Film forming method and film forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide a technique for easily and accurately forming a film having a desired thickness.SOLUTION: A film forming method forms a film on a substrate. The film forming method includes the steps of: (A) forming a film on the substrate by rotating the substrate inside a processing vessel and relatively moving the substrate or a nozzle mechanism such that a discharge port of the nozzle mechanism passes through the center of the substrate, and discharging a processing gas from the discharge port toward the substrate; and (B) adjusting the film thickness of the film to be formed on the substrate by changing a discharge condition of the processing gas from a discharge condition of the step (A), rotating the substrate inside the processing vessel and relatively moving the substrate or the nozzle mechanism to discharge the processing gas from the discharge port toward the substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, a deposition apparatus has been known in which a plurality of wafers (substrates) held on a susceptor are revolved while a plurality of types of process gases are supplied from above to deposit a desired film on the surface of the substrate. In recent years, with the miniaturization and high performance of semiconductor devices, there has been a demand for a deposition method for depositing a thin film with excellent in-plane uniformity of film thickness.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a film formation apparatus in which a gas supply unit is disposed above each of two substrates arranged horizontally inside a processing vessel, and a film is formed by ejecting gas onto each substrate while rotating each gas supply unit around an axis between the two substrates. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-62703 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique for easily and accurately forming a film with a desired thickness. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for forming a film on a substrate, the method comprising: (A) rotating the substrate inside a processing vessel and relatively moving the substrate or the nozzle mechanism so that an outlet of a nozzle mechanism passes through a center of the substrate, thereby forming a film on the substrate; and (B) changing an outlet condition of the processing gas from that of the (A) step, rotating the substrate inside the processing vessel and relatively moving the substrate or the nozzle mechanism so that an outlet of a nozzle mechanism passes through a center of the substrate, thereby forming a film on the substrate; and (B) adjusting a thickness of a film formed on the substrate by changing an outlet condition of the processing gas from that of the (A) step, thereby rotating the substrate inside the processing vessel and relatively moving the substrate or the nozzle mechanism so that an outlet of the nozzle mechanism passes through a center of the substrate, thereby forming a film on the substrate. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect, a film can be formed to a desired thickness easily and accurately. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic plan view showing a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a diagonal line of a processing vessel in the film forming apparatus of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] Fig. 3(A) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the tip side of the first nozzle mechanism, and Fig. 3(B) is a schematic plan view showing the ejection portion of the first head. [Figure 4] Fig. 4(A) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the tip side of the second nozzle mechanism, and Fig. 4(B) is a schematic plan view showing the ejection portion of the second head. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view for explaining the swing speed of a first nozzle mechanism. [Figure 6] Fig. 6(A) is a schematic diagram showing a state where a flat film is formed on a substrate, and Fig. 6(B) is a schematic diagram showing a state where a mountain-shaped film is formed on a substrate. [Figure 7]Fig. 7(A) is a schematic plan view showing a first operation example of the first nozzle mechanism and the second nozzle mechanism in the partial film formation process, and Fig. 7(B) is a schematic plan view showing a second operation example of the first nozzle mechanism and the second nozzle mechanism in the partial film formation process. [Figure 8] Fig. 8(A) is a schematic side view showing a first film formation process in which a full film formation process is performed, and Fig. 8(B) is a schematic side view showing a second film formation process in which a partial film formation process is performed. [Figure 9] 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a film forming method according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] 10(A) to 10(F) are diagrams showing the target shape of a film to be formed on a substrate. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a film forming apparatus according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions may be omitted.

[0010] [Configuration of Film Forming Apparatus 1] 1, a film forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment is configured as a single-wafer type apparatus that processes substrates W one by one. The film forming apparatus 1 performs film forming processing by atomic layer deposition (ALD) or molecular layer deposition (MLD) as substrate processing. The substrate W to be subjected to film forming processing may be a semiconductor wafer such as a silicon semiconductor, a compound semiconductor, or an oxide semiconductor. The substrate W may have a pattern such as a trench or a via.

[0011] The film forming apparatus 1 includes a processing vessel 10, a substrate support unit 20, a gas supply unit 30, a gas exhaust unit 40, and a nozzle mechanism unit 50. The film forming apparatus 1 also includes a control unit 90 that controls the operation of each component of the film forming apparatus 1.

[0012] The processing vessel 10 is a rectangular box-shaped vessel having an internal space IS capable of accommodating a substrate W. The size of the processing vessel 10 is preferably set according to the size of the substrate W to be processed, and for example, when the diameter of the substrate W is 300 mm, the length of each side of the processing vessel 10 is approximately 400 mm to 500 mm. The shape of the processing vessel 10 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, cylindrical (circular in a plan view).

[0013] A gate valve 13 capable of opening and closing the internal space IS is provided on the side of the processing vessel 10. The film forming apparatus 1 opens the gate valve 13 before a film forming process, and a transfer device 2 provided in a substrate processing system (not shown) transfers the substrate W from outside the processing vessel 10 into the internal space IS. After the transfer, the film forming apparatus 1 closes the gate valve 13 and performs a film forming process. After the film forming process, the film forming apparatus 1 opens the gate valve 13, causes the transfer device 2 to enter the internal space IS again, and transfers the substrate W out of the processing vessel 10. Note that, although FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration in which multiple (three) gate valves 13 are provided and the substrate W can be transferred in and out through any of the gate valves 13, it is sufficient that the processing vessel 10 is provided with at least one gate valve 13.

[0014] 2, the processing vessel 10 has a lower concave vessel 11 with an open top and an upper concave vessel 12 with an open bottom that is placed on the lower concave vessel 11. The lower concave vessel 11 and the upper concave vessel 12 are fixed to each other so as to close their respective openings, thereby forming an internal space IS of the processing vessel 10. For ease of explanation, FIG. 1 shows the film forming apparatus 1 with the upper concave vessel 12 removed.

[0015] The lower concave container 11 has a bottom wall 111 formed in a substantially square shape in a plan view, and outer edge protrusions 112 that protrude vertically upward from the four outer edges of the bottom wall 111. The lower concave container 11 has a substrate support 20 on the inside. A through hole 111a is formed in the center of the bottom wall 111, through which a shaft 22 of the substrate support 20 described below is inserted. A central region including the center of the bottom wall 111 forms a recess 111b that is recessed downward relative to the adjacent annular region. In addition, a peripheral platform 111c that protrudes upward from the annular region is formed outside the annular region of the bottom wall 111 and between the outer edge protrusions 112.

[0016] A temperature adjustment unit 14 is installed in the recess 111b to adjust the temperature of the substrate W held by the substrate support 20. The temperature adjustment unit 14 is not particularly limited, and may be configured to use a heater such as an electric heating wire, or may be configured to use a flow path for circulating a temperature adjustment medium whose temperature is adjusted by a heat exchanger or the like, or may be a combination of these. The temperature adjustment unit 14 is connected to the control unit 90 via a temperature adjustment driver or the like (not shown), and the temperature is adjusted under the control of the control unit 90.

[0017] On the other hand, the upper concave vessel 12 has a ceiling wall 121 formed in a substantially square shape (same shape as the bottom wall 111) in a plan view, and a side wall 122 protruding vertically downward from the four outer edges of the ceiling wall 121. The processing vessel 10 is fixed in a state in which the lower end of the side wall 122 and the upper end of the outer edge protrusion 112 face each other. A seal member (not shown) is provided between the lower end of the side wall 122 and the upper end of the outer edge protrusion 112, so that the internal space IS is airtightly closed. The gate valve 13 opens and closes, for example, a side opening 122a formed in the side wall 122 (see FIG. 1).

[0018] Further, the substrate support part 20 provided in the processing vessel 10 rotatably holds the substrate W. The substrate support part 20 includes a susceptor 21 that directly holds the substrate W, a shaft part 22 that supports the susceptor 21, and a substrate rotation part 23 that is connected to the shaft part 22 outside the processing vessel 10.

[0019] The susceptor 21 is formed in a perfect circular shape that is slightly larger than the substrate W in a plan view, and has a mounting surface 21a that extends horizontally inside the processing vessel 10. The mounting surface 21a has an edge portion formed around its periphery that is the same thickness as the mounted substrate W or that protrudes longer than the thickness of the substrate W. The substrate support part 20 also includes a plurality of lift pin elevating mechanisms (not shown) that receive and transfer the substrate W between the substrate support part 20 and the transfer device 2. The susceptor 21 may be configured to fix the substrate W by an appropriate holding means (mechanical lock, adsorption, electrostatic chuck, etc.) when the substrate W is mounted on the mounting surface 21a.

[0020] The shaft portion 22 is connected to the lower surface and center of the susceptor 21, and extends along the axial direction (vertical direction) of the processing vessel 10. The shaft portion 22 is rotated about its axis by a substrate rotating unit 23, thereby rotating the susceptor 21. A magnetic fluid seal unit 24 that seals the shaft portion 22 so that it can rotate freely is provided between the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion 22 and the through-hole 111a of the bottom wall 111 of the processing vessel 10.

[0021] Substrate rotating unit 23 has a motor and a drive transmission unit (both not shown) that connects the motor and shaft unit 22. The motor of substrate rotating unit 23 is connected to control unit 90 via a driver (not shown). Substrate rotating unit 23 rotates shaft unit 22 at an appropriate rotation speed by supplying power to the motor that is adjusted by the driver based on a command from control unit 90.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the gas supply unit 30 has a plurality of supply paths 31 for circulating gases such as a process gas (adsorption gas, reactive gas) and a purge gas outside the processing vessel 10, and supplies gases into the processing vessel 10 through each supply path 31. The process gas supplied to the processing vessel 10 is selected appropriately according to the type of film to be formed on the substrate W. For example, when forming a silicon oxide film (SiO2 film), a silicon-containing gas such as a silane-based gas can be used as the adsorption gas. In addition, an oxygen-containing gas such as oxygen (O2) gas or ozone (O3) gas can be used as the reactive gas. In addition, an inert gas such as nitrogen (N2) gas or argon (Ar) gas can be used as the purge gas.

[0023] The plurality of supply paths 31 include an adsorption gas supply path 31A for circulating an adsorption gas, a reaction gas supply path 31B for circulating a reaction gas, and a purge gas supply path 31C for circulating a purge gas.

[0024] Each supply path 31 includes a plurality of tanks 32 for storing gas, a plurality of on-off valves 33 for opening and closing each supply path 31, and a plurality of flow rate regulators 34 for adjusting the flow rate of gas flowing through each supply path 31. The plurality of tanks 32 include an adsorption gas tank 32A for storing an adsorption gas, a reaction gas tank 32B for storing a reaction gas, and a purge gas tank 32C for storing a purge gas. Each on-off valve 33 and each flow rate regulator 34 are connected to a control unit 90 via a driver (not shown). The control unit 90 opens the on-off valve 33 of each supply path 31 of a predetermined gas at an appropriate timing and adjusts the flow rate of the gas by the flow rate regulator 34, thereby supplying the predetermined gas to the processing vessel 10.

[0025] Meanwhile, the gas exhaust unit 40 has a plurality of exhaust paths 41 for circulating gas (reacted gas, unreacted gas, purge gas, etc.) outside the processing vessel 10, and exhausts the gas supplied into the processing vessel 10 via each exhaust path 41. The plurality of exhaust paths 41 are divided into two systems according to two mechanisms (first nozzle mechanism 60 and second nozzle mechanism 70) of the nozzle mechanism unit 50 described below.

[0026] The first exhaust path 42 is connected to the first nozzle mechanism 60 and a position in its vicinity, and mainly exhausts gas discharged from the first nozzle mechanism 60. The first exhaust path 42 has branch exhaust paths 421 branched into multiple (two) paths, and a junction exhaust path 422 where the branch exhaust paths 421 join together to collectively exhaust gas. One of the branch exhaust paths 421A is directly connected to the first nozzle mechanism 60, and exhausts gas from the first nozzle mechanism 60. The branch exhaust path 421A is provided with a pressure adjustment valve 423A for adjusting the pressure of gas sucked in by the first nozzle mechanism 60.

[0027] The other branch exhaust path 421B is connected to an annular region of the bottom wall 111 of the processing vessel 10, and exhausts gas from the internal space IS around the susceptor 21. An exhaust groove 15 is provided in the bottom wall 111, which runs around the side of the temperature adjustment unit 14 in an annular shape (see also FIG. 1). The branch exhaust path 421B is connected to the bottom of the exhaust groove 15. An exhaust net 16 is preferably provided at the upper opening of the exhaust groove 15 to make the conductance uniform in the circumferential direction when exhausting the gas.

[0028] A suction mechanism 424 (e.g., a turbo molecular pump, a vacuum pump) is connected to one end of the confluence exhaust path 422 in order to suck gas from the entire first exhaust path 42. Furthermore, the confluence exhaust path 422 is provided with a pressure adjustment valve 423B for adjusting the pressure of gas sucked in the entire first system.

[0029] The second exhaust path 43 is connected to the second nozzle mechanism 70 and a position in the vicinity thereof, and mainly exhausts gas from the second nozzle mechanism 70. Similarly to the first exhaust path 42, the second exhaust path 43 also has a branch exhaust path 431 branched into a plurality (two) and a junction exhaust path 432 where the branch exhaust paths 431 join together to exhaust gas collectively. One of the branch exhaust paths 431A is connected to the second nozzle mechanism 70 and exhausts gas from the second nozzle mechanism 70. A pressure adjustment valve 433A is provided midway along the branch exhaust path 431A to adjust the pressure of gas sucked in by the second nozzle mechanism 70. The other branch exhaust path 431B is connected to an annular region (the bottom of the exhaust groove 15) of the bottom wall 111 of the processing vessel 10, and exhausts gas from the internal space IS around the susceptor 21.

[0030] A suction mechanism 434 (e.g., a turbo molecular pump, a vacuum pump) is connected to one end of the confluence exhaust path 432 in order to suck gas from the entire second exhaust path 43. Furthermore, a pressure adjustment valve 433B is provided midway along the confluence exhaust path 432 in order to adjust the pressure of gas being sucked in the entire second system.

[0031] The nozzle mechanism 50 has a function of discharging a processing gas and a purge gas onto the surface (upper surface) of the substrate W held by the susceptor 21 in the processing vessel 10, and also sucking gas above the substrate W. The nozzle mechanism 50 includes a first nozzle mechanism 60 and a second nozzle mechanism 70 according to the type of processing gas (adsorption gas, reaction gas) supplied to the substrate W. The film forming apparatus 1 swings each of the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70 relative to the substrate support 20 in the processing vessel 10. As a result, a first processing point region PR1 (see FIG. 3(A)) where the gas is discharged and sucked by the first nozzle mechanism 60 and a second processing point region PR2 (see FIG. 4(A)) where the gas is discharged and sucked by the second nozzle mechanism 70 move independently of each other.

[0032] The first nozzle mechanism 60 is installed at one of the four corners (the lower left corner in FIG. 1 ) of the processing vessel 10 (lower concave vessel 11). The first nozzle mechanism 60 discharges the adsorption gas and the purge gas while sucking in the discharged gases. Specifically, the first nozzle mechanism 60 includes a first nozzle 61, a first nozzle operating part 62 provided at the base end of the first nozzle 61, and a first head 63 provided at the protruding end (tip) of the first nozzle 61.

[0033] The first nozzle 61 is installed on the peripheral platform 111c of the bottom wall 111, and extends parallel (horizontally) to the mounting surface 21a of the susceptor 21 at a position higher than the substrate W mounted on the susceptor 21. The first nozzle 61 is formed to a length that allows it to extend from a first nozzle operating portion 62 in the processing vessel 10 to the center of the processing vessel 10. The center of the processing vessel 10 coincides with the center of the susceptor 21 (substrate W), and the first nozzle 61 extends to the center of the susceptor 21. In other words, the extension length of the first nozzle 61 is set to be slightly shorter than half the diagonal of the processing vessel 10, but longer than the radius of the susceptor 21.

[0034] The first nozzle 61 is formed, for example, as a square tube having a rectangular shape in a cross-sectional view, and has a flow path 611 therein through which a gas can flow. Furthermore, a plurality of pipes 612, 614 are provided at appropriate positions (for example, on the surface) of the outer circumferential surface of the first nozzle 61 in the processing vessel 10. The plurality of pipes 612, 614 extend from the base end of the first nozzle 61 to the first head 63 of the first nozzle 61 in parallel with the extension direction of the first nozzle 61.

[0035] The pipe 612 has a flow path 612a extending along the axial direction therein, and a base end thereof is connected to a connection pipe 613 provided in the processing vessel 10. The connection pipe 613 has appropriate flexibility so that the pipe 612 can move following the rotation of the first nozzle 61. The connection pipe 613 is connected to an adsorption gas supply path 31A outside the processing vessel 10 via a connector provided in the processing vessel 10. This allows the pipe 612 to distribute the adsorption gas from the base end to the first head 63 along the flow path 612a.

[0036] The pipe 614 has a flow path 614a extending along the axial direction therein, and a base end thereof is connected to a connection pipe 615 provided in the processing vessel 10. The connection pipe 615 also has appropriate flexibility so that the pipe 614 can move following the rotation of the first nozzle 61. The connection pipe 615 is connected to a purge gas supply path 31C outside the processing vessel 10 via a connector provided in the processing vessel 10. This allows the pipe 614 to distribute the purge gas from the base end to the first head 63 along the flow path 614a.

[0037] The flow path 611 of the first nozzle 61 has a flow path cross-sectional area larger than the flow path 612a of the pipe 612 and the flow path 614a of the pipe 614. This flow path 611 circulates gas sucked in at the outer periphery of the first head 63, and discharges the gas to the branch discharge path 421A via the support shaft 621. The base end of the first nozzle 61 is connected to the support shaft 621 of the first nozzle operating unit 62. As the support shaft 621 operates, the first nozzle 61 swings (moves back and forth) the first nozzle 61 and the first head 63 in an arc shape with the support shaft 621 as a base point.

[0038] The first nozzle operation unit 62 rotates the support shaft 621 while ensuring the flow of gas in the flow path 611 of the first nozzle 61. For this reason, the first nozzle operation unit 62 is provided with a cover 622, a magnetic fluid seal unit 623, and a drive main body 624 in addition to the support shaft 621.

[0039] The support shaft 621 is formed as a hard circular tube extending in the vertical direction and having a flow path 621a therein. The first nozzle 61 extending in the horizontal direction is firmly fixed to the upper end of the support shaft 621 using an appropriate fixing member. The lower end of the support shaft 621 is connected to the branch exhaust path 421A outside the processing vessel 10 via a connector (not shown) provided in the processing vessel 10. Thus, the first nozzle 61 can apply a suction force (negative pressure) to the first head 63 provided at the tip of the first nozzle 61 to suck gas in the order of the branch exhaust path 421A, the flow path 621a, and the flow path 611.

[0040] The magnetic fluid seal unit 623 hermetically seals the gap between the bottom wall 111 and the support shaft 621, thereby restricting leakage of gas from inside the processing vessel 10 through the first nozzle operating unit 62. The drive body 624 includes a rotary motor and a drive transmission mechanism (not shown), and rotates the support shaft 621 over a set angle range based on the rotary drive of the rotary motor. With the rotation of the support shaft 621, the first nozzle 61 swings around the base end connected to the support shaft 621 as a base point. The drive body 624 is connected to the control unit 90 via a driver (not shown), and the rotation speed, rotation direction, etc. of the rotary motor are controlled under the control of the control unit 90.

[0041] 1 over a range of approximately 90°. Due to the operation of the first nozzle operation unit 62, the first nozzle 61 swings between a first nozzle movement end N11 set near one side of the processing vessel 10 and a first nozzle movement other end N12 set near the other side perpendicular to the one side of the processing vessel 10. The first nozzle movement end N11 and the first nozzle movement other end N12 are positions that are appropriately spaced apart from the susceptor 21 in the horizontal direction (positions that do not overlap with the susceptor 21 in the vertical direction).

[0042] 3(A) and 3(B), the first head 63 provided at the tip of the first nozzle 61 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the first nozzle 61 in a plan view. During a film formation process, the first head 63 discharges an adsorption gas onto the substrate W, discharges a purge gas onto the substrate W around the adsorption gas, and forms a first processing point region PR1 that sucks in gas outside the discharged portions of the adsorption gas and the purge gas. The first head 63 reciprocates along a first arc path in response to the swing of a first nozzle movement end N11 and a first nozzle movement other end N12 of the first nozzle 61, and faces the substrate W during this movement (see also FIG. 1).

[0043] In detail, the first head 63 has a rectangular head body 631 that is long in the tangential direction of the first arc path, and a protruding portion 632 that protrudes from the surface of the head body 631. The first nozzle 61 is directly connected to the head body 631, and the above-mentioned pipes 612 and 614 are connected to the protruding portion 632. The first head 63 has a process gas discharge portion 633 that discharges the adsorption gas at the center of the head body 631 and the center of the protruding portion 632.

[0044] The process gas discharge part 633 is surrounded by an inner wall extending across the head body 631 and the protruding part 632, and a bottom wall (discharge plate 637) of the head body 631 facing the substrate W. The process gas discharge part 633 has a discharge path 633a therein, and has a plurality of discharge ports 633b in the bottom wall that communicate with the discharge path 633a. The pipe 612 is connected to the protruding part 632 so that the discharge path 633a communicates with the flow path 612a. The process gas discharge part 633 may include a heater 636 in the discharge path 633a for heating the adsorption gas supplied from the flow path 612a.

[0045] The outlets 633b of the processing gas discharge part 633 are arranged in a matrix and are generally rectangular in shape with a long edge in the tangential direction of the first arcuate path. As a result, the processing gas discharge part 633 forms a rectangular adsorption gas discharge area PR11 at the center of the first processing point area PR1. In other words, the processing gas discharge part 633 can spray the adsorption gas onto an area that is sufficiently narrow relative to the entire area of ​​the substrate W during the film formation process.

[0046] Furthermore, the first head 63 has a purge gas discharge part 634 that discharges a purge gas around the processing gas discharge part 633. The purge gas discharge part 634 is a part surrounded by the space between the inner wall and the outer wall of the protruding part 632, the space between the inner wall and the partition wall of the head main body 631, and the bottom wall. The purge gas discharge part 634 has a discharge path 634a therein, and has a plurality of discharge ports 634b in the bottom wall that communicate with the discharge path 634a. A pipe 614 is connected to the protruding part 632 so that the discharge path 634a communicates with the flow path 613a.

[0047] The outlets 634b of the purge gas discharge part 634 are arranged in a matrix, similar to the outlets 633b, and form a square ring shape that circles around the outlets 633b of the process gas discharge part 633. As a result, the purge gas discharge part 634 forms a square ring-shaped purge gas discharge region PR12 outside the discharge region of the adsorption gas. The purge gas discharge part 634 prevents the adsorption gas discharged by the process gas discharge part 633 from spreading outward due to the discharge of the purge gas during the film formation process.

[0048] The first head 63 also has a gas suction section 635 that sucks in gas around the purge gas discharge section 634. The gas suction section 635 is a section surrounded by a partition wall and an outer wall of the head main body 631. The gas suction section 635 has an internal suction path 635a and a series of openings 635b that communicate with the suction path 635a. The first nozzle 61 and the head main body 631 are connected so that the suction path 635a communicates with the flow path 611.

[0049] The opening 635b is formed in a square ring shape going around the outer periphery of the bottom wall of the head main body 631. As a result, the gas suction part 635 forms a square ring-shaped suction region PR13 outside the discharge region of the purge gas. The gas suction part 635 can smoothly suck in the adsorption gas and the purge gas discharged onto the substrate W around the discharge region PR12 during the film formation process.

[0050] 1 and 2, the second nozzle mechanism 70 is installed at another corner (the upper right corner in FIG. 1) diagonally opposite to the first nozzle mechanism 60 among the four corners of the processing vessel 10. The second nozzle mechanism 70 discharges reactive gas and purge gas while sucking in the discharged gases. Specifically, the second nozzle mechanism 70 includes a second nozzle 71, a second nozzle operating unit 72 provided at a base end of the second nozzle 71, and a second head 73 provided at a protruding end (tip) of the second nozzle 71.

[0051] The second nozzle 71 is formed in basically the same shape as the first nozzle 61. A flow path 711 is provided inside the second nozzle 71. A plurality of pipes 712, 714 are provided at appropriate positions (for example, on the surface) of the outer circumferential surface of the second nozzle 71. The pipe 712 has a flow path 712a therein, and a base end thereof is connected to a connection pipe 713 provided in the processing vessel 10. The connection pipe 713 is connected to a reaction gas supply path 31B provided outside the processing vessel 10. The pipe 714 has a flow path 714a therein, and a base end thereof is connected to a connection pipe 715 provided in the processing vessel 10. The connection pipe 715 is connected to a purge gas supply path 31C provided outside the processing vessel 10.

[0052] The second nozzle operation part 72 is formed in the same manner as the first nozzle operation part 62. The second nozzle operation part 72 includes a support shaft 721, a cover 722, a magnetic fluid seal part 723, and a drive body 724. The support shaft 721 is formed as a hard circular tube having a flow path 721a therein. The support shaft 721 supports the second nozzle 71 at its upper end, and is connected at its lower end to a branch discharge path 431A provided outside the processing vessel 10. The drive body 724 includes a rotation motor and a drive transmission mechanism (not shown), and rotates the support shaft 721 over a set angle range based on the rotation drive of the rotation motor. The drive body 724 is connected to a control part 90 via a driver (not shown), and the rotation speed, rotation direction, etc. of the rotation motor are controlled under the control of the control part 90.

[0053] The second nozzle operation unit 72 is also controlled so that the support shaft 721 repeatedly rotates clockwise and counterclockwise over a range of approximately 90°. Therefore, the second nozzle 71 swings between a second nozzle movement end N21 set near one side of the processing vessel 10 and a second nozzle movement other end N22 set near the other side perpendicular to the one side of the processing vessel 10 by the operation of the second nozzle operation unit 72. The second nozzle movement end N21 and the second nozzle movement other end N22 are positions that are appropriately spaced apart from the susceptor 21 in the horizontal direction (positions that do not overlap with the susceptor 21 in the vertical direction).

[0054] 4(A) and 4(B), the second head 73 is basically formed in the same manner as the first head 63. During the film formation process, the second head 73 discharges a reactive gas onto the substrate W and also discharges a purge gas onto the substrate W around the reactive gas, and further forms a second processing point region PR2 that sucks in gas outside the discharged portions of the reactive gas and the purge gas. The second head 73 reciprocates along a second arc path in response to the swing of the second nozzle movement one end N21 and the second nozzle movement other end N22 of the second nozzle 71, and faces the substrate W during this movement.

[0055] In detail, the second head 73 has a rectangular head body 731 that is long in the tangential direction of the second arc path, and a protruding portion 732 that protrudes from the surface of the head body 731, and the pipes 712 and 714 are connected to the protruding portion 732. The second head 73 has a process gas discharge portion 733 that discharges a reactive gas at the center of the head body 731 and the center of the protruding portion 732.

[0056] The process gas discharge part 733 is a part surrounded by an inner wall extending across the head body 731 and the protruding part 732, and a bottom wall (discharge plate 738) of the head body 731 facing the substrate W. The process gas discharge part 733 has a discharge path 733a therein and has a discharge port 733b communicating with the discharge path 733a. The pipe 712 is connected to the protruding part 732 so that the discharge path 733a communicates with the flow path 712a. In the embodiment, the discharge port 733b has a rectangular shape communicating in the longitudinal direction, but is not limited thereto, and the second head 73 may be configured to have a plurality of discharge ports like the first head 63. The process gas discharge part 733 may also have a heater 736 in the discharge path 733a for heating the reaction gas supplied from the flow path 712a.

[0057] Furthermore, the process gas discharge part 733 may discharge the reaction gas as it is (or after heating) or may be configured to convert the reaction gas into plasma and discharge it according to the requirements of the film formation process. The process gas discharge part 733 may be configured to convert the reaction gas into plasma and discharge it, and the configuration will be specifically described below. The process gas discharge part 733 has an antenna 737 for plasma that goes around the outer circumferential surface of the inner wall of the protruding part 732. The antenna 737 is connected to a high-frequency power supply part (not shown) provided outside the process vessel 10 via a wiring (not shown). The wiring extends, for example, along the outer circumferential surface of the second nozzle 71. Therefore, during the film formation process, high-frequency power is supplied from the high-frequency power supply part to the antenna 737 via the wiring, and plasma is generated in the reaction gas flowing through the discharge path 733a.

[0058] When the reactive gas is turned into plasma, a mixed gas of, for example, O2, H2, NH3, Ar, N2, etc. may be used as the reactive gas. In addition, in order to form a high-quality oxide film, a purge gas containing O3 may be supplied as a purge gas in plasma generation. This allows the processing gas discharge part 733 to form a discharge region PR21 of the plasma-converted reactive gas at the center of the second processing point region PR2 when discharging the reactive gas.

[0059] Furthermore, the second head 73 has a purge gas discharge part 734 that discharges a purge gas around the process gas discharge part 733. The purge gas discharge part 734 can have a similar configuration to the purge gas discharge part 634 of the first head 63, has a discharge path 734a and a plurality of discharge ports 734b, and forms a discharge region PR22 of the purge gas. Furthermore, the second head 73 has a gas suction part 735 that sucks gas around the purge gas discharge part 734. The gas suction part 735 can also have a similar configuration to the gas suction part 735 of the first head 63, has a suction path 735a and an opening 735b, and forms a gas suction region PR23.

[0060] 2, the film forming apparatus 1 further has a mechanism for supplying a purge gas from the upper portion (above the nozzle mechanism 50) of the processing vessel 10 to the lower internal space IS. For example, the ceiling wall 121 of the upper concave vessel 12 has a gas inlet port 17 for introducing the purge gas. The gas inlet port 17 is connected to a purge gas tank 32C that stores the purge gas via a purge gas supply path 31C having an opening / closing valve 33 and a flow rate regulator 34.

[0061] A shower head 18 may be provided in the upper concave container 12 to horizontally diffuse the purge gas introduced from the gas introduction port 17. The shower head 18 is formed in a flat plate shape having a plurality of gas holes 18a, and uniformly discharges the purge gas supplied to the space between the shower head 18 and the ceiling wall 121 into the space below the shower head 18 (the space where the substrate W and the nozzle mechanism unit 50 are located).

[0062] 1, a computer having a processor 91, a memory 92, an input / output interface (not shown), etc. can be applied to the control unit 90 that controls the above-mentioned film forming apparatus 1. The processor 91 is one or a combination of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a circuit made of a plurality of discrete semiconductors, etc. The memory 92 includes a main storage device made of a semiconductor memory or the like, and an auxiliary storage device made of a disk, a drive, a semiconductor memory (flash memory), etc.

[0063] The memory 92 stores a program for operating the film forming apparatus 1 and a recipe such as process conditions for the film forming process. The processor 91 reads out and executes the program from the memory 92 to control each component of the film forming apparatus 1. The control unit 90 may be configured by a host computer or a plurality of client computers that communicate with each other via a network.

[0064] The control unit 90 controls each component of the film formation apparatus 1 to form a desired film on the substrate W held by the substrate support unit 20. At this time, the control unit 90 controls the operation of the first nozzle operation unit 62 to swing the first nozzle 61 in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate W, and controls the operation of the second nozzle operation unit 72 to swing the second nozzle 71 in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate W.

[0065] As described above, the first head 63 reciprocates along the first arcuate path based on the swing of the first nozzle 61. The second head 73 reciprocates along the second arcuate path based on the swing of the second nozzle. The first arcuate path and the second arcuate path intersect at the center of the susceptor 21 (substrate W). For example, the control unit 90 controls the swing speed of the first nozzle 61 and the swing speed of the second nozzle 71 to be the same, while shifting the start timing of the swing of the first nozzle 61 from the start timing of the swing of the second nozzle 71. This allows the film forming apparatus 1 to avoid interference between the first head 63 and the second head 73 and to stably repeat the reciprocating movement of the first head 63 and the reciprocating movement of the second head 73.

[0066] The control unit 90 operates the gas supply unit 30 and the gas exhaust unit 40 in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the reciprocating movement of the second nozzle mechanism 70, thereby supplying processing gas (adsorption gas, reaction gas) using the nozzle mechanism unit 50 and aspirating the gas.

[0067] 3A, the discharge port 633b of the first head 63 forms a discharge region PR11 of the adsorption gas on the vertically lower side, and adsorbs the adsorption gas onto the rotating substrate W. Furthermore, the first head 63 forms a discharge region PR12 of the purge gas around the discharge region PR11 of the adsorption gas, thereby suppressing the spread of the adsorption gas and easily controlling the discharge region PR11 of the adsorption gas. The first head 63 sucks the gas in a suction region PR13 outside the discharge region PR12, thereby reducing the amount of adsorption gas remaining near the surface of the substrate W and suppressing the adsorption gas from adhering to locations on the substrate W other than the first processing point region PR1.

[0068] 4A, the outlet 733b of the second head 73 forms a reactive gas discharge region PR21 on the vertically lower side while moving along the second arcuate orbit, and discharges the plasmatized reactive gas onto the rotating substrate W. Furthermore, the second head 73 forms a purge gas discharge region PR22 around the reactive gas discharge region PR21, thereby suppressing the spread of the reactive gas and easily controlling the reactive gas discharge region PR21. The second head 73 sucks the gas in a suction region PR23 outside the discharge region PR22, thereby reducing the amount of reactive gas remaining near the surface of the substrate W and suppressing the reactive gas from reacting at locations other than the second processing point region PR2 of the substrate W.

[0069] 5, the film forming apparatus 1 may perform control to change the moving speed of the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the moving speed of the second nozzle mechanism 70. In the following, the swing motion of the first nozzle mechanism 60 will be representatively described, and a description of the second nozzle mechanism 70 that performs a similar swing motion will be omitted.

[0070] When the radial interval is divided into a plurality of equal sections from the center of the substrate W toward the radially outward side, the surface area of ​​each section is smaller toward the center and larger toward the outer edge. In Fig. 5, the surface of the substrate W is divided into three sections (hereinafter, the divided sections are also referred to as the first section R1 to the third section R3, in order from the center of the substrate W toward the outer edge). The number of divided sections is not limited to three, and may be two, four or more.

[0071] The first section R1 has a perfect circle shape at the center of the substrate W. The second section R2 is adjacent to the outside of the first section R1 and has a ring shape going around the periphery. The third section R3 is also adjacent to the outside of the second section R2 and has a ring shape going around the periphery. In this case, the relationship of the surface areas of the sections is first section R1<second section R2<third section R3. Therefore, in the film formation method, a larger amount of processing gas is supplied to the third section R3 side of the rotating substrate W, while a smaller amount of processing gas is supplied to the first section R1 side of the rotating substrate W, thereby achieving in-plane uniformity of film formation.

[0072] Specifically, the control unit 90 increases the supply amount of the processing gas in the third section R3 by making the outlets 633b, 733b of the nozzle mechanism unit 50 face the third section R3 (outer edge side) longer than the first section R1 (center side). That is, the control unit 90 controls the swing operation of the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70 so that the movement speed Vr1 in the first section R1>the movement speed Vr2 in the second section R2>the movement speed Vr3 in the third section R3. This makes it possible to appropriately adjust the thickness of the film formed on the surface of the substrate W.

[0073] However, the surface area of ​​each section of the substrate W is not limited to being calculated only from the area in a plan view of the substrate W. The surface area of ​​each section of the substrate W also varies depending on the unevenness pattern (e.g., trenches, vias) of the semiconductor device formed on the surface. Therefore, for example, when there is no unevenness pattern on the surface, it is easy to form a film B having a uniform thickness on the surface of the substrate W, as shown in FIG. 6(A).

[0074] On the other hand, when an uneven pattern is present on the surface, the ratio of the surface area of ​​the outer edge of the substrate W to the surface area of ​​the center of the substrate W becomes even greater, and it becomes easier to form a mountain-shaped film B1 that is thicker at the center as shown in Figure 6(B). Note that in the plan view of Figure 6(B), the greater the whiteness, the thicker the film. In other words, the uneven pattern causes a loading effect on the substrate W, which changes the film thickness when the film is formed. For example, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 6(B), the outer edge of the substrate W has a thinner film thickness than the center of the substrate W.

[0075] As described above, when a film having a different shape from a film having a target shape (for example, a flat film) is formed, the film forming apparatus 1 performs additional film formation by restricting the respective operating ranges of the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70, thereby adjusting the film thickness on the substrate W and forming a film having the target shape. Hereinafter, the respective operating ranges of the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 7(A), under the control of the control unit 90, the film forming apparatus 1 can reciprocate the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70 in an operating range that does not reach the center of the substrate W from the outer edge of the substrate W. As a result, the outlet 633b of the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the outlet 733b of the second nozzle mechanism 70 face the substrate W over a long distance in the limited operating range. Each outlet 633b, 733b supplies a large amount of processing gas to the portion that faces the substrate W over a long distance. As a result, the film forming apparatus 1 can reduce (or set to zero) the amount of film formed on the center side of the substrate W and increase the amount of film formed on the outer edge side of the substrate W. Hereinafter, the film formation in which the operating range of the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70 is limited is also referred to as a partial film formation process.

[0077] In the partial film formation process, the time during which the outlet 633b of the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the outlet 733b of the second nozzle mechanism 70 face each other is increased as the thickness of the film is insufficient for the target shape. This allows more processing gas to be supplied to the area where the film thickness is insufficient, and the film thickness can be increased. On the other hand, the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70 are not faced to the area where the film on the substrate W is thick (or are faced to each other for a short time), thereby suppressing an increase in the film thickness. Note that even when the partial film formation process is performed, the swing speed of the first nozzle 61 and the swing speed of the second nozzle 71 may be changed for each of a plurality of sections on the substrate W. This makes it possible to suppress the speed of the first nozzle 61 and the second nozzle 71 from slowing down at the end of the reciprocating movement on the center side of the substrate W, for example, and to form more film on other areas.

[0078] In particular, the control unit 90 may move the ends of the reciprocating movements of the first nozzle 61 and the second nozzle 71 on the center side of the substrate W toward the outer edge side of the substrate W as time passes during the partial film formation process. Fig. 7(B) shows an example in which the operating ranges of the first nozzle 61 and the second nozzle 71 are narrowed to approximately half the operating ranges in Fig. 7(A). This allows the film formation apparatus 1 to gradually increase the film thickness toward the outer edge side of the substrate W while causing almost no change in the thickness of the film on the center side of the substrate W.

[0079] By performing the partial film formation process described above, the film formation apparatus 1 can adjust the film thickness to be flat even if a mountain-shaped film is formed in the initial film formation process. Note that the initial film formation process is a process in which the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70 are reciprocated from one outer edge of the substrate W to the other outer edge to form a film on the entire surface of the substrate W (hereinafter, also referred to as the entire film formation process).

[0080] Specifically, in the total film formation process, the film formation apparatus 1 reciprocates the first nozzle 61 of the first nozzle mechanism 60 between one end N11 of the first nozzle movement and the other end N12 of the first nozzle movement (a range of movement of approximately 90°) (see also FIG. 1). Similarly, in the total film formation process, the film formation apparatus 1 reciprocates the second nozzle 71 of the second nozzle mechanism 70 between one end N21 of the second nozzle movement and the other end N22 of the second nozzle movement (a range of movement of approximately 90°). In other words, in the total film formation process, the operating range of the nozzle mechanism unit 50 is set as the limit position of the reciprocating movement as a discharge condition of the processing gas. As a result, as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 8(A), the first head 63 and the second head 73 can form a film on the entire surface of the substrate W while swinging over the entire surface of the substrate W. However, when a concave-convex pattern is formed on the substrate W as described above, a mountain-shaped film B1 is formed on the substrate W by the total film formation process (see the right diagram of FIG. 8(A)).

[0081] Therefore, as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 8(B), the film forming apparatus 1 performs a partial film forming process after the entire film forming process to increase the film thickness at the thin portion. The film forming apparatus 1 changes the discharge conditions of the process gas in the partial film forming process to narrow the operation range of the reciprocating movement of the first head 63 and the second head 73 to a position from the outer edge of the substrate W to the center of the substrate W (or a position that exactly reaches the center). In other words, in the partial film forming process, the operation range of the nozzle mechanism unit 50 is significantly narrowed as the discharge conditions of the process gas compared to the entire film forming process. Furthermore, the film forming apparatus 1 controls the operation range of the reciprocating movement of the first head 63 and the second head 73 to be gradually narrowed over time. Specifically, the operation range is narrowed so that the end of the center side in the reciprocating movement of the first head 63 and the second head 73 is gradually moved toward the outer edge side.

[0082] In addition, the time (discharge condition) during which the discharge port 633b of the first head 63 and the discharge port 733b of the second head 73 face the substrate W can be set, for example, by the difference in film thickness between a substrate W without a concave-convex pattern and a substrate W with a concave-convex pattern. For example, if the film thickness on the outer edge side of a substrate W with a concave-convex pattern is reduced due to the loading effect when the substrate W with a concave-convex pattern is processed, the rotation speed of the substrate support unit 20 and the movement speed of the nozzle mechanism unit 50 can be calculated from the film thickness difference and controlled according to the calculation result. Note that the surface area of ​​the substrate W may change depending on the film thickness formed on the concave-convex pattern in the actual overall film formation process, and may differ from the previously calculated result. Therefore, it is advisable to monitor the actual film formation state of the substrate W and determine the number of additional cycles and the operating range. By repeating this several times, the film formation apparatus 1 can finally set the discharge condition that can form a film with the desired film thickness and the best in-plane uniformity.

[0083] As a result, as shown in the right diagram of Fig. 8(A), the film formation apparatus 1 can increase the film thickness of the film on the outer edge side in the partial film formation process compared to the mountain-shaped film formed in the full film formation process. In other words, by performing the partial film formation process, the film formation apparatus 1 can freely adjust the film thickness of the film formed on the substrate W. For example, the film formation apparatus 1 can improve the loading effect for a substrate W having an uneven pattern without significantly changing the process conditions, thereby making it possible to obtain a flat film thickness (a film with excellent in-plane uniformity) (see the right diagram of Fig. 8(B)).

[0084] [Film formation method] Hereinafter, the film formation method according to the above embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 9. In the film formation method, as shown in Fig. 9, after a preparatory process for film formation is performed, a first film formation process which is a full film formation process and a second film formation process which is a partial film formation process are performed in this order.

[0085] 9 under the control of the control unit 90. After the substrate W is placed on the susceptor 21 of the substrate support unit 20, the control unit 90 first adjusts the internal pressure of the processing vessel 10 to a target pressure (step S101). The control unit 90 exhausts the internal gas by the gas exhaust unit 40 while supplying a purge gas from the upper part of the processing vessel 10 by the gas supply unit 30. In this way, the control unit 90 adjusts the internal pressure of the processing vessel 10 to a target pressure set in the range of, for example, 1 Torr to 10 Torr.

[0086] The control unit 90 also operates the temperature adjustment unit 14 in the processing chamber 10 to adjust the temperature of the substrate W placed on the susceptor 21 to the target temperature (step S102). The control unit 90 adjusts the temperature of the substrate W to the target temperature set in the range of, for example, about 100° C. to 800° C.

[0087] Then, the control unit 90 operates the substrate rotation unit 23 of the substrate support unit 20 to rotate the susceptor 21 at a target speed (step S103). The control unit 90 rotates the susceptor 21 at a target speed set within a range of, for example, 10 rpm to 1000 rpm. As a result, the substrate W held by the susceptor 21 also rotates (spins) about its center.

[0088] When the internal pressure of the processing vessel 10, the temperature of the substrate W, the rotation speed of the substrate W, and the like are stabilized, the control unit 90 ends the advance preparation and starts the first film formation process, which is the entire film formation process. Specifically, the control unit 90 sets the operating ranges of the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70 to the entirety, and swings the first head 63 and the second head 73 (step S104). As a result, as shown in FIG. 8(A), the first head 63 and the second head 73 swing above the substrate W so as to face the entire surface of the substrate W. At this time, the control unit 90 operates the first head 63 and the second head 73 with a timing difference between the swing of the first head 63 and the swing of the second head 73 so that the first head 63 and the second head 73 do not interfere with each other.

[0089] Then, the control unit 90 operates the gas supply unit 30 and the gas exhaust unit 40 together with the operation of the nozzle mechanism unit 50, and starts supplying the process gas (adsorption gas, reaction gas) using the nozzle mechanism unit 50 and suctioning the gas (step S105). The operation timing of the gas supply unit 30 and the gas exhaust unit 40 is not particularly limited, and may be before or after the reciprocating movement of the first nozzle 61 and the second nozzle 71. As a result, the adsorption gas is adsorbed on the surface of the substrate W, and the reaction gas can be reacted with the adsorption gas. Thus, a film corresponding to the adsorption gas and the reaction gas is formed on the entire surface of the substrate W.

[0090] Then, the control unit 90 monitors whether or not the first film formation process is to be ended during the execution of the first film formation process (step S106). For example, the control unit 90 compares a target time for the first film formation process set in a recipe or the like (or a processing time set according to a target film thickness or the like) with an actual operation time of the nozzle mechanism unit 50, and determines the end of the first film formation process based on the actual operation time reaching the target time. Note that the film formation apparatus 1 may include a film thickness measuring device (not shown) for measuring film thickness in the processing vessel 10, and determine the end of the first film formation process based on the measured film thickness.

[0091] Next, the control unit 90 determines whether or not to perform the second film formation process, which is a partial film formation process (step S107). If the substrate W has a concave-convex pattern as described above, a mountain-shaped film will be formed in the first film formation process. Whether or not a mountain-shaped film will be formed on the substrate W and the state of the film (such as the difference in thickness between the center side and the outer edge side) can be known in advance by performing experiments, simulations, etc. in advance.

[0092] When a mountain-shaped film is formed with a flat film as the target shape, the control unit 90 determines to perform the second film forming process (step S107: YES) and proceeds to step S108. On the other hand, when a flat film is obtained with a flat film as the target shape, the control unit 90 determines not to perform the second film forming process (step S107: NO) and proceeds to step S110 without performing the subsequent steps S108 and S109.

[0093] In step S108, the control unit 90 changes the operating ranges (discharge conditions) of the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70 to a part thereof, and swings the first head 63 and the second head 73, as the second film forming process. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8B, the control unit 90 narrows the operating ranges of the first head 63 and the second head 73 to a range that does not reach the center of the substrate W from the outer edge of the substrate W, and swings the first head 63 and the second head 73. At this time, the control unit 90 continues to supply the same processing gas as in the first film forming process, and also continues to suck the gas. In addition, the control unit 90 swings the first head 63 and the second head 73 by changing the position or timing so that they do not interfere with each other. This allows the nozzle mechanism unit 50 to form a film along the circumferential direction on a part of the radial direction of the surface of the substrate W. Then, the control unit 90 gradually narrows the operating ranges of the first head 63 and the second head 73, making it possible to focus on depositing film on areas (the outer edge side) where the film thickness was thin during the overall film deposition process.

[0094] The control unit 90 monitors whether the second film formation process is to be ended during the execution of the second film formation process (step S109). For example, the control unit 90 compares the target time of the second film formation process set in a recipe or the like (or a processing time set according to a target film thickness or the like) with the actual operation time of the nozzle mechanism unit 50, and determines the end of the second film formation process based on the actual operation time reaching the target time. The target time of the second film formation process can be set by performing experiments or simulations in advance using the state of the film formed on the substrate W in the first film formation process (such as the difference in thickness between the center side and the outer edge side).

[0095] Finally, the control unit 90 ends the film formation method by performing a termination process of the film formation apparatus 1 (step S110). In the termination process, the operations of the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70 are stopped, and the rotation of the substrate support unit 20, the supply of gas by the gas supply unit 30, the temperature control by the temperature control unit 14, etc. are stopped. This makes it possible for the film formation apparatus 1 to unload the substrate W from the processing chamber 10.

[0096] The film forming apparatus 1 and the film forming method according to the embodiment are not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, the film forming method is not limited to performing the first film forming process (full film forming process) and the second film forming process (partial film forming process) in that order, but may be configured to perform the partial film forming process first and then the full film forming process. Furthermore, in the film forming method, the first film forming process (full film forming process) and the second film forming process (partial film forming process) may be alternately repeated multiple times.

[0097] In the film formation method according to the above embodiment, the operating range of the reciprocating movement of the nozzle mechanism unit 50 is set narrower than that of the first film formation process as the discharge condition of the process gas in the second film formation process. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The film formation method may change the discharge condition of the process gas, such as lengthening the time that the first nozzle mechanism 60 or the second nozzle mechanism 70 faces the substrate W for a portion with a thin film thickness, or increasing the discharge amount of the process gas supplied to the substrate W. In other words, in the second film formation process, it is sufficient to set discharge conditions (operation of the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70, rotation speed on the substrate W side, discharge amount of the process gas, etc.) that compensate for the portion with a thin film thickness. This allows the film formation method to appropriately adjust the film thickness of the film to be formed.

[0098] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a flat film B as shown in Fig. 10(A) has been taken as an example of the final target shape of the film formed on the surface of the substrate W. However, the final target shape of the film formed on the surface of the substrate W is not limited to a flat shape, and may be set to various shapes as shown in Figs. 10(B) to 10(F).

[0099] For example, FIG. 10(B) shows an example of a target shape of a film B1 having a mountain shape, in which the film thickness is thick on the center side of the substrate W and thin on the outer edge side of the substrate W. FIG. 10(C) shows an example of a target shape of a film B2 having a concave shape (bowl shape), in which the film thickness is thin on the center side of the substrate W and thick on the outer edge side of the substrate W. FIG. 10(D) shows an example of a target shape of a film B3 having a circular shape on the center side of the substrate W. FIG. 10(E) shows an example of a target shape of a film B4 having a ring shape around the middle position of the radius of the substrate W. FIG. 10(F) shows an example of a target shape of a film B5 having a ring shape around the outer edge of the substrate W.

[0100] Furthermore, the film formation apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment has been described as an apparatus in which the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70 move (swing) relative to the substrate W. However, the film formation apparatus 1 may be configured such that the nozzle mechanism that supplies the processing gas is fixed, and the substrate support unit 20 that supports the substrate W moves relative to the nozzle. Figure 11 shows an example of a film formation apparatus 1A in this case.

[0101] A film forming apparatus 1A according to a modified example shown in Fig. 11 includes a processing vessel 1010, a substrate support unit 1020, a gas supply unit 1030, a gas exhaust unit 1040, and a nozzle mechanism unit 1050. For ease of explanation, a top plate of the processing vessel 1010 is not shown in Fig. 11.

[0102] The processing vessel 1010 is made of quartz or the like, and has an internal space that can accommodate a plurality of substrates W and can be depressurized. The processing vessel 1010 has a perfect circle shape in a plan view, and is formed into a cylindrical shape having a vertical length shorter than its horizontal diameter. The processing vessel 1010 has a side opening 1112a in a side wall 1112 through which a transfer device 2 for transferring the substrates W enters and retreats. In addition, a gate valve 1015 for opening and closing the side opening 1112a is provided in the side wall 1112.

[0103] The substrate support part 1020 holds a plurality of substrates W (four in FIG. 13) accommodated in the processing vessel 1010 so as to be revolvable and rotatable about its axis. To this end, the substrate support part 1020 has a turntable 1021 and a plurality of (four) mounting tables 1022 that support each substrate W on the outer peripheral surface of the turntable 1021. The four mounting tables 1022 are provided at the same distance (radial position) from the center of the turntable 1021 and are arranged at equal intervals (i.e., at 90° intervals) along the circumferential direction. The substrate support part 1020 also reciprocates the turntable 1021 in the circumferential direction. For example, the substrate support part 1020 rotates the turntable 1021 by 90° clockwise in FIG. 11, and then rotates the turntable 1021 by 90° counterclockwise in FIG. 11.

[0104] The gas supply unit 1030 has a plurality of supply paths (not shown) for circulating gases such as a processing gas (adsorption gas, reaction gas) and a purge gas outside the processing vessel 1010, and supplies the gases into the processing vessel 1010 through each supply path. The gas exhaust unit 1040 has a plurality of exhaust paths (not shown) for circulating gases (reacted gas, unreacted gas, purge gas, etc.) outside the processing vessel 1010, and exhausts the gases supplied into the processing vessel 1010 through each exhaust path.

[0105] The nozzle mechanism 1050 injects a processing gas and a purge gas onto the surface (front surface) of each substrate W at an appropriate position in the processing vessel 1010, and also sucks in gas above the substrate W. The nozzle mechanism 1050 includes a first nozzle 1060 that ejects a processing gas and a purge gas, and a second nozzle 1070 that ejects a reactive gas and a purge gas. Four first nozzles 1060 and four second nozzles 1070 are provided in the processing vessel 1010.

[0106] The first nozzles 1060 and the second nozzles 1070 are fixed to each of the four partition members 1122. For example, each partition member 1122 holds the first nozzles 1060 on its side surface facing the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 1, while holding the second nozzles 1070 on its side surface facing the clockwise direction in Fig. 1. In other words, one first nozzle 1060 and one second nozzle 1070 are arranged in each of the first quadrant Q1 to fourth quadrant Q4 partitioned by each partition member 1122.

[0107] The first nozzle 1060 and the second nozzle 1070 are provided so as to penetrate the top plate of the processing vessel 1010, and are connected to the gas supply unit 1030 and the gas exhaust unit 40 on the outside of the processing vessel 1010. The first nozzle 1060 and the second nozzle 1070 inside the processing vessel 1010 discharge and suck gas downward in the vertical direction. The configuration of the first nozzle 1060 for discharging and sucking gas is substantially similar to the configuration of the first head 63 according to the embodiment. The configuration of the second nozzle 1070 for discharging and sucking gas is substantially similar to the configuration of the second head 73 according to the embodiment. As a result, a first processing point region PR1 (see also FIG. 3(A)) is formed vertically below the first nozzle 1060, and a second processing point region (see also FIG. 4(A)) is formed vertically below the second nozzle 1070.

[0108] Moreover, the center of the first nozzle 1060 and the center of the second nozzle 1070 face the center of each mounting table 1022 provided on the turntable 1021. As a result, the first nozzle 1060 and the second nozzle 1070 pass vertically above and through the center of the substrate W mounted on each mounting table 1022 as the turntable 1021 rotates. Then, since each mounting table 1022 rotates during film formation, the first nozzle 1060 and the second nozzle 1070 can face the entire surface of the substrate W as a result.

[0109] The control unit 1090 of the film forming apparatus 1A performs a film forming process on the substrate W on each mounting stage 1022 by reciprocating the turntable 1021 clockwise and counterclockwise while rotating (spinning) each mounting stage 1022. That is, in the film forming method, a desired film is formed on the surface of the substrate W by moving each substrate W relative to the fixed first nozzle 1060 and second nozzle 1070.

[0110] Then, the control unit 1090 performs the first film formation process and the second film formation process in the same manner as the process flow of the film formation method shown in Fig. 9. That is, in the first film formation process, the turntable 1021 is caused to reciprocate clockwise and counterclockwise within a range of 90° to perform a full film formation process in which a film is formed on the entire surface of the substrate W. In the second film formation process, the operating range of the reciprocating clockwise and counterclockwise movements of the turntable 1021 is narrowed to perform a partial film formation process in which a film is formed on a part of the surface of the substrate W (for example, the outer edge side). This makes it possible for the film formation apparatus 1A and the film formation method to appropriately control the film formation so that the film on the surface of the substrate W has a target shape.

[0111] The technical ideas and effects of the present disclosure explained in the above embodiments will be described below.

[0112] A first aspect of the present disclosure is a film formation method for forming a film on a substrate W, comprising the steps of: (A) rotating the substrate W inside the processing vessel 10 while relatively moving the substrate W or the nozzle mechanism unit 50 so that the outlets 633b, 733b of the nozzle mechanism unit 50 pass through the center of the substrate W, thereby forming a film on the substrate W; and (B) changing the outlet conditions of the processing gas from those of the step (A), rotating the substrate W inside the processing vessel 10 while relatively moving the substrate W or the nozzle mechanism unit 50, thereby ejecting the processing gas from the outlets 633b, 733b toward the substrate W, thereby adjusting the thickness of the film formed on the substrate W.

[0113] As described above, the film formation method includes step (B) of adjusting the film thickness of the film formed on the substrate W, thereby enabling easy and accurate film formation to a desired film thickness. For example, even if the film thickness formed in step (A) does not match the target shape due to an uneven pattern formed on the substrate W, the film formation method can adjust the film thickness in step (B) to approximate the target shape. In other words, by performing steps (A) and (B), the film formation method makes it possible to freely adjust the shape of the film, including the film thickness, when forming the film.

[0114] In step (B), the time during which the discharge ports 633b and 733b face each other is increased as the thickness of the film formed in step (A) falls short of the target thickness. This allows the film forming method to supply a large amount of process gas to the area where the film thickness is insufficient, and the desired film thickness can be easily obtained.

[0115] In step (B), the operating range for relatively moving the substrate W or the nozzle mechanism 50 is made narrower than the operating range in step (A). This allows the film forming method to supply the processing gas in a concentrated manner to the narrow operating range, and allows for stable adjustment of the partial film thickness of the substrate W.

[0116] Furthermore, in the step (B), the operating range for relatively moving the substrate W or the nozzle mechanism part 50 is gradually narrowed over time. This allows the film forming method to narrow the operating range depending on the location where the film thickness is thin, and allows better adjustment of the partial film thickness of the substrate W.

[0117] In step (A), the film is formed in a mountain-shaped form with the film thickness at the center of the substrate being thicker than the film thickness at the outer edge of the substrate W, and in step (B), the film is formed so that the film thickness at the outer edge of the substrate W and the film thickness at the center of the substrate W are uniform. As a result, for example, by having an uneven pattern on the surface of the substrate W, even if the film is formed in a mountain-shaped form in step (A), it can be precisely adjusted to a flat film thickness in step (B).

[0118] In addition, the film forming method includes performing step (B) after step (A), so that film formation can be performed by changing the discharge conditions of the processing gas in step (B) according to the portion where the film thickness is actually thinned in step (A).

[0119] Furthermore, after step (A), step (B) is performed without removing the substrate from the processing vessel 10. This enables the film formation method to perform steps (A) and (B) consecutively, thereby shortening the time required for the entire film formation method.

[0120] Furthermore, in step (A) and / or step (B), the speed at which the substrate W or the nozzle mechanism unit 50 is relatively moved is changed based on the position of the substrate W facing the discharge ports 633b, 733b. This allows the film formation method to deal with factors such as the surface area increasing toward the outer edge of the substrate W by changing the speed of the relative movement, and allows for more stable film formation so that the film on the substrate W has a target shape.

[0121] Furthermore, the nozzle mechanism unit 50 includes a first nozzle mechanism 60 and a second nozzle mechanism 70 that eject a processing gas onto the substrate W supported by the substrate support unit 20, and in steps (A) and (B), the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70 are caused to swing independently of each other while the substrate W is rotated. This allows the film forming method to supply an appropriate processing gas to the substrate W without interference between the first nozzle mechanism 60 and the second nozzle mechanism 70.

[0122] The first nozzle mechanism 60 includes a first nozzle 61 extending inside the processing vessel 10, a first nozzle operation unit 62 provided at the base end of the first nozzle 61 for swinging the first nozzle 61, and a first head 63 provided at the tip of the first nozzle 61 for discharging an adsorption gas as a processing gas, while the second nozzle mechanism 70 includes a second nozzle 71 extending inside the processing vessel 10, a second nozzle operation unit 72 provided at the base end of the second nozzle 71 for swinging the second nozzle 71, and a second head 73 provided at the tip of the second nozzle 71 for discharging a reaction gas that reacts with the adsorption gas as a processing gas. This allows the film forming method to form various films, such as oxide films and nitride films, on the surface of the substrate W.

[0123] A second aspect of the present disclosure is a film formation apparatus 1, 1A for forming a film on a substrate W, the apparatus including a processing vessel 10 for accommodating the substrate W, a substrate support part 20 for supporting the substrate W inside the processing vessel 10 and rotating the substrate W, a nozzle mechanism part 50 having outlets 633b, 733b for discharging a processing gas toward the substrate W supported by the substrate support part 20, and a controller 90 for controlling the operation of the substrate support part 20 and the nozzle mechanism part 50, the controller 90 controlling: (A) rotating the substrate W inside the processing vessel 10, and (B) a process of forming a film on the substrate W by relatively moving the substrate W or the nozzle mechanism unit 50 so that nozzle hole 633b passes through the center of the substrate W and discharging a processing gas from the discharge ports 633b, 733b toward the substrate W, and (B) a process of adjusting the thickness of a film formed on the substrate W by changing the discharge conditions of the processing gas from those of the process (A), rotating the substrate W inside the processing vessel 10, and relatively moving the substrate W or the nozzle mechanism unit 50 to discharge a processing gas from the discharge ports 633b, 733b toward the substrate W. Even in this case, the film forming apparatus 1, 1A can easily and accurately form a film to a desired thickness.

[0124] The film forming apparatus 1, 1A and film forming method according to the presently disclosed embodiment are illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The embodiments can be modified and improved in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. The matters described in the above embodiments can be configured in other ways as long as they are not inconsistent, and can be combined as long as they are not inconsistent. [Explanation of symbols]

[0125] 1, 1A film deposition equipment 10 Processing vessel 20 Substrate support 50 Nozzle mechanism 633b Discharge port 733b Outlet 90 Control section W substrate

Claims

1. A method for forming a film on a substrate, comprising the steps of: (A) rotating the substrate in a processing vessel while moving the substrate or the nozzle mechanism relatively so that an outlet of a nozzle mechanism passes through a center of the substrate, and discharging a processing gas from the outlet toward the substrate, thereby forming a film on the substrate; (B) changing the discharge conditions of the process gas from the discharge conditions of the process (A), rotating the substrate inside the process vessel, and relatively moving the substrate or the nozzle mechanism to discharge the process gas from the discharge port toward the substrate, thereby adjusting the thickness of the film formed on the substrate. Film formation method.

2. the ejection conditions are changed to extend the time during which the ejection opening faces the film in the step (B) in proportion to the area where the film thickness formed in the step (A) is insufficient relative to the film thickness of the target shape; The film forming method according to claim 1 .

3. In the step (B), a motion range in which the substrate or the nozzle mechanism part is moved relatively is narrower than a motion range in the step (A). The film forming method according to claim 2 .

4. In the step (B), a motion range in which the substrate or the nozzle mechanism part is moved relatively is gradually narrowed over time. The film forming method according to claim 3 .

5. In the step (A), a film is formed in a mountain shape in which the film thickness is thicker on the center side of the substrate than on the outer edge side of the substrate; In the step (B), the film is formed so that the film thickness on the outer edge side of the substrate and the film thickness on the center side of the substrate are uniform. The film forming method according to claim 1 .

6. After the step (A), the step (B) is carried out. The film forming method according to claim 1 .

7. After the step (A), the step (B) is performed without removing the substrate from the processing chamber. The film forming method according to claim 6.

8. In the step (A) and / or the step (B), a speed at which the substrate or the nozzle mechanism unit is relatively moved is changed based on a position of the substrate facing the ejection port. The film forming method according to claim 1 .

9. the nozzle mechanism unit includes a first nozzle mechanism and a second nozzle mechanism that eject the processing gas onto the substrate; In the step (A) and the step (B), the first nozzle mechanism and the second nozzle mechanism are swung independently of each other while the substrate is rotated. The film forming method according to claim 1 .

10. the first nozzle mechanism includes a first nozzle extending inside the processing vessel, a first nozzle operating unit provided at a base end of the first nozzle and configured to swing the first nozzle, and a first head provided at a tip end of the first nozzle and configured to discharge an adsorption gas as the processing gas; the second nozzle mechanism includes a second nozzle extending inside the processing vessel, a second nozzle operating unit provided at a base end of the second nozzle and swinging the second nozzle, and a second head provided at a tip end of the second nozzle and discharging a reaction gas that reacts with the adsorption gas as the processing gas. The film forming method according to claim 9 .

11. A film forming apparatus for forming a film on a substrate, comprising: a processing vessel for accommodating the substrate; a substrate support section configured to support and rotate the substrate within the processing chamber; a nozzle mechanism having an outlet for discharging a process gas toward the substrate supported by the substrate support; a control unit that controls operations of the substrate support unit and the nozzle mechanism unit, The control unit is (A) rotating the substrate in the processing vessel while moving the substrate or the nozzle mechanism relatively so that an outlet of the nozzle mechanism passes through a center of the substrate, thereby discharging a processing gas from the outlet toward the substrate, thereby forming a film on the substrate; (B) changing the discharge conditions of the process gas from the discharge conditions of the process (A), rotating the substrate inside the process vessel, and relatively moving the substrate or the nozzle mechanism to discharge the process gas from the discharge port toward the substrate, thereby adjusting the thickness of the film formed on the substrate. Film deposition equipment.

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