METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING EPITAXIAL WAFER

• US 20120174859A1
• Filed: 09/10/2010
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumco Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sumco Corporation
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Kenji, Tsuji, Masayuki
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 117/88
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/02 Epitaxial-layer growth
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/12 Substrate holders or susceptors
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/16 Controlling or regulating controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/06 Silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02532 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD

Abstract

After removing deposit on a susceptor in an epitaxial growth furnace by a cleaning recipe (step S101), a first epitaxial wafer is produced by growing an epitaxial layer on a first wafer based on a process recipe A (step S102). Subsequently, a step of producing an epitaxial wafer by growing an epitaxial layer on a wafer based on a process recipe B including second control parameters set such that the epitaxial wafer has approximately the same film thickness profile as the first wafer (step S103) is repeated a plurality of times to successively produce a plurality of epitaxial wafers (step S104). The cleaning recipe, the process recipe A, and the process recipe B repeated a plurality of times are carried out repeatedly (step S105).

Claims

1. A method for producing epitaxial wafers using a single wafer processing epitaxial growth furnace, comprising the steps of:

cleaning for removing deposit on a susceptor in the epitaxial growth furnace;

first wafer processing for obtaining a first epitaxial wafer by mounting a first wafer on the susceptor and growing an epitaxial layer on the first wafer based on first control parameters; and

second wafer processing after transferring the first epitaxial wafer on the susceptor, for obtaining a second epitaxial wafer by mounting a second wafer on the susceptor and growing an epitaxial layer on the second wafer based on second control parameters set such that the second epitaxial wafer has approximately the same film thickness profile as the first epitaxial wafer.

2. The method for producing epitaxial wafers according to claim 1, wherein a process sequence of performing the step of cleaning, subsequently performing the step of the first wafer processing once, and successively performing the step of the second wafer processing twice or more after the first wafer processing, is carried out repeatedly.

3. The method for producing epitaxial wafers according to claim 1, wherein the first control parameters and the second control parameters are different from each other in at least one of process conditions of a flow rate of reactive gas for growing the epitaxial layer, processing time, and a flow rate of dopant gas.

4. The method for producing epitaxial wafers according to claim 3, wherein the epitaxial growth furnace includes a layer formation chamber which is substantially partitioned into an upper space and a lower space by the susceptor, and the first control parameters and the second control parameters each include a flow rate of the reactive gas supplied to the upper space of the layer formation chamber and a flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the lower space of the layer formation chamber.

5. The method for producing epitaxial wafers according to claim 4, wherein the flow rate of the reactive gas, which is included in the second control parameters, is lower than the flow rate of the reactive gas, which is included in the first control parameters.

6. The method for producing epitaxial wafers according to claim 4, wherein the flow rate of the inert gas, which is included in the second control parameters, is lower than the flow rate of the inert gas, which is included in the first control parameters.

7. The method for producing epitaxial wafers according to anyone of claims 1 to 6, wherein at least a surface portion of the susceptor is made of silicon carbide (SiC) through the cleaning step.

8. The method for producing epitaxial wafers according to anyone of claims 1 to 6, wherein the reactive gas is trichlorosilane (SiHCh).

9. The method for producing epitaxial wafers according to anyone of claims 1 to 6, wherein the inert gas is hydrogen gas (H2 gas).

10. An apparatus for producing epitaxial wafers, comprising:

a single wafer processing epitaxial growth furnace;

a storage means for storing;

a cleaning recipe for removing deposit on a susceptor in the epitaxial growth furnace, a first process recipe for obtaining a first epitaxial wafer by growing an epitaxial layer on a first wafer mounted on the susceptor based on first control parameters, and

a second process recipe for obtaining a second epitaxial wafer having a film thickness profile approximately the same as the first epitaxial wafer by growing an epitaxial layer on the second wafer mounted on the susceptor based on second control parameters different from the first control parameters; and

a control means for reading out the recipes stored in the storage means to control the epitaxial growth apparatus in accordance with the read out recipes.

11. The apparatus for producing epitaxial wafers according to claim 10, wherein the control means repeatedly carries out a process sequence of performing the cleaning recipe, subsequently performing the first process recipe once, and successively performing the second process recipe a plurality of times after the first process recipe is carried out.

12. The apparatus for producing epitaxial wafers according to claim 10, wherein the first control parameters and the second control parameters are different from each other in at least one of process conditions of a flow rate of reactive gas for growing the epitaxial layer, processing time, and a flow rate of dopant gas.

13. The apparatus for producing epitaxial wafers according to claim 12, wherein the epitaxial growth furnace includes a layer formation chamber, the layer formation chamber being substantially partitioned into an upper space and a lower space by the susceptor inside, and the first control parameters and the second control parameters each include a flow rate of the reactive gas supplied to the upper space of the layer formation chamber for growing the epitaxial layer and a flow rate of inert gas supplied to the lower space of the layer formation chamber.

14. The apparatus for producing epitaxial wafers according to claim 13, wherein the flow rate of the reactive gas, which is included in the second control parameters, is lower than the flow rate of the reactive gas, which is included in the first control parameters.

15. The apparatus for producing epitaxial wafers according to claim 13, wherein the flow rate of the inert gas, which is included in the second control parameters, is lower than the flow rate of the inert gas, which is included in the first control parameters.

16. The apparatus for producing epitaxial wafers according to anyone of claims 10 to 15, wherein at least a surface portion of the susceptor is made of silicon carbide (SiC) and a superficial layer of the silicon carbide is exposed through the cleaning recipe.