JPH08148539A - Semiconductor production system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain a semiconductor production system which can operate stably for a long time by providing means for generating a gas flow from a transfer chamber toward a processing chamber at the time of transferring a substrate through a transfer means thereby eliminating trouble caused by reaction products produced during various processing steps. CONSTITUTION: The semiconductor production system comprises means for generating an inert gas flow from a substrate transfer chamber toward a process chamber 11 at the time of feeding or removing a substrate 1 by means of a substrate transfer robot 21. When the substrate 11 is subjected to a predetermined processing, reaction products are blocked by the gas flow and does not flow from the process chamber 11 into the substrate transfer chamber 13. In other words, the reaction products are not scattered from the process chamber 11 into the substrate transfer chamber 13. Consequently, the substrate transfer robot 21 is protected against damage cased by the reaction products.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus such as a plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatus or a dry etching apparatus used for forming various thin films used for semiconductor devices. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional dry etching apparatus as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, for example, as shown in FIG.
A process chamber 61 for performing dry etching such as plasma etching and plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), a load lock chamber (not shown) for loading and unloading the substrate 60, and the process chamber 61 and the load lock. A substrate transfer chamber 63 connecting with the chamber is provided. The substrate transfer chamber 63 is provided with a substrate transfer robot 71 that transfers the substrate 60 between the process chamber 61 and the load lock chamber at the center thereof. The substrate transfer robot 71 described above is
It has a mounting table 72 on which the substrate 60 is mounted.

The process chamber 61 and the substrate transfer chamber 63 are connected to each other through an opening portion 65 through which the substrate 60 is taken in and out. A partition valve 66 for partitioning the process chamber 61 and the substrate transfer chamber 63 is slidably provided in the opening 65. The partition valve 66 closes the opening 65 to seal the process chamber 61 when performing the above processing in the process chamber 61, while opening the opening 6 when the substrate 60 is taken in and out.
5 is opened to open the process chamber 61, and the process chamber 61 and the substrate transfer chamber 63 are communicated with each other.

An exhaust pipe 61b is provided at the bottom of the process chamber 61, and the process chamber 61 is evacuated to a high vacuum via the exhaust pipe 61b. The substrate transfer chamber 63 includes a substrate transfer robot 71 that transfers the substrate 60,
The sluice valve 66 is accommodated. An exhaust pipe 63b is provided at the bottom of the substrate transfer chamber 63, and the substrate transfer chamber 63 is exhausted through the exhaust pipe 63b.

The substrate transfer robot 71 includes an arm portion 73 ...
The mounting table 72 is moved in the direction of arrow D shown in FIG. As a result, the substrate transfer robot 71 transfers the substrate 60. That is, the substrate transfer robot 71 is configured to move the substrate 60 into and out of the process chamber 61.

[0006]

However, in the conventional dry etching apparatus described above, when the opening 65 is opened when the substrate 60 is unloaded from the process chamber 61 after the processing such as the dry etching, the opening 65 passes through the opening 65. A reaction product generated by a chemical reaction during the above treatment, for example, tantalum fluoride (TaF _x ) or the like, is carried in the air flow and is fed into the process chamber 6
From 1 to the substrate transfer chamber 63, it diffuses. And
The reaction product that has flowed into the substrate transfer chamber 63 adheres to and deposits on the arm portions 73, etc. of the substrate transfer robot 71. When the reaction product adheres to and deposits on the substrate transfer robot 71 in this manner, the arm portion 73 that constitutes the substrate transfer robot 71.
Members such as ... Are worn or corroded, which easily causes a failure such as damage to the substrate transfer robot 71. That is, a failure of the substrate transfer robot 71 due to the reaction product is likely to occur. Therefore, in the above conventional configuration,
There is a problem that the dry etching apparatus, that is, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus cannot be operated stably for a long period of time.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-57170, a second valve is provided between a process chamber and a substrate transfer chamber in parallel with a partition valve for opening and closing an opening. There is proposed a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided with a partition valve.
In this semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the pressure difference between the process chamber and the substrate transfer chamber is adjusted by operating the second partition valve. However, this semiconductor manufacturing apparatus merely adjusts the pressure difference between the process chamber and the substrate transfer chamber, and cannot prevent the diffusion of the reaction product from the process chamber to the substrate transfer chamber, and therefore, the substantial difference. Therefore, it is impossible to solve the above problems.

In order to prevent so-called particle contamination in which reaction products adhere to the substrate, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-172335 proposes a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in which a detachable deposition preventive plate is attached to an inner wall of a process chamber.
This semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is designed to prevent particle contamination by adhering a reaction product to the deposition preventive plate. Further, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-243167 proposes a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in which a deposition preventive plate containing a heater is attached to the inner wall of the process chamber. This semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is designed to prevent particle contamination by heating the deposition preventive plate and treating the reaction product. However, these semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses do not have a configuration for preventing reaction products from flowing into the substrate transfer chamber from the process chamber, and therefore it is impossible to solve the above problems. .

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to stably operate for a long period of time without causing a failure due to reaction products generated during various treatments. It is to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus capable of performing the above.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention according to claim 1 carries out a predetermined processing on a substrate, and carries out the substrate from the processing chamber. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having a transfer chamber having a transfer unit for transporting a substrate is provided with an air flow generation unit for generating an air flow from the transfer chamber to the processing chamber when the substrate is unloaded by the transfer unit. .

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to a second aspect of the invention is
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, the airflow generating means generates an airflow of a gas inert to the processing.

[0012]

According to the structure of the first aspect, when the substrate is carried out by the carrying means, the airflow generating means can generate an airflow from the carrying chamber to the processing chamber. Therefore, the reaction product generated when the substrate is subjected to the predetermined treatment is
It will not be blocked by the air flow and flow into the transfer chamber from the processing chamber. That is, the reaction product does not diffuse from the processing chamber to the transfer chamber.

Therefore, a failure resulting from the above reaction product, for example, a member constituting the conveying means is worn or corroded due to the adhesion and deposition of the reaction product, thereby causing a failure such as damage to the conveying means. There is nothing to do. As a result, it is possible to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that can be stably operated for a long period of time. Moreover, since the reaction product does not diffuse to the transfer chamber side, a clean environment can be maintained in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and its surroundings.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the gas flow generating means can generate a gas flow of a gas which is inert to the process. Therefore, even if the gas remains in the processing chamber, the gas does not adversely affect the processing. As a result, it is possible to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that can be stably operated for a long period of time and can stably perform a predetermined process on a substrate.

[0015]

【Example】

[Embodiment 1] One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The explanation is based on the following. In this example, a case where the configuration of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a dry etching apparatus which is a kind of thin film forming apparatus will be described.

The dry etching apparatus according to the present embodiment is a cluster type single-wafer type, and as shown in FIG. 2, dry etching such as plasma etching or plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) is performed on the substrate 1. A process chamber (processing chamber) 11 for processing, a load lock chamber (vacuum preliminary chamber) 12 for loading and unloading the substrate 1, and a substrate transfer chamber (transfer chamber) connecting the process chamber 11 and the load lock chamber 12 to each other. 13 and 13. Load lock room 1
2 is the substrate 1 without opening the process chambers 11 ... to the atmosphere.
It is provided for the purpose of taking in and taking out. The substrate transfer chamber 13 is provided with a substrate transfer robot (transfer means) 21 for transferring the substrate 1 between the process chambers 11 ... And the load lock chamber 12 at the center thereof. The substrate transfer robot 21 described above includes the mounting table 2 on which the substrate 1 is mounted.
Have two.

As shown in FIG. 1, the process chamber 11 and the substrate transfer chamber 13 are connected to each other through an opening 15. The opening 15 is formed in a size and shape that allows the mounting table 22 on which the substrate 1 is mounted to pass through so that the substrate 1 can be smoothly taken in and out. On the substrate transfer chamber 13 side of the opening 15, a partition valve (gate valve) 16 that partitions the process chamber 11 and the substrate transfer chamber 13 by closing the opening 15 is slidably provided. The sluice valve 16 is driven by a sluice valve driving device (not shown), and when performing the above processing in the process chamber 11, the opening 15 is closed to seal the process chamber 11, while the substrate 1
When loading and unloading the wafer, the opening 15 is opened to open the process chamber 11, and the process chamber 11 and the substrate transfer chamber 13 are opened.
And communicate with.

Similarly, the load lock chamber 12 and the substrate transfer chamber 13 are connected to each other through an opening (not shown), and the mounting table 22 on which the substrate 1 is placed can pass through the opening. It is formed in various sizes and shapes. A partition valve (not shown) that partitions the load lock chamber 12 and the substrate transfer chamber 13 by closing the opening is slidably provided on the substrate transfer chamber 13 side of the opening. The above-mentioned sluice valve opens the opening to allow the load-lock chamber 12 and the substrate transfer chamber 13 to communicate with each other when the substrate 1 is taken in and out of the load-lock chamber 12, but normally closes the opening. .

The process chamber 11 is a processing chamber, and a stage 17 for mounting the substrate 1 in the housing 11a.
And the upper electrode 1 provided facing the stage 17.
8 and 8 are accommodated. The stage 17 also serves as a lower electrode. Further, inside the stage 17, a heating device for heating the substrate 1 placed on the stage 17 to an optimum temperature during processing is arranged. The ring 19 is an O-ring for keeping the inside of the process chamber 11 in vacuum.

An exhaust pipe 11b is provided at the bottom of the casing 11a, and the exhaust pipe 11b is led to an exhaust device (not shown). The process chamber 11 is evacuated to a high vacuum via the exhaust pipe 11b. Further, a supply hole (not shown) for supplying an etching gas required for a process such as dry etching is provided on the upper part of the housing 11a. The exhaust pipe 11b is provided with an exhaust control valve (not shown), and the exhaust control valve adjusts the exhaust capacity of the exhaust device, so that the casing 1
The conductance of the vacuum in 1a is adjusted. The pressure inside the housing 11a is preferably 0.1 Pa to 10 Pa. Further, a pressure gauge is attached to the exhaust device, and pressure data measured by the pressure gauge is input to a control device (not shown).

The stage 17 and the upper electrode 18 are, for example, a blocking capacitor and a matching device (both of which are shown in FIG. 1) for blocking a direct current component on the stage 17 side when the process chamber 11 performs a cathode coupling type process. RF (radio frequency) power source is connected via (not shown),
The upper electrode 18 side is grounded. And stage 1
By applying an RF electric field between the upper electrode 7 and the upper electrode 18, the diluted etching gas existing in the housing 11a is discharged and dissociated to generate plasma, and dry etching is performed using this plasma. Has become. The process performed in the process chamber 11 is not limited to the process performed by the cathode coupling type, and therefore the electrical connection to the stage 17 and the upper electrode 18 is not limited to the above example. Not something. Also,
The etching gas is not particularly limited.

The substrate transfer chamber 13 contains a substrate transfer robot 21 for transferring the substrate 1 and the sluice valve 16 in a housing 13a. At the top of the housing 13a,
A gas introduction pipe 30 for introducing a gas for generating an air flow is provided inside the housing 13a. The gas introduction pipe 30 is a mass flow controller (flow rate control device) 3
It is connected via 1 to a gas supply device (not shown).
Therefore, the mass flow controller 31 appropriately adjusts the flow rate of the gas introduced into the housing 13a.

The gas supplied through the gas introducing pipe 30 is not particularly limited as long as it is a substance which is inert to the processing system when the above-mentioned processing such as dry etching and plasma CVD is performed. is not. By using an inert gas, it is possible to reduce the influence of the gas remaining in the process chamber 11 when performing the above processing. Specific examples of such a gas include A
A rare gas such as r or Kr, a N ₂ gas, or the like can be given. Among them, Ar gas is most preferable, although it depends on the content of the above treatment. The reason why Ar gas is preferable is shown below.

[0024] For example, in the case of dry-etching the Al thin film, the use of N ₂ gas, if N ₂ gas remaining in the process chamber 11 to generate the AlN (aluminum nitride) reacts with Al occurs. Therefore, the pressure in the housing 13a must be set to the same level as the pressure in the housing 11a (about 10 Pa) so that a large amount of N ₂ gas does not flow from the substrate transfer chamber 13 to the process chamber 11. Therefore, it becomes difficult to generate an airflow inside the housing 13a. On the other hand, when Ar gas is used when dry etching the Al thin film, the Ar gas does not react with Al, so the pressure in the housing 13a is higher than the pressure in the housing 11a (50 Pa).
Therefore, it becomes easy to generate an airflow inside the housing 13a, that is, from the substrate transfer chamber 13 toward the process chamber 11.

Further, for example, He and Ne, which are rare gases having a smaller molecular weight than Ar gas, are compared with reaction products generated by a chemical reaction during processing such as dry etching, such as tantalum fluoride (TaF _x ). Too light. Therefore, even if an air flow is generated from the substrate transfer chamber 13 toward the process chamber 11, it is difficult to prevent the reaction product from flowing into the substrate transfer chamber 13. On the other hand, when Ar gas is used, the molecular weight of the Ar gas is moderately large, so that it becomes easy to prevent the reaction product from flowing into the substrate transfer chamber 13. In addition, the above-mentioned reaction product also includes a polymerization product formed by a polymerization reaction between unstable reaction products.

Moreover, for example, rare gases such as Kr and Xe, which have a higher molecular weight than Ar gas, are generally expensive.
Furthermore, when these rare gases are used, the rare gas remaining in the process chamber 11 may cause sputtering or the like on the substrate 1. On the other hand, when Ar gas is used, the influence of the sputtering or the like is very small.

When the above-mentioned inconveniences do not occur, a rare gas other than Ar gas, N ₂ gas or the like can be preferably used.

An exhaust pipe 36 having a butterfly valve 35, which is an exhaust control valve, is provided at a predetermined position on the bottom of the casing 13a, and the exhaust pipe 36 is guided to an exhaust device (not shown). The butterfly valve 35 adjusts the exhaust capacity of the exhaust device by adjusting its angle appropriately, and thereby adjusts the vacuum conductance in the housing 13a. The pressure in the housing 13a is not particularly limited as long as it is higher than the pressure in the housing 11a, but is set to about 50 Pa so that the gas gently flows from the substrate transfer chamber 13 to the process chamber 11. It is suitable.

A pressure gauge 37 is provided on the bottom of the casing 13a.
Is attached. The pressure data measured by the pressure gauge 37 is input to a control device (not shown). The control device includes a pressure gauge on the process chamber 11 side and a pressure gauge 37.
The operation of the mass flow controller 31, the butterfly valve 35, the exhaust device, and the like is controlled based on the pressure data measured by. That is, the housing 13
The vacuum conductance in a, that is, the pressure in the substrate transfer chamber 13 is adjusted by the control device controlling the operations of the mass flow controller 31, the butterfly valve 35, the exhaust device, and the like based on the pressure data. .

Then, the mass flow controller 3
1, the butterfly valve 35, the gas supply device, the exhaust device, the pressure gauge 37, the control device, and the like constitute an air flow generation device (air flow generation unit) that generates an air flow from the substrate transfer chamber 13 toward the process chamber 11. . The control device is also adapted to control the operations of the gate valve driving device, the heating device, the substrate transfer robot 21 and the like, and thus controls the processing operation of the above-described processing performed in the process chamber 11.

Since the internal pressure of the substrate transfer chamber 13 is adjusted as described above, the inside of the substrate transfer chamber 13 is always kept at a positive pressure (positive pressure) with respect to the inside of the process chamber 11 when the substrate 1 is transferred. Is set to. Therefore, when the substrate 1 is transferred, the gas flows from the substrate transfer chamber 13 toward the process chamber 11. That is, when the substrate 1 is transferred, a gas flows from the gas introduction pipe 30 through the substrate transfer chamber 13 and the process chamber 11 to the exhaust pipe 11b.

The substrate transfer robot 21 is a single-wafer type substrate transfer device, and as shown in FIGS.
It includes a turning device 23 having a, arm portions 24 and 25, a connecting portion 22a, and a mounting table 22. Rotation axis 2
3a is attached to the housing 13a via an O-ring (not shown), and therefore air or the like does not flow into the housing 13a from the mounting portion of the rotating shaft 23a. The arm portion 24 is attached to the rotating device 23 so as to be rotatable in the arrow A direction shown in FIG. The arm portion 25 is rotatably attached to the arm portion 24. The mounting table 22 is
It is rotatably attached to the arm 25 via the connecting portion 22a. The ring 38 seals between the substrate transfer chamber 13 and the substrate transfer robot body.

As shown in FIG. 3, inside the arm portion 24, a gear 26 fixed to the above-mentioned rotating shaft 23a, a gear 28 fixed to a support shaft 25a of the arm portion 25, and a gear 2
A belt 27 wound between 6 and 28 is arranged. The gears 26 and 28 are made of synthetic resin, for example. The belt 27 is made of, for example, a flexible synthetic resin, and a plurality of grooves (teeth) that mesh with the gears 26 and 28 are formed inside thereof. When the rotation shaft 23a of the rotation device 23 rotates, the mounting table 22 moves in the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. 2, for example, via the gear 26, the belt 27, the gear 28, the support shaft 25a, and the connecting portion 22a. Substrate 1 moved to process chamber 11 or load lock chamber 12
It is designed to be put in and taken out. That is, for example, when the rotation shaft 23a rotates before and after the processing operation in the process chamber 11, the arm 24 is rotated by this rotation operation.
25 is rotated so that the mounting table 22 is disposed at a desired position, and the mounting table 22 is moved in and out of the process chamber 11 or the load lock chamber 12. By the above operation, the substrate 1 is transferred between the process chamber 11 ... And the load lock chamber 12.

Next, the processing steps for performing the dry etching process on the Ta thin film formed on the substrate 1 by using the dry etching apparatus having the above-mentioned structure will be described below. In the following description, a dry etching process using CF ₄ (carbon tetrafluoride) gas will be taken as an example. Ar gas is supplied to the substrate transfer chamber 13.

First, a mask pattern made of a photoresist and having a fine pattern is placed on the substrate 1 on which a Ta thin film is formed by a predetermined method.
Is placed at a predetermined position in the load lock chamber 12. Then, the rotation device 23 of the substrate transfer robot 21 is driven by the control of the control device, and the mounting table 22 or the like is driven by the rotation operation of the rotation device 23, so that the substrate 1 is mounted on the mounting table 22. It At this time, the opening 15 is closed by the gate valve 16. Therefore, the process chamber 11 is hermetically sealed, and is evacuated to a high vacuum to maintain a predetermined pressure.

Next, the substrate transfer robot 21 is driven by the control of the controller, and the substrate transfer robot 21
The substrate 1 is transferred from the load lock chamber 12 to the substrate transfer chamber 13. When the substrate 1 is transferred to the substrate transfer chamber 13, the opening connecting the load lock chamber 12 and the substrate transfer chamber 13 is closed by a partition valve (not shown), and the load lock chamber 12 is sealed. The control device constantly controls the operations of the mass flow controller 31, the butterfly valve 35, the exhaust device, etc., so that the inside of the housing 13a is adjusted to a predetermined pressure. The process chamber 11 is maintained at a predetermined pressure during these operations.

Subsequently, when the gate valve 16 is slid to open the opening 15 and the process chamber 11 is opened, the substrate transfer robot 21 transfers the substrate 1 from the substrate transfer chamber 13 to the process chamber 11. At this time, the inside of the housing 13a is adjusted to a predetermined pressure, and Ar gas is supplied into the housing 13a via the mass flow controller 31. Therefore, from the substrate transfer chamber 13 toward the process chamber 11, A
The r gas flows, and the gas inside the process chamber 11 does not flow into the substrate transfer chamber 13.

Next, the mounting table 2 of the substrate transfer robot 21
2 and the like are driven to place the substrate 1 on the stage 17 in the process chamber 11. After that, the gate valve 16 is slid to close the opening 15, and the process chamber 11 is sealed.

Next, a dry etching process is performed in the process chamber 11. That is, while CF ₄ gas, which is an etching gas, is supplied into the housing 11a through a supply hole (not shown), the exhaust capacity of the exhaust device is adjusted by the exhaust control valve so that the pressure in the housing 11a is 0.1 Pa or more. Adjust to 10Pa. After that, by applying an RF electric field between the stage 17 and the upper electrode 18, the dilute C existing in the housing 11a is
F ₄ gas is discharged and dissociated to generate plasma. In the plasma, the electrons accelerated by the electric field are C
It collides with the F ₄ molecule, and thereby a highly reactive fluorine atom is generated. Then, the above fluorine atoms reach the surface of the substrate 1 and react with Ta, whereby tantalum fluoride (TaF _x ) which is a reaction product is generated. This tantalum fluoride sublimes and separates from the surface of the substrate 1 because the inside of the housing 11a has high vacuum and high temperature. Thereby, the Ta thin film is dry-etched.

When the above dry etching process is completed, the partition valve 16 is slid to open the opening 15 and open the process chamber 11. Then, the substrate transfer robot 2
1 transfers the substrate 1 from the process chamber 11 to the substrate transfer chamber 13. At this time, since the pressure inside the housing 13a is adjusted to a predetermined pressure, Ar gas flows from the substrate transfer chamber 13 toward the process chamber 11. Therefore, the gas and tantalum fluoride in the process chamber 11 do not flow into the substrate transfer chamber 13.

After that, the partition valve 16 is slid to close the opening 15 and the process chamber 11 is sealed. Next, the opening connecting the load lock chamber 12 and the substrate transfer chamber 13 is opened, the substrate 1 is transferred to the load lock chamber 12,
It is placed in place. As a result, the processing step of performing the dry etching process on the Ta thin film formed on the substrate 1 is completed.

By the way, the tantalum fluoride generated during the dry etching process becomes a solid (fine powder) at room temperature and adheres and deposits. However, in the dry etching apparatus according to this embodiment, the opening 15
While the is opened, the Ar gas constantly flows from the substrate transfer chamber 13 toward the process chamber 11, and the gas inside the process chamber 11 does not flow into the substrate transfer chamber 13. That is, tantalum fluoride does not diffuse into the substrate transfer chamber 13. Therefore, the solidified tantalum fluoride in the form of fine powder is stored in the housing 13a, for example, the substrate transfer robot 21.
It does not adhere to or accumulate on the gears 26, 28, the belt 27, the sluice valve 16 and the like inside the arm portion 24 of the. In addition, the tantalum fluoride does not adhere to or accumulate on the mass flow controller 31, the butterfly valve 35, or the like. The gears 26 and 28, the belt 27, etc. are kept clean, and these members do not wear or corrode, and therefore fine powder due to wear or corrosion does not occur, so that so-called particle contamination can be prevented. It should be noted that, even if the dry etching apparatus having the above-described configuration is operated for about 6 months, no adhesion or deposition of tantalum fluoride on the substrate transfer robot 21 is observed, and the substrate transfer robot 21 caused by tantalum fluoride is not detected. There was no failure, malfunction, stoppage, etc.

As described above, the dry etching apparatus according to this embodiment has the substrate 1 by the substrate transfer robot 21.
The structure is provided with an air flow generation device that generates an air flow of an inert gas from the substrate transfer chamber 13 to the process chamber 11 at the time of loading and unloading. Therefore, the reaction product generated when the substrate 1 is subjected to a predetermined process is prevented from flowing into the substrate transfer chamber 13 from the process chamber 11 by being blocked by the air flow. That is, the reaction product does not diffuse from the process chamber 11 to the substrate transfer chamber 13.

Therefore, due to the failure caused by the above reaction products, for example, the adhesion and deposition of the reaction products, the members constituting the substrate transfer robot 21 are worn or corroded, which damages the substrate transfer robot 21. The failure of will never occur. Further, even when the gas remains in the process chamber 11, the gas does not adversely affect the processing. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a dry etching apparatus that can be stably operated for a long period of time and can stably perform a predetermined process on the substrate 1. Furthermore, since the reaction product does not diffuse to the substrate transfer chamber 13 side, a clean environment can be maintained in the dry etching apparatus and its surroundings.

In this embodiment, the Ta thin film is CF
_The case where the dry etching process is performed using ₄ gases has been described as an example.
It may be made of l, Mo, W, Si or the like. The etching gas is O ₂ gas; fluorine-based gas such as SF ₆ ;
It may be a chlorine-based gas such as Cl ₂ or HCl, and may be appropriately changed depending on, for example, the type of thin film. further,
Instead of the dry etching process, the photoresist may be ashed.

Further, in the present embodiment, the substrate transfer chamber 1
Although the flow rate of the gas introduced into the inside of 3 is adjusted by the mass flow controller 31, the above flow rate may be adjusted by a so-called orifice. Further, instead of adjusting the vacuum conductance in the substrate transfer chamber 13 using the butterfly valve 35 and the exhaust device, a mechanical booster pump is used, and the exhaust capacity is adjusted by controlling the inverter mechanically with the mechanical booster pump. It may be configured to adjust the conductance of the. In addition, the substrate transfer robot 21
May have a configuration including a plurality of mounting tables 22 in order to enhance the processing capacity of the dry etching apparatus per unit time.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the structure of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a dry etching apparatus which is a kind of thin film forming apparatus has been described. The present invention can be preferably applied to a plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatus used for forming an amorphous silicon semiconductor film, a silicon nitride film, a silicon oxide film, etc. used for semiconductor devices.

[Second Embodiment] The following will describe another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. For the sake of convenience of description, configurations having the same functions as the configurations shown in the drawings of the first embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The dry etching apparatus according to the present embodiment is a so-called in-line type single-wafer type which processes a substrate while transporting it in a fixed direction, and is connected to the process chamber 11 and the process chamber 11 as shown in FIG. A substrate transfer chamber (transfer chamber, hereinafter referred to as a load lock chamber) 40 for loading the substrate 1 into the process chamber 11, and a substrate transfer chamber connected to the process chamber 11 for unloading the substrate 1 from the process chamber 11. (Transfer chamber, hereinafter referred to as unload lock chamber) 41
It has and. The load lock chamber 40 and the unload lock chamber 41 are provided at positions facing each other across the process chamber 11. The load lock chamber 40 is provided for the purpose of loading the substrate 1 without opening the process chamber 11 to the atmosphere. The unload lock chamber 41 is provided for the substrate 1 without opening the process chamber 11 to the atmosphere.
It is provided for the purpose of carrying out.

The dry etching apparatus according to this embodiment includes the load lock chamber 40 and the unload lock chamber 4.
1 also has a function as a vacuum reserve chamber. That is, the load lock chamber 40 and the unload lock chamber 41 are the same as the substrate transfer chamber 13 described in detail in the first embodiment.
In addition to having the same configuration as that of No. 1 above, it also has a configuration as a vacuum preliminary chamber (that is, the same configuration as the configuration of the load lock chamber 12 described in detail in the first embodiment). Therefore, the load lock chamber 40 and the unload lock chamber 41
Is equipped with an air flow generator.

The load lock chamber 40 is provided with a substrate transfer robot (transfer means) 51 for transferring the substrate 1 from the load lock chamber 40 to the process chamber 11 at the center thereof. The unload lock chamber 41 has a process chamber 1 at the center thereof.
A substrate transfer robot (transfer means) 52 that transfers the substrate 1 from the first to the unload lock chamber 41 is provided. The substrate transfer robots 51 and 52 described above have a mounting table 22 on which the substrate 1 is mounted.

The load lock chamber 40 is formed with an opening 42a for loading the substrate 1 into the load lock chamber 40. The opening 42a is slidably provided with a partition valve 42 that closes the load lock chamber 40 by closing the opening 42a. Gate valve 42 above
Is driven by a gate valve driving device (not shown), and when the substrate 1 is loaded into the load lock chamber 40, the opening 42a
Is opened to open the load lock chamber 40, while the opening 42a is normally closed.

The process chamber 11 and the load lock chamber 40 are connected to each other through the opening 43a. The opening 43a is formed in a size and shape that allows the mounting table 22 on which the substrate 1 is mounted to pass through so that the substrate 1 can be carried in smoothly. On the side of the load lock chamber 40 in the opening 43a, a partition valve 43 that partitions the process chamber 11 from the load lock chamber 40 by closing the opening 43a.
Is slidably provided. The sluice valve 43 is
It is driven by a gate valve drive device (not shown) and closes the opening 43a to seal the process chamber 11 when performing various kinds of processing in the process chamber 11, while opening the opening 43a when loading the substrate 1. To open the process chamber 11 and connect the process chamber 11 and the load lock chamber 40 to each other. The figure shows a state in which the opening 43a is open.

Process chamber 11 and unload lock chamber 41
And are connected to each other through the opening 44a. The opening 44a is formed in a size and shape that allows the mounting table 22 on which the substrate 1 is mounted to pass through so that the substrate 1 can be carried out smoothly. On the unload lock chamber 41 side of the opening 44a, a partition valve 44 that partitions the process chamber 11 and the unload lock chamber 41 by closing the opening 44a is slidably provided. The sluice valve 44 is driven by a sluice valve driving device (not shown), and the opening portion 4 is used when various processes are performed in the process chamber 11.
4a is closed to seal the process chamber 11, while when the substrate 1 is carried out, the opening 44a is opened to open the process chamber 11
And the process chamber 11 and the unload lock chamber 41 are communicated with each other.

The unload lock chamber 41 has an opening 45 for carrying out the substrate 1 from the unload lock chamber 41.
a is formed. A sluice valve 45 for sealing the unload lock chamber 41 by closing the opening 45a is slidably provided in the opening 45a. The sluice valve 45 is driven by a sluice valve driving device (not shown), and when the substrate 1 is unloaded from the unload lock chamber 41, the opening 45a is opened to open the unload lock chamber 41.
While the opening 45a is opened, the opening 45a is normally closed.

The load lock chamber 40 and the unload lock chamber 41 have their internal pressures adjusted so that the load lock chamber 40 and the unload lock chamber 41 can be transported when the substrate 1 is transferred.
Process chamber 1 inside and unload lock chamber 41
It is set so that a positive pressure (positive pressure) is always applied to the inside of 1. Therefore, when the substrate 1 is transferred, gas flows from the load lock chamber 40 or the unload lock chamber 41 toward the process chamber 11.

The substrate transfer robots 51 and 52 are single-wafer type substrate transfer devices, and include a moving device (not shown) and arm portions 55 and 55 rotatably attached to the moving device.
And arm portions 54, 54 rotatably attached to the arm portions 55, 55, and the mounting table 22 rotatably attached to the arm portions 54, 54.
The moving device drives the arms 55, 55, 54, 54 to move the mounting table 22 in the direction of arrow C shown in FIG. As a result, the substrate transfer robots 51 and 52
Conveys the substrate 1. The other structure is the same as that of the dry etching apparatus of the first embodiment.

Next, the processing steps for performing the dry etching process on the Al thin film formed on the substrate 1 using the dry etching apparatus having the above structure will be described below. In the following description, Cl ₂ gas and BCl ₃
A dry etching process using a mixed gas containing (boron trichloride) gas will be taken as an example. Further, Kr is placed in the load lock chamber 40 and the unload lock chamber 41.
Gas shall be supplied. And the above-mentioned Example 1
The description of the processing steps that are the same as the processing steps described in 1 above will be simplified.

First, a mask pattern is placed on the substrate 1 on which an Al thin film is formed by a predetermined method, and the substrate 1 is placed at a predetermined position in the load lock chamber 40. Then, the moving device of the substrate transfer robot 51 is driven by the control of the control device to drive the mounting table 22 and the like, and the substrate 1 is mounted on the mounting table 22. At this time, the opening 43a is closed by the gate valve 43, and the opening 44a is also closed. Therefore, the process chamber 11 is hermetically sealed, and is evacuated to a high vacuum to maintain a predetermined pressure.

Next, after the partition valve 42 is slid to close the opening 42a, the control device controls the operations of the mass flow controller 31, the butterfly valve 35, the exhaust device, etc. The pressure is adjusted to a predetermined level. Then, after the partition valve 43 is slid to open the opening 43 a, the substrate transfer robot 51 is driven, and the substrate transfer robot 51 loads the substrate 1 from the load lock chamber 40 into the process chamber 11. At this time, the inside of the load lock chamber 40 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure, and Kr gas is supplied into the load lock chamber 40 via the mass flow controller 31. Therefore, Kr gas flows from the load lock chamber 40 toward the process chamber 11, and the gas inside the process chamber 11 does not flow into the load lock chamber 40. When the substrate 1 is loaded into the process chamber 11 and placed on the stage 17, the opening 43a is closed by the partition valve 43, and the process chamber 11 is sealed.

Next, a dry etching process is performed in the process chamber 11. That is, the mixed gas as the etching gas is supplied into the process chamber 11 and the exhaust capacity of the exhaust device is adjusted by the exhaust control valve to adjust the pressure in the process chamber 11 to 0.1 Pa to 10 Pa. Then, the mixed gas is discharged and dissociated to generate plasma. In the plasma, the electrons accelerated by the RF electric field collide with Cl ₂ molecules and BCl ₃ molecules, thereby generating highly reactive chlorine atoms. Then, the above chlorine atoms reach the surface of the substrate 1 and react with Al to generate aluminum chloride (AlCl _x ) as a reaction product. This aluminum chloride is sublimed and separated from the surface of the substrate 1 because the inside of the process chamber 11 is at high vacuum and high temperature. Thereby, the Al thin film is dry-etched. In addition, during these operations, the control device is operated by the mass flow controller 31.
The inside of the unload lock chamber 41 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure by controlling the operations of the butterfly valve 35, the exhaust device, and the like.

When the dry etching process is completed, the partition valve 44 is slid to open the opening 44a and the process chamber 11 is opened. Then, the substrate transfer robot 52 carries out the substrate 1 from the process chamber 11 to the unload lock chamber 41. At this time, the unload lock chamber 41
Since the inside is adjusted to a predetermined pressure, Kr gas flows from the unload lock chamber 41 toward the process chamber 11. Therefore, the gas and aluminum chloride in the process chamber 11 do not flow into the unload lock chamber 41.

After that, the partition valve 44 is slid to close the opening 44a and the process chamber 11 is sealed. Then, after the pressure in the unload lock chamber 41 is returned to the atmospheric pressure, the partition valve 45 is slid to open the opening 45a and the substrate 1 is taken out. As a result, the processing step for performing the dry etching process on the Al thin film formed on the substrate 1 is completed.

By the way, the aluminum chloride generated during the dry etching process becomes a solid (fine powder) at room temperature, and adheres and deposits on each part in the process chamber 11. However, in the dry etching apparatus according to the present embodiment, Kr gas is constantly flowing from the load lock chamber 40 toward the process chamber 11 while the opening 43a is opened, and the gas inside the process chamber 11 is constantly flowing. Aluminum chloride does not flow into the load lock chamber 40. Further, while the opening 44a is opened, Kr gas constantly flows from the unload lock chamber 41 toward the process chamber 11, and the gas inside the process chamber 11 and aluminum chloride are kept inside the unload lock chamber 41. Does not flow into. That is, aluminum chloride does not diffuse into the load lock chamber 40 and the unload lock chamber 41. Therefore, the solidified finely powdered aluminum chloride does not adhere to or accumulate on, for example, the arm portions 54 ... 55 of the substrate transfer robots 51 52. Further, the aluminum chloride is used in the mass flow controller 3
1 and the butterfly valve 35 and the like will not be attached or deposited.
55, etc. are kept clean, these members are not worn or corroded, and therefore fine powder due to wear or corrosion is not generated, so that so-called particle contamination can be prevented. In addition, even if the dry etching apparatus having the above-described configuration is operated for about 6 months, the adhesion of aluminum chloride to the substrate transfer robots 51, 52, etc.
No accumulation was observed, and there was no failure, malfunction, stoppage, etc. of the substrate transfer robots 51 and 52 due to aluminum chloride.

As described above, the dry etching apparatus according to the present embodiment is inactive from the load lock chamber 40 and the unload lock chamber 41 toward the process chamber 11 when the substrate 1 is taken in and out by the substrate transfer robots 51 and 52. This is a configuration including an air flow generation device that generates a gas flow. As a result, the same action and effect as those of the dry etching apparatus of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0066]

As described above, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention has the transfer chamber having the process chamber for performing the predetermined process on the substrate and the transfer means for unloading the substrate from the process chamber. In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including the above, the air flow generating means for generating an air flow from the transfer chamber to the processing chamber when the substrate is carried out by the transfer means is provided.

Therefore, due to a failure caused by a reaction product generated when the substrate is subjected to a predetermined process, for example, adhesion / deposition of the reaction product causes wear or corrosion of a member constituting the transfer means, As a result, a failure such as damage to the transportation means does not occur. As a result, it is possible to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that can be stably operated for a long period of time. Moreover, since the reaction product does not diffuse to the transfer chamber side, a clean environment can be maintained in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and its surroundings.

As described above, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is configured such that the air flow generating means generates an air flow of a gas inert to the processing.

Therefore, even if the gas remains in the processing chamber, the gas does not adversely affect the processing. Thus, it is possible to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that can be stably operated for a long period of time and that can stably perform a predetermined process on a substrate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a main part of a dry etching apparatus as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the dry etching apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a configuration of a main part of a substrate transfer robot included in the dry etching apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a dry etching apparatus as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a main part of a dry etching apparatus as a conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 substrate 11 process chamber (processing chamber) 11b exhaust pipe 12 load lock chamber 13 substrate transfer chamber (transfer chamber) 15 opening 16 gate valve 21 substrate transfer robot (transfer means) 22 mounting table 30 gas introduction pipe 31 mass flow controller (air flow) Generating means) 35 Butterfly valve (airflow generating means) 36 Exhaust pipe 37 Pressure gauge (airflow generating means) 40 Load lock chamber (transfer chamber) 41 Unload lock chamber (transfer chamber) 51 Substrate transfer robot (transfer means) 52 Substrate transfer Robot (transportation means)

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yasuo Sato Taniho, Ichigo, Tokyo 992 Plasma System Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A processing chamber for performing a predetermined processing on a substrate,
A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having a transfer chamber having a transfer unit for unloading a substrate from the processing chamber, comprising an airflow generation unit for generating an airflow from the transfer chamber to the processing chamber when the substrate is unloaded by the transfer unit. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus characterized in that 2. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air flow generating means generates a gas flow of a gas inert to the processing.