JP7286847B1 - Film forming apparatus and film-coated wafer manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

A film forming apparatus and a film-coated wafer manufacturing method capable of preventing or suppressing occurrence of concentration unevenness in a film forming gas supplied to a wafer and forming a more uniform and homogeneous film are provided. A film forming apparatus for forming a film on a film forming surface of a wafer is provided according to one aspect of the present invention. This film forming apparatus comprises a wafer holding part configured to hold a wafer with a film forming surface facing downward, and a film forming gas containing a raw material for the film being blown out toward the film forming surface. and a gas blowing part. The gas blowout part has a plurality of plate members and a blowout passage defined between adjacent plate members through which the film-forming gas passes. Y/X is 0.01 or more and 10 or less, where Y [mm] is the thickness of the non-contact portion. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a film-coated wafer manufacturing method, and more particularly to a film forming apparatus and a film-coated wafer manufacturing method for forming a film by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method.

This type of film forming apparatus includes a film forming section in which a susceptor and a dispersion head are arranged to face each other (see Patent Document 1).
In such a film forming apparatus, first, a wafer is held by a susceptor and heated by a heater. In this state, the film-forming gas containing the raw material of the film is blown out from the dispersion head and brought into contact with the wafer. Thereby, a film can be formed on the surface of the wafer by CVD.

JP 2006-156696 A

According to the studies of the present inventors, the film forming gas supplied to the wafer tends to cause concentration unevenness, and there is room for further improvement.
In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a film forming apparatus and a film-coated wafer manufacturing method capable of forming a more uniform and homogeneous film by preventing or suppressing concentration unevenness in the film forming gas supplied to the wafer. We decided to provide

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film forming apparatus for forming a film on a film forming surface of a wafer. This film forming apparatus comprises a wafer holding part configured to hold a wafer with a film forming surface facing downward, and a film forming gas containing a raw material for the film being blown out toward the film forming surface. and a gas outlet. The gas blowout part has a plurality of plate members and a blowout passage defined between adjacent plate members through which the film-forming gas passes. Y/X is 0.01 or more and 10 or less, where Y [mm] is the thickness of the non-contact portion.

According to this aspect, a more uniform and homogeneous film can be formed on the film formation surface of the wafer.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a film forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the dispersion head. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the nozzle plate of the dispersion head. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the relationship between the dispersion head and the wafer. FIG. 5 is a side view showing an enlarged chuck. FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing the chuck holding a plurality of wafers.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A film forming apparatus and a film-coated wafer manufacturing method of the present invention will be described in detail below based on preferred embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a film forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the dispersion head. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the nozzle plate of the dispersion head. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the relationship between the dispersion head and the wafer. FIG. 5 is a side view showing an enlarged wafer holder. FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing the chuck holding a plurality of wafers.

A film-forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus for forming a film on a film-forming surface W1 of a wafer W by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD method) method by blowing a film-forming gas containing film raw materials onto a wafer W. be.
The film to be formed is composed of, for example, crystalline or amorphous silicon or a silicon compound, but the present invention is not limited to this. The raw material is appropriately selected according to the components of the film, and may be gas at normal temperature and normal pressure, or may be a vaporized liquid or solid.
The wafer W is, for example, a substrate of a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display device, a solar cell, or the like, but is not limited thereto.

The film forming apparatus 1 includes a chamber (casing) 2 , a film forming section 10 and an exhaust mechanism 20 .
Although detailed illustration is omitted, the chamber 2 has a panel cover forming a peripheral wall and an opening/closing part such as a door. By closing all the opening/closing parts, the space 2a inside the chamber 2 can be sealed.
In the space 2a, the film-forming unit 10 and the elevator 40 are housed, as well as a transport robot (transport means) for the wafer W, a mobile robot (transport means) for the chuck 18, a film-forming gas console (control panel), and electrical equipment. It contains boxes etc.

An exhaust path 2b is provided in the upper part of the chamber 2. As shown in FIG.
The internal pressure of the chamber 2 is slightly lower than the atmospheric pressure by discharging the atmospheric gas in the space 2a through the exhaust path 2b. As a result, the atmosphere gas can be prevented from leaking to the outside from a portion of the chamber 2 other than the exhaust path 2b. As a result, used film forming gas containing unreacted raw materials and by-products of the film forming reaction can be prevented from leaking to the outside from portions of the chamber 2 other than the exhaust path 2b.

As shown in FIG. 1, the film forming unit 10 has a processing space 10a and supplies a film forming gas to the processing space 10a. head) 19.
The chuck 18 has a heater 12 and a wafer holder 13 fixed to the heater 12 . The chuck 18 (wafer holder 13) is configured to hold the wafer W with the film formation surface W1 facing downward. The dispersion head 19 has a gas blowout section 11 . The gas blowing part 11 is configured to blow the film forming gas toward the film forming surface W1 of the wafer W. As shown in FIG.

The gas blowout part 11 has a plurality of nozzle plates (plates) 15 . The nozzle plate 15 only needs to be resistant to film formation gas and film formation temperature. Examples of constituent materials thereof include resin materials, ceramic materials, and metal materials.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each nozzle plate 15 has a rectangular shape with its longitudinal direction oriented perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. It is plate-shaped.
A plurality of nozzle plates 15 are arranged in the thickness direction (left and right in FIG. 1), and adjacent nozzle plates 15 are in contact with each other. The gas blowing part 11 composed of a plurality of nozzle plates 15 has a size that includes the wafer W (three small wafers W in the configuration shown in FIG. 6) in plan view.

As shown in FIG. 3, one surface of each nozzle plate 15 is formed with a plurality of introduction recesses 15a and blow-out recesses 15b.
The introduction recesses 15a extend upward from the lower end surface of the nozzle plate 15, and are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle plate 15 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1), preferably at regular intervals.
The blowout recess 15b is formed so as to extend over substantially the entire width of the portion above the vertical middle portion of the nozzle plate 15 . Each introduction recess 15a is continuous with the lower end portion of the blowout recess 15b. The upper end of the blowout recess 15b reaches (opens) the upper end of the nozzle plate 15 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, one surface of each nozzle plate 15 (the surface on which the introduction recess 15a and the blowout recess 15b are formed) is provided with the opposite surface of the adjacent nozzle plate 15 (the introduction recess 15a and the blowout recess 15b). are in contact with each other). As a result, the openings on one side of the introduction recess 15a and the blowout recess 15b are closed.
An introduction path 16 is defined by the introduction recess 15 a of each nozzle plate 15 and the adjacent nozzle plate 15 . A slit (blowing path) 17 is defined by the blowing recess 15b of each nozzle plate 15 and the adjacent nozzle plate 15 . That is, slits (blowing paths) 17 through which the film-forming gas passes are defined between adjacent nozzle plates 15 .

Further, the gas blowing part 11 has a channel (not shown) formed therein. The gas blowout portion 11 is cooled by the refrigerant passing through and circulating in this flow path. As a result, it is possible to prevent or suppress the generation of unnecessary deposits due to reaction of the film-forming gas in the slit 17 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent particles from being generated from the unnecessary deposits and adhering to the film formed on the film forming surface W1 of the wafer W. FIG. Therefore, the homogeneity of the obtained film can be ensured.
Examples of refrigerants include liquids such as water and oil, gases such as nitrogen and rare gases, and the like.

In such a gas blowing section 11, as shown in FIG. 2, the width of the slit 17 (the length along the thickness direction of the nozzle plate 15) is X [mm], When the thickness of the portion not in contact with is Y [mm], Y/X is preferably 0.01 or more and 10 or less, more preferably 0.05 or more and 7.5 or less, and 0.1 It is more preferably 1 or more and 5 or less, particularly preferably 1 or more and 5 or less, particularly preferably 2.5 or more and 4.5 or less, and most preferably 3 or more and 4.5 or less. In this case, the film-forming gas can be uniformly (evenly) blown out from the slit 17 while suppressing the pressure loss. Therefore, the uniformity and homogeneity of the formed film can be more reliably improved. In addition, since the cooling efficiency of the gas blowing part 11 itself can be enhanced by the refrigerant, unnecessary deposits are less likely to occur.

Here, the specific value of X is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, more preferably 0.2 mm or more and 7.5 mm or less, and further preferably 0.3 mm or more and 5 mm or less. . On the other hand, the specific value of Y is preferably 0.5 mm or more and 30 mm or less, more preferably 1 mm or more and 20 mm or less, and even more preferably 1.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less. Thereby, the above effect can be further improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the chuck 18 sucks (holds) the wafer W and swings (reciprocates) relative to the dispersion head 19 along the width direction of the slit 17 by a moving mechanism (not shown). (see the thick arrow in FIG. 4). Such a configuration can further improve the uniformity and homogeneity of the formed film. Hereinafter, the direction indicated by the thick arrow is also referred to as the "swing direction".
The chuck 18 may be fixed and the dispersion head 19 may be configured to swing relative to the chuck 18 along the width direction of the slit 17, or both the chuck 18 and the dispersion head 19 may be The dispersion head 19 may be movable and configured to swing relative to the chuck 18 along the width direction of the slit 17 .

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the size of the gas blowout part 11 in plan view is set larger than the size of the film formation surface W1 of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. Thereby, a necessary and sufficient amount of film-forming gas can be supplied to the entire film-forming surface W1 of the wafer W. FIG. Therefore, the uniformity and homogeneity of the formed film can be further improved.
As shown in FIG. 1, the raw material supply source 3 is connected to the dispersion head 19 (gas blowing section 11) via a supply path 3a. The supply path 3 a is branched into a plurality of paths and connected to the introduction paths 16 . As a result, the film-forming gas is uniformly distributed to each introduction channel 16 of each nozzle plate 15 from the raw material supply source 3 through the supply channel 3a.

After passing through each introduction path 16 , the film forming gas joins at the slit 17 and is blown out toward the wafer W from the upper end opening of the slit 17 while being uniformly dispersed over the entire longitudinal direction of the slit 17 .
That is, in this embodiment, the film-forming gas contains a plurality of gas components, and is configured to be introduced into the gas blowing section 11 after mixing the plurality of gas components. By mixing (premixing) a plurality of gas components before introducing them into the gas blowing section 11 in this manner, the uniformity of the formed film can be easily improved.
Here, the gas component is not particularly limited because it is appropriately selected according to the type of film to be formed. For example, when forming a silicon oxide film (SiO ₂ film), silane (SiH ₄ ) and oxygen (or ozone) are used as gas components. Further, phosphine (PH ₃ ) and diborane (B ₂ H ₆ ) are added as gas components depending on the ion species to be doped.

A chuck 18 is arranged above the dispersion head 19 so as to face the dispersion head 19 . As described above, the chuck 18 has the heater 12 and the wafer holder 13 fixed to the heater 12 .
The chuck 18 is formed with a suction path 30 passing through the heater 12 and the wafer holding portion 13 in the thickness direction. A lower end of the suction path 30 is open to the lower surface of the wafer holder 13 . A pump P is arranged in the middle of the suction path 30 . When the pump P is operated while the wafer W is in contact with the lower surface of the wafer holder 13, the pressure in the suction path 30 can be reduced. As a result, the wafer W can be attracted to the lower surface of the wafer holder 13 and held with the film formation surface W1 facing downward.

The chuck 18 of the present embodiment suppresses adhesion of unnecessary deposits generated by the reaction of the film forming gas on the film forming surface W1 of the wafer W other than the film forming surface W1 to the film formed on the film forming surface W1. It has a restraining structure.
Such an adhesion suppression structure, for example, suppresses the generation of the unwanted deposit itself, or firmly captures the unwanted deposit even if it occurs, thereby preventing or suppressing the generation of particles from the unwanted deposit.
As a result, the particles are prevented from adhering to the film formed on the film formation surface W1 of the wafer W, and a film of high quality (characteristics) can be obtained.

The chuck 18 (wafer holder 13) has a first region 18a in contact with the wafer W and a second region 18b exposed from the wafer W while holding the wafer W, as shown in FIG. are doing. The surface roughness of the second region 18b is set larger than that of the first region 18a. As a result, even if unwanted deposits are generated, the unwanted deposits can be firmly trapped in the second region 18b, and generation of particles can be prevented. That is, the second region 18b can function as the adhesion suppressing structure.
By providing the second region 18b, it becomes easy to preferentially generate unnecessary deposits in the second region 18b. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of unnecessary deposits in the region other than the film-forming surface W1 of the wafer W in the chamber 2, and the maintainability of the chamber 2 is also improved.

Specifically, the surface roughness (ten-point average height) of the second region 18b is Rmax2 [μm], and the surface roughness (ten-point average height) of the first region 18a is Rmax1 [μm]. Then, Rmax2/Rmax1 is preferably 5 or more, more preferably 7.5 or more, and even more preferably 10 or more and 15 or less. In this case, unwanted deposits can be firmly trapped in the second region 18b. On the other hand, it is possible to increase the degree of adhesion of the wafer W to the first region 18a and prevent unreacted film forming gas from flowing into the upper surface of the wafer W (the surface opposite to the film forming surface W1). .

A specific value of Rmax2 is preferably 10 μm or more, more preferably 20 μm or more, and even more preferably 30 μm or more. This allows the second region 18b to sufficiently capture the unwanted deposits. The upper limit of Rmax2 is preferably 100 μm or less, more preferably 75 μm or less, and even more preferably 50 μm or less. In this case, the flow of film-forming gas is less likely to be obstructed, and unnecessary deposits originating from the projections can be prevented from being generated.
On the other hand, since the specific value of Rmax1 is moderate, when the wafer W is held, the degree of adhesion to the first region 18a is extremely good, and when the wafer W is removed, the first can be smoothly separated from the region 18a.

The wafer holder 13 also has a susceptor 131 that holds the wafer and a guide ring 132 that is provided on the outer periphery of the susceptor 131 and fixes the susceptor 131 to the heater 12 .
The susceptor 131 is preferably made of a material with high thermal conductivity in order to efficiently transfer the heat generated by the heater 12 to the wafer W. Examples of such high thermal conductivity materials include silicon carbide (SiC), aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ), boron nitride (BN), and the like. These high thermal conductivity materials may be used singly or in combination of two or more.

When the thermal conductivity of the susceptor 131 is TC1 [W/m·K] and the thermal conductivity of the guide ring 132 is TC2 [W/m·K], their difference (|T1−T2|) is , preferably 30 W/m·K or less, more preferably 15 W/m·K or less, further preferably 5 W/m·K or less. As a result, the temperature of the lower surface of the susceptor 131 and the temperature of the lower surface of the guide ring 132 can be made the same or close to each other during heating by the heater 12 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce the generation of unnecessary deposits at the boundary 133 between the susceptor 131 and the guide ring 132 due to the temperature difference between them.
In particular, unnecessary deposits generated in the boundary portion 133 are likely to be porous, so if the generation of unnecessary deposits in such an area can be prevented, the generation of particles will inevitably be prevented or suppressed. can do. That is, such a configuration can function as an adhesion suppression structure that suppresses adhesion to the film.

Although the specific value of the thermal conductivity TC1 is not particularly limited, it is preferably 30 W/mK or more and 170 W/mK or less, and 50 W/mK or more and 150 W/mK or less. More preferably, it is 70 W/m·K or more and 130 W/m·K or less. In this case, it is easy to heat the wafer W smoothly and uniformly.
In particular, the susceptor 131 and the guide ring 132 are preferably made of the same material, more preferably silicon carbide (SiC). As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent or suppress the generation of unnecessary deposits at the boundary portion 133 while maintaining high conductivity in the susceptor 131 .

Further, it is preferable that the lower surface of the susceptor 131 (the surface on the wafer W side) and the lower surface of the guide ring 132 (the surface on the wafer W side) are positioned substantially on the same plane. With such a configuration, a substantial step is not formed at the boundary 133 between the susceptor 131 and the guide ring 132 . Therefore, it is possible to suitably prevent the generation of unnecessary deposits originating from the steps. Therefore, it becomes difficult for particles to adhere to the formed film. Specifically, the step between the lower surface of the susceptor 131 and the lower surface of the guide ring 132 is preferably 0.5 mm or less, more preferably 0.3 mm or less, and may be 0 mm.
The size of the heater 12 in plan view is set larger than the size of the film formation surface W1 of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. With such a configuration, the heater 12 can heat the wafer W more uniformly.
From the viewpoint of preventing the generation of unnecessary deposits on the surface of the heater 12, a heat insulating material (not shown) covering the heater 12 may be coated with a coating agent.

An exhaust mechanism 20 is arranged below the chuck 18 . The exhaust mechanism 20 is configured to exhaust unreacted film forming gas blown into the processing space 10 a of the film forming section 10 and particles from unnecessary deposits to the outside of the chamber 2 .
The exhaust mechanism 20 has a housing (shroud) 14 which is open upward and accommodates the gas blowout portion 11 , and an exhaust pipe 21 connected to the housing 14 .
The exhaust pipe 21 is composed of, for example, a stainless steel pipe, but is not limited thereto, and may be composed of a metal pipe other than stainless steel, or may be composed of a resin pipe.

A space between the inner surface (the inner surface and the inner bottom surface) of the housing 14 and the gas blowout portion 11 functions as an exhaust introduction passage 20a. An upper end portion of the exhaust introduction path 20a communicates with the outer peripheral side of the processing space 10a. An exhaust pipe 21 is connected to the bottom of the housing 14 . Therefore, the exhaust introduction path 20 a communicates with the inner cavity of the exhaust pipe 21 .
It can also be said that the housing 14 forms part of the dispersion head 19 .

A downstream portion of the exhaust pipe 21 is drawn out of the chamber 2 . An end of the exhaust pipe 21 is connected to the suction means 4 in the abatement device 5 . Thereby, the processing space 10 a and the suction means 4 are communicated with each other through the exhaust pipe 21 .
Incidentally, the suction means 4 may be provided outside the abatement device 5 . The suction means 4 may be an exhaust blower or a suction pump. The suction means 4 always sucks the gas in the exhaust pipe 21 with a constant suction pressure.
Due to the suction operation of the suction means 4, unreacted film forming gas in the processing space 10a and part of the atmosphere gas in the space 2a inside the chamber 2 are introduced into the exhaust introduction path 20a. Hereinafter, the gas introduced into the exhaust introduction path 20a is also referred to as "exhaust gas".

The exhaust gas contains unreacted film-forming gas in the processing space 10a and unnecessary reactants of the film-forming reaction (particles of unnecessary deposits). Exhaust gas flows into the exhaust pipe 21 from the exhaust introduction path 20a. This exhaust gas passes through the exhaust pipe 21, is sucked into the suction port of the suction means 4, is discharged from the discharge port of the suction means 4, and is discharged into the abatement processing section (not shown) of the abatement device 5. transferred to
The abatement processing unit removes unreacted film forming gas, unnecessary deposits (particles) during film formation, substances of high environmental load, etc. contained in the exhaust gas from the exhaust gas by chemical or physical treatment.
It should be noted that the constant suction pressure may be set according to the suction capacity of the suction means 4 and the removal processing capacity of the removal device 5 . As a result, the suction and exhaust treatment or the harm removal treatment can be stably performed.

A pressure regulating valve 22 is provided in the middle of the exhaust pipe 21 . The pressure regulating valve 22 has a valve body, and by displacing (rotating) this valve body, the opening degree of the pressure regulating valve 22 is adjusted, and thus the opening degree of the exhaust pipe 21 is adjusted. Thereby, the pressure of the exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe 21 is adjusted.
The opening of the pressure regulating valve 22 may be adjusted not only by rotating the valve body but also by sliding.
A cleaning gas supply port 23 and a cleaning port 24 are provided in the middle of the exhaust pipe 21 . A cleaning gas supply port 23 is located between the housing 14 and the pressure regulating valve 22 , and a cleaning port 24 is located between the pressure regulating valve 22 and the cleaning gas supply port 23 .

A cleaning gas supply source 6 is connected to the cleaning gas supply port 23 via a supply path 6a. In this embodiment, the cleaning gas supply port 23, the cleaning gas supply source 6, and the supply path 6a constitute a cleaning gas supply section.
This cleaning gas supply unit supplies a cleaning gas having no or poor reactivity with the film forming gas to the exhaust pipe 21 . By supplying such a cleaning gas to the exhaust pipe 21, it is possible to dilute the unreacted film-forming gas passing through the exhaust pipe 21 and to lower its temperature. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or suppress the generation of unnecessary deposits at undesired portions of the inner wall surface of the exhaust pipe 21 . In addition, even when unnecessary deposits are generated, the cleaning gas can exhibit the effect of peeling and removing the unnecessary deposits from the inner wall surface of the exhaust pipe 21 by the flow of the cleaning gas. Therefore, clogging of the exhaust pipe 21 can be easily prevented, and the frequency of cleaning the inside of the exhaust pipe 21 (frequency of maintenance) can be reduced.

Moreover, since the pressure regulating valve 22 has a relatively complicated structure, unnecessary deposits are likely to occur inside it. Therefore, it is easy to prevent such an inconvenience.
The cleaning gas is not particularly limited, but preferably contains an inert gas as a main component. A cleaning gas containing such an inert gas as a main component is preferable because it has no reactivity with the film-forming gas and is easily available. Examples of inert gases include rare gases such as nitrogen gas, argon gas, and neon gas. These gases may be used singly or in combination of two or more.

Although the cleaning gas may be cooled, it is preferably at room temperature (about 25° C.) because it is easy to handle. Even with a cleaning gas at room temperature, the effect of preventing the generation of unwanted deposits can be sufficiently exhibited.
The cleaning port 24 is configured to access the inside of the exhaust pipe 21 when cleaning (maintaining) the inside of the exhaust pipe 21 . By providing such a cleaning port 24, it is not necessary to disassemble the exhaust mechanism 20 each time cleaning is performed, and workability can be improved.
In particular, by providing the cleaning port 24 on the upstream side of the pressure regulating valve 22 (on the same side as the housing 14), it is possible to more reliably reduce the possibility of particles clogging the pressure regulating valve 22 due to cleaning work.
In addition, from the viewpoint of improving workability during cleaning, the inner wall of the exhaust pipe 21 may be coated with a film (for example, a fluorine-based film) for suppressing adhesion of unnecessary deposits.

An end of the suction path 30 of the chuck 18 opposite to the susceptor 131 is connected to the middle of the exhaust pipe 21 . As a result, the exhaust gas when the wafer W is adsorbed on the wafer holder 13 is combined with the exhaust pipe 21 . Even if the unreacted film forming gas flows around the upper surface of the wafer W (the surface opposite to the film forming surface W1), the unreacted film forming gas is supplied to the exhaust pipe 21, and the abatement device 5 can be processed by the abatement processing unit. Therefore, unreacted film forming gas can be prevented from being discharged outside the chamber 2, and the safety is high.
The housing 14 of the exhaust mechanism 20 is located below the film formation surface W1 of the wafer W held by the wafer holding part 13 (chuck 18). Therefore, even if particles are generated from unnecessary deposits adhering to the wafer holder 13 , the particles can be reliably sucked and discharged to the outside of the chamber 2 . As a result, it becomes easier to prevent particles from adhering to the formed film.

An elevator 40 is arranged in the chamber 2 beside the dispersion head 19 (swing direction). Also, devices (not shown) such as a swapper and a robot arm are arranged near the elevator 40 .
The elevator 40 has a telescopic shaft 41 and spokes 42 that are provided at the upper end of the telescopic shaft 41 and support the wafer W. As shown in FIG.
As described above, the chuck 18 is configured to swing with respect to the dispersion head 19 by the movement mechanism. This moving mechanism is configured to be able to move the chuck 18 from a position directly above the dispersion head 19 (film formation position) to a position (retracted position) immediately above the elevator 40 .

With such a configuration, after film formation, the chuck 18 is moved directly above the elevator 40 by the movement mechanism, and the wafer W after film formation is exchanged with a new wafer W using the elevator 40, swapper, robot arm, or the like. It can be performed.
In this way, if the wafer W after the film formation is replaced with a new wafer W at the position (retracted position) that is retracted from the film forming unit 10, particles can be removed from the unnecessary deposits during the wafer replacement work. , and even if particles are generated, they are easily prevented from adhering to the first region 18a. Therefore, the wafer W can be attracted to the susceptor 131 with a sufficient attraction force.

Moreover, when performing maintenance of the film-forming apparatus 1 whole, it is preferable to comprise so that this work may be performed in a retracted position (namely, the position shifted from the film-forming position along the rocking direction). According to such a configuration, maintenance of the film forming apparatus 1 can be performed while setting the movement distance of the chuck 18 to a minimum. Therefore, it contributes to miniaturization of the chamber 2 and thus the film forming apparatus 1 .

Next, a method of using the film forming apparatus 1 (a method of manufacturing a film-coated wafer in which a film is formed on the film forming surface W1 of the wafer W) will be described.
First, a cassette (not shown) containing wafers W to be film-formed is placed on the side of the chamber 2 of the film-forming apparatus 1 . The wafer W in this cassette is picked up by the robot arm and placed on the swapper.
The swapper is then rotated 180° around the central axis. Thereby, the wafer W is moved right above the elevator 40 .
Prior to this, the chuck 18 is also moved directly above the elevator 40 by the moving mechanism.
Next, the telescopic shaft 41 of the elevator 40 is extended upward from the retracted state. Thereby, the spokes 42 support the wafer W and lift it upward.

The wafer W is temporarily stopped at a position spaced slightly (about 5 mm) from the susceptor 131 and remotely heated by the heater 12 . By performing this remote heating for about 30 seconds, for example, the temperature of the wafer W is raised to a predetermined temperature.
Thereafter, the wafer W is lifted up by a lift lever (not shown) provided on the spokes 42 and brought into contact with the lower surface of the susceptor 131 .
In this state, the wafer W is further heated by the heater 12, for example, for about 30 seconds to reach a target temperature (about 400 to 500.degree. C.).
By preheating the wafer W before and after contacting the susceptor 131 in this manner, the wafer W can be prevented from warping.

After that, the pump P is operated to suck the suction path 30 to suck the wafer W onto the lower surface of the susceptor 131 (first region 18a). As a result, the wafer W is held by the chuck 18 (wafer holding unit 13) with the film formation surface W1 facing downward (holding step).
Next, the telescopic shaft 41 is contracted to position the spokes 42 below the swapper.
Next, the chuck 18 holding the wafer W is moved to a film forming position directly above the dispersion head 19 by the moving mechanism.
In this state, the film forming gas is blown out from the slit 17 of the gas blowing part 11 toward the film forming surface W1 of the wafer W (blowing step). As a result, the film forming gas comes into contact with the film forming surface W1 of the wafer W, and a semiconductor film, for example, is formed.

Here, the distance between the gas blowing part 11 and the wafer W (D in FIG. 1) is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 20 mm or less, more preferably 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less. , 3 mm or more and 9 mm or less. A uniform and homogeneous film can be easily formed on the film formation surface W1 of the wafer W by setting the separation distance D between the gas blowing part 11 and the wafer W within the above range.
At this time, if the surface roughness of the second region 18b is set to a predetermined value, the second region 18b preferentially and strongly captures the unwanted deposits, and the unwanted deposits are peeled off and turned into particles. can be prevented from becoming As a result, it is possible to prevent particles from adhering to the formed film.
At this time, the chuck 18 (wafer holding portion 13) is swung along the width direction of the slit 17 with respect to the dispersion head 19 (gas blowing portion 11). Thereby, uniformity and homogeneity of the formed film can be ensured.

Further, at this time, the unreacted film forming gas is sucked into the exhaust introduction path 20a by the operation of the exhaust mechanism 20, transferred to the exhaust pipe 21, and exhausted (exhaust process). This can prevent or suppress the generation of unnecessary deposits and further the generation of particles. Furthermore, since the cleaning gas is supplied to the exhaust pipe 21, generation of unnecessary deposits in the exhaust pipe 21 can be prevented or suppressed, and the frequency of cleaning (frequency of maintenance) can be reduced.
In particular, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the housing 14 is flush with the gas blowout portion 11 or protrudes from the gas blowout portion 11 to the wafer W side by a predetermined protrusion length. With this configuration, unreacted film forming gas can be reliably sucked through the exhaust introduction path 20a.
The length of the protrusion is not particularly limited, but when the thickness of the wafer W is t [mm], it is preferably 0 mm or more (Dt) mm or less, and 0 mm or more (Dt)/2 mm or less. is more preferably 0 mm or more (Dt)/3 mm or less. In this case, it is possible to effectively suppress leakage of unreacted film forming gas from the processing space 10a while avoiding contact between the housing 14 and the wafer W when the wafer W is swung.

After the film is formed on the film formation surface W1 of the wafer W, the chuck 18 holding the wafer W is moved directly above the elevator 40 by the moving mechanism.
Next, the telescopic shaft 41 of the elevator 40 is extended upward, and the operation of the pump P is stopped. Thereby, the wafer W is released from the chuck 18 and supported by the spokes 42 .
Next, the telescopic shaft 41 is contracted to move the spokes 42 below the swapper. Thereby, the wafer W is placed on the swapper.
At this time, since the wafer W is still at a high temperature, it is preferable to lower (cool) the temperature of the wafer W to about room temperature while it is mounted on the swapper.
The wafer W after cooling is transferred and stored in a cassette by a robot arm. By lowering the temperature of the wafer W while it is mounted on the swapper, it is possible to suitably prevent deterioration such as alteration and deformation of the cassette.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the wafer holding unit 13 (chuck 18) can also be configured to hold a plurality of (three in the configuration of FIG. 6) small-diameter wafers W at the same time.
Three multiple ring-shaped suction grooves 31 are formed on the lower surface of the wafer holding portion 13 at intervals of 120 degrees, and a suction path 30 communicates with the center thereof.
Even in such a configuration, a uniform and homogeneous film can be formed on the film formation surface W1 of each small-diameter wafer W by adopting various designs as described above.
As described above, according to the present invention, a film forming apparatus and a film-coated wafer manufacturing method are capable of forming a more uniform and homogeneous film by preventing or suppressing concentration unevenness in the film forming gas supplied to the wafer. can be provided.
Furthermore, it may be provided in each aspect described below.

(1) A film forming apparatus for forming a film on a film forming surface of a wafer, comprising: a wafer holder configured to hold the wafer with the film forming surface facing downward; and a gas blowing part configured to blow a film forming gas containing the and a blow-out path through which the film-forming gas passes, where X [mm] is the width of the blow-out path and Y [mm] is the thickness of the portion of the plate that does not contact the adjacent plate, Y/ A film forming apparatus, wherein X is 0.01 or more and 10 or less.

(2) The film forming apparatus according to (1) above, wherein X is 0.1 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

(3) The film forming apparatus according to (1) or (2) above, wherein Y is 0.5 mm or more and 30 mm or less.

(4) In the film forming apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3) above, the gas blowing section is arranged relatively to the wafer holding section along the width direction of the blowing path. A film forming apparatus configured to swing.

(5) The film forming apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the gas blowing section is configured to be cooled by a coolant circulating therein. .

(6) In the film forming apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5) above, the size of the gas blowing section in plan view is set larger than the size of the film forming surface of the wafer. film deposition equipment.

(7) In the film forming apparatus according to any one of (1) to (6) above, the film forming gas contains a plurality of gas components, and after mixing the plurality of gas components, the gas A film forming apparatus configured to be introduced into a blowing section.

(8) The film forming apparatus according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein the wafer holder is configured to simultaneously hold a plurality of wafers.

(9) A method for manufacturing a film-coated wafer in which a film is formed on a film-forming surface of a wafer, comprising: holding the wafer by a wafer holding part with the film-forming surface facing downward; a step of blowing a film-forming gas containing a raw material from a gas blowing part toward the film-forming surface, wherein the gas blowing part is defined between a plurality of plate members and the adjacent plate members, and a blow-out passage through which the membrane gas passes, where X [mm] is the width of the blow-out passage and Y [mm] is the thickness of the portion of the plate that does not contact the adjacent plate, Y/X is 0.01 or more and 10 or less.
Of course, this is not the only case.

As noted above, while various embodiments of the invention have been described, these are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. The novel embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

For example, the film forming apparatus and the film-coated wafer manufacturing method of the present invention may have any other additional configuration (step) to the above-described embodiments, and any other configuration (process) that exhibits the same function. Configurations (steps) may be replaced, and some configurations (steps) may be omitted.
Moreover, the shape of the wafer W may be circular.
Furthermore, the chuck 18 may be configured to be rotatable along the circumferential direction.

Reference Signs List 1: Film forming device 2: Chamber 2a: Space 2b: Exhaust passage 3: Raw material supply source 3a: Supply passage 4: Suction means 5: Abatement device 6: Cleaning gas supply source 6a: Supply passage 10: Film formation section 10a: Processing space 11 : Gas blowing part 12 : Heater 13 : Wafer holding part 131 : Susceptor 132 : Guide ring 133 : Boundary part 14 : Housing 15 : Nozzle plate 15a : Introduction recess 15b : Blowing recess 16 : Introduction path 17 : Slit 18 : Chuck 18a : First region 18b : Second region 19 : Dispersion head 20 : Exhaust mechanism 20a : Exhaust introduction path 21 : Exhaust pipe 22 : Pressure control valve 23 : Cleaning gas supply port 24 : Cleaning port 30 : Suction path 31 : Suction groove 40 : Elevator 41 : Telescopic shaft 42 : Spoke D : Spacing distance P : Pump W : Wafer W1 : Film formation surface

Claims (5)

A film forming apparatus for forming a film on a film forming surface of a wafer,
a wafer holder configured to hold the wafer with the film formation surface facing downward;
a gas blowing part configured to blow a film forming gas containing a raw material of the film toward the film forming surface;
The gas blowout part has a plurality of plate members and a blowout passage defined between the adjacent plate members through which the film-forming gas passes. When the width defined as the thickness is X [mm] and the thickness of the portion of the plate that does not contact the adjacent plate is Y [mm], Y/X is 2.5 or more and 10 or less,
The gas blowing part is configured to be cooled by a coolant circulating therein ,
The X is 0.1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, the Y is 0.5 mm or more and 30 mm or less,
The film forming apparatus is configured such that the film forming gas contains a plurality of gas components, and is introduced into the gas blowing section after mixing the plurality of gas components. In the film forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The film forming apparatus, wherein the gas blowing section is configured to swing relative to the wafer holding section only along the width direction of the blowing path. In the film forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The film forming apparatus, wherein the size of the gas blowing part in plan view is set larger than the size of the film forming surface of the wafer. In the film forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The film forming apparatus, wherein the wafer holder is configured to simultaneously hold a plurality of the wafers. A method for manufacturing a film-coated wafer in which a film is formed on a film-forming surface of a wafer,
a step of holding the wafer by a wafer holding part with the film formation surface facing downward;
a step of blowing a film forming gas containing the raw material of the film from a gas blowing part toward the film forming surface;
The gas blowout part has a plurality of plate members and a blowout passage defined between the adjacent plate members through which the film-forming gas passes. When the width defined as the thickness is X [mm] and the thickness of the portion of the plate that does not contact the adjacent plate is Y [mm], Y/X is 2.5 or more and 10 or less,
The gas blowing part is configured to be cooled by a coolant circulating therein ,
The X is 0.1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, the Y is 0.5 mm or more and 30 mm or less,
The method of manufacturing a film-coated wafer, wherein the film-forming gas contains a plurality of gas components, and is introduced into the gas blowing section after mixing the plurality of gas components.

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