Gas supply mechanism, semiconductor manufacturing system, and remaining amount monitoring method

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of accurately recognizing a residual amount of a raw material.SOLUTION: The gas supply mechanism supplies a source gas obtained by vaporizing a source. The gas supply mechanism includes an inner container that accommodates the raw material, an outer container that has a space accommodating the inner container in a relatively displaceable manner and allows the raw material gas generated from the raw material in the inner container to flow out to the outside, and a detector that detects an index related to a weight of the inner container. When the detector detects the index related to the weight of the inner container, the space of the outer container is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere lower than atmospheric pressure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a gas supply mechanism, a semiconductor manufacturing system, and a remaining amount monitoring method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a semiconductor manufacturing system (semiconductor manufacturing equipment) that supplies a gas obtained by vaporizing a raw material (liquid material) to a processing section. This semiconductor manufacturing system detects the liquid level of the raw material using acoustic waves, thereby recognizing when to replace a tank containing the raw material or when to refill the tank with raw material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4626956 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technology that can accurately recognize the remaining amount of raw material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a gas supply mechanism for supplying a raw material gas vaporized from a raw material, the gas supply mechanism including an inner container for accommodating the raw material, an outer container having a space for accommodating the inner container so that the inner container can be displaced relative to the raw material and for discharging the raw material gas generated from the raw material in the inner container to the outside, and a detector for detecting an indicator related to the weight of the inner container, wherein when the detector detects the indicator related to the weight of the inner container, the space in the outer container is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere lower than atmospheric pressure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to one aspect, the remaining amount of raw material can be recognized with high accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a semiconductor manufacturing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a raw material supply source according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] 3A and 3B are flowcharts showing an example of a substrate processing method and a remaining amount monitoring method for a semiconductor manufacturing system, respectively. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a raw material supply source according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations may be omitted.

[0009] Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a semiconductor manufacturing system 100 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the semiconductor manufacturing system 100 includes a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 that processes a substrate W, which is a semiconductor device, a gas supply mechanism 2 that supplies gases used during processing to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, and a control unit 9 that controls each component.

[0010] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is a substrate processing apparatus that performs substrate processing such as film formation, etching, cleaning, modification, and ashing on a substrate W. The following describes the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 that performs film formation as a representative example. In this case, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a processing chamber 10, a substrate support unit 11, a shower head 12, a gas exhaust unit 13, and the like.

[0011] The processing vessel 10 is made of an aluminum alloy or the like, and is formed into a cylindrical shape having a processing space 10s therein. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 loads and unloads the substrate W into and out of the processing space 10s by opening a gate valve (not shown) provided on a sidewall of the processing vessel 10.

[0012] The substrate support 11 is installed at the bottom of the processing vessel 10, and has the substrate W placed on its upper surface. The substrate support 11 includes a chuck device that fixes the substrate W, a temperature adjustment module that adjusts the temperature of the substrate W, and the like (both not shown).

[0013] The shower head 12 discharges a process gas, a purge gas, and the like into the processing space 10s. A gas diffusion chamber for diffusing the gas is provided inside the shower head 12. A plurality of gas holes are provided on the lower surface of the shower head 12 (the surface facing the substrate support 11) to connect the gas diffusion chamber with the processing space 10s. In addition, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 connects a gas supply path 21 of the gas supply mechanism 2 to the shower head 12, and supplies process gases (source gas, carrier gas, and the like) to the gas diffusion chamber via the gas supply path 21, and discharges the process gas from each gas hole.

[0014] The substrate support 11 and / or the shower head 12 may be configured to perform plasma processing in which plasma is generated in the processing space 10s by receiving power for plasma generation from a power supply (not shown). For example, the substrate support 11 may function as a lower electrode during plasma processing, and the shower head 12 may function as an upper electrode during plasma processing.

[0015] The gas exhaust unit 13 has an exhaust path 131 that exhausts gas from inside the processing vessel 10. The exhaust path 131 is connected to the processing space 10s via an exhaust port of the processing vessel 10. The gas exhaust unit 13 also includes a pressure adjustment valve 132, a vacuum pump 133, and the like, at appropriate positions on the exhaust path 131. The pressure adjustment valve 132 and the vacuum pump 133 are connected to the control unit 9, and their operations are controlled by the control unit 9.

[0016] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 described above is mounted on an apparatus frame (not shown) and installed at an appropriate position in a clean room or the like. The gas supply mechanism 2 is mounted on the same apparatus frame as the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, for example, and is disposed above the processing vessel 10. The gas supply mechanism 2 supplies processing gas to the shower head 12 from above the processing vessel 10 via a gas supply path 21.

[0017] The gas supply mechanism 2 has one or more (one in FIG. 1 ) raw material supply sources 30. A gas supply path 21 of the gas supply mechanism 2 connects the raw material supply source 30 and the shower head 12 of the processing vessel 10. The gas supply mechanism 2 further includes a valve 22 that opens and closes the flow path of the gas supply path 21, a flow rate regulator 23 that regulates the flow rate of the gas flowing through the gas supply path 21, and the like. The valve 22 and the flow rate regulator 23 are connected to the control unit 9, and their operations are controlled by the control unit 9.

[0018] The raw material supply source 30 is a gas source that supplies a main raw material gas contained in the process gas to the gas supply path 21. The raw material supply source 30 according to the embodiment stores a solid raw material therein as a raw material, and is capable of discharging a raw material gas vaporized (sublimated) from the solid raw material. The specific configuration of the raw material supply source 30 will be described in detail later.

[0019] The solid source material in the source material supply source 30 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include chloride compounds such as aluminum chloride (AlCl) and copper chloride (AlCu). Alternatively, the source material may be metal organics such as Si, Hf, Ta, Zr, Al, Ti, Zn, In, Ga, and P, or other solid source materials. Note that the source material contained in the source material supply source 30 is not limited to solid source materials and may also be liquid source materials. In other words, the term "vaporization" in this specification encompasses the concepts of a solid source material sublimating into a gas and a liquid source material evaporating into a gas.

[0020] The gas supply mechanism 2 also includes a carrier gas supply unit that supplies a carrier gas to the upstream side (primary side) of the raw material supply source 30. The carrier gas is mixed with the raw material gas in the raw material supply source 30 and serves to transport the raw material gas to the processing chamber 10 via the gas supply path 21. The carrier gas supply unit includes a carrier gas supply path 24, a valve 25 and a regulator 26 provided at a midpoint of the carrier gas supply path 24, and a carrier gas storage tank 27 provided at the upstream end of the carrier gas supply path 24.

[0021] The carrier gas supplied by the carrier gas supply unit is selected appropriately depending on the raw material gas from the raw material supply source 30. For example, the carrier gas may be an inert gas such as argon (Ar), helium (He), or nitrogen (N2). The reservoir tank 27 stores compressed carrier gas. The valve 25 is connected to the control unit 9 and opens and closes the flow path of the carrier gas supply path 24 under the control of the control unit 9. The regulator 26 reduces the pressure of the carrier gas supplied from the reservoir tank 27 to a set pressure.

[0022] The gas supply mechanism 2 described above, under the control of the control unit 9, supplies the raw material gas vaporized from the raw material to the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1 as a process gas mixed with a carrier gas, and performs substrate processing based on the raw material gas. The control unit 9 is implemented by a computer having a processor, memory, an input / output interface, and the like. The control unit 9 accurately recognizes the remaining amount of raw material in the raw material supply source 30, thereby prompting the replenishment of raw material or replacement of the raw material supply source 30 at an appropriate time. Alternatively, the control unit 9 may adjust the supply amount (concentration) of the raw material gas, adjust the processing period, and the like based on the remaining amount of raw material. For this reason, the raw material supply source 30 has a structure that improves the accuracy of detecting the remaining amount of raw material.

[0023] Next, the configuration of the raw material supply source 30 according to this embodiment will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the raw material supply source 30.

[0024] The raw material supply source 30 includes an outer container 31 and an inner container 32 that is displaceably housed inside the outer container 31. That is, the inner container 32 is a member that is displaceable relative to the outer container 31 inside the outer container 31.

[0025] The outer container 31 is formed as a cylindrical (or rectangular tubular) box having a bottom wall 311, side walls 312, and a ceiling wall 313. A space 31s capable of accommodating the inner container 32 is provided inside the outer container 31. The gas supply path 21 and the carrier gas supply path 24 are connected to the outer container 31. The space 31s of the outer container 31 is connected to the processing container 10 and the gas exhaust unit 13 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 via the gas supply path 21. Therefore, the outer container 31 can be depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere by the gas exhaust unit 13 via the processing container 10. Note that in FIG. 2 , the gas supply path 21 and the carrier gas supply path 24 are connected to the outer container 31 at the ceiling wall 313, but the connection positions may be designed depending on the specific gravities of the source gas and carrier gas, and may be the bottom wall 311 or the side wall 312.

[0026] The outer container 31 also has a pillar 33 at the center of the bottom wall 311. The pillar 33 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape, and extends vertically upward from the bottom wall 311 along the axis of the space 31s. The pillar 33 has a guide function that can guide relative displacement of the inner container 32 in the vertical direction. The outer peripheral surface of the pillar 33 is preferably formed into a smooth peripheral surface, etc. The raw material supply source 30 also has a detector 34 inside the pillar 33 that detects the height position of the inner container 32.

[0027] The detector 34 may be, for example, an optical sensor capable of optically detecting the height position of the inner container 32. As one example, the detector 34 may be a sensor that detects the distance from the installation position of the column 33 to the ceiling wall 323 of the inner container 32 vertically above, and obtains the height position of the inner container 32 based on the detected distance. The obtained height position of the inner container 32 serves as an index related to the weight of the entire inner container 32. The detector 34 is communicably connected to the control unit 9, and transmits the detection result of the height position of the inner container 32 to the control unit 9. Note that the type of detector 34 is not limited to an optical sensor, and a capacitance type, ultrasonic type, or other sensor may also be used. The detector 34 may also be an encoder that detects a linear scale installed along the axial direction of the inner container 32. The detector 34 may also be a magnetic sensor that reads a magnet embedded in the inner container 32.

[0028] The inner container 32 is a container that directly accommodates the raw material (solid raw material SM) within the space 31s of the outer container 31. The inner container 32 has a bottom wall 321, a side wall 322, and a ceiling wall 323, and is formed in a cylindrical (or rectangular) shape that is smaller than the outer container 31. A storage space 32s for the solid raw material SM is provided inside the inner container 32. Although the solid raw material SM accommodated in the inner container 32 is exemplified as a spherical solid in FIG. 2, it is not limited thereto, and may be in the form of pellets, powder, or the like.

[0029] A mesh member 323m that allows the source gas vaporized from the solid source material SM to flow out is provided on the ceiling wall 323 of the inner vessel 32. This allows the source gas to flow upward from the inner vessel 32. Note that the ceiling wall 323 is not limited to the mesh member 323m, and may simply have an open structure.

[0030] 2, a filling pipe 40 for filling the solid raw material SM into the inner container 32 may be attached to the ceiling wall 323 of the inner container 32. The filling pipe 40 penetrates the outer container 31 and is connected to an externally provided supply hopper (not shown) for the solid raw material SM. The filling pipe 40 extending from the outer container 31 to the inside is configured not to directly contact the inner container 32. This allows the inner container 32 to be displaced smoothly. Alternatively, the filling pipe 40 may be formed of a bellows, and the solid raw material SM may be filled into the storage space 32s while allowing the inner container 32 to be displaced.

[0031] The bottom wall 321 of the inner container 32 is formed in a tapered shape (funnel shape) that protrudes vertically downward toward the axis. This allows the solid source material SM accommodated in the accommodation space 32s to be guided so as to gather near the axis of the inner container 32.

[0032] The inner container 32 also has a hole 32h at its axis, into which the column portion 33 is inserted and placed. The hole 32h is formed in a circular cross section with a diameter slightly larger than that of the column portion 33, and extends from the opening in the bottom wall 321 to the ceiling wall 323. The column portion 33 of the outer container 31 is accommodated in the hole 32h, thereby restricting horizontal movement of the inner container 32. The inner wall of the inner container 32 that forms the hole 32h is formed into a smooth peripheral surface that can slide along the outer peripheral surface of the column portion 33.

[0033] Furthermore, the inner container 32 is provided with a labyrinth structure 324 above the accommodation space 32s. Even if the solid raw material SM is heated or supplied and the solid raw material SM rises to the surface, the labyrinth structure 324 prevents the solid raw material from escaping the inner container 32 and entering the gas supply path 21. When the filling pipe 40 is installed, for example, the labyrinth structure 324 may be configured with stacked inclined plates to move the solid raw material SM filled from the filling pipe 40 downward.

[0034] The raw material supply source 30 includes a heater 35 for heating the solid raw material SM in the outer container 31. For example, the heater 35 is embedded in the bottom wall 311 of the outer container 31. The heater 35 may be formed of a heating wire, a sheet, or the like. The installation position of the heater 35 is not particularly limited, and the heater 35 may be provided outside the outer container 31 or within the space 31s of the outer container 31. The heater 35 may be provided not only in the bottom wall 311 but also in the side wall 312.

[0035] The raw material supply source 30 includes a heat exchange structure 36 between the bottom wall 311 of the outer container 31 and the bottom wall 321 of the inner container 32. For example, the heat exchange structure 36 is formed by a plurality of fins 361 protruding vertically upward from the bottom wall 311 of the outer container 31 and a plurality of fins 362 protruding vertically downward from the bottom wall 321 of the inner container 32. The fins 361 and the fins 362 are alternately arranged in the lateral direction (horizontal direction), and heat exchange can be performed between adjacent fins 361, 362 without contact. This allows the heat exchange structure 36 to easily transfer heat generated by the heater 35 to the solid raw material SM in the inner container 32.

[0036] The distance between the fins 361, 362 is greater than the distance between the outer circumferential surface of the column portion 33 and the inner circumferential surface of the hole 32h of the inner container 32. This prevents the fins 361, 362 from interfering with each other when the inner container 32 is displaced. The heat exchange structure 36 is not limited to the above-described configuration and may have various other configurations. For example, the heat exchange structure 36 may have a configuration in which the bottom wall 321 of the inner container 32 is thick and has a plurality of holes, while the bottom wall 311 of the outer container 31 has a plurality of rods that are inserted into the holes.

[0037] The raw material supply source 30 is configured to support the inner container 32 within the outer container 31 by an elastic member 37. Specifically, the elastic member 37 includes a lower spring member 371 arranged between the bottom wall 311 of the outer container 31 and the bottom wall 311 of the inner container 32, and an upper spring member 372 arranged between the ceiling wall 313 of the outer container 31 and the ceiling wall 323 of the inner container 32. Note that the elastic member 37 supporting the inner container 32 does not need to include both the lower spring member 371 and the upper spring member 372, but may include at least one of the lower spring member 371 and the upper spring member 372. Furthermore, the elastic member 37 is not limited to a spring, and other members such as rubber may be used.

[0038] The lower spring members 371 are provided, for example, near the column portions 33 and the holes 32h so as to be concentric with the axis. The lower spring members 371 elastically support the bottom wall 311 of the inner container 32 near the axis, while a plurality of upper spring members 372 are provided in the circumferential direction near the outer periphery of the inner container 32 and elastically suspend the inner container 32.

[0039] In this way, the inner container 32 is floated in the space 31s by the elastic member 37, and its height position in the space 31s changes depending on the remaining amount of solid raw material SM and the spring constant of the elastic member 37. For example, when the inner container 32 is filled with a large amount of solid raw material SM, the inner container 32 becomes heavy and is located at the bottom of the space 31s. On the other hand, when the inner container 32 is filled with a small amount of solid raw material SM, the inner container 32 becomes lighter and is displaced toward the top of the space 31s. In other words, the weight of the inner container 32 decreases by the amount of solid raw material SM consumed, and the inner container 32 is pushed upward by the elastic member 37. In this way, by moving the ceiling wall 323 of the inner container 32 closer to the ceiling wall 313 of the outer container 31 as the solid raw material SM is consumed, it is possible to more efficiently deliver the vaporized source gas.

[0040] The control unit 9 can recognize the remaining amount of the solid raw material SM in the inner container 32 by using the detection result of the height position of the inner container 32. In other words, the control unit 9 functions as a calculation unit that calculates the remaining amount of the solid raw material SM based on an index related to the weight of the inner container 32.

[0041] Furthermore, the raw material supply source 30 may be provided with a magnetic field generator 39 on the outer peripheral surface of the outer container 31, and the inner container 32 may be made of a magnetic material. The magnetic field generator 39 is connected to the control unit 9, and generates a magnetic field under the control of the control unit 9, causing the magnetic field to act on the inner container 32, which is made of a magnetic material. As a result, for example, when the inner container 32 is displaced in the vertical direction, the magnetic field of the magnetic field generator 39 can act as a damper to suppress vibration of the inner container 32.

[0042] Note that the vibrations caused by the displacement of the inner container 32 are also detected as a detection result with repeated amplitude for the height position detected by the detector 34. For this reason, it is preferable that the control unit 9, after receiving the detection result of the detector 34, calculates one height position by performing a Fourier transform on the height position that oscillates on the time axis. This allows the control unit 9 to obtain an appropriate height position even if the inner container 32 vibrates.

[0043] The semiconductor manufacturing system 100 and the gas supply mechanism 2 according to the embodiment are basically configured as described above, and their operation will be described below.

[0044] Fig. 3(A) is a flowchart showing an example of a substrate processing method in the semiconductor manufacturing system 100. Fig. 3(B) is a flowchart showing an example of a remaining amount monitoring method. The control unit 9 of the semiconductor manufacturing system 100 performs substrate processing on the substrate W in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1. At this time, the control unit 9 controls steps S101 to S106 of the substrate processing method shown in Fig. 3(A). Note that, although the substrate processing method in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 that performs the above-mentioned film formation processing will be described below, it goes without saying that a substantially similar processing flow can be used for other substrate processing such as etching.

[0045] Specifically, with the substrate W placed on the substrate support 11, the control unit 9 controls the gas exhaust unit 13 to depressurize the processing space 10s of the processing vessel 10 to a target pressure (vacuum atmosphere) (step S101). By evacuating the processing space 10s of the processing vessel 10, the gas exhaust unit 13 also applies suction force to the outer vessel 31 via the gas supply path 21 whose valve 22 is open. That is, the gas exhaust unit 13 can also suck gas into the space 31s of the outer vessel 31. As a result, the space 31s of the outer vessel 31 is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere lower than atmospheric pressure.

[0046] Furthermore, the control unit 9 controls the temperature adjustment module installed in the substrate support unit 11 to adjust the temperature of the substrate W to the target temperature (step S102).

[0047] After the pressure in the processing vessel 10 reaches the target pressure and the temperature of the substrate W reaches the target temperature, the control unit 9 controls the gas supply mechanism 2 to supply processing gas into the processing vessel 10, thereby starting substrate processing. Specifically, the gas supply mechanism 2 heats the heater 35 of the outer vessel 31 and transfers heat to the solid source material SM in the inner vessel 32 via the heat exchange structure 36, thereby vaporizing the solid source material SM and generating source gas (step S103). Note that the timing of heating the solid source material SM is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, simultaneously with step S101 or step S102 or before these steps.

[0048] After the source gas is allowed to flow into the outer vessel 31, the gas supply mechanism 2 opens the valve 25 to circulate the carrier gas in the storage tank 27, thereby supplying the source gas and carrier gas to the processing vessel 10 (step S104). Specifically, the carrier gas flows into the space 31s of the outer vessel 31 via the carrier gas supply path 24 and mixes with the source gas in the space 31s. The mixed source gas and carrier gas then flows into the gas supply path 21, is supplied to the shower head 12 via the gas supply path 21, diffuses within the shower head 12, and is discharged into the processing space 10s of the processing vessel 10. The source gas discharged into the processing space 10s adheres to the surface of the substrate W placed on the substrate support 11. While the source gas is being supplied to the substrate W, the control unit 9 continues to reduce the pressure by suction using the gas exhaust unit 13 and to adjust the temperature using the temperature adjustment module, thereby adjusting the quality, thickness, etc. of the film formed on the substrate W.

[0049] Furthermore, during substrate processing, the control unit 9 determines the timing to terminate the substrate processing (step S105). For example, the control unit 9 measures the execution period of the substrate processing and determines whether the execution period has reached the target period set in the recipe. If the substrate processing is not to be terminated (step S105: NO), the control unit 9 continues the supply of source gas and carrier gas, pressure reduction by the gas exhaust unit 13, temperature adjustment by the temperature adjustment module, and the like in the substrate processing. On the other hand, if the substrate processing is to be terminated (step S105: YES), the process proceeds to step S106.

[0050] In step S106, the control unit 9 performs a termination process for the substrate processing. For example, in the termination process, the gas supply mechanism 2 stops the supply of the source gas and the carrier gas, and stops heating the solid source material SM. Furthermore, in the termination process, the gas exhaust unit 13 stops suction of gas, the temperature adjustment module stops temperature adjustment, and the like.

[0051] By performing the above substrate processing method, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 can form a film having a desired thickness on the substrate W using the source gas. At this time, the gas supply mechanism 2 can supply the source gas from the source supply source 30 to the processing vessel 10 without stagnation. Specifically, the heated inner vessel 32 causes the source gas to flow to the upper side of the space 31s of the outer vessel 31, and in the outer vessel 31, the carrier gas supplied to the upper side of the space 31s by the carrier gas supply path 24 flows so as to push out the source gas. Therefore, the source gas and carrier gas flow into the gas supply path 21 connected to the outer vessel 31 without stagnation in the space 31s. In particular, when the remaining amount of the solid source material SM becomes low, the inner vessel 32 can easily flow out the source gas by moving closer to the upper side of the space 31s by means of the elastic members (lower spring member 371, upper spring member 372).

[0052] Then, after stopping the supply of the source gas by the gas supply mechanism 2, the control unit 9 performs a remaining amount monitoring method for monitoring the remaining amount of the solid source material SM in the inner container 32. For example, the remaining amount monitoring method performs a process flow as shown in Fig. 3(B). Note that the remaining amount monitoring method may also be performed during the supply of the source gas, so that the remaining amount of the solid source material SM may be continuously monitored.

[0053] Specifically, the control unit 9 detects the height position of the inner container 32 containing the raw material using the detector 34 installed on the column 33 of the outer container 31 (step S111). During detection by the detector 34, the space 31s of the outer container 31 is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere, which is a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, by suction from the gas exhaust unit 13. Therefore, the inner container 32 can smoothly move the raw material gas from the containing space 32s and can be displaced with almost no influence from other gases within the space 31s. This allows the detector 34 to accurately detect the height position of the inner container 32.

[0054] However, since the inner container 32 is supported by the elastic members 37 (the lower spring members 371 and the upper spring members 372), it may vibrate due to a displacement in height position caused by a decrease in the remaining amount of the solid source material SM. The detection result acquired from the detector 34 is a height position that repeats an amplitude on the time axis. For this reason, the control unit 9 calculates an appropriate height position by performing a Fourier transform on the oscillating detection result included in the detection result (step S112).

[0055] The control unit 9 calculates the weight of the entire inner container 32 including the solid raw material SM based on the calculated height position (step S113). For example, the control unit 9 has in advance a function or a table that represents the relationship between the spring constant of the elastic member, the height position, and the weight of the entire inner container 32, and calculates the weight of the entire inner container 32 using this function or table and the calculated height position.

[0056] Furthermore, the control unit 9 calculates the remaining amount of solid raw material SM by subtracting the weight of the empty inner container 32 that has been previously stored from the total weight of the inner container 32 (step S114). By calculating the remaining amount of raw material based on the relative position (height position) of the inner container 32 with respect to the outer container 31 in this way, the control unit 9 can accurately obtain the remaining amount of solid raw material SM. Note that the control unit 9 may be configured to directly calculate the remaining amount of solid raw material SM using a function, a table, or the like from the calculated height position of the inner container 32.

[0057] The control unit 9 also stores a judgment threshold for starting the filling of raw materials, and compares the calculated remaining amount of solid raw materials SM with this judgment threshold to determine whether or not to start the filling of solid raw materials SM (step S115). If the remaining amount of solid raw materials SM is less than the judgment threshold (step S115: YES), the process proceeds to step S116.

[0058] In step S116, the control unit 9 supplies the solid raw material SM to the inner container 32 via the filling pipe 40. As a result, a certain amount of solid raw material SM is filled into the inner container 32, and the inner container 32, which had been displaced to the upper side of the space 31s, descends to the lower side in accordance with the weight of the solid raw material SM. When step S116 ends, the control unit 9 ends the processing flow of the material monitoring method.

[0059] On the other hand, if the remaining amount of solid raw material SM is equal to or greater than the determination threshold (step S115: NO), it is determined that raw material is not to be filled, and the process flow ends without performing step S116. When monitoring the remaining amount of solid raw material SM again, the control unit 9 repeats the process from step S1.

[0060] As described above, the remaining amount monitoring method makes it possible to easily recognize the remaining amount of solid raw material SM based on the height position of the inner container 32 relative to the outer container 31. In particular, by reducing the pressure in the space 31s of the outer container 31 to a vacuum atmosphere lower than atmospheric pressure, the influence of gas can be minimized as much as possible, and the remaining amount of solid raw material SM can be obtained with high accuracy. This makes it possible for the remaining amount monitoring method to replenish the solid raw material SM at an appropriate timing.

[0061] The gas supply mechanism 2, semiconductor manufacturing system 100, and remaining amount monitoring method according to the embodiment are not limited to the above embodiment and may take various forms. For example, when calculating the remaining amount of solid source material SM while supplying source gas during substrate processing, it is preferable to continue substrate processing without charging the solid source material SM even if the remaining amount of solid source material SM falls below the determination threshold during substrate processing. Then, after substrate processing is completed, charging the solid source material SM is performed. This allows the semiconductor manufacturing system 100 to avoid temperature and gas changes that occur when charging the solid source material SM during substrate processing, thereby enabling stable substrate processing.

[0062] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the inner container 32 is filled with the solid source material SM via the filling pipe 40. However, the gas supply mechanism 2 may be configured to replace the source material supply source 30 without including the filling pipe 40. For example, the remaining amount monitoring method compares the remaining amount of the solid source material SM with a determination threshold, and when the amount of the solid source material SM falls below the determination threshold, notifies the user of information urging replacement of the source material supply source 30. This allows the user to replace the source material supply source 30 at an appropriate time. Note that the replacement of the source material supply source 30 may involve replacing both the outer container 31 and the inner container 32, or may involve replacing only the inner container 32.

[0063] Furthermore, the semiconductor manufacturing system 100 may be configured to include a plurality of gas supply mechanisms 2, each of which supplies a source gas to the processing chamber 10 at an appropriate timing. Furthermore, the gas supply mechanism 2 is not limited to a configuration in which the source gas is circulated together with a carrier gas, and may be configured to circulate only the source gas through the gas supply path 21 without including a carrier gas supply unit depending on the type of source material.

[0064] Furthermore, the gas supply mechanism 2 is not limited to using the gas exhaust unit 13 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 to reduce the pressure in the space 31s of the outer container 31. For example, the gas supply mechanism 2 may be configured to connect a dedicated pressure reduction mechanism to the outer container 31 and reduce the pressure in the space 31s to a vacuum atmosphere using this pressure reduction mechanism.

[0065] The gas supply mechanism 2 is not limited to using the detector 34 that detects the height position of the inner container 32 as an indicator related to the weight of the inner container 32. As an example, the gas supply mechanism 2 may be configured to directly measure the weight of the inner container 32 using a scale device installed in the outer container 31.

[0066] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a raw material supply source 30A according to a modified example. As shown in Fig. 4, the raw material supply source 30A may include a plurality of detectors 34 that detect the position of the inner container 32. The plurality of detectors 34 include, for example, a first detector 341 provided on the column portion 33 and a plurality of second detectors 342 provided on the inner circumferential surface of the side wall 312 of the outer container 31. The plurality of second detectors 342 are installed at approximately equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface of the side wall 312. Each of the plurality of second detectors 342 detects the height position of the inner container 32 located next to it.

[0067] The control unit 9 acquires the detection results from the first detector 341 and each second detector 342 and can calculate the levelness of the inner container 32 using these detection results. In other words, if the height positions of the detectors 34 are similar, the levelness is high, and if the height positions are dispersed, the levelness is low. If the levelness of the inner container 32 is low, it can be estimated that the solid raw material SM in the inner container 32 is unevenly distributed. Furthermore, if the levelness is low, the inner container 32 will come into contact with the outer container 31 with a strong frictional force, which will affect displacement. Therefore, the control unit 9 corrects the height position of the inner container 32 taking the levelness into account when detecting the remaining amount of solid raw material SM. This allows the remaining amount of solid raw material SM to be accurately detected. Furthermore, if the levelness is lower than a predetermined value, the control unit 9 may perform processing such as filling the inner container 32 with solid raw material SM, notifying the user, or increasing the heating amount of the heater 35 in the area with a large amount of solid raw material SM.

[0068] The technical ideas and effects of the present disclosure explained in the above embodiments will be described below.

[0069] A first aspect of the present disclosure is a gas supply mechanism 2 that supplies a raw material gas vaporized from a raw material (solid raw material SM), and includes an inner container 32 that contains the raw material, an outer container 31 that has a space 31s that contains the inner container 32 so that it can be displaced relatively and that discharges the raw material gas generated from the raw material in the inner container 32 to the outside, and a detector 34 that detects an indicator related to the weight of the inner container 32, and when the detector 34 detects the indicator related to the weight of the inner container 32, the space 31s of the outer container 31 is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere lower than atmospheric pressure.

[0070] As described above, the gas supply mechanism 2 can stably and accurately detect the indicator related to the weight of the inner container 32 by depressurizing the space 31s of the outer container 31 to a vacuum atmosphere when detecting the indicator related to the weight of the inner container 32 with the detector 34. This allows the gas supply mechanism 2 to accurately recognize the remaining amount of the source material (solid source material SM) contained in the inner container 32 based on the indicator related to the weight of the inner container 32. As a result, the gas supply mechanism 2 can prompt the filling of the source material or the replacement of the inner container 32 at an appropriate timing.

[0071] The gas supply mechanism 2 also includes an elastic member 37 that elastically supports the inner container 32 at a position spaced apart from the outer container 31. This allows the gas supply mechanism 2 to easily and displaceably support the inner container 32, and to displace the height position of the inner container 32, which is an index related to the weight of the inner container 32.

[0072] Furthermore, the detector 34 detects the relative height position of the inner container 32 with respect to the outer container 31 as an index related to the weight of the inner container 32. This allows the gas supply mechanism 2 to smoothly calculate the remaining amount of the raw material (solid raw material SM) based on the height position of the inner container 32.

[0073] The controller 9 also includes a calculation unit (control unit 9) that calculates the remaining amount of raw material (solid raw material SM) in the inner container 32 based on an index related to the weight of the inner container 32 detected by the detector 34. The calculation unit compares the calculated remaining amount of raw material with a determination threshold, and when the remaining amount of raw material is less than the determination threshold, prompts the user to fill the raw material or replace the inner container. This allows the gas supply mechanism 2 to take appropriate measures when the raw material is running low.

[0074] Furthermore, when the calculation unit (control unit 9) acquires the height position of the inner container 32 vibrating due to the elastic member 37 from the detector 34, it performs a Fourier transform to calculate the height position of the inner container 32. This allows the calculation unit to accurately calculate the height position of the vibrating inner container 32.

[0075] Furthermore, a plurality of detectors 34 are provided to detect the height position of the inner container 32, and the calculation unit (control unit 9) recognizes the horizontality of the inner container 32 based on the height positions of the inner container 32 of the plurality of detectors 34. This allows the gas supply mechanism 2 to correct the calculated remaining amount of raw material based on the horizontality of the inner container 32.

[0076] Furthermore, the inner container 32 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a hole 32h at its axis, and the outer container 31 has pillars 33 that are inserted into the holes 32h to guide the displacement of the inner container 32. This allows the gas supply mechanism 2 to displace the inner container 32 stably.

[0077] Furthermore, the detector 34 is installed on the column portion 33. This allows the gas supply mechanism 2 to detect an index relating to the height position of the inner container 32 at a position sufficiently close to the inner container 32.

[0078] Furthermore, the bottom wall 321 of the inner container 32 is formed in a tapered shape that slopes vertically downward toward the axis. This allows the inner container 32 to collect the raw material (solid raw material SM) closer to the axis, and stabilizes the posture of the inner container 32. Therefore, the gas supply mechanism 2 can more accurately detect an indicator related to the weight of the inner container 32 using the detector 34.

[0079] Furthermore, the inner container 32 is formed of a magnetic material, and the outer container 31 is provided with a magnetic field generator 39 that generates a magnetic field for the inner container 32. This allows the gas supply mechanism 2 to quickly converge vibrations due to displacement of the inner container 32 based on the magnetic field of the magnetic field generator 39.

[0080] A second aspect of the present disclosure is a semiconductor manufacturing system 100 including a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 for processing semiconductors and a gas supply mechanism 2 for supplying a raw material gas obtained by vaporizing raw materials to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, wherein the gas supply mechanism 2 includes an inner container 32 for containing the raw materials, an outer container 31 having a space 31s for containing the inner container 32 so that the inner container 32 can be displaced relative to the outer container 31 and for discharging the raw material gas generated from the raw materials in the inner container 32 to the outside, and a detector 34 for detecting an indicator related to the weight of the inner container 32, and when the detector 34 detects the indicator related to the weight of the inner container 32, the space 31s of the outer container 31 is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere lower than atmospheric pressure. Even in this case, the semiconductor manufacturing system 100 can accurately recognize the remaining amount of raw material.

[0081] A third aspect of the present disclosure is a remaining amount monitoring method for monitoring the remaining amount of raw material in a gas supply mechanism 2 that supplies a raw material gas obtained by vaporizing a raw material (solid raw material SM), wherein the gas supply mechanism 2 includes an inner container 32 that contains the raw material, an outer container 31 that has a space 31s that accommodates the inner container 32 so that the inner container 32 can be displaced relatively and that allows the raw material gas generated from the raw material in the inner container 32 to flow to the outside, and a detector 34 that detects an indicator related to the weight of the inner container 32, and in this remaining amount monitoring method, the detector 34 detects an indicator related to the weight of the inner container 32 in a state in which the space 31s of the outer container 31 is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere lower than atmospheric pressure. In this case as well, the remaining amount monitoring method can accurately recognize the remaining amount of raw material.

[0082] The gas supply mechanism 2, semiconductor manufacturing system 100, and remaining amount monitoring method according to the presently disclosed embodiments are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The embodiments may be modified and improved in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The features described in the above embodiments may be configured differently and may be combined within a consistent range.

[0083] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present disclosure can be applied to any type of apparatus, including atomic layer deposition (ALD) apparatus, capacitively coupled plasma (CCP), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), radial line slot antenna (RLSA), electron cyclotron resonance plasma (ECR), and helicon wave plasma (HWP). [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 2 Gas supply mechanism 31 Outer container 31s space 32 Inner container 34 detector 100 Semiconductor Manufacturing System SM solid raw material

Claims

1. A gas supply mechanism for supplying a raw material gas obtained by vaporizing a raw material, an inner container for containing the raw material; an outer container having a space for accommodating the inner container so as to be relatively displaceable, and for allowing the source gas generated from the source material in the inner container to flow out; a detector that detects an indicator related to the weight of the inner container, When the indicator related to the weight of the inner container is detected by the detector, the space of the outer container is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere lower than atmospheric pressure. Gas supply mechanism.

2. an elastic member for elastically supporting the inner container at a position spaced from the outer container; The gas supply mechanism according to claim 1 .

3. the detector detects a relative height position of the inner container with respect to the outer container as an index related to the weight of the inner container. The gas supply mechanism according to claim 2 .

4. a calculation unit that calculates the remaining amount of the raw material in the inner container based on an index related to the weight of the inner container detected by the detector, the calculation unit compares the calculated remaining amount of the raw material with a determination threshold, and when the remaining amount of the raw material is less than the determination threshold, prompts the user to fill the raw material or to replace the inner container. The gas supply mechanism according to claim 3 .

5. the calculation unit calculates the height position of the inner container by performing a Fourier transform when the height position of the inner container vibrated by the elastic member is acquired from the detector. The gas supply mechanism according to claim 4 .

6. a plurality of detectors for detecting the height position of the inner container; the calculation unit recognizes the horizontality of the inner container based on height positions of the inner container of the plurality of detectors. The gas supply mechanism according to claim 4 .

7. The inner container is formed in a cylindrical shape having a hole at its axis, The outer container has a pillar portion that is inserted into the hole portion to guide displacement of the inner container. The gas supply mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The detector is installed on the column. The gas supply mechanism according to claim 7 .

9. The bottom wall of the inner container is formed in a tapered shape that slopes downward in the vertical direction toward the axis. The gas supply mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

10. the inner container is formed of a magnetic material, The outer container includes a magnetic field generator that generates a magnetic field relative to the inner container. The gas supply mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

11. a semiconductor manufacturing device for processing semiconductors; a gas supply mechanism for supplying a raw material gas obtained by vaporizing a raw material to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, The gas supply mechanism includes: an inner container for containing the raw material; an outer container having a space for accommodating the inner container so as to be relatively displaceable, and for allowing the source gas generated from the source material in the inner container to flow out; a detector that detects an indicator related to the weight of the inner container, When the indicator related to the weight of the inner container is detected by the detector, the space of the outer container is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere lower than atmospheric pressure. Semiconductor manufacturing systems.

12. 1. A method for monitoring a remaining amount of a raw material in a gas supply mechanism that supplies a raw material gas obtained by vaporizing the raw material, comprising: The gas supply mechanism includes: an inner container for containing the raw material; an outer container having a space for accommodating the inner container so as to be relatively displaceable, and for allowing the source gas generated from the source material in the inner container to flow out; a detector that detects an indicator related to the weight of the inner container, In the remaining amount monitoring method, and detecting an indicator related to the weight of the inner container with the detector while the space of the outer container is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere lower than atmospheric pressure. How to monitor remaining capacity.

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