METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20110065289A1
• Filed: 09/13/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corp.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: ASAI, Masayuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,168,549 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/791
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/345 Silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45525 Atomic layer deposition [ALD]
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45557 Pulsed pressure or control pressure
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0217 the material being a silicon nitride not containing oxygen, e.g. SixNy or SixByNz H01L21/02126 and H01L21/0214 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3185 of siliconnitrides

Abstract

There are provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and a substrate processing apparatus by which the quality of a silicon nitride film can be improved. The method comprises: supplying a silicon-containing gas into a process chamber in which a substrate is accommodated in a heated state; and supplying a nitrogen-containing gas into the process chamber. The supplying of the silicon-containing gas and the supplying of the nitrogen-containing gas are alternately repeated to form a silicon nitride film on the substrate. The process chamber is switched at least once between an exhaust stop state and an exhaust operation state during the supplying of the nitrogen-containing gas so as to vary an inside pressure of the process chamber in a manner such that the maximum inside pressure of the process chamber is twenty or more times the minimum inside pressure of the process chamber.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

supplying a silicon-containing gas into a process chamber in which a substrate is accommodated in a heated state; and

supplying a nitrogen-containing gas into the process chamber,

wherein the supplying of the silicon-containing gas and the supplying of the nitrogen-containing gas are alternately repeated to form a silicon nitride film on the substrate,

wherein the process chamber is switched at least once between an exhaust stop state and an exhaust operation state during the supplying of the nitrogen-containing gas so as to vary an inside pressure of the process chamber in a manner such that the maximum inside pressure of the process chamber is twenty or more times the minimum inside pressure of the process chamber.

2. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a process chamber configured to process a substrate;

a first gas supply unit configured to supply a silicon-containing gas into the process chamber;

a second gas supply unit configured to supply a nitrogen-containing gas into the process chamber;

a heater configured to heat the substrate in the process chamber;

an exhaust unit configured to exhaust gas from the process chamber; and

a controller configured to control the exhaust unit, the first gas supply unit, the second gas supply unit, and the heater,

wherein the controller controls supplying a silicon-containing gas into the process chamber and supplying a nitrogen-containing gas into the process chamber so that the supplying of the silicon-containing gas and the supplying of the nitrogen-containing gas are alternately repeated to fowl a silicon nitride film on the substrate, and

the controller controls the supplying of the nitrogen-containing gas to switch the process chamber at least once between an exhaust stop state and an exhaust operation state during the supplying of the nitrogen-containing gas so as to vary an inside pressure of the process chamber in a manner such that the maximum inside pressure of the process chamber is twenty or more times the minimum inside pressure of the process chamber.