Apparatus for forming a film on a substrate and method for forming a film on a substrate

Abstract

To provide a technique for supplying a plurality of kinds of process gases on a plurality of substrates, each in turn, to efficiently perform a process with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A device for performing a film deposition process on a substrate accommodates the substrate in a plurality of substrate processing chambers formed by partitioning inside a processing chamber for performing the film deposition process in a circumferential direction, and supplies a first processing gas and a second processing gas that react to each other for forming a thin film as a reaction product from a gas supply part including a rotary body provided in the center part of the processing chamber. Then, the device repeatedly supplies gasses while switching between the first processing gas and the second processing gas for each of the substrate processing chambers by rotating the rotary body about the vertical axis using a rotary mechanism.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for performing a film formation process on a substrate and a method for performing a film formation process on a substrate. [Background technology]

[0002] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, a film formation process may be performed by sequentially supplying multiple types of gases to a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) as a substrate. Patent Document 1 describes such a film formation apparatus in which a rotor is provided at the center of a susceptor on which multiple wafers are placed, and first and second reactive gases are supplied from the rotor. The rotor is provided with a member for forming a separation region that separates the atmospheres of the respective processing regions to which the first and second reactive gases are supplied. When the rotor is rotated, the respective processing regions and separation region rotate and pass over the susceptor. As a result, the first and second processing gases are repeatedly supplied sequentially to each wafer placed on the susceptor, and film formation is performed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-114391 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique for efficiently processing a plurality of substrates by sequentially supplying a plurality of types of processing gases to the substrates using a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The apparatus of the present disclosure is an apparatus for performing a film formation process on a substrate in a processing container, a plurality of substrate processing chambers formed by dividing a space within the processing vessel in a circumferential direction when the processing vessel is viewed from above, each chamber accommodating a substrate and each chamber having an inlet for a processing gas facing a central portion of the processing vessel; a gas supply unit including a rotor provided in the center of the processing vessel, the gas supply unit having first gas supply holes for supplying a first processing gas and second gas supply holes for supplying a second processing gas, the first gas supply holes and second gas supply holes being formed at different positions along a circumferential direction of a side peripheral surface of the rotor, the first gas supply holes being for supplying a first processing gas and the second processing gas being the processing gases that react with each other to form a thin film of a reaction product on the surface of the substrate; a rotation mechanism that rotates the rotor about a vertical axis to alternately supply the first process gas and the second process gas to each of the substrate processing chambers through the inlet, The substrate processing chamber includes a partition member that partitions the space within the processing vessel into upper and lower sections; process a wall portion that circumferentially partitions a space between a ceiling surface of the container and the partition member, the partitioning member includes an elevating mechanism that elevates the partitioning member between a space forming position where an upper surface of the partitioning member contacts a lower end of the wall portion to form the plurality of substrate processing chambers and a retracted position where the partitioning member is retracted below the space forming position, By moving the partition member to the retracted position, a substrate is transferred between the inside and outside of the substrate processing chamber through a gap formed between the partition member and the lower end of the wall portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, with a simple configuration, a plurality of types of process gases can be supplied to a plurality of substrates in sequence, thereby enabling efficient processing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a film forming apparatus according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of the film forming apparatus at an upper position of a processing vessel. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of the processing vessel at a lower position. [Figure 4] 3A and 3B are a longitudinal sectional side view and a cross-sectional plan view of a gas supply unit of the film forming apparatus. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an external side view of a gas supply unit of the film forming apparatus. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a first explanatory diagram relating to the operation of a film forming process in a wafer processing chamber. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a second explanatory diagram relating to the operation of the film forming process in the wafer processing chamber. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a third explanatory diagram relating to the operation of the film forming process in the wafer processing chamber. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a fourth explanatory diagram relating to the operation of the film forming process in the wafer processing chamber. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a first operational diagram showing a film forming process in the film forming apparatus. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a second operational diagram showing the film forming process in the film forming apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, as one embodiment of an apparatus for performing a film formation process according to the present disclosure, a film formation apparatus 1 that performs a film formation process by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on a substrate, i.e., a wafer W, will be described. The film formation apparatus 1 of this example is configured to supply a source gas containing silicon (Si) and a nitriding gas, which is a reactive gas that reacts with the source gas, to the wafer W to cause a reaction and form a silicon nitride layer (SiN layer). These reactions are repeated multiple times to form a SiN film on the surface of the wafer W. Below, an example will be described in which DCS (Dichlorosilane) gas is used as the source gas and ammonia (NH3) gas is used as the nitriding gas. In this example, DCS gas corresponds to a first process gas, and ammonia gas corresponds to a second process gas.

[0009] 1 to 3, the film forming apparatus 1 includes a processing vessel 10 having a generally circular planar shape, and a susceptor 2 having a circular planar shape provided within the processing vessel 10. The susceptor 2 is provided to divide the space of the processing vessel 10 into upper and lower sections. In this respect, the susceptor 2 corresponds to a dividing member in this example. 1 and 3, the susceptor 2 is formed with a circular opening 21 large enough to accommodate a wafer W. The openings 21 are formed at multiple locations, for example, six locations, along the circumferential direction of the susceptor 2. Each opening 21 is formed to correspond to the placement position of the wafer W in the wafer processing chamber 200, which will be described later. An edge 22 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of each opening 21, for example, around the entire periphery, to support the periphery of the wafer W accommodated in the opening 21.

[0010] A vertically extending rotation shaft 23 is connected to the center of the lower surface of the susceptor 2. The rotation shaft 23 penetrates, for example, the bottom surface of the processing vessel 10, and its lower end is connected to a drive mechanism 24 provided below the processing vessel 10. The drive mechanism 24 allows the susceptor 2 to move up and down and rotate freely. The lower end of the rotation shaft 23 and the drive mechanism 24 are covered by a cover 240, which keeps the inside of the processing vessel 10 airtight. A cylindrical gas supply unit 4 is provided above the center of the upper surface of the susceptor 2 so as to penetrate the ceiling surface of the processing chamber 10. The detailed configuration of the gas supply unit 4 will be described later.

[0011] In the space between the ceiling surface of the processing vessel 10 and the susceptor 2, a plurality of partition walls 25 (six in this example) are provided to partition the space along the circumferential direction of the susceptor 2. As shown in Fig. 2, in a plan view, the partition walls 25 are provided to extend along the radial direction from the side wall of the processing vessel 10 toward the center of the susceptor 2. Here, the partition walls 25 in this example are configured so that their thickness gradually decreases from the periphery toward the center of the susceptor 2.

[0012] Each partition wall 25 is formed so as to leave an area where the above-mentioned gas supply unit 4 is disposed on the central side of the susceptor 2. Furthermore, an outer peripheral wall 26 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the susceptor 2, forming an arc-shaped side wall in plan view that is formed along the above-mentioned opening 21. The outer peripheral end of each partition wall 25 is connected to the outer peripheral wall 26. The lower surface of the partition wall 25 and the lower surface of the gas supply unit 4 are configured to be at the same height. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, contact seals 400 and 250 are provided on the lower surfaces of the gas supply unit 4 and the partition wall 25, respectively.

[0013] Then, using the drive mechanism 24 described above, the susceptor 2 is raised to a height position (space forming position) where the contact seals 400, 250 contact the upper surface of the susceptor 2, and the space surrounded by the partition wall 25 and the outer peripheral wall 26 is closed by the susceptor 2. As a result, wafer processing chambers 200 are partitioned and formed on the upper surface of the susceptor 2, each accommodating a wafer W housed in each opening 21. As shown in FIG. 2, the contact seals 400, 250 are provided so as to surround the entire periphery of each wafer processing chamber 200. The wafer processing chamber 200 corresponds to the substrate processing chamber in this example, and the partition wall 25 and the outer peripheral wall 26 correspond to the walls that form the wafer processing chamber 200. Here, when viewed circumferentially at the center of the susceptor 2, the area sandwiched between the ends of the adjacent partition wall portions 25 on the center side forms an inlet 201 that opens toward the center side (Figure 2).

[0014] Furthermore, when the drive mechanism 24 lowers the susceptor 2 to a position (retracted position) below the space forming position, each wafer processing chamber 200 is released. From this point of view, the drive mechanism 24 and the rotation shaft 23 correspond to a lifting mechanism for the susceptor 2. 1 and 3, a transfer port 18 for loading and unloading a wafer W is formed in the sidewall of the processing vessel 10 at a height position between the susceptor 2 and the outer peripheral wall 26 when the susceptor 2 is lowered to the retracted position. The transfer port 18 can be opened and closed by a gate valve 19.

[0015] Furthermore, the film forming apparatus 1 includes a plurality of stages 3 that raise the wafers W accommodated in the edge portions 22 of the openings 21 and horizontally hold the wafers W at a height position (processing position) above the upper surface of the susceptor 2. Each stage 3 is formed of a disk-shaped member, and a rotating shaft 31 is connected to its underside. The rotating shaft 31 penetrates, for example, the bottom surface of the processing vessel 10, and its lower end is connected to a driving mechanism 32 provided below the processing vessel 10. The driving mechanism 32 allows the stages 3 to be raised and lowered and rotated freely. The area where the lower end of the rotating shaft 31 penetrates the bottom surface of the processing vessel 10 is covered with a cover 320, thereby maintaining the interior of the processing vessel 10 airtight.

[0016] The diameter of the disk-shaped stage 3 is smaller than the diameter of the opening 21, and the stage 3 can be inserted into the wafer processing chamber 200 through the opening 21 and raised to the processing position. Furthermore, by lowering the stage 3, the stage 3 can be moved to an exit position where it exits the wafer processing chamber 200 through the opening 21. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 described below, the exit position of the stage 3 is set at a height lower than the retracted position of the susceptor 2. The drive mechanism 32 and the rotation shaft 31 correspond to an elevation mechanism that raises and lowers the stage 3, and also correspond to a substrate rotation mechanism that rotates the wafer W placed on the stage 3 about a vertical axis.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1 , a window hole 15 covered by a window 16 made of, for example, quartz glass is formed in the ceiling of the processing chamber 10, facing the upper surface of the stage 3 raised to the processing position. A heater 17a made of, for example, carbon wire is disposed above the window 16. The heater 17a emits infrared rays using power supplied from a power supply (not shown), heating the wafer W held on the stage 3 to a predetermined temperature through the window 16. For example, the heater 17a is used when performing an annealing process on the SiN film formed on the wafer W after a film formation process. While the configuration of the heaters 17a is simplified in FIG. 1 , each heater 17a is housed in a housing (not shown) that separates it from the surrounding atmosphere.

[0018] Meanwhile, heaters 17b similar to those on the ceiling surface of the processing vessel 10 are disposed below each stage 3 in the space below the susceptor 2 within the processing vessel 10. The space between each heater 17b and the susceptor 2 is partitioned by a bottom plate 14 made of, for example, quartz glass. The heaters 17b emit infrared rays using power supplied from a power supply unit (not shown), and heat the stage 3 from the rear side. Note that instead of the heaters 17b disposed below the stage 3, a heater made of a resistance heating element may be embedded within the stage 3.

[0019] Furthermore, an exhaust port 11 is formed in the sidewall of the processing vessel 10, which defines the space between the susceptor 2 and the bottom plate 14 (the space below the susceptor 2). The exhaust port 11 is connected to an exhaust unit 13 via an exhaust pipe 12 provided with an open / close valve V12. The exhaust unit 13 evacuates the wafer processing chamber 200 via each opening 21 formed in the susceptor 2.

[0020] Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the gas supply unit 4. As shown in Fig. 4, the gas supply unit 4 includes a cylindrical body 40 having an open bottom, and a columnar member 41 which is a rotating body inserted into the cylindrical body 40 and in which a gas flow path is formed. 4 and 5, cylindrical body 40 is disposed so as to penetrate the ceiling surface of processing vessel 10 in the vertical direction, with its lower side inserted into processing vessel 10. A flange portion 45 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of cylindrical body 40, and cylindrical body 40 is fixed to processing vessel 10 by disposing this flange portion 45 on the upper surface of processing vessel 10. An O-ring 46 is provided between the lower surface of flange portion 45 and the upper surface of processing vessel 10 to keep the atmosphere inside processing vessel 10 airtight.

[0021] The side wall surface of the cylindrical body 40 protruding from the top surface of the processing vessel 10 is formed with various gas inlets (DCS gas inlet 61, ammonia gas inlet 62, purge gas inlet 63, separation gas inlet 64) for receiving various gases from the gas supply mechanism 5 described later. 5, which is an external view of the gas supply unit 4 (cylindrical body 40), a plurality of gas supply slits 71 are formed along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical body 40 at the lower end side of the cylindrical body 40 inserted into the processing vessel 10. Each gas supply slit 71 is configured to extend over an area corresponding to the receiving port 201 of each wafer processing chamber 200 described with reference to FIG. 2. Alternatively, instead of providing the gas supply slits 71 in the cylindrical body 40, the height position of the lower end of the cylindrical body 40 may be set higher than the height position at which the openings of each gas flow path 65, 66, and 67 described below are formed, thereby exposing these openings.

[0022] The cylindrical member 41 is inserted into the cylindrical body 40 through an opening on the lower surface side of the cylindrical body 40. A rotation shaft 421 is connected to the upper surface of the cylindrical member 41, and the rotation shaft 421 penetrates the upper surface of the cylindrical body 40, with its upper end connected to a rotation drive unit 42 consisting of a rotation motor or the like arranged on the cylindrical body 40. With this configuration, the cylindrical member 41 is supported by being suspended by the rotation drive unit 42.

[0023] Bearings 43 and multiple bearings 44 are provided at different height positions between the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 40 and the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical member 41, and when the rotation shaft 421 is rotated by the rotation drive unit 42, the cylindrical member 41 rotates inside the cylindrical body 40. The rotation drive unit 42 and the rotation shaft 421 constitute a rotation mechanism that rotates the cylindrical member 41.

[0024] Annular grooves 65a, 66a, and 67a are formed in the cylindrical member 41 at height positions corresponding to the DCS gas inlet 61, the ammonia gas inlet 62, and the purge gas inlet 63 on the cylindrical body 40 side. Each of the annular grooves 65a, 66a, and 67a is a groove-like flow path formed around the entire outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical member 41.

[0025] Furthermore, the cylindrical member 41 is formed with gas flow paths 65, 66, and 67 that are connected to the annular grooves 65a, 66a, and 67a, respectively. That is, a DCS gas flow path 65 is connected to annular groove 65a formed at a height position corresponding to DCS gas inlet 61. DCS gas flow path 65 is formed to extend horizontally from the connection position with annular groove 65a toward the radial center of cylindrical member 41, and then changes its direction of formation downward. Furthermore, at a height position where gas supply slit 71 of cylindrical body 40 is formed, DCS gas flow path 65 changes its direction of formation horizontally again, extends radially outward, and then opens on the outer circumferential surface of cylindrical member 41 (see also the cross-sectional plan view in FIG. 4(b)).

[0026] Next, an ammonia gas flow path 66 is connected to an annular groove 66a formed at a height position corresponding to the ammonia gas inlet 62. The ammonia gas flow path 66 is formed to extend horizontally from the connection position with the annular groove 66a toward the radial center of the cylindrical member 41, and then changes its formation direction downward. As shown in the cross-sectional plan view of FIG. 4(b), the ammonia gas flow path 66 branches into three at a height position where the gas supply slit 71 of the cylindrical body 40 is formed. Each of the branched ammonia gas flow paths 66 is formed to extend horizontally in a different direction and each opens on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 41. Here, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the openings of these three ammonia gas flow paths 66 are formed adjacent to each other along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 41 at intervals.

[0027] A purge gas flow path 67 is connected to an annular groove 67a formed at a height corresponding to the purge gas inlet 63. The purge gas flow path 67 extends horizontally from the connection position with the annular groove 67a toward the radial center of the cylindrical member 41, and then changes its direction downward. As shown in the cross-sectional plan view of FIG. 4(b), the purge gas flow path 67 branches into two at a height where the gas supply slit 71 of the cylindrical body 40 is formed. The branched ammonia gas flow paths 66 extend horizontally in different directions and each open on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical member 41. As shown in FIG. 4(b), the openings of these two ammonia gas flow paths 66 are formed between the opening of the DCS gas flow path 65 and the opening of the ammonia gas flow path 66.

[0028] 4(b), the openings of the gas flow paths 65, 66, and 67 on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 41 are formed at equal intervals. Of the openings shown in FIG. 4(b), the opening of the DCS gas flow path 65 corresponds to a first gas supply hole for supplying a first process gas. The opening of the ammonia gas flow path 66 corresponds to a second gas supply hole for supplying a second process gas. The opening of the purge gas flow path 67 corresponds to a purge gas supply hole for supplying a purge gas, which will be described later.

[0029] 4(a) is adjusted to make it easier to understand the connection relationship between the gas inlets 61, 62, 63 and the annular grooves 65a, 66a, 67a. Therefore, FIG. 4(a) does not strictly represent the vertical cross-sectional shapes of the actual gas flow paths 65, 66, 67.

[0030] 4(a), separation gas inlets 64 are provided above and below the ammonia gas inlet 62. Separation gas channels 68 are formed at the height positions corresponding to the positions at which these separation gas inlets 64 are formed. Each separation gas channel 68 is a groove-like channel formed around the entire outer periphery of the cylindrical member 41.

[0031] Next, the configuration of the gas supply mechanism 5 that supplies various gases to the gas supply unit 4 having the above-described configuration will be described. The gas supply mechanism 5 is provided with a DCS supply source 501 that stores DCS gas as a raw material gas, an ammonia supply source 502 that stores ammonia gas as a nitriding gas, and an inert gas supply source 503 that stores argon (Ar) gas as an inert gas. Mass flow controllers M51, M52, M53 and on-off valves V51, V52, V53 are connected to the gas supply sources 501, 502, 503, respectively.

[0032] A DCS gas supply line 51 is connected to the DCS supply source 501 at a position downstream of an on-off valve V51. The downstream end of the DCS gas supply line 51 is connected to a DCS gas inlet 61, and serves to supply DCS gas to a DCS gas flow path 65. An ammonia gas supply line 52 is connected to the ammonia supply source 502 at a position downstream of the on-off valve V52. The downstream end of the ammonia gas supply line 52 is connected to an ammonia gas inlet 62, and serves to supply ammonia gas to an ammonia gas flow path 66.

[0033] Furthermore, a purge gas supply line 53 is connected to the inert gas supply source 503 at a position downstream of the on-off valve V51. The downstream end of the purge gas supply line 53 is connected to a purge gas inlet 63, and serves to supply Ar gas, which is a purge gas, to a purge gas flow path 67. Furthermore, two separation gas supply lines 54 branch off from the purge gas supply line 53. The downstream ends of these separation gas supply lines 54 are connected to a separation gas inlet 64, and serve to supply Ar gas, which is a separation gas, to a separation gas flow path 68.

[0034] Returning to the explanation of Fig. 1, the film forming apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration includes a control unit 100. The control unit 100 is configured by a computer having a CPU and a storage unit, and controls each unit of the film forming apparatus 1. The storage unit stores a program that includes a group of steps (commands) for controlling the operation of the film forming apparatus 1. This program is stored in a storage medium such as a hard disk, a compact disk, a magnetic optical disk, or a memory card, and is installed from there into the computer.

[0035] Next, the operation of the film forming apparatus 1 will be described. Before a wafer W to be processed is loaded into the film forming apparatus 1, the heaters 17a and 17b are turned off, the susceptor 2 is moved to the retracted position, and the stage 3 is waiting in the retracted position. The drive mechanism 24 is used to rotate the susceptor 2, so that the opening 21 through which the wafer W is loaded faces the transfer port 18.

[0036] 6, the gate valve 19 is opened, and the external transfer mechanism 9 holding the wafer W is introduced into the film forming apparatus 1. The transfer mechanism 9 stops at a position above the opening 21. Here, the transfer mechanism 9 includes, for example, a fork that holds the peripheral edge of the wafer W, and the fork is configured to hold an area closer to the peripheral edge than the area where the wafer W is held by the stage 3.

[0037] Thereafter, the stage 3 below the transfer mechanism 9 is raised from the exit position to the processing position. The entry height of the transfer mechanism 9 is set to a height position lower than the processing position, and the wafer W held by the transfer mechanism 9 is pushed up from below by the stage 3, thereby transferring the wafer W. In this manner, in the film forming apparatus 1 of this example, the wafer W is transferred (carried in and out) between the area that becomes the wafer processing chamber 200 and the outside through the gap formed between the susceptor 2 and the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 26 that forms part of the wall of the wafer processing chamber 200.

[0038] 7, the transfer mechanism 9 is withdrawn to the outside of the film forming apparatus 1, and the stage 3 that has received the wafer W is lowered to the withdrawal position. By this operation, the wafer W is delivered to the edge 22 formed in the opening 21 of the susceptor 2. Next, the susceptor 2 is rotated so that the openings 21 into which the wafers W have not been loaded are positioned in front of the transfer port 18. Then, the operations described with reference to Figures 6 and 7 are repeated to transfer wafers W to all of the openings 21, and the gate valve 19 is closed.

[0039] 8, the susceptor 2 is raised to a space forming position, and the outer peripheral wall 26 and the underside of the gas supply unit 4 (specifically, the contact seals 250, 400) are brought into contact with the surface of the susceptor 2. By this operation, the wafer processing chamber 200 is formed around the gas supply unit 4. Furthermore, the stage 3 provided corresponding to each opening 21 is raised to the processing position, and vacuum evacuation is performed by the exhaust unit 13. By this operation, the wafers W in each opening 21 are transferred to the stage 3, and these wafers W are placed in the processing position, as shown in Fig. 9. Furthermore, by lifting the wafers W, the openings 21 are opened, and the atmosphere inside the wafer processing chamber 200 can be exhausted through the openings 21. Thereafter, the stage 3 is rotated around the vertical axis, and the lower heater 17b is turned on.

[0040] 4, cylindrical member 41 is rotated using rotation drive unit 42, and the supply of various gases from gas supply mechanism 5 begins. As a result, DCS gas introduced through DCS gas inlet 61 passes through annular groove 65a and DCS gas flow path 65 and is discharged from one opening on the lower end thereof. Also, ammonia gas introduced through ammonia gas inlet 62 passes through annular groove 66a and ammonia gas flow path 66 and is discharged from three openings on the lower end thereof.

[0041] The purge gas introduced through the purge gas inlet 63 passes through the annular groove 67a and the purge gas flow passage 67, and is discharged from the two openings on the lower end side thereof. The separation gas introduced through the separation gas inlet 64 flows into the separation gas flow path 68, which is an annular groove, and a portion of it flows out into the gap between the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical member 41 and the inner circumferential surface of the tubular body 40. This prevents contact between the DCS gas supplied to the DCS gas flow path 65 and the ammonia gas supplied to the ammonia gas flow path 66, and suppresses the formation of reaction products in the gas supply unit 4.

[0042] By the above-described operation, the openings of the gas flow paths 65, 66, 66 of the rotating cylindrical member 41 pass through the region where the gas supply slit 71 is formed. As a result, the gases discharged from these openings are supplied to the wafer processing chamber 200 through the inlet 201 formed in the region opposite the gas supply slit 71. Here, the height position at which the gases are discharged through the gas supply slit 71 is set higher than the height position at which the wafer W is held by the stage 3 at the processing position. As described above, in each wafer processing chamber 200, various gases can be supplied from the gas supply unit 4 in a switchable manner while the stage 3 (wafer W) is inserted into the wafer processing chamber 200.

[0043] The supply of each gas to the wafer processing chamber 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. In FIGS. 10 and 11, the wafer processing chambers 200 hatched with diagonal lines indicate that DCS gas is being supplied. The flow of DCS gas is indicated by thick arrows. The wafer processing chambers 200 hatched with dots indicate that ammonia gas is being supplied. The flow of ammonia gas is indicated by thin solid arrows. Furthermore, the wafer processing chambers 200 without hatching indicate that purge gas is being supplied. The flow of purge gas is indicated by dashed arrows. Furthermore, for ease of explanation, the wafer processing chambers 200 in FIGS. 10 and 11 are identified by the identification symbols (1) to (6).

[0044] 10(A), DCS gas is supplied to wafer processing chamber 200 (1) provided with transfer port 18 at a predetermined timing, and purge gas is supplied to wafer processing chambers 200 (2) and (6) located on the left and right of it. Furthermore, ammonia gas is supplied to wafer processing chambers 200 (3) to (5) on the far side as viewed from transfer port 18. Although simplified in FIGS. 10(A) to (C) and 11(A) to (C), gas supplied from gas supply unit 4 is supplied into each wafer processing chamber 200 via the aforementioned inlet port 201.

[0045] 10(A), the cylindrical member 41 in the gas supply unit 4 is rotated, for example, clockwise when viewed from above while each gas is being discharged, thereby switching the gas supply state to each wafer processing chamber 200 in the order of FIGS. 10(A) to 10(C) and 11(A) to 11(C).

[0046] The process performed in each wafer processing chamber 200 in accordance with the gas supply operation described above will now be described. Taking wafer processing chamber 200 (1) provided with transfer port 18 as an example, DCS gas is first supplied as shown in FIG. 10(A). Subsequently, the gas supplied to the wafer processing chamber 200 switches from DCS gas to purge gas, ammonia gas, ammonia gas, ammonia gas, and purge gas in this order. Furthermore, by rotating cylindrical member 41, each gas is repeatedly supplied in the same order. For the other wafer processing chambers 200 (2) to (6), gases are repeatedly supplied in the order DCS gas → purge gas → ammonia gas → ammonia gas → ammonia gas → purge gas.

[0047] As various gases are supplied in this manner, DCS gas is first adsorbed onto the surface of the wafer W accommodated in each wafer processing chamber 200. Unadsorbed DCS gas is exhausted through the opening 21 to the space below the susceptor 2 and then through the exhaust port 11 to the exhaust section 13 (the same applies to the exhaust of other gases). Next, a purge gas is supplied, which promotes the exhaust of unadsorbed DCS gas within the wafer processing chamber 200. Next, ammonia gas is supplied into the wafer processing chamber 200, and the DCS adsorbed on the wafer W reacts with the ammonia gas to form a thin film layer of silicon nitride (SiN) as a reaction product on the surface of the wafer W. Next, a purge gas is supplied into the wafer processing chamber 200, which promotes the exhaust of ammonia gas remaining within the wafer processing chamber 200.

[0048] By continuing to rotate the cylindrical member 41, gases are repeatedly supplied in the order of DCS gas → purge gas → ammonia gas → purge gas. As a result, on the wafer W, the formation of the above-described thin SiN layers is repeatedly carried out, and SiN layers are stacked to form a SiN film.

[0049] The cylindrical members 41 are rotated for a predetermined period of time, and once a SiN film of a predetermined thickness has been formed on the wafers W accommodated in each wafer processing chamber 200, the supply of each gas from the gas supply mechanism 5 is stopped and the rotation of the cylindrical members 41 is stopped. Thereafter, the heater 17a is turned on as necessary to perform an annealing process. Next, the rotation of the stage 3 is stopped and the stage 3 is lowered to the exit position, thereby transferring the wafer W to the edge 22 of the opening 21. Thereafter, the processed wafers W are transferred sequentially to the external transfer mechanism 9 in the reverse order of the operations described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9 . At this time, after the wafer W is transferred from each opening 21, a transfer operation may be performed to transfer the next wafer W to be processed into that opening 21.

[0050] The film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment is configured to switch between supplying process gases from a gas supply unit 4 having a rotating cylindrical member 41 therein to a plurality of fixedly arranged wafer processing chambers 200. Therefore, with a simple configuration, a plurality of types of process gases (DCS gas, ammonia) can be supplied to a plurality of wafers W in turn, thereby efficiently processing the wafers W.

[0051] Here, in the film forming apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, the type of process gas supplied to the wafer processing chamber 200 is not limited to the above example. For example, a gas other than DCS gas containing silicon, such as bis(tert-butylaminosilane) (BTBAS) gas, may be used as the source gas, which is the first process gas. The type of element contained in the source gas is not limited to silicon, and may contain other types of metal elements, such as titanium or tungsten. Furthermore, when forming a composite oxide film, multiple different types of source gases may be supplied separately to adjacent wafer processing chambers 200.

[0052] Furthermore, the reactive gas, which is the second process gas, may be ammonia gas for forming a SiN film, or oxygen gas or ozone gas for forming a SiO film. Furthermore, if it is necessary to activate these reactive gases, an activation mechanism such as an inductively coupled antenna or a microwave antenna for converting the reactive gas into plasma and activating it may be provided on the ceiling side of the process vessel 10 facing the stage 3.

[0053] When supplying these various source gases and reactive gases, the supply pattern of the various gases to the multiple wafer processing chambers 200 is not limited to the examples described with reference to Figures 10 and 11. For example, the number of wafer processing chambers 200 to which the source gas is supplied may be increased to two or more depending on the ease of adsorption of the source gas. Also, the number of wafer processing chambers 200 to which the reactive gas is supplied may be reduced to two or less depending on the ease of reaction of the reactive gas.

[0054] Furthermore, it is not essential to provide wafer processing chambers 200 to which purge gas is supplied. For example, if the source gas and reactive gas concentrations in each wafer processing chamber 200 can be sufficiently reduced by vacuum evacuation using the exhaust unit 13 alone, it is not necessary to supply purge gas. In this case, the source gas and reactive gas may be alternately supplied using wafer processing chambers 200 (1) to (6) shown in FIG. 10(A), for example. The number of wafer processing chambers 200 provided in the film forming apparatus 1 is not limited to the example of six chambers, but may be five chambers or less (however, multiple wafer processing chambers 200 may be provided), or may be seven chambers or more.

[0055] Furthermore, in the film forming apparatus 1 that switches between and supplies a plurality of types of gases to each wafer processing chamber 200 by rotating the cylindrical member 41, it is not essential to insert a rotatable stage 3 into each wafer processing chamber 200 to process the wafers W. For example, the stage 3 may be fixed to the upper surface of a susceptor 2 that is configured to be able to move up and down. In this case, for example, an exhaust port 11 may be provided on the side wall of the processing vessel 10 in each wafer processing chamber 200, and the interior of each wafer processing chamber 200 may be evacuated to a vacuum.

[0056] As discussed above, the disclosed embodiments should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] W wafer 1 Film deposition equipment 10 Processing container 200 wafer processing chambers 201 Inlet 25 Compartment wall 26 Outer wall 3 Stages 4 Gas supply section 40 Cylindrical body 41 Cylindrical member 42 Rotation drive unit 5 Gas supply mechanism

Claims

1. An apparatus for performing a film formation process on a substrate in a processing vessel, a plurality of substrate processing chambers formed by dividing a space within the processing vessel in a circumferential direction when the processing vessel is viewed from above, each chamber accommodating a substrate and each chamber having an inlet for a processing gas facing a central portion of the processing vessel; a gas supply unit including a rotor provided in the center of the processing vessel, the gas supply unit having first gas supply holes for supplying a first processing gas and second gas supply holes for supplying a second processing gas, the first gas supply holes and second gas supply holes being formed at different positions along a circumferential direction of a side peripheral surface of the rotor, the first gas supply holes being for supplying a first processing gas and the second processing gas being the processing gases that react with each other to form a thin film of a reaction product on the surface of the substrate; a rotation mechanism that rotates the rotor about a vertical axis to alternately supply the first process gas and the second process gas to each of the substrate processing chambers through the inlet, the substrate processing chamber is formed by a partition member that partitions a space within the processing vessel into upper and lower sections, and a wall portion that partitions a space between a ceiling surface of the processing vessel and the partition member in a circumferential direction, the partitioning member includes an elevating mechanism that elevates the partitioning member between a space forming position where an upper surface of the partitioning member contacts a lower end of the wall portion to form the plurality of substrate processing chambers and a retracted position where the partitioning member is retracted below the space forming position, By moving the partition member to the retracted position, a gap is formed between the partition member and the lower end of the wall portion, allowing substrates to be loaded and unloaded between the inside of the substrate processing chamber and the outside.

2. a plurality of openings formed in a partition member corresponding to the positions of the substrates in the substrate processing chamber; a plurality of stages provided corresponding to the plurality of substrate processing chambers, the stages being configured to be freely raised and lowered between a processing position where the substrate is inserted into the substrate processing chamber through the opening and the exit position where the substrate is exited to the outside of the substrate processing chamber; 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an exhaust unit connected to the processing vessel that defines a space below the partition member, and that evacuates the interiors of the plurality of substrate processing chambers via the opening.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of stages is provided with a substrate rotation mechanism that rotates the substrate placed on the stage about a vertical axis.

4. The processing vessel is provided with three or more substrate processing chambers, 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a purge gas supply hole is formed on the side surface of the rotating body of the gas supply unit at a position between the first gas supply hole and the second gas supply hole as viewed circumferentially, for supplying a purge gas to the substrate processing chamber to which the first processing gas and the second processing gas are not supplied.

5. A method for performing a film formation process on a substrate in a process chamber, comprising: a plurality of substrate processing chambers formed by dividing a space within the processing vessel in a circumferential direction when the processing vessel is viewed from above, each chamber accommodating a substrate and each chamber having an inlet for a processing gas facing a central portion of the processing vessel; a gas supply unit including a rotor provided in the center of the processing vessel, the gas supply unit having first gas supply holes for supplying a first processing gas and second gas supply holes for supplying a second processing gas, the first processing gas and the second processing gas being formed at different positions along a circumferential direction of a side circumferential surface of the rotor, the first gas supply holes and second gas supply holes being processing gases that react with each other to form a thin film of a reaction product on the surface of the substrate; the substrate processing chamber is formed by a partition member that partitions a space within the processing vessel into upper and lower sections, and a wall portion that partitions a space between a ceiling surface of the processing vessel and the partition member in a circumferential direction, the partitioning member includes an elevating mechanism that elevates the partitioning member between a space forming position where an upper surface of the partitioning member contacts a lower end of the wall portion to form the plurality of substrate processing chambers and a retracted position where the partitioning member is retracted below the space forming position, rotating the rotor about a vertical axis; repeatedly supplying the first process gas and the second process gas from the rotating rotor to each of the substrate processing chambers through the gas inlet; and a step of moving the partition member forming the substrate processing chamber from the space forming position to the retracted position, thereby transporting substrates between the inside of the substrate processing chamber and the outside through a gap formed between the partition member and the lower end of the wall portion.

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