Cooling system, substrate processing apparatus, method of manufacturing semiconductor device, and recording medium

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of improving cooling efficiency of a substrate.SOLUTION: And a plurality of cooling nozzles arranged along an inner surface of the container and having gas supply holes configured to supply a cooling gas to the plurality of substrates supported by the support, wherein the gas supply holes of one of the cooling nozzles and the gas supply holes of another of the cooling nozzles are configured to supply the cooling gas to different substrates.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART As one step in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a process of supplying an inert gas to a plurality of substrates in a load lock chamber between an atmospheric transfer space and a substrate holding space is sometimes performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-99711 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described above, in a load lock chamber where a plurality of substrates are kept waiting, a process of cooling the substrates while they are waiting may be performed.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique that can improve the cooling efficiency of a substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a container having a support capable of supporting a plurality of substrates in multiple stages; a plurality of cooling nozzles arranged along the inner surface of the container and having gas supply holes for supplying cooling gas to the plurality of substrates supported by the support; The gas supply hole of one of the cooling nozzles and the gas supply hole of the other cooling nozzle supply cooling gas corresponding to different substrates. Technology is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the cooling efficiency of the substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a load lock chamber of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a load lock chamber of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a cooling process in a load lock chamber of a substrate processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. It should be noted that all drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional relationships, ratios, etc. of the elements shown in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones. Furthermore, the dimensional relationships, ratios, etc. of the elements between multiple drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones. Furthermore, substantially identical elements between multiple drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and each element is described in the drawing in which it first appears, and its description is omitted in subsequent drawings unless particularly necessary. Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0010] (1) Configuration of the substrate processing equipment 1 and 2, a substrate processing apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an atmospheric transfer chamber (Equipment Front End Module (EFEM)) 12, load ports 29-1 to 29-3 connected to the atmospheric transfer chamber 12 as mounting portions for mounting pods 27-1 to 27-3 that are substrate storage containers, load lock chambers 14A and 14B as pressure-controlled auxiliary chambers, a transfer chamber 16 as a vacuum transfer chamber, and processing chambers 18A and 18B that perform processing on wafers 100 that serve as substrates. A boundary wall 20 separates the processing chamber 18A from the processing chamber 18B.

[0011] In this embodiment, the load lock chambers 14A and 14B (including the components associated with the load lock chambers 14A and 14B) have the same configuration. For this reason, the load lock chambers 14A and 14B may be collectively referred to as the "load lock chamber 14."

[0012] In this embodiment, the processing chambers 18A and 18B have the same configuration (including the configurations associated with the processing chambers 18A and 18B). For this reason, the processing chambers 18A and 18B may be collectively referred to as the "processing chamber 18."

[0013] 2, a communication part 22 that connects the adjacent chambers is formed between the load lock chamber 14 and the transfer chamber 16. This communication part 22 is configured to be opened and closed by a gate valve 24.

[0014] 2, a communication part 26 that connects the adjacent chambers is formed between the transfer chamber 16 and the processing chamber 18. This communication part 26 is configured to be opened and closed by a gate valve 28.

[0015] The atmospheric transfer chamber 12 is provided with an atmospheric robot 30 as an atmospheric side transfer device that transfers wafers 100 between the load lock chamber 14 and the pods 27-1 to 27-3 placed on the load ports 29-1 to 29-3, respectively. The atmospheric robot 30 is configured to be able to transfer multiple wafers 100 simultaneously in the atmosphere.

[0016] The load lock chamber 14 is configured to allow wafers 100 to be loaded and unloaded. The load lock chamber 14 is configured to be switchable between atmospheric pressure and vacuum pressure. That is, when the wafer 100 is loaded and unloaded to and from the atmospheric transfer chamber 12, the pressure inside the load lock chamber 14 is switched to atmospheric pressure, and when the wafer 100 is loaded and unloaded to and from the transfer chamber 16, the pressure inside the load lock chamber 14 is switched to vacuum pressure. The load lock chamber 14 is configured so that unprocessed wafers 100 are loaded into the load lock chamber 14 by the atmospheric robot 30 and then unloaded by the vacuum robot 70. The load lock chamber 14 is configured so that processed wafers 100 are loaded into the load lock chamber 14 by the vacuum robot 70 and then unloaded by the atmospheric robot 30. The interior of the load lock chamber 14 will be described in detail below.

[0017] The transfer chamber 16 is provided with a vacuum robot 70 as a vacuum-side transfer device that transfers the wafer 100 between the load lock chamber 14 and the processing chamber 18. The vacuum robot 70 includes a substrate transfer unit 72 that supports and transfers the wafer 100, and a transfer drive unit 74 that raises, lowers, and rotates the substrate transfer unit 72.

[0018] The substrate transfer section 72 is provided with an arm section 76. The arm section 76 is provided with fingers 78 on which the wafer 100 is placed. The arm section 76 may be provided with a plurality of fingers at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the arm section 76 may be stacked in multiple stages. Furthermore, the fingers 78 are configured to be extendable and retractable in the approximately horizontal direction.

[0019] The wafer 100 is moved from the load lock chamber 14 to the processing chamber 18 by the vacuum robot 70 moving the wafer 100 supported on the boat 32 into the transfer chamber 16 via the communication part 22, and then moving the wafer 100 into the processing chamber 18 via the communication part 26.

[0020] In addition, the wafer 100 is moved from the processing chamber 18 to the load lock chamber 14 by the vacuum robot 70 moving the wafer 100 from the processing chamber 18 into the transfer chamber 16 via the communication part 26, and then supporting it on the boat 32 via the communication part 22.

[0021] The processing chamber 18 is provided with a first processing unit 80, a second processing unit 82 located farther from the transfer chamber 16 than the first processing unit 80, and a substrate moving unit 84 that transfers wafers 100 between the second processing unit 82 and the vacuum robot 70.

[0022] The first processing section 80 includes a mounting table 96 on which the wafer 100 is placed, and a first heater (not shown) that heats the mounting table 96.

[0023] The second processing section 82 includes a mounting table 92 on which the wafer 100 is placed, and a second heater (not shown) that heats the mounting table 92.

[0024] The first processing section 80 and the second processing section 82 are configured to process the wafer 100 in the same manner.

[0025] The substrate moving section 84 is composed of a moving member 86 that supports the wafer 100 and a moving shaft 88 that is provided near the boundary wall 20. The moving member 86 is provided so as to be able to rotate and move up and down freely about the moving shaft 88.

[0026] Furthermore, the substrate moving unit 84 rotates the moving member 86 toward the first processing unit 80, thereby transferring the wafer 100 to and from the vacuum robot 70 on the side of the first processing unit 80. In this manner, the substrate moving unit 84 moves the wafer 100 transferred by the vacuum robot 70 to the mounting table 92 of the second processing unit 82, and also moves the wafer 100 mounted on the mounting table 92 to the vacuum robot 70.

[0027] Next, the load lock chamber 14 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS.

[0028] The load lock chamber 14 is composed of a container 15. The container 15 is composed of a top plate 15A, a bottom plate 15B, and an outer peripheral wall 15C. A boat 32 is provided in the container 15 as a support device capable of supporting multiple wafers 100 in multiple stages in the vertical direction. A drive unit 150 is connected to the boat 32 via a shaft 52 serving as a support shaft for supporting the boat 32, and the boat 32 is configured to be able to move up and down and rotate within the load lock chamber 14. As shown in FIG. 3 , the drive unit 150 raises the boat 32 to a cooling position between nozzles 49A and 49B where the wafers 100 loaded on the boat 32 are cooled. The nozzles 49A and 49B are each used as cooling nozzles for cooling the wafers 100 in the load lock chamber 14.

[0029] The boat 32 is configured by connecting an upper plate 34 and a lower plate 36 with a plurality of support columns 38. A plurality of (e.g., 1 to 25) support columns 40 are formed on the support columns 38 at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, for supporting the wafers 100 in a substantially horizontal manner. The boat 32 is configured to support at least one (e.g., 1 to 25) wafers 100 in multiple stages at predetermined intervals and to support the wafers 100 in a substantially horizontal manner by the support columns 40.

[0030] In this specification, when a numerical range is expressed, such as "1 to 25 sheets," it means that the lower limit and upper limit are included in the range. Therefore, for example, "1 to 25 sheets" means "1 sheet or more and 25 sheets or less." The same applies to other numerical ranges.

[0031] Nozzles 49A and 49B are provided in the load lock chamber 14 to cool the plurality of wafers 100 in the load lock chamber 14. The nozzles 49A and 49B are each arranged vertically along the inner surface of the container 15 in the direction in which the wafers 100 in the boat 32 are arranged.

[0032] The nozzles 49A and 49B are formed with gas supply holes 50A and 50B corresponding to the plurality of wafers 100, respectively, for supplying an inert gas as a cooling gas substantially horizontally to the surfaces of the wafers 100. The gas supply holes 50A and 50B are each formed in a vertical direction toward the arrangement direction of the wafers 100. The gas supply holes 50A and 50B are provided at different positions for each nozzle 49A and 49B. Specifically, the gas supply holes 50A and 50B are provided at different vertical height positions relative to the nozzles 49A and 49B, respectively. Specifically, the gas supply holes 50A and 50B are provided so as to be alternately arranged between the wafers 100 loaded on the boat 32. In other words, the gas supply holes 50A formed in the nozzle 49A are provided so as to be arranged every two wafers 100 (with one gap between them) relative to the surfaces of the wafers 100 loaded on the boat 32. Similarly, gas supply holes 50B formed in nozzle 49B are arranged so as to be positioned for every two wafers (with one gap between them) relative to the surfaces of wafers 100 different from gas supply holes 50A loaded on boat 32. Therefore, the inert gas is supplied from different directions along both the front and back surfaces of one wafer 100.

[0033] That is, the nozzles 49A and 49B are configured to supply the inert gas to different wafers 100 supported on the boat 32. That is, the gas supply holes 50A and 50B are configured to supply the inert gas to different wafers 100. In other words, the gas supply hole 50A of the nozzle 49A and the gas supply hole 50B of the nozzle 40B are configured to supply the inert gas to different wafers 100.

[0034] Furthermore, the nozzles 49A and 49B are each disposed at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the inner surface of the container 15. That is, a gap is provided between the nozzles 49A and 49B and the inner surface of the container 15.

[0035] Here, the nozzles 49A and 49B may be pushed in the opposite direction from the gas supply holes 50A and 50B by the supply of gas. For this reason, the nozzles 49A and 49B are configured to be positioned at a distance away from the inner surface of the container 15 so that they do not come into contact with the inner surface of the container 15 by the supply of gas. This makes it possible to suppress the generation of particles due to contact of the nozzles 49A and 49B with the inner surface of the container 15, while also making it possible to exhaust the generated particles. Note that a buffer material may be provided between the nozzles 49A and 49B and the inner surface of the container 15. This suppresses contact of the nozzles 49A and 49B with the inner surface of the container 15.

[0036] In this embodiment, nozzles 49A and 49B have the same configuration except for the positions of gas supply holes 50A and 50B. For this reason, nozzles 49A and 49B may be collectively referred to as "nozzles 49." Also, in this embodiment, gas supply holes 50A and 50B may be collectively referred to as "gas supply holes 50."

[0037] As described above, the rear surface of the upper wafer 100 and the front surface of the lower wafer 100 can be efficiently cooled from one gas supply hole 50, and multiple wafers 100 supported in multiple stages can be uniformly and efficiently cooled. That is, the cooling efficiency of the wafers 100 in the container 15 can be improved.

[0038] 4, the nozzle 49A and the nozzle 49B are disposed at different positions relative to the inner circumferential surface of the container 15. Specifically, the nozzle 49A and the nozzle 49B are disposed at opposing positions around the periphery of the wafer 100 in a plan view of the wafer 100. In other words, the nozzle 49A and the nozzle 49B are disposed along the inner circumferential surface of the container 15, between the inner circumferential surface of the container 15 and the edge surface of the wafer 100, so as to face each other with the wafer 100 sandwiched therebetween.

[0039] Furthermore, the plurality of gas supply holes 50A of nozzle 49A and the plurality of gas supply holes 50B of nozzle 49B are configured to be positioned so as not to interfere with each other relative to wafer 100. That is, the plurality of gas supply holes 50A of nozzle 49A and the plurality of gas supply holes 50B of nozzle 49B are configured to be positioned so as not to face each other.

[0040] In other words, the gas supply hole 50B of nozzle 49B is not positioned on an extension line of the gas supply hole 50A of nozzle 49A. The extension line of the gas supply hole 50A of nozzle 49A and the extension line of the gas supply hole 50B of nozzle 49B are positioned approximately parallel to each other. The gas supply hole 50A of nozzle 49A and the gas supply hole 50B of nozzle 49B are positioned a predetermined distance from each other from the center of the wafer 100 in a plan view of the wafer 100, and are positioned so as to supply inert gas toward the surface of the wafer 100 from different directions in approximately parallel directions. In other words, the nozzles 49A and 49B are positioned away from the center of the wafer 100 in the horizontal direction of the wafer 100.

[0041] This makes it possible to avoid collision of the inert gas on the wafer 100 between the nozzle 49A and the nozzle 49B, and to prevent disturbance of the flow of the inert gas on the surface of the wafer 100. As a result, it is possible to shorten the cooling time, reduce the amount of inert gas supplied into the load lock chamber 14, and efficiently cool the multiple wafers 100.

[0042] A gas supply pipe 42 is connected to a top plate 15A constituting the load lock chamber 14, and communicates with nozzles 49A and 49B via gas supply pipes 41A and 41B, respectively. The gas supply pipe 42 is provided with, in order from the upstream side, an inert gas supply source 48, a mass flow controller (MFC) 47 serving as a flow rate controller (flow rate control section), and a valve 43 serving as an on-off valve. An inert gas supply system (also referred to as a cooling gas supply system or cooling gas supply section) 300 that supplies an inert gas to the wafer 100 is mainly composed of the gas supply pipe 42, the MFC 47, and the valve 43. The gas supply pipes 41A and 41B, the inert gas supply source 48, or the nozzles 49A and 49B may be included in the inert gas supply system 300. The inert gas supply system 300 is disposed above the container 15. This allows the inert gas to be efficiently supplied into the container 15. The container 15 and the inert gas supply system 300 constitute a cooling system for cooling the wafers 100 in the load lock chamber 14 .

[0043] That is, the inert gas is distributed by an inert gas supply system 300 provided at the top center of the container 15 via gas supply pipes 41A and 41B to nozzles 49A and 49B arranged along the inner periphery of the container 15, and is supplied to the plurality of wafers 100 in the container 15. This allows the inert gas to be efficiently supplied into the container 15. Furthermore, by distributing and supplying the inert gas from one gas supply pipe 42 to the plurality of nozzles 49, it is possible to simplify the piping configuration, reduce the number of parts, and improve maintainability.

[0044] In this embodiment, gas supply pipes 41A and 41B have the same structure except for their positions, and therefore may be collectively referred to as "gas supply pipe 41."

[0045] The inert gas supplied from the gas supply pipe 42 is supplied into the load lock chamber 14 via a plurality of gas supply holes 50A of the nozzle 49A and a plurality of gas supply holes 50B of the nozzle 49B.

[0046] As the inert gas, for example, nitrogen (N2) gas or a rare gas can be used.

[0047] An exhaust pipe 44 that communicates with the interior of the load lock chamber 14 is connected to the bottom plate portion 15B that constitutes the load lock chamber 14. A valve 45 and a vacuum pump 46 that serves as an exhaust device are provided downstream of the exhaust pipe 44. An exhaust system is mainly made up of the exhaust pipe 44 and the valve 45. The vacuum pump 46 may also be included in the exhaust system. The exhaust system is located at the bottom of the vessel 15. By locating the exhaust system at the bottom of the vessel 15, inert gases, particles, and the like within the vessel 15 can be efficiently exhausted.

[0048] An opening 102 is formed in the outer peripheral wall 15C that constitutes the load lock chamber 14 to allow the wafers 100 to be loaded into and unloaded from the load lock chamber 14. The opening 102 is provided on the atmospheric robot 30 side of the outer peripheral wall 15C. The atmospheric robot 30 is configured to support the wafers 100 on the boat 32 through the opening 102 and to remove the wafers 100 from the boat 32 through the opening 102.

[0049] Furthermore, a gate valve 104 for opening and closing the opening 102 is provided on the outer peripheral wall 15C.

[0050] Here, with the communicating parts 22, 102 closed by the gate valves 24, 104, the valve 43 is closed. In this state, when the valve 45 is opened and the vacuum pump 46 is operated, the inside of the load lock chamber 14 is evacuated to a vacuum, and the inside of the load lock chamber 14 can be made to have a vacuum pressure (or reduced pressure). Also, with the communicating parts 22, 102 closed by the gate valves 24, 104, the valve 45 can be closed or its opening degree can be reduced, and the valve 43 can be opened to introduce an inert gas into the inside of the load lock chamber 14, thereby making the inside of the load lock chamber 14 atmospheric pressure.

[0051] Furthermore, a window 142 is formed in the outer peripheral wall 15C at a position corresponding to the wafer 100 that was last loaded into the load lock chamber 14, that is, the wafer 100 supported at the bottom of the boat 32 when the wafers 100 loaded on the boat 32 are placed in the cooling position. The window 142 is made of a light-transmittable material. A temperature sensor 110 is provided outside the window 142.

[0052] The temperature sensor 110 is configured to measure the temperature inside the container 15 or the temperature of the wafer 100 supported at the bottom of the boat 32, that is, the temperature of the processed wafer 100 that was last loaded into the container 15. That is, the temperature sensor 110 can measure the temperature inside the container 15 or the temperature of the wafer 100 from outside the container 15. Furthermore, by measuring the temperature of the wafer 100 that was last loaded into the container 15, it can be estimated that the temperature of all the wafers 100 in the container 15 is equal to or lower than the temperature of the wafer 100 whose temperature is measured by the temperature sensor 110.

[0053] In this embodiment, the temperature sensor 110 is positioned at the position of the wafer 100 supported at the bottom of the boat 32, but the position of the temperature sensor 110 only needs to be such that it can measure the temperature of the wafer 100 that was last loaded into the container 15, and the position may be other than the bottom of the boat 32.

[0054] 2 and 3, an opening 148 is formed in the bottom plate portion 15B, which connects the inside and outside of the load lock chamber 14. A driving device 150 is provided below the load lock chamber 14 via the opening 148 to raise, lower, and rotate the boat 32.

[0055] The drive device 150 includes a shaft 52, an expandable bellows (not shown) that surrounds the shaft 52, a fixed base 56 to which the lower ends of the shaft 52 and the bellows are fixed, a lifting drive unit 58 that serves as a lifting unit that raises and lowers the boat 32 via the shaft 52, a connecting member 60 that connects the lifting drive unit 58 and the fixed base 56, and a rotation drive unit 62 that rotates the boat 32.

[0056] The lifting drive unit 58 is configured to be able to lift and lower the plurality of wafers 100, that is, to be able to lift and lower the boat 32.

[0057] The rotation drive unit 62 is configured to be able to rotate the plurality of wafers 100, that is, to rotate the boat 32. Specifically, the rotation drive unit 62 is configured to rotate the boat 32 around the shaft 52 as an axis.

[0058] (2) Controller configuration Next, the configuration of the controller 120 as a control section (control means) will be described. The controller 120 controls the above-mentioned sections so as to perform the substrate processing steps described below.

[0059] 5, the controller 120 is configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 121A, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 121B, a storage device 121C, an I / O port 121D, a temperature measurement unit 121F, and a threshold determination unit 121G. The controller 120 is configured to be able to control the processing of the wafer 100.

[0060] The RAM 121B, the storage device 121C, the I / O port 121D, the temperature measurement unit 121F, and the threshold determination unit 121G are configured to be able to exchange data with the CPU 121A via an internal bus 121E. An operation unit 122 is connected to the controller 120. A display unit 124 is connected to the operation unit 122 via the internal bus 121E, and is configured to allow the state of the wafer 100 to be confirmed. The operation unit 122 may be, for example, a touch panel. In this case, the operation unit 122 and the display unit 124 are provided in the same housing. In addition, an external communication unit 125 is connected to the controller 120 for communicating with the outside.

[0061] The storage device 121C is configured with, for example, a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. Control programs for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, process recipes describing procedures and conditions for substrate processing (described later), etc., are readably stored in the storage device 121C. The process recipe is a combination of procedures in the substrate processing process (described later) that are executed by the controller 120 to obtain a predetermined result, and functions as a program. Hereinafter, the process recipes, control programs, etc. are collectively referred to simply as programs. The process recipes are also simply referred to as recipes. In this specification, the term "program" may refer to a recipe alone, a control program alone, or both. The RAM 121B is configured as a memory area (work area) for temporarily storing programs, data, etc. read by the CPU 121A.

[0062] The I / O port 121D is connected to the atmospheric robot 30, vacuum robot 70, driving device 150, gate valves 24, 28, 104, valves 43, 45, vacuum pump 46, substrate moving part 84, temperature sensor 110, MFC 47, heater, and the like.

[0063] The CPU 121A is configured to read and execute a control program from the storage device 121C, and also to read a recipe from the storage device 121C in response to an input of an operation command from the operation unit 122. The CPU 121A is configured to be able to control the wafer 100 transport operations by the atmospheric robot 30, the vacuum robot 70, the driving unit 150, and the substrate moving unit 84, the opening and closing operations of the gate valves 24, 28, 104, and the valves 43, 45, the flow rate and pressure adjustment operations by the MFC 47 and the vacuum pump 46, the temperature adjustment operations by the heater, and the like, in accordance with the contents of the read recipe.

[0064] The controller 120 can be configured by installing the above-mentioned program stored in an external storage device (for example, a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, an optical disk such as a CD, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO, or a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory) 123 into a computer. The storage device 121C and the external storage device 123 are configured as computer-readable recording media. Hereinafter, these will be collectively referred to simply as recording media. When the term recording media is used in this specification, it may include only the storage device 121C alone, only the external storage device 123 alone, or both. Note that the program may be provided to the computer using a communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line, without using the external storage device 123.

[0065] The temperature measurement unit 121F of the controller 120 measures the temperature inside the container 15 or the temperature of the wafer 100 supported at the bottom of the boat 32, that is, the temperature of the wafer 100 that was last loaded into the container 15, using the temperature sensor 110.

[0066] The controller 120 can also control the lifting, lowering, and rotating operations of the boat 32 using the driving device 150. The controller 120 is configured to be able to control the boat 32 to lift or lower after loading wafers 100 into the container 15 and wait for the next wafer 100 to be loaded.

[0067] The controller 120 is configured to start supplying the inert gas before or at the start of loading the wafers 100 into the container 15. The controller 120 is configured to continue supplying the inert gas while the wafers 100 are being loaded into the container 15.

[0068] Furthermore, the threshold determination unit 121G of the controller 120 determines whether the temperature inside the container 15 or the temperature of the wafer 100 supported at the bottom of the boat 32, which is the temperature of the wafer 100 last loaded into the container 15, is equal to or lower than a threshold, based on the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 121F. The controller 120 is configured to close the valve 43 to stop the supply of the inert gas into the container 15 when the threshold determination unit 121G determines that the temperature inside the container 15 or the temperature of the wafer 100 supported at the bottom of the boat 32, which is the temperature of the wafer 100 last loaded into the container 15, is equal to or lower than the threshold.

[0069] That is, the controller 120 is configured to control the flow rate of the inert gas supplied into the container 15 by controlling the MFC 47, the valve 43, etc., based on the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 121F. Furthermore, when the controller 120 determines that the temperature inside the container 15 or the temperature of the wafer 100 supported at the bottom of the boat 32, measured by the temperature measurement unit 121F, is equal to or lower than a preset threshold, the controller 120 closes the valve 43 to stop the supply of the inert gas into the container 15. In this manner, by adjusting the flow rate of the inert gas, the influence on the wafer 100 can be adjusted. As a result, the cooling time of the wafer 100 can be shortened, the amount of inert gas supplied into the load lock chamber 14 can be reduced, and multiple wafers 100 can be efficiently cooled. In other words, by controlling the temperature of the wafer 100 last loaded into the container 15 to be below the threshold, the temperature of each wafer 100 can be lowered to below the threshold before the wafer 100 is transported from the load lock chamber 14 to the pods 27-1 to 27-3, thereby suppressing the thermal impact on the atmospheric robot 30 or the pods 27-1 to 27-3.

[0070] (3) Substrate processing process Next, as one step in the semiconductor manufacturing process, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the substrate processing apparatus 10 having the above-described configuration, i.e., a processing procedure for wafers 100, will be described with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 6. In the following description, the operation of each part constituting the substrate processing apparatus 10 is controlled by a controller 120.

[0071] First, the atmospheric robot 30 carries the wafers 100 stored in the pods 27-1 to 27-3 into the atmospheric transfer chamber 12. At this time, the gate valve 104 is in a closed state.

[0072] Next, the pressure inside the load lock chamber 14 is returned to atmospheric pressure, and then the gate valve 104 is opened. Specifically, the valve 43 of the gas supply pipe 42 is opened, and an inert gas is supplied into the load lock chamber 14. In this way, the pressure inside the load lock chamber 14 is returned to atmospheric pressure, and then the gate valve 104 is opened. At this time, the gate valve 24 is in a closed state.

[0073] Next, the wafers 100 are transferred into the load lock chamber 14. Specifically, the wafers 100 transferred into the atmospheric transfer chamber 12 are transferred into the load lock chamber 14 by the atmospheric robot 30, and the wafers 100 are loaded onto the boat 32 in the load lock chamber 14.

[0074] Next, after closing the gate valve 104, the load lock chamber 14 is evacuated to a vacuum pressure. Specifically, after the boat 32 supports a predetermined number of wafers 100, the valve 45 of the exhaust pipe 44 is opened and the load lock chamber 14 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 46. In this way, the load lock chamber 14 is evacuated to a vacuum pressure. At this time, the transfer chamber 16 and the processing chamber 18 are evacuated to a vacuum pressure.

[0075] Next, the wafers 100 are transferred from the load lock chamber 14 to the processing chamber 18. Specifically, first, the gate valve 24 is opened. At this time, the lifting drive unit 58 lifts and lowers the boat 32 so that the wafers 100 supported by the boat 32 can be removed by the vacuum robot 70. The rotation drive unit 62 rotates the boat 32 so that the substrate removal port of the boat 32 faces the transfer chamber 16.

[0076] The vacuum robot 70 extends the fingers 78 of the arm 76 toward the boat 32 and places the wafer 100 on these fingers 78. The arm 76 retracts the fingers 78 and then rotates them to face the processing chamber 18. Next, the fingers 78 are extended, and the wafer 100 is loaded into the processing chamber 18 through the communication part 26 with the gate valve 28 opened.

[0077] In the processing chamber 18, the wafer 100 placed on the finger 78 is placed on the mounting table 96 of the processing section 80, or is delivered to a moving member 86 waiting on the side of the processing section 80. After receiving the wafer 100, the moving member 86 rotates toward the processing section 82 and places the wafer 100 on the mounting table 92.

[0078] Then, in the processing chamber 18, predetermined processing such as ashing is performed on the wafer 100. During these predetermined processing, the wafer 100 is heated by a heater or by reaction heat generated by the processing, and the temperature of the wafer 100 rises.

[0079] Next, the processed wafer 100 is transferred (also referred to as "loaded") from the processing chamber 18 to the load lock chamber 14. The transfer of the wafer 100 from the processing chamber 18 to the load lock chamber 14 is performed in the reverse order of the operation of loading the wafer 100 into the processing chamber 18.

[0080] First, in step S101, the controller 120 causes the boat 32 in the load lock chamber 14 to wait at an initial loading position for the wafers 100. The initial loading position for the wafers 100 is a position where the wafers 100 are loaded (also referred to as transferred) onto the support part 40 at the top of the boat 32, for example.

[0081] Next, in step S102, the controller 120 starts supplying inert gas as a cooling gas. That is, the controller 120 starts supplying inert gas before or at the start of loading the first wafer 100 into the load lock chamber 14. The controller 120 then continues supplying inert gas while the wafers 100 are being loaded. At this time, a vacuum pressure state is maintained inside the load lock chamber 14. In this way, by supplying inert gas as a cooling gas before or at the start of loading the processed wafers 100, it is possible to suppress a temperature rise inside the container 15 and improve the cooling efficiency of the wafers 100.

[0082] Next, in step S103, the controller 120 transfers the processed wafer 100 from the processing chamber 18 into the boat 32 in the load lock chamber 14.

[0083] Next, in step S104, the controller 120 raises or lowers the boat 32. That is, after loading the wafers 100 into the load lock chamber 14, the controller 120 raises or lowers the boat 32 and waits for the loading of the next wafer 100. This can improve the efficiency of loading the wafers 100.

[0084] Next, in step S105, the controller 120 determines whether or not the wafer 100 being loaded into the boat 32 is the last. If the controller 120 determines that the wafer 100 being loaded into the boat 32 is the last, the process proceeds to the next step S106, and if the controller 120 determines that the wafer 100 is not the last, the process returns to step S103.

[0085] Next, in step S106, the controller 120 determines that the wafers 100 to be loaded into the boat 32 are the last, and upon completion of loading of the processed wafers 100 into the boat 32, closes the gate valve 24, raises the boat 32 to the cooling position, and atmospheric pressure is established within the load lock chamber 14. In this embodiment, for example, cooling by the cooling system is promoted by supplying an inert gas while the boat 32 is raised to the highest position within the load lock chamber 14. In other words, the boat 32 and the processed wafers 100 supported by the boat 32 are cooled by the inert gas supplied into the load lock chamber 14. At this time, the temperature measurement unit 121F of the controller 120 measures the temperature of the wafer 100 last loaded into the boat 32 using the temperature sensor 110.

[0086] Next, in step S107, the threshold determination unit 121G of the controller 120 determines whether the temperature inside the container 15 or the temperature of the wafers 100 supported at the bottom of the boat 32, which are the wafers 100 last loaded into the container 15, is equal to or lower than a threshold, based on the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 121F. If the controller 120 determines that the temperature inside the container 15 or the temperature of the wafers 100 supported at the bottom of the boat 32, which are the wafers 100 last loaded into the container 15, is equal to or lower than the threshold, the process proceeds to the next step S108, and if the controller 120 determines that the temperature is higher than the threshold, the process returns to step S106.

[0087] Next, in step S108, if the threshold determination unit 121G determines that the temperature inside the container 15 or the temperature of the wafer 100 supported at the bottom of the boat 32, which is the temperature of the wafer 100 last loaded into the container 15, is below the threshold, the controller 120 closes the valve 43 to stop the supply of inert gas into the container 15.

[0088] Next, the cooled wafer 100 is transferred from the load lock chamber 14 to the atmosphere side. Specifically, the atmospheric robot 30 is used to transfer the wafer 100 from the load lock chamber 14 with the gate valve 104 open to the atmospheric transfer chamber 12. In this manner, the transfer operation of the wafer 100 is completed. Furthermore, the transfer of the cooled wafer 100 to the atmospheric transfer chamber 12 completes the manufacturing of the wafer 100, which is a semiconductor device.

[0089] [Other aspects] Although one embodiment of the present disclosure has been specifically described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0090] In the above embodiment, the case where the processed wafers 100 are cooled in the load lock chamber 14 as a container has been described, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. For example, the present disclosure can also be suitably applied to a case where the processed wafers 100 are cooled in the processing chamber 18 as a container. In this embodiment, the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0091] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a cooling system is provided separately from the boat 32 that holds the wafers 100. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. For example, the boat 32 may be used as a cooling system. In this case, a supply channel for supplying an inert gas is provided to the multiple support columns 38 of the boat 32, and gas supply holes 50 that communicate with the supply channel and supply the inert gas to each of the wafers 100 are provided in the support columns 40 that support the wafers 100. That is, in this embodiment, the gas supply holes 50 are provided at different positions for each support column 38. This embodiment also achieves the same effects as the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the wafers 100 held in the boat 32 can be cooled regardless of the stopping position of the boat 32.

[0092] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, two nozzles 49 are arranged along the inner circumferential surface of the container 15. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. Three or more nozzles 49 may be arranged along the inner circumferential surface of the container 15. In this case, the nozzles 49 are arranged in positions that do not interfere with each other. For example, when three nozzles 49 are arranged in the container 15, the gas supply holes 50 formed in each nozzle 49 are formed so that every three wafers 100 loaded on the boat 32 are sandwiched between them (with two wafers spaced apart, and two wafers spaced apart). In other words, the gas supply holes 50 of the nozzles 49 are spaced apart according to the number of nozzles 49. This embodiment also achieves the same effects as the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the wafers 100 can be efficiently cooled by supplying inert gas from multiple directions. Furthermore, by arranging the multiple nozzles 49 in positions that do not interfere with each other, collision of the inert gas on the wafers 100 can be avoided.

[0093] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a case has been described in which a plurality of gas supply holes 50 are provided in the vertical direction in each of the two nozzles 49, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. The present disclosure can also be suitably applied to a case in which one gas supply hole 50 is provided in each of the plurality of nozzles 49. In this embodiment, the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0094] That is, the configurations such as the number and arrangement of nozzles described in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be changed depending on the situation without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0095] Furthermore, the processing flow described in the above embodiment is also an example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the processing order may be changed within the scope of the main idea.

[0096] Furthermore, it is preferable that recipes used for each process are individually prepared according to the process content and stored in the storage device 121C via an electric communication line or the external storage device 123. Then, when starting each process, it is preferable that the CPU 121A appropriately selects an appropriate recipe according to the process content from among the multiple recipes stored in the storage device 121C. This makes it possible to reproducibly form films of various film types, composition ratios, film qualities, and film thicknesses using a single substrate processing apparatus. It also reduces the burden on the operator, prevents operational errors, and enables each process to be started quickly.

[0097] The above-mentioned recipes do not necessarily have to be newly created, but may be prepared by modifying an existing recipe already installed in the substrate processing apparatus. When modifying a recipe, the modified recipe may be installed in the substrate processing apparatus via an electric communication line or a recording medium on which the modified recipe is recorded. Alternatively, an existing recipe already installed in the substrate processing apparatus may be directly modified by operating the operation unit 122 provided in the existing substrate processing apparatus.

[0098] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a single-wafer substrate processing apparatus that processes one or several wafers 100 at a time has been described. The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be suitably applied to, for example, a batch-type substrate processing apparatus that processes several wafers 100 at a time. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus having a cold-wall type processing furnace has been described. The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be suitably applied to, for example, a substrate processing apparatus having a hot-wall type processing furnace.

[0099] When using these substrate processing apparatuses, each process can be performed under the same process procedures and conditions as in the above-described embodiment, and the same effects as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0100] The above-described embodiments can be used in combination as appropriate. The processing procedures and conditions in this case can be the same as those of the above-described embodiments, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 15 Container 32 Boat (support) 49A, 49B Nozzle (Cooling Nozzle) 50A, 50B gas supply holes 100 wafers (substrates)

Claims

1. a container having a support capable of supporting a plurality of substrates in multiple stages; a plurality of cooling nozzles arranged along the inner surface of the container and having gas supply holes for supplying cooling gas to the plurality of substrates supported by the support; The gas supply hole of one of the cooling nozzles and the gas supply hole of the other cooling nozzle supply cooling gas corresponding to different substrates. Cooling system.

2. The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of cooling nozzles is positioned at a distance from the interior surface of the vessel.

3. The cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cooling nozzles are arranged at opposing positions on the inner circumferential surface of the container.

4. The cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the gas supply holes are provided for each of the cooling nozzles.

5. The cooling system according to claim 4 , wherein the gas supply holes are provided at different positions for each of the cooling nozzles.

6. The cooling system according to claim 4 , wherein the gas supply holes are spaced at different intervals according to the number of the cooling nozzles.

7. The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising a cooling gas supply unit that supplies the cooling gas, the cooling gas supply unit being disposed in an upper portion of the container.

8. The cooling system according to claim 7 , wherein the cooling gas is supplied from the cooling gas supply unit and distributed to the plurality of cooling nozzles.

9. The cooling system of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature within the vessel.

10. The cooling system of claim 9 , wherein the temperature sensor measures the temperature of the processed substrate loaded into the vessel.

11. a control unit capable of controlling processing of the substrate; The cooling system according to claim 9 , wherein the control unit is capable of controlling a flow rate of the cooling gas based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

12. 12. The cooling system according to claim 11, wherein the control unit is capable of controlling the supply of the cooling gas to stop when the temperature of the substrate measured by the temperature sensor becomes a temperature equal to or lower than a preset threshold value.

13. The cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the gas supply holes of one of the cooling nozzles and the gas supply holes of another of the cooling nozzles are not arranged in positions facing each other.

14. The cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cooling nozzles are arranged at positions spaced apart from a center position of the substrate in a horizontal direction of the substrate.

15. a control unit capable of controlling processing of the substrate; The cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is capable of controlling the supply of the cooling gas to start from the time when the substrate starts to be carried into the container.

16. a control unit capable of controlling processing of the substrate; The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is capable of controlling the raising and lowering operation of the support tool, and is capable of controlling the support tool to raise or lower after loading the substrate into the container and wait for the next substrate to be loaded.

17. The cooling system according to claim 16 , wherein the control unit is capable of controlling the supply of the cooling gas to continue while the substrate is being carried in.

18. The cooling system of claim 1; a control unit configured to be able to control the substrate to be cooled after being heated by processing the substrate; A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

19. processing a substrate; carrying the substrates into a container having a support capable of supporting a plurality of the substrates in multiple stages; and cooling the substrates by supplying a cooling gas through a plurality of cooling nozzles arranged along the inner surface of the container and having gas supply holes for supplying a cooling gas corresponding to the plurality of substrates supported by the support, In the step of cooling the substrate, the gas supply hole of one of the cooling nozzles and the gas supply hole of the other of the cooling nozzles supply cooling gas corresponding to different substrates. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device.

20. a procedure for processing the substrate; a step of carrying the substrates into a container having a support capable of supporting a plurality of the substrates in multiple stages; and cooling the substrates by supplying a cooling gas through a plurality of cooling nozzles arranged along the inner surface of the container and having gas supply holes for supplying a cooling gas corresponding to the plurality of substrates supported by the support, In the step of cooling the substrate, the gas supply hole of one of the cooling nozzles and the gas supply hole of another of the cooling nozzles supply cooling gas corresponding to different substrates. A program that causes a computer to execute the above in a substrate processing apparatus.

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