JP7751005B2 - Substrate Processing Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus.

For example, vertical substrate processing apparatuses that process multiple substrates simultaneously are used in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices. When performing maintenance on a substrate processing apparatus, a maintenance area must be secured around the apparatus, and securing such a maintenance area can result in the substrate processing apparatus having a large footprint (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-283356 A

The present invention was made in light of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide technology that can reduce the footprint while ensuring a maintenance area.

According to one aspect of the present invention,
a processing module including a processing vessel for processing a substrate and a transfer chamber disposed below the processing vessel;
a utility system including a gas supply system that supplies a processing gas into the processing vessel and an exhaust system that exhausts the processing vessel, the utility system being disposed along a side surface of the transfer chamber and adjacent to a rear surface of the processing module;
a controller that controls the operation of the gas supply system and the exhaust system according to a recipe;
At least a portion of the gas supply system is housed in a supply box;
At least a part of the exhaust system is housed in an exhaust box,
the supply box is disposed adjacent to the exhaust box on a side opposite to the side adjacent to the transfer chamber, and a final valve of the gas supply system is disposed away from the supply box and directly above the exhaust box ;
There is provided a technique in which the controller is configured to control the final valve so as to be able to perform a cycle including a source gas supply step, a source gas exhaust step, a reaction gas supply step, and a reaction gas exhaust step a predetermined number of times .

This invention makes it possible to reduce the footprint while ensuring a maintenance area.

1 is a top view schematically showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus suitably used in an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus suitably used in an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus suitably used in an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an example of a processing furnace that is preferably used in an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an example of a processing module that can be suitably used in an embodiment of the present invention.

Non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. In all drawings, identical or corresponding components will be designated by the same or corresponding reference symbols, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. The side of the storage chamber 9, which will be described later, will be referred to as the front side (front side), and the side of the transfer chambers 6A and 6B, which will be described later, will be referred to as the back side (rear side). Furthermore, the side facing the boundary line (adjacent surface) between processing modules 3A and 3B, which will be described later, will be referred to as the inside, and the side away from the boundary line will be referred to as the outside.

In this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus is configured as a vertical substrate processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as the processing apparatus) 2 that performs substrate processing steps such as heat treatment as one step in a manufacturing method for semiconductor devices.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the processing apparatus 2 comprises two adjacent processing modules 3A and 3B. Processing module 3A comprises a processing furnace 4A and a transfer chamber 6A. Processing module 3B comprises a processing furnace 4B and a transfer chamber 6B. Transfer chambers 6A and 6B are located below the processing furnaces 4A and 4B, respectively. Adjacent to the front of the transfer chambers 6A and 6B is a transfer chamber 8 equipped with a transfer machine 7 for transferring wafers W. Connected to the front of the transfer chamber 8 is a storage chamber 9 that stores pods (FOUPs) 5, each containing multiple wafers W. An I/O port 22 is installed on the front of the storage chamber 9, and the pods 5 are loaded and unloaded into and out of the processing apparatus 2 via the I/O port 22.

Gate valves 90A and 90B are installed on the boundary walls (adjacent surfaces) between the transfer chambers 6A and 6B and the transfer chamber 8. Pressure detectors are installed in the transfer chamber 8 and the transfer chambers 6A and 6B, respectively, and the pressure within the transfer chamber 8 is set to be lower than the pressure within the transfer chambers 6A and 6B. Oxygen concentration detectors are also installed in the transfer chamber 8 and the transfer chambers 6A and 6B, respectively, and the oxygen concentration within the transfer chamber 8A and the transfer chambers 6A and 6B is maintained lower than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. A clean unit 62C is installed in the ceiling of the transfer chamber 8 to supply clean air into the transfer chamber 8, and is configured to circulate, for example, an inert gas as clean air within the transfer chamber 8. By circulating and purging the transfer chamber 8 with an inert gas, a clean atmosphere can be created within the transfer chamber 8. This configuration prevents particles and other particles from inside the transfer chambers 6A and 6B from entering the transfer chamber 8, and prevents natural oxide films from forming on the wafers W inside the transfer chamber 8 and the transfer chambers 6A and 6B.

Since processing module 3A and processing module 3B have the same configuration, the following description will focus on processing module 3A as a representative example.

As shown in FIG. 4, the processing furnace 4A includes a cylindrical reaction tube 10A and a heater 12A as a heating means (heating mechanism) installed on the outer periphery of the reaction tube 10A. The reaction tube is made of, for example, quartz or SiC. Inside the reaction tube 10A, a processing chamber 14A is formed for processing wafers W as substrates. A temperature detector 16A as a temperature detector is installed in the reaction tube 10A. The temperature detector 16A is installed upright along the inner wall of the reaction tube 10A.

Gases used for substrate processing are supplied into the processing chamber 14A by a gas supply mechanism 34A, which serves as a gas supply system. The gases supplied by the gas supply mechanism 34A are changed depending on the type of film being deposited. Here, the gas supply mechanism 34A includes a source gas supply unit, a reactive gas supply unit, and an inert gas supply unit. The gas supply mechanism 34A is housed in a supply box 72A, which will be described later.

The source gas supply unit includes a gas supply pipe 36a, which is equipped with, in order from upstream, a mass flow controller (MFC) 38a, which is a flow rate controller (flow rate control unit), and a valve 40a, which is an on-off valve. The gas supply pipe 36a is connected to a nozzle 44a that penetrates the side wall of the manifold 18. The nozzle 44a is erected vertically within the reaction tube 10 and has multiple supply holes that open toward the wafers W held in the boat 26. The source gas is supplied to the wafers W through the supply holes of the nozzle 44a.

In a similar configuration, reactive gas is supplied to the wafer W from the reactive gas supply unit via supply pipe 36b, MFC 38b, valve 40b, and nozzle 44b. Inert gas is supplied to the wafer W from the inert gas supply unit via supply pipes 36c, 36d, MFCs 38c, 38d, valves 40c, 40d, and nozzles 44a, 44b.

A cylindrical manifold 18A is connected to the lower opening of the reaction tube 10A via a sealing member such as an O-ring, and supports the lower end of the reaction tube 10A. The lower opening of the manifold 18A is opened and closed by a disk-shaped lid 22A. A sealing member such as an O-ring is installed on the upper surface of the lid 22A, which provides an airtight seal between the inside of the reaction tube 10A and the outside air. An insulating member 24A is placed on the lid 22A.

An exhaust pipe 46A is attached to the manifold 18A. A vacuum pump 52A, which serves as a vacuum exhaust device, is connected to the exhaust pipe 46A via a pressure sensor 48A, which serves as a pressure detector (pressure detection unit) that detects the pressure inside the processing chamber 14A, and an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve 40A, which serves as a pressure regulator (pressure adjustment unit). This configuration allows the pressure inside the processing chamber 14A to be adjusted to a processing pressure appropriate for the processing. The exhaust pipe 46A, APC valve 40A, and pressure sensor 48A primarily constitute exhaust system A. Exhaust system A is housed in an exhaust box 74A, which will be described later.

The processing chamber 14A houses a boat 26A, a substrate holder that supports multiple wafers W (e.g., 25 to 150 wafers W) vertically in a shelf-like fashion. The boat 26A is supported above the thermal insulation section 24A by a rotation shaft 28A that penetrates the lid section 22A and the thermal insulation section 24A. The rotation shaft 28A is connected to a rotation mechanism 30A installed below the lid section 22A, and is configured to rotate while keeping the interior of the reaction tube 10A airtightly sealed. The lid section 22A is driven vertically by a boat elevator 32A, which serves as an elevation mechanism. This allows the boat 26A and lid section 22A to be raised and lowered together, loading and unloading the boat 26A into and out of the reaction tube 10A.

The transfer of wafers W to the boat 26A is performed in the transfer chamber 6A. As shown in FIG. 3, a clean unit 60A is installed on one side of the transfer chamber 6A (the outer side of the transfer chamber 6A, the side opposite the side facing the transfer chamber 6B) and is configured to circulate clean air (e.g., inert gas) within the transfer chamber 6A. The inert gas supplied to the transfer chamber 6A is exhausted from the transfer chamber 6A by an exhaust unit 62A installed on the side facing the clean unit 60A across the boat 26A (the side facing the transfer chamber 6B) and resupplied from the clean unit 60A to the transfer chamber 6A (circulation purge). The pressure within the transfer chamber 6A is set to be lower than the pressure within the transfer chamber 8. Furthermore, the oxygen concentration within the transfer chamber 6A is set to be lower than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. This configuration prevents the formation of a natural oxide film on the wafers W during the transfer operation.

A controller 100 is connected to the rotation mechanism 30A, boat elevator 32A, MFCs 38a-d and valves 40a-d of the gas supply mechanism 34A, and APC valve 50A. The controller 100 is configured, for example, as a microprocessor (computer) with a CPU, and is configured to control the operation of the processing device 2. An input/output device 102, configured, for example, as a touch panel, is connected to the controller 100. One controller 100 may be installed in each of processing modules 3A and 3B, or one controller 100 may be installed in both modules.

A storage unit 104 serving as a storage medium is connected to the controller 100. The storage unit 104 readably stores a control program that controls the operation of the processing device 10, and a program (also called a recipe) that causes each component of the processing device 2 to execute processing according to processing conditions.

The memory unit 104 may be a storage device (hard disk or flash memory) built into the controller 100, or a portable external storage device (magnetic tape, magnetic disks such as flexible disks or hard disks, optical disks such as CDs or DVDs, magneto-optical disks such as MOs, or semiconductor memory such as USB memory or memory cards). The program may also be provided to the computer via communications means such as the Internet or a dedicated line. The program is read from the memory unit 104 as needed, for example, in response to an instruction from the input/output device 102. The controller 100 executes processing according to the read recipe, causing the processing device 2 to execute the desired processing under the control of the controller 100. The controller 100 is housed in the controller boxes 76A and 76B.

Next, a process (film formation process) for forming a film on a substrate using the above-described processing apparatus ₂ will be described. Here, an example will be described in which a silicon oxide (SiO2) film is formed on a wafer W by supplying DCS ( _SiH2Cl2 : _{dichlorosilane} ) gas as a source gas and _O2 (oxygen) gas as a reactive gas to the wafer W. In the following description, the operation of each component of the processing apparatus 2 is controlled by a controller 100.

(Wafer charge and boat load)
The gate valve 90A is opened, and wafers W are transferred to the boat 20A. After a plurality of wafers W are loaded into the boat 26A (wafer charge), the gate valve 90A is closed. The boat 26A is loaded into the processing chamber 14 (boat load) by the boat elevator 32A, and the lower opening of the reaction tube 10A is airtightly closed (sealed) by the lid 22A.

(Pressure and temperature regulation)
The vacuum pump 52A evacuates (depressurizes) the processing chamber 14A to a predetermined pressure (vacuum level). The pressure inside the processing chamber 14A is measured by the pressure sensor 48A, and the APC valve 50A is feedback-controlled based on the measured pressure information. The wafers W inside the processing chamber 14A are heated by the heater 12A to a predetermined temperature. At this time, the power supply to the heater 12A is feedback-controlled based on temperature information detected by the temperature detection unit 16A to achieve a predetermined temperature distribution in the processing chamber 14A. The rotation mechanism 30A also starts to rotate the boat 26A and the wafers W.

(Film formation process)
[Material gas supply process]
When the temperature inside the processing chamber 14A stabilizes at a preset processing temperature, DCS gas is supplied to the wafer W inside the processing chamber 14A. The DCS gas is controlled to a desired flow rate by the MFC 38a and is supplied into the processing chamber 14A via the gas supply pipe 36a and the nozzle 44a.

[Raw material gas exhaust process]
Next, the supply of DCS gas is stopped, and the processing chamber 14A is evacuated by the vacuum pump 52A. At this time, _N2 gas may be supplied as an inert gas from the inert gas supply unit into the processing chamber 14A (inert gas purge).

[Reaction gas supply process]
Next, O ₂ gas is supplied to the wafer W in the processing chamber 14 A. The O ₂ gas is controlled to a desired flow rate by the MFC 38 b and is supplied into the processing chamber 14 A via the gas supply pipe 36 b and the nozzle 44 b.

[Reaction gas exhaust process]
Next, the supply of O ₂ gas is stopped, and the processing chamber 14 A is evacuated by the vacuum pump 52 A. At this time, N ₂ gas may be supplied into the processing chamber 14 A from the inert gas supply unit (inert gas purge).

By repeating the cycle of the above-described four steps a predetermined number of times (one or more times), a SiO ₂ film of a predetermined composition and a predetermined thickness can be formed on the wafer W.

(Boat unloading and wafer discharging)
After a film of a predetermined thickness is formed, _N2 gas is supplied from the inert gas supply unit, the atmosphere in the processing chamber 14A is replaced with _N2 gas, and the pressure in the processing chamber 14A is returned to normal pressure. Then, the boat elevator 32A lowers the lid 22A, and the boat 26A is unloaded from the reaction tube 10A. The processed wafers W are then removed from the boat 26A (wafer discharge).

The wafer W may then be stored in a pod 5 and transported out of the processing apparatus 2, or may be transported to the processing furnace 4B where subsequent substrate processing, such as annealing, may be performed. When processing a wafer W in the processing furnace 4B immediately following processing in the processing furnace 4A, gate valves 90A and 90B are opened and the wafer W is transported directly from boat 26A to boat 26B. The wafer W is then loaded and unloaded into the processing furnace 4B using the same procedures as for the substrate processing in the processing furnace 4A described above. Furthermore, the substrate processing in the processing furnace 4B is performed using the same procedures as for the substrate processing in the processing furnace 4A described above, for example.

The processing conditions for forming the SiO ₂ film on the wafer W are, for example, as follows:
Processing temperature (wafer temperature): 300°C to 700°C,
Processing pressure (pressure inside the processing chamber) 1 Pa to 4000 Pa,
DCS gas: 100 sccm to 10,000 sccm,
O ₂ gas: 100 sccm to 10,000 sccm,
_N2 gas: 100 sccm to 10,000 sccm,
By setting each processing condition to a value within each range, it becomes possible to properly proceed with the film forming process.

Next, the rear configuration of the processing device 2 will be described.
For example, if the boat 26 is damaged, it is necessary to replace the boat 26. Furthermore, if the reaction tube 10 is damaged or if cleaning of the reaction tube 10 is required, it is necessary to remove the reaction tube 10. In this way, when maintenance is performed on the transfer chamber 6 or the processing furnace 4, the maintenance is performed from the maintenance area on the rear side of the processing apparatus 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, maintenance ports 78A and 78B are formed on the rear sides of transfer chambers 6A and 6B, respectively. Maintenance port 78A is formed on the transfer chamber 6B side of transfer chamber 6A, and maintenance port 78B is formed on the transfer chamber 6A side of transfer chamber 6B. Maintenance ports 78A and 78B are opened and closed by maintenance doors 80A and 80B. Maintenance doors 80A and 80B are configured to be rotatable around hinges 82A and 82B as pivotal axes. Hinge 82A is installed on the transfer chamber 6B side of transfer chamber 6A, and hinge 82B is installed on the transfer chamber 6A side of transfer chamber 6B. In other words, hinges 82A and 82B are installed adjacent to each other near the inner corners located on the adjacent surfaces on the rear sides of transfer chambers 6A and 6B. Maintenance areas are formed on the treatment module 3B side of the rear of treatment module 3A and the treatment module 3A side of the rear of treatment module 3B.

As shown by the phantom lines, the maintenance doors 80A and 80B are rotated horizontally around hinges 82A and 82B toward the rear of the rear side of the transport chambers 6A and 6B to open the rear maintenance ports 78A and 78B. The maintenance door 80A is configured to be able to open up to 180 degrees to the left toward the transport chamber 6A. The maintenance door 80B is configured to be able to open up to 180 degrees to the right toward the transport chamber 6B. In other words, the maintenance door 80A rotates clockwise toward the transport chamber 6A, and the maintenance door 80B rotates counterclockwise. In other words, the maintenance doors 80A and 80B rotate in opposite directions. The maintenance doors 80A and 80B are removable and may be removed for maintenance.

Utility systems 70A and 70B are installed near the rear of the transport chambers 6A and 6B. The utility systems 70A and 70B are positioned opposite each other with a maintenance rear in between. Maintenance of the utility systems 70A and 70B is performed from inside the utility systems 70A and 70B, i.e., from the space (maintenance area) between the utility systems 70A and 70B. From the housing side (transport chamber 6A, 6B side), the utility systems 70A and 70B are composed of exhaust boxes 74A and 74B, supply boxes 72A and 72B, and controller boxes 76A and 76B, respectively. The maintenance ports of each box in the utility systems 70A and 70B are located on the inside (maintenance area side). In other words, the maintenance ports of each box in the utility systems 70A and 70B are located facing each other.

Exhaust box 74A is located at an outer corner of the back surface of transport chamber 6A, opposite transport chamber 6B. Exhaust box 74B is located at an outer corner of the back surface of transport chamber 6B, opposite transport chamber 6A. In other words, exhaust boxes 74A and 74B are installed flat (smooth) so that the outer side surfaces of transport chambers 6A and 6B and exhaust boxes 74A and 74B are connected in a plane. Supply box 72A is located adjacent to exhaust box 74A on the side opposite to the side adjacent to transport chamber 6A. Supply box 72B is located adjacent to exhaust box 74B on the side opposite to the side adjacent to transport chamber 6B.

When viewed from above, the thickness (width in the short side direction) of the exhaust boxes 74A, 74B is smaller than the thickness of the supply boxes 72A, 72B. In other words, the supply boxes 72A, 72B protrude further toward the maintenance area than the exhaust boxes 74A, 74B. Because the gas collection system and numerous ancillary equipment are located inside the supply boxes 72A, 72B, they may end up being thicker than the exhaust boxes 72A, 72B. Therefore, by installing the exhaust boxes 72A, 72B on the housing side, a larger maintenance area in front of the maintenance doors 80A, 80B can be secured. In other words, when viewed from above, the distance between the exhaust boxes 74A, 74B is greater than the distance between the supply boxes 72A, 72B. Therefore, installing the exhaust boxes 74A, 74B on the housing side secures a larger maintenance space than installing the supply boxes 72A, 72B on the housing side.

As shown in FIG. 3, the final valves of gas supply mechanisms 34A and 34B (valves 40a and 40b located at the lowest stage of the gas supply system) are located above exhaust boxes 74A and 74B. Preferably, they are located directly above exhaust boxes 74A and 74B. With this configuration, even if supply boxes 72A and 72B are installed away from the housing, the piping length from the final valves to the processing chamber can be shortened, thereby improving the quality of film formation.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the processing modules 3A, 3B and the utility systems 70A, 70B are arranged symmetrically with respect to the adjacent plane _S1 of the processing modules 3A, 3B. The exhaust pipes 46A, 46B are installed in the reaction tubes 10A, 10B so that they face the corners, i.e., the exhaust pipes 46A, 46B face the exhaust boxes 74A, 74B. The piping is arranged so that the lengths from the final valves to the nozzles are approximately the same in the processing modules 3A, 3B. Furthermore, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 5 , the rotation directions of the wafers W are opposite to each other in the processing furnaces 4A, 4B.

Next, maintenance of the processing device 2 will be described.
An interlock is set so that the maintenance door 80A cannot be opened when the transfer chamber 6A is being circulated and purged with an inert gas. An interlock is also set so that the maintenance door 80A cannot be opened when the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 6A is lower than the oxygen concentration at atmospheric pressure. The same applies to the maintenance door 80B. Furthermore, an interlock is set so that the gate valves 90A and 90B cannot be opened when the maintenance doors 80A and 80B are open. To open the gate valves 90A and 90B with the maintenance doors 80A and 80B open, the entire processing apparatus 2 must be placed in maintenance mode, and a separately installed maintenance switch must be turned on. This releases the interlocks for the gate valves 90A and 90B, allowing the gate valves 90A and 90B to be opened.

When the maintenance door 80A is opened, atmospheric air is allowed to flow into the transfer chamber 6A from the clean unit 62A to raise the oxygen concentration within the transfer chamber 6A to a level equal to or higher than that of the atmosphere, preferably to that of the atmosphere. At this time, to prevent the pressure within the transfer chamber 6A from rising above the pressure within the transfer chamber 8, the circulatory purge within the transfer chamber 6A is stopped, the atmosphere within the transfer chamber 6A is exhausted to the outside, and the rotation speed of the fan in the clean unit 62A is reduced below that during circulatory purge, controlling the amount of atmospheric air flowing into the transfer chamber 6A. By controlling in this manner, the oxygen concentration within the transfer chamber 6A can be raised while maintaining the pressure within the transfer chamber 6A lower than that within the transfer chamber 8.

When the oxygen concentration inside the transfer chamber 6A becomes equivalent to the oxygen concentration at atmospheric pressure, the interlock is released and the maintenance door 80A can be opened. At this time, even if the oxygen concentration inside the transfer chamber 6A is equivalent to the oxygen concentration at atmospheric pressure, if the pressure inside the transfer chamber 6A is higher than the pressure inside the transfer chamber 8, the maintenance door 80A cannot be opened. When the maintenance door 80A is opened, the rotation speed of the fan in the clean unit 62A is increased to at least the rotation speed during circulatory purging. More preferably, the rotation speed of the fan in the clean unit 62A is set to the maximum.

Maintenance inside the transfer chamber 9 is performed through a maintenance port 78C located at the front of the transfer chamber 9, where no pod opener is installed. The maintenance port 78C is configured to be opened and closed by a maintenance door. As described above, when the entire processing device 2 is placed in maintenance mode, gate valves 90A and 90B can be opened and maintenance can be performed from the gate valves 90A and 90B side. In other words, maintenance inside the transfer chamber 8 can be performed from either the front or rear of the device.

<Effects of this embodiment>
According to this embodiment, one or more of the following effects can be obtained.

(1) By arranging the utility system in the exhaust box and supply box order from the chassis side, the maintenance area on the rear of the processing device can be made larger. This configuration allows for a wider maintenance opening on the rear of the transfer chamber, improving maintainability. Furthermore, by making the maintenance area on the rear of the processing device larger, there is no need to secure maintenance areas on both sides of the device, which reduces the footprint of the device.

(2) By installing the utility systems of the left and right processing modules facing each other on both outer sides of the processing device, the space behind the device can be used as a common maintenance area for both the left and right processing modules. For example, in conventional devices, a supply box and an exhaust box are sometimes installed facing each other at both ends of the back of the device. When two devices with this configuration are placed side by side, the exhaust box of one device and the supply box of the other device are adjacent to each other at the boundary between the two devices. In contrast, according to this embodiment, the utility systems are not located at the boundary between the two processing modules, allowing for a larger maintenance area.

(3) By placing the final valve of the gas supply system above the exhaust box, the piping length from the final valve to the processing chamber can be shortened. This means that gas delays and flow rate fluctuations during gas supply can be suppressed, improving the quality of the film formation. Because film formation quality is typically affected by gas supply conditions such as gas flow rate and gas pressure, it is preferable to place the supply box near the housing to ensure a stable supply of gas into the reaction tube. However, in the present invention, by placing the final valve near the reaction tube, it is possible to position the supply box away from the housing without adversely affecting the quality of the film formation. Furthermore, by placing the exhaust box below the exhaust pipe extending from the processing vessel (reaction tube) and placing the final valve directly above it, the piping length to the processing chamber can be shortened. Furthermore, by placing the final valve directly above the exhaust box, maintenance such as final valve replacement is simplified.

(4) By arranging each component in line symmetry across the boundary between the processing modules, it is possible to suppress variations in the quality of film formation between the left and right processing modules. In other words, by arranging each component, utility system, gas supply pipe arrangement, and exhaust piping arrangement within the processing module in line symmetry, it is possible to make the piping length from the supply box to the reaction tube and the piping length from the reaction tube to the exhaust box approximately the same in the left and right processing modules. This allows film formation to be performed under similar conditions in the left and right processing modules, ensuring consistent film formation quality and improving productivity.

(5) By installing the maintenance door on the boundary between two processing modules and configuring it to rotate toward the other processing module, the maintenance door can be opened 180 degrees, and the maintenance opening on the back of the transport chamber can be made wider, improving maintainability.

(6) It is possible to perform maintenance on one processing module or the transfer chamber while processing substrates in the other processing module. This allows maintenance to be performed without stopping the film formation process, thereby increasing the equipment's operating rate and improving productivity.

(7) When the maintenance door of one of the processing modules is opened, the pressure in the transfer chamber is maintained lower than the pressure in the transfer chamber while the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber is increased to the oxygen concentration at atmospheric pressure, thereby preventing the inflow of atmosphere from the transfer chamber into the transfer chamber. Furthermore, by increasing the rotation speed of the clean unit fan in the transfer chamber higher than during circulatory purging after the maintenance door is opened (after the transfer chamber is opened to the atmosphere), the inflow of atmosphere from the transfer chamber into the transfer chamber can be prevented. This configuration allows the operation of one processing module to continue even when the maintenance door is open, while the other processing module remains operational. In other words, even while maintenance is being performed on the transfer chamber, a clean atmosphere can be maintained within the transfer chamber, and an increase in the oxygen concentration within the transfer chamber can be prevented. This allows maintenance of a stopped processing module to be performed without adversely affecting the operating processing module. This allows maintenance of one processing module to be performed while the other processing module is operating, eliminating the need to shut down the entire processing equipment during maintenance, thereby improving productivity.

The above describes specific embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which DCS gas is used as the source gas has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as the source gas, in addition to DCS gas, inorganic halosilane source gases such as _HCD ( _Si2Cl6 : hexachlorodisilane) gas, MCS ( _SiH3Cl : monochlorosilane) gas, and TCS ( _SiHCl3 : trichlorosilane) gas, halogen-free amino (amine-based) silane source gases such as 3DMAS (Si[N( _CH3 ) ₂ ] _3H : trisdimethylaminosilane) gas and BTBAS ( _SiH2 [NH( _C4H9 )] ₂ : bis( _{tertiarybutylaminosilane} ) gas, and halogen-free inorganic silane source gases such as MS ( _SiH4 : monosilane) gas and DS ( _Si2H6 : _disilane ) gas can be used.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example of forming a SiO ₂ film has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, other than or in addition to these, a nitrogen (N)-containing gas (nitride gas) such as ammonia (NH ₃ ) gas, a carbon (C)-containing gas such as propylene (C ₃ H ₆ ) gas, or a boron (B)-containing gas such as boron trichloride (BCl ₃ ) gas can be used to form a SiN film, a SiON film, a SiOCN film, a SiOC film, a SiCN film, a SiBN film, a SiBCN film, or the like. When forming these films, the film formation can be performed under the same process conditions as in the above-described embodiment, and the same effects as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

Furthermore, for example, the present invention can also be suitably applied when forming a film containing metal elements such as titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), and tungsten (W), i.e., a metal-based film, on a wafer W.

In the above embodiment, an example of depositing a film on a wafer W was described, but the present invention is not limited to this aspect. For example, the present invention can also be suitably applied when performing processes such as oxidation, diffusion, annealing, and etching on a wafer W or a film formed on the wafer W.

The above-described embodiments and variations can be used in combination as appropriate. The processing conditions in this case can be, for example, the same as those in the above-described embodiments and variations.

3: Processing module 72: Supply box 74: Exhaust box 76: Controller box

Claims (1)

a processing module including a processing vessel for processing a substrate and a transfer chamber disposed below the processing vessel;
a utility system including a gas supply system that supplies a processing gas into the processing vessel and an exhaust system that exhausts the processing vessel, the utility system being disposed along a side surface of the transfer chamber and adjacent to a rear surface of the processing module;
a controller that controls the operation of the gas supply system and the exhaust system according to a recipe;
At least a portion of the gas supply system is housed in a supply box;
At least a part of the exhaust system is housed in an exhaust box,
the supply box is disposed adjacent to the exhaust box on a side opposite to the side adjacent to the transfer chamber, and a final valve of the gas supply system is disposed away from the supply box and directly above the exhaust box ;
The substrate processing apparatus is configured such that the controller controls the final valve to perform a cycle including a source gas supply step, a source gas exhaust step, a reaction gas supply step, and a reaction gas exhaust step a predetermined number of times .