Substrate Processing Apparatus and Method of Manufacturing Semiconductor Device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and provides a configuration capable of reducing the occupied space and improving the exhaust efficiency. The apparatus includes: a first processing component having a first processing container for substrate processing and a substrate loading port provided on the front side; a first equipment system including a first supply system for supplying a processing gas into the first processing container, the first equipment system being disposed close to the back surface of the first processing component; and a first vacuum exhaust device disposed behind the first processing component for exhausting the inside of the first processing container, the outer side surface of the first vacuum exhaust device being configured not to protrude outward compared to the outer side surface of the first equipment system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing processes such as thin film formation on a substrate and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. Background Art

[0002] Regarding a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, as an apparatus for forming an oxide film and a metal film on a substrate (hereinafter referred to as a wafer), a vertical substrate processing apparatus is sometimes used. In addition, there is a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of boats for holding wafers and a processing chamber for processing wafers, in which the boats are sequentially loaded and unloaded into and from each processing chamber, and the wafers are processed.

[0003] In a conventional substrate processing apparatus, it is necessary to secure a maintenance area for performing maintenance of each mechanism around (for example, on the side) of the substrate processing apparatus. Therefore, since it is also necessary to set it in consideration of the maintenance area, the occupied space required for setting the substrate processing apparatus becomes large, and the COO (Cost of Owenership) also increases.

[0004] Prior Art Documents

[0005] Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6484601

[0007] Patent Document 2: WO19 / 172274

[0008] Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-099763

[0009] Patent Document 4: WO18 / 003072 Summary of the Invention

[0010] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0011] The present disclosure provides a configuration capable of reducing the occupied space and improving the exhaust efficiency.

[0012] Means for Solving the Problems

[0013] The present disclosure relates to the following configuration, which includes: a first processing component having a first processing container for substrate processing and a substrate loading port provided on the front side; a first equipment system including a first supply system for supplying a processing gas into the first processing container, the first equipment system being disposed in proximity to the back surface of the first processing component; and a first vacuum exhaust device disposed behind the first processing component for exhausting the inside of the first processing container, the outer side surface of the first vacuum exhaust device not protruding outward compared to the outer side surface of the first equipment system.

[0014] Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress variations (mechanical errors) in the exhaust characteristics between multiple substrate processing apparatuses and improve the exhaust efficiency (exhaust speed). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a top view showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a processing furnace according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing an example of an equipment system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a booster pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 7 (A) and (B) thereof are perspective views showing an example of a booster pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 8 is a top view showing a modified example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 9 is a top view showing a modified example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 10 is a front view showing an example of an exhaust system and its peripheral parts according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 11 is a top view showing an example of an exhaust system and its peripheral parts according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 12 is a perspective view showing an example of a connecting part according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 13(A) is a graph showing the relationship between vibration and frequency when there is no vibration damping plate provided at the connection part, and (B) is a graph showing the relationship between vibration and frequency when there is a vibration damping plate provided at the connection part.

[0029] Figure 14 is a top view showing a modification 3 of the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure text.

[0030] Figure 15 is a top view showing a modification 3 of the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure text.

[0031] Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification 4 of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0032] Figure 17 is a top view showing a modification 5 of the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure text.

[0033] Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification 5 of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0034] Explanation of reference numerals

[0035] 1 Substrate processing apparatus

[0036] 2 Processing component

[0037] 4 Processing furnace

[0038] 5 Transfer chamber

[0039] 8 Wafer

[0040] 18 Reaction tube

[0041] 24 Supply box

[0042] 30 Exhaust port

[0043] 34 Exhaust pipe

[0044] 36 Flow conductance variable valve

[0045] 38 Booster pump

[0046] 40 Exhaust box

[0047] 51 Maintenance port

[0048] 54 Equipment system

[0049] 55 Stand

[0050] 56 Intake port

[0051] 68 Branch exhaust pipe

[0052] 69th first gate valve

[0053] 71st second gate valve

[0054] 72nd first APC valve

[0055] 73rd second APC valve

[0056] 74 Bellows

[0057] 78 Side wall panel

[0058] 79 Frame

[0059] 82 Mounting plate

[0060] 85 Mounting part

[0061] 87 Vibration damping plate Detailed implementation manner

[0062] Hereinafter, exemplary non - limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the drawings used in the following description are all schematic, and the dimensional relationships and ratios of the elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily the same as the actual ones. In addition, among multiple drawings, the dimensional relationships and ratios of the elements are not necessarily the same. In addition, in all the drawings, the same or corresponding components are labeled with the same or corresponding reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted. In addition, the side of the storage chamber 13 to be described later is set as the front side (front), and the sides of the first equipment system 54A and the second equipment system 54B to be described later are set as the back side (rear). In addition, the side facing the boundary line (adjacent surface) of the first processing component 2A and the second processing component 2B is set as the inner side, and the side far from the boundary line is set as the outer side.

[0063] In this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus is configured as a vertical substrate processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as the substrate processing apparatus) 1, which performs substrate processing operations such as heat treatment as one of the manufacturing processes in the manufacturing method of semiconductor devices (devices).

[0064] As shown in Figure 1 、 Figure 2 the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a first processing component 2A and a second processing component 2B. The processing components 2A and 2B have a frame or a main body with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped contour, and one side surface of each is arranged in close contact or adjacent parallel to each other. The processing component 2A is composed of a first processing furnace 4A (processing furnace 4A) and a first transfer chamber 5A (transfer chamber 5A). The processing component 2B is composed of a second processing furnace 4B (processing furnace 4B) and a second transfer chamber 5B (transfer chamber 5B).

[0065] Below the processing furnaces 4A and 4B, a transfer chamber 5A and a transfer chamber 5B are respectively arranged. Adjacent to the front sides of the transfer chamber 5A and the transfer chamber 5B, a transfer chamber 11 is arranged. The transfer chamber 11 has a housing with a substantially cuboid shape and is provided with a transfer machine 9 for transferring the wafers 8. A storage chamber 13 for storing a pod (front-opening wafer cassette) 12 is connected to the front side of the transfer chamber 11, and the pod 12 stores a plurality of wafers 8. The storage chamber 13, the processing units 2A and 2B, and the transfer chamber 11 have outer diameters based on polyhedrons formed by mutually orthogonal planes and are respectively configured to be detachable, and their connection parts have appropriate airtightness. An I / O port 14 is provided on the front surface of the storage chamber 13, and the pod 12 is carried in and out of the inside and outside of the substrate processing apparatus 1 via the I / O port 14. In addition, a loading port 16 such as FIMS (Front-opening Interface Mechanical Standard) connected to the front of the transfer chamber 11 is provided in the storage chamber 13 to open and close the pod 12. The wafers 8 taken out from the pod 12 are processed in the transfer chamber 11 and the transfer chambers 5A and 5B that constitute a microenvironment.

[0066] At the boundary walls (adjacent surfaces) between the transfer chambers 5A and 5B and the transfer chamber 11, a first gate valve 15A (gate valve 15A) and a second gate valve 15B (gate valve 15B) for carrying the substrate between the two are respectively provided. Pressure detectors are respectively provided in the transfer chamber 11 and the transfer chambers 5A and 5B, and the pressure in the transfer chamber 11 is set to be lower than the pressure in the transfer chambers 5A and 5B. In addition, oxygen concentration detectors are respectively provided in the transfer chamber 11 and the transfer chambers 5A and 5B, and the oxygen concentrations in the transfer chamber 11 and the transfer chambers 5A and 5B are maintained to be lower than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. A cleaning unit 17 for supplying clean air into the transfer chamber 11 is provided at the top of the transfer chamber 11, and is configured to circulate, for example, an inert gas as the clean air in the transfer chamber 11. By circulating and purging the inside of the transfer chamber 11 with the inert gas, the inside of the transfer chamber 11 can be made into a clean atmosphere. With such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the mixing of particles and the like in the transfer chambers 5A and 5B into the transfer chamber 11, and it is possible to suppress the formation of a natural oxide film on the wafers 8 in the transfer chamber 11 and the transfer chambers 5A and 5B.

[0067] The processing units 2A and 2B have substantially the same (mirror-symmetric) configuration except for minor parts. Therefore, only the first processing unit will be described below as a representative.

[0068] As Figure 4As shown, the processing furnace 4A includes a first processing container 18A (reaction tube 18A) having a cylindrical shape, and a first heater 19A (heater 19A) provided on the outer periphery of the reaction tube 18A as a heating unit (heating mechanism). The reaction tube 18A is formed of, for example, quartz (Si) or silicon carbide (SiC). Inside the reaction tube 18A, a first processing chamber 21A (processing chamber 21A) for processing a wafer 8 as a substrate is formed. Further, a first temperature detection unit 22A as a temperature detector is erected along the inner wall of the reaction tube 18A in the reaction tube 18A.

[0069] The gas used for substrate processing is supplied into the processing chamber 21A by a first gas supply mechanism 23A as a gas supply system. The gas supplied by the gas supply mechanism 23A is changed corresponding to the type of film to be formed. Here, the gas supply mechanism 23A includes a source gas supply unit, a reaction gas supply unit, and an inert gas supply unit. The gas supply mechanism 23A is housed in a first supply box 24A (gas box) described later.

[0070] The source gas supply unit includes a gas supply pipe 25a, and a mass flow controller (MFC) 26a as a flow controller (flow control unit) and a valve 28a as an on-off valve are provided in sequence on the gas supply pipe 25a from the upstream direction. The gas supply pipe 25a is connected to a nozzle 29a that penetrates the side wall of the first manifold 27A (manifold 27A). The nozzle 29a is erected in the reaction tube 18A in the vertical direction, and a plurality of supply holes that open toward the wafer 8 held on the first susceptor 31A (susceptor 31A) are formed. The source gas is supplied to the wafer 8 through the supply holes of the nozzle 29a.

[0071] Hereinafter, by the same configuration, the reaction gas is supplied to the wafer 8 from the reaction gas supply unit via the gas supply pipe 25b, MFC 26b, valve 28b, and nozzle 29b. The inert gas is supplied to the wafer 8 from the inert gas supply unit via the gas supply pipes 25c, 25d, MFCs 26c, 26d, valves 28c, 28d, and nozzles 29a, 29b.

[0072] The cylindrical manifold 27A is connected to the lower end opening of the reaction tube 18A via a sealing member such as an O-ring and supports the lower end of the reaction tube 18A. The lower end opening of the manifold 27A is disposed corresponding to the top of the transfer chamber 5A, and is opened and closed by a disk-shaped first cover portion 32A (cover portion 32A). A sealing member such as an O-ring is provided on the upper surface of the cover portion 32A, whereby the reaction tube 18A and the outside air are hermetically sealed. A first heat insulating portion 33A (heat insulating portion 33A) is placed on the cover portion 32A.

[0073] A first exhaust port 30A (exhaust port 30A) extending in a direction orthogonal to the axis, that is, in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis of the reaction tube 18A, is formed on the manifold 27A. A first exhaust pipe 34A is installed via the exhaust port 30A. A first booster pump 38A as a vacuum exhaust device is connected to the exhaust pipe 34A via a first pressure sensor 35A (pressure sensor 35A) serving as a pressure detector (pressure detection unit) for detecting the pressure in the detection processing chamber 21A and a first conductance variable valve 36A serving as a pressure regulator (pressure regulation unit). It should be noted that the conductance variable valve 36A is a two-stage valve formed by connecting two valves, an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve and a gate valve, in series. In addition, the APC valve is a disc valve with a flow path cross-sectional area equal to or larger than the cross-sectional area of the exhaust pipe 34A and capable of being opened. With such a configuration, the pressure in the processing chamber 21A can be set to a processing pressure corresponding to the processing. An exhaust system 39A serving as the first exhaust system is mainly composed of the exhaust pipe 34A, the pressure sensor 35A, and the conductance variable valve 36A. The exhaust system 39A can be accommodated in a first exhaust box 40A (exhaust box 40A) described later.

[0074] The processing chamber 21A houses a susceptor 31A as a substrate holder inside. The susceptor 31A vertically supports a plurality of, for example, 10 to 150 wafers 8 in a rack shape. The susceptor 31A is supported above the heat insulation part 33A by a first rotating shaft 41A (rotating shaft 41A) passing through the cover part 32A and the heat insulation part 33A. The rotating shaft 41A is connected to a first rotating mechanism 42A (rotating mechanism 42A) provided below the cover part 32A, and the rotating shaft 41A is configured to be rotatable in a state of hermetically sealing the inside of the reaction tube 18A. The cover part 32A is driven in the vertical direction by a first susceptor elevator 43A (susceptor elevator 43A) serving as a lifting mechanism. Thus, the susceptor 31A and the cover part 32A are integrally lifted and lowered, and the susceptor 31A is loaded and unloaded with respect to the reaction tube 18A.

[0075] The transfer of the wafer 8 to the susceptor 31A is performed in the transfer chamber 5A. As Figure 3As shown, a first cleaning unit 44A (cleaning unit 44A) is provided on one side surface of the transfer chamber 5A (the outer side surface of the transfer chamber 5A, the side surface opposite to the side surface facing the transfer chamber 5B), and clean air (for example, inert gas) is circulated in the transfer chamber 5A. A first exhaust unit 45A (exhaust unit 45A) is provided on the side surface facing the cleaning unit 44A across the susceptor 31A (the side surface facing the transfer chamber 5B). The inert gas supplied into the transfer chamber 5A is exhausted from the transfer chamber 5A through the first exhaust unit 45A, and is supplied again into the transfer chamber 5A from the cleaning unit 44A (circulating purge). The pressure in the transfer chamber 5A is set to be always lower than the pressure in the transfer chamber 11. Thereby, it is possible to prevent particles and pollution sources in the transfer chamber 5A from being brought into the transfer chamber 11 and causing the spread of contamination. In addition, the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 5A is set to be lower than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere.

[0076] The rotation mechanism 42A, the susceptor elevator 43A, the MFCs 38a to 38d of the gas supply mechanism 23A, the valves 28a to 28d, and the conductance variable valve 36A are connected to a controller 46 that controls them. The controller 46 is formed of, for example, a microprocessor (computer) having a CPU, and is configured to control the operations of the processing components 2A and 2B. An input / output device 47 configured as a touch panel or the like is connected to the controller 46. One controller 46 can be provided for each of the processing components 2A and 2B, or one controller 46 can be provided in common.

[0077] A storage unit 48 as a storage medium is connected to the controller 46. In the storage unit 48, a control program for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and a program (also referred to as a process) for causing each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1 to execute processing corresponding to the processing conditions are stored in a readable manner.

[0078] The storage unit 48 can be a storage device (hard disk, flash memory) built into the controller 46, or can be a portable external storage device (magnetic tape, floppy disk, magnetic disk such as hard disk, optical disk such as CD, DVD, optical magnetic disk such as MO, semiconductor memory such as USB memory, memory card). In addition, the program can be provided to the computer using a communication mechanism such as the Internet or a dedicated line. By reading the program from the storage unit 48 as needed based on an instruction from the input / output device 47 or the like, and causing the controller 46 to execute the processing according to the read process, the substrate processing apparatus 1 executes a desired process under the control of the controller 46. The controller 46 is housed in a control box (not shown) provided at an arbitrary position of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0079] Next, the back configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described.

[0080] As Figure 1As shown, a first maintenance opening 51A and a second maintenance opening 51B (maintenance openings 51A and 51B) are respectively formed on the back sides of the transfer chambers 5A and 5B. The maintenance opening 51A is formed to be biased toward the transfer chamber 5B side and has a width and height that allow the reaction tube 18A and the susceptor 31A to be carried in and out. The maintenance opening 51B is formed to be biased toward the transfer chamber 5A side and has a width and height that allow the reaction tube 18B and the susceptor 31B to be carried in and out. The maintenance openings 51A and 51B are opened and closed by a first maintenance door 52A (maintenance door 52A) and a second maintenance door 52B (maintenance door 52B). The maintenance doors 52A and 52B are configured to be rotatable about a first hinge 53A (hinge 53A) and a second hinge 53B (hinge 53B) as axes. The hinge 53A is provided on the transfer chamber 5B side of the transfer chamber 5A, and the hinge 53B is provided on the transfer chamber 5A side of the transfer chamber 5B. That is, the hinge 53A and the hinge 53B are provided adjacent to each other near the inner corner portions of the adjacent surfaces on the back sides of the transfer chamber 5A and the transfer chamber 5B. And a maintenance area for performing maintenance on the transfer chamber, the processing furnace, etc. is formed on the back side of the processing module 2A on the processing module 2B side and on the back side of the processing module 2B on the processing module 2A side.

[0081] The maintenance doors 52A and 52B rotate horizontally rearward toward the back sides of the transfer chambers 5A and 5B about the hinges 53A and 53B, thereby opening the maintenance openings 51A and 51B. The maintenance doors 52A and 52B are configured to be rotatable by more than 90 degrees, and more preferably about 180°. By rotating nearly 180°, one of the maintenance doors 52A and 52B overlaps with the other when opened, and does not interfere with the maintenance operation.

[0082] A first equipment system 54A (equipment system 54A) and a second equipment system 54B (equipment system 54B) that extend rearward are provided in a manner close to the back sides of the processing modules 2A and 2B. The equipment systems 54A and 54B are symmetrically arranged facing each other with the maintenance area therebetween. When performing maintenance on the equipment systems 54A and 54B, it is carried out from the inside of the equipment systems 54A and 54B, that is, the space (maintenance area) between the equipment systems 54A and 54B. The equipment systems 54A and 54B include supply tanks 24A and 24B, exhaust tanks 40A and 40B, and booster pumps 38A and 38B. Maintenance openings of the respective tanks of the equipment systems 54A and 54B are respectively formed on the inside (maintenance area side). That is, the maintenance openings of the respective tanks of the equipment systems 54A and 54B are formed to face each other.

[0083] The equipment systems 54A and 54B have substantially the same configuration except for minor parts, and therefore, only the equipment system 54A will be described below as a representative. The supply box 24A is disposed adjacent to the outer side portion of the back side of the transfer chamber 5A. The exhaust box 40A is disposed adjacent to the outer side portion of the back side of the processing furnace 4A. That is, the outer side surfaces of the supply box 24A and the exhaust box 40A are positioned flatly (smoothly) in a manner substantially continuously connected to the outer side surface of the transfer chamber 5A. In addition, the supply box 24A and the exhaust box 40A are adjacent to each other in the up-down direction. The back surfaces of the supply box 24A and the exhaust box 40A are substantially the same plane.

[0084] The boost pump 38A is arranged adjacent to the back of the supply box 24A and the exhaust box 40A. The boost pump 38A can be housed in a housing (frame) having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped profile, and can be arranged on a first stand 55A (stand 55A) having a predetermined height. The stand 55A has four universal wheels 64A on the bottom surface, and is configured to be movable on the ground. It should be noted that during operation, the stand 55A is fixed to the ground with bolts, and the boost pump 38A is fixed to the stand 55A with bolts. The same is true for the boost pump 38B.

[0085] The installation area (occupied space) of the booster pump 38A and the stand 55A when stacked is less than 500×500mm, but the height can reach 2500mm. Figure 7 In the example shown in (A), the configuration is such that the installation area is 450×450 mm, and its width is substantially equal to the maximum width of the equipment system 54A. In addition, the outer side surfaces of the booster pumps 38A and 38B are configured so as not to protrude outward compared to the outer side surfaces of the equipment systems 54A and 54B, that is, the outer side surfaces of the exhaust boxes 40A and 40B and the outer side surfaces of the supply boxes 24A and 24B. It should be noted that the stands 55A and 55B may also be configured so that the heights thereof can be changed. In addition, countermeasures (vibration countermeasures) for absorbing vibrations such as vibrations from the booster pumps 38A and 38B and earthquakes can be implemented for the stands 55A and 55B.

[0086] from Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 5It can be seen that the thickness of the supply box 24A (the lateral width when viewed from the front of the substrate processing device 1) increases in a step-like manner as it moves from the front side to the rear side, and its maximum width is less than or equal to the thickness of the exhaust box 40A. On the other hand, the thickness of the exhaust box 40A is constant from the front side to the rear side, and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the exhaust pipe 34A passes horizontally through the exhaust box 40A in the front-to-back direction. In other words, the exhaust boxes 40A and 40B protrude toward the maintenance area side compared with the supply boxes 24A and 24B. By arranging the wide exhaust box 40A substantially above the transfer chamber 5A, it is possible to ensure that the lateral width of the maintenance area behind the maintenance door 52A of the transfer chamber 5A is wide. That is, when viewed from above, the distance between the supply boxes 24A and 24B is greater than the distance between the exhaust boxes 40A and 40B, and therefore, it is possible to ensure a maintenance area of ​​sufficient width for taking out the reaction tube 18A from the open maintenance door 52A. The floor box 67A is set on the ground of the entire maintenance area and accommodates exhaust pipes, cooling water, cables, etc. The upper surface of the floor box 67A is flat and lower than the lower end of the maintenance door. The floor box 67A can have one or more hard points that serve as fulcrums when maintaining heavy objects.

[0087] like Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the supply box 24A accommodates most of the first gas supply mechanism 23A below the exhaust box 40A. The gas supply pipes 25a and 25b extend to the outside of the supply box 24A, pass through between the exhaust box 40A and the exhaust pipe 34A, and are connected to the valves 28a and 28b arranged in the exhaust box 40A, and then the front ends thereof are detoured to the nozzles 29a and 29b. In another configuration, the gas supply mechanism 23A may also have a height capable of accommodating the valves 28a and 28b, and a recess may be formed on the inner side surface to avoid interference with the exhaust box 40A (exhaust pipe 34A). Alternatively, the exhaust box 40A may not be provided, and the exhaust pipe 34A may be arranged to pass through the supply box 24A and the exhaust box 40A. In this case, the exhaust pipe 34A is arranged on the outside at a height avoiding the maintenance door 52A. It should be noted that in Figure 5 In the embodiment, the exhaust duct 34A is provided above the maintenance door 52A, but the exhaust duct 34A may be provided below the maintenance door 52A.

[0088] Here, the rearward-facing exhaust port 30A faces or is substantially opposite to the first intake port 56A formed on the booster pump 38A facing forward. Additionally, the height of the exhaust port 30A is the same as or substantially the same as that of the intake port 56A. Therefore, the exhaust pipe 34A penetrates horizontally in a substantially straight line inside the equipment system 54A to connect the exhaust port 30A and the first intake port 56A. When the extension axes of the exhaust port 30A and the first intake port 56A deviate from each other, the exhaust pipe 34A can be gently bent. The exhaust pipe 34A in this example, after slightly extending rearward from the exhaust port 30A with a nominal diameter of about 100 mm, is composed of a gently curved section facing the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 1, a tapered section where the nominal diameter expands from 100 mm to 200 mm, a gently curved section facing the inside of the substrate processing apparatus 1, and a straight pipe section that coincides with the extension axis of the intake port 56A, connected in sequence. On the straight pipe section, an APC valve corresponding to a nominal diameter of 200 mm, a shut-off gate valve, a maintenance gate valve, a bellows for vibration isolation of the exhaust pipe 34A against the booster pump 38A, and an adapter detachably connected to the first intake port 56A are arranged in sequence from upstream to downstream. By arranging the exhaust pipe 34 substantially horizontally like this, the piping length of the exhaust pipe 34 can be shortened, and thus the conductance can be improved. The exhaust box 40A in this example is formed with a height greater than the lateral width to accommodate the longitudinally long gate valve, and only accommodates the straight pipe section of the exhaust pipe 34A. That is, there is a gap between the processing furnace 4A and the exhaust box 40A, and the portion between the exhaust port 30A of the exhaust pipe 34A and the straight pipe section can be exposed.

[0089] Next, in Figure 6 , Figure 7 , the booster pump 38A will be further described. The booster pump 38A in this embodiment is configured to be placed longitudinally. By placing it longitudinally, the occupied space (installation area) is reduced.

[0090] The booster pump 38A is composed of a main body (outer shell) 61A having a space (rotor chamber) inside, one or more rotors 59A rotating inside the main body 61A, an intake port 56A connected to the exhaust pipe 34A and provided on the upper side surface of the main body 61A, a first exhaust port 62A provided on the lower side surface of the main body 61A for exhausting gas, a motor 58A for rotating the rotation axis 57A of the rotor 59A, a first pump controller 63A for controlling the motor 58A, and auxiliary equipment (not shown) for supplying stabilization gas, cooling water, etc. It should be noted that the pump controller 63A and the auxiliary equipment can be arranged, for example, in the rack 55A, and their respective operation parts and display parts can be arranged on the side surface.

[0091] In addition, a first gas flow path 65A (gas flow path 65A) is formed by an intermediate chamber that moves within the intake port 56A, within the exhaust port 62A, and between the main body 61A and the rotor 59A. Further, it is configured such that the gas introduced from the intake port 56A flows through the gas flow path 65A and is discharged from the exhaust port 62A. The intake port 56A opens orthogonally to the rotary shaft 57A so as to directly face the rotor chamber, and the exhaust port 62A is provided on a side surface on the same or opposite side as the intake port 56A and is connected to the intake port of an auxiliary exhaust device (not shown) such as a rotary pump.

[0092] The rotary shaft 57A is arranged to extend in the vertical direction, so the main body 61A is longitudinally long. The main body 61A is made of cast iron and has a large weight. By arranging the motor 58A on top of the main body 61A, it is configured such that the center of gravity of the booster pump 38A can be lowered as much as possible, and the booster pump 38A can be stably installed.

[0093] The rotor 59A driven by the rotary shaft 57A is a two-stage Roots type formed by a plurality of rotors, for example, two rotors. The gas sucked from the intake port 56A via the exhaust pipe 34A rotates within the gas flow path 65A along with the rotation of the rotor 59A and is introduced into the exhaust port 62A. Here, the intake port 56A is provided on the upper side surface of the main body 61A, and the exhaust port 30A is at the same or approximately the same height as the intake port 56A. Therefore, the shape of the exhaust pipe 34A can be set to be straight and horizontally arranged, so the distance between the exhaust port 30A and the intake port 56A can be minimized, and the exhaust capacity of the booster pump 38A can be maximally exerted. On the other hand, by arranging the exhaust port 62A at the lower part of the main body 61A, the detour of the pipe to, for example, the main pump installed on the ground below can be shortened. It should be noted that when the exhaust port 30A and the exhaust port 62A are at the same height or approximately the same height, the exhaust port 62A can also be set as the intake port and the intake port 56A can be set as the exhaust port.

[0094] In addition, a gate valve can be provided at the intake port 56A. Thereby, during maintenance, even when the atmosphere in the exhaust pipe 34A is open and highly dangerous gases such as HCl are generated due to the reaction of the film type with the atmosphere and moisture, the intake port 56A can be closed, so the danger during maintenance can be prevented.

[0095] In addition, since the booster pump 38A is installed on the pedestal 55A, the height of the intake port 56A can be adjusted to be the same as the height of the exhaust port 30A by appropriately selecting the pedestal 55A with different heights or adjusting the height of the pedestal 55A.

[0096] Next, a process of forming a film on a substrate (film forming process) using the above-described substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described. Here, an example in which gas A is supplied to the wafer 8 as a source gas and gas B is supplied as a reaction gas to form a film on the wafer 8 will be described. It should be noted that in the following description, the operations of the respective parts constituting the substrate processing apparatus 1 are controlled by the controller 46.

[0097] (Wafer Loading and Cassette Loading)

[0098] The gate valve 15A is opened, and the wafer 8 is transferred to the cassette 31A. When multiple wafers 8 are loaded into the cassette 31A (wafer loading), the gate valve 15A is closed. The cassette 31A is carried into the processing chamber 21A by the cassette elevator 43A (cassette loading), and the lower opening of the reaction tube 18A is hermetically sealed (sealed) by the lid portion 32A.

[0099] (Pressure Regulation and Temperature Regulation)

[0100] Vacuum exhaust (pressure reduction exhaust) is performed by the booster pump 38A to bring the processing chamber 21A to a specified pressure (vacuum degree). The atmosphere in the processing chamber 21A flows linearly or substantially linearly in the exhaust pipe 34, passes through the booster pump 38A, and is then exhausted. The pressure in the processing chamber 21A is measured by the pressure sensor 35A, and the conductance variable valve 36A is feedback-controlled based on the measured pressure information. In addition, heating is performed by the heater 19A to bring the wafer 8 in the processing chamber 21A to a specified temperature. At this time, the energization state of the heater 19A is feedback-controlled based on the temperature information detected by the temperature detection unit 22A to make the processing chamber 21A have a specified temperature distribution. In addition, the rotation of the cassette 31A and the wafer 8 by the rotation mechanism 42A is started.

[0101] (Film Forming Process)

[0102] [Source Gas Supply Step]

[0103] When the temperature in the processing chamber 21A stabilizes at a preset processing temperature, gas A is supplied to the wafer 8 in the processing chamber 21A. Gas A is controlled to a desired flow rate by the MFC 26a and is supplied into the processing chamber 21A via the gas supply pipe 25a and the nozzle 29a.

[0104] [Source Gas Exhaust Step]

[0105] Next, the supply of the DCS gas is stopped, and the processing chamber 21A is vacuum-exhausted by the booster pump 38A. The gas A in the processing chamber 21A flows linearly or substantially linearly in the exhaust pipe 34A and is exhausted via the booster pump 38A. At this time, N may also be supplied as an inert gas from the inert gas supply unit into the processing chamber 21A. 2Gas (inert gas purge).

[0106] [Reaction gas supply process]

[0107] Next, gas B is supplied to the wafer 8 in the processing chamber 21A. The flow rate of gas B is controlled to a desired value by the MFC 26b and is supplied into the processing chamber 21A via the gas supply pipe 25b and the nozzle 29b.

[0108] [Reaction gas exhaust process]

[0109] Next, the supply of gas B is stopped, and the inside of the processing chamber 21A is evacuated by the booster pump 38A. The gas B in the processing chamber 21A flows linearly or substantially linearly in the exhaust pipe 34A and is exhausted via the booster pump 38A. At this time, N can also be supplied as an inert gas from the inert gas supply unit into the processing chamber 21A 2 Gas (inert gas purge).

[0110] By repeating the cycle of the above four processes a specified number of times (one or more), a film with a specified composition and thickness can be formed on the wafer 8.

[0111] (Cassette unloading and wafer removal)

[0112] After forming a film with a specified thickness, N is supplied from the inert gas supply unit 2 gas, and the inside of the processing chamber 21A is replaced with N 2 gas, and the pressure inside the processing chamber 21A returns to atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, the lid 32A is lowered by the cassette elevator 43A, and the cassette 31A is removed from the reaction tube 18A (cassette unloading). Thereafter, the processed wafer 8 is removed from the cassette 31A (wafer removal).

[0113] Thereafter, the wafer 8 can be stored in the pod 12 and taken out of the substrate processing apparatus 1, or it can be transferred to the processing furnace 4B and substrate processing such as annealing can be continuously performed. When the processing of the wafer 8 in the processing furnace 4A is continuously followed by the processing of the wafer 8 in the processing furnace 4B, the gate valve 15A and the second gate valve 15B are opened, and the wafer 8 is directly transferred from the cassette 31A to the second cassette 31B (cassette 31B). The subsequent loading and unloading of the wafer 8 into and out of the processing furnace 4B are performed by the same steps as the substrate processing performed in the above processing furnace 4A. In addition, the substrate processing in the processing furnace 4B is performed by the same steps as the substrate processing performed in the above processing furnace 4A, for example.

[0114] Gas A or gas B is a silicon-containing gas. As the processing conditions for forming a film of silicon or a silicon compound on the wafer 8, for example, the following can be exemplified.

[0115] Processing temperature (wafer temperature): 300°C to 700°C

[0116] Processing pressure (pressure in the processing chamber): 1 Pa to 4000 Pa

[0117] It should be noted that different films such as film A and film B can be formed by the processing components 2A and 2B. In this case, the configurations of the gas supply mechanisms 23A and 23B are also different, but the supply tanks 24A, 24B, the exhaust tanks 40A, 40B maintain symmetry.

[0118] Next, the maintenance of the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described. When circulating and purging with an inert gas in the transfer chamber 5A, an interlock is set so that the maintenance door 52A cannot be opened. When the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 5A is lower than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere, an interlock is also set so that the maintenance door 52A cannot be opened. The same applies to the maintenance door 52B. In addition, when opening the maintenance doors 52A, 52B, an interlock is set so that the gate valves 15A, 15B cannot be opened. When the gate valves 15A, 15B are to be opened while the maintenance doors 52A, 52B are open, by setting the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 to the maintenance mode and turning on a separately provided maintenance switch, the interlock regarding the gate valves 15A, 15B is released, and the gate valves 15A, 15B can be set to open.

[0119] When opening the maintenance door 52A, in order to make the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 5A equal to or higher than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere, preferably increasing it to the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere, an atmospheric atmosphere is made to flow from the cleaning unit 44A into the transfer chamber 5A. At this time, the circulating purge in the transfer chamber 5A is released, the atmosphere in the transfer chamber 5A is exhausted to the outside of the transfer chamber 5A, and the rotational speed of the fan of the cleaning unit 44A is made lower than the rotational speed during the circulating purge, and the inflow amount of the atmosphere into the transfer chamber 5A is controlled so that the pressure in the transfer chamber 5A is not higher than the pressure in the transfer chamber 11. By controlling in this way, it is possible to increase the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 5A while maintaining the pressure in the transfer chamber 5A lower than the pressure in the transfer chamber 11.

[0120] When the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 5A becomes the same as the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere, the interlock is released and the maintenance door 52A can be opened. At this time, it is set that even when the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 5A is the same as the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere, the maintenance door 52A cannot be opened when the pressure in the transfer chamber 5A is higher than the pressure in the transfer chamber 11. When the maintenance door 52A is open, the rotational speed of the fan of the cleaning unit 44A is made at least greater than the rotational speed during the circulating purge. More preferably, the rotational speed of the fan of the cleaning unit 44A is made maximum.

[0121] After opening the maintenance door 52A, for example, the platform of the cart is moved into the transfer chamber 5A through the maintenance port 51A, and the reaction tube 18A and the susceptor 31A are carried into and out of the transfer chamber 5A by the cart. At this time, the exhaust port 30A and the exhaust pipe 34A are located above the maintenance port 51A to avoid interference with the cart and the reaction tube 18A being carried in and out.

[0122] Maintenance in the transfer chamber 11 is performed through a maintenance port 50 formed in front of the transfer chamber 11 and in a portion where no pod opener is provided. The maintenance port 50 is configured to be opened and closed by a maintenance door (not shown). As described above, when the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 is set to the maintenance mode, the gate valves 15A and 15B can also be set to open, and maintenance can be performed from the sides of the gate valves 15A and 15B. That is, maintenance in the transfer chamber 11 can be performed either from the front of the apparatus or from the back of the apparatus, and can be performed from either the front or the back.

[0123] As described above, in the present embodiment, at positions adjacent to the exhaust boxes 40A and 40B, booster pumps 38A and 38B are provided such that the exhaust ports 30A and 30B (not shown) and the intake ports 56A and 56B (not shown) face each other or are substantially opposite and at the same height. Therefore, the linear exhaust pipes 34A and 34B (not shown) can be horizontally arranged, and the booster pumps 38A and 38B can be connected to the reaction tubes 18A and 18B at the shortest distance. Thus, the exhaust capacity of the booster pumps 38A and 38B can be maximally exerted, the exhaust efficiency (exhaust speed) can be improved while suppressing mechanical errors, and the COO can be reduced.

[0124] In addition, since the linear exhaust pipes 34A and 34B are used, the gas exhausted from the reaction tubes 18A and 18B is fluidly connected substantially linearly between the exhaust ports 30A and 30B and the intake ports 56A and 56B. Therefore, during the flow through the exhaust pipes 34A and 34B, the exhausted gas does not generate a pressure loss, and the exhaust efficiency can be improved.

[0125] In addition, the booster pumps 38A and 38B increase the exhaust speed in a pressure region where the exhaust speed of the auxiliary exhaust device decreases (for example, 1 Pa to 1 kPa). When a positive displacement pump is used as the booster pump, its exhaust speed is determined by the rotational speed of the rotor except near the vacuum degree, and thus the deviation of the exhaust speed is also reduced compared to the case of using only the auxiliary exhaust device. It should be noted that, as the booster pumps 38A and 38B, various mechanical booster pumps such as a Roots type, a rotary vane type (axial flow type), a screw type, and a scroll type can be used in addition to a turbo molecular pump and a pusher, which are momentum transfer type pumps.

[0126] In addition, the booster pumps 38A and 38B are configured to be placed longitudinally and have a set area of less than 500×500. Moreover, since they are arranged in a manner that does not protrude outward from the outer side surfaces of the equipment systems 54A and 54B, the occupied space of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be reduced.

[0127] In addition, the booster pumps 38A and 38B are provided on the stands 55A and 55B. Therefore, by appropriately selecting stands 55A and 55B with different heights or adjusting the heights of the stands 55A and 55B, the heights of the air inlets 56A and 56B can be adjusted. In addition, the stands 55A and 55B, and the booster pumps 38A and 38B are fixed to the ground using fixing members such as bolts, so the booster pumps 38A and 38B can be prevented from tipping over.

[0128] In addition, a maintenance area is provided on the back surface of the substrate processing apparatus 1, and the equipment systems 54A and 54B can be maintained from the maintenance area. Therefore, it is not necessary to ensure a maintenance area on both sides of the substrate processing apparatus 1, the occupied space of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be reduced, and the usage area of the clean room can be suppressed.

[0129] In addition, by arranging the equipment systems 54A and 54B of the processing components 2A and 2B to face each other on the two outer side surfaces of the substrate processing apparatus 1, the space on the back surface of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be used as a common maintenance area for the left and right processing components 2A and 2B. For example, in an existing apparatus, there is a case where a supply tank and an exhaust tank are arranged at both ends of the back surface of the apparatus in a facing manner. When two such apparatuses are arranged side by side, at the boundary line between the two apparatuses, one exhaust tank is adjacent to the other supply tank. In contrast, in the present embodiment, since the equipment systems are not arranged on the boundary line between the two processing components 2A and 2B, a wide maintenance area can be ensured.

[0130] In addition, by providing the gate valves 15A and 15B, while performing substrate processing using one of the processing components 2A and 2B, the other processing component 2A or 2B and the transfer chamber 11 can be maintained. As a result, maintenance can be performed without stopping the film formation process, so the operation rate of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be increased and the productivity can be improved.

[0131] It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 1 having two processing components 2A and 2B has been described, but the number of processing components can be one or three. Figure 8 The substrate processing apparatus 1 having three processing components 2A, 2B, and 2C is shown. It should be noted that although not shown in the drawings, the same equipment system as that of the processing components 2A and 2B can also be provided for the processing component 2C.

[0132] The processing component 2C is provided at a position symmetrical to the processing component 2B with respect to the transfer chamber 11. The processing component 2C communicates with the transfer chamber 11 via a gate valve 15C. In addition, the processing component 2C communicates with the storage chamber 13 via a maintenance port 51C, and the maintenance port 51C can be hermetically sealed by a maintenance door 52C.

[0133] In the substrate processing apparatus 1 having three processing components 2A, 2B, and 2C, the storage chamber 13 is configured to be a maintenance area for the processing component 2C.

[0134] In addition, Figure 9 The substrate processing apparatus 1 having one processing component 2 is shown. In the case of this substrate processing apparatus 1, a supply box 24 as a first equipment system is provided near the back surface of the transfer chamber 5, and an exhaust box 40 as a second equipment system is provided opposite to the supply box 24 with a maintenance area therebetween. It should be noted that the maintenance ports of the supply box 24 and the exhaust box 40 are formed to face each other.

[0135] A booster pump 38 is adjacently disposed on the side of the supply box 24 opposite to the side adjacent to the transfer chamber 5. The exhaust box 40 and the booster pump 38 are connected by a linear exhaust pipe 34 horizontally disposed in the air. In the case of the substrate processing apparatus 1 having one processing component 2, the intake port of the booster pump 38 does not face the exhaust port of the manifold, but is configured to have the same height.

[0136] As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been specifically described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist thereof.

[0137] For example, in the above embodiment, an example in which DCS gas is used as the source gas has been described, but the present disclosure is not limited to this mode. For example, as the source gas, in addition to DCS gas, inorganic halosilane source gases such as HCD(Si 2 Cl 6 : hexachlorodisilane) gas, MCS(SiH 3 Cl: monochlorosilane) gas, TCS(SiHCl 3 : trichlorosilane) gas, etc., and amino-based (amine-based) silane source gases without halogen groups such as 3DMAS(Si[N(CH 3 ) 2 3 H: tris(dimethylamino)silane) gas, BTBAS(SiH 2 [NH(C 4 H 9 )] 2 : bis(tert-butylamino)silane) gas, etc., and MS(SiH 4 : silane) gas, DS(Si 2 H​6 : Inorganic silane raw material gases without halogen groups such as disilane gas.

[0138] For example, in the above embodiments, an example of forming a SiO 2 film was described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this method. For example, in addition to or on the basis of this, ammonia (NH 3 ) gas and other nitrogen (N)-containing gases (nitriding gases), propylene (C 3 H 6 ) gas and other carbon (C)-containing gases, boron trichloride (BCl 3 ) gas and other boron (B)-containing gases, etc. can be used to form SiN films, SiON films, SiOCN films, SiOC films, SiCN films, SiBN films, SiBCN films, etc. When performing these film formations, film formation can also be carried out under the same processing conditions as in the above embodiments, and the same effects as in the above embodiments can be obtained.

[0139] For example, the present disclosure can also be preferably applied when forming a film containing metal elements such as titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), etc. on the wafer 8, that is, when forming a metal capping film.

[0140] In the above embodiments, an example of film deposition on the wafer 8 was described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this method. For example, it can also be preferably applied when performing processes such as oxidation treatment, diffusion treatment, annealing treatment, etching treatment, etc. on the wafer 8, the film formed on the wafer 8, etc.

[0141] In addition, the above embodiments and modification examples can be used in appropriate combination. The processing conditions at this time can be set, for example, to the same processing conditions as in the above embodiments and modification examples.

[0142] Next, with reference to Figure 10 , Figure 11 , the details of the periphery of the booster pump 38A, the exhaust system 39A, and the processing furnace 4A will be described. It should be noted that the booster pump 38A and the booster pump 38B, the exhaust system 39A and the exhaust system 39B, and the processing furnace 4A and the processing furnace 4B have the same configuration. Therefore, hereinafter, only the booster pump 38A, the exhaust system 39A, and the processing furnace 4A will be described, and the description of the booster pump 38B, the exhaust system 39B, and the processing furnace 4B will be omitted. In addition, hereinafter, when describing the A component, it is assumed that there is also a B component with the same configuration.

[0143] The exhaust box 40A serving as a piping housing is arranged adjacent to the booster pump 38A, and the processing furnace 4A is arranged adjacent to the exhaust box 40A. Further, the exhaust box 40A and the processing furnace 4A are connected by an exhaust system 39A, and the exhaust system 39A is housed and supported in the exhaust box 40A.

[0144] The exhaust system 39A includes an exhaust pipe 34A, a branch exhaust pipe 68A, a first gate valve 69A, a second gate valve 71A, a first APC valve 72A, and a second APC valve 73A. It should be noted that the first APC valve 72A and the second APC valve 73A constitute a variable conductance valve 36A.

[0145] One end of the exhaust pipe 34A is connected to the intake port 56A of the booster pump 38A via a bellows 74A serving as a flexible portion. Further, the exhaust pipe 34A has a reduced diameter portion 77A that is reduced in diameter from a middle portion on the other end side, and the reduced diameter portion 77A is connected to the exhaust port 30A of the processing container 18A via a bellows 70A serving as a flexible portion. That is, the booster pump 38A and the processing chamber 21A inside the processing furnace 4A are communicated via the exhaust pipe 34A. Further, a first gate valve 69A, a second gate valve 71A, and a first APC valve 72A are sequentially provided on the exhaust pipe 34A from the booster pump 38A side.

[0146] The branch exhaust pipe 68A extends upward from between the first gate valve 69A and the second gate valve 71A of the exhaust pipe 34A, bends parallel to the exhaust pipe 34A toward the processing furnace 4A, and then extends downward via the second APC valve 73A and is connected between the first APC valve 72A of the exhaust pipe 34A and the reduced diameter portion 77A. That is, the second APC valve 73A is provided in the middle portion of the branch exhaust pipe 68A. Therefore, it is possible to control whether to exhaust via the exhaust pipe 34A and the first APC valve 72A or via the branch exhaust pipe 68A and the second APC valve 73A by opening and closing the second gate valve 71A.

[0147] It should be noted that the exhaust pipe 34A and the branch exhaust pipe 68A each have a split structure formed by combining a plurality of pipes having a specified shape. That is, the exhaust pipe 34A and the branch exhaust pipe 68A have a plurality of dividable sections. Each pipe is connected by an elastic seal member 80A provided so as to surround the connection portion between the pipes.

[0148] The bellows 70A has a bellows structure and absorbs and allows displacement of the exhaust pipe 34A relative to the processing container 18A in the circumferential direction and the axial direction. Similarly, the bellows 74A has a bellows structure and absorbs or allows displacement of the exhaust pipe 34A relative to the booster pump 38A in the circumferential direction and the axial direction. Further, flange portions 75A protruding in the radial direction are provided at both ends of the bellows 74A, and a fixed member 76A in the form of a mounting shaft can be erected at a specified interval in the circumferential direction between the respective flange portions 75A (Figure 11 )。The fixing member 76A is, for example, a bolt and can be used to restrict the displacement of the bellows 74A at an arbitrary position during maintenance or the like. In addition, the bellows 70A has a flange 91A at the end on the reduced-diameter portion 77A side, and a holding member 92A can be installed between the flange 91A or the reduced-diameter portion 77A and the exhaust port 30A or the frame of the processing furnace 4. The holding member 92A can withstand the tensile load generated between both ends when a vacuum is formed in the bellows 70A and is a vibration-damping fastener composed of vibration-damping members such as polymer resins, rubber, compression springs, or the vibration-damping alloy described later.

[0149] The exhaust box 40A has: a frame 79A which is disposed in the exhaust box 40A in a manner of being installed vertically and horizontally; and a housing 78A which is mounted on the frame 79A and covers a part or all of the outside thereof. The housing 78A includes side wall panels substantially flush with the housings of the booster pump 38A and the processing furnace 4A. The frame 79A is for installing various components housed in the exhaust box 40A, and particularly may include a plurality of beams protruding toward the exhaust pipe 34A for fixing the exhaust pipe 34A and the branch exhaust pipe 68A.

[0150] The exhaust pipe 34A and the branch exhaust pipe 68A are connected to the frame 79A and supported by the frame 79A by means of a mounting metal fitting 81A described later. It should be noted that the exhaust pipe 34A is mainly fixed to the frame 79A by means of the mounting metal fitting 81A around the branch portions at two positions with the branch exhaust pipe 68A. In addition, the branch exhaust pipe 68A is mainly fixed to the beam of the frame 79A by means of the mounting metal fitting 81A in the extending portion upward from the exhaust pipe 34A and the extending portion downward from the second APC valve 73A. That is, the connection portion between the exhaust pipe 34A and the frame 79A and the connection portion between the branch exhaust pipe 68A and the frame 79A are respectively on the processing chamber 21A side of the bellows 74A and the first gate valve 69A, and are provided at a plurality of positions for each divided section.

[0151] It should be noted that the exhaust box 40A is connected to the booster pump 38A, the exhaust box 40A is connected to the processing furnace 4A, and the processing furnace 4A is connected to the transfer chamber 5A by vibration-damping fasteners 90A formed of vibration-damping members such as rubber and resin. In addition, the booster pump 38A can be installed on the ground by means of vibration-damping members such as rubber and resin. In addition, there are cases where the exhaust pipe 34A and the branch exhaust pipe 68A need to be maintained at a high temperature to prevent the accumulation of by-products inside, and electric heating wires can be installed and covered with a heat-insulating cover.

[0152] Refer to Figure 12 , and explain the details of the connection portion between the exhaust pipe 34A and the frame 79A. It should be noted that the exhaust pipe 34A is illustrated in Figure 12 , but the branch exhaust pipe 68A is also connected to the frame 79A in the same manner as the exhaust pipe 34A.

[0153] An installation plate 82A extending in the radial direction is formed at a specified position on the outer peripheral surface of the exhaust pipe 34. For example, two long holes 83A that are long in the extending direction (vertical direction) are formed in the installation plate 82A. In addition, an L-shaped cross-section mounting metal fitting 81A is provided at the front end of the frame 79A, and a mounting surface 84A that is parallel to the installation plate 82A and has a threaded hole is formed.

[0154] One or more vibration damping plates 87A serving as vibration damping parts are provided between the installation plate 82A and the mounting surface 84A. The vibration damping plate 87A has the same number and size as the long holes 83A, and is a metal plate having long holes 88A with open lower ends. When connecting the exhaust pipe 34A to the frame 79A, the bolt 86A is made to cover the long holes 88A of the vibration damping plate 87A in a state where the bolt 86A is loosely screwed into the threaded hole of the mounting surface 84A, and then the bolt 86A is tightened while maintaining the exhaust pipe 34 at an appropriate height. Thus, the vibration damping plate 87A and the installation plate 82A are integrally screwed and fixed to the mounting surface 84A.

[0155] The vibration damping plate 87A is sandwiched between the mounting surface 84A (mounting metal fitting 81A) and the installation plate 82A when connecting the frame 79A and the exhaust pipe 34A. Therefore, the vibration damping plate 87A supports all or part of the weight of the exhaust pipe 34 in the form of a shear load in the direction parallel to the surface of the vibration damping plate 87A. That is, the shear load is perpendicular to the thickness direction of the vibration damping plate 87A. The remaining part of the weight of the exhaust pipe 34 can be supported by the bolt 86A, but it is very small, and substantially the entire load is borne by the vibration damping plate 87.

[0156] The vibration damping performance of the vibration damping plate 87A can be represented by the logarithmic decrement δ, the inherent damping capacity Ψ, the sharpness Q of resonance, the loss coefficient η, etc., which are defined as follows respectively:

[0157] Ψ = ΔW / 2W,

[0158] Q = ω 0 / (ω 2 - ω 1 )

[0159] η = f 1 / f 2

[0160] Here, W and ΔW are respectively the mechanical energy related to vibration, and ΔW is the energy loss per cycle. In addition, ω 0 , ω 1 , ω 2 are respectively the resonance frequency at the resonance peak, the frequency at which the vibration energy on the left side of the resonance peak becomes half of the resonance peak value, and the frequency at which the vibration energy on the right side of the resonance peak becomes half value. In addition, f 1, f 2 They are the force at the maximum displacement and the force at zero displacement of the hysteresis loop represented by the stress-strain diagram, respectively. In the case where the logarithmic decrement is δ and the amplitude decays, it is defined by the ratio of adjacent amplitudes. In the case where the logarithmic decrement is small (δ < 0.01), the relationship δ≈2Ψ≈πη≈2π / Q holds. The logarithmic decrement generally depends on the amplitude and frequency. The maximum logarithmic decrement of the vibration damping plate 87A in this embodiment is greater than that of ordinary SUS304 stainless steel (about 0.02) used as a raw material for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and preferably has a logarithmic decrement of 0.1 or more for vibrations with the amplitude and frequency to be damped. The vibration damping plate 87A has the characteristics of dispersing the resonance point of vibration on the frequency axis and attenuating mechanical vibration.

[0161] It should be noted that, as the material of the vibration damping plate 87A, for example, composite type, ferromagnetic type, dislocation type, and twin type vibration damping alloys can be used. Composite vibration damping alloys such as cast iron and aluminum-zinc alloys have the property of converting vibration into heat and absorbing and mitigating it by using a viscoelastic body covering the phase boundary of the two-phase mixed structure.

[0162] Ferromagnetic type vibration damping alloys such as alloys showing magnetostriction like nickel and chromium mesh have the following property: The crystal deforms randomly in the direction of spontaneous magnetization within each magnetic domain. Due to the application of an external force, the magnetic domain rotates in the direction of stress relaxation, strain is generated within the elastic limit of the material, and it contracts due to the unloading of the external force. When vibration occurs, the vibration damping alloy expands and contracts by repeatedly applying and unloading the external force, thereby being able to generate a hysteresis loop to convert the vibration into heat and attenuate the vibration. In addition, in the case of ferromagnetic type vibration damping alloys, even if the crystal grains are coarsened by heat treatment and the movement of magnetic domain walls becomes easy, the vibration attenuation effect can be improved.

[0163] Dislocation type vibration damping alloys such as magnesium alloys have the property of attenuating vibration through the interaction between dislocations and impurity atoms in the alloy. By applying an external force to the dislocations pinned by impurity atoms, the dislocations in the alloy expand and move, and the dislocations move back to the initial position when the external force is unloaded. When vibration occurs, the dislocations in the crystal move due to the repeated application and unloading of the external force, thereby generating a hysteresis loop to convert the vibration into heat and being able to attenuate the vibration.

[0164] The vibration-damping alloy of the twin-crystal type has the property of attenuating vibration due to the twinning in slip and twin deformation for relieving martensite generated by heat treatment. In addition, the vibration-damping alloy of the twin-crystal type can be further classified into two types: a relieving type such as a twin copper-manganese alloy, and a hysteresis type such as a copper-aluminum-nickel alloy. In the case of the relieving type, the twin boundaries in martensite have the property of converting vibration into heat and absorbing and attenuating it at the twin interface through a function similar to that of a composite phase boundary. In addition, the hysteresis type has the property of irreversibly moving the twin interface under the action of an external force with a mechanism similar to that of the dislocation type, thereby generating a hysteresis loop to convert vibration into heat and attenuate the vibration.

[0165] Figure 13 (A) of is a graph showing the relationship between vibration and frequency when the vibration damping plate 87A is not provided at the connection portion between the frame 79A and the exhaust pipe 34A. Figure 13 (B) of is a graph showing the relationship between vibration and frequency when the vibration damping plate 87A made of an iron-aluminum alloy is provided at the connection portion between the frame 79A and the exhaust pipe 34A. In each graph, rectangular marks are labeled at the upper eight peaks.

[0166] As Figure 13 shown in (A) of, when the vibration damping plate 87A is not provided, the resonance points 89A of the vibration are concentrated in a specific narrow range on the frequency axis, and there is a possibility of resonance occurring and the amplitude increasing. On the other hand, as Figure 13 shown in (B) of, when the vibration plate 87A is provided, since the resonance points 89A of the vibration are dispersed on the frequency axis, the amplitude can be reduced.

[0167] As described above, in this embodiment, when the exhaust pipe 34A is installed on the frame 79A, a vibration damping plate 87A as a vibration damping portion is provided between the mounting plate 82A of the exhaust pipe 34A and the mounting surface 84A of the frame 79A. Therefore, the vibration transmitted from the booster pump 38A to the exhaust pipe 34A is attenuated by the vibration damping plate 87A when it reaches the connection portion with the frame 79A. Thus, during the process of vibration being transmitted from the booster pump 38A via the exhaust pipe 34A to the processing furnace 4A, the vibration can be sufficiently attenuated.

[0168] In addition, a bellows 74A is provided between the exhaust pipe 34A and the booster pump 38A, and the flange portions 75A of the bellows 74A are in an unfixed state. The bellows 74A can absorb the displacement of the exhaust pipe 34A relative to the booster pump 38A, and thus can suppress the large-amplitude vibration transmitted from the booster pump 38A to the exhaust pipe 34A.

[0169] In addition, the booster pump 38A and the exhaust box 40A are connected by a vibration-damping fastener 90A, so the vibration transmitted from the booster pump 38A to the exhaust box 40A can be suppressed.

[0170] In addition, the vibration damping plate 87A is made of heat-resistant metal, so it can prevent the vibration damping plate from deteriorating and causing the exhaust gas temperature from the processing furnace 4A to rise. Or, it can increase the heating temperature of the exhaust pipe 34A.

[0171] Furthermore, the vibration damping plate 87A has a long hole 88A with an open lower end, and it can be directly installed on a vertical surface without using a hanging device. Therefore, even in a situation where a large shear load that rubber or resin cannot withstand acts, the vibration damping plate 87A can be applied.

[0172] Figure 14 A substrate processing apparatus 131 showing a modification example 3 having three processing components is illustrated. The three processing components 2A, 2B, and 2C are arranged continuously in the lateral direction on the back side of the transfer chamber 11. The processing components 2A, 2B and the corresponding equipment systems 54A, 54B are arranged symmetrically. The processing components 2B, 2C and the corresponding equipment systems 54B, 54C are arranged symmetrically in such a way that the sides not facing the maintenance area are adjacent to each other. The lateral width of the transfer chamber 11 corresponds to the sum of the lateral widths of the three processing components 2A, 2B, and 2C.

[0173] The substrate processing apparatus 131 can also be configured in a configuration (referred to as configuration B) that is in a mirror image relationship with the Figure 14 configuration shown (referred to as configuration A). By arranging the apparatuses of configuration A and configuration B alternately in the lateral direction, a continuous space is formed between the maintenance area behind the processing component 2C of the substrate processing apparatus 131 of configuration A and the maintenance area behind the processing component 2C of the substrate processing apparatus 131 of configuration B. This space has a width sufficient to handle the disassembly and installation of the processing component 2C via the maintenance door 51C, similar to the maintenance area between the equipment systems 54A and 54B. In this way, for the cluster-type substrate processing apparatus 131, when configured in pairs of configuration A and configuration B, a configuration that does not require access from the side of the apparatus is achieved in units of a pair, and the productivity per occupied space can be improved.

[0174] Figure 15 and Figure 16 A substrate processing apparatus 141 showing a modification example 4 having three processing components is illustrated. The three processing components 2A, 2B, and 142 have substantially equal lateral widths or lateral widths of 1 m or less, and are arranged in the lateral direction on the back side of the transfer chamber 11. The processing component 142 has a housing 144 for accommodating a single wafer chamber and a lower chamber 145. The single wafer chamber accommodates one wafer at a time and processes the accommodated wafer 8 using radicals. The lower chamber 145 communicates with the single wafer chamber to form a space for loading and unloading the wafer 8 into and out of the single wafer chamber. The susceptor 146 moves up and down between the single wafer chamber and the lower chamber 145 while supporting the wafer 8.

[0175] The processing component 142 can expose the wafer 8 to free radicals such as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, or noble gases for modification or conditioning processes such as isotropic oxidation. For example, in the continuous process of forming a nitride film by the processing component 2B after forming an oxide film on the wafer 8 by the processing component 2A, intervening a short-time process using the processing component 142 before forming the nitride film can improve the interface properties of the film. At this time, the wafer 8 does not need to leave the transfer chamber 11 and can be transported in the order of the processing components 2A, 142, and 2B. It should be noted that in the unused space for transportation within the transfer chamber 11, a wafer cassette and a cooling station for temporarily holding the wafer 8 can be provided. The substrate processing apparatus 141 can achieve high throughput with high transfer efficiency.

[0176] The equipment system 143 is an accessory device of the processing component 142, has a longitudinally long box-like shape, and is arranged adjacent to the back surface of the housing 144. The equipment system 143 houses a supply box 147 for storing valves and the like for supplying gas to the single-chamber, a high-frequency power supply 148 for supplying high-frequency power for generating plasma in the single-chamber, and an exhaust system 149 including an exhaust pipe for evacuating the single-chamber and the lower chamber 145 to vacuum. The bottom of the equipment system 143 has wheels such as casters and can be configured to be movable in the front-rear direction.

[0177] In a general apparatus having a cluster of single-chambers, in order to be able to maintain each single-chamber, a structure that supports the entire single-chamber in a rotatable manner using a pivot provided at a corner is usually used. The back surface and one side surface of the processing component 142 of the separately provided substrate processing apparatus 141 face a very wide space, and the pivot can be omitted. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 141 can also be a device that alternately arranges the configuration shown (referred to as configuration A) and the configuration that is mirror-symmetrical thereto (referred to as configuration B) in the horizontal direction. Figure 15 shown configuration (referred to as configuration A) and the configuration that is mirror-symmetrical thereto (referred to as configuration B) are arranged alternately in the horizontal direction.

[0178] Figure 17 and Figure 18 Fig. 14 shows a cluster-type substrate processing apparatus 151 of modification example 5 having three processing components. The three processing components 2A, 2B, and 152 have substantially equal lateral widths or lateral widths of 1 m or less, and are arranged in the horizontal direction on the back side of the transfer chamber 11. The processing component 152 has a housing 154, and the housing 154 houses a cavity for annealing a plurality of wafers 8 using electromagnetic waves.

[0179] The device system 155 is an accessory device of the processing component 152, which is disposed adjacent to the back and bottom surfaces of the housing 154, and houses a microwave generator 155, a supply tank 157, a power supply device 158, and an exhaust system 159. The microwave generator 155 generates microwaves between 2.45 and 2.7 GHz and radiates them into the cavity. The supply tank 157 stores valves and the like for supplying gas to the single chamber. The power supply device 158 supplies the power required for the microwave generator 155. The exhaust system 159 includes an exhaust pipe for exhausting the inside of the cavity and an exhaust valve.

[0180] The processing component 152 holds the wafer 8 on one or two rotating susceptors 156 in the cavity, causing a microwave standing wave to be generated in the cavity. The microwaves specifically and rapidly heat a specific solid film or impurities formed on the wafer 8, so that a prescribed heat treatment such as annealing can be performed while avoiding excessive temperature rise of other films and the wafer 8. For example, in the continuous process of forming film A on the wafer 8 by the processing component 2A and then forming film B by the processing component 2B, annealing using the processing component 152 is inserted before forming film B, which can correct the properties of the film already formed on the wafer 8 or improve the quality of the film to be formed thereafter.

[0181] The processing component 152 can be mounted on the device system 143. The bottom of the device system 143 is provided with wheels such as casters, and can be configured to be movable in the front-rear direction while carrying the processing component 152. An operator can enter the transfer chamber 11 from the maintenance port 50 to separate or connect the transfer chamber 11 from the gate valve 15C.

[0182] (Supplementary Note)

[0183] In addition, the present disclosure includes the following embodiments.

[0184] (Supplementary Note 1) The substrate processing apparatus includes: a first processing unit having a first processing container for substrate processing and a substrate loading port provided on the front side; a second processing unit disposed adjacent to the side surface of the first processing unit and having a second processing container for substrate processing; a first equipment system including a first supply system for supplying a processing gas into the first processing container, the first equipment system being disposed adjacent to the back surface of the first processing unit; a second equipment system including a second supply system for supplying a processing gas into the second processing container, the second equipment system being disposed adjacent to the back surface of the second processing unit; a first vacuum exhaust device disposed behind the first processing unit for exhausting the inside of the first processing container; and a second vacuum exhaust device disposed behind the second processing unit for exhausting the inside of the second processing container, the outer side surfaces of the first vacuum exhaust device and the second vacuum exhaust device being configured not to protrude outward compared to the outer side surfaces of the first equipment system and the second equipment system, respectively.

[0185] (Supplementary Note 2) In the substrate processing apparatus according to Supplementary Note 1, the first exhaust port is formed to extract exhaust gas in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis of the first processing container.

Claims

1. Substrate processing apparatus, which comprises: A first processing component having a first processing container for substrate processing and a transfer chamber provided with a substrate transfer inlet on the front side; A first equipment system including a first supply system for supplying a processing gas into the first processing container, the first equipment system being disposed close to the back surface of the first processing component; A first vacuum exhaust device disposed behind the first processing component for exhausting the inside of the first processing container, the first vacuum exhaust device having a first booster pump and a first stand for supporting the first booster pump, the first booster pump having an air inlet disposed at a position substantially opposite to a first exhaust port provided on the back side of the first processing container; and A first exhaust pipe for providing substantially linear fluid communication between the first exhaust port and the air inlet of the first booster pump, The outer side surface of the first vacuum exhaust device is configured not to protrude outward compared to the outer side surface of the first equipment system, The first booster pump has an exhaust port connected to an auxiliary exhaust device below the air inlet, and the air inlet is opened so as to directly face the rotor chamber of the first booster pump, One end of the first exhaust pipe is connected to the air inlet of the first booster pump via a flexible portion.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, it further comprises: A second processing component disposed close to the side surface of the first processing component and having a second processing container for substrate processing; A second equipment system including a second supply system for supplying a processing gas into the second processing container, the second equipment system being disposed close to the back surface of the second processing component; and A second vacuum exhaust device disposed behind the second processing component for exhausting the inside of the second processing container in such a manner that the outer side surface does not protrude outward compared to the respective outer side surfaces of the second equipment system, The second vacuum exhaust device includes a second booster pump and a second stand for supporting the second booster pump, the second vacuum exhaust device being disposed close to the back surface of the second equipment system and having an air inlet at a position substantially opposite to a second exhaust port provided on the back side of the second processing container, The first exhaust pipe is disposed substantially horizontally at a position higher than a maintenance port provided on the back surface of the transfer chamber, and the flexible portion is configured to be able to mount a fixing member for fixing between both ends of the flexible portion. The first processing container houses a plurality of substrates arranged in multiple layers on a first substrate holder and performs heat treatment. The second processing container houses a plurality of substrates arranged in multiple layers on a second substrate holder and performs heat treatment. On the back surface of the first processing assembly, there is a maintenance port at a position below or above the first exhaust port, which can take out the first processing container or the first substrate holder out of the substrate processing apparatus. On the back surface of the second processing assembly, there is a maintenance port at a position below or above the second exhaust port, which can take out the second processing container or the second substrate holder out of the substrate processing apparatus. A maintenance area surrounded in sequence by the first vacuum exhaust device, the first equipment system, the first processing assembly, the second processing assembly, the second equipment system, and the second vacuum exhaust device is configured to have a width and height capable of carrying out at least one of the first processing container, the first substrate holder, the second processing container, and the second substrate holder taken out from the maintenance port.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, the first stage and the second stage are configured to be height-adjustable. The first stage and the second stage align the heights of the respective air inlets with the corresponding first exhaust port and second exhaust port, and a pump controller is disposed inside.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a second exhaust pipe, which fluidly connects the second exhaust port and the air inlet of the second booster pump substantially linearly. And a second pressure regulating portion is provided on the flow path of the second exhaust pipe. A first pressure regulating portion is provided on the flow path of the first exhaust pipe. The first pressure regulating portion and the second pressure regulating portion are each a butterfly valve that can be opened with a flow path cross-sectional area greater than or equal to the cross-sectional areas of the first exhaust pipe and the second exhaust pipe, respectively.

5. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the following steps: a step of supplying a substrate carried in through a transfer port provided on the front side to a first processing container for substrate processing provided in a first processing assembly; a step of supplying a processing gas from a first supply system included in a first equipment system disposed in proximity to the back side of the first processing assembly into the first processing container; a step of exhausting the inside of the first processing container by a first booster pump of a first vacuum exhaust device disposed in a manner that does not protrude outward compared to the outer side surface of the first equipment system behind the first processing assembly. In the exhausting step, the first booster pump having an air inlet disposed at a position substantially opposite to a first exhaust port provided on the back side of the first processing container exhausts gas through a first exhaust pipe. The first booster pump has an exhaust port connected to an auxiliary exhaust device below the air inlet, and the air inlet opens directly facing the rotor chamber of the first booster pump. One end of the first exhaust pipe is connected to the intake port of the first supercharger pump via a flexible part, and the first exhaust pipe provides substantially linear fluid communication between the first exhaust port and the intake port of the first supercharger pump.

Images