Material monitoring system, processing device, manufacturing method for semiconductor device, and program

Abstract

To provide a technology for stably supplying a gaseous material to a processing space.SOLUTION: A material monitoring system includes multiple containers configured to store materials, a flow controller that controls the flow rate of the materials supplied to a processing space where a processing target is arranged by adjusting the opening degree of a control valve, multiple pipes that are respectively connected between the flow controller and the multiple containers, multiple opening / closing valves each provided in each of the multiple pipes, and a control unit configured to supply the material from one of the multiple containers to the processing space via the flow controller when the opening degree of the control valve of the flow controller does not reach a preset threshold value and to supply the material from two or more of the multiple containers to the processing space via the flow controller while setting an opening / closing valve provided between another container than the one container and the flow controller to an opening state when the opening degree of the control valve of the flow controller reaches the threshold value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, as an example of a substrate processing apparatus, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device is known. For example, a substrate processing is performed in which a processing gas is supplied into a reaction tube and a substrate (hereinafter also referred to as a "wafer") is processed under a predetermined processing condition. In recent years, various processing gases such as a gas obtained by vaporizing a liquid or a gas obtained by sublimating a solid are used as the processing gas. Due to the recent miniaturization of devices, for example, in Patent Document 1, a stable supply of processing gas is performed by switching between multiple containers. In this case, the supply of processing gas is interrupted when switching between containers, and the processing gas may not be stably supplied to the processing chamber. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 181603 Brochure Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides techniques for steadily supplying gaseous materials to a processing space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a plurality of containers configured to be capable of storing materials; a flow rate controller that adjusts an opening degree of a control valve to control a flow rate of the material to be supplied to a treatment space in which a treatment object is disposed; A plurality of pipes respectively communicating between the flow rate controller and the plurality of containers; A plurality of on-off valves provided in the plurality of pipes, respectively; and a control unit configured to supply the material from one of the multiple containers via the flow controller to the processing space when the opening degree of the control valve in the flow controller does not reach a preset threshold, and to open an on-off valve provided between the flow controller and another container other than the one container, so that the material can be supplied to the processing space from two or more of the multiple containers via the flow controller when the opening degree of the control valve of the flow controller reaches the threshold. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, a gaseous material can be stably supplied to a processing space. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a controller of the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, showing a control system of the controller in a block diagram. [Figure 4] 1 is a flow chart of a substrate processing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a raw material monitoring system of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6(A) is a diagram showing a state at the start of the supply of the source gas, FIG. 6(B) is a diagram showing a state when the remaining amount in the source gas container 270A decreases from the state of FIG. 6(A) and the opening degree of the control valve of the MFC 241a exceeds a threshold value, and FIG. 6(C) is a diagram showing a state when a predetermined time has passed from the state of FIG. 6(B). [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining flow rate control of a raw material monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining flow rate control of a raw material monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Note that all of the drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional relationships of the elements, the ratios of the elements, and the like shown in the drawings do not necessarily match the actual ones. Furthermore, the dimensional relationships of the elements, the ratios of the elements, and the like between multiple drawings do not necessarily match each other.

[0009] (1) Configuration of the substrate processing device 1, the process furnace 202 has a heater 207 as a heating system (temperature adjustment unit). The heater 207 has a cylindrical shape. The heater 207 also functions as an activation mechanism (excitation unit) that activates (excites) gas by heat.

[0010] A reaction tube 203 is disposed concentrically with the heater 207 inside the heater 207. The reaction tube 203 is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz (SiO2) or silicon carbide (SiC) and is formed in a cylindrical shape with a closed upper end and an open lower end. A manifold 209 is disposed concentrically with the reaction tube 203 below the reaction tube 203. The manifold 209 is made of a metal such as stainless steel (SUS) and is formed in a cylindrical shape with an open upper end and a closed lower end. The upper end of the manifold 209 engages with the lower end of the reaction tube 203 and is configured to support the reaction tube 203. An O-ring 220a is provided between the manifold 209 and the reaction tube 203 as a seal member. The reaction tube 203 is installed vertically like the heater 207. The reaction tube 203 and the manifold 209 mainly constitute a processing vessel (reaction vessel). A processing chamber 201 is formed in a cylindrical hollow portion of the processing vessel. The processing chamber 201 is configured to be capable of accommodating a plurality of wafers 200 as substrates.

[0011] Nozzles 249a and 249b are provided in the processing chamber 201 so as to penetrate a sidewall of the manifold 209. Gas supply pipes (pipes) 232a and 232b are connected to the nozzles 249a and 249b, respectively.

[0012] Two raw material containers 270A and 270B configured to store raw materials (materials) are connected to the gas supply pipe 232a via valves 243e and 243f, respectively. Therefore, the gas supply pipe 232a is provided with, in order from the upstream side, two raw material containers 270A and 270B, valves 243e and 243f which are on-off valves, a mass flow controller (MFC) 241a which is a flow rate controller (flow rate control section), and a valve 243a. The gas supply pipe 232b is provided with, in order from the upstream side, a mass flow controller (MFC) 241b and a valve 243b which is an on-off valve. Furthermore, gas supply pipes 232c and 232d which supply inert gas are connected to the downstream side of the valves 243a and 243b of the gas supply pipes 232a and 232b, respectively. The gas supply pipes 232c and 232d are provided with, in this order from the upstream side, MFCs 241c and 241d and valves 243c and 243d, respectively.

[0013] The MFC 241a adjusts the opening of a control valve to control the flow rate of the source gas supplied to the processing chamber 201, which is a processing space in which the wafer 200 to be processed is disposed. Furthermore, two pipes are provided between the MFC 241a and the two source containers 270A and 270B, respectively, to communicate between the MFC 241a and the two source containers 270A and 270B. Two valves 243e and 243f, which are opening and closing valves, are provided on the two pipes, respectively.

[0014] 2, the nozzles 249a and 249b are provided in a circular space between the inner wall of the reaction tube 203 and the wafers 200 in a plan view, along the inner wall of the reaction tube 203 from the lower part to the upper part, so as to rise upward in the loading direction of the wafers 200. Gas supply holes 250a and 250b for supplying gas as a material are provided on the side of the nozzles 249a and 249b. The gas supply holes 250a and 250b are each opened to face the center of the reaction tube 203, so that gas can be supplied toward the wafers 200. A plurality of gas supply holes 250a and 250b are provided from the lower part to the upper part of the reaction tube 203.

[0015] From the gas supply pipe 232a, raw material gases are supplied from the raw material containers 270A and 270B through the valves 243e and 243f into the processing chamber 201 via the MFC 241a, the valve 243a, and the nozzle 249a.

[0016] A reactive gas (material), such as a nitrogen-containing gas, which reacts with the source gas, is supplied from the gas supply pipe 232b through the MFC 241b, the valve 243b, and the nozzle 249b into the processing chamber 201. A reducing gas can be used as the reactive gas.

[0017] An inert gas is supplied from the gas supply pipes 232c and 232d into the processing chamber 201 via the MFCs 241c and 241d, the valves 243c and 243d, the gas supply pipes 232a and 232b, and the nozzles 249a and 249b.

[0018] A raw material gas supply system is mainly composed of the raw material containers 270A and 270B, the valves 243e and 243f, the gas supply pipe 232a, the MFC 241a, and the valve 243a. A reactive gas supply system is mainly composed of the gas supply pipe 232b, the MFC 241b, and the valve 243b. The raw material gas supply system and the reactive gas supply system can be collectively referred to as a gas supply system. An inert gas supply system is mainly composed of the gas supply pipes 232c and 232d, the MFCs 241c and 241d, and the valves 243c and 243d. The inert gas supply system may be included in the gas supply system. The reactive gas supply system can also be referred to as a reducing gas supply system.

[0019] Any or all of the various supply systems described above may be configured as an integrated supply system 248 in which the valves 243a-243f, MFCs 241a-241d, etc. are integrated. The integrated supply system 248 is connected to the gas supply pipes 232a-232d, respectively, and configured such that the supply operation of various gases into the gas supply pipes 232a-232d, that is, the opening and closing operation of the valves 243a-243d and the flow rate adjustment operation by the MFCs 241a-241d, are controlled by a controller 121, which will be described later.

[0020] The reaction tube 203 is provided with an exhaust pipe 231 for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber 201. A vacuum pump 246 as a vacuum exhaust device is connected to the exhaust pipe 231 via a pressure sensor 245 as a pressure detector (pressure detection unit) for detecting the pressure in the processing chamber 201 and an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve 244 as a pressure regulator (pressure adjustment unit). The APC valve 244 can evacuate and stop the evacuation of the processing chamber 201 by opening and closing the valve while the vacuum pump 246 is in operation, and further, can adjust the pressure in the processing chamber 201 by adjusting the valve opening based on pressure information detected by the pressure sensor 245 while the vacuum pump 246 is in operation. An exhaust system is mainly configured by the exhaust pipe 231, the APC valve 244, and the pressure sensor 245. The vacuum pump 246 may be included in the exhaust system.

[0021] Below the manifold 209, a seal cap 219 is provided as a furnace port cover body capable of airtightly closing the lower end opening of the manifold 209. The seal cap 219 is made of a metal such as SUS and is formed in a disk shape. An O-ring 220b is provided on the upper surface of the seal cap 219 as a seal member that abuts against the lower end of the manifold 209. Below the seal cap 219, a rotation mechanism 267 is provided for rotating the boat 217 described later. A rotation shaft 255 of the rotation mechanism 267 is connected to the boat 217 through the seal cap 219. The rotation mechanism 267 is configured to rotate the wafers 200 by rotating the boat 217. The seal cap 219 is configured to be raised and lowered in the vertical direction by a boat elevator 115 as a lifting mechanism installed outside the reaction tube 203. The boat elevator 115 is configured to be able to load and unload the boat 217 into and out of the processing chamber 201 by lifting and lowering the seal cap 219. The boat elevator 115 is configured as a transfer device (transfer mechanism) that transfers the boat 217, that is, the wafers 200, into and out of the processing chamber 201.

[0022] The boat 217 as a substrate support is configured to arrange a plurality of wafers 200, for example 25 to 200, in a horizontal position with their centers aligned and spaced apart. The boat 217 is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or SiC. At the bottom of the boat 217, heat insulating plates 218 made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or SiC are supported in multiple stages. In this specification, a numerical range such as "25 to 200 sheets" means that the lower limit and the upper limit are included in the range. Thus, for example, "25 to 200 sheets" means "25 sheets or more and 200 sheets or less". The same applies to other numerical ranges.

[0023] A temperature sensor 263 serving as a temperature detector is installed inside the reaction tube 203. By adjusting the power supply to the heater 207 based on temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 263, the temperature inside the processing chamber 201 can have a desired temperature distribution. The temperature sensor 263 is configured in an L-shape and is installed along the inner wall of the reaction tube 203.

[0024] (Raw material container) Each of the source containers 270A and 270B includes a heating unit such as a heater for heating the stored source materials such as liquid source materials and solid source materials. Here, the liquid source materials are sources that exist as liquid at normal temperature and normal pressure, and the solid source materials are sources that exist as solid at normal temperature and normal pressure. The controller 121 is configured to be able to control the temperatures of the two source containers 270A and 270B to temperatures equal to or higher than the vaporization temperature of the source materials in the two source containers 270A and 270B by heating the heating units. The gaseous source gases that are generated by phase change through such control are supplied to the processing chamber 201 via the valves 243e and 243f, the MFC 241a, the valve 243a, and the nozzle 249a.

[0025] The source containers 270A and 270B are configured as source tanks that accommodate solid source materials. In this case, the solid source material arranged in the source containers 270A and 270B, which are source tanks, is heated by the heating unit and sublimated, and is supplied to the processing chamber 201 as a gaseous source gas. When a liquid source material is used, the source containers 270A and 270B are configured as vaporizers. In this case, the source containers 270A and 270B are heated by the heating unit, so that the accommodated liquid source material is vaporized, and the gaseous source gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201. In addition, the processing gas also includes a gas in which an inert gas as a carrier gas or an adjustment gas is mixed with the source gas. Although not specifically described, the source material accommodated in the source containers 270A and 270B also includes a source gas that is gaseous at room temperature.

[0026] (Flow Controller) Next, the configuration of the MFC 241a shown in FIG. 1 will be described. An MFC consists of a flow sensor section and a flow control section. Based on the difference in the flow sensor section, MFCs are generally broadly divided into "thermal MFCs" and "pressure MFCs." Thermal MFCs convert the temperature change caused by the flow of fluid in the sensor section into a mass flow rate, while pressure MFCs convert the pressure difference caused by the flow of fluid in the sensor section into a mass flow rate. The mass flow rate calculated in this way is compared with the set flow rate set by the user, and the opening of the valve (control valve) is adjusted by feedback control such as PID control to achieve the set flow rate.

[0027] In addition, the MFC (flow control unit) may be equipped with a function to output the valve opening as an electrical signal to the outside during this flow control. This valve opening signal is input to the controller as an electrical signal such as a voltage signal, and a calculation is performed to convert the electrical signal into opening (%), allowing the opening to be grasped.

[0028] Next, the controller 121, which is a control unit (control means), will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the controller 121, which is a control unit (control means), is configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 121a, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 121b, a storage device 121c, and an I / O port 121d. The RAM 121b, the storage device 121c, and the I / O port 121d are configured to be able to exchange data with the CPU 121a via an internal bus 121e. An input / output device 122, which is configured as, for example, a touch panel, is connected to the controller 121.

[0029] The storage device 121c is composed of, for example, a flash memory, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. A control program for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100, a process recipe in which procedures and conditions of the substrate processing described later are described, etc. are readably stored in the storage device 121c. The process recipe is a combination of procedures in the substrate processing described later that are executed by the controller 121 to obtain a predetermined result, and functions as a program. Hereinafter, the process recipe, the control program, etc. are collectively referred to simply as a program. In addition, the process recipe is also simply referred to as a recipe. In this specification, when the word program is used, it may include only a recipe, only a control program, or both. The RAM 121b is configured as a memory area (work area) in which the programs, data, etc. read by the CPU 121a are temporarily stored.

[0030] The I / O port 121d is connected to the above-mentioned MFCs 241a to 241d, the valves 243a to 243f, the pressure sensor 245, the APC valve 244, the vacuum pump 246, the heater 207, the temperature sensor 263, the rotation mechanism 267, the boat elevator 115, and the like.

[0031] The CPU 121a is configured to read and execute a control program from the storage device 121c, and to read a recipe from the storage device 121c in response to an input of an operation command from the input / output device 122, etc. The CPU 121a is configured to control the flow rate adjustment operation of various gases by the MFCs 241a to 241d, the opening and closing operations of the valves 243a to 243f, the opening and closing operation of the APC valve 244 and the pressure adjustment operation by the APC valve 244 based on the pressure sensor 245, the start and stop of the vacuum pump 246, the temperature adjustment operation of the heater 207 based on the temperature sensor 263, the rotation and rotation speed adjustment operation of the boat 217 by the rotation mechanism 267, the lifting and lowering operation of the boat 217 by the boat elevator 115, etc., in accordance with the contents of the read recipe.

[0032] The controller 121 can be configured by installing the above-mentioned program stored in an external storage device (for example, a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, an optical disk such as a CD, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO, or a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory) 123 into a computer. The storage device 121c and the external storage device 123 are configured as computer-readable recording media on which the program is recorded. Hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as recording media. When the term recording media is used in this specification, it may include only the storage device 121c alone, only the external storage device 123 alone, or both of them. The program may be provided to the computer using a communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line without using the external storage device 123. Furthermore, the controller 121 is provided with a receiving unit 124 connected to the higher-level device 75 via a network. The receiving unit 124 is capable of receiving information of other devices from the higher-level device 75.

[0033] <Substrate processing method> Next, a substrate processing method using the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 4. Here, as an example of a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a cycle process in which a source gas (raw material gas) and a reactant gas (reaction gas) are alternately supplied to a processing chamber 201 to perform processing will be described. In this embodiment, an example in which a film is formed on a wafer 200 will be described.

[0034] The term "wafer" used in this specification may mean the wafer itself or a laminate of the wafer and a predetermined layer or film formed on its surface. The term "surface of a wafer" used in this specification may mean the surface of the wafer itself or the surface of a predetermined layer or the like formed on the wafer. When described in this specification, "forming a predetermined layer on a wafer" may mean forming a predetermined layer directly on the surface of the wafer itself or forming a predetermined layer on a layer or the like formed on the wafer. When used in this specification, the term "substrate" is synonymous with the term "wafer".

[0035] In the process of this embodiment, a film is formed on the wafer 200 by performing a cycle of non-simultaneously a predetermined number of times (one or more times) of the following steps: a process of supplying a raw material gas to the wafer 200 in the process chamber 201 (film formation process 1: step S3), a process of purging the raw material gas (residual gas) from the process chamber 201 (film formation process 2: step S4), a process of supplying a reactive gas to the wafer 200 in the process chamber 201 (film formation process 3: step S5), and a process of purging the reactive gas (residual gas) from the process chamber 201 (film formation process 4: step S6).

[0036] First, as described above, the wafers 200 are loaded into the boat 217 and loaded into the processing chamber 201 (step S1). At this time, after the boat 217 is loaded into the processing chamber 201, the pressure and temperature inside the processing chamber 201 are adjusted (step S2). Next, four steps of film formation processes 1 to 4 are executed in sequence. Each step will be described in detail below.

[0037] (Film forming process 1) In the film formation process 1, first, a source gas is adsorbed onto the surface of the wafer 200. Specifically, in a source gas supply system (source gas supply line), the valve 243a is opened, and the source gas whose flow rate is controlled by the MFC 241a is supplied to the processing chamber 201.

[0038] (Film formation process 2) Next, in the film forming process 2, the valve 243a of the source gas supply system and the valve 243c of the inert gas supply system are closed to stop the supply of the source gas and the inert gas. The APC valve 244 of the exhaust pipe 231 is left open, and the process furnace 202 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 246 so that the pressure therein is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, thereby removing the remaining source gas from the process chamber 201. If an inert gas such as N2 is supplied to the process furnace 202 at this time, the effect of removing the remaining source gas is further enhanced.

[0039] (Film forming process 3) In the film forming process 3, a reactive gas and an inert gas are flowed into the processing chamber 201. First, the valve 243b provided on the gas supply pipe 232b and the valve 243d provided on the gas supply pipe 232d are both opened, and the reactive gas whose flow rate is adjusted by the MFC 241b from the gas supply pipe 232d and the inert gas whose flow rate is adjusted by the MFC 241d from the gas supply pipe 232d are mixed, and the mixed gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 from the gas supply hole 250b of the nozzle 249b while being exhausted from the exhaust pipe 231. By supplying the reactive gas, the film on the base film of the wafer 200 reacts with the reactive gas, and a predetermined film is formed on the wafer 2001.

[0040] (Film forming process 4) In the film formation process 4, after a film is formed on the wafer 200, the valves 243b and 243d are closed, and the process chamber 201 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 246 as an exhaust device to remove the reaction gas remaining after the film formation. If an inert gas such as N2 is supplied to the process chamber 201 at this time, the effect of removing the remaining reaction gas from the process chamber 201 is further enhanced.

[0041] The above-described film formation steps 1 to 4 constitute one cycle, and in step S7, the cycle of film formation steps 1 to 4 is performed a predetermined number of times to form a film with a predetermined thickness on the wafer 200. In this embodiment, the film formation steps 1 to 4 are repeated multiple times.

[0042] After the above-mentioned film formation process is completed, in step S8, the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is returned to normal pressure (atmospheric pressure). Specifically, for example, an inert gas such as N2 gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 and exhausted. As a result, the processing chamber 201 is purged with the inert gas, and gas remaining in the processing chamber 201 is removed from the processing chamber 201 (inert gas purge). Thereafter, the atmosphere in the processing chamber 201 is replaced with an inert gas (inert gas replacement), and the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is returned to normal pressure (atmospheric pressure). Then, in step S9, the wafer 200 is unloaded from the processing chamber 201, and the substrate processing according to this embodiment is completed.

[0043] Next, the configuration of the raw material monitoring system in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows the system configuration of the raw material monitoring system in this embodiment.

[0044] If the source gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 from only one source container, when the source gas in the source container runs out, it is necessary to replace the source container with another source container filled with the source gas. However, the supply of the source gas to the processing chamber 201 is interrupted during the source container replacement. Furthermore, if a shortage of the source gas occurs at an unexpected timing, it will hinder the film formation process and cause film formation defects.

[0045] Therefore, two raw material containers 270A and 270B are connected to the gas supply pipe 232a. Between the raw material container 270A and the MFC 241a, and between the raw material container 270B and the MFC 241a, there are provided connectors 271 and 272 for isolating the raw material containers 270A and 270B from the raw material gas supply system. By releasing the connectors 271 and 272, the raw material containers 270A and 270B can be separated from the raw material gas supply system. Therefore, when the raw material container 270A is empty, the connector 271 can be released with the valve 243e closed, and the empty raw material container 270A can be separated and replaced while the raw material container 270B is supplying raw material gas. The connectors 271 and 272 are omitted in FIG. 1 and are not shown.

[0046] In this embodiment, the source gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 from the two source containers 270A and 270B, but the number of source containers may be three or more.

[0047] Furthermore, even when two source gas containers 270A and 270B are used to supply source gas to the processing chamber 201, the supply of processing gas will be interrupted if the supply of source gas from one source container is started after the other source container becomes empty. In a configuration in which the MFC 241a supplies a predetermined flow rate of source gas controlled by the flow rate control to the processing chamber 201, the opening of the control valve of the MFC 241a increases as the remaining amount of source gas in the source container decreases.

[0048] Therefore, in this embodiment, the opening information of the control valve in the MFC 241a is taken into the controller 121 as a control valve opening signal. The controller 121 acquires information indicating the opening of the control valve from the opening information, compares a preset threshold with the opening of the control valve acquired from the opening information, and when it determines that the opening of the control valve has reached the threshold, it determines that the remaining amount of source gas in one of the raw material containers has fallen below a predetermined amount and will be insufficient in the near future, notifies this on the display unit 122a, and starts supplying source gas from the other raw material container.

[0049] The display screen displayed on the display unit 122a is an example of a display screen displayed on the input / output device 122 shown in Fig. 3. Furthermore, such a display screen may be displayed on the higher-level device 75 shown in Fig. 3.

[0050] Specifically, when the opening degree of the control valve in MFC 241a does not reach a preset threshold value, the controller 121 causes the raw material gas to be supplied from one of the two raw material containers 270A, 270B via MFC 241a to the processing chamber 201, which is the processing space.

[0051] Then, when the aperture of the control valve of MFC 241a reaches a threshold value, the controller 121 opens valve 243e or valve 243f provided between MFC 241a and another source container different from the one source container that has been supplying the source gas, and supplies the source gas from one of the two source containers through MFC 241a to the processing chamber 201. When three or more source containers are used, the controller 121 controls so that the source gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 from two or more of the multiple source containers.

[0052] In this embodiment, even if the remaining amount of source gas in one source container becomes low, the source gas in the other source container is simultaneously supplied to the processing chamber 201 in which the wafer 200 to be processed is placed. Then, the source container that has become empty can be replaced while the source gas is supplied from the source container with the most remaining amount to the processing chamber 201. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the supply of source gas from becoming unstable, such as when the supply of source gas is interrupted. Furthermore, since the source gas can be supplied stably, the processing of the substrate can be continued.

[0053] Here, the threshold value is set to an aperture that allows the MFC 241a to supply the raw material gas at a set flow rate to the processing chamber 201 when raw material gas is supplied from one of the two raw material containers 270A, 270B. For example, when the remaining amount of raw material gas in the raw material container becomes small and the aperture value of the control valve increases and exceeds 90%, the set flow rate cannot be maintained for a predetermined period of time, for example, the aperture threshold value is set to a value such as 80% or 85%.

[0054] Alternatively, the threshold value may be set to the opening degree of the control valve at a time between a dozen seconds to a few tens of seconds before the opening degree of the control valve reaches its maximum value of 100% when raw material gas is supplied to the MFC 241a from one of the two raw material containers 270A, 270B.

[0055] Furthermore, the above threshold value may be set to the opening degree of the control valve in a state before the amount of decrease per unit time in the pressure inside the raw material container supplying the raw material gas to the MFC 241a becomes equal to or greater than a preset value when raw material gas is supplied from one of the two raw material containers 270A, 270B to the MFC 241a.

[0056] By setting the threshold value as described above, the threshold value for comparison with the opening degree of the control valve is set based on data acquired when raw material gas is actually supplied from one raw material container, so that the raw material gas can be supplied to the processing chamber 201 stably and continuously.

[0057] Furthermore, when the degree of opening of the control valve of the MFC 241a reaches the threshold value, the controller 121 notifies the user by displaying on the display unit that the degree of opening of the control valve of the MFC 241a has reached the threshold value.

[0058] In this way, by configuring the device to notify the user that the opening degree of the control valve of MFC241a has reached a threshold value, the user can understand that the amount of source gas remaining in the source container is low and maintenance such as replacement is necessary.

[0059] Furthermore, the controller 121 may be configured to notify, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the aperture of the control valve of MFC 241a reaches a threshold value, that it is time to replace the raw material container that has been supplying raw material gas to MFC 241a when the aperture of the control valve of MFC 241a, one of the two raw material containers 270A, 270B, reaches a threshold value.

[0060] With this configuration, the user can know when to replace the source gas container, so that the source gas supply instability is eliminated and the source gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 stably and continuously.

[0061] The substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment may be further provided with a display unit that displays that the opening degree of the control valve of the MFC 241a has reached a threshold value. An example of a display screen displayed on the display unit is shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, an example of a display screen that prompts replacement of the raw material container is shown on the display unit 122a.

[0062] With this configuration, the display unit displays a message to notify the user that the opening degree of the control valve of MFC241a has exceeded the threshold value, so that the user can understand that maintenance such as replacement of the raw material container is required simply by looking at the display screen on the display unit.

[0063] As shown in Fig. 5, the two raw material containers 270A, 270B are connected to the piping between the MFC 241a and the raw material container 270A, 270B via the connecting parts 271, 272, respectively. The controller 121 determines that the raw material container that supplied raw material gas to the MFC 241a when the opening degree of the control valve of the two raw material containers 270A, 270B reached the threshold value is an empty container in which the raw material gas has become equal to or less than a predetermined amount. The controller 121 closes the valve (either the valve 243e or the valve 243f) between the empty container and the MFC 241a, making the empty container removable.

[0064] Furthermore, after the opening degree of the control valve of the MFC 241a reaches the threshold value, the controller 121 closes the valve (either the valve 243e or the valve 243f) between the empty container and the MFC 241a during the period when the raw material gas is not being supplied from the MFC 241a to the processing chamber 201.

[0065] Alternatively, after the opening degree of the control valve of the MFC 241a reaches the threshold value, the controller 121 closes the valve (either the valve 243e or the valve 243f) between the empty container and the MFC 241a at the end of a predetermined raw material supply process.

[0066] With this configuration, the supply of the source gas and the replacement of the source container can be performed in parallel, which makes it possible to prevent a state in which the supply of the source gas to the processing chamber 201 becomes unstable, such as an interruption in the supply of the source gas to the processing chamber 201, and allows the source gas to be stably and continuously supplied to the processing chamber 201.

[0067] As described above, each of the two raw material containers 270A, 270B includes a heating unit for heating the contained raw material. The controller 121 is configured to be able to control the temperature of the two raw material containers 270A, 270B to a temperature equal to or higher than the vaporization temperature of the raw material in each of the two raw material containers 270A, 270B by heating the heating unit.

[0068] Furthermore, a heating mechanism for heating a source gas supply system including multiple pipes between the two source containers 270A and 270B and the MFC 241a, the MFC 241a, and the valves 243e and 243f may be further provided. The heating mechanism is temperature controlled so as to heat the source gas supply system to a temperature equal to or higher than the vaporization temperature of the source gas.

[0069] With this configuration, the raw material gas is maintained at the vaporization temperature in the raw material gas supply system that supplies the raw material gas to the processing chamber 201, so that the raw material gas re-solidifies (re-liquefies) and adheres to the piping, thereby suppressing the generation of particles caused by the accumulation of adhesions.

[0070] Furthermore, the controller 121 is configured to be able to open the APC valve 244 provided in the exhaust pipe 231, which is the piping on the exhaust side of the processing chamber 201, even while the raw material gas is being supplied to the processing chamber 201.

[0071] Next, the operation of the raw material monitoring system in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0072] Fig. 6(A) is a diagram showing a state at the start of supply of the source gas. In Fig. 6(A), the valve 243e is open, the valve 243f is closed, and the source gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 only from the source container 270A via the MFC 241a. In Fig. 6(A), the source container 270B is full. It is not necessary for the source container 270B to be full at this point, and there is no problem if the source container 270B is full or filled to a sufficient amount before the source container 270A is replaced.

[0073] 6(B) is a diagram showing a state in which the remaining amount in the source container 270A decreases from the state in FIG. 6(A) and the opening degree of the control valve of the MFC 241a exceeds the threshold. When the opening degree of the control valve exceeds the threshold, the controller 121 changes the valve 243f from the closed state to the open state. Therefore, the supply of source gas also starts from the source container 270B, and in this state, the source gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 simultaneously from the two source containers 270A and 270B. At this point in time, the remaining amount in the source container 270A is maintained to a certain extent, and the set flow rate is maintained in the MFC 241a even before the valve 243f is opened.

[0074] Fig. 6(C) is a diagram showing a state when a predetermined time has passed from the state of Fig. 6(B). In Fig. 6(C), the controller 121 changes the valve 243e from an open state to a closed state. Therefore, the source gas is supplied to the processing chamber 201 only from the source container 270B. At this point, the remaining amount of source gas in the source container 270A is almost zero, and it can be seen that the source container 270A is empty. This empty source container 270A is waiting to be replaced, and will be replaced with a full source container in parallel with the supply of source gas from the source container 270B.

[0075] 6(A) to 6(C) are repeated, so that one of the two source material containers 270A, 270B starts to supply source gas, and when that source material container is nearly empty, the other source material container also starts to supply source gas. Then, when the valve of one source material container is closed and replaced with a full source material container, the same transition is repeated. As a result, the supply of processing gas to the processing chamber 201 is continued without interruption.

[0076] Next, flow rate control in the raw material monitoring system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0077] First, FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the flow rate of the source gas and the sensitivity of the control valve of the MFC 241a when the remaining amount of the source gas in the source container 270A is sufficient.

[0078] 7, in the upper graph, the vertical axis represents the flow rate of the raw material gas, and the horizontal axis represents time, while in the lower graph, the vertical axis represents the opening degree of the control valve of MFC241a, and the horizontal axis represents time.

[0079] Here, the set flow rate is a flow rate controlled by the MFC 241a and is a flow rate that is preset according to the process and film type. If the set flow rate cannot be maintained, the film formation process may be stopped midway.

[0080] The threshold value of the control valve opening is an index for determining the timing to switch from supplying source gas from one source container to supplying source gas from two source containers. Note that the control valve opening of 100% (fully open) indicates that the control valve is in a fully open state.

[0081] In FIG. 7, since the amount of raw material remaining in the raw material container 270A is sufficient, the opening degree of the control valve has not reached the threshold value, and only the raw material container 270A is in use, while the raw material container 270B is on standby (unused).

[0082] FIG. 8 shows a state in which, as time has passed since the state shown in FIG. 7, the amount of material remaining in the raw material container 270A has decreased and the raw material container 270A is nearly empty.

[0083] In Fig. 8, the opening degree of the control valve of the MFC 241a increases as the remaining amount of gas in the raw material container 270A decreases, and the opening degree of the control valve reaches a threshold value at time T1. Therefore, the controller 121 changes the valve 243f from a closed state to an open state at time T1 to start supplying raw material gas from the raw material container 270B. Therefore, the raw material container 270B also changes from a standby (unused) state to an in-use state after time T1, and raw material gas is supplied from both the raw material containers 270A and 270B. As a result, the opening degree of the control valve of the MFC 241a decreases as a result of a sufficient supply of raw material gas.

[0084] After that, when the process recipe for the film formation process is completed, the controller 121 changes the valve 243e from the open state to the closed state to stop the supply of the source gas from the source container 270A. Therefore, from then on, the source gas is supplied only from the source container 270B, and the source container 270A is in a waiting state for replacement.

[0085] In Fig. 8, the remaining amount of raw material in the raw material container 270A is sufficient, so the sublimation rate of the raw material is sufficient, and the slope of the opening degree of the control valve during the supply of the raw material gas is small and does not change significantly. In contrast, in Fig. 8, the remaining amount of raw material in the raw material container 270A is small, so the slope of the opening degree of the control valve during the supply of the raw material gas becomes large. Also in Fig. 8, after time T1, raw material gas is supplied from the two raw material containers 270A and 270B, so the slope of the opening degree of the control valve becomes small and is about the same as the slope in Fig. 8.

[0086] In this embodiment, when the amount of raw material remaining in the raw material container 270A becomes small after supplying raw material gas from the raw material container 270A, the raw material container 270A is replaced while raw material gas is being supplied from the raw material container 270B, which has a sufficient amount of raw material remaining. Therefore, it is possible to replace the raw material container while suppressing the fluctuation in the flow rate of the process gas supplied to the process chamber 201 caused by the replacement of the raw material container.

[0087] (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been specifically described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0088] For example, in the above embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus is configured to use a solid source material as a film forming process, heat and sublimate the solid source material to generate a source gas. Although the present disclosure is not limited to such a case, a nitrogen-containing gas is used as a reactant (reaction gas) and the reactant gas is alternately supplied to form a nitride film on the wafer 200.

[0089] In addition, as the solid source, a solid source chemical, particularly an inorganic solid source metal, or a semiconductor precursor can be used, for example, HfCl4, ZrCl4, AlCl3, MoO2Cl2, MoCl5, or SiI4, etc. can be used as the solid source.

[0090] It is also applicable to the case where a raw material supplied in liquid form is heated and vaporized to generate a raw material gas. As such a liquid raw material gas, for example, a chlorosilane gas such as monochlorosilane (SiH3Cl, abbreviated as MCS) gas, dichlorosilane (SiH2Cl2, abbreviated as DCS) gas, trichlorosilane (SiHCl3, abbreviated as TCS) gas, tetrachlorosilane (SiCl4, abbreviated as STC) gas, hexachlorodisilane gas (Si2Cl6, abbreviated as HCDS) gas, or octachlorotrisilane (Si3Cl8, abbreviated as OCTS) gas can be used. In addition, as the raw material gas, for example, fluorosilane-based gases such as tetrafluorosilane (SiF4) gas and difluorosilane (SiH2F2) gas, bromosilane-based gases such as tetrabromosilane (SiBr4) gas and dibromosilane (SiH2Br2) gas, and iodosilane-based gases such as tetraiodosilane (SiI4) gas and diiodosilane (SiH2I2) gas can be used. Also, as the source gas, for example, aminosilane gases such as tetrakis(dimethylamino)silane (Si[N(CH3)2]4, abbreviated as 4DMAS) gas, tris(dimethylamino)silane (Si[N(CH3)2]3H, abbreviated as 3DMAS) gas, bis(diethylamino)silane (Si[N(C2H5)2]2H2, abbreviated as BDEAS) gas, and bis(tertiary butylamino)silane (SiH2[NH(C4H9)]2, abbreviated as BTBAS) gas can be used. Also, as the source gas, for example, organic silane source gases such as tetraethoxysilane (Si(OC2H5)4, abbreviated as TEOS) gas can be used. As the source gas, one or more of these can be used. In other words, it may also include a source stored in liquid form by pressurization or cooling.

[0091] As the nitrogen-containing gas, one or more of nitrous oxide (N2O) gas, nitric oxide (NO) gas, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gas, ammonia (NH3) gas, and the like can be used.

[0092] In addition, the reactant is not limited to the nitrogen-containing gas, and other types of thin films may be formed using gases that react with the source to perform film processing. Furthermore, film formation may be performed using three or more types of processing gases.

[0093] Also, for example, in each of the above-described embodiments, a film formation process in a semiconductor device is given as an example of a process performed by a substrate processing apparatus, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The technology of the present disclosure can be applied to all processes performed by exposing a workpiece on which a pattern with a high aspect ratio (i.e., a depth greater than a width) is formed to a vaporized gas. That is, in addition to a film formation process, the technology may be a process for forming an oxide film or a nitride film, or a process for forming a film containing a metal. Furthermore, the specific content of the substrate processing is not important, and the technology can be suitably applied not only to a film formation process, but also to other substrate processing such as an annealing process, an oxidation process, a nitriding process, a diffusion process, and a lithography process.

[0094] Furthermore, the present disclosure can be suitably applied to other substrate processing apparatuses, such as an annealing processing apparatus, an oxidation processing apparatus, a nitriding processing apparatus, an exposure apparatus, a coating apparatus, a drying apparatus, a heating apparatus, a processing apparatus using plasma, etc. Furthermore, the present disclosure may be used in combination with these apparatuses.

[0095] In addition, although the present embodiment describes a semiconductor manufacturing process, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the present disclosure can be applied to substrate processing such as a liquid crystal device manufacturing process, a solar cell manufacturing process, a light emitting device manufacturing process, a glass substrate processing process, a ceramic substrate processing process, and a conductive substrate processing process.

[0096] In addition, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Also, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

[0097] In the above embodiment, the N2 gas is used as the inert gas. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a rare gas such as Ar gas, He gas, Ne gas, or Xe gas may be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 121 Controller (control unit) 241a Mass flow controller (flow rate controller) 243e, 243f Valves (on-off valves) 270A,270B Raw material container

Claims

1. A plurality of containers configured to be capable of storing materials; a flow rate controller that adjusts an opening degree of a control valve to control a flow rate of the material to be supplied to a treatment space in which a treatment object is disposed; A plurality of pipes respectively communicating between the flow rate controller and the plurality of containers; A plurality of on-off valves respectively provided in the plurality of pipes; a control unit configured to supply the material from one of the plurality of containers to the processing space via the flow controller when the aperture of a control valve in the flow controller does not reach a preset threshold value, and to supply the material from two or more of the plurality of containers to the processing space via the flow controller by opening an on-off valve provided between the flow controller and another container different from the one container when the aperture of the control valve of the flow controller reaches the threshold value; A material monitoring system equipped with

2. The material monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the threshold value is set to an opening degree that enables the flow controller to supply the material to the processing space at a set flow rate when the material is supplied to the flow controller from one of the multiple containers.

3. 3. The material monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the threshold value is set to the opening degree of the control valve in a state from a dozen seconds to a few tens of seconds before the opening degree of the control valve reaches its maximum value when the material is supplied to the flow rate controller from one of the plurality of containers.

4. 3. The material monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the threshold value is set to the opening degree of the control valve in a state before the amount of decrease per unit time in the pressure inside a container supplying the material to the flow controller when the material is supplied from one of the multiple containers to the flow controller becomes equal to or exceeds a predetermined value.

5. 2. The material monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to be able to notify the user that the opening degree of the control valve has reached the threshold value when the opening degree of the control valve has reached the threshold value.

6. The material monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to be capable of notifying, a predetermined time after the opening degree of the control valve reaches the threshold value, that it is time to replace a container that was supplying the material to the flow controller when the opening degree of the control valve among the plurality of containers reaches the threshold value.

7. 2. The material monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays when the opening of the control valve of the flow rate controller exceeds the threshold value.

8. The plurality of containers are respectively connected to the plurality of pipes via connecting portions, The control unit is configured to determine that a container that was supplying the material to the flow controller when the opening degree of the control valve among the plurality of containers reached the threshold value is an empty container in which the material has fallen below a predetermined amount, and to close an opening / closing valve between the empty container and the flow controller to make the empty container removable.

9. The material monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to close an opening / closing valve between the empty container and the flow controller during a period when the material is not being supplied from the flow controller to the processing space after the opening degree of the control valve of the flow controller reaches the threshold value.

10. The material monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to close the on-off valve between the empty container and the flow controller at the end of a specified material supply process after the opening degree of the control valve of the flow controller reaches the threshold value.

11. Each of the plurality of containers includes a heating unit for heating the material; The material monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to be able to control the temperatures of the multiple containers to temperatures equal to or higher than the vaporization temperature at which the material in the multiple containers changes to a gaseous state by heating the heating unit.

12. a heating mechanism for heating a material supply line including the plurality of pipes, the flow rate controller, and the on-off valve; 2. The material monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the heating mechanism is temperature controlled to heat the material supply line to a temperature equal to or higher than the vaporization temperature of the material.

13. The material monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to be able to open an adjustment valve provided in a piping on the exhaust side of the processing space even while the material is being supplied to the processing space.

14. A plurality of containers configured to be capable of storing materials; a flow rate controller that adjusts an opening degree of a control valve to control a flow rate of the material to be supplied to a treatment space in which a treatment object is disposed; A plurality of pipes respectively communicating between the flow rate controller and the plurality of containers; A plurality of on-off valves respectively provided in the plurality of pipes; a control unit configured to supply the material from one of the plurality of containers to the processing space via the flow controller when the aperture of the control valve in the flow controller does not reach a preset threshold, and to supply the material from two or more of the plurality of containers to the processing space via the flow controller by opening an on-off valve provided between the flow controller and another container different from the one container when the aperture of the control valve of the flow controller reaches the threshold; A processing device comprising:

15. 1. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the step of supplying a material to a surface of a processing target disposed in a processing space, In the above process, when the opening degree of a control valve in a flow controller which controls the flow rate of the material supplied to the processing space does not reach a preset threshold value, the material is supplied to the processing space from one of the multiple containers via the flow controller, and when the opening degree of the control valve of the flow controller reaches the threshold value, an opening / closing valve provided between another container different from the one container and the flow controller is opened, and the material is supplied to the processing space from two or more of the multiple containers via the flow controller.

16. a program for causing a processing device to execute a procedure of: supplying the material from one of a plurality of containers configured to be capable of storing the material to the processing space via the flow controller when the opening of a control valve in a flow controller that controls the flow rate of a material to be supplied to a processing space in which a processing object is placed by adjusting the opening of the control valve does not reach a predetermined threshold; and, when the opening of the control valve of the flow controller reaches the threshold, opening valves provided between the flow controller and another container other than the one container, among a plurality of opening valves provided in a plurality of pipes respectively communicating between the flow controller and the plurality of containers, are opened, and the material is supplied to the processing space from two or more of the plurality of containers via the flow controller.

Images