Substrate processing apparatus, method of manufacturing semiconductor device, substrate processing method, program and vacuum exhaust device

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing apparatus that can enhance exhaust efficiency while reducing a footprint.SOLUTION: A substrate processing apparatus 1 comprises: a first processing module 2A including a first processing container 18A for substrate processing and a substrate loading port provided on a front side thereof; a first utility system 54A accommodated in a first supply box 24A, including a first supply system for supplying processing gas into the first processing container and arranged behind the first processing module; a first vacuum exhaust device 38A arranged behind the first processing module, and including a first pump configured to exhaust an inside of the first processing container, and also including a trestle 55A for the first pump; and a first exhaust system which includes a first exhaust pipe 34A for establishing fluid communication between an inlet port of the first pump and a first exhaust port 30A provided on a back side of the first processing container. The trestle holds the first pump at a predetermined height so as to make the inlet port of the first pump substantially face one end of the first exhaust port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing processes such as forming a thin film on a substrate, a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, a substrate processing method, a program, and a vacuum exhaust apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In semiconductor device manufacturing methods, vertical substrate processing apparatuses are sometimes used to form oxide or metal films on substrates (hereinafter referred to as wafers). There are also substrate processing apparatuses that include a boat for holding wafers and multiple processing chambers for processing the wafers, and sequentially load and unload the boat into each processing chamber to process the wafers.

[0003] In conventional substrate processing apparatuses, it is necessary to secure a maintenance area around the substrate processing apparatus, for example, on the side, for performing maintenance on each mechanism. Therefore, since the maintenance area must be taken into consideration when installing the substrate processing apparatus, the footprint required for installing the substrate processing apparatus becomes large, and the cost of ownership (COO) also becomes high. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6484601 [Patent Document 2] WO2019 / 172274 publication [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-99763 [Patent Document 4] WO2018 / 3072 publication Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure provides a configuration that improves exhaust efficiency while reducing the footprint. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure provides a first processing module including a first processing chamber for processing a substrate and a substrate loading port provided on a front side thereof, and a first supply system for supplying a processing gas into the first processing chamber, backward a first utility system disposed behind the first processing module, a first vacuum exhaust device including a first pump for exhausting the inside of the first processing vessel and a stand for the first pump, and a first exhaust port provided on the rear side of the first processing vessel and an intake port of the first pump. Flow First exhaust that communicates with the body Tube and a first exhaust system including an intake port of the first pump, One end of the exhaust pipe The first pump is held at a predetermined height so as to face the first pump. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve exhaust efficiency (exhaust speed) while suppressing variations (individual differences) in exhaust characteristics among a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a top view illustrating an example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a processing furnace according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a utility system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a booster pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7]1A and 1B are perspective views illustrating an example of a booster pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a top view showing a first modified example of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a top view showing a second modified example of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of an exhaust system and its surroundings according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating an example of an exhaust system and its surroundings according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a connection portion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] Graph (A) shows the relationship between vibration and frequency when no damping plate is provided at the connection portion, and graph (B) shows the relationship between vibration and frequency when a damping plate is provided at the connection portion. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a top view showing a third modified example of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a top view showing a fourth modified example of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a fourth modified example of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a top view showing a fifth modified example of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a fifth modified example of the substrate processing apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Non-limiting illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The drawings used in the following description are all schematic, and the dimensional relationships and ratios of elements shown in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones. Furthermore, the dimensional relationships and ratios of elements between multiple drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones. Furthermore, the same or corresponding components throughout the drawings are denoted by the same or corresponding reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. The side facing the storage chamber 13 (described later) is referred to as the front side, and the sides facing the first utility system 54A and second utility system 54B (described later) are referred to as the back side. Furthermore, the side facing the boundary (adjacent surface) between the first processing module 2A and the second processing module 2B (described later) is referred to as the inside, and the side facing away from the boundary is referred to as the outside.

[0010] In this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus is configured as a vertical substrate processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as the substrate processing apparatus) 1 that performs substrate processing processes such as heat treatment as one step in a manufacturing method for a semiconductor device.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a first processing module 2A and a second processing module 2B. The processing modules 2A and 2B have housings or bodies with roughly rectangular parallelepiped outlines, and are arranged closely or adjacent to each other with one side parallel to the other. The processing module 2A includes a first processing furnace 4A (processing furnace 4A) and a first transfer chamber 5A (transfer chamber 5A). The processing module 2B includes a second processing furnace 4B (processing furnace 4B) and a second transfer chamber 5B (transfer chamber 5B).

[0012] Transfer chambers 5A and 5B are disposed below the processing furnaces 4A and 4B, respectively. A transfer chamber 11 is disposed adjacent to the front of the transfer chambers 5A and 5B. The transfer chamber 11 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped outer casing and is equipped with a transfer machine 9 for transferring wafers 8. A storage chamber 13 is connected to the front of the transfer chamber 11, storing a pod (FOUP) 12 that stores multiple wafers 8. The storage chamber 13, processing modules 2A and 2B, and transfer chamber 11 each have an outer diameter based on a polyhedron with mutually orthogonal faces, are detachably configured, and their connections are appropriately airtight. An I / O port 14 is disposed in front of the storage chamber 13, and pods 12 are loaded and unloaded into and from the substrate processing apparatus 1 via the I / O port 14. The storage chamber 13 is also provided with a load port 16 such as a Front-opening Interface Mechanical Standard (FIMS) connected to the front of the transfer chamber 11, which opens and closes the pod 12. The wafers 8 taken out of the pod 12 are handled in the transfer chamber 11 and the transport chambers 5A and 5B, which form a mini-environment.

[0013] A first gate valve 15A (gate valve 15A) and a second gate valve 15B (gate valve 15B) are installed on the boundary wall (adjacent surface) between the transfer chambers 5A, 5B and the transfer chamber 11, respectively, for loading and unloading wafers (substrates) 8 therebetween. Pressure detectors are installed in the transfer chamber 11 and the transfer chambers 5A, 5B, respectively, and the pressure within the transfer chamber 11 is set to be lower than the pressure within the transfer chambers 5A, 5B. Oxygen concentration detectors are also installed in the transfer chamber 11 and the transfer chambers 5A, 5B, respectively, and the oxygen concentration within the transfer chamber 11 and the transfer chambers 5A, 5B is maintained lower than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. A clean unit 17 is installed in the ceiling of the transfer chamber 11 to supply clean air into the transfer chamber 11, and is configured to circulate, for example, an inert gas as clean air within the transfer chamber 11. By circulating and purging the inside of the transfer chamber 11 with an inert gas, it is possible to create a clean atmosphere inside the transfer chamber 11. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent particles and the like inside the transfer chambers 5A and 5B from being mixed into the transfer chamber 11, and it is possible to prevent natural oxide films from being formed on the wafers 8 inside the transfer chamber 11 and the transfer chambers 5A and 5B.

[0014] Since the processing module 2A and the processing module 2B have substantially the same configuration (plane symmetry) except for the details, only the first processing module will be described below as a representative.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 4, the processing furnace 4A includes a cylindrical first processing vessel 18A (reaction tube 18A) and a first heater 19A (heater 19A) as a heating means (heating mechanism) installed on the outer periphery of the reaction tube 18A. The reaction tube 18A is formed of, for example, quartz (Si) or silicon carbide (SiC). A first processing chamber 21A (processing chamber 21A) is formed inside the reaction tube 18A to process wafers 8 as substrates. In addition, a first temperature detection unit 22A as a temperature detector is installed in the reaction tube 18A along the inner wall of the reaction tube 18A.

[0016] Gases used for substrate processing are supplied into the processing chamber 21A by a first gas supply mechanism 23A serving as a gas supply system. The gases supplied by the gas supply mechanism 23A are changed depending on the type of film to be formed. Here, the gas supply mechanism 23A includes a source gas supply unit, a reactive gas supply unit, and an inert gas supply unit. The gas supply mechanism 23A is housed in a first supply box 24A (gas box) described below.

[0017] The source gas supply unit includes a gas supply pipe 25a, and the gas supply pipe 25a is provided with, in order from the upstream side, a mass flow controller (MFC) 26a, which is a flow rate controller (flow rate control unit), and a valve 28a, which is an on-off valve. The gas supply pipe 25a is connected to a nozzle 29a that penetrates a side wall of a first manifold 27A (manifold 27A). The nozzle 29a is erected in the vertical direction within the reaction tube 18A, and has a plurality of supply holes that open toward the wafers 8 held in a first boat 31A (boat 31A). The source gas is supplied to the wafers 8 through the supply holes of the nozzle 29a.

[0018] In a similar configuration, the reactive gas supply unit supplies reactive gas to the wafer 8 via gas supply pipe 25b, MFC 26b, valve 28b, and nozzle 29b. The inert gas supply unit supplies inert gas to the wafer 8 via gas supply pipes 25c and 25d, MFCs 26c and 26d, valves 28c and 28d, and nozzles 29a and 29b.

[0019] A cylindrical manifold 27A is connected to the lower end opening of the reaction tube 18A via a sealing member such as an O-ring, and supports the lower end of the reaction tube 18A. The lower end opening of the manifold 27A is disposed corresponding to the ceiling of the transfer chamber 5A and is opened and closed by a disk-shaped first lid part 32A (lid part 32A). A sealing member such as an O-ring is installed on the upper surface of the lid part 32A, thereby airtightly sealing the reaction tube 18A from the outside air. A first heat insulating part 33A (heat insulating part 33A) is placed on the lid part 32A.

[0020] The manifold 27A is formed with a first exhaust port 30A (exhaust port 30A) extending perpendicular to the axis, i.e., perpendicular to the axis of the reaction tube 18A. A first exhaust pipe 34A is attached via the exhaust port 30A. The exhaust pipe 34A is connected to a first booster pump 38A (a vacuum exhaust device) via a first pressure sensor 35A (pressure sensor 35A) serving as a pressure detector (pressure detection unit) for detecting the pressure inside the processing chamber 21A and a first conductance variable valve 36A serving as a pressure regulator (pressure adjustment unit). The conductance variable valve 36A is a two-stage valve consisting of two valves, an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve and a gate valve, connected in series. The APC valve is a butterfly valve that can open with a flow path cross-sectional area equal to or greater than the cross-sectional area of ​​the exhaust pipe 34A. This configuration allows the pressure inside the processing chamber 21A to be adjusted to a processing pressure appropriate for the processing. An exhaust system 39A as a first exhaust system is mainly composed of the exhaust pipe 34A, the pressure sensor 35A, and the conductance variable valve 36A. The exhaust system 39A can be housed in a first exhaust box 40A (exhaust box 40A) described later.

[0021] The processing chamber 21A accommodates a boat 31A serving as a substrate holder for vertically supporting a plurality of wafers 8, e.g., 10 to 150 wafers 8, in a shelf-like fashion. The boat 31A is supported above the heat insulating section 33A by a first rotation shaft 41A (rotation shaft 41A) that penetrates the lid section 32A and the heat insulating section 33A. The rotation shaft 41A is connected to a first rotation mechanism 42A (rotation mechanism 42A) installed below the lid section 32A, and the rotation shaft 41A is configured to be rotatable while hermetically sealing the interior of the reaction tube 18A. The lid section 32A is driven vertically by a first boat elevator 43A (boat elevator 43A) that serves as an elevating mechanism. As a result, the boat 31A and the lid section 32A are raised and lowered together, and the boat 31A is loaded into and unloaded from the reaction tube 18A.

[0022] The transfer of wafers 8 to the boat 31A is performed in the transfer chamber 5A. As shown in FIG. 3, a first clean unit 44A (clean unit 44A) is installed on one side of the transfer chamber 5A (the outer side of the transfer chamber 5A, the side opposite the side facing the transfer chamber 5B) and is configured to circulate clean air (e.g., inert gas) within the transfer chamber 5A. The inert gas supplied into the transfer chamber 5A is exhausted from the transfer chamber 5A by a first exhaust unit 45A (exhaust unit 45A) installed on the side facing the clean unit 44A across the boat 31A (the side facing the transfer chamber 5B) and then resupplied from the clean unit 44A into the transfer chamber 5A (circulation purge). The pressure within the transfer chamber 5A is set to always be lower than the pressure within the transfer chamber 11. This prevents particles and contamination sources within the transfer chamber 5A from being brought into the transfer chamber 11 and spreading contamination. The oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 5A is set to be lower than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere.

[0023] A controller 46 that controls the rotation mechanism 42A, boat elevator 43A, MFCs 38a to 38d of the gas supply mechanism 23A, valves 28a to 28d, and conductance variable valve 36A is connected to these components. The controller 46 is formed, for example, by a microprocessor (computer) equipped with a CPU, and is configured to control the operations of the processing modules 2A and 2B. An input / output device 47 configured, for example, as a touch panel, is connected to the controller 46. One controller 46 may be installed in each of the processing modules 2A and 2B, or one controller 46 may be installed in common for both the processing modules 2A and 2B.

[0024] A storage unit 48 serving as a storage medium is connected to the controller 46. The storage unit 48 readably stores a control program for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and a program (also called a recipe) for causing each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1 to perform processing according to processing conditions.

[0025] The storage unit 48 may be a storage device (such as a hard disk or flash memory) built into the controller 46, or may be a portable external storage device (such as a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk such as a flexible disk or a hard disk, an optical disk such as a CD or a DVD, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO, or a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory or a memory card). The program may be provided to the computer using a communication means such as a dedicated line on the Internet. The program is read from the storage unit 48 as needed, for example, in response to an instruction from the input / output device 47. The controller 46 executes processing according to the read recipe, and the substrate processing apparatus 1 executes the desired processing under the control of the controller 46. The controller 46 is housed in a control box (not shown) provided at any location in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0026] Next, the rear configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1 , a first maintenance port 51A and a second maintenance port 51B (maintenance ports 51A, 51B) are formed on the rear side of the transfer chambers 5A and 5B, respectively. The maintenance port 51A is formed biased toward the transfer chamber 5B side and has a width and height that allow the reaction tube 18A and the boat 31A to be loaded and unloaded. The maintenance port 51B is formed biased toward the transfer chamber 5A side and has a width and height that allow the reaction tube 18B and the boat 31B to be loaded and unloaded. The maintenance ports 51A and 51B are opened and closed by a first maintenance door 52A (maintenance door 52A) and a second maintenance door 52B (maintenance door 52B). The maintenance doors 52A and 52B are configured to be rotatable about a first hinge 53A (hinge 53A) and a second hinge 53B (hinge 53B) as axes. Hinge 53A is installed on the transfer chamber 5B side of transfer chamber 5A, and hinge 53B is installed on the transfer chamber 5A side of transfer chamber 5B. That is, hinges 53A and 53B are installed adjacent to each other near inner corners located on the adjacent surfaces on the rear sides of transfer chamber 5A and transfer chamber 5B. Thus, maintenance areas for performing maintenance on the transfer chambers, processing furnaces, etc. are formed on the processing module 2B side on the rear side of processing module 2A and the processing module 2A side on the rear side of processing module 2B.

[0028] The maintenance doors 52A, 52B are rotated horizontally toward the rear of the back side of the transfer chambers 5A, 5B around hinges 53A, 53B to open the maintenance openings 51A, 51B. The maintenance doors 52A, 52B are configured to be rotatable by 90 degrees or more, and more preferably by approximately 180 degrees. By rotating them nearly 180 degrees, one of the maintenance doors 52A and 52B overlaps the other when open, so they do not interfere with maintenance work.

[0029] A first utility system 54A (utility system 54A) and a second utility system 54B (utility system 54B) are installed adjacent to the rear surfaces of the processing modules 2A and 2B, extending rearward. The utility systems 54A and 54B are arranged symmetrically across a maintenance area. Maintenance of the utility systems 54A and 54B is performed from inside the utility systems 54A and 54B, i.e., from the space between the utility systems 54A and 54B (the maintenance area). The utility systems 54A and 54B each include supply boxes 24A and 24B, exhaust boxes 40A and 40B, and booster pumps 38A and 38B. The maintenance ports of the utility systems 54A and 54B are located on the inside (the maintenance area side). That is, the maintenance ports of the utility systems 54A and 54B are located facing each other.

[0030] Since the utility systems 54A and 54B have substantially the same configuration except for some details, only the utility system 54A will be described below as a representative. The supply box 24A is disposed adjacent to the outer portion of the rear surface of the transfer chamber 5A. The exhaust box 40A is disposed adjacent to the outer portion of the rear surface of the processing furnace 4A. That is, the outer side surfaces of the supply box 24A and the exhaust box 40A are positioned flat (smooth) so as to be substantially continuously connected to the outer side surface of the transfer chamber 5A. Furthermore, the supply box 24A and the exhaust box 40A are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. The rear surfaces of the supply box 24A and the exhaust box 40A are substantially flush with each other.

[0031] The booster pump 38A is disposed adjacent to the rear surfaces of the supply box 24A and the exhaust box 40A. The booster pump 38A is housed in a housing (frame) having a roughly rectangular parallelepiped outline, and can be installed on a first stand 55A (stand 55A) having a predetermined height. The stand 55A has four swivel casters 64A on its bottom surface, and is configured to be movable on the floor. During operation, the stand 55A is fixed to the floor surface with bolts, and the booster pump 38A is fixed to the stand 55A with bolts. The same is true for the booster pump 38B.

[0032] The stacked booster pump 38A and the platform 55A have a footprint of less than 500 x 500 mm, but can reach a height of 2500 mm. In the example shown in FIG. 7(A), the footprint is configured to be 450 x 450 mm, and its width is substantially equal to the maximum width of the utility system 54A. The outer sides of the booster pumps 38A and 38B are positioned so that they do not protrude beyond the outer sides of the utility systems 54A and 54B, i.e., the outer sides of the exhaust boxes 40A and 40B and the outer sides of the supply boxes 24A and 24B. The platforms 55A and 55B may each be configured to have adjustable heights. The platforms 55A and 55B may also be equipped with vibration countermeasures to absorb vibrations from the booster pumps 38A and 38B and vibrations caused by earthquakes, etc.

[0033] As can be seen from FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the thickness of the supply box 24A (the width when viewed from the front of the substrate processing apparatus 1) increases stepwise from the front to the rear, with its maximum width being smaller than or equal to the thickness of the exhaust box 40A. On the other hand, the thickness of the exhaust box 40A is constant from the front to the rear, and it has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, with the exhaust pipe 34A penetrating horizontally in the front-to-rear direction. In other words, the exhaust boxes 40A and 40B protrude further toward the maintenance area than the supply boxes 24A and 24B. By installing the wide exhaust box 40A substantially above the transfer chamber 5A, the width of the maintenance area behind the maintenance door 52A of the transfer chamber 5A can be ensured to be wide. That is, because the distance between the supply boxes 24A and 24B is greater than the distance between the exhaust boxes 40A and 40B in a top view, a maintenance area wide enough to remove the reaction tube 18A through the open maintenance door 52A is ensured. Floor boxes 67A are installed on the floor throughout the maintenance area and house exhaust ducts, cooling water equipment, electrical cables, etc. The top surface of floor box 67A is flat and is lower than the bottom edge of the maintenance door. Floor box 67A may have one or more hard points that serve as fulcrums for maintaining heavy objects.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the supply box 24A accommodates most of the first gas supply mechanism 23A below the exhaust box 40A. The gas supply pipes 25a and 25b extend outside the supply box 24A, pass between the exhaust box 40A and the exhaust pipe 34A, and connect to the valves 28a and 28b located inside the exhaust box 40A. The gas supply pipes 25a and 25b then extend to the nozzles 29a and 29b. Alternatively, the gas supply mechanism 23A may have a height large enough to accommodate the valves 28a and 28b, and a recess may be formed on the inner side to avoid interference with the exhaust box 40A (exhaust pipe 34A). Alternatively, the exhaust box 40A may be eliminated, and the exhaust pipe 34A may be disposed so as to penetrate the supply box 24A. In other words, the exhaust box 40A does not need to be box-shaped, need not be enclosed, or have a clear boundary with other boxes. In this sense, the exhaust box 40A only needs to be a space that accommodates the exhaust system. Even in this case, the exhaust pipe 34A is positioned toward the outside at a height that avoids the maintenance door 52A. Although the exhaust pipe 34A of the exhaust box 40A is positioned above the maintenance door 52A in FIG. 5, the exhaust pipe 34A may also be positioned below the maintenance door 52A.

[0035] Here, the rear-facing exhaust port 30A and the first intake port 56A formed in the booster pump 38B facing forward are opposed or substantially opposed to each other. The exhaust port 30A and the intake port 56A are also at the same or substantially the same height. Therefore, the exhaust pipe 34A passes through the utility system 54A in a substantially straight line and substantially horizontally, connecting the exhaust port 30A and the first intake port 56A. If the extension axes of the exhaust port 30A and the first intake port 56A are offset, the exhaust pipe 34A may bend gently. In this example, the exhaust pipe 34A extends slightly rearward from the exhaust port 30A, which has a nominal diameter of approximately 100 mm, and is sequentially configured with a gently curved section facing outward from the substrate processing apparatus 1, a tapered section where the nominal diameter increases from 100 mm to 200 mm, a gently curved section facing inward from the substrate processing apparatus 1, and a straight section aligned with the axis of the intake port 56A. The straight section includes, from upstream to downstream, an APC valve corresponding to a nominal diameter of 200 mm, a shutoff gate valve, a maintenance gate valve, a bellows for isolating the exhaust pipe 34A from the vibration of the booster pump 38A, and an adapter for detachably connecting to the first intake port 56A. By arranging the exhaust pipe 34 approximately horizontally in this manner, the piping length of the exhaust pipe 34 can be shortened, thereby improving conductance. In this example, the exhaust box 40A is formed so that its height is greater than its width in order to accommodate a vertically long gate valve, and it accommodates only the straight section of the exhaust pipe 34A. In other words, there is a gap between the processing furnace 4A and the exhaust box 40A, and the portion of the exhaust pipe 34A between the exhaust port 30A and the straight section may be exposed.

[0036] Next, the booster pump 38A will be further described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. The booster pump 38A in this embodiment is configured to be installed vertically. By installing it vertically, the footprint (installation area) is reduced.

[0037] The booster pump 38A is composed of a main body (casing) 61A having an internal space (rotor chamber), one or more rotors 59A that rotate within the main body 61A, an intake port 56A connected to the exhaust pipe 34A and provided on the upper side of the main body 61A, a first exhaust port 62A provided on the lower side of the main body 61A and for exhausting gas, a motor 58A that rotates a rotary shaft 57A of the rotor 59A, a first pump controller 63A that controls the motor 58A, and ancillary equipment (not shown) for supplying ballast gas, cooling water, etc. The pump controller 63A and the ancillary equipment may be provided, for example, within the stand 55A, and their operation units and display units may be provided on the side surfaces.

[0038] A first gas flow path 65A (gas flow path 65A) is formed by the interior of intake port 56A, the interior of exhaust port 62A, and the moving intermediate chamber between main body 61A and rotor 59A. Gas introduced through intake port 56A flows through gas flow path 65A and is discharged from exhaust port 62A. Intake port 56A opens perpendicular to rotation axis 57A so as to directly face the rotor chamber, and exhaust port 62A opens on the same side as intake port 56A or on the opposite side, and is connected to the intake port of an auxiliary exhaust device (not shown) such as a rotary pump.

[0039] Because the rotating shaft 57A is positioned to extend vertically, the main body 61A is vertically long. The main body 61A is made of cast iron and is heavy. By providing the motor 58A on the main body 61A, the center of gravity of the booster pump 38A can be made as low as possible, allowing for stable installation of the booster pump 38A.

[0040] The rotor 59A driven by the rotary shaft 57A is a two-stage Roots rotor consisting of multiple rotors, e.g., two rotors. Gas drawn into the intake port 56A through the exhaust pipe 34A rotates through the gas flow path 65A as the rotor 59A rotates, and is introduced into the exhaust port 62A. The intake port 56A is located on the upper side of the main body 61A, and the exhaust port 30A and the intake port 56A are at the same or approximately the same height. This allows the exhaust pipe 34A to be linear and horizontally positioned, thereby minimizing the distance between the exhaust port 30A and the intake port 56A and maximizing the exhaust capacity of the booster pump 38A. Meanwhile, locating the exhaust port 62A at the bottom of the main body 61A shortens the length of the piping to, for example, a main pump installed on the floor below. When the exhaust port 30A and the exhaust port 62A are at the same height or approximately the same height, the exhaust port 62A may be used as an intake port, and the intake port 56A may be used as an exhaust port.

[0041] Furthermore, a gate valve may be provided at the intake port 56A, which allows the intake port 56A to be closed even if the atmosphere inside the exhaust pipe 34A is released during maintenance and a highly dangerous gas such as HCl is released due to a reaction with the air or moisture depending on the film type, thereby preventing danger during maintenance.

[0042] Furthermore, because the booster pump 38A is mounted on the stand 55A, by appropriately selecting a stand 55A with a different height or by adjusting the height of the stand 55A, the center height of the intake port 56A can be made the same as the center height of the exhaust port 30A. This eliminates the need for bending to change the height, and makes it possible to realize an exhaust pipe 34A (exhaust system 39A) with maximum conductance that connects the exhaust port 30A and the intake port 56A, which are separated by the depth of the supply box 24A, over the shortest distance.

[0043] Next, a process (film formation process) for forming a film on a substrate using the above-described substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described. Here, an example will be described in which a film is formed on a wafer 8 by supplying gas A as a source gas and gas B as a reactive gas to the wafer 8. In the following description, the operation of each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is controlled by a controller 46.

[0044] (Wafer charge and boat load) The gate valve 15A is opened, and the wafers 8 are transferred to the boat 31A. After the wafers 8 are loaded into the boat 31A (wafer charge), the gate valve 15A is closed. The boat 31A is carried into the processing chamber 21A (boat load) by the boat elevator 43A, and the lower opening of the reaction tube 18A is airtightly closed (sealed) by the lid 32A.

[0045] (Pressure and temperature adjustment) The booster pump 38A evacuates (decompresses) the processing chamber 21A to a predetermined pressure (vacuum level). The atmosphere in the processing chamber 21A flows linearly or approximately linearly through the exhaust pipe 34 and is exhausted through the booster pump 38A. The pressure in the processing chamber 21A is measured by the pressure sensor 35A, and the conductance variable valve 36A is feedback-controlled based on the measured pressure information. The wafers 8 in the processing chamber 21A are heated by the heater 19A to a predetermined temperature. At this time, the power supply to the heater 19A is feedback-controlled based on temperature information detected by the temperature detection unit 22A to achieve a predetermined temperature distribution in the processing chamber 21A. The rotation mechanism 42A also starts rotating the boat 31A and the wafers 8.

[0046] (film formation process) [Source gas supply process] When the temperature inside the processing chamber 21A stabilizes at a preset processing temperature, gas A is supplied to the wafers 8 inside the processing chamber 21A. Gas A is controlled to a desired flow rate by the MFC 26a and is supplied into the processing chamber 21A via the gas supply pipe 25a and the nozzle 29a.

[0047] [Raw gas exhaust process] Next, the supply of Gas A is stopped, and the inside of the processing chamber 21A is evacuated to a vacuum using the booster pump 38A. The Gas A in the processing chamber 21A flows linearly or approximately linearly through the exhaust pipe 34A and is exhausted via the booster pump 38A. At this time, N2 gas may be supplied as an inert gas from the inert gas supply unit into the processing chamber 21A (inert gas purge).

[0048] [Reaction gas supply process] Next, Gas B is supplied to the wafers 8 in the processing chamber 21A. Gas B is controlled to a desired flow rate by the MFC 26b, and is supplied into the processing chamber 21A via the gas supply pipe 25b and the nozzle 29b.

[0049] [Reaction gas exhaust process] Next, the supply of Gas B is stopped, and the inside of the processing chamber 21A is evacuated to a vacuum by the booster pump 38A. Gas B in the processing chamber 21A flows linearly or approximately linearly through the exhaust pipe 34A and is exhausted via the booster pump 38A. At this time, N2 gas may be supplied as an inert gas from the inert gas supply unit into the processing chamber 21A (inert gas purge).

[0050] By repeating the cycle of the above-described four steps a predetermined number of times (one or more times), a film with a predetermined composition and a predetermined film thickness can be formed on the wafer 8.

[0051] (Boat unloading and wafer discharging) After forming a film of a predetermined thickness, N2 gas is supplied from the inert gas supply unit, and the atmosphere in the processing chamber 21A is replaced with N2 gas, and the pressure in the processing chamber 21A is returned to normal pressure. Then, the boat elevator 43A lowers the lid 32A, and the boat 31A is unloaded from the reaction tube 18A (boat unloading). Then, the processed wafers 8 are removed from the boat 31A (wafer discharging).

[0052] Thereafter, the wafers 8 are stored in the pod 12 and may be transported out of the substrate processing apparatus 1, or may be transported to the processing furnace 4B where substrate processing such as annealing is continuously performed. When processing the wafers 8 in the processing furnace 4B immediately after processing the wafers 8 in the processing furnace 4A, the gate valve 15A and the second gate valve 15B are opened, and the wafers 8 are directly transported from the boat 31A to the second boat 31B (boat 31B). The wafers 8 are then loaded and unloaded into the processing furnace 4B in the same manner as in the substrate processing in the processing furnace 4A described above. Furthermore, the substrate processing in the processing furnace 4B is performed, for example, in the same manner as in the substrate processing in the processing furnace 4A described above.

[0053] The processing conditions for forming a silicon or silicon compound film on the wafer 8 using a silicon-containing gas as the gas A or gas B are, for example, as follows. Processing temperature (wafer temperature): 300℃~700℃ Processing pressure (inside the processing chamber): 1 Pa to 4000 Pa

[0054] The processing modules 2A and 2B can be configured to form different films, such as films A and B. In this case, the configurations of the gas supply mechanisms 23A and 23B are different, but the symmetry of the supply boxes 24A and 24B and the exhaust boxes 40A and 40B is maintained.

[0055] Next, maintenance of the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described. An interlock is set so that the maintenance door 52A cannot be opened when the transfer chamber 5A is circulating and purged with an inert gas. An interlock is set so that the maintenance door 52A cannot be opened even when the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 5A is lower than the oxygen concentration at atmospheric pressure. The same applies to the maintenance door 52B. Furthermore, an interlock is set so that the gate valves 15A and 15B cannot be opened when the maintenance doors 52A and 52B are open. To open the gate valves 15A and 15B with the maintenance doors 52A and 52B open, the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 must be placed in maintenance mode, and a separately installed maintenance switch must be turned on. This releases the interlocks for the gate valves 15A and 15B, allowing the gate valves 15A and 15B to open.

[0056] When the maintenance door 52A is opened, atmospheric air is introduced into the transfer chamber 5A from the clean unit 44A to increase the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 5A to a level equal to or higher than that of the atmosphere, preferably to that of the atmosphere. At this time, the circulation purge in the transfer chamber 5A is stopped, and the atmosphere in the transfer chamber 5A is exhausted to the outside, so that the pressure in the transfer chamber 5A does not exceed the pressure in the transfer chamber 11. At the same time, the rotation speed of the fan in the clean unit 44A is reduced below that during circulation purge, thereby controlling the amount of atmospheric air flowing into the transfer chamber 5A. By controlling the air in this manner, the pressure in the transfer chamber 5A can be maintained lower than that in the transfer chamber 11 while increasing the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 5A.

[0057] When the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 5A becomes equivalent to the oxygen concentration at atmospheric pressure, the interlock is released and the maintenance door 52A can be opened. At this time, even if the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 5A becomes equivalent to the oxygen concentration at atmospheric pressure, if the pressure in the transfer chamber 5A is higher than the pressure in the transfer chamber 11, the maintenance door 52A cannot be opened. When the maintenance door 52A is opened, the rotation speed of the fan in the clean unit 44A is increased to at least the rotation speed during circulation purge. More preferably, the rotation speed of the fan in the clean unit 44A is maximized.

[0058] After the maintenance door 52A is opened, for example, a carriage stage is advanced into the transfer chamber 5A through the maintenance opening 51A, and the reaction tube 18A and the boat 31A are carried in and out of the transfer chamber 5A via the carriage. At this time, the exhaust port 30A and the exhaust pipe 34A are positioned above the maintenance opening 51A so as not to interfere with the carriage and the reaction tube 18A being carried in and out.

[0059] Maintenance inside the transfer chamber 11 is performed through a maintenance port 50 formed in the front of the transfer chamber 11, in a portion where no pod opener is installed. The maintenance port 50 is configured to be opened and closed by a maintenance door (not shown). As described above, when the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 is placed in maintenance mode, the gate valves 15A and 15B can be opened and maintenance can be performed from the gate valves 15A and 15B side. In other words, maintenance inside the transfer chamber 11 can be performed from either the front or rear of the apparatus.

[0060] As described above, in this embodiment, the booster pumps 38A, 38B are provided adjacent to the exhaust boxes 40A, 40B so that the exhaust ports 30A, 30B and the intake ports 56A, 56B face or nearly face each other and are at the same height. Therefore, the straight exhaust pipes 34A, 34B (not shown) are horizontally arranged, and the booster pumps 38A, 38B can be connected to the reaction tubes 18A, 18B at the shortest distance. This makes it possible to maximize the exhaust capacity of the booster pumps 38A, 38B, improve the exhaust efficiency (exhaust speed) while suppressing the reduction in the difference between the units, and reduce COO.

[0061] Furthermore, since the straight exhaust pipes 34A, 34B are used, the gas exhausted from the reaction tubes 18A, 18B is in fluid communication in a substantially straight line between the exhaust ports 30A, 30B and the intake ports 56A, 56B. Therefore, no pressure loss occurs in the exhausted gas while it flows through the exhaust pipes 34A, 34B, and the exhaust efficiency can be improved.

[0062] Furthermore, the booster pumps 38A, 38B improve the pumping speed in the pressure range (for example, 1 Pa to 1 kPa) where the pumping speed of the auxiliary pumping device decreases. When a positive displacement pump is used as a booster pump, the pumping speed is determined by the rotational speed of the rotor except near the ultimate vacuum, so the variation in pumping speed is reduced compared to when only an auxiliary pumping device is used. Note that various types of mechanical booster pumps can be used, such as roots type, rotary vane type (axial flow type), screw type, scroll type, etc., and even momentum transport pumps such as turbomolecular pumps and ejector pumps can be used.

[0063] Furthermore, the booster pumps 38A, 38B are configured so that their installation area when placed vertically is less than 500 x 500, and are positioned so that they do not protrude outward from the outer side of the utility systems 54A, 54B, thereby reducing the footprint of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0064] Furthermore, booster pumps 38A, 38B are mounted on stands 55A, 55B. Therefore, the heights of intake ports 56A, 56B can be adjusted by appropriately selecting stands 55A, 55B of different heights or by adjusting the heights of stands 55A, 55B. Furthermore, because stands 55A, 55B and booster pumps 38A, 38B are fixed to the floor with fasteners such as bolts, it is possible to prevent booster pumps 38A, 38B from tipping over.

[0065] In addition, a maintenance area is provided on the rear side of the substrate processing apparatus 1, and maintenance of the utility systems 54A and 54B can be performed from the maintenance area. Therefore, there is no need to secure maintenance areas on both sides of the substrate processing apparatus 1, which reduces the footprint of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and reduces the area used in the clean room.

[0066] Furthermore, by arranging the utility systems 54A and 54B of the processing modules 2A and 2B facing each other on both outer side surfaces of the substrate processing apparatus 1, the space behind the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be used as a common maintenance area for the left and right processing modules 2A and 2B. For example, in conventional apparatuses, a supply box and an exhaust box are sometimes installed facing each other at both ends of the rear of the apparatus. When two apparatuses with such a configuration are arranged side by side, the exhaust box of one apparatus is adjacent to the supply box of the other apparatus at the boundary between the two apparatuses. In contrast, in this embodiment, the utility systems are not arranged at the boundary between the two processing modules 2A and 2B, so a large maintenance area can be secured.

[0067] Furthermore, by providing gate valves 15A and 15B, it becomes possible to perform substrate processing in one of the processing modules 2A and 2B while performing maintenance on the other processing module 2A and 2B or the inside of the transfer chamber 11. This allows maintenance to be performed without stopping the film formation process, thereby increasing the operating rate of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and improving productivity.

[0068] Next, the booster pump 38A, the exhaust system 39A, and the surrounding area of ​​the processing furnace 4A will be described in detail with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Note that the booster pump 38A and the booster pump 38B, the exhaust system 39A and the exhaust system 39B, and the processing furnace 4A and the processing furnace 4B have the same configuration, so only the booster pump 38A, the exhaust system 39A, and the processing furnace 4A will be described below, and descriptions of the booster pump 38B, the exhaust system 39B, and the processing furnace 4B will be omitted. Furthermore, in the following, when a member A is described, it is assumed that a member B having a similar configuration also exists.

[0069] An exhaust box 40A serving as a piping housing is disposed adjacent to the booster pump 38A, and the processing furnace 4A is disposed adjacent to the exhaust box 40A. The exhaust box 40A and the processing furnace 4A are connected via an exhaust system 39A, which is housed and supported in the exhaust box 40A.

[0070] The exhaust system 39A includes an exhaust pipe 34A, a branch exhaust pipe 68A, a first gate valve 69A, a second gate valve 71A, a first APC valve 72A, and a second APC valve 73A. The first APC valve 72A and the second APC valve 73A constitute a variable conductance valve 36A.

[0071] One end of the exhaust pipe 34A is connected to the intake port 56A of the booster pump 38A via a flexible bellows 74A. The other end of the exhaust pipe 34A is tapered to form a reduced-diameter section 77A, which is connected to the exhaust port 30A of the processing vessel 18A via a flexible bellows 70A. That is, the booster pump 38A and the processing chamber 21A inside the processing furnace 4A are connected to each other via the exhaust pipe 34A. The exhaust pipe 34A is provided with a first gate valve 69A, a second gate valve 71A, and a first APC valve 72A, in this order from the booster pump 38A side.

[0072] The branch exhaust pipe 68A extends upward from between the first gate valve 69A and the second gate valve 71A of the exhaust pipe 34A, is bent parallel to the exhaust pipe 34A toward the process furnace 4A, extends downward via the second APC valve 73A, and is connected between the first APC valve 72A and the reduced diameter portion 77A of the exhaust pipe 34A. That is, the second APC valve 73A is provided in the middle of the branch exhaust pipe 68A. Therefore, by opening or closing the second gate valve 71A, it is possible to control whether the exhaust is to be performed via the exhaust pipe 34A and the first APC valve 72A or via the branch exhaust pipe 68A and the second APC valve 73A.

[0073] The exhaust pipe 34A and the branch exhaust pipe 68A each have a divided structure made up of a combination of multiple pipes of a predetermined shape. That is, the exhaust pipe 34A and the branch exhaust pipe 68A have multiple sections that can be divided. The pipes are connected via an elastic seal member 80A that is provided to surround the periphery of the joint between the pipes.

[0074] The bellows 70A has a bellows structure and absorbs and allows for circumferential and axial displacement of the exhaust pipe 34A relative to the process vessel 18A. Similarly, the bellows 74A also has a bellows structure and absorbs and allows for circumferential and axial displacement of the exhaust pipe 34A relative to the booster pump 38A. The bellows 74A has radially protruding flanges 75A at both ends, and shaft-shaped fixing members 76A ( FIG. 11 ) can be hung between the flanges 75A at predetermined circumferential intervals. The fixing members 76A are, for example, bolts and can be used to restrain the displacement of the bellows 74A at any position during maintenance, etc. The bellows 70A also has a flange 91A at the end of the reduced diameter portion 77A. A holder 92A can be hung between the flange 91A or the reduced diameter portion 77A and the exhaust port 30A or the frame of the process furnace 4. The retaining device 92A bears the tensile load that occurs between both ends of the bellows 70A when a vacuum is created inside the bellows 70A, and is a vibration-damping fastener made of a vibration-damping material such as polymer resin, rubber, or a compression spring, or a vibration-damping alloy as described below.

[0075] The exhaust box 40A includes a frame 79A that spans the inside of the exhaust box 40A from top to bottom and from left to right, and a casing 78A that is attached to the frame 79A and covers part or all of the outside of the frame 79A. The casing 78A includes sidewall panels that are substantially flush with the booster pump 38A and the casing of the process furnace 4A. The frame 79A can include a number of beams that protrude toward the exhaust pipe 34A to mount various components housed in the exhaust box 40A, particularly to secure the exhaust pipe 34A and the branch exhaust pipe 68A.

[0076] The exhaust pipe 34A and the branch exhaust pipe 68A are connected to and supported by the frame 79A via mounting brackets 81A (described later). The exhaust pipe 34A is fixed to the frame 79A via the mounting brackets 81A mainly around the two branch points where it branches off from the branch exhaust pipe 68A. The branch exhaust pipe 68A is fixed to the beams of the frame 79A via the mounting brackets 81A mainly at the portion extending upward from the exhaust pipe 34A and the portion extending downward from the second APC valve 73A. That is, the connection between the exhaust pipe 34A and the frame 79A and the connection between the branch exhaust pipe 68A and the frame 79A are provided closer to the processing chamber 21A than the bellows 74A and the first gate valve 69A, and at multiple locations for each divided section.

[0077] The exhaust box 40A and the booster pump 38A, the exhaust box 40A and the processing furnace 4A, and the processing furnace 4A and the transfer chamber 5A may be connected by vibration-damping fasteners 90A formed of a vibration-damping material such as rubber or resin. The booster pump 38A may also be installed on the floor via a vibration-damping material such as rubber or resin. It may be desirable to maintain the exhaust pipe 34A and the branch exhaust pipe 68A at a high temperature to prevent the accumulation of by-products inside, and therefore the exhaust pipes 34A and the branch exhaust pipes 68A may be fitted with heating wires and covered with a heat-insulating cover.

[0078] The connection portion between the exhaust pipe 34A and the frame 79A will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 12. Although Fig. 12 shows the exhaust pipe 34A as an example, the branch exhaust pipe 68A is also connected to the frame 79A in the same manner as the exhaust pipe 34A.

[0079] A mounting plate 82A extending in the radial direction is formed at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface of the exhaust pipe 34. Two, for example, long holes 83A are formed in the mounting plate 82A in the direction of extension (vertical direction). Furthermore, a mounting bracket 81A with an L-shaped cross section is provided at the tip of the frame 79A, and a mounting surface 84A with a screw hole parallel to the mounting plate 82A is formed.

[0080] One or more vibration damping plates 87A are provided as vibration dampers between the mounting plate 82A and the mounting surface 84A. The vibration damping plates 87A are metal plates having elongated holes 88A that correspond in number and size to the elongated holes 83A and are open at the bottom. When connecting the exhaust pipe 34A to the frame 79A, the bolts 86A are loosely threaded into the threaded holes in the mounting surface 84A, and the elongated holes 88A of the vibration damping plates 87A are then placed over the bolts 86A. Then, the bolts 86A are tightened while holding the exhaust pipe 34 at an appropriate height. As a result, the vibration damping plates 87A and the mounting plate 82A are screwed together to the mounting surface 84A.

[0081] When the frame 79A and the exhaust pipe 34A are connected, the vibration damper plate 87A is sandwiched between the mounting surface 84A (mounting bracket 81A) and the mounting plate 82A. Therefore, the vibration damper plate 87A supports all or part of the weight of the exhaust pipe 34 as a shear load parallel to the surface of the vibration damper plate 87A. In other words, the shear load is perpendicular to the thickness direction of the vibration damper plate 87A. While the remaining part of the weight of the exhaust pipe 34 may be supported by the bolt 86A, this is small, and the vibration damper plate 87A supports substantially the entire load.

[0082] The vibration damping performance of the vibration damping plate 87A can be expressed by the logarithmic damping rate δ, the specific damping capacity Ψ, the sharpness of resonance Q, the loss coefficient η, etc., which are defined as follows: Ψ=ΔW / W, Q=ω0 / (ω2-ω1) η=f1 / f2 Here, W is the mechanical energy associated with vibration, and ΔW is the loss energy per cycle. ω0, ω1, and ω2 are the resonant frequency at the resonant peak, the frequency to the left of the resonant peak where the vibrational energy is half of that at the resonant peak, and the frequency to the right of the resonant peak where the vibrational energy is half of that at the resonant peak, respectively. f1 and f2 are the forces at maximum displacement and zero displacement of the hysteresis loop shown in the stress-strain diagram, respectively. The logarithmic damping factor δ is defined as the ratio of adjacent amplitudes when the amplitude is damped. When the logarithmic damping factor is small (δ<0.01), the relationship δ≒2Ψ≒πη≒2π / Q holds. Although the logarithmic attenuation rate normally depends on the amplitude and frequency, the maximum logarithmic attenuation rate of the vibration damper plate 87A of this embodiment is greater than the logarithmic attenuation rate (approximately 0.02) of SUS304 stainless steel, which is commonly used as a material for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and preferably has a logarithmic attenuation rate of 0.1 or more for the vibration of the amplitude and frequency to be attenuated. The vibration damper plate 87A has the property of dispersing the resonance points of the vibration on the frequency axis and attenuating mechanical vibration.

[0083] The material for the damping plate 87A may be, for example, a composite, ferromagnetic, transition, or twin crystal type damping alloy. Composite damping alloys such as cast iron and aluminum-zinc alloys have the property of converting vibrations into heat and absorbing and mitigating them with the viscoelastic body that covers the phase boundary of a two-phase mixed structure.

[0084] Ferromagnetic vibration-damping alloys, found in alloys that exhibit magnetostriction, such as nickel and chromium steel, have crystals within each magnetic domain that are randomly distorted in the direction of spontaneous magnetization. When an external force is applied, the magnetic domains rotate in a direction that relieves stress, causing strain within the elastic limit of the material, and they contract when the external force is removed. When vibration occurs, the vibration-damping alloy expands and contracts due to repeated application and removal of external force, creating a hysteresis loop that converts the vibration into heat and damps the vibration. Furthermore, in the case of ferromagnetic vibration-damping alloys, the effect of vibration damping can also be enhanced by heat treatment, which coarsens the crystal grains and facilitates the movement of magnetic domain walls.

[0085] Transition-type damping alloys, such as magnesium alloys, have the property of damping vibrations through the interaction between dislocations in the alloy and impurity atoms. When an external force is applied to dislocations pinned by impurity atoms, the dislocations in the alloy bulge and move, and when the external force is removed, the dislocations return to their original position. When vibrations occur, the dislocations in the crystal move due to the repeated application and removal of external force, creating a hysteresis loop that converts the vibrations into heat and damps the vibrations.

[0086] Twin-type damping alloys have the property of damping vibrations due to twinning, which is one of the slip and twin deformation that occur when martensite is relaxed by heat treatment. Twin-type damping alloys can be further classified into two types: relaxation type, such as twin-type copper-manganese alloys, and hysteresis type, such as copper-aluminum-nickel alloys. In the relaxation type, twin boundaries in martensite act similarly to phase boundaries in composite alloys, converting vibrations into heat at the twin interfaces, which absorbs and damps vibrations. In the hysteresis type, twin interfaces irreversibly move in response to external forces, creating a hysteresis loop, which converts vibrations into heat and damps vibrations.

[0087] Figure 13(A) is a graph showing the relationship between vibration and frequency when no vibration damper plate 87A is provided at the connection between frame 79A and exhaust pipe 34A, and Figure 13(B) is a graph showing the relationship between vibration and frequency when an iron-aluminum alloy vibration damper plate 87A is provided at the connection between frame 79A and exhaust pipe 34A. In each graph, rectangular markers are added to the top eight peaks.

[0088] As shown in Figure 13(A), if vibration damping plate 87A is not provided, vibration resonance points 89A are concentrated in a specific narrow range on the frequency axis, which may cause resonance and increase the amplitude. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 13(B), if vibration plate 87A is provided, vibration resonance points 89A are dispersed on the frequency axis, which can reduce the amplitude.

[0089] As described above, in this embodiment, when the exhaust pipe 34A is attached to the frame 79A, the vibration damper 87A is provided as a vibration damper between the attachment plate 82A of the exhaust pipe 34A and the attachment surface 84A of the frame 79A. Therefore, the vibration transmitted from the booster pump 38A to the exhaust pipe 34A is damped by the vibration damper 87A when it reaches the connection portion with the frame 79A. Therefore, the vibration can be sufficiently damped in the process of being transmitted from the booster pump 38A to the process furnace 4A via the exhaust pipe 34A.

[0090] In addition, a bellows 74A is provided between the exhaust pipe 34A and the booster pump 38A, and the flange portions 75A of the bellows 74A are not fixed to each other. The bellows 74A can absorb displacement of the exhaust pipe 34A relative to the booster pump 38A, thereby suppressing large-amplitude vibrations transmitted from the booster pump 38A to the exhaust pipe 34A.

[0091] Furthermore, since the booster pump 38A and the exhaust box 40A are connected by the vibration-damping fastener 90A, it is possible to suppress vibrations transmitted from the booster pump 38A to the exhaust box 40A.

[0092] Furthermore, since the damper plate 87A is made of a heat-resistant metal, the exhaust temperature from the processing furnace 4A can be increased without deteriorating the damper plate, or the heating temperature for the exhaust pipe 34A can be increased.

[0093] Furthermore, the vibration damper 87A has a long hole 88A with an open bottom, allowing it to be attached directly to a vertical surface without using a suspension device. Therefore, the vibration damper 87A can be used even when a large shear load that rubber or resin cannot withstand acts on it.

[0094] Although the present embodiment has been described with reference to a substrate processing apparatus 1 having two processing modules 2A and 2B, the number of processing modules may be one or three. Fig. 8 shows a substrate processing apparatus 101 according to Modification 1 having three processing modules 2A, 2B, and 2C. Although not shown, a utility system similar to that of the processing modules 2A and 2B is also provided for the processing module 2C.

[0095] The processing module 2C is provided at a position symmetrical to the processing module 2B with respect to the transfer chamber 11. The processing module 2C and the transfer chamber 11 are in communication with each other via a gate valve 15C. The processing module 2C and the storage chamber 13 are in communication with each other via a maintenance port 51C, which can be airtightly closed by a maintenance door 52C. In the substrate processing apparatus 101, the storage chamber 13 is configured to serve as a maintenance area for the processing module 2C.

[0096] 9 shows a substrate processing apparatus according to Modification 2, which has one processing module 2. In this substrate processing apparatus, a supply box 24 serving as a first utility system is provided near the rear of the transfer chamber 5, and an exhaust box 40 and an electrical box (not shown) serving as a second utility system are provided opposite the supply box 24 with a maintenance area interposed therebetween. The maintenance ports of the supply box 24 and the exhaust box 40 are formed to face each other.

[0097] A booster pump 38 is disposed adjacent to the supply box 24 on the side adjacent to the transfer chamber 5 and on the opposite side. The exhaust box 40 and the booster pump 38 are connected by a linear exhaust pipe 34 that is disposed horizontally in the air. In this substrate processing apparatus, the intake port of the booster pump 38 does not face the exhaust port of the manifold, but is configured to be at the same height.

[0098] 14 shows a substrate processing apparatus 131 according to Modification 3, which has three processing modules. The three processing modules 2A, 2B, and 2C are arranged side by side in a row on the rear side of the transfer chamber 11. The processing modules 2A and 2B and the corresponding utility systems 54A and 54B are arranged symmetrically with respect to a plane. The processing modules 2B and 2C and the corresponding utility systems 54B and 54C are arranged symmetrically with respect to a plane, adjacent to each other on the side that does not face the maintenance area. The transfer chamber 11 has a width corresponding to the sum of the widths of the three processing modules 2A, 2B, and 2C.

[0099] 14 (referred to as "arrangement A"), the substrate processing apparatus 131 can also be configured in an arrangement (referred to as "arrangement B") that is a mirror image of the arrangement shown in Fig. 14. By arranging the apparatuses of arrangement A and arrangement B alternately in a horizontal direction, the maintenance area behind the processing module 2C of the substrate processing apparatus 131 of arrangement A and the maintenance area behind the processing module 2C of the substrate processing apparatus 131 of arrangement B form a single continuous space, which is wide enough to allow the processing module 2C to be removed and installed through the maintenance door 51C, similar to the maintenance area between the utility systems 54A and 54B. In this way, when the cluster-type substrate processing apparatus 131 is paired in arrangement A and arrangement B, a configuration is realized in which access from the side of the apparatus is not required for each pair, and productivity per footprint can be improved.

[0100] 15 and 16 show a substrate processing apparatus 141 of Modification 4 having three processing modules. The three processing modules 2A, 2B, and 142 have substantially the same width or a width of 1 m or less, and are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction on the rear side of the transfer chamber 11. The processing module 142 has a housing 144 that houses a single wafer chamber in which wafers 8 are stored one by one and processed with radicals, and a lower chamber 145 that communicates with the single wafer chamber and forms a space for loading and unloading the wafers 8 into the single wafer chamber. A susceptor 146 moves up and down between the single wafer chamber and the lower chamber 145 while carrying a wafer 8 thereon.

[0101] The processing module 142 can expose the wafer 8 to radicals such as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, or a rare gas to perform modification or treatment processes such as isotropic oxidation. For example, in a sequential process in which an oxide film is formed on the wafer 8 in the processing module 2A and then a nitride film is formed in the processing module 2B, a short processing step in the processing module 142 before the nitride film formation can be performed to improve the interfacial properties of the film. In this case, the wafer 8 can be transferred in this order from the processing modules 2A, 142, and 2B without leaving the transfer chamber 11. A cassette or cooling station for temporarily holding the wafer 8 may be installed in a space not used for transfer within the transfer chamber 11. The substrate processing apparatus 141 can achieve high throughput through its high transfer efficiency.

[0102] The utility system 143 is an auxiliary facility of the processing module 142, has a vertically long box-like external shape, and is disposed adjacent to the rear surface of the housing 144. The utility system 143 houses a supply box 147 that houses valves and the like for supplying gas to the single wafer chamber, a high frequency power supply 148 that supplies high frequency power for generating plasma in the single wafer chamber, and an exhaust system 149 that includes an exhaust pipe and the like for evacuating the single wafer chamber and the lower chamber 145. The utility system 143 has wheels such as swivel casters on the bottom, and can be configured to be movable in the forward and backward directions.

[0103] In a typical apparatus having a cluster of single-wafer chambers, the entire single-wafer chamber is often supported by a vertical pivot at the corner to allow for maintenance of each chamber. The processing module 142 of a stand-alone substrate processing apparatus 141 faces a sufficiently large space on its back and one side, making the pivots unnecessary. The substrate processing apparatus 151 can also be arranged horizontally, alternating between the arrangement shown in FIG. 15 (referred to as "arrangement A") and its mirror-image arrangement (referred to as "arrangement B").

[0104] 17 and 18 show a cluster-type substrate processing apparatus 151 having three processing modules according to Modification 5. The three processing modules 2A, 2B, and 152 have substantially the same width or a width of 1 m or less, and are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction on the rear side of the transfer chamber 11. The processing module 152 has a housing 154 that houses a cavity in which multiple wafers 8 are annealed with electromagnetic waves.

[0105] The utility system 155 is ancillary equipment of the processing module 152, and is arranged adjacent to the rear and bottom of the housing 154. It houses a microwave generator 155, a supply box 157, a power supply 158, and an exhaust system 159. The microwave generator 155 generates microwaves between 2.45 and 27 GHz and radiates them into the cavity. The supply box 157 houses valves and the like for supplying processing gas to the single wafer chamber. The power supply 158 supplies the necessary power to the microwave generator 155. The exhaust system 159 includes an exhaust pipe and exhaust valve for evacuating the cavity.

[0106] The processing module 152 generates a standing microwave wave within the cavity while the wafers 8 are held within the cavity on one or two rotating boats 156. The microwaves specifically and rapidly heat specific solid-phase films or impurities formed on the wafers 8, allowing for predetermined heat treatments such as annealing to be performed while preventing other films or the wafers 8 from becoming too hot. For example, in a sequential process in which film A is formed on the wafers 8 in processing module 2A and then film B is formed in processing module 2B, annealing by processing module 152 before film B is formed can be performed to modify the properties of the film already formed on the wafers 8 or to improve the quality of the film to be formed.

[0107] The processing module 152 can be mounted on the utility system 143. The utility system 143 has wheels such as swivel casters on the bottom, and can be configured to be movable in the forward and backward directions while the processing module 152 is mounted thereon. An operator can enter the transfer chamber 11 from the maintenance entrance 50 and separate and connect the transfer chamber 11 and the gate valve 15C.

[0108] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been specifically described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0109] For example, in the above-described embodiments, an example in which a silicon-containing gas is used as the source gas has been described, but the present disclosure is not limited to such an embodiment. Examples of the silicon-containing gas that can be used include inorganic halosilane source gases such as MCS (SiHCl:monochlorosilane) gas, DCS (dichlorosilane) gas, TCS (SiHCl:trichlorosilane) gas, and HCD (SiCl:hexachlorodisilane) gas, halogen-free amino (amine-based) silane source gases such as 3DMAS (Si[N(CH)]H:trisdimethylaminosilane) gas and BTBAS (SiH[NH(CH)]:bis(tertiarybutylaminosilane) gas, and halogen-free inorganic silane source gases such as MS (SiH:monosilane) gas and DS (SiH:disilane) gas.

[0110] Furthermore, as the reactive gas, one or more gases selected from oxygen-containing gases (oxidizing gases) such as oxygen or ozone gas, nitrogen-containing gases (nitriding gases) such as ammonia (NH3) gas, carbon-containing gases (C3H6) gas, and boron-containing gases such as boron trichloride (BCl3) gas can be used to form SiN films, SiON films, SiOCN films, SiOC films, SiCN films, SiBN films, SiBCN films, etc. When forming these films, the film formation can be performed under the same processing conditions as in the above-mentioned embodiment, and the same effects as in the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained.

[0111] Furthermore, for example, the present disclosure can also be suitably applied to the case of forming a film containing a metal element such as titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), or the like, i.e., a metal-based film, on a wafer 8.

[0112] In the above embodiment, an example of depositing a film on the wafer 8 has been described, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the present disclosure can also be suitably applied to cases where the wafer 8 or a film formed on the wafer 8 is subjected to an oxidation process, a diffusion process, an annealing process, an etching process, or the like.

[0113] The above-described embodiments and modifications may be used in combination as appropriate, and the processing conditions in this case may be the same as those in the above-described embodiments and modifications.

[0114] (Addendum) The present disclosure also includes the following embodiments.

[0115] (Supplementary Note 1) A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a first processing module having a first processing container for substrate processing and a substrate loading port provided on the front side; a second processing module arranged adjacent to a side of the first processing module and having a second processing container for substrate processing; a first utility system including a first supply system for supplying processing gas into the first processing container and arranged adjacent to a rear side of the first processing module; a second utility system including a second supply system for supplying processing gas into the second processing container and arranged adjacent to a rear side of the second processing module; a first vacuum exhaust device arranged behind the first processing module and evacuating the first processing container; and a second vacuum exhaust device arranged behind the second processing module and evacuating the second processing container, wherein the outer sides of the first vacuum exhaust device and the second vacuum exhaust device do not protrude outward beyond the outer sides of the first utility system and the second utility system.

[0116] (Supplementary Note 2) The substrate processing apparatus according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the first exhaust port is formed so that exhaust air is extracted in a direction perpendicular to a tube axis of the first processing vessel. [Explanation of symbols]

[0117] 1. Substrate processing equipment 2 Processing Module 4 Processing furnace 5 Transport Room 8 wafers 18 Reaction tube 24 Supply Box 30 Exhaust port 34 Exhaust pipe 36 Conductance variable valve 38 Booster Pump 40 Exhaust box 51 Maintenance Entrance 54 Utility 55 Mounting stand 56 Air intake 68 Branched exhaust pipe 69 First Gate Valve 71 Second gate valve 72 First APC valve 73 Second APC valve 74 Bellows 78 Sidewall Panel 79 frames 82 Mounting plate 85 Mounting part 87 Vibration damping plate

Claims

1. a first utility system including a first supply system for supplying a processing gas into the first processing vessel and disposed behind the first processing module; a first vacuum exhaust system disposed behind the first processing module and including a first pump for evacuating the first processing vessel and a base for the first pump; and a first exhaust system including a first exhaust pipe for fluidly connecting a first exhaust port provided on a back side of the first processing vessel and an intake port of the first pump, the base holding the first pump at a predetermined height so that the intake port of the first pump is substantially opposite one end of the first exhaust pipe.

2. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first vacuum exhaust device is arranged on the rear side of the first utility system, and the first utility system and the first vacuum exhaust device are arranged to provide a maintenance area extending from the rear to the rear of the first processing module.

3. A substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the frame accommodates at least one of a controller for the motor of the first pump, equipment for supplying ballast gas to the first pump, and equipment for supplying cooling water to the first pump.

4. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first exhaust system further comprises at least one of a pressure sensor, a first pressure adjusting unit, and a gate valve provided on a flow path of the first exhaust pipe, and a flexible unit.

5. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an outer side surface of the first vacuum exhaust unit is configured not to protrude outward beyond an outer side surface of the first utility system.

6. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first pump is mounted on the pedestal so that an outer side surface of the pedestal coincides with an outer side surface of the first pump.

7. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the base maintains the first pump in a position in which the rotation axis of the first pump extends in the vertical direction, the exhaust port is located below the intake port, and the main body of the first pump is vertically long.

8. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first vacuum exhaust device is configured so that an installation area of ​​the first vacuum exhaust device when the first pump and the stand are stacked is less than 500 mm x 500 mm.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the base has a width substantially equal to a width of the first pump.

10. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the base has a height that makes the height of the intake port of the first pump approximately equal to the height of the first exhaust port.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first vacuum exhaust device is installed on a floor on which the substrate processing apparatus is installed.

12. A substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 2 or 11, further comprising a floor box installed over the entire maintenance area of ​​the floor and accommodating at least one of an exhaust duct, a cooling water equipment, and an electrical cable, wherein the upper surface of the floor box is a plane lower than the lower end of a maintenance door provided on the back of the transport chamber of the first processing module.

13. A substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first processing module has a processing furnace including the first processing container, and a transport chamber below the processing furnace with a maintenance door on the back that opens rearward, and the first exhaust pipe is positioned at a height that avoids the maintenance door.

14. A substrate processing apparatus as described in Claim 13, wherein the first utility system comprises a supply box arranged rearward of the transport chamber and accommodating at least a portion of the first supply system, and an exhaust box arranged above the transport chamber and accommodating at least a portion of the first exhaust pipe.

15. A substrate processing apparatus as described in Claim 14, wherein the thickness of the supply box increases in a stepped manner from the front to the rear, and the maximum thickness of the supply box is smaller than or equal to the thickness of the exhaust box.

16. 10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, comprising: a second processing module having a second processing vessel for substrate processing and a substrate loading port provided on a front side thereof, the second processing module being juxtaposed to the first processing module; a second utility system including a second supply system for supplying a processing gas into the second processing vessel and being disposed behind the second processing module; a second vacuum exhaust device disposed behind the second processing module and including a second pump for evacuating the second processing vessel and a stand for the second pump; and a second exhaust system including a second exhaust pipe for fluidly communicating between a second exhaust port provided on a back side of the second processing vessel and an intake port of the second pump, wherein a maintenance area formed by being sequentially surrounded by the first vacuum exhaust device, the first utility system, the first processing module, the second processing module, the second utility system, and the second vacuum exhaust device has a width and height that allow at least one of the first processing vessel, the first substrate holder, the second processing vessel, and the second substrate holder to be removed through a maintenance port.

17. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: providing a substrate loaded into a first processing container for substrate processing in a first processing module through an inlet provided on the front side; supplying a processing gas into the first processing container from a first supply system included in a first utility system located behind the first processing module; and evacuating the first processing container with a first pump of a first vacuum exhaust device located behind the first processing module, wherein the first pump is held at a predetermined height by a stand so that an intake port of the first pump is approximately opposite one end of a first exhaust pipe.

18. A substrate processing method comprising the steps of: providing a substrate loaded into a first processing vessel for substrate processing in a first processing module through an inlet provided on a front side; supplying a processing gas into the first processing vessel from a first supply system included in a first utility system located behind the first processing module; and evacuating the first processing vessel with a first pump of a first vacuum exhaust device located behind the first processing module, wherein the first pump is held at a predetermined height by a stand so that an intake port of the first pump is approximately opposite one end of a first exhaust pipe.

19. A program that causes a computer provided in a substrate processing apparatus to execute the following steps: providing a substrate loaded into a first processing container for substrate processing in a first processing module through an inlet provided on the front side; supplying a processing gas into the first processing container from a first supply system included in a first utility system located behind the first processing module; and evacuating the first processing container with a first pump of a first vacuum exhaust device located behind the first processing module, wherein the first pump is held at a predetermined height by a stand so that an intake port of the first pump is approximately opposite one end of a first exhaust pipe.

20. a supply system for supplying a processing gas into the processing vessel; a utility system disposed behind the processing module; an exhaust pipe providing fluid communication between an exhaust port disposed on the rear side of the processing vessel and the intake port; and an exhaust system including the exhaust pipe. When the vacuum exhaust device is disposed behind the processing module and connected to the exhaust pipe, the stand holds the pump at a predetermined height so that the intake port is approximately opposite one end of the exhaust pipe.

21. A vacuum exhaust device as described in claim 20, wherein the vacuum exhaust device is positioned together with the utility system to provide a maintenance area extending from the back to the rear of the processing module, with the outer side of the vacuum exhaust device not protruding outward beyond the outer side of the utility system.

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