Film Forming Apparatus and Film Forming Method

Abstract

To provide a deposition apparatus and a deposition method, capable of forming a film of good film quality in the depth direction of a recess.SOLUTION: A deposition apparatus includes: a processing chamber; a rotary table 2 provided in the processing chamber and having a substrate mounting region (recess 24); a first processing region P1 provided along a circumferential direction of the rotary table and supplying a first process gas to the substrate mounting region; a second processing region P2 provided downstream of the first processing region and supplying a second process gas reacting with the first process gas; a third processing region P3 provided downstream of the second processing region and activating a third process gas to supply it to the substrate mounting region; a heater 120 heating a substrate in the second processing region; and a plasma generator 80 activating the third process gas in the third processing region. The plasma generator includes: a protrusion having a longitudinally elongated shape in a planar view extending along a radius of the rotary table in a portion of an upper surface of the processing chamber, the protrusion protruding upward; and a coil 83 wound along a side surface of the protrusion, the coil having a longitudinally elongated shape in the planar view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] A technique of performing an annealing treatment together with a plasma modification treatment on a thin film is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique capable of forming a film with good film quality over the depth direction of a recess.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A film forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a processing chamber, a rotating table provided in the processing chamber and having a substrate placement area for placing a substrate, a first processing area provided along the circumferential direction of the rotating table for supplying a first processing gas to the substrate placement area, a second processing area provided downstream of the first processing area in the circumferential direction of the rotating table for supplying a second processing gas that reacts with the first processing gas to generate a reaction product to the substrate placement area, a third processing area provided downstream of the second processing area in the circumferential direction of the rotating table for activating a third processing gas and supplying it to the substrate placement area, a first heating device provided above the rotating table in the second processing area for heating the substrate, and a plasma generating device for activating the third processing gas in the third processing area. The plasma generating device has a vertically long planar shape extending along the radius of the rotating table on a part of the upper surface of the processing chamber, a protruding portion protruding upward from the upper surface, and a coil wound along the side surface of the protruding portion and provided with a vertically long planar shape.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, a film with good film quality can be formed across the depth direction of the recess.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In all the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding members or components are denoted by the same or corresponding reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0009] 〔Film formation apparatus〕 (Overall configuration) With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the film formation apparatus according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the film formation apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the film formation apparatus according to the embodiment. In FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, the illustration of the top plate 11 is omitted. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along a concentric circle of the rotary table 2 of the plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a cross section from one separation region D through the first processing region P1 to the other separation region D.

[0010] The film formation apparatus according to the embodiment is configured as an apparatus for performing film formation processing on a plurality of (for example, five) substrates W at once. The substrate W is, for example, a semiconductor wafer. The film formation apparatus includes a vacuum chamber 1 and a rotary table 2.

[0011] The vacuum chamber 1 has a substantially circular shape in plan view. The vacuum chamber 1 is a processing chamber that houses the substrate W and performs film formation processing on the substrate W. The vacuum chamber 1 includes a top plate 11 and a chamber body 12. The top plate 11 is provided at a position facing the upper surface of the rotary table 2. The top plate 11 is configured to be detachable from the chamber body 12. An annular seal member 13 is provided at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the chamber body 12. The seal member 13 is, for example, an O-ring.

[0012] At the central part on the upper surface side inside the vacuum vessel 1, a separation gas supply pipe 51 is connected. The separation gas supply pipe 51 supplies separation gas to the central region C inside the vacuum vessel 1. The separation gas suppresses the mixing of different process gases with each other in the central region C inside the vacuum vessel 1. The separation gas is, for example, an inert gas. The inert gas is, for example, argon gas or nitrogen gas. The outer peripheral side of the core part 21 on the bottom surface part 14 of the vacuum vessel 1 is formed in an annular shape so as to approach from the lower side to the rotary table 2 and forms a protruding part 12a.

[0013] The rotary table 2 is provided inside the vacuum vessel 1. The rotary table 2 has a rotation center at the center of the vacuum vessel 1. The rotary table 2 is fixed to a core part 21 having a substantially cylindrical shape at the center part. A drive part 23 is connected to the core part 21 via a rotation shaft 22 extending in the vertical direction. The drive part 23 rotates the rotary table 2 around the vertical axis, for example, clockwise, via the rotation shaft 22 and the core part 21.

[0014] The rotation shaft 22 and the drive part 23 are housed in a case body 20. The case body 20 has a flange part on the upper surface side airtightly attached to the lower surface of the bottom surface part 14 of the vacuum vessel 1 via a bellows 16. A purge gas supply pipe 72 is connected to the case body 20. The purge gas supply pipe 72 supplies purge gas to the lower region of the rotary table 2. The purge gas is, for example, an inert gas. The inert gas is, for example, argon gas or nitrogen gas.

[0015] On the surface portion of the rotary table 2, a concave portion 24 is formed. The concave portion 24 has a circular shape in plan view. The substrate W is placed in the concave portion 24. The concave portion 24 functions as a substrate placement area. The concave portion 24 is provided at a plurality of locations, for example, five locations, along the rotation direction of the rotary table 2. The concave portion 24 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the substrate W. The concave portion 24 has a depth approximately equal to the thickness of the substrate W or larger than the thickness of the substrate W. Thereby, when the substrate W is placed in the concave portion 24, the surface of the substrate W and the surface of the area on the rotary table 2 where the substrate W is not placed become the same height, or the surface of the substrate W becomes lower than the surface of the rotary table 2. A plurality (for example, three) of through holes are provided in the bottom surface of the concave portion 24. A lifting pin (not shown) is inserted through each through hole. The lifting pin lifts and lowers the substrate W by pushing it up from the lower side.

[0016] The film forming apparatus has a first processing region P1, a second processing region P2, and a third processing region P3 (see FIG. 2). The first processing region P1, the second processing region P2, and the third processing region P3 are provided at intervals along the rotation direction of the rotary table 2. A plurality (for example, five) of gas nozzles 31, 32, 33, 41, 42 are radially arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the vacuum chamber 1 at positions facing the passing region of the concave portion 24 in the rotary table 2. Each of the gas nozzles 31, 32, 33, 41, 42 is formed of, for example, quartz. Each of the gas nozzles 31, 32, 33, 41, 42 is disposed between the rotary table 2 and the top plate 11. Each of the gas nozzles 31, 32, 41, 42 is attached so as to extend horizontally facing the substrate W from the outer peripheral wall of the vacuum chamber 1 toward the central region C. On the other hand, the gas nozzle 33 bends upward from the middle and then extends horizontally again. Details of the gas nozzle 33 will be described later. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the gas nozzle 33, the gas nozzle 41, the gas nozzle 31, the gas nozzle 42, and the gas nozzle 32 are arranged in this order clockwise (the rotation direction of the rotary table 2) from the transfer port 15 described later.

[0017] Each of the gas nozzles 31, 32, 33, 41, and 42 is connected to its respective gas supply source (not shown) via a flow rate adjustment valve (not shown). On the lower surface side (the side facing the rotary table 2) of each of the gas nozzles 31, 32, 33, 41, and 42, a plurality of gas discharge holes 36 for discharging each gas are formed at a plurality of locations, for example, at equal intervals along the radial direction of the rotary table 2. The separation distance between the lower end edge of each of the gas nozzles 31, 32, 33, 41, and 42 and the upper surface of the rotary table 2 is arranged to be about 1 mm to 5 mm, for example.

[0018] The gas nozzle 31 is a first processing gas nozzle that discharges a first processing gas. The region below the gas nozzle 31 becomes a first processing region P1 for adsorbing the first processing gas to the substrate W. The first processing gas contains a silicon-containing gas. The silicon-containing gas is, for example, DIPAS [diisopropylaminosilane], 3DMAS [trisdimethylaminosilane] gas, BTBAS [bis(triisobutylamino)silane], DCS [dichlorosilane], HCD [hexachlorodisilane].

[0019] The gas nozzle 32 is a second processing gas nozzle that discharges a second processing gas. The region below the gas nozzle 32 becomes a second processing region P2 for supplying the second processing gas capable of reacting with the first processing gas to generate a reaction product to the substrate W. The second processing gas contains an oxidizing gas. The oxidizing gas is, for example, oxygen gas, ozone gas. The second processing gas may contain an inert gas such as argon gas, nitrogen gas. A heating device 120 is provided above the gas nozzle 32. The heating device 120 heats the upper surface of the substrate W placed in the recess 24 of the rotary table 2. That is, the second processing region P2 also functions as a heating region for heating the substrate W. The gas nozzle 32 supplies an inert gas when heating the substrate W by the heating device 120. Details of the heating device 120 will be described later.

[0020] The gas nozzle 33 is a third processing gas nozzle that discharges a third processing gas. The lower region of the gas nozzle 33 serves as a third processing region P3 for performing plasma modification on the film on the substrate W. Similar to the second processing gas, the third processing gas contains an oxidizing gas. The third processing gas may contain an inert gas. A plasma generator 80 is provided above the gas nozzle 33. The plasma generator 80 generates plasma from the third processing gas discharged by the gas nozzle 33. Details of the plasma generator 80 will be described later.

[0021] The gas nozzles 41 and 42 are separation gas nozzles that discharge a separation gas. The lower region of the gas nozzles 41 and 42 serves as a separation region D that separates the third processing region P3 from the first processing region P1 and the first processing region P1 from the second processing region P2. The separation gas is, for example, an inert gas. The inert gas is, for example, argon gas or nitrogen gas.

[0022] A substantially fan-shaped convex portion 4 is provided on the top plate 11 of the vacuum chamber 1 in the separation region D. The convex portion 4 is attached to the back surface of the top plate 11. Inside the vacuum chamber 1, a flat and low ceiling surface 44 (first ceiling surface) that is the lower surface of the convex portion 4 and ceiling surfaces 45 (second ceiling surfaces) that are higher than the ceiling surface 44 and are located on both sides in the circumferential direction of the ceiling surface 44 are formed.

[0023] The convex portion 4 that forms the ceiling surface 44 has a fan-shaped planar shape with an arc-shaped cut at the top (see FIG. 2). A groove portion 43 is formed in the convex portion 4 so as to extend in the radial direction at the center in the circumferential direction (see FIG. 3). The separation gas nozzles 41 and 42 are accommodated in the groove portion 43. The peripheral edge portion of the convex portion 4 (the portion on the outer edge side of the vacuum chamber 1) bends in an L-shape so as to face the outer end surface of the rotary table 2 and be slightly spaced apart from the container body 12 in order to prevent mixing of the respective processing gases.

[0024] Above the gas nozzle 31, a nozzle cover 230 is provided. The nozzle cover 230 has a cover body 231 and a flow straightening plate 232 (see FIG. 3). The cover body 231 has a substantially box shape with an open bottom surface for housing the gas nozzle 31. The flow straightening plate 232 has plate-like bodies respectively connected to the upstream side and the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary table 2 at the open end on the bottom surface side of the cover body 231. The nozzle cover 230 allows the first processing gas to flow along the substrate W. The nozzle cover 230 allows the separation gas to flow toward the top plate 11 side of the vacuum chamber 1 while avoiding the vicinity of the substrate W. The side wall surface of the cover body 231 on the rotation center side of the rotary table 2 extends toward the rotary table 2 so as to face the tip of the gas nozzle 31. The side wall surface of the cover body 231 on the outer edge side of the rotary table 2 is cut out so as not to interfere with the gas nozzle 31.

[0025] On the outer peripheral side of the rotary table 2, slightly below the rotary table 2, a side ring 100 which is a cover body is disposed. On the upper surface of the side ring 100, exhaust ports 61, 62 are formed at, for example, two locations so as to be circumferentially spaced apart from each other. In other words, two exhaust ports are formed in the floor surface of the vacuum chamber 1, and the exhaust ports 61, 62 are formed in the side ring 100 at positions corresponding to these exhaust ports. In the present embodiment, one and the other of the exhaust ports 61, 62 are referred to as a first exhaust port 61 and a second exhaust port 62, respectively.

[0026] The first exhaust port 61 is formed at a position closer to the separation region D between the gas nozzle 31 and the separation region D located on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary table 2 with respect to the gas nozzle 31. The second exhaust port 62 is formed at a position closer to the separation region D between the plasma generator 80 and the separation region D on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary table 2 than the plasma generator 80.

[0027] The first exhaust port 61 exhausts the first processing gas, separation gas, etc. The second exhaust port 62 exhausts the third processing gas, separation gas, etc. The first exhaust port 61 and the second exhaust port 62 are each connected to an exhaust device 64 such as a vacuum pump by an exhaust pipe 63 provided with a pressure adjustment unit 65 such as a butterfly valve.

[0028] Since the housing 91 described later is arranged from the center region C side to the outer edge side, the gas flowing from the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary table 2 to the third processing region P3 may have its gas flow toward the exhaust port 62 restricted by the housing 91. Therefore, a groove-shaped gas flow path 101 for the gas to flow is formed on the upper surface of the side ring 100 on the outer peripheral side of the housing 91.

[0029] At the center of the lower surface of the top plate 11, a protruding portion 5 is provided which is formed in a substantially annular shape continuously in the circumferential direction and is continuous with the portion on the center region C side of the convex portion 4, and the lower surface thereof is formed at the same height as the lower surface (ceiling surface 44) of the convex portion 4. Above the core portion 21 on the rotation center side of the rotary table 2 with respect to the protruding portion 5, a labyrinth structure portion 110 is provided to suppress the mixing of various gases in the center region C.

[0030] The housing 91 is formed up to a position closer to the center region C side. For this reason, the core portion 21 that supports the center of the rotary table 2 is formed on the rotation center side so that the upper portion of the rotary table 2 avoids the housing 91. Therefore, on the center region C side, the various gases are more likely to mix than on the outer edge portion side. Therefore, by forming a labyrinth structure on the upper side of the core portion 21, a gas flow path can be created and the mixing of the gases can be prevented.

[0031] A heater unit 7 is provided in the space between the rotary table 2 and the bottom surface portion 14 of the vacuum chamber 1. The heater unit 7 is configured to be able to heat a substrate W on the rotary table 2 via the rotary table 2 to, for example, about room temperature to 850°C. A cover member 71a is provided on the side of the heater unit 7, and a covering member 7a that covers the upper side of the heater unit 7 is provided. A purge gas supply pipe 73 is provided on the bottom surface portion 14 of the vacuum chamber 1. The purge gas supply pipe 73 is provided at a plurality of locations over the circumferential direction. The purge gas supply pipe 73 supplies purge gas to the arrangement space of the heater unit 7 on the lower side of the heater unit 7 and purges the arrangement space.

[0032] A transfer port 15 for performing transfer of the substrate W is formed on the side wall of the vacuum chamber 1 between the transfer arm 10 and the rotary table 2 (see FIG. 2). The transfer port 15 is configured to be hermetically openable and closable by a gate valve G. The substrate W placed in the recess 24 of the rotary table 2 is transferred between the transfer arm 10 at a position facing the transfer port 15.

[0033] The film forming apparatus includes a control unit 150. The control unit 150 is, for example, a computer and controls the operation of the entire apparatus. A program for performing the film forming method described later is stored in the memory of the control unit 150. The program is composed of a group of steps so as to execute various operations of the apparatus, and is installed from a storage unit 151, which is a storage medium such as a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disk, a magneto-optical disk, a memory card, or a flexible disk, into the control unit 150.

[0034] (Heating Device) With reference to FIG. 4, an example of a heating device 120 included in the film forming apparatus according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 shows an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the heating device 120.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 4, the heating device 120 has a transmissive member 121 and a plurality of heating lamps 122.

[0036] The transmissive member 121 has a flange portion 121a and a window portion 121b. The flange portion 121a is disposed on the stepped portion 11b of the top plate 11. By inserting the flange portion 121a into the stepped portion 11b of the top plate 11, the flange portion 121a and the stepped portion 11b are locked to each other. A seal member is disposed on the stepped portion 11b. The stepped portion 11b and the transmissive member 121 are hermetically connected by the seal member. The seal member is, for example, an O-ring. The transmissive member 121 is fixed to the top plate 11 by a fastening member (not shown) such as a bolt. Thereby, the airtightness inside the vacuum vessel 1 is ensured. A member formed of a material (for example, quartz) that transmits light (for example, infrared light) is fitted into the window portion 121b.

[0037] The plurality of heating lamps 122 are arranged in a substantially fan shape above the transmissive member 121. The plurality of heating lamps 122 irradiate light in the absorption wavelength region of the substrate W, for example, infrared light, thereby heating the upper surface of the substrate W placed in the concave portion 24 and located in the second processing region P2. The plurality of heating lamps 122 are controlled by the control unit 150 so as not to generate an in-plane temperature difference in the substrate W. The number and arrangement of the plurality of heating lamps 122 are not particularly limited. The heating lamp 122 is preferably one that can selectively heat only the substrate W. Thereby, the device members around the substrate W are not heated.

[0038] (Plasma Generator) With reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, an example of the plasma generator 80 included in the film forming apparatus according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the main part of the plasma generator 80.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, the plasma generator 80 has a coil 83 and a housing 90.

[0040] The housing 90 is provided so as to be fitted into the stepped portion 11a of the top plate 11 of the vacuum vessel 1 and constitutes a part of the upper surface of the vacuum vessel 1 (see FIG. 1).

[0041] The housing 90 has a depression 91, a protrusion 92, a flange portion 93, and a lower protrusion 94. The protrusion 92 protrudes from the bottom surface 91a of the depression 91. The inside of the protrusion 92 is hollow and constitutes a plasma generation chamber 92b described later. The protrusion 92 has a vertically long shape extending in one direction. The protrusion 92 may be configured as, for example, a vertically long polygon. In FIG. 5, the protrusion 92 is configured as a dodecagon, but it can be configured in various shapes as long as it has four or more sides. Also, in addition to a polygon, it is also possible to configure the both ends in an arc shape like a semi-circle. The step between the flange portion 93 and the lower protrusion 94 functions as an engaging portion when the housing 90 is fitted into the stepped portion 11a of the top plate 11 of the vacuum vessel 1.

[0042] The housing 90 can be made of various materials, but for example, it may be made of quartz. Since the top plate 11 of the vacuum vessel 1 is also made of quartz, it is preferable that the housing 90 which constitutes a part of the top plate 11 is also made of quartz.

[0043] The coil 83 functions as an electromagnetic field generation unit for generating an electromagnetic field by applying alternating current power. The coil 83 is wound along the side surface 92a of the protrusion 92. The coil 83 may be wound around the protrusion 92 as many times as necessary, but for example, as shown in FIG. 5, it may be wound three times. The end portions 83a and 83b of the coil 83 in the longitudinal direction are pulled upward.

[0044] The coil 83 is connected to a high-frequency power supply 85 via a matcher 84 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The high-frequency power supply 85 is, for example, an RF power supply with a frequency of 13.56 MHz and an output power of 5000 W. The coil 83 is provided so as to be hermetically partitioned from the internal region of the vacuum vessel 1. The coil 83, the matcher 84, and the high-frequency power supply 85 are electrically connected by a connection electrode 86.

[0045] In FIG. 5, the end 83a of the coil 83, which is at the apex of the sector of the housing 90, is on the center side of the rotary table 2, and the opposite end 83b is on the outer peripheral side of the rotary table 2. And the portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the portion wound around the side surface of the protruding portion 92 of the coil 83 is provided so as to completely cover the diameter of the recess 24.

[0046] Although details will be described later, the ends 83a and 83b of the coil 83 are connected to the elevating mechanism and are each configured to be able to move up and down independently. Thereby, the coil 83 can be inclined in the radial direction of the rotary table 2, and when the coil 83 is installed horizontally, the imbalance in which the plasma processing amount on the center side is larger than the plasma processing amount on the outer peripheral side due to the influence of the inner ring difference of the rotary table 2 can be corrected. That is, by pulling up the end 83a on the center side to make the distance from the rotary table 2 larger than the distance between the end 83b on the outer peripheral side and the rotary table 2, the plasma processing amount on the center side can be weakened and the imbalance in the plasma processing amount between the center side and the outer peripheral side can be corrected.

[0047] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the plasma generator 80. FIG. 6(a) is a top view of the plasma generator 80, and FIG. 6(b) is a side cross-sectional view of the plasma generator 80.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 6(a), the coil 83 has a length capable of covering the diameter of the substrate W. Therefore, the side surface 92a in the longitudinal direction of the protruding portion 92 of the housing 90 is provided to be longer than the diameter of the substrate W.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 6(b), the inside of the protruding portion 92 constitutes a plasma generation chamber 92b. A third processing gas is supplied downward from a gas nozzle 33 provided near the ceiling surface to the plasma generation chamber 92b, and the third processing gas is activated by the coil 83. The plasma generation chamber 92b is located near the coil 83. Thereby, in the plasma generation chamber 92b, plasma is efficiently generated from the third processing gas discharged from the gas nozzle 33. In other words, in the plasma generation chamber 92b, active species such as radicals are efficiently generated.

[0050] The end portions 83a and 83b of the coil 83 are respectively connected to independent lifting mechanisms 87a and 87b via connection electrodes 86. The lifting mechanisms 87a and 87b have, for example, a motor or the like, and can move the end portions 83a and 83b of the coil 83 up and down to tilt the coil 83. The lifting mechanisms 87a and 87b are supported by, for example, a support member 88. The lifting mechanisms 87a and 87b may be integrally configured. The lifting mechanisms 87a and 87b may have various configurations as long as they can independently move the end portions 83a and 83b of the coil 83 up and down.

[0051] Inside the vacuum chamber 1, in order to suppress the amount of ions generated in the plasma generation chamber 92b, an ion trap plate 140 may be provided as necessary. The ion trap plate 140 is also provided to correct the difference in the plasma processing amount between the center side and the outer peripheral side of the rotary table 2, and by covering more of the center side, the amount of ions reaching the substrate W is adjusted. The ion trap plate 140 is not essential and may be provided as necessary.

[0052] FIG. 7 is a detailed view showing the configuration around the protruding portion 92 of the housing 90 of the plasma generating apparatus 80. As shown in FIG. 7, the flange portion 93 of the housing 90 is engaged with the opening of the top plate 11 of the vacuum chamber 1 and fitted into the top plate 11. In the lower protruding portion 94, a third processing region P3 for performing plasma processing is defined. The bottom surface of the plasma generation chamber 92b inside the protruding portion 92 of the housing 90 is open, and the third processing gas supplied from the gas nozzle 33 is supplied to the substrate W. At this time, a coil 83 is wound below the side surface 92a of the protruding portion 92, and electromagnetic waves are generated by the supply of alternating current power, and the third processing gas is plasmaized (ionized) or radicalized by the electromagnetic wave energy. The plasmaized third processing gas is supplied to the substrate W, and the film on the substrate W is modified.

[0053] The central end 83a and the outer peripheral end 83b of the coil 83 are configured to be vertically movable via the connection electrodes 86. By tilting the coil 83, it is possible to adjust the plasma processing amount. For example, by raising the end 83a of the central-side coil 83, the processing amount of the central-side plasma is reduced, and the balance with the outer peripheral side is made uniform. The vertical movement distance of the ends 83a and 83b can be set to various distances according to the application, but for example, a setting allowing vertical movement of 150 to 200 mm may be used.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 7, the plasma generator 80 does not have a Faraday shield. Conventionally, a Faraday shield was provided between the coil 83 and the bottom surface 91a of the housing 90 to cut the electric field component and supply only the magnetic field component to the substrate W. However, since the Faraday shield was made of metal, there was a problem that it could not be used in a high-temperature process of 650° C. or higher.

[0055] In the plasma generator 80 according to the embodiment, the metal Faraday shield is eliminated, and the main part of the plasma generator 80 is composed of only high heat-resistant quartz parts. Thereby, it is possible to cope with the high temperature of the process (for example, 650° C. or higher and 850° C. or lower). Thus, according to the plasma generator 80 according to the embodiment, while coping with a high-temperature process, it is possible to adjust the plasma processing amount in the radial direction and achieve uniformity.

[0056] 〔Film formation method〕 With reference to FIG. 8, the operation of the film forming apparatus according to the embodiment, that is, an example of the film forming method will be described. Hereinafter, the case of forming a silicon oxide film on the substrate W will be described. The film forming method according to the embodiment is implemented by the control unit 150 controlling each part of the film forming apparatus.

[0057] First, according to the process, the coil 83 is set to a predetermined inclination. The inclination angle of the coil 83 may be specified by a recipe, for example, even if the shape of the coil 83 is specified. Alternatively, the control unit 150 may make a determination based on the recipe content and configure the coil 83 to be set to a predetermined inclination angle. The setting of the inclination angle of the coil 83 may be automatically performed by the elevating mechanisms 87a and 87b, or may be set by an operator during operation.

[0058] Next, the substrate W is carried into the vacuum chamber 1. Specifically, first, the gate valve G is opened. Next, while intermittently rotating the rotary table 2, the substrate W is placed on the rotary table 2 through the transfer port 15 by the transfer arm 10.

[0059] Next, with the gate valve G closed and the inside of the vacuum chamber 1 set to a predetermined pressure by the exhaust device 64 and the pressure adjustment unit 65, the substrate W is heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, 650 °C or higher and 850 °C or lower) by the heater unit 7 while rotating the rotary table 2. At this time, a separation gas, for example, Ar gas, is supplied from the separation gas nozzles 41 and 42.

[0060] Next, a first processing gas, a second processing gas, and a third processing gas are supplied from the gas nozzle 31, the gas nozzle 32, and the gas nozzle 33, respectively. The first processing gas, the second processing gas, and the third processing gas may be various gases depending on the application. For example, the first processing gas is a silicon-containing gas, the gas nozzle 32 is an oxygen gas, and the third processing gas is a mixed gas of oxygen gas and argon gas.

[0061] On the surface of the substrate W, the silicon-containing gas is adsorbed in the first processing region P1 by the rotation of the rotary table 2 (step S1 in FIG. 8). Next, the silicon-containing gas adsorbed on the substrate W in the second processing region P2 is oxidized by the oxygen gas (step S2 in FIG. 8). As a result, one or more molecular layers of a silicon oxide film, which is a thin film component, are formed and reaction products are formed.

[0062] When the rotary table 2 further rotates, the substrate W reaches the third processing region P3, and the modification process of the silicon oxide film by plasma processing is performed (step S3 in FIG. 8). In the modification process, since the coil 83 of the plasma generator 80 is inclined so as to perform plasma processing with high in-plane uniformity, plasma processing with high in-plane uniformity can be performed. When performing plasma processing in the third processing region P3, the plasma generator 80 supplies high-frequency power with a predetermined output to the coil 83.

[0063] In the embodiment, the rotary table 2 is continuously rotated until the first number of times is reached (step S4 in FIG. 8). Thereby, the adsorption of the silicon-containing gas on the surface of the substrate W, the oxidation of the silicon-containing gas adsorbed on the surface of the substrate W, and the plasma modification of the silicon oxide film are repeated in this order. That is, the film formation process by the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) method and the plasma modification of the formed film are repeated the first number of times by the rotation of the rotary table 2.

[0064] Note that a separation region D is provided along the circumferential direction of the rotary table 2 between the first processing region P1 and the second processing region P2 in the film forming apparatus according to the embodiment. For this reason, in the separation region D, while the mixing of the first processing gas and the second processing gas is prevented, each gas is exhausted toward the exhaust ports 61 and 62. Also, a separation region D is provided along the circumferential direction of the rotary table 2 between the third processing region P3 and the first processing region P1 in the film forming apparatus according to the embodiment. For this reason, in the separation region D, while the mixing of the third processing gas and the first processing gas is prevented, each gas is exhausted toward the exhaust ports 61 and 62.

[0065] Next, the supply of the first processing gas from the gas nozzle 31 is stopped, the supply of the second processing gas from the gas nozzle 32 is stopped, and the supply of the third processing gas from the gas nozzle 33 is stopped. On the other hand, an inert gas is supplied from the gas nozzle 32. The inert gas may be, for example, argon gas or nitrogen gas. Note that an inert gas may be supplied from the gas nozzle 31 and the gas nozzle 33.

[0066] In this state, the control unit 150 rotates the rotary table 2 until one of the plurality of substrates W placed on the rotary table 2 is positioned below the plurality of heating lamps 122. Further, the control unit 150 operates the plurality of heating lamps 122 to heat the substrate W positioned below the plurality of heating lamps 122 to a predetermined temperature (for example, 750 ° C or higher and 900 ° C or lower). The control unit 150 stops the rotary table 2 for a predetermined time (for example, 60 seconds to 180 seconds) with the substrate W positioned below the plurality of heating lamps 122 and the plurality of heating lamps 122 being operated. Thereby, the silicon oxide film formed on the substrate W positioned below the plurality of heating lamps 122 is thermally reformed (step S5 in FIG. 8).

[0067] Next, the control unit 150 rotates the rotary table 2 until the substrate W adjacent to the substrate W positioned below the plurality of heating lamps 122 is positioned below the plurality of heating lamps 122. Further, the control unit 150 operates the plurality of heating lamps 122 to heat the substrate W positioned below the plurality of heating lamps 122 to a predetermined temperature (for example, 750 ° C or higher and 900 ° C or lower). The control unit 150 stops the rotary table 2 for a predetermined time (for example, 60 seconds to 180 seconds) with the substrate W positioned below the plurality of heating lamps 122 and the plurality of heating lamps 122 being operated. Thereby, the silicon oxide film formed on the substrate W positioned below the plurality of heating lamps 122 is thermally reformed.

[0068] The control unit 150 intermittently rotates the rotary table 2 to move the plurality of substrates W to the positions below the plurality of heating lamps 122 in order. Thereby, for all of the plurality of substrates W, the silicon oxide film formed on the substrate W is thermally reformed.

[0069] In the embodiment, the thermal reforming of the silicon oxide film formed on the substrate W is repeated by intermittently rotating the rotary table 2 until the second number of times (for example, 5 to 6 times) is reached (step S6 in FIG. 8).

[0070] By the way, when forming a silicon oxide film in recesses such as trenches and holes formed on the surface of the substrate W, in plasma modification of the silicon oxide film, active species such as ions and radicals contained in the plasma hardly reach deep positions of the recesses. For this reason, the silicon oxide film formed at a deep position of the recess is less likely to be modified compared to the silicon oxide film formed at a shallow position of the recess. As a result, variations occur in the film quality of the silicon oxide film in the depth direction of the recess.

[0071] On the other hand, in the film formation method according to the embodiment, plasma modification is performed on the silicon oxide film, and then thermal modification by the heating device 120 is performed on the plasma-modified silicon oxide film. As a result, new bonds are formed between atoms by thermal energy while moving the atoms activated by plasma modification, so that the silicon oxide film is modified into a high-quality film. Further, since the entire substrate W is heated by the heating device 120, the silicon oxide film formed at a deep position of the recess, which is difficult to be modified by plasma modification, can be modified. For this reason, the film quality of the silicon oxide film formed at a deep position of the recess can be made close to the film quality of the silicon oxide film formed at a shallow position of the recess. Therefore, the uniformity of the film quality of the silicon oxide film in the depth direction of the recess can be enhanced. That is, a silicon oxide film with good film quality can be formed across the depth direction of the recess.

[0072] It should be considered that all the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The above embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or changed in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0073] 1 Vacuum chamber 2 Rotating table 24 Recess 80 Plasma generator 83 Coil 87a, 87b Lifting mechanism 92 Protrusion 120 Heating device P1 First processing area P2 Second processing area P3 Third processing area W Substrate

Claims

1. A processing chamber, a rotary table provided in the processing chamber and having a substrate placement area for placing a substrate, a first processing area provided along the circumferential direction of the rotary table for supplying a first processing gas to the substrate placement area, a second processing area provided downstream of the first processing area in the circumferential direction of the rotary table for supplying a second processing gas that reacts with the first processing gas to generate a reaction product to the substrate placement area, a third processing area provided downstream of the second processing area in the circumferential direction of the rotary table for activating a third processing gas and supplying it to the substrate placement area, a first heating device provided above the rotary table in the second processing area for heating the substrate, a plasma generation device for activating the third processing gas in the third processing area, comprising, the plasma generation device, has a vertically long planar shape extending along the radius of the rotary table on a part of the upper surface of the processing chamber, and a protruding portion protruding upward from the upper surface, a coil wound along the side surface of the protruding portion and provided with a vertically long planar shape, having, a film forming apparatus.

2. A second heating device for heating the substrate is provided below the rotary table, the second heating device is configured to heat the substrate to a temperature of 650 °C or higher and 850 °C or lower, The film forming apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The plasma generation device has an inclination adjustment mechanism capable of independently moving both ends of the coil in the longitudinal direction up and down and changing the inclination of the coil in the longitudinal direction, The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A step of adsorbing a first processing gas in a first processing area provided along the circumferential direction of the rotary table on the surface of a substrate placed on a rotary table provided in a processing chamber, rotating the rotary table, and in a second processing area downstream of the first processing area in the circumferential direction of the rotary table, supplying a second processing gas that reacts with the first processing gas adsorbed on the surface of the substrate to generate a reaction product, and depositing the reaction product on the surface of the substrate, rotating the rotary table, and supplying a third processing gas activated by a plasma generation device to the substrate in a third processing area provided downstream of the second processing area in the circumferential direction of the rotary table, rotating the rotary table and heating the substrate using a first heating device provided above the rotary table in the second processing region; having; the plasma generator; has a vertically long planar shape extending along the radius of the rotary table on a part of the upper surface of the processing chamber, and a protruding portion protruding upward from the upper surface; a coil wound along the side surface of the protruding portion and provided with a vertically long planar shape; having; a film forming method.

5. The step of heating the substrate is performed after repeating a plurality of times a first cycle including a step of adsorbing the first processing gas, a step of depositing the reaction product, and a step of reforming the reaction product. The film forming method according to claim 4.

6. The first cycle is performed by heating the substrate to a temperature of 650° C. or higher and 850° C. or lower. The film forming method according to claim 5.

7. repeating a plurality of times a second cycle including the first cycle and the step of heating the substrate; The film forming method according to claim 5 or 6.

8. The first cycle is performed while continuously rotating the rotary table, and the step of heating the substrate is performed while intermittently rotating the rotary table. The film forming method according to any one of claims 5 to 7. ​

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