Film deposition apparatus, substrate processing apparatus, film deposition method, and storage medium

• US 9,267,204 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Honma, Manabu
• Primary Examiner(s): LUND, JEFFRIE ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US12/549,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20100055316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,370 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4401 Means for minimising impurities, e.g. dust, moisture or residual gas, in the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45519 Inert gas curtains
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45551 for relative movement of the substrate and the gas injectors or half-reaction reactor compartments
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45578 Elongated nozzles, tubes with holes

Abstract

A film deposition apparatus to form a thin film by supplying first and second reaction gases within a vacuum chamber includes a turntable, a protection top plate, first and second reaction gas supply parts extending from a circumferential edge towards a rotation center of the turntable, and a separation gas supply part provided therebetween. First and second spaces respectively include the first and second reaction gas supply parts and have heights H1 and H2. A third space includes the separation gas supply part and has a height H3 lower than H1 and H2. The film deposition apparatus further includes a vacuum chamber protection part which surrounds the turntable and the first, second and third spaces together with the protection top plate to protect the vacuum chamber from corrosion.

Claims

1. A film deposition apparatus comprising:

a turntable rotatably provided in a vacuum chamber and having an upper surface with a plurality of substrate receiving parts each configured to receive a corresponding one of a plurality of substrates;

a first reaction gas supply part and a second reaction gas supply part, extending from mutually different positions along a circumferential edge of the turntable towards a rotation center of the turntable, configured to supply the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas, respectively;

a first separation gas supply part extending from a position along the circumferential edge of the turntable between the first reaction gas supply part and the second reaction gas supply part towards the rotation center of the turntable, configured to supply a first separation gas for separating the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas from each other;

a protection top plate, having a lower surface opposing the upper surface of the turntable, and configured to protect the vacuum chamber against corrosion from the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas;

a first lower surface portion located at a first distance from the upper surface of the turntable, and included in the lower surface of the protection top plate which includes the first reaction gas supply part, to thereby form a first space between the first lower surface portion and the turntable;

a second lower surface portion located at a second distance from the upper surface of the turntable at a position separated from the first lower surface portion, and included in the lower surface of the protection top plate which includes the second reaction gas supply part, to thereby form a second space between the second lower surface portion and the turntable;

a third lower surface portion located at a third distance from the upper surface of the turntable, and included in the lower surface of the protection top plate which includes the first separation gas supply part and is located on both sides of the first separation gas supply part along a rotating direction of the turntable, to thereby form a third space between the third lower surface portion and the turntable, said third distance being shorter than each of the first distance and the second distance, and said third space having the third distance to flow the first separation gas from the first separation gas supply part to the first space and the second space;

a vacuum chamber protection part configured to surround the turntable, the first space, the second space and the third space, together with the protection top plate, and protect the vacuum chamber from corrosion with respect to the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas;

a second separation gas supply part, provided in a central part area included in the lower surface of the protection top plate on a side of the plurality of substrate receiving parts relative to the rotation center of the turntable, and configured to supply a second separation gas for separating the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas from each other; and

an exhaust port configured to exhaust the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas together with the first separation gas ejected to both sides of the third space and the second separation gas ejected from the central part area,

wherein the third lower surface portion has a fan shape which increases in width from the rotation center towards the circumferential edge of the turntable on a plane parallel to the upper surface of the turntable,

wherein a thin film is deposited on the plurality of substrates in the vacuum chamber by carrying out a supply cycle to sequentially supply at least two kinds of source gases, including the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas, by the first and second reaction gas supply parts,

wherein each of the first, third, and second spaces forms a part of a continuous space formed between the lower surface of the protection top plate and the upper surface of the turntable, and

wherein the continuous space has a ring shape that extends along a circumferential direction of the turntable about the rotation center in a plan view of the film deposition apparatus viewed from above the turntable in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the turntable, such that the first, third, and second spaces are arranged along the circumferential direction in the plan view and a distance of the lower surface of the protection top plate from the upper surface of the turntable varies along the circumferential direction.

2. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protection top plate and the vacuum chamber protection part are made of quartz or ceramics.

3. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a first protection gas supply part, disposed between a top plate of the vacuum chamber and the protection top plate, and configured to supply a first protection gas to protect the vacuum chamber from corrosion.

4. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

a second protection gas supply part, disposed between a bottom of the vacuum chamber and the vacuum chamber protection part, and configured to supply a second protection gas to protect the vacuum chamber from corrosion.

5. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a third separation gas supply part, disposed under the rotation center of the turntable, and configured to supply a third separation gas for separating the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas from each other.

6. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a column disposed at a central part of the vacuum chamber between the lower surface of the protection top plate and a bottom of the vacuum chamber; and

a rotation sleeve rotatable about a vertical axis and surrounding the column,

wherein the rotation sleeve forms a rotary shaft of the turntable.

7. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a surface of each of the plurality of substrates placed in the substrate receiving parts is located at a level which is lower than or equal to a level of the upper surface of the turntable.

8. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein gas inlet ports for introducing gases to the first reaction gas supply part, the second reaction gas supply part and the first separation gas supply part are disposed on the rotation center side or the circumferential edge side of the turntable.

9. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first separation gas supply part includes a plurality of ejection holes arranged in a direction from the rotation center towards the circumferential edge of the turntable.

10. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a first exhaust port and a second exhaust port disposed at a periphery in a bottom of the vacuum chamber in vicinities of the first space and the second space, respectively.

11. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pressure within the third space is set higher than a pressure within the first space and a pressure within the second space.

12. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a film deposition apparatus according to claim 1;

a vacuum transport chamber connected to the film deposition apparatus in an air-tight manner, and having a substrate transport part provided therein; and

a load lock chambers connected to the vacuum transport chamber in an air-tight manner, and having an environment therein switched between an atmospheric environment and a vacuum environment.

14. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first lower surface portion, the third lower surface portion, and the second lower surface portion are successively arranged along the circumferential direction of the turntable, so that the first space is adjacent to the third space along the circumferential direction, and the third space is adjacent to the second space along the circumferential direction.

13. A film deposition apparatus comprising:

a turntable rotatably provided in a vacuum chamber and having an upper surface configured to receive a plurality of substrates;

first and second reaction gas supply parts, extending from mutually different positions along a circumferential edge of the turntable towards a rotation center of the turntable, configured to supply the first and second reaction gases, respectively;

a first separation gas supply part extending from a position along the circumferential edge of the turntable between the first and second reaction gas supply parts towards the rotation center, configured to supply a first separation gas for separating the first and second reaction gases from each other;

a protection top plate, having a lower surface opposing the upper surface of turntable, and configured to protect the vacuum chamber against corrosion from the first and second reaction gases,

wherein the lower surface of the protection top plate includes

a first surface portion including the first reaction gas supply part and located at a first distance from the upper surface of the turntable, to thereby form a first space between the first surface portion and the turntable,

a second surface portion including the second reaction gas supply part and located at a second distance from the upper surface of the turntable at a position separated from the first surface portion, to thereby form a second space between the second surface portion and the turntable, and

a third surface portion, arranged on both sides of the first separation gas supply part along a rotating direction of the turntable, including the first separation gas supply part and located at a third distance that is shorter than each of the first and second distances from the upper surface of the turntable, to thereby form a third space between the third surface portion and the turntable to flow the first separation gas from the first separation gas supply part to the first and second spaces;

a vacuum chamber protection part configured to surround the turntable and the first, second and third spaces, together with the protection top plate;

a second separation gas supply part, provided in a central part area of the lower surface of the protection top plate in a vicinity of the rotation center, and configured to supply a second separation gas for separating the first and second reaction gases from each other; and

an exhaust port configured to exhaust the first and second reaction gases together with the first separation gas ejected to both sides of the third space and the second separation gas ejected from the central part area,

wherein the third surface portion has a fan shape which increases in width from the rotation center towards the circumferential edge of the turntable on a plane parallel to the upper surface of the turntable,

wherein a thin film is deposited on the plurality of substrates in the vacuum chamber by carrying out a supply cycle to sequentially supply the first and second reaction gases by the first and second reaction gas supply parts,

wherein each of the first, third, and second spaces forms a part of a continuous space formed between the lower surface of the protection top plate and the upper surface of the turntable, and

wherein the continuous space has a ring shape that extends along a circumferential direction of the turntable about the rotation center in a plan view of the film deposition apparatus viewed from above the turntable in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the turntable, such that the first, third, and second spaces are arranged along the circumferential direction in the plan view and a distance of the lower surface of the protection top plate from the upper surface of the turntable varies along the circumferential direction.

15. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the first lower surface portion, the second lower surface portion, and the third lower surface portion are successively arranged along the circumferential direction of the turntable, so that the first space is adjacent to the third space along the circumferential direction, and the third space is adjacent to the second space along the circumferential direction.