Substrate processing device, manufacturing method for semiconductor device, and reaction tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12062546-B2
Application number	US-202117166256-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2021
Priority date	Sep 30, 2014
Publication date	Aug 13, 2024
Grant date	Aug 13, 2024

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate holding member configured to hold a plurality of substrates; a reaction tube configured to accommodate the substrate holding member and process the substrates; a processing gas supply system configured to supply a processing gas into the reaction tube; and an exhaust system configured to exhaust an internal atmosphere of the reaction tube. The reaction tube includes: a cylindrical portion; a gas supply area formed outside one side wall of the cylindrical portion and connected to the processing gas supply system; and a gas exhaust area formed outside the other side wall of the cylindrical portion opposed to the gas supply area and connected to the exhaust system. Each of the gas supply area and the gas exhaust area has an inner wall which partitions the interior of each of the gas supply area and the gas exhaust area into a plurality of spaces.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a substrate holder configured to hold a plurality of substrates, which are vertically arranged in multiple stages;
a process vessel configured to accommodate the substrate holder and process the substrates;
a first nozzle, a second nozzle, and a third nozzle, each of which elongates in a direction of arrangement of the plurality of substrates, includes a plurality of gas supply holes that are opened toward a gas exhaust area and correspond to the substrates, respectively, and is configured to supply a gas into the process vessel; and
an exhaust pipe configured to exhaust an internal atmosphere of the process vessel,
wherein the process vessel includes:
a cylindrical portion having an upper end that is closed and a lower end that is open;
a first convex portion protruding from a side wall of the cylindrical portion toward an outside of the side wall of the cylindrical portion and forming therein a gas supply area in which the first nozzle, the second nozzle and the third nozzle are disposed;
a second convex portion protruding from the side wall of the cylindrical portion at a position opposite a part of the gas supply area and forming therein the gas exhaust area;
a first boundary wall forming a boundary between the gas exhaust area and the cylindrical portion;
a second boundary wall forming a boundary between the gas supply area and the cylindrical portion, and including a plurality of first openings, a plurality of second openings, and a plurality of third openings; and
an exhaust port formed on a lower part of an outer wall of the second convex portion at a position opposite to the second nozzle and connected to the exhaust pipe,

wherein the first nozzle is configured to supply a first gas,
wherein the second nozzle is arranged between the first nozzle and the third nozzle, and is configured to supply a second gas,
wherein the first nozzle and the third nozzle are configured to supply an inert gas when the second nozzle supplies the second gas,
wherein the second gas and the first gas are supplied separately into the cylindrical portion,
wherein the first boundary wall includes exhaust openings formed to correspond to the substrates, respectively, and configured to exhaust the internal atmosphere of the cylindrical portion,
wherein the number of the plurality of first openings and the number of the plurality of third openings correspond to the number of the plurality of substrates in the direction of arrangement of the plurality of substrates,
wherein the plurality of gas supply holes of the first nozzle corresponds to the plurality of first openings, respectively,
wherein the plurality of gas supply holes of the second nozzle corresponds to the plurality of second openings, respectively, and is oriented to a center of the process vessel,
wherein the plurality of gas supply holes of the third nozzle corresponds to the plurality of third openings, respectively,
wherein the gas supply area is divided by two inner walls into three spaces,
wherein a second space of the three spaces fluidically communicates directly with the plurality of second openings, and
wherein a first space and a third space of the three spaces that are adjacent to the second space fluidically communicate directly with the plurality of first openings and the plurality of third openings, respectively.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of second openings is arranged between the plurality of first openings and the plurality of third openings,
wherein the second gas contains a silicon source gas, and the first gas contains NH 3 gas, and
wherein the second gas and the first gas are supplied alternately during processing of the substrates.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of gas supply holes of the second nozzle is positioned at centers of the plurality of second openings, respectively.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first openings, the plurality of second openings, or the plurality of third openings extend in a circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first openings is formed as slits at the boundary at a position facing the plurality of gas supply holes of the first nozzle, and
wherein heights and widths of the slits are larger than heights and widths of the plurality of gas supply holes of the first nozzle, respectively.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising two buffer regions formed respectively in two of the three spaces and above upper ends of nozzles, which are introduced to the two of the three spaces for supplying the first gas.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a buffer region formed in the gas supply area and above an upper end of the first nozzle.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an opening is formed at a lower end of the boundary between the gas supply area and the cylindrical portion.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein lengths of inner walls of the gas supply area are smaller than a length of the cylindrical portion and are larger than a length of the boundary between the gas supply area and the cylindrical portion.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to operate a cycle of:
supplying the second gas from the second nozzle by opening a second valve;
evacuating the second gas from the process vessel by a vacuum pump;
supplying the first gas from the first nozzle by opening a first valve; and
evacuating the first gas from the process vessel by the vacuum pump.

11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the upper end of the process vessel is closed by a flat wall body,
wherein a height of the gas supply area is the same as a height of the flat wall body, and
wherein an outer wall of the gas supply area and an outer wall of the gas exhaust area are formed in a concentric relationship with the cylindrical portion.

12. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first nozzle is connected to a first gas source and an inert gas source, the second nozzle is connected to a second gas source and an inert gas source, and the third nozzle is connected to an inert gas source.

13. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a substrate holder configured to hold a plurality of substrates;
a process vessel configured to accommodate the substrate holder and process the substrates;
a processing gas supply part configured to supply at least two kinds of processing gases into the process vessel; and
an exhaust part configured to exhaust an internal atmosphere of the process vessel,
wherein the process vessel includes:
a cylindrical portion having an upper end that is closed and a lower end that is open;
a gas supply area which is formed to protrude from a side wall of the cylindrical portion toward an outside of the side wall of the cylindrical portion and divided into a plurality of spaces, at least one of which faces to an exhaust opening; and
a gas exhaust area which is formed on and outside the side wall of the cylindrical portion at a position opposite a part of the gas supply area,
wherein the gas supply area includes:
a plurality of first openings formed at a boundary between a first space of the plurality of spaces and an inner space of the cylindrical portion, and configured to supply a first gas of the processing gases simultaneously to the respective s

Assignees

• Kokusai Electric Corp

Inventors

• Yoshida Hidenari
• Odake Shigeru
• Taniyama Tomoshi
• Nakada Takayuki

Classifications

• H10P72/0602

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0434

  mainly by convection · CPC title

• 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 Primary

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