WO2024201613A1 - 基板処理装置、半導体装置の製造方法及びプログラム - Google Patents
基板処理装置、半導体装置の製造方法及びプログラム Download PDFInfo
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- WO2024201613A1 WO2024201613A1 PCT/JP2023/012016 JP2023012016W WO2024201613A1 WO 2024201613 A1 WO2024201613 A1 WO 2024201613A1 JP 2023012016 W JP2023012016 W JP 2023012016W WO 2024201613 A1 WO2024201613 A1 WO 2024201613A1
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- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- cleaning
- substrate
- boat
- film thickness
- processing apparatus
- Prior art date
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- Ceased
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Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
- G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
- G05B19/00—Program-control systems
- G05B19/02—Program-control systems electric
- G05B19/418—Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
- G05B19/41865—Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM] characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10P—GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10P72/00—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof
- H10P72/04—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
- H10P72/0402—Apparatus for fluid treatment
- H10P72/0406—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B08—CLEANING
- B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
- B08B13/00—Accessories or details of general applicability for machines or apparatus for cleaning
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B08—CLEANING
- B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
- B08B5/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use of air flow or gas flow
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C16/00—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes
- C23C16/44—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes characterised by the method of coating
- C23C16/4401—Means for minimising impurities, e.g. dust, moisture or residual gas, in the reaction chamber
- C23C16/4405—Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C16/00—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes
- C23C16/44—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes characterised by the method of coating
- C23C16/458—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes characterised by the method of coating characterised by the method used for supporting substrates in the reaction chamber
- C23C16/4582—Rigid and flat substrates, e.g. plates or discs
- C23C16/4583—Rigid and flat substrates, e.g. plates or discs the substrate being supported substantially horizontally
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10P—GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10P14/00—Formation of materials, e.g. in the shape of layers or pillars
- H10P14/60—Formation of materials, e.g. in the shape of layers or pillars of insulating materials
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10P—GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10P72/00—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof
- H10P72/04—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
- H10P72/0451—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations
- H10P72/0462—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10P—GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10P72/00—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof
- H10P72/10—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof using carriers specially adapted therefor, e.g. front opening unified pods [FOUP]
- H10P72/12—Vertical boat type carrier whereby the substrates are horizontally supported, e.g. comprising rod-shaped elements
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10P—GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10P72/00—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof
- H10P72/30—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
- H10P72/33—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber
- H10P72/3312—Vertical transfer of a batch of workpieces
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
- G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
- G05B2219/00—Program-control systems
- G05B2219/30—Nc systems
- G05B2219/34—Director, elements to supervisory
- G05B2219/34379—Job management
Definitions
- This disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a program.
- a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates that has a processing vessel and a support that supports substrates in multiple stages, and performs a film formation process on the substrates with the support inserted into the processing vessel (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
- a processing vessel and a support that supports substrates in multiple stages, and performs a film formation process on the substrates with the support inserted into the processing vessel.
- films may accumulate on the processing vessel and the support. In this case, cleaning is performed on both the processing vessel and the support to remove the accumulated films.
- substrate processing apparatuses have been developed that improve throughput by providing multiple supports for one processing vessel, and transferring a substrate held by one support to another support while the substrate is being processed in the processing vessel.
- the multiple supports may be cleaned in succession.
- the processing vessel tends to be over-etched because the processing vessel is cleaned after each support.
- This disclosure provides a technology that can suppress over-etching of a processing vessel that occurs during cleaning of a support that supports a substrate.
- a processing vessel into which a support capable of supporting at least one substrate is carried and into which the substrate is processed; a transfer chamber having a plurality of the supports and capable of transferring the support to the processing vessel by switching the supports; a control unit that has a determination unit that determines whether a film adhered to the support by the processing of the substrate has reached a cleaning start condition, and that is capable of controlling a notification that a cleaning process for the support can be performed when the support has reached the cleaning start condition based on a determination result of the determination unit;
- a technique is provided that includes:
- FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a first gas supply unit included in the reactor shown in FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a second gas supply unit included in the reactor shown in FIG. 2 .
- FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a control unit of the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing a substrate processing process of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a film thickness determination process for a support of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- 11 is a flow diagram of a film thickness determination process for a processing container of the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- 13 illustrates an example of a setting screen for cleaning information of the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- 13 illustrates an example of a display screen of cleaning information of the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present technology.
- Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and is also a cross-sectional view taken along arrows 2X-2X in Fig. 1.
- FIGS. 1 and 2 show a substrate processing apparatus 100 to which the technology of the present disclosure is applied.
- the substrate processing apparatus 100 is an apparatus for processing a substrate S.
- the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a transport chamber 140, a reactor 200, a transfer chamber 270, and a controller 400.
- the transfer chamber 140 is a chamber in which the substrate S is transferred under negative pressure.
- the transfer chamber 140 is constituted by a housing 142.
- a vacuum device for creating a negative pressure inside the transfer chamber 140 is connected to the transfer chamber 140.
- the inside of the transfer chamber 140 is set to a negative pressure by this vacuum device.
- the transfer chamber 140 is configured to communicate with the transfer chamber 270. Specifically, the transfer chamber 140 communicates with the transfer chamber 270 through a loading/unloading opening 144 provided in a housing 272 that constitutes the transfer chamber 270.
- the loading/unloading opening 144 is used as a passage for loading the substrate S from the transfer chamber 140 to the transfer chamber 270 and for unloading the substrate S from the transfer chamber 270 to the transfer chamber 140.
- the loading/unloading opening 144 is opened and closed by a gate valve 146 attached to the housing 272.
- a transfer robot 150 that transfers (transports) the substrate S under negative pressure is installed in the transfer chamber 140.
- the transfer robot 150 has an arm 152 equipped with an end effector.
- the transfer robot 150 is configured so that it can be raised and lowered and rotated while maintaining the airtightness of the transfer chamber 140 by using a lifting device (not shown) and a rotation device (not shown).
- the transport robot 150 receives the substrate S before processing by the reactor 200 from an apparatus outside the transport chamber 140, and transports the received substrate S into the transfer chamber 270.
- the transport robot 150 also transports the substrate S after processing by the reactor 200 out of the transfer chamber 270, and delivers the transported substrate S to an apparatus outside the transport chamber 140.
- the substrate S before processing by the reactor 200 is referred to as an unprocessed substrate S.
- the reactor 200 is a chamber capable of processing the substrate S.
- the reactor 200 is a chamber in which processing such as forming a thin film on the surface of the substrate S is performed, for example.
- the reactor 200 includes a processing chamber 210.
- the processing chamber 210 is located above the transfer chamber 270.
- “upper” refers to the upper side in the vertical direction.
- “Lower” refers to the lower side in the vertical direction.
- the vertical direction in this embodiment is the same as the up-down direction of the substrate processing apparatus 100.
- the upper and lower sides in the vertical direction will be referred to simply as “upper” and “lower” for brevity.
- the processing chamber 210 is a room in which substrate processing, including a process for heating the substrate S, can be performed.
- This processing chamber 210 is mainly composed of a reaction tube 212, which is an example of a processing container.
- a plurality of boats 240 are individually transported into the processing chamber 210 to perform substrate processing. In other words, the processing chamber 210 performs substrate processing while switching between the plurality of boats 240.
- a heater 214 is disposed on the outer periphery of the reaction tube 212 as a heating section that heats the boat 240 and the substrate S supported by the boat 240 via the reaction tube 212.
- the heater 214 is spaced apart from the outer periphery of the reaction tube 212.
- a resistance heater is used as the heater 214. Note that a heater other than a resistance heater may be used as the heater 214 as long as it can heat the boat 240 and the substrate S supported by the boat 240.
- the upper end of the reaction tube 212 is closed.
- a flange portion 212a is provided at the lower end of the reaction tube 212, which protrudes radially inward of the reaction tube 212.
- the center of the flange portion 212a is open, forming a furnace opening 212b.
- the boat 240 moves between the processing chamber 210 and the transfer chamber 270 through the furnace opening 212b.
- the reaction tube 212 is configured to accommodate a boat 240 that supports the substrate S.
- the area of the internal space of the reaction tube 212 in which the boat 240 that supports the substrate S is accommodated is called the processing area, and the section that constitutes the processing area is called the processing chamber 210.
- the reaction tube 212 is provided with a number of nozzles 220. These nozzles 220 penetrate the peripheral wall of the reaction tube 212 and extend from the bottom to the top. Each nozzle 220 has a number of gas holes (not shown) spaced apart in the extension direction. Gas supplied from the gas holes of the nozzles 220 is supplied to the substrate S supported by the boat 240 in the processing chamber 210.
- Nozzles 220 are provided, for example, for each type of gas.
- two nozzles 220a and 220b are used as an example.
- the nozzles 220 are arranged so as not to overlap in the horizontal direction.
- the nozzle 220a is supplied with a first gas from a first gas supply unit 222. That is, the first gas supply unit 222 is configured to supply a first gas to the nozzle 220a.
- the first gas supply unit 222 includes a gas supply pipe 222a, a mass flow controller (MFC) 222c which is a flow rate controller (flow rate control unit), and a valve 222d which is an on-off valve.
- the gas supply pipe 222a is provided with a first gas source 222b, an MFC 222c, and a valve 222d, in that order from the upstream direction.
- the gas supply pipe 222a is configured to communicate with the nozzle 220a.
- the first gas supply unit 222 may include a first gas source 222b.
- the first gas source 222b is a source of a first gas (also called a "first element-containing gas") containing a first element.
- the first element-containing gas is a source gas, that is, one of the processing gases.
- the first element is, for example, silicon (Si).
- the nozzle 220a is supplied with cleaning gas from the first cleaning gas supply unit 223. That is, the first cleaning gas supply unit 223 is configured to supply cleaning gas to the nozzle 220a.
- the first cleaning gas supply unit 223 includes a gas supply pipe 223a, an MFC 223c, and a valve 223d.
- the gas supply pipe 223a is provided with a first cleaning gas source 223b, an MFC 223c, and a valve 223d, in that order from the upstream direction.
- the gas supply pipe 223a is connected to a portion of the gas supply pipe 222a downstream of the valve 222d. This gas supply pipe 223a is configured to communicate with the nozzle 220a via the gas supply pipe 222a.
- the first cleaning gas source 223b may be included in the first cleaning gas supply unit 223.
- the second gas source 224b is a source of a second gas containing a second element (hereinafter also referred to as a "second-element-containing gas").
- the second-element-containing gas is one of the process gases.
- the second-element-containing gas may also be considered as a reaction gas or a modifying gas.
- the nozzle 220b is supplied with cleaning gas from the second cleaning gas supply unit 225. That is, the second cleaning gas supply unit 225 is configured to supply cleaning gas to the nozzle 220b.
- the second cleaning gas supply unit 225 includes a gas supply pipe 225a, an MFC 225c, and a valve 225d.
- the gas supply pipe 225a is provided with a second cleaning gas source 225b, an MFC 225c, and a valve 225d, in that order from the upstream direction.
- the gas supply pipe 225a is connected to a portion of the gas supply pipe 224a downstream of the valve 224d. This gas supply pipe 225a is configured to communicate with the nozzle 220b via the gas supply pipe 224a.
- the second cleaning gas supply unit 225 may include a second cleaning gas source 225b.
- the transfer chamber 270 is located below the processing chamber 210 and is configured to communicate with the processing chamber 210. Specifically, the lower end of the reaction tube 212 is connected to the upper part (ceiling) of the housing 272 that constitutes the transfer chamber 270. The transfer chamber 270 communicates with the inside of the reaction tube 212 through the furnace port 212b.
- the boat elevator 274 moves the lid body 276 downward and receives the boat 240 from the boat support part 262 on the revolving part 260 at the upper end of the rotation shaft 278a.
- the boat elevator 274 raises the lid body 276. Then, it stores the boat 240 in the processing chamber 210.
- the boat elevator 274 lowers the lid body 276 to remove the boat 240 from the processing chamber 210. Then, it transfers the boat 240 from the rotation shaft 278a on the lid body 276 to the boat support part 262 on the revolving part 260.
- the boat 240 is a support capable of supporting the substrate S.
- the boat 240 is configured to be capable of supporting at least one substrate S.
- the boat 240 is configured to support the substrates S at intervals in the vertical direction.
- the boat 240 includes a top plate portion 242, a bottom plate portion 244, and a support portion 246.
- the support portion 246 is located between the top plate portion 242 and the bottom plate portion 244.
- the support portion 246 also includes multiple placement portions (not shown) that enable multiple substrates S to be supported at intervals in the vertical direction. In other words, the support portion 246 is capable of supporting multiple substrates S in multiple stages in the vertical direction using the multiple placement portions.
- boat A is defined as boat 240a
- boat B as boat 240b
- boat C as boat 240c.
- boat 240 when boat 240 is mentioned, it may refer to any or all of boat 240a, boat 240b, and boat 240c.
- the revolving unit 260 is a device capable of revolving the boat 240.
- the revolving unit 260 includes a boat support unit 262, a revolving platform 264, a revolving shaft 266, and a revolving mechanism 268.
- the boat support portion 262 is a portion that supports the boat 240.
- a plurality of boat support portions 262 are provided on the revolving base 264. Specifically, a plurality of boat support portions 262 are provided at intervals in the rotation direction of the revolving base 264. In this embodiment, as an example, three boat support portions 262 are provided on the revolving base 264.
- the boat support portions 262 each have a boat support portion 262a corresponding to the boat 240a, a boat support portion 262b corresponding to the boat 240b, and a boat support portion 262c corresponding to the boat 240c.
- the boat support portion 262 also has a rotation shaft 263 and a rotation mechanism 265.
- the rotation shaft 263 extends in the vertical direction from the revolving base 264.
- the upper end of the rotating shaft 263 is removably connected to the bottom plate portion 244 of the boat 240.
- the rotating shaft 263 rotates with the bottom plate portion 244 connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft 263, the boat 240 rotates relative to the revolving table 264.
- the boat 240 rotates when the transfer robot 150 transfers the substrate S, making it possible to adjust the orientation of the boat 240.
- the rotating mechanism 265 is fixed to the revolving table 264 and rotatably supports the rotating shaft 263.
- the multiple boat support parts 262 are each provided on the upper surface of the revolution table 264.
- a revolution shaft 266 is connected to the center of the revolution table 264.
- the revolution table 264 rotates due to the rotation of the revolution shaft 266.
- the rotation of the revolution table 264 causes the boat support parts 262 to revolve around the revolution shaft 266.
- the revolution shaft 266 is connected to the revolution table 264. This revolution shaft 266 extends in the vertical direction and penetrates the bottom wall of the transfer chamber 270. The revolution shaft 266 rotates the revolution table 264 by the rotational force from the revolution mechanism 268, causing the boat support part 262 to revolve.
- the revolution mechanism 268 is controlled by the controller 400 described later.
- the revolution mechanism 268 is provided on the underside of the bottom wall of the transfer chamber 270, and rotatably supports the revolution shaft 266.
- the revolution table 264 is caused to revolve, thereby moving the boat 240 from a position adjacent to the loading/unloading port 144 to below the processing chamber 210. Specifically, when moving to the next area, the revolution table 264 is rotated so that the boat revolves about 120 degrees depending on the situation.
- Multiple cooling units 290 are provided on the revolving platform 264 to accommodate the multiple boats 240.
- the boat 240a described below is provided with a cooling unit 290a
- the boat 240b described below is provided with a cooling unit 290b
- the boat 240c described below is provided with a cooling unit 290c.
- the transfer chamber 270 has a first area A1, a second area A2, and a third area A3 in the area above the revolving section 260.
- the first area A1 and the second area A2 are also shown in FIG. 2.
- the second area A2 is an area where the boat 240 and substrates S after the heating process can be kept waiting.
- the second area A2 is also an area where the boat 240 and substrates S after the heating process can be cooled. Specifically, in the second area A2, an inert gas is sent from the cooling section 290 toward the boat 240 and substrates S after the heating process. This cools the substrates S after the heating process.
- the second area A2 is located downstream of the first area A1 in the direction of rotation when the revolving section 260 rotates clockwise (right-handed).
- the third area A3 is adjacent to the transport chamber 140, and is an area where the substrate S can be transferred between the transport chamber 140.
- the transport robot 150 passes unprocessed substrates S to the boat 240 located in the third area A3, and receives processed substrates S from the boat 240 located in the third area A3. In this manner, the substrates S are transferred between the third area A3 and the transport chamber 140.
- the boat 240 is disposed in a position opposite the load/unload opening 144, and is configured so that the transport robot 150 can transfer the substrates S.
- the controller 400 controls the operation of each part of the substrate processing apparatus 100 .
- the controller 400 which is a control unit (control means), is configured as a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 401, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 402, a memory unit 403 as a storage device, and an I/O port 404.
- the RAM 402, the memory unit 403, and the I/O port 404 are configured to be able to exchange data with the CPU 401 via an internal bus 405.
- Data is transmitted and received within the substrate processing apparatus 100 at the instruction of a transmission/reception instruction unit 406, which is one of the functions of the CPU 401.
- Calculations in the substrate processing apparatus 100 are performed by a calculation unit 407, which is one of the functions of the CPU 401.
- the CPU 401 is configured to read and execute a control program from the storage unit 403, and to read a process recipe from the storage unit 403 in response to an input of an operation command from the input/output device 423.
- the CPU 401 is configured to be able to control, for example, the opening and closing operation of the gate valve 146, the on/off control of each pump, the flow rate adjustment operation of the MFC, the opening and closing operation of the valves, etc., in accordance with the contents of the read process recipe.
- the input/output device 423 is connected via the internal bus 405 to a display unit 424 such as a display capable of displaying the processing state of the substrate S.
- the input/output device 423 may also be directly connected to the display unit 424. If the input/output device 423 is a touch panel having the functions of the display unit 424, the display unit 424 may be omitted.
- the storage unit 403 is composed of, for example, a flash memory, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc.
- the storage unit 403 readably stores a recipe 410 composed of a process recipe that describes the procedures and conditions for substrate processing, a control program 411 that controls the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, boat cleaning information 412 that stores cleaning information for each boat, and processing vessel cleaning information 413 that stores cleaning information for the reaction tube 212 as a processing vessel.
- the boat cleaning information 412 includes a film thickness threshold TT1 (TT1a corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240a, TT1b corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240b, and TT1c corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240c) and a number threshold NT1 (NT1a corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240a, NT1b corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240b, and NT1c corresponds to the cleaning number threshold of boat 240c) as cleaning start conditions for each of the multiple boats 240.
- TT1a corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240a
- TT1b corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240b
- TT1c corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240c
- NT1a corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240a
- NT1b corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240b
- NT1c corresponds to the cleaning number threshold of boat 240c
- the boat cleaning information 412 also includes a cumulative film thickness value FT1 (FT1a corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240a, FT1b corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240b, and FT1c corresponds to the cleaning number threshold of boat 240c) of the film adhering to each boat 240 during substrate processing and a cleaning number CN1 (CN1a corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240a, CN1b corresponds to the film thickness threshold of boat 240b, and CN1c corresponds to the cleaning number of boat 240c).
- the film thickness threshold TT1 and the number threshold NT1 of each boat 240 are set using the input/output device 423.
- the input screen (setting screen) for the film thickness threshold TT1 and the number threshold NT1 of each boat 240 is the screen shown in FIG. 9.
- the cleaning time CT1 is automatically set by the operator inputting the film thickness threshold TT1 using the input/output device 423, but the cleaning time CT1 may also be set manually.
- the values for each boat 240 stored in the memory unit are displayed on the display unit 424 (see FIG. 10).
- the process vessel cleaning information 413 includes a film thickness threshold TT2 and a number threshold NT2, which is a threshold for the number of cleanings, as cleaning start conditions for the reaction tube 212.
- the process vessel cleaning information 413 also includes a cumulative film thickness value FT2 of the film adhering to the inside of the reaction tube 212 during substrate processing, and a number of cleanings CN2.
- the film thickness threshold TT2 and the number threshold NT2 are set using the input/output device 423.
- the input screen (setting screen) for the film thickness threshold TT2 and the number threshold NT2 of the reaction tube 212 is the screen shown in FIG. 9.
- the cleaning time CT2 is automatically set by the operator inputting the film thickness threshold TT2 using the input/output device 423, but the cleaning time CT2 may also be set manually.
- the set value is displayed on the display unit 424 (see FIG. 10).
- the process recipe is a combination of steps in the substrate processing process described below that are executed by the controller 400 to obtain a desired result, and functions as a program.
- RAM 402 is configured as a memory area (work area) in which programs, data, etc. read by CPU 401 are temporarily stored.
- the I/O port 404 is connected to each component such as the gate valve 146, each pressure regulator, each pump, and a heater control unit.
- a network transmission/reception unit 421 is provided, which is connected to the higher-level device 420 via a network.
- the controller 400 can be configured by installing the program in a computer using an external storage device 422 that stores the above-mentioned program.
- the external storage device 422 include a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, an optical disk such as a DVD, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO, and a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory.
- the means for supplying the program to the computer is not limited to supplying the program via the external storage device 422.
- the program may be supplied without going through the external storage device 422 by using a communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line.
- the storage unit 403 and the external storage device 422 are configured as computer-readable recording media. Hereinafter, these are collectively referred to simply as recording media. In this specification, when the term recording medium is used, it may include only the storage unit 403 alone, only the external storage device 422 alone, or both.
- the controller 400 controls the boat 240 and the reaction tube 212 of the cleaning process target (hereinafter abbreviated as "process target" as appropriate) that has been judged to have reached the cleaning start condition to perform cleaning processing according to the cleaning time CT1 set for the boat 240 of the process target.
- the controller 400 also controls the display unit 424 to notify the boat 240 of the process target that has been judged to have reached the cleaning start condition that the cleaning start condition has been reached.
- the display unit 424 is notified that the boat 240 has reached the cleaning start condition, but the notification destination is not limited to the display unit, and for example, the notification may be sent to the upper device 420 via the network transmission/reception unit 421.
- the determination unit 408 determines the time when the cumulative film thickness value FT1 of the film (deposit) adhering to each boat 240 becomes equal to or greater than the film thickness threshold value TT1 preset for each boat 240 as the cleaning start condition for each boat 240. That is, when the cumulative film thickness value FT1 of any boat 240 becomes equal to or greater than the film thickness threshold value TT1 set for that boat 240, the controller 400 transports that boat 240 to the reaction tube 212 (processing chamber 210) as the processing target and performs the cleaning process.
- the cleaning start condition for the boat 240 is defined as the film thickness threshold value TT1, but this is not limited thereto.
- a threshold value as the usage period of the boat 240 may be calculated from the film thickness threshold value TT1 as the usage time of the boat 240, and may be set as the cleaning start condition for the boat 240.
- the cumulative film thickness value FT1 can be obtained based on a film thickness estimate that is inferred from the number of times each boat 240 has been used in a substrate processing process, the duration of use, etc. Note that the cumulative film thickness value may also be detected by a film thickness detector (not shown) installed in the processing chamber 210 or the transfer chamber 270.
- the controller 400 calculates the cleaning time CT1 for each boat 240 based on the film thickness threshold TT1 or the accumulated film thickness value FT1 for each boat 240.
- the parameters of the cleaning time for the film thickness value are stored in the memory unit 403, and the calculation unit 407 automatically calculates the cleaning time according to the input cleaning start condition (film thickness threshold TT1) or accumulated film thickness value FT1.
- the cleaning time CT1 corresponding to the accumulated film thickness value FT1 may be stored in advance in the memory unit 403, and the cleaning time CT1 corresponding to the input cleaning start condition (film thickness threshold TT1) may be set.
- the cleaning time CT1 corresponding to the accumulated film thickness value FT1 may be obtained from the memory unit 403.
- the controller 400 When the controller 400 performs the cleaning process on the boat 240 and the reaction tube 212 to be cleaned, it updates the number of cleanings CN1 of the boat 240 that has been cleaned. Furthermore, when the cleaning process of the boat 240 is completed, the controller 400 clears (clears to zero) the cumulative film thickness value FT1 of the boat 240 for which the cleaning process has been completed.
- the controller 400 determines whether the cumulative film thickness value FT1 in each boat 240 is equal to or greater than the film thickness threshold value TT1, and causes the display unit 424 to display the determination result. Specifically, the determination unit 408 of the controller 400 determines whether the cumulative film thickness value FT1 is equal to or greater than the film thickness threshold value TT1. Then, the display unit 424 displays the result determined by the determination unit 408.
- the controller 400 restricts the use of a boat 240 whose cleaning count CN1 is equal to or greater than a preset count threshold NT1. Specifically, a boat 240 whose use is restricted can be used for thin film processing of a substrate S, but cannot be used for thick film processing of a substrate S, for example.
- the controller 400 also notifies the display unit 424 to display that there is a boat 240 whose use is restricted.
- the controller 400 controls the reaction tube 212 to perform a cleaning process according to the cleaning time CT2 set for the reaction tube 212.
- the controller 400 also controls to notify the display unit 424 to display that the reaction tube 212 has reached the cleaning start condition. Note that, in this embodiment, the display unit 424 is notified that the reaction tube 212 has reached the cleaning start condition, but the notification destination is not limited to the display unit 424, and may be, for example, the notification sent to the upper device 420 via the network transmission/reception unit 421.
- the determination unit 408 determines the time when the cumulative film thickness value FT2 of the film (deposit) adhering to the reaction tube 212 becomes equal to or greater than the film thickness threshold value TT2 preset for the reaction tube 212 as the cleaning start condition for the reaction tube 212. That is, when the cumulative film thickness value FT2 of the reaction tube 212 becomes equal to or greater than the film thickness threshold value TT2 set for the reaction tube 212, the controller 400 performs the cleaning process on the reaction tube 212 as the target for the cleaning process. When the reaction tube 212 is cleaned, the boat 240 is not present in the reaction tube 212. That is, the reaction tube 212 is cleaned when the reaction tube 212 is empty.
- the controller 400 controls the cleaning process so that only the reaction tube 212 is cleaned in accordance with the cleaning time CT2 of the reaction tube 212.
- the cleaning start condition for the reaction tube 212 is defined as the film thickness threshold TT2, but this is not limited thereto.
- a threshold value representing the usage period of the reaction tube 212 may be calculated from the film thickness threshold TT2 as the usage time of the reaction tube 212, and this may be used as the cleaning start condition for the reaction tube 212.
- the cumulative film thickness value FT2 can be obtained based on an estimated film thickness value inferred from the number of times the reaction tube 212 has been used in a substrate processing process, the duration of use, etc. Note that the cumulative film thickness value may also be detected by a film thickness detector (not shown) installed in the processing chamber 210.
- the controller 400 calculates the cleaning time CT2 of the reaction tube 212 based on the film thickness threshold TT2 of the reaction tube 212.
- the parameters of the cleaning time for the film thickness value of the reaction tube 212 are stored in the memory unit 403, and the calculation unit 407 automatically calculates the cleaning time according to the input cleaning start condition (film thickness threshold TT2) or cumulative film thickness value FT2.
- the cleaning time CT2 corresponding to the cumulative film thickness value FT2 may be stored in the memory unit 403, and the cleaning time CT2 corresponding to the input cleaning start condition (film thickness threshold TT2) may be set.
- the cleaning time CT2 corresponding to the cumulative film thickness value FT2 may be obtained from the memory unit 403.
- the controller 400 When the controller 400 performs the cleaning process for the reaction tube 212, it updates the number of cleanings CN2 for the reaction tube 212. Furthermore, when the cleaning process for the reaction tube 212 is completed, the controller 400 clears (clears to zero) the cumulative film thickness value FT2 for the reaction tube 212.
- the controller 400 determines whether the cumulative film thickness value FT2 in the reaction tube 212 is equal to or greater than the film thickness threshold value TT2, and displays the determination result on the display unit 424. Specifically, the determination unit 408 of the controller 400 determines whether the cumulative film thickness value FT2 is equal to or greater than the film thickness threshold value TT2. Then, the result determined by the determination unit 408 is displayed on the display unit 424.
- the controller 400 restricts the use of the reaction tube 212.
- the reaction tube 212 whose use is restricted can be used for thin film processing of the substrate S, but cannot be used for thick film processing of the substrate S, for example.
- the controller 400 also causes the display unit 424 to display that there is a reaction tube 212 whose use is restricted.
- the substrate S is transferred from the transfer chamber 140 to the boat 240a in the third area A3 of the transfer chamber 270 using the transfer robot 150.
- the substrate S transferred to the boat 240a is indicated by the symbol S1.
- the boat 240a supporting the substrate S1 revolves from the third area A3 to the first area A1 due to the rotation of the revolving part 260 (clockwise rotation in FIG. 5B), and the boat 240b not supporting a substrate (suitably referred to as "empty boat 240") revolves from the second area A2 to the third area A3.
- the substrate S2 is transferred from the transfer chamber 140 to the empty boat 240b that has moved to the third area A3 using the transfer robot 150.
- the boat 240a supporting the substrate S1 moves to the first area A1
- the boat 240a rises while being supported by the boat elevator 274.
- the boat 240a is then accommodated in the processing chamber 210. That is, the boat 240a located in the first area A1 is loaded into the processing chamber 210 (step S200).
- the boat 240a accommodated in the processing chamber 210 is subjected to a heat treatment. That is, a first gas and a second gas are supplied to the substrate S1 supported by the boat 240a, and a film is formed by the substrate processing including the heat treatment. In this manner, the substrate processing is performed on the substrate S1 (step S202).
- the cumulative film thickness value FT2 of the reaction tube 212 is updated (step S204).
- the cumulative film thickness value FT1a of this boat 240a is updated (step S206).
- step S208 the pressure between the processing chamber 210 and the transfer chamber 270 is adjusted, and the boat 240a is removed from the processing chamber 210 by the boat elevator 274 (step S208).
- the boat 240a removed from the processing chamber 210 is transferred to the boat support part 262a on the first area A1 of the revolving part 260.
- the boat 240a removed from the processing chamber 210 revolves from the first area A1 to the second area A2 due to the rotation of the revolving part 260.
- the boat 240a that has moved to the second area A2 is cooled by the inert gas sent from the cooling part 290a. That is, the substrate S1 supported by the boat 240a is cooled by the inert gas.
- the empty boat 240c revolves from the second area A2 to the third area A3 due to the rotation of the revolving part 260.
- the substrate S3 is transferred from the transfer chamber 140 to the empty boat 240c that has moved to the third area A3 using the transfer robot 150.
- the boat 240b supporting the substrate S2 moves from the third area A3 to the first area A1 due to the rotation of the revolving part 260, and rises while being supported by the boat elevator 274.
- the boat 240b is then accommodated in the processing chamber 210 and subjected to heat processing. That is, the first gas and the second gas are supplied to the substrate S2 supported by the boat 240b, and a film is formed by the substrate processing including the heat processing. In this manner, the substrate processing is performed on the substrate S2.
- the cumulative film thickness value FT2 of the reaction tube 212 and the cumulative film thickness value FT1b of the processed boat 240b are updated.
- the pressure between the processing chamber 210 and the transfer chamber 270 is adjusted, and the boat 240b is removed from the processing chamber 210 by the boat elevator 274.
- the boat 240b removed from the processing chamber 210 is transferred to the boat support part 262b on the first area A1 of the revolving part 260.
- the boat 240b removed from the processing chamber 210 revolves from the first area A1 to the second area A2 due to the rotation of the revolving part 260.
- the boat 240b that has moved to the second area A2 is cooled by the inert gas sent from the cooling part 290b. That is, the substrate S2 supported by the boat 240b is cooled by the inert gas.
- the boat 240a supporting the substrate S1 for which the cooling process has been completed moves to the third area A3.
- the processed substrate S1 is removed from the boat 240a by the transport robot 150.
- the transfer robot 150 transfers a new substrate S4 to the boat 240a from which the substrate S1 was removed.
- the boat 240c supporting the substrate S3 moves from the third area A3 to the first area A1 due to the rotation of the revolving part 260, and rises while being supported by the boat elevator 274.
- the boat 240c is then accommodated in the processing chamber 210 and heat-treated. That is, the first gas and the second gas are supplied to the substrate S3 supported by the boat 240c, and a film is formed by the substrate processing including the heat treatment. In this manner, the substrate processing is performed on the substrate S3.
- the cumulative film thickness value FT2 of the reaction tube 212 and the cumulative film thickness value FT1c of the processed boat 240c are updated.
- the boat 240a supporting the substrate S4 moves from the third area A3 to the first area A1.
- substrate processing is performed while the three boats 240a, 240b, and 240c are individually switched into the reaction tube 212, making it possible to perform continuous substrate processing. Therefore, in this embodiment, the productivity of substrate processing is improved.
- the controller 400 judges whether the cumulative film thickness value FT1a of the boat 240a immediately after the substrate processing is equal to or greater than the film thickness threshold TT1a (step S210). This judgment is made by the judgment unit 408 of the controller 400. If the judgment unit 408 judges that the cumulative film thickness value FT1a is less than the film thickness threshold TT1a, the process ends without performing the cleaning process of the boat 240 immediately after the substrate processing.
- step S212 the process proceeds to step S212 in order to perform the cleaning process of the boat 240a immediately after the substrate processing.
- step S212 the empty boat 240a to be cleaned is loaded into the reaction tube 212. More specifically, the empty boat 240a is loaded into the processing chamber 210. If the boat 240a immediately after substrate processing is determined to be the boat to be cleaned, all substrates S may be removed from the boat 240a to be cleaned before the next substrate processing is performed in the reaction tube 212, and the boat 240a to be cleaned may be emptied and then loaded into the processing chamber 210. Alternatively, the boat 240a to be cleaned may be loaded into the processing chamber 210 without supporting new substrates S, while continuing substrate processing of the substrates supported by the other boats 240a. When loading of the empty boat 240a into the processing chamber 210 is completed, the process proceeds to step S214.
- step S214 a cleaning process is performed on the boat 240a and the reaction tube 212 to be cleaned using a cleaning gas according to a predetermined procedure.
- the process proceeds to step S216.
- step S216 the cumulative film thickness value FT1a of the boat that has been cleaned (hereinafter referred to as the "cleaned boat") 240a is cleared (cleaned to zero). Then, the process proceeds to step S218.
- step S218 the cleaned boat 240a is removed from the processing chamber 210. Then the process proceeds to step S220.
- step S220 the number of cleanings CN1a for the cleaned boat 240a is updated. Then, the process proceeds to step S222.
- step S222 the cumulative film thickness value FT2 of the reaction tube 212 that has been cleaned together with the boat 240a to be cleaned is subtracted from the cumulative film thickness value FT1a of the cleaned boat before the cleaning process is performed, and the cumulative film thickness value FT2 is updated.
- step S222 is completed, the cleaning process of the boat 240a is completed.
- steps S216, S218, S220, and S222 may be interchanged as appropriate.
- the controller 400 determines whether the cumulative film thickness value FT2 of the reaction tube 212 immediately after the substrate processing is equal to or greater than the film thickness threshold TT2 (step S230). This determination is made by the determination unit 408 of the controller 400. If the determination unit 408 determines that the cumulative film thickness value FT2 is less than the film thickness threshold TT2, it ends the process without performing the cleaning process of the reaction tube 212 immediately after the substrate processing. On the other hand, if the determination unit 408 determines that the cumulative film thickness value FT2 is equal to or greater than the film thickness threshold TT2, it proceeds to step S232 to perform the cleaning process of the reaction tube 212.
- step S232 the inside of the reaction tube 212, i.e., the processing chamber 210, is emptied, and a cleaning process is carried out using a cleaning gas according to a predetermined procedure.
- the process proceeds to step S234.
- step S234 the cumulative film thickness value FT2 of the reaction tube 212 is cleared (cleared to zero). Then, the process proceeds to step S236.
- step S2366 the number of cleanings CN2 of the reaction tube 212 is updated.
- step S236 ends the cleaning process of the reaction tube 212 ends.
- a decision is made as to whether to perform the cleaning process on the boat 240 immediately after substrate processing, and then a decision is made as to whether to perform the cleaning process on the reaction tube 212.
- the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration, and a decision may be made as to whether to perform the cleaning process on the reaction tube 212, and then a decision may be made as to whether to perform the cleaning process on the boat 240.
- a determination as to whether or not the boat 240 and reaction tube 212 need to be cleaned may be made after the boat 240 is removed from the processing chamber 210 after the substrate processing.
- a determination as to whether or not the boat 240 needs to be cleaned may be made when the substrate S is transferred in the third area A3.
- the operation of this embodiment will be described.
- the boat 240 to be processed and the reaction tube 212 determined to be equal to or greater than the film thickness threshold value TT1, which is the cleaning start condition are cleaned according to the cleaning time CT1 set for the boat 240 to be processed.
- the reaction tube 212 and the boat 240 to be processed are cleaned according to the cleaning time CT1 of the boat 240, a small amount of film remains in the reaction tube 212, which has been used more frequently than each boat 240.
- the substrate processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment performs the cleaning process only on the boat 240 that has reached the cleaning start condition, so that the life of the reaction tube 212 can be extended compared to, for example, a case in which all the boats 240 are cleaned at once, and the decrease in production efficiency can also be suppressed.
- the substrate processing apparatus 100 when it is determined that the cumulative film thickness value FT2 of the reaction tube 212 is equal to or greater than the film thickness threshold value TT2, which is the cleaning start condition, the substrate processing apparatus 100 controls each part of the substrate processing apparatus 100 so as to perform a cleaning process on the reaction tube 212 according to the cleaning time CT2.
- the cleaning process on the reaction tube 212 is performed according to the cleaning time CT2 of the reaction tube 212, the number of times the reaction tube 212 is cleaned can be reduced. This makes it possible to reduce the number of times over-etching of the reaction tube 212 occurs, and the life of the reaction tube 212 can be extended.
- the cleaning process on the reaction tube 212 only involves cleaning the reaction tube 212, over-etching of the boat 240 can be reduced.
- the controller 400 updates the number of cleanings CN1 included in the boat cleaning information 412 stored in the memory unit 403. Also, when a cleaning process is performed on the reaction tube 212, the number of cleanings CN2 is updated. That is, the controller 400 updates the number of cleanings CN1 included in the boat cleaning information 412 stored in the memory unit 403 and the number of cleanings CN2 included in the processing vessel cleaning information 413. Therefore, even when the substrate processing apparatus 100 is restarted, since the setting contents are stored in the memory unit 403, the setting contents stored in the memory unit 403 can be retrieved after the restart and the setting contents can be reused. That is, the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment can eliminate the process of setting information each time it is restarted, and can suppress a decrease in production efficiency.
- the use of a boat 240 whose cleaning count CN1 is equal to or greater than a preset count threshold NT1 is restricted.
- the controller 400 stores the cleaning count CN1 for each boat 240 as boat cleaning information 412 in the memory unit 403.
- the boat 240 may be over-etched by performing the cleaning process. For this reason, repeated cleaning processes may cause the boat 240 to become unable to withstand substrate processing. In that case, the boat 240 is replaced.
- the count threshold NT1 for the cleaning count CN1 of each boat 240 it becomes possible to grasp the lifespan of the boat 240.
- the controller 400 then notifies the boat 240 of the time to replace it before it becomes unusable (in other words, before it reaches the end of its lifespan). Specifically, the determination unit 408 of the controller 400 compares the cleaning count CN1 with the count threshold NT1, and when the cleaning count CN1 is equal to or greater than the count threshold NT1, a notification is issued to display on the display unit 424 that the target boat 240 is in use. By displaying on the display unit 424 that there is a boat 240 whose use is restricted in this way, the operator can recognize that there is a boat 240 that is the target of replacement. Note that there is a boat 240 whose use is restricted, the notification may be made by voice, or may be displayed on an external display unit or the like via a communication line.
- the use of the reaction tube 212 is restricted when the number of cleaning times CN2 of the reaction tube 212 becomes equal to or greater than a preset number threshold NT2.
- the controller 400 stores the number of cleaning times CN2 at which the reaction tube 212 was cleaned as processing vessel cleaning information 413 in the memory unit 403.
- the reaction tube 212 may be over-etched by performing the cleaning process. Therefore, the reaction tube 212 may not be able to withstand substrate processing by repeating the cleaning process. In that case, the reaction tube 212 is replaced.
- the number of cleaning times CN2 of the reaction tube 212 to the number of cleaning times threshold NT2, it becomes possible to grasp the life of the reaction tube 212.
- the controller 400 notifies the time to replace the reaction tube 212 before it becomes unusable (in other words, before it reaches the end of its life). Specifically, the determination unit 408 of the controller 400 compares the cleaning count CN2 with the count threshold NT2, and when the cleaning count CN2 is equal to or greater than the count threshold NT2, a notification is issued to display on the display unit 424 that the use of the reaction tube 212 is restricted. By displaying on the display unit 424 that the use of the reaction tube 212 is restricted in this manner, the operator can recognize that the reaction tube 212 is to be replaced. The fact that the use of the reaction tube 212 is restricted may be notified by voice, or may be displayed on an external display unit or the like via a communication line.
- the calculation unit 407 of the controller 400 calculates the cleaning time CT1 of each boat 240 based on the film thickness threshold TT1 of each boat 240. By having the calculation unit 407 automatically calculate the cleaning time CT1 in this manner, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation such as input errors by the operator.
- the calculation unit 407 of the controller 400 calculates the cleaning time CT2 of the reaction tube 212 based on the film thickness threshold TT2 of the boat 240 of the reaction tube 212. By having the calculation unit 407 automatically calculate the cleaning time CT2 in this manner, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation such as input errors by the operator.
- the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment can shorten the time from the end of the cleaning process to the start of substrate processing, compared to, for example, a case in which the film thickness of the boat 240 is detected using a film thickness detector after the cleaning process of the boat 240 is completed and set as the cumulative film thickness value FT1.
- the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment can shorten the time from the end of the cleaning process to the start of substrate processing, compared to, for example, a case in which the film thickness of the reaction tube 212 is detected using a film thickness detector after the cleaning process of the reaction tube 212 is completed and set as the cumulative film thickness value FT2.
- a set of a reactor 200 and a transfer chamber 270 is used as the substrate processing apparatus 100
- the present disclosure is not limited to this.
- multiple sets of a reactor 200 and a transfer chamber 270 may be connected to the transport chamber 140.
- multiple reactors 200 may be provided above the transfer chamber 270.
- substrate processing of the substrate S can be performed in multiple reactors 200 in parallel.
- the multiple reactors 200 may each be a chamber for performing a different substrate processing. In this case, after substrate processing in the first reactor 200, another substrate processing may be performed in the next reactor 200.
- the first gas is not necessarily a silicon-containing gas, but may be various elements such as titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), etc.
- the second gas is not necessarily a nitrogen-containing gas, but may be a second element-containing gas that includes, for example, O.
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Abstract
Description
少なくとも1つの基板を支持可能な支持具を搬入した状態で前記基板を処理する処理容器と、
複数の前記支持具を有し、前記処理容器に前記支持具を切り替えて移載可能な移載室と、
前記基板の処理によって前記支持具に付着した膜がクリーニング開始条件に至っているかを判定する判定部を有し、前記判定部の判定結果から、前記支持具が前記クリーニング開始条件に至っている場合に前記支持具のクリーニング処理を行うことが可能な通知を制御することが可能な制御部と、
を備える技術が提供される。
なお、以下の説明において用いられる図面は、いずれも模式的なものであり、図面上の各要素の寸法の関係、各要素の比率等は、現実のものとは必ずしも一致していない。また、複数の図面の相互間においても、各要素の寸法の関係、各要素の比率等は必ずしも一致していない。
本開示の一実施形態に係る基板処理装置の概要構成を、図1及び図2を用いて説明する。図1は本技術に係る基板処理装置の概略構成例を示す横断面図である。図2は、本開示の一実施形態に係る基板処理装置の概略構成例を示す縦断面図であり、図1における矢印2X-2Xに沿った断面図でもある。
搬送室140は、負圧下で基板Sを搬送する部屋である。搬送室140は筐体142によって構成される。なお、図示省略するが搬送室140には、室内を負圧下にするための真空装置が接続されている。この真空装置により搬送室140内が負圧に設定される。
リアクタ200は、基板Sを処理することが可能な部屋である。リアクタ200は、例えば、基板Sの表面に薄膜を形成する等の処理を行う部屋である。
移載室270は、図2に示されるように、リアクタ200にボート240と基板Sを移載する部屋である。また移載室270では、搬送室140内の搬送ロボット150により搬入搬出口144を介して基板Sの移載も可能な部屋である。詳細は後述するが、移載室270では基板Sが支持されたボート240を切り替えて、リアクタ200への移載を行う。また、移載室270は複数のボート240と、公転部260と、冷却部290とを備える。
次に図4を用いてコントローラ400を説明する。
コントローラ400は、基板処理装置100の各部の動作を制御する。
次に図5A~図5E及び図6を用いて基板処理工程を説明する。基板処理装置の一工程として、上述した構成の基板処理装置100を用いて基板Sを処理する工程について説明する。なお、以下の説明において、基板処理装置を構成する各部の動作はコントローラ400により制御される。
次に図7及び図8を用いてクリーニング処理工程を説明する。基板処理装置の一工程として、上述した構成の基板処理装置100のボート240及び反応管212にクリーニング処理を行う工程について説明する。なお、以下の説明において、基板処理装置100を構成する各部の動作はコントローラ400により制御される。また、基板の処理を行うボート240の一例としてボートA(ボート240a)を用いて以下の説明を行う。なお、以下の説明にない、ボートB(ボート240b)、ボートC(ボート240c)にて基板の処理を行った場合も同様である。
本実施形態の基板処理装置100は、いずれかのボート240の累積膜厚値FT1がクリーニング開始条件である膜厚閾値TT1以上と判定した場合に、クリーニング開始条件である膜厚閾値TT1以上と判定された処理対象のボート240と反応管212とを処理対象のボート240に設定されたクリーニング時間CT1に従いクリーニング処理を行う。ここで、ボート240のクリーニング時間CT1にしたがって、反応管212と処理対象のボート240のクリーニング処理を行うため、個々のボート240に比べて使用回数が多い反応管212には膜が少し残る。すなわち、ボート240のクリーニング時間CT1にしたがって、反応管212のクリーニング処理を行うため、反応管212の累積膜厚値FT2がゼロになりにくい。このように反応管212の内面に膜が残ることで、反応管212と共にボート240をクリーニング処理した際に、クリーニングガスによって反応管212にオーバーエッチングが生じるのを抑制することができる。したがって、本実施形態の基板処理装置100は、クリーニング開始条件に至ったボート240のみクリーニング処理を行うため、例えば、全てのボート240を一括してクリーニング処理する場合と比べて、反応管212の寿命を延ばすことができる。また、生産効率の低下を抑えることもできる。
図5A~図5Eに示される実施形態では、3つのボート240すべてに基板Sを載置して装置を運用しているが、本開示はこの構成に限定されない。3つのボート240のうち、2つのボート240に基板Sを載置して装置を運用してもよいし、1つのボート240に基板Sを載置して装置を運用してもよい。
100 基板処理装置、
212 反応管(処理容器の一例)
240 ボート(支持具の一例)、
270 移載室
400 コントローラ(制御部の一例)
408 判定部
TT1 膜厚閾値(クリーニング開始条件の一例)
Claims (19)
- 少なくとも1つの基板を支持可能な支持具を搬入した状態で前記基板を処理する処理容器と、
複数の前記支持具を有し、前記処理容器に前記支持具を切り替えて移載可能な移載室と、
前記基板の処理によって前記支持具に付着した膜がクリーニング開始条件に至っているかを判定する判定部を有し、前記判定部の判定結果から、前記支持具が前記クリーニング開始条件に至っている場合に前記支持具のクリーニング処理を行うことが可能な通知を制御することが可能な制御部と、
を備える基板処理装置。 - 前記支持具ごとにクリーニング時間が設定され、
前記制御部は前記クリーニング開始条件に至った前記支持具に設定された前記クリーニング時間の間、前記クリーニング処理を行うよう制御可能な請求項1に記載の基板処理装置。 - 各々の前記支持具の前記クリーニング開始条件とクリーニング回数とを記憶する記憶部を更に有し、
前記制御部は、前記クリーニング処理を行うごとに、前記クリーニング処理を行った前記支持具の前記クリーニング回数を更新する、
請求項1に記載の基板処理装置。 - 前記制御部は、前記クリーニング回数が予め設定された回数閾値以上となった前記支持具の使用を制限する、
請求項3に記載の基板処理装置。 - 表示部を更に有し、
前記制御部は、使用を制限する前記支持具があることを前記表示部に表示させる、
請求項4に記載の基板処理装置。 - 前記クリーニング開始条件は各々の前記支持具に予め設定された膜厚閾値を含み、
前記判定部は、各々の前記支持具に付着する膜の累積膜厚値が各々の前記膜厚閾値以上となった場合に、前記支持具がクリーニング開始条件に至ったと判定する、
請求項1に記載の基板処理装置。 - 前記制御部は、各々の前記支持具のクリーニング時間を、各々の前記支持具の前記膜厚閾値あるいは前記累積膜厚値に基づいて算出する、
請求項6に記載の基板処理装置。 - 前記制御部は、前記支持具の前記クリーニング処理が完了すると、前記クリーニング処理が完了した前記支持具の前記累積膜厚値をクリアする、
請求項7に記載の基板処理装置。 - 表示部を更に有し、
前記制御部は、前記判定部の判定結果を前記表示部に表示させる、
請求項6に記載の基板処理装置。 - 前記処理容器のクリーニング開始条件が設定されていて、
前記判定部は、前記基板の処理によって前記処理容器に付着した膜がクリーニング開始条件に至っているかを判定し、
前記制御部は、前記判定部の判定結果から、前記処理容器が前記クリーニング開始条件に至っている場合に、前記処理容器を該処理容器に設定されるクリーニング時間に従いクリーニング処理を行うよう制御することが可能なよう構成される、
請求項1に記載の基板処理装置。 - 前記制御部は、前記処理容器の前記クリーニング時間に合わせて、前記処理容器のみクリーニング処理するよう制御することが可能なよう構成される、
請求項10に記載の基板処理装置。 - 前記クリーニング開始条件は前記処理容器に予め設定された膜厚閾値を含み、
前記判定部は、前記処理容器に付着する膜の累積膜厚値が前記膜厚閾値以上となった場合に、前記処理容器がクリーニング開始条件に至ったと判定する、
請求項10に記載の基板処理装置。 - 前記制御部は、前記処理容器の前記クリーニング時間を、前記処理容器の前記膜厚閾値あるいは前記累積膜厚値に基づいて算出する、
請求項12に記載の基板処理装置。 - 前記制御部は、前記処理容器の前記クリーニング処理が完了すると、前記処理容器の前記累積膜厚値をクリアする、
請求項12に記載の基板処理装置。 - 前記処理容器の前記クリーニング開始条件とクリーニング回数とを記憶する記憶部を更に有し、
前記制御部は、前記処理容器の前記クリーニング処理を行うごとに、前記処理容器の前記クリーニング回数を更新する、
請求項10に記載の基板処理装置。 - 前記制御部は、前記処理容器の前記クリーニング回数が予め設定された回数閾値以上となった前記処理容器の使用を制限する、
請求項15に記載の基板処理装置。 - 表示部を更に有し、
前記制御部は、使用を制限する前記処理容器があることを前記表示部に表示させる、
請求項16記載の基板処理装置。 - 少なくとも1つの基板を支持可能な支持具を処理容器に搬入した状態で前記基板を処理する工程と、
前記処理容器に複数の前記支持具を切り替えて移載を行う工程と、
前記基板の処理によって前記支持具に付着した膜がクリーニング開始条件に至っているかを判定する工程と、
前記判定した結果から、前記支持具が前記クリーニング開始条件に至っている場合に通知を行う工程と、
を有する半導体装置の製造方法。 - 少なくとも1つの基板を支持可能な支持具を処理容器に搬入した状態で前記基板を処理する手順と、
前記処理容器に複数の前記支持具を切り替えて移載を行う手順と、
前記基板の処理によって前記支持具に付着した膜がクリーニング開始条件に至っているかを判定する手順と、
前記判定した結果から、前記支持具が前記クリーニング開始条件に至っている場合に通知を行う手順と、
をコンピュータによって基板処理装置に実行させるプログラム。
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| CN202380091252.7A CN120530479A (zh) | 2023-03-24 | 2023-03-24 | 基板处理装置、半导体装置的制造方法及程序 |
| JP2025509249A JPWO2024201613A1 (ja) | 2023-03-24 | 2023-03-24 | |
| KR1020257027775A KR20250164163A (ko) | 2023-03-24 | 2023-03-24 | 기판 처리 장치, 반도체 장치의 제조 방법 및 프로그램 |
| PCT/JP2023/012016 WO2024201613A1 (ja) | 2023-03-24 | 2023-03-24 | 基板処理装置、半導体装置の製造方法及びプログラム |
| TW113104372A TWI880623B (zh) | 2023-03-24 | 2024-02-05 | 基板處理裝置、半導體裝置之製造方法及程式 |
| US19/338,983 US20260016815A1 (en) | 2023-03-24 | 2025-09-24 | Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method, method of manufacturing semiconductor device, and recording medium |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPH07142391A (ja) * | 1993-09-20 | 1995-06-02 | Tokyo Electron Ltd | 処理方法 |
| JP2009147373A (ja) * | 2002-11-11 | 2009-07-02 | Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc | 半導体装置の製造方法 |
| JP2010129669A (ja) * | 2008-11-26 | 2010-06-10 | Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc | 基板処理システム |
| JP2013214726A (ja) * | 2012-03-05 | 2013-10-17 | Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc | 基板処理装置及びその保守方法、基板移載方法並びにプログラム |
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| US7827930B2 (en) * | 2004-01-26 | 2010-11-09 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Apparatus for electroless deposition of metals onto semiconductor substrates |
| JP6186000B2 (ja) | 2013-08-27 | 2017-08-23 | 株式会社日立国際電気 | 基板処理装置のメンテナンス方法、半導体装置の製造方法、基板処理装置、及び基板処理装置のメンテナンスプログラム |
| JP6920849B2 (ja) * | 2017-03-27 | 2021-08-18 | 株式会社荏原製作所 | 基板処理方法および装置 |
| JP7620609B2 (ja) * | 2019-07-12 | 2025-01-23 | アプライド マテリアルズ インコーポレイテッド | 同時基板移送用ロボット |
| KR102578764B1 (ko) * | 2021-03-25 | 2023-09-15 | 세메스 주식회사 | 기판 처리 장치 및 기판 처리 방법 |
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Patent Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPH07142391A (ja) * | 1993-09-20 | 1995-06-02 | Tokyo Electron Ltd | 処理方法 |
| JP2009147373A (ja) * | 2002-11-11 | 2009-07-02 | Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc | 半導体装置の製造方法 |
| JP2010129669A (ja) * | 2008-11-26 | 2010-06-10 | Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc | 基板処理システム |
| JP2013214726A (ja) * | 2012-03-05 | 2013-10-17 | Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc | 基板処理装置及びその保守方法、基板移載方法並びにプログラム |
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| TW202439499A (zh) | 2024-10-01 |
| KR20250164163A (ko) | 2025-11-24 |
| TWI880623B (zh) | 2025-04-11 |
| US20260016815A1 (en) | 2026-01-15 |
| JPWO2024201613A1 (ja) | 2024-10-03 |
| CN120530479A (zh) | 2025-08-22 |
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