Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11732357-B2
Application number	US-202016892766-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2020
Priority date	Jun 11, 2019
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

A substrate processing method in substrate processing apparatus comprises repeating cycle including: supplying source gas into process container causing the source gas to be adsorbed to substrate; exhausting excess source gas from the process container; supplying reaction gas into the process container causing the reaction gas to react with the source gas; and exhausting excess reaction gas, wherein at least one of a gap width between placement stage and member forming processing space between the member and the stage and degree of opening of pressure adjustment valve in at least one of the supplying the source gas and the supplying the reaction gas is smaller than at least one of a gap width between the stage and the member and the degree of opening of the pressure adjustment valve in at least one of the exhausting the excess source gas and the exhausting the excess reaction gas, respectively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing method in a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a process container including a placement stage configured to place a substrate thereon and be capable of moving up or down, a member configured to form a processing space between the member and the placement stage, a source gas supply configured to supply a source gas into the process container, a reaction gas supply configured to supply a reaction gas into the process container, and an exhauster including a pressure adjustment valve configured to be capable of adjusting a degree of opening thereof, and exhaust a gas in the process container, the method comprises repeating a cycle, the cycle including:
supplying the source gas into the process container causing the source gas to be adsorbed to the substrate;
exhausting excess source gas from the process container;
supplying the reaction gas into the process container causing the reaction gas to react with the source gas; and
exhausting excess reaction gas from the process container,
wherein the degree of opening of the pressure adjustment valve in the supplying the source gas into the process container causing the source gas to be adsorbed to the substrate and the supplying the reaction gas into the process container causing the reaction gas to react with the source gas is smaller than the degree of opening of the pressure adjustment valve in the exhausting the excess source gas from the process container and the exhausting the excess reaction gas from the process container, and
wherein a gap width between the placement stage and the member in the supplying the source gas into the process container causing the source gas to be adsorbed to the substrate and the supplying the reaction gas into the process container causing the reaction gas to react with the source gas is smaller than a gap width between the placement stage and the member in the exhausting the excess source gas from the process container and the exhausting the excess reaction gas from the process container.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the exhausting the excess source gas from the process container and the exhausting the excess reaction gas from the process container include reducing a pressure in the processing space to a pressure lower than a pressure in at least one of the supplying the source gas into the process container causing the source gas to be adsorbed to the substrate and the supplying the reaction gas into the process container causing the reaction gas to react with the source gas.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the substrate processing apparatus further comprises a carrier gas supply configured to supply a carrier gas, and
wherein the carrier gas is continuously supplied in the supplying the source gas into the process container causing the source gas to be adsorbed to the substrate, the exhausting the excess source gas from the process container, the supplying the reaction gas into the process container causing the reaction gas to react with the source gas, and the exhausting the excess reaction gas from the process container.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein a supply amount of the carrier gas in the reducing the pressure in the processing space is less than a supply amount of the carrier gas in at least one of the supplying the source gas into the process container causing the source gas to be adsorbed to the substrate and the supplying the reaction gas into the process container causing the reaction gas to react with the source gas.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein a supply amount of the carrier gas in the reducing the pressure in the processing space is equal to a supply amount of the carrier gas in at least one of the supplying the source gas into the process container causing the source gas to be adsorbed to the substrate and the supplying the reaction gas into the process container causing the reaction gas to react with the source gas.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein, in at least one of the exhausting the excess source gas from the process container and the exhausting the excess reaction gas from the process container, the reducing the pressure in the processing space is performed after supplying a purge gas and stopping the supply of the purge gas.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the substrate processing apparatus further comprises a carrier gas supply configured to supply a carrier gas, and
wherein the carrier gas is continuously supplied in the supplying the source gas into the process container causing the source gas to be adsorbed to the substrate, the exhausting the excess source gas from the process container, the supplying the reaction gas into the process container causing the reaction gas to react with the source gas, and the exhausting the excess reaction gas from the process container.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein a supply amount of the carrier gas in the reducing the pressure in the processing space is less than a supply amount of the carrier gas in at least one of the supplying the source gas into the process container causing the source gas to be adsorbed to the substrate and the supplying the reaction gas into the process container causing the reaction gas to react with the source gas.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the gap width between the placement stage and the member is controlled by moving up or down the placement stage.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the member is a shower plate facing the placement stage.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the shower plate includes an annular protrusion at a peripheral edge portion thereof,
wherein the placement stage includes a cover member at a peripheral edge portion thereof, and
wherein an annular gap width between a bottom surface of the annular protrusion and a top surface of the cover member in the supplying the source gas into the process container causing the source gas to be adsorbed to the substrate and the supplying the reaction gas into the process container causing the reaction gas to react with the source gas is smaller than an annular gap width between the bottom surface of the annular protrusion and the top surface of the cover member in the exhausting the excess source gas from the process container and the exhausting the excess reaction gas from the process container.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the gap width between the placement stage and the member in at least one of the supplying the source gas into the process container causing the source gas to be adsorbed to the substrate and the supplying the reaction gas into the process container causing the reaction gas to react with the source gas is 2.0 mm or less.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gap width between the placement stage and the member is controlled by moving up or down the placement stage.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the member is a shower plate facing the placement stage.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the shower plate includes an annular protrusion at a peripheral edge portion thereof,
wherein the placement stage includes a cover member at a peripheral edge portion thereof, and
wherein an annular gap width between a bottom surface of the annular protrusion and a top surface of the cover member in the supplying the source gas into the process container causing the source gas to be adsorbed to the substrate and the supplying the reaction gas into the process container causing the reaction gas to react with the source gas is smaller than an annular gap width between the bottom surface of the annular protrusion and the top surface of the cover member in the exhausting

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Takahashi Tsuyoshi
• Okada Mitsuhiro
• Fujii Yasushi
• Nunoshige Yu
• Kawasaki Shinji
• Kuwada Hirotaka
• Takagi Toshio

Classifications

• H10P14/40 Primary

  of conductive or resistive materials · CPC title

• H10P72/7612

  characterised by lifting arrangements, e.g. lift pins · CPC title

• H10P14/69394

  the material containing titanium, e.g. TiO2 · CPC title

• H10P14/6339 Primary

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

• C23C16/45544 Primary

  characterized by the apparatus · CPC title