JP7257813B2 - Steam treatment device and steam treatment method - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a steam treatment apparatus and a steam treatment method.

In Patent Document 1, a high-temperature steam supply device is provided which is connected to a processing chamber for processing an object to be processed with plasma of a halogen-based gas and supplies high-temperature steam to the object to be processed therein. An atmospheric transfer chamber is disclosed. According to the atmospheric transfer chamber disclosed in Patent Document 1, reduction of halogen in the reaction product can be promoted, and decomposition of the reaction product can be promoted.

JP 2006-261456 A

The present disclosure provides a steam processing apparatus and a steam processing method that can perform steam processing on a substrate that has been processed with a processing gas with high productivity.

A steam treatment apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises:
A steam treatment apparatus for treating a substrate treated with a process gas with steam,
an outer chamber having a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber separated vertically;
a first inner chamber that is housed in the first processing chamber, does not contact the inner wall surface of the first processing chamber, and is mounted on a fixed member on the floor surface of the first processing chamber;
a second inner chamber that is housed in the second processing chamber and placed on a fixed member on the floor of the second processing chamber without contacting the inner wall surface of the second processing chamber;
a water vapor supply unit that supplies water vapor to each of the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber;
an inner exhaust that exhausts from each of the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a steam processing apparatus and a steam processing method that perform steam processing on a substrate that has been processed with a processing gas with high productivity.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a thin film transistor to which aftertreatment treatment by the steam treatment apparatus according to the embodiment is applied; FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state of the electrode vicinity after an etching process. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in the vicinity of electrodes after aftertreatment. It is a top view showing an example of a cluster tool containing a steam treatment device concerning an embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an example of the steam treatment apparatus which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 5 is a view taken along line VV in FIG. 4 and a vertical cross-sectional view in a direction orthogonal to FIG. 4; FIG. 5 is a view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4 and is a cross-sectional view of an example of the steam treatment apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining a state in which the substrate transport member on which the substrate is mounted is carried into the inner chamber and the substrate is placed on the mounting table; 8 is a view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7; FIG. FIG. 8 is a view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 7; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the supply pipe of the steam supply section and the exhaust pipe of the inner exhaust section; FIG. 11 is a view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 10; FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing still another embodiment of the supply mechanism of the steam supply section and the exhaust pipe of the inner exhaust section; 13 is a view taken along line XIII-XIII of FIG. 12; FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing flow by the steam treatment apparatus which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a vaporizer and inner chamber pressure control method.

Hereinafter, steam treatment apparatuses according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the present specification and drawings, substantially the same components may be denoted by the same reference numerals, thereby omitting duplicate descriptions.

[Embodiment]
<An example of a thin film transistor to which aftertreatment treatment is applied>
First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 2B, an example of a thin film transistor to which aftertreatment treatment is applied by a steam treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Here, FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of a thin film transistor to which aftertreatment treatment by the steam treatment apparatus according to the embodiment is applied. Moreover, FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing the state of the vicinity of the electrode after the etching treatment, and FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing the condition of the vicinity of the electrode after the aftertreatment treatment.

For example, a thin film transistor (TFT) used for a flat panel display (FPD) such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) is formed on a substrate G such as a glass substrate. . Specifically, the TFT is formed by successively laminating a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, a semiconductor layer, and the like on the substrate G while patterning them. In addition, the planar dimension of the substrate G for FPD has been enlarged with the transition of generations, and the planar dimension of the substrate G processed by the steam processing apparatus according to the embodiment is, for example, about 1500 mm × 1800 mm of the sixth generation. It includes at least the size of the 10th generation, which is about 2800mm x 3000mm.

FIG. 1 shows a TFT of a channel-etch bottom-gate structure. In the illustrated TFT, a gate electrode P1 is formed on a glass substrate G (an example of a substrate), a gate insulating film F1 made of a SiN film or the like is formed thereon, and an a- A semiconductor layer F2 made of Si or an oxide semiconductor is laminated. A metal film is deposited on the upper layer side of the semiconductor layer F2, and the metal film is etched to form a source electrode P2 (an example of an electrode) and a drain electrode P3 (an example of an electrode).

After the source electrode P2 and the drain electrode P3 are formed, the channel portion of the TFT is formed by etching the surface of the n+ doped semiconductor layer F2. Then, a passivation film made of, for example, a SiN film is formed to protect the surface (not shown). The source electrode P2 and the drain electrode P3 are connected to transparent electrodes (not shown) such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) through contact holes formed on the surface of the passivation film. The connection forms an FPD. In addition to the bottom-gate structure TFT shown in the drawing, there are also top-gate structure TFTs.

In the illustrated TFT, the metal film for forming the source electrode P2 and the drain electrode P3 is, for example, a metal film having a Ti/Al/Ti structure in which a titanium film, an aluminum film, and a titanium film are laminated in this order from the lower layer side. Applies. As shown in FIG. 1, a resist film F3 is patterned on the surface of a metal film having a Ti/Al/Ti structure, for example. A dry etching process is performed on this metal film by applying a chlorine-based etching gas (halogen-based etching gas) such as chlorine gas (Cl ₂ ), boron oxychloride (BCl ₃ ), or carbon tetrachloride (CCl ₄ ). By doing so, a source electrode P2 and a drain electrode P3 are formed.

When the source electrode P2 and the drain electrode P3 are patterned by applying a chlorine-based etching gas in this manner, chlorine (Cl) may adhere to the resist film F3 as shown in FIG. 2A. Furthermore, chlorine or aluminum chloride (a chlorine-based compound), which is a compound of chlorine and aluminum, may adhere to the electrode P2 (P3), which is an etched metal film. When the TFT with chlorine adhering to it is transported in the atmosphere for subsequent stripping of the resist film F3, the chlorine adhering to the resist film F3 and the electrode P2 (P3) reacts with hydrogen in the moisture in the air. As a result, hydrochloric acid is generated, and the remaining hydroxyl group (OH) reacts with aluminum to generate aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH) ₃ ), which may cause corrosion of the electrode P2 (P3).

Therefore, in the present embodiment, water vapor (H ₂ O water vapor, non-plasma water vapor) is applied to the substrate G on which the electrodes P2 (P3) are formed by performing an etching process using a chlorine-based etching gas. Perform steam treatment (hereinafter also referred to as “after treatment”) to provide This steam treatment removes chlorine attached to the electrode P2 (P3). That is, as shown in FIG. 2B, the H ₂ O water vapor reacts with chlorine and chlorine-based compounds adhering to the electrode P2 (P3) to generate hydrogen chloride (HCl), and the chloride is released from the electrode P2 (P3). Chlorine and chlorine-based compounds are removed by removing hydrogen, and the generation of aluminum hydroxide, which causes corrosion, is suppressed.

<An example of a cluster tool including a steam treatment apparatus according to an embodiment>
Next, an example of a cluster tool including the steam treatment device according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3 . Here, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a cluster tool including the steam treatment device according to the embodiment.

The cluster tool 200 is of a multi-chamber type and is configured as a system capable of executing serial processing under a vacuum atmosphere. In the cluster tool 200, a load lock chamber 10 is attached via a gate valve 12 to one side of a hexagonal transfer chamber 20 (also referred to as a transfer module) arranged in the center. Four process chambers 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D (also referred to as process modules) are attached to the other four sides of the transfer chamber 20 via gate valves 31, respectively. Furthermore, a water vapor treatment device 100 (aftertreatment chamber) according to the present embodiment is attached via a gate valve 32 to the remaining side of the transfer chamber 20 .

Each chamber is controlled to have the same degree of vacuum atmosphere. It is adjusted so that pressure fluctuation does not occur.

A carrier (not shown) is connected to the load lock chamber 10 via a gate valve 11, and the carrier holds a large number of substrates G placed on a carrier platform (not shown). Contained. The load lock chamber 10 is configured so that the internal pressure atmosphere can be switched between a normal pressure atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere, and the substrate G is delivered to and from the carrier.

The load lock chambers 10 are stacked in two stages, for example, and each load lock chamber 10 is provided with a rack 14 for holding the substrate G and a positioner 13 for adjusting the position of the substrate G. After the load lock chamber 10 is controlled to a vacuum atmosphere, the gate valve 12 is opened to communicate with the transfer chamber 20 which is similarly controlled to a vacuum atmosphere, and the substrate is transferred from the load lock chamber 10 to the transfer chamber 20 in the X2 direction. Deliver G.

In the transfer chamber 20, a transfer mechanism 21 is mounted which is rotatable in the X1 direction, which is the circumferential direction, and slidable toward each chamber. The transport mechanism 21 transports the substrate G delivered from the load-lock chamber 10 to a desired chamber, and the gate valves 31 and 32 are opened to adjust the vacuum atmosphere to the same degree as that of the load-lock chamber 10. The substrate G is delivered to the chamber.

In the illustrated example, the process chambers 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D are all plasma processing apparatuses, and each chamber performs a dry etching process using a halogen-based etching gas (chlorine-based etching gas). As a series of processes for processing the substrate G in the cluster tool 200, first, the substrate G is transferred from the transfer chamber 20 to the process chamber 30A, and dry-etched in the process chamber 30A. The dry-etched substrate G is transferred to the transfer chamber 20 (thus, the substrate G is moved in the X3 direction).

As already described with reference to FIG. 2A, the substrate G transferred to the transfer chamber 20 has chlorine or a chlorine-based compound attached to the source electrode P2 and the drain electrode P3 formed on the surface of the substrate G. ing. Therefore, the substrate G is transferred from the transfer chamber 20 to the steam treatment device 100, and after-treatment by steam treatment is performed in the steam treatment device 100. FIG. Chlorine and chlorine-based compounds are removed from the electrode P2 (P3) by aftertreatment, and the substrate G from which chlorine and the like are removed is transferred to the transfer chamber 20 (the substrate G is thus moved in the X7 direction).

Thereafter, similarly, the substrate G is transferred between the transfer chamber 20 and the process chamber 30B in the X4 direction, and the substrate G is transferred between the transfer chamber 20 and the water vapor treatment apparatus 100 in the X7 direction. Also, the substrate G is transferred between the transfer chamber 20 and the process chamber 30C in the X5 direction, and the substrate G is transferred between the transfer chamber 20 and the steam treatment apparatus 100 in the X7 direction. Furthermore, the substrate G is transferred between the transfer chamber 20 and the process chamber 30D in the X6 direction, and the substrate G is transferred between the transfer chamber 20 and the steam treatment apparatus 100 in the X7 direction.

As described above, the cluster tool 200 has a plurality of etching chambers for dry etching (plasma etching) using a chlorine-based etching gas, and the steam treatment apparatus 100 for after-treatment by steam treatment. The cluster tool is a cluster tool that performs this sequence for each etching chamber according to a process recipe in which the etching process of the substrate G in each etching chamber and the after treatment by the steam treatment in the steam treatment apparatus 100 are performed as a series of sequences. In the cluster tool 200, a cluster tool with even higher productivity is formed by arranging the steam treatment apparatuses 100, which will be detailed below, in two stages, one above the other.

It should be noted that each process chamber may have a form other than the form in which dry etching processing is performed. For example, each process chamber may be a cluster tool in which a film forming process such as a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) process or a PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) process and an etching process are sequentially performed. Further, the planar shape of the transfer chamber constituting the cluster tool is not limited to the illustrated hexagonal shape, and a polygonal transfer chamber corresponding to the cardinal number of the process chambers to be connected is applied.

<Steam treatment device according to the embodiment>
Next, an example of a cluster tool including the steam treatment device according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9. FIG. Here, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of an example of the steam treatment device according to the embodiment. 5 is a VV arrow view of FIG. 4, which is a longitudinal sectional view in a direction orthogonal to FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a VI-VI arrow view of FIG. It is a transverse cross-sectional view of an example of the steam treatment apparatus which concerns on a form. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining a state in which the substrate transfer member on which the substrate is mounted is carried into the inner chamber and the substrate is placed on the mounting table. 8 is a view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a view taken along line IX-IX in FIG.

The water vapor treatment apparatus 100 is an apparatus that uses water vapor to treat a substrate G that has been treated with a chlorine-based etching gas (an example of a processing gas). The steam treatment apparatus 100 includes an outer chamber 110 having a first processing chamber 111 and a second processing chamber 112 which are vertically separated, a first inner chamber 120 placed in the first processing chamber 111, a second and a second inner chamber 150 mounted within the processing chamber 112 .

The outer chamber 110 has a main body 103, an upper lid 104, and a lower lid 106, and the main body 103, upper lid 104, and lower lid 106 are all made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

The main body 103 includes a partition plate 102 extending horizontally to vertically partition the first processing chamber 111 and the second processing chamber 112 , and a side wall 101 extending vertically continuously from the partition plate 102 . have. The side wall 101 has a rectangular planar shape, and an engagement stepped portion 103 a having a rectangular planar shape is provided at the upper end of the side wall 101 so as to protrude inward, and the lower end of the side wall 101 An engagement stepped portion 103b having a rectangular planar shape is provided so as to protrude inward.

An engaging protrusion 104a of a top cover 104 having a rectangular planar shape is engaged with the rectangular engaging stepped portion 103a, and both are fixed by fixing means (not shown). One side of the upper lid 104 may be rotatably attached to one side of the main body 103 via a rotating portion (not shown). For example, when performing maintenance or the like on the first inner chamber 120 , the first inner chamber 120 can be carried out of the first processing chamber 111 by removing the upper lid 104 from the main body 103 . Then, the first inner chamber 120 subjected to maintenance is carried into the first processing chamber 111, and the upper lid 104 is attached to the main body 103, thereby setting the first inner chamber 120 to the first processing chamber 111. be able to.

An engagement projection 106a of a lower lid 106 having a rectangular planar shape is engaged with the rectangular engagement stepped portion 103b, and both are fixed by fixing means (not shown). When performing maintenance on the second inner chamber 150 , the second inner chamber 150 can be carried out of the second processing chamber 112 by removing the lower lid 106 from the main body 103 . Then, the second inner chamber 150 subjected to maintenance is carried into the second processing chamber 112, and the lower lid 106 is attached to the main body 103, thereby setting the second inner chamber 150 to the second processing chamber 112. can do.

The outer chamber 110 made of aluminum or aluminum alloy has sufficient heat capacity. Therefore, in an environment such as a clean room in which the cluster tool 200 is housed, even if no special heat insulating measures are taken for the first inner chamber 120 or the second inner chamber 150, which can reach a high temperature during the steam treatment, for example, 60°C. ℃ can be maintained. Therefore, when performing maintenance or the like on the steam treatment device 100, a worker can touch the outer chamber 110 to perform maintenance or other work.

The first inner chamber 120 is a housing made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. As shown in FIG. 5, a first inner opening 123 is provided on one side surface of the first inner chamber 120, and an opening/closing lid 124 that rotates in the Y1 direction so as to open and close the first inner opening 123 is provided. , is mounted via a rotating portion 125 .

A first outer opening 105 is provided in the outer chamber 110 at a position corresponding to the first inner opening 123, and an opening/closing lid 107 that rotates in the Y2 direction so as to open and close the first outer opening 105 is provided. , is attached via the rotating portion 115 .

The second inner chamber 150 is also a housing made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. As shown in FIG. 5, a second inner opening 153 is provided on one side surface of the second inner chamber 150, and an opening/closing lid 154 that rotates in the Y1 direction so as to open and close the second inner opening 153 is provided. , is mounted via a rotating portion 155 .

A second outer opening 108 is provided in the outer chamber 110 at a position corresponding to the second inner opening 153, and an opening/closing lid 109 that rotates in the Y2 direction so as to open and close the second outer opening 108 is provided. , is attached via the rotating portion 116 .

By opening the opening/closing lids 124 and 107, the substrate G can be transferred from the transfer chamber 20 to the first inner chamber 120, and similarly, the substrate G after the steam treatment can be transferred from the first inner chamber 120 to the transfer chamber 20. can pass. Further, by opening the opening/closing lids 154 and 109, the substrate G can be transferred from the transfer chamber 20 to the second inner chamber 150. can be passed to

In the first processing chamber 111 , the first inner chamber 120 is placed on a plurality of fixing members 140 on the floor of the first processing chamber 111 without contacting the inner wall surface of the first processing chamber 111 . Similarly, the second inner chamber 150 is mounted on a plurality of fixing members 170 on the floor of the second processing chamber 112 without contacting the inner wall surface of the second processing chamber 112 . With this configuration, a space S1 is formed between the first processing chamber 111 and the first inner chamber 120, and a space S3 is formed between the second processing chamber 112 and the second inner chamber 150. FIG. Further, a processing space S2 is formed inside the first inner chamber 120 where the substrate G is subjected to the steam treatment, and a processing space S4 is formed inside the second inner chamber 150 where the substrate G is similarly subjected to the steam treatment. is formed.

The fixing members 140 and 170 have heat insulating properties and are made of ceramics such as Teflon (registered trademark) or alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ), stainless steel having low thermal conductivity, or the like. The first inner chamber 120 does not contact the inner wall surface of the first processing chamber 111 and is fixed to the floor surface of the first processing chamber 111 via a fixing member 140 having heat insulation. With this configuration, as described below, it is possible to suppress the heat transfer of the temperature-controlled first inner chamber 120 to the outer chamber 110 . Similarly, the second inner chamber 150 does not contact the inner wall surface of the second processing chamber 112 and is fixed to the floor surface of the second processing chamber 112 via a fixing member 170 having heat insulation. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the heat transfer of the temperature-controlled second inner chamber 150 to the outer chamber 110 .

A first supporting member 130 (first mounting table) on which the substrate G is mounted is arranged on the floor surface of the first inner chamber 120 . The first support member 130 is a long block-shaped member made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and as shown in FIGS. It is This gap forms an accommodation groove 134 in which the shaft member 510 constituting the substrate transfer member 500 shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 is accommodated.

Similarly, on the floor surface of the second inner chamber 150, a second support member 160 (second mounting table) on which the substrate G is mounted is arranged. The second support member 160 is a long block-shaped member made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and a plurality of second support members 160 are arranged with a gap therebetween. This gap forms a receiving groove 164 .

A plurality of protrusions 132 are arranged at intervals on the upper surface of the first support member 130 , and the substrate G is placed on the protrusions 132 . Similarly, a plurality of protrusions 162 are arranged at intervals on the upper surface of the second support member 160 , and the substrate G is placed on the protrusions 162 .

In the outer chamber 110, a pressure gauge 302 is attached to measure the pressure within the space S1, and a pressure gauge 306 is attached to measure the pressure within the space S3. In the first inner chamber 120, a pressure gauge 304 for measuring the pressure in the processing space S2 is attached, and in the second inner chamber 150, a pressure gauge 308 for measuring the pressure in the processing space S4 is attached. there is Monitor information from these pressure gauges 302 , 304 , 306 and 308 is transmitted to the control section 600 .

A supply pipe leading to a vaporizer 400 constituting a water vapor supply unit 402 is connected to the first inner chamber 120, and a supply valve 401 is interposed in the supply pipe. Further, the first inner chamber 120 is connected with an exhaust pipe leading to a vacuum pump 406 (an example of the inner exhaust portion) such as a turbomolecular pump that constitutes an inner exhaust portion 408, and an exhaust valve 407 is connected to the exhaust pipe. intervening. Further, the outer chamber 110 and the first inner chamber 120 are connected to two systems of supply pipes from an inert gas supply unit 415 that supplies an inert gas such as nitrogen gas (N ₂ ). A supply valve 416 is interposed in the .

A supply pipe leading to a vaporizer 403 constituting a water vapor supply unit 405 is connected to the second inner chamber 150, and a supply valve 404 is interposed in the supply pipe. Further, an exhaust pipe leading to a vacuum pump 409 (an example of the inner exhaust unit) such as a turbomolecular pump constituting an inner exhaust unit 411 is connected to the second inner chamber 150, and an exhaust valve 410 is connected to the exhaust pipe. intervening. Further, the outer chamber 110 and the second inner chamber 150 are connected to two systems of supply pipes from an inert gas supply unit 417 that supplies an inert gas such as nitrogen gas (N ₂ ). A supply valve 418 is interposed in the .

In the outer chamber 110, two exhaust pipes from a vacuum pump 412 (an example of an outer exhaust section) are connected to communicate with the spaces S1 and S3, and exhaust valves 413 and 414 are interposed in each of the exhaust pipes. ing.

By operating the vacuum pump 412, the spaces S1 and S3 are adjusted to a vacuum atmosphere, and differential pressure control is performed to minimize the pressure difference between the spaces S1 and S3 and the transfer chamber 20, which is also adjusted to a vacuum atmosphere. is done.

Further, by supplying an inert gas from the inert gas supply unit 415 while vacuuming the space S1, it is possible to purge water vapor, hydrogen chloride, etc. remaining in the space S1. Similarly, by supplying an inert gas from the inert gas supply unit 417 while evacuating the space S3, water vapor, hydrogen chloride, etc. remaining in the space S3 can be purged. By evacuating the space S<b>1 and the space S<b>3 , the effect of suppressing heat transfer between the first inner chamber 120 and the second inner chamber 150 and the outer chamber 110 can be enhanced.

Further, in the first inner chamber 120, the processing space S2 is adjusted to a vacuum atmosphere by operating the inner exhaust unit 408, and the water vapor supply unit 402 is operated to supply water vapor into the processing space S2. A vapor treatment can be performed on the substrate G placed in the processing space S2. Further, similarly to the space S1, by supplying an inert gas from the inert gas supply unit 415 while evacuating the processing space S2, it is possible to purge water vapor, hydrogen chloride, etc. remaining in the processing space S2. can.

Further, in the second inner chamber 150, the processing space S4 is adjusted to a vacuum atmosphere by operating the inner exhaust unit 411, and the water vapor supply unit 405 is operated to supply water vapor into the processing space S4. A vapor treatment can be performed on the substrate G placed in the processing space S4. Further, similarly to the space S3, by supplying an inert gas from the inert gas supply unit 417 while evacuating the processing space S4, it is possible to purge water vapor, hydrogen chloride, etc. remaining in the processing space S4. can.

The first mounting table 130 is provided with a temperature control medium flow path 136 (an example of the first temperature control section) through which the temperature control medium flows. In the illustrated example of the temperature control medium flow path 136, for example, one end of the temperature control medium flow path 136 is an inflow portion for the temperature control medium, and the other end is an outflow portion for the temperature control medium. As the temperature control medium, Galden (registered trademark), Fluorinert (registered trademark), or the like is applied.

The first temperature control section 136 does not include the temperature control source 200 formed by a chiller (not shown), and refers only to the temperature control medium flow path built into the first mounting table 130 . The first temperature control section may be a heater or the like. In this case, the heater, which is a resistor, is made of tungsten, molybdenum, or a compound of any one of these metals and alumina, titanium, or the like. obtain.

On the other hand, the second mounting table 160 is provided with a temperature control medium flow path 166 (an example of the second temperature control section) through which the temperature control medium flows. In the illustrated example of the temperature control medium flow path 166, for example, one end of the temperature control medium flow path 166 is an inflow portion for the temperature control medium, and the other end is an outflow portion for the temperature control medium.

Similarly to the first temperature control section 136 , the second temperature control section 166 also does not include a temperature control source 200 formed by a chiller (not shown), and is merely a temperature control device built into the second mounting table 160 . Refers to the media flow path only.

A temperature control source 200 formed by a chiller has a main body for controlling the temperature and discharge flow rate of the temperature control medium, and a pump for pumping the temperature control medium (both not shown).

The temperature control source 200 and the temperature control medium flow path 136 are composed of a feed flow path 202 to which the temperature control medium is supplied from the temperature control source 200 and a temperature control medium flowing through the temperature control medium flow path 136 to return to the temperature control source 200 . It is connected by a return channel 204 to which the In addition, the temperature control source 200 and the temperature control medium flow path 166 are composed of a feed flow path 206 to which the temperature control medium is supplied from the temperature control source 200 and a temperature control medium flowing through the temperature control medium flow path 166 . is connected by a return channel 208 that returns to the In addition to the configuration in which the first temperature control section 136 and the second temperature control section 166 are connected to the common temperature control source 200 as in the illustrated example, the first temperature control section 136 and the second temperature control section 166 are A form having a unique temperature control source may be used. In either form, the first temperature control section 136 and the second temperature control section 166 are individually controlled.

In this way, by controlling the first temperature control section 136 and the second temperature control section 166 individually, for example, when performing maintenance on the second inner chamber 150, only the first inner chamber 120 is operated and substrates are heated. Steam treatment of G can be performed. Here, as described above, the first inner chamber 120 and the second inner chamber 150 have their own water vapor supply units 402, 405, inner exhaust units 408, 411, etc., and each of these components are also configured to be individually controlled.

In this way, by individually controlling the components that make up the first inner chamber 120 and the second inner chamber 150, even if one chamber is out of operation due to maintenance or the like, the other chamber can be Chamber operation can continue. Therefore, complete stoppage of operation of the steam treatment apparatus 100 can be eliminated, and steam treatment can be performed with high productivity.

In the water vapor treatment apparatus 100, the outer chamber 110 is divided into upper and lower chambers to form a first processing chamber 111 and a second processing chamber 112. Each processing chamber has a first inner chamber 120 and a second inner chamber 150. It is housed and steam treatment is performed in each chamber. Therefore, the capacity of the chamber in which steam treatment is actually performed can be reduced as much as possible. Then, the first inner chamber 120 and the second inner chamber 150 with the lowest possible capacity are removed from the first processing chamber 111 and the second processing chamber 112, and surface treatment repair (corrosion-resistant coating treatment, etc.) inside them is performed. Maintenance can also be easily performed because repair is sufficient.

Note that the first support member 130 and the second support member 160 in the illustrated example are mounting tables formed of a plurality of long block-shaped members disposed via a plurality of accommodation grooves 134. may be in the form of For example, projections formed by a plurality of pin-shaped shaft members protruding upward from the floor surfaces of the first inner chamber 120 and the second inner chamber 150, on which the substrate G is directly placed at the tip of each shaft member. The form etc. which are provided may be sufficient.

Further, the vaporizers 400, 403 and the vacuum pumps 406, 409 in the illustrated examples are respectively individual vaporizers and vacuum pumps, but even in a form in which a common vaporizer and a common vacuum pump are applied, good. In this form, two systems of supply pipes are connected from one vaporizer to the first inner chamber 120 and the second inner chamber 150, each supply pipe has its own supply valve, and each supply valve is individually controlled to open and close. run to Similarly, two exhaust pipes are connected from one vacuum pump to the first inner chamber 120 and the second inner chamber 150, each exhaust pipe has its own exhaust valve, and the opening and closing of each exhaust valve is controlled individually. Execute. In this form, the number of evaporators and vacuum pumps can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the device can be reduced.

The control unit 600 controls the operation of each component of the steam treatment apparatus 100, such as the steam supply units 402 and 405, the inner exhaust units 408 and 411, the inert gas supply units 415 and 417, the temperature control source 200, and the like. The control unit 600 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU executes a predetermined process according to a recipe (process recipe) stored in a storage area such as RAM. Control information for the steam treatment apparatus 100 for process conditions is set in the recipe.

The control information includes, for example, the pressures of the vaporizers 400 and 403, the pressures of the first inner chamber 120 and the second inner chamber 150, the temperature and flow rate of the vapor supplied from the vaporizers 400 and 403, the vapor supply process and each chamber. It includes the process time, timing, etc. of the exhaust process from.

The recipe and the program applied by the control unit 600 may be stored in, for example, a hard disk, a compact disk, a magneto-optical disk, or the like. Also, the recipe and the like may be stored in a portable computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD, memory card, etc., and set in the control unit 600 to be read out. The control unit 600 also includes a user interface such as an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse for command input operations, a display device such as a display for visualizing and displaying the operating status of the steam treatment device 100, and an output device such as a printer. have.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the transfer of the substrate G between the first inner chamber 120 and the second inner chamber 150 is performed by placing the substrate G on the substrate transfer member 500 and moving the first inner chamber 120 and the like. This is done by housing the substrate G in the . The substrate transport member 500 has a plurality of (four in the illustrated example) shaft members 510 and a connecting member 520 that connects the plurality of shaft members 510 to each other. Here, with respect to the connecting member 520, the plurality of shaft members 510 are attached at positions corresponding to the accommodation grooves 134 in the first inner chamber 120 and the accommodation grooves 154 in the second inner chamber 150. there is Also, the connecting member 520 is connected to a robot arm (not shown) or the like.

Focusing on the first inner chamber 120, the transfer chamber 20 and the first inner chamber 120 are opened by simultaneously or sequentially opening the opening/closing lids 124,107. Next, the substrate transfer member 500 on which the substrate G is placed is inserted into the first inner chamber 120 by a robot arm (not shown) or the like (state indicated by dashed lines in FIGS. 7 and 8). Next, by lowering the robot arm in the Y3 direction, the plurality of shaft members 510 are housed in the corresponding housing grooves 134, and the substrate G mounted on the shaft members 510 is mounted on the first support member 130. (solid lines in FIGS. 7 and 8).

After the vapor treatment of the substrate G is completed in the first inner chamber 120 or the like, the plurality of shaft members 510 are lifted by a robot arm or the like so that the shaft members 510 protrude upward from the accommodation groove 134 to support the substrate G. The substrate G is unloaded by pulling out the substrate transport member 500 supporting the substrate G from the first inner chamber 120 or the like.

Next, another embodiment of the supply pipe of the water vapor supply section and the exhaust pipe of the inner exhaust section will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13. FIG. Here, FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the supply pipe of the water vapor supply section and the exhaust pipe of the inner exhaust section, and FIG. 11 is a view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing still another embodiment of the supply mechanism of the water vapor supply section and the exhaust pipe of the inner exhaust section, and FIG. 13 is a view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG. In both cases, the supply pipe (supply mechanism) and the exhaust pipe in the first inner chamber 120 are described, but the same configuration is applied to the second inner chamber 150 as well.

10 and 11, a supply pipe 420 is formed by a main pipe 421 and a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) branch pipes 422 branching from the main pipe 421, and each branch pipe 422 extends from the outer chamber 110. It penetrates the side wall and connects to the side wall of the first inner chamber 120 . The supply pipe 420 communicates with the vaporizer 400 shown in FIG. 4 and the like. An exhaust pipe 430 is formed by a main pipe 431 and a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) branch pipes 432 branching from the main pipe 431 . Each branch tube 432 passes through a side wall of the outer chamber 110 (the side wall opposite the side wall through which the branch tube 422 passes) and a side wall of the first inner chamber 120 (the side wall opposite the side wall through which the branch tube 422 passes). side wall). The exhaust pipe 430 communicates with the vacuum pump 409 shown in FIG. 4 and the like.

As shown in FIG. 10, within the first inner chamber 120, steam is supplied in layers in the Z1 direction from a plurality of branch pipes 422 of the supply pipe 420. As shown in FIG. With this supply mode, water vapor can be efficiently supplied to the entire area of the substrate G placed in the first inner chamber 120 . Also, the plurality of branch pipes 432 of the exhaust pipe 430 can efficiently exhaust water vapor in the first inner chamber 120, hydrogen chloride (HCl) generated by the aftertreatment, and the like. Incidentally, the number of branch pipes 422 and 432 may be different from the illustrated example of three (one, five, etc.).

12 and 13, an inlet space 180 for supplying water vapor is provided above the first inner chamber 120, a shower head supply unit 190 is provided below the inlet space 180, and a shower head supply unit is provided. Via 190, water vapor is supplied to the lower substrate G in the Z2 direction in the form of a shower. The water vapor that is supplied vertically in the form of a shower is supplied to the entire substrate G while diffusing in the Z3 direction.

Four branch pipes 442 are connected to the side wall of the first inner chamber 120 and pass through the outer chamber 110. Each branch pipe 442 is connected to the main pipe 441 to form an exhaust pipe 440. .

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, in the first inner chamber 120, water vapor is supplied in the form of a shower from the ceiling, so that the entire area of the substrate G placed in the first inner chamber 120 is efficiently water vapor can be supplied. Incidentally, instead of the shower head supply unit 190 in the illustrated example, one or more supply pipes may be connected to the ceiling of the first inner chamber 120, and water vapor may be supplied from the ceiling via the supply pipes. .

<Steam treatment method according to the embodiment>
Next, an example of the steam treatment method according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG. Here, FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing an example of the processing flow by the steam treatment apparatus according to the embodiment, and FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the pressure control method for the vaporizer and the inner chamber.

As shown in FIG. 14, in the steam treatment method according to the embodiment, first, the supply valve of the vaporizer is controlled to open (step S10), then steam is supplied from the vaporizer to the inner chamber, and held for a predetermined time. By doing so, aftertreatment for a predetermined time is executed (step S12).

During this aftertreatment, the temperature in the inner chamber is adjusted so that the temperature in the inner chamber never falls below the temperature of the vaporizer by controlling the temperature of the first support member and the like by the first temperature control section and the like. This adjustment can suppress the liquefaction of the supplied steam. If the temperature of the steam to be provided is, for example, about 20°C to 50°C, the temperature of the inner chamber is adjusted to 40°C to 120°C.

When steam is supplied to the inner chamber, the water filled in the tank of the vaporizer is controlled to a predetermined temperature so that the water is pressurized by the steam pressure. On the other hand, the inner chamber is evacuated to 0.1 Torr (13.33 Pa) or less by exhaust pipes 430 and 440 . Water vapor is supplied to the inner chamber due to the pressure difference (differential pressure) between the pressure in the tank of the vaporizer and the pressure in the inner chamber. At this time, water vapor can be efficiently supplied to the inner chamber by increasing the differential pressure as much as possible. Furthermore, by making the volume of the inner chamber as small as possible, the pressure can be increased to a predetermined pressure in a shorter period of time, thereby improving productivity. Therefore, it is preferred that the vaporizer is as high pressure as possible and the inner chamber is as low pressure as possible. By the way, from the viewpoint of controllability of the vaporizer, it is preferable that the vaporizer is operated and controlled at a temperature as low as possible. Therefore, for example, steam at a temperature of about 20° C. to 50° C. is supplied to the inner chamber as described above. Incidentally, the equilibrium vapor pressure of water vapor at 20° C. is about 20 Torr (2666 Pa), and the equilibrium vapor pressure of water vapor at 50° C. is about 90 Torr (11997 Pa).

Thus, while it is preferable to supply steam at a temperature as low as possible from the viewpoint of controlling the operation of the vaporizer, if the temperature of the steam is low, the pressure in the vaporizer will be low, and the vaporizer and the inner chamber will be separated. It becomes difficult to increase the differential pressure of Therefore, it becomes difficult to efficiently supply water vapor to the inner chamber, and there is a possibility that the water vapor treatment time becomes long.

However, in the steam treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the capacities of the first inner chamber 120 and the second inner chamber 150 are as low as possible, so even if the temperature of the steam provided is low, The differential pressure between the vaporizer and the inner chamber can be increased in as short a time as possible. As shown in FIG. 15, the supply of water vapor causes the vaporizer pressure to gradually decrease and the inner chamber pressure to increase rapidly.

In controlling the opening of the supply valve of the vaporizer (step S10), the exhaust valve of the inner chamber may be controlled to be closed or open.

Returning to FIG. 14, after the aftertreatment is completed, the supply valve of the vaporizer is controlled to close (step S14), and then the exhaust valve of the inner chamber is controlled to open (step S16), so that the water vapor in the inner chamber is Hydrogen chloride (HCl) and the like generated by aftertreatment are exhausted. As shown in FIG. 15, by controlling the closing of the supply valve of the vaporizer and the exhaust of water vapor, hydrogen chloride (HCl), etc., the pressure of the vaporizer gradually increases, the pressure of the inner chamber rapidly decreases, and the water vapor to the new substrate increases. A processable state is created. In addition to the exhaust from the inner chamber, purging with an inert gas may be performed as appropriate.

According to the illustrated steam treatment method, steam treatment can be performed with high productivity by applying the steam treatment apparatus 100 .

Also, when performing maintenance on either the first inner chamber or the second inner chamber, the substrate can be subjected to steam treatment using only the other. Therefore, the complete stoppage of the operation of the steam treatment apparatus 100 is eliminated, and this also makes it possible to perform the steam treatment with high productivity.

Other embodiments may be possible in which other components are combined with the configurations and the like described in the above embodiments, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations shown here. This point can be changed without departing from the gist of the present disclosure, and can be determined appropriately according to the application form.

100 steam treatment device 110 outer chamber 111 first processing chamber 112 second processing chamber 120 first inner chamber 140 fixing member 150 second inner chamber 170 fixing member 402, 405 steam supply unit 408, 411 inner exhaust unit G substrate

Claims (10)

A steam treatment apparatus for treating a substrate treated with a process gas with steam,
an outer chamber having a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber separated vertically;
It is housed in the first processing chamber, is placed on a fixed member on the floor of the first processing chamber without contacting the inner wall surface of the first processing chamber, and has a space between it and the first processing chamber. forming a first inner chamber;
It is housed in the second processing chamber, placed on a fixed member on the floor of the second processing chamber without contacting the inner wall surface of the second processing chamber, and has a space between it and the second processing chamber. forming a second inner chamber;
a water vapor supply unit that supplies water vapor to each of the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber;
an inner exhaust section that exhausts air from each of the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber ;
the first inner chamber having a first support member that supports the substrate;
the second inner chamber has a second support member that supports the substrate;
a plurality of protrusions directly supporting the substrate are provided on the upper surfaces of the first support member and the second support member ;
A plurality of accommodation grooves communicating with the upper surfaces of the first support member and the second support member are formed on the upper surfaces of the first support member and the second support member,
A substrate transfer member having a plurality of shaft members and a connecting member that connects the plurality of shaft members to each other is arranged to place the substrate on the plurality of shaft members, and the first inner chamber and the second chamber. The water vapor treatment apparatus is housed in two inner chambers, and the shaft members are housed in the housing grooves, so that the substrates are respectively placed on the first support member and the second support member. A steam treatment apparatus for treating a substrate treated with a process gas with steam,
an outer chamber having a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber separated vertically;
a first inner chamber that is housed in the first processing chamber, does not contact the inner wall surface of the first processing chamber, and is mounted on a fixed member on the floor surface of the first processing chamber;
a second inner chamber that is housed in the second processing chamber and placed on a fixed member on the floor of the second processing chamber without contacting the inner wall surface of the second processing chamber;
a water vapor supply unit that supplies water vapor to each of the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber;
an inner exhaust section that exhausts air from each of the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber;
the first inner chamber having a first support member that supports the substrate;
the second inner chamber has a second support member that supports the substrate;
a plurality of protrusions directly supporting the substrate are provided on the upper surfaces of the first support member and the second support member;
The first support member has a first temperature control section,
The steam treatment device, wherein the second support member has a second temperature control section. A steam treatment apparatus for treating a substrate treated with a process gas with steam,
an outer chamber having a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber separated vertically;
a first inner chamber that is housed in the first processing chamber, does not contact the inner wall surface of the first processing chamber, and is mounted on a fixed member on the floor surface of the first processing chamber;
a second inner chamber that is housed in the second processing chamber and placed on a fixed member on the floor of the second processing chamber without contacting the inner wall surface of the second processing chamber;
a water vapor supply unit that supplies water vapor to each of the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber;
an inner exhaust section that exhausts air from each of the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber;
A first inner opening is provided on a side surface of the first inner chamber, and a first outer opening is provided in the outer chamber at a position corresponding to the first inner opening,
A second inner opening is provided on a side surface of the second inner chamber, and a second outer opening is provided in the outer chamber at a position corresponding to the second inner opening,
The steam treatment device, wherein an opening/closing lid is attached to each of the first inner opening, the first outer opening, the second inner opening, and the second outer opening. further comprising a control unit;
3. The steam treatment apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said first temperature control section and said second temperature control section are temperature controlled individually by said control section. A steam treatment apparatus for treating a substrate treated with a process gas with steam,
an outer chamber having a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber separated vertically;
a first inner chamber that is housed in the first processing chamber, does not contact the inner wall surface of the first processing chamber, and is mounted on a fixed member on the floor surface of the first processing chamber;
a second inner chamber that is housed in the second processing chamber and placed on a fixed member on the floor of the second processing chamber without contacting the inner wall surface of the second processing chamber;
a water vapor supply unit that supplies water vapor to each of the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber;
an inner exhaust section that exhausts air from each of the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber;
The water vapor treatment apparatus further comprising an outer exhaust section for exhausting air from each of the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber. A steam treatment apparatus for treating a substrate treated with a process gas with steam,
an outer chamber having a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber separated vertically;
a first inner chamber that is housed in the first processing chamber, does not contact the inner wall surface of the first processing chamber, and is mounted on a fixed member on the floor surface of the first processing chamber;
a second inner chamber that is housed in the second processing chamber and placed on a fixed member on the floor of the second processing chamber without contacting the inner wall surface of the second processing chamber;
a water vapor supply unit that supplies water vapor to each of the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber;
an inner exhaust section that exhausts air from each of the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber;
The steam treatment apparatus further comprising an inert gas supply unit for supplying and purging inert gas into each of the first processing chamber, the second processing chamber, the first inner chamber, and the second inner chamber. 7. The steam treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein said fixing member has heat insulating properties. A plurality of accommodation grooves communicating with the upper surfaces of the first support member and the second support member are formed on the upper surfaces of the first support member and the second support member,
A substrate transfer member having a plurality of shaft members and a connecting member that connects the plurality of shaft members to each other is arranged to place the substrate on the plurality of shaft members, and the first inner chamber and the second chamber. 3. The steam treatment according to claim 2, wherein the substrate is placed on each of the first support member and the second support member by accommodating two inner chambers and accommodating the shaft members in the accommodation grooves. Device. A steam treatment method for treating a substrate that has been treated with a process gas with steam,
an outer chamber having a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber separated vertically;
It is housed in the first processing chamber, is placed on a fixed member on the floor of the first processing chamber without contacting the inner wall surface of the first processing chamber, and has a space between it and the first processing chamber. forming a first inner chamber; providing a steam treatment apparatus having a second inner chamber forming a space between the two treatment chambers;
a step of housing the substrates in the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber, respectively, and supplying water vapor for treatment;
evacuating the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber ;
The first inner chamber and the second inner chamber respectively have a first support member and a second support member on which the substrate is placed and the temperature is controlled,
A steam treatment method , wherein the first support member and the second support member are treated with steam while temperature control is performed individually . 10. The water vapor according to claim 9 , wherein when maintenance is performed on either one of the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber, only one of the other is used to supply water vapor to the substrate for treatment. Processing method.

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