Film forming apparatus, cleaning method for film forming apparatus and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11081322-B2
Application number	US-201715783048-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2017
Priority date	Oct 14, 2016
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

A film forming apparatus 1 includes a plasma generating mechanism 47 commonly used for plasmarizing a processing gas and a cleaning gas supplied into a processing vessel 11 in which a vacuum atmosphere is formed; an exhaust device 17 configured to evacuate an exhaust line 61 connected to a processing gas discharge unit 43 while the plasmarization of the cleaning gas is being performed by the plasma generating mechanism 47; a tank 62 provided at the exhaust line 61; and a valve V2 which is provided at the exhaust line 61 between the tank 62 and the processing gas discharge unit 43. The valve V2 is configured to be closed to reduce an internal pressure of the tank 62 and opened to attract the plasmarized cleaning gas into the tank 62 from a processing space 40 through the processing gas discharge unit 43.

First claim

We claim:

1. A film forming apparatus configured to perform a film forming processing by supplying a plasmarized processing gas onto a substrate, the film forming apparatus comprising:
a mounting unit provided within a processing vessel in which a vacuum atmosphere is formed and configured to mount the substrate thereon;
a processing gas discharge unit having a facing surface portion which faces the mounting unit and gas discharge holes opened to the facing surface portion for discharging a processing gas;
a cleaning gas supply unit configured to supply a cleaning gas for removing a film formed within the processing vessel;
a plasma generating mechanism commonly used for plasmarizing the processing gas and the cleaning gas supplied into the processing vessel;
an exhaust device configured to evacuate an exhaust line connected to the processing gas discharge unit while the plasmarization of the cleaning gas is being performed by the plasma generating mechanism;
a tank provided at the exhaust line via a first valve, and connected to a processing gas source via a second valve, and connected to the exhaust device via a third valve;
the first valve which is provided at the exhaust line between the tank and the processing gas discharge unit; and
a control unit configured to
control the first valve to open the exhaust line, the second valve to open the processing gas source, and the third valve to close the exhaust device in order to supply the processing gas into a processing space,
control the first valve to close the exhaust line, the second valve to close the processing gas source, and the third valve to open the exhaust device in order to reduce an internal pressure of the tank by using the exhaust device, and
control the first valve to open the exhaust line, the second valve to close the processing gas source, and the third valve to open the exhaust device to attract the plasmarized cleaning gas into the tank from the processing space through the processing gas discharge unit by using the exhaust device,
wherein the exhaust line serves to supply the processing gas and drain the cleaning gas in different time periods.

2. The film forming apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the film forming processing is performed on the substrate by supplying a source gas and a reactant gas, which serves as the processing gas and forms a reaction product by reacting with the source gas, onto the substrate alternately through the processing gas discharge unit, and
the tank is provided at a supply line through which the source gas is supplied into the processing gas discharge unit, and the supply line also serves as the exhaust line.

3. The film forming apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the film forming processing is performed on the substrate by supplying a source gas and a reactant gas, which serves as the processing gas and forms a reaction product by reacting with the source gas, onto the substrate alternately through the processing gas discharge unit, and
the tank is provided at a supply line through which the reactant gas is supplied into the processing gas discharge unit, and the supply line also serves as the exhaust line.

4. The film forming apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein a switchover of the first valve from a closed state into an open state and a switchover of the first valve from the open state into the closed state are respectively repeated multiple times while the plasmarization of the cleaning gas is being performed by the plasma generating mechanism.

5. The film forming apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the plasma generating mechanism comprises a high frequency power supply configured to generate capacitively coupled plasma by supplying a high frequency power between an electrode provided in the processing gas discharge unit and an electrode provided in the mounting unit.

6. The film forming apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein, while the plasmarization of the cleaning gas is being performed, a gas exhaust is performed through an exhaust opening through which a gas exhaust is performed during the film forming processing.

7. The film forming apparatus of claim 6 ,
wherein opening/closing of the first valve is controlled by using a pressure gauge provided at an exhaust line connected to the exhaust opening.

8. The film forming apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein, while the plasmarization of the cleaning gas is being performed, the first valve is closed upon a lapse of a preset time after the first valve is opened, and opened upon a lapse of a predetermined time after the first valve is closed.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Noro Naotaka
• Hasegawa Toshio
• Takeyama Tamaki
• Iwashita Shinya
• Hirose Katsuhito

Classifications

• C23C16/4586

  Elements in the interior of the support, e.g. electrodes, heating or cooling devices · CPC title

• C23C16/45542

  Plasma being used non-continuously during the ALD reactions · CPC title

• C23C16/4412

  Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps · CPC title

• C23C16/45565

  Shower nozzles · CPC title

• C23C16/505

  using radio frequency discharges · CPC title