Radical supply device, radical processing device, radical generation method, and substrate processing method

Abstract

To supply a radical of processing gas at high concentration.SOLUTION: A radical supply device comprises: a housing which includes an electric power space and a radical generation space which are sectioned by a partition member transmitting an electromagnetic wave; a processing gas supply mechanism which supplies the processing gas to the radical generation space; a catalyst coil which faces an electric power supply coil in the radical generation space across the partition member, and operates as a metal catalyst by rising in temperature by electric power supplied thereto from the electric power supply coil through non-contact electric power supply; and a catalyst mount table which is provided in the radical generation space and mounted with the catalyst coil, and has a restriction member restricting the catalyst coil thermally expanded due the rise in temperature from shifting from where it faces the electric power supply coil. The processing gas is brought into contact with the catalyst coil risen in temperature to generate a radical of the processing gas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a radical supply device, a radical treatment device, a radical generating method, and a substrate treatment method. [Background technology]

[0002] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, a method is known in which a film is formed on a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer), by using a raw material gas and a reactive gas generated by catalytic action. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a substrate processing apparatus that includes a processing vessel in which a wafer is placed, a processing gas supply source that supplies a processing gas, such as hydrogen, into the processing vessel, and a catalytic heat generating member, such as tungsten (W), that generates heat when energized, and that brings the processing gas into contact with the high-temperature catalytic heat generating member to generate radicals, and then uses the radicals to perform ashing or other processing on the substrate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-227033 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique capable of supplying a high concentration of radicals to a processing gas. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure provides a radical supply device for supplying radicals in a processing gas for processing a substrate, the radical supply device comprising: a housing the inside of which is divided into a radical generation space and a power supply space via a partition member that is transparent to electromagnetic waves; a power supply coil provided in the power supply space, one end of which is connected to a high-frequency power supply and the other end of which is grounded or grounded via a capacitor; a processing gas supply mechanism for supplying the processing gas to the radical generation space; a catalytic coil that is provided in the radical generation space at a position facing the power supply coil and that acts as a metal catalyst by being heated when power is supplied from the power supply coil through non-contact power supply; a catalyst mounting table provided in the radical generation space, on which the catalyst coil is mounted, and having a restricting member for restricting the catalyst coil, which is thermally expanded due to a temperature rise, from shifting from a position facing the power supply coil; Equipped with The process gas is brought into contact with the heated catalytic coil to generate radicals of the process gas, which are then supplied to a space where the substrate is processed. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, radicals in a processing gas can be supplied at a high concentration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical sectional side view of a radical treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 4 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of a power supply coil and a catalytic coil when power is supplied to the radical treatment device. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1A is a plan view of a catalyst mounting table of the radical treatment device, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB' of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a gas dispersion plate of the radical treatment device. [Diagram 5] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cross-sectional shape of a catalytic coil of the radical treatment device. FIG. [Figure 6A] FIG. 4 is a first view showing an operation of the radical treatment apparatus during a substrate treatment process. [Figure 6B] FIG. 4 is a second diagram showing an operation during the substrate processing step. [Figure 6C] FIG. 5 is a third diagram showing an operation during the substrate processing step. [Figure 6D]FIG. 4 is a fourth diagram showing an operation during the substrate processing step. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of a radical treatment device equipped with a tubular catalytic coil. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tubular catalyst coil and a catalyst mounting base. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a tubular catalytic coil. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a finned catalytic coil. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional side view of a finned catalytic coil. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional side view of a radical treatment apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional side view of a radical treatment device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional side view of a radical treatment apparatus according to a third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional side view of a radical treatment apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional side view of a radical treatment apparatus according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, a radical treatment device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0009] First embodiment The radical treatment device 1 according to the present disclosure is configured as a device for performing a film formation process for forming a film on a substrate. An example of the film formation process is an atomic layer deposition method, which is a film formation process on a substrate by repeatedly supplying a source gas, a reactive gas, and a purge gas in a predetermined order to a processing container in which the substrate W is placed. The radical treatment device 1 includes a housing 5 configured by combining an upper housing 5a and a lower housing 5b that is a processing container. The housing 5 is made of a conductive material, specifically, aluminum whose inner wall surface is anodized, and has, for example, a cylindrical shape.

[0010] The housing 5 includes a plurality of spaces that serve as flow paths for various gases. Specifically, the upper housing 5a includes a power supply space 5A, a radical generation space 5B for generating radicals of a processing gas, and a radical supply space 5C for supplying the generated radicals. The lower housing 5b includes a processing space 5D to which radicals are supplied. The power supply space 5A, the radical generation space 5B, the radical supply space 5C, and the processing space 5D are stacked in this order, for example, downward. The centers of the power supply space 5A, the radical generation space 5B, the radical supply space 5C, and the processing space 5D are located on a central axis 5L that extends in the vertical direction of the housing 5, for example.

[0011] The radical treatment device 1 includes a radical supply mechanism 9, a substrate treatment mechanism 11, a purge gas supply mechanism 12, and a control unit 13. The radical supply mechanism 9 is mainly provided in the upper housing 5a, and generates radicals in a treatment gas, which is, for example, a reactive gas, and supplies the radicals in the treatment gas to the substrate treatment mechanism 11. Hereinafter, the radicals in the treatment gas may be simply referred to as "radicals." The radical supply mechanism 9 includes a configuration of a radical supply device that generates and supplies radicals, and the radical treatment device 1 is integrated with such a radical supply device. The substrate treatment mechanism 11 is mainly provided in the lower housing 5b in which the substrate W is placed, and treats the substrate with the radicals generated by the radical supply mechanism 9 and, for example, a source gas. The control unit 13 is electrically connected to the configuration in the radical treatment device 1 to perform two-way communication and control the configuration in the radical treatment device 1.

[0012] The radical supply mechanism 9 includes a process gas supply mechanism 16 which supplies a process gas into the radical generation space 5B, a power supply coil 17 provided in the power supply space 5A, a high-frequency power supply circuit 18 and a ground circuit 19 connected to the power supply coil 17, a catalyst coil 21 which is provided in the radical generation space 5B away from the power supply coil 17 and receives power by contactless power supply from the power supply coil 17, a partition member 22 which is provided between the catalyst coil 21 and the power supply coil 17 and is transparent to electromagnetic waves, and a catalyst mounting table 23 which has a regulating member which regulates misalignment of the catalyst coil 21.

[0013] The partition member 22 and the catalyst mounting table 23 are made of plate-like members and are arranged in this order from the upper side with a gap between them. The partition member 22 and the catalyst mounting table 23 divide the inside of the upper housing 5a into a power supply space 5A, a radical generation space 5B, and a radical supply space 5C. The partition member 22 and the catalyst mounting table 23 have, for example, a disk shape with approximately the same area, and their centers are located, for example, on the central axis 5L of the housing 5. The power supply space 5A and the radical generation space 5B are separated via the partition member 22 and do not communicate with each other. The partition member 22 is made of a dielectric material such as quartz. The power supply coil 17 is arranged on the upper surface of the partition member 22.

[0014] The power supply coil 17 and the catalytic coil 21 are, for example, coils formed by winding a wire in a spiral shape, more specifically, coils formed into a planar shape by winding a wire concentrically within a plane, that is, planar coils. The power supply coil 17 and the catalytic coil 21 are arranged with the central axis of each winding aligned with, for example, the central axis 5L of the housing 5.

[0015] The power supply coil 17 and the catalytic coil 21 are arranged substantially parallel to each other and facing each other vertically with their faces facing a direction perpendicular to the central axis direction described above. Therefore, the catalytic coil 21 is provided in a region directly below the power supply coil 17. Note that a central space where no windings are provided is formed inside the inner ends of the windings of the power supply coil 17 and the catalytic coil 21.

[0016] The catalytic coil 21 is placed on the upper surface of the catalyst mounting table 23. The winding of the catalytic coil 21 is, for example, open at an inner end on the winding central axis side and an outer end on the opposite side, and is free, and neither part is fixed. The catalytic coil 21 contains at least one metal of, for example, platinum (Pt), rhenium (Re), iridium (Ir), and tungsten (W), and acts as a metal catalyst when heated. Specifically, the catalytic coil 21 is preferably tungsten or an alloy containing tungsten, which is stable even at high temperatures and has a high radical generation density. The total length of the winding of the catalytic coil 21 corresponds to a value obtained by multiplying half the length of the wavelength of the power supplied by the high-frequency power supply circuit 18 by the wavelength shortening ratio. The wavelength shortening ratio is, for example, 0.5 to 1, and specifically, preferably 0.6 to 0.7.

[0017] The power supply coil 17 is placed on the upper surface of the partition member 22. For example, an inner end of the winding of the power supply coil 17 is connected to a high-frequency power supply circuit 18 on the winding central axis side, and an outer end opposite the inner end is connected to a ground circuit 19. Note that the outer end of the power supply coil 17 may be directly grounded without going through the ground circuit 19.

[0018] The high frequency power supply circuit 18 has one end grounded and the other end connected to the inner end of the power supply coil 17, and includes a high frequency power supply 26 and a variable capacitor 27. The high frequency power supply circuit 18 has a high frequency power supply 26 provided on one end connected in series with a variable capacitor 27 provided on the other end. The frequency of the power supplied by the high frequency power supply 26 can be, for example, 13.56 megahertz (MHz) within a range of 450 kilohertz (KHz) to 40 megahertz (MHz). The variable capacitor 27 is, for example, a high frequency matching device, and changes the capacitance to perform impedance matching to suppress reflected waves and supply power efficiently. The ground circuit 19 has one end connected to the power supply coil 17 and the other end grounded, and includes a variable capacitor 28.

[0019] With the above configuration, when power is supplied from the high-frequency power supply circuit 18 to the power supply coil 17, the catalytic coil 21 is contactlessly supplied with power by the power supply coil 17. Specifically, the power supply coil 17 and the catalytic coil 21 cause electromagnetic field resonance at this time, so that a large amount of power is supplied to the catalytic coil 21. As shown in FIG. 2, the equivalent circuit of the power supply coil 17 and the catalytic coil 21 at this time is an LC resonant circuit in which a high-frequency power supply, a coil, and a capacitor that supply high power are connected in series and are grounded. The catalytic coil 21 operates as a dipole antenna with both ends open. A dipole antenna that operates in this way resonates to generate a voltage standing wave that is maximum at the open end and a current standing wave that is maximum at the center, so that reflected waves are effectively reduced as viewed from the high-frequency power supply (power supply coil 17) of the dipole antenna, and a large amount of power can be efficiently supplied. The catalytic coil 21 to which such a large amount of power is supplied becomes hot, for example, at 1000 degrees Celsius or more, due to resistance heating. At a set temperature of 1000 degrees or more, the catalytic coil 21 effectively acts as a metal catalyst, and efficiently converts the process gas that comes into contact with the catalytic coil 21 into radicals.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 5(a), the cross-sectional shape of the winding of the catalytic coil 21 of the radical treatment device 1 may be, for example, circular. Also, as shown in Fig. 5(b), it may be quadrilateral. In particular, when the cross-sectional shape of the winding of the catalytic coil 21 is quadrilateral, the surface area of ​​the catalytic coil 21 is increased, which increases the contact area with the treatment gas, and allows radicals to be generated efficiently.

[0021] The catalyst mounting base 23 is a support plate that supports the catalytic coil 21, and is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or ceramic. The catalyst mounting base 23 has a support surface 31 that supports the catalytic coil 21, a protruding wall portion 32 that is a restricting member that restricts the catalytic coil 21, a radical supply hole 33 that is a through hole that connects the radical generation space 5B and the radical supply space 5C, and a raw material gas flow path 34 that is a flow path for the raw material gas. In this example, the upper surface of the support plate that separates the radical generation space 5B and the radical supply space 5C is used as the catalyst mounting base 23 for the catalytic coil 21, but the configuration of the catalyst mounting base 23 is not limited to this example. For example, a support pillar may be provided in the center of the upper surface of the support plate, and the catalyst mounting base 23 may be arranged on the upper end of the support pillar.

[0022] The protruding wall portion 32 and the support surface 31 of the catalyst mounting table 23 are provided, for example, in a region facing the power supply coil 17 on the upper surface side of the catalyst mounting table 23, that is, in the region directly below the power supply coil 17.

[0023] 3(a) and 3(b), the support surface 31 of the catalyst mounting base 23 is, for example, a spiral surface included in the upper surface of the catalyst mounting base 23 and extends along the winding direction of the windings of the catalyst coil 21. The support surface 31 is a surface larger than the lower surface of the catalyst coil 21 and includes the area directly below the lower surface of the catalyst coil 21.

[0024] The protruding wall portion 32 of the catalyst mounting base 23 is a wall protruding from the support surface 31. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the protruding wall portion 32 extends in a spiral shape along the winding direction of the winding of the catalytic coil 21 and the extending direction of the support surface 31 when viewed in a plan view. As shown in FIG. 3(b), when viewed in a vertical section intersecting the winding direction of the catalytic coil 21, the protruding wall portion 32 has an inner side surface 32a and an outer side surface 32b that are substantially parallel to each other. When viewed along the winding direction of the catalytic coil 21, for example, the length of the protruding wall portion 32 is longer than the entire length of the winding of the catalytic coil 21. The length of the protruding wall portion 32 in the direction of the winding central axis of the catalytic coil 21, that is, the vertical length, is, for example, equal to or longer than the vertical length of the catalytic coil 21.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3(b), the catalytic coil 21 is disposed in a recess 36, which is a spiral space surrounded by the inner side surface 32a and the outer side surface 32b of the protruding wall portion 32 and the support surface 31. A sufficient gap is formed between the inner side surface 32a or the outer side surface 32b of the protruding wall portion 32 and the side surface of the catalytic coil 21 to allow the processing gas to flow in. The protruding wall portion 32 also has a function of restricting the movement of the catalytic coil 21, which expands and contracts due to temperature changes, to prevent the catalytic coil 21 from shifting from the position facing the power supply coil 17. The radical supply hole 33 is formed to extend in the thickness direction of the catalyst mounting base 23, which is a support plate, and opens on the upper and lower surfaces of the catalyst mounting base 23. In the example shown in FIG. 3(a), four radical supply holes 33 are provided on the catalyst mounting base 23 closer to the center than the protruding wall portion 32. In this regard, the radical supply hole 33 is not limited to the example shown in the figure, and it is sufficient that the catalyst mounting base 23 has one or more radical supply holes 33.

[0026] An example of setting the distance between the catalyst mounting table 23 and the partition member 22 as described above will be described in detail. The distance between the upper end of the protruding wall portion 32 and the lower surface of the partition member 22 is set to be smaller than the distance between the upper surface of the catalyst mounting table 23 main body and the lower surface of the partition member 22. The distance between the upper end of the catalyst coil 21 supported by the catalyst mounting table 23 and the lower surface of the partition member 22 (hereinafter also referred to as "gap") is set to be approximately the same as the distance between the upper end of the protruding wall portion 32 and the partition member 22. The size of the gap varies in a suitable range depending on the conditions for generating radicals. For example, as described later, when radicals are generated by generating plasma of the processing gas in addition to the action of the metal catalyst, it is preferable to set the gap longer than 30 mm. Alternatively, when radicals are generated mainly by the action of the metal catalyst, it is preferable to set the gap to 30 mm or less.

[0027] The raw gas flow passage 34 of the catalyst mounting table 23 is a tubular space formed inside the catalyst mounting table 23 so as to extend along the radial direction of the catalyst mounting table 23. One end of the raw gas flow passage 34 of the catalyst mounting table 23 is connected to a side opening 34a opening on a side surface of the catalyst mounting table 23. The other end of the raw gas flow passage 34 changes its direction of extension downward at the center of the catalyst mounting table 23. The downstream end of the raw gas flow passage 34 forms a lower opening 34b opening at the center of the lower surface of the catalyst mounting table 23. As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the lower opening 34b of the raw gas flow passage 34 is provided on the center side of the radical supply hole 33 described above, specifically on the central axis 5L of the housing 5. In the catalyst mounting table 23, the raw gas flow passage 34 and the radical supply hole 33 are formed to be separated from each other and are not connected to each other.

[0028] 1, the processing gas supply mechanism 16 includes a processing gas supply source 39, a processing gas pipe 41 connecting the processing gas supply source 39 and the radical-generation space 5B, and a processing gas valve 42 provided on the processing gas pipe 41. The processing gas pipe 41 is branched into, for example, two pipes at the outlet side of the processing gas supply source 39 to form a branch pipe. These two branch pipes are respectively connected to the radical-generation space 5B via two through holes provided opposite to each other on the side portions of the upper housing 5a. As a result, the processing gas pipe 41 introduces the processing gas into the regions of the two opposing ends 5Ba of the radical-generation space 5B.

[0029] The process gas valves 42 are provided at the downstream ends of the two branch pipes of the process gas pipe 41, respectively, and control the flow of the process gas into the radical generation space 5B by opening and closing the valves by the control unit 13. The process gas is, for example, hydrogen (H2) gas, oxygen (O2) gas, difluorocarbon cation (CF2) gas, or ammonia (NH3) gas. For example, when tungsten hexafluoride (WF6) described later is supplied as the raw material gas, H2 gas that reduces WF6 is supplied as the process gas.

[0030] The high frequency power supply circuit 18, the ground circuit 19, and the process gas supply mechanism 16 are electrically connected to the control unit 13 described later. The control unit 13 controls the operation and stop of the high frequency power supply 26 and the variable capacitor 27 of the high frequency power supply circuit 18, and controls the opening and closing of the process gas valve 42 of the process gas supply mechanism 16. After the catalyst coil 21 is sufficiently heated by the operation of the high frequency power supply circuit 18 and the ground circuit 19, the radical supply mechanism 9 causes the process gas to flow from the process gas supply mechanism 16 through the process gas piping 41 to the radical generation space 5B of the upper housing 5a. The process gas that comes into contact with the heated catalyst coil 21 becomes radicals and flows into the radical supply space 5C through the radical supply hole 33. In this way, the radical supply mechanism 9 supplies radicals to the process space 5D of the substrate processing mechanism 11 located downstream of the radical supply space 5C. Note that the process gas that does not come into contact with the heated catalyst coil 21 does not become radicals, so that in addition to radicals, non-radicalized process gas also flows into the process space 5D. Hereinafter, the "processing gas that has not been converted into radicals" may also be referred to as "unradicalized gas."

[0031] The substrate processing mechanism 11 of the radical processing device 1 includes a raw material gas supply mechanism 45 for supplying a raw material gas to the processing space 5D, a gas dispersion plate 46 for circulating the processing gas and the raw material gas within the processing space 5D, an entrance 47 extending through the side of the lower housing 5b for loading and unloading the substrate W, a substrate mounting table 48 on which the loaded substrate W is placed, and an exhaust pipe 49 extending through the bottom of the lower housing 5b for discharging gas within the processing space 5D.

[0032] The load port 47 is provided penetrating the side of the lower housing 5b, connects the processing space 5D of the lower housing 5b to an external space, for example, a vacuum transfer chamber (not shown) in which the substrate W is transferred, and allows the substrate W to pass through. The load port 47 is provided with a gate valve that is controlled by the control unit 13 to open and close the load port 47. In response to an instruction from the control unit 13, the gate valve opens the load port 47 when the substrate W is loaded or unloaded, and closes the load port 47 during the substrate processing process.

[0033] The substrate mounting table 48 is provided in the processing space 5D of the lower housing 5b and is supported from the bottom side of the lower housing 5b. The central axis of the substrate mounting table 48 is disposed, for example, so as to be substantially the same as the central axis 5L of the housing 5, and the substrate W is mounted with the center of the substrate W positioned on the central axis of the substrate mounting table 48. The substrate mounting table 48 faces the gas dispersion plate 46 on the central axis 5L of the housing 5, and the mounted substrate W is disposed directly below the gas dispersion plate 46.

[0034] The raw gas supply mechanism 45 of the substrate processing mechanism 11 includes, for example, a raw gas supply source 53, a raw gas pipe 54 connecting the raw gas supply source 53 and the above-mentioned raw gas flow passage 34 on the catalyst mounting stage 23 side, and a raw gas valve 55 provided on the raw gas pipe 54. The raw gas pipe 54 is connected to the side opening 34a of the raw gas flow passage 34 of the catalyst mounting stage 23 via, for example, a through hole on the side of the upper housing 5a. As a result, the raw gas pipe 54 introduces the raw gas supplied from the raw gas supply source 53 to the raw gas flow passage 34 of the catalyst mounting stage 23. The raw gas valve 55 controls the flow of the raw gas to the raw gas flow passage 34 of the catalyst mounting stage 23 by opening and closing control by the control unit 13. For example, when a tungsten film is formed on the substrate W, the raw gas is, for example, a gas containing tungsten hexafluoride (WF6) as a film raw material.

[0035] The gas dispersion plate 46 is provided so as to divide the space below the catalyst mounting table 23 in the housing 5 into a radical supply space 5C and a processing space 5D. In addition, since the gas dispersion plate 46 is disposed below the catalyst mounting table 23, it can be said that the gas dispersion plate 46 is provided so as to divide the radical generation space 5B and the processing space 5D. The gas dispersion plate 46 has, for example, a disk shape and has an area substantially equal to the area of ​​the partition member 22 and the catalyst mounting table 23. The center of the gas dispersion plate 46 is located, for example, on the central axis 5L of the housing 5. The gas dispersion plate 46 is sandwiched between the edges of the upper housing 5a and the lower housing 5b of the housing 5 that butt against each other, and is grounded. Therefore, the internal spaces of the upper housing 5a and the lower housing 5b are each shielded. In addition, the gas dispersion plate 46 is provided with a connecting pipe 58 that connects the gas dispersion plate 46 to the catalyst mounting table 23.

[0036] The gas dispersion plate 46 is provided with a plurality of radical flow passages 61 and raw material gas flow passages 62. The plurality of radical flow passages 61 and raw material gas flow passages 62 are provided in a region directly above the substrate W placed on the substrate mounting table 48. The radical flow passage 61 penetrates the gas dispersion plate 46 from the upper surface 46A to the lower surface 46B, and connects the radical supply space 5C and the processing space 5D. The radical flow passage 61 is also connected to the radical generation space 5B via the radical supply hole 33 of the catalyst mounting table 23. The downstream ends of the plurality of radical flow passages 61 open in a substantially uniform distribution in the region directly above the substrate W except for the central region of the gas dispersion plate 46 in a plan view.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the gas dispersion plate 46 of the radical treatment device 1. The radical flow passage 61 and the raw material gas flow passage 62 in FIG. 4 are partially omitted. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the raw material gas flow passage 62 includes a connecting passage 65 constituting the upstream end of the raw material gas flow passage 62, a dispersion passage 66 provided downstream of the connecting passage 65, and a plurality of downstream ends 67 branched from the dispersion passage 66. The connecting passage 65 extends vertically along the central axis direction of the gas dispersion plate 46 and opens at the center of the upper surface 46A of the gas dispersion plate 46. The downstream end of the connecting pipe 58 is connected to the connecting passage 65, and the upstream end of the connecting pipe 58 is further connected to the lower opening 34b of the raw material gas flow passage 34 of the catalyst mounting table 23. As a result, the raw material gas flows through the raw material gas flow passage 34 of the catalyst mounting table 23 and the dispersion passage 66 via the connecting pipe 58 and the connecting passage 65.

[0038] The dispersion path 66 of the source gas flow path 62 is connected to the downstream end of the connection path 65, and is formed in the gas dispersion plate 46 so as to spread out substantially planarly or radially from the center of the gas dispersion plate 46 directly above the substrate W. The dispersion path 66 is provided, for example, separated from the above-mentioned multiple radical flow paths 61 in a direction intersecting the vertical direction, and so as to surround the side of the radical flow path 61.

[0039] The multiple downstream ends 67 of the raw material gas flow passages 62 extend from a part of the lower surface of the dispersion path 66 toward the lower surface 46B of the gas dispersion plate 46, and are provided so as to open to the lower surface 46B of the gas dispersion plate 46. The multiple downstream ends 67 are provided and distributed approximately uniformly in the area of ​​the gas dispersion plate 46 directly above the substrate W in a plan view.

[0040] Further, the downstream ends 67 of the source gas flow passages 62 are separated from the radical flow passages 61 in a direction intersecting the vertical direction, and are not connected to any of the radical flow passages 61 in the gas dispersion plate 46. The downstream ends 67 of the source gas flow passages 62 are disposed, for example, in a gap between two adjacent radical flow passages 61. By disposing the radical flow passages 61 and the source gas flow passages 62 as described above, the radical flow passages 61 and the source gas flow passages 62 are disposed approximately uniformly in the area directly above the substrate W on the lower surface 46B of the gas dispersion plate 46, and the radicals and the source gas are uniformly brought into contact with the upper surface of the substrate W disposed on the substrate mounting table 48. In this manner, the source gas flow passages 62 and the radical flow passages 61 are disposed isolated from each other within the surface of the gas dispersion plate 46. With this configuration, the radicals or the source gas can be supplied independently of each other toward the processing space 5D.

[0041] 1, the purge gas supply mechanism 12 of the radical treatment device 1 includes, for example, a purge gas supply source 71, a purge pipe 72 connecting the purge gas supply source 71 with the radical-generating space 5B or the radical-supplying space 5C, and a purge valve 73 provided on the purge pipe 72. The purge pipe 72 branches into two at the outlet side of the purge gas supply source 71. Each of these branched pipes further branches into two at the downstream side to form a first branch pipe 72a connected to the radical-generating space 5B and a second branch pipe 72b connected to the radical-supplying space 5C.

[0042] The downstream side of the first branch pipe 72a merges with a branch pipe of the processing gas pipe 41. The first branch pipe 72a is connected to the radical-generating space 5B via two opposing through holes in the side of the upper housing 5a. On the other hand, the second branch pipe 72b is connected to the radical-supply space 5C via two opposing through holes in the side of the upper housing 5a. Thus, the purge pipe 72 introduces a purge gas into the region of the two opposing ends 5Ba of the radical-generating space 5B, and also introduces a purge gas into the region of the two opposing ends 5Ca of the radical-supply space 5C.

[0043] The purge valve 73 includes a first purge valve 73a provided on each of the two first branch pipes 72a and a second purge valve 73b provided on each of the two second branch pipes 72b. The first purge valve 73a is controlled by the control unit 13 to open and close to control the flow of purge gas into the radical-generating space 5B. Thus, at least one of the processing gas and the purge gas is appropriately supplied to the radical-generating space 5B. The second purge valve 73b is controlled by the control unit 13 to open and close to control the flow of purge gas into the radical-supplying space 5C. Thus, the purge gas is also directly supplied to the radical-supplying space 5C. The purge gas is, for example, nitrogen (N2) gas or argon (Ar) gas.

[0044] The exhaust pipe 49 is provided penetrating the bottom surface of the lower housing 5b, and a vacuum exhaust mechanism whose gas exhaust operation is controlled by the control unit 13 is provided downstream of the exhaust pipe 49. The vacuum exhaust mechanism operates constantly during the substrate processing process according to instructions from the control unit 13, and adjusts the pressure in the processing space 5D to a preset value by a pressure adjustment mechanism (not shown). For example, the pressure loss when the gas passes through the radical supply hole 33 of the catalyst mounting table 23 and the pressure loss when the gas passes through the radical flow passage 61 of the gas dispersion plate 46 are designed to be a predetermined value in advance. As a result, when the pressure in the processing space 5D is adjusted to a preset pressure by the pressure adjustment mechanism, the pressure in the radical generation space 5B is also adjusted to a corresponding pressure. The pressure in the radical generation space 5B changes in a suitable range depending on the conditions for generating radicals. For example, as described later, when radicals are generated by generating plasma of the processing gas in addition to the action of the metal catalyst, it is preferable to adjust the pressure in the radical generation space 5B to be lower than 133 Pa (1 torr). Alternatively, when radicals are generated mainly by the action of a metal catalyst, the pressure in the radical-generating space 5B is preferably adjusted to 133 Pa (1 torr) or higher.

[0045] The control unit 13 is, for example, a computer, and has a data processing unit including a program, a memory, and a CPU. The program includes commands for sending control signals from the control unit 13 to each unit of the radical treatment device 1 and for progressing the substrate treatment process. The program is stored in a storage unit of a computer storage medium, for example, a flexible disk, a compact disk, a hard disk, an MO (magneto-optical disk), etc., and installed in the control unit 13.

[0046] 6A to 6D are diagrams showing the operation of the radical treatment device 1 during the substrate treatment process. Using these diagrams, a film formation process for a substrate W, which is an example of the substrate treatment process of the radical treatment device 1 in this embodiment, will be described. In FIG. 6A to FIG. 6D, the flow of purge gas is indicated by dashed arrows, the flow of source gas, the flow of processing gas alone, or the flow of a mixed gas of purge gas and processing gas is indicated by solid arrows, and the flow of a mixed gas of radicals, unradicalized gas, and purge gas is indicated by thick arrows. In FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C, the diagonal hatching on the catalyst coil 21 indicates that the catalyst coil 21 has not yet reached the set temperature for acting as a metal catalyst. In FIG. 6D, the lattice hatching on the catalyst coil 21 indicates that the catalyst coil 21 has reached the set temperature for acting as a metal catalyst.

[0047] In the substrate processing step, first, the substrate W is transported from the outside to the radical processing apparatus 1 through the entrance 47, and then the substrate W is placed at a predetermined position on the substrate placement table 48. All valves in the radical processing apparatus 1 are closed, and the space in the housing 5 is, for example, a closed space. Next, the vacuum exhaust mechanism performs vacuum exhaust through the exhaust pipe, and the processing space 5 is adjusted to a preset pressure. At this time, the purge gas is supplied to the radical generation space 5B and the radical supply space 5C by the purge gas supply mechanism 12. As shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 6A, the purge gas supplied to the radical generation space 5B and the radical supply space 5C flows through the radical generation space 5B, the radical supply space 5C, and the processing space 5D, and is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 49. Such operations by the vacuum exhaust mechanism and the purge gas supply mechanism 12 are continuously performed, for example, during the substrate processing step.

[0048] Next, the high frequency power supply circuit 18 and the ground circuit 19 are operated to supply power to the power supply coil 17 and raise the temperature of the catalyst coil 21. Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the raw material gas is supplied by the raw material gas supply mechanism 45. The raw material gas flows into the processing space 5D via the raw material gas flow passage 34 of the catalyst mounting table 23, the connecting pipe 58, and the raw material gas flow passage 62. Since the multiple downstream ends 67 of the raw material gas flow passage 62 are uniformly provided in the area directly above the substrate W on the gas dispersion plate 46, the raw material gas flows uniformly from the area directly above the substrate W toward the substrate W in the processing space 5D. Then, the molecules of the raw material gas quickly reach the entire upper surface of the substrate W and are uniformly adsorbed onto the entire upper surface of the substrate W.

[0049] The source gas flow path is separated from the process gas flow path upstream of and at the gas dispersion plate 46, and the purge gas is discharged from the radical flow path 61. This prevents the source gas and corrosive gas (such as hydrogen fluoride in the case of a reaction between WF6 and hydrogen radicals) generated by the reaction between molecules contained in various gases supplied to the processing space 5D from entering the radical supply space 5C and the radical generation space 5B. This prevents the catalyst coil 21 from being corroded by the source gas and the corrosive gas, and prevents the film formation reaction from progressing in the radical supply space 5C and the radical generation space 5B.

[0050] 6C, when a required time has elapsed for the molecules of the source gas to be uniformly adsorbed over the entire upper surface of the substrate W, the supply of the source gas by the source gas supply mechanism 45 is stopped. Note that the supply of the purge gas continues and is exhausted from the processing space 5D together with the source gas remaining in the processing space 5D (FIG. 6A).

[0051] After that, when the time required for the remaining source gas to be completely exhausted from the processing space 5D has elapsed and the temperature of the catalytic coil 21 has risen to a set temperature of 1000°C or more, the processing gas supply mechanism 16 supplies the processing gas to the radical-generation space 5B as shown in Fig. 6D. The mixed gas, which is a mixture of the processing gas and the purge gas at the downstream end of the processing gas pipe 41, flows into the areas of the two opposing ends 5Ba on the sides of the radical-generation space 5B. The mixed gas then flows from the two opposing ends 5Ba toward the central area of ​​the radical-generation space 5B where the radical supply holes 33 face, and spreads throughout the radical-generation space 5B. Then, as the mixed gas passes through the area where the catalytic coil 21 is located in the radical-generation space 5B, the processing gas comes into contact with the catalytic coil 21 and becomes radicals.

[0052] Specifically, when the processing gas flows toward the central region of the radical-generating space 5B, it passes over the multiple windings of the catalytic coil 21 when passing through the narrow gap between the protruding wall portion 32 and the partition member 22, and flows toward the central region of the radical-generating space 5B. At this time, a part of the processing gas flows into the recess 36 of the protruding wall portion 32 and also contacts the side surface of the catalytic coil 21. In this way, the processing gas flows from the peripheral side of the catalytic coil 21 configured as a flat coil toward the central axis, so that it repeatedly contacts the catalytic coil 21, and the contact frequency increases. As a result, radicals can be generated at a high concentration in the radical-generating space 5B. The mixed gas of the radicals generated at a high concentration in this way, the unradicalized gas that has not yet been radicalized, and the purge gas join together in the central region of the radical-generating space 5B and flow into the radical supply space 5C from the radical supply hole 33. Hereinafter, the "mixed gas of radicals, unradicalized gas, and purge gas" may also be referred to as the "radical mixed gas."

[0053] Incidentally, the radical supply mechanism 9 of this embodiment can also generate high-concentration radicals in the radical-generating space 5B by forming an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) that converts the processing gas into plasma using high-frequency power supplied from the power supply coil 17. In this case, it is preferable that the radical supply mechanism 9 sets the pressure in the radical-generating space 5B to 133 Pa (1 torr) or less and sets the distance between the catalytic coil 21 and the partition member 22 to 30 mm or more. However, since the plasma of the processing gas contains more ions than the radicalization by a metal catalyst, in addition to radicals, it may damage the substrate W. In addition, the contact of the plasma with the catalytic coil 21 also accelerates the deterioration of the catalytic coil 21. Therefore, when a high concentration of radicals is obtained by combining the action of the metal catalyst of the catalytic coil 21 and the ICP plasma, it is necessary to take into consideration the influence of these ions and the deterioration of the catalytic coil 21.

[0054] Therefore, if it is desired to avoid the generation of ICP in the radical-generating space 5B and suppress the generation of ions, the opposite conditions should be set. In this case, it is preferable that the radical supply mechanism 9 sets the pressure in the radical-generating space 5B to greater than 133 Pa (1 torr) and the distance between the catalytic coil 21 and the partition member 22 to less than 30 mm. Under these conditions, the effect of plasma on the catalytic coil 21 is reduced, so that deterioration of the catalytic coil 21 is reduced and the service life is extended. In addition, since the generation of high-energy ions is suppressed, the effect of ions on the substrate W is reduced and the substrate processing process is stabilized.

[0055] The radical mixed gas containing radicals generated in the radical-generating space 5B as described above flows from the radical supply holes 33 to the central region of the radical supply space 5C. The radical mixed gas then mixes with the flow of purge gas flowing from the two opposing side ends 5Ba of the radical supply space 5C toward the central region, forming a radical mixed gas with a substantially uniform radical concentration. The radical mixed gas with a substantially uniform concentration in the radical supply space 5C contains a high concentration of radicals, and therefore efficiently processes the substrate when it is supplied to the processing space 5D from the radical flow passages 61 of the gas dispersion plate 46.

[0056] In detail, the radical mixed gas supplied from the multiple radical flow passages 61 of the gas dispersion plate 46 flows into the processing space 5D, and is then supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W. The radicals then react with the source gas molecules previously adsorbed on the substrate W, leaving only film-forming molecules behind. As a result, one layer of film (e.g., a tungsten film) is formed on the entire upper surface of the substrate W.

[0057] Next, when the time required to form one layer of film on the entire upper surface of the substrate W has elapsed, as shown in FIG. 6A, the supply of the processing gas by the processing gas supply mechanism 16 is stopped, and only the purge gas is supplied again to the radical generation space 5B and the radical supply space 5C. The supplied purge gas is discharged from the processing space 5D together with the remaining radical mixed gas and radical bond molecules. In this way, a film of a desired thickness is generated on the substrate W by repeating the supply of the source gas (FIG. 6B) → the supply of the purge gas (FIG. 6C) → the supply of the radical mixed gas (FIG. 6D) → the supply of the purge gas (FIG. 6A). Thereafter, the supply of gases other than the purge gas is stopped. Thereafter, the substrate W on which the film has been formed is unloaded in the reverse order to that of the loading, and the loading of the next substrate W is awaited. Note that the operation of the high frequency power supply circuit 18 and the ground circuit 19 may be stopped, the supply of power to the power supply coil 17 may be continued, and the catalyst coil 21 may be maintained at a high temperature until the next substrate W is loaded. As described above, the radical treatment device 1 efficiently treats substrates using the high-concentration radicals generated by the radical supply mechanism 9.

[0058] The catalytic coil 21, whose temperature changes significantly during the substrate processing steps described above, expands and contracts in accordance with the rise and fall of the temperature. The amount of expansion and contraction in the winding direction, i.e., the length direction, increases from the middle of the winding of the catalytic coil 21 toward both ends. When the winding of the catalytic coil 21 is subjected to repeated substrate processing steps, the winding of the catalytic coil 21 expands and contracts repeatedly, and is likely to become displaced from its position facing the power supply coil 17. However, in the catalytic coil 21 of this embodiment, at least a portion of the winding is disposed facing the ridge wall portion 32, and thus the displacement of the winding is restricted by the ridge wall portion 32, and the displacement of the winding from its position facing the power supply coil 17 is suppressed.

[0059] Furthermore, since at least a part of the winding of the catalytic coil 21 is disposed substantially parallel to the protruding wall portion 32 extending along the winding direction of the catalytic coil 21, even if the winding of the catalytic coil 21 expands or contracts, the catalytic coil 21 is unlikely to deviate from the protruding wall portion 32 extending along the winding direction, and positional deviation, including rotation around the winding center axis, is effectively suppressed. The spiral protruding wall portion 32 of this embodiment having all of the above configurations extends along the winding direction of the entire winding of the catalytic coil 21 and faces the inner and outer surfaces of the entire winding of the catalytic coil 21, so that deviation from the opposing position of the power supply coil 17 can be reliably suppressed. Furthermore, the catalytic coil 21, whose positional deviation is restricted by the protruding wall portion 32, does not have a part, such as an end portion, fixed to, for example, the catalyst mounting base 23 as a fixed portion, so that the catalytic coil 21 is unlikely to be subjected to stress concentration on such fixed portions and is unlikely to be broken by fatigue.

[0060] Variations of the radical supply mechanism 9 of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 7 to 16. In Figures 7 to 16, components common to the radical treatment device 1 according to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in these figures.

[0061] (Tubular catalytic coil) FIG. 7 shows an enlarged vertical cross-sectional side view of a radical treatment device 1m in which a tubular catalytic coil 21m is disposed in the radical generation space 5B of a radical supply mechanism 9m. FIG. 8 shows an enlarged perspective view of the tubular catalytic coil 21m and its catalyst mounting base 23, and FIG. 8 shows a plan view of the tubular catalytic coil 21m. As shown in FIG. 9, the above-mentioned processing gas pipe 41 and purge pipe 72 are connected to the outer end of the tubular catalytic coil 21m. The processing gas supply mechanism 16 can supply processing gas toward the inner space of the tubular catalytic coil 21m. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, in the radical generation space 5B in which the tubular catalytic coil 21m is disposed, in addition to the processing gas supplied to the outer surface side of the catalytic coil 21m through the regions of the two opposing ends 5Ba, the processing gas is also supplied to the inside of the tubular catalytic coil 21m.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, a plurality of openings 211 are formed at intervals on the side wall surface, for example, on the inner circumference side, of the winding of the tubular catalytic coil 21m. When the temperature of the tubular catalytic coil 21m is raised by non-contact power supply from the power supply coil 17 and a processing gas is supplied to the internal space, the processing gas comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the catalytic coil 21m and generates radicals. The radical mixed gas containing the generated radicals flows from the internal space to the radical-generating space 5B through the plurality of openings 211. The radical mixed gas flowing out from each opening 211 merges with the radical mixed gas flowing on the radical-generating space 5B side. The unreacted processing gas contained in the radical mixed gas comes into contact with the outer wall surface of the catalytic coil 21m and generates radicals. In this way, by using the tubular catalytic coil 21m, the contact area of ​​the processing gas can be increased and a higher concentration of radicals can be generated.

[0063] 7 and 8 also show an example in which a plurality of communication holes 321 are formed on the side of the protruding wall portion 32 arranged along the catalytic coil 21m. By providing the communication holes 321, a flow is formed in which the radical mixed gas passes through the protruding wall portion 32 and enters the area where the adjacent catalytic coil 21m is arranged. As a result, the radical mixed gas is more likely to repeatedly come into contact with the outer wall surface of the catalytic coil 21m, and a higher concentration of radicals can be generated. Furthermore, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show an example in which a plurality of radical supply holes 33m are formed in the catalyst mounting base 23, which is a support plate provided on the bottom surface of the area in which the catalytic coil 21m is arranged by being sandwiched between the spiral catalytic coils 21. By providing the radical supply holes 33m in the area in which the catalytic coil 21m is arranged, the radical mixed gas containing a high concentration of radicals can be flowed into the radical supply space 5C before the radicals come into contact with other members (for example, the protruding wall portion 32, the catalyst mounting base 23, and the lower surface of the partition member 22) and are deactivated. The configuration in which a plurality of communication holes 321 are formed on the side surface of the protruding wall portion 32 and the configuration in which a plurality of radical supply holes 33m are also formed in the catalyst mounting table 23 are not limited to the case in which they are provided in the radical generation space 5B in which the tubular catalyst coil 21m is disposed. For example, these configurations may be provided in the radical supply space 5C of the radical treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

[0064] (Finned coil) Next, Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 show a configuration in which a plurality of fins 212 acting as metal catalysts are provided on the outer surface, for example, the upper surface, of the catalytic coil 21. Fig. 10 is an enlarged plan view of the catalytic coil 21 with the fins 212, and Fig. 11 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional side view thereof. The catalytic coil 21 is heated by non-contact power supply from the power supply coil 17, and the temperature of the fins 212 is increased by heat transfer from the main body of the catalytic coil 21. As a result, each fin 212 can be made to act as a metal catalyst, and radicals can be generated from the processing gas that comes into contact with the surface of the fin 212. By providing the fins 212, the area acting as a metal catalyst can be increased, and high-concentration radicals can be generated. Note that the configuration in which the fins 212 are provided on the tubular catalytic coil 21m described using Figs. 7 to 9 may be adopted.

[0065] In each of the above-described examples, the power supply coil 17 and the catalytic coils 21, 21m are each configured as a planar coil. However, the coils that can be heated by non-contact power supply are not limited to the planar coil example. For example, a coil configured coaxially by arranging windings in a spiral shape, that is, a coaxial coil, can also provide the same effect. In the examples shown in Figs. 12 to 16, an embodiment in which the technology of the present disclosure is applied to a coaxial coil will be described below.

[0066] Second embodiment FIG. 12 shows an enlarged vertical cross-sectional side view of a radical treatment device 1o including a radical supply mechanism 9o according to the second embodiment. In the radical supply mechanism 9o, a top plate 221 and a support plate 222 are arranged in parallel with each other at a vertical interval above the radical supply space 5C. In the space between the top plate 221 and the support plate 222, a plurality of radical supply units 91 are arranged at horizontal intervals from each other. FIG. 13 shows an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the radical supply unit 91. In the radical supply unit 91, a coaxial power supply coil 17A is arranged along the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical partition member 22A made of, for example, a quartz tube, and a coaxial catalytic coil 21A is arranged along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical partition member 22A. The coaxial power supply coil 17A and the coaxial catalytic coil 21A are each composed of a helical coaxial coil. The power supply coil 17 and the coaxial catalytic coil 21A are arranged coaxially along a central axis (not shown) set to extend in the vertical direction.

[0067] In the radical supply unit 91, the space inside the cylindrical partition member 22A is a flow path through which the process gas supplied to the upper surface side of the top plate 221 flows toward the radical supply space 5C on the lower side. By arranging the coaxial catalytic coil 21A in this flow path, the space inside the cylindrical partition member 22A also functions as a radical generation space 5B that generates radicals in the process gas. A frame body 35, which is a cylindrical framework member, is arranged along the outer periphery of the winding of the coaxial catalytic coil 21A in each radical generation space 5B. The frame body 35 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 351 for supporting the coaxial catalytic coil 21A, which are dotted in the winding direction of the coaxial catalytic coil 21A. In the radical supply unit 91 configured as described above, the frame body 35 plays the role of a catalyst mounting base on which the coaxial catalytic coil 21A is mounted. In addition, the multiple protrusions 351 provided on the frame portion 35 also function as restricting members that restrict the coaxial catalytic coil 21A from expanding in the axial direction and shifting from the position facing the coaxial power supply coil 17A when the temperature rises.

[0068] Third embodiment FIG. 14 shows an enlarged vertical cross-sectional side view of a radical treatment device 1p equipped with a radical supply mechanism 9p according to the third embodiment. Compared with the radical supply mechanism 9o according to the second embodiment, which is provided with a plurality of radical supply units 91, the radical supply mechanism 9p according to the third embodiment is provided with a set of a large coaxial power supply coil 17A and a coaxial catalytic coil 21A. In this embodiment, the coaxial power supply coil 17A is arranged along the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical partition member 22A, and the coaxial catalytic coil 21A is arranged along the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical partition member 22A. Furthermore, a cylindrical tubular member 24 is arranged inside the cylindrical partition member 22A, and the space between the cylindrical partition member 22A and the cylindrical member 24 corresponds to the radical generation space 5B according to this embodiment. A helical protruding wall portion 32 is formed on the outer circumferential wall surface of the cylindrical member 24, which protrudes toward the arrangement direction of the coaxial catalytic coil 21A and extends along the winding direction of the winding of the coaxial catalytic coil 21A. The protruding wall portion 32 serves as a catalyst mounting base on which the coaxial catalytic coil 21A is mounted, and also serves as a restricting member that restricts the coaxial catalytic coil 21A from extending in the axial direction and shifting from the position facing the coaxial power supply coil 17A when the temperature rises.

[0069] Furthermore, the cylindrical member 24 is formed with a plurality of radical supply holes 241 for passing radicals. In particular, in this embodiment, the plurality of radical supply holes 241 include those formed in the cylindrical member 24 in a region sandwiched between the spiral protruding wall portion 32 and in which the coaxial catalytic coil 21A is disposed. On the outlet side of the radical supply holes 241, a radical supply space 5C is formed as a radical circulation space in which the radicals flow in a direction along the wall surface of the cylindrical member 24. Furthermore, a gas dispersion plate 46 in which a plurality of radical circulation passages 61 are formed is disposed at the downstream end of the radical flow (the flow of the above-mentioned "radical mixed gas") in the radical supply space 5C.

[0070] (Fourth embodiment) Fig. 15 shows an enlarged vertical cross-sectional side view of a radical treatment device 1q including a radical supply mechanism 9q according to the fourth embodiment. Compared with the radical supply mechanism 9p according to the third embodiment described with reference to Fig. 14, the radical supply mechanism 9q according to the fourth embodiment has a configuration in which a coaxial power supply coil 17A is arranged along the inner peripheral surface of a cylindrical partition member 22A, and a coaxial catalytic coil 21A is arranged along the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical partition member 22A. Therefore, the cylindrical member 24 is arranged on the outer side of the cylindrical partition member 22A. The helical protruding wall portion 32 is formed on the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical member 24 so as to protrude toward the arrangement direction of the coaxial catalytic coil 21A and extend along the winding direction of the winding of the coaxial catalytic coil 21A.

[0071] Fifth embodiment Fig. 16 shows an enlarged vertical cross-sectional side view of a radical treatment device 1r equipped with a radical supply mechanism 9r according to the fifth embodiment. Compared with the radical supply mechanism 9q according to the fourth embodiment described with reference to Fig. 15, the radical supply mechanism 9r according to the fifth embodiment is configured to discharge the radicals (radical mixed gas) flowing in the radical generation space 5B toward the radical circulation space 5E provided at the downstream end side of the radical generation space 5B. Therefore, the cylindrical member 24 of this embodiment is not formed with the radical supply hole 241. A radical dispersion plate 25 is disposed on the lower surface of the radical circulation space 5E, and the radical mixed gas flows into the radical supply space 5C through a plurality of radical supply holes 251 formed in the radical dispersion plate 25.

[0072] In the radical supply mechanisms 9o to 9r according to the second to fifth embodiments described above with reference to Figures 12 to 16, a tubular coaxial catalytic coil 21A may be used based on the same concept as in the examples described with reference to Figures 7 to 9. Also, based on the same concept as in the examples described with reference to Figures 10 and 11, fins 212 may be provided on the coaxial catalytic coil 21A to increase the area of ​​the metal catalyst.

[0073] Here, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, it is not essential to provide the gas dispersion plate 46. The radical mixed gas flowing out from the radical generating space 5B may be directly supplied to the processing space 5D. In this case, the source gas may be supplied from, for example, a nozzle inserted into the processing space 5D.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the partition member 22 is made of a dielectric material such as quartz. However, the configuration of the partition member 22 is not limited to this, and the partition member 22 may contain a non-magnetic conductive metal such as aluminum. When the partition member 22 contains a metal, a dielectric film or a dielectric cover may be provided on the surface of the partition member 22 facing the radical generation space 5B in order to improve plasma resistance. Examples of the dielectric film include an anodized film or a sprayed ceramic film. Examples of the dielectric cover include those made of quartz or ceramics.

[0075] In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the protruding wall portion 32 has a spiral shape extending parallel to the winding direction of the catalytic coil 21, and the catalytic coil 21 is configured to be provided in a spiral recess surrounded by the support surface 31 and the inner surface 32a and the outer surface 32b of the protruding wall portion 32. However, the protruding wall portion 32 is not limited to being configured to extend along the winding direction of the catalytic coil 21. For example, the protruding wall portion 32 may be configured to have short protruding protruding walls 32 intermittently arranged along the winding direction of the catalytic coil 21. If such protruding protruding walls 32 are arranged along at least the outermost circumference of the winding of the catalytic coil 21, the displacement of the entire catalytic coil 21 due to temperature changes can be suppressed. Furthermore, by increasing the number of protruding protruding walls 32 arranged along the winding direction of the catalytic coil 21, the positional deviation can be effectively suppressed.

[0076] The substrate processing mechanism 11 in each of the above-mentioned embodiments has been described as forming a film on the substrate W by the ALD method in which a source gas and radicals of a processing gas are alternately supplied, but the film formation method is not limited to this example. For example, a film may be formed by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method in which radicals generated in the radical generation space 5B and a source gas are continuously supplied and reacted with each other in the processing space 5D. In addition, a configuration may be adopted in which a film formed on the substrate W is reacted with radicals of a processing gas to perform a modification process for modifying the film, or other types of processing. In addition, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, an example has been described in which the radical processing device 1 is integrated with a radical supply device including a radical supply mechanism 9. This example is not limiting, and the radical supply mechanism 9 and the substrate processing mechanism 11 may be configured as separate entities.

[0077] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, modified, or combined in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] W substrate 5. Cabinet 5A Power Supply Space 5B Radical generation space 5D Processing Space 9. Radical supply mechanism 16 Processing gas supply mechanism 17 Power Coil 21 Catalytic coil 22 Partition material 23 Catalyst mounting stand 26 High frequency power supply 28 Variable Capacitor 32 Projection wall section

Claims

1. 1. A radical supply device for supplying radicals of a processing gas for processing a substrate, comprising: a housing the inside of which is divided into a radical generation space and a power supply space via a partition member that is transparent to electromagnetic waves; a power supply coil provided in the power supply space, one end of which is connected to a high-frequency power supply and the other end of which is grounded or grounded via a capacitor; a processing gas supply mechanism for supplying the processing gas to the radical generation space; a catalytic coil that is provided in the radical generation space at a position facing the power supply coil and that acts as a metal catalyst by being heated when power is supplied from the power supply coil through non-contact power supply; a catalyst mounting table provided in the radical generation space, on which the catalyst coil is mounted, and having a restricting member for restricting the catalyst coil, which is thermally expanded due to a temperature rise, from shifting from a position facing the power supply coil; Equipped with a radical supply device that brings the processing gas into contact with the heated catalyst coil to generate radicals in the processing gas and supplies the radicals to a space where the substrate is processed.

2. 2. The radical supply device according to claim 1, wherein the windings of the catalytic coil are non-contact powered by electromagnetic resonance between the power supply coil and the catalytic coil.

3. The power supply coil and the catalytic coil are arranged in parallel to each other and have a spiral planar shape, the catalyst mounting base is a support plate having a support surface for supporting the catalyst coil, 2. The radical supply device according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member is a spiral protruding wall portion that protrudes from the support surface and is formed so as to extend along a winding direction of the catalytic coil.

4. The radical supply device according to claim 3 , wherein the support plate is formed with a plurality of radical supply holes for supplying the radicals toward a space in which the substrate is placed.

5. 5. The radical supply device according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of radical supply holes include holes formed in the support plate in a region sandwiched by the spiral protruding wall portion and in which the catalytic coil is disposed.

6. The power supply coil and the catalytic coil are arranged coaxially with each other, and the respective windings are arranged coaxially, the catalyst mounting base is a helical protruding wall portion that protrudes from a wall surface of a cylindrical member that is disposed on the inner circumferential surface side or the outer circumferential surface side of the catalyst coil toward the arrangement direction of the catalyst coil and is formed so as to extend along the winding direction of the catalyst coil, The radical supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the protruding wall portion also functions as the regulating member.

7. a plurality of radical supply holes for passing the radicals are formed in the cylindrical member; 7. The radical supply device according to claim 6, wherein a radical circulation space in which the radicals flow in a direction along a wall surface of the cylindrical member is formed on the outlet side of the radical supply hole, and a gas dispersion plate in which a plurality of radical flow passages are formed is disposed at a downstream end of the radical flow in the radical circulation space.

8. 8. The radical supply device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of radical supply holes include holes that are sandwiched by the spiral ridge wall portion and are formed in the cylindrical member in a region in which the catalytic coil is disposed.

9. The radical supply device according to claim 3 or 6, wherein a plurality of communication holes are formed on a side surface of the protruding wall portion.

10. The power supply coil and the catalytic coil are configured as helical coaxial coils arranged coaxially with each other, the radical generation space is formed inside the partition member which is configured in a cylindrical shape, the catalyst mounting base is a frame portion that is disposed along the catalyst coil and has a plurality of protrusions for supporting the catalyst coil, the protrusions being provided so as to be scattered in a winding direction of the catalyst coil; The radical supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of protrusions also function as the regulating members.

11. The catalytic coil is formed in a tube shape having a plurality of openings on a side wall surface, the process gas supply mechanism supplies the process gas toward an internal space of the tubular catalytic coil; 2. The radical supply device according to claim 1, wherein radicals of the processing gas are generated by contacting the processing gas with an inner wall surface of the catalytic coil in the internal space, or by contacting unreacted processing gas that has flowed from the internal space into the radical generation space through the opening with an outer wall surface of the catalytic coil.

12. 2. The radical supply device according to claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the catalytic coil is provided with a plurality of fins that act as metal catalysts.

13. The radical supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and 10 to 12; a processing vessel including a processing space to which radicals are supplied from the radical generation space and which includes a substrate placement stage on which the substrate is placed; Equipped with a radical processing apparatus for processing the substrate by supplying radicals from the processing gas generated in the radical supply apparatus to the processing space;

14. a gas dispersion plate provided so as to separate the radical generation space from the processing space, The radical treatment apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the gas dispersion plate has a plurality of radical flow passages which communicate with the radical generation space and have downstream ends which open in a distributed manner into the treatment space.

15. a source gas supply mechanism for supplying a source gas containing a film source for forming a film on the substrate by reacting with the radicals to the processing space, The radical processing apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the source gas is supplied to the processing space and reacted with the radicals to form a film on the substrate.

16. a gas dispersion plate provided so as to separate the radical generation space from the processing space, 16. The radical treatment apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the gas dispersion plate comprises: a plurality of radical flow passages each connected to the radical generation space and having a downstream end opening into the processing space; and a raw material gas flow passage formed away from the radical flow passages, having a downstream end opening into the processing space, and through which the raw material gas flows from the raw material gas supply mechanism.

17. 1. A method for generating radicals in a process gas for processing a substrate, comprising: a step of supplying power from a high frequency power supply circuit to a power supply coil provided in a power supply space in a housing, one end of which is connected to a high frequency power supply and the other end of which is grounded or grounded via a capacitor, and supplying power by non-contact power supply to a catalyst coil provided in a radical generation space in the housing that faces the power supply space via a partition member, thereby raising the temperature; supplying the processing gas from a processing gas supply mechanism to the radical generation space and bringing the processing gas into contact with the catalyst coil that acts as a metal catalyst due to the temperature increase to generate the radicals; and a step of using a regulating member provided in the radical generation space and on which the catalytic coil is placed to regulate the catalytic coil, which has thermally expanded due to the temperature rise, from shifting from a position facing the power supply coil.

18. 1. A method for treating a substrate with radicals from a process gas, comprising the steps of: a step of placing the substrate on a substrate mounting stage in a processing space within a processing vessel including the substrate mounting stage; 20. A substrate processing method comprising: a step of supplying the radicals of the processing gas generated by the radical generating method according to claim 17 to the processing space to process the substrate.

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