JPH07283292A - Sealing mechanism besides treatment device and treatment method using this sealing mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a treatment device able to free-detachatably connect a feeder line to a ceramic heater or the like moreover to surely prevent the feeder line from corrosion due to gas during treatment, which is excellent in maintenance such as exchanging the ceramics heater. CONSTITUTION:A susceptor 13 is provided with a ceramic body 27, a supporter 22 supporting this and the feeding lines 34, 35 free-detachably connected to a resistance heater wire 28 through a through hole 38 of this supporter 22, and the ceramic body 27 and the supporter 22 are combined through the metal sealing members 41, 42 intercepting the through hole 38 from the atmosphere inside a treatment chamber. Moreover, the metal sealing members 41, 42 are composed of a sealing base metal formed in the section shape allowing elastic deformation by the binding force to the supporter 22 of the ceramic body 27 and an indium-plated layer making an alloy with this silver by coating on this surface through a silver thin film.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sealing mechanism, a processing apparatus and a processing method using the sealing mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the high integration of integrated circuits, wiring structures have become multi-layered and miniaturized, and the accuracy of film formation of each wiring layer and insulating layer has become important. When forming each of these layers, a chemical method such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or a physical method such as sputtering is used. In such a film forming process, in order to uniformly form a thin film on an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer, it is an important technique to uniformly heat and maintain the entire surface of the object to be processed at a predetermined temperature.

As a method for heating an object to be processed, there are heating by a heater and heating by a radiant energy ray such as a lamp. For example, in the case of heating by a heater, the object to be processed is held by a holder having a heater built therein, and in this state, the object to be processed is heated by the heater to perform film formation processing while maintaining the object to be processed at a constant temperature. I am trying.

As the holder used for such a film forming process, an aluminum susceptor with a built-in heater or a ceramic susceptor is used. Regardless of which susceptor is used, it is difficult to avoid film formation on the inner surface of the processing chamber or the surface of the susceptor due to the generated gas generated during the film forming process, and therefore the processing chamber is regularly cleaned. For example, an etching gas has been conventionally used for this cleaning, and this etching gas is supplied into the processing chamber by the same method as the film forming gas, and the film formation in the processing chamber is removed by this etching gas.

However, since the aluminum susceptor has a problem that aluminum is easily corroded by the etching gas, a ceramic susceptor excellent in corrosion resistance against the etching gas is used. In a conventional ceramic susceptor, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a heater 101 made of tungsten or the like is embedded in a ceramic body 100. Power supply lines 103 made of copper wire are connected to both ends of the heater 101 via terminal portions 102. This power supply line 103
Is covered with a sheath wire 104 made of metal such as stainless steel in the processing chamber, and only the power supply line 103 is drawn out from the bottom surface 105 of the processing chamber to the outside.

A recess 106 is formed on the bottom surface of the ceramic body 100, and the thermocouple 10 is placed in the recess 106.
7 is inserted, whereby the temperature of the ceramic body 100 is monitored and the ceramic body 100 is controlled at a constant temperature. The thermocouple 107 is also surrounded by a sheath wire made of stainless steel or the like in the processing chamber, and is drawn out from the bottom surface 105 of the processing chamber to the outside.

However, the metal sheath wire 104 surrounding the power supply line 103 has a large coefficient of thermal expansion different from that of the ceramic body 100, and the film forming processing temperature is, for example, several hundreds.
Since it is a high temperature of ° C, it is difficult to directly connect both of them, and even if both are connected, the connecting portion is likely to be cracked due to the high temperature during processing. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
03 is taken out from the sheath wire 104, and the power supply line 103 is directly connected to the heater 101 by a screw. On the other hand, although a halogenated gas is often used as a film forming gas, this gas has a high processing temperature in combination with generation of a halogen gas during the film forming process.
The exposed part of 03 is corroded by halogen gas and the power supply line 1
03 is exhausted and has a short life. Such a problem is not limited to the heater 101, but the electrostatic chuck for adhering and fixing the object to be processed to the electrode for plasma generation or the susceptor built in the ceramic susceptor has a similar problem.

Therefore, as a means for solving the corrosion of the power supply line, the present applicant has proposed a gas treatment device in which the connection structure of the power supply line is improved in Japanese Patent Application No. 5-338834. In this connection structure, a metal having a coefficient of thermal expansion close to that of the ceramic body, such as molybdenum, is embedded in the lower surface of the ceramic body as a terminal part of the heater, and the power supply line is brazed to the molybdenum and the end part of the metal tube covering the power supply line Is connected to ceramics. The power supply line is inserted and brazed into a deep hole formed in the lower surface of molybdenum. On the other hand, the metal pipe that covers the power supply line is directly brazed by being fitted to the circular protrusion on the lower surface of the susceptor via a molybdenum ring connected to this end. Further, an inert gas such as helium is flown into the metal pipe to prevent corrosion of metal such as molybdenum and to cool the power supply line.

On the other hand, when the film formation process is performed using the susceptor as described above, the process is usually performed under a relatively high vacuum. Therefore, when the object to be processed is transferred from the transfer chamber into the processing chamber, the gas pressure in the transfer chamber is set to, for example, 10
^It is adjusted to ^-2 to 10 ^-7 Torr, and the object to be processed is held by the susceptor by the electrostatic chuck inside the processing chamber in the depressurized state with the degree of identification, and is processed while being heated by the heater in the susceptor. . At this time, since the processing chamber is in a high vacuum state, a gas having excellent heat transferability such as helium gas is flown between the object to be processed and the holding surface to enhance heat transferability from the susceptor to the object to be processed, The throughput of the film forming process is increased.

[0010]

However, in the case of the conventional ceramic susceptor, there is a problem that the power supply line such as the heater and the electrode is easily corroded by the gas generated during the film formation as described above. Further, in the case of the gas treatment device proposed by the present applicant in Japanese Patent Application No. 5-338834, since the power supply line is shielded from the atmosphere in the processing chamber by the metal pipe connected to the ceramic body, While it has a great technical effect of effectively preventing corrosion, one end of the metal tube that surrounds the power supply line must be brazed to the ceramic body via a metal such as molybdenum, which poses a problem in brazing reliability. However, there is a problem that the connection structure becomes expensive. In addition, when replacing the heater, the power supply line must be connected to the ceramic body as described above, and when replacing the ceramic heater, a great amount of labor is required for brazing each time. There was a problem.

Moreover, when the ceramics heater is replaced, the brazed power supply line and the metal pipe are also integrally replaced, so that the power supply line and the metal pipe are connected midway, but the connection part of the metal pipe is connected. In order to keep the inside airtight, an O-ring made of an elastomer such as fluorine rubber is used.
However, the temperature of the metal tube becomes high due to the heat of the ceramics heater during the film forming process, but the O-ring can be used only in the part where the temperature of the metal tube is 200 ° C. or less due to the heat resistance of the material, so that the O-ring cannot be used as a ceramic body. O from the connection part
There is a problem in that the dimension up to the ring installation portion becomes long, and the waste of the power supply line and the metal tube to be replaced together with the ceramic heater increases.

Further, in the case of a ceramic susceptor, the electrode and the electrostatic chuck are often buried under the heater in the ceramic body. In that case, from the object to be processed to the electrode and the electrostatic chuck. There is a problem that the power consumption increases during the film forming process because the distance becomes longer and the higher power is applied.

On the other hand, since the conventional film forming process using the susceptor as described above is often performed under a reduced pressure of about 10 ^-2 to 10 ^-7 Torr, a helium gas or the like is applied between the object to be processed and the ceramic heater. The gas with excellent heat transfer property is supplied to increase the heat transfer efficiency to the object to be processed to increase the throughput, but this requires an electrostatic chuck to adsorb and fix the object to be processed on the ceramic heater. there were.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the power supply line can be detachably connected to a ceramic heater or the like, and the power supply line can be surely prevented from being corroded by gas during processing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing device which can be improved and has excellent maintainability such as replacement of a ceramic heater. It is another object of the present invention to provide a sealing mechanism capable of air-tightly joining a ceramic body such as a ceramic heater, which has a high temperature, to a support body that supports the ceramic body, without damaging the ceramic body. Furthermore, when processing the object to be processed on the holding body, there is provided a processing method which does not need to supply a thermally conductive gas between the object to be processed and the holding body or to adsorb and fix the object to be processed by electrostatic chuck. The purpose is to do.

[0015]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sealing mechanism comprising: a ceramic body heated to a predetermined temperature or higher; a support body joined to support the ceramic body; A seal mechanism having a metal seal member interposed so as to maintain airtightness, wherein the metal seal member is a seal base material formed in a cross-sectional shape that is elastically deformable between the ceramic body and the support body. And a metal that forms an alloy with the silver thin film by coating the surface of the seal base material through the silver thin film.

Further, in the processing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the object to be processed is held on the surface of the holder arranged in the processing chamber, and the object to be processed is embedded in the holder. In the processing apparatus for treating the object to be treated with gas under reduced pressure while heating by the above, the holding body is formed of a ceramic body containing the heater, a support body for supporting the ceramic body from the back surface, and the support body. A power supply line detachably connected to the heater via the through hole formed therein, and the ceramic body and the support body are fastened together via a metal seal member that shields the through hole from the atmosphere in the processing chamber. And the metal seal member is
A seal base material formed in a cross-sectional shape that is elastically deformable by the fastening force of the ceramic body to the support body, and a metal coated on the surface of the seal base material through a silver thin film to form an alloy with silver. It is composed of

Further, in the processing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the object to be processed is held on the surface of the holding body which is provided in the processing chamber and contains the electrode, and the object to be processed is held in the holding body. In a processing apparatus for gas-treating an object to be processed under reduced pressure while heating with an embedded heater, the holder supports a ceramic body having the heater built in below an electrode, and supports the ceramic body from the back surface. A support body and first and second power supply lines detachably connected to the heater and the electrode through through holes formed in the support body are provided, and the ceramic body and the support body pass through the through hole. The hole is fastened via a metal seal member that shields the hole from the atmosphere in the processing chamber, and the metal seal member is a disconnection elastically deformable by a fastening force of the ceramic body to the support body. A sealing base material formed in the shape, it is coated over the silver thin film on the surface of the sealing base material is one which is composed of a metal making the silver alloy.

Further, in the processing method according to claim 4 of the present invention, the object to be processed is processed by the multi-chamber processing apparatus having a plurality of processing chambers and a transfer chamber connected to the processing chambers so as to be able to communicate with each other. The gas pressure in the transfer chamber to 5
To 760 Torr, and then, while exhausting each chamber so that the gas pressure in the processing chamber becomes higher than the gas pressure in the transfer chamber, the object to be processed is transferred from the transfer chamber onto the holder in the processing chamber. After that, the gas pressure in the processing chamber is substantially the same as the gas pressure in the transfer chamber, and the object to be processed is heated while being heated by the holder.

[0019]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the ceramic body is fastened to the support body with the metal seal member interposed between the ceramic body heated to a predetermined temperature or higher and the support body, The metal seal base material of the metal seal member is elastically deformed, and the soft metal on the surface is firmly adhered to the metal seal base material through the silver thin film alloyed with the metal seal base material and adheres closely to the ceramic body and the support body. The airtightness between the two can be maintained, and even if the ceramic body is heated in this state, the metal seal member is not likely to be thermally deteriorated, and the airtightness can be maintained even at a high temperature.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the power supply line is configured to be detachable, when assembling the holding body of the processing apparatus, the power supply line is provided through the through hole of the support body. After connecting the ceramic body to the heater of the ceramic body through the chamber, the metal seal member is interposed between the ceramic body and the support body to fasten the ceramic body to the support body so as to shield the through hole from the atmosphere in the processing chamber. As a result, the metal seal member is elastically deformed, and the soft metal on the surface is firmly attached to the metal seal base material via the silver thin film alloyed with the metal seal member and adheres to the ceramic body and the support body.
Further, after assembling the holder, etc., the object to be treated is held on the surface of the holder in the processing chamber, and when the object to be treated is gas-treated under reduced pressure while being heated by the heater in the holder, Although the holding body becomes hot, the metal seal member does not deteriorate due to heat even under high temperature, and the ceramic body and the support body are kept airtight to surely shield the through hole from the atmosphere of the processing chamber to the through hole. It is possible to prevent the gas from entering.

Further, according to the invention of claim 3 of the present invention, since the power supply line is configured to be detachable, when assembling the holder of the processing apparatus, the first and second power supply lines are not connected. After connecting to the heater and electrode of the ceramic body through the through hole of the support body, the ceramic body is supported so that the metal seal member is interposed between the ceramic body and the support body to shield the through hole from the atmosphere of the processing chamber. When tightened, the metal seal member is elastically deformed by this tightening force, and the soft metal on the surface is firmly attached to the metal seal base material through the silver thin film alloyed with the metal seal member and adheres to the ceramic body and the support body. To do. Also, after assembling the holder, etc.,
The object to be treated is held on the surface of the holder in the processing chamber, and when the object to be treated is gas-treated under reduced pressure while heating the object to be treated by the heater in the holder, the temperature of the holder becomes high,
The metal seal member does not deteriorate due to heat even at high temperatures, and the airtightness between the ceramic body and the support can be maintained and the through hole can be reliably shielded from the atmosphere in the processing chamber to prevent gas from entering the through hole. it can.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the multi-chamber processing apparatus provided with a plurality of processing chambers and a transfer chamber communicably connected to the processing chambers is used to remove the object to be processed. At the time of processing, the gas pressure in the transfer chamber should be 5 to
After adjusting to 760 Torr, and after evacuating each chamber so that the gas pressure in the processing chamber becomes higher than the gas pressure in the transfer chamber, the object to be processed is transferred from the transfer chamber onto the holder in the processing chamber,
When the gas pressure in the processing chamber is set to a gas pressure comparable to the gas pressure in the transfer chamber and the object to be processed is processed, the gas also penetrates into the narrow gap between the holder and the object to be treated, and this gas causes the gas to enter from the holder. The heat transfer to the object to be processed becomes smooth and the object to be processed can be quickly heated.

[0023]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on the embodiments shown in FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a multi-chamber processing apparatus which is an embodiment of the processing apparatus of the present invention. This multi-chamber processing apparatus includes a transfer chamber 2 in which the transfer apparatus 1 is disposed and which is formed in a substantially polygonal shape, a processing chamber 3, a cassette chamber 4, and a processing chamber 3 which are connected to the peripheral wall of the transfer chamber 2 in a substantially radial manner. And a draft chamber 5. The processing chamber 3 is connected to the left half of the transfer chamber 2 via a gate valve 6 so that, for example, four chambers can communicate with each other. For example, two cassette chambers 4 are connected to the right side of the transfer chamber 2 so that they can communicate with each other, and two draft chambers 5 are connected between the processing chamber 3 and the cassette chamber 4.
Each of these chambers 3, 4 and 5 is made of a metal such as aluminum, and the inner surface is anodized to improve the corrosion resistance against corrosive gas.
Reference numeral 7 is a cassette that can store 25 objects to be processed, for example, semiconductor wafers.

Vacuum pumps 8 are flange-connected to the side surfaces of the processing chambers 3, respectively, so that the vacuum pumps 8 can evacuate the interiors of the processing chambers 3 to a depressurized state necessary for film formation processing of semiconductor wafers. . At least two connecting portions 9 with the vacuum pump 8 are provided on the side surface of the processing chamber 3, and the size of the vacuum pump 8 protruding from the processing chamber 3 depends on the connecting position of the processing chamber 3 with the transfer chamber 2. The vacuum pump 8 can be connected to the connecting portion that is as short as possible.
For example, in the upper processing chamber 3 in FIG. 1, a side surface 10 facing the transfer chamber 2 and a left side surface 11 are provided with a connecting portion 9, and a left side surface 11 is connected with a vacuum pump 8. As a result, when the vacuum pump 8 is connected to the side surface 10 as shown by the phantom line, the installation space in the clean room is reduced only when the vacuum pump 8 is connected to the left side surface 11 by the shaded portion. be able to. Further, the installation space of the processing chamber 3 on the lower side of FIG. 1 can be reduced similarly to the processing chamber 3 on the upper side.

By the way, the transfer device 1 has an arm 12 which can be bent and extended as shown in FIG. 2, and when the gate valve 6 is opened, the arm 12 is made of a material having excellent corrosion resistance and heat resistance such as quartz and ceramics. To the processing chamber 3 side,
A holder for holding the semiconductor wafer W in the processing chamber 3, for example, the susceptor 1
3, the semiconductor wafer W is placed on the susceptor 13, and then the arm 12 is bent to move to the next operation. The susceptor 13 will be described in detail later. In addition, an exhaust pipe 15 connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) is provided on the bottom surface 14 of the transfer chamber 2, and the inside of the transfer chamber 2 can be depressurized via the exhaust pipe 15. A gas supply pipe 17 for supplying a film forming gas such as a silane gas is attached to the outside of the upper surface 16 of the processing chamber 3. Further, a flat circular hollow portion 18 is formed inside the upper surface 16, and a large number of holes 19 are evenly formed in the entire lower surface of the hollow portion 18, and the gas is supplied through these dispersing holes 19. The gas for film formation from the tube 17 is ejected toward the semiconductor wafer W in the processing chamber 3. Further, the upper surface 16 of the processing chamber 3 is configured as an electrode forming a pair with an electrode described later, is grounded as shown in FIG. 3, and is configured to be openable in at least two directions. In this way, the opening direction of the upper surface 16 can be selected according to need, so that the upper surface 16 can be opened in a direction that does not interfere with the surroundings as much as possible at the time of maintenance in the processing chamber 3 and the workability such as maintenance can be improved. it can. Reference numeral 20 is an exhaust pipe connected to the vacuum pump 8.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part in the processing chamber 3, and the susceptor 1 arranged in the processing chamber 3 is shown in FIG.
3 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. This susceptor 13
As shown in the figure, a disk-shaped ceramics heater 21 on which a semiconductor wafer W is mounted, and this ceramics heater 2
Alumina, aluminum nitride, which supports 1 from the back side,
A support 22 made of ceramics such as silicon nitride and also serving as a heat insulator, and a metal bellows 23 supporting both of them are provided. This bellows 23, support 2
The space surrounded by 2 and the bottom of the processing chamber 3 is cut off from the processing space of the processing chamber 3.

Further, a step portion 24 is formed on the upper surface of the ceramic heater 21 so that the mounting surface of the semiconductor wafer W is higher than the peripheral end portion. The ring member 2 is attached to the step portion 24.
The flange portion 26 of No. 5 covers and the ring member 25 is fitted from the upper surface side of the ceramic heater 21 so as to be pressed by the flange portion 26. This ceramic heater 21
Is, as shown in FIG. 4, alumina, aluminum nitride,
A ceramic body 27 made of ceramics such as silicon nitride, a resistance heating wire 28 embedded in the ceramic body 27 and made of tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, nickel-cobalt alloy, or the like, and the resistance heating wire 28.
And an electrode 29 embedded in the vicinity of the surface of the ceramic body 27, for example, within a few 100 μm from the surface. The resistance heating wire 28 is embedded in the ceramic body 27 so as to uniformly heat the entire surface of the semiconductor wafer W. As a method of burying, one resistance heating wire 28 may be buried, or the mounting surface may be divided into a plurality of areas and the resistance heating wire 28 may be buried in each area. Terminals 30 and 3 of these resistance heating wire 28 and electrode 29
As shown in FIG. 4, reference numeral 1 designates a cylindrical outlet portion 32 formed on the lower surface of the ceramic body 27 so as to project,
It is embedded in 33. These outlet parts 32,
The lower surface 33 of the ceramic body 27 is arranged on the same circumference. The resistance heating wire 28 and the power supply lines 34 and 35 of the electrode 29 are detachably connected to the respective outlet portions 32 and 33 by respective plug portions 36 and 37.

Further, a plurality of through holes 38 penetrating along the axial direction are formed in the support 22, and the outlet portions 32 and 33 are fitted into the respective through holes 38 with a gap left therebetween. These feed holes 34, 35 are provided in these through holes 38.
Plugs 36 and 37 are inserted and connected to the outlets 32 and 33, respectively. And the support 22
Two annular grooves 39, 40 are formed on the upper surface of the plurality of through holes 3 arranged on the same circle by the respective annular grooves 39, 40.
Surrounding eight. Each annular groove 3 surrounding the plurality of through holes 38
9 and 40, ring-shaped metal seal members 41 and 42 as shown in FIG. 5A are housed so as to partially bulge from the surface of the support 22 as shown in FIG. The ceramics heater 21 is fastened to the support 22 by the bolt 21A via the seal members 41, 42, and the metal seal members 41, 42 are compressed and elastically deformed as shown in FIG. 4 by the fastening force of the bolt 21A. . As a result, the metal seal members 41, 42 are in close contact with the ceramic heater 21 and the support 22 to block the through-holes 38 from the slits (the slits continuous with the processing space of the semiconductor wafer W) therebetween. Therefore, each through hole 38
The space below the support 22 continuous with these is completely shielded from the processing space of the semiconductor wafer W by the metal bellows 23 and the metal seal members 41 and 42.

On the lower surface of the outlet portion 32 of the resistance heating wire 28, two holes into which the power supply wires 34, 34 are inserted are formed deeply and vertically, and the thermal expansion of the ceramic body 27 is formed on the inner surface of these holes. A metal having a ratio close to that of molybdenum, for example, is coated, and the molybdenum constitutes the above-mentioned terminal 30. Both ends of the resistance heating wire 28 are electrically connected to these terminals 30. The power supply line 34 of the resistance heating wire 28 is made of a conductive material such as copper or molybdenum, and is covered by a covering member 43 made of a heat-resistant insulating material made of fibers such as ceramics except for the portion connected to the terminal 30. It is covered.
The plug portion 36 of the power supply line 34 includes a ceramic plate 44 serving as a connection end surface with the outlet portion 32, two ring members 45 and 46 for fixing the peripheral edge portion of the plate 44 in a sandwiched state, and a ring member. A plate 47 attached to the end of 46. The ring member 45 is made of a metal having a coefficient of thermal expansion close to that of the ceramic body 27, such as molybdenum, and the ring member 46 is made of stainless steel or the like. Therefore, even if the temperature of the ceramic heater 21 becomes high, the coefficient of thermal expansion of the ring member 45 in the plug portion 36 is close to that of the outlet portion 32,
There is no risk that the plug portion 36 will come off the outlet portion 32.
Then, each power supply line 34 is fixed by two holes formed in each plate 44, 47. Further, a pipe member 48 is connected to the plate 47 by welding or the like, and the pipe member 48 holds the power supply line 34, and each power supply line 34 is connected through a hole (not shown) at the end thereof as shown in FIG. Has been pulled out. The plug portion 36 is formed to have a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole 38, and its ring member 45 is configured to fit with the outlet portion 32.

Further, on the lower surface of the other outlet portion 33, two deep holes reaching from the lower surface to the electrode 29 in the ceramic body 27 are vertically formed, and a metal close to the thermal expansion coefficient of the ceramic body 27 is formed here. For example, molybdenum is filled as the terminal 31, and the upper end of each is electrically connected to the electrode 29. In addition, the lower surface of each terminal 31 has 2
Two holes are formed deeply and vertically, and the feeder line 35 is formed in these holes.
Are configured to be electrically connected. Similar to the resistance heating wire 28, these power supply wires 35 are also covered with a covering member made of an insulating material, and the connection portion with the outlet portion 33 is configured as a bare wire. In addition, the power supply line 35
The plug portion 37 also has a plate 49, ring members 50 and 51, a plate 52 and a pipe member 53 similar to those of the resistance heating wire 28.

Next, the metal seal members 41 and 42 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. Since the metal seal members 41 and 42 have the same structure except that the ring diameters are different, The metal seal member 41 will be described. This metal seal member 41 is
As shown in FIG. 5, when the ceramic body 27 of the ceramic heater 21 and the support body 22 are fastened with the bolts 21A, a cross-sectional shape that is elastically deformable, for example, a C-shaped stainless steel such as SUS316, Inconel, or Hastelloy. A seal base material 411 made of a metal such as nickel-cobalt alloy, and a silver thin film layer 412 coated on the surface of the seal base material 411 via a silver thin film layer 412.
And a plated layer 413 of a soft soft metal, such as indium, which makes an amalgam alloy. And
It is preferable that the seal base material 411 has a thickness of 0.1 to 1 mm, the silver thin film layer has a thickness of 1 to 50 μm, and the indium plating layer 413 has a thickness of 5 to 100 μm. Material 411 is 0.25 mm, silver thin film layer 412
5 μm and the indium plated layer 413 is formed to 20 μm. Since the metal seal member 41 is configured in this way, in the case of the conventional metal seal member, the seal function cannot be exhibited without the fastening force of 200 Kg · f / cm. In the case of the metal seal member 41, the metal seal member 41 is elastically deformed at 8 to 12 kg · f / cm, and moreover, the indium plating layer 413 adheres to the ceramic body 21 and the support body 22, so that the fastening is much smaller than the conventional one. The sealing function can be reliably exerted with force.

The susceptor 13 is provided with a sheath thermocouple 54 as shown in FIG. 6, and the sheath thermocouple 54 measures the heating temperature of the ceramic heater 21 so that the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W is always constant. I'm watching.
The sheath thermocouple 54 includes a thermocouple 55, a sheath wire 56 that houses the stainless steel such as SUS316 or a metal such as nickel-cobalt alloy such as Inconel or Hastelloy, and the sheath wire 56 and the thermocouple 55.
Insulating material 57 such as powdered magnesium for insulation with
It consists of The sheath thermocouple 54 has a plug portion 58 at the tip thereof, and the plug portion 58 supports the support member 22.
Is connected to the outlet portion 59 of the ceramic body 27 through the through hole 38. The tip of the thermocouple 54 is adapted to be inserted into a deep hole 60 formed in the outlet 59. The plug portion 58 and the outlet portion 59 are configured in the same manner as described above except the one described here.

An airtight gas chamber 61 is disposed below the processing chamber 3 as shown in FIG. 3, and this gas chamber 61 is provided in a space inside the metal bellows 23 of the processing chamber 3 via a flexible tube 62. Is in communication with. And the susceptor 13
The power supply lines 34 and 35 are introduced from the processing chamber 3 into the gas chamber 61 through the flexible tubes 62, and further penetrate the side wall of the gas chamber 61 to be guided to the outside of the gas chamber 61. The power supply line 34 is directly connected to the power source 63, and the power source 63 supplies power to the resistance heating line 28. Further, the power supply line 35 is connected to the high frequency power source 6 of 13.56 MHz via the blocking capacitor 64.
5 and is configured to supply electric power to the electrode 29 by the high frequency power source 65. In addition, the gas chamber 61
A gas supply pipe 66 and a gas exhaust pipe 67 are attached to the. The gas supply pipe 66 is connected to a gas supply source (not shown) via a control valve 68, and the control valve 68 adjusts the gas flow rate to supply an inert gas such as helium gas or nitrogen gas from the gas supply source to the gas chamber. 61 and the space inside the metal bellows 23 of the processing chamber 3 can be supplied. The gas exhaust pipe 67 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) via a control valve 69, and is configured to exhaust the gas in the gas chamber 61 while adjusting the gas exhaust amount by the control valve 69. . Further, a pressure gauge 70 for monitoring the gas pressure in the room is attached to the gas chamber 61, the gas pressure detected by the pressure gauge 70 is converted into an electric signal, and the electric signal is transmitted to the control device 71. The control devices 71 are used to adjust the opening degrees of the control valves 68 and 69 so that the gas pressures in the gas chamber 61 and the metal bellows 23 can be maintained at appropriately set gas pressures.

Next, the operation will be described. First, a case where the semiconductor wafer W is subjected to the thermal CVD process will be described.
First, the transfer chamber 2 is replaced with nitrogen gas or the like to reduce the gas pressure to 5
Adjust to ~ 760 Torr, specifically 50 Torr. Next, the transfer device 1 is driven to take out one semiconductor wafer W from the cassette 7 in the cassette chamber 4 by the arm 12, load the semiconductor wafer W into the transfer chamber 2, and shut off the transfer chamber 2 from the cassette chamber 4. . At the same time, the inside of the processing chamber 3 is replaced with nitrogen gas to adjust the gas pressure in the transfer chamber 2 to the same pressure, and the gate valve 6 is opened. At this time, the exhaust amount in the transfer chamber 2 is made larger than the exhaust amount in the process chamber 3 by the vacuum pump so that the gas flows from the process chamber 3 into the transfer chamber 2. Next, the arm 12 of the transfer device 1 is extended into the processing chamber 3 as shown in FIG.
3 and then the arm 12 is bent and the arm 12
Is returned to the transfer chamber 2 and the gate valve 6 is closed. Then, the nitrogen gas in the processing chamber 3 is replaced with a process gas such as Ti.
Cl4 gas and NH3 gas are supplied into the processing chamber 3 from the gas supply pipe 17 at predetermined flow rates, and the gas in the processing chamber 3 is exhausted by a vacuum pump to replace the nitrogen gas with the above process gas. Adjusts the gas pressure of the process gas to 50 Torr. Then, the ceramic heater 21
To heat the semiconductor wafer W. The temperature of the semiconductor wafer W is monitored by the sheath thermocouple 54 and maintained at a preset temperature, for example, 600 to 800 ° C. Thereby, the process gas reacts on the surface of the semiconductor wafer W to form a film, and when the semiconductor wafer W is processed for a predetermined time, the film having a predetermined film thickness on the surface of the semiconductor wafer W is completed. After the film formation is completed, the process gas is replaced with nitrogen gas again, the gate valve 6 is opened after the replacement, and the semiconductor after being processed by the transfer device 1 while exhausting the gas in the transfer chamber 2 and the processing chamber 3 as described above. The wafer W is transferred to the next process via the transfer chamber 2.
At this time, the gate valve 6 is closed. Thereafter, the subsequent semiconductor wafer W is processed in the same manner.

As described above, according to the processing method using the processing apparatus of this embodiment, when the semiconductor wafer W is transferred from the transfer chamber 2 into the processing chamber 3, the transfer chamber 2 is moved in accordance with the exhaust amount in the processing chamber 3. The gas pressure in both chambers 2 and 3 was adjusted to 50 Torr while exhausting the gas in a state in which the amount of exhaust inside was increased, and then
Since the processing pressure of the gas in the processing chamber 3 is adjusted to a relatively high pressure (50 Torr) as compared with the conventional case, the process gas enters the gap between the ceramic heater 21 and the semiconductor wafer W, and this gas is used as the heat transfer medium. Therefore, the semiconductor wafer W can be heated quickly. Therefore, it is not necessary to supply a heat transfer medium such as helium gas to the above-mentioned gap as in the conventional case, and the semiconductor wafer W is adsorbed and fixed on the ceramic heater 21 by an electrostatic chuck as in the conventional case. There is no need. That is, according to the processing method of the present invention,
The equipment for supplying the heat transfer medium to the back surface of the semiconductor wafer W and the electrostatic chuck for fixing the semiconductor wafer W on the ceramic heater 21 can be omitted.

When the plasma CVD process is performed, the transfer chamber 2 and the process chamber 3 are evacuated as described above, and the process gas pressure in the process chamber 3 is required to form a predetermined thin film. After adjusting the gas pressure to, for example, several mmTorr, power is supplied to the resistance heating element 28 of the ceramics heater 21 of the susceptor 13 in a sealed state to heat the semiconductor wafer W to a preset temperature and apply a high frequency voltage to the electrode 29. Then, plasma of the process gas is generated between the upper electrode and the lower electrode 29 of the susceptor 13, and the decomposition product of the process gas is deposited on the surface of the semiconductor wafer W to form a predetermined film.

Therefore, using the processing apparatus of this embodiment, heat C
By performing VD and plasma CVD processing, the heating of the ceramics heater 21 raises the temperature of the power supply lines 34 and 35, and halogen gas having a strong corrosive property is generated from the process gas, so that a narrow gap between the ceramics heater 21 and the support 22 is generated. Even if the gas enters the metal seal member 41,
The power supply lines 34 and 35 and the sheath thermocouple 54 are not blocked by 42 and do not corrode, and the processing temperature can be accurately controlled and stable plasma can be generated. Moreover, since the inert gas is always supplied to the through hole 38 and the gas atmosphere of the plug portions 36 and 37 is always the inert gas, it is possible to more reliably prevent the corrosion.

Further, according to this embodiment, since the metal seal members 41 and 42 which are elastically deformed by a smaller fastening force are used as the seal member of the seal mechanism, the ceramic heater 21 is damaged by the bolt 21A as described above. Without it, it can be fastened to the support 22 and the airtightness between them can be made more reliable. Further, since the airtightness can be surely maintained, it is not necessary to braze the power supply lines 34 and 35 as in the conventional case. Therefore, a detachable plug type connection structure can be adopted, and thus the power supply line 34 can be adopted. , 35, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and maintenance can be performed significantly more easily than in the conventional case.

In the above embodiment, the metal seal member 4 is used.
In addition to 1, 42, the metal bellows 23 is used to supply the power line 3
I tried to shut off 4, 35 from the gas treatment atmosphere,
The power supply lines 34 and 35 may be surrounded by a flexible tube made of metal, and the tubes may be connected to the gas chamber 61. In this case, the above-mentioned metal seal member may be mounted near the lower end of the through hole 38 of the support 22 so that the lower end of the through hole 38 is also shielded from the gas processing atmosphere.

Although the peripheral surface of the susceptor 13 of the above-described embodiment is exposed, the peripheral surface is actually surrounded by a shielding plate to form a film on the peripheral surfaces of the support 22 and the ring member 26. It is prevented and the maintenance for film formation is facilitated.

[0041]

As described above, according to the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, the metal seal member is the seal base material formed in the elastically deformable sectional shape between the ceramic body and the support body. Since the surface of the seal base material is composed of a metal that forms an alloy with the silver thin film by coating it through the silver thin film, the ceramic body such as a ceramic heater and the support that supports the ceramic body are damaged. It is possible to provide a sealing mechanism that can be joined airtightly.

According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, the power supply line can be detachably connected to the ceramic heater and the power supply line is not corroded by the gas during processing. It is possible to provide a processing device that can be reliably prevented and that has excellent maintainability such as replacement of a ceramic heater.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the object to be processed is processed on the holder, a heat conductive gas is supplied between the object to be processed and the electrostatic chuck. Thus, it is possible to provide a processing method that does not require adsorption and fixation of the object to be processed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a multi-chamber processing apparatus which is an embodiment of the processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the relationship between a transfer chamber and a processing chamber of the multi-chamber processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of the processing chamber shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a connection state between a resistance heating wire and an electrode in a ceramic body of the susceptor shown in FIG. 3 and respective power supply wires.

5A and 5B are views showing a metal seal member used for the susceptor in the processing chamber shown in FIG. 3, in which FIG. 5A is a partially enlarged perspective view and FIG. FIG.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing an insertion state of a thermocouple for monitoring the temperature of the ceramic body shown in FIG. 3 into the ceramic body.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing a relationship between a heater and a power supply line of a conventional ceramic susceptor and a relationship between a susceptor and a thermocouple.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Transfer chamber 3 Processing chamber 13 Susceptor (holding body) 21 Ceramics heater 22 Support body 28 Resistance heating wire (heater) 27 Ceramics body 29 Electrode 34 Feed line 35 Feed line 38 Through hole 41 Metal seal member 42 Metal seal member 411 Seal mother Material 412 Silver thin film layer 411 Indium plating layer

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A seal comprising a ceramic body heated to a predetermined temperature or higher, a support body joined to support the ceramic body, and a metal seal member interposed so as to maintain airtightness therebetween. In the mechanism, the metal seal member includes a seal base material formed in a cross-sectional shape that is elastically deformable between the ceramic body and the support body, and a surface of the seal base material is coated via a silver thin film. A sealing mechanism comprising a thin silver film and a metal forming an alloy. 2. The object to be processed is held on the surface of a holder disposed in the processing chamber, and the object to be processed is heated under reduced pressure while being heated by a heater embedded in the holder. In the processing apparatus for processing, the holding body is detachably attached to the heater through a ceramic body containing the heater, a support body that supports the ceramic body from the back surface, and a through hole formed in the support body. The ceramic body and the support body are fastened together via a metal seal member that shields the through hole from the atmosphere in the processing chamber, and the metal seal member is the ceramic body. A seal base material formed into a cross-sectional shape that is elastically deformable by the fastening force of the body to the support, and a silver base material coated on the surface of the seal base material through a silver thin film to form an alloy with silver. A processing device comprising a metal that forms 3. An object to be processed is held on the surface of a holder that contains an electrode and is disposed in the processing chamber, and the object is treated while being heated by a heater embedded in the holder. In a processing apparatus for processing gas under reduced pressure, the holding body includes a ceramic body containing the heater under the electrode, a support body for supporting the ceramic body from the back surface, and a through hole formed in the support body. A first and a second power supply line detachably connected to the heater and the electrode via a metal seal member for blocking the through hole from the atmosphere in the processing chamber by the ceramic body and the support body. And the metal seal member is a seal base material formed in a cross-sectional shape that is elastically deformable by a fastening force of the ceramic body to the support body, and the seal. A processing apparatus comprising a base material coated with a silver thin film on the surface of the base material, and a metal that forms an alloy with the silver. 4. When processing an object to be processed by a multi-chamber processing apparatus having a plurality of processing chambers and a transfer chamber connected to these processing chambers so as to be able to communicate with each other, the gas pressure in the transfer chamber is set to 5 to 5. The pressure was adjusted to 760 Torr, and then the target object was transferred from the transfer chamber onto the holder in the process chamber while exhausting each chamber so that the gas pressure in the process chamber became higher than the gas pressure in the transfer chamber. After that, the processing method is characterized in that the object to be processed is processed under a gas pressure in the processing chamber that is substantially the same as the gas pressure in the transfer chamber.