FILM DEPOSITION APPARATUS, FILM DEPOSITION METHOD, AND COMPUTER READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20100260935A1
• Filed: 04/05/2010
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Hiroyuki, Honma, Manabu, KATO, HITOSHI
• Granted Patent: US 8,882,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/255.280
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/402 Silicon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45519 Inert gas curtains
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45536 Use of plasma, radiation or electromagnetic fields
• 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 16/45578 Elongated nozzles, tubes with holes
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/458 characterised by the method used for supporting substrates in the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/46 characterised by the method used for heating the substrate C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/463 Cooling of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/482 using incoherent light, UV to IR, e.g. lamps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/54 Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67115 mainly by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67207 comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68764 characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating caroussel
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68771 characterised by supporting more than one semiconductor substrate

Abstract

A rotation table on which a wafer is placed is rotated around a vertical axis in order to supply to an upper surface of the wafer a first reaction gas for allowing the first reaction gas to be adsorbed on the upper surface, an auxiliary gas that reacts with the first reaction gas to produce an intermediate product having reflowability, and a second reaction gas that is reacted with the intermediate product to produce a reaction product in this order; and the reaction product is heated by a heating lamp in order to densify the reaction product.

Claims

1. A film deposition apparatus for depositing a film on a substrate by relatively rotating a table on which the substrate is placed and plural reaction gas supplying portions configured to supply corresponding reaction gases that react with one another in order to supply in turn the reaction gases to the substrate, thereby producing a layer of a reaction product, the film deposition apparatus comprising:

a substrate receiving area provided to place the substrate on an upper surface of the table in a vacuum chamber;

a rotational mechanism configured to rotate the plural reaction gas supplying portions and the table in relation to each other so that the substrate is located in turn in plural process areas where the corresponding reaction gases are supplied from the corresponding gas supplying portions;

a first reaction gas supplying portion configured to supply a first reaction gas in order to adsorb the first reaction gas on the substrate, wherein the first reaction gas supplying portion opposes the substrate receiving area on the table;

an auxiliary gas supplying portion configured to supply to the substrate an auxiliary gas that reacts with the first reaction gas adsorbed on the substrate to produce an intermediate product having reflowability, wherein the auxiliary gas supplying portion is provided away from and downstream relative to the first reaction gas supplying portion along a relative rotation direction of the table in relation to the plural reaction gas supplying portions, and opposes the wafer receiving area on the table;

a second reaction gas supplying portion configured to supply to the substrate a second reaction gas that reacts with the intermediate product on the substrate to produce a reaction product, wherein the second reaction gas supplying portion is provided downstream relative to the auxiliary gas supplying portion along the relative rotation direction, and opposes the wafer receiving area on the table; and

a heating portion configured to heat the substrate in order to densify the reaction product, wherein the heating portion is provided downstream relative to the second gas supplying portion and upstream relative to the first reaction gas supplying portion along the relative rotation direction, and opposes the wafer receiving area on the table.

2. The film deposition apparatus recited in claim 1, further comprising separation gas supplying portions in corresponding separation areas provided between a first process area where the first reaction gas is supplied and an auxiliary process area where the auxiliary gas is supplied, and between a second process area where the second reaction gas is supplied and the first reaction gas supplying area, respectively, in order to separate atmospheres of the corresponding process areas.

3. The film deposition apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the heating portion includes a heating lamp provided to oppose the wafer receiving area on the table.

4. The film deposition apparatus recited in claim 1, further comprising a control portion configured to output a control signal so that adsorption of the first reaction gas on the substrate, production of the intermediate product, production of the reaction product, and densification of the reaction product are repeated in this order plural times by rotating the table in order to carry out a cycle of supplying to the substrate the first reaction gas, the auxiliary gas, and the second gas in this order from the first gas supplying portion, the auxiliary gas supplying portion, and the second gas supplying portion, respectively, and then by heating the substrate in order to densify the reaction product every time the cycle is carried out.

5. The film deposition apparatus recited in claim 1, further comprising a control portion configured to output a control signal so that adsorption of the first reaction gas on the substrate, production of the intermediate product, and production of the reaction product are repeated in this order plural times by rotating the table in order to carry out a cycle of supplying to the substrate the first reaction gas, the auxiliary gas, and the second gas in this order from the first gas supplying portion, the auxiliary gas supplying portion, and the second gas supplying portion, respectively, and then by heating the substrate in order to densify the reaction product after the cycle is carried out plural times.

6. The film deposition apparatus recited in claim 1, further comprising a plasma supplying portion configured to supply plasma to the substrate, wherein the plasma supplying portion is provided downstream relative to the second reaction gas supplying portion and upstream relative to the heating portion along the relative rotation direction, and opposes the substrate receiving area on the table.

7. The film deposition apparatus recited in claim 1, further comprising a third reaction gas supplying portion configured to supply a third reaction gas containing a dopant of at least one of boron and phosphorus to an upper surface of the substrate in order to dope the dopant into the reaction product, wherein the third reaction gas supplying portion is provided downstream relative to the first reaction gas supplying portion and upstream relative to the heating portion along the relative rotation direction.

8. A film deposition method for depositing a film on a substrate by relatively rotating a table on which the substrate is placed and plural reaction gas supplying portions configured to supply corresponding reaction gases that react with one another in order to supply in turn the reaction gases to the substrate, thereby producing a layer of a reaction product, the film deposition method comprising steps of:

placing the substrate in a substrate receiving area on the table provided in a vacuum chamber;

rotating the plural reaction gas supplying portions and the table in relation to each other;

supplying a first reaction gas to an upper surface of the substrate from a first reaction gas supplying portion provided to oppose the substrate receiving area on the table, thereby adsorbing the first reaction gas on the substrate;

supplying to the upper surface of the substrate an auxiliary gas that reacts with the first reaction gas from an auxiliary gas supplying portion that is provided away from and downstream relative to the first reaction gas supplying portion along a relative rotation direction of the table in relation to the plural reaction gas supplying portions, and opposes the wafer receiving area on the table, thereby allowing the auxiliary gas to react with the first reaction gas adsorbed on the substrate to produce an intermediate product having reflowability;

supplying to the upper surface of the substrate a second reaction gas that reacts with the intermediate product from a second reaction gas supplying portion that is provided downstream relative to the auxiliary gas supplying portion along the relative rotation direction, and opposes the wafer receiving area on the table, thereby allowing the second reaction gas to react with the intermediate product on the substrate to produce a reaction product; and

heating the substrate by a heating portion that is provided downstream relative to the second gas supplying portion and upstream relative to the first reaction gas supplying portion along the relative rotation direction, and opposes the wafer receiving area on the table, thereby desifying the reaction product.

9. The film deposition method recited in claim 8, further comprising, prior to the step of supplying the first reaction gas, a step of supplying a separation gas from separation gas supplying portions to corresponding separation areas provided between a first process area where the first reaction gas is supplied and an auxiliary process area where the auxiliary gas is supplied, and between a second process area where the second reaction gas is supplied and the first reaction gas supplying area, respectively.

10. The film deposition method recited in claim 8, wherein the substrate is heated by a heating lamp that opposes the substrate receiving area in the step of heating the substrate.

11. The film deposition method recited in claim 8, wherein the steps of supplying the first reaction gas, supplying the auxiliary gas, supplying the second reaction gas, and heating the substrate are repeated in this order plural times.

12. The film deposition method recited in claim 8, wherein the steps of supplying the first reaction gas, supplying the auxiliary gas, and supplying the second reaction gas are repeated in this order plural times, prior to the step of heating the substrate.

13. The film deposition method recited in claim 8, further comprising, prior to the step of heating the substrate, a step of supplying a third reaction gas containing a dopant of at least one of boron and phosphorous to the upper surface of the substrate from a third reaction gas supplying portion that is provided downstream relative to the first reaction gas supplying portion and upstream relative to the heating portion along the relative rotation direction, thereby adsorbing the third reaction gas on the upper surface of the substrate, in order to dope the dopant into the reaction product.

14. A computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for use in a film deposition apparatus for depositing a film on a substrate by relatively rotating a table on which the substrate is placed and plural reaction gas supplying portions configured to supply corresponding reaction gases that react with one another in order to supply in turn the reaction gases to the substrate, thereby producing a layer of a reaction product, the computer program comprising instruction steps for causing the film deposition apparatus to execute the film deposition method recited in claim 8.