Substrate processing apparatus

• US 8,845,857 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2010
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Ohizumi, Yukio, Honma, Manabu
• Primary Examiner(s): Zervigon, Rudy
• Application Number:
  US12/954,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20110126985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 156/345.55, 156/345.51, 118/728, 118/729, 118/730
• US Class Current: 156/345.55
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45546 specially adapted for a substrate stack in the ALD reactor
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4584 the substrate being rotated
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67748 horizontal transfer of a single workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68742 characterised by a lifting arrangement, e.g. lift pins
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68764 characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating caroussel
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68771 characterised by supporting more than one semiconductor substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68785 characterised by the mechanical construction of the susceptor, stage or support
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68792 characterised by the construction of the shaft

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes a vacuum container, a rotary table to rotate in the vacuum container, a substrate placement member mounted on the rotary table in a detachable manner, the substrate placement member and the rotary table together providing a recess in which a substrate is placed on an upper side of the rotary table, and the substrate placement member constituting a bottom surface in the recess on which the substrate is placed, a position regulating unit provided at least one of the rotary table and the substrate placement member to regulate a movement of the substrate caused by a centrifugal force during rotation of the rotary table, a reactant gas supply unit to supply reactant gas to the upper side of the rotary table, and a vacuum exhaust unit to exhaust the vacuum container.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

a vacuum container;

a rotary table to rotate in the vacuum container;

a substrate placement member mounted on the rotary table in a detachable manner, the substrate placement member and the rotary table together providing a recess in which a substrate is placed on an upper side of the rotary table, and the substrate placement member constituting a bottom surface in the recess on which the substrate is placed, said substrate placement member having a plurality of projections that project from a lower surface thereof that contacts the rotary table so as to engage with a plurality of dent portions provided to the rotary table;

a plurality of position regulating parts provided at the substrate placement member to regulate a movement of the substrate caused by a centrifugal force during rotation of the rotary table, the plurality of position regulating parts being located on a single surface that is an upper surface of the substrate placement member so as to be separate from each other in a circumferential direction of the substrate placement member, thereby regulating the movement of a single substrate;

a reactant gas supply unit to supply reactant gas to the upper side of the rotary table;

a vacuum exhaust unit to exhaust the vacuum container,

an elevation unit to elevate the substrate placement member for transferring the substrate between an external substrate delivery mechanism and the substrate placement member; and

a purge gas supply unit to supply purge gas to a lower side of the rotary table,

wherein the rotary table has a through-hole through which the elevation unit passes, the through-hole being covered by the substrate placement member when the elevation unit is not elevated.

2. The substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein grooves are formed in an upper surface of the substrate placement member, and the substrate delivery mechanism is inserted into the grooves when the substrate is transferred between the substrate delivery mechanism and the substrate placement member.

3. The substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate placement member includes:

a center portion; and

an annular peripheral portion separate from and surrounding the center portion,

wherein the elevation unit is configured to lift up the center portion of the substrate placement member.

4. The substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a substrate elevation unit to elevate the substrate for transferring the substrate between an external substrate delivery mechanism and the substrate placement member, wherein the substrate placement member and the rotary table have through-holes through which the substrate elevation unit passes.

5. The substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grooves are formed in a direction parallel with the upper surface of the substrate placement member.

6. The substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the grooves are formed so as to be sandwiched by the plurality of position regulating parts.

7. The substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the purge gas is prevented from entering into the upper side from the lower side of the rotary table through the through-hole by the substrate placement member covering the through-hole when the elevation unit is not elevated.

8. The substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of projections and the dent portions are positioned so as not to interfere with an operation of the elevation unit.