SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20160111304A1
• Filed: 10/19/2015
• Published: 04/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: TAKAHASHI, Hiroyuki, TODA, Satoshi, KAZAMA, Kazunori, IWABUCHI, Noriyuki, TAKAHASHI, Tetsuro
• Granted Patent: US 10,460,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45557 Pulsed pressure or control pressure
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45561 Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3065 Plasma etching; Reactive-ion etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31116 by dry-etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67017 Apparatus for fluid treatment H01L21/67126, H01L21/6715 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers

Abstract

There is provided a substrate processing apparatus of performing a predetermined substrate process on a plurality of target substrates under a vacuum atmosphere, including: a plurality of processing parts each configured to perform the substrate process on each of the plurality of target substrates; a gas supply mechanism configured to supply a processing gas to each of the plurality of processing parts; a single exhaust mechanism configured to exhaust the processing gas within the plurality of processing parts; and a control part configured to control the single exhaust mechanism to collectively exhaust the processing gas within the plurality of processing parts, and control the gas supply mechanism to separately supply the processing gas into each of the plurality of processing parts such that a difference between internal pressures of the plurality of processing parts is prevented.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus of performing a predetermined substrate process on a plurality of target substrates under a vacuum atmosphere, comprising:

a plurality of processing parts each configured to perform the substrate process on each of the plurality of target substrates;

a gas supply mechanism configured to separately supply a processing gas to each of the plurality of processing parts;

a single exhaust mechanism configured to collectively exhaust a processing gas within the plurality of processing parts; and

a control part configured to control the gas supply mechanism and the single exhaust mechanism,

wherein the control part controls the single exhaust mechanism to collectively exhaust the processing gas within the plurality of processing parts, and controls the gas supply mechanism to separately supply the processing gas into each of the plurality of processing parts such that a difference between internal pressures of the plurality of processing parts is prevented.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control part executes a first mode in which the single exhaust mechanism is controlled to collectively exhaust the processing gas within the plurality of processing parts and a first gas as the processing gas is supplied to all the plurality of processing parts under the same gas supply condition, and a second mode in which the single exhaust mechanism is controlled to collectively exhaust the processing gas within the plurality of processing parts and the first gas is supplied into some of the plurality of processing parts and a second gas different from the first gas is supplied into the other of the plurality of processing parts, and

in the second mode, the control part controls the gas supply mechanism to prevent the difference between the internal pressures of the plurality of processing parts.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein, in the second mode, the control part controls a flow rate of the second gas which is supplied into the other of the plurality of processing parts to a sufficient level to prevent the difference between the internal pressures of the plurality of processing parts.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second gas includes at least one of an inert gas and a non-reactive gas which does not react with the target substrate.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein, in the second mode, the control part controls the gas supply mechanism to:

continuously supply the first gas into the some of the plurality of processing parts such that the target substrate in the some of the plurality of processing parts continue to be subjected to the substrate process, and

stop the supply of the first gas into the target substrate in the other of the plurality of processing parts to terminate the substrate process, and supply the second gas used as a supplement gas into the other of the plurality of processing parts.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein, prior to the substrate process, the control part further executes a pressure stabilization step of supplying a pressure control gas into the plurality of processing parts to stabilize the internal pressures of the plurality of processing parts,

in the pressure stabilization step, the control part controls a flow rate of the pressure control gas such that the pressure control gas flows toward the single exhaust mechanism, the pressure control gas serving to prevent a backward flow of the first gas and the second gas between the plurality of processing parts in the second mode.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the pressure control gas includes some of the gases used in the substrate process,

wherein the flow rate of the pressure control gas in the pressure stabilization step is set to be higher than those of some of the gases in the substrate process.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the flow rate of the pressure control gas in the pressure stabilization step is set to be three times or more of those of some of the gases in the substrate process.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second gas includes a gas used in diluting the first gas.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing parts is installed within a single chamber, and

the single exhaust mechanism is shared by the plurality of processing parts installed within the single chamber.

11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing parts is respectively installed within separated chambers, and

the single exhaust mechanism is shared by the separated chambers.

12. A substrate processing method of performing a predetermined substrate process on a plurality of target substrates under a vacuum atmosphere using a substrate processing apparatus which includes a plurality of processing parts each configured to perform the substrate process on each of the plurality of target substrates, a gas supply mechanism configured to separately supply a gas into each of the plurality of processing parts, and a single exhaust mechanism configured to collectively exhaust a gas within the plurality of processing parts, the method comprising:

collectively exhausting, by the single exhaust mechanism, a processing gas within the plurality of processing parts; and

separately supplying, by the gas supply mechanism, the processing gas into the plurality of processing parts such that a difference between internal pressures of the plurality of processing parts is prevented.

21. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program that operates on a computer and controls a substrate processing apparatus,

wherein the program, when executed, causes the computer to control the substrate processing apparatus so as to perform the substrate processing method of claim 12.

13. A substrate processing method of performing a predetermined substrate process on a plurality of target substrates under a vacuum atmosphere using a substrate processing apparatus which includes a plurality of processing parts each configured to perform the substrate process on each of the plurality of target substrates, a gas supply mechanism configured to separately supply a gas into each of the plurality of processing parts and a single exhaust mechanism configured to collectively exhaust a gas within the plurality of processing parts, the method comprising:

executing a first mode in which a processing gas within the plurality of processing parts is collectively exhausted and a first gas as the processing gas is supplied into all the plurality of processing parts under the same gas supply condition; and

executing a second mode in which the single exhaust mechanism is controlled to collectively exhaust the processing gas within the plurality of processing parts and the gas supply mechanism is controlled to supply the first gas into some of the plurality of processing parts and to supply a second gas different from the first gas into the other of the plurality of processing parts such that a difference between internal pressures of the plurality of processing parts is prevented.

14. The substrate processing method of claim 13, wherein in the second mode, a flow rate of the second gas which is supplied into the other of the plurality of processing parts is controlled to a sufficient level to prevent the difference between the internal pressures of the plurality of processing parts.

15. The substrate processing method of claim 13, wherein the second gas includes at least one of an inert gas and a non-reactive gas which does not react with the target substrate.

16. The substrate processing method of claim 15, wherein the second mode includes:

continuously performing the substrate process on the target substrates in the some of the plurality of processing parts using the first gas, and

stopping the supply of the first gas into the target substrate in the other of the plurality of processing parts to terminate the substrate process and supplying the second gas used as a supplement gas into the other of the plurality of processing parts.

17. The substrate processing method of claim 13, further comprising:

prior to the substrate process, executing a pressure stabilization step of supplying a pressure control gas into the plurality of processing parts to stabilize internal pressures of the plurality of processing parts,

in the pressure stabilization step, a flow rate of the pressure control gas is controlled such that the pressure control gas flows toward the single exhaust mechanism, the pressure control gas serving to prevent a backward flow of the first gas and the second gas between the plurality of processing parts in the second mode.

18. The substrate processing method of claim 17, wherein the pressure control gas includes some of the gases used in the substrate process,

wherein the flow rate of the pressure control gas in the pressure stabilization step is set to be higher than those of some of the gases in the substrate process.

19. The substrate processing method of claim 18, wherein the flow rate of the pressure control gas in the pressure stabilization step is set to be three times or more of those of some of the gases in the substrate process.

20. The substrate processing method of claim 16, wherein the second gas includes a gas used in diluting the first gas.