JP5195176B2 - Deposition equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for forming a thin film by laminating a plurality of reaction product layers by supplying at least two kinds of reaction gases that react with each other to the surface of a substrate in order and performing this supply cycle many times.

  As a film forming method in a semiconductor manufacturing process, a first reactive gas is adsorbed on a surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) as a substrate in a vacuum atmosphere, and then a gas to be supplied is used as a second reactive gas. The process of switching and forming one or more atomic layers or molecular layers by the reaction of both gases, and laminating these layers to form a film on the substrate by performing this cycle many times. Are known. This process is called, for example, ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition), MLD (Molecular Layer Deposition) or the like (hereinafter referred to as ALD method), and can control the film thickness with high accuracy according to the number of cycles. In-plane uniformity of film quality is also good, and it is an effective technique that can cope with the thinning of semiconductor devices.

  As an apparatus for carrying out such a film forming method, a reactive gas is supplied from the upper side of the central part of the substrate using a single-wafer type film forming apparatus having a gas shower head in the upper center of the vacuum vessel. A method of exhausting reaction gas and reaction by-products from the bottom of the processing vessel has been studied. By the way, the film forming method described above has a problem that the gas replacement with the purge gas takes a long time and the number of cycles is, for example, several hundred times, so that there is a problem that the processing time is long. It is requested.

  From this background, Patent Documents 1 to 8 have already known apparatuses that perform film formation processing by arranging a plurality of substrates on a rotary table in a vacuum vessel in a rotating direction. The described film forming apparatus has a problem of adhesion of particles and reaction products to the wafer, a problem that a long time is required for purging, and a reaction is caused in an unnecessary region. Therefore, the applicant of the present application has developed a rotary table type film forming apparatus capable of solving these problems.

In the new rotary table type deposition system developed by the applicant here, the size of the processing area will be changed according to the raw material and process conditions, and the position where the raw material will be supplied will be changed. doing. However, none of the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 to 8 disclose any technology that can solve the above-described problems while employing such a highly flexible apparatus configuration.
US Pat. No. 7,153,542: FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) JP 2001-254181 A: FIGS. 1 and 2 Japanese Patent No. 3144664: FIG. 1, FIG. 2, Claim 1 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-287912: US Pat. No. 6,634,314 JP 2007-247066 A: Paragraphs 0023-0025, 0058, FIGS. 12 and 18 US Patent Publication No. 2007-218701 US Patent Publication No. 2007-218702

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is to supply a plurality of reaction gases to the surface of the substrate in order to form a laminated reaction product thin film on the substrate. An object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus capable of changing the size of a processing region in accordance with a process while preventing a plurality of reaction gases from being mixed.

The film forming apparatus according to the present invention sequentially supplies at least two kinds of reaction gases that react with each other in a vacuum container to the surface of the substrate, and executes a supply cycle to stack a plurality of reaction product layers. In a film forming apparatus for forming a thin film,
A rotary table provided with a plurality of substrate placement areas on which a substrate is placed along the rotation direction, and is provided in the vacuum vessel so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis.
The rotary table is fixed to the vacuum vessel so as to be separated from each other in the rotation direction, and a first reaction gas and a second reaction gas for supplying the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas to the surface of the substrate on the substrate mounting region side, respectively. One reactive gas supply means and a second reactive gas supply means;
In order to separate the atmosphere of the first processing region to which the first reaction gas is supplied and the second processing region to which the second reaction gas is supplied, it is located between these processing regions in the rotation direction. A separation region;
In order to separate the atmospheres of the first processing region and the second processing region, a discharge hole for discharging a separation gas is formed on the substrate mounting surface side of the rotary table, which is located in the center of the vacuum vessel. A central area;
In order to exhaust the reaction gas together with the separation gas diffusing on both sides of the separation region and the separation gas discharged from the central region, the first located on both sides of the separation region in the rotation direction when viewed in a plane. An exhaust port and a second exhaust port,
The separation region is provided with a separation gas supply means for supplying a separation gas, and a narrow space for the separation gas to flow from the separation region to the processing region side on both sides in the rotation direction of the separation gas supply means. Projecting from the inner peripheral wall of the vacuum vessel to the rotary table side in order to prevent the reaction gas from entering between the ceiling surface formed between the rotary table and the peripheral edge of the rotary table and the inner peripheral wall of the vacuum vessel And at least one of the circumferential length and the circumferential mounting position is set according to the process, and is provided so as to be replaceable with respect to the vacuum vessel.

Here, the first exhaust port or the second exhaust port may be provided for exhausting through a gap between the peripheral edge of the rotary table and the inner peripheral wall of the vacuum vessel. The protruding wall portion is configured to be removed upward without interfering with the rotary table, and a plurality of attachments for selecting the attachment position and attaching the protruding wall portion to the side wall of the vacuum vessel. The part is preferably formed along the circumferential direction. And these attachment parts are suitable for the case where it is a hole for stopping a bolt, for example.
Furthermore, in each of the film forming apparatuses described above, it is preferable that the separation region has a higher pressure than the processing region.

  The gas discharge holes of the separation gas supply means are preferably arranged from one side to the other side of the rotation center portion and the peripheral portion of the rotary table, and further include a heating means for heating the rotary table. Good. Further, it is preferable that the ceiling surface forming the narrow spaces respectively positioned on both sides of the separation gas supply means has a width dimension of 50 mm or more along the rotation direction of the turntable at a portion where the center of the substrate passes. is there. Furthermore, on the ceiling surface of the separation region, it is preferable that the upstream portion of the rotation table relative to the separation gas supply means in the rotation direction has a larger width in the rotation direction as the portion located at the outer edge. On the ceiling surface of the separation region, the upstream portion in the relative rotation direction of the turntable with respect to the separation gas supply means may be formed in a fan shape.

  According to the present invention, at least one protruding wall portion protruding from the vacuum vessel toward the turntable side is provided to be exchangeable with respect to the processing vessel, and the protruding wall portion is a circumferential direction of the protruding region. The length and the mounting position in the circumferential direction with respect to the processing container can be changed according to the process. For this reason, for example, the size of the processing region can be adjusted without changing the entire vacuum container in accordance with a process change, and the film forming apparatus can be modified flexibly and at low cost.

  A film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a flat vacuum vessel 1 having a substantially circular planar shape as shown in FIG. 1 (a cross-sectional view taken along line II ′ in FIG. 3), and this vacuum. A rotary table 2 provided in the container 1 and having a center of rotation at the center of the vacuum container 1. The vacuum vessel 1 is configured such that the top plate 11 can be separated from the vessel body 12. The top plate 11 is pressed against the container main body 12 side by a reduced pressure inside through a sealing member provided on the upper surface of the container main body 12, for example, an O-ring 13 to maintain an airtight state. When the top plate 11 is separated from the container body 12, it is lifted upward by a drive mechanism (not shown).

  The rotary table 2 is fixed to a cylindrical core portion 21 at the center, and the core portion 21 is fixed to the upper end of a rotary shaft 22 extending in the vertical direction. The rotating shaft 22 penetrates the bottom surface portion 14 of the vacuum vessel 1 and its lower end is attached to a driving portion 23 that rotates the rotating shaft 22 around the vertical axis in this example in the clockwise direction. The rotating shaft 22 and the drive unit 23 are accommodated in a cylindrical case body 20 whose upper surface is open. The case body 20 has a flange portion provided on the upper surface thereof attached to the lower surface of the bottom surface portion 14 of the vacuum vessel 1 in an airtight manner, and the airtight state between the internal atmosphere and the external atmosphere of the case body 20 is maintained.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a circular recess 24 is provided on the surface of the turntable 2 to place a plurality of, for example, five wafers, along the rotation direction (circumferential direction). It has been. In FIG. 3, the wafer W is drawn only in one recess 24 for convenience. Here, FIG. 4 is a developed view showing the rotary table 2 cut along a concentric circle and developed laterally. The recess 24 has a diameter larger than the diameter of the wafer W as shown in FIG. For example, it is slightly larger by 4 mm, for example, and the depth is set to be equal to the thickness of the wafer W. Therefore, when the wafer W is dropped into the recess 24, the surface of the wafer W and the surface of the turntable 2 (region where the wafer W is not placed) are aligned. If the difference in height between the surface of the wafer W and the surface of the turntable 2 is large, pressure fluctuation occurs at the stepped portion, and therefore the height of the surface of the wafer W and the surface of the turntable 2 can be made uniform. From the viewpoint of uniform in-plane film thickness uniformity. Aligning the height of the surface of the wafer W and the surface of the turntable 2 means that the height is the same or the difference between both surfaces is within 5 mm, but the heights on both surfaces are as high as possible depending on the processing accuracy. It is preferable that the difference between the values be close to zero. A through hole (not shown) through which, for example, three elevating pins to be described later pass for supporting the back surface of the wafer W and elevating the wafer W is formed in the bottom surface of the recess 24.

  The concave portion 24 is for positioning the wafer W so that it does not pop out due to the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the turntable 2, and corresponds to the substrate placement area of the present invention. The (wafer mounting area) is not limited to the concave portion, and may be configured such that, for example, a plurality of guide members for guiding the periphery of the wafer W are arranged on the surface of the rotary table 2 along the circumferential direction of the wafer W. When the wafer W is attracted by providing a chuck mechanism such as an electrostatic chuck on the second side, a region where the wafer W is placed by the suction becomes a substrate placement region.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the vacuum vessel 1 includes a first reactive gas nozzle 31, a second reactive gas nozzle 32, and two separated gas nozzles 41 at positions facing the passing region of the recess 24 in the rotary table 2. , 42 extend radially from the central portion at intervals from each other in the circumferential direction of the vacuum vessel 1 (the rotation direction of the turntable 2). The reactive gas nozzles 31 and 32 and the separation gas nozzles 41 and 42 are attached to, for example, the side peripheral wall of the vacuum vessel 1, and the gas supply ports 31a, 32a, 41a, and 42a, which are the base ends thereof, penetrate the side walls. Yes.

  In the illustrated example, the reaction gas nozzles 31 and 32 and the separation gas nozzles 41 and 42 are introduced into the vacuum vessel 1 from the peripheral wall portion of the vacuum vessel 1, but may be introduced from an annular protrusion 5 described later. In this case, an L-shaped conduit that opens to the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 5 and the outer surface of the top plate 11 is provided, and the gas nozzles 31, (32, 41) are provided in one opening of the L-shaped conduit in the vacuum vessel 1. 42), and the gas introduction port 31a (32a, 41a, 42a) can be connected to the other opening of the L-shaped conduit outside the vacuum vessel 1.

The reaction gas nozzles 31 and 32 are respectively a gas supply source of BTBAS (Bistal Butylaminosilane) gas, which is a first reaction gas, and a gas supply source of O ₃ (ozone) gas, which is a second reaction gas. The separation gas nozzles 41 and 42 are both connected to a gas supply source (not shown) of N ₂ gas (nitrogen gas) which is a separation gas. In this example, the second reaction gas nozzle 32, the separation gas nozzle 41, the first reaction gas nozzle 31, and the separation gas nozzle 42 are arranged in this order in the clockwise direction.

In the reaction gas nozzles 31 and 32, gas discharge holes 33 for discharging the reaction gas are arranged on the lower side at intervals in the nozzle length direction. Further, the separation gas nozzles 41 and 42 are provided with discharge holes 40 for discharging the separation gas on the lower side at intervals in the length direction. The reaction gas nozzles 31 and 32 correspond to the first reaction gas supply unit and the second reaction gas supply unit, respectively, and the lower regions thereof are the first processing regions P1 and O ₃ for adsorbing the BTBAS gas to the wafer W, respectively. It becomes the second processing region P2 for adsorbing the gas to the wafer W.

  The separation gas nozzles 41 and 42 are for forming a separation region D for separating the first processing region P1 and the second processing region P2, and the top plate of the vacuum vessel 1 in the separation region D 2 to 4, the planar shape formed by dividing the circle drawn around the rotation center of the turntable 2 and along the vicinity of the inner peripheral wall of the vacuum vessel 1 in the circumferential direction is a fan. A convex portion 4 is provided which protrudes downward from the mold. The separation gas nozzles 41 and 42 are accommodated in a groove 43 formed so as to extend in the radial direction of the circle at the center of the convex portion 4 in the circumferential direction of the circle. That is, the distances from the central axis of the separation gas nozzles 41 and 42 to both fan-shaped edges (the upstream edge and the downstream edge in the rotation direction) of the convex portion 4 are set to the same length.

  In addition, although the groove part 43 is formed so that the convex part 4 may be divided into two equally in this embodiment, in other embodiment, for example, the rotation of the turntable 2 in the convex part 4 when viewed from the groove part 43. The groove 43 may be formed such that the upstream side in the direction is wider than the downstream side in the rotational direction.

  Therefore, for example, a flat low ceiling surface 44 (first ceiling surface) which is the lower surface of the convex portion 4 exists on both sides of the separation gas nozzles 41 and 42 in the circumferential direction. The ceiling surface 45 (second ceiling surface) higher than the ceiling surface 44 exists. The role of the convex portion 4 is a narrow space for preventing the first reactive gas and the second reactive gas from entering the rotary table 2 and preventing the mixing of the reactive gases. It is to form a space.

That is, taking the separation gas nozzle 41 as an example, the O ₃ gas is prevented from entering from the upstream side in the rotation direction of the turntable 2, and the BTBAS gas is prevented from entering from the downstream side in the rotation direction. “Preventing gas intrusion” means that the N ₂ gas, which is the separation gas discharged from the separation gas nozzle 41, diffuses between the first ceiling surface 44 and the surface of the turntable 2. It blows out to the space below the 2nd ceiling surface 45 adjacent to the 1 ceiling surface 44, and this means that the gas from the said adjacent space cannot penetrate | invade. “Gas can no longer enter” does not mean only when it cannot enter the lower space of the convex portion 4 from the adjacent space, but it penetrates somewhat, but O _{3 that has} invaded from both sides. This also means a case where a state where the gas and the BTBAS gas do not mix in the convex portion 4 is ensured, and as long as such an action is obtained, the atmosphere of the first processing region P1 which is the role of the separation region D and the first The separation effect from the atmosphere of the second processing region P2 can be exhibited. Therefore, the degree of narrowing in the narrow space is determined by the difference in pressure between the narrow space (the space below the convex portion 4) and the area adjacent to the space (the space below the second ceiling surface 45 in this example) It can be said that the specific dimension differs depending on the area of the convex portion 4 and the like. Further, the gas adsorbed on the wafer W can naturally pass through the separation region D, and the prevention of gas intrusion means gas in the gas phase.

  On the other hand, on the lower surface of the top plate 11, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. Is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the protruding portion 5 is formed continuously with the portion on the rotation center side of the convex portion 4, and the lower surface thereof is the same height as the lower surface (ceiling surface 44) of the convex portion 4. Is formed. 2 and 3 show the top plate 11 cut horizontally at a position lower than the ceiling surface 45 and higher than the separation gas nozzles 41 and 42. In addition, the protrusion part 5 and the convex-shaped part 4 are not necessarily restricted to integral, The separate body may be sufficient.

  As for how to make a combination structure of the convex portion 4 and the separation gas nozzle 41 (42), a groove portion 43 is formed in the center of one fan-shaped plate forming the convex portion 4, and the separation gas nozzle 41 (42) is formed in the groove portion 43. ) Is not limited to the structure in which two fan-shaped plates are used, and may be configured to be fixed to the lower surface of the top plate body by bolting or the like at both sides of the separation gas nozzle 41 (42).

  In this example, in the separation gas nozzle 41 (42), discharge holes that are directed downward, for example, having a diameter of 0.5 mm, are arranged at intervals of, for example, 10 mm along the length direction of the nozzle. For the first reactive gas nozzle 31 as well, discharge holes having a diameter of, for example, 0.5 mm facing downward are arranged at intervals of, for example, 10 mm along the length direction of the nozzle.

  In this example, a wafer W having a diameter of 300 mm is used as the substrate to be processed. In this case, the convex portion 4 has a circumferential length (for example, 140 mm away from the center of rotation at a boundary portion with a projection portion 5 described later ( The length of the arc concentric with the turntable 2 is 146 mm, for example, and the outermost portion of the mounting area (recess 24) of the wafer W has a circumferential length of 502 mm, for example. As shown in FIG. 4A, the length L is 246 mm when viewed from the circumferential length L of the convex portion 4 located on the left and right sides of the separation gas nozzle 41 (42) in the outer portion. It is.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the height h from the surface of the turntable 2 on the lower surface of the convex portion 4, that is, the ceiling surface 44 may be, for example, 0.5 mm to 10 mm, and is about 4 mm. Is preferred. In this case, the rotation speed of the turntable 2 is set to 1 rpm to 500 rpm, for example. In order to ensure the separation function of the separation region D, the size of the convex portion 4 and the lower surface of the convex portion 4 (the first ceiling surface 44) and the rotation according to the range of use of the rotational speed of the turntable 2 and the like. The height h between the surface of the table 2 is set based on, for example, experiments. The separation gas is not limited to N ₂ gas, and an inert gas such as Ar gas can be used. However, the separation gas is not limited to the inert gas, and may be hydrogen gas or the like, and does not affect the film forming process. If so, the type of gas is not particularly limited.

  The lower surface of the top plate 11 of the vacuum vessel 1, that is, the ceiling surface viewed from the wafer placement area (recessed portion 24) of the rotary table 2 is the first ceiling surface 44 and the second higher than the ceiling surface 44 as described above. 1 in the circumferential direction, FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of a region where the high ceiling surface 45 is provided, and FIG. 5 shows a region where the low ceiling surface 44 is provided. The longitudinal section about is shown. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the peripheral portion of the fan-shaped convex portion 4 (the portion on the outer edge side of the vacuum vessel 1) is bent in an L shape so as to face the outer end surface of the rotary table 2. Thus, a bent portion 46 is formed. Since the fan-shaped convex portion 4 is provided on the top plate 11 side and can be removed from the container main body 12, the outer end surface of the rotary table 2, the inner peripheral surface of the bent portion 46, and the bent portion. There is a slight gap between the outer peripheral surface of 46 and the inner peripheral surface of the container body 12. Accordingly, the bent portion 46 is also provided for the purpose of preventing the reaction gas from entering from both sides and preventing the mixture of both reaction gases in the same manner as the convex portion 4, and rotating with the inner peripheral surface of the bent portion 46. The clearance with the outer end surface of the table 2 is set to the same dimension as the height h of the ceiling surface 44 with respect to the surface of the turntable 2, for example. That is, in this example, it can be seen from the surface side region of the turntable 2 that the inner peripheral surface of the bent portion 46 constitutes the inner peripheral wall of the vacuum vessel 1.

  Furthermore, the container main body 12 is formed with protruding wall portions 121 and 126 in which the side wall surface of the container main body 12 protrudes inward because the thickness of the side wall is larger than that of other regions. ing. As shown in FIG. 3, in the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, for example, the protruding wall portions 121 are formed in a total of three locations, ie, a region facing the outer peripheral surface of the bent portion 46 and a region around the transfer port 15 of the wafer W described later. 126 is provided. Among these, the protruding wall portions 121 and 126 provided particularly facing the aforementioned bent portion 46 are the gaps described above formed between the outer peripheral surface of the bent portion 46 and the inner peripheral surface of the container body 12. The reaction gas has a role of preventing the reaction gas from entering through the gas and preventing the mixture of both reaction gases, and the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the bent portion 46 and the inner peripheral surfaces of the protruding wall portions 121 and 126. For example, the height is set to the same dimension as the height h of the ceiling surface 44 with respect to the surface of the rotary table 2 described above.

  Further, in this example, for example, one protruding wall 121 is configured such that the protruding wall 121 is replaceable, and is, for example, a region protruding inward in accordance with a change in the raw material of the film to be formed or process conditions. The length can be changed to a different one, and the mounting position of the protruding wall 121 can be moved. The detailed configuration will be described later.

  In the separation region D, the inner peripheral wall of the container body 12 approaches the outer peripheral surface of the bent portion 46 as described above, and the protruding wall portions 121 and 126 are formed. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, a vertical cross-sectional shape is cut out in a rectangular shape from a portion facing the outer end surface of the turntable 2 to the bottom surface portion 14 and is recessed outward. If this recessed portion is called an exhaust region 6, for example, two exhaust ports 61 and 62 are provided at the bottom of the exhaust region 6 as shown in FIGS. That is, the protruding wall portions 121 and 126 serve to define the size and shape of the exhaust region 6 together with the side wall surface of the container body 12 other than the protruding wall portions 121 and 126, the outer end surface of the turntable 2, the cover member 7 described later, and the like. Also have. As shown in FIG. 1, these exhaust ports 61 and 62 are connected to a common vacuum pump 64, which is a vacuum exhaust means, via an exhaust pipe 63, respectively. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 65 denotes a pressure adjusting means, which may be provided for each of the exhaust ports 61 and 62 or may be shared.

The exhaust ports 61 and 62 are provided on both sides in the rotational direction of the separation region D when viewed in a plane as shown in FIG. 3 so that the separation action of the separation region D works reliably. Each reaction gas (BTBAS gas and O ₃ gas) exhausted together with the separation gas discharged from the region D and the central region C is exhausted exclusively at the exhaust ports 61 and 62. In this example, one exhaust port 61 corresponds to a first exhaust port provided between the first reaction gas nozzle 31 and the separation region D adjacent to the reaction gas nozzle 31 on the downstream side in the rotation direction, The other exhaust port 61 corresponds to a second exhaust port provided between the second reaction gas nozzle 32 and the separation region D adjacent to the reaction gas nozzle 32 on the downstream side in the rotation direction. .

  The number of exhaust ports is not limited to two. For example, between the separation region D including the separation gas nozzle 42 and the second reaction gas nozzle 32 adjacent to the separation region D on the downstream side in the rotation direction. Further, three exhaust ports may be provided, or four or more. In this example, the exhaust ports 61 and 62 are provided at a position lower than the rotary table 2 so that the exhaust is exhausted from the gap between the inner peripheral wall of the vacuum vessel 1 and the peripheral edge of the rotary table 2. It is not restricted to providing in a bottom face part, You may provide in the side wall of the vacuum vessel 1. FIG. Further, when the exhaust ports 61 and 62 are provided on the side wall of the vacuum vessel 1, they may be provided at a position higher than the turntable 2. By providing the exhaust ports 61 and 62 in this way, the gas on the turntable 2 flows toward the outside of the turntable 2, so that particles are wound up as compared with the case of exhausting from the ceiling surface facing the turntable 2. This is advantageous in terms of being suppressed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, a heater unit 7 serving as a heating unit is provided in the space between the rotary table 2 and the bottom surface portion 14 of the vacuum vessel 1, and rotates via the rotary table 2. The wafer W on the table 2 is heated to a temperature determined by the process recipe, for example, 350 ° C. On the lower side near the periphery of the turntable 2, the heater unit 7 is placed all around in order to partition the atmosphere from the upper space of the turntable 2 to the exhaust region 6 and the atmosphere in which the heater unit 7 is placed. A cover member 71 is provided so as to surround it. The cover member 71 is formed in a flange shape with the upper edge bent outward, and the gap between the bent surface and the lower surface of the turntable 2 is reduced to allow gas to enter the cover member 71 from the outside. That is holding down.

The bottom surface portion 14 in the portion closer to the rotation center than the space where the heater unit 7 is disposed is near the center portion of the lower surface of the turntable 2 and is close to the core portion 21, and the space therebetween is narrow. The clearance between the inner peripheral surface of the through hole of the rotary shaft 22 that penetrates the bottom surface portion 14 and the rotary shaft 22 is narrow, and these narrow spaces communicate with the case body 20. The case body 20 is provided with a purge gas supply pipe 72 for supplying and purging N ₂ gas, which is a purge gas, into the narrow space. Further, a purge gas supply pipe 73 for purging the arrangement space of the heater unit 7 is provided on the bottom surface portion 14 of the vacuum vessel 1 at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction at a position below the heater unit 7.

By providing the purge gas supply pipes 72 and 73 in this way, the space from the inside of the case body 20 to the arrangement space of the heater unit 7 is purged with N ₂ gas, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. The purge gas is exhausted from the gap between the rotary table 2 and the cover member 71 to the exhaust ports 61 and 62 through the exhaust region 6. This prevents the BTBAS gas or the O ₃ gas from flowing from one of the first processing region P1 and the second processing region P2 described above to the other side via the lower part of the turntable 2, and this purge gas. Also plays the role of separation gas.

A separation gas supply pipe 51 is connected to the center of the top plate 11 of the vacuum vessel 1 so that N ₂ gas as separation gas is supplied to a space 52 between the top plate 11 and the core portion 21. It is configured. The separation gas supplied to the space 52 is directed toward the periphery along the surface of the turntable 2 on the wafer mounting region side through a narrow gap 50 between the protruding portion 5 and the turntable 2 as shown in FIG. Will be discharged. Since the space surrounded by the protrusion 5 is filled with the separation gas, the reaction gas (BTBAS gas) is interposed between the first processing region P1 and the second processing region P2 via the center of the turntable 2. Alternatively, mixing of O ₃ gas) is prevented. That is, this film forming apparatus is partitioned by the rotation center portion of the turntable 2 and the top plate 11 in order to separate the atmosphere of the first processing region P1 and the second processing region P2, and the separation gas is purged. In addition, it can be said that the discharge port for discharging the separation gas on the surface of the turntable 2 includes the central region C formed along the rotation direction. The discharge port here corresponds to a narrow gap 50 between the protruding portion 5 and the rotary table 2.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 8, a transfer port 15 for transferring a wafer W as a substrate between the external transfer arm 10 and the rotary table 2 is formed on the side wall of the vacuum vessel 1. The transfer port 15 is opened and closed by a gate valve (not shown). Further, since the wafer 24 is transferred to and from the transfer arm 10 at the position facing the transfer port 15 in the recess 24 which is a wafer placement area on the rotary table 2, the transfer position is below the rotary table 2. The transfer pins 16 and the lift mechanism (not shown) for passing the recess 24 to lift the wafer W from the back surface thereof are provided in a portion corresponding to the above.

  Further, the film forming apparatus of this embodiment is provided with a control unit 100 including a computer for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus, and a program for operating the apparatus is stored in the memory of the control unit 100. ing. This program has a set of steps so as to execute the operation of the apparatus described later, and is installed in the control unit 100 from a storage medium such as a hard disk, a compact disk, a magneto-optical disk, a memory card, and a flexible disk.

Next, the operation of the above film forming apparatus will be described. First, a gate valve (not shown) is opened, and the wafer W is transferred from the outside to the recess 24 of the turntable 2 through the transfer port 15 by the transfer arm 10. This delivery is performed by raising and lowering a lifting pin (not shown) from the bottom side of the vacuum vessel through the through hole on the bottom surface of the recess 24 when the recess 24 stops at a position facing the transport port 15. The delivery of the wafer W is performed by intermittently rotating the turntable 2, and the wafer W is placed in each of the five recesses 24 of the turntable 2. Subsequently, the gate valve is closed, the vacuum vessel 64 is evacuated to a preset pressure, and the wafer W is heated by the heater unit 7 while the rotary table 2 is rotated clockwise. Specifically, the turntable 2 is heated in advance to, for example, 300 ° C. by the heater unit 7, and the wafer W is heated by being placed on the turntable 2. After confirming that the temperature of the wafer W has reached the set temperature by a temperature sensor (not shown), the BTBAS gas and the O ₃ gas are discharged from the first reaction gas nozzle 31 and the second reaction gas nozzle 32, respectively, and the separation gas nozzle 41 is discharged. , 42 is discharged with N ₂ gas which is a separation gas.

The wafer W alternately passes through the first processing region P1 in which the first reaction gas nozzle 31 is provided and the second processing region P2 in which the second reaction gas nozzle 32 is provided by the rotation of the turntable 2, so that the BTBAS. Gas is adsorbed, then activated O ₃ gas is adsorbed, and these gas molecules react to form one or more silicon oxide molecular layers, and the silicon oxide molecular layers are sequentially stacked in this manner. A silicon oxide film having a thickness of 5 mm is formed.

At this time, N ₂ gas, which is a separation gas, is also supplied from the separation gas supply pipe 51, whereby the central region C, that is, between the protrusion 5 and the center of the turntable 2, along the surface of the turntable 2. N ₂ gas is discharged. In this example, the inner peripheral wall of the container main body 12 along the space below the second ceiling surface 45 where the reactive gas nozzles 31 and 32 are arranged is cut and widened as described above. Since the exhaust ports 61 and 62 are located below the wide space, the second ceiling surface 45 is smaller than the narrow space below the first ceiling surface 44 and each pressure in the central region C. The pressure in the space below the lower is lower. FIG. 9 schematically shows the state of gas flow when gas is discharged from each part. O ₃ is discharged downward from the second reactive gas nozzle 32, hits the surface of the turntable 2 (both the surface of the wafer W and the surface of the non-mounting area of the wafer W), and O ₃ heads upstream in the rotational direction along the surface. The gas flows into the exhaust region 6 between the peripheral edge of the turntable 2 and the inner peripheral wall of the vacuum vessel 1 while being pushed back by the N ₂ gas flowing from the upstream side, and is exhausted through the exhaust port 62.

The O ₃ gas discharged downward from the second reactive gas nozzle 32 and hitting the surface of the turntable 2 toward the downstream side in the rotation direction along the surface is a flow of N ₂ gas discharged from the central region C. Although it tries to go to the said exhaust port 62 by the suction effect | action of the exhaust port 62, a part goes to the isolation | separation area | region D adjacent to the downstream, and tends to flow into the downward side of the fan-shaped convex part 4. FIG. However, the height and the circumferential length of the ceiling surface 44 of the convex portion 4 are dimensions that can prevent gas from entering the lower side of the ceiling surface 44 in the process parameters during operation including the flow rate of each gas. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), O ₃ gas hardly flows into the lower side of the fan-shaped convex portion 4, or even if it flows in a little, it reaches the vicinity of the separation gas nozzle 41. Is not reachable, and is pushed back by the N ₂ gas discharged from the separation gas nozzle 41 to the upstream side in the rotation direction, that is, the processing region P2 side, together with the N ₂ gas discharged from the central region C, the turntable 2 Is exhausted to the exhaust port 62 through the exhaust region 6 from the gap between the peripheral edge of the vacuum vessel 1 and the inner peripheral wall of the vacuum vessel 1.

The BTBAS gas discharged downward from the first reactive gas nozzle 31 and directed toward the upstream and downstream sides in the rotational direction along the surface of the turntable 2 is fan-shaped adjacent to the upstream and downstream sides in the rotational direction. Even if it cannot enter the lower side of the convex portion 4 at all or even if it enters, it is pushed back to the second processing region P1 side, together with the N ₂ gas discharged from the central region C, the periphery of the turntable 2 and the vacuum container 1 is exhausted to an exhaust port 61 through an exhaust region 6 from a gap with an inner peripheral wall. That is, in each separation region D, intrusion of BTBAS gas or O ₃ gas which is a reactive gas flowing in the atmosphere is prevented, but the gas molecules adsorbed on the wafer W remain as they are in the separation region, that is, fan-shaped convex portions. 4 passes below the lower ceiling surface 44 and contributes to film formation.

Furthermore, the BTBAS gas in the first processing region P1 (O ₃ gas in the second processing region P2) tries to enter the central region C. As shown in FIGS. Since the separation gas is discharged from C toward the peripheral edge of the turntable 2, the separation gas is prevented from intruding or is pushed back even if some intrusion occurs, and passes through the central region C for the second treatment. Inflow into the region P2 (first processing region P1) is prevented.

In the separation region D, the peripheral edge of the fan-shaped convex portion 4 is bent downward, the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the bent portion 46 and the outer end surface of the turntable 2, and the outer peripheral surface of the bent portion 46. And the inner peripheral surfaces of the projecting walls 121 and 126 are narrow as described above to substantially prevent the passage of gas, so that the BTBAS gas (second processing region) in the first processing region P1 P2 O ₃ gas) is also prevented from flowing into the second processing region P2 (first processing region P1) via the outside of the turntable 2. Accordingly, the atmosphere of the first processing region P1 and the atmosphere of the second processing region P2 are completely separated by the two separation regions D, and the BTBAS gas is exhausted to the exhaust port 61 and the O ₃ gas is exhausted to the exhaust port 62, respectively. Is done. As a result, both reactive gases, in this example, the BTBAS gas and the O ₃ gas do not mix in the atmosphere or on the wafer W. In this example, since the lower side of the turntable 2 is purged with N ₂ gas, the gas flowing into the exhaust region 6 passes through the lower side of the turntable 2 and, for example, the gas BTBAS gas is O ₃ gas. There is no risk of flowing into the supply area. When the film forming process is completed in this manner, the wafers W are sequentially carried out by the carrying arm 10 by an operation reverse to the carrying-in operation.

Here, an example of the processing parameters will be described. When the wafer W having a diameter of 300 mm is used as the substrate to be processed, the rotation speed of the turntable 2 is, for example, 1 rpm to 500 rpm, the process pressure is, for example, 1067 Pa (8 Torr), The heating temperature is, for example, 350 ° C., the flow rates of BTBAS gas and O ₃ gas are, for example, 100 sccm and 10,000 sccm, respectively, the flow rate of N ₂ gas from the separation gas nozzles 41 and 42 is, for example, 20000 sccm, and the separation gas supply pipe 51 in the center of the vacuum vessel 1. The flow rate of N ₂ gas from is, for example, 5000 sccm. Further, the number of reaction gas supply cycles for one wafer W, that is, the number of times the wafer W passes through each of the processing regions P1 and P2, varies depending on the target film thickness, but is many times, for example, 600 times.

  In the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment described above, the sizes of the processing regions P1 and P2 and the separation region D are changed in accordance with, for example, changes in process conditions, changes in raw materials, changes in the type of film to be formed, and the like. It is possible to change the position of the reaction gas nozzles 31 and 32, or to change the position of the reaction gas nozzles 31 and 32. As one of such functions, in the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, for example, one projecting wall 121 provided in the container body 12 is detachable and replaceable, for example, inside the container body 12. The length of the protruding region can be changed to a different one, and the mounting position of the protruding wall 121 can be moved.

  Hereinafter, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a case where the protruding wall portion 121 provided on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the turntable 2 is configured to be replaceable with respect to the second processing region P2 will be described. In this example, the protruding wall portion 121 is constituted by a member separated from the container main body 12 as shown in FIG. 10, for example, the container main body 12 and the aforementioned bent portion 46 (not shown in FIG. 10). Can be incorporated into the space between.

  The protruding wall portion 121 has a shape obtained by cutting a part of the side wall of the cylinder in the circumferential direction, and the outer side wall is formed in a curved shape that can contact the inner peripheral surface of the container body 12, The side wall on the inner peripheral side has a curved shape that can be opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the bent portion 46 through the gap h described above. Further, the left and right side walls of the protruding wall portion 121 are provided with bent surfaces extending from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side, for example, corresponding to the shape of the exhaust region 6 shown in FIG. The height is such that the lower end surface of the protruding wall 121 is supported by the bottom surface of the container body 12 when attached to the container body 12.

  A flange portion 122 that protrudes toward the outer peripheral side of the container body 12 is provided at the upper end portion of the protruding wall portion 121, and the flange portion 122 is locked and protrudes at the upper end portion of the container body 12. In order to fix the wall 121, a step 123 formed by cutting out the side wall of the container main body 12 into a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the flange 122 is provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 11 schematically showing the container main body 12, the step portion 123 is one of the two protruding wall portions 126 fixed in the present example provided on the left and right of the transfer port 15 for the wafer W. It is formed along the inner wall surface of the container body 12 from the end on the side to the end on the other side. For example, in the drawings such as FIG. 3, the stepped portion 123 is omitted as appropriate.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a hole 124, which is an attachment portion for attaching the protruding wall portion 121, is formed in the circumferential direction of the container body 12 on the upper surface of the step portion 123, that is, the surface that contacts the lower surface of the flange portion 122. Many are formed along. On the other hand, bolt holes are also provided in the flange portion 122 of the protruding wall portion 121 at intervals corresponding to the hole portions 124. For example, as shown in FIG. And the entire protruding wall 121 can be fixed.

  By providing the above configuration, the projecting wall 121 is carried into and out of the space between the side wall of the container main body 12 and the bent portion 46 from the upper side of the container main body 12, and attached so as not to interfere with the turntable 2. It can be removed. Further, as described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13, the container body 12 is formed with a step portion 123 having a large number of holes 124 for fixing the protruding wall portion 121 along the circumferential direction. Therefore, the projecting wall 121 can be attached to the container body 12 by selecting a position.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the projecting wall 121 configured to be replaceable will be described. Now, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 16A, the protrusion disposed on the inner side of the container body 12 as viewed from the transport port 15. It is assumed that there is provided a protruding wall portion 121 in which the length of the region protruding in accordance with the length of the fan-shaped arc of the shape portion 4 is formed. At this time, for example, by changing process conditions, changing raw materials, or changing the type of film to be formed, the conventional convex portion 4 indicated by a one-dot chain line as shown in FIG. Consider the case where each of the processing regions P1 and P2 is widened by changing to the convex portion 4a.

  In this case, in this example, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 16 (b), the protruding wall portion 127 having the length of the protruding region corresponding to the arc of the new fan-shaped plate forming the convex portion 4a is used as the container. By attaching to the main body 12, for example, the size of the exhaust region 6 is changed. Further, as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 (c), the same applies to the case of changing to a large convex portion 4b having a longer fan arc than the conventional convex portion 4 indicated by a one-dot chain line. A protruding wall 128 corresponding to the length of the arc can be attached.

  Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, the convex portion 4 has a fan-shaped portion and a bent portion 46 integrally formed. For example, the convex portion 4 is convex by being fastened to the lower surface of the top plate 11 by a bolt 47 or the like. The part 4 is detachable from the top plate 11. More specifically, the fan-shaped portion of the convex portion 4 has a plurality of bolt holes 48 extending vertically through the convex portion 4, while the lower surface of the top plate 11 has the convex portion. Bolt grooves 11a corresponding to the four bolt holes 48 are formed, and the convex portions can be fixed. The size of the separation region D can be changed by replacing the detachable convex portion 4 with convex portions 4a and 4b having different sizes.

  Further, even when only the mounting position is changed without changing the size of the fan-shaped plate forming the convex portion 4, for example, according to the mounting position of the convex portion 4 as shown in FIG. The mounting position of the protruding wall 121 can be changed. In addition, in FIG. 18, the conventional attachment position of the convex part 4 and the protrusion wall part 121 is shown with the dashed-dotted line.

  The film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment has the following effects. At least one projecting wall 121 projecting from the container main body 12 of the vacuum container 1 toward the turntable 2 is provided to be exchangeable with respect to the processing container 1, and the projecting wall 121 is arranged around the projecting region. The length in the direction and the mounting position in the circumferential direction with respect to the processing container 1 can be changed according to the raw material and process conditions. For this reason, for example, it is possible to adjust the size of the processing areas P1 and P2 and the size of the exhaust area 6 without changing the entire container body 12 in accordance with changes in the process conditions, which is flexible and low cost. The film forming apparatus can be modified.

  Further, in the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, a plurality of wafers W are arranged in the rotation direction of the turntable 2, and the turntable 2 is rotated so that the first processing region P1 and the second processing region P2 are sequentially arranged. So as to perform so-called ALD (or MLD), the film forming process can be performed with high throughput. A separation region D having a low ceiling surface is provided between the first processing region P1 and the second processing region P2 in the rotation direction, and the center divided by the rotation center portion of the turntable 2 and the vacuum vessel 1 The separation gas is discharged from the part area C toward the periphery of the turntable 2, and the reaction gas is separated from the periphery of the turntable 2 together with the separation gas diffused on both sides of the separation area D and the separation gas discharged from the center part area C. And the inner peripheral wall of the vacuum vessel are evacuated to prevent mixing of both reaction gases. As a result, a good film forming process can be performed, and reaction is generated on the turntable 2. The generation of particles is suppressed as much as possible by suppressing as little as possible. The present invention can also be applied to the case where one wafer W is placed on the turntable 2.

  Here, the length of the protruding region of the protruding wall portion 121 is not limited to the case where it matches the length of the arc of the fan of the convex portion 4, and for example, the size of the exhaust region 6 is changed independently. For the purpose, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, it may be configured to protrude outward from the arc of the convex portion 4.

  Moreover, the protrusion wall part 121 comprised so that replacement | exchange is not limited to only one, For example, you may provide two or more exchangeable protrusion wall parts 121 which can be replaced | exchanged. For example, the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 20 is additionally provided with a third convex portion 4c in order to form, for example, a third processing region P3 for supplying the second source gas. Yes. In such a case, in addition to the protruding wall portion 121 exemplified in each of the above-described embodiments, the protruding wall portion 121 located on the left hand side when viewed from the transfer port 15 is configured to be replaceable, so that it is newly provided. The size and the mounting position of the protruding wall 121 can be changed in accordance with the size change or the mounting position change of the protruding portion 4c. In FIG. 20, 32a is a third reaction gas nozzle for supplying a second source gas, 41a is a separation gas nozzle, and 66 is an exhaust port. Of course, the remaining one protruding wall portion located on the right hand side when viewed from the conveyance port 15 may be configured to be replaceable.

  Further, for example, a member that is detachably and detachably attached to the processing container 2 is not limited to the protruding wall portion 121 described above. For example, in the vacuum container 1 according to this embodiment, the attachment positions of the reaction gas nozzles 31 and 32 and the separation gas nozzle 41 can be moved in the circumferential direction of the container body 12 according to the process. In such a case, the flow of the reaction gas changes greatly, and the flow of the reaction gas from the processing regions P1 and P2 to the exhaust region 6 changes, and a film having a uniform film quality and film thickness is formed. There is also a possibility of adversely affecting the film. Therefore, for example, a member for adjusting the flow state of the reaction gas such as a baffle plate may be attached to the processing container 2.

  For example, in the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 21, the second reactive gas nozzle 32 is arranged at the most upstream position in the rotation direction of the turntable 2 in the second processing region. In such a case, if the reaction gas supplied from the second reaction gas nozzle 32 flows linearly toward the exhaust port 62, the reaction gas flows uniformly on the surface of the wafer W arranged in the recess 24. There is also a possibility that the thickness and quality of the film formed without being able to be formed become uneven in the plane. Therefore, in the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 21, a baffle plate 67 is attached to the inner wall surface of the container body 12, and the baffle plate 67 is positioned in, for example, the exhaust region 6 to adjust the flow state of the reaction gas. For example, the baffle plate 67 shown in FIG. 21 is provided with a plurality of flow holes 68 through which the reaction gas flows. These flow holes 68 are smaller as they are closer to the exhaust port 62 and are farther from the exhaust port 62. The larger one is formed. By increasing the pressure loss of the flow of the reaction gas that flows linearly from the reaction gas nozzle 32 toward the exhaust port 62, the reaction gas is uniformly dispersed in the processing region P <b> 2 and then flows toward the exhaust port 62. It becomes possible to.

  Next, a film forming apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the film forming apparatus according to the second embodiment, the turntable 2 is a quartz member so that a corrosive gas such as a chlorine-based gas can be used as a reaction gas or a gas for cleaning the inside of the apparatus, for example. Is different from the first embodiment described above. 22 to 24, the same reference numerals as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 16 are given to parts having the same functions as the parts shown in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the quartz member is disposed on the lower side of the turntable 2 so as to surround the core portion 21, and has a flat cylindrical tray portion 172 whose upper surface is open, and the turntable. 2 and a cover 171 that covers the opened upper surface of the tray member 172 from above. The lid 171 is formed with a protruding portion 5 surrounding the central region of the film forming apparatus and a convex portion 4 for forming a processing region, and is similar to the film forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. A plurality of processing regions and separation regions separated from each other so that the reaction gases on the other side do not enter each other are formed on the turntable 2.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the tray portion 172 is formed with a protruding wall portion 121 protruding inward from the side wall surface of the tray portion, and the outer peripheral surface of the turntable 2 and the tray portion 12. The reaction gas is prevented from entering through a gap formed between the inner peripheral surface and the reaction gas.

  In the film forming apparatus according to the second embodiment, the lid 171 and the tray part 172 having different sizes and positions of the convex part 4 and the protruding wall part 121 are created and replaced to change the process. Accordingly, the circumferential length and the circumferential mounting position of the convex portion 4 and the protruding wall portion 121 can be changed. Accordingly, in the second embodiment, the quartz lid portion 171 and the tray portion 172 also constitute the vacuum container of the claims.

In addition to the above examples, the reaction gas applied to the present embodiment includes DCS [dichlorosilane], HCD [hexadichlorosilane], TMA [trimethylaluminum], 3DMAS [trisdimethylaminosilane], TEMAZ [tetrakisethyl]. Methylaminozirconium], TEMHF [tetrakisethylmethylaminohafnium], Sr (THD) ₂ [strontium bistetramethylheptanedionato], Ti (MPD) (THD) [titanium methylpentanedionatobistetramethylheptandionato], And monoaminosilane.

  The first ceiling surface 44, which forms narrow spaces on both sides of the separation gas supply nozzle 41 (42), has the separation gas supply nozzle 41 shown in FIGS. 25 (a) and 25 (b). As representatively shown, for example, when a wafer W having a diameter of 300 mm is used as the substrate to be processed, it is preferable that the width dimension L along the rotation direction of the turntable 2 is 50 mm or more at the portion through which the center WO of the wafer W passes. . In order to effectively prevent the reaction gas from entering the lower part (narrow space) of the convex part 4 from both sides of the convex part 4, when the width dimension L is short, the first It is also necessary to reduce the distance between the ceiling surface 44 and the turntable 2. Further, if the distance between the first ceiling surface 44 and the turntable 2 is set to a certain size, the speed of the turntable 2 increases as the distance from the rotation center of the turntable 2 increases. The width dimension L required to obtain the intrusion prevention effect becomes longer as the distance from the rotation center increases. Considering from this point of view, if the width dimension L in the portion through which the center WO of the wafer W passes is smaller than 50 mm, the distance between the first ceiling surface 44 and the turntable 2 needs to be considerably reduced. In order to prevent a collision between the rotary table 2 or the wafer W and the ceiling surface 44 when the rotary table 2 is rotated, a device for suppressing the swing of the rotary table 2 as much as possible is required. Furthermore, the higher the rotational speed of the turntable 2, the easier it is for the reactive gas to enter from the upstream side of the convex part 4 to the lower side of the convex part 4, so if the width dimension L is smaller than 50 mm, The rotational speed of the table 2 must be lowered, which is not a good idea in terms of throughput. Therefore, the width L is preferably 50 mm or more, but even if it is 50 mm or less, the effect of the present invention is not obtained. That is, the width dimension L is preferably 1/10 to 1/1 of the diameter of the wafer W, and more preferably about 1/6 or more. In FIG. 25A, the recess 24 is not shown for convenience of illustration.

  Here, examples other than the above-described embodiment will be given for each layout of the processing regions P1 and P2 and the separation region D. Although briefly touched in FIG. 21, FIG. 26 shows an example in which the second reactive gas nozzle 32 is positioned on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the turntable 2 with respect to the transport port 15. An effect is obtained.

  In the present invention, it is necessary to provide a low ceiling surface (first ceiling surface) 44 in order to form a narrow space on both sides of the separation gas nozzle 41 (42). However, as shown in FIG. The same low ceiling surface is provided also on both sides of 31 (32), and these ceiling surfaces are continuous, that is, opposite to the rotary table 2 except for the location where the separation gas nozzle 41 (42) and the reaction gas nozzle 31 (32) are provided. The same effect can be obtained by providing the convex portion 4 over the entire area. From another viewpoint, this configuration is an example in which the first ceiling surfaces 44 on both sides of the separation gas nozzle 41 (42) extend to the reaction gas nozzle 31 (32). In this case, the separation gas diffuses on both sides of the separation gas nozzle 41 (42), the reaction gas diffuses on both sides of the reaction gas nozzle 31 (32), and both gases are below the convex part 4 (narrow space). However, these gases are exhausted from the exhaust port 61 (62) located between the reaction gas nozzle 31 (32) and the separation gas nozzle 42 (41).

In the above embodiment, the rotary shaft 22 of the turntable 2 is located at the center of the vacuum vessel 1, and the separation gas is purged into the space between the center of the turntable 2 and the upper surface of the vacuum vessel 1. However, the present invention may be configured as shown in FIG. In the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 28, the bottom surface portion 14 of the central region of the vacuum vessel 1 protrudes downward to form the accommodating space 80 of the driving unit, and the concave portion 80a is formed on the upper surface of the central region of the vacuum vessel 1. The BTBAS gas from the first reaction gas nozzle 31 and the second gas are provided between the bottom of the housing space 80 and the upper surface of the concave portion 80a of the vacuum vessel 1 at the center of the vacuum vessel 1 with the support column 81 interposed therebetween. The O ₃ gas from the reactive gas nozzle 32 is prevented from being mixed through the central portion.

Regarding the mechanism for rotating the rotary table 2, a rotary sleeve 82 is provided so as to surround the support column 81, and the ring-shaped rotary table 2 is provided along the rotary sleeve 81. A driving gear portion 84 driven by a motor 83 is provided in the accommodation space 80, and the rotating sleeve 82 is rotated by the driving gear portion 84 via a gear portion 85 formed on the outer periphery of the lower portion of the rotating sleeve 82. I am doing so. Reference numerals 86, 87 and 88 denote bearings. A purge gas supply pipe 74 is connected to the bottom of the housing space 80, and a purge gas supply pipe 75 for supplying purge gas to the space between the side surface of the recess 80 a and the upper end of the rotary sleeve 82 is provided in the vacuum vessel 1. Connected to the top. In FIG. 28, the openings for supplying purge gas to the space between the side surface of the recess 80a and the upper end of the rotary sleeve 82 are shown in two places on the left and right sides. In order to prevent the BTBAS gas and the O ₃ gas from being mixed, it is preferable to design the number of openings (purge gas supply ports).

  In the embodiment of FIG. 28, when viewed from the turntable 2 side, the space between the side surface of the recess 80a and the upper end of the rotary sleeve 82 corresponds to the separation gas discharge hole, and the separation gas discharge hole, rotation The sleeve 82 and the support column 81 constitute a central region located in the central portion of the vacuum vessel 1.

  A substrate processing apparatus using the film forming apparatus described above is shown in FIG. In FIG. 29, 101 is a sealed transfer container called a hoop for storing, for example, 25 wafers, 102 is an atmospheric transfer chamber in which a transfer arm 103 is disposed, and 104 and 105 are atmospheres between an air atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere. Is a load lock chamber (preliminary vacuum chamber) that can be switched, 106 is a vacuum transfer chamber in which two transfer arms 107 are arranged, and 108 and 109 are film forming apparatuses of the present invention. The transfer container 101 is transferred from the outside to a loading / unloading port equipped with a mounting table (not shown), connected to the atmospheric transfer chamber 102, then opened by an opening / closing mechanism (not shown), and transferred from the transfer container 101 by the transfer arm 103. The wafer is removed. Next, the load lock chamber 104 (105) is loaded and the chamber is switched from the atmospheric atmosphere to the vacuum atmosphere. Thereafter, the wafer is taken out by the transfer arm 107 and loaded into one of the film deposition apparatuses 108 and 109, and the film formation described above is performed. Processed. Thus, for example, by providing a plurality of, for example, two film forming apparatuses of the present invention for processing five sheets, so-called ALD (MLD) can be performed with high throughput.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I ′ of FIG. 3 showing a vertical cross section of the film forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure inside the said film-forming apparatus. It is a cross-sectional top view of said film-forming apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the process area | region and isolation | separation area | region in said film-forming apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the isolation | separation area | region in said film-forming apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the reactive gas nozzle of said film-forming apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that separation gas or purge gas flows. It is a partially broken perspective view of said film-forming apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that the 1st reaction gas and the 2nd reaction gas are isolate | separated by separation gas, and are exhausted. It is the perspective view which showed a mode that a protrusion wall part was attached to the vacuum vessel of said film-forming apparatus. It is a top view of said vacuum vessel. It is an expansion perspective view of said vacuum vessel. It is an expanded vertical sectional view which shows the state which attached the protrusion wall part to said vacuum vessel. It is an effect | action figure of said protrusion wall part provided so that replacement | exchange was possible. It is a 2nd operation | movement figure of said protrusion wall part. It is a 3rd operation | movement figure of said protrusion wall part. It is the perspective view which showed a mode that a convex-shaped part was attached with respect to the top plate of the said vacuum vessel. It is a top view which shows the modification of said film-forming apparatus. It is a top view which shows the 2nd modification of said film-forming apparatus. It is a top view which shows the 3rd modification of said film-forming apparatus. It is a top view which shows the 4th modification of said film-forming apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the film-forming apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the isolation | separation area | region of the film-forming apparatus concerning the said 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the tray part made from quartz provided in the film-forming apparatus concerning the said 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the dimension example of the convex part used for a isolation | separation area | region. It is a cross-sectional top view which shows the film-forming apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional top view which shows the film-forming apparatus which concerns on embodiment other than the above of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the film-forming apparatus which concerns on embodiment other than the above of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows an example of the substrate processing system using the film-forming apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

W Wafer 1 Vacuum container 2 Rotary table 4 Convex part 31 First reaction gas nozzles 32 and 32a
Second reactive gas nozzle 33 Gas discharge holes 41, 42 Separating gas nozzles 121, 126
Protruding wall portion 171 Lid portion 172 Tray portion

Claims (11)

A film forming apparatus that sequentially supplies at least two kinds of reaction gases that react with each other in a vacuum vessel to the surface of the substrate and forms a thin film by laminating a number of reaction product layers by executing this supply cycle. In
A rotary table provided with a plurality of substrate placement areas on which a substrate is placed along the rotation direction, and is provided in the vacuum vessel so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis.
First reaction gas supply means provided separately from each other in the rotation direction of the turntable and for supplying the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas to the surface of the turntable on the substrate mounting area side, respectively. And a second reactive gas supply means;
In order to separate the atmosphere of the first processing region to which the first reaction gas is supplied and the second processing region to which the second reaction gas is supplied, it is located between these processing regions in the rotation direction. A separation region;
In order to separate the atmospheres of the first processing region and the second processing region, a discharge hole for discharging a separation gas is formed on the substrate mounting surface side of the rotary table, which is located in the center of the vacuum vessel. A central area;
In order to exhaust the reaction gas together with the separation gas diffusing on both sides of the separation region and the separation gas discharged from the central region, the first located on both sides of the separation region in the rotation direction when viewed in a plane. An exhaust port and a second exhaust port,
The separation region is provided with a separation gas supply means for supplying a separation gas, and a narrow space for the separation gas to flow from the separation region to the processing region side on both sides in the rotation direction of the separation gas supply means. Projecting from the inner peripheral wall of the vacuum vessel to the rotary table side in order to prevent the reaction gas from entering between the ceiling surface formed between the rotary table and the peripheral edge of the rotary table and the inner peripheral wall of the vacuum vessel And at least one of the circumferential length and the circumferential mounting position is set according to the process. Membrane device.   The said 1st exhaust port or the 2nd exhaust port is provided in order to exhaust through the clearance gap between the periphery of a rotary table, and the internal peripheral wall of a vacuum vessel, The component of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Membrane device.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protruding wall portion is configured to be removable upward without interfering with the rotary table.   A plurality of attachment portions for selecting the attachment position on the side wall of the vacuum vessel and attaching the protruding wall portion are formed along the circumferential direction. The film-forming apparatus of description.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the attachment portion is a hole for stopping a bolt.   6. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure in the separation region is higher than that in the processing region.   The gas discharge holes of the separation gas supply means are arranged from one side to the other side of the rotation center portion and the peripheral portion of the rotary table. Film forming equipment.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heating unit that heats the rotary table.   The ceiling surface forming a narrow space located on each side of the separation gas supply means has a width dimension of 50 mm or more along the rotation direction of the rotary table at a portion through which the center of the substrate passes. Item 9. The film forming apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 8.   2. The upstream portion in the rotational direction of the rotary table relative to the separation gas supply means on the ceiling surface of the separation region has a larger width in the rotational direction as a portion located at an outer edge. 10. The film forming apparatus according to any one of items 9 to 9.   11. The film forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, on a ceiling surface of the separation region, an upstream portion in a relative rotation direction of the rotary table with respect to the separation gas supply unit is formed in a fan shape. .

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