Substrate processing apparatus and its operation method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and an operating method thereof that can ensure safety while supplying a toxic gas into a process chamber to perform a process, and the substrate processing apparatus may include a process chamber having an opening on one side, a process gas supply unit that supplies a process gas containing a toxic gas into the process chamber, an exhaust unit that exhausts air from the process chamber, an opening / closing means that opens and closes the opening of the process chamber, and a control unit that detects the supply of the toxic gas to interlock the opening / closing means and releases the interlock of the opening / closing means based on the internal pressure of the process chamber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and an operation method thereof, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus and an operation method thereof capable of ensuring safety while supplying a toxic gas into a process chamber to proceed with a process.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, in a substrate processing apparatus, a toxic gas is supplied into a process chamber to proceed with a process. Since such a toxic gas is harmful to the human body, it is considered important to prevent leakage to the outside. Even when opening and closing an opening of the process chamber to transfer a substrate such as a wafer, it is necessary to manage the leakage of the toxic gas remaining in the process chamber to the outside.

[0003] Particularly, in a batch type substrate processing apparatus, an operator can enter a loading chamber where substrates are loaded onto a substrate boat in communication with the process chamber to perform work. Therefore, it is necessary to thoroughly block the flow of the toxic gas remaining in the process chamber into the loading chamber.

[0004] Therefore, a technology capable of preventing an accident caused by leakage of the residual toxic gas remaining in the process chamber to the outside while opening and closing the opening of the process chamber is desired.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a method for operating the same, which prevents accidents in which toxic gas remaining in the process chamber leaks to the outside by interlocking an opening / closing means that opens and closes the opening of the process chamber before the toxic gas is exhausted from the process chamber while the process is being carried out by supplying toxic gas into the process chamber. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a process chamber having an opening on one side, a process gas supply unit that supplies a process gas containing a toxic gas into the process chamber, an exhaust unit that exhausts the inside of the process chamber, an opening / closing means for opening and closing the opening of the process chamber, and a control unit that detects the supply of the toxic gas and interlocks the opening / closing means, and releases the interlock of the opening / closing means based on the pressure inside the process chamber.

[0008] The process gas supply unit provides the toxic gas and includes a first supply line on which at least one of a valve and a flow controller is installed, and the control unit may sense at least one of the opening of the valve and the flow of gas through the flow controller and interlock the opening / closing means in a state where the opening is closed.

[0009] The substrate processing apparatus further comprises a purge gas supply unit that supplies purge gas into the process chamber, and a pressure measuring unit that measures the pressure inside the process chamber. The control unit may release the interlock of the opening / closing means when the valve is closed or the gas flow of the flow controller is not detected, and the pressure measured by the pressure measuring unit while supplying the purge gas is maintained at or below a reference pressure during the pressure holding time.

[0010] The reference pressure may be determined experimentally using a pre-test conducted under the same conditions as the treatment process using the toxic gas.

[0011] The control unit may set the pressure holding time to be equal to or greater than the residual time of the toxic gas in the process chamber, using the residual time of the toxic gas measured in the preliminary test.

[0012] The control unit may set the reference pressure to the pressure inside the process chamber, measured while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber during the purging process in which the purge gas is supplied.

[0013] The pressure holding time may be determined based on the length of the first supply line and the volume velocity of the toxic gas.

[0014] The substrate processing apparatus further comprises a substrate boat capable of housing multiple substrates stacked in multiple layers within the process chamber, and a loading chamber disposed on one side of the process chamber and providing space for stacking the multiple substrates on the substrate boat, wherein the opening and closing means comprises a shutter portion disposed on one side of the process chamber for opening and closing the opening, and a lid portion coupled to the lower end of the substrate boat for opening and closing the opening as the substrate boat moves up and down, and the lid portion may close the opening while the substrate boat is housed within the process chamber.

[0015] A method of operating a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention may include the steps of: closing an opening on one side of a process chamber in order to perform a processing step using a toxic gas; detecting the supply of the toxic gas; interlocking the opening / closing means for opening and closing the opening; and releasing the interlock of the opening / closing means based on the pressure inside the process chamber.

[0016] The process for detecting the supply of the toxic gas includes either the process of sensing the opening of a valve installed in a first supply line that supplies the toxic gas, or the process of sensing the flow of gas using a flow controller installed in the first supply line, and in the process of interlocking the opening / closing means, if at least one of the opening of the valve and the gas flow of the flow controller is detected, the opening / closing means may be interlocked with the opening closed.

[0017] The method for operating the substrate processing apparatus further includes the steps of supplying purge gas into the process chamber and measuring the pressure inside the process chamber, wherein in the step of releasing the interlock of the opening / closing means, the interlock of the opening / closing means may be released if, while the valve is closed or the gas flow of the flow controller is not detected, the pressure measured in the step of measuring the pressure inside the process chamber while supplying the purge gas is maintained at or below a reference pressure during the pressure holding time.

[0018] The method for operating the substrate processing apparatus further includes a step of setting the reference pressure, and the step of setting the reference pressure may include a step of determining the reference pressure based on the results of a preliminary test carried out under the same conditions as the processing step.

[0019] The method for operating the substrate processing apparatus further includes a step of setting the pressure holding time, and the step of setting the pressure holding time may include a step of inputting the residual time of the toxic gas in the process chamber measured in the pre-test.

[0020] The method for operating the substrate processing apparatus further includes a step of setting the reference pressure, the step of setting the reference pressure may include a step of inputting the pressure inside the process chamber, measured while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied into the process chamber during the process of supplying the purge gas.

[0021] The operation method of the substrate processing apparatus further includes a process of setting the pressure holding time, and the process of setting the pressure holding time may include a process of inputting the residence time of the toxic gas calculated using the length of the first supply line and the volume velocity of the toxic gas.

Advantages of the Invention

[0022] The substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention uses a control unit to detect the supply of a toxic gas and interlock the opening / closing means, and based on the pressure inside the process chamber, by releasing the interlock of the opening / closing means, it blocks the opening of the opening of the process chamber before the toxic gas is completely exhausted from the process chamber, preventing the leakage of the toxic gas remaining in the process chamber to the outside due to the opening of the opening before the toxic gas is completely exhausted. Thereby, it is possible to prevent safety accidents caused by toxic gases and prevent a situation where all devices in a semiconductor manufacturing facility (FAB) are shut down due to the leakage of toxic gases.

[0023] Here, by measuring the pressure inside the process chamber and releasing the interlock of the opening / closing means when the measured pressure is maintained below the reference pressure for the pressure holding time, it is possible to prevent a situation (or accident) where toxic gas remains in the process chamber while opening the opening of the process chamber without additionally installing a separate device for detecting the toxic gas remaining in the process chamber. At this time, instead of immediately opening the opening of the process chamber when the pressure inside the process chamber becomes below the reference pressure, by maintaining the interlock of the opening / closing means for a pressure holding time longer than the residence time of the toxic gas, it is possible to more effectively prevent the opening of the opening before the toxic gas is completely exhausted.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] [Figure 1]Schematic cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Conceptual diagram showing the connection relationship between components of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Diagram showing opening and closing means according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] Flowchart showing an operation method of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail based on the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, and can be embodied in various different forms. These embodiments are merely provided to make the disclosure of the present invention complete and to fully inform those with ordinary knowledge of the scope of the invention. In describing the present invention, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and the drawings may be partially exaggerated in size for the purpose of accurately explaining the embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same components.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the connection relationship between components of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a substrate processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a process chamber 110 having an opening 111 on one side, a process gas supply unit 120 for supplying a process gas containing a toxic gas into the process chamber 110, an exhaust unit 130 for exhausting the inside of the process chamber 110, an opening and closing means 140 for opening and closing the opening 111 of the process chamber 110, and a control unit 150 for detecting the supply of the toxic gas and interlocking the opening and closing means 140, and releasing the interlock of the opening and closing means 140 based on the pressure inside the process chamber 110.

[0028] The process chamber 110 can provide a processing space for a substrate 10 such as a wafer, and may have an opening 111 on one side (for example, the lower end), through which the substrate 10 can be brought into the processing space (i.e., the inside of the process chamber) and a processing process can be performed on one or more substrates 10. For example, the process chamber 110 may be a process tube formed from a heat-resistant material such as quartz or ceramic in a cylindrical shape with the top closed and the bottom open, and multiple substrates 10 can be housed inside and a batch type processing process for the substrates 10 can be performed. Here, the processing space may be a space that houses a substrate boat 180 in which multiple substrates 10 are stacked in the longitudinal direction of the process chamber 110, and in which a processing process (for example, a vapor deposition process) is performed on the substrates 10.

[0029] The process gas supply unit 120 can supply process gas containing toxic gas into the process chamber 110, can supply deposition gas for the deposition process inside the process chamber 110, and can supply cleaning gas for cleaning the inside of the process chamber 110. Here, the process gas may contain the deposition gas or the cleaning gas, the deposition gas may contain the toxic gas, the cleaning gas may contain the toxic gas, or both the deposition gas and the cleaning gas may contain the toxic gas. For example, the toxic gas may be ammonia (NH3), hydrogen fluoride (HF), fluorine (F2), chlorine (Cl2), hydrogen chloride (HCl), dichlorosilane (DCS), SiH2Cl2, dichloroethane (DCE), C2H4Cl2, nitrogen oxide (NO), nitrogen oxide (NO) x ), or nitrous oxide (N2O), may also be used.

[0030] The exhaust unit 130 can exhaust the inside of the process chamber 110 and communicate with the inside of the process chamber 110 (i.e., the processing space) to exhaust process residue from the processing space to the outside. For example, the exhaust unit 130 may include an exhaust line 131 connected to the process chamber 110. One side (or one end) of the exhaust line 131 may be connected to the process chamber 110 and communicate with the exhaust port 112 of the process chamber 110, and the other side (or other end) may be connected to a vacuum pump 132. Through this, the process residue can be discharged from the processing space and exhausted to the outside. In this case, an exhaust valve 133 can be provided in the exhaust line 131, and the exhaust valve 133 can be configured as an Adaptive Pressure Control (APC) valve to create a vacuum in the process chamber 110 and adjust the vacuum pressure. On the other hand, the exhaust unit 130 may further include a toxic gas dilution unit (not shown) connected to the exhaust line 131 for diluting the toxic gas discharged into the exhaust line 131. The toxic gas dilution unit (not shown) can dilute the toxic gas discharged into the exhaust line 131, and can discharge the diluted toxic gas to the outside. For example, after accumulating the process residue containing the toxic gas in a certain space, the accumulated process residue can be diluted with nitrogen (N2) or the like to eliminate toxicity before being discharged to the outside.

[0031] The opening / closing means 140 can open and close the opening 111 of the process chamber 110, and can block (or prevent) the toxic gas from leaking (or flowing out) outside the process chamber 110 by closing (or shutting off) the opening 111 during the processing step using the toxic gas.

[0032] The control unit 150 can detect the supply of the toxic gas and interlock the on / off means 140 during the processing step using the toxic gas, and can release the interlock of the on / off means 140 based on the pressure inside the process chamber 110 after the processing step using the toxic gas (or the supply of the toxic gas) has ended (or been completed). For example, the control unit 150 can start the supply of the toxic gas for the processing step using the toxic gas, or interlock the on / off means 140 before the supply is started, and can release the interlock of the on / off means 140 if the pressure inside the process chamber 110 is below a reference pressure after the supply of the toxic gas has ended (or been stopped).

[0033] This prevents the opening 111 from being opened before the toxic gas has completely (or entirely) escaped (or been exhausted) from the process chamber 110, thereby fundamentally blocking (or preventing) the leakage of any toxic gas remaining in the process chamber 110 to the outside.

[0034] Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention uses a control unit 150 to detect the supply of the toxic gas and interlock the opening / closing means 140, and based on the pressure inside the process chamber 110, it releases the interlock of the opening / closing means 140, thereby preventing the opening 111 of the process chamber 110 from opening before the toxic gas is completely exhausted from inside the process chamber 110, and preventing the toxic gas remaining inside the process chamber 110 from leaking out due to the opening 111 before the toxic gas is completely exhausted. This prevents safety accidents caused by the toxic gas and also prevents a situation in which all equipment in the semiconductor manufacturing facility (FAB) is shut down due to the leakage of the toxic gas.

[0035] The process gas supply unit 120 may include a first supply line 121 that supplies the toxic gas and is equipped with at least one of a (first) valve 122 and a (first) flow controller 123. The first supply line 121 can supply the toxic gas to the process chamber 110 by connecting a (first) gas supply source (or gas storage source) for supplying the toxic gas to the process chamber 110, and may be equipped with at least one of a valve 122 and a flow controller 123. Here, the valve 122 can turn the supply (or flow) of the toxic gas on / off, and the flow controller 123 can control the flow rate (or flow) of the toxic gas or sense the flow rate (or flow) of the toxic gas.

[0036] At this time, the control unit 150 can sense at least one of the opening of the valve 122 or the flow of gas in the flow controller 123 and interlock the opening / closing means 140 in a closed state. When the valve 122 is opened or a gas flow is detected in the flow controller 123, the control unit 150 can determine that the toxic gas is being supplied and interlock the opening / closing means 140 in a closed state.

[0037] For example, the control unit 150 may be equipped with a valve sensor (not shown) that senses the opening and closing of the valve 122, and can sense the opening (open state) of the valve 122 using the valve sensor (not shown). When the flow of gas is sensed in the flow controller 123, the control unit 150 can receive (or be transmitted) a flow sensing signal from the flow controller 123 and sense the gas flow in the flow controller 123. It is possible to determine that the toxic gas is being supplied by sensing only one of the opening of the valve 122 or the gas flow in the flow controller 123, but in order to improve the accuracy of the determination, it is preferable to determine that the toxic gas is being supplied when both the opening of the valve 122 and the gas flow in the flow controller 123 are sensed.

[0038] The substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention may further include a purge gas supply unit 160 for supplying purge gas into the process chamber 110, and a pressure measuring unit 170 for measuring the pressure inside the process chamber 110.

[0039] The purge gas supply unit 160 can supply purge gas into the process chamber 110 and purge the toxic gas remaining in the process chamber 110. Here, the purge gas may contain nitrogen (N2) gas or an inert gas such as argon (Ar), helium (He), or neon (Ne). For example, the purge gas supply unit 160 can supply the purge gas into the process chamber 110 to perform a purging process after the processing process using the toxic gas has finished and the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped (or ceased), and can purge the process residue, such as the toxic gas, remaining in the process chamber 110 even after the processing process using the toxic gas has finished, and the purged process residue can be exhausted through the exhaust unit 130. Furthermore, the purge gas supply unit 160 can supply the purge gas via the purge line 161, and the supply of the purge gas can be turned on / off by a purge valve 162 installed in the purge line 161. On the other hand, the purge line 161 of the purge gas supply unit 160 can also be connected (or communicated) with the first supply line 121, in which case the toxic gas remaining in the first supply line 121 can also be purged.

[0040] The pressure measuring unit 170 can measure the pressure inside the process chamber 110, and can directly measure the pressure inside the process chamber 110, or can computationally (or indirectly) measure the pressure inside the chamber 110 using other measurements that are directly or indirectly measured. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the pressure measuring unit 170 can be connected to the process chamber 110 to (directly) measure the pressure inside the process chamber 110, but it can also measure the vacuum degree and / or vacuum pressure (or exhaust pressure) of the process chamber 110 using a vacuum sensor (not shown) connected to the exhaust line 131, and (indirectly) measure the pressure inside the process chamber 110 using the measured vacuum degree and / or vacuum pressure of the process chamber 110. However, it is not limited to this, as long as the pressure inside the process chamber 110 can be measured.

[0041] The control unit 150 can release the interlock of the opening / closing means 140 if, while supplying the purge gas, the pressure measured by the pressure measuring unit 170 is maintained at or below the reference pressure during the pressure holding time, either with the valve 122 closed or with no gas flow detected by the flow controller 123. The control unit 150 can determine that the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped (or interrupted) if the valve 122 is closed or no gas flow is detected by the flow controller 123. The control unit 150 can also determine that the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped based on either the detection of the valve 122 being closed or the non-detection of gas flow by the flow controller 123, but it is preferable to determine that the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped if the valve 122 is closed and no gas flow is detected by the flow controller 123.

[0042] If the control unit 150 determines that the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped, the purge gas supply unit 160 can supply the purge gas to purge any remaining toxic gas in the process chamber 110 and / or the first supply line 121. The control unit 150 can maintain the toxic gas supply in a stopped state while the purge gas supply unit 160 supplies the purge gas after the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped.

[0043] The purging process can be performed while the purging gas supply unit 160 supplies the purging gas while the valve 122 is closed or the flow rate controller 123 does not detect the gas flow and the supply of the toxic gas is stopped, and the pressure measuring unit 170 can measure the pressure inside the process chamber 110 while the purging process is being performed.

[0044] At this time, if the pressure inside the process chamber 110 measured by the pressure measuring unit 170 falls below the reference pressure, it can be determined that there is no toxic gas remaining in the process chamber 110. However, there is a possibility that the toxic gas remaining in the first supply line 121 has been purged and supplied into the process chamber 110, or that the toxic gas remaining in the exhaust line 131 may backflow through the opening 111 and leak to the outside. Therefore, the interlock of the opening / closing means 140 is not immediately released, and the interlock of the opening / closing means 140 can be released only when the pressure is maintained below the reference pressure during the pressure holding time. For this reason, the interlock of the opening / closing means 140 can be maintained until the toxic gas has completely escaped from the process chamber 110, and even after the interlock of the opening / closing means 140 is released, there is no toxic gas remaining in the process chamber 110, thus preventing the toxic gas remaining in the process chamber 110 from leaking to the outside.

[0045] If the aforementioned toxic gas leaks out and escapes into the external environment, there is a possibility of a safety accident caused by the toxic gas. This is not only harmful to the human body, but it could also cause problems such as the shutdown of all dozens or hundreds of devices in the semiconductor manufacturing facility. Therefore, it is extremely important to configure the control unit 150 to release the interlock of the opening / closing means 140 only when the toxic gas has completely escaped from the process chamber 110.

[0046] Here, the reference pressure can be experimentally determined using a pre-test conducted under the same conditions as the processing step using the toxic gas. For example, in a pre-test conducted under the same conditions as the processing step using the toxic gas, the pressure inside the process chamber 110 may be measured when the toxic gas has completely escaped from the process chamber 110 and there is no toxic gas remaining inside the process chamber 110, and the measured pressure (or the pressure inside the process chamber) may be used as the reference pressure. On the other hand, the substrate processing apparatus 100 of the present invention may further include a reference pressure storage unit (not shown) in which the reference pressure is stored for each processing step such as the deposition process and the cleaning process. The reference pressure obtained by conducting the pre-test for each processing step can be stored in the reference pressure storage unit (not shown), and the control unit 150 can read the reference pressure from the reference pressure storage unit (not shown) for each processing step and determine the time to release the interlock of the opening / closing means 140.

[0047] At this time, the control unit 150 can set the pressure holding time to be greater than or equal to the residence time of the toxic gas in the process chamber 110, which was measured (or measured) in the preliminary test. That is, the pressure holding time can be set to be greater than or equal to the residence time of the toxic gas in the process chamber 110, which was measured in the preliminary test. The residence time of the toxic gas in the process chamber 110 can be measured in the preliminary test, the residence time can be measured for each type of toxic gas, and the measured residence times can be stored for each type of toxic gas in a residence time storage unit (not shown) or the like. Herein, the substrate processing apparatus 100 of the present invention may further include a residual time storage unit (not shown) that stores the residual time for each type of toxic gas, and the residual time can be measured and stored in the residual time storage unit (not shown) while supplying the purge gas to purge the inside of the process chamber 110 until the toxic gas is no longer contained in the process residue discharged to the exhaust line 131, and the residual time can be measured and stored for each type of toxic gas.

[0048] For example, a gas detector 135, such as a Self-Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (SP-OES), can be installed in the exhaust port 112 and / or exhaust line 131 of the process chamber 110 to detect whether or not the process residue (or exhaust gas) discharged to the exhaust line 131 via the exhaust port 112 contains the toxic gas. The time until the process residue discharged to the exhaust line 131 no longer contains the toxic gas may be defined as the residual time of the toxic gas. Here, the start time of the residual time may be after the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped, during the execution of the purging process, or when the purging process (or the supply of the purge gas) is started.

[0049] By setting the pressure holding time to be longer than the residual time of the toxic gas, the pressure inside the process chamber 110 is maintained at or below the reference pressure for a period longer than the residual time of the toxic gas. This ensures that all (or completely) removed (or exhausted) of the toxic gas from inside the process chamber 110 without any residual toxic gas remaining inside. The interlock of the opening / closing means 140 is released when there is no toxic gas remaining inside the process chamber 110, allowing the opening 111 of the process chamber 110 to be opened. This effectively blocks (or prevents) the toxic gas from flowing out (or leaking) from inside the process chamber 110. In this case, it is preferable to set the pressure holding time to be longer than the residual time of the toxic gas so that the toxic gas can escape (or be purged) from the exhaust line 131, in order to also block backflow of the toxic gas in the exhaust line 131 due to the opening of the opening 111.

[0050] Here, the control unit 150 reads the residual time from the residual time storage unit (not shown) for each type of toxic gas, and based on the residual time, can set the pressure holding time to be longer than or equal to the residual time of the toxic gas.

[0051] On the other hand, the pressure holding time can be determined using time-based data from when the pressure measured by the pressure measuring unit 170 (i.e., the pressure inside the process chamber) while supplying the purge gas falls below the reference pressure, and the gas detector 135 installed in the exhaust line 131 detects the toxic gas. The control unit 150 can determine the pressure holding time by checking from the time-based data of when the toxic gas was detected and when it stopped being detected, and can determine that all of the toxic gas has escaped (or been discharged) when it is no longer detected. Here, the time-based data of when the toxic gas was detected can also be obtained using the pre-test, and time-based data can be obtained for each type of toxic gas.

[0052] For example, the control unit 150 can set the reference pressure to the pressure inside the process chamber 110 measured while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber 110 in the purging process. That is, the reference pressure may be the pressure inside the process chamber 110 measured while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber 110 in the purging process, or it may be the pressure inside the process chamber 110 measured by supplying only the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber 110 in the purging process, without any other gases, in a separate process, rather than in the (actual) purging process that proceeds after the processing process. For each processing process, the flow rate supplied to the process chamber 110 in the purging process can be determined according to the type of toxic gas, and the pressure inside the process chamber 110 can be measured when only the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber 110 in the purging process of each processing process is supplied. At this time, the pressure inside the process chamber 110 can be measured while supplying the same flow rate of purge gas as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber 110 in the purge process for each processing step, and the pressure inside the process chamber 110 measured for each processing step may be different, and as a result, the reference pressure may be different for each processing step. Here, the measured pressure inside the process chamber 110 can be stored as the reference pressure in the reference pressure storage unit (not shown) for each processing step.

[0053] The pressure inside the process chamber 110 measured while supplying the same flow rate of purge gas as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber 110 in the purging process is the pressure when only the purge gas is present (or flowing) inside the process chamber 110 without the toxic gas. Therefore, if the pressure measured using the pressure measuring unit 170 in the purging process is the same as the pressure inside the process chamber 110 measured while supplying the same flow rate of purge gas, it can be determined that only the purge gas is present (or flowing) inside the process chamber 110 without any other gases such as the toxic gas. For this reason, the pressure inside the process chamber 110 measured while supplying the same flow rate of purge gas can be used as the reference pressure, and if the pressure measured by the pressure measuring unit 170 is less than or equal to the reference pressure, it can be determined that there is no (or no residual) toxic gas inside the process chamber 110.

[0054] On the other hand, if the toxic gas remains in the process chamber 110, the toxic gas will be present in addition to the purge gas, causing the pressure measured by the pressure measuring unit 170 to be even higher than the reference pressure. Through this, it can be determined that the toxic gas remains (or is present) in the process chamber 110 if the pressure measured by the pressure measuring unit 170 is even higher than the reference pressure.

[0055] Furthermore, the pressure holding time can be determined based on the length of the first supply line 121 and the volume velocity of the toxic gas. The residual time of the toxic gas can be calculated based on the distance from the gas supply source to the exhaust port 112 of the process chamber 110 (for example, the length of the first supply line + the width of the process chamber) and the volume velocity of the toxic gas. Based on the calculated residual time of the toxic gas, the pressure holding time can be determined to be longer than or equal to the residual time.

[0056] For example, the residual time of the toxic gas may be proportional to the length of the first supply line 121, or inversely proportional to the volume velocity of the toxic gas, and the pressure holding time may also be proportional to the length of the first supply line 121 and inversely proportional to the volume velocity of the toxic gas.

[0057] Furthermore, the residual time of the toxic gas can be expressed by the following formula 1.

[0058]

number

[0059] Furthermore, the volumetric velocity of the toxic gas can be determined based on its molecular weight, and may increase as the molecular weight of the toxic gas decreases.

[0060] The pressure holding time can be easily determined using the above formula 1, and the residual time of the toxic gas can be quickly calculated and the pressure holding time determined without having to perform a separate step of supplying a gas such as the purge gas into the process chamber 110 in advance.

[0061] Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention measures the pressure inside the process chamber 110, and if the measured pressure is maintained at or below the reference pressure during the pressure holding time, it releases the interlock of the opening / closing means 140. This prevents the situation (or accident) in which the toxic gas remains inside the process chamber 110 while the opening 111 of the process chamber 110 is open, without requiring the additional installation of a separate device for detecting the toxic gas remaining inside the process chamber 110. Furthermore, instead of immediately opening the opening 111 of the process chamber 110 as soon as the pressure inside the process chamber 110 falls below the reference pressure, the interlock of the opening / closing means 140 is maintained for a pressure holding time that is longer than the residual time of the toxic gas, thereby more effectively preventing the opening 111 from being opened before the toxic gas is completely exhausted.

[0062] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an opening and closing mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 3(a) shows the lid portion and Figure 3(b) shows the shutter portion.

[0063] Referring to Figure 3, the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention may further include a substrate boat 180 in which a plurality of substrates 10 are stacked in multiple stages and can be housed in a process chamber 110, and a loading chamber 190 disposed on one side of the process chamber 110 and providing space for stacking a plurality of substrates 10 in the substrate boat 180.

[0064] The substrate boat 180 can accommodate multiple substrates 10 stacked in multiple layers and can be housed in the process chamber 110 for processing the substrates 10. That is, the substrate boat 180 can accommodate multiple substrates 10 stacked in multiple layers (or vertically) for processing the substrates 10 in a batch manner, can be disposed inside the process chamber 110 (i.e., the processing space), and can be housed inside the process chamber 110 (i.e., the processing space) during the processing of the substrates 10. In this case, there may be multiple substrate boats 180, and each may be disposed inside a multiple process chamber 110. Here, the substrate boat 180 may be configured to have multiple independent spaces, each capable of processing multiple substrates 10 separately.

[0065] The loading chamber 190 can be installed (or positioned) on one side (for example, the bottom) of the process chamber 110 (in the longitudinal direction), and can provide space for loading multiple substrates 10 onto the substrate boat 180. Multiple substrates 10 can be loaded into the loading chamber 190 and stacked in multiple layers on the substrate boat 180. The substrate boat 180, with multiple substrates 10 loaded in the loading chamber 190, can then be raised and lowered by the boat lifter 185 and housed in the internal space of the process chamber 110 for processing the substrates 10. For example, the loading chamber 190 may have an open top to allow the substrate boat 180 to be raised and lowered, and a passage for the substrates 10 to enter and exit may be formed on one side (in the width direction) to allow multiple substrates 10 to be loaded. Here, the loading chamber 190 is connectable to a transport chamber (not shown) and may have a passage connected to the transport chamber (not shown), through which the substrate 10 can be transported from the transport chamber (not shown) to the loading chamber 190. A gate valve (not shown) can be installed outside the passage, and the passage can be opened and closed by the gate valve (not shown).

[0066] The opening / closing mechanism 140 may include a lid portion 141 coupled to the lower end of the substrate boat 180, which opens and closes the opening 111 as the substrate boat 180 moves up and down, and a shutter portion 142 disposed on one side of the process chamber 110, which opens and closes the opening 111. The lid portion 141 can be coupled to the lower end of the substrate boat 180 and can move up and down together with the substrate boat 180 as the substrate boat 180 moves up and down by the boat lifter 185, thereby opening and closing the opening 111. Here, the lid portion 141 can close the opening 111 while the substrate boat 180 is housed in the process chamber 110, the processing process for the substrate 10 can proceed with the opening 111 closed by the lid portion 141, and after the processing process is completed (or finished), the lid portion 141 can descend together with the substrate boat 180, opening the opening 111.

[0067] The shutter section 142 can be installed on one side (e.g., the bottom) of the process chamber 110 (in the longitudinal direction), and can open and close the opening 111. The opening 111 can be closed when the substrate boat 180 descends and is positioned in the loading chamber 190, and the opening 111 can be opened when the substrate boat 180 is housed in the process chamber 110 or when the substrate boat 180 moves up and down between the process chamber 110 and the loading chamber 190. For example, as shown in Figure 3(b), the shutter section 142 can open and close the opening 111 by a blocking plate that rotates (or revolves) around a pivot axis off its center.

[0068] On the other hand, in the deposition process, when the substrate boat 180 is housed in the process chamber 110 and the opening 111 is closed by the cover portion 141, the control unit 150 can interlock the cover portion 141. In the cleaning process, when the substrate boat 180 is not housed in the process chamber 110 and the inside of the process chamber 110 is cleaned, the control unit 150 can interlock the shutter portion 142 that closes (or shields) the opening 111.

[0069] Figure 4 is a procedure diagram showing an operation method of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] Referring to Figure 4, the operation method of the substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail, but matters that overlap with the parts described above in relation to the substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be omitted.

[0071] A method of operating a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention may include the steps of: closing an opening on one side of a process chamber in order to perform a processing step using a toxic gas (S100); detecting the supply of the toxic gas (S200); interlocking the opening / closing means for opening and closing the opening (S300); and releasing the interlock of the opening / closing means based on the pressure inside the process chamber (S400).

[0072] First, in order to carry out the processing step using a toxic gas, the opening on one side of the process chamber is closed (S100). In order to carry out the processing step using a toxic gas, the opening on one side of the process chamber can be closed by an opening / closing means, and the processing step using the toxic gas can be carried out with the opening of the process chamber closed.

[0073] Next, the supply of the toxic gas is detected (S200). Since the toxic gas is harmful to the human body, if the toxic gas leaks out and escapes into the external environment, a safety accident due to the toxic gas will occur. Therefore, the control unit can be used to detect the supply of the toxic gas so as to prevent the opening of the process chamber from opening and the toxic gas from leaking out to the outside. Through this, the supply of the toxic gas can be sensed (or detected), and if the supply of the toxic gas is detected, the opening of the process chamber can be kept closed, thereby preventing the toxic gas from leaking out to the outside through the opening.

[0074] Then, the opening and closing means for opening and closing the opening is interlocked (S300). When the supply of the toxic gas is detected, the control unit can interlock the opening and closing means for opening and closing the opening in order to prevent the opening of the process chamber from opening. As a result, the opening of the process chamber does not open while the toxic gas is being supplied, and the toxic gas does not leak out to the outside through the opening.

[0075] Subsequently, the interlock of the opening / closing means is released based on the pressure inside the process chamber (S400). Once the supply of the toxic gas has ended, the control unit can release the interlock of the opening / closing means based on the pressure inside the process chamber, and after there is no toxic gas remaining in the process chamber and all of the toxic gas has been completely removed (or exhausted) from inside the process chamber, the interlock of the opening / closing means can be released and the opening of the process chamber can be opened.

[0076] The process of detecting the supply of the toxic gas (S200) may include either the process of sensing the opening of a valve installed in the first supply line that supplies the toxic gas (S211), or the process of sensing the flow of gas using a flow controller installed in the first supply line (S212).

[0077] The control unit can detect the opening of a valve installed in the first supply line that supplies the toxic gas (S211). The control unit can detect whether or not the toxic gas is being supplied by detecting the opening of a valve installed in the first supply line that supplies the toxic gas, and if the valve is open, it can determine that the toxic gas is being supplied. For example, the control unit can detect the open state of the valve using a valve sensor that detects the opening and closing of the valve.

[0078] Furthermore, the flow of gas can be sensed using a flow controller installed in the first supply line (S212). The control unit can also sense the flow of gas using a flow controller installed in the first supply line in order to detect whether or not the toxic gas is being supplied, and can determine that the toxic gas is being supplied when the flow of gas is sensed in the flow controller. For example, when the flow of gas is sensed in the flow controller, the control unit can sense the flow of gas in the flow controller by receiving (or forwarding) a flow sensing signal from the flow controller.

[0079] Furthermore, during the process of interlocking the opening and closing means (S300), if at least one of the opening of the valve or the flow of gas in the flow controller is detected, the opening and closing means can be interlocked with the opening closed. When at least one of the opening of the valve or the flow of gas in the flow controller is detected (or when the valve is opened or when a gas flow is detected in the flow controller), the control unit determines that the toxic gas is being supplied and can interlock the opening and closing means with the opening closed.

[0080] The method for operating the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention may further include the steps of supplying purge gas into the process chamber (S350) and measuring the pressure inside the process chamber (S360).

[0081] A purge gas can be supplied into the process chamber (S350). A purge gas supply unit can be used to supply purge gas into the process chamber, and the toxic gas remaining in the process chamber can be purged. For example, the purge gas supply unit can supply the purge gas into the process chamber to perform a purging process after the processing process using the toxic gas has finished and the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped (or ceased), and can also purge process residues such as the toxic gas remaining in the process chamber after the processing process using the toxic gas has finished, and the purged process residues can be exhausted through the exhaust unit.

[0082] Furthermore, the pressure inside the process chamber can be measured (S360). The pressure inside the process chamber can be measured using a pressure measuring unit, and the pressure measuring unit can be connected to the process chamber to measure the pressure inside the process chamber (directly), or the vacuum degree and / or the vacuum pressure (or exhaust pressure) of the process chamber can be measured using a vacuum sensor connected to the exhaust line of the exhaust unit, and the pressure inside the process chamber can be measured (indirectly) using the measured vacuum degree and / or the vacuum pressure of the process chamber.

[0083] In the process of releasing the interlock of the opening / closing means (S400), the interlock of the opening / closing means can be released if the pressure measured in the process of measuring the pressure inside the process chamber while supplying the purge gas, with the valve in a closed state or the gas flow of the flow controller not detected, is maintained at or below the reference pressure during the pressure holding time. The control unit can release the interlock of the opening / closing means if the pressure measured by the pressure measuring unit in the process of measuring the pressure inside the process chamber while supplying the purge gas, with the valve in a closed state or the gas flow of the flow controller not detected, is maintained at or below the reference pressure during the pressure holding time. In this case, the control unit can determine that the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped (or interrupted) when the valve is closed or when no gas flow is detected by the flow controller. The control unit can also determine that the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped based on either the detection of the valve being closed or the non-detection of gas flow by the flow controller, but it is preferable to determine that the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped when the valve is closed and no gas flow is detected by the flow controller.

[0084] If the control unit determines that the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped, the purge gas supply unit can supply the purge gas to purge the toxic gas remaining in the process chamber and / or the first supply line, and the control unit can maintain the supply of the toxic gas in a stopped state while the purge gas supply unit supplies the purge gas after the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped.

[0085] The purging process can be performed while the purging gas is supplied in the purging gas supply unit while the valve is closed or the flow rate controller does not detect the gas flow and the supply of the toxic gas is stopped, and the pressure measuring unit can measure the pressure inside the process chamber while the purging process is being performed.

[0086] At this time, if the pressure inside the process chamber measured by the pressure measuring unit falls below the reference pressure, it can be determined that there is no toxic gas remaining in the process chamber. However, there is a possibility that the toxic gas remaining in the first supply line has been purged and supplied into the process chamber, or that the toxic gas remaining in the exhaust line may backflow through the opening and leak to the outside. Therefore, the interlock of the opening / closing means is not immediately released, and the interlock of the opening / closing means can be released only when the pressure is maintained below the reference pressure during the pressure holding time. For this reason, the interlock of the opening / closing means can be maintained until the toxic gas has completely escaped from the process chamber, and even after the interlock of the opening / closing means is released, there is no toxic gas remaining in the process chamber, thereby fundamentally preventing the toxic gas remaining in the process chamber from leaking to the outside.

[0087] The method of operating the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention may further include the step of setting the reference pressure (S50).

[0088] The reference pressure can be set (S50). If the toxic gas leaks out and escapes into the external environment, there is a possibility of a safety accident caused by the toxic gas, which is not only harmful to the human body, but could also cause problems such as all of the dozens or hundreds of devices in the semiconductor manufacturing facility (FAB) shutting down. Therefore, it is very important to configure the control unit to release the interlock of the opening and closing means only when the toxic gas has completely escaped from the process chamber. For this purpose, the reference pressure can be set to match the control unit.

[0089] Here, the process of setting the reference pressure (S50) may include a process of determining the reference pressure (S51) based on the results of a preliminary test carried out under the same conditions as the processing step.

[0090] The reference pressure can be determined based on the results of a preliminary test conducted under the same conditions as the processing step (S51). For example, in a preliminary test conducted under the same conditions as the processing step using the toxic gas, the pressure inside the process chamber may be measured when the toxic gas has completely escaped from the process chamber and there is no toxic gas remaining inside the process chamber, and the measured pressure (or the pressure inside the process chamber) may be used as the reference pressure. On the other hand, the process of determining the reference pressure based on the results of the preliminary test (S51) may include the process of storing the reference pressure obtained by conducting the preliminary test for each processing step, such as the deposition process and the cleaning process, in the reference pressure storage unit, and the process of the control unit reading the reference pressure stored in the reference pressure storage unit for each processing step. The reference pressure obtained by conducting the preliminary test for each processing step, such as the deposition process and the cleaning process, can be stored in the reference pressure storage unit, and the control unit can select from the reference pressures stored in the reference pressure storage unit for each processing step and read the reference pressure stored in the reference pressure storage unit. The control unit can then read the reference pressure from the reference pressure storage unit for each processing step and determine the timing of the release of the interlock of the opening / closing means.

[0091] The method for operating the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention may further include the step of setting the pressure holding time (S60).

[0092] The pressure holding time can be set (S60). The pressure holding time can be set to match the control unit. In this case, during the process of setting the pressure holding time (S60), the pressure holding time can be set to be longer than the residual time of the toxic gas in the process chamber, using the residual time of the toxic gas measured in the preliminary test.

[0093] For example, the process of setting the pressure holding time (S60) may include the process of inputting the residual time of the toxic gas in the process chamber measured in the preliminary test (S61).

[0094] The residual time of the toxic gas in the process chamber measured in the pre-test can be input (S61). The control unit can measure the residual time of the toxic gas in the process chamber in the pre-test, read the residual time of the toxic gas stored in the residual time storage unit, and input the residual time of the toxic gas. The residual time of the toxic gas in the process chamber can be measured in the pre-test, the residual time can be measured for each type of toxic gas, and the measured residual times can be stored for each type of toxic gas in the residual time storage unit. For example, a gas detector such as a Self-Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (SP-OES) can be installed in the exhaust port and / or exhaust line of the process chamber to detect whether or not the process residue (or exhaust gas) discharged to the exhaust line via the exhaust port contains the toxic gas, and the time until the toxic gas is no longer contained in the process residue discharged to the exhaust line may be used as the residual time of the toxic gas. Here, the start time of the residual time may be after the supply of the toxic gas has been stopped, during the execution of the purging process, or when the purging process (or the supply of the purging gas) is started.

[0095] By setting the pressure holding time to be longer than the residual time of the toxic gas, the pressure inside the process chamber is maintained below the reference pressure for a period longer than the residual time of the toxic gas, so that all (or completely) of the toxic gas can be removed (or exhausted) from inside the process chamber without any toxic gas remaining inside the chamber. With no toxic gas remaining inside the process chamber, the interlock of the opening / closing means can be released and the opening of the process chamber can be opened. This makes it possible to block (or prevent) the toxic gas from flowing out (or leaking) from inside the process chamber at its source. At this time, in order to block the toxic gas from flowing back into the exhaust line due to the opening of the opening, it is preferable to set the pressure holding time to be even longer than the residual time of the toxic gas so that the toxic gas can also escape (or be purged) from the exhaust line.

[0096] Furthermore, the process of setting the reference pressure (S50) may include a process (S52) in which the internal pressure of the process chamber is input while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber in the process of supplying the purge gas (S350).

[0097] The pressure inside the process chamber, measured while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber during the process of supplying the purge gas (S350), can be input (S52). The control unit can measure the pressure inside the process chamber while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber during the process of supplying the purge gas (S350), read the pressure inside the process chamber stored as the reference pressure in the reference pressure storage unit, and input the pressure inside the process chamber. The pressure measuring unit can be used to measure the pressure inside the process chamber while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber during the process of supplying the purge gas (S350), and the pressure inside the process chamber measured in this way may be used as the reference pressure (or may be set as such). In other words, the reference pressure may be the pressure inside the process chamber measured while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber during the purge process (or the process of supplying the purge gas), or it may be the pressure inside the process chamber measured by supplying only the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber during the purge process, without any other gases, in a separate process, rather than during the (actual) purge process that proceeds after the processing process. The flow rate supplied to the process chamber during the purge process can be determined for each processing process according to the type of toxic gas, and the pressure inside the process chamber can be measured when only the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber during the purge process of each processing process is supplied. At this time, the pressure inside the process chamber can be measured while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber during the purge process for each processing process, and the pressure inside the process chamber measured for each processing process may be different, and as a result, the reference pressure may be different for each processing process.Here, the measured pressure inside the process chamber can be stored as the reference pressure in the reference pressure storage unit for each processing step.

[0098] In the process of supplying the purge gas (S350), the pressure inside the process chamber measured while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber is the pressure when there is no toxic gas inside the process chamber and only the purge gas is present (or flowing). Therefore, if the pressure measured using the pressure measuring unit in the process of supplying the purge gas (S350) is the same as the pressure inside the process chamber measured while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate, it can be determined that there is no other gas such as the toxic gas and only the purge gas is present (or flowing) inside the process chamber. As a result, the pressure inside the process chamber measured while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate can be used as the reference pressure, and if the pressure measured by the pressure measuring unit is less than or equal to the reference pressure, it can be determined that there is no toxic gas (or no residual gas) inside the process chamber.

[0099] Furthermore, the process of setting the pressure holding time (S60) may include a process (S62) in which the residual time of the toxic gas, calculated using the length of the first supply line and the volume velocity of the toxic gas, is input.

[0100] The residual time of the toxic gas, calculated using the length of the first supply line and the volume velocity of the toxic gas, can be input (S62). The control unit can input the residual time of the toxic gas, calculated using the length of the first supply line and the volume velocity of the toxic gas, and can also calculate the residual time of the toxic gas using the length of the first supply line and the volume velocity of the toxic gas and read the residual time of the toxic gas stored in the residual time storage unit, or it can calculate it (directly) using the length of the first supply line and the volume velocity of the toxic gas. The control unit can calculate the residual time of the toxic gas using the length of the first supply line and the volume velocity of the toxic gas, and can calculate the residual time of the toxic gas based on the distance from the gas supply source to the exhaust port of the process chamber (for example, the length of the first supply line + the width of the process chamber) and the volume velocity of the toxic gas, and can determine the pressure holding time to be greater than or equal to the residual time of the toxic gas calculated in this way. In other words, the pressure holding time can be determined based on the length of the first supply line and the volume velocity of the toxic gas, and the residual time of the toxic gas can be calculated based on the distance from the gas supply source to the exhaust port of the process chamber and the volume velocity of the toxic gas, and the pressure holding time can be determined to be longer than the residual time of the toxic gas calculated in this way.

[0101] For example, the residual time of the toxic gas may be proportional to the length of the first supply line or inversely proportional to the volume velocity of the toxic gas, and the pressure holding time may also be proportional to the length of the first supply line or inversely proportional to the volume velocity of the toxic gas. Here, the volume velocity of the toxic gas can be determined based on the molecular weight of the toxic gas, and increases as the molecular weight of the toxic gas decreases.

[0102] The pressure holding time can be easily determined by calculating the residual time of the toxic gas using the length of the first supply line and the volume velocity of the toxic gas. This allows for the rapid calculation of the residual time of the toxic gas and the determination of the pressure holding time without having to perform a separate step of supplying a gas such as the purge gas into the process chamber in advance.

[0103] Therefore, by detecting the supply of the toxic gas and interlocking the opening / closing means, and releasing the interlock of the opening / closing means based on the pressure inside the process chamber, it is possible to prevent the opening of the process chamber from being opened before the toxic gas is completely exhausted from the process chamber, thereby preventing the toxic gas remaining inside the process chamber from leaking out due to the opening of the opening before the toxic gas is completely exhausted. At the same time, by measuring the pressure inside the process chamber and releasing the interlock of the opening / closing means when the measured pressure is maintained at or below the reference pressure during the pressure holding time, it is possible to prevent a situation (or accident) where the toxic gas remains inside the process chamber while the opening of the process chamber is open, without the need to additionally install a separate device for detecting the toxic gas remaining inside the process chamber.

[0104] On the other hand, the opening and closing means can consist of two opening and closing means: a lid portion (or first opening and closing means) coupled to the lower end of a substrate boat on which multiple substrates are stacked in multiple layers, which opens and closes the opening of the process chamber as the substrate boat moves up and down; and a shutter portion (or second opening and closing means) disposed on one side (in the longitudinal direction) of the process chamber, which opens and closes the opening of the process chamber. This allows the deposition process to proceed when the lid portion closes the opening and the substrate boat is housed inside the process chamber, and when the substrate boat is not housed inside the process chamber, the cleaning process can proceed when the shutter portion closes the opening and cleans the inside of the process chamber. In this case, during the deposition process, in which the substrate boat is housed in the process chamber and the opening is closed by the lid, the control unit can interlock the lid. During the cleaning process, in which the inside of the process chamber is cleaned when the substrate boat is not housed in the process chamber, the control unit can interlock the shutter that closes (or shields) the opening. In other words, depending on the processing step, the opening can be closed by selectively using the lid and the shutter, and the opening / closing means of the lid and the shutter that closes the opening can be interlocked during the processing step.

[0105] Thus, in this invention, the control unit is used to detect the supply of toxic gas and interlock the opening / closing means, and based on the pressure inside the process chamber, the interlock of the opening / closing means is released. This prevents the opening of the process chamber from being opened before the toxic gas is completely exhausted from inside the process chamber, thereby preventing the toxic gas remaining inside the process chamber from leaking out due to the opening of the opening before the toxic gas is completely exhausted. This prevents safety accidents caused by toxic gas and also prevents a situation in which all equipment in the semiconductor manufacturing facility shuts down due to the leakage of toxic gas. Here, by measuring the pressure inside the process chamber and releasing the interlock of the opening / closing means when the measured pressure is maintained below the reference pressure during the pressure holding time, it is possible to prevent a situation in which toxic gas remains inside the process chamber while the opening of the process chamber is open, without the need to additionally install a separate device for detecting toxic gas remaining inside the process chamber. In this case, instead of immediately opening the opening of the process chamber as soon as the pressure inside the process chamber falls below the reference pressure, maintaining an interlock on the opening / closing mechanism for a pressure holding time longer than the residual time of the toxic gas makes it possible to more effectively prevent the opening from being opened before the toxic gas has been completely exhausted.

[0106] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited in any way to the embodiments described above. Anyone with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs will understand that various modifications can be made and equivalent other embodiments can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Therefore, the scope of technical protection of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A process chamber having an opening on one side, A process gas supply unit that supplies process gas containing toxic gas into the process chamber, An exhaust unit for exhausting the inside of the process chamber, An opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the opening of the process chamber, A control unit that detects the supply of the toxic gas and interlocks the opening / closing means, and releases the interlock of the opening / closing means based on the pressure inside the process chamber, A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

2. The aforementioned process gas supply unit is The supply line comprises a first supply line that supplies the aforementioned toxic gas and is equipped with at least one of a valve and a flow controller, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit senses at least one of the opening of the valve and the flow of gas in the flow controller and interlocks the opening / closing means in a state where the opening is closed.

3. A purge gas supply unit that supplies purge gas into the aforementioned process chamber, A pressure measuring unit for measuring the pressure inside the process chamber, Furthermore, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit releases the interlock of the opening / closing means when the pressure measured in the pressure measuring unit is maintained at or below the reference pressure during the pressure holding time while the purge gas is supplied, either when the valve is closed or when no gas flow is detected in the flow controller.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the reference pressure is experimentally determined using a pre-test conducted under the same conditions as the processing step using the toxic gas.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit sets the pressure holding time to be equal to or greater than the residual time of the toxic gas in the process chamber, using the residual time of the toxic gas measured in the pre-test.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit sets the reference pressure to the pressure inside the process chamber measured while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied to the process chamber in the purging step of supplying the purge gas.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pressure holding time is determined based on the length of the first supply line and the volume velocity of the toxic gas.

8. A substrate boat in which multiple substrates are stacked in multiple layers and can be housed in the process chamber, A loading chamber is provided on one side of the process chamber and provides space for loading the plurality of substrates onto the substrate boat, Furthermore, The opening and closing means is A shutter unit disposed on one side of the process chamber for opening and closing the opening, A lid portion is coupled to the lower end of the substrate boat and opens and closes the opening as the substrate boat moves up and down, Equipped with, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover portion closes the opening while the substrate boat is housed in the process chamber.

9. The process of closing one side of the opening in the process chamber in order to carry out a processing process using toxic gas, A process for detecting the supply of the aforementioned toxic gas, The process of interlocking the opening and closing means that opens and closes the aforementioned opening, A process of releasing the interlock of the opening / closing means based on the pressure inside the process chamber, A method for operating a substrate processing device, including the operation of the substrate processing device.

10. The process for detecting the supply of the aforementioned toxic gas is as follows: A process of sensing the opening of a valve installed in the first supply line that supplies the toxic gas, The process includes either of the following: sensing the gas flow using a flow controller installed in the first supply line, In the process of interlocking the opening and closing means, if at least one of the opening of the valve or the flow of gas in the flow controller is detected, the opening and closing means is interlocked in a state where the opening is closed, as described in claim 9.

11. The process of supplying purge gas into the aforementioned process chamber, The process of measuring the pressure inside the process chamber, It further includes, In the process of releasing the interlock of the opening and closing means, the interlock of the opening and closing means is released if, in the process of measuring the pressure inside the process chamber while supplying the purge gas, the pressure measured is maintained at or below the reference pressure during the pressure holding time, while the valve is closed or the flow of gas in the flow controller is not detected.

12. The process further includes setting the aforementioned reference pressure, The method for operating a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the process of setting the reference pressure includes a process of determining the reference pressure based on the results of a preliminary test carried out under the same conditions as the processing step.

13. The process further includes setting the pressure holding time, The method for operating a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the process of setting the pressure holding time includes inputting the residual time of the toxic gas in the process chamber measured in the pre-test.

14. The process further includes setting the aforementioned reference pressure, The method for operating a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the process of setting the reference pressure includes inputting the pressure inside the process chamber, measured while supplying the purge gas at the same flow rate as the flow rate supplied into the process chamber during the process of supplying the purge gas.

15. The process further includes setting the pressure holding time, The method for operating a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the process of setting the pressure holding time includes inputting the residual time of the toxic gas calculated using the length of the first supply line and the volume velocity of the toxic gas.

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