JP6768134B2 - Substrate processing equipment and semiconductor equipment manufacturing methods and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method and a program for manufacturing a substrate processing apparatus, a furnace mouth portion and a semiconductor apparatus.

It is known that a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as an example of a substrate processing apparatus includes a vertical apparatus. In recent years, this type of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus has a large number of on-off valves (valves) in order to enable various film formations, and often has two or more gas supply systems. Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 4, the pipe from the on-off valve closest to the hearth to the hearth has been a pipe including a flexible pipe. Although it depends on the layout of the device, the length of this pipe was about 500 to 3000 mm.

It is known that particles caused by by-products adhering to the piping including the flexible piping up to the on-off valve are released into the reaction chamber and adhere to the substrate, which affects the device characteristics. Therefore, as a means for preventing this problem, a method of flowing N2 gas at the same time as the supply of the film-forming gas is implemented in the piping to which the film-forming gas is not supplied. However, by supplying this N2 gas (hereinafter, may be referred to as counter N2 gas), the film thickness gas concentration becomes non-uniform in the reaction chamber, and the film thickness uniformity deteriorates in the substrate treatment.

Here, as a configuration that eliminates the need for counter N2 gas, it is conceivable to install an on-off valve in the piping near the processing furnace in the gas supply system, but this can be realized due to valve installation space limitation, valve heat resistance temperature limitation, etc. Not. On the other hand, as in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a configuration in which an on-off valve is provided in a pipe near the furnace opening is shown. However, these prior art documents do not mention a configuration that eliminates the need for counter N2 gas.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-187485 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-285922

An object of the present invention is to provide a configuration in which an on-off valve is provided in the vicinity of the furnace mouth portion in order to solve the above problems.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the first gas supply system for supplying the first gas to the first supply unit provided in the treatment chamber and the second gas to be supplied to the second supply unit provided in the treatment chamber. The second gas supply system is directly connected to the treatment chamber, and the first cutoff unit that cuts off the supply of the first gas from the first gas supply system to the first supply unit is directly connected to the treatment chamber. A second cutoff unit that cuts off the supply of the second gas from the second gas supply system to the second supply part, and the first cutoff part that is opened to allow the first gas to be used in the processing chamber. The supply of the second gas from the second gas supply system to the second supply unit is cut off by the second cutoff unit, the second cutoff part is opened, and the first gas is released. At least the first blocking section and the second blocking section so as to shut off the supply of the first gas from the first gas supply system to the first supply section by the first blocking section while supplying to the processing chamber. A configuration is provided that includes a control unit that controls the cutoff unit .

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a configuration in which an on-off valve is attached in the vicinity of the furnace mouth portion.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate processing apparatus preferably used in an embodiment of the present invention, and is a vertical sectional view of a processing furnace portion.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a part of a substrate processing apparatus preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view of a reaction tube.
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a controller of a substrate processing apparatus preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.
[Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is a piping configuration diagram near the conventional furnace mouth.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a relationship between a shutoff portion, a gas supply pipe, and a nozzle preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a relationship between a shutoff portion, a gas supply pipe, and a nozzle preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an external view of a furnace mouth portion preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is an external view of a hearth portion preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an illustrated example of a shutoff valve preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is an illustrated example showing a configuration of a shutoff valve preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a substrate processing flow for supplying processing gas by operating a shutoff valve preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a result of substrate processing by operating a shutoff valve preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention and supplying processing gas.
FIG. 13 is a illustrated example showing a comparison of the presence or absence of a shutoff valve in a film formation sequence preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.

<One Embodiment of the present invention>
The substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured as an example of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus used for manufacturing the semiconductor apparatus. Specifically, a processing chamber composed of at least a reaction tube and a furnace port provided at the bottom of the reaction tube, a nozzle provided at the furnace port and rising from the furnace port to the inside of the reaction tube, and a nozzle. The processing gas supply system provided on the upstream side of the processing gas supply system, the cutoff portion configured to be provided at the boundary between the treatment gas supply system and the nozzle, and the cutoff portion linked with the treatment gas supply system to gas from the nozzle into the treatment chamber. It is configured to have at least a controller for controlling the processing gas supply system and the shutoff unit so as to supply the gas.

Further, the furnace mouth portion is configured so that a blocking portion connected to a nozzle rising from the inner wall of the furnace mouth portion to the inside of the reaction tube is attached so as not to provide a pipe between the inner wall of the furnace mouth portion and the outer wall of the furnace mouth portion. .. In this way, since the shutoff portion is attached almost directly below the processing furnace (near the furnace mouth portion), it is preferable to provide a cooling mechanism so that the shutoff valve can be cooled. Further, as a measure against heat buildup in the hearth portion, it is particularly preferable to provide a hearth unit capable of local exhaust. The cooling mechanism and the hearth unit will be described later.

Here, in the present embodiment, the structure in which the furnace mouth portion and the shutoff valve are integrated (for example, a pipe including a flexible pipe is not provided between the furnace mouth portion and the shutoff valve) is simply referred to as the furnace mouth portion. May be called.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and the like. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the processing furnace 202 has a heater 207 as a heating unit (heating mechanism). The heater 207 has a cylindrical shape and is configured to include a heater wire and a heat insulating material (not shown). The lower portion of the heater 207 is vertically installed by being supported by a heater base (not shown) as a holding plate. The heater 207 also functions as an activation mechanism (excitation portion) for activating (exciting) the processing gas with heat.

Inside the heater 207, a reaction tube 203 having a single tube structure that constitutes a reaction container (processing container) concentrically with the heater 207 is arranged. The reaction tube 203 is formed of a heat-resistant material such as quartz (SiO2) or silicon carbide (SiC). The reaction tube 203 is formed in the shape of a ceiling in which the lower end is open and the upper end is closed by a flat wall body. The upper end of the reaction tube (hereinafter also referred to as the ceiling) is thickly configured from the viewpoint of ensuring strength. The side wall of the reaction tube 203 includes a cylindrical portion formed in a cylindrical shape, and a gas supply area 222 and a gas exhaust area 224 provided on the outer wall of the cylindrical portion. A processing chamber 201 is formed inside the reaction tube 203 including the gas supply area 222 and the gas exhaust area 224. The processing chamber 201 is configured to be capable of processing the wafer 200 as a substrate. Further, the processing chamber 201 is configured to accommodate a boat 217 that can hold the wafers 200 in a horizontal posture and arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction. The heater 207 is arranged so as to surround the reaction tube 203, and a plurality of wafers 200 placed on the boat 217 in the reaction tube 203 (or the processing chamber 201) can be heated to a predetermined temperature. it can.

The gas supply area 222 is formed so that the convex portion protrudes to the outside of one side wall of the cylindrical portion. The outer wall of the gas supply area 222 is formed concentrically with the cylindrical portion on the outside of one side wall as a part of the outer wall of the cylindrical portion of the reaction tube 203, which is larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion. The gas supply area 222 has a ceiling shape in which the lower end is open and the upper end is closed by a flat wall body. The gas supply area 222 accommodates nozzle portions 340a to 340c described later along the length direction (vertical direction), and the boundary wall 254 forming the boundary between the gas supply area 222 and the cylindrical portion contains gas. A supply slit 235 is formed. The boundary wall 254 is one side wall of the cylindrical portion, and the outer surface thereof constitutes a side surface portion facing the gas supply area 222. Hereinafter, for example, the generic name of the nozzle portions 340a to 340c may be described as the nozzle portion 340, and the generic name may be similarly described for other numbers.

The gas exhaust area 224 is formed so that the convex portion protrudes to the outside of the other side wall facing the one side wall on which the gas supply area 222 of the cylindrical portion is formed. The gas exhaust area 224 is arranged so as to sandwich a region in which the wafer 200 of the processing chamber 201 is accommodated from the gas supply area 222. The outer wall of the gas exhaust area 224 is formed concentrically with the cylindrical portion on the outside of the other side wall as a part of the outer wall of the cylindrical portion, which is larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion. The gas exhaust area 224 has a ceiling shape in which the lower end and the upper end are closed by a flat wall body. A gas exhaust slit 236 is formed in the boundary wall 252, which is a wall body forming a boundary between the gas exhaust area 224 and the cylindrical portion. The boundary wall 252 is a part of a cylindrical portion, and its outer surface constitutes a side surface portion facing the gas exhaust area 224.

The lower end side of the reaction tube 203 is supported by a cylindrical manifold 226 as a furnace opening portion. The manifold 226 is made of, for example, a metal such as nickel alloy or stainless steel, or is made of a heat resistant material such as quartz (SiO2) or silicon carbide (SiC). A flange is formed at the upper end of the manifold 226, and the lower end of the reaction tube 203 is installed and supported on the flange. An airtight member 220 such as an O-ring is interposed between the flange and the lower end of the reaction tube 203 to keep the inside of the reaction tube 203 airtight.

A seal cap 219 is airtightly attached to the opening at the lower end of the manifold 226 via an airtight member 220 such as an O-ring, so that the opening side at the lower end of the reaction tube 203, that is, the opening of the manifold 226 is airtight. It is designed to be closed. The seal cap 219 is made of a metal such as a nickel alloy or stainless steel, and is formed in a disk shape.

A boat support 218 that supports the boat 217 is provided on the seal cap 219. The boat support 218 is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide, functions as a heat insulating portion, and serves as a support for supporting the boat 217. The boat 217 has a bottom plate fixed to the boat support 218 and a top plate arranged above the bottom plate, and has a configuration in which a plurality of columns are erected between the bottom plate and the top plate. .. Boat 217 is made of a heat resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide.

A boat rotation mechanism 267 for rotating the boat 217 is provided on the side of the seal cap 219 opposite to the processing chamber 201. The rotation shaft of the boat rotation mechanism 267 is connected to the boat support 218 through the seal cap, and the boat rotation mechanism 267 rotates the boat 217 via the boat support 218 to rotate the wafer 200. The seal cap 219 is vertically raised and lowered by a boat elevator 115 as an elevating mechanism provided outside the reaction tube 203, whereby the boat 217 can be carried in and out of the processing chamber 201.

A nozzle support portion 350 that supports the nozzle portion 340 is installed in the manifold 226 so as to be bent in an L shape and penetrate the manifold 226. Here, three nozzle support portions 350a to 350c are installed. The nozzle support portion 350 is formed of a material such as nickel alloy or stainless steel. A gas supply pipe 310 for supplying gas into the reaction pipe 203 is connected to one end of the nozzle support portion 350 on the reaction pipe 203 side via a shutoff portion 101 as a shutoff valve.

Further, nozzle portions 340a to 340c are connected to the other ends of the nozzle support portions 350a to 350c, respectively. The nozzle portion 340 is formed of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or SiC. Further, the nozzle is composed of the nozzle support portion 350 and the nozzle portion 340, and the shutoff valve 101 provided at the boundary between the nozzle and the gas supply pipe 310 is fixed in the vicinity of the manifold 226. Further, the nozzle shape may be such that the nozzle portion 340 and the nozzle support portion 350 are integrated.

The nozzle portion 340 is provided above the lower portion in the gas supply area 222 along the length direction (vertical direction) thereof. The nozzle portions 340a and 340c are each configured as an I-shaped long nozzle. Gas supply holes 234a and 234c for supplying gas are provided on the side surfaces of the nozzle portions 340a and 340c, respectively. The gas supply holes 234a and 234c are opened so as to face the center of the reaction tube 203, respectively. The nozzle portion 340b is configured as an I-shaped short pipe nozzle (short nozzle). The nozzle portion 340b has an opening 234b, and the tip of the nozzle portion 340b is open. The gas supply area 222 is provided with three nozzle portions 340a to 340c, and is configured to be able to supply a plurality of types of gas into the processing chamber 201. Further, the shape of the nozzle portion 340 may be L-shaped instead of I-shaped, and is not limited to the shape.

In the above processing furnace 202, in a state where a plurality of wafers 200 to be batch processed are loaded on the boat 217 in multiple stages, the boat 217 is inserted into the processing chamber 201 while being supported by the boat support 218, and the heater 207 is inserted. The wafer 200 inserted in the processing chamber 201 is heated to a predetermined temperature.

The gas supply pipe 310a includes a first processing gas supply source for supplying the first processing gas, a mass flow controller (MFC) 320a which is a flow rate controller (flow control unit), and a valve 330a which is an on-off valve in order from the upstream direction. Each is provided. Further, the shutoff valve 101a is provided at the boundary between the gas supply pipe 310a and the nozzle support portion 350a, and is provided in a state close to the outside of the manifold 226. For example, the manifold 226 and the shutoff valve 101a are integrally attached without providing a flexible pipe between the manifold 226 and the shutoff valve 101a. Further, the exhaust portion 102a described later may be attached so as to be adjacent to the shutoff valve 101a.

The gas supply pipe 310b includes a second processing gas supply source for supplying the second processing gas, a mass flow controller (MFC) 320b which is a flow rate controller (flow control unit), and a valve 330b which is an on-off valve in order from the upstream direction. Each is provided. Further, the shutoff valve 101b is provided at the boundary between the gas supply pipe 310b and the nozzle support portion 350b, and is provided in a state close to the outside of the manifold 226. For example, the manifold 226 and the shutoff valve 101b are integrally attached without providing a flexible pipe between the manifold 226 and the shutoff valve 101b. Further, the exhaust portion 102b described later may be attached so as to be adjacent to the shutoff valve 101b.

The gas supply pipe 310c includes a third processing gas supply source for supplying the third processing gas, a mass flow controller (MFC) 320c which is a flow rate controller (flow control unit), and a valve 330c which is an on-off valve in order from the upstream direction. Each is provided. Further, the shutoff valve 101c is provided at the boundary between the gas supply pipe 310c and the nozzle support portion 350c, and is provided in a state close to the outside of the manifold 226. For example, the manifold 226 and the shutoff valve 101c are integrally attached without providing a flexible pipe between the manifold 226 and the shutoff valve 101c. Further, the exhaust portion 102c described later may be attached so as to be adjacent to the shutoff valve 101c.

Gas supply pipes 310d to 310f for supplying the inert gas are connected to the downstream side of the valves 330a to 330c of the gas supply pipes 310a to 310c, respectively. The gas supply pipes 310d to 310f are provided with MFCs 320d to 320f, which are flow rate controllers (flow control units), and valves 330d to 330f, which are on-off valves, in this order from the upstream direction.

The first processing gas supply system is mainly composed of the gas supply pipe 310a, the MFC320a, and the valve 330a. Further, the first processing gas supply source, the nozzle support portion 350a, the nozzle portion 340a, and the shutoff valve 101a are included in the first treatment gas supply system, and the first treatment gas supply system includes the gas supply pipe 310a, the MFC320a, and the valve 330a. The configuration may include a first piping portion composed of the above, a first boundary portion including at least the first blocking portion 101a, and a first nozzle composed of at least the nozzle support portion 350a and the nozzle portion 340a. For example, in the present embodiment, the first treatment gas supply system is configured to supply the reaction gas as the first treatment gas.

The second processing gas supply system is mainly composed of the gas supply pipe 310b, the MFC320b, and the valve 330b. Further, the second treatment gas supply source, the nozzle support portion 350b, the nozzle portion 340b, and the shutoff valve 101b are included in the second treatment gas supply system, and the second treatment gas supply system includes the gas supply pipe 310b, the MFC 320b, and the valve 330b. The configuration may include a second piping portion composed of the above, a second boundary portion including at least the second blocking portion 101b, and a second nozzle composed of at least the nozzle support portion 350b and the nozzle portion 340b. However, since the nozzle portion 340b is a short nozzle with an open tip, it is preferable that the nozzle support portion 350b and the nozzle portion 340b are integrated. For example, in the present embodiment, the second treated gas supply system is configured to supply the raw material gas as the second treated gas.

The third processing gas supply system is mainly composed of the gas supply pipe 310c, the MFC 320c, and the valve 330c. Further, the third treatment gas supply source, the nozzle support portion 350c, the nozzle portion 340c, and the shutoff valve 101c are included in the third treatment gas supply system, and the third treatment gas supply system includes the gas supply pipe 310c, the MFC 320c, and the valve 330c. The configuration may include a third piping portion composed of the above, a third boundary portion including at least the third blocking portion 101c, and a third nozzle composed of at least the nozzle support portion 350c and the nozzle portion 340c. For example, in the present embodiment, the third treatment gas supply system is configured to supply the reaction gas or the inert gas that does not contribute to the substrate treatment as the third treatment gas. The configuration of these treated gas supply systems and the details of the shutoff valve 101 will be described later.

In the present specification, when the term treatment gas is used, it includes only the first treatment gas, contains only the second treatment gas, contains only the third treatment gas, or includes all of them. There is. When the term treatment gas supply system is used, it includes only the first treatment gas supply system, includes only the second treatment gas supply system, includes only the third treatment gas supply system, or all of them. May include.

An exhaust port 230 is provided in the lower part of the gas exhaust area 224. The exhaust port 230 is connected to the exhaust pipe 232. Vacuum exhaust to the exhaust pipe 232 via a pressure sensor 245 as a pressure detector (pressure detector) for detecting the pressure in the processing chamber 201 and an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve 244 as a pressure regulator (pressure regulator). A vacuum pump 246 as a device is connected, and the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is configured to be exhausted to a predetermined pressure (vacuum degree). The APC valve 244 can open and close the valve to stop vacuum exhaust and vacuum exhaust in the processing chamber 201, and further adjust the valve opening degree to adjust the conductance so that the pressure in the processing chamber 201 can be adjusted. It is an on-off valve. The exhaust system is mainly composed of an exhaust pipe 232, an APC valve 244, and a pressure sensor 245. The vacuum pump 246 may also be included in the exhaust system.

In this way, the controller 280 described later executes the process recipe described later, and as described above, (A) the transport system (boat elevator 115, boat rotation mechanism 267, etc.), (B) temperature control system (heater 207, etc.). ), (C) The processing gas supply system (blocking unit 101, MFC320, valve 330, etc.), and (D) the gas exhaust system (APC valve 244, pressure sensor 245, etc.) are controlled.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a temperature sensor 1 (hereinafter, also referred to as a thermocouple) as a temperature detector is installed outside the reaction tube 203. The power supply to the heater 207 is adjusted based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 1, and the temperature of the processing chamber 201 is configured to have a desired temperature distribution.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the thermocouple 1 is attached to the outside of the reaction tube 203 from the cover 2 as a protective member. The cover 2 is made of a quartz member. In the present embodiment, the thermocouple 1 is attached to the outside of the processing chamber 201 and is provided so as to face the heater 207 as a heating unit. For example, the thermocouple 1 is fixed by the reaction tube 203 and the cover 2.

Although only one thermocouple 1 is shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of thermocouples 1 may be provided. Further, it is possible to provide a buffer member between the thermocouple 1 and the reaction tube 203. Further, although the thermocouple 1 in FIG. 2 is provided on the side wall of the reaction tube, the thermocouple 1 may be provided on the ceiling of the reaction tube 203.

Next, FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic views for explaining the processing gas supply system in the present embodiment. 5 and 6 show the processing gas supply system in FIG. 1 as two systems in order to make the explanation of the relationship between the gas supply pipe 310, the boundary portion (shutoff valve 101), and the nozzle easier to understand. It is a thing. Then, the controller 280 is configured to execute the process recipe described later to control (C) the processing gas supply system (cutoff unit 101, exhaust unit 102, switching unit 103, etc.). Further, a processing gas supply system including a processing gas supply source, MFC320, valve 330, etc. is provided on the upstream side of the switching unit (switching valve), but it is omitted in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The valve (switching valve) closest to the furnace opening in the gas box is a valve that switches between gas that contributes to substrate processing and cleaning gas. A processing gas supply system (not shown) and a cleaning gas supply system (not shown) are provided on the upstream side of the switching unit (switching valve).

The gas supply system in the present embodiment is for switching between a nozzle rising from the furnace mouth portion 226 to the inside of the reaction tube 203, a boundary portion including at least the blocking portion 101, and a gas contributing to substrate processing and a cleaning gas. A gas supply pipe 310 provided with a switching portion composed of a valve (switching valve) 103 of the above, and a boundary portion is connected to the gas supply pipe 310 to form a gas between the switching portion and the shutoff portion 101. It is preferable to provide an exhaust section 102, which will be described later, to exhaust the supply pipe including the supply pipe 310.

Preferably, a processing gas supply system having a nozzle (first nozzle and second nozzle) rising from the furnace mouth portion 226 to the inside of the reaction tube and a gas supply pipe 310a provided on the upstream side of the nozzle (first nozzle). A processing gas supply system (second gas supply system) having a (first gas supply system), a gas supply pipe 310b provided on the upstream side of the nozzle (second nozzle), and a first nozzle and a first gas supply system. A blocking section 101a (first blocking section) configured to be provided at the boundary, 101b (second blocking section) configured to be provided at the boundary between the second nozzle and the second gas supply system, and a first The cutoff unit is linked with the first gas supply system to supply the reaction gas as the first gas into the reaction tube, and the second cutoff unit is linked with the second gas supply system to supply the raw material as the second gas in the reaction tube. It is configured to supply gas. The first gas supply system, the first shutoff unit, the second gas supply system, and the second cutoff unit are configured to be controlled by the controller 280 in FIGS. 5 and 6.

With such a configuration, a shutoff valve 101 (boundary portion) is provided, the shutoff valve 101a is opened, and the shutoff valve 101b is closed, so that the first processing gas is supplied from the gas supply pipe 310a via the first nozzle. At this time, the gas supply pipe 310b and the inside of the reaction tube 203 can be shut off to suppress the back diffusion of the first treated gas into the gas supply pipe 310b, while the shutoff valve 101b is open and the shutoff valve 101a is closed. Then, when the second treated gas is supplied from the gas supply pipe 310b via the second nozzle, the gas supply pipe 310a and the inside of the reaction pipe 203 are shut off to suppress the back diffusion of the first treated gas into the gas supply pipe 310a. Can be done.

In particular, when the raw material gas is used as the second processing gas as in the present embodiment, the shutoff valve 101a is closed while the shutoff valve 101b is opened and the raw material gas is supplied from the second nozzle into the reaction tube 203. By doing so, the inside of the gas supply pipe 310a and the reaction pipe 203 can be shut off, and the back diffusion of the raw material gas into the gas supply pipe 310a can be completely suppressed, which is caused by the by-products generated in the gas supply pipe 310. It is possible to reduce the number of particles.

Further, as shown by a long chain line in FIG. 5, a furnace opening box for performing local exhaust of the furnace opening portion 226 may be provided so as to surround the furnace opening portion 226. The hearth box is used as a countermeasure against gas leaks and heat buildup in the hearth portion 226. The inside of the hearth box has a high temperature atmosphere of 50 ° C to 200 ° C. Generally, since the heat resistant temperature of the valve is about 150 ° C., it is conceivable to use a heat resistant valve (heat resistant temperature 250 to 300 ° C.). However, it is conceivable that the operating life of the heat-resistant valve will be significantly shortened and the replacement frequency will be shortened. As a countermeasure, by adding a cooling mechanism to the shutoff portion 101, the valve can be arranged in the furnace opening box even when the heat resistant temperature of the valve is exceeded.

Further, as a cooling method, as shown in FIG. 9 described later, a heat dissipation method using cooling water (for example, a form in which the shutoff valve 101 is covered with a cooling block) can be considered. Any cooling method may be used as long as the temperature can be kept below the heat resistant temperature of the valve.

Further, an exhaust system for discharging the gas in the reaction tube 203 is provided, and the control unit 280 closes the first cutoff part and the second cutoff part when the supply of the reaction gas or the raw material gas to the substrate in the reaction tube 203 is completed. The exhaust system is configured to be controlled so that the unreacted raw material gas or reaction gas is discharged from the reaction tube 203. On the contrary, the control unit 280 is a first gas supply system so as to change the flow rate of the inert gas supplied into the reaction tube 203 and perform cycle purging with the first cutoff part and the second cutoff part open. , The first shutoff unit, the second gas supply system, the second cutoff unit, and the exhaust system are controlled.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the gas supply pipe 310 between the switching portion and the boundary portion has a configuration including a flexible pipe whose shape can be bent. Here, the flexible pipe is provided in the gas supply pipe 310 and may have a bellows shape, for example. The cutoff portion 101 is integrally (or directly connected) installed on the side wall of the furnace mouth portion 226.

Further, in FIG. 5, a flexible pipe is provided in the furnace opening box. However, regardless of this form, the flexible pipe is provided in the pipe between the gas box provided with the switching portion and the furnace port box provided with the shutoff portion 101. Since the piping between the gas box and the hearth box is connected at the site (for example, a semiconductor factory), it is greatly affected by the equipment layout, the equipment in the factory, the installation environment of the equipment, etc., and the piping (for example) , Metal) and piping (eg metal) need to be adjusted. This adjustment is not possible with metal pipes, and flexible pipes that can deform the pipe shape are essential.

Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 4, the pipe installed between the hearth portion 226 and the switching portion has a configuration including a flexible pipe, but in the present embodiment, the furnace mouth portion 226 and the cutoff portion 101 The piping installed between them does not include flexible piping. Although the gas supply pipe 310 is provided on the upstream side of the cutoff portion 101 in FIG. 6, the flexible pipe provided in the gas supply pipe 310 is omitted.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a configuration in which an exhaust unit 102 is further provided so as to be adjacent to the cutoff unit 101 of the gas supply system shown in FIG. In other words, since the configuration excluding the exhaust unit 102 has the same configuration as that of FIG. 5, the exhaust unit 102 will be described. In FIG. 6, an exhaust unit 102 that branches the supply pipe is installed on the upstream side of the cutoff unit 101, and the vent pipe is connected to the exhaust pipe 232 by the exhaust unit 102. With such a configuration, the gas supply pipe 310 including the flexible pipe between the switching portion and the blocking portion 101 can be cycle-purged without going through the reaction pipe 203.

For example, in the film forming sequence described later, the gas supply pipe 310a can be cycle purged when the raw material gas is being supplied from the gas supply pipe 310b into the reaction pipe 203, and the cleanliness inside the gas supply pipe 310a can be further improved. Can be improved. Further, even if the inside of the reaction tube 203 is opened to the atmospheric pressure in the substrate transfer step after the film formation sequence to be described later, the inside of the gas supply tube 310 can be individually cycle-purged, and the inside of the gas supply tube 310 can be further purged. The cleanliness can be improved.

Further, due to the device configuration, the space around the manifold 226 is small, and it is difficult to install the cutoff 101 and the exhaust 102. However, by integrating the boundary and the furnace mouth 226, the space can be saved. It can be realized and the improvement of maintainability can be achieved.

Next, the configuration of the shutoff valve 101 provided close to the outside of the furnace opening portion 226 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10.

The configuration between the hearth portion 226 and the shutoff portion 101 in the present embodiment is such that the furnace mouth portion 226 and the shutoff valve 101 are directly connected as shown in FIG. 7 (a configuration in which piping can be seen from the outside). It does not matter whether the furnace mouth portion 226 and the shutoff valve 101a (101b) are integrated (the appearance does not have piping) as shown in FIG. 7 and 8 are also views showing a furnace opening portion 226 to which a blocking portion 101 is added.

Although not shown, the exhaust portion 102 can be integrally configured with the furnace port portion 226 in a state of being adjacent to the shutoff portion 101. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the blocking portion 101 may be configured with a cooling mechanism.

Further, the length of the pipe installed between the furnace mouth portion 226 and the switching portion (pipe length) in FIG. 4 and the pipe installed between the furnace mouth portion 226 and the shutoff portion 101 in the present embodiment. Compare the lengths (pipe lengths) of. Assuming that the pipe length of the embodiment of FIG. 7 is 100 mm, the length ratio of the pipe length is about 1/5 to 1/30, and further, in the embodiment of FIG. 8, although not shown, the connection portion is When included in the pipe, it is assumed to be about 50 mm, and the length ratio of the pipe length is about 1/10 to 1/60. The ideal pipe length is zero (a configuration without pipes).

FIG. 10 shows the details of the configuration in which the cutoff portion 101 is integrally attached to the furnace mouth portion 226 in FIG. 8, that is, the cutoff portion 101 is attached so as not to provide a pipe on the side wall of the furnace mouth portion 226. Although not shown, the cutoff portion 101 in FIG. 10 is provided in the plurality of furnace mouth portions 226 with the same configuration.

At one end, the cutoff portion 101 is connected to a nozzle (or a nozzle support portion 350) arranged inside the furnace mouth portion 226, and at the other end, a pipe (with a gas supply pipe in this embodiment) outside the furnace mouth portion 226. 10 is a view when the cutoff portion 101 is in an open state. FIG. 10 shows that the gas flow path communicates from the gas supply pipe 310 to the nozzle portion 340 via the inside of the cutoff portion 101. It is configured in.

Further, in order to minimize the influence of the back diffusion of the processing gas on the gas supply pipe 310, it is ideal not to provide a pipe between the nozzle support portion 350 and the cutoff portion 101, but it is impossible due to the configuration of the cutoff portion 101. Therefore, it is preferable to form an integral structure between the shutoff portion 101 and the furnace mouth portion 226 as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the controller 280, which is a control unit (control means), is configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 121a, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 121b, a storage device 121c, and an I / O port 121d. Has been done. The RAM 121b, the storage device 121c, and the I / O port 121d are configured so that data can be exchanged with the CPU 121a via the internal bus 121e. An input / output device 122 configured as, for example, a touch panel is connected to the controller 280.

The storage device 121c is composed of, for example, a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or the like. In the storage device 121c, a control program for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, a film forming sequence described later as a process recipe in which the substrate processing procedure and conditions, and the like are described are readablely stored. The process recipes are combined so that the controller 280 can execute each procedure in the substrate processing step described later and obtain a predetermined result, and functions as a program. Hereinafter, this process recipe, control program, etc. are collectively referred to as a program. When the term program is used in the present specification, it may include only a process recipe alone, a control program alone, or both. The RAM 121b is configured as a memory area (work area) in which programs, data, and the like read by the CPU 121a are temporarily held.

The I / O ports 121d include the above-mentioned MFC 320a to 320f, valves 330a to 330f, shutoff valves 101a to 101c, exhaust valves 102a to 102c, pressure sensor 245, APC valve 244, vacuum pump 246, heater 207, and temperature sensor (thermocouple). ) 1. It is connected to a boat rotation mechanism 267, a boat elevator 115, and the like.

The CPU 121a is configured to read and execute a control program from the storage device 121c and read a process recipe from the storage device 121c in response to an input of an operation command from the input / output device 122 or the like. The CPU 121a adjusts the flow rate of various gases by the MFC 320a to 320f, opens and closes the valves 330a to 330f, opens and closes the shutoff valves 101a and 101c, and opens and closes the APC valve 244 so as to follow the contents of the read control program and process recipe. Operation and pressure adjustment operation by APC valve 244 based on pressure sensor 245, start and stop of vacuum pump 246, temperature adjustment operation of heater 207 based on temperature sensor 1, rotation and rotation speed adjustment operation of boat 217 by boat rotation mechanism 267, It is configured to control the ascending / descending operation of the boat 217 by the boat elevator 115.

The controller 280 is stored in an external storage device (for example, magnetic tape, magnetic disk such as flexible disk or hard disk, optical disk such as CD or DVD, magneto-optical disk such as MO, semiconductor memory such as USB memory or memory card) 123. The above-mentioned program can be executed. On the other hand, the storage device 121c and the external storage device 123 can be configured as a computer-readable recording medium. Hereinafter, these are collectively referred to simply as a recording medium. When the term recording medium is used in the present specification, it may include only the storage device 121c alone, it may include only the external storage device 123 alone, or it may include both of them. The program may be provided to the controller 280 by using a communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line without using the external storage device 123.

Next, an outline of the operation of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described. The substrate processing apparatus is controlled by the controller 280.

A boat 217 on which a predetermined number of wafers 200 are placed is inserted into the reaction tube 203, and the reaction tube 203 is airtightly closed by the seal cap 219. In the airtightly closed reaction tube 203, the wafer 200 is heated and maintained at a predetermined temperature, and the processing gas is supplied into the reaction tube 203, and the wafer 200 is subjected to heat treatment such as heating.

As a heat treatment, for example, in the film forming process in the present embodiment, the film forming sequence shown in FIG. 11 as a process recipe is used in a step of supplying HCDS gas to the wafer 200 in the processing chamber 201 and HCDS from the processing chamber 201. The step of removing the gas (residual gas), the step of supplying NH3 gas to the wafer 200 in the processing chamber 201, and the step of removing the NH3 gas (residual gas) from the inside of the processing chamber 201 are performed non-simultaneously. A SiN film is formed on the wafer 200 by performing the cycle a predetermined number of times (one or more times).

Further, when the word "board" is used in this specification, it is synonymous with the case where the word "wafer" is used.

(Wafer charge and boat load)
When a plurality of wafers 200 are loaded into the boat 217 (wafer charge), the boat 217 is carried into the processing chamber 201 (boat load) by the boat elevator. At this time, the seal cap 219 is in a state of airtightly closing (sealing) the lower end of the reaction tube 203 via the O-ring.

(Pressure adjustment and temperature adjustment)
The inside of the processing chamber 201, that is, the space where the wafer 200 exists is evacuated to a vacuum by the vacuum pump 246 so as to have a predetermined pressure (vacuum degree). At this time, the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is measured by the pressure sensor 245, and the APC valve 244 is feedback-controlled based on the measured pressure information. The vacuum pump 246 is always kept in operation until at least the processing on the wafer 200 is completed.

Further, the wafer 200 in the processing chamber 201 is heated by the heater 207 so as to have a predetermined temperature. At this time, the state of energization of the heater 207 is feedback-controlled based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor so that the processing chamber 201 has a predetermined temperature distribution. The heating in the processing chamber 201 by the heater 207 is continuously performed at least until the processing on the wafer 200 is completed.

Further, the rotation mechanism 267 starts the rotation of the boat 217 and the wafer 200. The rotation mechanism 267 rotates the boat 217 to rotate the wafer 200. The rotation of the boat 217 and the wafer 200 by the rotation mechanism 267 is continuously performed at least until the processing on the wafer 200 is completed.

(Film film processing)
When the temperature of the processing chamber 201 stabilizes at the preset processing temperature, the following two steps, that is, steps 1 and 2, are sequentially executed.

[Step 1]
In this step, the raw material gas (HCDS gas) is supplied to the wafer 200 in the processing chamber 201. This step 1 includes at least a pre-purge step, a raw material gas supply step, a raw material gas exhaust step, and a purge step. Hereinafter, each step will be described.

(Pre-purge process)
First, the valves 330b and 330e are opened to allow HCDS gas to flow into the gas supply pipe 310b. However, in this step, the shutoff valve 101b is closed and the product is not supplied to the processing chamber 201. At this time, the valves 330d and 330f are opened at the same time to allow N2 gas to flow into the gas supply pipes 310a and 310c. Further, the shutoff valves 101a and 101c may be opened, and N2 gas may be supplied into the processing chamber 201 at a predetermined flow rate adjusted by the MFC and exhausted from the exhaust pipe 232. Here, the exhaust valve 102b is provided adjacent to the shutoff valve 101b, the exhaust valve 102b is opened, and the HCDS gas can be exhausted from the gas supply pipe 310b to the exhaust pipe 232 via the exhaust valve 102b. Is preferable.

(Coal gas supply process)
Subsequently, with the valves 330b and 330e open, the shutoff valve 101b is opened to allow HCDS gas to flow into the processing chamber 201. At this time, the flow rate of the HCDS gas is adjusted by the MFC, is supplied into the processing chamber 201 via the nozzle portion 340b, and is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 232. On the other hand, the shutoff valve 101a and the shutoff valve 101c are closed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the HCDS gas from back-diffusing into the gas supply pipes 310a and 310c.

(Raw material gas exhaust process)
Next, the shutoff valve 101b is closed with the shutoff valves 101a and 101c closed. At this time, with the APC valve 244 kept open, the inside of the processing chamber 201 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 246 to form an unreacted or silicon (Si) -containing layer as a first layer remaining in the processing chamber 201. The HCDS gas after the contribution is discharged from the processing chamber 201.

Then, the raw material gas supply process and the raw material gas exhaust process are sequentially executed (three times in this embodiment). At this time, the first layer is formed on the outermost surface of the wafer 200. It is preferable to execute a plurality of cycles with the raw material supply process and the raw material exhaust process as one cycle. In this embodiment, the short tube nozzle in which the tip of the nozzle for supplying HCDS gas into the processing chamber 201 is open is formed, and in order to make the gas concentration distribution uniform, such cyclic supply (cycle) is performed. Flow). However, the method of supplying gas is appropriately set according to the nozzle shape.

(After purging process)
After the first layer is formed, the valve 330b is closed and the supply of HCDS gas is stopped. At this time, the valves 330d to 330f and the shutoff valves 101a to 101c are opened to restart the supply of the N2 gas into the processing chamber 201. The N2 gas acts as a purge gas, which can enhance the effect of discharging the gas remaining in the processing chamber 201 from the processing chamber 201.

(Gas purging process)
Continuing from the after-purge step, the supply of N2 gas into the processing chamber 201 is continued with the valves 330d to 330f and the shutoff valves 101a to 101c open, and the gas flow rate is changed at a predetermined cycle. For example, switching between the flow rate A and the flow rate B (flow rate A> flow rate B) is performed a predetermined number of times. In this embodiment, it is controlled to be performed twice.

In the present embodiment, step 1 includes a gas purging step of surely discharging the gas remaining in the processing chamber 201 from the processing chamber 201 before supplying the reaction gas, but the film forming sequence is shown in FIG. It may be divided into steps 1 to 4. FIG. 13 will be described later.

[Step 2]
After the step 1 is completed, NH3 gas is supplied as a reaction gas to the wafer 200 in the processing chamber 201, that is, the first layer formed on the wafer 200. The NH3 gas is activated by heat and supplied to the wafer 200.

In this step, the opening / closing control of the valves 330a, 330d, 101a is performed in the same procedure as the opening / closing control of the valves 330b, 330e, 101b in step 1. The flow rate of the NH3 gas is adjusted by the MFC, is supplied into the processing chamber 201 via the nozzle portion 340a, and is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 232. At this time, NH3 gas is supplied to the wafer 200. The NH3 gas supplied to the wafer 200 reacts with at least a part of the first layer formed on the wafer 200, that is, the Si-containing layer in step 1. As a result, the first layer is thermally nitrided by non-plasma and changed (modified) into a second layer containing Si and N, that is, a silicon nitride layer (SiN layer). At this time, plasma-excited NH3 gas is supplied to the wafer 200, and the first layer is plasma-nitrided so that the first layer is changed to the second layer (SiN layer). May be good.

After the second layer is formed, the valves 330a and 330d are closed to stop the supply of NH3 gas. Then, by the same treatment procedure as in step 1, NH3 gas and reaction by-products remaining in the treatment chamber 201 after contributing to the formation of the unreacted or second layer are discharged from the treatment chamber 201.

(Gas purging process)
Step 2 may include a step of surely discharging the gas remaining in the processing chamber 201 from the processing chamber 201 after supplying the reaction gas.

The procedure is the same as in step 1, the valves 330d to 330f and the shutoff valves 101a to 101c are opened, the supply of N2 gas into the processing chamber 201 is continued, and the flow rates are changed at predetermined intervals. For example, switching between the flow rate A and the flow rate B (flow rate A> flow rate B) is performed a predetermined number of times. In this embodiment, it is controlled to be performed four times.

(After purging process)
After the predetermined number of times is completed, with the valves 330d to 330f and the shutoff valves 101a to 101c open, N2 gas adjusted to a predetermined flow rate is supplied into the processing chamber 201 for a predetermined time to end the purging step. This completes the film formation sequence.

(Implemented a predetermined number of times)
By performing the above-mentioned two steps (the film forming sequence shown in FIG. 11) non-simultaneously, that is, by performing a predetermined number of cycles (n times) without synchronizing, SiN having a predetermined composition and a predetermined film thickness is performed on the wafer 200. A film can be formed. The above cycle is preferably repeated a plurality of times. That is, it is formed by making the thickness of the second layer (SiN layer) formed when the above-mentioned cycle is performed once smaller than a predetermined film thickness and laminating the second layer (SiN layer). It is preferable to repeat the above cycle a plurality of times until the film thickness of the SiN film reaches a predetermined film thickness.

(Purge and return to atmospheric pressure)
After the film forming process is completed, the valves 310e and 310f are opened, N2 gas is supplied into the processing chamber 201 from the gas supply pipes 310b and 310c, and the gas is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 232. As a result, the inside of the treatment chamber 201 is purged, and the gas and reaction by-products remaining in the treatment chamber 201 are removed from the inside of the treatment chamber 201 (purge). After that, the atmosphere in the processing chamber 201 is replaced with the inert gas (replacement of the inert gas), and the pressure in the treatment chamber 201 is restored to normal pressure (return to atmospheric pressure).

(Boat unloading and wafer discharge)
The boat elevator 115 lowers the seal cap 219 to open the lower end of the reaction tube 203. Then, the processed wafer 200 is carried out of the reaction tube 203 from the lower end of the reaction tube 203 while being supported by the boat 217 (boat unloading). The processed wafer 200 is taken out from the boat 217 (wafer discharge).

According to the present embodiment, the HCDS gas can be supplied into the reaction tube 203 while opening and closing the shutoff valve 101 provided at the boundary between the nozzle and the gas supply system, so that the processing gas supply for supplying the HCDS gas can be performed. By closing the shutoff valve 101 connected to the processing gas supply system other than the system, the HCDS gas is not diffused to the other processing gas supply system. Therefore, particles caused by by-products in the pipe such as the gas supply pipe 310 can be reduced.

According to this embodiment, the back diffusion of the HCDS gas can be suppressed by closing the shutoff valve 101 of the processing gas supply system other than the HCDS gas, so that the piping constituting the processing gas supply system for supplying the HCDS gas is heated. The range to be used can be significantly reduced.

Further, the processing gas supply system other than the processing gas supply system that supplies the HCDS gas also heats the pipe in which the HCDS gas is diffused, but it is not necessary to heat the pipe depending on the gas, and the pipe heating does not occur. Even if it is a necessary gas, it is sufficient to heat it to an appropriate temperature, and the range of high-temperature heating to prevent liquefaction of HCDS can be reduced, which leads to a reduction in heater cost.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the N2 gas flow rate dependence in which the flow rate of the counter N2 is changed from the two systems other than the film forming gas supply system in the processing gas supply system (3 systems) shown in FIG.

The processing conditions at this time are as follows, for example.
Wafer 200 temperature: 100 to 800 ° C. (preferably 400 to 750 ° C., 630 ° C. in this embodiment)
Processing chamber pressure: 5 to 4000 Pa (preferably 10 to 1332 Pa)
HCDS gas supply flow rate: 1 to 2000 sccm (preferably 50 to 500 sccm)
NH3 gas supply flow rate: 100 to 30,000 sccm
N2 gas supply flow rate: 1 to 50,000 sccm
SiN film thickness: 0.2-100 nm

FIG. 12 is a table comparing the average film thickness and the in-plane uniformity of the wafers 200 arranged at the respective positions of TOP, CNT, and BTM in the substrate processing region with respect to the presence / absence of the counter N2 and the flow rate. In addition, it is a table comparing the average value between surfaces according to the presence / absence of counter N2 and the flow rate.

The absence of the counter N2 shown in FIG. 12 corresponds to the present embodiment. That is, according to the present embodiment, while the HCDS gas or NH3 gas is being supplied, the shutoff valve 101 provided in the gas supply system that has previously supplied the counter N2 into the processing chamber 201 is closed. As a result, the HCDS gas and NH3 gas can be prevented from back-diffusing on the gas supply pipe 310 side, so that the counter N2 is not required.

Further, when the counter N2 is not provided, the average film thickness of the wafers 200 arranged at the respective positions of TOP, CNT, and BTM in the substrate processing region is the highest. This is because the concentration of HCDS gas and NH3 gas in the processing chamber 201 is high because it does not need to be diluted by the counter N2.

Further, when there is no counter N2, the in-plane uniformity of the wafer 200 arranged at each position of TOP, CNT, and BTM in the substrate processing region is the lowest value. This is because the HCDS gas and NH3 gas in the processing chamber 201 can come into contact with the surface of the wafer 200 evenly (or on the entire surface) without being affected by the counter N2.

Here, TOP is the wafer 200 arranged at the top of the wafers 200 arranged in the substrate processing area, and BTM is the wafer 200 arranged at the bottom of the wafers 200 arranged in the substrate processing area. The CNT is a wafer 200 arranged in the center of the wafers 200 arranged in the substrate processing region. For example, in a mini-batch furnace (33 Slots in total), when dummy wafers (side dummy wafers) are arranged in Slots 1 to Slot 4 and Slots 30 to 33, TOP: 29 Slots, CNTs: 17 Slots, and BTM: 5 Slots are obtained.

The in-plane uniformity is averaged by measuring the film thickness at a predetermined position on the 200 surface of the wafer. Then, the in-plane uniformity is calculated by further obtaining the average value of the in-plane uniformity for the number of wafers 200 placed on the slots from TOP to BTM. According to the mini-batch furnace, the inter-plane mean value is calculated from the in-plane mean value for 25 slots.

According to this embodiment, by eliminating the supply of the counter N2, it was possible to improve both the in-plane uniformity and the inter-plane uniformity. In particular, it was found that the inter-plane uniformity was significantly improved.

Next, FIG. 13 shows a comparison between the current film formation sequence without a shutoff valve and the film formation sequence with an embodiment having a shutoff valve. Obviously, in the purging step (gas replacement step) after supplying the treated gas, the time required for gas replacement in the reaction tube is greatly improved.

As shown in FIG. 4, the furnace mouth portion 226 has a pipe to the nearest on-off valve, and in the conventional purging process, the pipe to this on-off valve is exhausted. Therefore, since the vacuum pump 246 exhausts the pipe to this pipe, the exhaust efficiency is deteriorated, and it is necessary to spend time in the gas replacement process. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, by closing the shutoff portion 101, the nozzle portion 340 is exhausted by the vacuum pump 246, so that the exhaust efficiency is significantly improved as compared with the current sequence. In particular, as shown in FIG. 13, the time of the cycle purging step after supplying the processing gas can be significantly shortened.

For example, in the sequence comparison shown in FIG. 13, the time required for one cycle of the current film forming sequence is 51 sec, whereas the time required for one cycle of the film forming sequence in the present embodiment having the shutoff valve 101 is 41 sec. It can be shortened by about 20% (10 sec) in one cycle.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the gas replacement efficiency in the reaction tube can be significantly improved by closing the shutoff valve in the purging step after supplying the treated gas. Therefore, the time required for the purging step in the film forming sequence can be shortened. Further, the throughput can be expected to be improved by shortening the film formation sequence.

Further, according to the present embodiment, one or a plurality of effects shown below can be obtained.

(a) According to the present embodiment, by providing a shutoff valve on the outside of the manifold and integrating the shutoff valve, it is possible to suppress the back diffusion of gas to the upstream side of the supply gas pipe from the shutoff valve.

(b) According to the present embodiment, since the shutoff valve is provided close to the side wall of the furnace opening portion, while the processing gas is being supplied from another gas supply pipe into the reaction pipe, By closing the shutoff valve, the back diffusion of the processing gas into the gas supply pipe can be suppressed.

(c) According to the present embodiment, by suppressing the back diffusion of the processing gas to the upstream side of the gas supply pipe, for example, by suppressing the adhesion of by-products such as ammonium chloride to the inside of the pipe, they are suppressed. Particles caused by can be reduced.

(d) According to the present embodiment, the backdiffusion of the processing gas into the gas supply pipe can be suppressed, so that the backdiffusion is suppressed when the film-forming gas is supplied into the reaction pipe from another gas supply pipe. Therefore, it is not necessary to supply the inert gas (counter N2 gas in the present embodiment) into the reaction tube, and wasteful waste of the inert gas can be suppressed.

(e) According to the present embodiment, by shutting off the atmosphere of the reaction chamber and each gas supply pipe, the pipe heating range can be reduced and the pipe heating temperature can be optimized.

(f) According to the present embodiment, since the shutoff valve is provided, it is possible to suppress the back diffusion of the vaporized gas supplied from one gas supply pipe into another gas supply pipe. Therefore, if it is not necessary to heat the other gas supply pipe itself due to the gas supplied to the other gas supply pipe, the heating range of the pipe can be reduced.

(g) According to the present embodiment, when the gas supply pipe itself also needs to be heated, the temperature of the gas supply pipe can be adjusted even if the temperature is not as high as that of the gas supply pipe and the required value of temperature uniformity is not high. It was necessary to set it, but by adding a shutoff valve, it is not necessary to improve the temperature uniformity at high temperature as much as the gas supply pipe, and select an inexpensive relatively low temperature heater or a heater with a simple heat insulation structure. be able to.

(H) According to the present embodiment, by closing the shutoff valve instead of the counter N2, the film thickness uniformity can be improved as a result.

(i) According to the present embodiment, by closing the shutoff valve and suppressing the gas back diffusion to the upstream side of the supply gas pipe, the gas replacement efficiency in the processing chamber can be improved and the film formation sequence time can be shortened.

In the present embodiment, the vertical semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, which is a kind of substrate processing apparatus, has been described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to, for example, a horizontal semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which HCDS gas is used as the raw material gas has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such aspects. For example, as the raw material gas, in addition to HCDS gas, monochlorosilane (SiH3Cl, abbreviated as MCS) gas, dichlorosilane (SiH2Cl2, abbreviated as DCS) gas, trichlorosilane (SiHCl3, abbreviated as TCS) gas, tetrachlorosilane, that is, silicontetra Inorganic halosilane raw material gas such as chloride (SiCl4, abbreviation: STC) gas, octachlorotrisilane (Si3Cl8, abbreviation: OCTS) gas, and trisdimethylaminosilane (Si [N (CH3) 2] 3H, abbreviation: 3DMAS) gas. , Tetrakissdimethylaminosilane (Si [N (CH3) 2] 4, abbreviation: 4DMAS) gas, bisdiethylaminosilane (Si [N (C2H5) 2] 2H2, abbreviation: BDEAS) gas, Vistashaributylaminosilane (SiH2 [NH () C4H9)] 2, abbreviation: BTBAS) A halogen group-free amino-based (amine-based) silane raw material gas such as gas can be used. Further, as the raw material gas, an inorganic silane raw material gas containing no halogen group such as monosilane (SiH4, abbreviated as MS) gas, disilane (Si2H6, abbreviated as DS) gas, trisilane (Si3H8, abbreviated as TS) gas is used. be able to.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which NH3 gas is used as the reaction gas has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such aspects. For example, as the reaction gas, in addition to NH3 gas, hydrogen nitride-based gas such as diimide (N2H2) gas, hydrazine (N2H4) gas, N3H8 gas, and a gas containing these compounds can be used. Examples of the reaction gas include ethylamine-based gases such as triethylamine ((C2H5) 3N, abbreviation: TEA) gas, diethylamine ((C2H5) 2NH, abbreviation: DEA) gas, monoethylamine (C2H5NH2, abbreviation: MEA) gas, and the like. Methylamine-based gas such as trimethylamine ((CH3) 3N, abbreviated as TMA) gas, dimethylamine ((CH3) 2NH, abbreviation: DMA) gas, monomethylamine (CH3NH2, abbreviation: MMA) gas and the like can be used. Further, as the reaction gas, an organic hydrazine-based gas such as trimethylhydrazine ((CH3) 2N2 (CH3) H, abbreviation: TMH) gas can be used.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which an HCDS gas is used as a raw material gas and a nitrogen (N) -containing gas (nitriding gas) such as NH3 gas is used as a reaction gas to form a SiN film has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such aspects. For example, in addition to these, or in addition to these, oxygen (O) -containing gas (oxidation gas) such as oxygen (O2) gas, carbon (C) -containing gas such as propylene (C3H6) gas, boron trichloride (BCl3). A boron (B) -containing gas such as a gas can be used to form a SiO film, a SiON film, a SiOCN film, a SiOC film, a SiCN film, a SiBN film, a SiBCN film, or the like. The order in which each gas flows can be changed as appropriate. Even when these film formations are performed, the film formation can be performed under the same processing conditions as those in the above-described embodiment, and the same effects as those in the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

The order in which each gas flows can be changed as appropriate. Even when these film formations are performed, the film formation can be performed under the same processing conditions as those in the above-described embodiment, and the same effects as those in the above-described embodiment can be obtained. That is, the present invention can be suitably applied to the case of forming a film containing a predetermined element such as a semiconductor element or a metal element.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example of depositing a film on the substrate has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such aspects. For example, it can be suitably applied to a substrate, a film formed on the substrate, or the like, which is subjected to treatments such as oxidation treatment, diffusion treatment, annealing treatment, and etching treatment. In addition, the above-described embodiments and modifications can be used in combination as appropriate. The processing conditions at this time can be, for example, the same processing conditions as those in the above-described embodiment and modification.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist thereof.

The present invention is applicable to a substrate processing apparatus for forming a film on a substrate.

101 Shutoff valve (shutoff part)
102 Exhaust valve (exhaust part)
200 wafer (board)
203 Reaction tube 226 Manifold (furnace mouth)
310 Gas supply pipe 340 Nozzle part 350 Nozzle support part

Claims (12)

A processing room where processing is performed on the substrate,
A first gas supply system that supplies a first gas through a first shutoff portion that is directly connected to the processing chamber.
A second gas supply system that supplies a second gas via a second shutoff portion that is directly connected to the processing chamber.
When the first cutoff portion is opened and the first gas is supplied from the first gas supply system to the processing chamber, the second gas is supplied from the second gas supply system to the processing chamber. It is blocked by the second blocking section.
When the second cutoff portion is opened and the second gas is supplied from the second gas supply system to the processing chamber, the supply of the first gas from the first gas supply system to the processing chamber is performed. As if blocking at the first blocking section
At least a control unit configured to be able to control the first gas supply system and the second gas supply system,
Substrate processing device. Further, it has a first gas switching unit and a second gas switching unit provided on the upstream side of each of the first blocking unit and the second blocking unit, respectively.
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an exhaust unit for exhausting air in a pipe between the first gas switching unit and the second gas switching unit and the first cutoff unit and the second gas cutoff unit. Wherein the control unit, while supplying the first gas into the processing chamber by opening the first shut-off portion, thereby purging the piping between said second gas switching unit the second blocking portion, or the second while blocking unit opens the by supplying the second gas into the processing chamber, the substrate according to claim 2, wherein the first gas switching unit to purge the piping between the first blocking part Processing equipment. Further, a cooling unit for cooling at least one of the first blocking unit and the second blocking unit is provided.
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooling unit is configured to supply a cooling fluid to at least one of the first blocking unit and the second blocking unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first gas is a reaction gas and the second gas is a raw material gas. Further, an exhaust system for discharging the gas in the processing chamber,
The exhaust system, when the supply of the first gas or the second gas to the process chamber is terminated, is configured to discharge the first gas or the second gas from the processing chamber The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1. Wherein, said first shut-off portion and the second blocking portion is opened, respectively, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the inside of the processing chamber for controlling the exhaust system to cycle purge. 6. The control unit controls the exhaust system so as to shut off the first blocking unit and the second blocking unit, respectively, and discharge the first gas or the second gas in the processing chamber. The substrate processing apparatus described. Further, an exhaust system for discharging the gas in the processing chamber,
The exhaust unit is configured to branch the supply pipe on the upstream side of the first cutoff unit and the second cutoff unit, and is configured to bypass the processing chamber and be connected to the exhaust system. Item 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to item 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the piping between the first gas switching unit and the second gas switching unit and the first blocking unit and the second gas blocking unit includes a flexible pipe. .. When by opening the first shut-off portion provided with direct access to the processing chamber to supply the first gas into the processing chamber, the second blocking portion provided with direct access to the processing chamber to the processing chamber The process of shutting off the supply of the second gas of
A step of interrupting the second blocking portions between the open to supply the second gas into the processing chamber, the supply of the first gas into the processing chamber by the first blocking portion,
Manufacturing method of semiconductor device with While supplying the first gas into the processing chamber by opening the first shut-off portion provided with direct access to the processing chamber, the second blocking portion provided with direct access to the processing chamber to the processing chamber The procedure for shutting off the second gas supply and
A step of blocking said second gas by opening the second shut-off unit while supplying into the processing chamber, the supply of the first gas into the processing chamber by the first blocking portion,
A program that causes a computer to execute and function as a board processing device.

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