Film deposition apparatus

• US 8,465,591 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Kato, Hitoshi, Honma, Manabu, Dip, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Del Sole, Joseph S
• Assistant Examiner(s): SNELTING, ERIN LYNN
• Application Number:
  US12/491,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20090324828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: 118/719, 118/730
• US Class Current: 118/719
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/402 Silicon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45521 the gas, other than thermal contact gas, being introduced the rear of the substrate to flow around its periphery
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45551 for relative movement of the substrate and the gas injectors or half-reaction reactor compartments

Abstract

A disclosed film deposition apparatus includes a turntable having in one surface a substrate receiving portion along a turntable rotation direction; a first reaction gas supplying portion for supplying a first reaction gas; a second reaction gas supplying portion for supplying a second reaction gas; a separation area between a first process area where the first reaction gas is supplied and a second process area where the second reaction gas is supplied, the separation area including a separation gas supplying portion for supplying a first separation gas in the separation area, and a ceiling surface opposing the one surface to produce a thin space; a center area having an ejection hole for ejecting a second separation gas along the one surface; and an evacuation opening for evacuating the chamber.

Claims

1. A film deposition apparatus for depositing a film on a substrate by carrying out a cycle of alternately supplying at least two kinds of reaction gases that react with each other to the substrate to produce a layer of a reaction product in a chamber, the film deposition apparatus comprising:

a turntable rotatably provided in the chamber;

a substrate receiving portion that is provided in one surface of the turntable and the substrate is placed in;

a first reaction gas supplying portion configured to supply a first reaction gas to the one surface;

a second reaction gas supplying portion configured to supply a second reaction gas to the one surface, the second reaction gas supplying portion being separated from the first reaction gas supplying portion along a rotation direction of the turntable;

a separation area located along the rotation direction between a first process area in which the first reaction gas is supplied and a second process area in which the second reaction gas is supplied;

a center area that is located substantially in a center portion of the chamber in order to separate the first process area and the second process area, and has an ejection opening that ejects a first separation gas along the one surface;

an evacuation opening provided in the chamber in order to evacuate the chamber;

a third reaction gas supplying portion configured to supply a third reaction gas to the one surface;

a fourth reaction gas supplying portion configured to supply to the one surface a fourth reaction gas that reacts with the third reaction gas thereby to form a second reaction product different from a first reaction product formed from the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas, the fourth reaction gas supplying portion being separated from the third reaction gas supplying portion along the rotation direction of the turntable; and

a controlling portion configured to control the first through the fourth reaction gas supplying portions so that depositing a first film from the first reaction gas from the first reaction gas supplying portion and the second reaction gas from the second reaction gas supplying portion is carried out alternately with depositing a second film from the third reaction gas from the third reaction gas supplying portion and the fourth reaction gas from the fourth reaction gas supplying portion,

wherein the separation area includes

a lower surface that is lower than a ceiling surface of each of the first and the second process areas in relation to the turntable and has a width becoming greater toward a circumference of the vacuum chamber, the width being along the rotation direction, thereby to create in relation to the one surface of the turntable a thin space, and

a separation gas supplying portion that is positioned within the lower surface and supplies a second separation gas to the thin space thereby to create separation gas flows from the separation area to the process area sides in relation to the rotation direction.

2. The film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separation gas supplying portion is positioned in the middle of the lower surface.

3. The film deposition apparatus of claim 2, wherein the lower surface is provided by a convex portion that is attached on a ceiling of the vacuum chamber,

wherein the convex portion is provided with a groove portion that extends along a radius direction of the turntable and substantially bisects the lower surface, and

wherein the separation gas supplying portion is housed in the groove portion.

4. The film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the center area includes a protrusion portion that opposes the turntable thereby to create a gap as the ejection opening, the gap being defined by a back surface of the protrusion portion and the one surface of the turntable, wherein the back surface of the protrusion portion is lower than the ceiling surface of each of the first and the second process areas in relation to the turntable.

5. The film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the evacuation opening is provided between an outer circumferential edge of the turntable and an inner circumferential wall of the chamber.

6. The film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separation area includes a bent portion bent from an edge of the lower surface, the edge being adjacent to an inner circumferential wall of the chamber, in order to intervene between an outer circumference of the turntable and the inner circumferential wall.

7. The film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lower surface that creates the thin space in the separation area has a distance of about 50 mm or more along an arc corresponding to a route through which a center of the substrate placed in the substrate receiving portion of the turntable passes when the turntable rotates.

8. The film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the turntable includes plural of the substrate receiving portions along the rotation direction of the turntable.

9. The film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein a distance along the rotation direction between the separation gas supplying portion and a lower surface edge located upstream relative to the rotation direction becomes longer toward the circumference of the turntable.

10. The film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the separation area is substantially sector-shaped.