Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

• US 7,368,398 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2005
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pannova Semic, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Satoh, Hiroyuki, Uchijima, Hideto, Matsubara, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Lindsay, Jr.; Walter
• Assistant Examiner(s): MUSTAPHA, ABDULFATTAH B
• Application Number:
  US11/255,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20060086463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 438/758, 438/107
• US Class Current: 438/758
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes a reaction chamber with a structure allowing pressure reduction, a shower head for supplying a processing gas into the reaction chamber including a gas diffusion plate in which through holes are formed, and a substrate support for placing a substrate. Each ones of through holes provided in a peripheral region of the gas diffusion plate is formed so that an area of an inlet thereof is larger than an area of an outlet thereof. With use of the substrate processing apparatus, a processing gas can be supplied uniformly in the gas diffusion plate. Therefore, substrate processing such as film deposition and film etching can be uniformly performed.

Claims

1. A method for processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus including a reaction chamber for processing the substrate using a processing gas, a shower head which includes a gas diffusion plate having a plate shape and a plurality of through holes for passing the processing gas and which is for supplying the processing gas into the reaction chamber, and a substrate support which is provided in the reaction chamber and which is for placing the substrate so that the substrate faces the gas diffusion plate, the method comprising the process steps of:

a) placing the substrate on the substrate support; and

b) supplying the processing gas to the reaction chamber through the plurality of through holes formed in the gas diffusion plate to perform processing to the substrate,

wherein the plurality of through holes are formed in both a center region of the gas diffusion plate and a peripheral region of the gas diffusion plate that surrounds the center region, and

each of the plurality of through holes formed in the peripheral region of the gas diffusion plate has an inlet for the processing gas and an outlet for discharging and supplying the processing gas into the reaction chamber, an area of the inlet being larger than that of the outlet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each one of the through holes provided in the center region of the gas diffusion plate is formed in a pillar shape so that an area of an inlet thereof is substantially equal to an area of an outlet thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each one of the through holes provided in the peripheral region of the gas diffusion plate comprises an inlet-side portion including the inlet and an outlet-side portion including the outlet, each of the inlet- and outlet-side portions is formed in a pillar shape so as to have a certain opening area, and a depth of the inlet-side portion is larger at a greater distance from the center region.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein uniformity of a parameter for substrate processing as a result of processing the substrate is 3% or less.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of through holes including the inlet-side portions with different depths from each other and provided in the peripheral region of the gas diffusion plate are arranged so that uniformity of a parameter for substrate processing becomes 3% or less.

6. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein the substrate is a semiconductor substrate having a diameter of 200 mm or more.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the parameter for substrate processing is at least any one of a film thickness in a film deposition, etching rate or etching amount in dry etching, or ashing amount in ashing.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein uniformity of a parameter for substrate processing as a result of processing the substrate is 3% or less.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein a depth of the inlet-side portion of one of the plurality of through holes provided in the peripheral portion of the gas diffusion plate is more than 0 mm and 1/2 or less of a thickness of the gas diffusion plate.

10. A method for processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus including a reaction chamber for processing the substrate using a processing gas, a first shower head which includes a first gas diffusion plate having a plate shape and a plurality of first through holes for passing the processing gas and which is for supplying the processing gas into the reaction chamber, a second shower head which includes a second gas diffusion plate having a plate shape and a plurality of second through holes for passing the processing gas and which surrounds the first shower head and which is for supplying the processing gas into the reaction chamber, and a substrate support which is provided in the reaction chamber and which is for placing the substrate so that the substrate faces the second gas diffusion plate, the method comprising the process steps of:

a) placing the substrate on the substrate support; and

b) supplying the processing gas to the reaction chamber through the plurality of the first and second through holes respectively formed in the first and second gas diffusion plates to perform processing to the substrate,

wherein the plurality of the through holes are formed at least in a center region of one of the first and second gas diffusion plates and a peripheral region of said one gas diffusion plate that surrounds the center region, and

each of the plurality of the through holes formed in the peripheral region of said one gas diffusion plate has an inlet for the processing gas and an outlet for discharging and supplying the processing gas into the reaction chamber, an area of the inlet being larger than that of the outlet.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein in one of the first and second gas diffusion plates, each one of the plurality of the first and second through holes provided in a center region of said one gas diffusion plate is formed in a pillar shape so that an area of an inlet thereof is substantially equal to an area of an outlet thereof.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein in the other of the first and second gas diffusion plates, all the plurality of the first and second through holes provided in a center region of said one gas diffusion plate are formed in a pillar shape so that an area of an inlet thereof is substantially equal to an area of an outlet thereof.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein each one of the plurality of the first and second through holes provided in a peripheral region of one of the first and second gas diffusion plates comprises an inlet-side portion including the inlet and an outlet-side portion including the outlet, each of the inlet-side and outlet-side portions is formed in a pillar shape so as to have a certain opening area, and a depth of the inlet-side portion of one of the plurality of the through holes is larger at a greater distance from the center region of said one gas diffusion plate.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein uniformity of a parameter for substrate processing as a result of processing the substrate is 3% or less.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the parameter for substrate processing is at least any one of a film thickness in a film deposition, etching rate or etching amount in dry etching, or ashing amount in ashing.

16. The method of claim 11 or 13, wherein the substrate is a semiconductor substrate having a diameter of 200 mm or more.