Substrate processing apparatus, method for manufacturing semiconductor device and computer-readable recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9340879-B2
Application number	US-201414491709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2014
Priority date	Mar 18, 2014
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

There is provided a substrate processing apparatus configured to process a substrate in a processing space by supplying a gas into the processing space through a shower head as a gas dispersion mechanism, including: a gas supply pipe connected to the shower head; a gas exhaust pipe connected to the shower head; and a cleaning gas supply system connected to the gas supply pipe and the gas exhaust pipe and configured to supply a cleaning gas into the shower head from both of the gas supply pipe and the gas exhaust pipe.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus configured to process a substrate in a processing space by supplying a gas into the processing space through a shower head as a gas dispersion mechanism, comprising:
a gas supply pipe connected to the shower head;
a gas exhaust pipe connected to the shower head;
a connection pipe for connecting the gas supply pipe and the gas exhaust pipe;
a processing gas supply system connected to the gas supply pipe on a more downstream side in the gas supplying direction than a connection part connecting to the connection pipe and the gas supply pipe and configured to supply a processing gas into the gas supply pipe for processing the substrate;
a cleaning gas supply system connected to the gas supply pipe and the gas exhaust configured to supply a cleaning gas into the shower head from both of the gas supply pipe and the gas exhaust pipe, and provided on a more upstream side in a gas supplying direction than a connection part connecting to the connection pipe and the gas supply pipe;
a first valve provided on a more downstream side in a gas exhaust direction of the gas exhaust pipe than a connection part connecting to the gas exhaust pipe and the connection pipe and configured to open and close a gas flow path of the gas exhaust pipe; and
a second valve provided on the connection pipe and configured to open and close a gas flow path of the connection pipe.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning gas supply system comprises a plasma unit configured to plasma excite the cleaning gas supplied into the gas supply pipe, and the connection pipe is connected to the gas supply pipe on more a downstream side in the gas supplying direction of the gas supply pipe than the plasma unit.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas exhaust pipe is formed so that a connection part connecting to the shower head has a ring shape surrounding an outer periphery of the gas supply pipe.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas exhaust pipe is configured so that a connection part connecting to the shower head is constituted of a plurality of pipelines so that the connection part connecting to the shower head is arranged around the gas supply pipe.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
a controller configured to control an operation of supplying the cleaning gas into the gas supply pipe by the cleaning gas supply system, an operation of opening and closing a gas flow path of the gas exhaust pipe by the first valve, and an operation of opening and closing a gas flow path of the connection pipe by the second valve,
wherein the controller is configured to close the second valve to thereby perform a first cleaning processing of supplying the cleaning gas from the cleaning gas supply system into the shower head from the gas supply pipe, and close the first valve and open the second valve to thereby perform a second cleaning processing of supplying the cleaning gas from the cleaning gas supply system into the shower head, from both of the gas supply pipe and the gas exhaust pipe.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to differentiate a frequency of executing the first cleaning processing and the second cleaning processing.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to perform the second cleaning processing when the first cleaning processing is performed for a specific number of times.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to start the second cleaning processing after the first cleaning processing is performed for a specific time.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to differentiate a flow rate of the cleaning gas supplied from the cleaning gas supply system, between a case of performing the first cleaning processing and a case of performing the second cleaning processing.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to adjust an opening degree when the second valve is opened.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to open the first valve by a specific opening degree, when the second cleaning processing is performed.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to set a flow rate of the cleaning gas in a case of performing the second cleaning processing to be larger than a flow rate of the cleaning gas in a case of performing the first cleaning processing.

Assignees

• Hitachi Int Electric Inc

Inventors

• Yahata Takashi

Classifications

• C23C16/45565

  Shower nozzles · CPC title

• C23C16/4405

  Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases · CPC title

• C23C16/4412

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

• C23C16/45561

  Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber · CPC title

• H01J37/3244

  Gas supply means · CPC title