 can be pushed up with an appropriate pressure. Therefore, the partition member 44 can be guided by the plurality of guide shafts 83 to be stably driven, and the partition member 44 can be evenly raised to ensure a reliable sealing property.

  When the partition wall member 44 is lowered, the partition wall member 44 may be lowered via the drive shaft 82 by the actuator 81 against the force of pushing up the partition wall member 44 due to such a differential pressure. Since the actuator 81 may be used only when the partition member 44 is lowered, the load on the actuator 81 and the drive shaft 82 is reduced. By lowering the partition member 44 and positioning the partition member 44 below the mounting surface of the substrate mounting table 41 as shown in FIG. 3, the wafer W can be transferred.

  6 shows a cross section of the COR processing device 5, where the left side shows the cross section of the region where the drive shaft 82 exists, and the right side shows the cross section of the region where the guide shaft exists. The cross sections of the left and right parts are different.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the joint between the upper shaft 83a and the lower shaft 83b of the guide shaft 83. The lower end of the upper shaft 83a is a flange 91 that supports the bellows 87, and the upper end of the lower shaft 83b is It is a flange 92 corresponding to the flange 91. A sliding member 93 made of a resin material having good sliding property such as PTFE is provided on the upper surface of the flange 92, and sliding is caused between the flange 91 and the sliding member 93. Then, the flange 91 and the flange 92 are joined by the screw 90 in a state where the sliding member 93 and the flange 91 are allowed to slide. The upper shaft 83a of the guide shaft 83 may have a high temperature due to heating by the heater 77 or the like, which causes a relatively large thermal expansion, but the lower shaft 83b is less affected by heating. Therefore, there is a possibility that the guide shaft 83 may be deformed due to the difference in thermal expansion, which hinders the vertical movement. On the other hand, by providing the sliding member 93, the upper shaft 83a slides on the sliding member 93, whereby the difference in thermal expansion can be absorbed.

  The exhaust mechanism 47 has an exhaust pipe 101 connected to an exhaust port (not shown) formed in the bottom portion 51b of the chamber 40, and further controls the pressure inside the chamber 40 provided in the exhaust pipe 101. An automatic pressure control valve (APC) 102 and a vacuum pump 103 for exhausting the inside of the chamber 40 are provided.

  In order to measure the pressure of each of the two processing spaces S in the chamber 40, a capacitance manometer 105a for high pressure and a low pressure manometer as a pressure gauge are inserted so as to be inserted into the exhaust space 68 corresponding to each processing space S from the bottom of the chamber. Capacitance manometers 105b for pressure are provided respectively. The opening of the automatic pressure control valve (APC) 102 is controlled based on the pressure detected by the capacitance manometer 105a or 105b.

<Processing operation by COR processing device>
Next, the processing operation of the COR processing device configured as described above will be described.

  First, in the state of FIG. 3 in which the partition member 44 is lowered by the actuator 81 via the drive shaft 82, the gate valve 54 is opened, and two wafers W are loaded into the chamber 40 from a loading / unloading port (not shown). The substrates are placed on the respective substrate rests 41.

  Next, the operation of the actuator 81 is stopped, and the guide shaft 83 is raised by the pushing force due to the pressure difference between the inside of the chamber 40 in the vacuum state and the outside of the chamber 40 which is the atmospheric pressure space, and the partition member 44 is pushed up. State. That is, the seal member 74 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the gas introducing member 42 to bring the partition member 44 and the gas introducing member 42 into close contact with each other, and the seal member 75 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the inner flange portion 73 of the partition member 44. Then, the partition wall member 44 and the inner wall 43 are brought into close contact with each other to form a processing space S that is a substantially sealed space.

Then, from the gas supply mechanism 46, an inert gas such as HF gas, NH ₃ gas, N ₂ gas, or Ar gas is dispersed and discharged in a shower shape from the multiple gas discharge holes 66 of the gas introduction member 42, and the wafer W COR treatment is applied to the SiO ₂ film on the surface. In the COR process, HF gas and NH ₃ gas are reacted with the SiO ₂ film formed on the surface of the wafer W to generate ammonium fluorosilicate (AFS) which can be decomposed and removed by heat.

  After the COR process is completed, the partition member 44 is lowered by the actuator 81 of the elevating mechanism 45 to the state of FIG. 3, the gate valve 54 is opened, and the processed two wafers W are unloaded from the unillustrated loading / unloading port.

  In the above-described processing operation, since the partition member 44 is driven up and down, the deposit may be detached by the driving and particles may be generated. Further, when the partition member 44 rises and comes into contact with the gas introduction member 42, particles may be generated from the contact portion. When such particles adhere to the wafer W, a defect occurs in the wafer W.

Therefore, when the partition member 44 is moved up and down, the gas is introduced from the gas introduction member 42 so as to form a gas flow in which the particles are guided to the exhaust side and suppress the adhesion of the particles to the wafer W. The gas at this time may be any gas as long as it does not contribute to the processing of the wafer W and does not have an adverse effect, and is preferably an inert gas. In this example, either or both of N ₂ gas and Ar gas can be used. The flow rate and pressure of the gas at this time are controlled so as to form a flow in which particles do not adhere to the wafer W. If the gas flow rate is too low, an effective flow is not formed, and if the gas flow rate is too high, the particles fly up and the particles tend to adhere to the wafer W. If the pressure is too low, the gas becomes a molecular flow, and it is difficult to form a gas flow toward the exhaust side. From such a viewpoint, it is preferable that the gas flow rate is 500 to 1000 sccm (mL / min) and the pressure in the chamber is 1000 mTorr (133.3 Pa) or more. Although there is no upper limit of the pressure from the viewpoint of forming a proper gas flow, it is preferably 3000 mTorr (400 Pa) or less for the convenience of processing.

Actually, the number of particles adhering to the wafer when the gas flow was formed by changing the conditions when the partition member 44 was raised and lowered was evaluated. The result is shown in FIG. Here, when N ₂ gas is used as the gas and the gas does not flow when the partition wall member 44 is driven, the gas flow rate is changed to two levels of 750 sccm and 2000 sccm and the pressure is changed to two levels of 750 mTorr and 2000 mTorr. The number of adhered particles was counted three times. As a result, the number of particles was reduced to about half as compared with the case where the flow rate was 750 sccm and the pressure was 2000 mTorr and no gas was flown. On the other hand, no effect was seen under other conditions. From this result, it was confirmed that by appropriately adjusting the gas flow rate and pressure, it is possible to form a gas flow in which particles do not adhere to the wafer W.

  When the partition member 44 is raised while forming the gas flow in this way, after the partition member 44 contacts the gas introduction member 42 to form the processing space S, the pressure in the processing space S is adjusted to Apply processing. When the partition wall member 44 is lowered while forming the gas flow, the gas is stopped and the wafer W is unloaded after the lowering of the partition wall member 44 is completed.

<Effect of Embodiment>
According to the present embodiment, by raising the partition member 44, the processing space S for each wafer W is formed, so that the COR processing can be performed uniformly under the condition that there is no interference with other wafers. . Further, since the processing gas is supplied in a shower shape from the gas introduction member 42 to the respective processing spaces S so as to face the wafer W, the gas distribution can be made uniform and the processing distribution can be made more uniform. . Moreover, since the processed gas is discharged from the annular exhaust space 68 between the substrate mounting table 41 and the inner wall 43 through the slit of the inner wall 43, it can be uniformly exhausted, and the processing space S The gas distribution can be made more uniform. Further, since the processing is performed in a narrow space surrounded by the partition member 44, the gas usage amount is reduced, an energy saving effect is obtained, and a throughput improving effect can be obtained by shortening the pressure adjustment time.

  At this time, the flange portion 72 of the partition member 44 is heated to, for example, 30 to 150 ° C. by the heater 77 provided on the flange portion 72 above the partition member 44. Thereby, the partition member 44 made of aluminum or aluminum alloy having high thermal conductivity can be quickly diffused from the upper portion to the lower portion, and the temperature in the processing space S can be controlled to a state of extremely high thermal uniformity, and the processing uniformity can be improved. Can be further increased. Further, the groove portion 76 provided with the heater 77 is connected to the atmosphere via the guide shaft 83 of the elevating mechanism 45 and serves as an atmosphere space. Therefore, excessive temperature rise is unlikely to occur, and the controllability of the heater 77 is good.

  Actually, the processing distribution was compared between the case where the COR treatment was performed by the conventional apparatus not provided with the partition member 44 and the case where the partition member 44 was provided and the state shown in FIG. The result is shown in FIG. In the case of the conventional apparatus, as shown in FIG. 9A, all wafers were non-uniform in processing due to interference with other wafers. However, in the case of the present embodiment in which the partition member 44 is provided, As shown in FIG. 9B, it was confirmed that the processing distribution was concentric and the processing uniformity was improved.

  Further, as described above, the upper shaft 83a of the guide shaft 83 may have a high temperature due to the heating of the partition wall member 44 by the heater 77 and the like, which causes a relatively large thermal expansion, but the lower shaft 83b is not heated. Since the influence is small, the guide shaft may be deformed due to the difference in thermal expansion, which may hinder the vertical movement. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the sliding member 93 formed of a resin material such as PTFE having good sliding property is provided between the flange 91 at the lower end of the upper shaft 83a of the guide shaft 83 and the flange 92 at the upper end of the lower shaft 83b. Is provided so that slippage occurs between the flange 91 and the sliding member 93, and the flange 91 and the flange 92 are coupled by the screw 90 in a state in which the sliding between the sliding member 93 and the flange 91 is allowed, the upper shaft By sliding 83 a on the sliding member 93, the difference in thermal expansion can be absorbed.

  Further, a plurality of guide shafts 83, on which a pushing force acts by the pressure difference between the inside of the chamber 40 in a vacuum state and the outside of the chamber 40 which is an atmospheric pressure space, are provided, and the partition member 44 is raised through the plurality of guide shafts 83. As a result, stable driving can be performed by the plurality of guide shafts 83, and the partition member 44 can be lifted uniformly to achieve planar stabilization of the sealing surface, thus ensuring reliable sealing performance. You can Further, since the actuator 81 may be used only when lowering the partition member 44, the load on the actuator 81 and the drive shaft 82 can be reduced.

  Further, when the partition member 44 is raised to form the processing space S, the seal member 74 between the gas introducing member 42 and the seal member 75 between the inner wall 43 seals the upper and lower parts. It is possible to form a processing space having a good hermeticity.

  Further, since it is possible to collectively form two processing spaces by one partition member 44, it is possible to avoid complication of the lifting mechanism.

  Furthermore, when the partition wall member 44 is being driven, particles that are generated when the partition wall member 44 is driven are attached to the wafer W by forming a gas flow in which the particles are guided to the exhaust side. Can be effectively suppressed.

<Other applications>
The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but can be variously modified. For example, in the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a COR processing apparatus has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other processing such as a film forming processing by a chemical vapor deposition method (CVD method) can be used as long as it is a gas processing. It can also be applied to processing. Further, it may be a process using plasma.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the gas is discharged in a shower shape from the gas introduction member provided so as to face the substrate mounting table has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the gas is discharged from the nozzle. It may be a discharge mode.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been shown in which the gas is discharged from the exhaust space between the substrate mounting table and the inner wall through the slit of the inner wall, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the gas introduction member side, etc. You may make it exhaust from a part.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example of processing two objects to be processed has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and even a single-wafer type that processes one object at a time may process three or more objects. May be

  An example of a single-wafer COR processing device is shown in FIG. The COR processing apparatus 5'has a chamber 40 'in which a substrate mounting table 41 having the same structure as the COR processing apparatus 5 of FIGS. Has been done. Further, the partition member 44 'for forming one substantially sealed processing space S between the substrate mounting table 41 and the gas introduction member 42 has the same structure as that of the COR processing apparatus 5 of FIGS. It is provided so that it can be raised and lowered by a mechanism 45 '. Further, it has the same gas supply mechanism 46 and exhaust mechanism 47 as the COR processing device 5.

  Even in such a single-wafer processing apparatus, if the partition member is not present, the gas flow and the temperature may not be uniform, and uniform processing cannot always be performed. By providing the partition member 44 ′ on the base, it is possible to improve the uniformity of processing. Further, since the treatment is carried out in a narrow space surrounded by the partition member 44 ', the gas consumption is reduced and the energy saving effect is obtained, and the throughput improving effect can be obtained by shortening the pressure adjusting time.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the semiconductor wafer is described as an example of the substrate to be processed, but it is clear that the substrate to be processed is not limited to the semiconductor wafer according to the principle of the present invention, and various other substrates. It goes without saying that it can be applied to the processing of.

1; processing system 2; loading / unloading section 3; load lock chamber 4; PHT processing apparatus 5; COR processing apparatus 6; control section 40; chamber 41; substrate mounting table 42; gas introduction member 43; inner walls 44, 44 '; Partition member 45, 45 '; Lifting mechanism 46; Gas supply mechanism 47; Exhaust mechanism 68; Exhaust space 77; Heater 74, 75; Seal member 81; Actuator 82; Drive shaft 83; Guide shaft 93; Sliding member S; Processing space W: Semiconductor wafer (substrate to be processed)

Claims (24)

A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate with a processing gas in a vacuum atmosphere,
A chamber that includes a sidewall, is held in a vacuum atmosphere, and accommodates a substrate;
A substrate mounting table configured to mount the substrate in the chamber,
A gas introducing member configured to introduce a gas containing a processing gas into the chamber;
A partition member that is surrounded by the side wall and includes a cylindrical portion that is provided so as to correspond to the substrate mounting table, and that is configured to be movable up and down between an upper position and a lower position in the chamber,
An elevating mechanism for elevating the partition member,
When the partition member is in the lower position, the space inside the tubular portion and the space between the side wall of the chamber and the partition member communicate with each other,
When the partition member is in the upper position, the tubular portion surrounds the substrate mounting table and defines a processing space therein, the processing space in the tubular portion, the side wall of the chamber, and the partition wall. The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that a space between the member and the member is airtightly divided from each other.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall member further has a flange portion provided in a flange shape on an upper portion of the tubular portion.   3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the partition member further has a heater provided in the flange portion, and heat of the heater enhances thermal uniformity of the processing space.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the heater is provided in a space held in the flange portion at atmospheric pressure. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a plurality of substrates with a processing gas in a vacuum atmosphere,
A chamber that includes a sidewall, is held in a vacuum atmosphere, and accommodates a plurality of substrates;
A plurality of substrate mounting tables configured to mount the substrates in the chamber,
At least one gas introduction member configured to introduce a gas containing a processing gas into the chamber;
A partition which is surrounded by the side wall and includes a plurality of cylindrical portions provided so as to correspond to the plurality of substrate mounting tables, and which is configured to be movable up and down between an upper position and a lower position in the chamber. Members,
An elevating mechanism for elevating the partition member,
When the partition member is in the lower position, the spaces in the plurality of tubular portions and the space between the side wall of the chamber and the partition member communicate with each other,
When the partition member is in the upper position, the plurality of tubular portions surround the corresponding substrate mounting tables, and each of the plurality of tubular portions defines a processing space therein, The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the processing space inside the chamber and the space between the side wall of the chamber and the partition member are airtightly partitioned from each other.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of tubular portions are integrally formed.   The at least one gas introducing member includes a plurality of gas introducing members provided so as to correspond to the processing space, and a processing gas is introduced from the respective gas introducing members into the corresponding processing space. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 or claim 6.   8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the partition wall member further has a flange portion provided in a flange shape on an upper portion of the tubular portion.   9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the partition wall member further has a heater provided in the flange portion, and heat of the heater enhances thermal uniformity of the processing space.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the heater is provided in a space held in the flange portion at atmospheric pressure.   The at least one gas introduction member is provided so as to face the substrate mounting table, and a first seal member that seals a gap between the partition member and the gas introduction member when forming the processing space is provided. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 10, further comprising:   The first seal member is a lip seal having a main body portion and a lip portion that obliquely protrudes from the main body portion and constitutes a seal portion, and a clearance between the partition wall member and the gas introduction member is 1. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the gap is sealed so as to be in a range of 6 to 3.6 mm.   An inner wall having slits provided at intervals around the substrate mounting table, and a second sealing member for sealing a gap between the partition member and the inner wall when forming the processing space. 13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising: an exhaust from the processing space, which is performed from a space between the substrate mounting table and an inner wall through the slit.   The second seal member is a lip seal having a main body portion and a lip portion that obliquely protrudes from the main body portion and constitutes a seal portion, and the clearance between the partition wall member and the inner wall is 1.6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is sealed so as to have a range of up to 3.6 mm.   15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the partition member is 300 Torr or less.   The elevating mechanism includes an actuator that can move the partition member up and down, a drive shaft that extends from the actuator and has a tip attached to the partition member, and a plurality of tips that are attached to the partition member and extend outside the chamber. A guide shaft, and the guide shaft is raised by a pushing force due to a differential pressure between the inside of the chamber held in a vacuum state and the outside of the chamber which is an atmospheric pressure space, and raises the partition member. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 15, wherein:   The guide shaft has an upper shaft connected to the partition member and a lower shaft connected to the upper shaft, and the upper shaft and the lower shaft are sliding members that generate a slip therebetween. 17. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is coupled via the above in a state in which sliding is allowed, and is configured to be able to absorb the difference in thermal expansion.   6. The gas introducing member is provided so as to face the substrate mounting table, has a large number of gas discharge holes on a lower surface thereof, and discharges the processing gas in a shower shape into the processing space. Item 18. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of items 17.   When the partition member is moved up and down, a gas flow in which particles are guided to the exhaust side is formed in the chamber, and gas is introduced from the gas introduction member so as to suppress adhesion of particles to the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a control unit configured to control.   The control unit controls the introduction of gas from the gas introduction member such that the gas flow rate of the gas is 500 to 1000 sccm and the pressure in the chamber is 1000 mTorr or more when the partition member is moved up and down. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a substrate processing apparatus. A substrate is mounted on a substrate mounting table in a chamber that includes a side wall and is held in a vacuum atmosphere, and a cylindrical portion that is surrounded by the side wall and that is provided so as to correspond to the substrate mounting table is included in the chamber. A substrate processing method of providing a partition member configured to be able to move up and down between an upper position and a lower position of the substrate, and introducing a processing gas from a gas introducing member into a processing space to perform a predetermined processing on the substrate,
A step of lowering the partition member to the lower position so that the substrate can be transported to the substrate mounting table;
A step of loading the substrate into the chamber and mounting the substrate on the substrate mounting table;
Raising the partition member to the upper position so as to form the processing space in the chamber;
Introducing the processing gas into the processing space in order to perform a predetermined processing on the substrate;
Lowering the partition member to the lower position so that the substrate can be carried out of the chamber;
A step of unloading the substrate from the chamber in a state where the partition member is lowered to the lower position,
When the partition member is in the lower position, the space in the tubular portion and the space between the side wall of the chamber and the partition member are communicated with each other,
When the partition member is in the upper position, the tubular portion surrounds the substrate mounting table, the tubular portion defines a processing space therein, the processing space in the tubular portion, and the chamber of the chamber. The substrate processing method, wherein the space between the side wall and the partition member is airtightly partitioned from each other. A plurality of substrates mounted on a plurality of substrate mounting bases in a chamber including a side wall and maintained in a vacuum atmosphere, surrounded by the side walls, and provided so as to correspond to each of the plurality of substrate mounting bases. A partition member that includes a tubular portion and is configured to be movable up and down between an upper position and a lower position in the chamber, and introduces a processing gas from a gas introducing member into a processing space to perform a predetermined processing on the substrate. A substrate processing method for applying,
A step of lowering the partition member to the lower position so that the substrate can be transported to the substrate mounting table;
A step of loading the substrate into the chamber and mounting the substrate on the substrate mounting table;
Raising the partition member to the upper position so as to form the processing space in the chamber;
Introducing the processing gas into the processing space in order to perform a predetermined processing on the substrate;
Lowering the partition member to the lower position so that the substrate can be carried out of the chamber;
A step of unloading the substrate from the chamber in a state where the partition member is lowered to the lower position,
When the partition member is in the lower position, the spaces in the plurality of cylindrical portions, the space between the side wall of the chamber and the partition member are communicated with each other,
When the partition member is in the upper position, the plurality of tubular portions surround the corresponding substrate mounting tables, and each of the plurality of tubular portions defines a processing space therein, The substrate processing method, wherein the processing space inside the chamber and the space between the side wall of the chamber and the partition member are airtightly partitioned from each other.   When the partition member is moved up and down, a gas flow in which particles are guided to the exhaust side is formed in the chamber, and the gas is introduced into the chamber so as to suppress adhesion of the particles to the substrate. 23. The substrate processing method according to claim 21 or 22, which is characterized in that. 24. The substrate processing method according to claim 23, wherein when the partition member is moved up and down, the gas is introduced so that the gas flow rate of the gas is 500 to 1000 sccm and the pressure in the chamber is 1000 mTorr or more.