Raw material gas supply system, powder raw material replenishment mechanism, and powder raw material replenishment method

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of replenishing a powdery raw material supply device which supplies powdery raw material to a vaporizing device with the powdery raw material without exposing it to the atmosphere.SOLUTION: In a source gas supply system which supplies source gas produced by vaporizing powdery raw material by a vaporizing device to a processing device, a powdery raw material replenishment mechanism which replenishes a powdery raw material supply device supplying the powdery raw material to the vaporizing device with the powdery raw material has: a pipeline which has one end connected to the powdery raw material supply device; a powdery raw material cartridge which is filled with the powdery raw material; a connection part which is provided on the other end side of the pipeline and to which the powdery raw material cartridge is detachably connected; an opening / closing part which is provided on the other end side of the pipeline and opens and closes a part between the pipeline and powdery raw material cartridge; and an evacuation part which evacuates the pipeline to maintain a vacuum in the pipeline. The powdery raw material cartridge is connected to the connection part with the vacuum maintained within the pipeline by the evacuation part, and the opening / closing part is opened to carry the powdery raw material in the powdery raw material cartridge to the powdery raw material supply device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a raw material gas supply system, a raw material powder replenishment mechanism, and a raw material powder replenishment method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 proposes a raw material gas supply system having a vaporizer that stores and vaporizes powder raw material, a raw material gas supply pipe that supplies the raw material gas generated in the vaporizer to a processing device, and a powder raw material supply device (replenishment device) that supplies the powder raw material to the vaporizer. In Patent Document 1, the supply device (replenishment device) is configured so that a raw material cartridge filled with powder raw material can be detachably attached. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-180354 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique for replenishing a powder raw material supply device that supplies powder raw material to a vaporizer with powder raw material without exposing the powder raw material to the atmosphere. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A powder raw material replenishment mechanism according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a powder raw material replenishment mechanism for replenishing powder raw material to a powder raw material supply device that supplies powder raw material to a processing device by vaporizing powder raw material in a raw material gas supply system that supplies the powder raw material to the vaporizer, the powder raw material replenishment mechanism comprising: a pipe connected to the powder raw material supply device at one end; a powder raw material cartridge filled with the powder raw material; a connection part provided at the other end of the pipe and to which the powder raw material cartridge is detachably connected; an opening / closing part provided at the other end of the pipe for opening and closing between the pipe and the powder raw material cartridge; and a vacuum exhaust part that evacuates the inside of the pipe to maintain a vacuum inside the pipe; the powder raw material cartridge has a filter that divides the interior thereof into an inner portion and an outer portion, the outer portion being a carrier gas filling space filled with a carrier gas made of an inert gas, the carrier gas filling space being filled with the carrier gas and sealed therein, and the powder raw material being filled in the inner portion; With the inside of the piping maintained at a vacuum by the vacuum exhaust unit, the raw material powder cartridge is connected to the connection unit, and the opening / closing unit is opened, thereby releasing the raw material powder in the raw material powder cartridge. is carried by the carrier gas Transport to the powder raw material supply device will be . [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, a technique is provided that can replenish a powder raw material supplying device that supplies powder raw material to a vaporizer with powder raw material without exposing the powder raw material to the atmosphere. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a raw material gas supply system including a powder raw material replenishment mechanism according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a powder raw material supply device in the raw material gas supply system of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a specific example of a powder raw material replenishing mechanism. [Figure 4] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the opening / closing section is opened and raw material powder is transported from the raw material powder cartridge in the raw material powder refill mechanism. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of an implementation state of the raw material gas supply system of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the powder raw material replenishing mechanism. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing still another embodiment of the powder raw material replenishing mechanism. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the opening / closing portion of the powder raw material replenishing mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a raw material gas supply system equipped with a powder raw material replenishment mechanism according to one embodiment. The raw material gas supply system 100 vaporizes a powder raw material and supplies the generated raw material gas to a processing device 200.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, the processing apparatus 200 includes a processing vessel 201 capable of maintaining a vacuum, a mounting table 202 provided in the processing vessel 201 on which a substrate W is placed, and a gas inlet unit 203 for introducing a source gas into the processing vessel 201. In the processing apparatus 200, a source gas supplied from a source gas supply system 100 is introduced into the processing vessel 201 to perform a specific process on the substrate W, such as a film formation process. Examples of the film formation process include CVD and ALD. The processing apparatus 200 is configured to be able to introduce a reactive gas and an inert gas in addition to the source gas into the processing vessel from the gas inlet unit 203. For example, WCl gas is supplied as the source gas to form a tungsten film on the substrate W. An example of the substrate W is a semiconductor wafer.

[0010] The raw material gas supply system 100 includes two vaporizers 10a and 10b, a powder raw material supply device 20, a powder raw material supply piping unit 30, a raw material gas supply piping unit 40, a carrier gas supply unit 50, a powder raw material replenishment mechanism 60, and a control unit 70.

[0011] The vaporizers 10a and 10b are supplied with and store powdered raw material, such as WCl6, and generate raw material gas by vaporizing (sublimating) the stored powdered raw material. The vaporizers 10a and 10b each have a container for storing the powdered raw material. The powdered raw material can be vaporized, for example, by heating the container with a heater while the powdered raw material is stored in the container. The vaporizers 10a and 10b are installed in parallel with the processing apparatus 200. As described below, by operating an on-off valve, the powdered raw material can be supplied to one of the vaporizers 10a and 10b while the powdered raw material is being vaporized in the other.

[0012] Powder raw material supplying device 20 stores powder raw material and supplies the powder raw material to vaporization device 10a or 10b. As shown in Fig. 2, powder raw material supplying device 20 has a storage container 21 that stores powder raw material and a feeder 22 that delivers the powder raw material from storage container 21. Storage container 21 may be, for example, a hopper-shaped container, and feeder 22 may be, for example, a vibrating feeder.

[0013] The powder raw material supply piping section 30 has a common pipe 31, one end of which is connected to the powder raw material supply device 20, and branch pipes 32a and 32b, which branch off from the other end of the common pipe 31 and lead to the vaporizers 10a and 10b, respectively. The branch pipes 32a and 32b are provided with on-off valves 33a and 33b, respectively. The supply and cut-off of the powder raw material from the powder raw material supply device 20 to the vaporizers 10a and 10b can be controlled by opening and closing the on-off valves 33a and 33b.

[0014] Raw material gas supply piping section 40 supplies raw material gas generated by vaporizing the powder raw material in vaporizers 10a and 10b to processing apparatus 200, and includes individual pipes 41a and 41b and a common pipe 42. Individual pipes 41a and 41b extend from vaporizers 10a and 10b, respectively, and merge, and common pipe 42 extends from the merger to processing apparatus 200. Individual pipes 41a and 41b are provided with on-off valves 43a and 43b, respectively. The supply of raw material gas from vaporizers 10a and 10b to processing apparatus 200 can be stopped by opening and closing on-off valves 43a and 43b. Common pipe 42 is equipped with a flow meter 44 such as a mass flow meter (MFM), an on-off valve 45, and the like.

[0015] Carrier gas supply unit 50 supplies carrier gas for transporting the raw material gas generated in vaporizers 10a and 10b to processing apparatus 200, and includes carrier gas supply source 51 and carrier gas supply piping unit 52. Carrier gas supply piping unit 52 includes common piping 53, one end of which is connected to carrier gas supply source 51, and branch piping 54a and 54b, which branch from the other end of common piping 53. Ends of branch piping 54a and 54b are connected to branch piping 32a and 32b of powder raw material supply piping unit 30, respectively, downstream of on-off valves 33a and 33b. Branch piping 54a and 54b are provided with on-off valves 55a and 55b, respectively. On-off valve 55a is opened when raw material gas is supplied from vaporizer 10a to processing apparatus 200, and on-off valve 55b is opened when raw material gas is supplied from vaporizer 10b to processing apparatus 200.

[0016] The powder raw material replenishing mechanism 60 replenishes the powder raw material supply device 20 with powder raw material, and includes a pipe 61 , a connection part 62 , an opening / closing part 63 , a vacuum exhaust part 64 , and a powder raw material cartridge 65 .

[0017] One end of the piping 61 is connected to the powder raw material supplying device 20. A connection part 62 is provided at the other end of the piping 61, and a powder raw material cartridge 65 is detachably connected to the connection part 62. The connection port of the connection part 62 faces downward. An opening / closing part 63 is provided at the other end of the piping 61, and opens and closes the space between the piping 61 and the powder raw material cartridge 65, thereby supplying and cutting off the supply of powder raw material from the powder raw material cartridge 65 to the powder raw material supplying device 20. The connection part 62 is provided on the bottom surface of the opening / closing part 63.

[0018] The vacuum exhaust unit 64 has the function of evacuating the inside of the piping 61 from the powder raw material supplying device 20 side to maintain a vacuum inside the piping 61. The vacuum exhaust unit 64 has an exhaust piping 66 connected to the common piping 31, an exhaust device 67 such as a vacuum pump connected to the exhaust piping 66, and a valve 68 provided on the exhaust piping 66, and is configured to evacuate the inside of the piping 61 via the powder raw material supplying device 20. By opening the opening / closing unit 63 while the inside of the piping 61 is evacuated by the vacuum exhaust unit 64, the powder raw material is sucked from the powder raw material cartridge 65 and transported to the powder raw material supplying device 20. The vacuum exhaust unit 64 is provided with a bypass piping (not shown) that bypasses and exhausts the powder raw material from the powder raw material supplying device 20 when air is present in the piping 61. An opening / closing valve 69 is provided on one end of the piping 61.

[0019] The powder raw material cartridge 65 is filled with powder raw material and an inert gas that functions as a carrier gas, and has an on-off valve (not shown in FIG. 1) and a connection surface that connects to the connection part 62 at one end. The connection part 62 has a sealed structure, and the connection surface of the powder raw material cartridge 65 is tightly fitted to the connection part 62. When the on-off valve is opened, the powder raw material inside the powder raw material cartridge 65 is carried out by the inert gas.

[0020] Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the opening / closing unit 63 is provided at the other end of the piping 61 and the connection unit 62 of the powder raw material cartridge 65 is provided at the opening / closing unit 63, the opening / closing unit 63 may be provided midway along the other end of the piping 61 and the connection unit 62 may be provided at the other end of the piping 61.

[0021] 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a specific example of the raw material powder refill mechanism 60. In FIG. 3, the detailed structures of the opening / closing unit 63 and the raw material powder cartridge 65 in this example are shown.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, in this example, the opening / closing unit 63 is configured as a gate valve, and includes a housing 631, a valve element 632, a piston 633, and an actuator 634.

[0023] Pipe 61 is connected to the top of housing 631. An opening 635 that communicates with powder raw material cartridge 65 is formed in the bottom wall of housing 631, and connecting part 62 configured as a seal ring is provided around opening 635 on the underside of the bottom wall. That is, opening 635, which serves as the connection port for connecting part 62, faces downward.

[0024] Valve element 632 is provided so as to be able to slide horizontally inside housing 631. Piston 633 is attached to valve element 632 and is advanced and retracted by actuator 634, whereby valve element 632 slides to open and close opening 635. A cylinder mechanism, for example, can be used as actuator 634. A seal ring 636 is provided around opening 635 on the upper surface of the bottom wall of housing 631, so that when valve element 632 closes opening 635, the gap between valve element 632 and the bottom wall of housing 631 is sealed.

[0025] The raw material powder cartridge 65 has a long container 650 with an open / close valve 651 at its upper end. The upper surface of the open / close valve 651 is the connection surface with the connector 62. A filter 653 is provided along the inner wall of the container 650 of the raw material powder cartridge 65, dividing the container 650 into an inner section and an outer section. The outer section forms a carrier gas filling space 654 filled with N2 gas (an inert gas) as a carrier gas. The raw material powder 652 is filled in the inner section. The raw material powder and the inert gas may be filled without providing the filter 653. The open / close valve 651 is closed except when the raw material powder is being refilled from the raw material powder cartridge 65 into the raw material powder supply device 20, preventing the raw material powder from coming into contact with the atmosphere during transportation, etc. The open / close valve 651 is not particularly limited, but a gate valve is preferably used.

[0026] In this example, with the inside of the piping 61 evacuated to a vacuum, the raw material powder cartridge 65 is connected to the connection part 62, and then the on-off valve 651 is opened. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the valve element 632 is moved to open the on-off part 63, and the raw material powder 652 in the raw material powder cartridge 65 is carried by the inert N2 gas and transported to the raw material powder supply device 20.

[0027] The control unit 70 is configured as a computer and includes a main control unit with a CPU, an input device, an output device, a display device, and a storage device (storage medium). The main control unit controls the operation of each component of the source gas supply system 100, such as the valves, vaporizers 10a and 10b, and exhaust device 67. The main control unit controls each component based on a control program stored in a storage medium (hard disk, optical disk, semiconductor memory, etc.) built into the storage device. A process recipe is stored in the storage medium as a control program, and the process of the source gas supply system 100 is performed based on the process recipe.

[0028] Next, the operation of the source gas supply system 100 configured as above will be described.

[0029] In the raw material gas supply system 100, the powder raw material in the powder raw material supply device 20 is supplied to the vaporizer 10a or 10b via the powder raw material supply piping 30 and filled into a container. Then, the supplied powder raw material is vaporized in the vaporizer 10a or 10b, and the generated raw material gas is supplied to the processing device 200 via the raw material gas supply piping 40. At this time, the raw material gas is carried to the processing device 200 by a carrier gas supplied from the carrier gas supply device 50. In the processing device 200, a film formation process, for example, is performed on the substrate W.

[0030] In this case, since two vaporizers 10a and 10b are provided, while one is vaporizing the powder raw material, the powder raw material can be supplied to the other and stored in a container. An example of this will be described with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 shows an example in which the powder raw material is supplied to vaporizer 10a and stored in a container, and the powder raw material stored in the container is vaporized in vaporizer 10b and the raw material gas is supplied to processing equipment 200. In Figure 5, the open state of the on-off valve is shown as white, and the closed state is shown as black.

[0031] Specifically, the on-off valve 33a of the raw material powder supply piping 30 is opened, and the raw material powder is supplied from the raw material powder supply device 20 to the vaporizer 10a and stored in the container. At this time, the on-off valve 43a of the raw material gas supply piping 40 and the on-off valve 55a of the carrier gas supply device 50 are closed. Meanwhile, with the on-off valve 43b of the raw material gas supply piping 40 open, the raw material powder in the container of the vaporizer 10b is vaporized, and the generated raw material gas is supplied to the processing device 200. At this time, the on-off valve 33b of the raw material powder supply piping 30 is closed to stop the supply of raw material powder to the vaporizer 10b, and the on-off valve 55b of the carrier gas supply device 50 is opened to supply carrier gas to the vaporizer 10b and transport the raw material gas from the vaporizer 10b.

[0032] When the amount of powdered raw material stored in the container of vaporizer 10b falls below a certain amount, the on-off valve is switched to supply powdered raw material to vaporizer 10b in the same manner, and raw material gas is supplied from vaporizer 10a to processing device 200.

[0033] These steps are repeated until the amount of raw material powder in the raw material powder supply device 20 falls below a certain level, at which point the raw material powder refill mechanism 60 refills the raw material powder into the raw material powder supply device 20 .

[0034] Powder raw materials are easily oxidized. Oxidation, particularly in powder raw materials used in processes for manufacturing fine semiconductor devices, can adversely affect process results. Therefore, the oxygen content of the powder raw material must be strictly controlled. Therefore, when replenishing the powder raw material into the powder raw material supply device 20, it is necessary to prevent the powder raw material from coming into contact with the atmosphere. While conventional measures such as purging the piping have been taken when replenishing the powder raw material, stricter quality requirements for powder raw materials have recently been met, creating a demand for technology that more strictly prevents contact with the atmosphere. Patent Document 1 describes the installation of a raw material cartridge filled with the powder raw material when replenishing the powder raw material, but does not disclose any measures to strictly prevent contact with the atmosphere when replenishing the powder.

[0035] In contrast, in this embodiment, the powder raw material refill mechanism 60 is configured to include a pipe 61 connected at one end to the powder raw material supply device 20, a connection part 62 and an opening / closing part 63 provided at the other end of the pipe 61, a vacuum exhaust part 64 that evacuates the pipe 61, and a powder raw material cartridge 65 connected to the connection part 62. Then, with the vacuum exhaust part 64 evacuating the pipe 61 to maintain a vacuum, the powder raw material cartridge 65 is connected to the connection part 62, and the opening / closing part 63 is opened to communicate between the pipe 61 and the powder raw material cartridge 65. As a result, with the powder raw material cartridge 65 in close contact with the connection part 62, the powder raw material in the powder raw material cartridge 65 is carried by the inert gas in the powder raw material cartridge 65 and supplied to the powder raw material supply device 20. This strictly prevents the raw material powder from coming into contact with the atmosphere when being transported from the powder raw material cartridge 65 to the powder raw material supply device 20.

[0036] Furthermore, since the connection part 62 is provided on the opening / closing part 63, contact of the powder raw material with air can be more reliably prevented when the powder raw material in the powder raw material cartridge 65 is transported with the opening / closing part 63 open. Furthermore, since the connection part 62 is provided at the bottom of the opening / closing part 63 with its connection port facing downward, the powder raw material cartridge 65 is connected to the connection part 62 with its transport port facing upward, and the powder raw material in the powder raw material cartridge 65 is transported by being sucked up into the piping 61. This prevents the powder raw material from adhering to the sealing surface of the opening / closing part 63, reducing the risk of external leakage. Furthermore, since a gate valve is used as the opening / closing part 63, the opening area of ​​the opening / closing part 63 can be increased when opened, which is advantageous for transporting the powder raw material. Furthermore, since the opening / closing valve 651 is provided at one end of the powder raw material cartridge 65, closing the opening / closing valve 651 during transport of the powder raw material cartridge 65 maintains an airtight interior, preventing the air from contacting the powder raw material inside.

[0037] 6, a carrier gas line 655 may be provided in the raw material powder cartridge 65, and when transporting the raw material powder, an inert gas, such as N2 gas, may be supplied as a carrier gas from the carrier gas line 655 into the raw material powder cartridge 65. This allows the raw material powder in the raw material powder cartridge 65 to be transported more reliably.

[0038] 7, a brush 637 may be provided in the area where valve element 632 moves on the upper surface of the bottom wall of gate valve housing 631 that constitutes opening / closing unit 63. This makes it possible to clean the sealing surface of valve element 632 when valve element 632 is opened or closed, and makes it possible to more reliably prevent external leakage.

[0039] <Other applications> Although the embodiments have been described above, the disclosed embodiments should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The above embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

[0040] For example, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the opening / closing unit 63 uses a gate valve that can provide a large opening area when open. However, as long as the powder raw material can be transported when open, this is not limiting. For example, the opening / closing unit 83 may be a diaphragm valve as shown in FIG. 8. The opening / closing unit 83 in FIG. 8 has a transport path 831, a housing 832, an air inlet / outlet port 833, a diaphragm 834, and a valve seat 835. One end of the transport path 831 is connected to the piping 61, the other end is formed with a connection portion 62, and the valve seat 835 is provided in the middle. The housing 832 is provided adjacent to the transport path 831, and the transport path 831 and the housing 832 are separated by the diaphragm 834. The air inlet / outlet port 833 is provided in the housing 832, and by introducing and discharging air into and from the housing 832 through the air inlet / outlet port 833, the diaphragm 834 is moved toward and away from the valve seat 835, thereby opening and closing the transport path 831. However, since a diaphragm valve cannot provide a large opening area when opened like a gate valve, it is preferable to supply a carrier gas to the transfer path 831 to facilitate the transfer of the powder raw material.

[0041] In the above embodiment, an example in which two vaporizers are provided as the raw material gas supply system is shown, but a single vaporizer may also be provided. However, providing two vaporizers is advantageous in that it allows the supply of powdered raw material to one vaporizer while the other vaporizer is performing the vaporization process of the powdered raw material, thereby improving throughput.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the processing apparatus is a film forming apparatus, but the processing apparatus is not limited to this and may be any apparatus that performs processing using a source gas. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10a, 10b; Vaporizer 20; Powder raw material supply device 30; Powder raw material supply piping section 40: Raw material gas supply piping section 50: Carrier gas supply unit 60; Powder raw material replenishment device 61;Plumbing 62;Connection 63;Opening and closing section 64: Vacuum exhaust section 65; Powder raw material cartridge 100: Raw material gas supply system 200; processing equipment 651; Opening and closing valve 652;Powder raw materials 653;Filter 654: Carrier gas filling space W; substrate

Claims

1. In a raw material gas supply system that supplies a raw material gas generated by vaporizing a powder raw material in a vaporizer to a processing device, there is provided a powder raw material replenishment mechanism that replenishes the powder raw material to a powder raw material supply device that supplies the powder raw material to the vaporizer, the powder raw material replenishment mechanism comprising: a pipe having one end connected to the powder raw material supply device; a powder raw material cartridge filled with the powder raw material; a connection portion provided at the other end of the piping, to which the powder raw material cartridge is detachably connected; an opening / closing unit provided at the other end of the pipe for opening and closing a gap between the pipe and the powder raw material cartridge; a vacuum exhaust unit that evacuates the inside of the pipe and maintains the inside of the pipe at a vacuum; and the powder raw material cartridge has a filter that divides the interior thereof into an inner portion and an outer portion, the outer portion being a carrier gas filling space filled with a carrier gas made of an inert gas, the carrier gas filling space being filled with the carrier gas and sealed therein, and the powder raw material being filled in the inner portion; a powder raw material refill mechanism in which, while the inside of the piping is maintained at a vacuum by the vacuum exhaust unit, the powder raw material cartridge is connected to the connection unit and the opening / closing unit is opened, whereby the powder raw material in the powder raw material cartridge is carried by the carrier gas and transported to the powder raw material supply device.

2. 2. The powder raw material replenishing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is provided on the opening / closing portion.

3. 3. The powder raw material replenishment mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the opening / closing unit is comprised of a gate valve having: a housing to which the piping is connected and in which an opening that serves as a connection port for the connection unit is formed; a valve body that is slidable within the housing and opens and closes the opening; and an actuator that slides the valve body.

4. 4. The powder raw material replenishing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the opening / closing unit further comprises a brush provided in the housing for cleaning the sealing surface of the valve body when the valve body slides.

5. 5. The powder raw material replenishing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the connection port of the connection part faces downward.

6. 6. The powder raw material refill mechanism according to claim 1, wherein an open / close valve is provided at an end of the powder raw material cartridge on the connection portion side, the open / close valve refilling the powder raw material when the open / close valve is in an open state, and maintaining the inside of the powder raw material cartridge airtight when the open / close valve is in a closed state.

7. 7. The raw material powder replenishing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a carrier gas supply line for supplying a carrier gas made of an inert gas is connected to the raw material powder cartridge.

8. 8. The powder raw material replenishing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum exhaust unit evacuates the inside of the pipe from the powder raw material supply device side to maintain a vacuum inside the pipe.

9. A source gas supply system for supplying a source gas to a processing device for processing a substrate, a vaporizer that vaporizes the powder raw material to generate a raw material gas; a powder raw material supply device that supplies powder raw material to the vaporizer; a powder raw material supply piping section that supplies the powder raw material from the powder raw material supply device to the vaporizer; a raw material gas supply piping section for supplying a raw material gas from the vaporizer to the processing device; a powder raw material refilling mechanism that refills the powder raw material supply device with powder raw material; and The powder raw material replenishing mechanism includes: a pipe having one end connected to the powder raw material supply device; a powder raw material cartridge filled with the powder raw material; a connection portion provided at the other end of the piping, to which the powder raw material cartridge is detachably connected; an opening / closing unit provided at the other end of the pipe for opening and closing a gap between the pipe and the powder raw material cartridge; a vacuum exhaust unit that evacuates the inside of the pipe and maintains the inside of the pipe at a vacuum; and the powder raw material cartridge has a filter that divides the interior thereof into an inner portion and an outer portion, the outer portion being a carrier gas filling space filled with a carrier gas made of an inert gas, the carrier gas filling space being filled with the carrier gas and sealed therein, and the powder raw material being filled in the inner portion; a raw material gas supply system, wherein while the inside of the piping is maintained at a vacuum by the vacuum exhaust unit, the powder raw material cartridge is connected to the connection unit and the opening / closing unit is opened, whereby the powder raw material in the powder raw material cartridge is carried by the carrier gas and transported to the powder raw material supply device.

10. 1. A raw material powder replenishment method for a raw material gas supply system that supplies a raw material gas generated by vaporizing a powder raw material in a vaporizer to a processing device, the method comprising: a powder raw material supplying mechanism including a pipe having one end connected to the powder raw material supplying device, a powder raw material cartridge filled with the powder raw material, a connection part provided at the other end of the pipe and to which the powder raw material cartridge is detachably connected, an opening / closing part provided at the other end of the pipe for opening and closing the connection between the pipe and the powder raw material cartridge, and a vacuum exhaust part for evacuating the inside of the pipe to maintain a vacuum, the powder raw material cartridge having a filter that divides the interior thereof into an inner part and an outer part, the outer part being a carrier gas filling space filled with a carrier gas made of an inert gas, the carrier gas filling space being filled and sealed, and the powder raw material refilling mechanism having the inner part filled with the powder raw material; maintaining a vacuum inside the piping by the vacuum exhaust unit; connecting the powder raw material cartridge to the connection portion; opening the opening / closing portion to carry the raw material powder in the raw material cartridge with the carrier gas and transport it to the raw material powder supply device; A powder raw material replenishment method comprising the steps of:

Images