Plasma film-forming apparatus and plasma film-forming method

• US 7,658,799 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Hiraku
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed; Shamim
• Application Number:
  US10/579,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20080213504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: 118/715, 118/723.R, 118/723.ER
• US Class Current: 118/715
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/511 using microwave discharges
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means

Abstract

The present invention ensures a uniform concentration of a plasma excitation gas supplied to a plasma generation region while preventing the plasma excitation gas from turning into plasma before supply. In a plasma film forming apparatus for forming a film on a substrate using plasma, a flat-plate structure partitioning the inside of a processing container into two, upper and lower, regions is disposed between a high frequency wave supply unit and a substrate mounting unit in the processing container. The plasma excitation gas is supplied into the processing container from the lower side toward the region on the high frequency wave supply unit side, and the structure is formed with a source gas supply port for supplying a source gas for film formation in the region on the mounting unit side and an opening for allowing plasma generated in the region on the high frequency wave supply unit side to pass to the region on the mounting unit side.

Claims

1. A plasma film forming apparatus for forming a film on a substrate using plasma, comprising:

a processing container for processing the substrate accommodated therein;

a mounting unit for mounting the substrate thereon in said processing container;

a high frequency wave supply unit for supplying a high frequency wave for plasma generation into said processing container;

a flat-plate structure provided between said high frequency wave supply unit and said mounting unit and partitioning an inside of said processing container into a region on said high frequency wave supply unit side and a region on said mounting unit side; and

a plasma excitation gas supply port for supplying a plasma excitation gas at least from a lower side of the region on said high frequency wave supply unit side toward a central portion of the region on said high frequency wave supply unit side,

wherein said structure is formed with a source gas supply port for supplying a source gas for film formation into the region on said mounting unit side and an opening for allowing plasma generated in the region on said high frequency wave supply unit side to pass to the region on said mounting unit side.

2. The plasma film forming apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein a plurality of said plasma excitation gas supply ports are formed.

3. The plasma film forming apparatus as set forth in claim 2,

wherein said plasma excitation gas supply ports are arranged to be able to uniformly supply the plasma excitation gas to the region on said high frequency wave supply unit side.

4. The plasma film forming apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

another plasma excitation gas supply port for supplying the plasma excitation gas from a lateral side to the region on said high frequency wave supply unit side.

5. The plasma film forming apparatus as set forth in claim 4,

wherein said plasma excitation gas supply port is formed at a central portion of the region on said high frequency wave supply unit side in a plan view.

6. The plasma film forming apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said plasma excitation gas supply port is formed upward from the lower side of the region on said high frequency wave supply unit side.

7. The plasma film forming apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein an upper surface of said structure has a plasma excitation gas supply pipe through which the plasma excitation gas passes arranged along the upper surface of said structure, and

wherein said plasma excitation gas supply port is formed in said plasma excitation gas supply pipe.

8. The plasma film forming apparatus as set forth in claim 7,

wherein said plasma excitation gas supply pipe is arranged in a lattice form in a plan view on the upper surface of said structure.

9. The plasma film forming apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said structure has a gas supply pipe leading to a supply source of the source gas, arranged in a lattice form in a plan view,

wherein a plurality of said source gas supply ports are formed in said gas supply pipe,

wherein said gas supply pipe also leads to a supply source of the plasma excitation gas, and

wherein said source gas supply port has a function as said plasma excitation gas supply port.

10. The plasma film forming apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor for detecting a concentration distribution of the plasma excitation gas in the region on said high frequency wave supply unit side.

12. The plasma film forming apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said opening is formed with high aperture ratio in the structure so as to allow plasma generated in the region on said high frequency wave supply unit side to pass to the region on said mounting unit side.

13. The plasma film forming apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said high frequency wave supply unit is a radial line slot antenna.

11. A plasma film forming method for forming a film on a substrate using a plasma film forming apparatus comprising a processing container for processing the substrate accommodated therein;

a mounting unit for mounting the substrate thereon in the processing container; and

a high frequency wave supply unit for supplying a high frequency wave for plasma generation into the processing container, in which a plasma generation region is formed between the mounting unit and the high frequency wave supply unit where plasma is generated from a plasma excitation gas, said method comprising the steps of;

supplying the plasma excitation gas at least from a lateral side and a lower side of the plasma generation region to a central portion of the plasma generation region, and adjusting each of supply flow rates of the plasma excitation gases from the lateral side and the lower side of the plasma generation region to conduct a control so that concentrations of the plasma excitation gas are uniform in the plasma generation region.