CVD apparatus and method of cleaning the CVD apparatus

• US 8,277,560 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2003
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Anelva Corporation (Canon Inc.), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Government of Japan), Kanto Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd., Kokusai Electric Corp., Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Renesas Electronics Corporation, Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Tokyo Electron Limited, Ulvac Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Canon Anelva Corporation (Canon Inc.), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Government of Japan), Hitachi Kokusai Electric Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.), Kanto Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation), Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Renesas Electronics Corporation, Showa Denko KK, Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Tokyo Electron Limited, Ulvac Incorporated
• Inventors: Sakai, Katsuo, Okura, Seiji, Sakamura, Masaji, Abe, Kaoru, Murata, Hitoshi, Wani, Etsuo, Kameda, Kenji, Mitsui, Yuki, Ohira, Yutaka, Yonemura, Taisuke, Sekiya, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Kackar, Ram N.
• Application Number:
  US10/492,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20040250775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,485 Days
• Field of Search: 118/715, 156/345.33
• US Class Current: 118/715
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4405 Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45593 Recirculation of reactive gases
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02046 Dry cleaning only H01L21/02085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/30 of perfluorocarbons [PFC], hydrofluorocarbons [HFC] or sulfur hexafluoride [SF6]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A CVD apparatus cleaning method that efficiently removes by-product such as SiO₂ or Si₃N₄ adhered to and deposited on surfaces of an inner wall, an electrode, and the like in a reaction chamber at a film forming step. In the cleaning method the discharged cleaning gas amount is very small, environmental influences such as global warming can be lessened, and cost can be reduced. A CVD apparatus supplying reactive gas into a reaction chamber and forming a deposited film on a surface of a base material provided in the reaction chamber includes an exhaust gas recycling path recycling an exhaust gas reaching the reaction chamber from downstream of a pump on an exhaust path for exhausting a gas from an inner part of the reaction chamber through the pump.

Claims

1. A CVD apparatus for supplying a reactive gas into a reaction chamber and forming a deposited film on a surface of a base material provided in the reaction chamber, comprising:

a dry pump;

a toxicity removing device;

an exhaust gas recycling path for recycling an exhaust gas reaching the reaction chamber, is provided on an exhaust path for exhausting a gas from an inner part of the reaction chamber through the dry pump and the toxicity removing device, the exhaust gas recycling path is branched from a downstream side of the dry pump to recycle exhaust gas from the downstream side of the dry pump and an upstream side of the toxicity removing device, to the reaction chamber;

a polymer film device for absorbing and removing an inactive gas in an exhaust gas is provided on the exhaust gas recycling path, the polymer film device removes at least one of N₂ and O₂;

a separator for selectively removing an unnecessary exhaust gas component is provided on the exhaust gas recycling path;

a compressor for raising a pressure of an exhaust gas and recycling the exhaust gas to the reaction chamber is provided on the exhaust gas recycling path;

a control device for detecting a component of the exhaust gas recycled into the reaction chamber and for causing the gas component to be constant is provided on the exhaust gas recycling path;

a switching device for switching the exhaust gas recycling path and a reactive gas supply path; and

the exhaust gas recycling path is provided with a pressure releasing device for releasing a pressure when the exhaust gas recycling path has a constant pressure or more, and

the exhaust gas recycling path is opened when a cleaning gas is to be introduced into the reaction chamber through the reactive gas supply path to clean an inner part of the reaction chamber, and

a switching control is carried out by the switching device to close the exhaust gas recycling path when a deposited film is to be formed on a surface of a base material in the reaction chamber,

wherein the switching device is located upstream in the gas recycling path from the polymer film device, separator, compressor, control device and pressure releasing device, and

wherein the reactive gas supply path and the exhaust gas recycling path are opened in an initial stage of the cleaning during the cleaning, and

a switching control is carried out by the switching device in order to close the reactive gas supply path to carry out the cleaning after the cleaning progresses.

2. The CVD apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a switching device for switching the exhaust gas recycling path and a reactive gas supply path,

the exhaust gas recycling path being opened if necessary when a cleaning gas is to be introduced into the reaction chamber through a remote plasma generating device, thereby cleaning an inner part of the reaction chamber, and

a switching control being carried out by a switching device in order to close the exhaust gas recycling path when a deposited film is to be formed on the surface of the base material in the reaction chamber.

3. The CVD apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a cleaning gas supply path from a remote plasma generating device is opened and the exhaust gas recycling path is opened if necessary in an initial stage of the cleaning during the cleaning, and

a switching control is carried out by the switching device in order to close the cleaning gas supply path to carry out the cleaning after the cleaning progresses.

4. The CVD apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after a film forming process for a substrate is carried out by the CVD apparatus, a cleaning gas to be used for removing a by-product adhered into the reaction chamber, is a cleaning gas containing a fluorine gas.

5. The CVD apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recovery path provided on the exhaust gas recycling path to recover and recycle the inactive gas absorbed and removed by the polymer film device.

6. A CVD apparatus for supplying a reactive gas into a reaction chamber and forming a deposited film on a surface of a base material provided in the reaction chamber, comprising:

an exhaust gas recycling path for recycling an exhaust gas reaching the reaction chamber is provided on an exhaust path for exhausting a gas from an inner part of the reaction chamber through a pump;

a polymer film device for absorbing and removing an inactive gas in an exhaust gas is provided on the exhaust gas recycling path, wherein the polymer film device removes at least one of N₂, and O₂;

a switching device for switching the exhaust gas recycling path and a reactive gas supply path such that the exhaust gas recycling path is opened when a cleaning gas is to be introduced into the reaction chamber through the reactive gas supply path to clean an inner part of the reaction chamber, and

a switching control is carried out by the switching device to close the exhaust gas recycling path when a deposited film is to be formed on a surface of a base material in the reaction chamber, and

the reactive gas supply path and the exhaust gas recycling path are opened by respective switching devices in an initial stage of the cleaning during the cleaning, and

a switching control is carried out by the switching device for the reactive gas supply path in order to close the reactive gas supply path to carry out the cleaning after the cleaning progresses.