Film deposition apparatus and film deposition method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12359302-B2
Application number	US-202318350179-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2023
Priority date	Aug 17, 2022
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

A film deposition apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a rotary table in the vacuum chamber, and configured to mount multiple substrates along a circumferential direction, a first processing region, a separation region, and a second processing region provided in this order from an upstream side to a downstream side in a rotation direction of the rotary table. A separation gas supply and a third exhaust port are provided in the separation region. The separation gas supply supplies a separation gas to separate a first process gas supplied to the first processing region and a second process gas supplied to the second processing region. The third exhaust port exhausts the separation gas supplied to the separation region. The separation gas supply includes first and second discharge ports provided such that the third exhaust port is between the first and second discharge ports in the circumferential direction of the rotary table.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A film deposition apparatus comprising:
a vacuum chamber;
a rotary table provided in the vacuum chamber, and configured to mount a plurality of substrates along a circumferential direction; and
a first processing region, a separation region, and a second processing region provided in this order from an upstream side to a downstream side in a rotation direction of the rotary table,
wherein a first process gas supply and a first exhaust port are provided in the first processing region, the first process gas supply being configured to supply a first process gas to the substrates, and the first exhaust port being configured to exhaust the first process gas supplied to the substrates,
wherein a second process gas supply and a second exhaust port are provided in the second processing region, the second process gas supply being configured to supply a second process gas to the substrates, the second exhaust port being configured to exhaust the second process gas supplied to the substrates,
wherein a separation gas supply and a third exhaust port are provided in the separation region, the separation gas supply being configured to supply a separation gas to separate the first process gas supplied to the first processing region and the second process gas supplied to the second processing region from each other, and the third exhaust port being configured to exhaust the separation gas supplied to the separation region,
wherein the separation gas supply includes a first discharge port and a second discharge port provided such that the third exhaust port is interposed between the first discharge port and the second discharge port in the circumferential direction of the rotary table, and the separation gas is discharged from the first discharge port and the second discharge port,
wherein the first discharge port, the third exhaust port, and the second discharge port are provided in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary table,
wherein an exhaust conductance from the first discharge port to the third exhaust port is less than an exhaust conductance from the first discharge port to a first end of the separation region, the first end being close to the first processing region, and
wherein an exhaust conductance from the second discharge port to the third exhaust port is less than an exhaust conductance from the second discharge port to a second end of the separation region, the second end being close to the second processing region.

2. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a pressure at a position where the third exhaust port is provided is lower than a pressure in the first processing region and a pressure in the second processing region.

3. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the separation gas supply further includes a third discharge port, a fourth discharge port, and a supply controller,
wherein the third discharge port is provided between the first discharge port and the third exhaust port in the circumferential direction of the rotary table, and the separation gas is discharged though the third discharge port,
wherein the fourth discharge port is provided between the third exhaust port and the second discharge port in the circumferential direction of the rotary table, and the separation gas is discharged from the fourth discharge port, and
wherein the supply controller is configured to control the supplying and stopping of the separation gas to be discharged from the first discharge port, the second discharge port, the third discharge port, and the fourth discharge port.

4. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an exhaust path is connected to the third exhaust port, and an exhaust controller is provided in the exhaust path, the exhaust controller being configured to control an exhaust speed of the separation gas being exhausted from the third exhaust port.

5. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the third exhaust port has a rectangular shape extending along a radial direction of the rotary table in plan view.

6. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the first processing region is an adsorption region where a source gas is adsorbed on each of the substrates, and
wherein the second processing region is an oxidation region where the source gas adsorbed on each of the substrates is oxidized or a nitridation region where the source gas adsorbed on each of the substrates is nitrided.

7. The film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the second processing region is an adsorption region where a source gas is adsorbed on each of the substrates, and
wherein the first processing region is an oxidation region where the source gas adsorbed on each of the substrates is oxidized or a nitridation region where the source gas adsorbed on each of the substrates is nitrided.

8. A film deposition method of depositing a film on a substrate mounted on a rotary table in a film deposition apparatus including:
a vacuum chamber;
the rotary table provided in the vacuum chamber, and configured to mount a plurality of substrates along a circumferential direction; and
a first processing region, a separation region, and a second processing region provided in this order from an upstream side to a downstream side in a rotation direction of the rotary table,
wherein a first process gas supply and a first exhaust port are provided in the first processing region, the first process gas supply being configured to supply a first process gas to the substrate, and the first exhaust port being configured to exhaust the first process gas supplied to the substrate,
wherein a second process gas supply and a second exhaust port are provided in the second processing region, the second process gas supply being configured to supply a second process gas to the substrate, the second exhaust port being configured to exhaust the second process gas supplied to the substrate,
wherein a separation gas supply and a third exhaust port are provided in the separation region, the separation gas supply being configured to supply a separation gas to separate the first process gas supplied to the first processing region and the second process gas supplied to the second processing region from each other, and the third exhaust port being configured to exhaust the separation gas supplied to the separation region,
wherein the separation gas supply includes a first discharge port, a second discharge port, a third discharge port, a fourth discharge port, and a supply controller,
wherein the first discharge port and the second discharge port are provided such that the third exhaust port is interposed between the first discharge port and the second discharge port in the circumferential direction of the rotary table, and the separation gas is discharged from the first discharge port and the second discharge port,
wherein the third discharge port is provided between the first discharge port and the third exhaust port in the circumferential direction of the rotary table, and the separation gas is discharged from the third discharge port,
wherein the fourth discharge port is provided between the third exhaust port and the second discharge port in the circumferential direction of the rotary table, and the separation gas is discharged from the fourth discharge port,
wherein the supply controller is configured to control the supplying and stopping of the separation gas to be discharged from the first discharge port, the second discharge port, the third discharge port, and the fourth discharge port,
wherein the first discharge port, the third exhaust port, and the second discharge port are provided in thi

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Honma Manabu

Classifications

• C23C14/568

  Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations (C23C14/562 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C14/5853

  Oxidation · CPC title

• C23C14/586

  Nitriding · CPC title

• C23C14/54

  Controlling or regulating the coating process · CPC title

• C23C14/505

  for rotation of the substrates · CPC title