Substrate processing apparatus and oxygen mixing suppression method

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus is provided with: a chamber which is configured so as to be capable of reducing pressure and which accommodates a substrate; and a housing surrounding a supply source of the process gas supplied to the chamber and a connection pipe connecting the supply source and the chamber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a method for suppressing oxygen mixing. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a processing system, which comprises: a processing device, which is provided with a gas injection component, which injects a specified raw material gas composed of a metal compound material with a low vapor pressure into a processing container to perform a specified treatment on the object to be processed; and a gas supply system, which supplies the specified raw material gas to the gas injection component. In this processing system, the gas injection component is a nozzle head. In addition, the gas supply system comprises: a gas passage, which extends upward from the nozzle head; a material storage tank, which is installed at the upper end of the gas passage and stores the above-mentioned metal compound material inside; and an opening and closing valve, which opens and closes the above-mentioned gas passage.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-239297 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] The technology disclosed herein suppresses mixing of oxygen into a processing gas supplied into a chamber of a substrate processing apparatus.

[0008] Solutions for solving problems

[0009] A technical solution disclosed herein is a substrate processing device, wherein the substrate processing device comprises: a chamber configured to be able to reduce pressure and accommodate a substrate; and a housing surrounding a supply source of a processing gas supplied to the chamber and a connecting pipe connecting the supply source and the chamber.

[0010] Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the technology disclosed herein, it is possible to suppress mixing of oxygen into a processing gas supplied into a chamber of a substrate processing apparatus. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the outline of the structure of a film forming apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 It is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the outline of the structure of a film forming apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, etc., various substrate processes such as film forming processes are sequentially performed on substrates such as semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as "wafers"). These substrate processes are performed by a substrate processing device. The substrate processing device has a chamber configured to be able to reduce pressure and accommodate the substrate during substrate processing. In addition, depending on the different substrate processes, various processing gases are supplied to the chamber during the processing. The supply of processing gas from the supply source of the processing gas to the chamber is performed by means of a connecting pipe.

[0015] O-rings are used, for example, at the connection between the connecting pipe and the chamber and at the connection between the connecting pipe and the source of the processing gas to seal these connection portions. In addition, if oxygen is accidentally mixed into the processing gas supplied to the chamber, the processing result may be affected. Therefore, in order to further suppress the mixing of oxygen into the processing gas through the above-mentioned connection portions, a metal gasket is sometimes used instead of an O-ring, or a structure in which two layers of O-rings are arranged and an inactive gas is supplied between the inner O-ring and the outer O-ring, i.e., a double-layer O-ring is used.

[0016] However, there are cases where neither the metal gasket nor the double O-ring is preferably used. For example, when the supply source of the process gas is a vaporizer that stores a raw material with a low vapor pressure and vaporizes the raw material to generate a raw gas as the process gas, the metal gasket and the double O-ring are not preferably used. The reasons are described below.

[0017] In the case of a vaporizer storing a raw material with a low vapor pressure, the above-mentioned connecting pipes and the like are heated to prevent the raw material gas from re-solidifying or re-liquefying, and therefore aluminum having a high thermal conductivity is sometimes used as a material for the connecting pipes and the like. However, aluminum has a low rigidity, and therefore it is difficult to apply a metal gasket to the aluminum connecting pipes and the like.

[0018] In addition, in the case of a vaporizer that stores raw materials with low vapor pressure, the vaporizer is sometimes arranged near a chamber, and the chamber is depressurized to depressurize the inside of the vaporizer and vaporize the raw materials. At this time, in order to reduce the pressure loss at the connecting pipe, the connecting pipe is made large in diameter. The application of double-layer O-rings to large-diameter connecting pipes and the application of double-layer O-rings to on-off valves connected to the connecting pipes are not common. If they are to be applied, additional development is required, which increases the cost.

[0019] Therefore, the technology disclosed in the present invention suppresses mixing of oxygen into the processing gas supplied into the chamber of the substrate processing apparatus without using a metal liner or a double O-ring.

[0020] Hereinafter, a substrate processing apparatus and an oxygen mixing suppression method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals to omit repeated description.

[0021] (First embodiment)

[0022] <Film forming equipment>

[0023] Figure 1 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the outline of the structure of a film forming apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, and a part of the film forming apparatus is shown in cross section.

[0024] Figure 1 The film forming apparatus 1 is configured to perform a film forming process as a substrate process on a wafer W as a substrate, and to form a ruthenium (RU) film on the wafer W, for example.

[0025] The film forming apparatus 1 includes a chamber 10 configured to accommodate a wafer W in a manner capable of reducing pressure.

[0026] The chamber 10 is formed, for example, in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and a cylindrical inner space thereof. The chamber 10 is made of a metal material having good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum.

[0027] A wafer W loading / unloading port (not shown) is provided on the side wall 11 of the chamber 10 , and a gate valve (not shown) for opening and closing the loading / unloading port is provided at the loading / unloading port.

[0028] In addition, a pressure sensor 20 provided outside the chamber 10 is connected to the side wall 11 of the chamber 10. The pressure sensor 20 is, for example, a capacitance pressure gauge, and measures the pressure in the chamber 10. The measurement result of the pressure sensor 20 is output to the control unit 200 described later.

[0029] An exhaust port 12a is formed on the bottom wall 12 of the chamber 10. In addition, the storage section 21 is connected to the bottom wall 12 in such a manner that an opening 21a at the top of the storage section 21 for storing the bellows 33 described later communicates with the exhaust port 12a. The storage section 21 has an opening 21a at the top and an opening 21b at the side, and the openings 21a and 21b communicate with each other. One end of an exhaust pipe 22 is connected to the opening 21b at the side of the storage section 21 so that the chamber 10 is exhausted through these openings 21a and 21b. The other end of the exhaust pipe 22 is connected to an exhaust device (for example, a vacuum pump) 23. In addition, an APC valve 24 as a pressure regulating valve for adjusting the pressure in the chamber 10 is provided at a portion of the exhaust pipe 22 on the upstream side of the exhaust device 23. The APC valve 24 has an automatic pressure adjustment function and a cutoff function, and the opening degree of the APC valve 24 is controlled based on a control signal from a control unit 200 described later. The APC valve 24 can adjust the pressure in the chamber 10 to a preset pressure, or can cut off the connection between the chamber 10 and the exhaust device 23 .

[0030] A circular-shaped loading table 30 is provided in the chamber 10 for horizontally loading the wafer W in a plan view. A heater (not shown) for heating the wafer W is provided inside the loading table 30. The upper end portion of a supporting member 31 is connected to the central portion of the lower surface side of the loading table 30, and the supporting member 31 extends in the vertical direction in a manner that penetrates the bottom wall 12 through the exhaust port 12a of the bottom wall 12 of the chamber 10 and further penetrates the bottom wall 21c of the storage portion 21. The lower end of the supporting member 31 is connected to a lifting mechanism 32. By driving the lifting mechanism 32 controlled by the control unit 200 described later, the loading table 30 can be moved up and down between a first position at the top and a second position at the bottom.

[0031] The first position is a processing position for processing the wafer W. A processing space S is formed by the mounting table 30 located at the processing position and a partition wall 13a extending downward from the ceiling 13 of the chamber 10 to partition the inside and outside of the chamber 10. In addition, a gap K is formed between the upper surface of the mounting table 30 located at the processing position and the lower surface of the partition wall 13a, and the processing space S can be exhausted through the gap K.

[0032] The second position is a standby position where the stage 30 stands by when the wafer W is transferred between a transfer mechanism (not shown) for the wafer W entering the chamber 10 from the aforementioned delivery port (not shown) of the chamber 10 and a transfer pin (not shown) provided at the bottom of the chamber 10 .

[0033] In addition, a flange 31a is provided on the support member 31. A bellows 33 is provided between the lower surface of the flange 31a and the upper surface of the bottom wall 21c of the storage section 21 so as to surround the outer circumference of the support member 31. Since the bellows 33 is provided, the airtightness of the chamber 10 is not impaired by the portion of the bottom wall 21c of the storage section 21 through which the support member 31 passes.

[0034] In addition, a shower head 40 is provided above the mounting table 30 in the chamber 10 and in parallel with the mounting table 30 as a gas flow forming member for forming a flow of the raw material gas in the processing space S. With the shower head 40, the raw material gas supplied through the gas supply port 13b provided in the center of the ceiling wall 13 of the chamber 10 is rectified through a plurality of holes provided in the shower head 40 and supplied to the wafer W.

[0035] Furthermore, a raw material gas supply mechanism 50 for supplying a raw material gas into the chamber 10 is connected to the ceiling wall 13 of the chamber 10 .

[0036] The raw material gas supply mechanism 50 includes a vaporizer 51 as a supply source of the process gas.

[0037] The vaporizer 51 stores a raw material of the process gas and vaporizes the raw material therein.

[0038] The raw material stored in the vaporizer 51 is a material having a low vapor pressure and being solid or liquid at normal temperature and pressure. Specifically, for example, Ru3(CO) 12 .Ru3(CO) 12 It becomes a raw material gas for forming a Ru film by vaporizing, that is, sublimating.

[0039] In addition, the vaporizer 51 is arranged so as to overlap with the chamber 10 in a plan view. Specifically, the vaporizer 51 is arranged so as to be entirely gathered inside the chamber 10 in a plan view and to have no portion located outside the chamber 10. More specifically, the vaporizer 51 is arranged so as to be entirely gathered inside the outer peripheral end of the ceiling wall 13 of the chamber 10 in a plan view and to have no portion located outside the ceiling wall 13 of the chamber 10.

[0040] The vaporizer 51 may be placed directly on the ceiling wall 13 of the chamber 10 or may be placed via a support member.

[0041] One end of a supply pipe 61 of a carrier gas supply mechanism 60 for supplying a carrier gas such as carbon monoxide (CO) gas is connected to the vaporizer 51. The other end of the supply pipe 61 is connected to a carrier gas supply source 62. A flow control mechanism 63 is provided on the supply pipe 61, and the flow control mechanism 63 has a flow adjustment valve (not shown) such as a mass flow controller, and an on-off valve for starting or stopping the supply of the carrier gas. In addition, a carrier gas heating unit (not shown) for heating the carrier gas is provided on the supply pipe 61. These flow control mechanisms 63 and the carrier gas heating unit are controlled by the control unit 200 described later. Moreover, a temperature sensor (not shown) for temperature control of the supply pipe 61 is provided on the supply pipe 61. The measurement result of the temperature sensor is output to the control unit 200 described later.

[0042] The carrier gas supplied from the carrier gas supply mechanism 60 to the vaporizer 51 is supplied to the chamber 10 through a connection pipe 52 to be described later, together with a raw material gas generated by sublimation of the solid raw material.

[0043] In addition, a vaporizer heating unit (not shown) is provided in the vaporizer 51 so as to cover the entire vaporizer 51. The vaporizer heating unit is used to heat the vaporizer 51. The vaporization, that is, sublimation, of the solid raw material in the vaporizer 51 can be promoted by heating of the vaporizer heating unit. The vaporizer heating unit is controlled by the control unit 200 described later.

[0044] The vaporizer 51 is provided with a pressure sensor (not shown) for measuring the pressure inside the vaporizer 51. The vaporizer 51 is also provided with a temperature sensor (not shown) for measuring the temperature of the vaporizer 51. The measurement results of the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor are output to the control unit 200 described later.

[0045] In addition, the raw material gas supply mechanism 50 has a connecting pipe 52 connecting the vaporizer 51 and the chamber 10 to supply the raw material gas from the vaporizer 51. Since the connecting pipe 52 is heated as described later, aluminum with good thermal conductivity is used as its material. One end of the connecting pipe 52 is connected to the vaporizer 51, and the other end is connected to the top wall 13 of the chamber 10. The inside of the vaporizer 51 and the inside of the chamber 10 are connected via the connecting pipe 52. In addition, O-rings are used instead of metal gaskets at the connection portion between the above-mentioned one end of the connecting pipe 52 and the vaporizer 51 and the connection portion between the above-mentioned other end of the connecting pipe 52 and the top wall 13 of the chamber 10, respectively, to prevent the airtightness from being damaged at these connection portions. In addition, when the connecting pipe 52 is composed of multiple components, O-rings are also used instead of metal gaskets at the connection portions between these components. Furthermore, in the film forming apparatus 1 , double O-rings are not used in the connection between the one end of the connection pipe 52 and the vaporizer 51 , the connection between the other end of the connection pipe 52 and the ceiling 13 of the chamber 10 , and the connection between the above components.

[0046] The connecting pipe 52 is provided with an on-off valve 53 for opening or closing a pipe path in the connecting pipe 52. The on-off valve 53 is controlled by a control unit 200 described later.

[0047] In addition, an APC valve 54 as a pressure regulating valve for adjusting the pressure in the vaporizer 51 is provided between the on-off valve 53 in the connection pipe 52 and the vaporizer 51. The APC valve 54 has an automatic pressure regulating function and a shutoff function, and the opening degree of the APC valve 54 is controlled based on a control signal from a control unit 200 described later. The APC valve 54 can be used to adjust the pressure in the vaporizer 51 to a preset pressure or to close the pipeline in the connection pipe 52.

[0048] In addition, a connecting pipe heating unit (not shown) is provided in the connecting pipe 52. The connecting pipe heating unit heats the entire connecting pipe 52 including the on-off valve 53 and the APC valve 54. This prevents the raw material gas from solidifying again and adhering to the connecting pipe 52 including the on-off valve 53 and the APC valve 54.

[0049] Furthermore, in order to prevent the source gas from solidifying again and adhering to the inner wall of the chamber 10 , the film forming apparatus 1 is provided with a chamber heating unit (not shown) for heating the chamber 10 .

[0050] The connection pipe heating unit and the chamber heating unit are controlled by a control unit 200 described later.

[0051] In addition, a temperature sensor (not shown) is provided in the connection pipe 52 for controlling the temperature of the connection pipe 52 by the connection pipe heating unit, and a temperature sensor (not shown) is provided in the chamber 10 for controlling the temperature of the chamber 10 by the chamber heating unit. The measurement results of the temperature sensors are output to the control unit 200 described later.

[0052] Furthermore, the film forming apparatus 1 includes a housing 70 .

[0053] The housing 70 surrounds the vaporizer 51 and the connection pipe 52. Specifically, the housing 70 surrounds the entire vaporizer 51 and the connection pipe 52, and also surrounds the connection portion between the vaporizer 51 and the connection pipe 52, and the connection portion between the chamber 10 and the connection pipe 52.

[0054] The housing 70 is composed of the top wall 13 of the chamber 10 and the cover 71. The cover 71 forms a storage space K1 for storing the vaporizer 51 and the connecting pipe 52 between the cover 71 and the top wall 13 of the chamber 10. The cover 71 is made of a metal material such as aluminum. The cover 71 is formed in a square tube shape with an opening at the bottom, and the opening at the bottom is blocked by the top wall 13 in a rectangular shape when viewed from above. The cover 71 is fixed to the top wall 13, for example. The fixing between the cover 71 and the top wall 13 is performed using a screw, for example.

[0055] In addition, the cover 71 is formed and arranged in such a way that the entire cover 71 is gathered inside the chamber 10 in a plan view and does not have any portion located outside the chamber 10. Specifically, the cover 71 is formed and arranged in such a way that the entire cover 71 is gathered inside the outer peripheral end of the ceiling wall 13 of the chamber 10 in a plan view and does not have any portion located outside the ceiling wall 13 of the chamber 10.

[0056] The cover 71 is formed with a supply port 71 a and an exhaust port 71 b .

[0057] One end of a supply pipe 81 of an inert gas supply mechanism 80 is connected to the supply port 71a, and the inert gas supply mechanism 80 supplies an inert gas such as nitrogen (N2) into the housing 70, i.e., the storage space K1. The other end of the supply pipe 81 is connected to a supply source (not shown) of the inert gas. A flow control mechanism 82 is provided on the supply pipe 81, and the flow control mechanism 82 has a flow adjustment valve (not shown) such as a mass flow controller, and an on-off valve for starting or stopping the supply of the inert gas. The flow control mechanism 82 is controlled by a control unit 200 described later.

[0058] The exhaust port 71b is connected to one end of an exhaust pipe 91 of an exhaust mechanism 90, and the exhaust mechanism 90 exhausts air from the housing 70, that is, the storage space K1. The other end of the exhaust pipe 91 is connected to an exhaust device (e.g., a vacuum pump) 92. In addition, an exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 93 for adjusting the exhaust volume is connected to the exhaust pipe 91. The exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 93 includes a flow rate adjustment valve and an on-off valve for starting or stopping exhaust. The exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 93 is controlled by a control unit 200 described later.

[0059] The film forming apparatus 1 constructed as described above is provided with a control unit 200. The control unit 200 is, for example, composed of a computer having a processor such as a CPU and a memory, and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program for implementing the processing of the wafer W by the film forming apparatus 1. In addition, the above-mentioned program can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium and loaded from the storage medium into the control unit 200. In addition, the above-mentioned storage medium can be temporary or non-temporary.

[0060] <Wafer processing>

[0061] Next, an example of wafer processing by the film forming apparatus 1 will be described. Note that this wafer processing is automatically performed under the control of the control unit 200 .

[0062] First, with the on-off valve 53, the on-off valve of the flow control mechanism 63, and the APC valve 54 set to the closed state, the opening of the APC valve 24 is adjusted based on the measurement result of the pressure sensor 20 so that the pressure in the chamber 10 becomes a specified pressure. In this state, the gate valve (not shown) provided at the delivery port (not shown) of the wafer W of the chamber 10 is opened, and the conveying mechanism (not shown) holding the wafer W is inserted into the chamber 10 from the conveying chamber (not shown) of the vacuum atmosphere adjacent to the chamber 10 through the delivery port. Then, the wafer W is conveyed to the top of the mounting table 30 located at the aforementioned standby position. Next, the wafer W is transferred to the raised support pin (not shown), and then the conveying mechanism is pulled out from the chamber 10 and the gate valve is closed. At the same time, the support pins are lowered and the mounting table 30 is raised, the wafer W is mounted on the mounting table 30, and the mounting table 30 is moved to the aforementioned processing position, so that the processing space S is formed.

[0063] Next, the wafer W is heated to a predetermined temperature (eg, 120° C. to 250° C.) by a heater provided on the mounting table 30 .

[0064] When the temperature of the wafer W reaches the predetermined temperature, the opening of the APC valve 24 is adjusted to reduce the pressure in the chamber 10 to a predetermined pressure (eg, 5 mTorr to 100 mTorr).

[0065] When the decompression in the chamber 10 is completed, the opening and closing valves 53 and the flow control mechanism 63 are set to an open state, and the opening of the APC valve 54 is adjusted to start the supply of the raw material gas to the processing space S in the chamber 10. Thus, the formation of the Ru film on the wafer W in the processing space S is started by CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition). The opening of the APC valve 54 is adjusted, for example, in a manner that gradually increases from the time when the opening and closing valve 53 is set to an open state until the pressure in the vaporizer 51 reaches a set pressure (for example, 40mTorr to 150mTorr). Then, when the above-mentioned set pressure is reached, thereafter, the opening of the APC valve 54 is adjusted in a manner that the pressure in the vaporizer 51 is constant at the above-mentioned set pressure until the formation of the Ru film is completed.

[0066] When the Ru film formation is completed, the on-off valve 53 and the on-off valve of the flow control mechanism 63 are closed, and the wafer W is carried out from the chamber 10 in the reverse order of the above.

[0067] In addition, during the formation process of the Ru film, that is, from the time when the on-off valve 53 and the on-off valve of the flow control mechanism 63 are set to the open state to the time when they are set to the closed state, a carrier gas heated to a specified temperature (for example, 80°C) by a carrier gas heating unit (not shown) is supplied at a constant flow rate.

[0068] In addition, in the above-mentioned wafer processing process, the temperature of the vaporizer 51, the connecting pipe 52 and the chamber 10 is always heated in a constant manner at a specified temperature based on the measurement results of the corresponding temperature sensors in such a manner that at least the raw material gas does not solidify again, using the above-mentioned vaporizer heating unit, the connecting pipe heating unit and the chamber heating unit. For example, the connecting pipe 52 and the chamber 10 are heated and controlled in a constant manner at 80°C, and the vaporizer 51 is heated and controlled in a constant manner at a temperature between a temperature slightly lower than the connecting pipe 52 and the chamber 10 and a temperature higher than the connecting pipe 52 and the chamber 10 and lower than the decomposition temperature of the solid raw material (for example, 70°C to 100°C lower than the decomposition temperature at the above-mentioned set pressure).

[0069] Furthermore, during the wafer processing, the flow control mechanism 82 of the inert gas supply mechanism 80, the exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 93 of the exhaust mechanism 90, etc. are controlled to supply the inert gas into the housing 70, that is, the storage space K1. For example, during the wafer processing, the atmosphere of the storage space K1 is adjusted to a positive pressure relative to the outside of the housing 70 to prevent the atmosphere from invading the storage space K1 from the outside of the housing 70.

[0070] <Main Effects of the Present Embodiment>

[0071] As described above, in the present embodiment, the film forming apparatus 1 includes the housing 70 surrounding the vaporizer 51 and the connection pipe 52 for the process gas. Therefore, by supplying the inert gas into the housing 70, i.e., the storage space K1, it is possible to suppress the mixing of oxygen from the connection portion between the components surrounded by the housing 70, i.e., the components stored in the storage space K1, into the process gas supplied to the chamber 10. For example, it is possible to suppress the mixing of oxygen from the connection portion between the connection pipe 52 and the vaporizer 51, the connection portion between the connection pipe 52 and the ceiling 13 of the chamber 10, etc. into the process gas. In addition, in the present embodiment, it is not necessary to use a metal gasket or a double O-ring to suppress the mixing of oxygen as described above.

[0072] Furthermore, since mixing of oxygen into the process gas can be suppressed as described above, the film formed in the film forming apparatus 1 can be suppressed from being affected by the oxygen in the process gas.

[0073] Furthermore, the casing 70 can surround the vaporizer 51 and the connection pipe 52 even if it has a simple shape. Therefore, the cost required for developing the casing 70 is not high. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the increase in cost for suppressing the mixing of oxygen.

[0074] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the housing 70 is composed of the top wall 13 of the chamber 10 and the cover 71 that forms the storage space K1 between the top wall 13, and the cover 71 is gathered inside the chamber 10 in a plan view and does not have a portion outside the chamber 10. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even if the housing 70 is provided, the occupied area, that is, the floor space of the film forming apparatus 1 will not increase.

[0075] (Second embodiment)

[0076] Figure 2 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the outline of the structure of a film forming apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, and shows a part of the film forming apparatus in cross section.

[0077] Figure 2 The film forming device 1A is Figure 1 The film forming apparatus 1 further includes a housing 100 on the basis of the structure.

[0078] The housing 100 surrounds the housing 70. Specifically, the housing 100 surrounds the entire housing 70 and also surrounds the connection portion between the housing 70 and the top wall 13 of the chamber 10.

[0079] The housing 100 is composed of the top wall 13 of the chamber 10 and the cover 101. The cover 101 forms a storage space K2 for storing the vaporizer 51 and the connecting pipe 52 together with the cover 71 of the housing 70 between the cover 101 and the top wall 13 of the chamber 10. The material of the cover 101 is, for example, a metal material such as aluminum. The cover 101 is, for example, formed in a square tube shape with an opening at the bottom, and the opening at the bottom is blocked by the top wall 13 in a rectangular shape when viewed from above. The cover 101 is, for example, fixed to the top wall 13. The fixing between the cover 101 and the top wall 13 is performed using, for example, screws.

[0080] In addition, the cover 101 is formed and arranged in such a way that the entire cover 101 is gathered inside the chamber 10 in a plan view and does not have any portion located outside the chamber 10. Specifically, the cover 101 is formed and arranged in such a way that the entire cover 101 is gathered inside the outer peripheral end of the ceiling wall 13 of the chamber 10 in a plan view and does not have any portion located outside the ceiling wall 13 of the chamber 10.

[0081] The cover 101 is formed with an exhaust port 101 a and an introduction port 101 b .

[0082] The exhaust port 101a is connected to one end of an exhaust pipe 111 of an exhaust mechanism 110, and the exhaust mechanism 110 exhausts air from the housing 100, that is, the storage space K2. The other end of the exhaust pipe 111 is connected to an exhaust device (e.g., a vacuum pump) 112. In addition, an exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 113 for adjusting the exhaust volume is connected to the exhaust pipe 111. The exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 113 includes a flow rate adjustment valve and an on-off valve for starting or stopping exhaust. The exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 113 is controlled by the control unit 200.

[0083] The introduction port 101b opens outside the housing 100. Therefore, by exhausting the inside of the housing 100, that is, the storage space K2, through the exhaust port 101a, a gas other than the inert gas, specifically, the atmosphere, is introduced into the housing.

[0084] During the wafer processing process of the film forming apparatus 1A, Figure 1 Similarly, during the wafer processing process of the film forming apparatus 1 , the inert gas is supplied to the housing space K1 in the housing 70 , and the housing space K1 in the housing 70 is exhausted.

[0085] In addition, during the wafer processing process of the film forming apparatus 1A, the exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 113 of the exhaust mechanism 110 is controlled to exhaust the housing 100, that is, the storage space K2, and introduce the atmosphere into the housing 100, that is, the storage space K2. For example, during the wafer processing process, in order to prevent the atmosphere from invading the storage space K1 from the storage space K2 and to prevent the atmosphere in the storage space K2 that may contain raw material gas and carrier gas from leaking to the outside of the housing 100, the atmosphere of the storage space K2 is adjusted to a negative pressure relative to the storage space K1 and the outside of the housing 100.

[0086] According to the present embodiment, even if the source gas and the carrier gas leak out of the housing 70 , it is possible to suppress the leakage to the outside of the film forming apparatus 1A.

[0087] In addition, in the present embodiment, the housing 100 is composed of the top wall 13 of the chamber 10 and the cover 101 that forms the storage space K2 between the top wall 13, and the cover 101 is gathered inside the chamber 10 in a plan view and does not have a portion located outside the chamber 10. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even if the housing 100 is provided, the occupied area, that is, the floor space of the film forming apparatus 1 will not increase.

[0088] (Variation Example)

[0089] As mentioned above, the technology disclosed in the present invention is applied to a film forming apparatus, but it can also be applied to other substrate processing apparatuses such as an etching apparatus and a cleaning apparatus.

[0090] In addition, in the above, exhaust from the inside of the housing 70 is performed using the exhaust mechanism 90. Instead, an inert gas may be supplied to the housing 70 to pressurize the inside of the housing 70, thereby exhausting from the inside of the housing 70. In this case, components other than the exhaust pipe 91 of the exhaust mechanism 90 may be omitted.

[0091] It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all aspects and are not restrictive. The above embodiments may also be omitted, replaced, or changed in various forms without departing from the attached claims and their subject matter. For example, the structural elements of the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. By this arbitrary combination, the functions and effects of the combined structural elements can be obtained, and other functions and effects that can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art based on the description of this specification can be obtained.

[0092] In addition, the effects described in this specification are only illustrative or exemplary, and are not restrictive. That is, the technology disclosed in this disclosure can have other effects that can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art based on the description of this specification in addition to or in place of the above effects.

[0093] In addition, the following structures also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0094] [Supplementary Item 1]

[0095] A substrate processing device, wherein:

[0096] The substrate processing device comprises:

[0097] A chamber configured to reduce pressure and accommodate a substrate; and

[0098] The housing surrounds a supply source of a processing gas supplied to the chamber and a connecting pipe connecting the supply source and the chamber.

[0099] [Supplementary Item 2]

[0100] The substrate processing apparatus according to Supplementary item 1, wherein:

[0101] The housing is connected with:

[0102] a supply pipe that supplies an inert gas into the housing; and

[0103] An exhaust pipe exhausts exhaust from the housing.

[0104] [Supplementary item 3]

[0105] The substrate processing apparatus according to Supplementary item 1 or 2, wherein:

[0106] The supply source is a vaporizer that stores a raw material of the process gas and vaporizes the raw material inside.

[0107] [Supplementary Item 4]

[0108] The substrate processing apparatus according to Supplementary item 3, wherein:

[0109] The raw material is solid or liquid at normal temperature and pressure.

[0110] [Supplementary Item 5]

[0111] The substrate processing apparatus according to supplementary item 4, wherein:

[0112] The raw material is vaporized to become a raw material gas for forming a ruthenium film.

[0113] [Supplementary Item 6]

[0114] The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of Supplementary Items 1 to 5, wherein:

[0115] The supply source is arranged so as to overlap with the chamber in a plan view.

[0116] [Supplementary Item 7]

[0117] The substrate processing apparatus according to supplementary item 6, wherein:

[0118] The housing comprises:

[0119] a top wall of the chamber; and

[0120] A cover forms a storage space for storing the supply source and the connection pipe between the cover and the top wall, and the cover is formed in a manner to be gathered inside the chamber in a plan view.

[0121] [Supplementary Item 8]

[0122] The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of Supplementary Items 1 to 5, wherein:

[0123] The substrate processing apparatus further includes another housing surrounding the housing.

[0124] [Supplementary Item 9]

[0125] The substrate processing apparatus according to supplementary item 6, wherein:

[0126] The substrate processing apparatus further includes another housing surrounding the housing.

[0127] [Supplementary Item 10]

[0128] The substrate processing apparatus according to supplementary item 7, wherein:

[0129] The substrate processing apparatus further includes another housing surrounding the housing.

[0130] [Supplementary Note 11]

[0131] The substrate processing apparatus according to supplementary item 10, wherein:

[0132] The other housings include:

[0133] a top wall of the chamber; and

[0134] another cover, wherein another storage space for storing the supply source and the connecting pipe together with the cover is formed between the other cover and the top wall,

[0135] The other cover is formed so as to be gathered inside the chamber in a plan view.

[0136] [Supplementary Item 12]

[0137] The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of Supplementary Items 8 to 11, wherein:

[0138] The other housing is connected to an exhaust pipe for exhausting exhaust from the other housing.

[0139] [Supplementary Item 13]

[0140] A method for suppressing oxygen intrusion, wherein:

[0141] A casing surrounds a supply source of a processing gas supplied to a chamber of a substrate processing apparatus configured to be able to reduce pressure and accommodate a substrate, and a connecting pipe connecting the supply source and the chamber, thereby suppressing mixing of oxygen into the processing gas supplied to the chamber.

[0142] Description of Reference Numerals

[0143] 1. 1A, film forming device; 10, chamber; 51, vaporizer; 70, housing.

Claims

1. A substrate processing device, wherein: The substrate processing device comprises: A chamber configured to reduce pressure and accommodate a substrate; and The housing surrounds a supply source of a processing gas supplied to the chamber and a connecting pipe connecting the supply source and the chamber.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The housing is connected with: a supply pipe that supplies an inert gas into the housing; and An exhaust pipe exhausts exhaust from the housing.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The supply source is a vaporizer that stores a raw material of the process gas and vaporizes the raw material inside.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The raw material is solid or liquid at normal temperature and pressure.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: The raw material is vaporized to become a raw material gas for forming a ruthenium film.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The supply source is arranged so as to overlap with the chamber in a plan view.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: The housing comprises: a top wall of the chamber; and a cover, wherein a storage space for storing the supply source and the connecting pipe is formed between the cover and the top wall, The cover is formed so as to be gathered inside the chamber in a plan view.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The substrate processing apparatus further includes another housing surrounding the housing.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: The substrate processing apparatus further includes another housing surrounding the housing.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: The substrate processing apparatus further includes another housing surrounding the housing.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein: The other housings include: a top wall of the chamber; and another cover, wherein another storage space for storing the supply source and the connecting pipe together with the cover is formed between the other cover and the top wall, The other cover is formed so as to be gathered inside the chamber in a plan view.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein: The other housing is connected to an exhaust pipe for exhausting exhaust from the other housing.

13. A method for suppressing oxygen incorporation, wherein: A casing surrounds a supply source of a processing gas supplied to a chamber of a substrate processing apparatus configured to be able to reduce pressure and accommodate substrates and a connecting pipe connecting the supply source and the chamber, thereby suppressing mixing of oxygen into the processing gas supplied to the chamber.

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