Material monitoring system, processing apparatus, method of manufacturing semiconductor device, and recording medium

Abstract

Provided is a technique for stably supplying a gaseous material to a processing space. A material monitoring system is provided with: a plurality of containers configured so as to be able to store a material; a flow rate controller that controls the flow rate of the material supplied to the processing space in which the processing object is disposed by adjusting the opening degree of the control valve; a plurality of pipes that communicate between the flow controller and each of the plurality of containers; a plurality of on-off valves provided to each of the plurality of pipes; and a control unit configured so as to be able to supply the material from one of the plurality of containers to the processing space via the flow rate controller when the opening degree of the control valve in the flow rate controller does not reach a preset threshold value, and to supply the material from the other container to the processing space via the flow rate controller when the opening degree of the control valve in the flow rate controller reaches the threshold value. An opening / closing valve provided between another container different from the one container and the flow rate controller is set in an open state, and the material is supplied from two or more containers among the plurality of containers to the processing space via the flow rate controller.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a material monitoring system, a processing apparatus, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a recording medium. Background Art

[0002] In the past, as an example of a substrate processing apparatus, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices is known. For example, a substrate processing is performed in which a processing gas is supplied into a reaction tube and a substrate (hereinafter also referred to as a "wafer") is processed under predetermined processing conditions. In recent years, various processing gases such as a gas that vaporizes a liquid or a gas that sublimates a solid have been used as the processing gas. For reasons such as the miniaturization of devices in recent years, for example, in Patent Document 1, a processing gas is stably supplied while switching between multiple containers. In this case, the supply of the processing gas is sometimes interrupted when switching the container, and the processing gas cannot be stably supplied to the processing chamber.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2019 / 181603 Pamphlet Summary of the invention

[0006] The present disclosure provides a technology capable of stably supplying a gaseous material to a processing space.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a technology is provided, comprising:

[0008] a plurality of containers configured to store material;

[0009] a flow controller that adjusts the opening of the control valve to control the flow rate of the material supplied to the processing space where the processing object is arranged;

[0010] a plurality of pipes respectively connecting the flow controller and the plurality of containers;

[0011] A plurality of on-off valves respectively provided on the plurality of pipes; and

[0012] A control unit, which can be configured to supply the material from one of the multiple containers via the flow controller to the processing space when the opening of the control valve in the flow controller does not reach a preset threshold value, and to set an on-off valve provided between other containers different from the one container and the flow controller to an open state when the opening of the control valve in the flow controller reaches the threshold value, and to supply the material from two or more containers among the multiple containers via the flow controller to the processing space.

[0013] Effects of the Invention

[0014] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to stably supply a gaseous material to a processing space. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic structure of a processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic transverse cross-sectional view along line AA in FIG.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic configuration diagram of a controller of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and is a diagram showing a control system of the controller in the form of a block diagram.

[0018] Figure 4 It is a flowchart of a substrate processing process according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a material monitoring system of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 6 (A) is a diagram showing the state when the supply of the raw material gas starts. Figure 6 (B) shows that Figure 6 The state (A) is a diagram showing a state in which the remaining amount of the raw material container 270A decreases and the opening degree of the control valve of the MFC 241a exceeds the threshold value. Figure 6 (C) is shown in Figure 6 A diagram showing a state in which a predetermined time has passed since the state of (B).

[0021] Figure 7 This is a diagram for explaining flow rate control of a raw material monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a diagram for explaining flow rate control of a raw material monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] The reference numerals are described as follows:

[0024] 121 controller (control unit)

[0025] 241a mass flow controller (flow controller) 243e, 243f valve (opening and closing valve)

[0026] 270A, 270B Raw material container DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Below, refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 The structure of the substrate processing device 100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure is described. In addition, the drawings used in the following description are all schematic, and the relationship between the dimensions of the elements and the ratio of the elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily consistent with reality. In addition, the relationship between the dimensions of the elements and the ratio of the elements are not necessarily consistent between multiple drawings.

[0028] (1) Configuration of substrate processing apparatus

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the processing furnace 202 has a heater 207 as a heating system (temperature adjustment unit). The heater 207 has a cylindrical shape. The heater 207 functions as an activation mechanism (excitation unit) that activates (excites) the gas with heat.

[0030] On the inner side of the heater 207, a reaction tube 203 is arranged concentrically with the heater 207. The reaction tube 203 is formed of a heat-resistant raw material such as quartz (SiO2) or silicon carbide (SiC), and is formed into a cylindrical shape with a closed upper end and an open lower end. Below the reaction tube 203, a manifold 209 is arranged concentrically with the reaction tube 203. The manifold 209 is formed of a metal such as stainless steel (SUS), and is formed into a cylindrical shape with an upper end and a lower end open. The upper end of the manifold 209 is configured to engage with the lower end of the reaction tube 203 to support the reaction tube 203. An O-ring 220a as a sealing member is provided between the manifold 209 and the reaction tube 203. The reaction tube 203 is installed vertically in the same manner as the heater 207. The reaction tube 203 and the manifold 209 are mainly used to form a processing container (reaction container). A processing chamber 201 is formed in the hollow portion of the cylinder of the processing container. The processing chamber 201 is configured to accommodate a plurality of wafers 200 as substrates.

[0031] The nozzles 249a and 249b are provided in the processing chamber 201 so as to penetrate the side wall of the manifold 209. Gas supply pipes (pipes) 232a and 232b are connected to the nozzles 249a and 249b, respectively.

[0032] In addition, two raw material containers 270A and 270B configured to store raw materials (materials) are connected to the gas supply pipe 232a via valves 243e and 243f, respectively. Therefore, on the gas supply pipe 232a, two raw material containers 270A and 270B, valves 243e and 243f as opening and closing valves, a mass flow controller (MFC) 241a as a flow controller (flow control unit), and valve 243a are provided in sequence from the upstream side. In addition, on the gas supply pipe 232b, a mass flow controller (MFC) 241b and a valve 243b as an opening and closing valve are provided in sequence from the upstream side. Moreover, gas supply pipes 232c and 232d for supplying inert gas are connected to the downstream side of the gas supply pipes 232a and 232b compared to the valves 243a and 243b, respectively. The gas supply pipes 232c and 232d are provided with MFCs 241c and 241d and valves 243c and 243d in this order from the upstream side, respectively.

[0033] In addition, the MFC 241a adjusts the opening of the control valve to control the flow rate of the raw material gas supplied to the processing space, that is, the processing chamber 201, in which the wafer 200 to be processed is arranged. In addition, two pipes are provided between the MFC 241a and the two raw material containers 270A and 270B to connect the MFC 241a and the two raw material containers 270A and 270B, respectively. In addition, two valves 243e and 243f as opening and closing valves are provided on the two pipes, respectively.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, in the annular space between the inner wall of the reaction tube 203 and the wafer 200 in a plan view, nozzles 249a and 249b are respectively provided along the upper portion in a manner that stands upward in the loading direction of the wafer 200 compared to the lower portion of the inner wall of the reaction tube 203. Gas supply holes 250a and 250b for supplying gas as a material are respectively provided on the side of the nozzles 249a and 249b. The gas supply holes 250a and 250b are respectively opened in a manner that faces the center of the reaction tube 203, and can supply gas toward the wafer 200. A plurality of gas supply holes 250a and 250b are provided from the lower portion to the upper portion of the reaction tube 203.

[0035] From the gas supply pipe 232 a , a raw material gas, which is a material supplied from the raw material containers 270A and 270B via the valves 243 e and 243 f , is further supplied into the processing chamber 201 via the MFC 241 a , the valve 243 a , and the nozzle 249 a .

[0036] A reaction gas (material) such as nitrogen-containing gas that reacts with the source gas is supplied from the gas supply pipe 232b via the MFC 241b, the valve 243b, and the nozzle 249b into the processing chamber 201. As the reaction gas, a reducing gas can be used.

[0037] The inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 201 from the gas supply pipes 232 c and 232 d via the MFCs 241 c and 241 d , valves 243 c and 243 d , the gas supply pipes 232 a and 232 b , and the nozzles 249 a and 249 b , respectively.

[0038] The raw material gas supply system is mainly composed of raw material containers 270A, 270B, valves 243e, 243f, gas supply pipe 232a, MFC241a, and valve 243a. The reaction gas supply system is mainly composed of gas supply pipe 232b, MFC241b, and valve 243b. The raw material gas supply system and the reaction gas supply system can also be referred to as a gas supply system. In addition, the inert gas supply system is mainly composed of gas supply pipes 232c, 232d, MFC241c, 241d, and valves 243c and 243d. It can also be considered that the inert gas supply system is included in the gas supply system. The reaction gas supply system can be called a reducing gas supply system.

[0039] One or all of the various supply systems described above may be configured as an integrated supply system 248 in which valves 243a to 243f or MFCs 241a to 241d are integrated. The integrated supply system 248 is connected to the gas supply pipes 232a to 232d, respectively, and the supply operation of various gases into the gas supply pipes 232a to 232d, that is, the opening and closing operation of the valves 243a to 243d or the flow rate adjustment operation based on the MFCs 241a to 241d, etc., is controlled by the controller 121 described later.

[0040] The reaction tube 203 is provided with an exhaust pipe 231 for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber 201. A vacuum pump 246 as a vacuum exhaust device is connected to the exhaust pipe 231 via a pressure sensor 245 as a pressure detector (pressure detection unit) for detecting the pressure in the processing chamber 201 and an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve 244 as a pressure regulator (pressure regulation unit). The APC valve 244 is configured to open and close the valve in a state where the vacuum pump 246 is operated, so that the vacuum exhaust in the processing chamber 201 and the vacuum exhaust stop can be performed, and the pressure in the processing chamber 201 can be adjusted by adjusting the valve opening based on the pressure information detected by the pressure sensor 245 in a state where the vacuum pump 246 is operated. The exhaust system is mainly composed of the exhaust pipe 231, the APC valve 244, and the pressure sensor 245. It is also conceivable to include the vacuum pump 246 in the exhaust system.

[0041] A sealing cover 219 as a furnace cover body capable of sealing the lower end opening of the manifold 209 in an airtight manner is provided below the manifold 209. The sealing cover 219 is made of metal such as SUS and is formed in a disc shape. An O-ring 220b as a sealing member abutting against the lower end of the manifold 209 is provided on the upper surface of the sealing cover 219. A rotating mechanism 267 for rotating the wafer boat 217 described later is provided below the sealing cover 219. The rotating shaft 255 of the rotating mechanism 267 penetrates the sealing cover 219 and is connected to the wafer boat 217. The rotating mechanism 267 is configured to rotate the wafer 200 by rotating the wafer boat 217. The sealing cover 219 is configured to be lifted and lowered in the vertical direction by using a wafer boat elevator 115 as a lifting mechanism provided outside the reaction tube 203. The wafer boat elevator 115 is configured to be able to move the wafer boat 217 into and out of the processing chamber 201 by lifting and lowering the sealing cover 219. The boat elevator 115 is configured as a transport device (transport mechanism) that transports the boat 217 , ie, the wafers 200 to and from the processing chamber 201 .

[0042] The wafer boat 217 as a substrate support is configured to arrange a plurality of (e.g., 25 to 200) wafers 200 in a horizontal position and at intervals so that the centers thereof are aligned with each other. The wafer boat 21 is made of, for example, a heat-resistant material such as quartz or SiC. In the lower part of the wafer boat 217, a heat insulating plate 218 made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or SiC is supported in multiple layers. In addition, the expression of a numerical range of "25 to 200 sheets" in this specification means that the lower limit and the upper limit are included in the range. Therefore, for example, "25 to 200 sheets" means "more than 25 sheets and less than 200 sheets". The same applies to other numerical ranges.

[0043] A temperature sensor 263 as a temperature detector is provided in the reaction tube 203. The power supply to the heater 207 is adjusted based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 263, so that the temperature in the processing chamber 201 has a desired temperature distribution. The temperature sensor 263 is configured in an L shape and is provided along the inner wall of the reaction tube 203.

[0044] (Raw material container)

[0045] The raw material containers 270A and 270B respectively have a heating unit such as a heater for heating the liquid raw material, solid raw material, etc. contained therein. Here, the liquid raw material is a raw material existing as a liquid at normal temperature and pressure, and the fixed raw material is a raw material existing as a solid at normal temperature and pressure. The controller 121 is configured to control the temperature of the two raw material containers 270A and 270B to a temperature above the vaporization temperature at which the raw materials in the two raw material containers 270A and 270B are vaporized by heating the heating unit. Moreover, the gaseous raw material gas generated by the phase change caused by this control is supplied to the processing chamber 201 via valves 243e, 243f, MFC241a, valve 243a, and nozzle 249a.

[0046] The raw material containers 270A and 270B are configured as raw material boxes for accommodating solid raw materials. In this case, the solid raw materials arranged in the raw material containers 270A and 270B as raw material boxes are heated by the heating unit to sublime, and the solid raw materials are turned into gaseous raw material gas and supplied to the processing chamber 201. In addition, when a liquid raw material is used, the raw material containers 270A and 270B are configured as vaporizers. In this case, by heating the raw material containers 270A and 270B by the heating unit, the liquid raw materials contained are vaporized, and the gaseous raw material gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201. In addition, the gas obtained by mixing the raw material gas with the inert gas as a carrier gas or a regulating gas is also included in the processing gas. In addition, although the special description is omitted, the raw materials contained in the raw material containers 270A and 270B also include raw material gases that are gaseous at room temperature.

[0047] (Flow Controller)

[0048] Next, explain Figure 1 The structure of MFC241a is shown in FIG.

[0049] MFC is composed of a flow sensor unit and a flow control unit. Depending on the flow sensor unit, MFC is generally divided into "thermal MFC" and "pressure MFC". Thermal MFC uses a sensor unit to convert the temperature change caused by the flow of fluid into a mass flow rate, and pressure MFC uses a sensor unit to convert the pressure difference caused by the flow of fluid into a mass flow rate. The mass flow rate obtained in this way is compared with the set flow rate set by the user, and the opening of the valve (control valve) is adjusted in such a way that the set flow rate is achieved by feedback control such as PID control.

[0050] In addition, sometimes the MFC (flow control unit) is provided with a function of outputting the valve opening as an electrical signal to the outside when performing the flow control. The valve opening signal can be input into the controller as an electrical signal such as a voltage signal, and the electrical signal is converted into an opening (%) to obtain the opening.

[0051] Next, the controller 121 as a control unit (control unit) will be described. Figure 3 As shown, the controller 121 as a control unit (control unit) is configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 121a, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 121b, a storage device 121c, and an I / O port 121d. The RAM 121b, the storage device 121c, and the I / O port 121d are configured to be able to exchange data with the CPU 121a via an internal bus 121e. An input / output device 122 such as a touch panel is connected to the controller 121.

[0052] The storage device 121c is composed of, for example, a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. A control program for controlling the operation of the substrate processing device, a process recipe recording the steps or conditions of the substrate processing described later, etc. are readable and stored in the storage device 121c. The process recipe enables the controller 121 to execute each step in the substrate processing described later, and is combined in a manner that can obtain a specified result, so as to function as a program. Hereinafter, process recipes or control programs, etc. are collectively referred to as programs. In addition, process recipes are also referred to as recipes. When the term "program" is used in this specification, there are cases where only process recipes are included, cases where only the control program itself is included, or cases where both are included. RAM121b is configured as a memory area (working area) that temporarily holds programs or data read by CPU121a.

[0053] The I / O port 121 d is connected to the above-mentioned MFCs 241 a to 241 d , valves 243 a to 243 f , pressure sensor 245 , APC valve 244 , vacuum pump 246 , heater 207 , temperature sensor 263 , rotation mechanism 267 , boat elevator 115 , and the like.

[0054] The CPU 121a is configured to read and execute a control program from the storage device 121c, and read a process from the storage device 121c according to input of an operation command from the input / output device 122. The CPU 121a is configured to control flow rate adjustment operations of various gases by the MFCs 241a to 241d, opening and closing operations of the valves 243a to 243f, opening and closing operations of the APC valve 244 and pressure adjustment operations of the APC valve 244 by the pressure sensor 245, start and stop of the vacuum pump 246, temperature adjustment operations of the heater 207 by the temperature sensor 263, rotation of the wafer boat 217 by the rotation mechanism 267 and rotation speed adjustment operations, and lifting and lowering operations of the wafer boat 217 by the wafer boat elevator 115, etc., in a manner along the contents of the read process.

[0055] The controller 121 can be configured by installing the above-mentioned program stored in an external storage device (for example, a disk such as a hard disk, an optical disk such as a CD, an optical magneto-optical disk such as an MO, a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory) 123 into a computer. The storage device 121c or the external storage device 123 is configured as a recording medium that can be read by a computer and records the program. Hereinafter, these are referred to as recording media. In the case where the term recording medium is used in this specification, there is a case where only the storage device 121c monomer is included, a case where only the external storage device 123 monomer is included, or a case where both are included. In addition, providing the program to the computer can be carried out without using the external storage device 123, using communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line. In addition, the controller 121 is provided with a receiving unit 124 connected to the host device 75 via a network. The receiving unit 124 can receive information from other devices from the host device 75.

[0056] <Substrate processing method>

[0057] Next, refer to Figure 4 The flowchart of the substrate processing method using the substrate processing apparatus 100 of one embodiment of the present disclosure is described. Here, as an example of a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a cyclic process is described in which a source gas (raw material gas) and a reaction gas (reaction gas) are alternately supplied to a processing chamber 201 for processing. In this embodiment, an example of forming a film on a wafer 200 is described.

[0058] The term "wafer" used in this specification may refer to the wafer itself or to a stack of a wafer and a predetermined layer or film formed on its surface. The term "surface of the wafer" used in this specification may refer to the surface of the wafer itself or to the surface of a predetermined layer, etc. formed on the wafer. When the term "a predetermined layer is formed on the wafer" is recorded in this specification, it may refer to directly forming a predetermined layer on the surface of the wafer itself or to forming a predetermined layer on a layer, etc. formed on the wafer. When the term "substrate" is used in this specification, it is synonymous with the term "wafer".

[0059] In the processing in this embodiment, a film is formed on the wafer 200 by performing a predetermined number of cycles (more than 1 time), and the cycles non-simultaneously perform a process of supplying a raw material gas to the wafer 200 in the processing chamber 201 (film forming process 1: step S3), a purge process of removing the raw material gas (residual gas) from the processing chamber 201 (film forming process 2: step S4), a process of supplying a reaction gas to the wafer 200 in the processing chamber 201 (film forming process 3: step S5), and a purge process of removing the reaction gas (residual gas) from the processing chamber 201 (film forming process 4: step S6).

[0060] First, as described above, the wafer 200 is loaded into the wafer boat 217 and carried into the processing chamber 201 (step S1). At this time, after the wafer boat 217 is carried into the processing chamber 201, the pressure and temperature in the processing chamber 201 are adjusted (step S2). Next, the four steps of the film forming process 1 to 4 are performed in sequence. The following describes each step in detail.

[0061] (Film forming process 1)

[0062] In the film forming step 1 , the source gas is first adsorbed on the surface of the wafer 200 . Specifically, in the source gas supply system (source gas supply line), the valve 243 a is opened and the source gas whose flow rate is controlled by the MFC 241 a is supplied to the processing chamber 201 .

[0063] (Film forming process 2)

[0064] Next, in the film forming process 2, the valve 243a of the raw material gas supply system and the valve 243c of the inert gas supply system are set to a closed state, and the supply of the raw material gas and the inert gas is stopped. The APC valve 244 of the exhaust pipe 231 is maintained in an open state, and the vacuum pump 246 is used to exhaust the processing furnace 202 in a manner such that the pressure is lower than a predetermined value, and the residual raw material gas is exhausted from the processing chamber 201. In addition, at this time, when an inert gas such as N2 is supplied to the processing furnace 202, the effect of exhausting the residual raw material gas is further improved.

[0065] (Film forming process 3)

[0066] In the film forming step 3, the reaction gas and the inert gas are flowed into the processing chamber 201. First, the valve 243b provided in the gas supply pipe 232b and the valve 243d provided in the gas supply pipe 232d are both set to the open state, the reaction gas whose flow rate is adjusted from the gas supply pipe 232b through the MFC241b and the inert gas whose flow rate is adjusted from the gas supply pipe 232d through the MFC241d are mixed, and the mixed gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 from the gas supply hole 250b of the nozzle 249b, and the gas is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 231. With the supply of the reaction gas, the film on the base film of the wafer 200 reacts with the reaction gas, and a predetermined film is formed on the wafer 2001.

[0067] (Film forming process 4)

[0068] In the film forming step 4, after forming a film on the wafer 200, the valves 243b and 243d are closed, and the processing chamber 201 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 246 as an exhaust device to exhaust the residual reaction gas after the film forming. In addition, at this time, when an inactive gas such as N2 is supplied to the processing chamber 201, the effect of exhausting the residual reaction gas from the processing chamber 201 is further improved.

[0069] Then, by making the film forming steps 1 to 4 one cycle, in step S7, the film forming steps 1 to 4 are cycled a predetermined number of times, thereby forming a film having a predetermined thickness on the wafer 200. In the present embodiment, the film forming steps 1 to 4 are repeated a plurality of times.

[0070] After the above-mentioned film forming process is completed, in step S8, the pressure of the processing chamber 201 is restored to normal pressure (atmospheric pressure). Specifically, for example, an inactive gas such as N2 gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 and exhausted. As a result, the processing chamber 201 is purged with an inactive gas, and the gas remaining in the processing chamber 201 is removed from the processing chamber 201 (inactive gas purging). Thereafter, the ambient gas of the processing chamber 201 is replaced with an inactive gas (inactive gas replacement), and the pressure of the processing chamber 201 is restored to normal pressure (atmospheric pressure). Then, in step S9, if the wafer 200 is moved out of the processing chamber 201, the substrate processing of this embodiment is completed.

[0071] Next, based on Figure 5 , describing the structure of the raw material monitoring system in this embodiment. Figure 5 The system configuration of the material monitoring system according to the present embodiment is shown.

[0072] Assuming that the raw material gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 from only one raw material container, when the remaining amount of the raw material gas in the raw material container is exhausted, it is necessary to replace it with another raw material container filled with the raw material gas. However, during the replacement of the raw material container, the supply of the raw material gas to the processing chamber 201 is interrupted. In addition, if the supply of the raw material gas is insufficient at an unexpected timing, it will hinder the film forming process and cause the occurrence of poor film formation.

[0073] Therefore, two raw material containers 270A and 270B are connected to the gas supply pipe 232a. Moreover, connecting parts 271 and 272 for disconnecting the raw material containers 270A and 270B from the raw material gas supply system are respectively provided between the raw material container 270A and the MFC241a, and between the raw material container 270B and the MFC241a. By releasing the connecting parts 271 and 272, the raw material containers 270A and 270B can be disconnected from the raw material gas supply system. Therefore, it is configured that when the remaining amount of the raw material container 270A is reduced and becomes empty, by releasing the connecting part 271 in the state of closing the valve 243e, the empty raw material container 270A can be disconnected and replaced while the raw material container 270B is supplying the raw material gas. In addition, Figure 1 The connecting parts 271 and 272 are omitted and not shown in the figure.

[0074] In addition, in this embodiment, the source gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 using two source material containers 270A and 270B, but the number of source material containers may be three or more.

[0075] In addition, when two raw material containers 270A and 270B are used to supply raw material gas to the processing chamber 201, after one raw material container becomes empty, the supply of raw material gas from the other raw material container is started, so the supply of processing gas is also interrupted. In addition, in the case of a configuration in which a raw material gas of a predetermined flow rate controlled by MFC241a is supplied to the processing chamber 201, as the remaining amount of raw material gas in the raw material container decreases, the opening of the control valve of MFC241a becomes larger.

[0076] Therefore, in this embodiment, the opening information of the control valve in the MFC 241a is used as a control valve opening signal and is obtained by the controller 121. In addition, in the controller 121, information indicating the opening of the control valve is obtained based on the opening information, and a preset threshold value is compared with the opening of the control valve obtained from the opening information. When it is determined that the opening of the control valve has reached the threshold value, it is determined that the remaining amount of the raw material gas in one of the raw material containers has become less than a specified amount, and the remaining amount will become insufficient in the near future, and a notification is made on the display unit 122a, and the supply of the raw material gas from the other raw material container is started.

[0077] In addition, the display screen displayed on the display unit 122a is Figure 3 An example of a display screen displayed on the input / output device 122 shown in FIG. Figure 3 The display is displayed on the host device 75 shown.

[0078] Specifically, when the opening degree of the control valve in the MFC 241 a does not reach a preset threshold, the controller 121 supplies the raw material gas from one of the two raw material containers 270A and 270B to the processing chamber 201 as the processing space via the MFC 241 a .

[0079] Then, when the opening degree of the control valve of MFC241a reaches a threshold value, the controller 121 sets the valve 243e or the valve 243f provided between the other raw material container different from the one raw material container supplied with the raw material gas and MFC241a to an open state, and supplies the raw material gas from the two raw material containers through MFC241a to the processing chamber 201. In addition, when more than three raw material containers are used, the controller 121 controls the raw material gas to be supplied to the processing chamber 201 from two or more raw material containers among the multiple raw material containers.

[0080] In this embodiment, the following configuration is adopted: when the remaining amount of the raw material gas in one raw material container decreases, the raw material gas in the other raw material containers is simultaneously supplied to the processing chamber 201 in which the wafer 200 to be processed is arranged. Then, it is configured that the raw material gas can be supplied from the raw material container with a large remaining amount to the processing chamber 201 while replacing the empty raw material container. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the supply of the raw material gas from being unstable, such as interruption of the supply of the raw material gas. In addition, since the raw material gas can be stably supplied, the substrate can be continuously processed.

[0081] Here, when the raw material gas is supplied from one of the two raw material containers 270A and 270B to the MFC 241a, the threshold value is set to the opening degree at which the MFC 241a can supply the raw material gas at the set flow rate to the processing chamber 201. For example, when the remaining amount of the raw material gas in the raw material container decreases, the opening degree of the control valve increases, and the opening degree exceeds 90%, in such a case that the set flow rate cannot be maintained for a predetermined time, the threshold value of the opening degree is set to a value such as 80% or 85%.

[0082] Alternatively, when the raw material gas is supplied to MFC241a from one of the two raw material containers 270A and 270B, the threshold value may be set to the opening of the control valve a few dozen seconds to several tens of seconds before the timing when the opening of the control valve reaches the maximum value, i.e., 100%.

[0083] Moreover, when the raw material gas is supplied to MFC241a from one of the two raw material containers 270A and 270B, the above-mentioned threshold value can also be set to the opening degree of the control valve in the state before the reduction amount per unit time when the pressure in the raw material container that is supplying the raw material gas to MFC241a decreases becomes greater than a predetermined value.

[0084] By setting the threshold value as described above, the threshold value for comparison with the opening of the control valve is set based on data acquired when the raw material gas is actually supplied from one raw material container, so that the raw material gas can be stably and continuously supplied to the processing chamber 201 .

[0085] Then, when the opening degree of the control valve of the MFC 241 a reaches the threshold value, the controller 121 notifies the user by displaying on the display unit that the opening degree of the control valve of the MFC 241 a has reached the threshold value.

[0086] By configuring to notify that the opening degree of the control valve of the MFC 241 a has reached the threshold value in this manner, the user can understand that the remaining amount of the raw material gas in the raw material container is low and maintenance such as replacement is required.

[0087] Moreover, after a specified time has passed since the opening of the control valve of MFC241a reaches a threshold, the controller 121 notifies the two raw material containers 270A and 270B of the replacement period of the raw material container that supplies raw gas to MFC241a when the opening of the control valve of MFC241a reaches a threshold.

[0088] By adopting this structure, the user can grasp the replacement timing of the raw material container, completely eliminate the instability of the raw material gas supply, and stably and continuously supply the raw material gas to the processing chamber 201.

[0089] The substrate processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment may be further configured to include a display unit that displays that the opening degree of the control valve of the MFC 241 a has reached a threshold value. Figure 5 An example of a display screen displayed on the display unit is shown. Figure 5 , an example of such a display screen on the display unit 122a for urging replacement of the raw material container is shown.

[0090] By adopting this configuration, the display unit displays that the opening of the control valve of MFC241a exceeds the threshold value and notifies the user. Thus, the user can understand that the raw material container is in a state requiring maintenance such as replacement by simply observing the display screen on the display unit.

[0091] In addition, if Figure 5As shown, the two raw material containers 270A and 270B are connected to the pipes between them and the MFC 241a via the connecting parts 271 and 272, respectively. Then, the controller 121 determines that the raw material container of the two raw material containers 270A and 270B, which supplies the raw material gas to the MFC 241a when the opening of the control valve reaches the threshold value, is an empty container in which the raw material gas becomes less than the specified amount. Then, the controller 121 sets the valve (either the valve 243e or the valve 243f) between the empty container and the MFC 241a to a closed state, so that the empty container can be removed.

[0092] Moreover, after the opening degree of the control valve of MFC241a reaches the threshold, the controller 121 sets the valve (either valve 243e or valve 243f) between the empty container and MFC241a to a closed state during a period when no raw gas is supplied from MFC241a to the processing chamber 201.

[0093] Alternatively, after the opening degree of the control valve of the MFC241a reaches a threshold value, the controller 121 closes the valve (either the valve 243e or the valve 243f) between the empty container and the MFC241a at the end of a predetermined raw material supply process.

[0094] By adopting this structure, the supply of raw material gas and the replacement of raw material container can be performed in parallel, so that the supply of raw material gas to the processing chamber 201 can be prevented from being interrupted and becoming unstable, and the raw material gas can be stably and continuously supplied to the processing chamber 201.

[0095] In addition, as described above, the two raw material containers 270A and 270B are respectively provided with a heating unit for heating the contained raw materials. Then, the controller 121 is configured to control the temperature of the two raw material containers 270A and 270B to a temperature higher than the vaporization temperature of the raw materials vaporized in the two raw material containers 270A and 270B by heating the heating unit.

[0096] Furthermore, a heating mechanism for heating the raw material gas supply system including the multiple pipes between the two raw material containers 270A and 270B and the MFC 241a, the MFC 241a, and the valves 243e and 243f may be provided. The heating mechanism is temperature-controlled to heat the raw material gas supply system to a temperature above the vaporization temperature of the raw material gas.

[0097] By adopting this structure, the raw material gas supply system that supplies the raw material gas to the processing chamber 201 is maintained at the vaporization temperature, thereby preventing the raw material gas from solidifying (liquefying) again and adhering to the piping, thereby preventing the generation of particles caused by the deposition of attached materials.

[0098] Furthermore, the controller 121 is configured to open the APC valve 244 provided in the exhaust pipe 231 which is a pipe on the exhaust side of the processing chamber 201 even during the supply of the source gas to the processing chamber 201 .

[0099] Next, refer to Figure 6 , describing the application in the raw material monitoring system in this embodiment.

[0100] Figure 6 (A) is a diagram showing the state at the start of supply of raw material gas. Figure 6 In (A), valve 243e is opened, valve 243f is closed, and only the raw material gas is supplied from raw material container 270A to processing chamber 201 via MFC 241a. Figure 6 In (A), the raw material container 270B is filled. In addition, the raw material container 270B does not need to be filled at this point in time, as long as it is filled before replacing the raw material container 270A, or is filled until there is a sufficient remaining amount.

[0101] Figure 6 (B) shows that Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing a state in which the remaining amount of the raw material container 270A decreases and the opening of the control valve of the MFC241a exceeds the threshold value. Since the opening of the control valve exceeds the threshold value, the controller 121 changes the valve 243f from the closed state to the open state. Therefore, the raw material gas is also supplied from the raw material container 270B, and in this state, the raw material gas is simultaneously supplied from the two raw material containers 270A and 270B to the processing chamber 201. At this point in time, the remaining amount of the raw material container 270A is maintained at a predetermined level, and the set flow rate is maintained by the MFC241a before the valve 243f becomes open.

[0102] Figure 6 (C) is shown in Figure 6 A diagram showing a state where a predetermined time has passed since the state (B). Figure 6 In (C), the controller 121 changes the valve 243e from the open state to the closed state. Therefore, the raw material gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 only from the raw material container 270B. Then, it can be seen that at this time point, the remaining amount of the raw material gas in the raw material container 270A is almost zero, and it is in an empty state. The raw material container 270A in the empty state is in a state of waiting for replacement, and is replaced with a full raw material container in parallel with the supply of the raw material gas based on the raw material container 270B.

[0103] By repeatedly Figure 6 (A)~ Figure 6In the state transition shown in (C), the supply of raw material gas starts from one of the two raw material containers 270A and 270B, and when the raw material container on one side is close to empty, the supply of raw material gas starts from the other raw material container. Then, if the valve of one raw material container becomes closed and is replaced with a full raw material container, the same transition is repeated. As a result, the supply of processing gas to the processing chamber 201 continues without interruption.

[0104] Next, based on Figure 7 , Figure 8 The flow rate control in the material monitoring system in this embodiment will be described.

[0105] first, Figure 7 The figure shows the relationship between the flow rate of the raw material gas and the sensitivity of the control valve of the MFC 241 a when the remaining amount of the raw material gas in the raw material container 270A is sufficient.

[0106] exist Figure 7 In the upper curve, the vertical axis represents the flow rate of the raw gas and the horizontal axis represents time. In the lower curve, the vertical axis represents the opening of the control valve of the MFC241a and the horizontal axis represents time.

[0107] Here, the set flow rate refers to the flow rate controlled by the MFC241a, which is a flow rate set in advance according to the process or the film type. In addition, when the set flow rate cannot be maintained, the film forming process can also be stopped midway.

[0108] The threshold value of the control valve opening is an indicator for determining the timing of switching the supply of raw material gas from one raw material container to supplying raw material gas from two raw material containers. In addition, the control valve opening of 100% (fully open) indicates that the control valve is fully open.

[0109] exist Figure 7 It can be seen that the remaining amount of the raw material container 270A is sufficient, so the opening of the control valve has not reached the threshold value, only the raw material container 270A is in use, and the raw material container 270B is on standby (not in use).

[0110] Then, Figure 8 Shows from Figure 7 As time passes from the state of , the remaining amount of the raw material container 270A decreases and approaches empty.

[0111] exist Figure 8In the process, the remaining amount of the raw material container 270A decreases, and thus the opening of the control valve of MFC241a increases, and the opening of the control valve reaches the threshold value at time T1. Therefore, the controller 121 changes the valve 243f from the closed state to the open state at time T1, and starts the supply of the raw material gas from the raw material container 270B. Therefore, the raw material container 270B also changes from the standby (unused) state to the use state after time T1, and the raw material gas is supplied from both the raw material containers 270A and 270B. As a result, in MFC241a, the opening of the control valve decreases by supplying sufficient raw material gas.

[0112] After that, at the time when the process in the film forming treatment is completed, the controller 121 changes the valve 243e from the open state to the closed state, and stops the supply of the raw material gas from the raw material container 270A. Therefore, after that, the raw material container 270A is in a state of waiting for replacement by supplying the raw material gas only from the raw material container 270B.

[0113] In addition, Figure 8 In the case of , the remaining amount of the raw material in the raw material container 270A is sufficient, so the sublimation rate of the raw material is sufficient, and the slope of the opening of the control valve in the supply of the raw material gas does not change to a smaller or larger value. Figure 8 In FIG. 2 , it can be seen that the remaining amount of the raw material in the raw material container 270A decreases, and therefore, the slope of the opening of the control valve during the supply of the raw material gas increases. Then, in Figure 8 In the embodiment, after time T1, the raw material gas is also supplied from the two raw material containers 270A and 270B, so the slope of the opening of the control valve becomes smaller, which is similar to Figure 8 The slopes in are of equal magnitude.

[0114] In this embodiment, when the raw material gas is supplied from the raw material container 270A and the remaining amount of the raw material in the raw material container 270A becomes small, the raw material gas is also supplied from the raw material container 270B, thereby replacing the raw material container 270A during the supply of the raw material gas from the raw material container 270B having a sufficient remaining amount of the raw material. Therefore, by replacing the raw material container, it is possible to suppress the change in the flow rate of the process gas supplied to the process chamber 201 and realize the replacement of the raw material container.

[0115] (Other embodiments)

[0116] As mentioned above, although embodiment of this disclosure was specifically described, this disclosure is not limited to the said embodiment, Various changes can be made within the range which does not deviate from the summary.

[0117] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the film forming process is performed by the substrate processing apparatus, and a solid raw material is used as a raw material source, and the solid raw material is heated to sublime to generate a raw material gas. An example of forming a nitride film on the wafer 200 by using a nitrogen-containing gas as a reactant (reaction gas) and alternately supplying the reaction gas and the raw material gas is given, but the present disclosure is not limited to this case.

[0118] In addition, as the solid raw material, solid raw material chemical substances, especially inorganic solid raw material metals, or semiconductor precursors can be used. For example, HfCl4, ZrCl4, AlCl3, MoO2Cl2, MoCl5 or SiI4 can be used as the solid raw material.

[0119] In addition, it can also be applied to the case where a raw material supplied in liquid form is heated to vaporize it to generate a raw material gas. As these liquid raw materials, for example, monochlorosilane (SiH3Cl, abbreviated: MCS) gas, dichlorosilane (SiH2Cl2, abbreviated: DCS) gas, trichlorosilane (SiHCl3, abbreviated: TCS) gas, tetrachlorosilane (SiCl4, abbreviated: STC) gas, hexachlorodisilane gas (Si2Cl6, abbreviated: HCDS) gas, octachlorotrisilane (Si3Cl8, abbreviated: OCTS) gas and the like chlorosilane gas can be used. In addition, as the raw material gas, for example, tetrafluorosilane (SiF4) gas, difluorosilane (SiH2F2) gas and the like fluorosilane gas, tetrabromosilane (SiBr4) gas, dibromosilane (SiH2Br2) gas and the like bromosilane gas, tetraiodosilane (SiI4) gas, diiodosilane (SiH2I2) gas and the like iodosilane gas can also be used. In addition, as the raw material gas, for example, aminosilane gases such as tetrakis(dimethylamino)silane (Si[N(CH3)2]4, abbreviation: 4DMAS) gas, tris(dimethylamino)silane (Si[N(CH3)2]3H, abbreviation: 3DMAS) gas, bis(diethylamino)silane (Si[N(C2H5)2]2H2, abbreviation: BDEAS) gas, bis(tert-butylamino)silane (SiH2[NH(C4H9)]2, abbreviation: BTBAS) gas can also be used. In addition, as the raw material gas, for example, organic silane raw material gases such as tetraethoxysilane (Si(OC2H5)4, abbreviation: TEOS) gas can also be used. As the raw material gas, one or more of these can be used. That is, it can also include raw materials stored in liquid by pressurization or cooling.

[0120] As the nitrogen-containing gas, one or more of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) gas, nitric oxide (NO) gas, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) gas, ammonia (NH 3 ) gas, and the like can be used.

[0121] In addition, the reactant is not limited to nitrogen-containing gases. Gases that react with the source material to perform film processing can also be used to form other types of thin films. Three or more processing gases can also be used for film formation.

[0122] In addition, for example, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, an example of a film forming process in a semiconductor device is cited as a process performed by a substrate processing device, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The technology disclosed in the present disclosure can be applied to all processes performed by exposing to a gas that vaporizes a processed object that forms a pattern with a high aspect ratio (that is, a depth greater than a width). That is, in addition to the film forming process, it can also be a process for forming an oxide film, a nitride film, or a process for forming a film including a metal. In addition, regardless of the specific content of the substrate processing, it can be appropriately applied not only to the film forming process, but also to other substrate processing such as annealing, oxidation, nitridation, diffusion, and photolithography.

[0123] Furthermore, the present disclosure can also be appropriately applied to other substrate processing apparatuses, such as annealing apparatuses, oxidation processing apparatuses, nitridation processing apparatuses, exposure apparatuses, coating apparatuses, drying apparatuses, heating apparatuses, processing apparatuses using plasma, etc. In addition, the present disclosure can also be mixed with these apparatuses.

[0124] In addition, in this embodiment, a semiconductor manufacturing process is described, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the present disclosure can also be applied to substrate processing such as a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal device, a manufacturing process of a solar cell, a manufacturing process of a light-emitting device, a processing process of a glass substrate, a processing process of a ceramic substrate, and a processing process of a conductive substrate.

[0125] In addition, a part of the configuration of a certain embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of a certain embodiment. In addition, other configurations can be added, deleted, or replaced with a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

[0126] In the above embodiment, an example of using N 2 gas as the inert gas is described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a rare gas such as Ar gas, He gas, Ne gas, or Xe gas may be used.

Claims

1. A material monitoring system, characterized in that: have: a plurality of containers configured to store material; a flow controller that adjusts the opening of the control valve to control the flow rate of the material supplied to the processing space where the processing object is arranged; a plurality of pipes respectively connecting the flow controller and the plurality of containers; a plurality of on-off valves respectively provided on the plurality of pipes; as well as The control unit is configured to supply the material from one of the multiple containers to the processing space via the flow controller when the opening of the control valve in the flow controller does not reach a preset threshold value, and to set an on-off valve provided between other containers different from the one container and the flow controller to an open state, so as to supply the material from two or more containers among the multiple containers to the processing space via the flow controller when the opening of the control valve in the flow controller reaches the threshold value.

2. The material monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The threshold value is set to an opening degree at which the flow controller can supply the material to the processing space at a set flow rate when the material is supplied from one of the plurality of containers to the flow controller.

3. The material monitoring system according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the material is supplied from one of the plurality of containers to the flow controller, the threshold value is set to the opening of the control valve in a state of several dozen seconds to several tens of seconds before the timing when the opening of the control valve reaches a maximum value.

4. The material monitoring system according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the material is supplied to the flow controller from one of the multiple containers, the threshold value is set to the opening degree of the control valve in a state before the reduction per unit time when the pressure in the container in which the material is being supplied to the flow controller decreases becomes greater than a predetermined value.

5. The material monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit is configured to notify that the opening degree of the control valve has reached the threshold value when the opening degree of the control valve has reached the threshold value.

6. The material monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit is configured to notify, after a predetermined time has passed since the opening of the control valve reached the threshold, that a container among the plurality of containers that supplies the material to the flow controller when the opening of the control valve reached the threshold has reached replacement time.

7. The material monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A display unit is further provided, the display unit indicating that the opening degree of the control valve of the flow controller exceeds the threshold value.

8. The material monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of containers are respectively connected to the plurality of pipes via a connecting portion, The control unit is configured to determine a container among the multiple containers that supplies the material to the flow controller when the opening of the control valve reaches the threshold value as an empty container in which the material becomes below a specified amount, set the on-off valve between the empty container and the flow controller to a closed state, and remove the empty container.

9. The material monitoring system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The control unit is configured to set the on-off valve between the empty container and the flow controller to a closed state after the opening of the control valve of the flow controller reaches the threshold value and during a period when the material is not supplied from the flow controller to the processing space.

10. The material monitoring system according to claim 8, characterized in that The control unit is configured to close the on-off valve between the empty container and the flow controller after the opening degree of the control valve of the flow controller reaches the threshold value and when a predetermined material supply process is completed.

11. The material monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of containers have heating parts for heating the materials respectively. The control unit is configured to control the temperatures of the plurality of containers to be equal to or higher than a vaporization temperature at which the material in the plurality of containers undergoes a phase change into a gaseous state by causing the heating unit to perform heating.

12. The material monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device further comprises a heating mechanism for heating a material supply line including the plurality of pipes, the flow controller, and the on-off valve. The heating mechanism is temperature-controlled so as to heat the material supply line to a temperature equal to or higher than a vaporization temperature of the material.

13. The material monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that The control unit is configured to open a regulating valve of a pipe provided on the exhaust side of the processing space even while the material is being supplied to the processing space.

14. A processing device, characterized in that: have: a plurality of containers configured to store material; a flow controller that adjusts the opening of the control valve to control the flow rate of the material supplied to the processing space where the processing object is arranged; a plurality of pipes respectively connecting the flow controller and the plurality of containers; a plurality of on-off valves respectively provided on the plurality of pipes; as well as A control unit configured to supply the material from one of the multiple containers to the processing space via the flow controller when the opening of the control valve in the flow controller does not reach a preset threshold value, and to set an on-off valve provided between the flow controller and another container different from the one container to an open state when the opening of the control valve in the flow controller reaches the threshold value, so as to supply the material from two or more containers among the multiple containers to the processing space via the flow controller.

15. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the step of supplying a material to a surface of a processing object arranged in a processing space, wherein: In the process, when the opening of the control valve in the flow controller that controls the flow rate of the material supplied to the processing space does not reach a preset threshold value, the material is supplied to the processing space from one of the multiple containers via the flow controller; when the opening of the control valve of the flow controller reaches the threshold value, the on-off valve provided between other containers different from the one container and the flow controller is set to an open state, and the material is supplied to the processing space from two or more containers among the multiple containers via the flow controller.

16. A computer-readable recording medium, characterized in that: The procedure for causing the processing device to perform the following steps is recorded: When the opening degree of the control valve in a flow controller that adjusts the opening degree of the control valve to control the flow rate of the material supplied to the processing space where the processing object is arranged does not reach a preset threshold value, the material is supplied to the processing space from one of the multiple containers configured to store the material via the flow controller; when the opening degree of the control valve of the flow controller reaches the threshold value, an on-off valve provided between the flow controller and other containers different from the one container among the multiple on-off valves respectively provided on the multiple pipes respectively connecting the flow controller and the multiple containers is set to an open state, and the material is supplied to the processing space from two or more containers among the multiple containers via the flow controller.

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