Processing device and processing method

Abstract

To provide a processing device and a processing method that can uniformly generate metastable excited atoms.SOLUTION: The processing device includes a processing container, a gas supply source configured to supply noble gas and process gas within the processing container, a first excitation light source, configured to irradiate the inside of the process container with first excitation light that causes the noble gas to be in a first excitation state, and a second excitation light source configured to irradiate the inside of the process container with second excitation light that causes the noble gas in the first excitation state to be in a second excitation state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a processing apparatus and a processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a location for generating a first plasma is set upstream of the vacuum processing chamber in which the sample is placed and separate from the vacuum processing chamber, and metastable atoms generated there are injected into the vacuum processing chamber to generate a second plasma in the vacuum processing chamber. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-263226 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a processing apparatus and a processing method capable of uniformly generating metastable excited atoms. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a processing vessel, a gas supply source configured to supply a noble gas and a processing gas into the processing vessel, a first excitation light source configured to irradiate a first excitation light into the processing vessel to bring the noble gas to a first excited state, and a second excitation light source configured to irradiate a second excitation light into the processing vessel to bring the noble gas in the first excited state to a second excited state. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, metastable excited atoms can be generated uniformly. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the transition from the ground state of argon gas to metastable excited atoms. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a combination of excitation lights that causes a noble gas to become metastable excited atoms. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a combination of excitation lights that causes a noble gas to become metastable excited atoms. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a combination of excitation lights that causes a noble gas to become metastable excited atoms. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the second excitation light source in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the second excitation light source in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the distance from the lithium fluoride window and the generation density of atoms in the first excited state and the intensity of the second excitation light. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the distance from the lithium fluoride window and the heater output and the intensity of the second excitation light. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the substrate processing in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of a processing apparatus and a processing method will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the disclosed technology is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0009] Conventionally, radicals are generated using plasma, and processes are performed using the generated radicals. However, when plasma is used, ions and electrons are also generated, which causes damage due to ion bombardment and damage due to charging. In response to this, a method is considered in which metastable excited atoms of a noble gas are generated using optical excitation, and the energy is used to dissociate the processing gas to generate radicals. However, metastable excited atoms cannot be optically excited directly from the ground state, and it is necessary to excite them stepwise using multiple lights. Therefore, when optical excitation is used, it is expected that metastable excited atoms can be generated uniformly by controlling multiple lights.

[0010] (First embodiment) [Configuration of substrate processing apparatus 1] Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an apparatus body 10 and a controller 11 that controls the apparatus body 10. The apparatus body 10 includes a processing vessel 101, a mounting table 102, a gas supply mechanism 103, a first excitation light source 104, a second excitation light source 105, a light emission sensor 106, and an exhaust mechanism 107.

[0011] The processing vessel 101 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and the mounting table 102 is disposed in a substantially central portion of the bottom surface of the processing vessel 101. The shape of the processing vessel 101 is not limited to a substantially cylindrical shape, and may be any shape, such as a rectangular parallelepiped shape. An irradiation window 111 that transmits the first excitation light input from the first excitation light source 104 and a detection window 113 in which the light emission sensor 106 is provided are formed in a sidewall 101a of the processing vessel 101. The irradiation window 111 is formed of, for example, lithium fluoride. An opening (not shown) through which the substrate W passes is formed in a portion (not shown) of the sidewall 101a, and the opening is opened and closed by a gate valve (not shown). An irradiation window 112 that transmits the second excitation light input from the second excitation light source 105 is formed in an upper surface 101b of the processing vessel 101. The irradiation window 112 is formed of, for example, quartz.

[0012] The substrate W to be processed is placed on the mounting table 102. The mounting table 102 is substantially disk-shaped and made of ceramics such as AlN. Inside the mounting table 102, lifting pins (not shown) for lifting and lowering the substrate W are provided so as to be capable of protruding and retracting from the upper surface of the mounting table 102. Note that the mounting table 102 has a mechanism for holding the substrate W, such as an electrostatic chuck or a mechanical chuck (not shown), but the mechanism for holding the substrate W is not limited to these.

[0013] Furthermore, a resistance heating type heater 141 is embedded inside the mounting table 102, and the heater 141 heats the substrate W placed on the mounting table 102 according to power supplied from a heater power supply 142. The heater 141 is divided into a plurality of regions on the substrate support surface of the mounting table 102, and the power can be controlled for each region. A thermocouple (not shown) is also inserted in the mounting table 102, and the power of the heater 141 is controlled for each region based on a signal from the thermocouple, making it possible to control the temperature gradient of the substrate W. The temperature gradient (gradation) of the substrate W is controlled, for example, so that the side closer to the irradiation window 111 is the high temperature side and the side farther from the irradiation window 111 is the low temperature side between both ends of the diameter of the substrate W. In other words, the temperature of the mounting table 102 is controlled so that a gradation of the output of the heater 141 is formed in accordance with the temperature gradient.

[0014] The gas supply mechanism 103 has a shower ring 121 that is provided in a ring shape along the inner wall of the processing vessel 101. The shower ring 121 has a ring-shaped flow path provided therein and a number of outlets that are connected to the flow path and open to the inside. A gas supply unit 123 is connected to the shower ring 121 via a pipe 122. The gas supply unit 123 is provided with a number of gas sources and a number of flow rate controllers. In one embodiment, the gas supply unit 123 is configured to supply a processing gas containing at least one noble gas from a corresponding gas source to the shower ring 121 via a corresponding flow rate controller. The gas supplied to the shower ring 121 is supplied into the processing vessel 101 from a number of outlets. The gas supply mechanism 103 is an example of a gas supply source.

[0015] The gas supply unit 123 supplies a silicon-containing gas, a halogen-containing gas, a nitrogen-containing gas, a noble gas (rare gas), and the like, which are controlled to a predetermined flow rate, into the processing chamber 101 through the shower ring 121. In this embodiment, the silicon-containing gas is, for example, silane (SiH4) gas. In this embodiment, the halogen-containing gas is, for example, NF3 gas. In this embodiment, the nitrogen-containing gas is, for example, ammonia (NH3) gas. In this embodiment, the noble gas is, for example, argon (Ar) gas. Instead of argon gas, other noble gases such as neon (Ne) gas, krypton (Kr) gas, and xenon (Xe) gas may be used.

[0016] The first excitation light source 104 is controlled to irradiate, as the first excitation light, for example, vacuum ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 106.6660 nm into the processing vessel 101 through the irradiation window 111. That is, the first excitation light is irradiated from the side of the processing vessel 101. At this time, the first excitation light is a sheet-like light having a width equal to or greater than the diameter of the substrate W to be processed. The sheet-like light may be generated using a lens and a mirror, or may be generated by laser scanning. For example, an excimer lamp, a dye laser, a D2 lamp, or the like may be used as the first excitation light. Note that, for example, continuous light may be used as the first excitation light. The first excitation light changes the noble gas supplied into the processing vessel 101 from the ground state to the first excited state. For example, the first excitation light having a wavelength of 106.6660 nm changes the argon gas supplied into the processing vessel 101 from the ground state (0 eV) to the first excited state (11.62 eV). A vacuum state is maintained between the first excitation light source 104 and the irradiation window 111. When argon gas is used as the noble gas, the first excitation light source 104 may use, for example, vacuum ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 104.8220 nm as the first excitation light. When vacuum ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 104.8220 nm is used, the first excitation state is 11.83 eV. Since the first excitation light is absorbed by the noble gas, the intensity (light amount) decreases as it moves away from the irradiation window 111.

[0017] The second excitation light source 105 is controlled to irradiate, for example, infrared light having a wavelength of 810.5921 nm as the second excitation light into the processing vessel 101 through the irradiation window 112. That is, the second excitation light is irradiated from above the processing vessel 101. At this time, the second excitation light is a beam-shaped light that irradiates the entire substrate W to be processed. The beam-shaped light that irradiates the entire substrate W to be processed may be generated using a lens and a mirror, or may be generated by laser scanning. Note that the second excitation light may be, for example, continuous light. The second excitation light causes the noble gas in the first excited state in the processing vessel 101 to be in the second excited state. For example, the second excitation light having a wavelength of 810.5921 nm causes the argon gas in the first excited state (11.62 eV) in the processing vessel 101 to be in the second excited state (13.15 eV). When argon gas is used as the noble gas and vacuum ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 104.8220 nm is used as the first excitation light, infrared light with a wavelength of 826.6794 nm may be used as the second excitation light. When infrared light with a wavelength of 826.6794 nm is used, the second excited state becomes 13.33 eV.

[0018] The second excitation light source 105 may be connected to the irradiation window 112 via an optical fiber. In this case, the second excitation light source 105 can be disposed at a location other than the upper part of the processing vessel 101. That is, the structure on the upper part of the processing vessel 101 can be reduced. The region 150 shown in FIG. 1 is a region irradiated with both the first excitation light and the second excitation light, and metastable excited atoms of the noble gas are generated in this region 150. That is, metastable excited atoms of the noble gas are generated only at the intersection of the first excitation light and the second excitation light. In addition, in FIG. 1, the first excitation light and the second excitation light are represented by hatching including gradation. The region 150 is represented by hatching without gradation, assuming that metastable excited atoms are generated substantially uniformly. Other combinations of the wavelengths of the first excitation light and the second excitation light, and cases in which other gases are used as the noble gas will be described later.

[0019] The light emission sensor 106 is a sensor that detects light emission when the noble gas becomes a metastable excited atom from the second excited state. The light emission sensor 106 is controlled to detect light emission in the processing vessel 101 through the detection window 113 and output the detected light emission data to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 measures the light emission intensity distribution in the processing vessel 101 based on the input light emission data. Note that a plurality of light emission sensors 106 and detection windows 113 may be provided. Furthermore, the light emission intensity distribution in the processing vessel 101 can be measured even when there is only one light emission sensor 106 and detection window 113 by using techniques such as optical emission tomography and integral photography. For example, when the shape of the processing vessel 101 is well symmetrical, the light emission intensity distribution of the entire processing space 10s in the processing vessel 101 can be measured by shifting the field of view of the light emission sensor 106 at one detection window 113.

[0020] Here, the transition of noble gas to metastable excited atoms will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 5. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of argon gas from the ground state to metastable excited atoms. As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, when argon gas in the ground state (0 eV) is irradiated with the first excitation light having a wavelength of 106.6660 nm, the argon atoms transition from the ground state (0 eV) to the first excited state (radiative: 11.62 eV) (step S1). Note that the orbit of the electrons is 3s 2 3p 6 From 3s 2 3p 5 The result is 4s.

[0021] When the argon atom in the first excited state is irradiated with the second excitation light having a wavelength of 810.5921 nm, the argon atom transitions from the first excited state to the second excited state (13.15 eV) (step S2). 2 3p 5 4s to 3s 2 3p 5 It will be 4 pages.

[0022] The argon atoms in the second excited state spontaneously emit light with a wavelength of 772.5886 nm or 867.0324 nm, de-excite, and transition to metastable excited atoms at 11.55 eV or 11.72 eV (step S3). Note that from the second excited state at 13.15 eV, transition occurs to both metastable excited atoms at 11.55 eV and 11.72 eV. The electron orbit is 3s 2 3p 5 4p to 3s 2 3p 5 4s. As described above, metastable excited atoms of 11.55 eV and 11.72 eV cannot be optically excited directly from the ground state. In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the spontaneously emitted light of wavelengths 772.5886 nm and 867.0324 nm is detected by the light emission sensor 106, so that it is possible to detect the generation of metastable excited atoms.

[0023] In the transition of argon atoms, emission of light at wavelengths of 810.6 nm and 935.7 nm may be detected. For this reason, it is preferable that the light emission sensor 106 has a wavelength resolution capable of distinguishing between these wavelengths and the wavelengths of 772.5886 nm and 867.0324 nm. In addition, when the radicals of the process gas do not emit light near the wavelengths of 810.6 nm and 935.7 nm, the wavelengths of 810.6 nm and 935.7 nm may also be used as data indirectly indicating the generation of metastable excited atoms. In this case, the light emission sensor 106 may have a wavelength resolution capable of detecting the wavelengths of 772.5886 nm and 867.0324 nm without distinguishing between the wavelengths of 810.6 nm and 935.7 nm. In addition, the light emission sensor 106 to be used is one capable of detecting spontaneous emission according to the type of noble gas.

[0024] 3 to 5 are diagrams showing examples of combinations of excitation light that cause a noble gas to become a metastable excited atom. Table 20 shown in FIG. 3 shows combinations of the first excitation light, the material of the irradiation window 111, the second excitation light, the spontaneous emission wavelength, and the final state energy when neon gas is used as the noble gas. The final state energy indicates the energy level of the metastable excited atom. As shown in Table 20, for neon gas, vacuum ultraviolet light with wavelengths of 73.58962 nm and 74.37195 nm is used as the first excitation light. The A coefficients of the first excitation light are 5.88E+8 (5.88×10 8 )[s -1 ], 4.40E+7(4.40×10 7 )[s -1 ]. The A coefficient indicates the ease of light emission of molecules or atoms in an excited state. The energies of the first excited state are 16.84805369 eV and 16.67082693 eV, respectively. In the case of neon gas, it is difficult to use lithium fluoride as the material of the irradiation window 111 because the wavelength of the first excitation light is short, so a capillary plate (CP) in which a large number of holes with diameters of about 1 μm to several hundreds μm are arranged two-dimensionally is used. The material of the CP itself is a dielectric material such as lead glass. When a CP is used, the differential pressure is adjusted so that the processing gas in the processing container 101 does not leak to the first excitation light source 104 side.

[0025] As shown in Table 20, in neon gas, when the first excitation light has a wavelength of 73.58962 nm, six wavelengths from 660.07754 nm to 717.59154 nm can be used as the wavelength of the second excitation light. The six wavelengths are 660.07754 nm, 668.01205 nm, 671.88974 nm, 693.13787 nm, 702.5987 nm, and 717.59154 nm. Table 20 also shows the A coefficients, second excited state energies, and spontaneous emission wavelengths for each of the six wavelengths. The final state energies for metastable excited atoms that transition from each of the six wavelengths are 16.61907009 eV or 16.71538108 eV.

[0026] In addition, in neon gas, when the first excitation light has a wavelength of 74.37195 nm, seven wavelengths from 350.22171 nm to 724.71631 nm can be used as the wavelength of the second excitation light. The seven wavelengths are 350.22171 nm, 603.16666 nm, 609.78506 nm, 630.65329 nm, 638.4756 nm, 650.83255 nm, and 724.71631 nm. Table 20 shows the A coefficients, second excited state energies, and spontaneous emission wavelengths of the seven wavelengths. The final state energies of metastable excited atoms that transition from each of the seven wavelengths are 16.61907009 eV or 16.71538108 eV.

[0027] Table 21 shown in FIG. 4 shows combinations of the first excitation light, the material of the irradiation window 111, the second excitation light, the spontaneous emission wavelength, and the final state energy when argon gas is used as the noble gas. As shown in Table 21, for argon gas, vacuum ultraviolet rays with wavelengths of 104.8220 nm and 106.6660 nm are used as the first excitation light. The A coefficients of the first excitation light are 5.32E+8 (5.32×10 8 )[s -1 ], 1.32E+8(1.32×10 8 )[s -1 The material of the emission window 111 can be lithium fluoride (LiF).

[0028] As shown in Table 21, in argon gas, when the first excitation light has a wavelength of 104.8220 nm, six wavelengths from 826.6794 nm to 978.7186 nm can be used as the wavelength of the second excitation light. The six wavelengths are 826.6794 nm, 841.0521 nm, 852.3783 nm, 922.703 nm, 935.6787 nm, and 978.7186 nm. Table 21 also shows the A coefficients, the energy of the second excited state, and the spontaneous emission wavelength of each of the six wavelengths. The final state energy of the metastable excited atom that transitions from each of the six wavelengths is 11.54835442 eV or 11.72316039 eV. In the above explanation, the digits are omitted, such as 11.55 eV or 11.72 eV, respectively.

[0029] In addition, in the case of argon gas, when the wavelength of the first excitation light is 106.6660 nm, six wavelengths from 727.494 nm to 966.0435 nm can be used as the wavelength of the second excitation light. The six wavelengths are 727.494 nm, 738.6014 nm, 800.8359 nm, 810.5921 nm, 842.6963 nm, and 966.0435 nm. Table 21 shows the A coefficients, the energy of the second excited state, and the spontaneous emission wavelengths of the six wavelengths. The final state energies of metastable excited atoms that transition from each of the six wavelengths are 11.54835442 eV or 11.72316039 eV.

[0030] Table 22 shown in FIG. 5 shows combinations of the first excitation light, the material of the irradiation window 111, the second excitation light, the spontaneous emission wavelength, and the final state energy when krypton gas and xenon gas are used as the noble gas. As shown in Table 22, for krypton gas, vacuum ultraviolet light with wavelengths of 116.4867 nm and 123.5838 nm is used as the first excitation light. The A coefficients of the first excitation light are 3.09E+8 (3.09×10 8 )[s -1 ], 2.98E+8(2.98×10 8 )[s -1For the wavelength of 116.4867 nm, the materials for the irradiation window 111 can be lithium fluoride (LiF) and magnesium fluoride (MgF2). For the wavelength of 123.5838 nm, the materials for the irradiation window 111 can be lithium fluoride (LiF), magnesium fluoride (MgF2), and calcium fluoride (CaF2).

[0031] As shown in Table 22, in krypton gas, when the wavelength of the first excitation light is 116.4867 nm, four wavelengths from 440.120227 nm to 851.12106 nm can be used as the wavelength of the second excitation light. The four wavelengths are 440.120227 nm, 826.5514 nm, 828.33284 nm, and 851.12106 nm. Table 22 also shows the A coefficients, energy of the second excited state, and spontaneous emission wavelengths for each of the four wavelengths. The final state energies of metastable excited atoms that transition from each of the four wavelengths are 9.91523229 eV or 10.5624143 eV.

[0032] In addition, in the case of krypton gas, when the wavelength of the first excitation light is 123.5838 nm, five wavelengths of 446.494273 nm to 975.44352 nm can be used as the wavelength of the second excitation light. The five wavelengths are 446.494273 nm, 819.23082 nm, 830.03907 nm, 877.91607 nm, and 975.44352 nm. Table 22 shows the A coefficients, the energy of the second excited state, and the spontaneous emission wavelengths of the five wavelengths. The final state energy of the metastable excited atom that transitions from each of the five wavelengths is 9.91523229 eV or 10.5624143 eV.

[0033] As shown in Table 22, for xenon gas, vacuum ultraviolet rays with wavelengths of 129.5588 nm and 146.961 nm are used as the first excitation light. The A coefficients of the first excitation light are 2.53E+8 (2.53×10 8 )[s -1 ], 2.73E+8(2.73×10 8 )[s-1 ]. When the wavelength is 129.5588 nm, the materials that can be used for the irradiation window 111 include lithium fluoride (LiF), magnesium fluoride (MgF2), calcium fluoride (CaF2), and strontium fluoride (SrF2). When the wavelength is 146.961 nm, the materials that can be used for the irradiation window 111 include lithium fluoride (LiF), magnesium fluoride (MgF2), calcium fluoride (CaF2), strontium fluoride (SrF2), and barium fluoride (BaF2).

[0034] As shown in Table 22, in the case of xenon gas, when the wavelength of the first excitation light is 129.5588 nm, six wavelengths from 826.8792 nm to 930.919 nm can be used as the wavelength of the second excitation light. The six wavelengths are 826.8792 nm, 834.91157 nm, 865.0916 nm, 869.4587 nm, 893.3282 nm, and 930.919 nm. Table 22 also shows the A coefficients, the energy of the second excited state, and the spontaneous emission wavelengths of the six wavelengths. The final state energies of metastable excited atoms that transition from each of the six wavelengths are 8.3153161 eV or 9.4471951 eV.

[0035] In addition, in the case of xenon gas, when the wavelength of the first excitation light is 146.961 nm, six wavelengths of 473.5476 nm to 1084.131 nm can be used as the wavelength of the second excitation light. The six wavelengths are 473.5476 nm, 491.788 nm, 895.47086 nm, 916.51667 nm, 992.5919 nm, and 1084.131 nm. Table 22 shows the A coefficients, the energy of the second excited state, and the spontaneous emission wavelengths of the six wavelengths. The final state energy of the metastable excited atom that transitions from each of the six wavelengths is 8.3153161 eV or 9.4471951 eV.

[0036] Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the exhaust mechanism 107 includes an exhaust pipe 131 provided on the lower surface 101c of the processing vessel 101, and an exhaust device 132 connected to the exhaust pipe 131. The exhaust device 132 includes a vacuum pump, a pressure control valve, and the like. In one embodiment, the exhaust mechanism 107 is configured to adjust the pressure inside the processing vessel 101 by controlling the vacuum pump and the pressure control valve.

[0037] The control unit 11 has a memory, a processor, and an input / output interface. The memory stores a program executed by the processor and a recipe including conditions for each process. The processor executes the program read from the memory, and controls each part of the device body 10 via the input / output interface based on the recipe stored in the memory.

[0038] For example, the control unit 11 controls each unit of the substrate processing apparatus 1 to perform a substrate processing method described later. As a detailed example, the control unit 11 executes a step of loading the substrate W into the processing vessel 101 for preparation. The control unit 11 executes a step of supplying a noble gas and a processing gas into the processing vessel 101. The control unit 11 executes a step of irradiating the processing vessel 101 with a first excitation light to bring the noble gas into a first excited state. The control unit 11 executes a step of irradiating the processing vessel 101 with a second excitation light to bring the noble gas in the first excited state into a second excited state. The control unit 11 executes a step of dissociating the processing gas with the noble gas that has become metastable excited atoms from the second excited state, and performing processing on the substrate W.

[0039] [Details of the second excitation light source 105] Next, the second excitation light source 105 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the second excitation light source in the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the second excitation light source 105a is used as the second excitation light source 105. The second excitation light source 105a has a plurality of pairs of a light source 160 and lenses 161 and 162. The light source 160 uses, for example, a lamp, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), a laser, or the like, and outputs, for example, infrared light as the second excitation light. The lens 161 is, for example, a magnifying lens, and the lens 162 is, for example, a collimating lens. The second excitation light output from the light source 160 is magnified by the lens 161, and is made into a parallel light beam 163 by the lens 162, and is irradiated into the processing container 101 through the irradiation window 112. Note that, although FIG. 6 shows the light beams 163 spaced apart from each other, it is assumed that there is no space between adjacent light beams 163 in practice. 6, the second excitation light irradiated from the second excitation light source 105a is controlled so that the intensity is weak on the side closer to the irradiation window 111 and strong on the side farther from the irradiation window 111 in the processing vessel 101. That is, in the second excitation light source 105a, a plurality of light sources 160 are provided, and the intensity of the second excitation light is controlled for each of the plurality of light sources 160. In the second excitation light source 105a, the output of the plurality of light sources 160 is controlled, so that a gradation is formed in the intensity of the second excitation light from the upstream side (the side closer to the irradiation window 111) to the downstream side (the side farther from the irradiation window 111) of the first excitation light. Note that the combination of the light source 160 and the lenses 161 and 162 may have other beam shapes as long as a gradation can be formed in the intensity of the second excitation light, such as a sheet light due to diffusion, in addition to a parallel beam.

[0040] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the second excitation light source in the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the second excitation light source 105 is a second excitation light source 105b. The second excitation light source 105b has a light source 170 and a light control filter 171. The light source 170 uses, for example, a lamp, an LED, a laser, or the like, and outputs, for example, infrared light as the second excitation light. The light control filter 171 is, for example, a liquid crystal filter, and controls the amount of light output from the light source 170. The second excitation light output from the light source 170 is adjusted by the light control filter 171 and is irradiated into the processing vessel 101 through the irradiation window 112. In addition, the second excitation light irradiated from the second excitation light source 105b has a weak intensity on the side closer to the irradiation window 111 and a strong intensity on the side farther from the irradiation window 111 in the processing vessel 101, as shown by the gradation in FIG. 7. In the second excitation light source 105b, the transmittance of the dimming filter 171 is controlled to form a gradation in the intensity of the second excitation light from the upstream side (the side closer to the irradiation window 111) of the first excitation light to the downstream side (the side farther from the irradiation window 111).

[0041] [Relationship between distance from irradiation window 111 and intensity of second excitation light] Next, the relationship between the distance from the irradiation window 111 (LiF window), the generation density of atoms in the first excited state, and the intensity of the second excitation light will be described with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the distance from the lithium fluoride window, the generation density of atoms in the first excited state, and the intensity of the second excitation light. As shown in FIG. 8, the first excitation light irradiated from the irradiation window 111 is absorbed by the noble gas in the processing vessel 101, and the intensity (amount of light) decreases as the distance from the irradiation window 111 increases. That is, as shown in graph 180, in the processing vessel 101, the generation density of atoms in the first excited state of the noble gas decreases as the distance from the irradiation window 111 (LiF window) increases. In contrast, as shown in graph 181, the intensity of the second excitation light is controlled to be stronger as the distance from the irradiation window 111 (LiF window) increases. That is, the intensity of the second excitation light is controlled to form a gradation such that the intensity increases as the distance from the irradiation window 111 (LiF window) increases. That is, in this embodiment, the spatial distribution of the second excitation light is adjusted, and the excitation efficiency from the first excited state to the second excited state is controlled. In other words, the gradation of the intensity of the second excitation light is controlled so that the light emission when the noble gas becomes metastable excited atoms from the second excited state becomes uniform within the horizontal plane of the processing vessel 101 (particularly within the plane of the region where the substrate W is present). This makes it possible to uniformly generate metastable excited atoms in the region 150 above the substrate W to be processed.

[0042] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the distance from the lithium fluoride window, the heater output, and the intensity of the second excitation light. As shown in graph 182 of FIG. 9, the intensity of the second excitation light is controlled to be stronger as the distance from the irradiation window 111 (LiF window) increases. The substrate W is heated non-uniformly by the second excitation light, which is mainly infrared light, according to the intensity distribution of the second excitation light. In order to make the temperature of the substrate W uniform in the plane, the output of the heater 141 is controlled to be weaker as the distance from the irradiation window 111 (LiF window) increases, as shown in graph 183. That is, the output of the heater 141 is controlled to form a gradation in which the gradation of the intensity of the second excitation light is reversed. That is, the temperature of the mounting table 102 is controlled to form a gradation of the output of the heater 141 so that the gradation of the intensity of the second excitation light is reversed. This makes it possible to correct the temperature change of the substrate W caused by the second excitation light. The intensity distribution of the second excitation light may be adjusted to adjust process nonuniformity caused by bias in the flow of the noble gas and the process gas in the processing vessel 101 .

[0043] [Substrate processing method] Next, a substrate processing method according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10, which is a flow chart showing an example of the substrate processing method according to the first embodiment.

[0044] The control unit 11 opens the loading / unloading port (not shown) by controlling a gate valve (not shown). When the loading / unloading port is open, the substrate W is loaded into the processing space 10s of the processing vessel 101 through the loading / unloading port and placed on the mounting table 102. That is, the control unit 11 controls the substrate processing apparatus 1 to load the substrate W into the processing vessel 101 (step S101). The control unit 11 may be a control device for the entire substrate processing system (not shown) including the substrate processing apparatus 1 and a transfer device of a transfer chamber (not shown) adjacent to the processing vessel 101. The control unit 11 closes the loading / unloading port by controlling a gate valve. The step S101 is an example of a process of loading the substrate W into the processing vessel 101 and preparing it.

[0045] The control unit 11 controls the exhaust device 132 connected to the exhaust pipe 131 to reduce the pressure in the processing vessel 101 to a predetermined pressure. The control unit 11 controls the gas supply unit 123 to supply the noble gas and the processing gas to the processing vessel 101 from the multiple outlets of the shower ring 121. The control unit 11 controls the first excitation light source 104 to irradiate the inside of the processing vessel 101 with the first excitation light to cause the noble gas to be in a first excited state. The control unit 11 also controls the second excitation light source 105 to irradiate the inside of the processing vessel 101 with the second excitation light to cause the noble gas in the first excited state to be in a second excited state. The noble gas that has become metastable excited atoms by spontaneous emission from the second excited state dissociates the processing gas, and causes the substrate W to be processed. The control unit 11 measures the emission intensity distribution in the processing vessel 101 based on the emission data detected by the emission sensor 106 when the second excited state transitions to metastable excited atoms. The control unit 11 performs feedback control on the second excitation light source 105 based on the measured emission intensity distribution, for example, so that the emission becomes uniform in a horizontal plane. That is, the control unit 11 controls the first excitation light source 104 and the second excitation light source 105 to execute a substrate processing step of processing the substrate W using radicals generated from the processing gas by the noble gas that has become metastable excited atoms (step S102).

[0046] When the substrate processing step is completed, the control unit 11 stops the first excitation light and the second excitation light to stop the generation of metastable excited atoms. The control unit 11 also controls the gate valve to open the loading / unloading port. The control unit 11 controls the substrate processing apparatus 1 to lift the substrate W by making the substrate support pins (not shown) protrude from the upper surface of the mounting table 102. When the loading / unloading port is open, the substrate W is unloaded from the processing vessel 101 by an arm of the transfer chamber (not shown) through the loading / unloading port. That is, the control unit 11 controls the substrate processing apparatus 1 to unload the substrate W from the processing vessel 101 (step S103). In this way, the control unit 11 controls the first excitation light source 104 and the second excitation light source 105 to uniformly generate metastable excited atoms. In addition, in this embodiment, radicals of the processing gas can be selectively generated, and ions and electrons are not generated, so that damage to the substrate W caused by ions and electrons can be suppressed. Furthermore, by controlling the first excitation light source 104 and the second excitation light source 105, it is possible to perform more precise control of the distribution of metastable excited atoms compared to generation of metastable excited atoms using plasma.

[0047] Second embodiment In the above first embodiment, the shower ring 121 is used to supply the noble gas and the process gas, but the substrate processing apparatus may be configured to have a gas flow path provided inside the irradiation window 112 and supply the noble gas and the process gas in a shower-like manner from above the substrate W, and this embodiment will be described as the second embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus in the second embodiment is similar to the above first embodiment except for the supply paths for the noble gas and the process gas, and therefore a description of the overlapping configuration and operation will be omitted.

[0048] Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 11, the substrate processing apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment has an apparatus body 210 instead of the apparatus body 10 according to the first embodiment. Moreover, the apparatus body 210 has an irradiation window 212 instead of the irradiation window 112 according to the first embodiment.

[0049] The irradiation window 212 has a gas flow passage 221 therein and a plurality of discharge holes 222 each connected to the gas flow passage 221. A gas supply unit 123 is connected to one end of the gas flow passage 221 via a pipe 220. The noble gas and the processing gas supplied to the gas flow passage 221 are uniformly supplied from the plurality of discharge holes 222 to the processing space 210s in a horizontal plane. In the processing space 210s, metastable excited atoms are generated in a region 250 where both the first excitation light and the second excitation light are irradiated from the first excitation light source 104 and the second excitation light source 105, similarly to the region 150 of the first embodiment. In the region 250, the processing gas is dissociated by the generated metastable excited atoms, and radicals are generated. The substrate W is processed by the generated radicals. In this way, in the substrate processing apparatus 1a of the second embodiment, metastable excited atoms can be generated uniformly by controlling the first excitation light source 104 and the second excitation light source 105.

[0050] According to each of the above-described embodiments, the processing apparatus (substrate processing apparatus 1, 1a) includes a processing vessel 101, a gas supply source (gas supply mechanism 103) configured to supply a noble gas and a processing gas into the processing vessel 101, a first excitation light source 104 configured to irradiate the inside of the processing vessel 101 with a first excitation light that brings the noble gas into a first excited state, and a second excitation light source 105 configured to irradiate the inside of the processing vessel 101 with a second excitation light that brings the noble gas in the first excited state into a second excited state. As a result, metastable excited atoms can be uniformly generated.

[0051] Moreover, according to each embodiment, the processing apparatus further includes an exhaust mechanism 107 configured to reduce the pressure inside the processing vessel 101. As a result, metastable excited atoms can be uniformly generated in a reduced pressure atmosphere.

[0052] According to the embodiments, the processing device further includes an optical emission sensor 106 configured to detect the optical emission when the noble gas is converted from the second excited state to a metastable excited atom, so that a feedback control can be performed on the second excitation light source 105.

[0053] Moreover, according to each embodiment, the first excitation light is irradiated from the side of the processing vessel 101, and the second excitation light is irradiated from above the processing vessel 101. As a result, damage to the substrate W caused by the first excitation light, which is mainly vacuum ultraviolet light, can be reduced.

[0054] Moreover, according to each embodiment, the second excitation light source 105 is provided so that a gradation is formed in the intensity of the second excitation light from the upstream side to the downstream side of the first excitation light in the processing vessel 101. As a result, metastable excited atoms can be generated uniformly.

[0055] According to each embodiment, the intensity of the second excitation light is set to be weaker on the upstream side and stronger on the downstream side of the first excitation light, so that metastable excited atoms can be generated uniformly.

[0056] Moreover, according to each embodiment, the processing apparatus further includes a mounting table 102 configured to incorporate a heater 141 inside the processing vessel 101. The temperature of the mounting table 102 is controlled so that a gradation in the output of the heater 141 is formed so that the gradation in the intensity of the second excitation light is reversed. As a result, it is possible to correct the temperature change of the substrate W caused by the second excitation light, which is mainly infrared light.

[0057] According to each embodiment, the processing apparatus further includes an optical emission sensor 106 configured to detect optical emission when the noble gas is converted from the second excited state to metastable excited atoms. The gradation of the intensity of the second excitation light is controlled so that the optical emission when the noble gas is converted from the second excited state to metastable excited atoms is uniform in the horizontal plane of the processing vessel 101. As a result, the metastable excited atoms can be generated uniformly.

[0058] Furthermore, according to each embodiment, a plurality of second excitation light sources (light sources 160) are provided, and the intensity of the second excitation light is controlled for each of the plurality of second excitation light sources. As a result, the intensity of the second excitation light can be controlled more precisely.

[0059] Moreover, according to each embodiment, the intensity gradation of the second excitation light is formed using the dimming filter 171. As a result, various types of light sources can be used as the second excitation light source.

[0060] According to each embodiment, the light control filter is a liquid crystal filter, and as a result, various types of light sources can be used as the second excitation light source, and the intensity of the second excitation light can be finely controlled.

[0061] Moreover, according to each embodiment, the first excitation light is irradiated from the first excitation light source 104 through the lithium fluoride window (irradiation window 111) into the processing vessel 101. As a result, vacuum ultraviolet light can be used as the first excitation light.

[0062] Moreover, according to each embodiment, the second excitation light is irradiated from the second excitation light source 105 to the inside of the processing vessel 101 via an optical fiber and a quartz window (irradiation window 112). As a result, the second excitation light source 105 can be disposed at a location other than the upper part of the processing vessel 101.

[0063] According to each embodiment, the noble gas is argon gas, so that metastable excited atoms of argon can be generated.

[0064] In addition, according to each embodiment, the processing gas is a silicon-containing gas, so that a silicon-containing film can be formed on the substrate W.

[0065] According to each embodiment, the processing gas is a halogen-containing gas. As a result, the inside of the processing vessel 101 can be cleaned. Also, the substrate W can be etched.

[0066] Moreover, according to each embodiment, the processing method includes the steps of supplying a noble gas and a processing gas into the processing vessel 101, irradiating the processing vessel 101 with a first excitation light to bring the noble gas into a first excited state, irradiating the processing vessel 101 with a second excitation light to bring the noble gas in the first excited state into a second excited state, and dissociating the processing gas with the noble gas that has become metastable excited atoms from the second excited state, to process the substrate W. As a result, the metastable excited atoms can be uniformly generated, and the substrate W can be processed with radicals of the processing gas dissociated by the metastable excited atoms.

[0067] According to each embodiment, the method further includes detecting the emission of light emitted when the noble gas is converted from the second excited state to a metastable excited atom, so that the second excitation light can be controlled based on the emission of light emitted when the noble gas is converted to a metastable excited atom.

[0068] According to each embodiment, the step of bringing the atom into the second excited state controls the intensity of the second excitation light based on the light emission detected in the light emission detection step, and as a result, the intensity of the second excitation light can be feedback-controlled based on the light emission when the atom becomes a metastable excited atom.

[0069] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

[0070] In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, the processing vessel 101 has a substantially cylindrical shape, but the shape is not limited to this. For example, the processing vessel 101 may have any shape, such as a rectangular parallelepiped shape. That is, regardless of the shape of the processing vessel 101, the distribution of the second excitation light can be controlled, and metastable excited atoms can be generated uniformly.

[0071] The present disclosure can also be configured as follows. (1) A processing vessel; a gas supply configured to supply a noble gas and a process gas into the process vessel; a first excitation light source configured to irradiate the inside of the processing vessel with first excitation light that brings the noble gas into a first excited state; a second excitation light source configured to irradiate the inside of the processing vessel with second excitation light that causes the noble gas in the first excited state to be in a second excited state; A processing device having (2) Further, an exhaust mechanism configured to reduce the pressure in the processing vessel. The processing device according to (1) above. (3) and further comprising an emission sensor configured to detect emission when the noble gas becomes a metastable excited atom from the second excited state. The processing device according to (1) or (2). (4) the first excitation light is irradiated from a side of the processing vessel, The second excitation light is irradiated from above the processing vessel. The processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3). (5) the second excitation light source is provided in the processing vessel such that a gradation is formed in intensity of the second excitation light from an upstream side to a downstream side of the first excitation light. The processing device according to (4) above. (6) The intensity of the second excitation light is set so that the upstream side is weaker and the downstream side is stronger when the upstream side and the downstream side of the first excitation light are compared. The processing device according to (5) above. (7) The processing chamber further includes a mounting table having a heater built therein, the temperature of the mounting table is controlled so that a gradation of the output of the heater is formed so that the gradation of the intensity of the second excitation light is reversed. The processing device according to (5) or (6). (8) and an optical emission sensor configured to detect optical emission when the noble gas becomes a metastable excited atom from the second excited state. the gradation of the intensity of the second excitation light is controlled so that the light emitted when the noble gas changes from the second excited state to the metastable excited atoms is uniform within a horizontal plane of the processing vessel. The processing apparatus according to any one of (5) to (7). (9) A plurality of the second excitation light sources are provided, and the intensity of the second excitation light is controlled for each of the plurality of second excitation light sources. The processing apparatus according to any one of (5) to (8). (10) The gradation of the intensity of the second excitation light is formed using a light-adjusting filter. The processing apparatus according to any one of (5) to (8). (11) The light control filter is a liquid crystal filter. The processing device according to (10) above. (12) the first excitation light is irradiated from the first excitation light source through a lithium fluoride window into the processing vessel; The processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (11) above. (13) The second excitation light is irradiated from the second excitation light source through an optical fiber and a quartz window into the processing vessel. The processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (12) above. (14) The noble gas is argon gas. The processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (13). (15) The process gas is a silicon-containing gas. The processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (14). (16) The process gas is a halogen-containing gas. The processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (15) above. (17) supplying a noble gas and a process gas into the process chamber; irradiating the inside of the processing vessel with a first excitation light to bring the noble gas into a first excited state; irradiating the inside of the processing vessel with second excitation light to convert the noble gas in the first excited state into a second excited state; dissociating the processing gas with the noble gas that has become metastable excited atoms from the second excited state to perform processing on a substrate; The processing method according to claim 1, (18) further comprising detecting emission of light when the noble gas becomes the metastable excited atom from the second excited state. The processing method according to (17) above. (19) The step of setting the second excited state includes controlling an intensity of the second excitation light based on the light emission detected in the step of detecting the light emission. The processing method according to (18) above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1, 1a Substrate processing apparatus 10,210 Device body 11 Control section 101 Processing vessel 102 Placement table 103 Gas supply mechanism 104 First Excitation Light Source 105 Second Excitation Light Source 106 Light Sensor 107 Exhaust system 111,112,212 Irradiation window 113 Detection window 141 Heater 160,170 light source 161,162 Lenses 171 Dimmer Filter W substrate

Claims

1. A processing vessel; a gas supply configured to supply a noble gas and a process gas into the process vessel; a first excitation light source configured to irradiate the inside of the processing vessel with first excitation light that brings the noble gas into a first excited state; a second excitation light source configured to irradiate the inside of the processing vessel with second excitation light that causes the noble gas in the first excited state to be in a second excited state; A processing device having

2. Further, an exhaust mechanism configured to reduce the pressure in the processing vessel. The processing device of claim 1 .

3. and further comprising an optical emission sensor configured to detect optical emission when the noble gas becomes a metastable excited atom from the second excited state. The processing device of claim 1 .

4. the first excitation light is irradiated from a side of the processing vessel, The second excitation light is irradiated from above the processing vessel. The processing device of claim 1 .

5. the second excitation light source is provided in the processing vessel such that a gradation is formed in intensity of the second excitation light from an upstream side to a downstream side of the first excitation light. The processing device according to claim 4 .

6. the intensity of the second excitation light is set such that, when the upstream side and the downstream side of the first excitation light are compared, the intensity of the second excitation light is weaker on the upstream side and stronger on the downstream side. The processing device according to claim 5 .

7. The processing chamber further includes a mounting table having a heater built therein, the temperature of the mounting table is controlled so that a gradation of the output of the heater is formed so that the gradation of the intensity of the second excitation light is reversed. The processing device according to claim 5 .

8. and an optical emission sensor configured to detect optical emission when the noble gas becomes a metastable excited atom from the second excited state. the gradation of the intensity of the second excitation light is controlled so that light emission when the noble gas changes from the second excited state to the metastable excited atoms is uniform within a horizontal plane of the processing vessel. The processing device according to claim 5 .

9. a plurality of the second excitation light sources are provided, and an intensity of the second excitation light is controlled for each of the plurality of second excitation light sources; The processing device according to claim 5 .

10. The gradation of the intensity of the second excitation light is formed using a light-adjusting filter. The processing device according to claim 5 .

11. The light control filter is a liquid crystal filter. The processing device of claim 10.

12. the first excitation light is irradiated from the first excitation light source to the inside of the processing vessel through a lithium fluoride window; The processing device of claim 1 .

13. the second excitation light is irradiated from the second excitation light source through an optical fiber and a quartz window into the processing vessel; The processing device of claim 1 .

14. The noble gas is argon gas. The processing device of claim 1 .

15. The process gas is a silicon-containing gas. The processing device of claim 1 .

16. The process gas is a halogen-containing gas. The processing device of claim 1 .

17. supplying a noble gas and a process gas into the process chamber; irradiating the inside of the processing vessel with a first excitation light to bring the noble gas into a first excited state; irradiating the inside of the processing vessel with second excitation light to convert the noble gas in the first excited state into a second excited state; dissociating the processing gas with the noble gas that has become metastable excited atoms from the second excited state to perform processing on a substrate; The processing method according to claim 1,

18. further comprising the step of detecting light emission when the noble gas becomes the metastable excited atom from the second excited state.

20. The method of claim 17.

19. and in the step of bringing the light into the second excited state, an intensity of the second excitation light is controlled based on the light emission detected in the step of detecting the light emission.

20. The method of claim 18.

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