Substrate processing apparatus and temperature adjustment method

Abstract

To provide a technology that can efficiently adjust temperature condition when forming films on a plurality of substrates.SOLUTION: A substrate processing device includes a processing container, a temperature control unit, and a control unit. The control unit includes a calculation unit that calculates a correction temperature that equalizes the film thickness within the plane of a substrate, a first temperature change amount calculation unit that calculates a first temperature change amount on the basis of the calculated corrected temperature and thermal model, a second temperature change amount calculation unit that calculates a second temperature change amount on the basis of temperature sequence simulation using the calculated correction temperature, a temperature comparison unit that calculates a temperature difference between the first temperature change amount and the second temperature change amount, a film thickness information calculation unit that calculates information related to the thickness of the film to be formed on the basis of the calculated temperature difference, and a temperature adjustment information calculation unit that calculates temperature adjustment information to make the film thickness uniform in each of the plurality of zones on the basis of information related to the calculated film thickness.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a temperature adjustment method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing apparatus that deposits desired films on the surfaces of multiple substrates (wafers) by supplying a processing gas while heating the substrates in a processing chamber. To optimize temperature control during film deposition, the substrate processing apparatus calculates temperature conditions that aim to uniformize the film thickness between each substrate (inter-surface uniformity), and then calculates temperature conditions that aim to uniformize the film thickness within the surface of each substrate (in-surface uniformity).

[0003] However, when a substrate processing apparatus performs film formation based on the temperature conditions for in-plane uniformity, the inter-plane uniformity calculated previously between each substrate may be lost. In this case, the substrate processing apparatus is required to readjust the inter-plane uniformity calculated previously after calculating the temperature conditions for in-plane uniformity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-111042 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique that can efficiently adjust temperature conditions when forming films on multiple substrates. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including a processing vessel for performing substrate processing to form films on a plurality of substrates, a temperature adjustment unit for adjusting temperatures of the plurality of substrates accommodated inside the processing vessel for each of a plurality of preset zones, and a control unit for controlling operation of the temperature adjustment unit, wherein the control unit includes a calculation unit configured to calculate, for each of the plurality of zones, a correction temperature for uniforming film thicknesses within the surfaces of the substrates based on a thermal model stored in advance, a first temperature change amount calculation unit configured to calculate, for each of the plurality of zones, a first temperature change amount based on the calculated correction temperature and the thermal model, and a temperature sequence control unit configured to execute a temperature sequence control using the calculated correction temperature. a second temperature change amount calculation unit configured to calculate a second temperature change amount based on the simulation for each of the plurality of zones by performing a simulation of the temperature difference; a temperature comparison unit configured to calculate a temperature difference between the first temperature change amount and the second temperature change amount for each of the plurality of zones; a film thickness information calculation unit configured to calculate information related to the film thickness of a film to be formed for each of the plurality of zones based on the calculated temperature difference; and a temperature adjustment information calculation unit configured to calculate temperature adjustment information for uniforming the film thickness for each of the plurality of zones based on the calculated information related to the film thickness. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect, it is possible to efficiently adjust the temperature conditions when forming films on a plurality of substrates. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating an overall configuration of a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 10 is a graph schematically showing temperature changes in inter-wafer uniformity adjustment and in-wafer uniformity adjustment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of adjusting the temperature for in-plane uniformity adjustment based on a thermal model. [Figure 4]Fig. 4(A) is a table showing an example of the correction temperatures calculated for each of multiple zones for in-wafer uniformity adjustment, and Fig. 4(B) is an explanatory diagram showing the process from creating a thermal model to actually performing substrate processing based on the correction temperatures. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing functional blocks of a control unit when a temperature adjustment method is performed. [Figure 6] Fig. 6(A) is an explanatory diagram showing an image of a process for eliminating film thickness deviation, and Fig. 6(B) is an explanatory diagram showing an image of a temperature tilt in one zone. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of a temperature adjustment method. 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] 1, a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment is configured as a vertical film forming apparatus that arranges a plurality of substrates W in a vertical direction (up and down direction) and performs substrate processing to form a desired film on the surface of the substrate W. Examples of the substrate W include a silicon wafer, a semiconductor substrate such as a compound semiconductor wafer, or a glass substrate.

[0011] The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing vessel 10 that accommodates a plurality of substrates W, and a temperature-controlled furnace 50 (temperature control unit) that is disposed around the processing vessel 10. The substrate processing apparatus 1 also includes a control unit 90 that controls the operation of each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0012] The processing vessel 10 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. An internal space IS is formed inside the processing vessel 10, in which multiple substrates W can be arranged vertically. The processing vessel 10 includes, for example, a cylindrical inner cylinder 11 with an open upper end (ceiling) and lower end, and a cylindrical outer cylinder 12 disposed outside the inner cylinder 11, having a ceiling and an open lower end. The inner cylinder 11 and the outer cylinder 12 are formed of a heat-resistant material such as quartz and have a double structure arranged coaxially. The processing vessel 10 is not limited to a double structure, and may be a single-cylinder structure or a multiple structure consisting of three or more cylinders.

[0013] The inner cylinder 11 has a diameter larger than the diameter of each substrate W, and an axial length large enough to accommodate each substrate W (for example, equal to or greater than the height of each substrate W). A processing space (part of the internal space IS) is formed inside the inner cylinder 11, in which gas is ejected onto each accommodated substrate W to perform substrate processing. An opening 15 is provided at the upper end of the inner cylinder 11, which communicates with the processing space and allows gas to flow into a communication space (another part of the internal space IS) between the inner cylinder 11 and the outer cylinder 12.

[0014] Furthermore, a housing portion 13 for housing a gas nozzle 31 is formed along the vertical direction at a portion of the circumferential direction of the inner cylinder 11. As an example, the housing portion 13 is provided inside a protrusion 14 that protrudes a portion of the side wall of the inner cylinder 11 radially outward. Note that instead of the opening 15 at the upper end, the inner cylinder 11 may be provided with a vertically long opening (not shown) at an appropriate position on the circumferential wall (for example, on the opposite side of the central axis from the housing portion 13).

[0015] The outer cylinder 12 has a larger diameter than the inner cylinder 11, covers the inner cylinder 11 without contacting it, and forms the outer shape of the processing vessel 10. A flow space between the inner cylinder 11 and the outer cylinder 12 is formed above and to the sides of the inner cylinder 11, and allows gas that has moved upward to flow vertically downward.

[0016] The lower end of the processing vessel 10 is supported by a cylindrical manifold 17 made of stainless steel. For example, the manifold 17 has a manifold-side flange 17f at its upper end. The manifold-side flange 17f fixes and supports an outer cylinder-side flange 12f formed at the lower end of the outer cylinder 12. A seal member 19 that airtightly seals the outer cylinder 12 and the manifold 17 is provided between the outer cylinder-side flange 12f and the manifold-side flange 17f.

[0017] The manifold 17 also has an annular support portion 20 on the inner wall on the upper side. The support portion 20 protrudes radially inward to fix and support the lower end of the inner cylinder 11. A lid body 21 is removably attached to a lower end opening 17o of the manifold 17.

[0018] The lid 21 is part of a substrate placement unit 22 that places the wafer boat 16 holding the substrates W inside the processing vessel 10. The lid 21 is made of, for example, stainless steel and has a disk shape. With the substrates W placed in the internal space IS, the lid 21 airtightly closes the lower end opening 17o of the manifold 17 via a seal member 18 provided at the lower end of the manifold 17.

[0019] A rotation shaft 24 that rotatably supports the wafer boat 16 via a magnetic fluid seal 23 penetrates the center of the lid 21. A lower portion of the rotation shaft 24 is supported by an arm 25A of a lifting mechanism 25 configured by a boat elevator or the like. By raising and lowering the arm 25A of the lifting mechanism 25, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can move the lid 21 and the wafer boat 16 up and down together, thereby inserting and removing the wafer boat 16 into and from the processing vessel 10.

[0020] A rotating plate 26 is provided at the upper end of the rotating shaft 24. The wafer boat 16, which holds the substrates W, is supported on the rotating plate 26 via a heat insulating unit 27. The wafer boat 16 is configured as a shelf that can hold the substrates W at regular intervals along the vertical direction. When the substrates W are held by the wafer boat 16, the surfaces of the substrates W extend horizontally relative to each other.

[0021] The gas supply unit 30 is inserted into the processing vessel 10 via the manifold 17. The gas supply unit 30 introduces gases such as a processing gas, a purge gas, and a cleaning gas into the internal space IS of the inner cylinder 11. The gas supply unit 30 has gas nozzles 31 that introduce the processing gas, the purge gas, the clean gas, and the like. Although only one gas nozzle 31 is shown in FIG. 1, the gas supply unit 30 may be provided with multiple gas nozzles 31. For example, multiple gas nozzles 31 may be provided for each type of gas, such as the processing gas, the purge gas, and the clean gas.

[0022] The gas nozzle 31 is a quartz injector tube that extends vertically within the inner cylinder 11 and is bent at its lower end into an L-shape so as to penetrate the inside and outside of the manifold 17. The gas nozzle 31 is fixed to and supported by the manifold 17. The gas nozzle 31 has a plurality of gas holes 31h spaced at regular intervals along the vertical direction, and discharges gas horizontally through each gas hole 31h. The intervals between the gas holes 31h are set to be the same as the intervals between the substrates W supported on the wafer boat 16, for example. The vertical positions of the gas holes 31h are set to be midway between the substrates W adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. This allows the gas holes 31h to smoothly circulate through the gaps between the substrates W.

[0023] The gas supply unit 30 supplies a processing gas, a purge gas, a cleaning gas, etc. to a gas nozzle 31 inside the processing vessel 10 while controlling the flow rate outside the processing vessel 10. The processing gas may be selected appropriately depending on the type of film to be formed on the substrate W. For example, when forming a silicon oxide film, a silicon-containing gas such as dichlorosilane (DCS) gas and an oxidizing gas such as ozone (O) gas can be used as the processing gas. For example, nitrogen (N) gas or argon (Ar) gas can be used as the purge gas.

[0024] The gas exhaust unit 40 exhausts gas inside the processing vessel 10 to the outside. The gas supplied by the gas supply unit 30 moves from the processing space of the inner cylinder 11 to the circulation space, and then is exhausted through the gas outlet 41. The gas outlet 41 is formed above the support unit 20 in the manifold 17. An exhaust path 42 of the gas exhaust unit 40 is connected to the gas outlet 41. The gas exhaust unit 40 includes, in order from upstream to downstream of the exhaust path 42, a pressure adjustment valve 43 and a vacuum pump 44. The gas exhaust unit 40 sucks gas inside the processing vessel 10 using the vacuum pump 44 and adjusts the flow rate of the exhausted gas using the pressure adjustment valve 43, thereby adjusting the pressure inside the processing vessel 10.

[0025] Furthermore, a temperature sensor 80 is provided in the internal space IS of the processing vessel 10 (e.g., the processing space of the inner cylinder 11) to detect the temperature inside the processing vessel 10. The temperature sensor 80 has multiple (five in this embodiment) temperature sensors 81-85 at different vertical positions. The multiple temperature sensors 81-85 may be thermocouples, resistance temperature sensors, or the like. The temperature sensors 81-85 are provided at positions corresponding to multiple zones (described below) set along the vertical direction of the processing vessel 10. The temperature sensor 80 transmits the temperatures detected by each of the multiple temperature sensors 81-85 to the control unit 90.

[0026] On the other hand, the temperature-controlled furnace 50 is formed in a cylindrical shape that covers the entire processing vessel 10, and heats and cools each substrate W accommodated in the processing vessel 10. Specifically, the temperature-controlled furnace 50 has a cylindrical housing 51 with a ceiling and a heater 52 provided inside the housing 51.

[0027] The housing 51 is formed to be larger than the processing vessel 10, and its central axis is installed at approximately the same position as the central axis of the processing vessel 10. For example, the housing 51 is attached to the upper surface of a base plate 54 to which the outer cylinder side flange 12f is fixed. The housing 51 is installed at a distance from the outer peripheral surface of the processing vessel 10, thereby forming a temperature-controlled space 53 between the outer peripheral surface of the processing vessel 10 and the inner peripheral surface of the housing 51. The temperature-controlled space 53 is provided so as to be continuous with the sides and above the processing vessel 10.

[0028] The housing 51 includes a heat insulating section 51a having a ceiling and covering the entire processing vessel 10, and a reinforcing section 51b that reinforces the heat insulating section 51a on the outer periphery of the heat insulating section 51a. That is, the sidewall of the housing 51 has a laminated structure of the heat insulating section 51a and the reinforcing section 51b. The heat insulating section 51a is formed mainly of, for example, silica, alumina, or the like, and suppresses heat transfer within the heat insulating section 51a. The reinforcing section 51b is formed of a metal such as stainless steel. In addition, to suppress thermal influence on the outside of the temperature-controlled furnace 50, the outer periphery of the reinforcing section 51b is covered with a water-cooling jacket (not shown).

[0029] The heater 52 of the temperature-controlled furnace 50 may have an appropriate configuration for heating the plurality of substrates W in the processing vessel 10. For example, the heater 52 may be an infrared heater that radiates infrared rays to heat the processing vessel 10. In this case, the heater 52 is formed in a linear shape and is held on the inner circumferential surface of the heat insulating part 51a via a holding means (not shown) in a spiral, annular, arc-shaped, shank-shaped, or serpentine shape.

[0030] The heater 52 is divided into multiple sections (five in this embodiment) along the vertical direction of the temperature-controlled furnace 50, and each section is connected to a temperature control driver 55. The temperature control driver 55 is connected to a control unit 90, and supplies power adjusted under the control of the control unit 90 to the connected heater 52 to heat the heater 52. This allows the substrate processing apparatus 1 to independently adjust the temperature of the processing chamber 10 for each of the multiple zones in which the multiple divided heaters 52 are provided. Hereinafter, the multiple zones set in the processing chamber 10 will also be referred to as "TOP," "CT," "CTR," "CB," and "BTM," in order from top to bottom.

[0031] Furthermore, the temperature-controlled furnace 50 includes an external circulation unit 60 that circulates a cooling gas (air, inert gas) through the temperature-controlled space 53 to cool the processing vessel 10 during substrate processing. Specifically, the external circulation unit 60 includes an external supply path 61 and a flow rate regulator 62 that are provided outside the temperature-controlled furnace 50, a supply flow path 63 that is provided in the reinforcing portion 51b, and a supply hole 64 that is provided in the heat-insulating portion 51a. The external supply path 61 may also be provided with a temperature regulator (heat exchanger, radiator, etc.) to regulate the temperature of the air that flows into the temperature-controlled space 53.

[0032] The external supply path 61 is connected to a blower (not shown), which supplies air toward the temperature-controlled furnace 50. The external supply path 61 branches into multiple branch paths 61a along its length. A flow rate regulator 62 is provided for each of the multiple branch paths 61a to regulate the flow rate of air flowing through each branch path 61a. The multiple flow rate regulators 62 can independently change the flow rate of air under the control of the control unit 90. The supply flow paths 63 are formed at multiple locations along the axial direction (vertical direction) of the reinforcement portion 51b and extend annularly along the circumferential direction within the cylindrical reinforcement portion 51b. Each supply hole 64 is formed to penetrate the insulation portion 51a and communicates with each supply flow path 63. The air introduced into each supply flow path 63 is ejected toward the temperature-controlled space 53.

[0033] The external circulation unit 60 also has an exhaust hole 65 in the ceiling of the housing 51 that exhausts air supplied into the temperature-controlled space 53. The exhaust hole 65 is connected to an external exhaust path 66 provided outside the housing 51. The external exhaust path 66 exhausts the air in the temperature-controlled space 53 toward an appropriate waste portion. Alternatively, the external circulation unit 60 may be configured to circulate the air used in the temperature-controlled space 53 by connecting the external exhaust path 66 to the external supply path 61.

[0034] The control unit 90 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be a computer having a processor 91, a memory 92, an input / output interface (not shown), etc. The processor 91 is one or a combination of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a circuit made up of a plurality of discrete semiconductors, etc. The memory 92 is an appropriate combination of a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory (for example, a compact disc, a digital versatile disc (DVD), a hard disk, a flash memory, etc.).

[0035] The memory 92 stores a program for operating the substrate processing apparatus 1 and a recipe for substrate processing conditions and the like. The processor 91 reads and executes the program from the memory 92 to control each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The control unit 90 may be configured by a host computer or multiple client computers that communicate with each other via a network.

[0036] A user interface 95 is also connected to the control unit 90 via an input / output interface. Examples of the user interface 95 include a touch panel (input / output device), a monitor, a speaker, a keyboard, a mouse, a speaker, and a microphone. The control unit 90 receives a recipe for the substrate processing apparatus 1 input by a user via the user interface 95, and controls each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1 based on this recipe. When the control unit 90 receives information from each component during substrate processing, etc., it appropriately notifies the user of information about the substrate processing (status, errors, etc.) via the user interface 95.

[0037] Next, a temperature control method for setting a temperature for controlling the temperature of each substrate W using the temperature-controlled furnace 50 in film formation on the substrates W using the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above will be described with reference to Fig. 2. In the graphs (upper and lower graphs) of Fig. 2, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents the control temperature in the temperature-controlled furnace 50.

[0038] If the heaters 52 in each of the multiple zones (TOP, CT, CTR, CB, and BTM) are heated with the same heating amount, the substrates W arranged vertically in the internal space IS of the processing vessel 10 will be heated to different temperatures. For example, heated gas rises within the processing vessel 10. As a result, the temperature of the substrates W arranged vertically below the processing vessel 10 tends to be lower than the temperature of the substrates W arranged vertically above the processing vessel 10. This difference in temperature between the substrates W also results in differences in the thickness of the films formed on the substrates W. Note that the temperature of each substrate W is affected by the structure of the processing vessel 10, the flow of the processing gas, the arrangement of the heaters 52, and so on, and therefore the temperature of the substrates W does not necessarily increase vertically upward.

[0039] The control unit 90 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 performs inter-surface uniformity adjustment to reduce the temperature difference between each of the substrates W arranged in the vertical direction and to uniformize the film thickness between each of the substrates W. As shown in the upper graph of FIG. 2, inter-surface uniformity adjustment involves setting the temperatures of each zone differently during substrate processing to promote uniformity of the temperature between each of the substrates W. For example, the control unit 90 adjusts the temperature of each zone (TOP, CT, CTR, CB, BTM) to a relative deviation within a range of approximately 0°C to ±5°C from the target temperature of the recipe. As a result, the temperature in the vertical direction is adjusted during substrate processing, promoting uniformity of the film thickness of the film formed on each of the substrates W.

[0040] Furthermore, each substrate W is heated or cooled from the outside of the processing vessel 10 by the temperature-controlled furnace 50, which causes temperature differences within each surface. For example, when the temperature is increased during substrate processing, the temperature of the outer periphery of each substrate W that is closest to the temperature-controlled furnace 50 increases quickly, while the temperature of the center of the substrate W increases slowly. Conversely, when the temperature is decreased during substrate processing, the temperature of the outer periphery of each substrate W that is closest to the temperature-controlled furnace 50 decreases quickly, while the temperature of the center of the substrate W decreases slowly. These temperature differences within the surface of each substrate W also cause differences in the film thicknesses of the films formed within each surface.

[0041] Therefore, after the above-described inter-surface uniformity adjustment, the control unit 90 performs an in-plane uniformity adjustment to promote uniformity of the in-plane temperature distribution (in other words, uniformity of the in-plane film thickness) of each substrate W. In the in-plane uniformity adjustment, a plurality of steps for changing the temperature in substrate processing are set to adjust the in-plane temperature distribution of each substrate W.

[0042] An example of a timing chart for performing within-wafer uniformity adjustment during substrate processing will be described with reference to the lower graph in Fig. 2. The control unit 90 stops heating (or heats at a set standby temperature) the heaters 52 in each zone during the period from time t0 to time t1 until the wafer boat 16 holding the substrates W is loaded into the processing vessel 10. This allows the internal space of the processing vessel 10 to be maintained at a substantially constant temperature (e.g., room temperature or standby temperature).

[0043] After time t1 when each substrate W is accommodated in the processing vessel 10, the control unit 90 drives the heaters 52 in each zone to increase the temperature of the processing vessel 10 at a constant rate from time t1 to time t2. However, as described above, the control unit 90 sets the temperature of the heaters 52 in each zone to different set temperatures by adjusting the inter-surface uniformity. Therefore, the heaters 52 in each zone are increased to different set temperatures.

[0044] Next, between time points t2 and t3, the control unit 90 performs a step of maintaining the heaters 52 in each zone at the set temperature for a certain period of time. Even if the set temperature is reached by the temperature increasing step, it takes some time for the actual temperature of each substrate W to stabilize due to thermal inertia. Therefore, the next step is postponed until the temperature of each substrate W stabilizes.

[0045] After time t3, the control unit 90 transitions to a preparation stage for film formation in order to adjust the in-plane uniformity of film formation on the substrate W. Specifically, from time t3 to t4, the control unit 90 performs a step of increasing (or decreasing) the temperature of each zone to the set temperature for the preparation stage at a constant rate (TVS1: temperature change step). Furthermore, from time t4 to t5, the control unit 90 performs a step of keeping the temperature of each zone at the set temperature for the preparation stage (TVS2: standby step). However, in this standby step, the set temperature may be controlled to vary slightly (either increased or decreased). Alternatively, the control unit 90 may not perform the standby step.

[0046] After performing the above TVS1 and TVS2, the control unit 90 completes the preparation stage for film formation and actually starts film formation on each substrate W. Between time points t5 and t6, the control unit 90 supplies a processing gas from the gas supply unit 30 to the internal space IS of the processing vessel 10 while lowering (or raising) the temperature of each zone at a constant rate (TVS3: film formation step). The supplied processing gas adheres to the surface of the heated substrate W, and is deposited on the substrate W as a film.

[0047] After time t6, the control unit 90 stops the supply of the process gas and controls the temperature of each substrate W to return to normal as a post-processing step after film formation. For example, the control unit 90 increases the temperature of the heater 52 in each zone at a constant rate from time t6 to time t7. Furthermore, the control unit 90 maintains the temperature of the heater 52 in each zone constant from time t7 to time t8. Thereafter, the control unit 90 decreases the temperature of each zone at a constant rate from time t8 to time t9. Note that when decreasing the temperature of the process vessel 10, the control unit 90 may stop driving the heater 52 and cool the process vessel 10 by circulating air through the temperature-controlled space 53 using the external circulation unit 60.

[0048] Then, from time t9 onwards, the control unit 90 maintains an appropriate temperature (e.g., room temperature or standby temperature) and controls the lifting mechanism 25 to remove the wafer boat 16 holding each substrate W from the processing vessel 10.

[0049] In the above substrate processing, the period from time t3 to time t6 during which TVS1 to TVS3 are performed is important for achieving uniform film thickness on each substrate W. TVS3, in particular, is a process in which a process gas is supplied to form a film on each substrate W, and has a significant impact on the film thickness distribution on each substrate W. However, changing the temperature and duration of TVS1 or the temperature and duration of TVS2 changes the in-plane temperature distribution on each substrate W during film formation, thereby affecting the film thickness distribution on each substrate W. Compared to TVS3, TVS1 and TVS2 offer greater flexibility in changing the temperature conditions, making them easier to use for controlling film thickness uniformity. In contrast, TVS3 is the process itself in which film formation is performed, and therefore the flexibility in changing the temperature conditions is limited by its relationship to the target film thickness.

[0050] The temperature conditions of TVS1 to TVS3 are individually set as parameters such as the set temperature of each zone for TVS1 (time t3), the set temperature of each zone for TVS2, the set temperature of each zone for TVS3 (time t6), and the periods of TVS1, TVS2, and TVS3. Hereinafter, the set temperatures of TVS1 to TVS3 among the temperature conditions calculated in the in-wafer uniformity adjustment are also referred to as correction temperatures. The temperature conditions of TVS1 to TVS3 are calculated by optimization calculation using a target temperature set by the user in the recipe and a temperature model. A specific calculation method for in-wafer uniformity adjustment is disclosed in the previously proposed Patent Document 1 (JP 2009-111042 A), and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0051] As shown in Figure 3, thermal models for in-plane uniformity adjustment are created for each of multiple zones: a thermal model for TVS1, a thermal model for TVS2, and a thermal model for TVS3. Each thermal model was obtained by simulating the temperature change relative to the target temperature of TVS3 (bottom diagram of Figure 3) when the set temperature in each process of TVS1 to TVS3 was changed within a range of 1°C to 3°C (top diagram of Figure 3). The bottom diagram of Figure 3 is a graph illustrating the amount of change in temperature of TVS3 in one of multiple zones.

[0052] Each thermal model is created as map information (table) that associates the set temperature with the temperature change of the substrate W for each of a plurality of zones by performing experiments, simulations, etc. during the manufacture of the substrate processing apparatus 1, and is stored in the memory 92. In particular, the thermal model of TVS1 is created by examining the amount of change in the average temperature of TVS3 (per unit temperature change of TVS1) when the set temperature of TVS1 is changed in a range of 1°C to 3°C. Similarly, the thermal model of TVS2 is created by examining the amount of change in the average temperature of TVS3 (per unit temperature change of TVS2) when the temperature of TVS2 is changed in a range of 1°C to 3°C. The thermal model of TVS3 is created by examining the amount of change in the average temperature of TVS3 (per unit temperature change of TVS3) when the temperature of TVS3 is changed in a range of 1°C to 3°C.

[0053] The temperature conditions for each zone (TVS1 to TVS3 correction temperatures) set during within-wafer uniformity adjustment also affect the inter-wafer uniformity adjustment performed earlier. While the thermal model used for within-wafer uniformity adjustment fluctuates the temperature within a range of 1°C to 3°C in each process, the film formation process (TVS3) fluctuates the temperature within a wider temperature range than the thermal model. For example, as shown in the table in Figure 4(A), the correction temperatures calculated during within-wafer uniformity adjustment have temperature values ​​for each of the multiple zones and TVS1 to TVS3. However, these temperature values ​​are calculated within a wider temperature range (a temperature difference of approximately 10°C to approximately 30°C) than the 1°C to 3°C range of the thermal model. Note that the temperature values ​​shown in the table in Figure 4(A) are relative to the target temperatures of TVS1 to TVS3.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 4B, the environment in which the thermal model of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is created differs from the environment in which the substrate processing apparatus 1 actually processes substrates. The control unit 90 sets a wide temperature range of compensation temperatures based on the thermal model in the actual environment, and performs TVS1 to TVS3 based on these compensation temperatures. As a result, in the actual TVS3, slight deviations occur in the amount of temperature change between each substrate W. While this deviation in temperature change is, for example, 1°C or less (approximately 0.1°C to 0.6°C), it still affects the thickness of the film formed on each substrate W. In other words, the main cause of deviations in inter-substrate uniformity between each substrate W after the in-plane uniformity adjustment is a difference between the temperature conditions used to create the thermal model and the temperature conditions of the temperature sequence of TVS1 to TVS3 in which film formation is actually performed.

[0055] Here, it is conceivable that the substrate processing apparatus 1 may adjust the inter-surface uniformity again for each substrate W after setting the temperature conditions (correction temperatures) for the in-plane uniformity adjustment. However, adjusting the inter-surface uniformity again to suit the environment of the substrate processing apparatus 1 would require processing the substrates multiple times for the adjustment. The temperature adjustment method requires a large number of steps to adjust the inter-surface uniformity again, which increases the time and cost required for the adjustment.

[0056] For this reason, the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is configured to automatically perform an evaluation that takes into account inter-surface uniformity adjustment during within-surface uniformity adjustment. Specifically, after calculating the correction temperature, the control unit 90 compares a first temperature change amount calculated using the correction temperature and a thermal model with a second temperature change amount calculated by simulating the correction temperature and the temperature sequence of TVS1 to TVS3. This is because the temperature difference (deviation in temperature change amount) between the first temperature change amount and the second temperature change amount leads to a difference in film thickness between the substrates W in terms of inter-surface uniformity. The control unit 90 then calculates a temperature tilt that equalizes the film thickness between the substrates W based on the temperature difference. This makes it possible to obtain temperature adjustment information that takes into account inter-surface uniformity adjustment during within-surface uniformity adjustment, thereby simplifying (or eliminating) repeated inter-surface uniformity adjustment.

[0057] Specifically, in carrying out the temperature adjustment method, the control unit 90 forms an inter-plane uniformity adjustment unit 100 and an in-plane uniformity adjustment unit 101 therein, as shown in FIG.

[0058] The inter-surface uniformity adjusting unit 100 is a functional unit that sets a target temperature for each zone in order to achieve uniformity in film thickness between each substrate W during substrate processing (see also the upper graph in FIG. 2). For example, the inter-surface uniformity adjusting unit 100 has information about the temperature ratio (or information about the relative temperature difference) of each zone that has been set in advance through experiments, simulations, etc., and when the target temperature is extracted from the substrate processing recipe in preparation for substrate processing, the inter-surface uniformity adjusting unit 100 calculates the temperature of each zone relative to the target temperature.

[0059] The in-plane uniformity adjustment unit 101 is a functional unit that sets temperature conditions for multiple steps (TVS1 to TVS3) to achieve uniformity in the film thickness within the surface of the substrate W during substrate processing. As described above, the temperature conditions for each zone include the set temperatures (correction temperatures) of TVS1 to TVS3 and the periods of TVS1 to TVS3 (see also FIG. 2). Furthermore, after calculating the correction temperatures, the in-plane uniformity adjustment unit 101 according to this embodiment performs a process to evaluate the film thickness deviation for each substrate W caused by the inter-plane uniformity adjustment due to the in-plane uniformity adjustment. For this purpose, the in-plane uniformity adjustment unit 101 includes a TVS calculation unit 102, a first temperature change amount calculation unit 103, a second temperature change amount calculation unit 104, a temperature comparison unit 105, a film thickness information calculation unit 106, and a temperature adjustment information calculation unit 107. Furthermore, the memory unit 108 (storage area of ​​the memory 92) of the in-plane uniformity adjustment unit 101 stores map information TI of the thermal model for each of the multiple zones, and map information PI of the process model used by the film thickness information calculation unit 106.

[0060] After the inter-surface uniformity adjusting unit 100 calculates the temperature of each zone, the TVS calculating unit 102 calculates the temperature conditions for adjusting the within-surface uniformity for the temperature of each zone. As described above, the TVS calculating unit 102 reads the target temperature of the substrate processing recipe and the map information TI of the thermal model from the storage unit 108, and calculates the corrected temperatures of TVS1 to TVS3 for each of the multiple zones and the periods of TVS1 to TVS3 through optimization calculations. The corrected temperatures are calculated as information on the temperatures of TVS1 to TVS3 for each of the multiple zones (see also FIG. 4(A)).

[0061] The first temperature change amount calculation unit 103 operates after the TVS calculation unit 102 calculates the corrected temperature, and calculates a first temperature change amount based on the thermal model. Specifically, the first temperature change amount calculation unit 103 calculates the average temperature change amount of the TVS3 when the thermal model is applied, using the corrected temperature calculated by the TVS calculation unit 102 and map information TI of the thermal model. The map information TI of the thermal model associates the set temperature of each zone with the temperature change amount on the substrate W. The first temperature change amount calculation unit 103 can calculate the temperature change amount of the substrate W in the TVS3 as the first temperature change amount by multiplying the temperature change amount of the substrate W extracted from the map information TI based on the set temperature by the corrected temperature.

[0062] The second temperature change amount calculation unit 104 operates after the TVS calculation unit 102 calculates the corrected temperatures, and simulates the temperature sequence of TVS1 to TVS3 based on the corrected temperatures. In the temperature sequence simulation, the temperature change amount when actual in-plane uniformity adjustment is performed is obtained as a simulation result, as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 3. Furthermore, the second temperature change amount calculation unit 104 simulates a temperature sequence when the corrected temperatures are not used (in other words, when in-plane uniformity adjustment is not performed). Then, the second temperature change amount calculation unit 104 calculates the second temperature change amount (the amount of change in the average temperature of TVS3) by taking the difference between the temperature change amount when in-plane uniformity adjustment is performed and the temperature change amount when in-plane uniformity adjustment is not performed.

[0063] The temperature comparison unit 105 compares the first temperature change calculated by the first temperature change calculation unit 103 with the second temperature change calculated by the second temperature change calculation unit 104. The second temperature change is the temperature change when an actual temperature sequence is performed in substrate processing, whereas the first temperature change is the temperature change based on a thermal model. Therefore, the temperature difference between the first temperature change and the second temperature change can be said to be the temperature deviation of the temperature change based on the thermal model from the actual temperature change of the substrate W. Because the first temperature change and the second temperature change are calculated for each zone, the temperature difference between the first temperature change and the second temperature change for each zone represents the temperature deviation of the temperature change for that zone.

[0064] The film thickness information calculation unit 106 calculates the amount of film thickness difference between the substrates W in each zone based on the temperature difference in the amount of temperature change between the zones calculated by the temperature comparison unit 105. When the film thickness information calculation unit 106 receives the temperature difference in the amount of temperature change between the zones from the temperature comparison unit 105, it reads out map information PI of the process model stored in the storage unit 108. The process model contains information that associates the temperature of the substrate W with the film thickness of the substrate W in advance. Therefore, the film thickness information calculation unit 106 can obtain the amount of film thickness difference between the substrates W in each zone by extracting the film thickness of the substrate W in each zone from the temperature difference in the amount of film thickness change between the zones.

[0065] Then, when the film thickness deviation amount is calculated by the film thickness information calculation unit 106, the temperature adjustment information calculation unit 107 calculates a temperature tilt (temperature adjustment information) to make the film thickness uniform (eliminate the film thickness deviation amount) between the substrates W in each zone. At this time, as shown in Fig. 6(A), the temperature adjustment information calculation unit 107 may input the calculated film thickness deviation amount for each zone as a predicted film thickness, and calculate a temperature tilt for each of the multiple zones so that the film thicknesses are uniform to the target film thickness set by the recipe.

[0066] As shown in Fig. 6(B), the temperature tilt is calculated as information for overall shifting (increasing or decreasing) the set temperatures of TVS1 to TVS3, which are set by in-wafer uniformity adjustment. For example, when shifting in the direction of increasing the film thickness of the substrate W in the TOP zone, the amount of temperature increase in the TOP zone is calculated based on the deviation amount of the film thickness in the TOP zone and the target film thickness, and this amount of temperature increase is used as the temperature tilt. Also, for example, when shifting in the direction of decreasing the film thickness of the substrate W in the BTM zone, the amount of temperature decrease in the BTM zone is calculated based on the deviation amount of the film thickness in the BTM zone and the target film thickness, and this amount of temperature decrease is used as the temperature tilt.

[0067] The in-plane uniformity adjustment unit 101 then notifies the user of the temperature tilt information calculated by the temperature adjustment information calculation unit 107 via the user interface 95. At this time, the in-plane uniformity adjustment unit 101 may display the temperature tilt information and the correction temperature information for the in-plane uniformity adjustment shown in FIG. 4(A) side by side. The in-plane uniformity adjustment unit 101 may also display the temperature tilt for each of a plurality of zones individually (see FIG. 6(B)), or may display the temperature tilt for each of a plurality of zones together. This allows the user to immediately recognize the temperature tilt information when performing inter-plane uniformity adjustment again if the inter-plane uniformity of each substrate W deviates due to the correction temperature for the in-plane uniformity adjustment. Therefore, the user can perform inter-plane uniformity adjustment again without any hassle.

[0068] Alternatively, the in-wafer uniformity adjusting unit 101 may be configured to automatically reflect the temperature tilt information calculated by the temperature adjustment information calculating unit 107 in the correction temperature without user operation. This allows the substrate processing apparatus 1 to further reduce the number of steps required by the user in the temperature adjustment method.

[0069] The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is basically configured as described above, and the processing flow of the temperature adjustment method will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0070] In order to adjust the temperature of each substrate W during substrate processing, the control unit 90 first performs inter-surface uniformity adjustment using the inter-surface uniformity adjusting unit 100 (step S1). As a result, the inter-surface uniformity adjusting unit 100 obtains the relative set temperatures of each zone in the processing vessel 10.

[0071] After calculating the set temperature for each zone, the TVS calculation unit 102 of the in-plane uniformity adjustment unit 101 calculates the temperature conditions (correction temperature, implementation period, etc.) for TVS1 to TVS3 in each zone in order to perform in-plane uniformity adjustment (step S2). At this time, the TVS calculation unit 102 performs optimization calculations for the temperature conditions for in-plane uniformity adjustment using the set temperature for each zone calculated by the inter-plane uniformity adjustment unit 100 and a thermal model created in advance. As a result, the corrected temperatures for TVS1 to TVS3 are obtained.

[0072] As described above, film thickness deviations occur between the substrates W in each zone after inter-plane uniformity adjustment due to differences between the environment when the thermal model is created and the environment in which the substrate processing apparatus 1 actually processes substrates. Therefore, after calculating the temperature conditions for the in-plane uniformity adjustment, the in-plane uniformity adjusting unit 101 proceeds to processing for evaluating film thickness deviations between the substrates W after the in-plane uniformity adjustment.

[0073] First, the first temperature change amount calculation unit 103 calculates a first temperature change amount based on the calculated corrected temperature of each zone and a thermal model (step S3). This first temperature change amount is calculated as the amount of change in the average temperature of TVS3 when using the thermal model (a model in which the temperatures of TVS1 to TVS3 are changed by 1°C to 3°C).

[0074] Next, the second temperature change amount calculation unit 104 calculates the second temperature change amount by simulating the temperature sequence using the calculated corrected temperature for each zone and simulating the temperature sequence without using the corrected temperature (step S4). This second temperature change amount is calculated as the amount of change in the average temperature of TVS3 based on the actual temperature sequence (temperatures that vary greatly among TVS1 to TVS3).

[0075] The temperature comparison unit 105 calculates the temperature difference between the calculated first temperature change amount and second temperature change amount for each zone (step S5), thereby making it possible to recognize the temperature difference between the substrates W in each zone.

[0076] Furthermore, the film thickness information calculation unit 106 calculates the film thickness deviation between the substrates W in each zone using the map information PI of the process model and the temperature difference between the zones calculated by the temperature comparison unit 105 (step S6).

[0077] Then, the temperature adjustment information calculation unit 107 calculates, for each of the multiple zones, a temperature tilt for uniforming the film thickness of each substrate W in each zone, based on the film thickness deviation in each zone calculated by the film thickness information calculation unit 106 (step S7). This allows the control unit 90 to easily estimate the amount of temperature adjustment when film thickness deviation occurs due to in-plane uniformity adjustment and inter-plane uniformity adjustment is to be performed again.

[0078] Finally, the in-plane uniformity adjusting unit 101 notifies the user of the information on the corrected temperature calculated by the TVS calculating unit 102 and the information on the temperature tilt calculated by the temperature adjustment information calculating unit 107 via the user interface 95 (step S8). This allows the user to easily reset the temperature of each zone when performing inter-plane uniformity adjustment again.

[0079] As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 1 and the temperature adjustment method can shorten (or eliminate) the inter-surface uniformity adjustment after the in-wafer uniformity adjustment by performing an evaluation that takes into account the inter-wafer uniformity adjustment during the in-wafer uniformity adjustment. As a result, for example, the number of substrates used for the adjustment, the number of steps including labor costs, and the power and processing gas used for the adjustment can be reduced, thereby promoting efficiency improvement and cost reduction.

[0080] The technical ideas and effects of the present disclosure explained in the above embodiments will be described below.

[0081] A first aspect of the present disclosure is a substrate processing apparatus 1 including a processing vessel 10 for performing substrate processing to form films on a plurality of substrates W, a temperature adjustment unit (temperature-adjusted furnace 50) for adjusting the temperature of the plurality of substrates W accommodated inside the processing vessel 10 for each of a plurality of preset zones, and a control unit 90 for controlling the operation of the temperature adjustment unit, wherein the control unit 90 includes a calculation unit (TVS calculation unit 102) configured to calculate, for each of the plurality of zones, a correction temperature for uniforming the film thickness within the surface of the substrate W based on a thermal model stored in advance, a first temperature change amount calculation unit 103 configured to calculate, for each of the plurality of zones, a first temperature change amount based on the calculated correction temperature and the thermal model, and a control unit 90 for controlling the operation of the temperature adjustment unit. a second temperature change amount calculation unit 104 configured to calculate a second temperature change amount based on the simulation for each of the plurality of zones by simulating a temperature sequence using a temperature; a temperature comparison unit 105 configured to calculate a temperature difference between the first temperature change amount and the second temperature change amount for each of the plurality of zones; a film thickness information calculation unit 106 configured to calculate information related to the film thickness of a film to be formed for each of the plurality of zones based on the calculated temperature difference; and a temperature adjustment information calculation unit 107 configured to calculate temperature adjustment information (temperature tilt) for making the film thickness uniform for each of the plurality of zones based on the calculated information related to the film thickness.

[0082] As described above, even when the film thicknesses of the multiple substrates W are different due to the in-plane temperature uniformity adjustment, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can accurately estimate the film thickness difference by using the first temperature change amount and the second temperature change amount. That is, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can easily obtain temperature adjustment information for making the film thicknesses of the multiple substrates W uniform as information for the second inter-plane uniformity adjustment. As a result, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can efficiently adjust the temperature conditions when forming films on the multiple substrates W, thereby reducing the number of steps and costs required for temperature adjustment.

[0083] Furthermore, the control unit 90 performs a temperature change process to raise or lower the temperature of the substrate W before film formation, and a standby process to wait after the temperature change process, as control to uniformize the film thickness within the surface of the substrate W, and also performs a film formation process to raise or lower the temperature of the substrate W during film formation, and the thermal model is information that simulates changes in temperature in the film formation process when the temperatures in the temperature change process, standby process, and film formation process are changed. By performing the temperature change process, standby process, and film formation process in this manner, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can uniformize the film thickness within the surface of the substrate W well.

[0084] The first temperature change calculation unit 103 calculates the change in average temperature during the film formation process as the first temperature change based on the thermal model. By using the corrected temperature and the thermal model, the control unit 90 can reproduce the temperature change during the film formation process according to the thermal model, and can obtain the first temperature change during the film formation process satisfactorily.

[0085] Furthermore, the second temperature change calculation unit 104 calculates the change in the average temperature in the film formation process as the second temperature change based on the difference between the simulation result of the temperature sequence when the correction temperature is used and the simulation result of the temperature sequence when the correction temperature is not used. This allows the control unit 90 to accurately recognize the change in temperature in the film formation process based on the actual correction temperature.

[0086] Furthermore, the film thickness information calculation unit 106 calculates the film thickness deviation between the plurality of substrates W in each of the plurality of zones as information related to film thickness, using a process model that associates the temperature of the substrate W with the film thickness and the temperature difference calculated by the temperature comparison unit 105. This enables the control unit 90 to smoothly obtain the film thickness deviation between the plurality of zones based on the temperature difference.

[0087] Furthermore, the control unit 90 notifies the user of the temperature adjustment information calculated by the temperature adjustment information calculation unit 107 and the corrected temperature calculated by the calculation unit (TVS calculation unit 102). This allows the substrate processing apparatus 1 to convey information necessary for inter-surface uniformity adjustment to the user, and the user can set the inter-surface uniformity adjustment based on this information.

[0088] Furthermore, the control unit 90 automatically corrects the correction temperature based on the temperature adjustment information calculated by the temperature adjustment information calculation unit 107. This allows the substrate processing apparatus 1 to easily correct the correction temperature calculated through the in-plane uniformity adjustment to a temperature that takes into account the inter-plane uniformity adjustment, thereby further reducing the user's efforts.

[0089] A second aspect of the present disclosure is a temperature adjustment method for a substrate processing apparatus (1) including a processing vessel (10) for performing substrate processing to deposit films on multiple substrates (W) and a temperature adjustment unit (temperature-controlled furnace (50)) for adjusting the temperatures of the multiple substrates (W) accommodated inside the processing vessel (10) for each of multiple zones, the method comprising the steps of: calculating, for each of the multiple zones, a correction temperature for uniforming the in-plane film thickness of the substrates (W) based on a thermal model stored in advance; calculating, for each of the multiple zones, a first temperature change amount based on the calculated correction temperature and the thermal model; calculating, for each of the multiple zones, a second temperature change amount based on the simulation by performing a temperature sequence simulation using the calculated correction temperature; calculating, for each of the multiple zones, a temperature difference between the first temperature change amount and the second temperature change amount; calculating, for each of the multiple zones, information related to the film thickness of the deposited film based on the calculated temperature difference; and calculating temperature adjustment information for uniforming the film thickness for each of the multiple zones based on the calculated film thickness information. This temperature adjustment method allows efficient adjustment of temperature conditions when depositing films on multiple substrates.

[0090] The substrate processing apparatus and temperature adjustment method according to the presently disclosed embodiments are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The embodiments can be modified and improved in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The features described in the above embodiments can be configured in other ways as long as they are not inconsistent, and can be combined as long as they are not inconsistent. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1. Substrate processing equipment 10 Processing container 50 Temperature controlled furnace 90 Control Unit 102 TVS calculation section 103 First temperature change amount calculation unit 104 Second temperature change amount calculation unit 105 Temperature comparison section 106 Film Thickness Information Calculation Unit 107 Temperature adjustment information calculation section W substrate

Claims

1. a processing vessel for performing substrate processing to form films on a plurality of substrates; a temperature control unit that controls temperatures of the substrates accommodated inside the processing vessel for each of a plurality of preset zones; a control unit that controls an operation of the temperature adjustment unit, The control unit a calculation unit configured to calculate, for each of the plurality of zones, a correction temperature that makes a film thickness uniform within the surface of the substrate based on a thermal model stored in advance; and a first temperature change amount calculation unit configured to calculate a first temperature change amount for each of the plurality of zones based on the calculated corrected temperature and the thermal model; a second temperature change amount calculation unit configured to perform a simulation of a temperature sequence using the calculated corrected temperatures, and to calculate a second temperature change amount based on the simulation for each of the plurality of zones; a temperature comparison unit configured to calculate a temperature difference between the first temperature change amount and the second temperature change amount for each of the plurality of zones; a film thickness information calculation unit configured to calculate information related to the film thickness of a film to be formed for each of the plurality of zones based on the calculated temperature difference; and a temperature adjustment information calculation unit configured to calculate temperature adjustment information for making the film thickness uniform for each of the plurality of zones based on the calculated information related to the film thickness. Substrate processing equipment.

2. the control unit performs a temperature change process of increasing or decreasing the temperature of the substrate before film formation and a standby process of waiting after the temperature change process, as control for making the film thickness uniform within the surface of the substrate, and also performs a film formation process of increasing or decreasing the temperature of the substrate during film formation; The thermal model is information obtained by simulating a change in temperature in the film formation process when the temperatures in the temperature change process, the standby process, and the film formation process are changed. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. the first temperature change amount calculation unit calculates an amount of change in average temperature in the film formation process as the first temperature change amount based on the thermal model; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 .

4. the second temperature change amount calculation unit calculates, as the second temperature change amount, an amount of change in average temperature in the film formation process based on a difference between a simulation result of a temperature sequence when the correction temperature is used and a simulation result of a temperature sequence when the correction temperature is not used. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 .

5. the film thickness information calculation unit calculates film thickness deviations among the plurality of substrates in each of the plurality of zones as information related to the film thickness, using a process model that associates the temperature of the substrate with the film thickness and that is stored in advance, and the temperature difference calculated by the temperature comparison unit; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

6. the control unit notifies a user of the temperature adjustment information calculated by the temperature adjustment information calculation unit and the corrected temperature calculated by the calculation unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

7. the control unit automatically corrects the correction temperature based on the temperature adjustment information calculated by the temperature adjustment information calculation unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

8. a processing vessel for performing substrate processing to form films on a plurality of substrates; a temperature adjusting unit that adjusts temperatures of the plurality of substrates accommodated inside the processing vessel for each of a plurality of preset zones, the method comprising: calculating, for each of the plurality of zones, a correction temperature that uniforms the in-plane temperature distribution of the substrate based on a thermal model stored in advance; calculating a first temperature change amount for each of the plurality of zones based on the calculated corrected temperature and the thermal model; performing a simulation of a temperature sequence using the calculated correction temperatures, and calculating a second temperature change amount based on the simulation for each of the plurality of zones; calculating a temperature difference between the first temperature change amount and the second temperature change amount for each of the plurality of zones; calculating information relating to the thickness of a film to be formed for each of the plurality of zones based on the calculated temperature difference; and calculating temperature adjustment information for making the film thickness uniform for each of the plurality of zones based on the calculated information related to the film thickness. Temperature adjustment method.

Images