Film-forming apparatus and film-forming method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11492702-B2
Application number	US-201816171522-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2018
Priority date	Nov 6, 2017
Publication date	Nov 8, 2022
Grant date	Nov 8, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus for forming a thin film by repeating, plural times, a cycle including supplying and adsorbing a precursor gas onto a substrate and generating a reaction product by allowing the precursor gas on the substrate to react with a reaction gas, which includes: a main precursor gas supply part for supplying the precursor gas; a reaction gas supply part for supplying the reaction gas; an adjustment-purpose precursor gas supply part for supplying an adjustment-purpose precursor gas to adjust an in-plane film thickness distribution of the thin film; and a controller for outputting a control signal to execute a step of forming the thin film using the main precursor gas supply part and the reaction gas supply part, and subsequently a step of supplying the adjustment-purpose precursor gas from the adjustment-purpose precursor gas supply part to compensate for a film thickness of a portion having a relatively thin film thickness.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A film-forming apparatus for forming a thin film by repeating a cycle a plurality of times, the cycle including supplying and adsorbing a precursor gas onto a substrate mounted on a rotary table inside a vacuum container while the rotary table rotates and subsequently generating a reaction product by allowing the precursor gas adsorbed onto the substrate to react with a reaction gas, the film-forming apparatus comprising:
a main precursor gas supplier configured to supply the precursor gas;
a reaction gas supplier configured to supply the reaction gas;
at least one adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplier configured to supply an adjustment-purpose precursor gas to adjust an in-plane film thickness distribution of the thin film; and
a controller configured to output a control signal so as to execute a step of forming the thin film on the substrate using the main precursor gas supplier and the reaction gas supplier, and subsequently a step of supplying the adjustment-purpose precursor gas from the at least one adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplier to compensate for a film thickness of a portion having a relatively thin film thickness as compared to other portions in the thin film,
wherein the at least one adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplier includes:
a central-side gas supply passage connected to a plurality of central-side gas discharge ports;
a peripheral-side gas supply passage connected to a plurality of peripheral-side gas discharge ports; and
a source gas supply pipe connected to the central-side gas supply passage and the peripheral-side gas supply passage,

wherein a central-side valve and a peripheral-side valve are respectively installed in the central-side gas supply passage and the peripheral-side gas supply passage, and
wherein the controller is configured to open and close the central-side valve and the peripheral-side valve based on a rotational angle of the rotary table, and is configured to open the central-side valve and close the peripheral-side valve while the rotary table rotates through a range of rotational angles.

2. The film-forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the main precursor gas supplier is further configured to serve as the at least one adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplier.

3. The film-forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the rotary table is configured to revolve along a mounting surface,
wherein the main precursor gas supplier and the at least one adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplier are disposed apart from the reaction gas supplier in a revolution direction, and
wherein the controller is further configured to control a flow rate adjusting device so as to obtain a flow rate distribution of the precursor gas in accordance with a position of the substrate in the revolution direction.

4. The film-forming apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the at least one adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplier includes a plurality of adjustment-purpose precursor gas suppliers which are installed at positions separated from each other above the substrate in the revolution direction, and
wherein the plurality of adjustment-purpose precursor gas suppliers have different flow rate distributions of a gas discharged onto the substrate.

5. The film-forming apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the at least one adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplier includes a plurality of adjustment-purpose precursor gas suppliers which are installed at positions separated from each other above the substrate in the revolution direction, and
wherein the plurality of adjustment-purpose precursor gas suppliers have the same flow rate distribution of a gas discharged onto the substrate.

6. The film-forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to perform the step of supplying the adjustment-purpose precursor gas from the at least one adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplier based on a result of measurement of a film thickness distribution of the film corresponding to a type of the substrate.

7. The film-forming apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a film thickness measuring device configured to measure a film thickness distribution of the thin film formed in the step of generating the thin film,
wherein the controller is configured to execute the step of supplying the adjustment-purpose precursor gas from the at least one adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplier based on a result measured by the film thickness measuring device.

8. The film-forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the precursor gas supplied from the main precursor gas supplier and the adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplied from the at least one adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplier are identical to each other.

9. The film-forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to open and close the central-side valve and the peripheral-side valve independently such that the adjustment-purpose precursor gas is supplied independently from the plurality of central-side gas discharge ports and the plurality of peripheral-side gas discharge ports.

10. A film-forming apparatus for forming a thin film by repeating a cycle a plurality of times, the cycle including supplying and adsorbing a precursor gas onto a substrate mounted on a rotary table inside a vacuum container while the rotary table rotates and subsequently generating a reaction product by allowing the precursor gas adsorbed onto the substrate to react with a reaction gas, the film-forming apparatus comprising:
a main precursor gas supplier configured to supply the precursor gas;
a reaction gas supplier configured to supply the reaction gas;
at least one adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplier configured to supply an adjustment-purpose precursor gas to adjust an in-plane film thickness distribution of the thin film; and
a controller configured to output a control signal so as to execute a step of forming the thin film on the substrate using the main precursor gas supplier and the reaction gas supplier, and subsequently a step of supplying the adjustment-purpose precursor gas from the at least one adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplier to compensate for a film thickness of a portion having a relatively thin film thickness as compared to other portions in the thin film,
wherein the at least one adjustment-purpose precursor gas supplier includes:
a central-side gas supply passage connected to a plurality of central-side gas discharge ports;
a peripheral-side gas supply passage connected to a plurality of peripheral-side gas discharge ports; and
a source gas supply pipe connected to the central-side gas supply passage and the peripheral-side gas supply passage,

wherein a central-side valve and a peripheral-side valve are respectively installed in the central-side gas supply passage and the peripheral-side gas supply passage, and
wherein the controller is configured to open and close the central-side valve and the peripheral-side valve based on a rotational angle of the rotary table, and is configured to close the central-side valve and open the peripheral-side valve while the rotary table rotates through a range of rotational angles.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Honma Manabu
• Nakasato Yuka

Classifications

• H10P14/69433

  the material being a silicon nitride not containing oxygen, e.g. SixNy or SixByNz · CPC title

• H10P14/6682

  the compound being a silane, e.g. disilane, methylsilane or chlorosilane · CPC title

• H10P14/6339

  deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE or pulsed CVD · CPC title

• H10P14/6336

  in the presence of a plasma [PECVD] · CPC title

• C23C16/45534

  Use of auxiliary reactants other than used for contributing to the composition of the main film, e.g. catalysts, activators or scavengers · CPC title