Substrate processing apparatus and method for suppressing oxygen contamination

Abstract

To suppress oxygen contamination to a treatment gas to be supplied into a chamber of a substrate treatment apparatus.SOLUTION: A substrate treatment apparatus includes: a chamber configured to be capable of decompressing and storing a substrate; and an enclosure for enclosing a supply source of a treatment gas to be supplied into the chamber and a connection pipe for connecting the supply source to the chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a method for suppressing oxygen contamination.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a processing system having a processing apparatus provided with gas injection means for injecting a predetermined source gas composed of a metal compound material having a low vapor pressure into a processing vessel to perform a predetermined process on a workpiece, and a gas supply system for supplying the predetermined source gas to the gas injection means. In this processing system, the gas injection means is a shower head portion. The gas supply system includes a gas passage extending upward from the shower head portion, a material storage tank attached to the upper end portion of the gas passage and storing the metal compound material therein, and an opening / closing valve for opening and closing the gas passage.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technology according to the present disclosure suppresses oxygen contamination in the processing gas supplied into the chamber of the substrate processing apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure includes an enclosure that encloses a chamber configured to be depressurized and in which a substrate is accommodated, a supply source of a processing gas supplied to the chamber, and a connecting pipe connecting the supply source and the chamber. Furthermore, the enclosure is connected to a supply pipe that supplies inert gas into the enclosure and an exhaust pipe that exhausts gas from the enclosure. It is a substrate processing apparatus.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the technology described herein, it is possible to suppress the inclusion of oxygen into the processing gas supplied to the chamber of the substrate processing apparatus. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a film deposition apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a film deposition apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, various substrate processes, such as film deposition, are sequentially performed on substrates such as semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as "wafers"). These substrate processes are carried out by substrate processing equipment. The substrate processing equipment is configured to allow for reduced pressure and has a chamber for housing the substrate during processing. In addition, depending on the substrate process, various processing gases are supplied to the chamber during processing. The processing gas is supplied from the source to the chamber via connecting pipes.

[0009] To seal the connections between the connecting pipe and the chamber, and between the connecting pipe and the processing gas supply source, O-rings are used, for example. Furthermore, if oxygen is unintentionally mixed into the processing gas supplied to the chamber, it may affect the processing results. Therefore, to further suppress the mixing of oxygen into the processing gas through the above-mentioned connections, metal gaskets may be used instead of O-rings, or a double O-ring configuration may be adopted, in which an inert gas is supplied between the inner and outer O-rings.

[0010] However, there are cases where the application of metal gaskets and double O-rings is not preferred. For example, if the source of the process gas is a vaporizer that stores raw materials with low vapor pressure, and the raw materials vaporize inside to produce the raw material gas used as the process gas, then the application of metal gaskets and double O-rings is not preferred. The reasons for this are explained below.

[0011] In vaporizers that store raw materials with low vapor pressure, the connecting pipes and other components are heated to prevent re-solidification or re-liquefaction of the raw material gas. Therefore, aluminum, which has good thermal conductivity, is sometimes used as the material for these connecting pipes and other components. However, because aluminum has low rigidity, it is difficult to apply metal gaskets to aluminum connecting pipes and other components. Furthermore, in the case of vaporizers that store raw materials with low vapor pressure, the vaporizer may be placed near the chamber, and the chamber pressure may be reduced to create a reduced pressure inside the vaporizer and vaporize the raw material. In this case, the connecting pipe is made large in diameter to minimize pressure loss in the connecting pipe. The application of double O-rings to large-diameter connecting pipes, or to on-off valves connected to the connecting pipes, is not common practice, and if it were to be applied, separate development would be required, resulting in high costs.

[0012] Therefore, the technology described herein suppresses the inclusion of oxygen into the processing gas supplied to the chamber of the substrate processing apparatus without employing metal gaskets or double O-rings.

[0013] The substrate processing apparatus and oxygen contamination suppression method according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0014] (First Embodiment) <Film forming equipment> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a film deposition apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, and shows a part of the film deposition apparatus in cross-section.

[0015] The film deposition apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1 is configured to perform a film deposition process on a wafer W, which serves as a substrate, to form, for example, a ruthenium (RU) film on the wafer W. The film deposition apparatus 1 has a chamber 10 that is configured to allow for reduced pressure and accommodates a wafer W.

[0016] Chamber 10 is formed such that, for example, its outer shape is a rectangular parallelepiped and its internal space is cylindrical. A metal material with good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, is used for the material of chamber 10. The side wall 11 of the chamber 10 is provided with a wafer W loading / unloading port (not shown), and this port is provided with a gate valve (not shown) for opening and closing the port. Furthermore, a pressure sensor 20, located outside the chamber 10, is connected to the side wall 11 of the chamber 10. The pressure sensor 20 is, for example, a capacitance manometer and measures the pressure inside the chamber 10. The measurement result from the pressure sensor 20 is output to the control unit 200, which will be described later.

[0017] An exhaust port 12a is formed in the bottom wall 12 of the chamber 10. Furthermore, a housing section 21, which houses the bellows 33 (described later), is connected to the bottom wall 12 such that its upper opening 21a communicates with the exhaust port 12a. The housing section 21 has openings 21a and 21b on its top and sides, with openings 21a and 21b communicating with each other. One end of an exhaust pipe 22 is connected to the side opening 21b of the housing section 21 so that the chamber 10 is exhausted through these openings 21a and 21b. The other end of the exhaust pipe 22 is connected to an exhaust device (e.g., a vacuum pump) 23. Upstream of the exhaust device 23 on the exhaust pipe 22, an APC valve 24 is provided as a pressure regulating valve for adjusting the pressure inside the chamber 10. The APC valve 24 has an automatic pressure regulating function and a shut-off function, and its opening is controlled based on a control signal from the control unit 200 (described later). The APC valve 24 can be used to adjust the pressure inside the chamber 10 to a preset pressure or to shut off the connection between the chamber 10 and the exhaust device 23.

[0018] Inside the chamber 10, a circular mounting table 30 in plan view on which the wafer W is horizontally placed is provided. Inside the mounting table 30, a heater (not shown) for heating the wafer W is provided. At the central part on the lower surface side of the mounting table 30, the upper end of a support member 31 extending in the vertical direction is connected so as to penetrate the bottom wall 12 through the exhaust port 12a of the bottom wall 12 of the chamber 10 and further penetrate the bottom wall 21c of the accommodating portion 21. The lower end of the support member 31 is connected to a lifting mechanism 32. By driving the lifting mechanism 32 controlled by a control unit 200 described later, the mounting table 30 can move up and down between an upper first position and a lower second position.

[0019] The above-mentioned first position is a processing position where the wafer W is processed. A processing space S is formed by the mounting table 30 located at the processing position and a partition wall 13a extending downward from the top wall 13 of the chamber 10 and partitioning the inside and outside in the chamber 10. A gap K is formed between the upper surface of the mounting table 30 located at the processing position and the lower surface of the partition wall 13a, and the inside of the processing space S can be exhausted through this gap K. The above-mentioned second position is a standby position where the mounting table 30 waits when the wafer W is being transferred between a transfer mechanism (not shown) of the wafer W entering the chamber 10 from the aforementioned loading / unloading port (not shown) of the chamber 10 and a transfer pin (not shown) provided below in the chamber 10.

[0020] Further, a flange 31a is provided on the support member 31. And a bellows 33 is provided between the lower surface of this flange 31a and the upper surface of the bottom wall 21c of the accommodating portion 21 so as to surround the outer periphery of the support member 31. Because this bellows 33 is provided, the airtightness of the chamber 10 is not lost due to the penetrating portion of the support member 31 in the bottom wall 21c of the accommodating portion 21.

[0021] Furthermore, a shower head 40 is provided parallel to the mounting table 30 above the mounting table 30 within the chamber 10, serving as a gas flow forming member that forms the flow of raw material gas within the processing space S. The raw material gas supplied through the gas supply port 13b located in the center of the top wall 13 of the chamber 10 is rectified by passing through multiple holes in the shower head 40 and supplied to the wafer W.

[0022] Furthermore, a raw material gas supply mechanism 50, which supplies raw material gas to the chamber 10, is connected to the top wall 13 of the chamber 10.

[0023] The raw material gas supply mechanism 50 has a vaporizer 51 as a source of processed gas. The vaporizer 51 stores the raw materials for the process gas, and the raw materials vaporize inside it. The raw materials stored in the vaporizer 51 are materials with low vapor pressure that are solid or liquid at room temperature and pressure, specifically, for example, the solid raw material Ru3(CO3) 12 Ru3(CO) 12 It vaporizes, or sublimes, to become the raw material gas for forming the Ru film.

[0024] Furthermore, the vaporizer 51 is positioned so as to overlap with the chamber 10 when viewed from above. Specifically, the vaporizer 51 is positioned such that, when viewed from above, its entirety is contained within the chamber 10, and there are no parts that extend beyond the chamber 10. More specifically, the vaporizer 51 is positioned such that, when viewed from above, its entirety is contained within the outer edge of the top wall 13 of the chamber 10, and there are no parts that extend beyond the top wall 13 of the chamber 10. The vaporizer 51 may be directly mounted on the top wall 13 of the chamber 10, or it may be mounted via a support member.

[0025] One end of a supply pipe 61 of a carrier gas supply mechanism 60, which supplies a carrier gas such as carbon monoxide (CO) gas, is connected to the vaporizer 51. The other end of the supply pipe 61 is connected to a carrier gas supply source 62. The supply pipe 61 is equipped with a flow control mechanism 63 having a flow control valve (not shown), such as a mass flow controller, and an on / off valve for starting or stopping the supply of carrier gas. The supply pipe 61 is also equipped with a carrier gas heating unit (not shown) for heating the carrier gas. These flow control mechanisms 63 and the carrier gas heating unit are controlled by a control unit 200, which will be described later. Furthermore, the supply pipe 61 is equipped with a temperature sensor (not shown) for temperature control of the supply pipe 61. The measurement results from the temperature sensor are output to the control unit 200, which will be described later.

[0026] The carrier gas supplied from the carrier gas supply mechanism 60 to the vaporizer 51, together with the raw material gas generated by the sublimation of the solid raw material, is supplied to the chamber 10 via the connecting pipe 52, which will be described later.

[0027] Furthermore, the vaporizer 51 is provided with a vaporizer heating unit (not shown) that covers its entirety. The vaporizer heating unit heats the vaporizer 51. Heating by the vaporizer heating unit promotes the vaporization, or sublimation, of the solid raw material inside the vaporizer 51. This vaporizer heating unit is controlled by the control unit 200, which will be described later.

[0028] Furthermore, the vaporizer 51 is equipped with a pressure sensor (not shown) for measuring the pressure inside the vaporizer 51. Additionally, the vaporizer 51 is equipped with a temperature sensor (not shown) for measuring the temperature inside the vaporizer 51. The measurement results from these pressure and temperature sensors are output to the control unit 200, which will be described later.

[0029] Furthermore, the raw material gas supply mechanism 50 has a connecting pipe 52 that connects the vaporizer 51 and the chamber 10 in order to supply raw material gas from the vaporizer 51. As the connecting pipe 52 is heated as described later, aluminum, which has good thermal conductivity, is used as its material. One end of the connecting pipe 52 is connected to the vaporizer 51, and the other end is connected to the top wall 13 of the chamber 10. The inside of the vaporizer 51 and the inside of the chamber 10 are in communication through this connecting pipe 52. In addition, O-rings are used instead of metal gaskets at the connection part between the one end of the connecting pipe 52 and the vaporizer 51, and at the connection part between the other end of the connecting pipe 52 and the top wall 13 of the chamber 10, so that airtightness is not compromised at these connection parts. If the connecting pipe 52 consists of multiple members, O-rings are also used instead of metal gaskets at the connection parts between these members. Furthermore, in the film deposition apparatus 1, double O-rings are not used at the connection between one end of the connecting pipe 52 and the vaporizer 51, at the connection between the other end of the connecting pipe 52 and the top wall 13 of the chamber 10, or at the connections between the above-mentioned components.

[0030] The connecting pipe 52 is provided with an on-off valve 53 that opens or closes the conduit within the connecting pipe 52. This on-off valve 53 is controlled by a control unit 200, which will be described later. Furthermore, an APC valve 54 is provided between the on-off valve 53 in the connecting pipe 52 and the vaporizer 51, serving as a pressure regulating valve for adjusting the pressure inside the vaporizer 51. The APC valve 54 has an automatic pressure regulating function and a shut-off function, and the opening degree of the APC valve 54 is controlled based on a control signal from the control unit 200, which will be described later. The APC valve 54 can be used to adjust the pressure inside the vaporizer 51 to a preset pressure or to close the pipeline in the connecting pipe 52.

[0031] Furthermore, the connecting pipe 52 is provided with a connecting pipe heating section (not shown). The connecting pipe heating section heats the entire connecting pipe 52, including the on-off valve 53 and the APC valve 54. This prevents the raw material gas from re-solidifying and adhering to the connecting pipe 52, including the on-off valve 53 and the APC valve 54.

[0032] Furthermore, to prevent the raw material gas from re-solidifying and adhering to the inner wall of the chamber 10, the film deposition apparatus 1 is provided with a chamber heating unit (not shown) for heating the chamber 10.

[0033] The connecting pipe heating section and the chamber heating section are controlled by the control unit 200, which will be described later. Furthermore, a temperature sensor (not shown) is provided on the connecting pipe 52 for temperature control of the connecting pipe heating unit, and a temperature sensor (not shown) is provided on the chamber 10 for temperature control of the chamber 10 by the chamber heating unit. The measurement results from these temperature sensors are output to the control unit 200, which will be described later.

[0034] Furthermore, the film deposition apparatus 1 has an enclosure 70. The enclosure 70 encloses the vaporizer 51 and the connecting pipe 52. Specifically, the enclosure 70 encloses the entire vaporizer 51 and the entire connecting pipe 52, as well as the connection point between the vaporizer 51 and the connecting pipe 52, and the connection point between the chamber 10 and the connecting pipe 52.

[0035] The enclosure 70 consists of the top wall 13 of the chamber 10 and a cover 71. The cover 71 forms a housing space K1 between itself and the top wall 13 of the chamber 10 for housing the vaporizer 51 and the connecting pipe 52. The material used for the cover 71 is a metal material such as aluminum. The cover 71 is formed, for example, in the shape of a rectangular tube with an open bottom, and the opening at the bottom is closed by the top wall 13, which is rectangular in plan view. The cover 71 is fixed to the top wall 13, for example. The cover 71 and the top wall 13 are fixed together, for example, using screws.

[0036] Furthermore, the cover 71 is formed and positioned such that, when viewed from above, its entirety is contained within the chamber 10, and there is no portion of it that extends beyond the chamber 10. Specifically, the cover 71 is formed and positioned such that, when viewed from above, its entirety is contained within the outer edge of the top wall 13 of the chamber 10, and there is no portion of it that extends beyond the top wall 13 of the chamber 10.

[0037] The cover 71 has a supply port 71a and an exhaust port 71b formed therein. One end of a supply pipe 81 of an inert gas supply mechanism 80, which supplies an inert gas such as nitrogen (N2) gas into the enclosure 70, i.e., the containment space K1, is connected to the supply port 71a. The other end of the supply pipe 81 is connected to an inert gas supply source (not shown). The supply pipe 81 is equipped with a flow control mechanism 82 having a flow control valve (not shown), such as a mass flow controller, and an on / off valve for starting or stopping the supply of inert gas. The flow control mechanism 82 is controlled by a control unit 200, which will be described later.

[0038] One end of the exhaust pipe 91 of the exhaust mechanism 90, which exhausts air from the enclosure 70, i.e., the containment space K1, is connected to the exhaust port 71b. The other end of the exhaust pipe 91 is connected to an exhaust device (e.g., a vacuum pump) 92. An exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 93 is also connected to the exhaust pipe 91 to adjust the amount of exhaust. The exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 93 has a flow control valve and an on / off valve for starting or stopping exhaust. The exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 93 is controlled by the control unit 200, which will be described later.

[0039] The film deposition apparatus 1 configured as described above is provided with a control unit 200. The control unit 200 is composed of a computer equipped with, for example, a processor such as a CPU and memory, and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program for realizing the processing of wafer W by the film deposition apparatus 1. The program may have been recorded on a storage medium readable by the computer and installed from that storage medium to the control unit 200. Furthermore, the storage medium may be temporary or permanent.

[0040] <Wafer Processing> Next, an example of wafer processing using the film deposition apparatus 1 will be described. This wafer processing is performed automatically under the control of the control unit 200.

[0041] First, with the on-off valve 53, the on-off valve of the flow control mechanism 63, and the APC valve 54 in the closed state, the opening degree of the APC valve 24 is adjusted based on the measurement result from the pressure sensor 20, and the chamber 10 is set to a predetermined pressure. In this state, a gate valve (not shown) provided at the wafer W loading / unloading inlet (not shown) of the chamber 10 is opened, and a transport mechanism (not shown) holding the wafer W is inserted into the chamber 10 from a vacuum atmosphere transport chamber (not shown) adjacent to the chamber 10 through the loading / unloading inlet. The wafer W is then transported above the mounting table 30 located in the aforementioned standby position. Next, the wafer W is transferred onto the raised support pins (not shown), and then the transport mechanism is withdrawn from the chamber 10, and the gate valve is closed. Simultaneously, the support pins are lowered and the mounting table 30 is raised, the wafer W is placed on the mounting table 30, and the mounting table 30 is moved to the aforementioned processing position, forming the processing space S.

[0042] Next, the wafer W is heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, 120 to 250°C) by a heater provided on the mounting table 30.

[0043] When the wafer W reaches the predetermined temperature, the opening of the APC valve 24 is adjusted, and the pressure inside the chamber 10 is reduced to a predetermined pressure (e.g., 5 mTorr to 100 mTorr). Once the depressurization in the chamber 10 is complete, the on-off valve 53 and the on-off valve of the flow control mechanism 63 are opened, and the opening degree of the APC valve 54 is adjusted, so that the supply of raw material gas to the processing space S in the chamber 10 is started. This starts the formation of a Ru film on the wafer W in the processing space S by CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition). The opening degree of the APC valve 54 is adjusted to increase in stages, for example, from the time the on-off valve 53 etc. are opened until the pressure in the vaporizer 51 reaches a set pressure (for example, 40 mTorr to 150 mTorr). Once the set pressure is reached, the opening degree of the APC valve 54 is adjusted so that the pressure in the vaporizer 51 remains constant at the set pressure until the Ru film formation is completed.

[0044] Once the Ru film formation is complete, the on-off valve 53 and the on-off valve of the flow control mechanism 63 are closed, and the wafer W is removed from the chamber 10 in the reverse order of the above procedure.

[0045] During the Ru film formation process, that is, from the time the on-off valve 53 and the on-off valve of the flow control mechanism 63 are opened until they are closed, a carrier gas heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, 80°C) by a carrier gas heating unit (not shown) is supplied at a constant flow rate.

[0046] Furthermore, during the wafer processing described above, the temperatures of the vaporizer 51, connecting tube 52, and chamber 10 are constantly heated to a predetermined constant temperature by the vaporizer heating unit, connecting tube heating unit, and chamber heating unit, based on the measurement results from the corresponding temperature sensors, so as to prevent the raw material gas from re-solidifying. For example, the connecting tube 52 and chamber 10 are heated to a constant temperature of 80°C, and the vaporizer 51 is heated to a predetermined temperature that is slightly lower than the temperature of the connecting tube 52 and chamber 10, but higher than the temperature of the connecting tube 52 and chamber 10, and below the decomposition temperature of the solid raw material (for example, 70°C to 100°C, which is below the decomposition temperature at the set pressure described above).

[0047] Furthermore, during wafer processing, the flow rate control mechanism 82 of the inert gas supply mechanism 80 and the exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 93 of the exhaust mechanism 90 are controlled to supply inert gas to the inside of the enclosure 70, i.e., the containment space K1. For example, during wafer processing, the containment space K1 is adjusted to a positive pressure relative to the atmosphere outside the enclosure 70 so that air does not enter the containment space K1 from outside the enclosure 70.

[0048] <Main effects of this embodiment> As described above, in this embodiment, the film deposition apparatus 1 has an enclosure 70 that surrounds the vaporizer 51 and the connecting pipe 52 of the process gas. Therefore, by supplying an inert gas inside the enclosure 70, i.e., inside the containment space K1, it is possible to suppress the mixing of oxygen into the process gas supplied to the chamber 10 from the connection parts with other members of the members surrounded by the enclosure 70, i.e., the members contained in the containment space K1. For example, it is possible to suppress the mixing of oxygen into the process gas from the connection part between the connecting pipe 52 and the vaporizer 51, or from the connection part between the connecting pipe 52 and the top wall 13 of the chamber 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, it is not necessary to use a metal gasket or a double O-ring to suppress oxygen mixing. Furthermore, as described above, it is possible to suppress the mixing of oxygen into the processing gas, thereby suppressing the influence of oxygen in the processing gas on the film formed in the film deposition apparatus 1.

[0049] Furthermore, the enclosure 70 can enclose the vaporizer 51 and the connecting pipe 52 even with a simple shape. Therefore, the cost required for developing the enclosure 70 is not high. Consequently, the high costs associated with suppressing oxygen contamination can be avoided.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the enclosure 70 is composed of the top wall 13 of the chamber 10 and a cover 71 that forms a housing space K1 between the top wall 13. When viewed from above, the cover 71 is housed inside the chamber 10, and there is no portion of it that extends outside the chamber 10. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if the enclosure 70 is provided, the occupied area, i.e., the footprint, of the film deposition apparatus 1 does not increase.

[0051] (Second Embodiment) Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a film deposition apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, and shows a part of the film deposition apparatus in cross-section. The film deposition apparatus 1A in Figure 2 has an enclosure 100 in addition to the configuration of the film deposition apparatus 1 in Figure 1. Enclosure 100 encloses enclosure 70. Specifically, enclosure 100 encloses the entire enclosure 70, and also encloses the connection between enclosure 70 and the top wall 13 of chamber 10.

[0052] The enclosure 100 consists of the top wall 13 of the chamber 10 and the cover 101. The cover 101 forms a housing space K2 between itself and the top wall 13 of the chamber 10, housing the vaporizer 51 and connecting pipe 52 together with the cover 71 of the enclosure 70. The material used for the cover 101 is a metal material such as aluminum. The cover 101 is formed, for example, in the shape of a rectangular tube with an open bottom, and the opening at the bottom is closed by the top wall 13, which is rectangular in plan view. The cover 101 is fixed to the top wall 13, for example. The cover 101 and the top wall 13 are fixed together, for example, using screws.

[0053] Furthermore, the cover 101 is formed and positioned such that, when viewed from above, its entirety is contained within the chamber 10, and there is no portion that extends beyond the chamber 10. Specifically, the cover 101 is formed and positioned such that, when viewed from above, its entirety is contained within the outer edge of the top wall 13 of the chamber 10, and there is no portion that extends beyond the top wall 13 of the chamber 10.

[0054] The cover 101 has an exhaust port 101a and an inlet port 101b formed therein. One end of the exhaust pipe 111 of the exhaust mechanism 110, which exhausts air from the enclosure 100, i.e., the containment space K2, is connected to the exhaust port 101a. The other end of the exhaust pipe 111 is connected to an exhaust device (e.g., a vacuum pump) 112. An exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 113, which adjusts the amount of exhaust, is also connected to the exhaust pipe 111. The exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 113 has a flow control valve and an on / off valve for starting or stopping exhaust. The exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 113 is controlled by the control unit 200.

[0055] The inlet 101b opens to the outside of the enclosure 100. Therefore, by exhausting the inside of the enclosure 100, i.e., the containment space K2, through the exhaust port 101a, a gas other than an inert gas is introduced into the enclosure, specifically air.

[0056] During wafer processing by the film deposition apparatus 1A, as with wafer processing by the film deposition apparatus 1 in Figure 1, an inert gas is supplied to the enclosure 70, i.e., the containment space K1, and the enclosure 70, i.e., the containment space K1, is exhausted.

[0057] Furthermore, during wafer processing by the film deposition apparatus 1A, the exhaust volume adjustment mechanism 113 of the exhaust mechanism 110 is controlled to exhaust air from inside the enclosure 100, i.e., the containment space K2, and introduce air into the enclosure 100, i.e., the containment space K2. For example, during wafer processing, the containment space K2 is adjusted to a negative pressure relative to the containment space K1 and the atmosphere outside the enclosure 100 so that air does not enter the containment space K1 from the containment space K2 and air that may contain the raw material gas and carrier gas inside the containment space K2 does not leak to the outside of the enclosure 100.

[0058] According to this embodiment, even if the raw material gas and carrier gas leak out of the enclosure 70, it is possible to suppress them from leaking out of the film deposition apparatus 1A.

[0059] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the enclosure 100 is composed of the top wall 13 of the chamber 10 and a cover 101 that forms a housing space K2 between the top wall 13. When viewed from above, the cover 101 is housed inside the chamber 10, and there is no portion of it that extends outside the chamber 10. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if the enclosure 100 is provided, the occupied area, i.e., the footprint, of the film deposition apparatus 1 does not increase.

[0060] (modified version) Although the technology described above has been applied to a film deposition apparatus, it may also be applied to other substrate processing apparatuses such as etching apparatuses and cleaning apparatuses. Furthermore, in the above, exhaust from inside the enclosure 70 was performed using the exhaust mechanism 90. Alternatively, the inside of the enclosure 70 may be pressurized by supplying an inert gas to the enclosure 70, thereby exhausting from inside the enclosure 70. In this case, components of the exhaust mechanism 90 other than the exhaust pipe 91 may be omitted.

[0061] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The embodiments described above may be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the appended claims, the subsequent appendices, or their spirit. For example, the constituent elements of the embodiments described above can be combined in any way that does not impair the effects described above. In addition, the technology relating to this disclosure may produce other effects that will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description herein, along with or in lieu of the effects described above.

[0062] Furthermore, the following configurations also fall within the technical scope of this disclosure. [Additional note 1] A chamber configured to allow for reduced pressure and containing a substrate, A substrate processing apparatus comprising an enclosure that surrounds a supply source for processing gas supplied to the chamber and a connecting pipe connecting the supply source and the chamber. [Additional note 2] The aforementioned enclosure is A supply pipe for supplying inert gas into the enclosure, The substrate processing apparatus described in Appendix 1, to which an exhaust pipe for exhausting from the enclosure is connected. [Additional note 3] The substrate processing apparatus according to Appendix 1 or 2, wherein the supply source is a vaporizer that stores the raw material for the processing gas and vaporizes the raw material inside. [Additional note 4] The substrate processing apparatus according to Appendix 3, wherein the raw material is solid or liquid at room temperature and pressure. [Additional note 5] The substrate processing apparatus according to Appendix 4, wherein the aforementioned raw material becomes a raw material gas for forming a ruthenium film when vaporized. [Additional note 6] The supply source is arranged to overlap with the chamber in a top view, as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 5, in the substrate processing apparatus. [Additional note 7] The aforementioned enclosure is The top wall of the chamber and, It is composed of a cover that forms a housing space between the top wall and the supply source and connecting pipe, The substrate processing apparatus according to Appendix 6, wherein the cover is formed to fit inside the chamber when viewed from above. [Additional note 8] A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the appendices 1 to 5, further comprising another enclosure enclosing the aforementioned enclosure. [Additional note 9] The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 6, further comprising another enclosure enclosing the aforementioned enclosure. [Additional Note 10] The substrate processing apparatus according to Appendix 7, further comprising another enclosure enclosing the aforementioned enclosure. [Additional Note 11] The aforementioned other enclosures are The top wall of the chamber and, It is composed of another cover that forms another housing space between itself and the top wall, which houses the supply source and connecting pipe together with the cover, The substrate processing apparatus according to appendix 10, wherein the other cover is formed to fit inside the chamber when viewed from above. [Additional Note 12] The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the appendices 8 to 11, wherein the other enclosure is connected to an exhaust pipe that exhausts air from the other enclosure. [Additional Note 13] A method for suppressing oxygen contamination of the processing gas supplied to a chamber of a substrate processing apparatus, which is configured to be able to reduce pressure and contains a substrate, by enclosing the source of the processing gas and the connecting pipe connecting the source and the chamber with an enclosure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0063] 1, 1A...film deposition equipment 10... Chamber 51…Vaporizer 70…Enclosure

Claims

1. A chamber configured to allow for reduced pressure and containing a substrate, The chamber has a supply source for the processing gas supplied to the chamber, and an enclosure that surrounds the supply source and the connecting pipe connecting the chamber. The aforementioned enclosure is A supply pipe for supplying inert gas into the enclosure, A circuit board processing device to which an exhaust pipe that exhausts from the enclosure is connected.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply source is a vaporizer that stores the raw material for the processing gas and vaporizes the raw material inside.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the raw material is solid or liquid at room temperature and pressure.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the raw material becomes a raw material gas for forming a ruthenium film when vaporized.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the supply source is arranged to overlap with the chamber when viewed from above.

6. The aforementioned enclosure is The top wall of the chamber and, It is composed of a cover that forms a housing space between the top wall and the supply source and connecting pipe, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the cover is formed to fit inside the chamber when viewed from above.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising another enclosure enclosing the aforementioned enclosure.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising another enclosure enclosing the aforementioned enclosure.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising another enclosure enclosing the aforementioned enclosure.

10. The aforementioned other enclosures are The top wall of the chamber and, It is composed of another cover that forms another housing space between itself and the top wall, which houses the supply source and connecting pipe together with the cover, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the other cover is formed to fit inside the chamber when viewed from above.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the other enclosure is connected to an exhaust pipe that exhausts air from the other enclosure.

12. A chamber configured to allow for reduced pressure and containing a substrate, An enclosure enclosing a supply source for the processing gas supplied to the chamber and a connecting pipe connecting the supply source and the chamber, A substrate processing apparatus having another enclosure enclosing the aforementioned enclosure.

13. A method for suppressing oxygen contamination of the processing gas supplied to a chamber of a substrate processing apparatus, which is configured to be able to reduce pressure and contains a substrate, by enclosing a source for supplying processing gas to the chamber and a connecting pipe connecting the source to the chamber with an enclosure, supplying inert gas into the enclosure via a supply pipe connected to the enclosure, and exhausting the gas from the enclosure via an exhaust pipe connected to the enclosure.

Images