JP5955052B2 - Semiconductor device manufacturing method, substrate processing apparatus, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, a semiconductor device manufacturing method, and a recording medium that heat-process a substrate.

  A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, which is a kind of substrate processing apparatus, includes at least a carrier mounting table on which a carrier (POD) as a substrate transporter storing a substrate is mounted, a processing chamber for processing the substrate, and a carrier mounting table A transfer chamber having transfer means for transferring the substrate in the carrier placed on the substrate to the processing chamber.

  In a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate is heat-treated in a vacuum state in a processing chamber. On the other hand, the carrier conveyed in the clean room is conveyed in an atmospheric state. Therefore, a load lock chamber for adjusting the pressure is provided between the processing chamber and the carrier mounting table.

  In such a substrate processing apparatus or semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, due to traffic congestion, when the transfer means carries a processed substrate (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) out of the processing chamber and returns it to the carrier, the transfer means and the carrier are thermally damaged. In some cases, the processed wafer may be cooled so that the The wafer is cooled in a processing chamber or a load lock chamber.

The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus aims to improve the quality of the wafer as described above, but on the other hand, high throughput is required.
However, there is a problem that throughput is lowered depending on a cooling place and a cooling method when the processed wafer is cooled.

JP 2001-345279 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of improving the quality of a substrate and improving the manufacturing throughput.

According to one aspect of the invention,
A mounting table on which a transport container storing a plurality of substrates is mounted; a processing chamber for performing a heat treatment on the substrate; and a mounting table adjacent to the processing chamber and described above, A transfer chamber having a transfer robot for transferring the substrate between the processing chambers, a substrate placement unit provided in the transfer chamber and configured to stack the substrates processed in the process chamber; and the transfer chamber There is provided a substrate processing apparatus including a cooling unit that is provided and supplies a cooling gas to the stacked substrates from the side of the substrate.

According to yet another aspect of the invention,
A step of carrying a substrate into a processing chamber; a step of heat-treating the substrate in the processing chamber; a step of unloading the heat-treated substrate from the processing chamber to a transfer chamber; and the heat-treated substrate as the substrate There is provided a substrate processing method including a step of providing a cooling unit for supplying a cooling gas to the side of the substrate and transferring the cooling unit to a substrate mounting unit on which a plurality of substrates are mounted.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention,
A step of carrying a substrate into a processing chamber; a step of heat-treating the substrate in the processing chamber; a step of unloading the heat-treated substrate from the processing chamber to a transfer chamber; and the heat-treated substrate as the substrate And a step of transporting the substrate to a substrate mounting portion on which a plurality of substrates are mounted. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention,
A step of carrying a substrate into a processing chamber; a step of heat-treating the substrate in the processing chamber; a step of unloading the heat-treated substrate from the processing chamber to a transfer chamber; and the heat-treated substrate as the substrate A recording medium on which a program for executing a substrate processing method is recorded, comprising: a cooling unit that supplies a cooling gas to a side of the substrate; and a step of transporting the substrate to a substrate mounting unit on which a plurality of substrates are mounted. Provided.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the quality of the substrate and the manufacturing throughput.

1 is a schematic top view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic side view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a composition schematic diagram of a processing furnace concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a structural example of the substrate mounting base which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a substrate processing sequence example which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top surface schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is an example of composition of a substrate cooling room concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is an example of composition of a substrate cooling room concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is a structural example of the control part which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

(1) <One Embodiment of the Present Invention>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[Configuration of substrate processing equipment]
First, a configuration example of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. 1 and 2 are cross-sectional configuration diagrams of the substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus is an apparatus that heats a substrate or a film formed on the substrate using a microwave. For example, it is an apparatus for processing a substrate 200 made of silicon or the like.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram when the substrate processing apparatus 1 is viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the substrate processing apparatus as viewed from the side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a processing chamber is provided that has a load lock chamber structure that can withstand a pressure (negative pressure) less than atmospheric pressure such as a vacuum state. All the processing furnaces are constituted by cold wall type processing furnaces.

  A transfer chamber 121 used under atmospheric pressure is connected to the front side of the processing chamber via gate valves 128, 129, and 130. A substrate transfer machine 124 for transferring the substrate 200 is installed in the transfer chamber 121. The substrate transfer device 124 is configured to be moved up and down by a substrate transfer device elevator 131 installed in the transfer chamber 121, and is configured to be reciprocated in the left-right direction by a linear actuator 132.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a processing substrate mounting table 106 is installed on the left side of the transfer chamber 121. As shown in FIG. 2, a clean unit 118 for supplying clean air is installed on the upper portion of the transfer chamber 121.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on the front side of the transfer chamber casing 125 of the transfer chamber 121, a substrate loading / unloading port 134 for loading / unloading the substrate 200 to / from the transfer chamber 121, and a pod opener. 108 is installed. A load port 105 is provided on the opposite side of the pod opener 108 across the substrate loading / unloading port 134, that is, on the outside of the transfer chamber casing 125. The pod opener 108 includes a closure 142 that can open and close the cap 100 a of the pod 100 and close the substrate loading / unloading port 134, and a drive mechanism 136 that drives the closure 142, and the pod 100 installed in the load port 105. By opening and closing the cap 100a, the substrate 200 can be taken in and out of the pod 100. The pod 100 is supplied to and discharged from the load port 105 by an in-process transfer device (OHT) (not shown).

  In addition, a first processing furnace 201, a second processing furnace 202, and a third processing furnace 203 that perform processing described later on the substrate 200 are installed on the rear side of the transfer chamber housing 125.

[Configuration of substrate transport process]
Hereinafter, a substrate transfer process using the substrate processing apparatus having the above-described configuration will be described.

  With a maximum of 25 substrates 200 housed in the pod 100, the substrate 200 is transported to the substrate processing apparatus that performs the processing process by the in-process transport apparatus. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pod 100 that has been transported is delivered and placed on the load port 105 from the in-process transport device. The cap 100a of the pod 100 is removed by the pod opener 108, and the substrate outlet of the pod 100 is opened.

  When the pod 100 is opened by the pod opener 108, the substrate transfer machine 124 installed in the transfer chamber 121 picks up the substrate 200 from the pod 100 and loads it into the processing chamber.

  Here, when the pressure in the processing chamber reaches a preset pressure value, the gate valve 128 is opened, and the first processing furnace 201 and the transfer chamber casing 125 are communicated with each other. Subsequently, the substrate transfer machine 124 in the transfer chamber housing 125 carries the substrate 200 into the processing chamber. Thereafter, after the gate valve 128 is closed, pressure adjustment is performed in the first processing furnace 201, and then a processing gas is supplied to perform a desired process on the substrate 200.

  After the processing for the substrate 200 is completed in the first processing furnace 201, when a preset cooling time has elapsed, the gate valve 128 is opened and the substrate 200 is transferred to the substrate mounting table 106 in the transfer chamber 121 by the substrate transfer machine 131. Placed in. Here, the substrate 200 is cooled on the substrate mounting table 106. When a preset cooling time has elapsed, the substrate 200 is stored in the empty pod 100 through the substrate carry-in / out port 134 by the substrate transfer device 131 in the empty pod 100 placed on the load port 105. Here, the cap 100a of the pod 100 may be opened until a maximum of 25 substrates are accommodated, or may be returned to the pod from which the substrate is unloaded without being accommodated in the empty pod 100.

  By repeating the above operations, when the 25 processed substrates 200 are completely stored in the pod 100, the cap 100a of the cap 100 of the pod 100 is closed by the pod opener 108. The closed pod 100 is transported from the top of the load port 105 to the next process by the in-process transport device.

  The above operation has been described by taking the case where the first processing furnace 201 is used as an example, but the same operation is also performed when the second processing furnace 202 and the third processing furnace 203 are used.

  Further, the same processing may be performed in all the processing furnaces, or different processing may be performed in each processing furnace. When performing another process in the first process furnace 201 and the second process furnace 202, for example, after the process on the substrate 200 is performed in the first process furnace 201, another process is performed in the second process furnace 202. May be.

  Further, it is sufficient that at least one of the processing furnaces 201, 202, 203 is connected to the processing furnace, and two processing furnaces 202, 203 and the like, and the maximum of three processing furnaces 201, 202, 203 are included. Any number of possible combinations in the range may be connected.

[Process furnace configuration]
Next, the configuration of the processing furnace according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described using the processing furnace 201 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. The processing furnace 201 provides a microwave supply unit and processes the substrate 200. The microwave supply unit includes a microwave generation unit 220, a waveguide 221, and a waveguide port 222.

  The substrate processing apparatus includes a control unit 300 that controls the operation of each component. The control unit 300 includes a microwave generation unit 220, gate valves 128, 129, and 130, a substrate transfer device 124, a flow rate control device 254, The operation of each component such as the valve 253 and the pressure adjustment valve 263 is controlled.

  For example, the microwave generation unit 220 generates a national frequency microwave or a variable frequency microwave. As the microwave generation unit 220, for example, a magnetron or the like is used. Microwaves generated by the microwave generator 220 are introduced into the processing furnace 201 from the waveguide port 222 communicating with the processing furnace 201 through the waveguide 221.

  The microwave introduced into the processing furnace 201 is repeatedly reflected on the wall surface of the processing furnace 201. Microwaves are reflected in various directions in the processing furnace 201, and the processing furnace 201 is filled with microwaves. The microwave hitting the substrate 200 in the processing furnace 201 is absorbed by the substrate 200, and the substrate 200 is dielectrically heated by the microwave.

  The energy of the microwave emitted from the waveguide 222 is attenuated every time it hits the wall surface of the processing furnace 201. A feature of this processing furnace is that it can be rapidly heated by applying high-energy microwaves to the substrate 200.

  Here, the inventors experimentally compared the case where the substrate was processed in a state where the reflected wave was dominant and the case where the substrate was directly irradiated with microwaves, and the latter was formed on the substrate or the substrate. The present inventors have found that the film can be efficiently heated and the effect of the modification described later can be enhanced.

  Here, when directly irradiating the substrate 200 with the microwave, the size of the waveguide 222 is smaller than the area of the substrate 200, so that the energy of the microwave irradiated to the surface of the substrate 200 is applied to the entire surface of the substrate 200. It becomes difficult to supply uniformly. Further, even if the substrate 200 is directly irradiated with microwaves, not all of the energy is absorbed by the substrate 200, and a part of the energy is reflected on the surface of the substrate or a part of the energy is transmitted through the substrate. This becomes a reflected wave, and a standing wave is generated in the processing furnace 201. Due to this standing wave, a portion where the microwave electric field is strong and weak is generated in the space in the processing furnace, whereby a portion that is well heated and a portion that is not heated so much are generated in the substrate surface. This becomes a heating unevenness of the substrate 200, and becomes a cause of worsening the in-plane uniformity of the film quality.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the waveguide 222 is provided on the upper wall of the processing furnace 201, and the microwave supplied with the distance between the waveguide 222 and the surface of the substrate 200 supported by the substrate support pins 213 is supplied. The distance is shorter than one wavelength. In the present invention, the frequency of the microwave used is 5.8 GHz, and the distance is shorter than the wavelength of the microwave of 51.7 mm. In the range of a distance shorter than one wavelength from the waveguide 222, it is considered that the direct wave emitted from the waveguide 222 is dominant. As described above, the direct wave directly emitted from the waveguide port 222 is dominant in the microwave irradiated to the substrate 200, and the influence of the standing wave in the processing furnace 201 can be relatively reduced. In addition, the substrate 200 in the vicinity of the waveguide port 222 can be rapidly heated.

  Here, the temperature of the substrate 200 is generally low when the power of the microwave is small, and high when the power is large. The temperature of the substrate varies depending on the size and shape of the processing furnace, the position of the microwave waveguide, and the position of the substrate, but the correlation that the substrate temperature increases is not lost when the microwave power is increased.

  The reaction furnace casing 218 forming the processing furnace 201 is made of, for example, a metal material such as aluminum (Al) or stainless steel (SUS), and has a structure that shields the processing furnace 201 and the outside in a microwave manner. . In the processing furnace 201, substrate support pins 213 as substrate support portions supported by the substrate 200 are provided. The substrate support pins 213 are provided such that the center of the supported substrate 200 and the center of the processing furnace 201 substantially coincide with each other in the vertical direction. The substrate support pins 213 are composed of, for example, quartz or polytetrafluoroethylene, and support the substrate 200 at the upper ends thereof. For example, three substrate support pins 213 are provided at locations that support the end of the substrate 200. Although three are provided in this embodiment, three or more may be provided. A substrate support table 212 is provided below the substrate support pins 213 and below the substrate 200. The substrate support 212 is made of a conductor such as aluminum (Al).

  Since the substrate support table 212 is made of metal, the microwave potential is zero on the surface of the substrate support table 212. If the substrate 200 is placed directly on the substrate support table 212, the electric field strength of the microwave is weak and is not heated. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the substrate 200 is placed at a position of about a quarter wavelength (λ / 4) of the microwave from the surface of the substrate support table 212 or at an odd multiple of about λ / 4. . Here, the surface of the substrate support table 212 refers to a surface that faces the back surface of the substrate in the plane constituting the substrate support table 212. Since the electric field is strong at a position that is an odd multiple of λ / 4, the substrate 200 can be efficiently heated by microwaves. In the present embodiment, for example, a microwave fixed at 5.8 GHz is used, and the wavelength of the microwave is 51.7 mm. Therefore, the height from the surface of the substrate support base 212 to the substrate 200 is 12.9 mm. .

  A form in which the frequency of the microwave changes (varies) with time is also possible. In this case, the height from the surface of the substrate support base 212 to the substrate 200 may be obtained from the wavelength of the representative frequency in the changing frequency band. For example, when the wavelength changes from 5.8 GHz to 7.0 GHz, the representative frequency Is the center frequency of the changing frequency band, and the height from the surface of the substrate support 212 to the substrate 200 may be 11.5 mm from the wavelength 46 mm of the representative frequency 6.4 GHz.

  Alternatively, a plurality of fixed frequency power supplies may be provided, and microwaves having different frequencies may be switched and supplied for processing.

  The processing furnace 201 is provided with a gas supply pipe 252 for introducing a gas such as nitrogen (N 2). The gas supply pipe 252 is provided with a gas supply source 255, a flow rate control device 254 for adjusting the gas flow rate, and a valve 253 for opening and closing the gas flow path in order from the upstream side. Gas is introduced into or stopped from the gas supply pipe 252 into the furnace 201. The introduced gas introduced from the gas supply pipe 252 is used to cool the substrate 200 or to push out the gas in the processing furnace 201 as a purge gas.

  A gas supply unit is configured by the gas supply pipe 252, the flow rate control device 254, and the valve 253. The flow control device 254 and the valve 253 are electrically connected to the control unit 300 and are controlled by the control unit 300. Note that a gas supply source 255 may be provided in the gas supply unit.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the processing furnace 201 is provided with a gas exhaust pipe 262 for exhausting the gas in the processing furnace 201, and the gas exhaust pipe 262 is provided with a pressure adjustment valve 263. By adjusting the opening degree of the pressure adjustment valve 263, the pressure in the processing furnace 201 is adjusted to a predetermined value. Further, a vacuum pump 264 may be provided as an exhaust device.

The gas exhaust pipe 262 and the pressure adjustment valve 263 constitute a gas exhaust unit. The pressure adjustment valve 263 is electrically connected to the controller 300 and is pressure-controlled.
In addition, you may make it include the vacuum pump 264 in a gas discharge part.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a substrate transfer port 271 for transferring the substrate 200 into and out of the processing furnace 201 is provided on one side of the reaction furnace casing 218. The substrate transfer port 271 is provided with a gate valve 128. By opening the gate valve 128, the inside of the processing furnace 201 and the transfer chamber are communicated with each other.

  Next, an embodiment of a method for replacing the inside of the processing furnace 201 with an inert gas atmosphere so as not to adversely affect the substrate 200 in the heat treatment process described later will be described. In this embodiment, nitrogen (N2) gas is used as an inert gas. The gas (atmosphere) in the processing furnace 201 is discharged from the gas discharge pipe 262 by the vacuum pump 264, and N 2 gas is introduced into the processing furnace 201 from the gas supply pipe 252. At this time, the pressure in the processing furnace 201 is adjusted to a predetermined value, in this embodiment, atmospheric pressure by the pressure adjustment valve 263.

[Configuration of microwave heat treatment process]
Next, the heat treatment process in this embodiment will be described.

  Microwaves generated by the microwave generator 220 are introduced into the processing furnace 201 from the waveguide port 222 and irradiated onto the surface of the substrate 200. In this embodiment, the high-k film on the surface of the substrate 200 is heated to 100 ° C. to 600 ° C. by this microwave irradiation to modify the high-k film, that is, from the high-k film to C, H, etc. The impurity is removed, and a treatment for densifying and modifying the insulating thin film is performed.

  The control unit 300 opens the valve 253, introduces N2 gas into the processing furnace 201 from the gas supply pipe 252, and adjusts the pressure in the processing furnace 201 to a predetermined value by the pressure adjustment valve 263. The N 2 gas in the processing furnace 201 is discharged from 262. As described above, the inside of the processing furnace 201 is maintained at a predetermined pressure value.

  In this state, the microwave is introduced for a predetermined time to perform the substrate heat treatment apparatus, and then the introduction of the microwave is stopped.

  Here, a dielectric such as a high-k film has different microwave absorption rates depending on the dielectric constant. The higher the dielectric constant, the easier it is to absorb microwaves. Experimentally, it has been confirmed that when the substrate is irradiated with high-power microwaves and processed, the dielectric film on the substrate is more modified than when processed with low-power microwaves. Also, the feature of heating by microwave is dielectric heating by dielectric constant ε and dielectric loss tangent tanδ. When materials with different physical properties are heated at the same time, easily heated materials, that is, materials with high dielectric constant are selectively heated. be able to. For example, when a metal film, a high-k film, and a low-k film are formed on the substrate 200, the high-k film can be preferentially heated without heating the metal film or the low-k film. .

  As described above, a substance having a high dielectric constant is heated rapidly, and other substances are heated relatively long. By irradiating a high-power microwave, the dielectric is applied to the dielectric. Since the microwave irradiation time for desired heating can be shortened, other materials are selectively heated by ending the microwave irradiation before being heated. can do.

  Next, annealing of the High-k film will be described. A high-k film has a higher dielectric constant ε than silicon, which is a substrate material. For example, the dielectric constant ε of silicon is 9.6, the dielectric constant ε of a hafnium oxide (HfO) film that is a high-k film is 25, and the dielectric constant ε of a zirconium oxide (ZrO) film is 35. Therefore, when the substrate on which the High-k film is formed is irradiated with microwaves, only the High-k film can be selectively heated.

  Experimentally, irradiation with high-power microwaves has a greater effect of film modification. When the high-power microwave is irradiated, the temperature of the High-k film can be rapidly increased.

  In contrast, when a relatively low power microwave is irradiated for a long time, the temperature of the entire substrate becomes high during the modification process. This is because, over time, silicon itself is dielectrically heated by microwaves, and the temperature of the silicon substrate also rises due to heat conduction from the High-k film irradiated with microwaves to the silicon side. Because it will end up. The reason why the film modification effect is large when irradiating high-power microwaves is that the entire substrate rises in temperature and can be heated to a high temperature by dielectric heating within the time until the upper limit temperature is reached. Conceivable.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the substrate surface side formed on the High-k film is irradiated with a direct wave having strong energy, and the heating difference between the dielectric and the substrate is set to be larger.

[Configuration of substrate cooling process]
Next, a method for improving the cooling efficiency of the substrate will be described.

  For example, the temperature increase of the substrate 200 can be suppressed by cooling the substrate 200 during the microwave irradiation. In order to cool the substrate 200, for example, the temperature of the substrate 200 can be controlled by increasing the flow rate of an inert gas (for example, N 2 gas) introduced into the processing furnace 201 and controlling the flow rate.

  In addition, when the cooling effect of N2 gas is positively used, the gas supply pipe 252 is provided on the substrate support table 212, and the gas is allowed to flow between the substrate 200 and the substrate support table 212, thereby improving the cooling effect by the gas. You can also plan. The temperature of the substrate 200 can also be controlled by controlling the flow rate of this gas.

  In this embodiment, N 2 gas is used, but other gas having a high heat transfer coefficient may be used if there is no problem in safety in terms of process. For example, a rare gas such as He or Ne or N 2 gas can be added to improve the cooling effect of the substrate.

  Alternatively, a cooling flow path for circulating a coolant such as the cooling water flow meter 231, the opening / closing valve 232, and the cooling water path 233 may be provided in the substrate support base 212.

[Configuration of substrate mounting table]
Here, the substrate mounting table 106 provided in the transfer chamber 121 will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4A is a schematic view of the substrate mounting table 106 as viewed from the upper surface (the ceiling surface of the transfer chamber 121). The dotted line indicates the position when the wafer is placed. FIG. 4B is a schematic view of the transfer chamber 121 viewed from the substrate transfer machine 124 side.

The substrate mounting table 106 is configured such that a plurality of frames 280 provided with a plurality of substrate holding pads 281 are fixed to a pillar 282 and the frames 280 are stacked. The frame 280 has a “U” shape that opens at the center, and the arm of the transfer robot is inserted into the opening.
The substrate holding pad 281 is provided in a convex shape on each side of the frame 280. The material for the substrate holding pad is a heat resistant material, for example, alumina ceramic, heat resistant resin, quartz or the like.
The plurality of frames 280 are supported in the vertical direction by a plurality of support columns 282 and have a structure in which a plurality of wafers 200 can be mounted in the vertical direction. For example, three frames 280 are mounted.
The wafers 200 transferred by the arms are placed on the substrate holding pads 281 provided in the respective frames 280 and stacked. At this time, the edge portion of each wafer 200 and the substrate holding pad 281 come into contact with each other.
The edge portion refers to a portion of the outer periphery of the substrate that is not used as a semiconductor device, and is also referred to as an exclusion area.

With such a structure, it is possible to efficiently supply airflow from the ceiling to the wafer mounted on the top.
In addition, by supporting a part of the frame 280 with the support columns 282, airflow can flow between the support columns 282 and between the frames 280. Furthermore, by opening the center of the frame 280, the air flow wraps around the back surface of the wafer and the surface of the wafer facing the back surface, so that the cooling efficiency can be further increased.

By making the substrate holding pad convex, the wafer 200 is prevented from contacting the frame 280. By preventing the contact, the occurrence of scratches on the back surface of the substrate can be suppressed. Furthermore, the air flow is also sneak to the wafer edge portion, and the cooling efficiency can be further improved.
Furthermore, since it is a heat resistant material, thermal deformation does not occur even if the wafer 200 heated by the process module is supported. Therefore, even if a high temperature substrate is placed, damage to the wafer back surface can be prevented.
Here, the frame 280 has a U-shape, but is not limited thereto, and may be a polygonal shape such as a circular shape or an octagonal shape.

[Configuration of substrate processing sequence]
Next, details of the substrate processing sequence of the substrate processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

In the following description of the sequence, n is an integer.
W1, W2,... Wn,... W9 indicate substrates processed by the process module 10, W1 is the first wafer in one lot, W2 is the second wafer in one lot, and Wn is n. Each wafer is shown. Here, for convenience of explanation, a description will be given of a silicon substrate having nine wafers and having a High-k film. PM1 indicates the process module 201, PM2 indicates the process module 202, and PM3 indicates the process module 203.
CS indicates the substrate platform 106, CS1 indicates the first frame 280a provided farthest from the fan 118 in the substrate platform 106, and CS2 indicates the substrate platform adjacent to the gravity direction information of the frame 280a. CS3 indicates the second frame 280b of the portion 106, and CS3 indicates the third frame 280c of the substrate platform 106 adjacent to the upper side of the frame 280b in the direction of gravity.

The initial substrate conveyance means that the substrate transfer device 124 conveys W1.
The conveyance means that the substrate transfer machine 124 carries the wafer into or out of the process module.
In the swap transfer, the processed wafer processed by the substrate transfer machine 124 is unloaded, the unprocessed wafer is transferred into the process module, and the processed wafer is mounted on the substrate mounting table 106 in the transfer chamber 121. Say.
The substrate return conveyance means that the substrate transfer device 124 returns Wn to the pod 100 on the load port 105. The transfer time 1T described below corresponds to the time required for the swap transfer.

Processing (PMn) indicates that the wafer is processed by the process module n.
A specific example of processing will be described later.
This sequence assumes that all process modules perform the same processing, and the processing time is 7T.
Cooling (PMn) is an operation for cooling the processed wafer in the process module n, and is 4T.

<Step 1 (S1)>
The shutter 134 is opened, and the substrate transfer device 124 takes out the first wafer W1 mounted on the pod 100 placed on the load port. The substrate transfer device 124 moves / rotates in the transfer chamber 121 to place W1 on the substrate support pin upper end 213 of PM1 (transfer of W1).

<Step 2 (S2)>
The substrate transfer machine 124 moves / rotates in the transfer chamber 121 and takes out W2 from the pod 100. The substrate transfer 124 moves / rotates in the transfer chamber 121 and carries W2 into PM2 (transfer of W2).
In parallel with this, microwaves are supplied to the processing chamber from the waveguide port 222 of PM1, and W1 is heated (processing (PM1)).

<Step 3 (S3)>
The substrate transfer machine 124 moves / rotates in the transfer chamber 121 and takes out W3 from the pod 100. The substrate transfer device 124 moves / rotates in the transfer chamber 121 and carries W3 into PM3 (conveyance of W3).
In parallel with this, microwaves are supplied from the waveguide opening 222 of PM2 to the processing chamber to heat W2 (processing (PM2)).

<Step 4 (S4)>
A microwave is supplied from the waveguide port 222 of PM3 to the processing chamber, and W3 is heated (processing (PM3)).

<Step 5 (S5)>
After 7T from the start of Step 2, PM1 stops supplying microwaves. Next, an inert gas (for example, N2 gas) is supplied from the gas supply pipe 252 of PM1. The heated W1 is cooled by flowing a gas between the substrate 200 and the substrate support 212 (cooling (PM1)).

<Step 6 (S6)>
After 7T from the start of step 3, the microwave supply is stopped in PM2. Next, an inert gas (for example, N 2 gas) is supplied from the PM 2 gas supply pipe 252. By flowing a gas between the substrate 200 and the substrate support 212, the heated W2 is cooled (cooling (PM2)).

<Step 7 (S7)>
After 7T from the start of step 4, PM3 stops supplying microwaves. Next, an inert gas (for example, N 2 gas) is supplied from the gas supply pipe 252 of PM 3. By flowing a gas between the substrate 200 and the substrate support 212, the heated W3 is cooled (cooling (PM3)).

<Step 8 (S8)>
The substrate transfer machine 124 carries W4 taken out from the pod 100 into PM1, carries out heat treatment, and further carries out W1 cooled in the processing chamber from PM1. The substrate transfer machine 124 loaded with the unloaded W1 moves / rotates in the transfer chamber 121, and places the wafer on the first frame 280a in the substrate mounting table 106 provided in the transfer chamber 121. (Transport).

<Step 9 (S9)>
The wafer placed on the first frame 280a of the substrate platform 106 is efficiently cooled by airflow from the ceiling.
The substrate transfer machine 124 carries W5 taken out from the pod 100 into PM2, carries out heat treatment, and further carries out W2 cooled in the processing chamber from PM2. The substrate transfer machine 124 loaded with the unloaded W2 moves / rotates in the transfer chamber 121 and places the wafer on the second frame 280b in the substrate mounting table 106 provided in the transfer chamber 121. (Transport). In parallel with this, microwaves are supplied from the waveguide port 122 of PM1 to the processing chamber to heat W4 (processing (PM1)).

<Step 10 (S10)>
The wafer placed on the second frame 280b of the substrate platform 106 is efficiently cooled by the air flow from the ceiling. At this time, W1 placed on the first frame 280a is indirectly cooled by the airflow supplied from the side surface of the substrate platform 106 (cooling (CS1)).
The substrate transfer device 124 carries W6 taken out from the pod 100 into the PM3, carries out the heat treatment, and further carries out W3 cooled in the processing chamber from the PM3. The substrate transfer machine 124 loaded with the unloaded W3 moves / rotates in the transfer chamber 121, and places the wafer on the third frame 210c in the substrate mounting table 106 provided in the transfer chamber 121. (Transport).
In parallel with this, a microwave is supplied from the waveguide port 222 of PM2 to the processing chamber to heat W5 (processing (PM2)).

<Step 11 (S11)>
The wafer placed on the third frame 280c of the substrate platform 106 can be efficiently cooled by the air flow from the ceiling. At this time, W2 placed on the second frame 280b is indirectly cooled by the airflow supplied from the side surface of the substrate platform 106 (cooling (CS3)).
In parallel with this, a microwave is supplied from the waveguide port 222 of PM3 to the processing chamber to heat W6 (processing (PM3)).

<Step 12 (S12)>
After 3T from S9, the substrate transfer device 124 takes out W1 from the first frame 280a, moves / rotates in the transfer chamber 121, and returns it to a predetermined position of the pod 100.

<Step 13 (S13)>
After 3T from S10, the substrate transfer device 124 takes out W2 from the second frame 280b, moves / rotates in the transfer chamber 121, and returns it to a predetermined position of the pod 100.

<Step 14 (S14)>
After 3T from S11, the substrate transfer device 124 takes out W3 from the third frame 280c, moves / rotates in the transfer chamber 121, and returns it to a predetermined position of the pod 100.

<Step 15 (S15) to Step 33 (S33)>
Similar to the above steps, the wafer is repeatedly heated and cooled by each process module and substrate mounting frame, and the wafer is returned to a predetermined position on the pod 100.

Regarding the method for placing the substrate placement frame, as described above, the heat-treated wafer is placed on the lower frame in the vacant frame.
Further, by adjusting the processing time and the cooling time, when the wafer is placed on the lower frame, the wafer is not placed on the upper frame.
Specifically, the heated nth wafer is placed on the bottom layer. For example, after placing on the first frame 210a, the next heated n + 1st wafer is placed closer to the fan than the frame on which the nth wafer is placed, for example, the first It is mounted on the second frame 210b.
By carrying / loading in this way, even when the n + 1st wafer is affected by the heat of the nth wafer when the wafer is placed on the substrate platform, the cooling effect by the airflow is obtained. Since it can be obtained preferentially, the cooling time of the (n + 1) th wafer can be shortened.

(2) <Effect according to one embodiment of the present invention>
According to the present embodiment, one or more effects shown below are produced.

(A) According to this embodiment,
The high-k film and the low-k film are formed, and the substrate on which the high-k film is heated can be efficiently cooled.
(B) The high-k film and the low-k film are formed by the above-described substrate processing sequence, and the process step of heat-treating the high-k film can be shortened.
(C) Moreover, even if the n + 1st wafer is affected by the heat of the nth wafer by transporting the substrate to the substrate mounting table as described above, the cooling effect by airflow is given priority. Therefore, the cooling time of the (n + 1) th wafer can be shortened.

(3) <Other embodiments of the present invention>
Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[Substrate cooling room]
As described above, in order to shorten the substrate processing time by increasing the output of the microwave and achieve higher throughput processing, the substrate cooling time on the substrate mounting table 106 is also shortened in accordance with the substrate processing time. There is a need to.
As a result of further diligent research, the inventors have found that by devising the air flow to the substrate mounting table 106, the cooling time of the substrate can be shortened and the substrate processing throughput can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a substrate cooling chamber 110 is provided adjacent to the transfer chamber 121, and a substrate mounting table 106 is installed therein.

Next, an embodiment of the substrate cooling chamber 110 will be described.
In the substrate cooling chamber 110 shown in FIG. 7, a clean unit 111 is provided at the front of the cooling chamber. The clean unit 111 is inactive to the dust-removed atmosphere or a substrate such as N 2 gas or Ar gas from the front of the substrate cooling juice 110 toward the substrate mounting table 106 installed in the substrate cooling chamber 110. By supplying the cooling gas, the heat-processed wafer placed on the substrate mounting table 106 is cooled.

  In the substrate cooling chamber 110 shown in FIG. 7, the distance from the clean unit 111 installed in the substrate cooling chamber 110 to the substrate mounting table 106 is short, and further, from the side of the clean unit 111 to the substrate mounting table 106. Airflow is supplied. As a result, even if the heated wafers are stacked from the first frame 280a in the lowermost layer of the substrate mounting table 106 to the third frame 280c in the uppermost layer, the substrates from the nth to the n + 2th are stacked. Since sufficient airflow can be always supplied from the side to the space between the substrates, the cooling time of the substrate can be further shortened.

(4) <Effects according to other embodiments of the present invention>
According to this embodiment, in addition to the effect which concerns on one above-mentioned embodiment, there exist one or several effects shown below.

(A) According to this embodiment, by supplying the cooling gas from the side of the substrate, the cooling gas can be uniformly supplied to the upper surface, the side surface, and the lower surface of the substrate, and the substrate is uniformly cooled. Is possible.

(B) Further, even when the substrates are stacked from the nth to the (n + 2) th, it is possible to always supply a sufficient air flow from the side to the space between the substrates. The cooling time can be further shortened.

(5) <Still another embodiment of the present invention>
Hereinafter, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[Substrate cooling room]
An embodiment of the substrate cooling chamber 110 shown in FIG. 8 will be described.
Inside the substrate cooling chamber 110, as shown in FIG. 8, a shower head 112 is provided on one side, and a gas exhaust pipe 115 is provided on the other side. A door valve 113 is provided between the transfer chamber 121 and the cooling chamber 110 to transfer the processing substrate from the processing chamber 121 to the cooling chamber 110 and to transfer the cooled substrate from the cooling chamber 110 to the transfer chamber 121. Open when loading. The shower head 112 is provided with one or a plurality of gas supply holes, and an inert gas such as N 2 gas is supplied from the gas supply pipe 114. By supplying an inert gas from the gas supply hole of the shower head 112 toward the substrate mounting table 106 installed in the substrate cooling chamber 110, heat treatment is performed by being stacked on the substrate mounting table 106. Cool the wafer.

  By supplying an air flow by an inert gas from the side to the substrate mounting table 106 from the shower head 112, the heated wafer is removed from the frame of the first frame 280 a on the lowermost layer of the substrate mounting table 106. Even when the nth to n + 2th substrates are stacked and placed up to the frame of the third frame 280c, a sufficient inert gas airflow is supplied from the side to the space between the substrates. As a result, the cooling time of the substrate can be shortened. The inert gas supplied from the shower head 112 is exhausted through the gas exhaust pipe 115.

  In this embodiment, N 2 gas is used. However, other gas that does not react with the substrate in the process and has high thermal conductivity may be used. For example, a rare gas such as He or Ne may be additionally used.

  Further, the shower head 112 for supplying an inert gas can be a shower nozzle in which a gas supply hole is provided in the gas supply pipe 114.

  Further, in each embodiment of the substrate cooling chamber 110, the adjustment of the fan rotation speed of the clean unit 111 and the adjustment of the supply amount of the inert gas supplied to the gas supply pipe 114 can be performed from the side with respect to the substrate mounting table 106. By adjusting the amount of air flow, the substrate cooling time can be adjusted in accordance with the substrate processing time.

  The substrate processing sequence is the same as the substrate processing sequence of FIG. 5 described above, and the processing time in the process module and the cooling time in the substrate cooling table 106 are different.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the position of the waveguide 222 is opposed to the center of the substrate 200 so as to supply the microwave to the center of the substrate. It may be provided at a position of about 90 mm, and by rotating the substrate 200, the supply of microwaves to the substrate 200 may be made uniform.

  A plurality of the above-described embodiments may be combined. By combining, the processing throughput of the substrate can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 300 controls the operation of each unit.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 7, and 8, the control unit 300 is connected to the processing chamber 201 by the signal line A, connected to the processing chamber 202 by the signal line B, and processed chamber 203 by the signal line C. Is connected to the substrate mounting table 106 by a signal line D, is connected to the substrate transfer device 124 by a signal line E, and is connected to the substrate carry-in / out port 134 and the substrate carry-in / out port closure 142 by a signal line F. The signal line H is connected to the clean unit 111, the signal line I is connected to the gas exhaust unit, and the signal line J is connected to the gas supply pipe 114. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 300 is connected to the microwave generation unit 220 by the signal line Aa, connected to the wafer temperature measuring device 223 by the signal line Ab, and controlled by the signal line Ac. It is connected to the device 254, is connected to the pressure adjusting valve 263 and the vacuum pump 264 through a signal line Ad, and is connected to the on-off valve 232 and the cooling water flow meter 231 through a signal line Ae.
Note that the clean unit 118 and the control unit 300 may be connected by the signal line G so that the rotational speed of the fan provided in the clean unit 118 can be adjusted.

  As illustrated in FIG. 9, the control unit 300 includes a display unit 301, a calculation unit 302, an operation unit 303, and a recording unit 304. The recording unit 304 has a recording medium on which a program for the substrate processing apparatus to perform the above-described processes and processes is recorded.

<Preferred embodiment of the present invention>
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be additionally described.

<Appendix 1>
According to one aspect of the invention,
A mounting table on which a transport container storing a plurality of substrates is mounted; a processing chamber for performing a heat treatment on the substrate; and a mounting table adjacent to the processing chamber and described above, A transfer chamber having a transfer robot for transferring the substrate between the processing chambers, a substrate placement unit provided in the transfer chamber and configured to stack the substrates processed in the process chamber; and the transfer chamber There is provided a substrate processing apparatus including a cooling unit that is provided and supplies a cooling gas to the stacked substrates from the side of the substrate.

<Appendix 2>
Also preferably,
An exhaust unit for exhausting the cooling gas;

<Appendix 3>
Also preferably,
The cooling unit has a shower head.

<Appendix 4>
Also preferably,
Another cooling unit is provided in the transfer chamber and above the substrate mounting table.

<Appendix 5>
Also preferably,
A microwave supply unit is provided in the processing chamber.

<Appendix 6>
According to another aspect of the invention,
A step of carrying a substrate into a processing chamber; a step of heat-treating the substrate in the processing chamber; a step of unloading the heat-treated substrate from the processing chamber to a transfer chamber; and the heat-treated substrate as the substrate There is provided a substrate processing method including a step of providing a cooling unit for supplying a cooling gas to the side of the substrate and transferring the cooling unit to a substrate mounting unit on which a plurality of substrates are mounted.

<Appendix 7>
Also preferably,
There is a step of placing a substrate from below a plurality of substrate placement frames provided in the substrate placement unit.

<Appendix 8>
According to another aspect of the invention,
A recording medium on which a program for executing the above substrate processing method is recorded is provided.

<Appendix 9>
According to another aspect of the invention,
A step of carrying a substrate into a processing chamber; a step of heat-treating the substrate in the processing chamber; a step of unloading the heat-treated substrate from the processing chamber to a transfer chamber; and the heat-treated substrate as the substrate And a step of transporting the substrate to a substrate mounting portion on which a plurality of substrates are mounted. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided.

<Appendix 10>
Also preferably,
There is a step of placing a substrate from below a plurality of substrate placement frames provided in the substrate placement unit.

<Appendix 11>
Also preferably,
A recording medium on which a program for executing the above-described semiconductor device manufacturing method is recorded is provided.

100 FOUP
100a FOUP cap 105 load port 106 substrate mounting table 108 pod opener 111 clean unit 112 shower head 113 door valve 114 gas supply pipe 115 gas exhaust pipe 118 clean unit 121 transfer chamber 124 substrate transfer machine 125 transfer chamber housing 128 to 130 gate valve 131 substrate transfer machine elevator 132 linear actuator 134 substrate loading / unloading port 136 closure drive mechanism 142 substrate loading / unloading port closure 200 substrate (wafer)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 201 1st processing furnace 202 2nd processing furnace 203 3rd processing furnace 212 Substrate support stand 213 Substrate support pin 218 Reactor case 220 Microwave generation part 221 Waveguide (waveguide)
222 Waveguide 223 Wafer temperature measuring device 231 Cooling water flow meter 232 Open / close valve 233 Cooling water path 252 Gas supply pipe 253 Open / close valve 254 Flow control device 255 Gas supply source 262 Gas discharge pipe 263 Pressure adjustment valve 264 Vacuum pump 271 Substrate transfer Port 280 Substrate mounting frame 281 Substrate holding pad 282 Substrate mounting column 300 Control unit 301 Display unit 302 Calculation unit 303 Operation unit 304 Recording unit

Claims (8)

Loading the substrate into the processing chamber;
Heating the substrate in the processing chamber;
Unloading the heated substrate from the processing chamber to a transfer chamber;
A plurality of said substrates is composed of a plurality of substrate mounting frame so as to be placed by laminating, on the substrate platform provided with a plurality of substrate holding pads to each the plurality of substrate mounting frame, wherein Transporting the heat-treated substrate so that a plurality of substrate holding pads and the edge portion of the substrate are in contact with each other ;
A step of cooling the heat-treated substrate by supplying a cooling gas from a cooling unit provided in the substrate platform to a side of the substrate placed on the substrate platform;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising:   The step of transporting the heat-treated substrate to the substrate platform is configured to stack the substrates in order from a lower frame among a plurality of substrate platforms provided in the substrate platform. 2. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to 1. In the step of transporting the heat-treated substrate to the substrate platform, the substrate is transported to the substrate platform from one side of the substrate platform,
The said cooling part is provided in the position which supplies the said cooling gas to the board | substrate previously described from the direction orthogonal to the direction which conveys the said board | substrate to the said board | substrate mounting part. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device.   The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the cooling gas supplied from the cooling unit is exhausted from an exhaust unit provided at a position facing the cooling unit with the substrate mounting unit interposed therebetween. A mounting table for mounting a transport container containing a plurality of substrates;
A processing chamber for heat-treating the substrate;
A transfer chamber that is adjacent to the processing chamber and is provided between the mounting table and a transfer robot that transfers the substrate between the mounting table and the processing chamber;
A plurality of substrate mounting frames are provided in the transfer chamber so that the substrates processed in the processing chamber are stacked and mounted, and a plurality of substrate holding pads are provided on each of the plurality of substrate mounting frames. is provided, and the substrate platform you placed contacting the edge portion of the substrate which is heated in the processing chamber and the plurality of substrate holding pad,
A cooling unit that is provided in the substrate mounting unit and supplies a cooling gas from a side of the substrate to the stacked and mounted substrate;
A substrate processing apparatus. The transfer robot is configured to transfer the substrate from one side of the substrate platform to the substrate platform.
The cooling unit is provided at a position where the cooling gas is supplied to the stacked substrates from a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the transfer robot transfers the substrate to the substrate mounting unit. The substrate processing apparatus as described.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an exhaust unit that is provided at a position facing the cooling unit with the substrate placement unit interposed therebetween and exhausts the cooling gas supplied from the cooling unit. Loading the substrate into the processing chamber;
Heating the substrate in the processing chamber;
Transporting the heat-treated substrate from the processing chamber to a transport chamber;
A plurality of said substrates is composed of a plurality of substrate mounting frame so as to be placed by laminating, on the substrate platform provided with a plurality of substrate holding pads to each the plurality of substrate mounting frame, wherein Transporting the heat-treated substrate so that a plurality of substrate holding pads and the edge portion of the substrate are in contact with each other ;
A step of cooling the heat-treated substrate by supplying a cooling gas from a cooling unit provided in the substrate platform to a side of the substrate placed on the substrate platform;
A program that causes a computer to execute.

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