Film forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10094019-B2
Application number	US-201314074302-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2013
Priority date	Nov 15, 2012
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

A film forming apparatus that includes a mounting table for loading a wafer, a encompassing member surrounding the mounting table and dividing an inside of a process container, an exhaust part that vacuum exhausts the process container, a clamp ring loaded upon an upper space of the encompassing member and lifted from the upper space of the encompassing member while contacting an inner circumference part thereof with an outer circumference of the wafer loaded on the mounting table, and a cylindrical wall extended downward from the clamp ring, formed along a circumference of the clamp ring into a cylinder shape, and positioned between an outer circumference surface of the mounting table and an inner circumference surface of the encompassing member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A film forming apparatus for performing film formation by supplying a reaction gas to a wafer located in a processing container under a vacuum atmosphere, the film forming apparatus comprising:
a mounting table, on which the wafer is mounted, installed in the processing container and configured to be lifted/lowered between a processing location for performing the film formation and a delivery location for delivering the wafer from outside of the processing container at a lower side of the processing location;
an encompassing member configured to encompass the mounting table positioned at the processing location and to divide an inside of the processing container into a processing space of an upper side in which the reaction gas is supplied and a space of a lower side, the encompassing member including a cylindrical protrusion part;
an exhaust part configured to perform vacuum exhaustion inside the processing container through the processing space;
a clamp ring stacked on an upper surface of the encompassing member when the mounting table is positioned at the delivery location and lifted from the upper surface of the encompassing member while contacting an inner circumference part thereof with an outer circumference of the wafer mounted on the mounting table when the mounting table rises to the processing location, the inner circumference part extending vertically further than an upper surface of the encompassing member toward a lower side at the delivery location; and
a cylindrical wall thinly extended downward from a portion of a lower surface of the clamp ring, formed along circumference of the clamp ring in a cylinder shape, and positioned between an outer circumference surface of the mounting table and an inner circumference surface of the encompassing member, the cylindrical wall having a uniform thickness extending along the length thereof and the cylindrical wall and the clamp ring forming a T-shape in a vertical sectional side view,
wherein the cylindrical protrusion part faces an outer circumference of the cylindrical wall and extends towards a lower side of the film forming apparatus, thereby enlarging a surrounding area of the cylindrical wall,
wherein when the mounting table rises to the processing location, the clamp ring is lifted from the upper surface of the encompassing member to thereby form:
a first horizontal gap between the upper surface of the encompassing member and a first portion of the lower surface of the clamp ring;
a first vertical gap between the inner circumference surface of the encompassing member and the outer circumference surface of the cylindrical wall, the first vertical gap communicating with the first horizontal gap;
a second horizontal gap defined by a portion of an upper surface of the mounting table in which the wafer is not mounted, a second portion of the lower surface of the clamp ring which the wafer is not in contact with, and the outer circumference of the wafer; and
a second vertical gap between the outer circumference surface of the mounting table and an inner circumference surface of the cylindrical wall, the second vertical gap communicating with the second horizontal gap.

2. The film forming apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a purge gas supply unit configured in such a manner that a flow of a purge gas from the lower side space to the processing space is formed via the first horizontal gap and the first vertical gap by supplying the purge gas to the lower side space.

3. The film forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the clamp ring includes one or more outer tube walls formed in a cylinder shape for circumferentially encompassing the cylindrical wall, wherein a groove part, at which the outer tube wall is inserted, is formed in the encompassing member.

4. The film forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a film formed by the reaction gas is a film to be powderized in post processing.

5. The film forming apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the film includes ruthenium (Ru), nickel (Ni), or oxides thereof, and the post processing includes processes to form oxides of the Ru or the Ni at least on a surface of the film by exposing the film under an oxidizing atmosphere, and then to reduce the oxides.

6. The film forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mounting table includes a wafer heating unit configured to heat the wafer, and the encompassing member includes a preheating unit configured to preheat the clamp ring stacked on an upper surface of the encompassing member for suppressing thermal expansion of the clamp ring lifted by the mounting table.

7. The film forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a circular concave part is formed at a center portion of the upper surface of the mounting table,
the wafer is mounted on the circular concave part, and
the portion of the upper surface of the mounting table defining the second horizontal gap is located further out from a center of the mounting table than the circular concave part.

8. The film forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mounting table includes a stage for supporting the wafer and a stage cover which covers the stage,
the a circular concave part is formed at a center portion of the upper surface of the stage cover,
the wafer is mounted on the circular concave part, and
the portion of the upper surface of the mounting table defining the second horizontal gap is located further out from a center of the mounting table than the circular concave part.

9. The film forming apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the stage cover includes a skirt part surrounding a lower region of the stage from side walls of the stage.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Toriya Daisuke
• Komori Eiichi
• Amikura Manabu

Classifications

• H10P72/7606

  characterised by edge clamping, e.g. clamping ring · CPC title

• H10P14/6939

  characterised by the metal · CPC title

• C23C16/4585 Primary

  Devices at or outside the perimeter of the substrate support, e.g. clamping rings, shrouds · CPC title

• C23C16/45565

  Shower nozzles · CPC title

• C23C16/45544 Primary

  characterized by the apparatus · CPC title