Substrate processing apparatus and method for manufacturing semiconductor device

• US 20080264337A1
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corp.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Itatani, Hideharu, Sano, Atsushi, Tanabe, Mitsuro
• Granted Patent: US 8,235,001 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/704
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4408 by purging residual gases from the reaction chamber or gas lines

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device whereby foreign matter can be prevented from being adsorbed on the substrate, by suppressing agitation of foreign matter present in the processing chamber. The substrate processing apparatus comprises a processing chamber for processing a substrate; a processing gas feeding line for feeding a processing gas into the processing chamber; an inert gas feeding line for feeding an inert gas into the processing chamber; an inert gas vent line provided in the inert gas feeding line, for exhausting the inert gas fed into the inert gas feeding line without feeding the inert gas into the processing chamber; a first valve provided in the inert gas feeding line, on a downstream side of a part where the inert gas vent line is provided in the inert gas feeding line; a second valve provided in the inert gas vent line; and an exhaust line that exhausts an inside of the processing chamber.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber for processing a substrate;

a processing gas feeding line for feeding a processing gas into said processing chamber;

an inert gas feeding line for feeding an inert gas into said processing chamber;

an inert gas vent line provided in said inert gas feeding line, for exhausting said inert gas fed into said inert gas feeding line without feeding said inert gas into the processing chamber;

a first valve provided in said inert gas feeding line, on a downstream side of a part where said inert gas vent line is provided in said inert gas feeding line;

a second valve provided in said inert gas vent line; and

an exhaust line that exhausts an inside of said processing chamber.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a controller that controls said valves so that:

said inert gas fed into said inert gas feeding line is exhausted in advance through said inert gas vent line when said inert gas is not fed into said processing chamber through said inert gas feeding line; and

a flow of said inert gas fed into said inert gas feeding line is switched from the flow toward said inert gas vent line to the flow toward the inside of said processing chamber when said inert gas is fed into said processing chamber through said inert gas feeding line.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a processing gas vent line provided in said processing gas feeding line, for exhausting said processing gas fed into said processing gas feeding line without feeding said processing gas into said processing chamber;

a third valve provided in said processing gas feeding line, on a downstream side of a part where said processing gas vent line is provided in said processing gas feeding line;

a fourth valve provided in said processing gas vent line; and

a controller that controls said valves so that said processing gas and said inert gas are alternately fed into said processing chamber, said inert gas fed into said inert gas feeding line is exhausted through said inert gas vent line without being fed into said processing chamber when said processing gas is exhausted through said exhaust line while being fed into said processing chamber through said processing gas feeding line, and said processing gas fed into said processing gas feeding line is exhausted through said processing gas vent line without being fed into said processing chamber when said inert gas is exhausted through said exhaust line while being fed into said processing chamber through said inert gas feeding line.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

a flow rate controller is provided in each of said processing gas feeding line and said inert gas feeding line;

and

said controller furthermore controls said flow rate controllers so as to make constant;

a total flow rate of a flow rate of the gas exhausted through said exhaust line and a flow rate of the gas exhausted through said inert gas vent line when said processing gas is fed into said processing chamber; and

a total flow rate of a flow rate of the gas exhausted through said processing gas vent line and a flow rate of the gas exhausted through said exhaust line when said inert gas is fed into said processing chamber; and

so as to make constant;

a ratio between a flow rate of the gas exhausted through said inert gas vent line and a flow rate of the gas exhausted through said exhaust line when said processing gas is fed into said processing chamber; and

a ratio between a flow rate of the gas exhausted through said processing gas vent line and a flow rate of the gas exhausted through said exhaust line when said inert gas is fed into said processing chamber.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said controller furthermore controls said flow rate controllers so that a total gas flow rate of the gas fed into said processing chamber is kept constant when said processing gas and said inert gas are alternately fed into said processing chamber.

6. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber for processing a substrate;

a first processing gas feeding line for feeding a first processing gas into said processing chamber;

a second processing gas feeding line for feeding a second processing gas into said processing chamber;

an inert gas feeding line for feeding an inert gas into said processing chamber;

an inert gas vent line provided in said inert gas feeding line, for exhausting said inert gas fed into said inert gas feeding line without feeding said inert gas into said processing chamber;

a first valve provided in said inert gas feeding line, on a downstream side of a part where said inert gas vent line is provided in said inert gas feeding line;

a second valve provided in said inert gas vent line; and

an exhaust line that exhausts an inside of said processing chamber.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, comprising:

a first processing gas vent line provided in said first processing gas feeding line, for exhausting said first processing gas fed into said first processing gas feeding line without feeding said first processing gas into said processing chamber;

a second processing gas vent line provided in said second processing gas feeding line, for exhausting said second processing gas fed into said second processing gas feeding line without feeding said second processing gas into said processing chamber;

a third valve provided in said first processing gas feeding line, on a downstream side of a part where said first processing gas vent line is provided in said first processing gas feeding line;

a fourth valve provided in said first processing gas vent line;

a fifth valve provided in said second processing gas feeding line, on a downstream side of a part where said second processing gas vent line is provided in said second processing gas feeding line;

a sixth valve provided in said second processing gas vent line; and

a controller that controls said valves so that;

said first processing gas, said inert gas, said second processing gas, and said inert gas are repeatedly fed in sequence into said processing chamber;

said inert gas fed into said inert gas feeding line is exhausted through said inert gas vent line without being fed into said processing chamber when said first processing gas is fed into said processing chamber through said first processing gas feeding line, and when said second processing gas is fed into said processing chamber through said second processing gas feeding line; and

said first processing gas fed into said first processing gas feeding line is exhausted through said first processing gas vent line without being fed into said processing chamber, and said second processing gas fed into said second processing gas feeding line is exhausted through said second processing gas vent line without being fed into said processing chamber when said inert gas is fed into said processing chamber through said inert gas feeding line.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a flow rate controller is provided in each of said first processing gas feeding line, said second processing gas feeding line, and said inert gas feeding line, and said controller furthermore controls said flow rate controllers so that a total gas flow rate of the gas fed into said processing chamber is constant when said first processing gas, said inert gas, said second processing gas, and said inert gas are repeatedly fed in sequence into said processing chamber.

9. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising:

loading a substrate into a processing chamber;

processing the substrate in said processing chamber; and

unloading the substrate from said processing chamber after processing;

wherein

said processing the substrate comprises;

feeding a processing gas into said processing chamber through a processing gas feeding line; and

feeding an inert gas into said processing chamber through an inert gas feeding line; and

in said feeding the processing gas, said inert gas fed into said inert gas feeding line is exhausted through an inert gas vent line provided in said inert gas feeding line without being fed into said processing chamber; and

in said feeding the inert gas, a flow of inert gas fed into said inert gas feeding line is switched from the flow toward said inert gas vent line to the flow toward an inside of said processing chamber.

10. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein a total gas flow rate of the gas fed into said processing chamber is kept constant in said feeding the processing gas and said feeding the inert gas.

11. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising:

loading a substrate into a processing chamber;

processing the substrate in said processing chamber; and

unloading the substrate from said processing chamber after processing;

wherein

in said processing the substrate, feeding a first processing gas into said processing chamber through a first processing gas feeding line, feeding inert gas into said processing chamber through an inert gas feeding line, feeding a second processing gas into said processing chamber through a second processing gas feeding line, and feeding said inert gas into said processing chamber through said inert gas feeding line, are set as one cycle, and this cycle is repeated multiple number of times, and

in said feeding the first processing gas and said feeding the second processing gas, said inert gas fed into said inert gas feeding line is exhausted through an inert gas vent line provided in said inert gas feeding line without being fed into said processing chamber, and

in said feeding the inert gas, a flow of said inert gas fed into said inert gas feeding line is switched from the flow toward said inert gas vent line to the flow toward an inside of said processing chamber.

12. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein a total gas flow rate of the gas fed into said processing chamber is kept constant when said cycle is repeated multiple number of times.