FILM DEPOSITION APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20100050943A1
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Kato, Hitoshi, Haneishi, Tomoki, Honma, Manabu
• Granted Patent: US 8,673,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/730
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/401 containing silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45502 Flow conditions in reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45508 Radial flow
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45551 for relative movement of the substrate and the gas injectors or half-reaction reactor compartments
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4583 the substrate being supported substantially horizontally

Abstract

A film deposition apparatus includes: a turntable; a first reaction gas supply part and a second reaction gas supply part extending from a circumferential edge toward a rotation center of the turntable; and a first separation gas supply part provided between the first and second reaction gas supply parts. A first space contains the first reaction gas supply part and has a first height. A second space contains the second reaction gas supply part and has a second height. A third space contains a first separation gas supply part and has a height lower than the first and second heights. A motor provided under the rotation center of the turntable rotates the turntable. A rotation shaft of the turntable and a drive shaft of the motor are coupled without generation of slip.

Claims

1. A film deposition apparatus for depositing a thin film on a substrate in a vacuum chamber by sequentially supplying at least two kinds of source gases that contains a first reaction gas and a second reaction gas and by carrying out a supply cycle to sequentially supply said at least two kinds of source gases, the film deposition apparatus comprising:

a turntable rotatably provided in the chamber and having a substrate placement part on which a substrate is placed;

a first reaction gas supply part and a second reaction gas supply part each of which extends from one of positions different from each other on a circumferential edge of said turntable toward a rotation center of said turntable in order to supply said first reaction gas and said second reaction gas, respectively;

a first separation gas supply part extending from a position on the circumferential edge of said turntable between said first reaction gas supply part and said second reaction gas supply part toward the rotation center of said turntable in order to supply a first separation gas for separating said first reaction gas and said second reaction gas from each other;

a first bottom surface area defined in a bottom surface of a ceiling plate of said vacuum chamber and containing said first reaction gas supply part, the first bottom surface area provided at a first height from said turntable;

a first space formed between said first bottom surface area and said turntable;

a second bottom surface area defined in the bottom surface of said ceiling plate of said vacuum chamber and containing said second reaction gas supply part, the second bottom surface area provided at a position separate from said first bottom surface area and at a second height from said turntable;

a second space formed between said second bottom surface area and said turntable;

a third bottom surface area defined in the bottom surface of said ceiling plate and containing said first separation gas supply part, said third bottom surface area positioned on both sides of said first separation gas supply part along a rotating direction of said turntable, said third bottom surface area provided at a third height from said turntable lower than said first height and said second height;

a thin third space formed between said third bottom surface area and said turntable and having said third height so that said first separation gas supplied from said first separation gas supply part flows into said first space and said second space;

a central part area defined in the bottom surface of said ceiling plate, said central part area being provided with a second separation gas supply part on a side of said substrate placement part with respect to the rotation center of said turntable, said second supply part supplying a second separation gas for separating said first reaction gas and said second reaction gas from each other;

an exhaust port configured to exhaust said first reaction gas and said second reaction gas together with said first separation gas discharged to both sides of said third space and said second separation gas discharged from said central part area; and

a motor provided under a rotation shaft of said turntable to rotate said turntable,

wherein said rotation shaft of said turntable is coupled to a drive shaft of said motor without slip.

2. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a center of said rotation shaft of said turntable and a center of said drive shaft of said motor are aligned with each other, and said rotation shaft of said turntable and said drive shaft of said motor are coupled with each other without a displacement being generated in angular positions.

3. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transmission apparatus configured to reduce a rotation speed of said motor using gears to transmit a drive power of said motor to said turntable.

4. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said motor includes a servo motor.

5. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a third separation gas supply part under the rotation center of said turntable, the third separation gas supply part configured to supply a third separation gas for separating said first reaction gas and said second reaction gas from each other.

6. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a fourth separation gas supply part between a bottom surface of said vacuum chamber and said turntable, the fourth separation gas supply part configured to supply a fourth separation gas for separating said first reaction gas and said second reaction gas from each other.

7. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a column extending between a bottom surface of said ceiling plate and a bottom surface of said vacuum chamber in a central part of said vacuum chamber; and

a rotation sleeve configured to surround said column and rotatable about a vertical axis,

wherein said rotation sleeve serves as said rotation shaft of said turntable.

8. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, instead of said first bottom surface part, including:

a fourth bottom surface area containing said first reaction gas supply part and provided at a position lower than said first height from said turntable; and

a fifth bottom surface area adjacent to said fourth bottom surface area and provided at said first height from said turntable.

9. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, instead of said second bottom surface part, including:

a sixth bottom surface area containing said second reaction gas supply part and provided at a position lower than said second height from said turntable; and

a seventh bottom surface area adjacent to said sixth bottom surface area and provided at said second height from said turntable.

10. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a surface of said substrate placed on said substrate placement part is at the same level as a surface of said turntable or said surface of said substrate is lower than said surface of said turntable.

11. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein gas introducing ports are provided on a side of rotation center or a side of circumferential edge of said turntable to introduce the first and second reaction gases and the first separation gas to said first reaction gas supply part, said second reaction gas supply part and said first separation gas supply part.

12. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first separation gas supply part is provided with discharge holes arranged from a rotation center side of said turntable toward a circumferential edge side of said turntable.

13. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of areas defined by dividing said third bottom surface area by said discharge holes of said first separation gas supply part has a width of 50 mm in a portion where a center of said substrate placed on said substrate placement part passes through in the rotating direction of said turntable.

14. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a first exhaust port and a second exhaust port provided adjacent to said first space and said second space and along a circumferential edge of a bottom surface of said vacuum chamber.

15. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pressure in said third space is higher tan a pressure in said first space and said second space.

16. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a heating part under said turntable to heat said turntable.

17. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a conveyance port provided on a side surface of said vacuum chamber, said conveyance port configured to be opened and closed by a gate valve to carry said substrate in or out of said vacuum chamber.

18. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said third bottom surface area has a shape having a width increased from a rotation center of said turntable toward a circumferential edge of said turntable.

19. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said third bottom surface area has a sectoral shape in a plane view.

20. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1;

a vacuum conveyance chamber airtightly connected to said film deposition apparatus and provided with a substrate conveyance part therein; and

a preliminary vacuum chamber airtightly connected to said vacuum transportation chamber, a pressure inside said preliminary vacuum chamber being changed between an atmospheric pressure and a vacuum pressure.