Film forming equipment

Abstract

To provide a deposition equipment that improves productivity.SOLUTION: A deposition equipment has a substrate support portion that is rotatable and supports a substrate, and a plurality of gas introduction portions that introduce different gases, and the plurality of gas introduction portions form a plurality of gas supply areas with different gas species introduced on the substrate support portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a film forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a film forming apparatus that supplies source gases by a side flow method to form a SiC film on a substrate.

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a film formation apparatus including a plurality of decomposition chambers to which different source gases are supplied and which selectively decompose the supplied source gases by different decomposition methods to generate film formation precursors that contribute to film formation, and a film formation chamber in which the plurality of decomposition chambers are independently connected to each other and in which a substrate is placed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-16885 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-225792 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a film forming apparatus that improves productivity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A film formation apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a rotatable substrate support unit that supports a substrate, and a plurality of gas introduction units that introduce different gases; the gas inlet is disposed to be inclined downward, and a central axis of an outlet of the gas inlet is offset from a rotation axis of the substrate support; The plurality of gas introduction parts include: a gas supply device arranged on a circumference centered on a rotation axis of the substrate support unit, the gas supply device being eccentric to the rotation axis of the substrate support unit; A plurality of gas supply regions into which different types of gas are introduced are formed above the substrate support. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a film forming apparatus that improves productivity. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an example of a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment as viewed from above; [Figure 3] 10 is a graph showing an example of changes in gas concentration of each process gas at an observation position on a rotating substrate support; [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a state near the surface of a substrate in a film forming apparatus according to a first reference example. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a gas flow rate in the film forming apparatus of the first reference example. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state near the surface of a substrate in a film forming apparatus according to a second reference example. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a gas flow rate in a film forming apparatus according to a second reference example. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a state near a surface of a substrate in a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is another example of a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the film forming apparatus according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations may be omitted.

[0010] <Film forming equipment 1> An example of a film formation apparatus 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is an example of a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the film formation apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. The film formation apparatus 1 will be described as a thermal CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatus that forms a SiC film on a substrate W such as a wafer.

[0011] The container 11 is made of, for example, SUS (stainless steel) and has a generally cylindrical shape with a vertical central axis. A gate valve 12 is provided on the side of the container 11 for loading and unloading the substrate W into and from the container 11. A cylindrical heat insulator 13 is provided on the inner wall of the container 11. The heat insulator 13 is made of, for example, carbon. A flow path (not shown) through which cooling water flows is formed in the container 11, and the container 11 is cooled by the cooling water supplied from a cooling water supply device (not shown) flowing through the flow path of the container 11.

[0012] A substrate support section 20 for placing and supporting a substrate W is provided within the container 11. The substrate support section 20 has three stages 21 to 23 for placing and supporting a substrate W, respectively. The stages 21 to 23 also have stage heaters (not shown) for heating the placed substrate W. The stage heaters heat the substrate W placed on the stages 21 to 23 to a desired temperature (for example, 1600°C).

[0013] Stage 21 is configured to be able to rotate (spin) in rotation direction 24 around the central axis of stage 21 as the rotation axis. Stage 22 is configured to be able to rotate (spin) in rotation direction 25 around the central axis of stage 22 as the rotation axis. Stage 23 is configured to be able to rotate (spin) in rotation direction 26 around the central axis of stage 23 as the rotation axis.

[0014] Furthermore, the substrate support part 20 is configured to be able to rotate in a rotation direction 27 around the central axis of the container 11 (rotation axis 100 shown in FIG. 2). That is, the stages 21 to 23 are configured to be able to rotate (revolve) in the rotation direction 27 around the rotation axis of the substrate support part 20 (rotation axis 100 shown in FIG. 2).

[0015] The film forming apparatus 1 has gas inlet portions 31 to 33 for introducing various gases into the container 11. Gas inlet sections 31 to 33 are made of, for example, quartz or carbon. Gas inlet sections 31 to 33 also have a gas heating section (not shown) that heats the gas introduced into container 11. The gas heating section heats the gas introduced into container 11 to a desired temperature (for example, 800°C). The temperature of the gas heated by the gas heating section may differ depending on the type of gas.

[0016] The gas inlet 31 is connected to a processing gas supply unit 34. The processing gas supply unit 34 has a gas supply source (not shown) that supplies a Si-containing gas (e.g., a SiH4-based gas), which is an example of a processing gas, a mass flow controller (not shown), and an on-off valve (not shown), and supplies the Si-containing gas to the gas inlet 31 at a controlled flow rate.

[0017] The gas inlet 32 ​​is connected to a processing gas supply unit 36. The processing gas supply unit 36 ​​has a gas supply source (not shown) that supplies a C-containing gas (e.g., a CH-based gas), which is an example of a processing gas, a mass flow controller (not shown), and an on-off valve (not shown), and supplies the C-containing gas to the gas inlet 32 ​​at a controlled flow rate.

[0018] The gas inlet 33 is connected to a process gas supply unit 38. The process gas supply unit 38 has a gas supply source (not shown) that supplies an additive gas, which is an example of a process gas, a mass flow controller (not shown), and an on-off valve (not shown), and supplies the additive gas at a controlled flow rate to the gas inlet 33. The additive gas is, for example, a Cl-containing gas (e.g., a Cl-based gas such as HCl or Cl). The Cl-containing gas, when added to the Si-containing gas and the C-containing gas used to form the SiC film, improves surface defects in the SiC film and reduces stacking faults in the SiC film.

[0019] Gas inlet 31 is connected to cleaning gas supply unit 35. Gas inlet 32 ​​is connected to cleaning gas supply unit 37. Gas inlet 33 is connected to cleaning gas supply unit 39. Cleaning gas supply units 35, 37, and 39 each have a gas supply source (not shown) that supplies a cleaning gas (e.g., ClF3 gas), a mass flow controller (not shown), and an on-off valve (not shown), and supply a flow-controlled cleaning gas to gas inlets 31 to 33.

[0020] When a film is formed on the substrate W, by-products adhere to the gas inlet parts 31 to 33 and the inner wall of the container 11 (thermal insulation 13). The cleaning gas cleans the by-products adhered to the gas inlet parts 31 to 33 and the inner wall of the container 11 (thermal insulation 13).

[0021] The film forming apparatus 1 has a gas exhaust unit 40 that exhausts gas from the inside of the container 11. The gas exhaust unit 40 exhausts the inside of the container 11 to a desired vacuum atmosphere.

[0022] The control unit 50 is, for example, a computer, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), an auxiliary storage device, etc. The CPU operates based on a program stored in the ROM or the auxiliary storage device, and controls the operation of the film forming apparatus 1. The control unit 50 may be provided inside or outside the film forming apparatus 1. When the control unit 50 is provided outside the film forming apparatus 1, the control unit 50 can control the film forming apparatus 1 via communication means such as wired or wireless.

[0023] When forming a SiC film on the substrate W, the control unit 50 controls the gas exhaust unit 40 to exhaust the inside of the container 11 to a desired vacuum atmosphere. The control unit 50 also controls the stage heaters of the stages 21 to 23 to heat the substrate W placed on the stages 21 to 23 to a desired temperature.

[0024] The control unit 50 also controls the process gas supply unit 34 to control the flow rate of the Si-containing gas introduced into the container 11 from the gas introduction unit 31. The control unit 50 also controls the gas heating unit of the gas introduction unit 31 to heat the Si-containing gas introduced into the container 11 from the gas introduction unit 31 to a desired temperature. Similarly, the control unit 50 also controls the process gas supply unit 36 ​​to control the flow rate of the C-containing gas introduced into the container 11 from the gas introduction unit 32. The control unit 50 also controls the gas heating unit of the gas introduction unit 32 to heat the C-containing gas introduced into the container 11 from the gas introduction unit 32 to a desired temperature. The control unit 50 also controls the process gas supply unit 38 to control the flow rate of the Cl-containing gas introduced into the container 11 from the gas introduction unit 33. The control unit 50 also controls the gas heating unit of the gas introduction unit 33 to heat the Cl-containing gas introduced into the container 11 from the gas introduction unit 33 to a desired temperature.

[0025] In addition, the control unit 50 controls a rotation drive unit (not shown) that drives the substrate support unit 20 to rotate (spin) the stage 21 in rotation direction 24, rotate (spin) the stage 22 in rotation direction 25, rotate (spin) the stage 23 in rotation direction 26, and rotate (revolve) the stages 21 to 23 in rotation direction 27.

[0026] Here, the introduction direction of gases introduced into the container 11 from the gas introduction parts 31 to 33 will be further explained using FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is an example of a view of the film formation apparatus 1 according to one embodiment as seen from above. Note that in FIG. 2, the illustration of the stages 21 to 23 is omitted, and they are illustrated as the substrate support part 20. Also, in FIG. 2, the introduction direction of gases in the gas introduction parts 31 to 33 is indicated by arrows.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the substrate support 20 rotates in a rotation direction 27 about a rotation axis 100. In the example shown in Figure 2, the substrate support 20 rotates counterclockwise.

[0028] The gas introduction parts 31 to 33 are arranged at equal intervals on a circumference centered on the rotation axis 100 of the substrate support part 20 when the film formation apparatus 1 is viewed from above.

[0029] Gas introduction units 31 to 33 are arranged to introduce gas toward a position eccentric to rotation axis 100 of substrate support unit 20. Gas introduction unit 31 introduces a Si-containing gas toward gas supply region 101. Gas introduction unit 32 introduces a C-containing gas toward gas supply region 102. Gas introduction unit 33 introduces a Cl-containing gas toward gas supply region 103. Gas supply regions 101 to 103 are arranged in the circumferential direction of substrate support unit 20, and are equally spaced on a circle centered on rotation axis 100 of substrate support unit 20.

[0030] As a result, the process gas introduced from the gas introduction parts 31 to 33 forms a clockwise gas flow when viewed from above the film formation apparatus 1. That is, the direction of rotation of the gas formed by the process gas introduced from the gas introduction parts 31 to 33 (clockwise in the example of FIG. 2) is opposite to the direction of rotation 27 of the substrate support part 20 (counterclockwise in the example of FIG. 2).

[0031] 1, the gas inlets 31 to 33 are arranged at a downward incline, forming a downward gas flow. The process gas is introduced into the container 11 from the gas inlets 31 to 33, which are provided at a position higher than the substrate support part 20 (stages 21 to 23), and is exhausted by the gas exhaust part 40 from a position lower than the substrate support part 20 (stages 21 to 23), thereby forming a downward gas flow.

[0032] Due to these clockwise and downward gas flows, the process gas introduced into the container 11 from the gas inlets 31 to 33 forms a spiral gas flow above the substrate support 20.

[0033] FIG. 3 is an example of a graph showing changes in gas concentration of each process gas at observation position 200 on rotating substrate support 20. In FIG.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, as the substrate support 20 rotates in a rotation direction 27, an observation position 200 on the substrate support 20 passes through a gas supply region 101, a gas supply region 102, and a gas supply region 103 repeatedly.

[0035] As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the concentration 301 of the Si-containing gas, the concentration 302 of the C-containing gas, and the concentration 303 of the Cl-containing gas at the observation position 200 on the substrate support 20 change periodically.

[0036] Next, the effects of the film forming apparatus 1 according to one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8, in comparison with a reference example.

[0037] As a film formation apparatus of the first reference example, a film formation apparatus in which a substrate support part that supports the substrate W is fixed and does not rotate, and in which a processing gas is introduced by a top flow method will be described as an example. Fig. 4 is an example of a schematic diagram showing the state near the surface of the substrate W in the film formation apparatus of the first reference example. Fig. 5 is an example of a schematic diagram showing the state of gas flow rate in the film formation apparatus of the first reference example.

[0038] 4, a diffusion layer 401 in which a process gas containing a Si-containing gas, a C-containing gas, and a Cl-containing gas diffuses and accumulates is formed on the surface of the substrate W. The process gas in the diffusion layer 401 deposits a SiC film on the surface of the substrate W. Arrows 421 schematically indicate the amount of process gas supplied to the diffusion layer 401.

[0039] 5, the processing gas supplied to the substrate W by the top flow method forms a gas flow (arrow 403) that flows radially outward from the center of the substrate W between the substrate W and the top plate 402. In this case, the flow velocity distribution 411 can be expressed as the flow velocity distribution between the fixed plates by treating the substrate W and the top plate 402 as fixed plates, using the following equation (1): where x and y represent the coordinate system, μ represents the viscosity coefficient, p represents the pressure, and h represents the distance between the plates. u=1 / μ(-dp / dx)(hy)y (1)

[0040] 5, the gas flow rate is slow near the surface of the substrate W. As a result, the supply of the processing gas to the diffusion layer 401 (indicated by the arrow 421 in FIG. 4) is not performed efficiently.

[0041] Next, a second reference example of a film formation apparatus will be described, taking as an example a case where a substrate support part supporting a substrate W rotates and a processing gas is introduced by a top flow method. Fig. 6 is an example of a schematic diagram showing a state near the surface of a substrate W in the film formation apparatus of the second reference example. Fig. 7 is an example of a schematic diagram showing a state of a gas flow rate in the film formation apparatus of the second reference example.

[0042] 6, a diffusion layer 401 in which a process gas containing a Si-containing gas, a C-containing gas, and a Cl-containing gas diffuses and accumulates is formed on the surface of the substrate W. The process gas in the diffusion layer 401 deposits a SiC film on the surface of the substrate W. Arrows 422 schematically indicate the amount of process gas supplied to the diffusion layer 401.

[0043] 7, the processing gas supplied to the substrate W by the top flow method forms a gas flow (arrow 403) that flows radially outward from the center of the substrate W between the substrate W and the top plate 402. In this case, by regarding the substrate W as a moving plate and the top plate 402 as a fixed plate, the flow velocity distribution 412 can be expressed as the flow velocity distribution between the fixed plate and the moving plate by the following equation (2): where x and y indicate the coordinate system, μ is the viscosity coefficient, p is the pressure, h is the distance between the plates, and U is the moving speed of the moving plate. u=1 / 2μ(-dp / dx)(hy)y+Uy / h ···(2)

[0044] In the film formation apparatus of the second reference example, as shown by the flow rate distribution 412 in Fig. 7, the gas flow rate can be increased near the surface of the substrate W compared to the film formation apparatus of the first reference example. This allows the supply of processing gas to the diffusion layer 401 (indicated by the arrow 422 in Fig. 6) to be increased. This improves the film formation rate of the SiC film and the productivity of the film formation apparatus 1.

[0045] Next, the film forming apparatus 1 according to one embodiment will be described. Fig. 8 is an example of a schematic diagram showing the state of the vicinity of the surface of the substrate W in the film forming apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0046] In the film forming apparatus 1 according to one embodiment, the supply of processing gas to the diffusion layer 401 (indicated by arrow 422 in FIG. 8) can be increased by rotating the substrate support part 20 in the same manner as in the film forming apparatus of the second reference example.

[0047] Furthermore, in the film forming apparatus 1 according to one embodiment, the rotation direction of the gas formed by the processing gas introduced from the gas introduction parts 31 to 33 (clockwise in the example of FIG. 2) is configured to be opposite to the rotation direction 27 of the substrate support part 20 (counterclockwise in the example of FIG. 2), thereby further increasing the supply of processing gas to the diffusion layer 401 (indicated by arrow 422 in FIG. 8).

[0048] 3, the concentration of each process gas increases or decreases at observation position 200 on rotating substrate support 20. For example, when substrate support 20 rotates and observation position 200 reaches gas supply region 101, the concentration of the Si-containing gas inside diffusion layer 401 becomes relatively lower than that outside diffusion layer 401, and the Si-containing gas supplied to diffusion layer 401, as indicated by arrow 422, increases.

[0049] Thereafter, when the substrate support part 20 further rotates and the observation position 200 reaches the gas supply region 102, the concentration of the C-containing gas inside the diffusion layer 401 becomes relatively lower than that outside the diffusion layer 401, and the C-containing gas supplied to the diffusion layer 401 as indicated by the arrow 422 increases. On the other hand, the concentration of the Si-containing gas inside the diffusion layer 401 becomes relatively higher than that outside the diffusion layer 401, and the Si-containing gas discharged from the diffusion layer 401 as indicated by the arrow 423 increases.

[0050] Similarly, when the substrate support part 20 further rotates and the observation position 200 reaches the gas supply region 103, the concentration of the Cl-containing gas inside the diffusion layer 401 becomes relatively lower than that outside the diffusion layer 401, and the Cl-containing gas supplied to the diffusion layer 401 as indicated by arrow 422 increases. On the other hand, the concentration of the C-containing gas inside the diffusion layer 401 becomes relatively higher than that outside the diffusion layer 401, and the C-containing gas discharged from the diffusion layer 401 as indicated by arrow 423 increases.

[0051] Furthermore, when the substrate support part 20 rotates further and the observation position 200 reaches the gas supply region 101 again, the concentration of the Si-containing gas inside the diffusion layer 401 becomes relatively lower than that outside the diffusion layer 401, and the Si-containing gas supplied to the diffusion layer 401 as indicated by the arrow 422 increases. On the other hand, the concentration of the Cl-containing gas inside the diffusion layer 401 becomes relatively higher than that outside the diffusion layer 401, and the Cl-containing gas discharged from the diffusion layer 401 as indicated by the arrow 423 increases.

[0052] In this manner, the observation position 200 on the substrate support 20 sequentially passes through the gas supply regions 101 to 103 containing different gas species. In other words, the observation position 200 sequentially passes through the gas supply region 101 containing a high concentration of Si-containing gas and the gas supply regions 102 and 103 containing a low concentration of Si-containing gas. The observation position 200 also sequentially passes through the gas supply region 102 containing a high concentration of C-containing gas and the gas supply regions 103 and 101 containing a low concentration of Si-containing gas. The observation position 200 also sequentially passes through the gas supply region 103 containing a high concentration of Cl-containing gas and the gas supply regions 101 and 102 containing a low concentration of Si-containing gas. This difference in gas concentration promotes the flow of the process gas to the diffusion layer 401. This improves the deposition rate of the SiC film and the productivity of the film deposition apparatus 1.

[0053] That is, the substrate W supported by the stages 21 to 23 of the substrate support part 20 passes sequentially through the gas supply regions 101 to 103 containing different gas species (gas concentrations), thereby promoting the supply of processing gas to the diffusion layer 401 on the surface of the substrate W, improving the deposition rate of the SiC film, and increasing the productivity of the film deposition apparatus 1.

[0054] Although the film formation apparatus 1 according to one embodiment has been described as having three stages 21 to 23 as shown in FIG. 1, the present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 9 is another example of a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the film formation apparatus 1 according to one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the film formation apparatus 1 may have two stages 21 and 22. Although not shown, the film formation apparatus 1 may have one stage or four or more stages.

[0055] Furthermore, although the film formation apparatus 1 according to one embodiment has been described as having three gas inlets 31 to 33, this is not limited thereto. The number of gas inlets may be increased or decreased depending on the number of gas species to be supplied. Also, multiple gas inlets may be provided for each gas species. This increases the number of times the process gas concentration changes during one rotation of the substrate support member 20, thereby facilitating the supply of the process gas to the diffusion layer 401 on the surface of the substrate W, improving the deposition rate of the SiC film, and improving the productivity of the film formation apparatus 1.

[0056] The above describes the film forming apparatus 1, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure as described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] W substrate 1 Film deposition equipment 11 Container 12 Gate valve 13. Insulation 20 Substrate support Stages 21-23 24~27 Rotation direction 31~33 Gas inlet 34, 36, 38 Processing gas supply section 35, 37, 39 Cleaning gas supply unit 40 Gas exhaust section 50 control section 100 Rotation Axis 101~103 Gas supply area 200 Observation Position 401 Diffusion Layer

Claims

1. a substrate support portion that is rotatably provided and supports a substrate; a plurality of gas introduction units for introducing different gases; the gas inlet is disposed with a downward incline, a central axis of the outlet of the gas inlet part is offset from a rotation axis of the substrate support part; The plurality of gas introduction parts include: arranged on a circumference centered on the rotation axis of the substrate support part, introducing a gas toward a position eccentric from a rotation axis of the substrate support; forming a plurality of gas supply regions onto the substrate support portion, into which different types of gas are introduced; Film deposition equipment.

2. The film forming apparatus comprises: A CVD apparatus that introduces a plurality of gases of different types into one processing space through a plurality of the gas inlet portions and performs a film formation process on the substrate by a CVD method, The gas introduced into the processing space is a spiral gas flow is formed above the substrate support by a gas flow in a rotational direction as viewed from above the film forming apparatus and a downward gas flow; The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The plurality of gas supply regions include: arranged on a circumference centered on the rotation axis of the substrate support part, The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a rotation direction of the gas flow formed by the gases introduced from the plurality of gas introduction parts and a rotation direction of the substrate support part are opposite to each other; The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The substrate support includes: having a plurality of stages for supporting the substrate; The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The stage is provided rotatably around a central axis of the stage as a rotation axis. The film forming apparatus according to claim 5 .

7. the stage is provided rotatably around a rotation axis of the substrate support part; 7. The film forming apparatus according to claim 5 or 6.

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