Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

• US 10,145,012 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2014
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eugene Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Eugene Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Je, Sung-Tae, Jang, Gil Sun, Yun, Chang-Hoon, Kim, Kyong-Hun
• Primary Examiner(s): Zervigon, Rudy
• Application Number:
  US15/038,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20160289831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 118715, 15634533, 15634534
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/458 characterised by the method used for supporting substrates in the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence

Abstract

Provided is a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus includes a lower chamber having an opened upper side, an upper chamber opening or closing the upper side of the lower chamber, the upper chamber defining an inner space, in which a process is performed on a substrate, together with the lower chamber, a showerhead disposed on a lower portion of the upper chamber to supply a reaction gas toward the inner space, wherein a buffer space is defined between the showerhead and the upper chamber, a partition member disposed in the buffer space to partition the buffer space into a plurality of diffusion regions, and a plurality of gas supply ports disposed in the upper chamber to supply the reaction gas toward each of the diffusion regions.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a lower chamber having an opened upper side;

an upper chamber opening or closing the upper side of the lower chamber, the upper chamber defining an inner space, in which a process is performed on a substrate, together with the lower chamber;

a susceptor disposed in the inner space and on which the substrate is placed;

a showerhead being disposed on a lower portion of the upper chamber and having a plurality of injection holes, wherein a buffer space is defined between the showerhead and the upper chamber so that a reaction gas supplied into the buffer space is supplied into the inner space through the injection holes;

a partition member disposed in the buffer space and spaced apart from a bottom of the buffer space to partition the buffer space into a plurality of diffusion regions, wherein the plurality of diffusion regions include a lower buffer space communicating with the injection holes and being positioned under the partition member to have a size substantially same as a diameter of the susceptor, and an upper buffer space being positioned above the lower buffer space, the upper buffer space being partitioned into a plurality of areas by the partition member; and

a plurality of gas supply ports disposed in the upper chamber to supply the reaction gas toward each of the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space,

wherein the lower buffer space communicates with the upper buffer space so that the reaction gas supplied into the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space moves into the lower buffer space, and the lower buffer space is configured such that the reaction gas from the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space is mixed with each other in the lower buffer space, and

wherein the plurality of areas include a central area and a plurality of edge areas surrounding the central area, the partition member blocks the edge areas from the central area, preventing the reaction gas from moving from the edge areas to the central area or from the central area to the edge areas,

wherein each of the plurality of edge areas is a shape of a fan such that a length of an inner arc that faces the central area is greater than a length of an outer arc opposite to the inner arc, and

wherein the gas supply ports are directly connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space which are blocked from each other.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of gas supply lines each of which is connected to the gas supply port to supply the reaction gas;

a plurality of flow rate adjustors each of which opens or closes the gas supply line; and

a controller connected to the flow rate adjustor to adjust a supply amount of the reaction gas through the gas supply line.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller controls the flow rate adjustors so that a supply amount of reaction gas supplied to one of the gas supply lines is different from that of reaction gas supplied to the other of the gas supply lines.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an exhaust ring spaced apart from the lower chamber along a sidewall of the lower chamber, the exhaust ring having a plurality of exhaust holes defined above the susceptor; and

a support member fixed to the sidewall of the lower chamber to support the exhaust ring,

wherein an exhaust space is defined between the sidewall of the lower chamber and the exhaust ring to communicate with an exhaust port in the sidewall of the lower chamber.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of diffusion regions comprise a central region and a plurality of edge regions, wherein the central region has a lower central region and an upper central region positioned above the lower central region, the upper central region and the edge regions are positioned at the same height, the upper central region being the central area of the upper buffer space, the edge regions being the edge areas of the upper buffer space.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of diffusion regions comprise a central region, a plurality of intermediate regions, and a plurality of edge regions,

wherein the central region has a lower central region and an upper central region positioned above the lower central region, the intermediate region has a lower intermediate region and an upper intermediate region positioned above the lower intermediate region, the upper central region, the intermediate regions, and the edge regions are positioned at the same height, the upper central region being the central area of the upper buffer space, the edge regions being the edge areas of the upper buffer space.

11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 10, the partition member includes a lower partition member and an upper partition member disposed on the lower partition member,

the lower partition member includes:

a lower plate having a circular plate shape and having a plurality of lower through-holes to allow the reaction gas supplied into the upper buffer space to move into the lower buffer space through the lower through-holes, a circular recess part being recessed from a top surface of the lower plate;

a lower inner partition member disposed in the recess part to partition a space of the recess part into the circular lower central region and the lower intermediate regions, the lower intermediate regions defined in the outside of the lower central region;

a plurality of lower inner connection members extending radially from an outer circumferential surface of the lower inner partition member to partition the space of the recess part into the lower intermediate regions, so that the lower intermediate regions are isolated from each other;

a lower flange disposed along an edge of the lower plate to protrude a top surface of the lower plate; and

a plurality of lower outer connection members extending from an inner sidewall of the lower flange toward the center of the lower inner partition member in the radial direction, the edge regions are isolated from each other by the lower outer connection members,

the upper partition member includes;

the upper plate having a circular plate shape and having a plurality of upper through-holes;

an upper inner partition member disposed on a central portion of the upper plate to isolate the upper central region from the upper intermediate regions, the upper intermediate regions defined in the outside of the upper central region;

an upper flange disposed along an edge of the upper plate to protrude a top surface of the upper plate; and

a plurality of upper inner connection members disposed between the upper inner partition member and the upper flange in the radial direction with respect to the upper inner partition member to isolate the upper intermediate regions from each other.

2. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a lower chamber having an opened upper side;

an upper chamber opening or closing the upper side of the lower chamber, the upper chamber defining an inner space, in which a process is performed on a substrate, together with the lower chamber;

a susceptor disposed in the inner space and on which the substrate is placed;

a showerhead being disposed on a lower portion of the upper chamber and having a plurality of injection holes, wherein a buffer space is defined between the showerhead and the upper chamber so that a reaction gas supplied into the buffer space is supplied into the inner space through the injection holes;

a partition member disposed in the buffer space and spaced apart from a bottom of the buffer space to partition the buffer space into a plurality of diffusion regions, wherein the plurality of diffusion regions include a lower buffer space communicating with the injection holes and being positioned under the partition member to have a size substantially same as a diameter of the susceptor, and an upper buffer space being positioned above the lower buffer space, the upper buffer space being partitioned into a plurality of areas by the partition member; and

a plurality of gas supply ports disposed in the upper chamber to supply the reaction gas toward each of the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space,

wherein the lower buffer space communicates with the upper buffer space so that the reaction gas supplied into the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space moves into the lower buffer space, and the lower buffer space is configured such that the reaction gas from the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space is mixed with each other in the lower buffer space,

wherein the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space comprise a central area and a plurality of edge areas, and

the partition member comprises;

an inner partition member disposed on a circumference of the central area so as to be partitioned into the central area defined in the inside thereof and the edge areas defined in the outside thereof; and

a plurality of connection members connected to the outside of the inner partition member to block the edge areas against each other, preventing the reaction gas from moving from the edge areas to the central area or from the central area to the edge areas,

wherein each of the plurality of edge areas is a shape of a fan, and

wherein the gas supply ports are directly connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space which are blocked from each other.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of gas supply ports are connected to the edge areas, respectively.

4. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a lower chamber having an opened upper side;

an upper chamber opening or closing the upper side of the lower chamber, the upper chamber defining an inner space, in which a process is performed on a substrate, together with the lower chamber;

a susceptor disposed in the inner space and on which the substrate is placed;

a showerhead being disposed on a lower portion of the upper chamber and having a plurality of injection holes, wherein a buffer space is defined between the showerhead and the upper chamber so that a reaction gas supplied into the buffer space is supplied into the inner space through the injection holes;

a partition member disposed in the buffer space and spaced apart from a bottom of the buffer space to partition the buffer space into a plurality of diffusion regions, wherein the plurality of diffusion regions include a lower buffer space communicating with the injection holes and being positioned under the partition member to have a size substantially same as a diameter of the susceptor, and an upper buffer space being positioned above the lower buffer space, the upper buffer space being partitioned into a plurality of areas by the partition member; and

a plurality of gas supply ports disposed in the upper chamber to supply the reaction gas toward each of the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space,

wherein the lower buffer space communicates with the upper buffer space so that the reaction gas supplied into the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space moves into the lower buffer space, and the lower buffer space is configured such that the reaction gas from the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space is mixed with each other in the lower buffer space,

wherein the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space comprise a central area, a plurality of intermediate areas, and a plurality of edge areas, and

the partition member comprises;

an inner partition member disposed on a circumference of the central area so as to be partitioned into the central area defined in the inside thereof and the intermediate areas defined in the outside thereof, preventing the reaction gas from moving from the central area to the intermediate areas or from the intermediate areas to the central area;

a plurality of inner connection members connected to an outside of the inner partition member to block the intermediate areas against each other;

an outer partition member spaced apart from a circumference of the inner partition member so as to be partitioned into the intermediate areas defined inside thereof and the edge areas defined outside thereof, preventing the reaction gas from moving from the intermediate areas to the edge areas or from the intermediate areas to the edge areas; and

a plurality of outer connection members connected to the outside of the outer partition member to block the edge areas against each other,

wherein each of the plurality of edge areas is a shape of a fan, and

wherein the gas supply ports are directly connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of areas of the upper buffer space which are blocked from each other.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the plurality of gas supply ports are connected to the edge areas and the intermediate areas, respectively.