JPH07122613A - Semiconductor production system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a semiconductor production system in which a clean atmosphere can be sustained in a loading chamber and a reaction chamber while enhancing the durability and a susceptor can be shifted stable thus allowing stabilized deposition of a film on a substrate by CVD. CONSTITUTION:The semiconductor production system comprises a susceptor 3 supporting a substrate, a reaction chamber 1 for depositing a film on the substrate by CVD, a loading chamber 6 communicated with the reaction chamber 1 and loading the substrate removably onto the susceptor 3, a linear motor or a ball screw mechanism for reciprocating the susceptor 3 between the reaction chamber 1 and the loading chamber 6, and magnetic bearings 19, 24 disposed on the outside of the loading chamber 6 and the reaction chamber 1 for the purpose of noncontact support of the susceptor 3. The susceptor 3 is reciprocated between the reaction chamber 1 and the loading chamber 6 while being supported in noncontact state without employing any mechanical bearing.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for forming a film on a substrate by chemical vapor deposition, and more particularly to a technique for supporting and moving a susceptor supporting the substrate in a non-contact manner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, a chemical vapor deposition method (CVD method) in which a reaction gas is thermally decomposed in a reaction chamber to form a film on a substrate is widely used. Further, among these, since an organic metal such as trimethylgallium is used for the production of gallium arsenide or the like, a metal organic chemical vapor deposition method (MOCVD method: Metal Organic Chemical
Vapor Deposition) is called.

Conventionally, there is a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus using the CVD method as shown in FIG. This semiconductor manufacturing apparatus has a reaction chamber 1, and a reaction gas supplied from a reaction gas supply port 2 is flown onto a substrate supported by a susceptor 3, and a reaction is promoted while being heated to a predetermined reaction temperature by a heating means 5. Then, a semiconductor film, an insulating film, a superconducting film, or the like is formed on the substrate.

This semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is provided with a loading chamber 6 which is continuously provided below the reaction chamber 1.
Substrates are attached to and detached from the susceptor 3 in the loading chamber 6. That is, the connecting rod 7 to which the susceptor 3 is attached is moved downward to position the susceptor 3 in the loading chamber 6, the door 8 is opened, and the susceptor 3 is placed on the susceptor 3 between the second loading chamber (not shown). Attach and detach the board.

The connecting rod 7 is movably supported in the axial direction by a dry bearing 9, and the lower end of the connecting rod 7 projects to the outside of the loading chamber 6. An expandable bellows 10 is provided at the bearing portion of the connecting rod 7 to keep the loading chamber 6 airtight. A slider 12 guided by a guide bar 11 is attached to the lower end of the connecting rod 7, and the slider 12 is moved up and down by a motor or a cylinder device (not shown) to move the susceptor 3 between the reaction chamber 1 and the loading chamber 6. It can be moved back and forth between. A lid member 13 is attached to an intermediate portion of the connecting rod 7, and the reaction chamber 1 is loaded into the loading chamber by the lid member 13 when the connecting rod 7 is pushed upward and the susceptor 3 is located in the reaction chamber 1. Separated from 6. In the figure, reference numeral 14 is a gas exhaust port, 15 is a vacuum outlet connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) for evacuating the loading chamber 6, and 16 is an inspection for cleaning or maintenance. It's a door.

According to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having the above structure, the connecting rod 7 is pulled down to position the susceptor 3 in the loading chamber 6, the substrate is placed on the susceptor 3, and then the connecting rod 7 is pushed upward. The susceptor 3 (substrate) can be positioned in the reaction chamber 1 to produce a desired film on the substrate.

Here, in the process of semiconductor manufacturing, it is required to keep the atmosphere clean, the inside of the loading chamber 6 is made a clean vacuum atmosphere, and in some cases, it is replaced with high-purity nitrogen gas. However, in the conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 6, since the connecting rod 7 for moving the susceptor 3 is borne by the mechanical dry bearing 9, fine metal powder (particles) or the like may be generated when used for a long time. Occurrences may occur and contaminate the clean atmosphere in the loading chamber 6 and the reaction chamber 1.

Under the circumstances described above, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having a structure not using the dry bearing 9 has been proposed.
In this semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 7, a loading chamber 6 includes a rigid structure portion 6A made of stainless steel or the like, a telescopic bellows portion 6B having a welded structure of a thin metal plate, and a bottom plate portion 6C as in the conventional case. However, it has a structure in which the connecting rod 7 is attached to the bottom plate portion 6C. According to this semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, since it is not necessary to project the connecting rod 7 to the outside of the apparatus and support it by a mechanical bearing, it is possible to solve the above-mentioned problem of polluting the atmosphere.

[0009]

However, in the conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 7, the elastic bellows portion 6B has a short life and is easily damaged, and the inside of the loading chamber 6 is intruded by outside air from the crack portion. Sometimes pollutes the cleanliness of. If reaction products (dust) or the like falling from the reaction chamber 1 adhere to the elastic bellows portion 6B, smooth expansion and contraction of the elastic bellows portion 6B is hindered,
In some cases, the susceptor 3 rolls laterally, that is, the substrate is displaced, which hinders stable film formation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and can maintain a clean atmosphere in the loading chamber 6 and the reaction chamber 1, has excellent durability, and stably moves the susceptor 3. It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus capable of performing a stable film formation on a substrate.

[0011]

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a susceptor for supporting a substrate, a reaction chamber for forming a film on the substrate by chemical vapor deposition, and a susceptor connected to the reaction chamber. In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus equipped with a loading chamber for attaching and detaching a substrate thereon and a drive mechanism for reciprocating a susceptor between a reaction chamber and a loading chamber, a magnetic field is provided outside the loading chamber and the reaction chamber. A magnetic bearing device for supporting the susceptor by a force in a non-contact manner is provided.

[0012]

A magnetic bearing device is provided outside the loading chamber and the reaction chamber, and the magnetic force from the magnetic bearing device supports the susceptor in a non-contact manner, so that there is no mechanical contact portion or wear portion. Therefore, the susceptor can be stably and movably supported without generating metal powder (dust).

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 and 2 show a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The same or corresponding parts as those of the conventional example described above are designated by the same reference numerals.

In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment, the loading chamber 6 is composed of a cylindrical thick-walled rigid structure portion 6A and a cylindrical thin-walled rigid structure portion 6D. An airtight loading chamber 6 is formed as a whole by airtightly joining the portion 6A and the thin portion 6D via a sealing material. An inspection door 16 for cleaning and maintenance is provided at the bottom of the thin portion 6D.

The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is fixed to a support member 17 such as a support rack at a thick portion 6A, and a thin portion (can) 6D is located at a distance from the support member 17. A pair of linear guides 18 are attached to the support member 17, and these linear guides 18 are provided in the thin portion 6
It extends parallel to D. A stator 19 of the magnetic bearing device is provided near the thin portion 6D, and the stator 19 is slidably engaged with and supported by the linear guide 18 via a slipper 20. Further, a magnetic pole 22 on the secondary side of the linear motor is attached to the stator 19,
On the side of the support member 17, a magnetic pole 21 on the primary side of the linear motor, which faces the magnetic pole 22, extends along the linear guide 18.

Therefore, the stator 19 can be moved in the vertical direction of the drawing along the linear guide 18 by controlling the current supplied to the coil wound around the primary magnetic pole 21. A plurality of position detection sensors (not shown) such as a magnetic sensor and an optical sensor are arranged along the linear guide 18, and the position information of the stator 19 detected by these sensors is input to the control device 23. . The control device 23 can control the current to the primary magnetic pole 21 based on this position information, move the stator 19 arbitrarily in the vertical direction, and stop and hold it at a predetermined position.

The magnetic bearing device is a magnetic bearing device which supports a secondary target (magnetic material) in a non-contact manner by utilizing a magnetic attraction force or a repulsive force. For example, Japanese Patent Application No. 3-43087.
According to the Japanese Patent Application, an elevator structure using the magnetic bearing shown in FIG. 3 is disclosed. That is, the stator 19 of the magnetic bearing device includes the radial magnetic bearings 31, 32, the passive thrust magnetic bearing 33, and the displacement sensor 34, and the target 24 fixed to the connecting rod 7 via the thin portion (can) 6D. Magnetic bodies 36, 37, 38 facing each other,
A magnetic force is exerted on 39 and 40 to connect the connecting rod 7 to the stator 19
Support the center position of.

That is, the susceptor 3 supported by a bearing device provided outside the reaction chamber 1 and the loading chamber 6 in a non-contact manner moves the stator 19 in the vertical direction by a linear motor to move the reaction chamber 1 and the loading chamber 6 together. It can be moved back and forth between. Wirings from the control device 23 to the stator 19 are arranged so as not to hinder the movement of the stator 19, and these wirings are shown by broken lines for convenience in the drawing.

According to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having the above-described structure, the primary coil of the stator and the primary coil 21 of the linear motor are energized under the control of the control device 23, and the secondary target 24 is moved downward together with the stator 19. The substrate can be attached to and detached from the susceptor 3 through the door 8 while the susceptor 3 is positioned inside the loading chamber 6 by moving the connecting rod 7 downward to the susceptor 3. Similarly, the secondary target 24 is moved upward together with the stator 19 to push the connecting rod 7 upward, the reaction chamber 1 is separated from the loading chamber 6 by the lid member 13, and the susceptor 3 is moved inside the reaction chamber 1. Position, the reaction gas supplied from the reaction gas supply port 2 is flown to the substrate supported by the susceptor 3, and the reaction is accelerated while being heated to a predetermined reaction temperature by the heating means 5 to form a desired film on the substrate. Can be generated.

In the operation of such an apparatus, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment, since the connecting rod 7 is supported in a non-contact manner, the metal powder (contaminating inside the loading chamber 6 and the reaction chamber 1) ( Does not generate dust etc.,
The atmosphere for film formation can be kept clean. Further, the reciprocating motion of the susceptor 3 is stably performed by the linear motor under the support of the magnetic bearing device, and the susceptor 3 can be stably moved without lowering the durability due to elastic fatigue.

4 and 5 show a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment, the drive mechanism for reciprocating the susceptor 3 is composed of a ball (feed) screw mechanism. In the drive mechanism of the present embodiment, a ball screw 27, one end of which is rotatably supported by a bearing 26, extends along the linear guide 18, and the other end of the ball screw 27 is driven by a drive motor 29 via a speed reducer 28. And the ball nut 30 engaged with the ball screw 27 is attached to the stator 19. Therefore, when the drive motor 29 is driven to rotate the ball screw 27 under the control of the controller 23, the stator 19 moves along with the ball nut 30 along the linear guide 18, and the stator 19 is stopped by stopping the drive motor 29. It can be stopped and held at an arbitrary position, and the susceptor 3 can be moved between the reaction chamber 1 and the loading chamber 6 in a non-contact state.

Also in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment, since the connecting rod 7 is supported in a non-contact manner, metal powder (dust) that contaminates the inside of the loading chamber 6 and the inside of the reaction chamber 1.
In addition, the reciprocating motion of the susceptor 3 is stably performed by the ball screw mechanism under the support of the magnetic bearing device, and the susceptor 3 is stably moved without deterioration in durability due to elastic fatigue. be able to.

Although the linear motor and the ball (feed) screw mechanism are shown as the drive mechanism in the above-mentioned embodiments, the present invention may be constructed by using a cylinder device or a simple screw type feed drought. Various forms can be made by using a known technique such as the feed screw mechanism used. Further, although the apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment is a vertical type in which the reaction gas is flowed vertically, the present invention may be a horizontal type in which the reaction gas is flowed in parallel to the substrate.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the susceptor is supported in a non-contact manner by the magnetic force of the magnetic bearing device arranged outside the loading chamber and the reaction chamber, metal powder (dust) is not generated from the bearing device, And the inside of the reaction chamber can be maintained in a clean atmosphere. In addition to the above, since no bellows is used, the durability is excellent and the susceptor can be moved stably.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a magnetic bearing device.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to a conventional example.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Reaction Chamber 3 Susceptor 6 Loading Chamber 7 Connecting Rod 18 Linear Guide 19 Stator 21 Primary Magnetic Pole of Linear Motor 22 Secondary Magnetic Pole of Linear Motor 23 Controller 24 Secondary Target of Magnetic Bearing Device 27 Ball Screw 29 Drive Motor 30 ball nuts

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A susceptor for supporting a substrate, a reaction chamber for forming a film on the substrate by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and a reaction chamber connected to the reaction chamber for attaching and detaching the substrate on the susceptor. In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including a loading chamber and a drive mechanism that reciprocates the susceptor between a reaction chamber and a loading chamber, the susceptor is disposed outside the loading chamber and the reaction chamber by a magnetic force. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising a magnetic bearing device supported by contact. 2. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a drive mechanism for moving a stator side of the magnetic bearing device, the drive mechanism moving the stator to load the susceptor supported by the magnetic bearing with a reaction chamber. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is reciprocated between the chamber and the chamber. 3. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the drive mechanism includes a linear guide that guides the stator, and a linear motor that moves the stator along the linear guide. 4. The drive mechanism comprises a linear guide for guiding the stator, a feed screw provided along the linear guide and engaged with the stator, and a rotary screw for driving the feed screw to move the stator along the linear guide. 3. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a drive motor for moving the semiconductor device.