Cvd apparatus and method of cleaning the cvd apparatus

• US 20040250775A1
• Filed: 04/27/2004
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Anelva Corporation (Canon Inc.), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Government of Japan), Kanto Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd., Kokusai Electric Corp., Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Renesas Electronics Corporation, Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Tokyo Electron Limited, Ulvac Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Sekiya, Akira, Abe, Kaoru, Ohira, Yutaka, Okura, Seiji, Wani, Etsuo, Kameda, Kenji, Sakai, Katsuo, Murata, Hitoshi, Yonemura, Taisuke, Sakamura, Masaji, Mitsui, Yuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,277,560 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/728
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4405 Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45593 Recirculation of reactive gases
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02046 Dry cleaning only H01L21/02085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/30 of perfluorocarbons [PFC], hydrofluorocarbons [HFC] or sulfur hexafluoride [SF6]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

It is an object to provide a cleaning method in a CVD apparatus capable of efficiently removing a by-product such as SiO₂ or Si₃N₄ which is adhered to and deposited on the surfaces of an inner wall, an electrode and the like in a reaction chamber at a film forming step, in which the amount of a cleaning gas to be discharged is very small, an influence on an environment such as global warming is also lessened and a cost can also be reduced.

In a CVD apparatus for supplying a reactive gas into a reaction chamber and forming a deposited film on a surface of a base material provided in the reaction chamber, an exhaust gas recycling path for recycling an exhaust gas reaching the reaction chamber from the downstream side of a pump is provided on an exhaust path for exhausting a gas from an inner part of the reaction chamber through the pump.

Claims

1. A CVD apparatus for supplying a reactive gas into a reaction chamber and forming a deposited film on a surface of a base material provided in the reaction chamber,

wherein an exhaust gas recycling path for recycling an exhaust gas reaching the reaction chamber is provided on an exhaust path for exhausting a gas from an inner part of the reaction chamber through a pump.

2. The CVD apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust gas recycling path is constituted to recycle an exhaust gas from a downstream side of a dry pump to the reaction chamber.

3. The CVD apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a polymer film device for absorbing and removing an inactive gas in an exhaust gas is provided on the exhaust gas recycling path.

4. The CVD apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a separator for selectively removing an unnecessary exhaust gas component is provided on the exhaust gas recycling path.

5. The CVD apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a compressor for raising a pressure of an exhaust gas and recycling the exhaust gas to the reaction chamber is provided on the exhaust gas recycling path.

6. The CVD apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a control device for detecting a component of the exhaust gas recycled into the reaction chamber and for causing the gas component to be constant is provided on the exhaust gas recycling path.

7. The CVD apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust gas recycling path is provided with a pressure releasing device for releasing a pressure when the exhaust gas recycling path has a constant pressure or more.

8. The CVD apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a switching device for switching the exhaust gas recycling path and a reactive gas supply path is provided,

the exhaust gas recycling path is opened when a cleaning gas is to be introduced into the reaction chamber through the reactive gas supply path to clean an inner part of the reaction chamber, and

a switching control is carried out by the switching device to close the exhaust gas recycling path when a deposited film is to be formed on a surface of a base material in the reaction chamber.

9. The CVD apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the reactive gas supply path and the exhaust gas recycling path are opened in an initial stage of the cleaning during the cleaning, and

a switching control is carried out by the switching device in order to close the reactive gas supply path to carry out the cleaning after the cleaning progresses.

10. The CVD apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a switching device for switching the exhaust gas recycling path and a reactive gas supply path,

the exhaust gas recycling path being opened if necessary when a cleaning gas is to be introduced into the reaction chamber through a remote plasma generating device, thereby cleaning an inner part of the reaction chamber, and

a switching control being carried out by a switching device in order to close the exhaust gas recycling path when a deposited film is to be formed on the surface of the base material in the reaction chamber.

11. The CVD apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a cleaning gas supply path from a remote plasma generating device is opened and the exhaust gas recycling path is opened if necessary in an initial stage of the cleaning during the cleaning, and

a switching control is carried out by the switching device in order to close the cleaning gas supply path to carry out the cleaning after the cleaning progresses.

12. The CVD apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after a film forming process for a substrate is carried out by the CVD apparatus, a cleaning gas to be used for removing a by-product adhered into the reaction chamber, is a cleaning gas containing a fluorine gas.

13. A method of cleaning a CVD apparatus in which a reactive gas is supplied into a reaction chamber through a reactive gas supply path and a deposited film is formed on a surface of a base material provided in the reaction chamber, and an inner part of the reaction chamber is then cleaned, comprising the step of:

cleaning the inner part of the reaction chamber while recycling an exhaust gas to the reaction chamber through an exhaust gas recycling path which is provided on an exhaust path for exhausting a gas from the inner part of the reaction chamber through a pump.

14. The method of cleaning a CVD apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the exhaust gas recycling path is constituted to recycle the exhaust gas from a downstream side of a dry pump to the reaction chamber.

15. The method of cleaning a CVD apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a polymer film device for absorbing and removing an inactive gas in the exhaust gas is provided on the exhaust gas recycling path.

16. The method of cleaning a CVD apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a separator for selectively removing an unnecessary exhaust gas component is provided on the exhaust gas recycling path.

17. The method of cleaning a CVD apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a compressor for raising a pressure of the exhaust gas and recycling the exhaust gas into the reaction chamber is provided on the exhaust gas recycling path.

18. The method of cleaning a CVD apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a control device for detecting a component of the exhaust gas recycled into the reaction chamber and for causing the gas component to be constant is provided on the exhaust gas recycling path.

19. The method of cleaning a CVD apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the exhaust gas recycling path is provided with a pressure releasing device for releasing a pressure when the exhaust gas recycling path has a constant pressure or more.

20. The method of cleaning a CVD apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the reactive gas supply path is opened and the exhaust gas recycling path is opened if necessary in an initial stage of the cleaning during the cleaning, and

the reactive gas supply path is closed to carry out the cleaning after the cleaning progresses.

21. The method of cleaning a CVD apparatus according to claim 13, wherein when a cleaning gas is to be introduced into the reaction chamber through the remote plasma generating device, thereby cleaning an inner part of the reaction chamber, a cleaning gas supply path from a remote plasma generating device is opened and the exhaust gas recycling path is opened if necessary in an initial stage of the cleaning, and

the reactive gas supply path is closed to carry out the cleaning after the cleaning progresses.

22. The method of cleaning a CVD apparatus according to claim 13, wherein after a film forming process for a substrate is carried out by the CVD apparatus, a cleaning gas to be used for removing a by-product adhered into the reaction chamber, is a cleaning gas containing a fluorine gas.