Plasma processing apparatus and substrate integration method

Abstract

To provide a substrate integration device, a plasma processing device, and a substrate integration method capable of suppressing adhesion of a compound remaining on a substrate that has undergone plasma treatment to the surface of the substrate before plasma treatment even when a carrier contains the substrate before plasma treatment and the substrate that has undergone plasma treatment.SOLUTION: A substrate integration device according to an embodiment includes a mounting portion on which a carrier is mounted, which stores a plurality of substrates in a stacked state and can transport the stored substrates in a sealed state, and a gas supply portion that supplies gas to the inside of the carrier through the opening of the carrier from the outside.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate integration device, a plasma processing device, and a substrate integration method. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, flat panel displays, and the like, the surface of a substrate is treated by plasma processing using a corrosive gas containing, for example, fluorine, chlorine, sulfur, or the like. In a typical plasma processing apparatus, a carrier that stores multiple substrates in a stacked (multi-tiered) configuration is detachably attached. The substrates stored in the carrier are then removed one by one, plasma processed, and the plasma-processed substrates are returned to the carrier. Generally, the plasma-processed substrates are stored in the same position on the carrier as the substrates before plasma processing.

[0003] Here, when a plasma treatment is performed using a corrosive gas such as fluorine, compounds such as fluorine may remain on the surface of the substrate that has been subjected to the plasma treatment. If compounds such as fluorine remain on the surface of the substrate, this may cause problems in the subsequent process. Therefore, the surface of the substrate that has been subjected to the plasma treatment is generally cleaned before the subsequent process is performed. Conventionally, it has been thought that cleaning the surface of the substrate can remove compounds remaining on the surface of the substrate, thereby improving the yield in the subsequent process.

[0004] However, it has been found that cleaning the surface of the substrate does not improve the yield in the next process. As a result of intensive research, the present inventors have found that when a substrate before plasma treatment and a substrate after plasma treatment are stored in a carrier, compounds remaining on the surface of the substrate after plasma treatment vaporize and adhere to the surface of the substrate before plasma treatment. They have also discovered that performing plasma treatment on a substrate with compounds adhering thereto adversely affects the plasma treatment, making it difficult to improve the yield in the next process.

[0005] In this case, by providing separate carriers for storing substrates before plasma treatment and for storing substrates that have been subjected to plasma treatment, it is possible to prevent compounds from adhering to the surface of the substrates before plasma treatment.

[0006] However, providing separate carriers would require a larger installation space for the carriers, leading to an increase in the size of the plasma processing apparatus. Furthermore, the carriers are affixed with identification marks, such as barcode stickers or ID tags, which are used for process control of the substrates housed in the carriers. Therefore, transferring the substrate 100 to another carrier would complicate process control.

[0007] In this way, providing separate carriers or transferring substrates to different carriers before plasma processing creates new problems such as an increase in the size of the plasma processing apparatus and an increase in processing time.

[0008] A technique has been proposed in which substrates before plasma processing and substrates that have been subjected to plasma processing are stored in a carrier, and a purge gas is introduced into the inside of the carrier from the bottom side of the carrier (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, because the substrates before plasma processing are sequentially removed from the carrier from the bottom to the top, if a purge gas is introduced into the carrier from the bottom side, there is a risk that the purge gas will not reach the substrates before plasma processing located above the carrier, or that vaporized compounds will be introduced to the substrates before plasma processing.

[0009] Therefore, there was a need to develop a technology that can prevent compounds remaining on the plasma-treated substrate from adhering to the surface of the substrate before plasma treatment, even when a carrier contains both a substrate before plasma treatment and a substrate that has been subjected to plasma treatment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-220561 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a substrate accumulation device, a plasma processing device, and a substrate accumulation method that can prevent compounds remaining on a plasma-treated substrate from adhering to the surface of the substrate before plasma processing, even when a carrier stores a substrate before plasma processing and a substrate after plasma processing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment includes a carrier that stores a plurality of substrates in a stacked state and transports the stored substrates in a sealed state. a processing unit, and a transport unit. , the processing section processes the substrates removed from the carrier by plasma processing using a corrosive gas, the transport section includes an arm that sequentially removes the plurality of substrates stored in the carrier placed on the placement section before the plasma processing from bottom to top, and stores the substrates processed in the processing section in the carrier at the positions where they were stored before the plasma processing, and the substrate accumulation device The carrier has a nozzle for injecting gas, and the gas is injected from the outside of the carrier through an opening in the carrier into the inside of the carrier. the upper area of A gas supply that supplies the gas to Department The nozzle outlet is located above the opening of the carrier. The gas supply unit further includes an exhaust unit that is connected to a load gate port provided on a bottom surface of the carrier when the carrier is placed on the placement unit and exhausts the inside of the carrier, and a downward flow of the gas is formed inside the carrier by the injection of the gas from the nozzle and the exhaust by the exhaust unit. do. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a substrate accumulation device, a plasma processing device, and a substrate accumulation method are provided that can prevent compounds remaining on a plasma-treated substrate from adhering to the surface of the substrate before plasma processing, even when a carrier stores a substrate before plasma processing and a substrate that has been plasma-treated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a layout diagram illustrating a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a transfer section. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a processing section. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a processing unit according to another embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a substrate integration device. [Figure 6] 5A and 5B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the arrangement of nozzles. [Figure 7] 10 is a graph illustrating the effect of a gas supply unit. [Figure 8] 10 is a graph illustrating the effect of a gas supply unit. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a gas supply unit according to another embodiment. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a gas supply unit according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, like components are designated by like reference numerals and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate. FIG. 1 is a layout diagram illustrating a plasma processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the plasma processing apparatus 1 includes, for example, a controller 2, a substrate stacking device 3, a carrier 4, a load lock unit 5, a transfer unit 6, and a processing unit 7.

[0016] The controller 2 includes, for example, a calculation unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit such as a memory. The controller 2 is, for example, a computer. The controller 2 controls the operation of each element provided in the plasma processing apparatus 1 based on, for example, a control program stored in the storage unit. For example, the controller 2 controls the gas supply unit 34, which will be described later. For example, after a door that covers the opening of the carrier 4 is opened by an opening / closing device 32b (see FIG. 5), which will be described later, the controller 2 controls the gas supply unit 34 to supply gas into the inside of the carrier 4. Furthermore, the controller 2 continues to supply gas into the inside of the carrier 4 until the plurality of substrates 100b stored in the carrier 4 have been processed and the carrier 4 is ready for the next process. The control of the gas supply unit 34 will be described in detail later.

[0017] At least one carrier 4 can be detachably attached to the substrate stacking apparatus 3. Three carriers 4 are attached to the substrate stacking apparatus 3 illustrated in FIG. The carrier 4 can store multiple substrates 100 in a stacked (multi-tiered) state and transport the stored multiple substrates 100 in a sealed state. The carrier 4 is box-shaped and has multiple slots inside that support the substrates 100. An opening is provided on one side of the carrier 4. Therefore, the substrates 100 can be transferred to and removed from the multiple slots through the opening. The carrier 4 also has a door that covers the opening. The carrier 4 may be a so-called pod. The pod may be, for example, a Front-Opening Unified Pod (FOUP), a Standard of Mechanical Interface (SMIF), etc. However, the carrier 4 is not limited to the example shown.

[0018] There is no particular limitation on the substrate 100. For example, the substrate 100 may be a plate-shaped substrate that can be housed in the carrier 4. For example, the substrate 100 may be a semiconductor wafer, Ga Las substrate etc. It is possible. The substrate integration device 3 will be described in detail later.

[0019] The load lock unit 5 is provided between the substrate accumulation device 3 and the transfer unit 6. The load lock unit 5 transfers the substrate 100 between the substrate accumulation device 3 and the transfer unit 6, which have different atmospheric pressures. To this end, the load lock unit 5 has a chamber 51, an exhaust unit 52, and a gas supply unit 53.

[0020] The chamber 51 has an airtight structure capable of maintaining an atmosphere at a reduced pressure below atmospheric pressure. An opening is provided in the side wall of the chamber 51 for loading and unloading the substrate 100. A gate valve 51a is also provided to open and close the opening. The chamber 51 is connected to the chamber 61 of the transfer unit 6 via the gate valve 51a. The chamber 51 is also connected to the housing 33 of the substrate integration apparatus 3 via the gate valve 51a.

[0021] The exhaust unit 52 exhausts the inside of the chamber 51 so that the pressure inside the chamber 51 becomes approximately equal to the pressure inside the chamber 61 of the transfer unit 6. The exhaust unit 52 includes, for example, a turbo molecular pump (TMP) and a pressure control unit (APC: Auto Pressure Controller). The pressure inside the chamber 51 may be set to be higher than the pressure inside the chamber 61. In this case, a dry pump, a mechanical booster pump, or the like may be used instead of the TMP.

[0022] The gas supply unit 53 supplies gas into the chamber 51 so that the pressure inside the chamber 51 becomes approximately equal to the pressure inside the housing 33 of the substrate integration apparatus 3. The gas to be supplied is, for example, clean dry air (CDA) or nitrogen gas.

[0023] The transfer unit 6 is provided between the processing unit 7 and the load lock unit 5. The transfer unit 6 transfers the substrate 100 between the processing unit 7 and the load lock unit 5. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the delivery unit 6. As shown in FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the transfer section 6 taken along the line AA in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer unit 6 has a chamber 61 , a transfer unit 62 , and an exhaust unit 63 .

[0024] The chamber 61 has an airtight structure capable of maintaining an atmosphere at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. The chamber 61 is connected to the chamber 74 (171) of the processing section 7 (17) via a gate valve 74b (171c).

[0025] The transfer unit 62 is provided inside the chamber 61. The transfer unit 62 transfers the substrate 100 between the processing unit 7 and the load lock unit 5. For example, the transfer unit 62 transfers the substrate 100 into and out of the processing unit 7. The transfer unit 62 can be, for example, a transfer robot (for example, an articulated robot) having an arm that holds the substrate 100.

[0026] The exhaust unit 63 reduces the pressure inside the chamber 61 to a predetermined pressure. The exhaust unit 63 is connected to the bottom surface of the chamber 61 via, for example, a pressure control unit 63a. The exhaust unit 63 can be, for example, a turbomolecular pump (TMP). The pressure control unit 63a controls the pressure inside the chamber 61 to a predetermined pressure based on the output of a pressure gauge (not shown) that detects the pressure inside the chamber 61. The pressure control unit 63a can be, for example, an auto pressure controller (APC).

[0027] The processing unit 7 performs plasma processing on the substrate 100 in an atmosphere reduced in pressure below atmospheric pressure. The processing unit 7 performs plasma processing using, for example, a corrosive gas. The corrosive gas is, for example, a gas containing fluorine, chlorine, sulfur, etc. The fluorine-containing gas is, for example, CF4, CF3, CHF3, etc. The chlorine-containing gas is, for example, Cl2, etc. The sulfur-containing gas is, for example, SF6, etc.

[0028] The processing unit 7 can be, for example, a device that performs plasma etching, plasma ashing, etc. However, there is no particular limitation on the type of plasma processing. Furthermore, there is no particular limitation on the method for generating plasma, and for example, plasma can be generated using high frequency waves or microwaves. That is, the processing section 7 may be any section that processes the substrate 100 by plasma processing using a corrosive gas.

[0029] There is also no particular limitation on the number of processing units 7. At least one processing unit 7 is required. When multiple processing units 7 are provided, devices performing the same type of plasma processing may be provided, or devices performing different types of plasma processing may be provided. Furthermore, when multiple devices performing the same type of plasma processing are provided, the processing conditions may be different for each device, or the processing conditions may be the same for each device.

[0030] The plasma processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with, as an example, four processing units 7 that perform the same type of plasma processing.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the processing unit 7. As shown in FIG. The processing unit 7 is a microwave-excited device generally called a "Chemical Dry Etching (CDE) device" or a "remote plasma device." The processing unit 7 generates plasma products from the process gas G using the plasma P, and processes the substrate 100 mainly using radicals contained in the plasma products.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, the processing section 7 includes, for example, a plasma generating section 71, an exhaust section 72, a microwave generating section 73, a chamber 74, a mounting section 75, and a gas supply section .

[0033] The plasma generating section 71 includes, for example, a discharge tube 71a, an introduction waveguide 71b, and a transport tube 71c. The discharge tube 71a has an area inside which plasma P is generated, and is provided at a position separated from the chamber 74. The discharge tube 71a has a tubular shape and can be made of a material that has high transmittance to microwaves M and is resistant to etching. For example, the discharge tube 71a is made of a dielectric material such as alumina or quartz.

[0034] Lead-in waveguide 71b is connected to the outside of discharge tube 71a so as to be approximately perpendicular to discharge tube 71a. A matching termination box 71b1 is provided at the end of lead-in waveguide 71b. A stub tuner 71b2 is provided at the inlet side of lead-in waveguide 71b (the side where microwaves M are introduced).

[0035] An annular slot 71b3 is provided at the connection between introduction waveguide 71b and discharge tube 71a. Microwaves M propagated inside introduction waveguide 71b are radiated into the inside of discharge tube 71a via slot 71b3.

[0036] One end of the transport pipe 71c is connected to the end of the discharge tube 71a opposite to the gas supply unit 76 side. The other end of the transport pipe 71c is connected to the chamber 74. The transport pipe 71c is made of a material that is resistant to radicals contained in the plasma products. The transport pipe 71c is made of, for example, quartz, stainless steel, ceramics, fluororesin, or the like.

[0037] The exhaust unit 72 reduces the pressure inside the chamber 74 to a predetermined level. The exhaust unit 72 can be connected to the bottom of the chamber 74 via, for example, a pressure control unit 63a. The exhaust unit 72 can be similar to the exhaust unit 63 described above.

[0038] Microwave generating unit 73 is provided at the end of introduction waveguide 71b opposite to the discharge tube 71a side. Microwave generating unit 73 generates microwaves M of a predetermined frequency (e.g., 2.45 GHz) and radiates them toward introduction waveguide 71b.

[0039] The chamber 74 has an airtight structure capable of maintaining an atmosphere at a reduced pressure below atmospheric pressure. An opening 74a for loading and unloading the substrate 100 is provided in the sidewall of the chamber 74. A gate valve 74b for opening and closing the opening 74a is also provided. The chamber 74 is connected to the chamber 61 of the transfer unit 6 via the gate valve 74b.

[0040] A rectifying plate 74c can be provided inside the chamber 74. The rectifying plate 74c can be provided on the inner wall of the chamber 74 so as to be approximately parallel to the mounting surface of the mounting portion 75. A gas containing radicals is introduced into the space between the rectifying plate 74c and the ceiling of the chamber 74 via a transport pipe 71c. The provision of the rectifying plate 74c makes it easy to make the amount of radicals on the processing surface of the substrate 100 approximately uniform.

[0041] The mounting part 75 is provided inside the chamber 74. The substrate 100 is placed on the upper surface of the mounting part 75. In this case, the substrate 100 may be placed directly on the upper surface of the mounting part 75, or may be placed on the mounting part 75 via a support member (not shown). The mounting part 75 may be provided with a holding device such as an electrostatic chuck.

[0042] The gas supply unit 76 is connected to the end of the discharge tube 71a opposite to the chamber 74 side. The gas supply unit 76 supplies the process gas G into the discharge tube 71a. A pressure control unit 76a can be provided between the gas supply unit 76 and the discharge tube 71a. The pressure control unit 76a controls the pressure of the process gas G supplied into the discharge tube 71a. The process gas G is the corrosive gas described above.

[0043] When plasma processing is performed on substrate 100, the pressure inside chamber 74 is reduced to a predetermined pressure by exhaust unit 72. At this time, the pressure inside discharge tube 71a, which is in communication with chamber 74, is also reduced. Next, process gas G at a predetermined pressure is supplied into discharge tube 71a from gas supply unit 76 via pressure control unit 76a. Furthermore, microwaves M of a predetermined power are radiated from microwave generation unit 73 into lead-in waveguide 71b. The radiated microwaves M propagate through lead-in waveguide 71b and are radiated into discharge tube 71a via slot 71b3.

[0044] The energy of the microwaves M radiated into the discharge tube 71a generates a plasma P. The generated plasma P excites and activates the process gas G, generating plasma products including radicals, ions, and the like.

[0045] Gas containing plasma products is supplied into chamber 74 via transport pipe 71c. At this time, ions with short lifespans cannot reach the interior of chamber 74, while radicals with long lifespans reach the interior of chamber 74. The radical-containing gas supplied into chamber 74 is rectified by rectifying plate 74c and reaches the processing surface of substrate 100, where plasma processing such as etching is performed. In this case, chemical processing using radicals is mainly performed. Furthermore, ions used for physical processing are not supplied into chamber 74, so the processing surface of substrate 100 is not damaged by the ions. Therefore, processing unit 7 is suitable for removing damage caused by, for example, etching processing using ions.

[0046] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a processing unit 17 according to another embodiment. 4 is an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus, which is an example of an apparatus that processes a substrate 100 by generating plasma P from a process gas G using high-frequency energy.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 4, the processing unit 17 includes, for example, a chamber 171, a mounting unit 172, an antenna 173, high-frequency power sources 174a and 174b, a gas supply unit 175, an exhaust unit 176, and the like.

[0048] The chamber 171 has, for example, a generally cylindrical shape with a bottom, and an airtight structure capable of maintaining an atmosphere at a reduced pressure below atmospheric pressure. A transmission window 171a is provided in the upper part of the chamber 171 so as to be airtight. The transmission window 171a has a plate shape and can be made of a material that has high transmittance to high-frequency energy and is resistant to etching during plasma processing. The transmission window 171a is made of, for example, a dielectric material such as quartz.

[0049] An opening 171b for loading and unloading the substrate 100 is provided in the sidewall of the chamber 171. A gate valve 171c for opening and closing the opening 171b is also provided. The chamber 171 is connected to the chamber 61 of the transfer unit 6 via the gate valve 171c.

[0050] The mounting portion 172 is provided inside the chamber 171. The substrate 100 is placed on the upper surface of the mounting portion 172. In this case, the substrate 100 may be placed directly on the upper surface of the mounting portion 172, or may be placed on the mounting portion 172 via a support member (not shown). The mounting portion 172 may be provided with a holding device such as an electrostatic chuck.

[0051] The antenna 173 supplies high-frequency energy (electromagnetic energy) to a region inside the chamber 171 where plasma P is to be generated. The plasma P is generated by the high-frequency energy supplied inside the chamber 171. For example, the antenna 173 supplies the high-frequency energy to the inside of the chamber 171 through the transmission window 171a.

[0052] The high-frequency power supply 174a is electrically connected to the antenna 173 via a matching device 174a1. The matching device 174a1 is provided with a matching circuit or the like for matching the impedance on the high-frequency power supply 174a side with the impedance on the plasma P side. The high-frequency power supply 174a is a power supply for generating the plasma P. That is, the high-frequency power supply 174a is provided for generating a high-frequency discharge inside the chamber 171 to generate the plasma P. The high-frequency power supply 174a applies high-frequency power having a frequency of about 100 KHz to 100 MHz to the antenna 173.

[0053] The high-frequency power supply 174b is electrically connected to the mounting part 172 via a matching box 174b1. The matching box 174b1 is provided with a matching circuit or the like for matching the impedance on the high-frequency power supply 174b side with the impedance on the plasma P side. The high-frequency power supply 174b controls the energy of ions attracted to the substrate 100 placed on the mounting part 172. The high-frequency power supply 174b applies high-frequency power having a frequency suitable for attracting ions (for example, 13.56 MHz or less) to the mounting part 172.

[0054] The gas supply unit 175 supplies the process gas G to a region inside the chamber 171 where the plasma P is generated via the flow rate control unit 175a. The flow rate control unit 175a may be, for example, a mass flow controller (MFC). The gas supply unit 175 may be connected to, for example, a sidewall of the chamber 171, near the transmission window 171a.

[0055] The exhaust unit 176 reduces the pressure inside the chamber 171 to a predetermined level. The exhaust unit 176 can be connected to the bottom surface of the chamber 171 via, for example, a pressure control unit 63a. The exhaust unit 176 can be similar to, for example, the exhaust unit 63 described above.

[0056] When performing plasma processing on substrate 100, the pressure inside chamber 171 is reduced to a predetermined level by exhaust unit 176, and a predetermined amount of process gas G is supplied from gas supply unit 175 to a region inside chamber 171 where plasma P is generated. Meanwhile, high-frequency power of a predetermined power is applied from high-frequency power supply 174a to antenna 173, and electromagnetic energy is radiated into chamber 171 through transmission window 171a. Also, high-frequency power of a predetermined power is applied from high-frequency power supply 174b to mounting unit 172 on which substrate 100 is mounted, and an electric field is formed that accelerates ions from plasma P toward substrate 100.

[0057] Plasma P is generated by the electromagnetic energy radiated inside chamber 171, and the generated plasma P excites and activates process gas G, generating plasma products such as neutral activated species and ions. These generated plasma products are then supplied to substrate 100, whereby substrate 100 is subjected to plasma processing.

[0058] Although a CDE (remote plasma) device and an ICP (inductively coupled plasma) device have been described above as examples of the processing unit, the processing unit is not limited to these plasma devices. For example, the processing unit may be a CCP (capacitively coupled plasma) device (e.g., a parallel plate RIE (reactive ion etching) device), or another microwave-excited plasma device (e.g., an SWP (surface wave plasma) device). Known technologies can be applied to the basic configuration of the plasma device, so detailed description will be omitted.

[0059] Next, the substrate integration device 3 will be further described. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the substrate integration device 3. As shown in FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate stacking apparatus 3 taken along the line BB in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate accumulation apparatus 3 includes, for example, a transfer unit 31, a placement unit 32, a housing 33, and a gas supply unit .

[0060] The transport unit 31 is provided inside the housing 33. The transport unit 31 transports and transfers the substrate 100 between the carrier 4 attached to the placement unit 32 of the substrate accumulation device 3 and the load lock unit 5. The transport unit 31 is provided with an arm 31a having a joint, and a holding means for holding the substrate 100 is provided at the tip of the arm 31a. The transport unit 31 can transfer or remove the substrate 100 to or from the carrier 4 or the load lock unit 5 by extending or bending the arm 31a.

[0061] Furthermore, arm 31a is provided on base 31c. Base 31c is provided on moving section 31b. Moving section 31b moves base 31c, for example, in the direction in which multiple carriers 4 are lined up. Therefore, moving section 31b can transport substrate 100 held by arm 31a to a predetermined position.

[0062] Also, for example, a means for adjusting the rotation direction or vertical position of arm 31a may be provided on base 31c, and a means for changing the direction of arm 31a may be provided on base 31c.

[0063] The mounting section 32 includes, for example, a stage 32a and an opening / closing device 32b. The stage 32a is provided outside the housing 33. The stage 32a can be provided, for example, on the side of the housing 33. The stage 32a can be provided at a position facing the load lock unit 5.

[0064] The carrier 4 is detachably mounted on the upper surface of the stage 32a. The stage 32a may be provided with positioning pins for positioning the mounted carrier 4, a chuck for holding the mounted carrier 4, and the like.

[0065] The opening and closing device 32b opens and closes a door that closes the opening of the carrier 4. The opening and closing device 32b is provided inside the housing 33. The opening and closing device 32b can be provided at a position facing the stage 32a.

[0066] The housing 33 is box-shaped and has an airtight structure that prevents particles from entering from the outside. A hole that communicates with the internal space of the carrier 4 is provided on the side of the housing 33 on the stage 32a side. A hole that communicates with the internal space of the chamber 51 is provided on the side of the housing 33 on the load lock unit 5 side.

[0067] A filter 33a and a blower fan 33b may be provided on the ceiling of the housing 33. The filter 33a may be, for example, a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter). The blower fan 33b may be, for example, a propeller fan. An exhaust port can be provided on the bottom surface of the housing 33.

[0068] Air introduced into the housing 33 by the blower fan 33b is filtered by the filter 33a and flows downward inside the housing 33. The air that has flowed inside the housing 33 is discharged to the outside through an exhaust port provided on the bottom surface of the housing 33. Therefore, the inside of the housing 33 can be filled with clean air. Furthermore, by introducing air into the housing 33, the pressure inside the housing 33 can be increased. If the pressure inside the housing 33 is higher than the pressure outside the housing 33, it is possible to prevent particles and the like from entering the inside of the housing 33.

[0069] Here, if the carrier 4 for storing the substrates 100b before plasma processing and the carrier 4 for storing the substrates 100a that have been subjected to plasma processing are provided separately, this will result in an increase in the size of the stage 32a and, in turn, an increase in the size of the substrate stacking apparatus 3. Furthermore, process control of the substrates 100 is performed using identification marks attached to the carrier 4. Therefore, providing separate carriers 4 will make process control more complicated.

[0070] Therefore, in general, the substrate 100a that has been taken out of the carrier 4 and subjected to the plasma treatment is stored in the same position on the carrier 4 as the substrate 100 before the plasma treatment. In other words, the substrate 100a that has been subjected to the plasma treatment and P The substrate 100b before plasma processing is stored.

[0071] When plasma processing is performed using a corrosive gas, components contained in the corrosive gas may remain as compounds on the surface of the plasma-treated substrate 100a. Therefore, when the plasma-treated substrate 100a and the untreated substrate 100 are stored in a single carrier 4, the compounds remaining on the surface of the plasma-treated substrate 100a may vaporize and adhere to the surface of the untreated substrate 100b. After extensive research, the present inventors have found that the compounds adhering to the surface of the untreated substrate 100b adversely affect the plasma processing, resulting in a decrease in yield in the next process.

[0072] Therefore, the substrate integration apparatus 3 according to this embodiment is provided with a gas supply unit 34. The gas supply unit 34 supplies gas from the outside of the carrier 4 to the inside of the carrier 4 through an opening in the carrier 4. The gas is supplied to an upper region inside the carrier 4. Therefore, a downward gas flow is formed inside the carrier 4.

[0073] As described above, the substrates 100b before plasma processing are sequentially removed from the bottom to the top of the carrier 4. Furthermore, the substrates 100a that have been subjected to plasma processing are stored in the same position on the carrier 4 as the substrates 100 before plasma processing. Therefore, the substrates 100a that have been subjected to plasma processing are stored in the lower region of the carrier 4, and the substrates 100b before plasma processing are stored in the upper region of the carrier 4.

[0074] In this case, if a downward gas flow is formed inside the carrier 4, it is possible to prevent the aforementioned residue components from migrating from the substrate 100a that has been subjected to plasma processing to the substrate 100b before plasma processing.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 1, the gas supply unit 34 includes a nozzle 34a, a gas control unit 34b, and a gas source 34c.

[0076] The nozzle 34a injects gas into an upper region inside the carrier 4. A nozzle 34a may be provided for each of a plurality of carriers 4, or one nozzle 34a may be provided for each of a plurality of carriers 4. In the example shown in FIG. 1, one nozzle 34a is provided for three carriers 4. Note that, as an example, a tubular nozzle 34a extending in the direction in which the plurality of carriers 4 are arranged is shown, but the shape of the nozzle 34a can be changed as appropriate. The nozzle 34a may be, for example, a so-called spray nozzle.

[0077] The gas control unit 34b is provided between the nozzle 34a and the gas source 34c. The gas control unit 34b controls at least one of the pressure and flow rate of the gas supplied to the nozzle 34a. The gas control unit 34b can also switch between starting and stopping the gas supply.

[0078] The gas source 34c supplies gas to the nozzle 34a via the gas control unit 34b. The gas source 34c may be, for example, a high-pressure cylinder containing gas, factory piping, or the like. There are no particular limitations on the gas as long as it has low reactivity with the substrate 100 and contains little moisture. The gas may be, for example, clean dry air or nitrogen gas.

[0079] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the arrangement of the nozzles 34a. 6, the nozzle 34a can be provided, for example, above the upper end of the opening 4a of the carrier 4. In this case, the nozzle outlet 34a1 is located above the opening 4a of the carrier 4. In this way, interference between the nozzle 34a and the arm 31a of the transport unit 31 can be prevented.

[0080] The nozzle 34a1 of the nozzle 34a is inclined downward with respect to the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the substrates 100. Therefore, gas can be supplied into the carrier 4 from a direction inclined downward with respect to the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the substrates 100. In this way, a downward gas flow is easily formed inside the carrier 4. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent residual components from migrating from the plasma-treated substrate 100a to the untreated substrate 100b.

[0081] For example, the angle θ between the center line of the ejection port 34a1 and the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the substrates 100 can be approximately 5° to 40°. For example, in the stacking direction of the substrates 100, the distance H between the top surface of the pre-plasma-processed substrate 100b stored at the top and the center of the nozzle 34a can be approximately 75 mm. For example, in the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the substrates 100, the distance L between the end of the pre-plasma-processed substrate 100b on the opening 4a side and the center of the nozzle 34a can be approximately 150 mm.

[0082] FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating the effect of the gas supply unit 34. In FIG. As can be seen from FIG. 7, if the gas supply unit 34 is provided, it is possible to significantly reduce the adhesion of residual components to the substrate 100b before plasma processing.

[0083] FIG. 8 is also a graph illustrating the effect of the gas supply unit . 8, the provision of the gas supply unit 34 can significantly reduce the adhesion of residual components as particles to the substrate 100b before plasma processing. Furthermore, even if the substrate 100b before plasma processing is kept inside the carrier 4 for a long period of time, the adhesion of residual components to the substrate 100b before plasma processing can be suppressed.

[0084] For example, the controller 2 can continue to supply gas into the carrier 4 until the substrates 100b housed in the carrier 4 have been processed and are ready for the next process.

[0085] FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a gas supply unit 134 according to another embodiment. The gas supply unit 134 is configured by adding an exhaust unit 34d to the gas supply unit 34 described above. A load gate port is provided on the bottom surface of the carrier 4. Therefore, for example, an exhaust unit 34d can be provided on the stage 32a so that when the carrier 4 is placed on the stage 32a, the exhaust unit 34d can be connected to the load gate port of the carrier 4. The exhaust unit 34d can be, for example, a blower.

[0086] If the exhaust section 34d is provided, the gas supplied from the nozzle 34a into the inside of the carrier 4 can be exhausted from the bottom side of the carrier 4. This makes it easier to form a downward gas flow inside the carrier 4. As a result, it is possible to further suppress the migration of residual components from the substrate 100a that has been subjected to plasma processing to the substrate 100b before plasma processing.

[0087] 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a gas supply unit 234 according to another embodiment. The gas supply unit 234 is configured by adding a moving unit 34e to the above-described gas supply unit 34. The moving unit 34e moves the nozzle 34a in the stacking direction of the substrates 100.

[0088] As described above, the plasma-treated substrates 100a are stored in the carrier 4 in the same position as the substrates before plasma processing. Furthermore, empty spaces 4b are created inside the carrier 4, equal to the number of substrates 100 undergoing plasma processing. If gas can be supplied to the empty spaces 4b, the supplied gas can separate the area storing the plasma-treated substrates 100a from the area storing the unprocessed substrates 100b. Therefore, migration of residual components from the plasma-treated substrates 100a to the unprocessed substrates 100b can be more effectively prevented.

[0089] In this case, the empty space 4b moves as the plasma processing progresses. If the moving unit 34e is provided, gas can be supplied to the empty space 4b even if the empty space 4b moves. The position of the empty space 4b can be determined, for example, from the position where the transport unit 31 removes the substrate 100b before plasma processing. Alternatively, a sensor for detecting the substrate 100 may be provided in the nozzle 34a or the like, and the position of the empty space 4b may be detected by the sensor.

[0090] As described above, in the method for stacking substrates according to the present embodiment, after the door covering the opening of the carrier 4 is opened, gas is supplied into the inside of the carrier 4 from above the opening. The carrier 4 stores multiple substrates 100 in a stacked manner, and can transport the stored multiple substrates 100 in a sealed state. Furthermore, in the substrate accumulation method, the gas is continuously supplied into the carrier 4 until the substrates 100b stored in the carrier 4 are processed and ready for the next process.

[0091] The method for integrating the substrates can be the same as that described above, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0092] Although the present embodiment has been described above as an example, the present invention is not limited to these descriptions. Any design modifications made by a person skilled in the art to the above-described embodiments are also encompassed within the scope of the present invention as long as they include the features of the present invention. For example, the shape, size, material, arrangement, number, etc. of each element included in the substrate integration device 3 and the plasma processing device 1 are not limited to those exemplified, and can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, the elements of each of the above-described embodiments can be combined to the greatest extent possible, and such combinations are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they include the features of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1 plasma processing apparatus, 3 substrate stacking device, 4 carrier, 7 processing section, 31 transport section, 32 placement section, 32b opening / closing device, 33 housing, 34 gas supply section, 34a nozzle, 34a1 injection port, 34b gas control section, 34c gas source, 34d exhaust section, 34e moving section, 100 substrate, 100a plasma-treated substrate, 100b substrate before plasma processing, 134 gas supply section, 234 gas supply section

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus including a substrate stacking device having a mounting section on which a carrier is mounted that stores a plurality of substrates in a stacked state and that can transport the stored plurality of substrates in a sealed state, a processing section, and a transport section, the processing unit processes the substrate removed from the carrier by plasma processing using a corrosive gas; the transport unit includes an arm that sequentially takes out the plurality of substrates before the plasma processing stored in the carrier placed on the placement unit, from bottom to top, and stores the substrates that have been processed in the processing unit in the carrier at positions where they were stored before the plasma processing; The substrate integration device includes: a gas supply unit having a nozzle for injecting a gas and supplying the gas from the outside of the carrier to an upper region inside the carrier through an opening in the carrier; the nozzle outlet is located above the opening of the carrier; the gas supply unit further includes an exhaust unit that is connected to a load gate port provided on a bottom surface of the carrier when the carrier is placed on the placement unit and that exhausts the inside of the carrier; a downward flow of the gas is formed inside the carrier by ejecting the gas from the nozzle and exhausting the gas by the exhaust unit; Plasma processing equipment.

2. an injection port of the nozzle is provided to inject the gas in a direction inclined downward with respect to a direction perpendicular to a stacking direction in which the plurality of substrates are stacked on the carrier placed on the placement section; 2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an angle between a center line of the nozzle outlet and a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction is 5° to 40°.

3. Further comprising a controller for controlling the gas supply unit, the placement unit has an opening / closing device that opens and closes a door that closes an opening of the carrier, 3. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the gas supply unit to supply the gas into the inside of the carrier after the opening / closing device opens a door that closes the opening of the carrier.

4. 4. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the controller continues to supply the gas into the carrier until the substrates housed in the carrier have been processed and the carrier is ready for the next process.

5. In the plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a carrier is configured to store a plurality of substrates in a stacked state, and the stored plurality of substrates can be transported in a sealed state. After a door that closes an opening of the carrier is opened, gas is supplied into the carrier from above the opening, The substrate stacking method continues to supply the gas into the carrier until the substrates stored in the carrier have been processed and are ready for the next process.

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