Raw material gas supply method

• US 9,563,209 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Takado, Makoto, Inoue, Mitsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Bret
• Application Number:
  US14/168,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20140209022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4481 by evaporation using carrier gas in contact with the source material C23C16/4486 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45561 Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0676 by action on flow sources G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0379 By fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7758 Pilot or servo controlled

Abstract

A raw material gas supply method for use in a film forming apparatus which forms a film on a substrate, includes supplying a carrier gas to a gas phase zone defined inside a raw material container accommodating a liquid or solid raw material, vaporizing the raw material, supplying a raw material gas containing the vaporized raw material from the raw material container to the film forming apparatus via a raw material gas supply path, measuring a flow rate of the vaporized raw material flowing through the raw material gas supply path, comparing the flow rate of the vaporized raw material obtained by the flow rate measurement unit with a predetermined target value, and controlling an internal pressure of the raw material container to be increased when the flow rate is higher than the predetermined target value, and to be decreased when the is lower than the predetermined target value.

Claims

1. A raw material gas supply method for use in a film forming apparatus which forms a film on a substrate, the method comprising:

supplying a carrier gas to a gas phase zone defined inside a raw material container, the raw material container accommodating a liquid or solid raw material;

vaporizing the raw material;

supplying a raw material gas containing the vaporized raw material from the raw material container to the film forming apparatus via a raw material gas supply path;

measuring a flow rate of the vaporized raw material flowing through the raw material gas supply path;

comparing the measured flow rate of the vaporized raw material with a predetermined target value;

controlling an internal pressure of the raw material container to be increased when the measured flow rate of the vaporized raw material is higher than the predetermined target value, and to be decreased when the measured flow rate of the vaporized raw material is lower than the predetermined target value;

supplying a buffer gas to a downstream side of a position at which the pressure control gas is supplied in the raw material gas supply path; and

controlling a supply amount of the pressure control gas and a supply amount of the buffer gas such that a sum of the supply amount of the pressure control gas and the supply amount of the buffer gas becomes constant,

wherein controlling an internal pressure of the raw material container is preformed by supplying a pressure control gas to the raw material gas supply path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling an internal pressure of the raw material container is performed by adjusting an opening degree of a pressure control valve provided in the raw material gas supply path.

3. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program for controlling a raw material gas supply device for use in a film forming apparatus configured to form a film on a substrate,

wherein the program causes the raw material gas supply device to perform the method of claim 1.