Substrate processing apparatus

• US 9,460,893 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2012
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Kawamata, Masaya, Honda, Masanobu, Kubota, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Zervigon, Rudy
• Application Number:
  US13/542,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20130014895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 118/715, 156/345.33, 156/345.34
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4558 Perforated rings
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32091 the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus can suppress an edge gas from being diffused toward a center region of a substrate. An upper electrode 200 serving as a gas introducing unit configured to supply one kind of gas or different kinds of gases to a center region and an edge region of the substrate includes a center gas inlet section 204 having a multiple number of gas holes 212 for a center gas; and an edge gas inlet section 206 having a multiplicity of gas holes 214 for an edge gas. By providing a gas hole formation plate 230 having gas holes 232 communicating with the gas holes 214 at a bottom surface of the edge gas inlet section 206, a vertical position of edge gas discharging openings can be adjusted.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus for performing a process on a substrate disposed within a processing chamber by supplying a gas to the substrate, the apparatus comprising:

a gas introducing unit configured to supply one kind of gas or different kinds of gases to a center region and an edge region of the substrate,

wherein the gas introducing unit comprises;

a center gas inlet section having a multiple number of gas holes for a center gas to be supplied toward the center region of the substrate;

an edge gas inlet section having a multiple number of gas holes for an edge gas to be supplied toward the edge region of the substrate and surrounding the center gas inlet section; and

an edge gas discharging position adjusting unit configured to adjust a horizontal position or a vertical position from which the edge gas is discharged through the gas holes of the edge gas inlet section, the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit being a separate member from the edge gas inlet section,

wherein the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit includes a multiple number of gas openings,

the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit is disposed below the edge gas inlet section and is not disposed below the center gas inlet section, such that a bottom surface of the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit is located same as or lower than a bottom surface of the center gas inlet section,

centers of the multiple number of gas openings coincide with centers of the multiple number of gas holes for the edge gas, and

the center gas inlet section and the edge gas inlet section are formed as a single body.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit is configured to adjust a vertical position from which the edge gas is discharged by providing a gas hole formation plate having the gas openings communicating with the gas holes of the edge gas inlet section at a bottom surface of the edge gas inlet section.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein the gas hole formation plate is detachably provided at the bottom surface of the edge gas inlet section, and the vertical position from which the edge gas is discharged is adjusted by replacing the gas hole formation plate with another gas hole formation plate having a different thickness.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein the gas hole formation plate is provided at the bottom surface of the edge gas inlet section to be vertically movable, and the vertical position from which the edge gas is discharged is adjusted by vertically moving the gas hole formation plate.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit includes a multiple number of rows of the gas openings arranged in the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit from the inner side of the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit toward the outer side thereof, and the horizontal position from which the edge gas is discharged is adjusted by selecting a row of the gas openings.

6. A substrate processing apparatus for performing a process on a substrate mounted on a mounting table within a processing chamber by supplying a gas to the substrate, the apparatus comprising:

a gas introducing unit configured to supply one kind of gas or different kinds of gases to a center region and an edge region of the substrate,

wherein the gas introducing unit comprises;

a center gas inlet section having a multiple number of gas holes for a center gas to be supplied toward the center region of the substrate;

an edge gas inlet section having a multiple number of gas holes for an edge gas to be supplied toward the edge region of the substrate and surrounding the center gas inlet section; and

an edge gas discharging position adjusting unit configured to adjust both a horizontal position and a vertical position from which the edge gas is discharged through the gas holes of the edge gas inlet section, the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit being a separate member from the edge gas inlet section,

wherein the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit includes a multiple number of rows of gas openings,

the horizontal position from which the edge gas is discharged is adjusted by selecting a row of the gas openings by opening or closing valves connected with processing gas supply lines for supplying the edge gas into the row of the gas openings,

the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit is disposed below the edge gas inlet section and is not disposed below the center gas inlet section, such that a bottom surface of the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit is located same as or lower than a bottom surface of the center gas inlet section,

centers of the gas openings coincide with centers of the multiple number of gas holes for the edge gas, and

the center gas inlet section and the edge gas inlet section are formed as a single body.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6,

wherein the multiple number of rows of the gas openings are arranged in the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit from the inner side of the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit toward the outer side thereof,

the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit also includes a gas hole formation plate having the gas openings respectively communicating with the gas holes of the edge gas inlet section, and the gas hole formation plate is provided at a bottom surface of the edge gas inlet section, and

the edge gas discharging position adjusting unit is configured to adjust both a vertical position and a horizontal position from which the edge gas is discharged.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 7,

wherein the gas hole formation plate is detachably provided at the bottom surface of the edge gas inlet section, and the vertical position of the edge gas discharging openings is adjusted by replacing the gas hole formation plate with another gas hole formation plate having a different thickness.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 7,

wherein the gas hole formation plate is provided at the bottom surface of the edge gas inlet section to be vertically movable, and the vertical position from which the edge gas is discharged is adjusted by vertically moving the gas hole formation plate.