Control system, processing apparatus, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device

Abstract

To provide a technology for supplying a raw material with a low vapor pressure to a process chamber while controlling the flow rate.SOLUTION: There is provided a technique that includes a flow-rate controller including a regulator configured to be capable of regulating a flow rate of a gas; and a controller configured to be capable of switching between a first mode of the flow-rate controller in which the flow rate of the gas is regulated to a predetermined flow rate through operation of the regulator, and a second mode of the flow-rate controller in which the regulator is set to be in a full open state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control system, a processing apparatus, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device.

Background Art

[0002] As one step in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a substrate processing step may be performed in which a processing gas (for example, a raw material gas, a reaction gas, etc.) whose flow rate is controlled is supplied to a substrate to form a film on the substrate (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a manufacturing process, it is required to appropriately set the flow rate and pressure of the fluid, and a mass flow controller (flow rate controller) for controlling the flow rate of the fluid is provided. However, in the supply of solid raw materials (raw materials with low vapor pressure) that have come into use in recent years, the life of the flow rate controller may be shortened.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique capable of extending the life of a flow rate controller.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a technique including a flow rate controller having an adjustment unit configured to be able to adjust the flow rate of a gas, and a control unit configured to be able to switch between a first mode in which the flow rate of the gas is adjusted to a predetermined flow rate by operating the adjustment unit and a second mode in which the adjustment unit is set to a fully open state.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology capable of extending the lifespan of a flow controller.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings show embodiments in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, but these are for the purpose of understanding the present disclosure and are by no means used for limiting the interpretation of the present disclosure. The description in this specification is merely a typical example and does not limit the claims or application examples of the present disclosure in any sense.

[0009] In this embodiment, although the description is made in sufficient detail for those skilled in the art to implement the present disclosure, other implementations and forms are also possible, and it is necessary to understand that changes in configuration and structure and replacement of various elements can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the technical idea of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following description should not be construed as being limited thereto.

[0010] <Structure of Substrate Processing Apparatus> First, the outline of the substrate processing apparatus to which the present disclosure is applied will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Note that the drawings used in the following description are all schematic, and the dimensional relationships of the elements shown in the drawings, the ratios of the elements, etc. do not necessarily match those of the actual apparatus. Also, the dimensional relationships of the elements and the ratios of the elements do not necessarily match among multiple drawings.

[0011] This substrate processing apparatus includes a reaction tube 1 and a boat 32. A predetermined number of substrates 31 as objects to be processed are loaded into the boat 32 as a holder. When the substrates 31 are loaded into the boat 32, the boat 32 is lifted by a boat elevator (not shown), and the boat 32 is carried into the reaction tube 1.

[0012] In addition, as a configuration for airtightly closing the lower part of the reaction tube 1, this substrate processing apparatus includes a seal cap 35 as a lid, O-rings 18 and 46 as airtight members, and a manifold 44. In a state where the boat 32 is carried into the reaction tube 1, the lower end opening (furnace port) of the manifold 44 is airtightly closed by the lid 35 via the O-ring 18. At least the reaction tube 1, the manifold 44, and the lid 35 constitute a processing container, and a processing chamber 2 is defined inside the processing container. Note that the boat 32 is erected on the lid 35 via a boat support base 45. The boat support base 45 serves as a holding body for holding the boat 32. In addition, a boat rotation mechanism 69 is provided on the lid 35. The boat rotation mechanism 69 is configured to be able to rotate the boat 32 in order to improve the uniformity of the processing.

[0013] Inside the processing container, according to the selected processing recipe, a processing gas is supplied to the processing chamber 2 through supply pipes (47, 48), and while the atmosphere in the processing chamber 2 is exhausted by a pump 68 as an exhaust device from a gas exhaust pipe 66, the substrate 31 is processed. A valve 67 as a pressure adjustment valve is provided in the gas exhaust pipe 66. Here, the processing gas includes, for example, a raw material gas, a reaction gas, and a mixed gas of these gases and a carrier gas. In this specification, all gases that contribute to the processing of the substrate 31 may be referred to as processing gases. In addition to such processing gases, an inert gas that does not contribute to the processing of the substrate 31 is also supplied to the processing chamber 2. Note that all gases supplied to the processing chamber 2, including the processing gas and the inert gas, may be simply referred to as "fluids".

[0014] A control unit 41 is provided as a control unit for controlling the above-described substrate processing apparatus. In addition, the reaction tube 1 is provided inside a heater 42 which is a heating device (heating means), and the reaction tube 1 is heated by the heat of the heater 42. A control system for controlling the flow rate of the fluid and the like is constituted by a fluid flow controller including an MFC100 and the control unit 41.

[0015] The first gas supply pipe 47 and the second gas supply pipe 48 illustrated in FIG. 1 will be described. In the example of FIG. 1, two gas supply pipes (the first gas supply pipe 47 and the second gas supply pipe 48) are provided as supply paths for supplying a plurality of types (here, two types) of processing gases.

[0016] First, the first gas supply pipe 47 will be described. In the first gas supply pipe 47, in order from the upstream, a raw material container 91, a valve AV3 (which may also be referred to as an on-off valve or an opening / closing part), a pressure sensor P1, a first mass flow controller 100 which is a flow controller (hereinafter sometimes referred to as MFC100), a pressure sensor P2, and a valve 97 are provided. Note that a supply valve (not shown) is provided in the pipe on the upstream side of the pressure sensor P2 and on the downstream side of the MFC100. As will be described later, the MFC100 is an MFC with a normally open specification in which the valve is in an open state when no voltage is applied. Also, valves AV1 and AV2 are provided on the input side (primary side) and the output side (secondary side) of the MFC100.

[0017] The pressure sensor P2 as a vacuum gauge is located downstream of the MFC100 and is a sensor for measuring the internal pressure of the first gas supply pipe 47 during raw material supply. On the other hand, the pressure sensor P1 measures the pressure on the primary side of the MFC100 and is, for example, a pressure sensor capable of measuring a wide range of pressures from 10 Torr to 1000 Torr. In FIG. 1, only one pressure sensor P1 and P2 is shown, but a plurality of each may be provided.

[0018] Also, the pipe on the downstream side of the valve 97 merges with the first carrier gas supply pipe 53 that supplies an inert gas. The first carrier gas supply pipe 53 is provided, in order from the upstream, with a carrier gas supply unit 72, an MFC 54 as a flow controller (flow control means), and a valve 55 which is an on-off valve. Further, the tip (downstream side) of the first gas supply pipe 47 is connected to the first nozzle 56. The first nozzle 56 is disposed along the inner wall of the reaction tube 1 so as to extend from the lower part to the upper part thereof. Further, a first gas supply hole 57 for supplying a fluid is provided on the side surface of the first nozzle 56. The first gas supply holes 57 are provided at the same pitch from the lower part to the upper part of the reaction tube 1 and each has the same opening area. Note that, instead of the MFC 54, a regulator (automatic pressure control valve) may be provided.

[0019] Here, the first gas supply pipe 47, the raw material container 91, the MFC 100, the pressure sensor P2, and the valve 97 are collectively referred to as the first gas supply unit (first gas supply line). Further, it may be regarded as the first gas supply unit including the first nozzle 56 formed in the reaction tube 1. In addition to these, the first carrier gas supply pipe 53, the carrier gas supply unit 72, the MFC 54, and the valve 55 may also be included in the first gas supply unit. Furthermore, the purge gas supply pipe 49 described later may be included in the first gas supply unit, and in this case, it may be referred to as the carrier gas supply pipe 49.

[0020] The raw materials such as liquid raw materials and solid raw materials stored in the raw material container 91 undergo a phase change into a gaseous state within the raw material container 91 to become raw material gas (gaseous fluid). This raw material gas passes through the supply pipe 47a via the valve 97 by the MFC 100, merges with the first carrier gas supply pipe 53, and is supplied to the processing chamber 2 via the first nozzle 56. In the present embodiment, when the solid raw material is supplied to the processing chamber 2, the raw material container 91 is configured as a raw material tank. That is, the raw material container 91 can be a raw material tank that generates raw material gas as a processing gas by heating and sublimating the solid raw material. The processing gas sublimated within the raw material container 91 as a raw material tank is supplied to the processing chamber 2. Specifically, the solid raw material is disposed within the raw material container 91, the raw material container 91 is heated by a sub-heater as a heating means (not shown), the heated solid raw material is sublimated, and the gaseous raw material gas is supplied to the processing chamber 2.

[0021] When the liquid raw material is supplied to the processing chamber 2, the raw material container 91 can be configured as a vaporizer that generates raw material gas as a processing gas by heating and vaporizing the raw material supplied in liquid form. The raw material container 91 is heated by the sub-heater, and the raw material gas in a vaporized state (gaseous state) within the raw material container 91 is supplied to the processing chamber 2. Also, the gas in which an inert gas as a carrier gas is mixed with the raw material gas is also included in the processing gas. Although not particularly described, the raw material container 91 may be a container capable of storing raw material gas in a gaseous state at normal temperature.

[0022] The raw material container 91 is configured to be controllable to a temperature equal to or higher than the temperature at which the above-mentioned raw materials are displaced into a gaseous state by the heating of the sub-heater. In addition to such a sub-heater, a heating unit for heating the supply pipe 47a between the MFC 100 and the valve 97, the supply pipe 47b between the valve 97 and the first nozzle 56, the MFC 100, the valve 97, etc. may be provided. It is preferable that the heating unit including the sub-heater is controlled so that the temperature is controlled to be equal to or higher than the vaporization temperature of the raw material serving as the source of the above-mentioned raw materials and fluid.

[0023] In addition, a purge gas supply pipe 49 for flowing an inert gas such as nitrogen gas through the raw material container 91 and the first gas supply pipe 47 to execute a purge process for removing residual gas staying in the raw material container 91, the first gas supply pipe 47, and the processing chamber 2 is connected. A valve AV4 is provided in the purge gas supply pipe 49, and a valve AV5 is provided in a pipe (hereinafter referred to as a bypass pipe) that connects the purge gas supply pipe 49 and the first gas supply pipe 47 (supply pipe 47a) without passing through the raw material container 91, and the inflow of nitrogen gas is appropriately controlled. According to this configuration, since the pipe including the MFC100 between the valves AV1 and AV2 can be purged, the retention of the raw material gas can be suppressed.

[0024] Further, a heat exchanger HEx is provided in the purge gas supply pipe 49, and nitrogen gas can be heated and supplied. By supplying the heated nitrogen gas, the residual gas can be cooled and discharged outside the processing chamber 2 without causing pipe blockage. In the purge process, the valve AV4 is closed so that the purge gas does not flow into the raw material container 91.

[0025] Next, the second gas supply pipe 48 will be described. In the second gas supply pipe 48, a reaction gas supply unit 73, an MFC58 which is a flow controller, and a valve 59 which is an on-off valve are provided in order from the upstream direction. The second gas supply pipe 48 merges with a second carrier gas supply pipe 61 that supplies a carrier gas on the downstream side of the valve 59. In the second carrier gas supply pipe 61, a carrier gas supply unit 74, an MFC62 which is a flow controller, and a valve 63 are provided in order from the upstream. The tip (downstream side) of the second gas supply pipe 48 is connected to a second nozzle 64. The second nozzle 64 is provided inside the reaction tube 1 so as to extend in parallel with the first nozzle 56, and a second gas supply hole 65 which is a supply hole for supplying gas is provided on the side surface of the second nozzle 64. The second gas supply holes 65 can be provided at the same pitch from the lower part to the upper part and each have the same opening area.

[0026] Here, the second gas supply pipe 48, MFC 58, valve 59, and second nozzle 64 are collectively referred to as the second gas supply unit (second gas supply line). Note that the second carrier gas supply pipe 61, MFC 62, and valve 63 may be included in the second gas supply unit. Furthermore, the reaction gas supply unit 73 and carrier gas supply unit 74 may be included in the second gas supply unit. Also, the reaction gas supplied from the reaction gas supply unit 73 reaches the second carrier gas supply pipe 61 through the MFC 58 and valve 59, and is supplied to the processing chamber 2 via the second nozzle 64.

[0027] The processing chamber 2 is connected to a vacuum pump 68, which is an exhaust device (exhaust means) for exhausting gas, via a gas exhaust pipe 66, and is evacuated. Note that the valve 67 as a pressure adjustment valve is an on-off valve that can open and close the valve to evacuate and stop evacuating the processing chamber 2, and can adjust the pressure by adjusting the opening degree of the valve.

[0028] Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the details of the configuration of the MFC 100 and its operation will be described. The MFC 100 includes a piezo actuator 101 and a valve 102 (piezo valve). The MFC 100 can adjust the flow rate of the gas (fluid) flowing through the first gas supply pipe 47 by itself by controlling the valve 102 with the piezo actuator 101. The piezo actuator 101 and the valve 102 function as an adjustment unit 103 for adjusting the flow rate. When this adjustment unit 103 operates, the MFC 100 of the present embodiment can be switched between a control mode (first mode) for adjusting the gas flow rate to a predetermined flow rate and a fully open mode (second mode) for fully opening the adjustment unit 103. The fully open mode is an operation mode in which the flow rate is not controlled by the valve 102 inside the MFC 100, and the flow path is opened to the maximum extent. In the fully open mode, no signal for controlling the valve is input to the MFC 100. In other words, the fully open mode is a mode in which the adjustment unit 103 is in a non-operating state, and conversely, the control mode is a mode in which the adjustment unit 103 is in an operating state. The switching operation for switching the adjustment unit 103 to either the first mode or the second mode is executed by the control unit 41.

[0029] In addition, the MFC 100 is configured to include valves AV1 and AV2 on its input side (primary side) and output side (secondary side). The valves AV1 and AV2 are set to either a control state in which the opening degree of the valve 102 is controlled according to whether the MFC 100 is set to a control mode (first mode) or a fully open mode (second mode), or a fully open state in which the valve 102 is fully opened. In the present embodiment, the MFC 100 is configured such that the valves AV1 and AV2 are provided before and after. Due to such a configuration, although detailed operations will be described later, the application time of the voltage in the MFC 100 can be shortened, and thus the life of the MFC 100 can be lengthened.

[0030] Generally, an MFC with a high-temperature specification has a problem that the piezoelectric actuator part is vulnerable to heat and has a shorter life compared to a normal MFC. In particular, in an MFC with a normally open specification in which the valve is in an open state when no voltage is applied, even when no raw material gas is flowing, the valve is configured to be maintained in a closed state so as to make the gas flow rate zero. That is, it is configured such that a voltage must be continuously applied to the piezoelectric actuator. In this way, if the period during which a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric actuator to make the gas flow rate zero becomes unnecessarily long, furthermore, the consumption of the piezoelectric actuator is accelerated and the life of the MFC becomes short.

[0031] In view of such problems, as shown in FIG. 4, the MFC100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to be able to set a control mode (first mode) in which the flow rate of the raw material gas is adjusted to a predetermined flow rate by operating the adjustment unit 103, and a fully open mode (second mode) in which the valve 102 is fully opened without applying a voltage load to the adjustment unit 103. The switching between the first mode and the fully open mode (second mode) is performed according to a command signal from the control unit 41. In the fully open mode, as will be described later, the valves AV1 and AV2 are controlled to be in the closed state (CLOSE). Conversely, in the control mode, the valves AV1 and AV2 are controlled to be in the open state (OPEN). The valve AV1 and the valve AV2 are preferably configured to perform the same operation (to be in the same state) in principle. Thereby, even in the fully open mode (valve 102 is fully open), since the valves AV1 and AV2 are in the closed state, gas leakage in the MFC100 can be suppressed, and reverse diffusion of gas can be suppressed.

[0032] Next, the control unit 41 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 41 is configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 41a, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 41b, a storage device 41c, and an I / O port 41d. The RAM 41b, the storage device 41c, and the I / O port 41d are configured to be able to exchange data with the CPU 41a via an internal bus 41e. An input / output device 411 configured as, for example, a touch panel or the like and an external storage device 412 can be connected to the control unit 41. Further, a receiving unit 413 connected to the upper device 75 via a network is provided. The receiving unit 413 can receive information of other devices from the upper device 75.

[0033] The storage device 41c is composed of, for example, a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or the like. In the storage device 41c, a control program for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, a process recipe describing the procedures and conditions of substrate processing to be described later, and the like are stored in a readable manner. The process recipe is a combination that causes the control unit 41 to execute each procedure in the substrate processing step performed in the substrate processing mode so as to obtain a predetermined result, and functions as a program. In this specification, when the term "program" is used, it may include a process recipe, only the control program alone, or both of them. The RAM 41b is configured as a memory area (work area) that temporarily holds programs, data, and the like read by the CPU 41a. The I / O port 41d is connected to an elevating member, a pump, each MFC, each valve, a heater, a pressure sensor (pressure detector), a tank, an adjustment valve, and the like.

[0034] The control unit 41 performs operation control such as flow rate adjustment of each MFC included in the substrate processing apparatus, opening and closing operations of valves, temperature adjustment of heaters, starting and stopping of pumps, rotation speed adjustment of the boat rotation mechanism, and elevation operation control of the boat elevation mechanism.

[0035] Note that the control unit 41 may be configured not only as a dedicated computer but also as a general-purpose computer. For example, an external storage device (e.g., a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory or a memory card) 412 storing the above-described program is prepared, and the control unit 41 according to the present embodiment can be configured by installing the program in a general-purpose computer using such an external storage device 412. Note that the means for supplying the program to the computer is not limited to the case of supplying via the external storage device 412. For example, communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line may be used to supply the program without going through the external storage device 412. Note that the storage device 41c and the external storage device 412 are configured as computer-readable recording media. Hereinafter, these are collectively referred to simply as recording media. Note that in this specification, when the term "recording medium" is used, it may include only the storage device 41c alone, only the external storage device 412 alone, or both of them.

[0036] <Substrate Processing Method> Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6, an example of the execution procedure of the substrate processing method (manufacturing method of semiconductor device) according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, as an example of the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a cycle process in which a source gas (raw material gas) and a reactant gas (reaction gas) are alternately supplied to the processing chamber 2 for processing will be described. In the present embodiment, an example of forming a film on a substrate will be described.

[0037] In the processing according to the present embodiment, a film is formed on the substrate 31 by performing a cycle in which the following four steps are performed on the substrate 31 in the processing chamber 2 non-simultaneously a predetermined number of times (one or more times). · Step of supplying a raw material gas to the substrate 31 in the processing chamber 2 (film formation step 1: step S3 in FIG. 6) · Purge step of removing the raw material gas (residual gas) from the processing chamber 2 (film formation step 2: step S4 in FIG. 6) · Step of supplying a nitrogen-containing gas to the substrate 31 in the processing chamber 2 (film formation step 3: step S5 in FIG. 6) ·Purge process for removing nitrogen-containing gas (residual gas) from the processing chamber 2 (film formation process 4: step S6 in Fig. 6)

[0038] First, the substrate 31 is loaded into the boat 32 and carried into the processing chamber 2 (step S1). At this time, after the boat 32 is carried into the processing chamber 2, the pressure and temperature of the processing chamber 2 are adjusted (step S2). Next, the four steps of film formation processes 1 to 4 are sequentially executed. Hereinafter, each step will be described in detail.

[0039] (Film formation process 1) In film formation process 1 (step S3), first, the source gas is adsorbed on the surface of the substrate 31. Specifically, in the first gas supply line, the valves AV3 and 97 are opened, and the source gas generated in the source container 91 is supplied to the processing chamber 2 by the MFC100.

[0040] (Film formation process 2) In film formation process 2 (step S4), the valves AV3, the valve 97 of the first gas supply pipe 47, and the valve 55 of the first carrier gas supply pipe 53 are closed to stop the supply of the source gas and the carrier gas. On the other hand, the valve 67 of the gas exhaust pipe 66 is left open, and the reaction tube 1 is evacuated to 20 Pa or less by the vacuum pump 68 to remove the residual source gas from the processing chamber 2. At this time, if an inert gas, for example, N2 gas used as the carrier gas, is supplied to the processing chamber 2, the effect of further removing the residual source gas is enhanced.

[0041] (Film formation process 3) In film formation process 3 (step S5), the nitrogen-containing gas and the carrier gas are flowed. First, the valve 59 provided in the second gas supply pipe 48 and the valve 63 provided in the second carrier gas supply pipe 61 are both opened, and the nitrogen-containing gas whose flow rate is adjusted by the MFC58 from the second gas supply pipe 48 and the carrier gas whose flow rate is adjusted by the MFC62 from the second carrier gas supply pipe 61 are mixed, and this mixed gas is supplied to the processing chamber 2 from the second gas supply hole 65 of the second nozzle 64 while exhausting from the gas exhaust pipe 66. By supplying the nitrogen-containing gas, the film on the underlying film of the substrate 31 reacts with the nitrogen-containing gas, and a nitride film is formed on the substrate 31.

[0042] (Film Formation Process 4) In Film Formation Process 4, after forming the film, valves 59 and 63 are closed, and the processing chamber 2 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 68 to remove the nitrogen-containing gas remaining after contributing to film formation. At this time, if an inert gas, for example, the N2 gas used as the carrier gas, is supplied to the processing chamber 2, the effect of further removing the remaining nitrogen-containing gas from the processing chamber 2 is enhanced.

[0043] Then, taking the above-described Film Formation Processes 1 to 4 as one cycle, in step S7 in FIG. 6, by performing the cycles of Film Formation Processes 1 to 4 a predetermined number of times, a film with a predetermined film thickness can be formed on the substrate 31. In this embodiment, Film Formation Processes 1 to 4 are repeated a plurality of times.

[0044] After the above-described film formation process is completed, in step S8 in FIG. 6, the pressure in the processing chamber 2 is returned to normal pressure (atmospheric pressure). Specifically, for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen (N2) gas is supplied to the processing chamber 2 and exhausted. Thereby, the processing chamber 2 is purged with the inert gas, and gases and the like remaining in the processing chamber 2 are removed from the processing chamber 2 (inert gas purge). Then, the atmosphere in the processing chamber 2 is replaced with the inert gas (inert gas replacement), and the pressure in the processing chamber 2 is returned to normal pressure (atmospheric pressure). Then, in step S9 in FIG. 6, if the substrate 31 is carried out from the processing chamber 2, the substrate processing according to this embodiment is completed.

[0045] Referring to the timing chart of FIG. 7, the operations of the MFC 100 and valves AV1 to 3 will be described. This timing chart exemplarily shows the operations of the MFC 100 and valves AV1 to AV3 in the film formation process and the purge process. The MFC 100 and valves AV1 and AV2 are configured to execute the above-described control mode (first mode) and the fully open mode (second mode).

[0046] The MFC100 is set to the fully open mode (second mode) in the initial state (before time t1 in FIG. 7). In the fully open mode (second mode), no control voltage is applied to the MFC100, and the valve 102 is in the fully open state. However, since both the front and rear valves AV1 and AV2 are in the closed valve state (closed state), no gas is flowing in the gas supply system where the MFC100 is provided. At this time, in the substrate processing step shown in FIG. 6, the step of transporting the substrate 31 which is step S1 or step S9 is being executed.

[0047] At time t1, the valve AV3 is opened and the raw material gas can flow in from the raw material container 91. However, the MFC100 is still in the fully open mode (the MFC100 is in the fully open state, but the valves AV1 and AV2 are closed). As a result, the pressure on the primary side of the MFC100 increases, and a pressure suitable for the supply of the raw material gas is obtained.

[0048] This corresponds to the film formation preparation step which is step S2 in the substrate processing step shown in FIG. 6. Note that on the premise of closing the valve 97, it may be included in step S3 (the above-mentioned film formation step 1). At this time, the film formation step 1 has two steps: a step (step A) of increasing the pressure to a pressure suitable for the supply of the raw material gas, and a step (step B) of opening the valves AV1, AV2, and the valve 97 to supply the raw material gas. Note that in step A, the MFC100 is in the fully open mode, and in step B, the MFC100 is in the control mode.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 7, at time t2, MFC100 switches from the fully open mode to the control mode, the built-in valve 102 starts to be driven, and the control of the fluid flow rate starts. On the other hand, valves AV1 and AV2 switch to the open state at time t2. As a result, the source gas for film formation is supplied to the processing chamber 2 via MFC100. By appropriately adjusting the valve 102 of MFC100, the supply of the source gas to the processing chamber 2 is executed under a suitable pressure. In the film formation process (steps S3 to S6) shown in FIG. 6, the control mode (first mode) and the fully open mode (second mode) may be repeated a plurality of times as appropriate according to the determination result of step S7. The control unit 41 can execute the film formation process (steps S3 to S6) while appropriately switching the operation mode of MFC100 between the control mode (first mode) and the fully open mode (second mode). Even during the execution of the film formation process (steps S3 to S6), the flow rate of the source gas is appropriately adjusted, and a situation may occur where the supply of the source gas can be stopped. In that case, if MFC100 can be appropriately set to the fully open mode (first mode), the load on the piezo actuator 101 of MFC100 can be reduced, and the life of MFC100 can be extended accordingly.

[0050] When the film formation process ends (at time t3 in Fig. 7), it returns to the initial state. Specifically, valve AV3 switches to the closed state, and MFC100 also switches to the fully open mode (MFC100 is in the fully open state, and valves AV1 and AV2 are in the closed state). This corresponds to the step of setting the pressure in processing chamber 2 to normal pressure (atmospheric pressure) in the substrate processing step shown in Fig. 6. Specifically, in step S8, valve 97 is closed, valve 55 is opened, and an inert gas flow-controlled by MFC54 from carrier gas supply unit 72 is supplied to processing chamber 2. Note that in step S8, a purge process described later may be performed. Thereafter, the purge process starts at time t4. In the purge process, valves AV3, AV4, and valve 97 are closed, and the supply of the source gas is stopped. MFC100 is switched to the control mode (first mode), and valves AV1 and AV2 are opened. AV5 is opened, and nitrogen gas supplied from purge gas supply pipe 49 is heated by heat exchanger HEx, then sent to MFC100 through the bypass pipe, and purging is executed. The purge gas passing through MFC100 is exhausted from a vent line (not shown). Thus, when the purge process for purging (nitrogen substitution) the pipes in the source gas supply system ends at time t5, the supply of the purge gas from purge gas supply pipe 49 is stopped, AV5 becomes the closed state, and MFC100, valves AV1 and AV2 are set to the fully open mode (initial state) again. At this time, since the pipe between valve AV1 and valve AV2 is in a state where the purge gas (nitrogen) is enclosed, there is no problem even if valve 102 is in the fully open state. Also, by executing the purge process, gas leakage in MFC100 can be suppressed, and reverse diffusion of the gas can be suppressed. Furthermore, by reducing the voltage load applied to valve 102, the replacement time of MFC100 can be extended.

[0051] In the example of FIG. 7, when increasing the pressure on the primary side of the MFC100 by opening the valve AV3 of the raw material container 91 (at time t1), or when stopping the supply of the raw material gas from the raw material container 91 (at time t3), both the valves AV1 and AV2 before and after the MFC100 are closed, and the MFC100 is set to the fully open mode (second mode). However, the present disclosure is not limited to this example. For example, it is also possible to set the MFC100 to the control mode by closing only one of the valves AV1 and AV2 and opening the other.

[0052] In addition, in a plurality of steps constituting the substrate processing step, it is also possible for the user of the substrate processing apparatus to arbitrarily set whether to set the MFC100 to the control mode (first mode) or the fully open mode (second mode). For example, a setting screen as shown in FIG. 8 may be displayed on the display of the substrate processing apparatus, and it may be possible to specify for each of a plurality of steps whether to execute the fully open mode (second mode) in which the MFC100 is forcibly opened. StepN to N + 4 in FIG. 8 are, as an example, an idling step as a standby step for waiting for the loading of the substrate 31, a substrate loading step (charging) for loading the substrate 31 into the processing chamber 2, a preparation step (standby) for preparing for the next step, a film forming step (deposition), a discharge step (discharging) for discharging the substrate 31 from the processing chamber 2, a cooling step (cooling) for cooling the processed substrate 31, etc. It may be set to. In addition to this, it is also possible to set an alarm recipe step for issuing an alarm, a boat loading step (loading) for loading the boat 32, a boat unloading step (unloading) for unloading the boat 32, etc. The operation mode of the MFC100 suitable for various steps for substrate processing can be set according to the operation of the user. For example, in the boat unloading step of the boat 32, the MFC100 can be set to the fully open mode (second mode). In addition, for a plurality of steps that may be executed multiple times as batch processing, as shown in FIG. 8, the display of "BATCH" is made.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 8, in the setting screen, the ON / OFF of the fully open mode (second mode) can be selected step by step with an input device (such as a mouse). In the setting screen of Fig. 8, as an example, the initial values of the control mode (first mode) / fully open mode (second mode) for each step can be set to the fully open mode (second mode) for all modes. However, in the steps related to the film forming process, it is also possible to set the initial value to the control mode (first mode). In other words, in each process except the film forming process, it is preferable that MFC100 is configured to be always set to the fully open mode (second mode) (as the initial value). By initially setting the fully open mode in the processes except the film forming process, the load on the piezo actuator of MFC100 can be minimized.

[0054] When the control mode (first mode) or the fully open mode (second mode) is set by such a setting screen, the control unit 41 controls MFC100 and valves AV1 and AV2 according to the setting information.

[0055] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation after the setting for each step of the control mode (first mode) or the fully open mode (second mode) by the setting screen as shown in FIG. 8. In step S11, when the control mode (first mode) or the fully open mode (second mode) is set, in step S12, it is determined whether the set mode is the control mode (first mode) or the fully open mode (second mode). If the set mode is the control mode (first mode), the control unit 41 issues a command to set the valves AV1 and AV2 to the open state to the MFC100 (step S13), and sets the MFC100 to a state in which the valve 102 is appropriately controlled (step S14). On the other hand, if the set mode is the fully open mode (second mode), the control unit 41 issues a command to set the valves AV1 and AV2 to the closed state to the MFC100 (step S15), and sets the MFC100 to the fully open state in which the valve 102 is not controlled (step S16). The control unit 41 may be configured to determine the open / closed states of the valves AV1 and AV2, and if both are in the closed state, the MFC100 determines that it is in the fully open mode (second mode) and issues a command to set the fully open mode. Further, when the set mode is the fully open mode (second mode) but it is determined that either one of the valves AV1 and AV2 is in the open state, the control unit 41 may be configured to issue a command to close either one of the valves AV1 or AV2 that is in the open state.

[0056] FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining still another operation example after the setting for each step of the control mode (first mode) or the fully open mode (second mode) by the setting screen as shown in FIG. 8. In this operation example, when the operation of the MFC100 does not correspond to the operation of the valves AV1 and AV2 in the set operation mode, an alarm is issued to notify the user or the like. When the control mode (first mode) or the fully open mode (second mode) is set on the setting screen as shown in FIG. 8 (step S41), in step S42, it is determined whether the control mode (first mode) is set or the second setting mode is set.

[0057] When it is determined that the fully open mode (second mode) is set (YES), the control unit 41 determines whether the valves AV1 and AV2 are in the closed state (step S43). If the valves AV1 and AV2 are in the closed state (YES), the control unit 41 determines whether the MFC100 is in the fully open state (step S44). When it is determined that the MFC100 is in the fully open state (YES), since it is compatible with the fully open mode (second mode), it is determined that a normal setting has been made, and no alarm is issued.

[0058] On the other hand, when it is determined that the MFC100 is not in the fully open state (NO in S44), an abnormal operation of the MFC100 is recognized, so an alarm is issued and the user etc. are notified to that effect (step S45).

[0059] If it is determined in step S43 that either of the valves AV1 and AV2 is in the open state (NO), since it is not compatible with the fully open mode (second mode), an alarm is issued and the user etc. are notified to that effect (step S45).

[0060] When it is determined in step S42 that the control mode (first mode) is not set (NO), the control unit 41 determines whether the valves AV1 and AV2 are in the open state (step S46). If the valves AV1 and AV2 are in the open state (YES), it is determined whether the MFC100 is set in the control state (the state in which the valve 102 is controlled) (step S47).

[0061] When it is determined that the MFC100 is not in the control state (NO), an abnormal operation of the MFC100 is recognized, so an alarm is issued and the user etc. are notified to that effect (step S48). On the other hand, when it is determined that the MFC100 is in the control state (YES), since it is compatible with the control mode (first mode), it is determined that a normal setting has been made, and no alarm is issued.

[0062] On the other hand, if it is determined that either of the valves AV1 and AV2 is not in the open state, since it does not conform to the control mode (first mode), an alarm is issued and the user is notified to that effect (step S48). As described above, according to the operation example of FIG. 12, if the states of the MFC100 and the valves AV1 and AV2 corresponding to the set first / second modes are not obtained, an alarm is issued, so that the user can take measures such as repair and inspection in response to the alarm.

[0063] FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining yet another operation example after the settings for each step of the control mode (first mode) or the fully open mode (second mode) by the setting screen as shown in FIG. 8. In this operation example, after the control mode (first mode) or the fully open mode (second mode) is set, when there is a change in the open / closed state of the valves AV1 and AV2, a mode switch corresponding thereto is performed.

[0064] In the setting screen as shown in FIG. 8, the control mode (first mode) or the fully open mode (second mode) is set (step S51), and then the set mode is determined (step S52). The MFC100 and the valves AV1 and AV2 are set according to the set mode, and the operation is started.

[0065] Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the open / closed state of the valve AV1 or AV2 has been switched due to a manual operation by the user, a malfunction, or other causes (steps S53, S55). When the states of the valves AV1 and AV2 are switched, the control unit 41 responds to the switching of the open / closed states of the valves AV1 and AV2 based on the operation mode set in the MFC100 (steps S54, S56).

[0066] (Other embodiments) As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been specifically described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist thereof.

[0067] Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, as the film formation process performed by the substrate processing apparatus, a solid raw material is used as a raw material container, and the solid raw material is heated and sublimated to generate a raw material gas. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. Further, in the above embodiment, a case where a nitride film is formed on the substrate 31 by using a nitrogen-containing gas as a reactant (reaction gas) and alternately supplying them is given as an example. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0068] Here, as the solid raw material, there are solid raw material chemicals, particularly inorganic solid raw material metals, or semiconductor precursors. For example, HfCl4, ZrCl4, AlCl3, MoO2Cl2, MoCl5, or SiI4, etc. are being adopted as solid raw materials.

[0069] Further, it is configured to heat and vaporize the raw material supplied in a liquid state to generate a raw material gas. As such a liquid raw material gas, for example, chlorosilane-based gases such as monochlorosilane (SiH3Cl) gas, dichlorosilane (SiH2Cl2) gas, trichlorosilane (SiHCl3) gas, tetrachlorosilane (SiCl4) gas, hexachlorodisilane gas (Si2Cl6) gas, octachlorotrisilane (Si3Cl8) gas, etc. can be used. Also, as the raw material gas, for example, fluorosilane-based gases such as tetrafluorosilane (SiF4) gas, difluorosilane (SiH2F2) gas, etc., bromosilane-based gases such as tetrabromosilane (SiBr4) gas, dibromosilane (SiH2Br2) gas, etc., iodosilane-based gases such as tetraiodosilane (SiI4) gas, diiodosilane (SiH2I2) gas, etc. can also be used. Further, as the raw material gas, for example, aminosilane-based gases such as tetrakis(dimethylamino)silane (Si[N(CH3)2]4) gas, tris(dimethylamino)silane (Si[N(CH3)2]3H) gas, bis(diethylamino)silane (Si[N(C2H5)2]2H2) gas, bis(tert-butylamino)silane (SiH2[NH(C4H9)]2) gas, etc. can also be used. Also, as the raw material gas, for example, organic silane raw material gases such as tetraethoxysilane (Si(OC2H5)4) gas can also be used. As the raw material gas, one or more of these can be used. That is, raw materials stored in a liquid state by pressurization or cooling may also be included.

[0070] As the nitrogen-containing gas, for example, one or more of nitrous oxide (N2O) gas, nitric oxide (NO) gas, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gas, ammonia (NH3) gas, etc. can be used.

[0071] Also, as the reactant, not limited to nitrogen-containing gases, other types of thin films may be formed by using a gas that reacts with the source to perform film treatment. Furthermore, film formation treatment may be performed using three or more types of treatment gases.

[0072] In addition, although an example in which N2 gas is used as the inert gas is described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, noble gases such as Ar gas, He gas, Ne gas, Xe gas, etc. may be used. However, in this case, it is necessary to prepare a noble gas source. Further, it is necessary to connect this noble gas source to the first gas supply pipe 47 so that the noble gas can be introduced.

[0073] In addition, for example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the film formation process in a semiconductor device is given as an example of the process performed by the substrate processing apparatus, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The technology of the present disclosure can be applied to all processes performed by exposing a workpiece on which a pattern with a high aspect ratio (that is, a depth larger than the width) is formed to a vaporized gas. That is, in addition to the film formation process, a process for forming an oxide film or a nitride film, or a process for forming a film containing a metal may be used. Further, the specific content of the substrate processing is not limited, and the present disclosure can be preferably applied not only to the film formation process but also to other substrate processes such as annealing, oxidation, nitridation, diffusion, and lithography processes.

[0074] Furthermore, the present disclosure can be preferably applied to other substrate processing apparatuses, such as annealing apparatuses, oxidation apparatuses, nitridation apparatuses, exposure apparatuses, coating apparatuses, drying apparatuses, heating apparatuses, and processing apparatuses using plasma. In addition, the present disclosure may be applicable even when these apparatuses are mixed.

[0075] In addition, in the present embodiment, the semiconductor manufacturing process has been described, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the present disclosure can be applied to substrate processing such as the manufacturing process of liquid crystal devices, the manufacturing process of solar cells, the manufacturing process of light-emitting devices, the processing process of glass substrates, the processing process of ceramic substrates, and the processing process of conductive substrates.

[0076] In addition, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is also possible to add, delete, or replace other configurations for a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0077] 41…Controller 100…Mass Flow Controller 101…Piezo Actuator 102…Valve 103…Adjustment Unit

Claims

1. A flow controller having an adjustment unit configured to be able to adjust the flow rate of a gas, a control unit configured to be able to switch between a first mode in which the flow rate of the gas is adjusted to a predetermined flow rate by operating the adjustment unit and a second mode in which the adjustment unit is fully opened, A control system comprising.

2. A first on-off valve provided in the pipe on the input side of the flow controller, A second on-off valve provided in the pipe on the output side of the flow controller Comprising, The control unit is configured to be able to close the first on-off valve and the second on-off valve when the flow controller is in the second mode. The control system according to claim 1.

3. The control system according to claim 2, wherein the first on-off valve and the second on-off valve are configured to perform the same operation.

4. The flow controller is provided on the output side of a raw material container containing a solid raw material or a liquid raw material. The control system according to claim 1.

5. A purge gas supply unit for purging the pipe connecting the raw material container and the processing chamber is provided. The control system according to claim 4.

6. The control system according to claim 2, wherein the first on-off valve and the second on-off valve are provided so as to sandwich the flow controller.

7. The second mode is a mode in which flow rate control by the flow controller is not performed. The control system according to claim 1.

8. In the first mode, the adjustment unit is in an operating state, and in the second mode, the adjustment unit is in a non-operating state. The control system according to claim 1.

9. The control unit is configured to notify that the adjustment unit is not in the fully open state when the flow controller is set to the second mode. The control system according to claim 1.

10. Furthermore, a first on-off valve is provided upstream of the flow controller and a second on-off valve is provided downstream of the flow controller. When the flow controller is set to the second mode, The control unit is configured to issue a command to set the flow controller to the second mode if the first on-off valve and the second on-off valve are in the closed state. The control system according to claim 2.

11. If either one of the first on-off valve and the second on-off valve is in an open state, the control unit is configured to issue a command to close either one of the first on-off valve and the second on-off valve that is in the open state. The control system according to claim 10.

12. Furthermore, it includes a setting screen for setting the timing of issuing a command. The control unit switches the mode of the flow controller in accordance with the content set on the setting screen. The control system according to claim 1.

13. The processes that can be set on the setting screen include an idling process as a standby process for waiting for the loading of the substrate, a substrate loading process (charging) for loading the substrate into the processing chamber, a preparation process for preparing for the next step, a film forming process for forming a film on the substrate, a discharge process for discharging the substrate from the processing chamber, and a cooling process for cooling the processed substrate. The control system according to claim 12.

14. In each process except the film forming process, the flow controller is configured to be settable to the second mode. The control system according to claim 13.

15. The control unit is configured to be able to execute a substrate processing process while switching the mode of the flow controller between the second mode and the first mode. The control system according to claim 13.

16. A flow controller having an adjustment unit configured to be able to adjust the flow rate of a gas. A control unit configured to be able to switch between a first mode in which the flow rate of the gas is adjusted to a predetermined flow rate by operating the adjustment unit and a second mode in which the adjustment unit is set to a fully open state. A processing apparatus comprising the above.

17. A flow controller having an adjustment unit configured to be able to adjust the flow rate of a gas. A control unit configured to be able to switch between a first mode in which the flow rate of the gas is adjusted to a predetermined flow rate by operating the adjustment unit and a second mode in which the adjustment unit is set to a fully open state. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, which includes a step of supplying the gas to a substrate by a control system comprising the above.

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