Substrate processing apparatus, thermal insulation structure, substrate processing method, semiconductor device manufacturing method and program

Abstract

Provided is technology capable of reducing the flow rate of a purge gas that purges the inside of a thermal insulation structure.　A substrate treatment device according to the present invention comprises a treatment chamber for treating a substrate; a substrate support part that supports the substrate; an exhaust system that discharges gas present inside of the treatment chamber; a container that is configured such that the cross-sectional area of the interior thereof in the horizontal direction is larger in the upper portion than in the lower portion; a first inert gas supply unit that is configured so as to be capable of supplying an inert gas into the interior of the container; and an opening that is configured so as to be capable of communicating the inside and the outside of the container. The substrate treatment device has a thermal insulation structure disposed below the substrate support part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a heat insulation structure, Substrate processing method, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing apparatus that supplies an axial purge gas to the upper part inside a heat insulation assembly and exhausts it to the outside of the heat insulation assembly through an exhaust hole.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technology capable of reducing the flow rate of a purge gas for purging the inside of a heat insulation structure.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a processing chamber for processing a substrate, a substrate support portion for supporting the substrate, an exhaust system for exhausting the gas inside the processing chamber, a container configured such that the internal cross-sectional area in the horizontal direction is larger at the upper part than at the lower part, a first inert gas supply portion configured to be able to supply an inert gas into the container, and a hole portion configured to be able to communicate the inside and outside of the container, and a heat insulation structure disposed below the substrate support portion, is provided.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to this disclosure, it is possible to reduce the flow rate of purge gas used to purge within the thermal insulation structure. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a schematic of a substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2(A) is an explanatory diagram showing a first gas supply unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 2(B) is an explanatory diagram showing a second gas supply unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 2(C) is an explanatory diagram showing a first inert gas supply unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 2(D) is an explanatory diagram showing a second inert gas supply unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the details of the surrounding thermal insulation structure according to one aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a controller for a substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, and is a block diagram showing the control system of the controller. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a substrate processing flow according to one aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the film processing steps shown in Figure 5. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the details of the area surrounding the thermal insulation structure according to the second aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the details of the area surrounding the thermal insulation structure according to the third aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the details of the area surrounding the thermal insulation structure according to the fourth aspect of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Hereinafter, one aspect of this disclosure will be described, mainly with reference to Figures 1 to 9. Note that the drawings used in the following description are all schematic, and the dimensional relationships and proportions of each element shown in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to reality. Furthermore, the dimensional relationships and proportions of each element do not necessarily correspond between multiple drawings.

[0009] (1) Configuration of substrate processing apparatus The configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 10 will be explained using Figure 1.

[0010] The substrate processing apparatus 10 includes a reaction tube storage chamber 206, which contains a vertically extending cylindrical reaction tube 210, a heater 211 as a heating unit (furnace body) installed on the outer circumference of the reaction tube 210, a gas supply structure 212 as a processing gas supply unit, and a gas exhaust structure 213 as a processing gas exhaust unit. The processing gas supply unit may include an upstream flow straightening unit 214 and nozzles 223, 224, which will be described later. The processing gas exhaust unit may also include a downstream flow straightening unit 215, which will be described later.

[0011] The gas supply structure 212 is located to the side of the reaction tube 210 and upstream in the direction of gas flow. Gas is supplied from the gas supply structure 212 to the processing chamber 201 inside the reaction tube 210, and the gas is supplied to the substrate S from a horizontal direction. The gas exhaust structure 213 is located to the side of the reaction tube 210 and downstream in the direction of gas flow. The gas inside the reaction tube 210 is discharged from the gas exhaust structure 213. The gas exhaust structure 213 is positioned opposite the gas supply structure 212 via the reaction tube 210.

[0012] The processing chamber 201 comprises a reaction tube 210 into which the substrate S is introduced, a gas supply structure 212, and a gas exhaust structure 213. The processing chamber 201 is configured to process the substrate S. The gas supply structure 212, the inside of the reaction tube 210, and the gas exhaust structure 213 are in horizontal communication.

[0013] On the upstream side of the reaction tube 210 between the reaction tube 210 and the gas supply structure 212, an upstream rectifying section 214 for adjusting the flow of the gas supplied from the gas supply structure 212 is provided. Further, on the downstream side of the reaction tube 210 between the reaction tube 210 and the gas exhaust structure 213, a downstream rectifying section 215 for adjusting the flow of the gas discharged from the reaction tube 210 is provided. The lower end of the reaction tube 210 is supported by a manifold 216.

[0014] The reaction tube 210, the upstream rectifying section 214, and the downstream rectifying section 215 have a continuous structure and are formed of a material such as quartz or SiC, for example. These are composed of heat-transmissive members that transmit the heat radiated from the heater 211. The heat of the heater 211 heats the substrate S and the gas. Further, the heater 211 is disposed on the side of the processing chamber 201 and is configured to be able to heat the processing chamber 201.

[0015] A gas supply pipe 251 and a gas supply pipe 261 are connected to the gas supply structure 212. Further, the gas supply structure 212 has a distribution section 125 for distributing the gas supplied from each gas supply pipe. Nozzles 223 and 224 are provided on the downstream side of the distribution section 125. A plurality of nozzles 223, 224 are respectively connected to the downstream sides of the gas supply pipe 251 and the gas supply pipe 261 via the distribution section 125. The nozzles 223 and the nozzle 224 are arranged side by side substantially horizontally. Further, a plurality of these nozzles 223, 224 are arranged in the vertical direction and are arranged at positions corresponding to the substrate S, respectively. The processing gas is supplied from the side of the substrate S in a state where the substrate S exists in the processing chamber 201.

[0016] The distribution section 125 is configured such that each gas is supplied from the gas supply pipe 251 to the plurality of nozzles 223 and from the gas supply pipe 261 to the plurality of nozzles 224. For example, a path through which the gas flows is configured for each combination of each gas supply pipe and nozzle. By doing so, the gases supplied from each gas supply pipe do not mix, and accordingly, the generation of reaction by-products (also referred to as particles) that may occur due to the mixing of the gases in the distribution section 125 can be suppressed.

[0017] The upstream flow straightening section 214 has a housing 227 and partition plates 226. The partition plates 226 extend horizontally. Here, horizontal refers to the direction of the side wall of the housing 227. Multiple partition plates 226 are arranged vertically. The partition plates 226 are fixed to the side wall of the housing 227 and are configured so that gas does not move beyond the partition plates 226 to adjacent areas below or above. By preventing this, the gas flow described later can be reliably formed.

[0018] The partition plates 226 are provided at positions corresponding to each substrate S. Nozzles 223 and 224 are positioned between the partition plates 226 and between the partition plates 226 and the housing 227.

[0019] The gas discharged from nozzles 223 and 224 is supplied to the surface of the substrate S. In other words, from the perspective of the substrate S, the gas is supplied from the side of the substrate S. Since the partition plate 226 is extended horizontally and has a continuous structure without holes, the movement of the main gas flow is suppressed in the vertical direction and it moves horizontally. Therefore, the pressure loss of the gas reaching each substrate S can be made uniform across the vertical direction.

[0020] The downstream flow straightening section 215 is configured such that, when the substrate S is supported by the substrate support 300 which serves as a substrate support section for the substrate S, its ceiling is higher than the uppermost substrate S, and its bottom is lower than the lowest substrate S of the substrate support 300.

[0021] The downstream flow straightening section 215 has a housing 231 and partition plates 232. The partition plates 232 extend horizontally. Here, horizontal refers to the direction of the side wall of the housing 231. Furthermore, multiple partition plates 232 are arranged vertically. The partition plates 232 are fixed to the side wall of the housing 231 and are configured so that gas does not move beyond the partition plates 232 to adjacent areas below or above. By preventing this, the gas flow described later can be reliably formed.

[0022] The upstream rectifier section 214 communicates with the space of the downstream rectifier section 215 via the processing chamber 201. The ceiling of the housing 227 is configured to be at the same height as the ceiling of the housing 231. The bottom of the housing 227 is configured to be higher than the bottom of the housing 231.

[0023] The partition plates 232 are provided at positions corresponding to each substrate S and corresponding to each partition plate 226. It is desirable that the corresponding partition plates 226 and partition plates 232 be at the same height. Furthermore, when processing the substrate S, it is desirable to match the height of the substrate S with the heights of the partition plates 226 and 232. With this structure, the gas supplied from each nozzle forms a horizontal flow passing over the substrate S and partition plates 232, as indicated by the arrows in the figure. By having partition plates 232 in this structure, the pressure loss of the gas discharged from each substrate S can be made uniform. Therefore, the gas flow of the gas passing through each substrate S is formed horizontally toward the gas exhaust structure 213 while the vertical flow is suppressed.

[0024] By providing partition plates 226 and 232, the pressure loss in the vertical direction can be made uniform both upstream and downstream of each substrate S, thereby reliably forming a horizontal gas flow with suppressed vertical flow across partition plate 226, substrate S, and partition plate 232.

[0025] Specifically, partition plates 226 are provided for each of the multiple substrates S, and the space partitioned by the housing 227 and the partition plate 226 is used as multiple gas supply holes to supply processing gas toward the upper surface of the substrates S. In addition, partition plates 232 are provided for each of the multiple substrates S, and the space partitioned by the housing 231 and the partition plate 232 is used as multiple second exhaust holes connecting the processing chamber 201 and the second exhaust pipe 281. By providing gas supply holes and second exhaust holes for each substrate S in this way, the uniformity of processing on the multiple substrates S can be improved.

[0026] The gas exhaust structure 213 is located downstream of the downstream flow straightening section 215. The gas exhaust structure 213 mainly consists of a housing 241 and an exhaust port 244. The gas exhaust structure 213 has a buffer section, which is a space where the gases exhausted from the second exhaust ports, each of the partition plates 232, merge and are exhausted by a second exhaust section 280, which will be described later as an exhaust system. In this way, the flow rate of the gases exhausted from each of the second exhaust ports is made uniform by the buffer section, improving the uniformity of processing on multiple substrates S. The exhaust port 244 is located downstream of the housing 241 and is formed either downward or horizontally. The second exhaust pipe 281 is connected to the processing chamber 201 via the exhaust port 244.

[0027] The gas exhaust structure 213 communicates with the space of the downstream flow straightening section 215. The housings 231 and 241 have a continuous height structure. The ceiling of housing 231 is configured to be the same height as the ceiling of housing 241, and the bottom of housing 231 is configured to be the same height as the bottom of housing 241.

[0028] The gas exhaust structure 213 is provided laterally to the reaction tube 210 and is a lateral exhaust structure that exhausts gas from the side of the substrate S.

[0029] The processing chamber 201 has a processing area A for processing the substrate S, and an insulating area B located below processing area A, where an insulating section 502, which will be described later as an insulating structure, is arranged when the substrate support 300 is brought into the processing chamber 201. The insulating section 502 is also referred to as an insulating assembly.

[0030] The bottom surface of the housing 231 is configured to allow for the installation of a thermocouple 500. By configuring the bottom of the housing 231 to be lower than the bottom of the housing 227, and by configuring the space of the downstream rectifier section 215 to be wider than the space of the upstream rectifier section 214, it is possible to secure space for installing the thermocouple 500 while suppressing the inert gas supplied to the heat insulating section 502 and the atmosphere of the heat insulating area B (including reaction by-products) from flowing into the processing area A. The gas flow of the gas passing through each substrate S is formed horizontally toward the gas exhaust structure 213 while suppressing vertical flow.

[0031] In other words, the gas that has passed through the downstream straightening section 215 is exhausted from the exhaust port 244. At this time, since the gas exhaust structure 213 does not have a partition plate or similar configuration, a gas flow including the vertical direction is formed toward the exhaust port 244.

[0032] The substrate support 300 comprises a partition plate support 310 and a base 311, and is housed inside the reaction tube 210. The substrate S is positioned directly below the inner wall of the top plate of the reaction tube 210. Furthermore, inside the transfer chamber 217, the substrate S supported by the substrate support 300 can be transferred via a substrate entrance (not shown) by a vacuum transfer robot (not shown), and the transferred substrate S can be transported into the reaction tube 210 to perform a process of forming a thin film on the surface of the substrate S. The substrate entrance is provided, for example, in the side wall of the transfer chamber 217.

[0033] Multiple disc-shaped partition plates 314 are fixed to the partition plate support section 310 at a predetermined pitch. The substrate plates S are supported between the partition plates 314 at predetermined intervals. The partition plates 314 are positioned directly below the substrate plates S, and are positioned above, below, or both of the substrate plates S. The partition plates 314 block the space between each substrate plate S.

[0034] Multiple substrates S are stacked vertically at predetermined intervals and supported on the substrate support 300. The predetermined intervals between the multiple substrates S placed on the substrate support 300 are the same as the vertical intervals between the partition plates 314 fixed to the partition plate support 310. Furthermore, the diameter of the partition plates 314 is formed to be larger than the diameter of the substrates S.

[0035] The substrate support 300 supports multiple substrates S, for example, five substrates S, in multiple stages in the vertical direction. By processing multiple substrates S at once in this way, productivity can be improved. Here, an example of supporting five substrates S with the substrate support 300 is shown, but this is not the only example. For example, the substrate support 300 may be configured to support approximately 5 to 50 substrates S.

[0036] In this specification, numerical ranges such as "5 to 50 sheets" mean that the lower and upper limits are included within that range. Therefore, for example, "5 to 50 sheets" means "5 sheets or more and 50 sheets or less." The same applies to other numerical ranges.

[0037] An insulating section 502 is provided below the substrate support 300. Below the processing chamber 201 of the reaction tube 210, when the substrate support 300 is brought into the reaction tube 210, an exhaust hole 503 is formed on the wall surface of the reaction tube 210 (i.e., the processing chamber 201) to the side of the insulating section 502, below the upper end of the insulating section 502, as a first exhaust hole. A first exhaust pipe 504 for exhausting the atmosphere of the insulating region B is connected to the exhaust hole 503.

[0038] The transfer chamber 217 is installed below the reaction tube 210 via a manifold 216. In the transfer chamber 217, a vacuum transfer robot places (mounts) substrates S onto a substrate support (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a boat) 300 via a substrate loading port, and a vacuum transfer robot also removes substrates S from the substrate support 300.

[0039] The transfer chamber 217 can house a vertical drive mechanism 400 that drives the substrate support 300 and the partition plate support 310 in the vertical direction. In Figure 1, the substrate support 300 is shown raised by the vertical drive mechanism 400 and stored inside the reaction tube 210. When the substrate support 300 is stored inside the reaction tube 210, the heat insulating section 502 is positioned below the reaction tube 210, and the heat insulating section 502 is configured to form a heat insulating region B located below the processing chamber 201. This reduces heat conduction from the processing chamber 201 to the transfer chamber 217.

[0040] The vertical drive mechanism 400 includes a rotation drive mechanism 430 that rotates the substrate support 300 and the partition plate support 310 together, and a boat vertical drive mechanism 420 that drives the substrate support 300 relatively vertically with respect to the partition plate support 310.

[0041] The rotary drive mechanism 430 and the boat raising / lowering mechanism 420 are fixed to a base flange 401 which acts as a cover and is supported by a side plate 403 on the base plate 402.

[0042] An annular space is formed between the support portion 441 and the support fixture 440. A gas supply pipe 271 is connected to the annular space below the heat insulating portion 502. Inert gas is supplied from the gas supply pipe 271, and the system is configured to supply inert gas to the heat insulating portion 502 from below.

[0043] An O-ring 446 is installed on the upper surface of the base flange 401, and as shown in Figure 1, the upper surface of the base flange 401 is raised by the vertical drive motor 410 to a position where it is pressed against the transfer chamber 217, thereby maintaining an airtight seal inside the reaction tube 210.

[0044] Furthermore, a hole 401a is formed in the center of the base flange 401 through which the support member 440 passes, and an annular space is formed between the hole 401a and the support member 440. A gas supply pipe 701 is connected to this annular space. Inert gas is supplied from the gas supply pipe 701, and the system is configured to supply the inert gas to the upper surface of the base flange 401, the area around the support member 440, etc., from below the heat insulating section 502.

[0045] Next, we will explain the details of the gas supply unit using Figure 2.

[0046] As shown in Figure 2(A), the gas supply pipe 251 is equipped with, in order from the upstream direction, a first gas source 252, a mass flow controller (MFC) 253 which is a flow control unit, a valve 254 which is an on / off valve, a tank 259 which is a storage unit for storing gas, and a valve 275.

[0047] The first gas source 252 is a first gas source containing the first element (also called "first element-containing gas"). The first gas is a raw material gas, or one of the processed gases.

[0048] The first gas supply unit 250 (also called the silicon-containing gas supply unit) is mainly composed of a gas supply pipe 251, MFC 253, valve 254, tank 259, and valve 275. The first gas source 252 may also be included in the first gas supply unit 250.

[0049] Of the gas supply pipe 251, a gas supply pipe 255 is connected to the downstream side of valve 254 and the upstream side of tank 259. The gas supply pipe 255 is equipped with an inert gas source 256, an MFC 257, and a valve 258, in that order from the upstream direction. An inert gas, such as nitrogen (N2) gas, is supplied from the inert gas source 256.

[0050] The inert gas supply unit 255a is mainly composed of a gas supply pipe 255, an MFC 257, and a valve 258. The inert gas supplied from the inert gas source 256 acts as a purge gas to purge the gas remaining in the reaction tube 210 during the substrate processing process. The inert gas source 256 may be included in the inert gas supply unit 255a. The inert gas supply unit 255a may be added to the first gas supply unit 250.

[0051] As shown in Figure 2(B), the gas supply pipe 261 is equipped with a second gas source 262, an MFC 263, and a valve 264, in that order from the upstream direction.

[0052] The second gas source 262 is a source of a second gas containing a second element (hereinafter also referred to as "second element-containing gas"). The second gas is one of the process gases. The second gas may also be considered as a reaction gas or a reforming gas.

[0053] The second gas supply unit 260 is mainly composed of a gas supply pipe 261, an MFC 263, and a valve 264. A second gas source 262 may also be included in the second gas supply unit 260.

[0054] A gas supply pipe 265 is connected to the downstream side of valve 264 of the gas supply pipe 261. The gas supply pipe 265 is equipped with an inert gas source 266, an MFC 267, and a valve 268, in that order from upstream. An inert gas, such as N2 gas, is supplied from the inert gas source 266.

[0055] The inert gas supply unit 265a is mainly composed of a gas supply pipe 265, an MFC 267, and a valve 268. The inert gas supplied from the inert gas source 266 acts as a purge gas to purge the gas remaining in the reaction tube 210 during the substrate processing process. The inert gas source 266 may be included in the inert gas supply unit 265a. The inert gas supply unit 265a may be added to the second gas supply unit 260.

[0056] As shown in Figure 2(C), the gas supply pipe 271 is equipped with an inert gas source 272, an MFC 273, and a valve 274 in that order from the upstream direction. An inert gas, such as N2 gas, is supplied from the inert gas source 272.

[0057] The inert gas supply unit 270, which serves as the first inert gas supply unit, is mainly composed of a gas supply pipe 271, an MFC 273, and a valve 274. An inert gas source 272 may also be included in the inert gas supply unit 270. The inert gas supply unit 270 is configured to supply inert gas to a subheater, which serves as a heating unit within the heat insulating unit 502. The inert gas supplied from the inert gas source 272 acts as a purge gas that can purge the inside and around the heat insulating unit 502, which constitutes the heat insulating region B located below the processing chamber 201, when the substrate support 300 has been brought into the processing chamber 201.

[0058] As shown in Figure 2(D), the gas supply pipe 701 is equipped with an inert gas source 702, an MFC 703, and a valve 704 in that order from the upstream direction. An inert gas, such as N2 gas, is supplied from the inert gas source 702.

[0059] The inert gas supply unit 700, which serves as a second inert gas supply unit, is mainly composed of a gas supply pipe 701, an MFC 703, and a valve 704. An inert gas source 702 may also be included in the inert gas supply unit 700. The inert gas supply unit 700 is configured to supply inert gas to the processing chamber 201 from below the heat insulating unit 502. The inert gas supplied from the inert gas source 702 acts as a purge gas that can purge the area below the heat insulating unit 502, the upper surface of the base flange 401, and the area around the support 440, etc., which constitute the heat insulating region B located below the processing chamber 201, when the substrate support 300 has been brought into the processing chamber 201.

[0060] Next, I will explain the exhaust section.

[0061] The second exhaust pipe 281 is connected to a vacuum pump 284, which acts as a vacuum evacuation device, via a valve 282 and an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve 283, which acts as a pressure regulator (pressure adjustment unit). This configuration allows for vacuum evacuation so that the pressure inside the reaction tube 210 reaches a predetermined pressure (vacuum level).

[0062] A second exhaust section 280 is formed by a second exhaust pipe 281, a valve 282, and an APC valve 283, which serve as an exhaust system for exhausting gas from the processing chamber 201. A vacuum pump 284 may also be included in the second exhaust section 280. In other words, the second exhaust section 280 has a second exhaust pipe 281 that communicates with the processing chamber 201 of the reaction tube 210, and is configured to exhaust the atmosphere of the processing chamber 201 through the second exhaust pipe 281. The second exhaust section 280 is configured to exhaust the processing gas from a direction different from the side from which the processing gas is supplied.

[0063] The first exhaust section 508 is formed by the first exhaust pipe 504 and the valve 506. The downstream end of the first exhaust pipe 504 is connected to the second exhaust pipe 281 so as to merge with it upstream of the valve 282.

[0064] In other words, when the substrate support 300 is brought into the processing chamber 201, the first exhaust pipe 504 is connected to the side of the heat insulating section 502 between the inert gas supply section 270 and the processing chamber 201 in the vertical direction. This allows the inert gas supplied to the heat insulating section 502 from below to flow through the heat insulating region B of the processing chamber 201 and be exhausted from the side of the heat insulating section 502. That is, the first exhaust section 508 has a first exhaust pipe 504 that communicates with the heat insulating region B of the reaction tube 210 and is configured to exhaust the inert gas supplied to the heat insulating region B and the atmosphere of the heat insulating region B.

[0065] In other words, the processing gas supplied to processing area A of the processing chamber 201 is exhausted through the second exhaust pipe 281, and the inert gas supplied to the insulated area B of the processing chamber 201 is exhausted through the first exhaust pipe 504. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of reaction byproducts by purging the insulated area B with the inert gas, while suppressing the influence of the inert gas on processing area A. That is, it is possible to prevent a decrease in processing efficiency due to dilution of the processing gas by the inert gas and to improve the uniformity of processing on multiple substrates S.

[0066] Next, we will explain the details around the insulation section 502 using Figure 3.

[0067] The heat insulating section 502 is located below the substrate support 300. The heat insulating section 502 includes a container 510, a subheater 513 located above the inside of the container 510, and a plurality of heat insulating plates 512 located below the subheater 513 as heat insulating members. This suppresses the temperature drop of the substrate S below and makes it possible to heat the substrate S from below. In addition, the subheater 513 can heat the area near the center of the substrate S, where the temperature tends to drop more easily compared to the edges of the substrate S. Therefore, it is possible to improve the uniformity of processing on multiple substrates S and the uniformity of processing within the plane of the substrate S. The subheater 513 is supported by a support section 441. The plurality of heat insulating plates 512 are each supported by the support section 440, stacked vertically and approximately horizontally. That is, the container 510 houses the subheater 513 supported by the support section 441 and the plurality of heat insulating plates 512 stacked vertically and approximately horizontally and supported by the support section 440.

[0068] The container 510 has a hollow structure with a cylindrical outer wall (i.e., outer surface) and an inverted truncated cone-shaped inner wall (i.e., inner surface). In other words, the outer diameter of the container 510 is constant, and the inner diameter of the container 510 is formed to decrease from the top to the bottom of the container 510. Put another way, the inner surface of the container 510 is configured such that the internal cross-sectional area in the horizontal direction is continuously larger at the top than at the bottom.

[0069] The support portion 441 and the support member 440 are concentrically inserted through the center of the bottom surface of the container 510. In addition, an opening 511 is formed in the bottom surface of the container 510, allowing communication between the inside and outside of the container 510.

[0070] Furthermore, the distance between the inner surface of the container 510 and the edge of the insulation plate 512 at a specific height is shorter than the distance between the inner surface of the container 510 and the edge of the insulation plate 512 above that specific height. This narrows the width of the inert gas flow path below the container 510, allowing the inert gas to accumulate at the top of the container 510.

[0071] The insulating board 512 is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or SiC. This makes it difficult for heat from the processing chamber 201 to be transferred to the transfer chamber 217. In addition to multiple insulating boards 512, insulating cylinders made of heat-resistant materials such as quartz or SiC may also be used as insulating members.

[0072] The annular space between the support portion 441 and the support member 440 is used as an inert gas passage 507 through which inert gas flows. A gas supply pipe 271 is connected to the inert gas passage 507, and the inert gas supplied from the gas supply pipe 271 is configured to be supplied to the subheater 513 inside the container 510 via the inert gas passage 507. This suppresses the adhesion of processing gas and reaction by-products to the subheater 513. The inert gas supplied to the subheater 513 inside the container 510 flows downward inside the container 510 and is exhausted through the opening 511 to the upper surface of the base flange 401, the inert gas passage 509 which is the space between the outer surface of the container 510 and the reaction pipe 210, and the exhaust hole 503 to the first exhaust section 508. The inner diameter of the container 510 is formed to decrease from the top surface to the bottom surface of the container 510. Therefore, the inert gas tends to accumulate in the upper part of the container 510. In other words, the processing gas supplied to processing area A is less likely to flow into container 510. Also, container 510 has a smaller volume compared to a hollow cylindrical container whose inner diameter is the same as the top surface of container 510. In other words, the flow rate of the inert gas used for purging is small. Therefore, by using the heat insulating section 502, the flow rate of the purge gas purging inside the heat insulating section 502 can be reduced.

[0073] Furthermore, a gas supply pipe 701 is connected to the annular space between the hole 401a and the support member 440, and the inert gas supplied from the gas supply pipe 701 below the heat insulating section 502 is discharged from the first exhaust section 508 via the area around the support member 440 in the processing chamber 201, the upper surface of the base flange 401, the inert gas flow path 509, and the exhaust hole 503. This makes it possible to suppress the adhesion of reaction by-products around the support member 440 and below the heat insulating section 502.

[0074] In other words, the inert gas supplied from the gas supply pipes 271 and 701 purges the inside of the insulated section 502 and the insulated region B and is exhausted from the first exhaust section 508.

[0075] Next, the controller, which is the control unit (control means), will be explained using Figure 4. The substrate processing apparatus 10 has a controller 600 that controls the operation of each part of the substrate processing apparatus 10.

[0076] A schematic diagram of the controller 600 is shown in Figure 4. The controller 600 is configured as a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 601, RAM (Random Access Memory) 602, a storage device 603 as a memory unit, and I / O ports 604. The RAM 602, storage device 603, and I / O ports 604 are configured to exchange data with the CPU 601 via an internal bus 605. Data transmission and reception within the board processing device 10 are performed by instructions from the transmit / receive instruction unit 606, which is also a function of the CPU 601.

[0077] The controller 600 is equipped with a network transceiver 683 that is connected to the host device 670 via a network. The network transceiver 683 can receive information such as the processing history and processing schedule of the substrate S stored in the pod from the host device 670.

[0078] The storage device 603 is composed of, for example, flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. The storage device 603 stores processing conditions for each type of substrate processing. That is, the storage device 603 contains, in a readable format, control programs that control the operation of the substrate processing device 10, and process recipes that describe the procedures and conditions for substrate processing.

[0079] The process recipe is a combination of steps in the substrate processing process described later that can be executed by the controller 600 to obtain a predetermined result, and functions as a program. Hereinafter, this process recipe and control program will be collectively referred to simply as the program. In this specification, the term "program" may include only the process recipe, only the control program, or both. The RAM 602 is configured as a memory area (work area) where programs and data read by the CPU 601 are temporarily held.

[0080] I / O port 604 is connected to each component of the substrate processing device 10.

[0081] The CPU 601 is configured to read and execute control programs from the storage device 603, and to read process recipes from the storage device 603 in response to input of operation commands from the input / output device 681. The CPU 601 is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus 10 in accordance with the contents of the read process recipe. The CPU 601 is also configured to set the amount of inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply units 270 and 700, respectively, according to the type of substrate processing. Furthermore, the CPU 601 is capable of controlling the first exhaust unit 508, which communicates with the heat-insulating area B, and the second exhaust unit 280, which communicates with the processing area A, according to the type and conditions of the substrate processing.

[0082] The CPU 601 has a transmit / receive instruction unit 606. The controller 600 according to this embodiment can be configured by installing the program on a computer using an external storage device (for example, a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, an optical disk such as a DVD, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO, or a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory) 682 that stores the program described above. The means for supplying the program to the computer is not limited to supplying it via the external storage device 682. For example, the program may be supplied without going through the external storage device 682 by using communication means such as the internet or a dedicated line. The storage device 603 and the external storage device 682 are configured as computer-readable recording media. Hereinafter, these will be collectively referred to simply as recording media. In this specification, when the term recording media is used, it may include only the storage device 603, only the external storage device 682, or both.

[0083] (2) Substrate processing process (substrate processing method) Next, we will describe the process of forming a film on a substrate S using the substrate processing apparatus 10 with the above configuration, as one step in the semiconductor manufacturing process (method of manufacturing a semiconductor device). In the following description, the operation of each part of the substrate processing apparatus 10 is controlled by the controller 600.

[0084] Here, we will explain a film deposition process in which a film is formed on a substrate S by alternately supplying a first gas and a second gas as processing gases, using Figures 5 and 6.

[0085] In this specification, the term "substrate" may refer to the substrate itself or to a laminate of a substrate and a predetermined layer or film formed on its surface. In this specification, the term "surface of the substrate" may refer to the surface of the substrate itself or to the surface of a predetermined layer formed on the substrate. In this specification, when it is stated that "a predetermined layer is formed on the substrate," it may mean that the predetermined layer is directly formed on the surface of the substrate itself or that the predetermined layer is formed on a layer or other layer already formed on the substrate. In this specification, the term "substrate" is used interchangeably with the term "wafer."

[0086] (S10) The transfer chamber pressure adjustment process S10 will now be explained. Here, the pressure inside the transfer chamber 217 is set to the same level as the pressure in the vacuum transport chamber (not shown) adjacent to the transfer chamber 217.

[0087] (S11) Next, we will explain the substrate loading process S11. Once the transfer chamber 217 reaches a vacuum level, the transport of the substrate S begins. When the substrate S arrives in the vacuum transport chamber, the gate valve is opened, and the vacuum transport robot loads the substrate S into the transfer chamber 217.

[0088] At this time, the substrate support 300 is kept waiting in the transfer chamber 217, and the substrates S are transferred to the substrate support 300. Once a predetermined number of substrates S have been transferred to the substrate support 300, the vacuum transport robot is moved to the side, and the vertical drive mechanism 400 raises the substrate support 300 to move the substrates S into the processing chamber 201, which is inside the reaction tube 210. Multiple substrates S are moved into the processing chamber 201 in a state where they are stacked vertically.

[0089] During the transfer to the reaction tube 210, the substrate S is positioned so that its surface aligns with the height of the partition plates 226 and 232.

[0090] (S12) Next, we will explain the heating process S12. Once the substrate S is brought into the processing chamber 201 inside the reaction tube 210, the pressure inside the reaction tube 210 is controlled to a predetermined level, and the heater 211 and sub-heater 513 are controlled to raise the surface temperature of the substrate S to a predetermined level.

[0091] (S13) Next, the film processing step S13 will be explained. In the film processing step S13, according to the process recipe, the substrate S is stacked on the substrate support 300 and the substrate S is housed in the processing chamber, and the following steps are performed on the substrate S.

[0092] <First gas flush supply, step S100> First, the first gas is flushed into the reaction tube 210. Specifically, valve 275 is opened, and the first gas is supplied into the gas supply pipe 251 from tank 259 where the first gas is pre-stored. After a predetermined time has elapsed, valve 275 is closed to stop the supply of the first gas into the gas supply pipe 251. The first gas is supplied in large quantities at once from the gas supply structure 212 via the distribution section 125 and nozzle 223, and then into the reaction tube 210 via the upstream rectifier section 214. It is then exhausted through the space on the substrate S, the downstream rectifier section 215, the gas exhaust structure 213, and the second exhaust pipe 281. Here, while the first gas is being supplied into the processing chamber 201, valve 254 may be open or closed. Alternatively, valve 258 may be opened, and an inert gas such as N2 gas may be flowed into the gas supply pipe 251 via the gas supply pipe 255. In addition, to prevent the first gas from entering the gas supply pipe 261, the valve 268 may be opened and an inert gas may be flowed into the gas supply pipe 261.

[0093] At this time, the APC valve 283 is adjusted to set the pressure inside the reaction tube 210 to a pressure within the range of, for example, 1 to 3990 Pa. In the following steps, the temperature of the heater 211 is set to a temperature such that the temperature of the substrate S is within the range of, for example, 100 to 1500°C, and is heated between 400°C and 800°C.

[0094] At this time, a large amount of first gas is supplied at once horizontally to the substrate S from the side of the substrate S via a gas supply structure 212 that is in communication with the reaction tube 210, and is exhausted through the second exhaust pipe 281.

[0095] Furthermore, at this time, valve 274 is opened, and valve 506 is controlled to be not fully closed, preferably fully open. The inert gas flow rate is regulated by MFC 273 and supplied to the subheater 513 inside the container 510 via the gas supply pipe 271 and the inert gas flow path 507. It flows from outside the container 510 through the opening 511 at the bottom of the container 510, over the upper surface of the base flange 401 and the inert gas flow path 509, and is discharged from the first exhaust pipe 504 through the exhaust port 503.

[0096] At this time, valve 704 is opened. The inert gas flow rate is regulated by MFC 703 and supplied via gas supply pipe 701 towards the support 440 below the heat insulating section 502 in the processing chamber 201. It flows through the inert gas passage 509 between the bottom surface of container 510 and the top surface of base flange 401 and is discharged from the first exhaust pipe 504 through exhaust port 503.

[0097] The flash supply of the first gas causes a momentary increase in the pressure above the processing chamber 201. For this reason, the amount of inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply unit 270,700 to the insulation unit 502 is increased compared to the amount supplied during purging, which will be described later.

[0098] Specifically, while the substrate S brought into the processing chamber 201 is heated, the first gas is supplied to the processing area A of the substrate S, and the valve 282 is opened to exhaust gas from the second exhaust pipe 281. At this time, inert gas is supplied to the insulated area B below the processing area A by the inert gas supply unit 270,700, and the valve 506 is opened to exhaust gas from the first exhaust pipe 504.

[0099] As the first gas, a raw material gas can be used, such as a silicon (Si)-containing gas. As a Si-containing gas, for example, a gas containing Si and chlorine (Cl), such as disilicon hexachloride (Si2Cl6, hexachlorodisilane, abbreviated as HCDS) gas can be used.

[0100] <Purge, Step S101> In this step, with valve 254 closed to stop the supply of the first gas, valves 258, 275, 268, 274, and 704 are opened to supply inert gas as a purge gas into the gas supply pipes 255, 265, 271, and 701. At the same time, valve 282 of the second exhaust pipe 281, APC valve 283, and valve 506 of the first exhaust pipe 504 are left open, and the reaction tube 210 is evacuated using the vacuum pump 284.

[0101] <Second gas supply, step S102> After a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of purging, valve 268 is closed and valve 264 is opened to allow the second gas to flow into the gas supply pipe 261. The flow rate of the second gas is adjusted by MFC 263 and supplied from the gas supply structure 212 through the distribution section 125 and nozzle 224, and through the upstream rectifier section 214 into the reaction pipe 210, and exhausted through the space on the substrate S, the downstream rectifier section 215, the gas exhaust structure 213, and the second exhaust pipe 281. At this time, in order to prevent the second gas from entering the gas supply pipe 251, valves 258 and 275 are opened and inert gas is flowed from nozzle 223.

[0102] At this time, a second gas is supplied horizontally to the substrate S from the side of the substrate S via a gas supply structure 212 that is in communication with the reaction tube 210, and is exhausted through the second exhaust pipe 281.

[0103] Furthermore, at this time, valve 274 is opened, and valve 506 is controlled to be not fully closed, preferably fully open. The inert gas flow rate is regulated by MFC 273 and supplied to the subheater 513 inside the container 510 via the gas supply pipe 271 and the inert gas flow path 507. It flows from outside the container 510 through the opening 511 at the bottom of the container 510, over the upper surface of the base flange 401 and the inert gas flow path 509, and is discharged from the first exhaust pipe 504 through the exhaust port 503.

[0104] At this time, valve 704 is opened. The inert gas flow rate is regulated by MFC 703 and supplied via gas supply pipe 701 towards the support 440 below the heat insulating section 502 in the processing chamber 201. It flows through the inert gas passage 509 between the bottom surface of container 510 and the top surface of base flange 401 and is discharged from the first exhaust pipe 504 through exhaust port 503.

[0105] Specifically, while the substrate S brought into the processing chamber 201 is heated, a second gas is supplied to the processing area A of the substrate S, and the valve 282 is opened to exhaust gas from the second exhaust pipe 281. At this time, inert gas is supplied to the insulated area B below the processing area A by the inert gas supply unit 270,700, and the valve 506 is opened to discharge gas from the first exhaust pipe 504.

[0106] As the second gas, a reaction gas that reacts with the first gas can be used, such as a gas containing hydrogen (H) and nitrogen (N). Examples of gases containing H and N include ammonia (NH3), diazene (N2H2) gas, hydrazine (N2H4) gas, and N3H8 gas.

[0107] <Purge, Step S103> After a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of supplying the second gas, valve 264 is closed to stop the supply of the second gas. At this time, valves 258, 275, 268, 274, and 704 are opened to supply inert gas as a purge gas into the gas supply pipes 255, 265, 271, and 701, while valve 282 of the second exhaust pipe 281, APC valve 283, and valve 506 of the first exhaust pipe 504 remain open, and the reaction tube 210 is evacuated using the vacuum pump 284. This suppresses the reaction between the first gas and the second gas in the gas phase present in the reaction tube 210.

[0108] <Perform the prescribed number of times, step S104> The above steps S100 to S103 are performed sequentially and non-simultaneously for a predetermined number of cycles (n times, where n is an integer of 1 or more). This forms a film of a predetermined thickness on the substrate S. In this case, for example, a silicon nitride (SiN) film is formed.

[0109] In steps S100 and S102 described above, the first gas and second gas supplied to the processing chamber 201 form gas flows in the upstream rectifier 214, the space on the substrate S, and the downstream rectifier 215, respectively. At this time, since the first gas and second gas are supplied to each substrate S without pressure loss, uniform processing is possible between each substrate S. By supplying the first gas and second gas from the gas supply structure 212 to the gas exhaust structure 213 in this manner, a gas side flow is formed in the processing chamber 201, thereby suppressing the influence of the inert gas supplied to the adiabatic region B.

[0110] Furthermore, while the substrate S brought into the processing chamber 201 is heated, the first gas and the second gas are alternately supplied to the processing chamber 201, and the first gas, the second gas, and reaction byproducts are exhausted from the second exhaust pipe 281 connected to the processing chamber 201. At this time, inert gas is supplied from inside the heat insulating section 502 that constitutes the heat insulating region B located below the processing chamber 201 and from below the heat insulating section 502, while the inert gas is exhausted from the first exhaust pipe 504 connected to the side of the heat insulating section 502. In other words, the inert gas supplied from inside the heat insulating section 502 and around the support 440 is exhausted through the first exhaust pipe 504 before it flows above the heat insulating section 502. As a result, the inert gas supplied to the heat insulating region B is less likely to flow into the processing region A.

[0111] In other words, the influence on side flow can be suppressed on the substrate S located at the bottom of the substrate support 300, and a similar gas flow is formed above and below the processing chamber 201. As a result, multiple substrates S stacked in the vertical direction can be processed uniformly, improving the uniformity of processing on multiple substrates S.

[0112] Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the accumulation of a film inside and around the container 510 by preventing the first gas, second gas, and reaction by-products from flowing into the heat-insulating section 502. By ensuring that the atmosphere of heat-insulating region B is exhausted via a first exhaust pipe 504, which is different from the piping that exhausts the atmosphere of processing region A, the adhesion of reaction by-products to components placed in heat-insulating region B, such as the subheater 513 and support 440, and around the valve 506 is suppressed, and furthermore, the entry of reaction by-products (also called particles) into processing region A is suppressed.

[0113] (S14) Next, the substrate removal process S14 will be explained. In S14, the processed substrate S is removed from the transfer chamber 217 in the reverse order of the substrate loading process S11 described above.

[0114] (S15) Next, we will explain the determination S15. Here, we determine whether the substrate has been processed a predetermined number of times. If it is determined that the substrate has not been processed a predetermined number of times, we return to the substrate loading process S11 and process the next substrate S. If it is determined that the substrate has been processed a predetermined number of times, the process ends.

[0115] Although the formation of the gas flow was described as horizontal above, it is sufficient for the main gas flow to be formed in a horizontal direction overall. A gas flow that diffuses vertically is also acceptable, as long as it does not affect the uniform processing of multiple substrates.

[0116] Furthermore, while the above uses expressions such as "same," "similar," "equivalent," and "equal," it goes without saying that these include things that are essentially the same.

[0117] (3) Other aspects Although the present embodiment has been described in detail above, it is not limited thereto, and various modifications are possible without departing from its essence. For example, it can be modified as shown in the embodiment below, and otherwise it is configured in the same way as the substrate processing apparatus shown in Figure 1, and elements that are substantially the same as those described in Figure 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0118] (Second aspect) Figure 7 shows the area around the heat insulating section 705 according to the second embodiment. The heat insulating portion 705 in the second embodiment has a different shape from the heat insulating portion 502 described above.

[0119] The heat insulating section 705 includes a hollow cylindrical container 710a and a hollow cylindrical container 710b positioned below container 710a. Containers 710a and 710b are arranged concentrically and are configured to communicate with each other. An opening 711 is formed in the bottom surface of container 710b. Furthermore, the outer diameter of container 710b is smaller than the outer diameter of container 710a, and the inner diameter of container 710b is smaller than the inner diameter of container 710a. In other words, the heat insulating section 705 is configured such that the lower container 710b has a smaller volume and cross-sectional area than the upper container 710a, and the internal cross-sectional area in the horizontal direction decreases gradually from top to bottom, forming a stepped portion on the inner and outer surfaces of the heat insulating section 705. This makes it easier to retain inert gas in container 710a where the subheater 513 is located, and makes it difficult for the processing gas supplied to processing area A to flow into container 710a. From the above, by using the heat insulating section 705, the flow rate of inert gas used to purge the inside of the heat insulating section 705 can be reduced.

[0120] Furthermore, the distance between the inner surface of container 710b and the end of the insulating plate 512 is narrower (smaller) than the distance between the inner surface of the upper container 710a and the end of the insulating plate 512. In other words, by narrowing the flow path in the lower part of the insulating section 705, it is possible to make it easier for the inert gas to accumulate in the upper part of the insulating section 705, making it difficult for the processing gas supplied to the processing area A to flow into the interior of containers 710a and 710b. This means that the flow rate of the purge gas used to purge the inside of the insulating section 705 can be reduced.

[0121] Furthermore, the distance between the outer surface of container 710b and the inner surface of reaction tube 210 is wider than the distance between the outer surface of container 710a and the inner surface of reaction tube 210. In addition, multiple grooves 712 are formed on the surface of the outer surface of container 710b at the height of the exhaust hole 503, for example, in a substantially horizontal manner. In other words, the heat insulating section 705 includes a container configured to promote the horizontal flow of gas in a region (which may be a space or height range) on its outer periphery that is set at the same or lower position as the first exhaust hole. These features make it possible to facilitate the flow of inert gas supplied to the heat insulating section 705 and around the support 440 in a substantially horizontal direction in the space between the outer surface of container 710b and the inner surface of reaction tube 210. Furthermore, the exhaust hole 503 is located below the upper end of the heat insulating section 705, on the wall surface of the reaction tube 210 on the side of the stepped portion that connects container 710b to container 710a, and is positioned corresponding to the multiple grooves 712. This makes it easier to exhaust the inert gas supplied inside the heat-insulating section 705 and around the support 440 from the processing chamber 201. The groove 712 extends from the top to the bottom of the outer surface of the container 710b, and may be formed up to the lowest end of the container 710b.

[0122] Specifically, the exhaust port 503 is located on the wall surface of the reaction tube 210 on the side of the stepped portion that connects the container 710b to the container 710a, below the upper end of the heat insulating section 705, and is positioned to correspond to the multiple grooves 712. Furthermore, the space on the outer circumference of the container 710b, including the height corresponding to the exhaust port 503, is wider than the space above it. In other words, the inert gas supplied to the heat insulating region B from below the heat insulating section 702 flows more easily horizontally, and the conductance is greater and the pressure loss is smaller than in the space above the exhaust port 503. Also, the lowest part of the container 710b is wider than the space above the exhaust port 503, allowing the inert gas supplied to the heat insulating region B to flow more easily horizontally from the side of the container 710b without flowing into the processing region A. In other words, the inert gas supplied from inside the heat insulating section 705 or around the support 440 is exhausted through the first exhaust pipe 504 before it flows above the container 710b. Therefore, the inert gas supplied to the adiabatic region B is less likely to flow into the processing region A.

[0123] (Third aspect) Figure 8 shows the area around the heat insulating section 902 according to the third embodiment.

[0124] In the third embodiment, the heat insulating section 902 has a container 910a and a container 910b, with an opening 911 formed on the bottom surface of the container 910b. That is, the heat insulating section 902 is identical in shape to the heat insulating section 705 in the second embodiment described above, except that a groove 712 is not provided on the outer surface of the container 910b. Even without the groove 712, an exhaust hole 503 is provided on the side of the container 910b at the stepped portion which is the connection part between the container 910a and the container 910b, making it easier for the inert gas to flow horizontally towards the exhaust hole 503. In this embodiment, a partition plate support section 800 is provided that moves up and down independently of the substrate support 300. Multiple disc-shaped partition plates 801 are fixed to the partition plate support section 800 at a predetermined pitch. The partition plate support section 800 is connected to a partition plate lifting mechanism 802. The partition plate support section 800 is moved up and down by the partition plate lifting mechanism 802, and moves vertically. The partition plate support section 800 is configured such that the partition plate 801 is placed between each of the multiple substrates S. In other words, the distance between the substrates S and the partition plate 801 is movable vertically. This makes it possible to adjust the distance between the partition plate 801 and the substrates S according to the processing content.

[0125] Here, by adjusting the distance between the substrate S and the partition plate 801, the flow of the processing gas changes. This changes the concentration distribution of the processing gas on the surface of the substrate S. In other words, the concentration distribution of the processing gas on the surface of the substrate S changes depending on whether the distance between the surface of the substrate S and the partition plate 801 is narrow or wide. Therefore, by adjusting the distance between the surface of the substrate S and the partition plate 801 according to the processing content, the uniformity of the processing within the surface of the substrate S can be improved.

[0126] The partition plate support 800 and the partition plate lifting mechanism 802 are connected by a connecting part 803. The connecting part 803 is positioned between the outer surface of the container 910b and the inner surface of the reaction tube 210. That is, the connecting part 803 is positioned within the height range of the container 910b, which is wider than the distance between the outer surface of the container 910a and the inner surface of the reaction tube 210. The connecting part 803 may contain metallic components, but by positioning the connecting part 803 to move up and down within the height range of the container 910b in this way, an inert gas flows around the connecting part 803, which suppresses the adhesion of reaction by-products to the connecting part 803 and prevents the metallic components used in the connecting part 803 from flowing into the processing area A.

[0127] Although the third embodiment described uses a case where the partition plate 801 is configured to move up and down relative to the substrate S, the same effect can be obtained when the substrate S is configured to move up and down relative to the partition plate 314, as in the first embodiment.

[0128] (Fourth aspect) Figure 9 shows a modified example using the heat insulating section 902 according to the third embodiment.

[0129] In the fourth embodiment, the reaction tube 210 is composed of an inner tube 210a that forms a processing chamber 201 and an outer tube 210b that is provided concentrically with the inner tube 210a and positioned outside the inner tube 210a.

[0130] An opening 903 is formed in the inner tube 210a at the height where multiple substrates S are arranged. An opening 904, which serves as a first exhaust hole, is formed on the entire surface of the inner tube 210a at the height where the container 910b of the heat insulating section 902 is arranged. An exhaust hole 244 is formed on the outer tube 210b at a height between the openings 903 and 904, on the side of the container 910a.

[0131] In other words, the space on the outer circumference of the container 910b, including the height corresponding to the opening 904, is formed to be wider than the space above, so that the inert gas supplied to the heat insulating region B from below the heat insulating section 902 can easily flow horizontally. Because the opening 904 is provided on the side of the container 910b at the stepped section which is the connection between the containers 910a and 910b, the inert gas can easily flow horizontally towards the exhaust hole 244. That is, the processing gas supplied to the processing region A is exhausted from the exhaust hole 244 via the opening 903 and supplied to the subheater 513, while the inert gas supplied to the heat insulating region B does not flow into the processing region A, but flows horizontally from the side of the container 910b via the opening 904 and is exhausted from the exhaust hole 244.

[0132] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was given in which HCDS gas is used as the first gas and NH3 gas is used as the second gas to form a film in the film processing step S13, but this embodiment is not limited to this.

[0133] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the description was based on the case in which, in the film processing step S13, the first gas and the second gas are alternately supplied to the processing chamber 201 and the inert gas is supplied to the substrate S according to the process recipe, but the embodiment is not limited to this. That is, the film processing may be performed by simultaneously supplying the first gas and the second gas to the processing chamber 201 and the inert gas to the insulated region B.

[0134] Furthermore, even when the film treatment is performed using the first gas, the second gas, or both the first and second gases in a plasma state, the same effects as described above can be obtained.

[0135] Furthermore, this embodiment can be suitably applied even when the first gas is not flash-supplied in the first gas supply S100 of the film processing step S13, or when the second gas is flash-supplied in the second gas supply S102, and the same effects as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0136] Furthermore, although the above embodiment uses film deposition as an example of a process performed by the substrate processing apparatus, this embodiment is not limited to this. In other words, this embodiment can be applied to film deposition processes other than the thin film processes exemplified above.

[0137] Furthermore, the above embodiments described an example of forming a film using a batch-type substrate processing apparatus that processes multiple substrates at once. This disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can be suitably applied, for example, to forming a film using a single-wafer substrate processing apparatus that processes one or several substrates at once. Furthermore, the above embodiments described an example of forming a film using a substrate processing apparatus having a hot-wall type processing furnace. This disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can be suitably applied to forming a film using a substrate processing apparatus having a cold-wall type processing furnace.

[0138] Even when using these substrate processing devices, each process can be performed using the same processing procedures and conditions as in the above embodiment, and the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0139] The above embodiments can be used in combination as appropriate. The processing procedure and processing conditions in this case can be the same as, for example, the processing procedure and processing conditions in the above embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0140] 10 Substrate Processing Equipment 201 Processing Room 280 Second exhaust section (exhaust system) 300 Circuit board support (circuit board support part) 502, 705, 902 Insulation section (insulation structure)

Claims

1. A processing room for processing substrates, A substrate support portion that supports the aforementioned substrate, A container formed such that its inner diameter decreases from the top to the bottom, and the internal cross-sectional area in the horizontal direction is larger at the top than at the bottom, A first inert gas supply unit configured to supply inert gas to the inside of the container, An opening is provided that allows communication between the inside and outside of the container, Including a heat insulating structure disposed below the substrate support portion, A substrate processing apparatus having

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the container is configured such that the cross-sectional area inside the container in the horizontal direction decreases in stages from top to bottom.

3. A processing chamber for processing substrates, A substrate support portion that supports the aforementioned substrate, A container configured such that the internal cross-sectional area in the horizontal direction is larger at the top than at the bottom, A first inert gas supply unit configured to supply inert gas to the inside of the container, An opening is provided that allows communication between the inside and outside of the container, It includes a thermal insulation structure disposed below the substrate support portion, The aforementioned heat insulation structure further comprises a plurality of heat insulating members arranged inside the container, The distance between the container and the heat insulating member at a specific height is shorter than the distance between the container and the heat insulating member above that specific height. Circuit board processing equipment.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second inert gas supply unit that supplies an inert gas to the processing chamber from below the thermal insulation structure.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first exhaust hole provided on the wall surface of the processing chamber below the upper end of the thermal insulation structure.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a region is formed on the outer circumference of the container at the same position as or lower than the first exhaust hole, which promotes the horizontal flow of gas on the outer circumference of the container.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the region is formed at a position including the lowest height position of the outer surface of the container.

8. A processing chamber for processing substrates, A substrate support portion that supports the aforementioned substrate, A container configured such that the internal cross-sectional area in the horizontal direction is larger at the top than at the bottom, A first inert gas supply unit configured to supply inert gas to the inside of the container, An opening is provided that allows communication between the inside and outside of the container, Including a heat insulating structure disposed below the substrate support portion, It has a first exhaust vent provided on the wall surface of the processing chamber below the upper end of the thermal insulation structure, On the outer periphery of the container, at a position at the same level as or lower than the first exhaust port, a region is formed to promote the horizontal flow of gas on the outer periphery of the container. The distance between the outer surface of the container and the inner surface of the processing chamber in the aforementioned region is wider than the distance between the outer surface of the container and the inner surface of the processing chamber above the aforementioned region. Circuit board processing equipment.

9. A processing chamber for processing substrates, A substrate support portion that supports the aforementioned substrate, A container configured such that the internal cross-sectional area in the horizontal direction is larger at the top than at the bottom, A first inert gas supply unit configured to supply inert gas to the inside of the container, An opening is provided that allows communication between the inside and outside of the container, Including a heat insulating structure disposed below the substrate support portion, It has a first exhaust vent provided on the wall surface of the processing chamber below the upper end of the thermal insulation structure, On the outer periphery of the container, at a position at the same level as or lower than the first exhaust port, a region is formed to promote the horizontal flow of gas on the outer periphery of the container. The outer surface of the container in the aforementioned region is provided with grooves to facilitate the flow of gas horizontally. Circuit board processing equipment.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heating unit disposed above the inside of the container.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first inert gas supply unit supplies inert gas toward the heating unit.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate support portion supports a plurality of substrates.

13. Each of the aforementioned plurality of substrates is provided with a plurality of gas supply holes for supplying processing gas toward the upper surface of the substrate, A plurality of second exhaust holes are provided for each of the plurality of substrates, which connect the processing chamber and the exhaust system, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising

14. A partition plate is placed between each of the aforementioned plurality of substrates, A partition plate support portion that supports the partition plate, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising

15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a partition plate lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the partition plate support portion.

16. A processing chamber for processing substrates, A substrate support portion that supports the aforementioned substrate, A container configured such that the internal cross-sectional area in the horizontal direction is larger at the top than at the bottom, A first inert gas supply unit configured to supply inert gas to the inside of the container, An opening is provided that allows communication between the inside and outside of the container, Including a heat insulating structure disposed below the substrate support portion, A partition plate is placed between each of the multiple substrates supported by the substrate support portion, A partition plate support portion that supports the partition plate, It has a partition plate lifting mechanism that moves the partition plate support up and down, The container is configured such that, in a region set on the outer circumference of the container, the distance between the outer surface of the container and the inner surface of the processing chamber is wider than in the region above it. The region further comprises a connecting portion that connects the partition plate support portion and the partition plate lifting mechanism, Circuit board processing equipment.

17. A container formed such that its inner diameter decreases from the top to the bottom, and the internal cross-sectional area in the horizontal direction is larger at the top than at the bottom, An opening is provided that allows communication between the inside and outside of the container, Includes, An insulating structure configured to allow the supply of an inert gas to the interior.

18. A processing room for processing substrates, A substrate support portion that supports the aforementioned substrate, A container formed such that its inner diameter decreases from the top to the bottom, and the internal cross-sectional area in the horizontal direction is larger at the top than at the bottom, A first inert gas supply unit configured to supply inert gas to the inside of the container, An opening is provided that allows communication between the inside and outside of the container, Including a heat insulating structure disposed below the substrate support portion, Using a substrate processing apparatus having, A step of processing the substrate in the processing chamber, A step of supplying an inert gas to the inside of the thermal insulation structure and discharging the inert gas through the opening, A substrate processing method.

19. A processing room for processing substrates, A substrate support portion that supports the aforementioned substrate, A container formed such that its inner diameter decreases from the top to the bottom, and the internal cross-sectional area in the horizontal direction is larger at the top than at the bottom, A first inert gas supply unit configured to supply inert gas to the inside of the container, An opening is provided that allows communication between the inside and outside of the container, Including a heat insulating structure disposed below the substrate support portion, Using a substrate processing apparatus having, A step of processing the substrate in the processing chamber, A step of supplying an inert gas to the inside of the thermal insulation structure and discharging the inert gas through the opening, A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device.

20. A processing room for processing substrates, A substrate support portion that supports the aforementioned substrate, A container formed such that its inner diameter decreases from the top to the bottom, and the internal cross-sectional area in the horizontal direction is larger at the top than at the bottom, A first inert gas supply unit configured to supply inert gas to the inside of the container, An opening is provided that allows communication between the inside and outside of the container, Including a heat insulating structure disposed below the substrate support portion, Using a substrate processing apparatus having, A procedure for processing the substrate in the processing chamber, A procedure for supplying an inert gas into the thermal insulation structure and discharging the inert gas through the opening, A program that causes the substrate processing device to execute the following via a computer.

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