Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016289831-A1
Application number	US-201415038672-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 10, 2014
Priority date	Jan 3, 2014
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus includes a lower chamber having an opened upper side, an upper chamber opening or closing the upper side of the lower chamber, the upper chamber defining an inner space, in which a process is performed on a substrate, together with the lower chamber, a showerhead disposed on a lower portion of the upper chamber to supply a reaction gas toward the inner space, wherein a buffer space is defined between the showerhead and the upper chamber, a partition member disposed in the buffer space to partition the buffer space into a plurality of diffusion regions, and a plurality of gas supply ports disposed in the upper chamber to supply the reaction gas toward each of the diffusion regions.

First claim

1 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a lower chamber having an opened upper side; an upper chamber opening or closing the upper side of the lower chamber, the upper chamber defining an inner space, in which a process is performed on a substrate, together with the lower chamber; a showerhead disposed on a lower portion of the upper chamber to supply a reaction gas toward the inner space, wherein a buffer space is defined between the showerhead and the upper chamber; a partition member disposed in the buffer space to partition the buffer space into a plurality of diffusion regions; and a plurality of gas supply ports disposed in the upper chamber to supply the reaction gas toward each of the diffusion regions.

2 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the diffusion region comprises a central region and a plurality of edge regions, and
the partition member comprises: an inner partition member disposed on a circumference of the central region of the diffusion region so as to be partitioned into the central region defined in the inside thereof and the edge regions defined in the outside thereof; and a plurality of connection members connected to the outside of the inner partition member to block the edge regions against each other.

3 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of gas supply ports are connected to the edge regions, respectively.

4 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the diffusion region comprises a central region, a plurality of intermediate regions, and a plurality of edge regions, and
the partition member comprises: an inner partition member disposed on a circumference of the central region of the diffusion region so as to be partitioned into the central region defined in the inside thereof and the intermediate regions defined in the outside thereof; a plurality of inner connection members connected to an outside of the inner partition member to block the intermediate regions against each other; an outer partition member spaced apart from a circumference of the inner partition member so as to be partitioned into the intermediate regions defined inside thereof and the edge regions defined outside thereof; and a plurality of outer connection members connected to the outside of the outer partition member to block the edge regions against each other.

5 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of gas supply ports are connected to the edge regions and the intermediate regions, respectively.

6 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of gas supply lines each of which is connected to the gas supply port to supply the reaction gas; a plurality of flow rate adjustors each of which opens or closes the gas supply line; and a controller connected to the flow rate adjustor to adjust an amount of supplied reaction gas through the gas supply line.

7 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the controller controls the flow rate adjustors so that a supply amount of reaction gas supplied to one of the gas supply lines is different from that of reaction gas supplied to the other of the gas supply lines.

8 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the partition member is spaced apart from a bottom surface of the buffer space.

9 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a susceptor disposed in the inner space and on which the substrate is placed; an exhaust ring spaced apart from the lower chamber along a sidewall of the lower chamber, the exhaust ring having a plurality of exhaust holes defined above the susceptor; and a support member fixed to the sidewall of the lower chamber to support the exhaust ring, wherein an exhaust space is defined between the sidewall of the lower chamber and the exhaust ring to communicate with an exhaust port disposed in the sidewall of the lower chamber.

10 . A substrate processing method for processing a substrate by using a showerhead disposed in an inner space of a chamber and having a buffer space in which a reaction gas supplied from the outside is diffused, the substrate processing method comprising:
partitioning the buffer space into a plurality of diffusion regions to adjust a supply amount of reaction gas so that an amount of reaction gas supplied into one of the diffusion regions is different from that of reaction gas supplied into the other of the diffusion regions, wherein an area of the substrate corresponding to one of the diffusion regions and an area of the substrate corresponding to the other of the diffusion regions have different degrees of processing.

11 . The substrate processing method of claim 10 , wherein the buffer space has a central region defined in a central portion of the showerhead and an edge region defined around the central region.

Assignees

• Eugene Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Je Sung-Tae
• Jang Gil Sun
• Yun Chang-Hoon
• Kim Kyong-Hun

Classifications

• C23C16/52

  Controlling or regulating the coating process {(C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence)} · CPC title

• C23C16/45565 Primary

  Shower nozzles · CPC title

• C23C16/4412

  Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps · CPC title

• C23C16/458

  characterised by the method used for supporting substrates in the reaction chamber · CPC title