Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

To provide a substrate treatment apparatus and a substrate treatment method capable of suppressing a reduction of an electrostatic absorption power in an absorption part.SOLUTION: A substrate treatment apparatus includes: a transportation room 11 defining a transportation space 11S to which a substrate Sb is transported; a first sputtering room 12A defining a first treatment space 12AS configured so as to communicate with the transportation room 11S; a support part 31 including a support surface 31F formed from a material different from a material for forming a surface contacting the support surface 31F in the substrate Sb, the support surface 31F being positioned in the first treatment space 12AS and supporting the substrate Sb; an absorption part 32 for electrostatically absorbing the substrate Sb positioned in the support surface 31F to the support surface 31F; and a static elimination part that produces a plasma in the transportation space 11S and supplies the plasma to the support surface 31F to which no substrate Sb is arranged so as to eliminate static of the support surface 31F.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.

Background Art

[0002] A cluster tool type sputtering apparatus includes a transfer chamber and a plurality of processing chambers connected to the transfer chamber via gate valves. In one processing chamber, a target and a stage facing the target are located. An electrostatic chuck is located inside the stage. The electrostatic chuck electrostatically adsorbs a substrate so that the substrate is positioned with respect to the stage (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when the material forming the surface of the substrate and the material forming the surface of the stage are different, friction occurs between the surface of the stage and the surface of the substrate, resulting in the movement of charges. Therefore, the surface of the stage becomes charged, thereby reducing the electrostatic adsorption force of the electrostatic chuck. Such problems occur not only in cluster tool type sputtering apparatuses but also in substrate processing apparatuses provided with an adsorption unit that adsorbs a substrate by electrostatic adsorption.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A substrate processing apparatus for solving the above problems comprises: a transport chamber defining a transport space in which a substrate is transported; a first processing chamber defining a first processing space configured to communicate with the transport space; a first support portion located within the first processing space and supporting the substrate, the first support portion being made of a material different from the material forming the surface on the substrate that contacts the first support portion; a first adsorption portion electrostatically adsorbing the substrate located on the first support portion to the first support portion; and a static elimination portion generating plasma in the transport space and supplying the plasma to the first support portion where the substrate is not placed, thereby eliminating static electricity from the first support portion.

[0006] A substrate processing method for solving the above problems includes generating plasma in a transport space in which a substrate is transported, and supplying the plasma to a first support surface located in a first processing space configured to communicate with the transport space and configured to support the substrate, the first support surface being formed of a material different from the material forming the surface on the substrate that contacts the first support surface, thereby removing static electricity from the first support surface.

[0007] According to the above-described substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method, the plasma generated by the static elimination unit is supplied to the first support surface of the first support unit, making it possible to eliminate static charge from the first support surface that has become charged by contact with the substrate. This makes it possible to suppress the decrease in the electrostatic adsorption force of the first adsorption unit on the first support surface of the first support unit.

[0008] In the substrate processing apparatus described above, the static elimination unit may set the pressure in the transport space and the pressure in the first processing space to 0.1 Pa or more and 10.0 Pa or less. With this substrate processing apparatus, charged particles contained in the plasma generated in the transport space are more likely to collide with particles in the transport space and particles in the first processing space, thereby making it easier for charged particles to move from the transport space to the first processing space. As a result, charged particles are more easily supplied to the first support surface, making it easier to eliminate static electricity from the first support surface.

[0009] In the substrate processing apparatus described above, the static elimination unit sets the pressure in the first processing space to 0.1 Pa or more and 10.0 Pa or less by supplying gas from a first position and a second position, and the first support unit may be configured such that the first position and the second position sandwich the first support surface when viewed from a viewpoint opposite to the plane on which the first support surface extends.

[0010] According to the above substrate processing apparatus, the pressure near the first support surface is adjusted by the gas supplied from the first and second positions, thereby suppressing pressure variations within the plane of the first support surface. As a result, variations within the plane of the first support surface that would otherwise be statically eliminated are suppressed.

[0011] The substrate processing apparatus includes a second processing chamber that defines a second processing space configured to communicate with the substrate transport space, a second support portion located within the second processing space and supporting the substrate, the second support surface being made of a material different from the material forming the surface of the substrate that contacts the second support surface, and a second adsorption portion that electrostatically adsorbs the substrate located on the second support surface to the second support surface, wherein the static elimination portion may generate plasma in the transport space and supply the plasma to the second support surface where the substrate is not placed, thereby eliminating static electricity from the second support surface.

[0012] According to the above-described substrate processing apparatus, it is possible to perform static elimination on both the first support surface and the second support surface using a single static elimination unit. Therefore, compared to a substrate processing apparatus that has a static elimination unit for each processing chamber, it is possible to reduce the number of components that make up the substrate processing apparatus. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a schematic block diagram showing the structure of a cluster tool type sputtering apparatus, which is an example of a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the structure of the transport chamber and the first processing chamber of the sputtering apparatus shown. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart to explain the circuit board processing method. [Figure 4] This graph shows the relationship between voltage values ​​and time at various points on the circuit board. [Figure 5] This graph shows the relationship between voltage values ​​and time at various points on the circuit board. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] An embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. [Substrate processing equipment] The substrate processing apparatus will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Below, a cluster tool type sputtering apparatus, which is an example of a substrate processing apparatus, will be described.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the cluster tool type sputtering apparatus 10 comprises a transport chamber 11, two sputtering chambers 12, an loading / unloading chamber 13, and two substrate processing chambers 14. The sputtering apparatus 10 includes a first sputtering chamber 12A and a second sputtering chamber 12B as the two sputtering chambers 12. The first sputtering chamber 12A is an example of a first processing chamber, and the second sputtering chamber 12B is an example of a second processing chamber.

[0016] Each processing chamber 12A, 12B, 13, and 14 is connected to the transport chamber 11. A gate valve is located between the transport chamber 11 and each processing chamber 12A, 12B, 13, and 14. When the gate valve is opened, the transport space defined by the transport chamber 11 and the spaces defined by each processing chamber 12A, 12B, 13, and 14 are connected. Conversely, when the gate valve is closed, the transport space of the transport chamber 11 and each processing chamber 12A, 12B, 13, and 14 are separated from each other.

[0017] The transfer chamber 11 includes a transfer robot 11R. The transfer robot 11R is configured to be able to transfer the substrate between each chamber connected to the transfer chamber 11 and the transfer chamber 11. The transfer chamber 11 includes an exhaust portion 11E that exhausts the transfer space defined by the transfer chamber 11. The transfer chamber 11 includes a plasma generation portion 11P that generates plasma in the transfer space. The plasma generation portion 11P may be located at the center of the transfer chamber 11, for example, when the transfer chamber 11 is viewed from above.

[0018] The loading / unloading chamber 13 is configured to be able to load the substrate before processing from outside the sputtering apparatus 10 into the sputtering apparatus 10 and unload the substrate after processing from inside the sputtering apparatus 10 to the outside of the sputtering apparatus 10. The loading / unloading chamber 13 includes an exhaust portion 13E. When loading the substrate, with the loading / unloading chamber 13 separated from the transfer chamber 11, the loading / unloading port of the loading / unloading chamber 13 is opened, whereby the loading / unloading chamber 13 is opened to the atmosphere. Next, after the substrate before processing is loaded through the loading / unloading port, the loading / unloading port is closed. Subsequently, the inside of the loading / unloading chamber 13 is exhausted by the exhaust portion 13E, whereby the pressure inside the loading / unloading chamber 13 is reduced to the same level as that of the transfer chamber 11. On the other hand, when unloading the substrate, after the substrate after processing is transferred from the transfer chamber 11 to the loading / unloading chamber 13, the gate valve located between the loading / unloading chamber 13 and the transfer chamber 11 is closed. Next, after the pressure inside the loading / unloading chamber 13 is increased to atmospheric pressure, the loading / unloading port of the loading / unloading chamber 13 is opened. Then, the substrate after processing is unloaded from the sputtering apparatus 10 through the loading / unloading port.

[0019] Each sputtering chamber 12A, 12B includes a cathode 20. Each sputtering chamber 12A, 12B is configured to be able to form a thin film on the surface of the substrate by sputtering using the cathode 20. Each sputtering chamber 12A, 12B includes exhaust portions 12AE, 12BE that exhaust the processing space defined by the sputtering chambers 12A, 12B. Each sputtering chamber 12A, 12B includes an adsorption portion that adsorbs the substrate by electrostatic adsorption force.

[0020] Each substrate processing chamber 14 is configured to be capable of performing a predetermined process on the substrate. The process performed in the substrate processing chamber 14 may be a pre-process performed on the substrate before film formation in the sputtering chambers 12A and 12B, or a post-process performed on the substrate after film formation in the sputtering chambers 12A and 12B. The pre-process and the post-process may be, for example, a heat treatment or a cooling treatment. Each substrate processing chamber 14 includes an exhaust unit 14E that exhausts the processing space defined by the substrate processing chamber 14. In addition, similar to the sputtering chambers 12A and 12B, when each substrate processing chamber 14 includes an adsorption unit that adsorbs the substrate by an electrostatic adsorption force, each substrate processing chamber 14 is also an example of the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber.

[0021] Referring to FIG. 2, the transfer chamber 11 and the first sputtering chamber 12A will be described in more detail. In FIG. 2, for the sake of illustration, the distance between the plasma generation unit 11P and the first sputtering chamber 12A is shorter than the distance between the plasma generation unit 11P and the first sputtering chamber 12A in FIG. 1.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer chamber 11 defines a transfer space 11S in which the substrate Sb is transferred. The first sputtering chamber 12A defines a first processing space 12AS configured to communicate with the transfer space 11S.

[0023] In the transfer chamber 11, the first sputtering chamber 12A is connected by a communication portion 10P. The communication portion 10P is connected to the transfer space 11S of the transfer chamber 11 and the first processing space 12AS of the first sputtering chamber 12A. A gate valve 10G is located in the communication portion 10P. When the gate valve 10G is opened, the first processing space 12AS is communicated with the transfer space 11S through the communication portion 10P. On the contrary, when the gate valve 10G is closed, the first processing space 12AS is separated from the transfer space 11S.

[0024] The transport chamber 11 includes a vacuum chamber 11C that defines the transport space 11S. The transport chamber 11 includes a plasma generation unit 11P as described above. The plasma generation unit 11P generates plasma in the transport space 11S. The plasma generation unit 11P is, for example, a microwave plasma source.

[0025] The transport chamber 11 is further equipped with a gas introduction section 11A. The gas introduction section 11A is a gas introduction port of the vacuum chamber 11C. A gas cylinder located outside the sputtering apparatus 10 is connected to the gas introduction section 11A via a mass flow controller. The gas introduction section 11A introduces a predetermined flow rate of gas into the vacuum chamber 11C. The gas introduced by the gas introduction section 11A is an inert gas. The inert gas may be, for example, a noble gas. The noble gas may be, for example, argon gas or helium gas.

[0026] The pressure inside the transport space 11S is adjusted to a predetermined level by exhaust from the exhaust section 11E (see Figure 1) and gas introduced from the gas introduction section 11A. The pressure inside the transport space 11S may be, for example, 0.1 Pa or more and 10.0 Pa or less.

[0027] The first sputtering chamber 12A includes a vacuum chamber 12AC that defines the first processing space 12AS. As described above, the first sputtering chamber 12A includes a cathode 20. The cathode 20 includes a target 21 and a backing plate 22. The target 21 is formed from, for example, a metal, a metal compound, or a mixture of a metal and a metal compound. The target 21 has a sputtered surface that is sputtered when a film is deposited on the substrate Sb. The backing plate 22 is connected to the target 21. The backing plate 22 is conductive. The cathode 20 is attached to one side of the side wall that defines the first processing space 12AS. Of the cathode 20, at least the sputtered surface of the target 21 is exposed to the first processing space 12AS.

[0028] A target power supply 23 is connected to the backing plate 22. When the target power supply 23 applies voltage to the backing plate 22, voltage is applied to the target 21 connected to the backing plate 22. The target power supply 23 may be a DC power supply or an AC power supply, for example.

[0029] The first sputtering chamber 12A comprises a support portion 31, which is an example of a first support portion, and an adsorption portion 32, which is an example of a first adsorption portion. The support portion 31 has a support surface 31F that supports the substrate Sb. The support surface 31F is an example of a first support surface. The support surface 31F is formed from a material different from the material that forms the surface in contact with the support surface 31F on the substrate Sb. For example, the support surface 31F may be formed from aluminum oxide, and the substrate Sb may be a glass substrate. For example, the support portion 31 has a flat plate shape, and the support surface 31F is a single plane provided on the support portion 31.

[0030] The adsorption part 32 is located within the support part 31. The adsorption part 32 electrostatically attracts the substrate Sb located on the support surface 31F to the support surface 31F. The adsorption part 32 is an electrostatic chuck that uses electrostatic force to attract the substrate Sb.

[0031] The first sputtering chamber 12A is equipped with a position-changing section 33. The position-changing section 33 is configured to change the position of the support section 31 relative to the cathode 20. The position-changing section 33 changes the position of the support section 31 between a first position and a second position. When the support section 31 is in the first position, the support surface 31F is almost perpendicular to the cathode 20. That is, when the support section 31 is in the first position, the support surface 31F is located almost horizontally. In contrast, when the support section 31 is in the second position, the support surface 31F is almost parallel to the cathode 20. That is, when the support section 31 is in the second position, the support surface 31F is located almost vertically.

[0032] The first sputtering chamber 12A further comprises a first static elimination gas introduction section 34A and a second static elimination gas introduction section 34B. Each static elimination gas introduction section 34A and 34B is a gas introduction port of the vacuum chamber 12AC. Gas cylinders located outside the sputtering apparatus 10 are connected to the static elimination gas introduction sections 34A and 34B via mass flow controllers. One mass flow controller may be connected to each static elimination gas introduction section 34A and 34B, or one mass flow controller common to both static elimination gas introduction sections 34A and 34B may be connected.

[0033] The static elimination gas introduction sections 34A and 34B introduce a predetermined flow rate of static elimination gas into the vacuum chamber 12AC. The static elimination gas introduced by the static elimination gas introduction sections 34A and 34B is an inert gas. The inert gas may be, for example, a noble gas. A noble gas is, for example, argon gas or helium gas. It is preferable that the static elimination gas introduced by the static elimination gas introduction sections 34A and 34B is the same gas introduced by the gas introduction section 11A of the transport chamber 11.

[0034] Within the vacuum chamber 12AC, the position of the first static elimination gas introduction section 34A is the first position, and the position of the second static elimination gas introduction section 34B is the second position. The support section 31 is configured such that, when viewed from a viewpoint opposite to the plane on which the support surface 31F extends, the first position and the second position can sandwich the support surface 31F. That is, when the support section 31 is in the first position, and as a result the support surface 31F is positioned approximately horizontally, when viewed from a viewpoint opposite to the support surface 31F, the first static elimination gas introduction section 34A and the second static elimination gas introduction section 34B sandwich the support surface 31F.

[0035] The vacuum chamber 12AC is provided with a pair of walls that face each other in the vertical direction. The pair of walls consists of an upper wall and a lower wall. The first static elimination gas introduction section 34A and the second static elimination gas introduction section 34B are located in the lower wall. Each static elimination gas introduction section 34A, 34B introduces gas into the first processing space 12AS along a direction from bottom to top in the vertical direction.

[0036] The vacuum chamber 12AC further includes an exhaust port 36 to which the exhaust section 12AE is connected. When the support surface 31F is located along a substantially horizontal direction, it is preferable that the exhaust port 36, the first static elimination gas introduction section 34A, and the second static elimination gas introduction section 34B are located on a straight line when viewed from a viewpoint opposite the support surface 31F.

[0037] When static electricity is removed from the support surface 31F, the pressure inside the first processing space 12AS is adjusted to a predetermined level by exhaust from the exhaust section 12AE and static electricity removal gas introduced from the static electricity removal gas introduction sections 34A and 34B. The pressure inside the first processing space 12AS may be, for example, 0.1 Pa or more and 10.0 Pa or less.

[0038] The first sputtering chamber 12A is further equipped with a film deposition gas introduction section 35. The film deposition gas introduction section 35 is a gas introduction port of the vacuum chamber 12AC. The film deposition gas introduction section 35 is connected to a gas cylinder located outside the sputtering apparatus 10 via a mass flow controller. The film deposition gas introduction section 35 introduces a plasma generation gas into the first processing space 12AS. The plasma generation gas may be, for example, an inert gas, or a mixed gas of an inert gas and a reactive gas. It is preferable that the plasma generation gas introduced by the film deposition gas introduction section 35 is the same gas as the gas introduced by the static elimination gas introduction sections 34A and 34B.

[0039] When the support portion 31 is in the second position, and the support surface 31F is positioned approximately vertically, it is preferable that the film-forming gas introduction portion 35 is located between the support portion 31 and the target 21 when viewed from a viewpoint opposite to the horizontal plane. The film-forming gas introduction portion 35 is located on the upper wall of the vacuum chamber 12AC. The film-forming gas introduction portion 35 introduces gas into the first processing space 12AS along a direction from top to bottom in the vertical direction.

[0040] When a film is deposited on the substrate Sb, the pressure inside the first processing space 12AS is adjusted to a predetermined level by exhaust from the exhaust unit 12AE and plasma generation gas introduced from the film deposition gas introduction unit 35. The pressure inside the first processing space 12AS may be, for example, 0.1 Pa or more and 10.0 Pa or less. It is preferable that the pressure inside the first processing space 12AS during film deposition is the same as the pressure inside the first processing space 12AS during static elimination.

[0041] [Substrate Processing Method] The substrate processing method will be explained with reference to Figure 3. The substrate processing method of this disclosure includes generating plasma and static elimination of the support surface 31F. Plasma generation is performed within the transport space 11S through which the substrate Sb is transported. Static elimination of the support surface 31F is performed by supplying plasma to the support surface 31F, which is located in a first processing space 12AS configured to communicate with the transport space 11S and is configured to support the substrate Sb. The substrate processing method will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0042] The substrate processing method comprises a substrate loading process (step S11), a film formation process (step S12), a substrate unloading process (step S13), and a static elimination process (step S14). Before the substrate loading process is performed, the pressure in the transport space 11S and the pressure in the first processing space 12AS are adjusted to the same pressure, for example, within the range of 0.1 Pa to 10.0 Pa. The pressure in the transport space 11S is adjusted to a predetermined pressure by introducing gas from the gas introduction section 11A and exhausting it by the exhaust section 11E. On the other hand, the pressure in the first processing space 12AS is adjusted to a predetermined pressure by introducing gas from the static elimination gas introduction sections 34A and 34B and exhausting it by the exhaust section 12AE.

[0043] In the substrate loading process, first, the transport robot 11R transports the unprocessed substrate Sb, located in the transport chamber 11, into the first sputtering chamber 12A. At this time, the gate valve 10G located in the communication section 10P connecting the transport chamber 11 to the first sputtering chamber 12A is open. Next, the transport robot 11R places the substrate Sb on the support surface 31F of the support section 31 located in the first position. After that, the gate valve 10G is closed. Then, the suction section 32 suctions the substrate Sb, which is located on the support surface 31F, onto the support surface 31F.

[0044] In the film deposition process, the gas introduction from the static elimination gas introduction sections 34A and 34B is first switched to the gas introduction from the film deposition gas introduction section 35. Preferably, the total flow rate of gas introduced from the static elimination gas introduction sections 34A and 34B is the same as the flow rate of gas introduced from the film deposition gas introduction section 35. This suppresses fluctuations in the pressure within the first processing space 12AS before and after the gas introduction switch.

[0045] Next, the position change unit 33 changes the position of the support unit 31 from the first position to the second position. Then, the target power supply 23 applies a voltage to the backing plate 22, generating plasma from the gas surrounding the target 21. As a result, the sputtered surface of the target 21 is sputtered. Consequently, a thin film is formed on the substrate Sb by sputtered particles that fly from the sputtered surface toward the substrate Sb. After the voltage application to the target 21 continues for a predetermined time, the target power supply 23 stops applying the voltage to the backing plate 22. After that, the position change unit 33 changes the position of the support unit 31 from the second position to the first position.

[0046] In the substrate removal process, first, the adsorption unit 32 releases the adsorption of the substrate Sb to the support surface 31F. Next, the gas introduction from the film formation gas introduction unit 35 is switched to the gas introduction from the static elimination gas introduction units 34A and 34B. Preferably, the total flow rate of gas introduced from the static elimination gas introduction units 34A and 34B is the same as the flow rate of gas introduced from the film formation gas introduction unit 35. This suppresses fluctuations in the pressure inside the first processing space 12AS before and after the gas introduction switch.

[0047] Next, after the gate valve 10G is opened, the transport robot 11R receives the processed substrate Sb from the support unit 31. Then, the transport robot 11R transports the processed substrate Sb from the first sputtering chamber 12A to the transport chamber 11.

[0048] In the static elimination process, with the gate valve 10G open, the plasma generation unit 11P generates plasma from the gas in the transport space 11S. Charged particles contained in the plasma collide with particles located in the transport space 11S and the first processing space 12AS, and move from the transport space 11S to the first processing space 12AS through the communication unit 10P. As a result, the plasma generated in the transport space 11S is supplied to the support surface 31F, and the charged support surface 31F is statically eliminated by the charged particles in the plasma.

[0049] As described above, in this embodiment, the static elimination unit includes a plasma generation unit 11P, a gas introduction unit 11A, an exhaust unit 11E, static elimination gas introduction units 34A and 34B, and an exhaust unit 12AE. Since the plasma generated by the static elimination unit is supplied to the support surface 31F of the support unit 31, it is possible to eliminate static charge from the support surface 31F that has been charged by contact with the substrate Sb. This makes it possible to suppress the decrease in the electrostatic adsorption force of the adsorption unit 32 on the support surface 31F of the support unit 31.

[0050] As mentioned above, when the static elimination process is performed, the pressure in the transport space 11S and the pressure in the first processing space 12AS are set to between 0.1 Pa and 10.0 Pa. Therefore, charged particles contained in the plasma generated in the transport space 11S are more likely to collide with particles in the transport space 11S and particles in the first processing space 12AS, which makes it easier for charged particles to move from the transport space 11S to the first processing space 12AS. As a result, charged particles are more easily supplied to the support surface 31F, making it easier for the support surface 31F to be statically eliminated.

[0051] Furthermore, when static elimination is performed on the support surface 31F, gas is introduced from the first static elimination gas introduction section 34A and the second static elimination gas introduction section. As a result, the pressure near the support surface 31F is adjusted by the gas introduced from the first and second positions, thereby suppressing pressure variations within the plane of the support surface 31F. Consequently, variations in the degree to which static electricity is eliminated within the plane of the support surface 31F are suppressed.

[0052] As described above, in this embodiment, in a plan view facing the support surface 31F, that is, in a plan view facing the horizontal plane, the exhaust port 36, the first static elimination gas introduction section 34A, and the second static elimination gas introduction section 34B are located on the same straight line. Therefore, variations in the degree of static elimination within the plane of the support surface 31F are further suppressed.

[0053] The second sputtering chamber 12B described above has the same configuration as the first sputtering chamber 12A. That is, the sputtering apparatus 10 includes a second sputtering chamber 12B, which is an example of a second processing chamber, a second support section, and a second adsorption section. The second sputtering chamber 12B defines a second processing space configured to communicate with the transport space 11S. The second support section is a second support surface located in the second processing space that supports the substrate Sb, and is made of a material different from the material that forms the surface of the substrate Sb that contacts the second support surface. The second adsorption section electrostatically adsorbs the substrate Sb located on the second support surface to the second support surface. The static elimination section generates plasma in the transport space 11S and supplies the plasma to the second support surface where the substrate Sb is not placed, thereby eliminating static electricity from the second support surface. In this case, the static elimination unit includes the exhaust section 12BE of the second sputtering chamber 12B described above, and the static elimination gas introduction section provided in the second sputtering chamber 12B.

[0054] In this case, it is possible to use a single static elimination unit to eliminate static electricity from the support surface 31F of the support unit 31 and the second support surface. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of components constituting the sputtering device 10 compared to the case where the sputtering device 10 has a static elimination unit for each processing chamber.

[0055] Furthermore, since the static elimination unit is equipped with a plasma generation unit 11P as a generation unit that generates charged particles for static elimination, the above-described configuration can be realized. For example, compared to the case where the static elimination unit eliminates static electricity from the support surface 31F of the support unit 31 by irradiating the support surface with ultraviolet light, the range to which the plasma generated by the plasma generation unit 11P is supplied is relatively wider. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate static electricity from the support surfaces of support units located in multiple processing chambers using a static elimination unit that includes only one plasma generation unit. When static electricity is eliminated from the support surface by irradiating the support surface with ultraviolet light, at least one irradiation unit for irradiating ultraviolet light is required for each processing chamber.

[0056] [Example Test] An example of the test will be explained with reference to Figures 4 and 5. In a cluster-tool type sputtering apparatus comprising a first sputtering chamber and a transport chamber, a plasma generation unit was mounted in the center of the transport chamber when viewed from above. Next, one charged plate was attached to each of the four corners of a rectangular support surface. Then, with the gate valve located between the first sputtering chamber and the transport chamber open, plasma was generated in the transport chamber using the plasma generation unit. The voltage value of the charged plates was monitored from the time of plasma generation.

[0057] Figure 4 shows the pressure inside the first sputtering chamber and the pressure inside the conveying chamber, set to 1 × 10⁻⁶. -3 Figure 5 is a graph showing the change in voltage value at the charging plate over time when the pressure is set to Pa. The graph shows the change in voltage value at the charging plate over time when the pressure in the first sputtering chamber and the pressure in the transport chamber are set to 0.3 Pa. Of the four charging plates, the distance between charging plate C and the plasma generation unit is the smallest, the distance between charging plate D and the plasma generation unit is the second smallest, the distance between charging plate B and the plasma generation unit is the second largest, and the distance between charging plate A and the plasma generation unit is the largest.

[0058] As shown in Figure 4, the pressure inside each processing chamber is 1 × 10⁻⁶ -3 When the pressure was Pa, it was observed that the closer the charged plate was to the plasma generation unit, the easier it was to remove static electricity from the charged plate. Also, when the pressure in each processing chamber was 1 × 10⁻⁶ Pa -3 In the case of Pa, it was observed that even the charging plate closest to the plasma generation unit required more than 150 seconds for the voltage of the charging plate to reach -100V. Furthermore, even after 200 seconds had elapsed since the start of the static elimination process, the voltage of charging plate A was approximately -600V, the voltage of charging plate B was approximately -400V, and the voltage of charging plate D was approximately -200V.

[0059] As shown in Figure 5, when the pressure in each treatment chamber is 0.3 Pa, it was observed that the voltage value on all charged plates fell below -200 V after 200 seconds from the start of the static elimination process. Furthermore, when the pressure in each treatment chamber is 1 × 10⁻⁶ Pa -3 When comparing the voltage values ​​of the same charged plate under two conditions—one where the pressure was Pa and another where the pressure in each treatment chamber was 0.3 Pa—it was found that, for both charged plates, the rate at which the absolute value of the voltage decreased from the start of the static elimination process to 100 seconds later was higher or similar when the pressure in each treatment chamber was 0.3 Pa.

[0060] Thus, the pressure inside each processing chamber is 1 × 10 -3 Compared to when the pressure is Pa, it was observed that when the pressure in each processing chamber is 0.3 Pa, the support surface is more easily statically discharged, and the variation in the degree of static discharge within the plane of the support surface is smaller.

[0061] Furthermore, the pressure in each processing chamber can be set higher than 0.3 Pa, for example, to 10.0 Pa or less, more preferably 0.5 Pa or less. If the pressure in each processing chamber is greater than 10.0 Pa, the ease of static discharge of the support surface remains almost unchanged, but the pressure becomes more than an order of magnitude higher than the process conditions during plasma processing, requiring an exhaust time for pressure adjustment, which is undesirable. In other words, by setting the pressure in each processing chamber to 10.0 Pa or less, the ease of static discharge of the support surface is maintained, while suppressing the time required for pressure adjustment when switching between static discharge processing and plasma processing. Furthermore, setting it to 0.1 Pa or more and 0.5 Pa or less is preferable because it becomes almost equivalent to the process conditions during plasma processing, eliminating the need for an exhaust time for pressure adjustment.

[0062] As described above, according to one embodiment of the plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Since plasma is supplied to the support surface 31F of the support part 31, it is possible to discharge the charge from the support surface 31F that has been charged by contact with the substrate Sb. This makes it possible to suppress the decrease in the electrostatic adsorption force of the adsorption part 32 on the support surface 31F of the support part 31.

[0063] (2) Charged particles contained in the plasma generated in the transport space 11S are more likely to collide with particles in the transport space 11S and particles in the first processing space 12AS, thereby making it easier for charged particles to move from the transport space 11S towards the first processing space 12AS. As a result, charged particles are more easily supplied to the support surface 31F, making it easier for the support surface 31F to be discharged.

[0064] (3) The pressure near the support surface 31F is adjusted by the gas introduced from the first and second positions, so that variations in pressure within the plane of the support surface 31F are suppressed. As a result, variations within the plane of the support surface 31F that would cause static electricity to be eliminated are suppressed.

[0065] (4) It is possible to remove static electricity from the support surface 31F of the support section 31 and the second support surface using a single static elimination unit. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of components that make up the sputtering apparatus 10 compared to the case in which the sputtering apparatus 10 has a static elimination unit for each processing chamber.

[0066] The above-described embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. [Sputtering equipment] The sputtering apparatus 10 may consist only of a transport chamber 11 and a first sputtering chamber 12A. Even in this case, it is possible to obtain the same effects as described in (1) above.

[0067] [Substrate Processing Method] When performing static elimination, the introduction of gas from the gas introduction section 11A of the transport chamber 11 and the exhaust of gas from the transport space 11S by the exhaust section 11E may be omitted. Even in this case, if the conductance of the communication section 10P connecting the transport chamber 11 to the first sputtering chamber 12A is sufficiently high, it is possible to adjust the pressure in the first processing space 12AS and the pressure in the transport space 11S to the same pressure by opening the gate valve 10G. In other words, it is also possible to adjust the pressure in the transport space 11S to the same pressure as the pressure in the first processing space 12AS by introducing gas from the static elimination gas introduction sections 34A and 34B of the first sputtering chamber 12A and exhausting gas by the exhaust section 12AE.

[0068] [Substrate processing equipment] The substrate processing apparatus is not limited to a sputtering apparatus, but may also be an apparatus that forms a thin film on a substrate Sb by other methods, for example. For example, the substrate processing apparatus may be a CVD apparatus or a vacuum deposition apparatus. Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus is not limited to an apparatus that performs film deposition on a substrate Sb, but may also be an apparatus that performs other processing on the substrate Sb. For example, the substrate processing apparatus may be an etching apparatus. Any apparatus is acceptable as long as it comprises a transport chamber and a first processing chamber, and the support part and the adsorption part are located within the first processing chamber. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 10... Sputtering equipment 11…Transportation Room 11P...Plasma generation section 12…Sputter Chamber 12A...First sputtering chamber 12B...Second sputtering chamber 13…Loading / Unloading Room 14… Circuit board processing room 31...Support part 32...Adsorption part

Claims

1. A transport chamber that defines the transport space in which the substrates are transported, A first processing chamber is defined to define a first processing space that is configured to communicate with the aforementioned transport space, A first support portion comprising a first support surface located within the first processing space and supporting the substrate, the first support surface being made of a material different from the material forming the surface on the substrate that contacts the first support surface, A first adsorption unit that electrostatically adsorbs the substrate located on the first support surface to the first support surface, The system includes a static elimination unit that generates plasma in the transport space and supplies the plasma to the first support surface on which the substrate is not placed, thereby eliminating static electricity from the first support surface, The static elimination unit supplies gas from a first position and a second position. The first support portion is configured such that, when viewed from a viewpoint opposite to the plane on which the first support surface extends, the first position and the second position can sandwich the first support surface. Circuit board processing equipment.

2. The static elimination unit sets the pressure in the transport space and the pressure in the first processing space to between 0.1 Pa and 10.0 Pa. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. A second processing chamber is defined to define a second processing space that is configured to communicate with the aforementioned transport space, A second support portion comprising a second support surface located within the second processing space and supporting the substrate, the second support surface being made of a material different from the material forming the surface on the substrate that contacts the second support surface, The device comprises a second adsorption part that electrostatically adsorbs the substrate located on the second support surface to the second support surface, The static elimination unit generates plasma in the transport space and supplies the plasma to the second support surface where the substrate is not placed, thereby eliminating static electricity from the second support surface. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. Generating plasma within the transport space where the substrate is transported, The first support surface is located in a first processing space configured to communicate with the transport space and is configured to support the substrate, and the first support surface is formed of a material different from the material forming the surface on the substrate that contacts the first support surface, thereby discharging static electricity from the first support surface. Discharging static electricity from the first support surface includes supplying gas from the first position and the second position. Viewed from a viewpoint opposite to the plane on which the first support surface extends, the first position and the second position sandwich the first support surface. Substrate processing method.

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