Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11527404-B2
Application number	US-202016818491-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2020
Priority date	Mar 15, 2019
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus includes: a processing container; a stage provided inside the processing container to place a substrate thereon; a gas supply mechanism for supplying a processing gas into the processing container; and at least three ultraviolet light sources provided to irradiate the processing gas inside the processing container with ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet light sources are provided to be offset from a rotation axis of the stage in a plan view, and are arranged in a light source arrangement direction with distances from the ultraviolet light sources to the rotation axis being different from one another. The ultraviolet light sources include first to third ultraviolet light source. The third ultraviolet light source is arranged such that distances L1, L2, and L3 from the first to third ultraviolet light sources, respectively, to the rotation axis in a plan view satisfies a relationship of L1<L3<L2.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:
a processing container in which the substrate is accommodated;
a stage provided inside the processing container, and configured to place the substrate thereon and rotate about a rotation axis thereof;
a gas supply mechanism configured to supply a processing gas containing an oxygen gas into the processing container; and
at least three ultraviolet light sources provided in an area that faces a placement surface of the stage on which the substrate is placed, and configured to irradiate the oxygen gas inside the processing container with ultraviolet rays to form an oxide film on the substrate,
wherein irradiation intensities of the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the at least three ultraviolet light sources are the same,
wherein the at least three ultraviolet light sources are provided to be offset from the rotation axis of the stage in a plan view, and are arranged in a light source arrangement direction that is a predetermined direction parallel to the placement surface of the stage in a plan view with distances from the at least three ultraviolet light sources to the rotation axis of the stage being different from one another,
wherein the at least three ultraviolet light sources include a first ultraviolet light source disposed closest to the rotation axis of the stage in a plan view, a second ultraviolet light source disposed at an outermost position in a plan view and arranged near a peripheral edge of the stage, and a third ultraviolet light source other than the first and second ultraviolet light sources, and
wherein the third ultraviolet light source is arranged such that distances L1, L2, and L3 from the first ultraviolet light source, the second ultraviolet light source, and the third ultraviolet light source, respectively, to the rotation axis of the stage in a plan view satisfies a relationship of L1<L3<L2.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the distances from the at least three ultraviolet light sources to the placement surface of the stage are equal to one another.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the at least three ultraviolet light sources are arranged at regular intervals in the light source arrangement direction.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein each of the first ultraviolet light source, the second ultraviolet light source, and the third ultraviolet light source is a single light source.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein, when an origin in the light source arrangement direction is the rotation axis of the stage, the first ultraviolet light source and the second ultraviolet light source are located on a positive side with respect to the origin in the light source arrangement direction, and the third ultraviolet light source is located on a negative side with respect to the origin in the light source arrangement direction.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first ultraviolet light source, the second ultraviolet light source, and the third ultraviolet light source are arranged so as to satisfy a relationship of L3+L1=L2−L1.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the substrate has a diameter of 300 mm, and the distance L1, the distance L2, and the distance L3 are 35 mm, 175 mm, and 105 mm, respectively.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the at least three ultraviolet light sources are provided outside the processing container, and
wherein the processing container includes optical windows configured to transmit the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the at least three ultraviolet light sources.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:
a gas cooling mechanism configured to cool down at least one of the at least three ultraviolet light sources and the optical windows using a cooling gas.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein ozone generated outside the processing container by the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the at least three ultraviolet light sources is discharged by the cooling gas.

11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:
a liquid cooling mechanism configured to cool down the optical windows provided respectively to the at least three ultraviolet light sources using a cooling liquid,
wherein the liquid cooling mechanism cools down all the optical windows provided respectively to the at least three ultraviolet light sources using a single flow path through which the cooling liquid flows.

12. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising:
a radical supply mechanism configured to supply radicals to the oxide film which is formed by radicals generated when the processing gas supplied into the processing container absorbs the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet light source.

13. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least three ultraviolet light sources are arranged at regular intervals in the light source arrangement direction.

14. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first ultraviolet light source, the second ultraviolet light source, and the third ultraviolet light source is a single light source.

15. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first ultraviolet light source, the second ultraviolet light source, and the third ultraviolet light source are arranged so as to satisfy a relationship of L3+L1=L2−L1.

16. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least three ultraviolet light sources are provided outside the processing container, and
wherein the processing container includes optical windows configured to transmit the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the at least three ultraviolet light sources.

17. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising:
a liquid cooling mechanism configured to cool down the optical windows provided respectively to the at least three ultraviolet light sources using a cooling liquid,
wherein the liquid cooling mechanism cools down all the optical windows provided respectively to the at least three ultraviolet light sources using a single flow path through which the cooling liquid flows.

18. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a radical supply mechanism configured to supply radicals to the oxide film which is formed by radicals generated when the processing gas supplied into the processing container absorbs the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet light sources.

19. A method of processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus,
wherein the substrate processing apparatus includes:
a processing container in which the substrate is accommodated;
a stage provided inside the processing container, and configured to place the substrate thereon and rotate about a rotation axis thereof; and
at least three ultraviolet light sources provided in an area that faces a placement surface of the stage on which the substrate is placed, and configured to irradiate a processing gas inside the processing container with ultraviolet rays,
wherein irradiation intensities of the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the at least three ultraviolet light sources are the same,
wherein the at least three ultraviolet light sources are provided to be offset from the rotation axis of the stage in a plan view, and are arranged in a light source arrangement

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Saitou Tetsuya
• Kamio Takashi
• Yamazaki Kazuyoshi
• Fushimi Naoshige

Classifications

• H10P72/0436 Primary

  mainly by radiation · CPC title

• H10P14/69215

  the material being a silicon oxide, e.g. SiO2 · CPC title

• H10P14/6322

  Formation by thermal treatments (formation by plasma treatment H10P14/6319) · CPC title

• H10P14/6319

  Formation by plasma treatments, e.g. plasma oxidation of the substrate · CPC title

• H10P14/6318 Primary

  Formation by simultaneous oxidation and nitridation · CPC title